Grendle the puppet reviews “YES! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive” by Robert Cialdini.

The episode of “Atop The Fourth Wall” that Grendle is talking about is the Mr T #2 comic book review

Altogether a fun and informative read. Do me and Grendle a favor and leave a comment on the Youtube page for this video (http://youtu.be/4bAXImHkJRI), because puppets love comments!

…And he gets double credit for being 33, my favorite number. The man, the myth, the legend has done it again. Abraham Harrison President Chris Abraham made the cut this week as one of Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers. Way to go! He’s in great company alongside Chris Brogan, President of Human Works and Gary Vaynerchuk– wine and video king. The list was compiled using PeekYou’s social pull metrics, a handy tool measuring the number of people in your secondary networks. Check out the whole list and let us know who else you think you have made the cut.

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So many marketing professionals are already trying to redefine social media for the coming year. Will Facebook and Twitter maintain their clout or will smaller start-ups sneak up from behind? Is it time to pull a “Myspace” on Foursquare and LinkedIn? Something to ponder over the weekend. Thanks to Josef Ohlsson Collentine for sourcing this infographic.

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A group of public interest organizations has endorsed the FTC‘s proposal to protect children from unauthorized online tracking. These groups include the Center for Digital Democracy, the World Privacy Forum and the Benton Foundation. They’re supporting updates to COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Ultimate goal? Curb the usage of cookies and tracking mechanisms that solely target those under eighteen.

The Center for Digital Democracy recently released a study showing that a whopping 81 percent of Websites targeted to kids use some form of tracking. It’s often for advertising purposes, and utilized for behavioral tracking.  A second analysis showed that these sites are failing to properly explain how and why this information is being collected.

“These findings demonstrate that children’s privacy is not being taken seriously by many of the leading U.S. online content providers targeted at young people”

“Given children’s limited cognitive abilities and the sophisticated nature of contemporary digital marketing and data collection, strong arguments can be made that behavioral targeting is an inappropriate, unfair and deceptive practice when used to influence children under 13”

-Collected comments from groups involved in discussion on Friday

Congress will likely tackle these ideas when consumer privacy legislation is discussed next year. In the meantime, what are your thoughts? I think child safety is of the utmost importance, and it’s important to know what kids are doing online for their safety’s sake, but if Websites aren’t being transparent about their goals, then two thumbs down.

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Not the first occupation that comes to mind, but lawyers are finally jumping on the social media train. They’re doing it slowly and with caution but a full 77% of firms polled have a social media presence. Thanks Mediabistro and AllTwitter for an eye-opening infographic:

Twitter is like a cocktail party. Everyone is wearing badges stating their opinions. You can interact with whoever you please. You can stand in a giant circle of similar interests. You can branch off and start your own conversation. You can look smart on Twitter, you can look stupid on Twitter. You just have to take advantage of Twitter.

“Relationships are the non-measurable event,” says Chris Brogan in his latest post about how measuring success using social media isn’t always as straightforward as we would hope. Right you are Mr. Brogan and here are my biggest takeaways from your article. The piece in its entirety, is definitely worth a gander. Especially if you’re a fan of salty, dried sausage…

The best salespeople keep relationships “warm” or relevant. Keeping up with influencers and networking on social media is EASIER, so you should do it MORE. You should know exactly what your colleagues and peers are up to, what they promote, what their interests are. Then you can be the guiding light to up-and-coming businesses and professionals as you know exactly who’s who and what they’re doing with their lives. This is the biggest inspiration for co-op advertising and marketing– finding relationships that make sense. Know the local purveyor of the best wine you’ve ever tried in your life? Surely he or she would love to be put in contact with chocolate companies, with pasta companies, with olive companies, with travel companies. Symbiotic relationships that reach the right people. Brogan makes the excellent point that he frequently doesn’t need anything from the who’s-who of social media. It’s the difference between having a relationship, and valuing it.

Yes, in business, metrics are important. If you try and introduce a social media heavy marketing scheme to a client, he or she will wonder how Twitter will impact revenue. So don’t forget about it. Weigh equally the hard numbers and the “soft value” which will ultimately open more avenues.

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Imagine sitting in your college classroom and watching as 100 years of student presentations pass you by. First come the chalkboard and paper notes with the shaking voice of someone unused to speaking in public. The squeaky whiteboard and visual graphs arrive next alongside the slightly more confident person. One picture is worth a thousand words, after all.Then, the computer enters the scene with Powerpoint presentations, videos, and auditory aids.

Now, though, it appears another innovative student tool has made itself known. Tumblr, the site of micro-blogs, reflects the modernization of student aides everywhere. The teacher’s computer screen, which every classroom including those in high school have, enable students to effectively exhibit their information or projects for the rest of the audience.

However, due to the lack of professionalism in the blogs themselves unless done with intricacy and technical prowess, this same tool cannot be used as frequently in the work place.

But, as far as social media is concerned, Tumblr with its micro-blogs full of individual opinions can attract and produce a majority of brand names to be capitalized further through continued or frequent application. Students, as the future generation of working class, project the technological advancement as well as the practical uses of the Internet. Reflecting on the current and increasingly significant use of such social media sites, as Facebook and Twitter, it appears that companies are often only a step behind the more agile and adaptable age group, though the gap is now closing as the Internet discards any age differences and the older generation gives such thinking-outside-the-box more merit.

College students in general have always been practical, relishing in the differences between them and their parents or any other age bracket. The individuality and pursuit of knowledge (for the sake of this argument, we are ignoring the excessive amounts of drinking, sleeping in, and altogether unproductive side of this time in their lives) further demonstrates an attitude of adaptability yet ambition, which should be mirrored in the companies that target such audiences with brands, events, or merely information.

Tumblr with its technical as well as easy-to-use applications enables the exploratory growth of personality as well as additional information for social media uses. Its links to Facebook and Twitter contribute to the connecting web of information while maintaining its own separate unique platform as well as the ability to create micro-blogs, or mini-opinions that the users can attribute to whatever they so desire.

Blogs ranging from music to television to brand names can be scrolled and accustomed to the user and the audience, an attribute beneficial to companies as well. Tumblr’s customary yet innovative qualities allows it to exceed other blogging platforms and contains an enormous social media potential for any business looking to pursue their target audience in a more modernized fashion. College students give it a thumb’s up in the classroom; who’s to say the Tumblr won’t rock the corporate world as well?

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Both Eli Portnoy as the Brand Man, and the late Steve Jobs apparently agree that newspapers have potential in our culture still; the companies just aren’t taking advantage of it.

While the newspapers’ slow rise can be true, conglomerates willing, there is only so much they can do to inspire the public into once again taking up those inky pieces of paper filled with the world’s everyday events.

As technology has expanded and online news immediacy has simply degraded our nation’s attention span, it becomes harder and harder for more people to associate themselves with the news-by-paper, mostly due to the fact that it is one day late.

However, considering first of all, the consistent writing as well as the thorough facts investigated then presented which give us the full story of whatever happened the day before, newspapers remain as one of the most intellectual ways of taking in everyday information.

Consider any national event, either tragic or historic. After the news channel of FOX or CNN, the next best source of information is the newspaper. Blogs, as entertaining, opinionated, and oftentimes downright inspiring as they are, fail to grasp the cold hard facts that journalism, at least true journalism thrives upon. In this way, newspapers are being severely overlooked.

In contrast, while growing technology passed over the newspapers’ possibilities, these companies, following the progression of the Internet and its many portals, did not ignore the Web’s potential, further creating apps and websites for their regional or national outlets.

Leading newspaper brands, such as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times, contain sites of incredible high quality to capture the younger generation as well as retain those loyal followers who remember the days of day-late news with nostalgia and, at times, regret.

Similarly, for those who reminisce of breakfast shared over the previous day’s events, don’t panic. Newspapers, while in the decline, will not be disappearing anytime soon.

The fact is, with all of their efforts toward advertising and other sources of revenue, and despite recent losses in their readership, companies are making strides to reconnect with their followers, either through the Internet, the national news channels, or the simple local communities.

But, if newspapers want to stay in the business of shared information, things need to change. Young adults, short on both money and time, often won’t read the newspaper out of habit; Twitter, and Facebook as well as any other blogging site, hold more of their attention than some inky piece of recycled waste and the subscription cost alone often puts these fresh-faced business people off.

Yet to capture their attention or perhaps to follow the older generation’s satisfaction as well as retain it, newspapers should further combine their efforts into increasing their readership, through their Internet resources and websites as well as the ever-increasing technology.

Apps were the first way to go, cementing the ever-growing production and evolution of iPads and iPhones, but if they want to keep off this decline, newspaper companies have to learn that it’s not enough to share the news; you have to grow with it and the evolving technology is the first way to do that.

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The holidays are a time of giving and never before has it been so easy, not only through support but also through attention, thanks to social media.

The Tweet-Drive, a one-night tweet up hosted by Twitter to donate toys for the less fortunate, has now been joined by Social Media Club to be broadcasted worldwide just in time for this busy season of joy.

Their success last year has caused this particular charity event to become an annual occurrence. Abraham Harrison’s own earlier efforts this Thanksgiving with Miriam’s Kitchen to feed the poor, as well as several other charity opportunities, can be easily monitored and advertised with links to where money can be donated or where the viewers’ physical presence would be appreciated.

These are just one of many generous opportunities online, and what more can be asked for from the powers of social media? Sure, companies can use the Internet to further their consumer lists and advertise their products for more material interests. But the Web’s advantages work both ways, inspiring the charitable spirit even as the holiday sales come out.

Black Friday in particular marked the beginning of the holiday race off, with news on the latest store openings and blogs entertaining to the corruption of consumerism just in time to capture the attention of the common gift-giver.

But, with social media handing out advertising like candy, the red-clothed Santa Claus’ on the street corner in front of Macy’s are no longer needed to rake in the extra coins for charity, though both the advertising and charity go hand-in-hand like gift-wrapping and the big, red bow.

In fact, thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and a variety of other social launch pads, individual charities can be taken up as easily as one can go to his neighbor’s door. Entire communities are saved by online representation asking whatever generous spirit is out there for donations or hand-outs to help a good cause.

After all, who can deny that one tweet which simply asks for more toys in the children’s’ hospital, or the blog telling of an older gentlemen in need of some good holiday cheer?

However, a lot of long-standing charities for the holiday season fail to make themselves known online, lacking the resources, the time, or simply the effort. They don’t realize the opportunities available or the amount of interest that can accumulate simply through a 140-word post.

Because of that, a majority of viewers who would be happy to donate even a few dollars are lost to the overwhelming advertising evils of the holiday season.

Similarly, there is a distinct feel of skepticism over any charity events or monetary opportunities simply due to the notoriety of scams out there on the Net, which makes it harmful for the actual organizations to get any feedback.

But the key to recognizing the generous spirit of others merely comes from the quality of the tools they use. Twitter, Facebook, and other official social media sites are accessed in succession to ensure that such scams on the public are in fact denied or at least recognized right away.

Luckily, if that can be avoided and with the combined efforts of both online viewership and social media, charity organizations in this holiday season have a fighting chance against the overwhelming ads, the stores sales, and the consumer chaos; hopefully, in time for the recipients to enjoy a fully hospitable holiday.

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The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), aimed to combat online piracy against foreign websites, has created much controversy and debate over the past month. Proponents of the bill say it will protect intellectual property in the U.S. market, but Google and other tech giants say this is “Internet censorship,” which could depress investment.

“The solutions are draconian. There’s a bill that would require ISPs to remove URLs from the Web, which is also known as censorship last time I checked.”

-Google chairman Eric Schmidt

Introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Lamar Smith [R-TX] on Oct. 26, the bill would punish Web companies for hosting unauthorized copyrighted content, including music, movies and software.

Google and eight other Internet companies wrote a formal complaint to lawmakers on Nov. 15, expressing their concerns for SOPA.

Here is the list of the nine companies opposing the bill in the written statement:

• AOL Inc.
• eBay Inc.
• Facebook Inc.
• Google Inc.
• LinkedIn Corporation
• Mozilla Corp.
• Twitter, Inc.
• Yahoo! Inc.
• Zynga Game Network

Although these Web companies support the well-intentioned goals of the bill, they state “the bills as drafted would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities, private rights of action, and technology mandates that would require monitoring of web sites.”

In addition, they believe that if SOPA and the similar PROTECT IP Act pass, this would deter economic growth and job creation for the U.S.

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A former PR professor of mine helped circulate an awesome article on job seeking using social media. It can be found in it’s entirety at The 12 Most but here are some important take aways for recent grads and those entering the job market-

1. Engage in Twitter chats. The hashtag #jobhuntchat will always unearth fun opportunities and it’s a cool way to start conversations with those who probably have a lot of say in HR.
2. Take your resume to the next level, video style. Ensure that it’s concise and professional but show your creative side by personalizing a paper resume on YouTube.
3. Twitter search to fine tune your end goal. Search terms like “internship,” and “need job” and you’ll cut through a lot of unecessary malarky.
4. Be a standout fan on a company’s Facebook page. “Liking” a company page is a sure fire way to stay in the know about not just hiring opportunities but what the company is up to and what clients it is interacting with. Post prevalent and creative content on these pages, ensuring that you may stand out as a potential job candidate.
5. I know that social media sites are multiplying by the day but sites like About.me are awesome for keeping all your links and profiles concisely organized in one place. About.me ensures that you only have to add a short link to your resume as an outlet to your online presence.

If you’re interested in social media, you’re probably doing half these things anyway. Ensure that you stand out in the online realm by adding creativity to a professional presence.

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Courtesy of Business Insider

There does seem to be a wee disconnect between the two. You have a hot online commodity that’s very much rooted in the social media world and an industry that well, requires tangibility. However companies like Instagram are realizing that real-world businesses are going to be the key to success, while it’s becoming more and more evident that real-world companies need a social media footprint.

So in a sense– we have a match made in heaven. Brisk was one of the first companies to try it out, teaming up to bring 4,000 limited edition cans to SXSW. Lucky winners would see their Instagram shots on these limited edition cans in Austin this upcoming spring.

“In what was clearly a case of trying to reach the right kind of consumer rather than seducing the masses, Brisk has cultivated a fairly small following on Instagram — just around 500 followers.”

-Todd Wasserman

Starbucks of course had to follow suit. There have been more than 57,000 photos tagged #starbucks, since Instagram introduced hashtags to assist its marketing efforts in January. Starbucks also dominates Instagram in followers– a whopping 117,000.

“Photography plays such an important role in how we visually share Starbucks offerings and experiences. This will continue to be a great network to connect with our customers as it grows.”

-Alex Wheeler, VP of Global Marketing for Starbucks

Red Bull also jumped in. The brand has 67,000 followers on Instagram, followers who were the first to hear Coldplay jam at the new Red Bull Soundspace Studio at radio station KROQ in LA in October. Red Bull also launched a photo contest last month in Hawaii (tough scenery we’re talking here), when they challenged an Instagram user under the name @newyorkcity to a follower race.

• 5 Tips On Using Instagram To Delight Your Customers (fastcompany.com)
• Here’s How Instagram Can Make A Ton Of Money, And Do It Better Than Twitter (businessinsider.com)
• Instagram CEO Talks Advertising and Growth (adweek.com)
• Instagram: A Fun, Free Photography App For Your iPhone (paulstohler.com)
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An article concerning the endurance of content in the online social sphere brings up an interesting and altogether inspiring point of view concerning the longevity of topics circulated on the Web. We understand that social media can be used to introduce a variety of company brands, small businesses, and plain consumer interest to the public through a range of social platforms; however, for how long do they stay there? Even as these up-to-date companies are introduced to our ADD society today, where celebrity marriages last just under three months, and topics of conversation can jump between Libyan takeovers to the newest brand of Apple technology to Justin Bieber’s latest fling, most of the information received by the average Net viewer simply isn’t processed for a long period of time. That includes the company brands and the corporate comments; even the attempts to regulate and reform a consumer product merely dwell briefly on the precipice of Google’s newest Fresh Update, before falling back as the undertone to social marketing.

So how does one business remain or at least engage its social followers for long periods of time? That question answered in a recent blog titled “The Endurance Contest” contains the loaded information for companies to further develop their marketing scheme. One of the biggest problems with the endurance inquiry stems from the amount of content ciphered through the major social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Hootsuite, ect. Updates are made by the second and consist of any topic under the sun. To maximize the endurance of its marketing or consumer content, it is advisable for the company in question to understand the importance of social bookmarking, such as Reddit, StumbleUpon as well as Tumblr, in order to separate one’s company from the overwhelming sea of Facebook pages and Tweets.

To demonstrate the social bookmarks’ usefulness, first, answer a simple question: do you remember in biology class how certain organisms and chemicals have a specific half-life, which gauges their span of time on Earth? Social platform studies, specifically those done by StumbleUpon, have produced the same result regarding updated content. The statistics show that on the Web, Facebook updates have a half-life of 3.2 hours, Twitter has one of 2.8 hours, and StumbleUpon contains a half-life of roughly 400 hours. The reason behind such an insane variation is that social bookmarking sites focus more upon particular content and enable their users to retain most of the information, while the continuous stream of Facebook and Twitter updates force any important consumer data to the back burner of the platform.

Another tip for maximizing the endurance of media: small businesses should further contemplate the exact nuances of the platform they use in order to increase their content longevity. By effectively using the social sites and creating algorithms for particular posts or links, companies can further increase their online productivity with consumer interest. Similarly, corporate marketing encourages a variety of social traffic in parallel spheres by enabling their virtual content to remain at the forefront of social media. Endurance is the key to surviving any marathon and social media has proven that the race for online corporate marketing is only just beginning; why sprint when you’re ahead?

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Marketing online through a specific site involves three very important A’s: accessibility, attention, and attraction. Search engines are the starting point for most consumers, viewers, and readers online; in order to maximize the potential of your online marketing strategy, certain actions should be taken involving the connection between your site and search engines.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Google has come about stating that it is not in fact Spam. Basically, SEO means a process by which companies use a search engine to make sure their links, sites, or pages are in optimum position to get high quality and quantity responses.

Matt Cutts, one of the leading experts on Google’s stance toward web spam, produced a video on Search Engine Land to broadcast the best way for your link or site to attract attention through a search engine. First he states that a combination of right key words and accessibility makes sure that your pages are well represented. The right or specific key words pertains to the vernacular usage that would lead your potential consumers to your site; you should not be using ‘company jargon’ that not everyone else uses, because that would limit the amount of attention your web page receives.

By doing this, CEO’s and other viewers have the perfect ‘crawl-ability,’ or amount of ease by which Internet users can find your site.  The links on the site mixed with the quality of the search engine enable easy entry as well. By acknowledging such a profitable gateway, the marketing side gains an effortless entrance to a large amount of consumers looking for what they offer.

Mr. Cutts continues with his lecture, stating that Google and other large search engines as well uses site speed to contribute to its rankings on a web page. One could speed up your site by making sure that the highest quality of web access is available and that you have the proper URL. Several times, an invalid or indirect URL could lead to a faulty page and a worse experience for the viewer. However, by carefully considering the template, the colors, the graphics, and other more artful aspects of the web page, you add to the attraction and attention your site receives. All of these little techniques contribute to search engine optimization for your marketing site.

Why some consider SEO a problem? There is the possibility of overusing these techniques and taking away from the quality of Google’s or any other search engines results. However, usually that only happens when one company employ what Matt calls ‘black-hat’ tools which involve hacking, manipulating, and other illegal online activities. However, to remain in Google’s ‘white’ list while optimizing your search engine, just employ these SEO procedures to improve the quality of you site and increase the overall viewership. Easy Peasy, SEO queasy.

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Really, what’s in a name? Kellogg‘s, Hershey, Johnson&Johnson, these corporations, no matter their product or name, exist today as strong leading brands, intertwined to the vernacular language of a family. It is this type of intangible marketing of these companies that creates their success: the word of mouth, the blogs, the clients, the consumers. Those who don’t know them have been living in a cave, literally.

We, the public, recognize good quality by not only the popularity of the brand name but also its age, or rather its long-term success. Several of our mothers and grandmothers, fathers and brothers, used such products and in turn taught us to understand their value by their name. Only recently, in the science of marketing, financial strategists have discovered the connection between maintaining a strong ‘brand’ in the economic sphere, and increased financial success of the company in question.

In a recent study, the market measuring company known as CorpBrand identified this ‘link’ so to speak, between the profit of a strongly marketed corporate ‘brand’ and its validity/profitability. Their methodology dictates that strong corporate brands are underestimated in terms of potential profit, meaning that the face or product marketed by the company increases in relevance to the present and future finances.

To prove this new approach, CorpBrand tested several companies, all of which compared their marketing strategy as well as their steady authenticity to their financial gains. They came away realizing the importance and validity of the company’s intangible sphere.

Using the authenticity or ‘good name’ and the product of a company to further increase profitability, is the goal of any marketing strategy. But first, the company must gain that ‘good’ name in order for it to be of use. CorpBrand’s studies show that maintaining a ‘strong’ brand, one which promises only what it can deliver, increases the validity of the company and creates a completely new cash flow to be pursued, that intangible sphere by which most of us associate good products.

Marketers who support their business passionately know how to sell their brand; however, using manipulative means to create say a ‘false’ name could lead to decreased profit, and create irrevocable damage, if proven invalid.

This marketing strategy, created through that connection, merely highlights the importance of spreading the word about your company. They say any press is good press, and sometimes they’re right. But it’s important to remember that companies thrive through the promise established between the company, the product, and the consumers. Up until the last few decades, housewives, business men, and TV ads circulated the validity of a company through word of mouth. Nowadays, with the endless social circulation that is the Internet, a combination of bloggers, online consumers, critics, and marketers are responsible for the creation of a ‘brand’, virtual brands especially, and contribute to the overall increased profitability of any business.

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A recent review in the New York Times of Jeff Jarvis’ new book, Private Parts, brings to light the lingering doubts of what or what not to expose to the Internet. According to Jarvis, there still exists a group of people who fear the ‘change’ technology brings. Well, who doesn’t fear change?

We are creatures of habit; not everyone jumps right into the deep end of the public pool. However, Jarvis preaches of embracing a concept that he titles ‘publicness’. With this definition, it is understood that while several more personal aspects of a company should not be broadcasted, neither should they be denied.

Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Gaggle, and various other launch pads, make it nearly impossible to escape the ‘digital-always-connected’ world; Jarvis’ reasons that society will adapt, in the same way it always has, through a combination of integration and adaptation into normal everyday life, such as work and the personal sphere.

The Internet machine of social media and blogger’s galore though is evolving at a monumental rate. No one can predict the full effects it will have on our society in the future, from older to younger generations; there exist only guesses and estimations.

Because of this unknown factor and the Net’s increasing expansion, people of a more pessimistic nature say that the public and private sphere will no longer be separate. Jarvis disagrees; he believes that they never were separate. Public knowledge and private life depend upon one another. How does one define privacy anyway? Once something is shared on the Internet, isn’t it a free-for-all? Can something private even exist on the Internet? Sure there are locks, legalities, and security measures abound, but once it’s out there, there is always the chance of it going further, and limits have yet to be found when it comes to the Web’s ever growing boundaries.

In response to this growth, revealing personal aspects can promote honesty in both a company and social atmosphere therefore improving how we as both co-workers in this economy and fellow human beings interact. However, although it is better to be honest, there is the possibility of over-sharing.

Consider yourself on a first date. Would you reveal all the faults and flaws, the nasty little details about yourself, right away to the person sitting across from you? Or would you wait cautiously and interpret what should or should not be shared by gauging your audience? The same approach should be used on the Internet when a company is promoting itself. There is always the danger that one little smidgeon of info reveals too much for one group but too little for another. Like Jarvis says, in these modern times, the Internet and society mold one another; the only question left for companies now: Are you going to roll with the punches, or just go all the way?

Related articles

• One on One: Jeff Jarvis, Author of ‘Public Parts’ (bits.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Morozov on Jarvis: Is There a Point? (whimsley.typepad.com)
• Jeff Jarvis and Online Privacy (mbanks.typepad.com)
• Public Parts reviewed (buzzmachine.com)
• Is Privacy Overrated? (forbes.com)

Ever read the back of a shampoo bottle? “For best results, lather, rinse, and repeat.” Lather, rinse, and repeat. One could say the same thing for social media. Companies that are transitioning from paper to paper-less marketing realize that there is a multitude of ways to benefit from online advertising and they involve three easy steps.

Lather: To begin, information about a company should always be circulating and spreading using various launching social sites that are available. By accumulating a good profile on your company, this marketing strategy reaches out to, introduces, and connects with a mass of new customers, whether the targets are young or old. When gathering interest for these moneymakers, the company’s profitability increases simply by exposure and word-to-text processing. Social networks expose companies and introduce their possibilities to potential buyers in the most widespread way available. The Internet, with bloggers, articles, and news sites as well, is the perfect tool to do this, simply because the company’s information stretches outside its limited range, soaking up all the new customers and comparing other business strategies.

Rinse: After recognizing the need for online marketing and widening their network to the Internet, businesses, whether corporate or small-time, need to then target their specific audiences. Now, by cleansing the general aspects of the company and narrowing the marketing strategy, their clientele search can pull in more relevant customers, who are in need of what the companies provide. Bloggers who report on specific businesses using certain sites can have a limited amount of exposure to the masses, but if the companies know where to look, they can use bloggers to target their audiences and also increase their own authenticity, eliminating any doubt to their possible clientele.

Honesty is the best policy. Although companies want to control what is on the Internet in order to produce a better market, they can also use any critique from either customers or rival businesses, to improve their overall performance and increase profitability. On the BlogCritics Business site, an article describes the importance of companies listening to what’s on the Internet about them. Feedback from clientele is precious when a new or old company tries to walk down different avenues in their market. Therefore, it is increasingly important for businesses to take what their customers give, and show that they are being listened to, by acknowledging whatever problems are mentioned and adapting accordingly.

Repeat: Companies are always changing, either through their marketing strategy, their product, or their audience. Because of this, it is always necessary for companies to be both consistent and up-to-date on the Internet. We live in an ADD, immediate gratification age, one of the side effects of having the entire world of information at our fingertips. If a company is out-of-date even after joining the Internet’s ever-growing sphere, it promotes a certain lack of attention to the mass circulation of information, or clientele that exist there. To quote Mad-Eye Moody from the famous Harry Potter series (for those of you who have children), “Constant Vigilance!” should be the motto of companies whose marketing strategies promote social media on the Web. Reinforcement of the good qualities of a company and acknowledgement of any faults leads to an overall increase in profitability and a boost in the validity of the company, resulting in an altogether better business standard.

Related articles

• How to Cater Your Marketing Strategy to Different Social Networks (hubspot.com)
• 4 B2B Social Media & SEO Blunders to Avoid (toprankblog.com)
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• Is Social Media Killing Our Social Lives? (929dave.radio.com)
• Business insurance holders opting for social media? (premierlinedirect.co.uk)

Dan Reich over at Forbes has some great insight as to new reasons why all entrepreneurs should blog. Here’s my take on each one:

1. It’s your new resume. As long as its well-written and clearly displays your areas of interest and/or expertise, a blog can only serve as a positive supplement to any other CV materials.

2. It’s your new hiring tool. And vice-versa. Always check out potential employees and their online presences. No judgement– but if they’re the voice behind a marshmellow escort service, they may not be the best match for the digital media firm you’re applying for.

3. Network with new people. There’s a large difference between accepting everyone who sends a friend request your way and actually investigating those who you may similar interests with on blog sites, Twitter and LinkedIn. Look at past employment, look at mutual friends and look at content. Your blogs may complement each other and serve as perfect SEO tools to help one another out.

4. Turn messy ideas into neat ones. Use your blog as a blank canvas. Brainstorm, do story webs, do free writes and have your friends give input. Don’t put something out there, just to put it out there. Refine it, you’ll probably find hidden gems that you didn’t know you had up there to begin with.

5. Get some peace of mind. It’s relaxing! Grab a glass of Pinot, (over 21-er’s only, please *disclaimer*) and practice idea #4. There’s no more rewarding feeling than unleashing your ideas on a blank screen and seeing where they take you. You might just be the next Pete Cashmore, or even Chris Abraham! (And we all know how much he practices idea #4 :-))

7. Create your own PR machine. Your online presence is your biggest tool and your biggest weapon. This is an age where you are just as likely to succeed at a career of marketing yourself as you are marketing someone else. Read up on successful bloggers and see where their followers are coming from. Copying can sometimes be the most sincere form of flattery. Promote what you love, and the golden rule of blogging may just serve you in return.

8. Juice up your writing skills. Elementary, my dear. Mechanics will irk me until I’m 84 and probably can’t type anymore. (Hope not!) Have a free Sunday? Look at the history of your blog and how far your writing skills have come. You’ll be astounded!

9. Produce more, consume less. Marketing Conversation has an endless battle over this one. Quality versus quantity. You know the upshot– if you have something to say, say it and say it well!

Related articles

• 9 Reasons You Should Blog (danreich.com)
• 9 Reasons You Should Blog (salhajri.wordpress.com)
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• 5 Steps to Ensure Your Business Blog Isn’t Boring (hubspot.com)
• ROW80 Fourth check-in! (showard76.wordpress.com)
• 9 Reasons to Blog (bramhalluo.wordpress.com)
• How to Find New Clients via LinkedIn (xemion.com)
• ROW80 checking in for the 6th time! whoot! (showard76.wordpress.com)
• Happy Blogday: One Year of Blogging (thehrjuggler.wordpress.com)
• WordPress Bloggers: Why You Should Be On All 3 Major Social Networks (pressography.com)
• The Future of Hiring New Employees (danreich.com)
• Making sense of the Big 3 – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – Social Media for the Confused (bizcommunicator.wordpress.com)
• L4B 5: 6 More Ways to Power Lead Generation via LinkedIn (blogs4bytes.wordpress.com)
• LinkedIn Quiz: How Well Do You Know LinkedIn? (edmusesupon.wordpress.com)

Related articles

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• How to Find New Clients via LinkedIn (xemion.com)
• ROW80 checking in for the 6th time! whoot! (showard76.wordpress.com)
• Happy Blogday: One Year of Blogging (thehrjuggler.wordpress.com)
• WordPress Bloggers: Why You Should Be On All 3 Major Social Networks (pressography.com)
• The Future of Hiring New Employees (danreich.com)
• Making sense of the Big 3 – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – Social Media for the Confused (bizcommunicator.wordpress.com)
• L4B 5: 6 More Ways to Power Lead Generation via LinkedIn (blogs4bytes.wordpress.com)
• LinkedIn Quiz: How Well Do You Know LinkedIn? (edmusesupon.wordpress.com)

Earlier this week from an anonymous source…

“Facebook is being sued in multiple states for tracking its users even after they logged out of the service. All the lawsuits allege the company violated federal wiretap laws. The most recent lawsuit, filed by a Mississippi woman, says: ‘Leading up to September 23, 2011, Facebook tracked, collected, and stored its users’ wire or electronic communications, including but not limited to portions of their internet browsing history even when the users were not logged-in to Facebook. Plaintiff did not give consent or otherwise authorize Facebook to intercept, track, collect, and store her wire or electronic communications, including but not limited to her internet browsing history when not logged-in to Facebook.’”

Thanks Slashdot.

Related articles

• Facebook Sued For Violating Wiretap Laws (yro.slashdot.org)
• Facebook sued for allegedly violating US wiretap law (digitaltrends.com)
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• Facebook Sued for Tracking Users (abcnews.go.com)
• Facebook sued for violating wiretap laws with tracking cookies (zdnet.com)
• Facebook accused of violating US wiretap law (go.theregister.com)
• Facebook facing class action lawsuit from Kansas lawyer over tracking cookies (thenextweb.com)
• Did Facebook Illegally Wiretap 150 Million People? Maybe! Probably Not (abovethelaw.com)
• ‘Friend’ Accuses Facebook Of Violating Wiretap Laws (foxnews.com)
• Kan. man sues Facebook over privacy issues (sfgate.com)

WaveMetrix‘s latest social media report looks at new ways brands are interacting with consumers online, using a variety of specific case studies to showcase crowdsourcing approaches.

No social media strategy is finite and WaveMetrix also tackles strategies that risk social media backlash. Here are some main points:

1. Crowdsourcing via social media can get consumers involved, but needs to be linked to product
2. Brands should consider their original fanbase when re-branding or launching new goods via social media
3. Some social media content can backfire, by giving online users an opportunity to undermine the brand

I enjoyed reading WaveMetrix’ study and they picked some cool companies who have made it work and those who have not. One key campaign was Old Spice’s decision to recast Isaiah Mustafa as “the Old Spice guy.” Fans were not having it and luckily Old Spice was able to save face in an old-school “cook-off” style battle between prospective spokesmen. Another surprising brand that flopped in Q3? Nike. Nike’s launch of “expensive” new sneakers was shot down by its social media fanbase, instead of receiving the nostalgia that Nike had hoped for.

Companies that got it right? UNIQLO hit a home run with its “UNIQLOvers” initiative on Facebook. It’s unique approach of relying on select Facebook members achieved a positive impact and spread the brand love and recommendations successfully. 45% of UNIQLOvers recommend UNIQLO?s products and brands, more than double that of general consumers. Colgate’s Smile crowdsourcing generated positive brand buzz by encouraging Facebook fans to share personal experiences.

Takeaways from the study? Consumers want to feel needed, they want to feel appreciated. Companies that go the extra mile to regularly monitor their Facebooks and Twitters will always see the benefits. It’s a faster way to ensure all communication lines are open and that your most vital critics are having their concerns and opinions discussed. Thanks to WaveMetrix for taking a comprehensive look at an exciting quarter of social media and marketing.

Related articles

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• comScore Introduces Ad Metrix Social™ for Enhanced Visibility into Brands Leveraging the Social Side of Display Advertising (billhubbell.wordpress.com)
• comSore Names FamilyLink the #1 Growth Website in December (prweb.com)
• Social Media and Crowdsourcing: Cons (socialmediaclub.org)

The marketing age of consumers has varied for years between the younger generations to those conditioned baby boomers. A majority of social media has always been bent on at least the younger demographic; relatively those between the ages of 25-54 are considered the norm since the Internet’s attractive appeal has only been active for the last 2 decades or so.

After all, your grandmother isn’t one to spend numerous amounts of time on the Internet, right? Wrong! American companies that believe their marketing scheme, both online and off it, should pertain only to that younger demographic is missing a heap of important investors. According to a recent Nielsen survey, 58% of the population of the U.S. exists as the baby boomer generation, those who inhabit the age bracket after 55, and a majority of them have cash to burn and time to learn how to benefit from the Internet.

Similarly, this Nielsen statistic, spread by Cynopsis media, reveals that this aged community spends at least 85 minutes a day browsing the Internet, using it to get in touch with family and traveling friends, to buy new devices off Sharper image, or to simply read the news that they had missed the night before. That’s 85 minutes over half the population is online as potential consumers, absorbing every bit of information that is given.

Granted, that time is significantly lower than the younger generations; however, if one were to consider the fact that this older bracket controls most of the economy as well, with a combined spending worth of over $1.8 trillion, those precious minutes cannot be ignored. Increasingly, television shows and technological devices are now being geared toward that age group as well, with the realization that every passing day more and more of that population join the baby boom consumers.

This rise of the older generation online could claim equal responsibility for the amount of businesses and companies that are now investing serious time and effort into social media. In an article by Havas Media Company, reflecting the growth of social media in the UK, it states that 3 out of 4 CEO’s now agree to the importance of social media in their business. While new and innovative ideas from the youngsters that join the company have brought the online possibilities to the table, it’s the older and more experienced head honchos of corporate who make the appropriate marketing decisions. Oftentimes, the social media of a company is not run through a separate department but rather is internally controlled through a variety of developed and technologically adept workers.

Considering that the condition of the economy rather than age is now the factor of retirement, if this older generation wants to keep its spending worth, it would be best if they continue to adapt, and adapt quickly, with the advancement of both business and technology, especially if their company is adopting such a marketing plan involving social media. Baby boomers bounce back as often as any, and should be considered a significant contribution to the continual development of Internet-driven marketing. In essence, to quote anyone’s dad, Old Guys Rule!

Related articles

• Boomers Getting Social with Smartphones (slipperfits.wordpress.com)
• Whatcha Lookin’ At Grandma? (jendarois.wordpress.com)
• Social Media Marketing Class Helps Marketers and Business Owners Keep Up With Changes (prweb.com)
• Social Media for Restaurants (coverboom.com)
• Gates Circle Chooses APlus Net Solutions for Social Media Marketing (prweb.com)

Thanks to InsideViewBlog for reminding us how pertinent social media can be between companies. Us visual learners can celebrate Friday by examining which skyscraper on the social media skyline we take the most advantage of. Have a fantastic weekend Marketing Conversation readers!

Andy is the top Marketing Executive at Skeleton Productions, a corporate video production company based in the United Kingdom.  

Specialising in video marketing, Andy knows his way around a whole host of video and online strategies, targeting brands, businesses and blogs of all niches and sizes. His guest posts discuss a wide array of adoptable topical marketing strategies, from how to grow social media influences, video blogging set ups, quick SEO tips, Internet video hosting and everything in between.  

Admittedly it’s not easy to create videos that resemble Hollywood blockbusters on an everyday Webcam, but you can make impressive video content that is powerful enough to market successfully on the web. Such online videos can make sure you start to generate those high levels of website traffic, improved conversion rates and increased brand awareness so many organisations crave.Businesses, brands and bloggers alike are all rapidly turning to video blogging and Internet video as a resource for marketing their content and message. In the past creating such videos has been reserved for big corporate industries and global brands, but today individuals worldwide are creating effective videos using just a simple Webcam and their computer.

To help get you started creating effective Webcam videos I’ve outlined the five essential ways to make your Webcam video content as successful as possible.

1. Pick Your Location
A good location is essential to recording a great video. Decide whether you want your video to have the feel of an inviting desk-side chat, an engaging corporate business meeting or a casual, laid back living room gossip. Your location says a lot about your video before you even get started. You never want to record a video in a messy room or in a busy area with people walking in and out of shot, as recording in such locations can make your video fall flat from the very start.

Here are some good examples of the styles of background I’m talking about being used by an everyday blogger and a typical business:Business feel. Homely feel.

2. Check Your Lighting
Lighting in any video is very important. Webcam videos in particular are famous for struggling to deal with low light situations and natural sunlight. There’s nothing worse than recording a video to find out it’s been ruined by glares and reflections from your surroundings. If you’re recording has become disrupted by unwanted light or a lack of a light, there are ways to rectify it. The majority of good Webcams come with software, which allow you to adjust the contrast of your video, and many free editing tools in the likes of iMovie and Windows Movie Maker will allow you to correct the brightness in your video too.

In low light situations you can always make use of household lamps and lights to boost the brightness of your video, prior to recording. You’ll never need to go out and buy film standard fluorescent lighting rigs for your Webcam videos, in actuality you’d be surprised just how much difference every day household lights can make to your video.

If you’re still unsure about what constitutes bad lighting and good lighting here’s a few examples: Bad lighting. Good lighting.

3. Tackle Unwanted Sounds
Recording Webcam videos are easily susceptible to all sorts of unwanted ambient noises, from noisy pets to air conditioning hums. When you’re recording your video, be vigilant about the sounds in your environment. Turn off anything that could interrupt your filming, close all the nearby windows and keep all pets out of earshot. Do your best to mute all noises in the area as even your computer could give off disruptive sounds when you record your video. Unwanted noises will divert your audience’s attention away from what’s being discussed and it could even put of viewers from checking out your future content.

4. Keep Your Content Short & Simple
If there are two trends that occur time and time again in the Internet video world, it’s that so many video bloggers hit the record button on their Webcams and unleash a whole world of spiel at their unsuspecting audiences, while others waffle on and on to extremely disinterested viewers.

Internet video is largely so powerful and engaging to online audiences because it’s short and sweet. When you’re recording your Webcam videos try and keep them under the 5 minute mark, in fact keeping them under 2 minutes is absolutely perfect. We all know how distracting the Internet can be and keeping hold of an audience’s attention is always going to be challenge in itself.

Try to ensure your videos are not only short, but simple. If you’ve got a few topics to get across, make separate episodes rather than trying to cram it all into one over the top video. You can’t afford to ‘lose’ your audience in your videos and by over complicating them you’ll be on the fast track to receiving a low viewership for your video. When you keep videos simple you can get across your message clearly and effectively, which is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

5. Be Human
The best quality of video blogging and Webcam videos is that their one-to-one nature helps to showcase one individual communicating with another. Such videos put aside brands and corporate image and connect with one individual at a time. This is one of the fundamental reasons why video blogging and Webcam videos are so popular.

The viewers of these videos want to see a real person on screen, one human being communicating with another human being. So many video blogs are full of individuals trying to be ‘like’ someone else, or trying to come across as more important than they are. Don’t try to be anyone or anything other than yourself on camera, as audiences can tell with a staggering amount of ease when videos are genuine or not.

Present yourself as a human being, in a location that viewers can relate to, in clothes they recognise and communicate with them in a way they’ll understand. It’s hard to connect with the ‘everyman’ when you’re recording a video in a palace, talking about buying an island dressed in a £10,000 suit.

By following these five pointers you can begin to create effective and engaging video content on your everyday Webcam that you can use successfully in your next Internet marketing strategy. Whether you’re tackling social media or advertising a product, having great pieces of personable video content in your marketing arsenal that you can host on your website, blog or YouTube Channel will be a fantastic asset to have when it comes to connecting with future, prospective clients.

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Thanks socialmediatoday for a cool look at the different ways companies can take advantage of social media: 

The idea of marketing has definitely molded in the last few decades thanks to the Internet. Because of the variety of opportunities available, innovative companies are becoming more and more aware of the possibilities in terms of contacted clientele that the internet provides through various launch sites, bloggers, and, more frequently on the radar, journalists. They are the voice of the press; the men and women, through their educated and sometimes bias words as well as mass media output (believe or not, newspapers are still around), can make or break a company/idea depending on the amount of effort and interest in the original pitch.

In an article by Stuart Dredge of the UK’s Guardian, two editors were approached at a conference as representatives of their field to discuss the proper way to get your business ‘word’ out there through media, Internet or otherwise. For start-up companies and small time businesses, the best way to contact the journalists themselves is to keep the e-mail pitch straight and to the point, with no degrading, half-handed gimmicks on the side.

It is important to leave just enough detail intertwined in the message to catch their attention, but keep as many cards close to the chest as possible. Intrigue as well as professionalism keeps both eyes on the prize. Similarly, according to these experienced editors, the media is always interested about writing the ‘story,’ a narration that appeals to their audience, usually with a basic plot or “under-dog” ethic as the theme.

To attract and market the audience of these journalists is to begin with the background. Is there a story behind your product? Why did you develop your product? How did you find your niche or clientele? What makes your product and your company unique? These kinds of questions are asked genuinely to grasp the ideal of your ‘green’ business as well as give the public a view of your ‘face’ so to speak, whether through newspapers or social media.

To follow the initial contact e-mail is the revelation as well as introduction to the product itself. Reporters, according to these media minds, are frequently attracted to the enthusiasm of a company if it is transparent through their pitch. Such emotive responses coming from those who know the product well make the ‘story’ easier to write as well as gives the audience motivation to look deeper into the company.

It is necessary in turn for the prospective business to be prepared to know his product thoroughly and, if technology beyond the public understanding is involved, then be equipped to explain. It does neither the press nor the bloggers, and in consequence the readers, any good to write about a topic they don’t fully comprehend. Other ways of attracting the attention of the media is through competition, or upset in the corporate world, as well as inventions which aim to through off public knowledge.

It is important to remember the necessity of journalism in the hullabaloo of the corporate world. Public image is everything and these journalists as well as bloggers now control a much higher percentage of the prospective audience. They will be heard eventually, whether to defame or praise. It would be a good idea for any business trying to get its foot in the door, to devote a relative amount of effort into developing an understanding as well as appreciation for the field of reporting. Be very very cautious: these words have power, after all.

In the past, the primary advertising platforms were TV, radio and print. The problem with these platforms is that advertisers are only able to hone in on a broad demographic of people. Yes, daytime TV commercials advertise to stay at home moms and commercials on MTV cater to young adults. However, young adults consist of a large range of different people, whether they are men or women, who are 13 years old or 27. If you ask me, there is a big difference between the types of products a 13-year-old boy is going to buy compared to those of a 25-year-old woman.

Social Media is changing advertising, and quickly. With the addition of social media to advertising campaigns, brands are able to get their names out there, and to the exact person they want. Facebook and Google provide advertisers with all the information they need in order to advertise the perfect brand to you. Have you ever noticed how the ads on the right side of your facebook page seem to appeal to you, maybe more than the commercial for the sonic that is 50 miles away from where you live? That’s because facebook takes your gender, age, location, interests and everything else about you, and gives it to advertisers so they can create the ad that relates perfectly to you.

The other big appeal of online advertising is the fact that it’s actually measurable. Advertisers can measure the number of clicks, the number of views, the number of people who “like” the product, etc. Measuring these allows Media Planners and Social Media Specialists to calculate Click-through-rate, click-per-cost and click-per-lead ratios. With these results, clients are able to calculate a more accurate Return on Investment, making social media a valuable aspect of advertising. (Idea Industry, Brett Robbs and Deborah Morrison)

This is our advertising reality. There’s no need to create a one-size-fits all advertising campaign, when you can produce relevant advertisements to a specific target audience, if you wanted to you could even target a specific person. Advertising is changing and I don’t see it changing back any time soon.

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I should have done it yesterday, but honestly this guy deserves today. Here are 5 inspirational Steve Jobs quotes via Mashable that show how important it is to take advantage of life and everything it has to offer:

“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, with any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day like its your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and ever since then, for the last 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and everyone should be really excellent. Because this is our life.”

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”

Related articles

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I found out from Twitter. Only eighteen minutes after the fact, and already the onslaught of energy, those 65 and 15 who appreciated and mourned the loss of this technological giant was great.

Taken from us far too early at 56, Steve Jobs built and rebuilt Apple over the course of four decades. A visionary, a music maker, a Pied Piper of the computer world- he was someone who understood the passion of a project and the excitement of introducing the best next new thing.

Mashable mentioned that when Jobs introduced the iPad, he was smiling ear to ear. How could he not have been? His inventions continue to change and improve the way that we see the aesthetics of communication and the ways that we evolve our channels of social media. Steve Jobs if anything, has always had the best of the best of the show and tell.

He appreciated the people that built his industry; an industry that was always a dot…dot…dot. Experience was a neverending journey and Steve Jobs relished the opportunity to watch it occur. Never have I read of someone who appreciated his peers and colleagues so much. This man surrounded himself with those who loved the idea of learning and boy did it pay off.

Less than 24 hours after the unveiling of the iPhone 4s, Jobs’ death comes as a shock and a sorrowful affair. Let it be known that Cook and Jobs are two very different people. We will mourn the loss of a great leader and we will welcome with open arms what the next leg of the Apple voyage will bring. Given Jobs’ unequivocal support of Cook, I have no doubt that he will unleash great things yet to come, because he was inspired by such a visionary guy.

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If there’s one book on marketing you rush out to buy this fall, choose Brandwashed!

This is not a paid endorsement, merely the most creative and well-written look that I’ve seen at product placement, technology and the power that companies continue to have over consumers…ever. I’m trying to pitch it as a psychology class to my alma mater.

Did you know that you are first targeted by businesses at the age of 24 weeks? In the womb. The inspiration of Mr. Martin Lindstrom‘s latest is a Keeping up with the Joneses type experiment. A family moved into a wealthy Californian neighborhood with the intent of seeing at how concentrated peer pressure and product placement appeared to be and how well it worked. Because the publishing-company-created Morganson family was affluent, approachable and easy to respect, the result was that their peers and neighbors wanted to embody their purchase decisions. I reached out to Mr. Lindstrom about the development process of Brandwashed and his history in the marketing and advertising worlds.

You can’t have started much younger than this guy. As a kid he loved LEGO, (understatement, the man had a LEGO bed…actually I’m a little jealous and impressed by this) and was enamored by the idea of opening his own LEGOLAND. When visitors were a wee bit lacking the first day, Lindstrom decided to approach a local advertising agency for a sponsorship. His dedication to his craft must have been apparent; they accepted and 131 guests arrived the next day to see the newest branch of the LEGOLAND franchise. Unfortunately, guests 130 and 131 were representatives from LEGO who were none too happy with the situation. Regardless, enterprise and creativity were instilled in Lindstrom from an early age.

Lindstrom hopes that if readers take anything away from Brandwashed it will be the idea that we’re all Brandwashed. Here comes the psychology- “The more we think we’re immune the more brandwashed we are.”

In his journey to withdraw from the product/consumer frenzy, Lindstrom gave himself a goal. One year without brands. Nada. Toothpaste? Had to be generic, the kind you get on plains. Bananas, no Chiquita for you. Anything that subconsciously you would allude to with a store or brand reference, went out the door. When I asked Lindstrom which brand he missed the most? (And you’ll have to read Brandwashed to see if he was successful in his endeavor) Pepsi. Which interestingly enough, he’s since “quit.”

In reading Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy, I was more often surprised than not reading case study and statistics. Lindstrom shares the Carmex industry as a shocker — they infuse an addictive substance into the lip balm, creating a continuous need for the consumer to apply more. Naughty, naughty Carmex! Seeing as how the inspiration for the Morganson experiment was a recent movie, I asked if Lindstrom thought the movie was an accurate portrayal of brand placement. He agrees it was extremely accurate and a fair representation of sale increases due to word of mouth and consumer-to-consumer advertising. One product advertised by the Morganson family saw an increase in sales of over 1000%.

Unfortunately the future of brand placement, at least if you’re opposed to it, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Lindstrom believes the future holds a complete integration of editorial messages and commercial messages.

“It’s sad but true. It’s happening because the TV networks are struggling to retain attention around their programs (TIVO) so they need to integrate the commercial messages into their editorial work. We’ll also soon see plot placement where the entire story is about a brand (think about Master – the dog in a Chile TV show sponsored by the brand Master). Can we avoid it – no – but we can inform about – hence Brandwashed (this is a product placement – now you’re warned) ;-D”

Well then maybe Lindstrom’s upcoming goals are spot-on: educating companies. This coming week he’ll introduce the 10 new ethical guidelines for companies worldwide to adapt. He’s created these with the help of 2,100 consumers. His hopes? That he can persuade 10% of Fortune 500 companies.

“Word-of-mouth is the answer- both online and offline. It is very clear to me that our filter goes up when we’re exposed for advertising – lowering the effect that it has. The same is happening for product placement as we get more and more used to it. Next frontier will be word-of-mouth — and possibly contextual advertising — both online (which is happening in a big way on Facebook and elsewhere) and in the real bricks-and-mortar world (like contextual shopping carts etc).”

Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy

Related articles

• Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom (futurelab.net)
• Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom (neurosciencemarketing.com)
• Is Your Brand Evil? (neurosciencemarketing.com)
• Author Hopes His New Book Redraws Ethical Lines in Marketing (mediabistro.com)
• It’s the Product, Stupid (neurosciencemarketing.com)

In light of the importance of content, I thought I’d share a fun infographic that Social Reflexion came up with about the different effects that social media channels can have on each other.