a thought-provoking ramble on the state of life, clients and the universe at large
Socrates (or Sokrat in his starring movie role) challenged the conventional wisdom of his time with what we now call the Socratic method. But asking questions and engaging his audience to answer them ultimately got him killed. The leaders of Athens were angry because Socrates seemingly forced the questioned to follow through to a logical…
It seems the digital world has caught up with the sweatshops my late grandmother toiled in on New York’s Lower East Side in the early part of the last century. The only difference being that the consequences are more immediate… though just as harsh. This week, DNAinfo and Gothamist closed their doors after a vote…
Eight people were murdered by a terrorist in New York City, who in a choreographed attack copied from online forums, used a truck to mow down pedestrians at a time and place chosen to maximize destruction. At the same time, in Washington, DC, the so-called Tech Giants were testifying before a committee of the United…
Alexa, write my Ramble. Lol…didn’t even get an answer, just the ‘kerplunk’ sound. But Alexa did turn on my lights, give me news headlines, and is now playing my favorite background music for writing. Plus, we use the Echo Show in the kitchen to watch cooking videos and our 2-year-old granddaughter, Goldy, calls up her…
How do I transfer money or make payments? Let me count the ways: Venmo, PayPal, Google Wallet, Amazon Pay, and Skrill, not to mention credit cards and direct bank transactions. And occasionally even cash… remember that? Frankly, I am fascinated by the ever-growing variety of options. Yet I’m even more fascinated that many people don’t…
Every time I read yet another story about how the Russians managed to “throw” the U.S. Presidential Election with a $100,000 advertising budget on Facebook, I honestly burn with jealousy. In fact, I’d bet many marketers feel the same. I can only imagine the discussion in meetings, conference calls, and in confrontations at conferences: ‘Why…
Fake news, in all its glory, is once again permeating our social discourse. It inundates popular culture and confuses the hell out of all of us as we struggle to understand: What is fake, and can we stop it once we know? A thousand years from now, assuming humanity manages to hang on for another…
One by one, they disappear. High-profile lives and their many followers… suddenly gone. It could be the pilot for the latest mystery-infused TV series (in the all-screen, any platform or distribution sense). Perhaps it’s the plot of a star-studded summer movie blockbuster, or even a bestselling novel. Any guesses? And no, for a change, the…
“Facebook and Google have become unvarnished reflections of how humans behave on the internet.” So says Nick Statt in an insightful article I recommend, written for The Verge. The article deals with the latest PR hit to the social platforms: the ease by which anti-Semites and haters of all races, colors and creeds can be…
Question: What is a tech company? No doubt, if I asked you to name three tech companies, most of us, or even all of us, would include Amazon, Facebook and Google…not to mention Uber and Airbnb somewhere in the mix. Certainly, the financial analysts and industry pundits would—and do—include all of the above. As do…
What isn’t Branded? We Brand market segments, demographic identifiers, and, of course, generations. It’s hard to find blank space anywhere, isn’t it? Needless to say, the very mention of a Brand name conjures up images and associations that enable us to visualize, to value, to aspire, and to imagine experientially. Or—in the case of Brands…
It was the photo of a colony of Fire Ants balled together into a protective unit, floating amidst the debris and devastation of flooded Houston, that caused me to wonder about the notion of “nature vs. nature” and “technology vs. nature.” You see, these Fire Ants began evolving in Brazil, where wet conditions forced them…
What can marketers learn from the recent solar eclipse that so consumed so many of us in the United States last week? Here are some links that may offer a hint: Netflix US Hey, just wondering why 10% of you chose to watch a giant rock cover a giant ball of gas when I HAVE ALWAYS…
Neo-Nazis marched in the United States, leaving a young woman dead, while radical Islamic terrorists killed 13 people in Barcelona and left dozens more injured. Last week was a bad week for good people. It was a week where business leaders and social networks chose or felt forced to take stands. And it was the…
MILLENNIALS!!!! String Millennial mania with other Digibabble and you get requests like the following: We need to create viral immersive mobile experiences in a digital-first environment in order to reach the powerful, elusive, unreachable Millennials who are just so different from any other generation…anything we have ever seen. In the last week alone here is…
Brand Purpose has become a buzz phrase in our day, somehow associated with Millennials and linked to Digital and associated with increased profits and Brand power. Last week I shared my own growing skepticism and challenged the “conventional wisdom” at play. I leave it to you to form your own opinion but do hope you…
“Purpose-driven companies make more money, have more engaged employees and more loyal customers, and are even better at innovation and transformational change.” So said the Harvard Business Review in an article titled, “The Business Case for Purpose.” The Financial Times shares this perspective, arguing that companies with a purpose beyond profit tend to make more…
Why have we given up Marketing for Digitaling? When was the last time you heard someone demand Marketing First? Yet, I cannot count how many times I have heard the empty mantra of Digital First at conferences, as headlines in the trade press or as descriptors of the latest new, amazing, never-before-seen “agency model.” Cutting…
Obnoxious, obsessive, offensive. Addictive and compulsive. My wife, Debbie, berating me for my smartphone behavior. And on the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, I know that I’m not alone…nor is she. But those comments are about my personal behavior and usage habits. Not about the iPhone. She, as an iPhone user, would tell you how…
I know everything about you. My AI will use all that I know…everything and more…to enhance your experience with me…to create more meaningful interactions…more immersions…in short…to get you to buy more. What’s wrong with this picture? On the most elemental of levels…you don’t know everything…not even close, and simply from a PR point of view…
The attack was relentless. A terrorist outrage. Global. Seemingly without purpose other than to show crippling power. Most were victims of collateral damage, not purposeful hits. Frankly it was scary, humbling…at first…and then… Last week institutions around the globe were attacked by a deadly virus that insidiously wormed its way across the world, in mere…
Mr. Browne, a gentleman you don’t know but have probably seen, will be the key to the success of Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods and no doubt similar and future acquisitions of that sort as well. You see, even with all the data in the world…even with all the cloud-computing capacity that exists…even with the…