Understanding how your social campaign is performing requires a fine mix of data and interpretation, as many marketers know. But it’s not always as simple as that. A lot of brands are left asking, “What does all of this data mean to my social channels?” Social media firm 5Loom, which is owned by Council member…

The other day, while waiting for my plane to board, I was treated to a throaty remake of the Beatles classic “Penny Lane” running over the airport PA system. Didn’t catch the artist, but didn’t need to: The re-make, of very recent vintage, was decent, but it didn’t ring half as true to my forty-something…

Now that we’re back from the holidays and possibly planning time off for the year to come, it’s worth asking: Were your recent days away a true creative vacation? Common sense tells us that vacations provide a chance to clear our heads and refresh so that we can become more productive upon our return. Yet…

Innovation is under attack – no, not the actual practice of innovating. Government leaders, titans of industry and all manner of stakeholders in the public and private sector have been doubling down on the urgent need for innovation to deliver solutions that deliver lasting and meaningful impact. But the term innovation has steadily been under…

If it has become fashionable to assert that our nation’s future rests with innovation, business leaders are likewise looking to innovation as their companies’ chief source of competitive advantage going forward. Price Waterhouse Cooper’s annual CEO survey found that respondents are “placing a higher premium on innovation today,” showing special interest in the creation of…

I encountered my first white papers somewhere around 2002. I don’t remember what these documents were about, but I do remember why I took the time to read them. An ad agency had called asking if I could write a “white paper” for a major car brand that was their client. “Of course I can,”…

When’s the last time you attended a new business presentation, and a guy on the pitch team broke out into a hip-hop act? When’s the last time your boss paid you to learn how to perform stand-up comedy? When’s the last time your boss himself took the stage—and his jokes actually made you laugh –…

It was a Cannes Lions Festival like any other, only this year the name was changed to the Cannes International Festival of Creativity to better reflect the variety of disciplines that make up today’s marketing mix. All of the usual suspects were in attendance, ad agencies, digital shops, media buying firms and, according to event…

Creativity pays, which is why we all want that next great idea, that flash of brilliance that will delight clients and keep them coming back for more. What if I told you that a firm out there has devised a pathbreaking new tool, at relatively low cost, for harnessing some of the best young minds? …

We all understand that brand reputations and consumer perceptions are emotionally influenced. In fact, it is natural human behavior to make purchase decisions based on deeply rooted emotional needs. We often select one product over another based on how we “feel” about those brands. Therefore, to have your programs connect on an emotional level with…