Whether you are an advertiser that uses influencers in your marketing or an influencer who works with brands a new publication issued by the FTC is one you should read. It is called Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers. The publication is written for non-lawyers and summarizes the basics, namely explaining that if you endorse a
Confession time: I am a voracious reader. I love books that challenge us to think, explore, and expand. One of the best books I have read, and one that every business executive, marketer, brander, student, and, frankly, everyone must read is Jay Samit’s “Disrupt You!: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the
A few years ago, Bankrate.com did a story called Santa’s Net Worth and asked me to opine about that value. Bankrate Story. Bankrate.com figured that with all of the Santas at malls, on street corners for charities, at kids’ and office parties, in commercials, roaming casinos, and so on, Santa should be raking
Not unexpectedly, predictions for brands and social media in 2016 are coming our way. In its newest report, eMarketer is predicting that Facebook and Twitter will continue to be the leading social networks for marketers, but both it and SEO consulting agency White Hat Media are predicting rapid growth for Instagram now that it is
So here’s a basic rule: know your customers before trying to sell them. As the comment on this photo indicates, Walmart should have taken a minute to understand that people who celebrate Chanukah likely are not going to be shopping for boneless smoked ham, or any ham. It’s a classic example of (1) not paying
Brands love to tout their product benefits in advertising. The law allows for a certain amount of “flexibility” with the truth but there’s a line that can be and often is crossed. Stretching the truth is called “puffery” (as in “We’re the Best [fill in the blank],” which is permitted since consumers rarely if ever
One of the great brands, PLAYBOY, has decided to undergo some plastic surgery. Launched in 1953 featuring Marilyn Monroe on its cover and as its first Playmate, this iconic brand from its beginning redefined sexual culture and launched a national conversation, with us still today, about the roles of and interplay between men and women
Interbrand, a leading brand consulting agency, has released its latest annual report of the world’s most valuable brands. As a sign of our times, the top 6 winners are tech companies. Not surprisingly, for the third consecutive year, Apple took the top spot with Google in second. Apple’s value skyrocketed 43% over last year and
With so much attention on social media for brand marketing, you might be surprised to learn that the majority of companies are not relying on social for revenue, but instead for consumer engagement. In fact, recent studies show that social media budgets are still hovering around 10% of the total with most online budgets going
Not to be undone by other celebrity online retail stores, Stephen Colbert has announced his own new online brand, Covetton House. Actually, the brand is a satire of the celebrity online retail world, most of which has been a total failure. Colbert calls the Covetton House a “personal curateable lifestyle brand” which blends “classic Southern