Gene De Libero - Digital Marketing Strategist and Technologist

Links for May 19, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:31 +0000

How cloud, big data and mobile will make the CMO the BMOC — Tech News and Analysis
The rise of cloud and big data is altering business models, and in the process shifting corporate hierarchies, too. The chief marketing officer could be a big beneficiary of all this change.
Why Do Top Athletes Suddenly Develop “the Yips” – a Tendency to Choke under Pressure?: Scientific American
There is no clear explanation as to why pro athletes, who frequently encounter high-stakes moments, still choke under pressure. One suggested explanation is a neurological condition called focal dystonia that results in involuntary muscle contractions when performing a motor task and tends to affect a muscle group that is used frequently and repeatedly. The cause is unclear, but the contractions may involve abnormalities in neural communication.
8 Data-Based Tips for Optimizing Your Content on Pinterest and Instagram
Even though the two most popular social networks to emerge in the past few years (Instagram and Pinterest) revolve around visual content, there isn't much data about what content performs best on these platforms. Because Instagram and Pinterest revolve around visual (not textual) content and their APIs are difficult to access, it can be challenging to research these networks.
Why Is Facebook Blue? The Science Behind Colors In Marketing | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
Turns out, something as simple as tweaking the color of a button changes user behavior or endears people to your product. Buffer's Leo Widrich explains the importance of color in a website and brand design.

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Links for May 12, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:00:57 +0000

Better Stakeholder Interviews – Cognition: The blog of web design & development firm Happy Cog
Chris Cashdollar shares his approach to planning for and conducting stakeholder interviews.
Perspectives on Encrypted Media Extension Reaching First Public Working Draft – W3C Blog
The HTML Working Group has announced their decision to release a First Public Working Draft of the Encrypted Media Extension (EME) specification. A preliminary version of the document has been public for some time, prompting the Free Software Foundation and others to petition W3C not to publish this draft.
Back to the future: What if the ‘mass media’ era was just an accident of history? — paidContent
We are used to thinking of a “mass media” market made up of large newspapers and TV networks as the normal state of affairs in media, but what if that was just a historical anomaly?
Find the hidden patterns with YouTube’s new Analytics API – Google Developers Blog
Trying to figure out how YouTube’s one billion monthly users are interacting with your videos? Try the new YouTube Analytics API to get custom reports of the YouTube statistics you care about in a direct JSON or CSV response, perfect for dashboards and ad hoc reports.
Facebook Home Is Losing Steam In The Charts…Fast | TechCrunch
Facebook Home, the app which CEO Mark Zuckerberg touted as the “next version of Facebook,” has not been an immediate hit. Its Google Play rankings have been dropping steadily after the launch buzz wore off, according to new data from top app store analytics firms.
Why Coke Should Get Rid of Sugar and Dump Diet Coke | Al Ries – Advertising Age
You don't get to be 126 years old and the world's most-valuable brand without making some major changes along the way.

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Links for May 5, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 05 May 2013 08:00:27 +0000

Enstitute, an Alternative to College for a Digital Elite – NYTimes.com
Gigs, gigs, and more gigs, but the bread is light. That said, it's up to the individual to create opportunity and this program makes that possible, Interesting model versus the normal 4-year degree approach. Will it work? I'd most definitely give it a go to find out.
Planning for Patterns – Only Dead Fish
One of the interesting aspects emerging around multiplatform approaches to content is the dissemblance in device consumption patterns. Differences occur in not just how people use different devices to access content but when.

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Links for April 28, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:00:14 +0000

Mazda Seeks To Become 'Game Changer' With New Ad Effort – Forbes
Mazda hasn’t been a game-changer in the global automotive business since its rotary engines of decades ago. But the brand seeks to rise above its constant 2-percent share of the U.S. market with a new advertising campaign called “Game Changers” that it’s launching this weekend.
What's In A Name? 5 Tips To Get It Right – Forbes
After nearly a century of establishing itself amongst the stalwarts of film production, 20th Century Fox would not gain much from a calendrical-appropriate name change. The studios’ recognition of the importance of a name, and more so the perceived identity associated with it, reminded me of the naming exercises I have experienced in my career. No, I’m not Shakespeare waxing philosophic about a “rose by any other name,” but as a CEO, I empathize with 20th Century Fox. For those without the luxury of four scores of cinematic history, I offer my advice on christening a startup.
Increase Content Marketing Success with a Unique Hook
If you’re going to create valuable content for your target audience, and you’re going to stick to a format, you must have a hook. Formats give your content structure; a hook gives it character. A hook is, quite simply, a unique content concept that is designed to ensnare and trap your unsuspecting audience into consuming and sharing your content.
Pragmatic marketing vs. hype cycles and false dilemmas – Chief Marketing Technologist
More and more, issues are being framed as black-and-white, either-or choices. We seem more ready than ever to take a new idea and either reject it completely or embrace it to the point of absurdity. The “reasonable middle” seems to get relatively little voice, even though in most cases, a balanced approach is optimal.
Branding Strategy Insider | The Problem With Direct Response Marketing
There are many today who advocate direct response marketing to the exclusion of other marketing channels. These are very silly people. The problem isn’t that direct response marketing (which I define as advertising with a concrete offer and a measurable response mechanism) isn’t important and necessary. It’s just not sufficient. As a matter of fact, it isn’t even close. The real issue isn’t what direct response measures, but what it doesn’t. Those that ignore other marketing channels either aren’t aware of the facts or are just not thinking clearly.

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Links for April 21, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:00:01 +0000

Big Data, Trying to Build Better Workers – NYTimes.com
Article discusses some of the startling findings of an emerging field called work-force science. It adds a large dose of data analysis, a k a Big Data, to the field of human resource management, which has traditionally relied heavily on gut feel and established practice to guide hiring, promotion and career planning.
Mapping Out The Connection Between Our Real and Our Digital Selves
There is a growing, almost transparent connection forming between our online and real world personas. Before, these were clearly delineated. But with the advent of social media (an always on application) and smartphones that are always connected (whether via wifi or cellular) these personas (and our behavior) are becoming increasingly intertwined (or juxtaposed if you wish).
When Agency Execs Cross Over | Digiday
The grass is always greener on the other side, and that’s why some agency executives eventually find themselves working on the client side.
Google Creative Lab Links Product to Stellar Storytelling | Digital – Advertising Age
Robert Wong, chief creative officer at Google Creative Lab, the internal agency responsible for most of Google's product marketing, told attendees at the Advertising Age Digital Conference Wednesday that it's a combination of understanding the company's own culture and story, and then demonstrating the product in the most empathetic way possible.
Sales – Why Lead Nurturing Is Like Hosting a Dinner Party (and Nine Ways to Do It Right) : MarketingProfs Article
Everyone loves a dinner party, which is why I'm always surprised when I hear people express something of a distaste about lead nurturing. When you think about it, the two are very similar. They both require the host (the marketer) to not only build but also maintain relationships with their guests (leads) through conversation, solid rapport, and sense of trust. And as with a successful dinner party, a successful lead nurturing strategy involves very careful planning…
The Rise of the Digital CMO – Harvard Business Review
What do these "digital CMOs" do differently? They experiment aggressively. They hire smart digital natives — and empower them. They partner with great agencies. They have the humility to admit what they don't know, the courage to toss out the old playbook, and the confidence to allow digital metrics to illuminate the results.

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Links for April 14, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:00:57 +0000

Social prediction startup Behavio joins Google
Startup Behavio announced it is joining the Mountain View crew and shutting down its closed alpha. The company built its short-lived product on top of Funf, a framework for collecting data from mobile phone sensors. Its goal was to analyze things like physical location, contacts and other data about your activities and environment to monitor trends, then make predictions about behavior. The targets weren't just individuals though, but entire communities, and it was even suggested that Behavio could predict the eruption of mass protests.
4 Truths About Content Marketing Agencies Today
In the search for “content gold,” providers of marketing services have been “heading west,” as more brands continue their move toward creating owned media programs and establishing content marketing dominance.
4 Surprising App-Design Principles, From The Instagram Of Quick Quizzes | Co.Design
Luke Wroblewski, the mobile-first design evangelist behind Polar, talks about four winning strategies he used to supercharge Polar’s user experience.
10 Startups That Turn Complexity Into Simplicity | TechCrunch
Here are 10 startups that turn traditional complex processes into simple ways to get work done.
We need a data democracy, not a data dictatorship
The democratization of data is a real phenomenon, but building a sustainable data democracy means truly giving power to the people. The alternative is just a shift of power from traditional data analysts within IT departments to a new generation of data scientists and app developers. And this seems a lot more like a dictatorship than a democracy — a benevolent dictatorship, but a dictatorship nonetheless.
The Most Hated Digital Ad Tactic | Digiday
You’re sitting in front of your computer at work, and you’re surfing Twitter. A friend shares a link which you find interesting. You click and as soon as the page opens up, your face gets embarrassingly red as everyone in your silent office looks at you. You were just served an autoplay video.

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Links for April 7, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 08:00:39 +0000

Clayton Christensen Talks Venture Capital, Crowd Funding, And How To Measure Your Life | TechCrunch
The Innovator’s Dilemma as you might know outlines how companies with historically successful products and market share will be disrupted and beaten unless they are innovative again and again. Clayton also recently co-authored How Will You Measure Your Life? which explains how like in business you need to plan in order to be successful in your personal life or you run the risk of failing your family and betraying your values. Read or watch the interview here.
Why Home won’t move the needle for Facebook — Tech News and Analysis
The announcement of Facebook Home this week has elicited applause, shock, horror, and disapproval. But it may not matter much anyway as the numbers suggest its reach will be modest at best.
Facebook Home: A Brand's Allied Enemy | Branding Magazine
Welcome Home. Or at least this is how Facebook beckons users towards its newest development, Facebook Home. Commonly mistaken as the much-anticipated Facebook phone, Facebook Home is in fact a mobile operating system powered by the social giant. Layered atop the existing Android system, Facebook Home will be pre-configured into the settings of the new HTC First; in addition, the “family of apps” will become available for download to select HTC and Samsung phones on April 12th.
SMG to Track How Mobile Ads Lead to In-store Visits | Digital – Advertising Age
Starcom MediaVest Group has partnered with New York City-based startup PlaceIQ to unlock mobile marketing's great mystery: when someone shown a mobile banner ad is enticed to walk into a store.
Giveaways Turn Tough Sales into Easy Sales | TIME.com
Offering your product for free may seem counter-intuitive, but it could be just the right strategy to spur sales and growth for your small business.
Skype: 2 Billion Minutes Spent on Skype Calls Daily | BGR
Skype just announced proudly that its users spend 2 billion minutes a day on Skype calls. It's a big achievement, for sure… but considering how long Skype has been around, it's also somewhat underwhelming. According to company comments from 2011, the average video call length was 27 minutes. If we estimate that the average Skype call including both voice and video calling is closer to 20 minutes, the 2 billion minutes a day figure would translate roughly to 100 million calls per day. This sounds decent enough — except that a cluster of mobile messaging app companies that debuted just a couple of years ago have already moved far beyond that level.

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Links for March 31, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 08:00:39 +0000

10 Phrases That Can Solve Any Work Problem – OPEN Forum
Here are 10 phrases that can be used to solve any problem you’re having in your office…
Will Chrome Solve our Multi-Device Problem? | John Lovett at Web Analytics Demystified
Google recently launched a new television commercial that advertised their Chrome browser as a solution for your computer, tablet, and mobile device. For marketers and digital analytics pros of all types, this solution has real potential. Not because of the convenience of the solution, but because it potentially solves our problem of identifying visitors to our websites and mobile apps as they traverse from work computer, to mobile to tablet…throughout the day.
Why Can't Hispanic Market Get Its Fair Share of Investment? | The Big Tent – Advertising Age
The answer lies in a seriously flawed system for gathering multicultural sales data. What multicultural market researcher experts call the "sales data undercount" is estimated at between 40% to 60% of the true volume of multicultural consumer sales, depending on the brand or product category.
The Web on Mobile and Beyond
Not only has the web a big role to play on mobile, mobile has also a key role to play for the web. As more and more of our connected interactions start or end on mobile devices, we must ensure that the web platform adapts to our mobile lives.
Material Honesty on the Web
Material honesty—the idea that a substance should be itself, rather than mimic something else—has guided everyone from Ruskin to Charles and Ray Eames. How might material honesty apply to our immaterial (digital) projects? What light might its principles shed on such aesthetic debates as flat versus skeumorphic web design? And how might a materially honest approach change how we conceive and sell our projects? Kevin Goldman forecasts increased longevity for our work and even our careers if we apply the principles of material honesty to our digital world.

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Digital Marketing Links for March 24, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 08:00:48 +0000

Cookie Fight! – Digital Marketing Remix
The most often cited reason for blocking third-party cookies, which are bits of software code used to anonymously track and analyze Web traffic, is privacy. It’s hard to come out against “privacy” – just as it’s hard to be opposed to motherhood, baseball and apple pie. But the basic reality is that cookie technology itself poses no threat to anyone’s privacy.
Why Organizations Are So Afraid to Simplify – Ron Ashkenas – Harvard Business Review
While most managers complain about being overloaded with responsibilities, very few are willing to give up any of them. It's one of the great contradictions of organizational life: People are great at starting new things — projects, meetings, initiatives, task forces — but have a much harder time stopping the ones that already exist.
Banner Blindness: 60% Can't Remember The Last Display Ad They Saw 03/19/2013
After being asked to recall the last display ad they saw, only 14% could name the company, the brand or the product, suggesting that brands are wasting millions of dollars in ads that consumers don't remember.
Key Findings From U.S. Digital Marketing Spending Survey, 2013
Marketing leaders have secured bigger budgets to define markets and attract, acquire and retain customers. Yet, increased funding is a double-edged sword. It brings new opportunities but puts more pressure on marketers to deliver and prove a return on the investments. Use our seven key findings to benchmark your marketing budgets and review our recommendations to enhance your digital marketing efforts.
10 Steps to Reinvent Media Strategy
In today’s communications landscape, Paid (advertising), Earned (PR) and Owned (branded) Media are converging like never before. Of these media types, which is the most valuable? Not “the most expensive.” The most valuable. If what you value most as a brand is the trust of consumers and prospects, then the answer is obvious: Earned Media is far and away the most effective influencer of consumer trust.
Taking Risks and Going Big: Leveraging Content Across Digital
There is a shift happening, where social media advertising is becoming more about telling stories and great content.

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Digital Marketing Links Worth Reading – March 17, 2013

Gene De Libero — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 08:00:22 +0000

CSS3 Introduction – New Features, What it Can Do, and Resources
CSS2 appeared back in 1998 and since then a lot has happened on the internet. Its only revision was made in 2011, CSS2.1, but experts in the industry say it was only a matter of time until CSS3 should have been released, as the features it comes with are entirely necessary and were missed during the past years. What many people didn’t know about CSS3 was that its development started only one year after the submission of its previous version. So the W3C has been working on this improved version since 1999, for more than 12 years until the first CSS3 stable version was released.
Increasing Sales by Answering Customers’ Questions – NYTimes.com
Marcus Sheridan, an owner of River Pools, took an unconventional approach to saving his business by overhauling the company's marketing to focus on generating sales through informational blog posts and videos.
The One Conversational Tool That Will Make You Better At Absolutely Everything | Fast Company
Good questions can move your business, organization, or career forward. They squeeze incremental value from interactions, the drops of which add up to reservoirs of insight. Of all the skills innovators can learn from journalists, the art of the expert Q&A is the most useful.
2 Successful Approaches for Getting Content Marketing Buy-In
Research: 22 percent of North American B2B marketers and 21 percent of B2C marketers are challenged with getting executive buy-in. Good advice from Robert Rose, lead author of Managing Content Marketing: the content marketing business case takes on the same components as a proper business plan.
Stowe Boyd, Ito's Nine Principles
Michael Copeland of Wired interviewed Joi Ito of the MIT Media Lab, getting past the techno-utopianism and down to an almost Taoist set of principles for thriving in the postnormal world, a time of mounting uncertainty, ambiguity, complexity, and volatility.
Why Google Analytics Tagging Matters – Whiteboard Friday | SEOmoz
When Google Analytics doesn't know where a traffic source comes from, it assumes the traffic is direct and lumps it in with your direct visits. This happens frequently with social shares, as many of us make the mistake of not tagging our links accordingly. Here are some insights into "dark social" and why tagging in Google Analytics improves the accuracy of your referrals. Take credit for the work that you're doing, and tag your links!

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