tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-507584 2009-11-01T13:40:39-06:00 We're living in the golden era of marketing where there are more ways to connect with the customer and drive sales, than ever before. The BrandingSoapBox explores all of the various ways brands are trying to build brand equity & create value for their organization - whether through digital, social media, retail experiences, offline advertising and more. TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a647e377970b 2009-11-01T13:40:39-06:00 2009-11-01T13:41:05-06:00

For some time, traditional PR agencies and digital marketing agencies have been on a collision course trying to win the hearts and social media budgets of our clients. Lately, the question has been asked of me in various high-profile brand pitches/meetings. “How do you guys distinguish where you play vs. our PR agency?”

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/11/showdown-at-the-social-media-corral-pr-or-digital-.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a5a5bea0970b 2009-09-28T15:31:44-05:00 2009-09-28T15:31:44-05:00

I found this fascinating quote today: A few weeks ago, Facebook unveiled the ability to tag, or electronically connect, friends and other Facebook users in your status updates, notes and such using the “@” sign before their name. As you...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/reblog-from-socialmediaexplorercom-facebook-tagging-for-business.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a5834546970b 2009-09-19T13:49:34-05:00 2009-09-19T13:50:11-05:00

While the exact origin of the @ symbol is not known, many believe it to be from the Medieval Ages and was used for shorthand as the printers tried to be more efficient. The irony there is that we are now using it in ways not too dissimilar from their motivations. We use it in our email addresses, our twitter names and now as the prompt for tagging people in facebook statuses.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/commonly-referred-to-as-the-at-symbol-this-enigmatic-little-mark-has-no-official-name-however-many-countries-and-their-lan.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a570edcf970b 2009-09-15T09:49:41-05:00 2009-09-15T09:49:41-05:00

President Sarkozy, a man married to a super-model, decided that a measure of a nation's worth shouldn't be measured in just GDP (gross domestic product) and should have other 'softer measures' to gauge the true value of the community and country.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/learning-from-frances-gross-national-happiness.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a5683ebe970b 2009-09-12T15:38:33-05:00 2009-09-14T21:18:40-05:00

Someday, when I hang up the marketing cleats, I have always thought that the next step in my career would be to be a University professor. I'd draw on a long career in marketing, telling stories of surviving the battles in the thousands of campaigns I'd have worked on by then, the cases of what worked and what didn't- and then send those kids off into the world with a better perspective on what it meant to be a marketer

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/at-the-speed-of-academia-.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a5513e73970b 2009-09-06T18:16:20-05:00 2009-09-06T18:16:20-05:00

With all the talk about what comprises a compelling retail experience, I thought I'd walk my readers through an experience I had to see if you'd shop at this store. Over the past 5-years, I've had many conversations with high-ranking retail executives about creating a more compelling environment for their shoppers - with much money being spent on shopper behavior, aisle size, research from Paco Underhill and so forth there are some stores that are breaking the rules and still cashing in.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/would-you-shop-here.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a54cfd89970b 2009-09-05T19:41:17-05:00 2009-09-05T19:41:17-05:00

Unless you're presenting to Tony Hsieh or Michael Dell, that CEO is looking for the straight-line between investment in the new communications channels and the value creation. That value creation search will most likely be for sales/revenue. But if you are reading this blog post, you already know that the new dialogue-channels create value in other ways that are measurable.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/the-social-media-silver-bullet-for-ceos-.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a54c2c77970b 2009-09-05T14:38:45-05:00 2009-09-05T14:38:45-05:00

This week marks the 3-year anniversary of The Branding SoapBox. Since then, I've written hundreds of posts, had tens of thousands of visitors from all corners of the earth and have learned a ton from others perspectives. But over the past few months, I've had my head down in @wirestone business working hard to make moves in a fast & furious yet exhilarating time for our business and that has taken me away from my writing.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/thank-you-edwardboches.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a59d8f3f970c 2009-09-03T21:20:06-05:00 2009-09-03T21:21:12-05:00

The reason I kept asking myself this question was because we continue to air our dirty laundry with our clients in the room. If we are going to hold an event like ad:tech, clients should not be invited.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/is-it-any-wonder.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a53dc034970b 2009-09-01T14:11:51-05:00 2009-09-01T14:11:51-05:00

There is a saying in poker that goes "If you can't identify the mark at the table, you are that mark." That saying kept going through my head as the morning sessions for Ad:Tech/Chicago wore on. After two keynotes and two breakout sessions, I kept wincing every time someone bashed the 'client' for not understanding how social and digital marketing planning should proceed.

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/09/live-blogging-adtech-chicago-client-bashing.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a586999e970c 2009-08-29T12:29:40-05:00 2009-08-29T12:29:40-05:00

"Please don't call me a social media expert." That is a phrase I've heard muttered from some of the best minds in the marketing business and I'm sure I will hear more of at Ad:Tech/Chicago, this week. So this dubious distinction got me thinking. Why would this offend any of us?.......

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/08/im-not-a-social-media-expert.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a51d6239970b 2009-08-25T18:03:05-05:00 2009-08-25T18:03:05-05:00

......While doing research for a retailer, recently, we came across a bevy of videos that are known as "Haul" videos. They are video ethnographies of what people bought on a recent shopping trip......

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/08/retail-phenomenon-video-taping-your-haul.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a5148547970b 2009-08-23T15:35:30-05:00 2009-08-23T15:35:30-05:00

Recently, our company had the chance to work with a respected University in Illinois called Olivet Nazarene. They came to us with a notion that they wanted to be authentic, transparent and allow others to spread the good word about their school (hey, they're evangelical christian.)

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/08/social-media-for-universities-and-colleges.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a561ff0a970c 2009-08-20T22:59:42-05:00 2009-08-20T22:59:42-05:00

Where do you find the time? That is a question I hear a lot from people that are trying to find time to participate in the social-sphere. Frankly, I wonder where I find the time to be on twitter, stay...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/08/ive-been-ningd.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e20120a5565ba9970c 2009-08-17T18:08:39-05:00 2009-08-17T18:08:39-05:00

I feel 26, again. No, not because I am taking HGH or had some plastic surgery, but because of the way I felt in the interactive (or new media, then) marketing game back in 1996. It is the same way...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/08/i-feel-26-again.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834524b6f69e2011571405d0d970c 2009-07-25T17:56:39-05:00 2009-07-25T17:56:39-05:00

I asked our summer intern, David Elster, to be a guest blogger on any topic he pleases. David chose the impending selection for the Summer 2016 olympics. Hope you enjoy. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t imagine what it would...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/07/guest-intern-post-envisioning-chicago-in-2016-the-chicago-brand-1.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-66352773 2009-05-04T11:30:52-05:00 2009-05-04T11:30:52-05:00

About 4-years ago, I was having dinner with a friend of substantial means and connections. In addition, he has deep ties into the NHL and been around the league for the past decade. The topic of our discussion was revolving...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/05/hawk-rising-from-the-ashes-reviving-the-chicago-blackhawks-brand.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-64214613 2009-03-16T10:36:00-05:00 2009-03-16T10:36:00-05:00

Social Media In Sports: The Athlete Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business & Legal sports twitter

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/03/social-media-in-sports-the-athlete.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-63514185 2009-03-01T20:48:10-06:00 2009-03-01T20:48:10-06:00

A few week ago, I wrote about my laptop getting jacked here in Chicago. The premise of my post was that I wish I'd known about LoJack for laptops before it was taken. That I'd wished that I'd (or our...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/03/free-promotion-for-lojack-update.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-63496381 2009-03-01T11:17:30-06:00 2009-03-01T11:17:30-06:00

Having spent a good part of my career developing creative strategies for retailers, I am always in awe of how Old Navy continues to reinvent a boring, staid marketing category. They aren't afraid to take risks, maintain an integrated brand...

Paul Marobella http://www.brandingsoapbox.com/2009/03/awesome-retail-creative-old-navy-supermodelquins.html