tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:21:02 +0000In cyberspace everyone can hear you screamhttp://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)Blogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-4523189964936928318Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:03:00 +00002009-12-06T17:07:17.081-08:00About eighteen months ago I wrote a column about young people using blogging and other forms of social media to break into advertising and marketing. This piece came about as a result of a couple of emails I had exchanged with Julian Cole.At the time, I described Julian as an aspiring marketer and Monash Uni student. He now works at an agency in Sydney, still finds time to write a popular blog http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/12/nov-09-stans-rant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-7563772458394414825Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:27:00 +00002009-11-03T15:30:41.903-08:00Seems like only yesterday I was queuing up bleary eyed at six in the morning, out the front of my local Optus store, to get my hands on one of the very first iPhones. I wrote about my experiences with the phone for this column about a year or so ago. Thinking back, my excitement for the device was almost childlike in its exuberance.So how do I feel about it now?To be brutally frank – I couldn’t http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/11/oct-09-mobile-gets-moving.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-7791768576330476987Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:35:00 +00002009-10-03T17:42:37.832-07:00The legendary Bill Bernbach once said that word of mouth was the best form of advertising you could get. And he said it long before the internet was invented.Bernbach’s comment remains as valid today as it was all those years ago. The main difference being that we very rarely hear the term word of mouth anymore. It’s all about ‘conversation’ these days.Nobody knows this better than I do. Hardly ahttp://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/10/sept-09-lets-talk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-3254404280376841634Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:44:00 +00002009-08-01T18:59:01.363-07:00When Kevin Roberts coined the term Lovemarks a couple of years ago, I believed he’d stumbled onto something interesting. I still do. I just don’t think the idea can apply to each and every brand in the world.Spend time in the company of so called social media experts however, and they’ll tell you that all brands need to have a close relationship with consumers in order to survive.I’m just not http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/08/relationships-not-for-everyone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-1487468852105568467Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:08:00 +00002009-07-04T18:16:58.611-07:00In my column last month, I took a look at how important social media tools and sites had become in helping people network, connect and meet with potential employers. With my underlying message being that anyone looking to become a valued contributor to an agency or marketing department needs to be familiar with the use of social media.No sooner had I emailed my column off to the editor of this http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-09-personal-pr.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-7996817936726489088Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:24:00 +00002009-06-07T17:31:30.447-07:00Having somehow managed to survive Paul Keating’s “recession we had to have” back at the start of the 90’s, I now find myself experiencing feelings of déjà vu.Advertising agencies are laying off staff. Marketers are trimming budgets. And everyone seems to know someone who is either going freelance or consulting.What makes this recession so different from the last, is that I am experiencing it in ahttp://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-09-get-connected.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-1878344131514561598Sat, 02 May 2009 14:12:00 +00002009-05-02T07:18:01.749-07:00The special digital issue of this magazine a few months back would have introduced several marketers to the power of blogs and other forms social media. In fact during the week the magazine came out I received several new followers on my Twitter feed. Many of them contacted me directly to say that my column covering Twitter had tempted them to dip a toe in the water. Which was nice!Based on the http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/05/may-09-play-nicely.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-553959798438067986Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:06:00 +00002009-04-01T21:10:43.394-07:00Spend any time with people that work primarily in the digital media and you’ll find that their focus is extraordinarily narrow.If it ain’t digital it ain’t worth spending time with, seems to be their modus operandi.Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of doing it digital, but it’s not the solution to everything that the digerati would have us believe it to be.Take the Yellow Pages for example. Ihttp://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/04/april-09-search-gets-social.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-1391804238009352054Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:44:00 +00002009-03-01T17:53:50.757-08:00Last November I was in Sydney for the ADMA Awards. I flew up the night before the event, so that I could attend the regular Friday morning gathering of social media types at a funky little breakfast spot in Surry Hills.One of the key topics of conversation that morning was Twitter, or more precisely why I wasn’t on it. Anyone who has ever visited my Brand DNA blog will know that it carried a http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-09-tweet-tweet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-1574279881304920773Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:31:00 +00002009-02-01T04:38:34.140-08:00My old friend Gerry McCusker is one of the most switched on PR guys I know. His PR Disasters blog is a must read for anyone interested in just how badly PR can be handled. He recently shared this passionate rant on his blog: “I can’t keep it in any longer! Speaking at a conference, I was asked a question from the floor that near left me speechless.”So what was it that got Gerry so riled?“In a http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2009/02/feb-09-get-involved.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-7848845874504148521Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:34:00 +00002008-11-30T16:38:22.877-08:00A couple of months back I was interviewed by a journalist who was researching an article about business blogging. I thought he was interested in talking to me because of this column. Turns out he had seen my blog, Brand DNA, and wanted to talk to me about it, why I blog and to get my thoughts on business blogging.It made for an interesting chat, although I can’t say that he would have gleaned http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/11/dec-08-business-of-blogging.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-8396667521947712429Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:54:00 +00002008-11-02T14:59:21.530-08:00Stop any person in the street, ask them what advertising is, and chances are they’ll not only tell you, they’ll also have an opinion on it.Ask that same person about social media, and there’s every possibility they’ll look at you like you had just asked them the square root of 347.Of course social media and social networking are two of the marketing buzz-terms of 2008, but are we as an industry http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/11/nov-08-getting-social.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-6276055672513778786Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:11:00 +00002008-10-01T17:14:19.866-07:00As a teenager I was one of the first kids to be allowed to use a calculator at school. I remember my Dad grumbling on and on about how he knew all his times tables by the time he started school. And how our generation had it all so easy. These days calculators are commonplace. I have one built in to my computer, a scientific one in my iPhone and I also have one gathering dust in my desk drawer. http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/10/oct-08-express-yourself.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-862983183457670806Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:14:00 +00002008-08-31T19:21:02.114-07:00At the time of writing, I have sitting on my desk a call for entries for a mobile marketing award. Having recently returned from a trip to Japan, where the mobile market is infinitely more progressive than ours, I couldn’t help but wonder what Japanese marketers would think of our mobile marketing.They’d probably shake their heads in disbelief. Virtually every mobile phone plan is Australia is http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/08/sept-08-going-mobile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-4253719776442528874Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:02:00 +00002008-07-30T17:05:49.292-07:00Once upon a time, the term brand was something that existed primarily within the confines of advertising agencies and marketing departments. These days it has become part of everyday language. Sadly this broadening of usage has resulted, I feel, in a dilution of what brands are really about. This was brought home to me quite spectacularly, by a recent speech on brands given by the American http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/07/august-08-brand-promises.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-3286191884382656490Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:01:00 +00002008-07-13T23:43:30.260-07:00An entirely new generation of people has been born. This generation is not defined by age, gender or social standing, but by their use of digital media channels. Adam Sarner, principal analyst at Gartner, has dubbed this disparate group of individuals Generation V.In a recent interview with Forbes.com Sarner described Generation V as a segment of the population “empowered by the democratisation http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/07/july-08-generation-v.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-7108066738684314800Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:10:00 +00002008-06-01T19:15:39.930-07:00Many years ago I was offered a job at a direct marketing agency. Even though the agency in question was part of a top five global advertising group I turned the job down. I just couldn’t see myself stuffing envelopes for the rest of my career.The creative director wouldn’t take no for an answer. A Californian, with a striking resemblance to the singer songwriter Jackson Brown, he spoke to me http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/06/june-08-future.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-1822373774874419154Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:07:00 +00002008-04-28T06:21:30.486-07:00I was recently asked to give a presentation to students studying professional writing for their degree at Melbourne University. The topic was copywriting for digital media.I’ve held many roles in the advertising industry, but copywriting is where I started, and it’s still something I love to do.Now, as any half decent copywriter will tell you, there’s a lot more to the job than simply writing http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/04/may-08-picture-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-7168822220025351538Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:58:00 +00002008-03-30T06:18:38.238-07:00A couple of weeks ago I attended a presentation from a company that specialised in content. Yes content. Now I don’t know about you, but if there’s one buzzword I’d like to put a stop to, it’s content. It’s such a nothing kind of word.You never hear TV channels advertising their new and upcoming shows as content. They talk about programmes, premieres or must watch, anything to get you excited http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/03/april-08-death-of-agency.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-8737790313617995939Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:59:00 +00002008-02-26T04:08:21.703-08:00One of the great things about being a consultant, is that your opinion is your own, and you’re free to express it as and when you see fit. This is especially true when it comes to blogging. Recently I took up an irresistible offer of to join the team at Wunderman in Melbourne. Even though the job in question was a terrific opportunity for me, I had to think long and hard about the offer before http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/02/march-08-agency-blogs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-3238649306410171982Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:46:00 +00002008-02-02T15:58:26.380-08:00Just before Christmas I was involved in an inter-disciplinary creative workshop for one of my clients. Over the course of two days we transformed an idea that had been developed for television into a veritable smorgasbord of concepts for all manner of media channels.What excited me most about many of the ideas that came out of the workshop, was that they required interaction and involvement from http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2008/02/feb-08-transmedia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-393652810448889730Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:37:00 +00002007-12-02T16:48:29.419-08:00Two of my favourite places in the world are Piccadilly Circus in London and the teen haven Shibuya, in Tokyo. These are two of the busiest spots in two of the world’s greatest cities. What makes them so exciting is, without a doubt, advertising. Piccadilly Circus is ablaze with neon lights and illuminated billboards. It is also home to what is probably the most famous Coca Cola signage on Earth. http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2007/12/december-07-bam.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-835293289856609413Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:51:00 +00002007-11-04T20:00:08.829-08:00A couple of months ago I received an email inviting me to join Facebook, from one of the people working on a marketing book for which I had contributed a chapter. Given I already had more than enough blogs and RSS feeds to read every day, as well as work and personal email to keep on top of, I decided to give the Facebook invite a miss.It was a pretty easy decision to make to be honest, as it http://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2007/11/november-07-what-waster.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-319167046336715468Mon, 01 Oct 2007 10:11:00 +00002007-10-01T21:27:03.704-07:00Last year I pitched an idea for a retail trends e-newsletter to one of my clients. As part of the presentation I presented a mock-up, featuring four trend related stories.The client loved the idea and it has proven very successful for them. The reason I’m mentioning it here, is because they asked me where I sourced the stories from.I explained that I had discovered them while researching materialhttp://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2007/10/october-07-blogger-bashing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7441560465665912480.post-3356348231015609957Mon, 03 Sep 2007 13:03:00 +00002007-09-03T06:19:57.439-07:00One of the Godfathers of advertising and marketing blogging is Russell Davies. Englishman Davies is a strategy planner who helped Honda gain a serious foothold in the European market before being poached by Nike to become their Global Strategy director.Russell is regarded by his colleagues and peers as one of the industry’s pre-eminent thinkers. However unlike most seemingly untouchable big nameshttp://aroundtheblogosphere.blogspot.com/2007/09/september-07-branding.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Stan Lee)5