January 2012
1 post
Is 2012 Your Year of Doing? →
In my very first job out of school, I worked as a trainee accountant. It was often mind numbingly boring – it was an era when cashbooks were still written by hand and then later encoded by…
December 2011
7 posts
Social Media & Content Marketing in 2012 →
At the end of each year, we look behind us at the year that was and ahead to the year that will be. Now, I am not a huge fan of predictions – they are statements bravely made and rarely revisited….
The Social Business Comes First →
In the coming months and years we will hear a lot more about “social business” and what it means for your organisation. There will be infographics, presentations, blog posts, tips, tricks…
Best. Generation. Ever. →
Often when we talk about the big, world changing trends that will shape our future, we focus only on technology. But, for me, the single biggest challenge facing us all in the next ten years is the…
PCN Connect: A Little Something I Prepared Earlier →
About two years ago I wrote that Social Media is Not Sexy. This post was about the business challenges of social media and just how complex, challenging and incremental it can be within large…
Outlook for Australian Social Business in 2012 →
Are you involved in marketing or social media from a business perspective? If so, I’d love to have your input on the outlook for social media, marketing and social business in Australia for…
How Young People Are Faring in 2011 →
Can you remember when you first left home? Do you remember what it felt like – that first week – being solely responsible for all aspects of your life? For me, it was thrilling, but also…
Social Brand or Social Business: Chicken or Egg? →
The Pivot Conference, to be held October 15-16, 2012 is shaping up in a very interesting way. The focus is to move from “social brands to social business” – which I find exciting – but…
September 2009
18 posts
Swallowing the Truth →
Anyone involved in marketing, in transformation or change management knows that there is a simple fact – change is hard. Getting someone to understand that their product, job or world has…
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
I am a little out of sync after the energy and excitement of the MarketingNow! conference in Melbourne (I will be writing up my thoughts over the next few days – so make sure to check…
Lead Generation, Community and Social Media →
Here is my presentation from the MarketingNow! conference in Melbourne. I also setup a Posterous group blog to capture a variety of inputs from the proceedings. Check it out here.
Enjoy!
Group Posterous at the MarketingNow Conference →
After a whole day of social media discussion, I thought day 2 would be interesting if we could get some of the audience contributing to a group Posterous blog. It is like live blogging but…
Interview with Gavin Heaton →
Speaking at a conference is invigorating and exhausting. There is so much talking and discussion that I wonder whether I will have any voice left whatsoever. During one of the breaks at the…
Getting Started with Social Media at #mktgnow →
I have had a great day speaking at the MarketingNow conference. I have also had the great opportunity to hear Darren Rowse, Laurel Papworth and Simon Young. Later this afternoon,…
Social Media Governance →
CONTROLLED Originally uploaded by rayboB
When it comes to actually implementing social media within an enterprise, the conversation often starts with control. Who can, should and…
A Cup of Chaos #20 - Kanye vs Gavin Heaton →
What could be more chaotic this week than an interruption from Kanye West? Within hours of KanyeGate, memes began to appear and spread. In this one, Kanye disses my website. Get your own…
Branding is a Marathon →
One of the greatest, and perhaps hardest to quantify, benefits of social media is in the area of branding. But then again, this is nothing new. Trying to quantify the value of your brand…
Paid or Earned Media - Making Gravity is Hard Work →
Whether you are walking down the street, watching the TV, surfing the net or even driving a car, you are the subject of some form of advertising. From the branded cap on the boy walking down the…
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
It can be easy to miss the gems in a full RSS reader list – but these five posts from last week are certainly worth a closer look!
Paul McEnany shares an excellent video presentation featuring
A Cup of Chaos #19 - Facebook Mother →
Could be my mother. Could be your mother. Online, no one is safe from your family!
From CollegeHumor via Julian Cole.
What Motivates You? →
Earlier this week I spent some time talking to a recruitment agent. It wasn’t for a new job – I was providing a reference for a friend who used to work for me. It was an interesting conversation –…
Do YOUR Products Live Up To The Type? →
“Advertising is the price you pay for having an unremarkable product or service.” – Jeff Bezos (via Ruth Mortimer) I was reminded of this quote by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos whilst reading Alan…
A Cup of Chaos #18 - Karate →
Sometimes you just need a bit of Karate during the Bolivian Football. I don’t know about you – but it certainly spiced up the match for me.
…
See Me Speak at the MarketingNow Conference →
Some organisations are beginning to experiment with social media, while others feel that they are well advanced in their efforts. But if you are like me, you will know that there is always something…
Ad-Tech Sydney - Rethinking the Conference →
You know what it is like. There are faces everywhere. Banners. Stands. Noise. The bustle through the aisles urge you ever forward to where the scalding coffee waits your grasping,…
Books, Sex and Why Publishing Still Matters →
I remember reading John Naisbitt’s Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives years ago and being struck by the concept of high tech/high touch. That is, the more high tech our…
August 2009
24 posts
Teen Commandments for Brands →
I remember reading this great post by Ruby Pseudo late last year and thinking it was a great way to understand social media in general (as well as teens specifically). One of my…
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
I must admit to quite liking this early-in-the-week recap. And while there is plenty of material out there to be read, it goes to show how difficult it can be to create reliably compelling…
A Cup of Chaos #17 - A Real Transformer →
Now, I have heard of people dressing up in various outfits to promote an event, but this looks like a costume that comes with an instruction manual.
Planning in the Tenth Dimension →
One of the challenges of planning is enforcing a linear overlay on your ideas. It is as if your campaign commences and then a whole bunch of magic occurs around some stimulus and then your campaign…
The ROI of Social Media →
One of the best things about social media is that you don’t need to “make it up” yourself. Yes, that’s right. There are thousands of very smart people sharing their ideas, expertise and knowledge –…
Brands are the Stories We Tell →
This neat persona/profile tool by the clever folks over at MIT Media Labs allows you to visually construct your own persona. After you enter your name, it goes off and scours the web for any trace…
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
There seems to be a little bit of a theme flowing through this week’s top 5 from last week. See if you can spot it: Mike Wagner talks us through his own nerves about taking risks in front of a…
Does Social Media Addiction Make You Smile? →
What do you do on the weekend? Do you disconnect? Do you ignore your BlackBerry or iPhone? Or do you surreptitiously read your emails? What about in the morning – do you check email before…
A Cup of Chaos #16 - Mandy Moore’s Red Bull... →
I thought that last week’s Cup of Chaos was going to be hard to top. After all, what is more random than spandex-clad chaps catching flying notebook computers in-between their butt cheeks? But this…
Make Your Own World Wide Rave →
For many marketers, the holy grail of digital advertising is the YouTube video that “goes viral” – generating thousands, if not millions, of views for little, if any, cost. The…
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
Another bountiful week made it difficult to weed this list down to only five posts. But this week, make sure you check these posts from last week:
Stefano Maggi uses an example from his…
What Happened to the Link Love? →
Years ago, when I first started blogging, I was always astounded by the links that would be shared on the blogs that I read. It meant that surfing from blog to blog was a random…
A Cup of Chaos #15 - Acrobuttocks →
When I write about the Auchterlonie Effect - and being able to have others tell your story, this is what I mean. Well, kind of. (Via Ash)
Recycle a Blog Post Day: Where the Hell is the... →
Mark Pollard has declared that today is Recycle a Blog Post day. In that spirit, I am recycling this – my most viewed post ever … If your brand is struggling with social media — wondering how…
Bufori - It Takes Your Breath Away →
You don’t notice it happening, but the effects are instantaneous. Your pupils dilate, your heartbeat quickens and your jaw drops. Is it love? Perhaps. Lust? Grrrr. It is an emotional and a bodily…
Crowd sourcing Talent - Storytelling with Kseniya... →
In many ways, TV shows like Australian/American Idol operate in a way that is reminiscent of crowd sourcing. The judges and spotters are there in the beginning to set a benchmark, create some…
It’s Not Where You Take Things From -... →
A reminder from two creative greats of the 20th Century – Jean-Luc Goddard and Jim Jarmusch – caught momentarily on one of my new favourite blogs.
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
There is always plenty of good reading available. Smart people. Simple publishing systems. Makes me think that for-pay content may face an uphill battle, even for Uncle Rupert Murdoch. …
Making Your Own Context with Feedly →
I have shifted the vast majority of my news reading onto the web. I have not purchased a newspaper in months and I rarely, if ever, read the local online newspapers (after all, Miranda Devine is…
Quotes from the Conversation Captured by the... →
Sometimes it is handy to be able to pull a great quote out of the air and put it in front of a client. Or your boss. Well, Valeria Maltoni has scoured the web and captured quotes from some of…
It’s Not About Influence - It’s About... →
If you are involved in creating digital strategy or working with social media from a professional point of view, you are bound to hear the word “influence” bandied about. Maybe you have been asked…
A Cup of Chaos #14 →
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. As Jason Lonsdale suggests, this one is worth two: No Comment.
Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week →
A little late, but back again with some of the best web reads from last week. Enjoy! Olivier Blanchard has been producing some dynamite content for some time. He not only writes exceptionally…
Why Can’t Marketer’s Capture this Joy? →
I think that this may just edge out my tried and true Where the Hell is Matt video for this week’s MBA presentation (new slides currently underway) on social/digital media. But the big question…
