One of the benefits of being a tenured academic is the sabbatical. This is time when you get to do what you like, and get paid for it. Most academics take the time to think and write, retool for new research projects or teach at other universities. In 2000, I ... more

I recently had my Twitter influence by and the results said it was apparent but I admit being put off at first. I mean, it sounded "clinical," like a doctor had just taken my pulse and told the family, "It's apparent, but low," as in, "We don't expect him to ... more

You're redesigning your website. Fabulous! Who's taking care of the Yes, yes, of course, you need more intuitive navigation, and your design is tired and needs a facelift, but what about your content? In too many web redesigns, planning for content comes last, when it should come Users visit websites ... more

"Won't this content that we're publishing be giving away too much to our or "Our customers are going to take this great information that we're publishing and use it to shop our Are two very common objections that I often hear when introducing an organization to Thought Leadership Marketing. They ... more

You probably receive your fair share of pitches from vendors at work. Nothing wrong with pitches. A well-crafted pitch is brief, polite, and written taking the seat of the person who is going to read it. It should really answer the question "so what?" better than anything else you do. ... more

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chooses the Oscar for the "Best Picture" each year based on a host of subjective criteria, including (I'm guessing) the quality of cinematography, the brilliance of the screenplay, and ethereal performances delivered by outstanding actors. Great stories beautifully told get Oscar This ... more

If you are like me, it can get incredibly overwhelming to keep up with business books. So many publish in any given year (well, before the economy hit the skids, at least), how can you really know which ones are worth the time And yet - the knowledge nuggets and ... more

What are the seven most important words in Web marketing? Here's a hint: Search, engine, and optimization don't make the cut. So what words do make the list? What are the seven words that will make your Web site worth viewing? more

About one month ago decided to put some effort into becoming a Twitter devote and, sometimes even a fanatic. Given the buzz about this tool for social media, I thought it was a worthwhile endeavor and a chance to see what all this is about. Our Chief Content Officer, Ann ... more

Marketers of all stripes are often tasked with forecasting–sales for next quarter or year, inventory levels to meet demand, or marketing budget to meet corporate goals. However, the process of forecasting is often rife with bias, data quality issues, mathematical error, poor planning assumptions. While no forecasting technique is perfect, ... more

The annual Super Bowl buzz-buildup and ensuing flurry of analysis about game day ads is all just part of the entertainment. And it's continuing now, almost a full week later. These attention-getting moments on one fun-filled winter's eve reflect little, if any, true marketing wisdom. Instead, such flash-in-the-pan attempts at ... more

Okay so you are comfortable with getting your personal brand out there on the web. But periodically you are going to have to monitor, prune and synchronize it to keep it fresh. Here are a few tips for keeping your personal brand clean, organized and bold;" Tons have been written ... more

There is a great deal of talk these days about social media companies and their need to find a business model. Even my recent PC talked about how Twitter and others will need to find a business model in 2009. This whole discussion seems to be looking for some elusive ... more

Score one for ... at the expense of Starbucks and all of the other high-brow coffee shops peddling pricey lattes, cappuccino, espresso and all manner of caffeinated concoctions. Marketing message? You don't have to be a snobbish, artsy type–real or affected–to enjoy a good "cultured" brew. You don't have to ... more

Believe it or not, there's one ride at Disney World that never has a long It features one of the greatest comedic talents alive, Eric It was designed by the most talented "imagineers" on the planet, the ones at And its subject is one we associate with Disney itself -- ... more

Okay, I admit the title is a bit over the top. These ten tips aren't exactly secrets and they won't, in and of themselves, turn you a social media Stated more accurately, these are practical guidelines that will make you a better member of social networking communities in which you ... more

In this Marketing Over Coffee we discuss Research with Twitter, Social Media and Healthcare, and Webinar Providers..... all that and more in this Marketing Over Coffee, a weekly audio program sponsored by MarketingProfs that covers classic marketing tactics and what's new on the technology Direct Link to Show length Using ... more

We live in an age of skepticism about all forms of consumption. The diffusion of our skepticism is accelerated by the Internet and makes the sincerity even more So it's no surprise that the world of business -- specifically in the realms of advertising, branding, and marketing -- has to ... more

Registration is now open for this spring's free virtual event, MarketingProfs Digital Marketing . Taking place online, the full-day event is totally free to attend .... and the program (if I do say so) is stellar. So why miss This spring's theme is "Winning Against the Odds," which we think ... more

Customers are quick learners. We've learned, for example, to ignore subscription renewal letters that come months in advance of our actual expiration date; from experience, we know that there's no urgency – plenty of other letters will come in the next few months reminding us to That's why I'm concerned ... more

Maybe it is because I just saw South Pacific at Lincoln Center a couple of weeks ago, but when Anne , Chairman and CEO of told 800 marketers at the American Marketing Association's in Orlando that she was not "a wild eyed optimist," I perked up and listened. You just ... more

A well-researched article in Adweek, Noreen O'Leary's Boomers Caught in Squeeze ," ought to make marketers everywhere sit up and take The Consumer reaction to the painful reversals in the economy... particularly that of baby boomers, "who account for more than half of U.S. spending and who traditionally have grown ... more

Having taken on this new role of blogging on the Personal Branding , I naturally have been looking at many of the other personal brands that are out there. A few names come to mind very quickly when you think about strong personal Robert Scoble, Guy Kawasaki, Steve Jobs (the ... more

"Inventory is bad, inventory is evil," finance and operations professors intone across business schools worldwide. And every B-school graduate knows companies should balance enough inventory to meet customer needs while accommodating shifting preferences. That said, companies face a paradox; holding too much inventory ties up valuable cash, but too little ... more

Marketing's mission is to somehow change a customer's behavior. We try many things to affect that advertising, email, search, events, webinars... and the list goes on and And in tough economic times the opportunity to affect customer behavior is exceptionally acute, especially when it comes to existing loyal So check ... more