Advertising & Marketing

Allow me to start with a personal declaration: As a media researcher who has tracked the word of mouth generated by many advertising campaigns, I am excited by the impending launch of social TV ratings. Slated to come on stream in Q4 this year, social TV ratings should catapult the concept of TV audience ratings Continue Reading →

If you want someone to reply to your email, make it sad. According to a recent study by Contactually, a software firm, people respond to depressing emails at a high rate. Ones with an upbeat or neutral tone? Eh, who needs ‘em? Emotion aside, solid email etiquette is invaluable for young professionals. How we handle even the Continue Reading →

Microsoft is updating its Windows Phone YouTube app. In a statement to The Verge, the company says it’s making some changes to address concerns from Google. “Microsoft updated the Windows Phone YouTube app to address the restricted video and offline video access concerns voiced by Google last week,” says a spokesperson. “We have been in Continue Reading →

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo took the stage in Manhattan this morning to talk with a crowd of the biggest advertisers and brands from Madison Avenue. He brought up a slide of a recent tweet, featuring a picture of race cars spinning out of control. “Usually when there is a crash at the Daytona 500 the Continue Reading →

During sales training with Procter and Gamble many years ago, my trainer told me to “shut up” after asking for the order. I remember thinking that it sounded simple. But when the person across the table from me sat quietly after my next presentation, the silence was painful. I broke down after about 30 seconds Continue Reading →

Twitter just unveiled the Lead Generation Card, a new expandable tweet format which allows users to show their interest in a particular discount or offer that’s being promoted by their favorite brand. When a user expands the tweet, they’ll see a description of the offer, as well a small button underneath that will allow them Continue Reading →

When Facebook bought Instagram for $1B last year, it was a startup less than 2 years old. Its photo app attracted over 30m users and sported an eye-popping user growth curve. Since then, entrepreneurs, VCs and pundits have actively wondered who would be next. I think we know now. And, ironically, it isn’t a natively mobile service. On Sunday, it Continue Reading →

Pinterest just got an upgrade that could make it easier for users to gather information by navigating in its site. Instead of exclusively linking back to the original source, pins from certain brands will now display information such as recipes, movie reviews and price information. Pinterest has partnered with several brands, including eBay, Target, ModCloth, Continue Reading →

After announcing its deal to acquire Tumblr for $1.1 billion, mostly in cash, Yahoo today started to lay out some of the details for how it intends to make use of the property while trying to stick to its promise “not to screw it up.” Expect more advertising by next year as well as more Continue Reading →

If you want a job straight out of college, don’t come knocking on Kirk McDonald’s door. President of a tech company in New York City, McDonald wrote a brutally honest op-ed in the Wall Street Journal called ‘Sorry, College Grads, I Probably Won’t Hire You.’ He believes most college graduates don’t have the one skill Continue Reading →