Grey Poupon’s Facebook Page Spreads a Lesson in Brand Storytelling

Posted by Jon Thomas, 26 Sep 2012

I hate mustard.

I’ve always been a picky eater, though my palate has developed as I’ve gotten older. I used to avoid nearly all condiments and toppings. I’d eat salads without dressing, sandwiches without mayo, and whatever you put mustard on, I didn’t. I’ve come around on some of those. Any salad is better with ranch.  I need mayo on my tuna sandwiches.

I still hate mustard, though.

Hello. My name is Jon, and I’m a fan of Grey Poupon on Facebook.

It makes little sense, allowing a brand I have no intention of ever buying into my precious Facebook timeline. If my wife sneaked it into a sandwich, I’d spit it out like a petulant child. But Grey Poupon took an approach to building a community on Facebook that was so unusual, so exclusive, that I had to become a fan (or at least try). 

Share

What’s the Point of Paid Media in Post-Advertising?

Posted by Jon Thomas, 25 Jun 2012

Paid, earned and owned media are integral parts of any brand’s media strategy. While owned and earned media have flourished during the evolution of the marketing and advertising landscape in the past two decades, paid media has had a tumultuous ride. It has been the catalyst (broadly speaking) for obnoxious and interruptive advertising—pre-roll ads, billboards, banner ads; the kind of advertising we love to point out and lambaste—which makes it an easy target for ridicule by marketers trying to sell owned- and earned-media strategies into brands. But is it fair to ship paid media off to the Island of Misfit Toys? Is it a big mistake to ignore an effective paid-media strategy?

Share
Brand Storytelling in Social Media

Why “Tweet First, Ask Questions Last” Doesn’t Work

Posted by Jon Thomas, 19 Apr 2011
Social Media hasn't just exploded — it has taken off into the stratosphere. Companies and brands are stampeding towards WordPress, Facebook, and Twitter faster than someone with 100 Twitter followers can call themselves a Social Media Expert. But while you may be able to lead a horse to water you can't make it drink. Simply leading a brand to HootSuite doesn't mean they have anything great to say.
Share

Welcome to the Future of Advertising

Posted by Andrea Fjeld, 23 Mar 2011

The post-advertising age is complex. Consumers controlling brands, optimizing search, utilizing paid, earned, and owned media…all aspects can seem pretty confusing. So what’s a poor brand to do? Never fear: Help is on the way!

Share
Ted Williams - Homeless Man with the Golden Radio Voice

Columbus Dispatch Misses Ted Williams’ Viral Wave

Posted by Jon Thomas, 19 Jan 2011
If you gave a passing glance at the internet this past week, you heard about Ted Williams and his Golden Voice.  His story pulled at our heartstrings and resulted in a slew of job offers. Since then, he has been on a not-so-unexpected roller coaster ride of events, ultimately resulting in an intervention on — you guessed it — Dr. Phil. We all know about his meteoric rise and subsequent fall, but what we really want to know is, what happened to the video that made him famous?
Share

Conspicuous Consumption: Shop ‘Til Your Friends Drop You

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 02 Dec 2010
You have to hand it to Sears. It has been a tough transition into the digital space for them, but the once-dominating now-struggling retailer has done a commendable job of going social. They’ve just introduced "Social Shopping," in hopes of connecting customers' buying habits to those of their friends and recapturing that communal shopping magic that used to define their brick-and-mortar stores. But when does online convenience and speed trump the appeal of a "social shopping" experience? Does this tactic make any sense?
Share

The Three Most Important Words in Advertising

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 29 Oct 2010
"There is angst in ad land over the complexity of media," writes Story Worldwide CEO Kirk Cheyfitz in his latest article for the Huffington Post. You can say that again! Luckily, everything that follows this introductory sentence serves to unravel the complexity in this "how-to and how-come piece" about Paid, Owned, and Earned media. There's been a lot of talk about those three categories lately, and yet, they're still pretty confusing. What follows is the ultimate demystifier.
Share

Paid, Earned, Owned Media: Defining Your Brand Online

Posted by Ryan Saghir, 25 Oct 2010
If you've been involved with interactive marketing in the past year, you've undoubtedly heard the terms "paid, earned and owned" media. Breaking down an online brand presence into these three categories can help define your marketing efforts, but how should you prioritize them?
Share