Blog Feed: PR 2.0 - Silicon Valley

Dear [insert business name], what’s your promise?

Published on 2012-05-24 10:11:40

You say you want to get closer to customers, but your actions are different than your words. You say you want to “surprise and delight” customers, but your product development teams are too busy building against a roadmap without consideration of the 5th P of marketing…people. Your employees are your number one asset, however the [...] > read more

Discovery Communications Discovers the Meaning of Like

Published on 2012-05-21 08:31:34

The future of TV is much more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that takes design. Often, producers, broadcast and movie marketers and brands alike underestimate the role social media plays as consumers watch, share, and interact. Whether its watching movies, TV shows or listening to music, consumers will have at least one-to-two other devices [...] > read more

4 Strategic Areas Where Facebook Must Invest Post-IPO

Published on 2012-05-18 12:39:07

Mark Zuckerberg by Brian Solis Mark Zuckerberg and 900 million of his friends hit Wallstreet with America’s largest IPO and has once again made history. Facebook’s first trade was $42.05 giving the social network a valuation of ~$115 billion.  In the process, Zuckerberg became the 29th-richest man in the world with another half dozen employees [...] > read more

9 Ways to Improve the Signal to Noise Ratio on Twitter

Published on 2012-05-17 09:43:32

Even at 250 million Tweets per day in addition to the updates across Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and every other feed that we willfully subscribe to, information overload is in of itself a fallacy. But the feeling the overload of information is very real and a reflection of our inability to pull the levers necessary to [...] > read more

The Fallacy of Information Overload

Published on 2012-05-15 08:50:51

Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise.  Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I [...] > read more

Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience

Published on 2012-05-10 09:56:48

Social media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In [...] > read more

The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design

Published on 2012-05-07 13:19:35

The future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is [...] > read more

The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business

Published on 2012-05-02 11:17:06

I’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this [...] > read more

At Your Service versus @YourService

Published on 2012-04-30 10:21:08

Frank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one [...] > read more

3D On All Platforms: Is It Worth It?

Published on 2012-04-27 13:56:37

Guest post by James Stewart, Director at Geneva Film Co The debate surrounding 3D’s viability across all platforms continues to rage. Nay-sayers maintain that 3D is merely a “flash in the pan”… a “fad”… soon to fade into technological obscurity. Yet visionary artists and innovators continue to drive 3D technology deeper into the very fabric [...] > read more

They All Laughed – The road to becoming a social enterprise

Published on 2012-04-25 11:30:06

Guest post by Danna Vetter, VP, Consumer Strategies, ARAMARK People laughed when we began talking about putting resources towards building a social structure for a company like ARAMARK. We heard it all: The standard - “We can’t open ourselves up to this kind of risk.” The mean - “You’re just trying to manipulate company perception.” [...] > read more

Engagement ain’t nothing but a number – why 1% isn’t good enough

Published on 2012-04-23 10:18:11

The headline calls attention to everything that’s wrong with how businesses measure engagement in social media today. Businesses that invest any level of marketing resources in networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and the like (get it?) are being groomed to focus on soft metrics instead of the relevant activity that signals the strength and [...] > read more

The rise of Generation-C…and what to do about it

Published on 2012-04-20 10:28:14

I recently had the privilege of presenting at the GDOL Digital Talkfest in Istanbul. The focus of the event was very much in line with my current work. GDOL tracks the new generation of consumers who do everything online and the impact they now have on popular culture, society and ultimately business. I refer to [...] > read more

10 Trends to Beat Digital Darwinism

Published on 2012-04-18 09:30:19

The digital landscape continues to undergo a significant shift that will have profound effects on business this year. The challenge is that hardly any business leaders noticed. That’s not their fault however. Even through the impact of technology on business and consumer behavior was widely reported, in depth reports on what to do next or [...] > read more

Disruptive Technology and How to Compete for the Future

Published on 2012-04-16 08:39:25

Disruptive technology is the bearer of tremendous opportunity and equally a harbinger of obsolescence. Technology’s impact on society and business is substantial, if not underestimated. As technology continues to become part of everyday life, it becomes disruptive in how people communicate, work, and connect. The evolution of society and technology happens with or without adaptation [...] > read more

It Takes Courage

Published on 2012-04-13 10:15:37

It’s inevitable that I will get the question. You’d think by now that I would learn to expect it…that I would prepare for it…or have a response that would be purely second nature. But I don’t. I’ve no standard answer that automatically inspires anyone in the moment to take action. And, to this day, I [...] > read more

It’s a Small World After All: The Top Global Web Trends

Published on 2012-04-11 07:33:32

Social media is a global phenomenon indeed. Certainly Facebook, Twitter, Google+, in their own way, each make the world a much smaller place. The distance between any two people is shrinking as the number of network connections continues to proliferate. I’m sure you’ve heard at one point or another, that the distance between two people [...] > read more

Meet Generation C: The Connected Customer

Published on 2012-04-09 09:46:53

Marketers, educators, parents, it seems that almost anyone in the Generation X or Boomer demographic is scratching their heads trying to figure out Generation Y aka the Millennial. After all, it’s the first generation to seemingly possess digital prowess as part of their DNA. And, it’s the first generation to receive both a birth certificate [...] > read more

Brands Give Facebook F-Commerce an F

Published on 2012-04-05 09:43:32

With a looming $10 billion IPO on the horizon and a community that’s estimated to hit 1 billion users this Fall, Facebook seems unstoppable. Yet on one important front, the store front that is, Facebook has exposed an imperfection. People are not proving ready to actually buy goods and services in Facebook – at least [...] > read more

The 6 Pillars of Social Commerce: Understanding the psychology of engagement

Published on 2012-04-03 10:15:12

Social media is about social science not technology. As such, its value is not realized in the Likenomics of relationship status nor in the scores individuals earn by engaging in social networks. The value of social media comes down to people, relationships, and the meaningful actions between them. As such, its value is measured through [...] > read more

In an era of Digital Darwinism, no business is too big to fail or too small to succeed

Published on 2012-03-31 09:22:37

In an era of Digital Darwinism, no business is too big to fail or too small to succeed…this is your time. Many follow, but very few lead. Many compete to survive, but few compete for relevance. Do we listen to our customers? Do we truly understand them? Do we create experiences or do we simply [...] > read more

10 Important Trends to Survive Digital Darwinism

Published on 2012-03-29 08:03:25

Digital Darwinism is a phenomenon when technology and society evolve faster than the ability to adapt. And, it threatens rigid and traditional practices everywhere. It’s no longer just survival of the fittest, but also survival of the fitting.  Businesses must earn relevance and to do so requires much more than adoption of the latest technologies [...] > read more

The Pillars of Influence and How to Activate Cause and Effect

Published on 2012-03-27 10:32:44

Digital Influence is one of the hottest trends in social media and it is also one of the least understood. Klout, PeerIndex, Kred among many others are investing millions of dollars to understand how our social media activity translates into influence. The market for influence is only heating up with more entrants expected to debut [...] > read more

Report: The Rise of Digital Influence and How to Measure It

Published on 2012-03-21 13:01:03

About three weeks ago, I celebrated my first anniversary as Principal Analyst of Altimeter Group. And, it is with great pride that I mark the occasion with the release of my first official Altimeter report, “The Rise of Digital Influence.” Not a traditional market report, it was written as both a primer and a how-to [...] > read more

A Critical Path for Customer Relevance, Part 2

Published on 2012-03-19 08:41:14

With all of the momentum social media has earned over the years, the reality is that still today, it is very much siloed in marketing.  The aspiration of using social technology to build a social business is not yet within grasp. In many ways, social media is much more about media than it is about [...] > read more

Social media is about social science not technology

Published on 2012-03-14 12:42:33

In 2007, I wrote an article entitled, “Social Media is About Sociology Not Technology.” It’s a statement that after five years, I thankfully continue to see shared every day on Twitter. As time passed and experience matured, I amended that statement to now read, “Social media is about social science not technology.” Why did I [...] > read more

Enterprise Social Networking is More Than Facebook Behind a Firewall

Published on 2012-03-08 07:24:05

We see everyday what’s possible with social networks for improving customer engagement and experiences? Can the same be done with internal social networks for improving employee engagement and experiences? In the many years of helping businesses align business objectives with social and new media strategies, there is one thing that always introduces difficulty into the [...] > read more

The Importance of Brand in an Era of Digital Darwinism

Published on 2012-03-05 12:20:28

Part of an unpublished appendix for The End of Business as Usual… Think of your favorite brand, and the first thing to come to mind is likely a logo, such as the Coca-Cola scripting, a tag-line, such as Nike’s “Just do it,” or a jingle – remember the Oscar Meyer Wiener song? These may be [...] > read more

SXSW News: Billy Corgan Joins Brian Solis to Discuss The End of the Music Business as Usual

Published on 2012-03-03 13:58:50

When I originally outlined my presentation for SXSW, my plan was to set the stage for a passionate and engaged conversation by sharing the inspiration for my new book, The End of Business as Usual. The more I thought about it, I realized that I could do more. To me, SXSW is a celebration of [...] > read more

Expert Review: Tony Hsieh on The End of Business as Usual

Published on 2012-03-01 08:59:36

What follows is an expert review written by Tony Hsieh, NY Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc. This book [The End of Business as Usual] covers an important concept for businesses everywhere. The future of business isn’t just about the latest technology, it’s about market disruption and how an organization [...] > read more

Sorry, We’re Closed: The Rise of Digital Darwinism

Published on 2012-02-27 08:05:58

I am not a social media expert and my new book, The End of Business as Usual, is not about Social Media. If you’re looking for the Top 10 ways your business can succeed on Facebook or Twitter, secrets to attracting more followers or likes, creating viral videos, or the best practices for creating infographics [...] > read more

The State of the Twitterverse 2012

Published on 2012-02-26 15:22:19

The first time I wrote about Twitter was March 2007. My, how time and Tweets fly. With 500 million registered users and 250 million Tweets flying across the Twitterverse every day, Twitter has become a fabric of our digital culture. Twitter is now ingrained in our digital DNA and is reflected in our lifestyle and [...] > read more

When ROI Represents the Realization of Influence

Published on 2012-02-23 12:06:19

Vincenzo Cosenza is a new media strategist living in Italy who has over the years, designed some of the industry’s most comprehensive infographics on social media’s global footprint. Recently, he asked if I would write the foreword for his new book, Social Media ROI. And, as I’m a fan of his work, it was an [...] > read more

Brands Face Stream Fatigue as Consumers Look Beyond Gimmicks in Social Networks

Published on 2012-02-20 11:49:59

Part of an unpublished appendix for The End of Business as Usual… The mystique of Twitter, Facebook and Google+ causes a momentary lapse of reason where businesses are surprisingly acting first and addressing “the why” at a later point in time, if at all. Without careful consideration and strategy, a great wave of stream fatigue, [...] > read more

Report: Content and the New Marketing Equation

Published on 2012-02-16 12:05:49

Rebecca Lieb, my colleague at Altimeter Group released a new report, “Content: The New Marketing Equation Why Organizations Must Rebalance.” The report helps organizations find balance in the creation of effective content strategies while delivering value to stakeholders and consumers and also the bottom line. It’s safe to assume that the attention of the audience [...] > read more

A Critical Path for Customer Relevance, Part 1

Published on 2012-02-13 07:30:41

A key objective for senior executives over the next several years is to use disruptive technology to get closer to customers, to improve relationships, and enhance experiences. It is a considerable move and the result will usher in a new era of adaptive and empathetic business models. However, this is a move that is easier [...] > read more