Change for the sake of change, is never a good thing. ESPN, the industry leader in creating, covering and analyzing sports and sports programming is making some moves. I find it refreshing when an industry giant is proactive not reactive. It would be so easy for ESPN to just sit on its corporate ass and funnel the cash into Bristol, CT. Part of this is a response to Fox Sports and the network sports programming. Part of this is minding the shop, so to speak. But the truth is, there is a history of excellence and a desire to workREAD MORE
I think to be great in anything you need to stay ahead of the competition, know what is trending before it becomes common-place and be creative in your thought process. In my position as an industry advocate and analyst I hear and see a lot of things, most of it is just pontification by middle-aged white executives espousing the same shit they have for 30 years with a new coat of paint on it. Barf! But sometimes, when the stars align I hear something that I think to myself, now that is a really dope idea! I read an articleREAD MORE
I know, many of you are sick of hearing about Donald Trump. While some of you can't get enough. What a paradox in American pop culture and politics. Now clearly Mr. Trump is not the 1st celebrity to be elected to office (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, John Glenn, and the most famous of them all, Ronald Reagan to name just a few). Why is Donald Trump leading the pack? What are the analytics telling us and what is just common sense? The polls I have read this weekend show that his lead is strengthening in several key categories including women,READ MORE
What every brand covets is an educated consumer with a predisposition to buy their products and/or services. Unfortunately, very few brands and their agencies have a solid plan that works for customer acquisition via social media. Sure, sure, every social media agency will tell you about the one client they "blew up" their client's Facebook or Instagram numbers. But on average, most digital agencies have limited success, can't replicate the success they have and are very much in the business of new client acquisition versus client performance. That is harsh. And time and time again I hear from clients, friendsREAD MORE
I must say, I have been an evangelist for many social media stars in the last 3 years. Usually in the health and fitness category. These women aggregate huge audiences and they do it unbelievably fast! The growth rate of a sexy social media star who knows how to build a "community" will surely outpace corporate America 10,000 to 1 on platforms such as Instagram, Vine and YouTube! It's clear why. People, especially teens, like hanging with good looking people via social media. They follow people that in real life would probably not hang out with them. Millions of teens follow the youngREAD MORE
The emerging story has been simmering for years about the true nature of who Jared Fogle is, how long ago had others known about his alleged interest in under-aged children and pornography? Subway, one of the fastest growing QSR franchise chains in the world has presented to consumers the image of Jared Fogle, an overweight customer who utilized Subway's low fat/calorie meals to lose weight and change his life forever! In essence, Subway turned Jared Fogle into Paul Bunyan! Bigger than life. A folk lore giant of the highest caliber espousing the virtues of using Subway as a means to an end.READ MORE
I was reading an article this morning about actress Eva Longoria smacking the Sydney Morning Herald upside it's head for a reporters shotty journalism. The back story is that Longoria just signed a significant deal to be the #celebrity spokesperson for an eyewear chain called SpecSavers. As part of the scope of work, Longoria would share her story about needing glasses to read via social + traditional media. What transpired next is exactly why all the good journalist are dead. Unlike days past where journalistic integrity mattered and in the world of the 24/7 news cycle, if you print it or blog itREAD MORE
What is the term we always hear in meetings with clients and agencies who are looking for corporate spokespeople? Authenticity! And nowhere is it more poignantly represented than by former news anchors and on-camera news reporters! They are experts in framing discussions and getting to the bottom of things, while educating an audience on the most important aspects of any topic. Over the last six months, the search for corporate spokespeople/brand ambassadors across various categories from beauty care to financial services has led my team of researchers to double down on its efforts to find great story-tellers who have a presence on-camera and at leastREAD MORE
I have worked in and around health and fitness for over 20 years. I have been to a bag full of IRSHA and ACE shows. I have represented over 20 nationally know health, fitness, wellness and nutrition experts from all over this country. And one of the most interesting developments over the last 20 years is how important Corporate Wellness has become as a mantra to HR professionals across every category of company from emerging start-ups to Fortune 50 companies! Corporate Wellness can also have many different faces depending on the company, it's budget and the amount of space available to executeREAD MORE
I find myself again at the crux of making another decision on asset allocation and the growth of my businesses. It is never an easy decision and depending on who you speak with, it comes down to the two (2) titans of new business creation: Pay per click (PPC) vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Now, I can no longer claim to be a novice. I have employed social media strategists, experts, analytics freaks and people who mine the internet for choice keywords and back-links. So, I can hold my own in a conversation of geeks discussing the future Google and/orREAD MORE
I find myself again at the crux of making another decision on asset allocation and the growth of my businesses. It is never an easy decision and depending on who you speak with, it comes down to the two (2) titans of new business creation: Pay per click (PPC) vs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Now, I can no longer claim to be a novice. I have employed social media strategists, experts, analytics freaks and people who mine the internet for choice keywords and back-links. So, I can hold my own in a conversation of geeks discussing the future Google and/orREAD MORE
I am quite sure the executives at Wasserman Media Group are just fine with the way the U.S. Women won the 2015 FIFA World Cup in glorious fashion over Japan. Wasserman reps many of the top U.S. women's World Cup players including the face of the sport for years, Alex Morgan. Wasserman has done an amazing job cultivating a fan base and corporate sponsorships like very few have in the Olympic movement for Morgan. She reps clothing companies, insurance companies and many others. Her face is plastered on TV commercials, billboards and social media. So to many people's surprise, Carli Lloyd, who hasREAD MORE
Drake rocks the mic in creative new TV and digital advertisements for Sprite resulting in one of the hottest marketing campaigns of the summer! The exciting arrival of sunny, summer days gave way to a slew of creative new marketing campaigns featuring celebrity spokespeople in June. CelebExperts a respected corporate consulting and celebrity acquisition agency, assessed each celebrity endorsement deal executed to uncover the most impactful celebrity marketing campaigns on display this month. June proved to be the most active month to date for marketing campaigns featuring a celebrity spokesperson in 2015. The success of a celebrity spokesperson and the subsequentREAD MORE
Such an interesting question. If you are a brand manager looking for an ambassador to lead your charge against the competition, gain market-share and profits, you in many cases will affix your fortunes to a celebrity. This celebrity must have a large fan base usually articulated via their social media numbers. When you review a celebrity's social media demographics for Twitter, Vine, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat, Periscope and others, you need to dig deeper and analyze if the celebrities you are reviewing are overexposed. Seems like an oxymoron in some regards. You want a celebrity with enormous pull from anREAD MORE
It is easy to focus on corporate entertainment events in the nation's largest cities such as New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas or Denver, but what if you are looking for a small city that will have all of the amenities, hotel space, intangibles and airport to support your corporate event? How do you define a small city? Under 2.5 million residents? Under 1 million residents? Under 500,000 residents? Or is your search for a city that has a feel more so than a number of residents? Tough questions for event planners, logistic experts and corporate communications specialist.READ MORE