Delta Air Lines is an innovative marketer taking bold digital strides. In a recent interview Bob Kupbens, Delta's VP Marketing and Digital Commerce, shared five directives from his position at the world's biggest airline.

Integrate Across Channels

While many marketing organizations still run paid, owned and earned media as separate...

Facebook introduced the launch of Facebook Home, ending rumors of a custom-built social phone dating back to 2008. What is it and what does it mean to marketers?

Social By Design

Facebook Home is a family of software apps that makes an Android smartphone more social. This includes any smartphone...

Sephora execs may have heard Silicon Valley veteran Marc Andreessen predicting the death of traditional retailers earlier this year. But with its leadership in digital and mobile technology, Sephora's future is bright.

Customer experience is the remaining advantage physical retailers have over eCommerce pureplays like Fab.com, Andreessen said,...

Education technology company Ooka Island is targeting parents and communities, not just teachers, in its quest to eradicate illiteracy. Is it a great example of technology's potential or a reflection of a broken school system?

"Our game is designed to act like a live tutor that responds and...

BlackBerry's new smartphone launch in New York City on Wednesday wasn't magical or boisterous. CEO Thorsten Heins didn't use any superlatives like unbelievable, phenomenal, or awesome. And that's the point.

BlackBerry presented itself as a confident, business-focused company. Not overly proud -- it's hard to ignore the slide down to...

Showrooming was a big topic at last week's National Retail Federation (NRF) Expo in NYC. A growing number of shoppers are researching their purchases in-store then buying later online, which would be fine if the sale went to that retailer. But when it goes to Amazon or a...

A record 27,000 retailers and technology vendors converged in NYC this week for the National Retail Federation's (NRF) Big Show. On the heels of a modest holiday retail season -- up only 3 percent year over year -- three keywords dominated in speaker sessions, exhibitor booths, and hallway...

There is a growing and unwarranted sense of injustice among retail marketers today when it comes to Facebook. Few are able to cost-justify the millions it took to build and maintain their social presence but their effectiveness is being limited by three common misperceptions.

Misperception #1: Brands Own Their Fans

"They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission." - Banksy, British street artist, on interruptive advertisers

Marketers buy Facebook ads hoping to drive sales but most are simply building awareness. We're on Facebook to connect with friends, not brands,...

To attract broadcast ad dollars, Facebook has redefined itself as a broadcast platform.

Until recently, brands with limited marketing dollars could start a free Facebook Page, post some great content and get in the earned media game. Facebook display ads -- the primary source of revenue -- were an option...

As Facebook aims to go public on May 17, 2012, the company is facing unprecedented scrutiny to prove its earning potential. To appeal to brands and open up ad dollars, marketing terms like reach, awareness and stories are now replacing the old "likes and comments" focus of the...

With 1 of every 5 online minutes being spent on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, ad agencies and marketers are scrambling to get their brands into the social party. While some of us are pushing our way in by employing the same 1-way mass tactics used...

Google took a big step toward becoming a social branding channel by launching Google Plus Pages for Business this week. Will they succeed in attracting brands to set up their own identities and getting consumers to engage? Here are 3 reasons why it would be tough to bet...

Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry, hasn't had much fun lately. Its stock is down 60% from its 52-week high, its Playbook tablet is facing poor reviews and recalls, employees are saying all kinds of nasty things in public, and its developer community is upset. Meanwhile

Full-service advertising agencies are challenged with integrating digital capabilities into their traditional media mix. Technology in the past 10 years moved advertising beyond interruptive one-way push messaging into a two-way participative context. To agencies this represents more than just a wealth of new media options; it requires an entirely new...

Building a global brand presence is one of the hottest topics in social marketing among the world's largest marketers today. With 380 million active Facebook users living outside the United States -- that's over 70% of the total Facebook population -- marketers are recognizing the opportunity to target campaigns toward...

By the end of this year the advertising industry will have lost 10% of its worldwide revenue, compared to normal annual growth rates of 5 or 6%. Agencies who haven’t yet embraced interactive – the only media type predicted to grow – are clamoring for a spot at...

The interactive marketing business has gone through some constructive battles in its first 10 years.  Here are the big three and what they mean to marketers and agencies today.

Interactive vs Traditional: Earning a Seat at the Table

Since the early days of internet marketing in the ‘90s, traditional advertising...

He isn’t on Twitter, he has no official Facebook fan page, and his website is a Flash disaster stuck in the ‘90s.  So what can Neil Young teach celebrities today about social marketing?  Canada’s legendary mutton-chopped musician was leveraging 5 key principles of social marketing decades before the...

Last month, Canadian musician Dave Carroll gave United Airlines a gift.  After battling with their complaints department for 9 months he gathered his band and created a catchy video entitled "United Breaks Guitars." It was an instant YouTube hit, attracting over 5.2 million views.  For perspective that’s more...