You've heard about the pop-up store: the retail outlet that appears one day - "popping up" - is there for a few days or perhaps weeks, often tied to an event of some kind, and then shuts down. The idea has been around for the past decade. There are good examples in many countries. In London, there's a shopping mall containing pop-up stores. And the government's got in on pop-ups, too. What many pop-up stores have in common is their role in bringing awareness of a brand to a location or an … [Read more...] about Enter the pop-up agency concept
Archives for February 2013
Sentiment analysis and the challenges of content overload
Last week, Socialbakers came to town with the London stop on their Socialbakers World Tour. The social media analytics company invited me to the London event to hear from CEO Jan Rezab presenting analysis on brand behaviours on Facebook, including the top brands and their 'returns on engagement'; and introducing new product features in Socialbakers' offering, notably BrandLove. Socialbakers describes BrandLove as "a new research method we have designed that measures the sentiment consumers … [Read more...] about Sentiment analysis and the challenges of content overload
The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #692: February 25, 2013
Intro: Recording on Sunday Feb 24, experimenting with Diigo as an alternative to Delicious; Quick News: New York Times gamifies reading, why podcasting should be the PR consultant's best friend, slow video delivery dooms your video views, ad creep reaches the thighs of young Japanese women; Ragan promo; News That Fits: 2012 Inc 500 Social Media report; Michael Netzley's report shares an investigative journalism article and public protests challenging the Singapore government; challenges … [Read more...] about The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #692: February 25, 2013
The key to podcasting is community
Podcasting should be the PR consultant's best friend, says Phil Szomszor in a good assessment of podcasts and their role in public relations. Or, rather, the role podcasts ought to have in PR. In his optimistic assessment, Szomszor cites the rise of smartphone use and growth of free or cheap tools to create podcasts, plus a focus on content marketing, that have created a mini-revival of podcasting in the UK. He notes three specific reasons for public relations practitioners to take an … [Read more...] about The key to podcasting is community
The habits of UK mobile Twitter users
I use Twitter a great deal on a mobile device, not only when out and about but also in pastime situations such as tweeting comments about a movie or TV show I'm watching, or commenting about a brand in a TV ad. That's the so-called second screen behaviour and experience in action. It's increasingly common behaviour according to some new metrics about mobile use of Twitter in the UK, published yesterday by Twitter. Indeed, UK tweeters love tweeting on a mobile device according to … [Read more...] about The habits of UK mobile Twitter users
The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #691: February 18, 2013
Intro: FIR Interview with Allan Schoenberg is up; Quick News: Software that tracks people on social media created by defence firm Raytheon, Twitter kills Posterous, American Express cardholders can tweet to buy, TD Bank invests in Google+ content; Ragan promo; News That Fits: What do corporate directors and senior managers know about social media?; Dan York asks do you have current email contact info at your hosting providers?, reports on his experiments with Soundcloud and podcasting, and … [Read more...] about The Hobson and Holtz Report – Podcast #691: February 18, 2013
GE’s six dimensions of leadership
A drum that many communicators bang a lot - I do it, too - is the one that tries to get your attention on the view that an essential role of leadership in organizations is that of communication. I'm not talking about the kind of stuff that many CEOs will do: the employee email, the bylined ghostwritten memo to investors or shareholders, signed forewords in sales and marketing collateral, "he said" quotes in press releases, etc. No, I'm talking about the authentic stuff, the kind of … [Read more...] about GE’s six dimensions of leadership
4G LTE experiences and faster everything
4G - the marketing term that covers the next-generation cellular standards LTE, HSPA+ and WiMAX - is rolling out worldwide and LTE is currently available in more than 60 countries. It's generally seen that LTE is the fastest 4G service and is the one that is the subject of a just-published report by Open Signal, a UK-based network testing company. The report examines the state of LTE around the world and contains some useful trend metrics for the lay reader: 62 countries already have at … [Read more...] about 4G LTE experiences and faster everything