Convergence 2007

Top 10 Social Network and Blog Rankings: 3 Interesting Points

by Ann Handley

The Top 10 US Social Network and Blog Site Rankings were just issued for October, and there were a couple of interesting bits.

First, the highlights, via MarketingCharts:

• MySpace again wins the Smackdown of top US social networking sites, with more than 58.8 million unique visitors in October, according to custom lists of top US social networking sites and blogs compiled by Nielsen Online.

to read more go to: http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/weblog/

Big $ Investors & social media: Match made online

Seems social media isn't just for the middle and upper-middle class anymore: Now the top crust of society is getting social with the launch of the Wealth Management Exchange website.

The site's founder, Wayne Cooper, got burned a bit in the market a few years back, and realized the need for a social site geared to help investors help each other. The content-rich site features expert-authored articles by investment experts; discussion forums; and the ability for Management Exchange community members to rank wealth advisors.

to read more go to: http://onlineprguy.blogspot.com/

A Cause, A Brand - A Problem?

In all cases, brands need to be really clear and careful with their cause marketing efforts, but perhaps especially if yours is but one of many brands under a single multi-national corporate umbrella that might present conflicting messages.  Then you've really got your work cut out for you.  If that cause is for some reason particularly buzz- or newsworthy (e.g. The Dove Self Esteem Fund), even moreso.  In my latest HuffingtonPost piece, I write about how today's consumers can see the forest for the trees, and will put your brand under intense public scrutiny if you don't pay attention to your coupling of cause and brand.

Here's an excerpt:

to continue reading go to: http://learned.typepad.com/learned_on_women/

Tapping the Latino Market

posted by By DEB NICKLAY

Yuri McVey has become a valuable commodity at Northwest Federal Savings Bank.

McVey, 22, who moved from McAllen, Texas, to Belmond with her family when she was in the fifth grade, is bilingual.

Today, she is a teller at the bank and is regularly called upon to be an interpreter for the community’s Latino population.

“It’s kind of nice to help them; they feel good when they come in if they can speak with someone who can speak Spanish,” said McVey.

to read more go to: http://juantornoe.blogs.com/hispanictrending/blog_index.html?

Accountable Mass Media

Well, don't these words - Accountable & Mass media present an irony of sorts to you? 

Yes, surely this has been the way things have been happening for last 3-4 decades. Mass marketing has never been accountable. It's never been addressable 'one household at a time' too. Either, it was not possible or it was too expensive to do it. Technology is surely breaking down these myths and introducing possibilities like never before. Take a look at how this happening or expected to unfold in the near future:

to read more go to: http://customerworld.typepad.com/

Must-See Video: 'Did You Know?'

posted by Ann Handley

Anyone who is online in business today should watch this video. Actually, anyone in business should watch it. (Reconsidering....) Actually, ANYONE should watch this.

to watch the video go to: http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2007/10/mustsee_video_did_you_know.html

is your out of the box marketing piece offending greensters?

posted by darryl ohrt

AboutDesign makes a great point about a new ad insert for Yellow Tail Wines. He was offended by the ad. Not in the traditional way you might expect to be offended by advertising. There was no racy message, nudity or inappropriate language here. Richard was offended by waste.

to read more go to: http://www.brandflakesforbreakfast.com/

Happy Blog Action Day - Bloggers Unite for the Environment

posted by David Berkowitz

The environment's great. Without it, there would be no bloggers, and no blogs, and no Daily Show, and all of that would be a tragedy. In light of that, I'll spread the word courtesy of TypePad, the blog publishing platform that I've used since this blog's birth nearly two years ago, about Blog Action Day. Remember, if the environment falls apart, your RSS reader will be totally useless.

Here are some bona fide resources that probably take this environmentalist stuff even more seriously than a marketing blog (even more are available at Blog Action Day's official site):

to find out more go to: http://www.marketersstudio.com/

Interactive Agency Blogs and “the long and the short of it” Podcast

posted by Karl Long

At the Forrester Consumer forum David Armano successfully goaded me into doing a podcast, with his promise of creating a logo for me, and the condition that he can be my first guest i acquiesce. His suggestion was to call it “The long and the short of it”, which I kind of like, it plays nicely off my last name, and seems like an appropriate homage to one of my favorite podcasts, American Copywriter. The connection is of course the infamous American Copywriter drinking game which is you take a drink any time someone says “The long and the short of it” amongst other things.

to read more go to: http://blog.experiencecurve.com/

The Future of Advertising, Communications, and Media

Business Development Institute and PR Newswire have partnered together to produce several conference focused on future trends of communications.  Over 2,000 communications professionals from the PR, advertising, marketing, media and technology industries have attended our past events.

We have joined again to bring to you a full day conference entitled, Convergence 2007: The Future of Advertising, Communications, and Media at The Graduate Center/CUNY 365 Fifth Avenue in

New York City

. This conference will gather the best and brightest minds to explore how the communications industry is converging.  The internet's impact on advertising, pr, and media continue to create major changes in the way organizations and individuals interact.  Businesses and consumers are embracing social media, web video, and environmentalism.  Communications professionals are challenged more than ever to measure ROI on their initiatives while embracing new and sometimes immature cutting edge tactics.   We will explore case studies and provide a platform for highly regarded thought leaders to share their successes, failures and lessons learned.  We will also invite the best of breed product and solution providers to share their perspectives on the changing face of communications.

The days events will feature case studies presented by Heather Oldani, Director of Communications, McDonald's, Melissa Keklak, PR Director, Casio, Geoff Cook, CEO, myYearBook.com followed by breakout sessions with speakers such as Michael Clemente, Executive Producer, ABC News, Jason Rissman, Google, Bruce Ertmann, Corporate Manager - Consumer Generated Media, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and more from the communications spectrum. These breakout sessions will specifically focus on Measurement & ROI, Authentic Communications - Examining Social Media and the Online Conversation, Web Video - The Corporate Communications & Advertising Opportunity, and Green Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility.

For more information on the conference go to http://bdionline.com/convergence2007

If you have any comments, questions, or a contribution of knowledge towards the topics at hand, they are utterly appreciated.