Two New Yorkers Collaborate to be the Voice for Restless Brands

August 29, 2016 by Ted Rubin

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Anyone who knows me knows I am all about the power of relationships. Every once in a while, something unexpected happens that seems almost too good to be true.

So two months and 53,000 YouTube views ago, I had no idea something this unpredictable would happen….

Over the course of 5 episodes, we’ve:

trampled on a Chipotle campaign,
discussed when to (and when NOT to) use humor in branding and how James Corden gets it right
clarified the liability of cliches and a closely guarded branding secret
crystallized how a new retail brand is crushing it (with $225 million in sales) in a $40 billion category, and
unveiled how GEICO, Oreo and Old Spice use 2 rules that help convert commodities into a must-have brands.

I am talking about this new collaboration I am super pumped over: The David and Ted Talk Show.

Cause Marketing: Making the Most of your Marketing Dollars

February 14, 2015July 3, 2015 by TheSocialCMO

Trillions of dollars are spent each year on all aspects of brand and product promotion, the vast majority of which generates little in positive social benefit.

Many would argue why should it, as the purpose of these expenditures is only to sell as many products to as many people as possible. However the emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility in all major business organizations is leading to a rethink and refocus of all expenditures and actions of the organization to maximize the firm’s positive social impact.

How to Increase Blog Traffic…

September 14, 2014December 20, 2014 by Ted Rubin

For me it is not about tools, but about strategy, and execution. Here are a few things to consider in addition to just posting articles and working the SEO angle…

1. User-Friendly Navigation: Keeping your blog easy to navigate with intuitive category labels will help people find the information they seek much faster. Also, make it easy for readers to leave comments and share your posts on various channels that will help lead others back to you.

2. Look for Holes in Your Competition: Take a look at your competition’s blogs and websites. Are there content holes they’ve missed that you can take advantage of? Ways to add value not already available and help you stand out. Those consistently provide lots of content have a bigger chance of attracting people who are actively looking for information.

3. Don’t Close Your Comments: Don’t close the door for people to leave comments on your blog; doing so leaves the impression that you only care about what you have to say and are not willing to be responsive to others. Seth Godin can do it, and it sure works for him, but until you are playing in that league, don’t go there.

4. Commenting on Other Blogs: Look for other blogs in your industry that have a good amount of traffic and comments, and contribute a comment, but only if you think you can add value to the conversation. Be careful not to promote your blog here; just add some insight, and do it on a regular basis. Make seeking out and commenting on other blogs a part of your daily activities. The more you contribute to the conversation happening around you, the more you’ll be seen as a thought-leader (and people will click on your link to check you out).

5. Syndicate, syndicate, syndicate… share your content via all social channels always including Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn, which also makes it easy for others to share. And don’t be afraid to do it more than once periodically sharing old posts via your social channels, especially those that were well received. Also let others freely repost your content with a link back to the original post.

Welcome to the ‘Age of Influence,’ where anyone can build an audience and effect change, advocate brands, build relationships and make a difference.

How Duane Reade Leads it’s Industry in Content Marketing

August 8, 2014December 20, 2014 by Ted Rubin

Co-Authors: John Andrews and Ted Rubin

AMA recently published an article that I reposted yesterday, The Retweet that Never Sleeps, about Duane Reade’s highly successful content marketing approach that has helped the tiny (in terms of store count) retailer outperform much larger competitors in terms of social media engagement (National Drug chain CVS has just 10% of the Twitter audience of Duane Reade for Example). The Tri-State area only retailer (256 Stores) which is a subsidiary of Walgreens uses a content marketing platform that is powered by a group of influencers known at the Duane Reade VIP Bloggers. This unique model leverages the local knowledge of brand advocates along with their individual audiences to deliver highly relevant organic content across a wide spectrum of social media channels. Twitter studied the approach and created a great case study about it.

What is BulletProof Branding? My Forward for @westfallonline’s New Book

May 4, 2014December 20, 2014 by Ted Rubin

POSTED BY CHRIS WESTFALL ON APR 25, 2014

What is BulletProof Branding? with @TedRubin

Introducing BulletProof Branding

Here’s the foreword to my new book by none other than Ted Rubin, one of the greatest strategic marketers on the planet. As an expert I really respect, I had to ask Ted to comment on the book – and, of course, he offered his insights as only he can. The book launches on May 1, 2014, and I wanted to share Ted’s foreword with you.

Ted Rubin Interviewing @Sandy_Carter (@IBM GM) at Brand Innovators SXSW [video]

April 26, 2014December 20, 2014 by Ted Rubin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJEEGglR2Lg

Are Super Bowl Commercials Worth The Cost For A Brand?

January 31, 2014December 20, 2014 by Steve Olenski

I could literally just write that title then leave the rest of this article blank and let everyone chime in and fend for themselves as to where they fall in this debate. This epic debate, which it has become as the cost associated with advertising during the Super Bowl has escalated to super heights, if you will.

Those in the marketing and advertising space surely have opinions, and more than likely strong ones at that as to the merits and benefits of spending gobs of money for 30 seconds of air time.

A few days ago in Forbes, Rob Siltanen, founder and chief creative officer of Siltanen & Partners, a Los Angeles-based advertising agency, in his article entitled Yes, A Super Bowl Ad Really Is Worth $4 Million, stated categorically that he believes “the Super Bowl to be one of the smartest investments a company can possibly make. In fact, the Super Bowl makes more sense today than ever before.”

What Will Become Of The Lance Armstrong Brand?

January 23, 2013December 21, 2014 by Steve Olenski

The sordid tale of Lance Armstrong is unfolding right before our eyes across the web, social media and of course TV in addition to pretty much every other channel known to man.

Back in August of this year I wrote an article about Penn State and if their brand had received the death penalty. While obviously different on many fronts, there are some similarities between Penn State and Lance Armstrong when it comes to branding and there’s a lesson for all marketers and advertisers.

The opening two paragraphs of the aforementioned Penn State article fit like a glove when overlaid onto the Lance Armstrong saga: