Category Archives: Media

The Forgotten Boolean NOT

Posted on Tuesday, 3 April 2018 9:02 am by

I spent last week in Glasgow and London, with a UK SIM card temporarily in my phone. As part of my daily routine of checking Twitter, I learned that many social media advertisers and agencies have forgotten how to use … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, digital marketing, Direct Response, Media, Social Media Marketing, Tactics | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Were You the Same in 2014?

Facebook is pumping out a lot of spin these days. They’re trying to make us forget they ran (and continue to run) a massive, unregulated surveillance operation. They’re trying to distance themselves from Cambridge Analytica in any way possible, before … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Friday, 23 March 2018 8:42 am by | Tagged , , , ,

Algorithms: Recipes for Disaster

Posted on Thursday, 22 March 2018 8:15 am by

When we purchase digital advertising, we place our faith in the algorithms–a fancy word for “recipes”–used to determine things like the final price of the inventory, which creative is shown, and the frequency at which those impressions are shown. There’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, digital marketing, Education, Leadership, Media, Strategy | Tagged , , , ,

Programmatic: Buying or Media?

Posted on Monday, 5 March 2018 8:46 am by

I’ve been asked a couple of times if I’m pro- or anti-programmatic. My answer, sometimes to the asker’s frustration, is “it depends.” Whether or not a medium works for you depends on many things. The first, and most fundamental question … Continue reading →

Posted in digital marketing, Media, Travel | Tagged , , ,

Media Whitewash

Posted on Wednesday, 21 February 2018 8:29 am by

The ever thought-provoking Don Marti wrote something in “This is why we can’t have nice brands” on February 17th that reminded me of a standard direct mail practice: “Twitter has a solution that keeps its ads saleable: just don’t show … Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, digital marketing, Direct Response, fraud, Media, Social Media Marketing, Strategy | Tagged , ,

Humans

How many humans are in each segment of your category buyers? And how many humans are in each audience at each publisher? You need to know the answers to both questions for your campaigns to be successful. Not cookies. Not … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Monday, 19 February 2018 11:34 am by | Tagged ,

Name Those Ads

It’s been two days since the Super Bowl. Quick, and without thinking too hard, write down: The ads you saw on the Super Bowl on Sunday The digital ads you saw this morning as you read the news with coffee … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Tuesday, 6 February 2018 8:52 am by | Tagged , , ,

Hallelujah! Millennials Are Dead. Here Comes Generation Z

Just when I was about to open a vein over the incessant furor about how Millennials are different, unique and in need of such nonsense as influencer marketing, they’re dead. Here comes Gen Z (sheesh–will somebody brand the next round … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on Tuesday, 30 January 2018 7:01 am by | Tagged , , ,

Digital Marketing Tips From El Al

Posted on Wednesday, 24 January 2018 8:57 am by

El Al airlines has never been bombed and only hijacked once. This in spite of being a constant target for well-funded and persistent criminals. An enviable track record. How do they do it? Isaac Yeffet, El Al’s former head of … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, digital marketing, fraud, Media, Philosophy, planning, Security, Strategy | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Bet Your Ads Aren’t Loading

Posted on Tuesday, 23 January 2018 8:27 am by

Back in the early aughts, I remember getting worked up about losing around 5% of the impressions I paid for. In other words, I paid for 100 ads and could only see 95 in the server logs. The usual explanation … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, digital marketing, fraud, Media | Tagged , , , , ,