social marketing

I spent most of last week at WebTrends Engage, a conference that focuses on the convergence of mobile, social and analytics technologies. And, in addition to being an attendee, I was invited to speak as part of the “Social Media Expert Panel” on Wednesday Afternoon. We covered a variety of topics, but there was one question that stood out: Can virality be predicted? ... Read More

When I was hired I was told that I would be asked to conduct a great deal of research. I have always considered myself an information-craved Internet addict so I was happy to hear that.

My boss tasked me with finding out what consumers were saying about this particular brand which is also a top client of ours. I searched through various websites and social networks and was able to find what she wanted. One thing is for sure; people really liked posting their thoughts and feelings on the Web. ... Read More

Is Facebook growth slowing?

No. At least not today, but that doesn’t mean it won’t sometime in the near future.

I read an article today in the New York Times that sparked somewhat of a mathematical inquest. In the article, it said that a recent study by the Department of commerce shows that 28% of Americans do not use the Internet.

This metric is interesting alone, but becomes incredibly interesting when put within context of Facebook. ... Read More

I neared the completion of my college career and it was time to apply for jobs. My goal was to get a job at a digital advertising agency. While I was in school I attended every ad club event I could make it to. I was fortunate to hear from a slew of advertising professionals from across the country. They shared tips on how to apply for a job, what websites we should check out, email etiquette and of course, what students should and should not be doing with social media. ... Read More

Greg Poffenroth, Ascentium’s Director of Social Marketing, is speaking at the NewsGator Collective. The NewsGator Collective is a two-day conference at which attendees share their knowledge about enterprise social computing in the form of case studies, industry best practices, hands-on labs, and more. Greg Poffenroth will be speaking about social trends, the evolution of human relationships, and how these relate to the future of social marketing. His half-hour session is scheduled for Wednesday, February 2, at 1:45 pm. ... Read More

If you’ve spent any time in the London Underground, you’ve been well conditioned by its public address system to “mind the gap,” i.e., take care when boarding across the open space between platform and train. It’s good advice.

And considering the recent marketing experience of retail clothing giant The Gap, the phrase may be taken as especially good advice for those of us in the business of influencing the conversation between a brand and its consumers. ... Read More

We are pleased with the launch of the refreshed Ascentium.com website. As we continue to make improvements, we’d like to incorporate your feedback, so please share your thoughts at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TCM77K6.

Money. It’s what makes the world go around. Whether you think of it as a measure of success or a byproduct of it to serve as a tool to realize your passions, it’s still a critical element of modern society. People need it, businesses want it; governments bow down to the suppliers of it and most would agree that it is synonymous with power in our modern society. ... Read More

With the announcement of the Open Graph initiative, our egos get to be shaped even when we aren't on Facebook.  This potentially makes web interactions more relevant (yes, this really means the advertising).  On one hand, the insights of my profile can shape the content on another website, and on the other hand, the decisions I make on the web augment my FB profile.  The challenge for advertisers will not change -- you might now know definitively that I need new socks, but you still have to turn your product into a story for me to pay heed.  And in the true spirit of stories, they become myths, with liberal changes in the narrative taking place as more people become involved in it.  After all, narratives are just strands of data interwoven with eloquence.  And with all this data available, we have some interesting narratives ahead.  Anxious to see how brands take the FB insights to create a core narrative and (hopefully) let it become everyone's own (My)th.

This week, I was doing some research on a client here at Ascentium, and stumbled across a tid-bit in a news item from the Business Insider describing the forthcoming expansion of Microsoft’s retail establishments, a rather large and high-profile push for the company. ... Read More