journal
Notes on buzz, culture and the work.
Writing on advertising, brand advocacy, design, PR, and why photojournalism beats slick images for commercial use.
Book a conversationJune 25, 2026
WHY PHOTOJOURNALISM BEATS BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Unstaged pictures get more attention In an era flooded with AI-generated images and polished corporate stock photos, authentic photojournalism cuts through the noise. It doesn’t just document events — it builds emotional connections that turn brands into movements and movements into profit. As a brand strategist, photographer, and author who has generated over $156 million […]June 1, 2026
lesson from our first Trimester.
my online newsletter was born 3 months ago. While 599 subscribers in three months or so may be insignificant, to me it feels like a growing Andre the Giant in the womb, figuratively speaking. Why the spurt? The first reason, “Artificial. Done Artfully,” has subscribers, perhaps, is because it reads as a byline, online. This […]April 8, 2026
Artificial. Done Artfully. ANNOUCEMENT!
I have been writing articles at a slower pace this year for a reason. I can now fully declare that one way to compete with AI is to invest in really expensive equipment that allows you to capture what cannot…February 19, 2026
Branding During (Cold) War Time
Covering a winter protest in Minnesota is not "war photography." Pepper bullets hurt; real ones kill. With AI eating away at gestation time in our business, taking pictures under pressure can still teach you…February 5, 2026
abPICTURES
SEE MORE PICTURES HERE: Home – ABpicturesJanuary 28, 2026
This'll Kill AI
If you, like me, wish you could kill off AI some days, I have the antidote. Take pictures of protest. A protest cannot be manufactured artificially. It is accelerated, amplified, augmented and even fomented by…January 15, 2026
Favorite ads from other agencies.
Just the good stuff.December 27, 2025
Influence and Imperfection
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; art is not. I once read a book that said that right and wrong hold the meaning of life. While humans may need the bad to appreciate the good, no one needs bad art. Plainly…December 16, 2025
A few powerful words. Perhaps.
Here is a rationale for writing and reading from Andreessen Horowitz. “When you read an important idea and put in the work to understand it, you gain the subconscious competence and legitimacy to talk about…December 16, 2025
Powercasting. In a few words.
Here is a rationale for writing and reading from Andreessen Horowitz. “When you read an important idea and put in the work to understand it, you gain the subconscious competence and legitimacy to talk about…December 16, 2025
Why you should read and write and stop speaking in teh
Here is a rationale for writing and reading from Andreessen Horowitz. “When you read an important idea and put in the work to understand it, you gain the subconscious competence and legitimacy to talk about…December 16, 2025
Write. Read. Become Powerful.
Here is a rationale for writing and reading from Andreessen Horowitz. “When you read an important idea and put in the work to understand it, you gain the subconscious competence and legitimacy to talk about…December 2, 2025
Madonna, Sybil and Superintelligence
Do you wish some relationships came with a delete button? While you can choose to crawl under a rock, you are already married to AI. With the dawn of Generalized Artificial Intelligence, your new spouse will…November 28, 2025
Lessons from our first Trimester.
It’s been three months since this online newsletter was born. While 599 subscribers in three months or so may be insignificant, to me it feels like a growing Andre the Giant in the womb, figuratively speaking.…November 26, 2025
LinkedIn, I love you.
I recently had a moment with LinkedIn. I was becoming enraged by my feed and decided to take my problems to a professional. A sort of agency whisperer, if you will. “Your problems with LinkedIn are on you,” he…November 20, 2025
Make it before you fake it.
Last week, Oliver McAteer from Mischief, posted an example of an idea enhanced by AI. [1] The short spot, produced by the agency’s content studio shows two guys attending a Halloween party populated by people…November 13, 2025
Ghost Postings and the rise of the "Inrets."
Have you heard the latest term to describe frustration with the economy? The word is “Inrets” which stands for “involuntarily retired” professionals in their 50s and 60s who are perceived as too old or…November 10, 2025
Thievery and Generative Search.
The young artist imitates, whereas the mature artist steals, although there are exceptions to this rule. ChatGPT stole my content to explain brand advocacy and attributed it to someone else. This was either a…November 5, 2025
Friend is not a verb.
The decline of civilization began when the noun “friend” became a verb, or roughly 2005, with the advent of Facebook. Defenders of this nuisance will point to the ancient English word frēon, meaning “to love,…October 30, 2025
Brass Tacks at High Point.
The furniture business is basically AI-Proof. Until someone designs robots with sensitivity in their posterior regions, chairs and couches will mostly benefit humans. What I discovered at this year’s High…October 21, 2025
10, or, ok, maybe 3 things I hate about you.
Being disliked, even hated, is a proven way to boost your online profile, especially for a politician. I recall former Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, who reminds me of current vocalist Jasmine Crockett. They…October 15, 2025
The CJ INterview:
If you generate buzz for clients, you should practice what you preach.October 14, 2025
Authenticity. Rhymes with Acne.
I have experience with authenticity. As a budding copywriter, I once invested in a Sony A7 and G-Master lenses. Soon after, I began taking the employee photos that other staff members felt were beneath them.…October 9, 2025
Hallucinating at Work
If there is one word that’s happy these days, it’s hallucinate. Freed from the dungeons of drug culture, it now describes what happens when LLMs trip out of their artificial minds. The issue is simple. Having…September 30, 2025
Zig, Zag, Zip.
I snapped the above picture in Chicago yesterday while trying to carry on a conversation with a kid in Middle School. While our failure to communicate may have been due to my multi-tasking, it could also have…September 22, 2025
Artificial Identity. By the Makers.
Most of us can only observe AI. Last week, I talked with the guys who actually make the stuff: Zig Wu, Senior Director, Workplace Strategy & Occupancy Planning at OpenAI, and Andres Avalos, Chief Product…September 15, 2025
Picture Reality. Then Perfect It.
If you want people to talk about your work or brand in a meaningful, even profitable way, take a picture or type a headline. While “storytelling” and film also work, these take longer and require more effort.…September 9, 2025
The Artful. Not the Artificial.
The image above is from a new installation my firm is creating for Opportunity Crossing in Minneapolis, designed by the acclaimed Damaris Holingsworth . Because Hollingsworth is an architect to watch, a…September 8, 2025
Brand Advocacy and the Artificial.
Brand advocacy is a shorter way of saying "AI follows advertising that people talk about." But who am I to know, right? Fair question. So let me share an e-mail exchange last week between myself and a service…September 7, 2025
EXplore ads, buzz & Chat
Check here for updates on tactics you can use to generate ChatGPT prompts. Before you begin, however, it is essential to understand the role of the zeitgeist. Click here to download a 69-page whitepaper:September 7, 2025
My Book as a Business Cruise
Embarkation: Leaving the Harbor of Paid Media The cruise begins with businesses boarding the ship, leaving behind the crowded port of traditional advertising. Here, Chris Birt positions the problem:…September 7, 2025
It's going to be a wild ride. (And climb)
I will be posting weekly updates from my book, Awareness Without Advertising, here every week. Photos, videos and tip sheets will also beSeptember 7, 2025
AI can't take a picture. Yet.
My new newsletter will be laden with photography and video. Because while AI can make a picture, it can't take a picture. While it can make a video, it can't shoot a film. This insight is so simple that I…March 3, 2025
$2,450,000.00 in free press from 3 free ads.
The campaign that made me decide to really go into advertising.March 2, 2025
When it’s time for a quick brand “fitting.”
Good name, bad logo.March 1, 2025
The Amazon best seller in advertising for 2024.
Oops, I did it again.October 25, 2024
Otherworldly gatherings.
Getting out there.October 9, 2024
The Star Tribune Interview
Chris Birt has written a book about generating brand awareness without much advertising. He has also worked tirelessly in the past year on various ventures, “an illusory partnership in health care and a very…August 7, 2024
Minneapolis 2020
I will be posting some pictures from the photojournalism assignment I had during the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis inJune 19, 2024
They Shoot Maseratis, Don't They?
Elvis Presley had a thing for Italian sports cars (among other drugs). A certain urban legend holds that he once actually shot one of them when it failed to start. Rumor has passed that the low-slung shot of…March 26, 2024
Le mans, Mazda, and the pursuit.
Car talk.March 19, 2024
Setting the show. By the numbers.
Show time.December 2, 2020
The Growth Hacking Game
A good way to get your mind into Growth Hacking is to consider branding itself as an extension of hacking by other means. And a game at that. The world of web 3.0 not only makes it possible, but probable. The…April 23, 2020
Now on AudioBooks.
A year ago to this day "Awareness Without Advertising" was STILL at #3 on the Amazon Best-Seller list in Public Relations and #10 in Advertising. It's shooting back up the charts as an AudioBook, narrated by…February 21, 2019
"Anal"-lytics.
PESO Analytics How much awareness do you need to accomplish your business goals? The answer to this question is different for every brand, product or service. One thing you don't need however is to chase the…February 4, 2019
The Perils of Page Layout
Everything but the ink-stained fingers. One of the interesting insights you gain from writing a book is that print, or more specifically books, matter. I recently came across a site called kindleprenuer that…February 1, 2019
How Much Awareness Do You Need?
P.E.S.O. Analytics. Step-by-Step How much awareness do you need to accomplish your business goals? The answer to this question is different for every brand, product or service. Whatever your awareness goals…January 28, 2019
Brand Advocacy, PESO. What it is and what it isn't.
The above graph outlines the Omnichannel potential of the PESO approach to media. Brand Advocacy helps you exploit this model by giving you Campaign-driven content in the Earned, Shared and Owned categories of…January 24, 2019
The media is the "massage."
Separating the Advocacy From the Advocate. We don’t believe you should spend all your money on expensive software to help you identify advocates or consultants that can’t write or draw either. At our agency,…January 23, 2019
Why Brand Advocacy is almost free. The discussion continues...
Chapter One. What Brand Advocacy Is. End Goal: Understand brand advocacy and the hybrid approach. Brand advocacy is the process of getting influential people and organizations to talk about your, brand through…January 22, 2019
From Awareness Without Advertising
The Online Generation Gap There is a tendency for those who came of age in web 2.0 to think of digital marketing as axiomatic. Or that “machine learning, artificial intelligence and cloud computing will…January 21, 2019
Awareness Without Advertising
Prologue I was born and raised in a place that’s famous for how cold it gets during the winter. It’s been said this location became a hotbed for creative people as they have nothing better to do than to sit…October 22, 2018
Why Brand Advocacy is Almost Free.
It is important to note that brand advocacy does require some investment with creative professionals to develop an advertising campaign. The key however is that YOU DON'T NEED TO RUN OR PLACE IT. If it is done…October 8, 2018
Brand Advocate BS
What Brand Advocacy is Not: Brand advocacy is different than “word-of-mouth” because it requires you to build a stable of content that is brand driven. This may include, but is not limited to, a branded ID, 30…October 8, 2018
Brand Advocate Impostors
(How to sniff them out.) Brand advocacy is different than “word-of-mouth” because it requires you to build a stable of content that is brand driven. This may include, but is not limited to, a branded ID, 30…September 28, 2018
Don't Like Paying for Ads? Try Peso.
From "Awareness Without Advertising. The Art & Science of Brand Advocacy." Marketing savvy businesses and brands today use some form of “hybrid” advocacy. The issue is that they settle for a Prius-caliber…September 24, 2018
Advertising Is Not About Advertising.
Creating Advertising versus Running It The public's current perception of advertising was formed during the last decades of the 20th Century (1960-2000). During this period. you generally had to pay another…September 18, 2018
Offer Up Surprise.
When something is freely provided and then financed by an ingenious advertising scheme you are always their product. They need to have every detail of your life and business posted online to make them money.…September 17, 2018
Awareness Without Advertising. Excerpts from my new book.
Creating Advertising vs. Running It In the 20th century “advertising” and advertising campaigns were synonymous. While the occasional poster plastered somewhere might generate awareness for free you generally…September 7, 2018
The Online Generation Gap
Why 3.0 is the new 2.0. There is a tendency for those who came of age in web 2.0 to think of digital marketing as axiomatic. Or that “machine learning, artificial intelligence and cloud computing will combine…September 4, 2018
Build awareness without advertising. Let me explain.
Coming in From the Cold I was born and raised in a place famous for how cold it gets during the winter. It’s been said this location has always been a hotbed for creative people as they have nothing better to…December 26, 2017
Design Language at Events
I visited the LA Auto Show this week. One of the more fascinating aspects of this kind of show is the design "language" that each automotive brand displays. Unlike some events, that can be a hodgepodge of…September 27, 2017
Hire Me This.
You are faced with a hiring decision. One person has owned and operated a small business for a decade. The second person has successfully moved up the ranks in a big company but has never worked for…August 17, 2017
Marketing Communications Finally Pays Off. In PESO.
Why You Need All Media Working For You PESO stands for “paid, earned, shared, owned,” and serves as a means of segmenting all of the marketing channels at a brand’s disposal into discrete groups. It allows us…July 21, 2017
The Oil Tanker and the Ballerina
Big companies have deep wells of talent. Ballerinas have agility. On the business stage, I would rather dance with a ballerina than steer an oil tanker. It is much better to remain fast on your feet that flush…May 30, 2017
Memorial Day Celebrates Real Leaders
"Ridgway considered leadership to have three primary ingredients: character, courage, and competence. He described character—including self-discipline, loyalty, selflessness, modesty, and willingness to accept…May 25, 2017
Snapchat. Sad Story.
Facebook is crushing you. It’s generally agreed that the moment you turn 35 years of age you are too old for Snapchat. And here you thought 40 was the new 50. While this still-trendy social media technology…May 18, 2017
Site Optimization or Ethical Hacking?
If I were you, I'd worry about both. Here are some more thoughts on the topics. SITE OPTIMIZATION Site Optimization is based on three very simple ideas: 1) get people to your site, 2) keep them there, 3) bring…May 12, 2017
FOMO? Don't let it happen in business. Or with Mother's Day.
Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is the zeitgeist of business. Recently, however, I have finally gotten my proverbial you-know-what-together and no longer feel that I am missing out on anything. Unless I forget…September 26, 2016
Save 300 jobs. Without politics.
We worked with a big company "skunkworks" once and it "whiffed." The main issue stemmed from thinking they could gain meaningful insights from 300 users with wimpy session times and big bounce rates. We could…September 14, 2016
Funky Monkey Bounce Rate!
We've been fortunate to work with some of the finest property developers in the county in the hottest destinations. How about a hot spot on the University of Minnesota campus where Bob Dylan once lived? They…September 6, 2016
You Tube. Beats Stuffing Out of Oreos for "Most Loved" Kids' Brand. 2016.
NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Move over, Oreo, Disney, McDonald's and other iconic kid and family brands, YouTube tops this year's list of Kids' Most Loved Brands. According to the 2016 Brand Love®…September 5, 2016
Brand as Community.
Behind every great brand today lies a great community. While these “tribes” are drawn together in many ways, talk is the ultimate tie that binds. Companies must create content that people talk about and…June 28, 2016
Groovyman.com to provide content for ManStuff. Now that's business synergy.
What a partnership. Groovyman.com and Manstuff are both groovy cool or hammer smooth depending upon your taste. To quote the Manstuff site: "Where is it written that a man’s face and hands should feel like…June 20, 2016
Sean Penn. Bad Rake.
Many of our bloggers and content marketing specialists cut their teeth at The Rake Magazine and Secrets of the City. All of these online properties maintain a healthy profile today but it appears that content…June 17, 2016
Burn this before your boss reads it.
As a small business owner, it's tough to get good copy written, creative produced and a full mobile marketing effort deployed with an omnichannel focus... Wait, we might be getting ahead of ourselves. The…June 15, 2016
Groovygrams and Racing Canoes
Flying on airplanes is something the groovy man likes. It signifies that his life is well-traveled and always in motion. Of course, if the groovyman had his way he would fly by canoe…” and so we began release…June 11, 2016
Image Sells Product. Take That Snapchat.
The key takeaway in the vaunted Mary Meeker annual presentation is in the chart above. Pinterest sells product due to its graphic presentation, more or less. The bars measure the percentage of TOTAL site users…June 8, 2016
The 3 Goals of Site Design. (It's That Simple).
HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE COMING BACK Site Optimization is based on three very simple ideas: 1) get people to your site, 2) keep them there, 3) bring them back. Long “session time” and repeat visitors are the…June 6, 2016
Everything We Do. On One Slide.
Clients and prospects frequently ask me if I can put our process and value on a single slide. I am reminded of what Steven Spielberg said about a good movie--that you should be able write the premise on the…June 4, 2016
Accountable Care? Advertising? NO!
Many agencies have HMO experience. For a digital marketing agency to have experience with ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) however, you'd have to go to the specific states where this idea is taking hold.…June 3, 2016
Better Email. The 5 Essential Words.
USE NUMBERS AND LISTS ALOT. Want more e-mail opens? Just use numbers and lists, like this: "The Candidate's boof summed up in 1 BIG word." Or "The 5 timeless ways teenagers will ALWAYS talk to parents..." If…June 2, 2016
Dissing the Family DJ
If you are traveling over the summer, groovyman.com has a great way to end arguments between “family DJs” during long drives. Because most people lack the time, talent or inclination to actually master a…May 31, 2016
The Rise of Isaiah Small. Edina Groovy Man.
This is a post from a blog that I own and run by a talented writer, Henry Rohlf. Nice to know schools are turning out good people: Finding a passion can take years, sometimes decades for a lot of people, but…May 26, 2016
I don't want my TV. Or App.
Smartphones and tablets are the key delivery devices for your brand. The PC and the desktop are pretty much dead for all intensive advertising purposes and without getting too complicated here–something called…May 25, 2016
The King of Ugly Sites
Have you heard of brutalist websites ? The above Creative Director Pascal Deville spends a great deal of time dredging up this junk food of the web. I, however, find something nourishing about the simple,…May 24, 2016
Our Modern (Violent) Family
This evening I clicked from Breaking Bad to something else on Netflix. My recommended choices were serial killing ( Dexter ) pornography, sexual addiction, euthanasia, perverted nurses and a cocktail of series…May 23, 2016
Le' French Rap. A Hidden Gem.
While rap music remains an American dominated genre', there are other countries and cultures where it thrives. In some cases, it even predates American rap, such as old school French rap. If you, like me, find…May 21, 2016
A White Paper on Black Hat
Now that Google has updated its “spam fighting” Penguin algorithm, it is more important than ever that you refrain from ANY “Black Hat” SEO. Of course it is very difficult to spot the differences in SEO…April 7, 2016
Pukeable Branding?
So, how to use the unimaginable momentum of something as silly as Snapchat for your brand? Our recent email campaign deals with the question: Snapchat (and its associated memes) works when your message taps…April 2, 2016
Dylan Does It
How to see your occupancy rate skyrocket. It does require a great client still. I could bore you with copy but better to go right to theMarch 28, 2016
Analyze People. Not Page Views.
The new rage in online analytics is to track the behavior of individual users on your website. Aggregate data is not all that useful when it comes to improving conversion rates, among other things. Third…March 9, 2016
Programmatic for the People
Programmatic media buying is still kinda fraudy and spammy. (A lot of it is fake owning to its genesis in the worst corners of the web.) Then again, it appears people are no longer buying the spin--if this WSJ…March 8, 2016
Scaling Advocacy
Scale is a useful concept for understanding advocate influence. Sites like Klout track the online influence of individual users. Online "influence" is frequently inflated because it fails to accommodate a)…March 5, 2016
Hot Rod? Try 2000 HP.
Fascinating insights from the finest living automotive writer Dan Neil hereMarch 4, 2016
McKesson. A Prescription for Precision.
Sophisticated management of prescription drugs is a long time in coming. Today with the abuse of opioids and other pain-killers approaching epidemic proportions ABGeist clients like McKesson are automating the…March 3, 2016
Will Work. For Data.
Someday advertising agencies will figure out they are in the software business. Instead of asking clients for their dough they should really be asking for their data. Because if you can't help a company make…March 2, 2016
Bacon Showers and Other Pins
Do you have what it takes to Pin with the Best? Some of the best work is being done by our own client, FloCo Fusion. Where else can you find bacon strips in the shower? While we're at it, we also like this…March 1, 2016
Newsjacking. Cousin of Photobombing.
As you have no doubt read, numerous NFL players were photobombing the digerati during the Oscars. In the spirit of aggressive social media tactics I recommend you read a book NOT written by me on…February 27, 2016
Social Listening. On the Cheap.
This post is a bit dated , but it is also inordinately helpful for anyone that wishes to listen in on the conversation of others. The reason it is a bit old is because when you try to find posts about this…February 24, 2016
Ethical Hacking. Sinfully Effective.
An article from The Daily Beast claims Apple has opened the 'back door' to an iPhone before. The truth is that encryption, and the ability for savvy marketers to get around it for marketing, has been a…February 23, 2016
Brand Advocacy. Artfully.
Making sense of digital is an art. Our agency was founded on it. Over the years, corporate chieftans, social disruptors and savvy black swans have all seen themselves in this artwork–created for us by…February 18, 2016
Good Branding. It's a Bad Habit.
Brian Solis has done some of the best work on "Conversation Density" that I've seen. To daily practitioners of conversation-centric marketing automation (Cision, Meltwater) his name is well known. What is not…February 17, 2016
Ludicrous Update on Telsa Model X. Still no sound.
As groovyman.com has maintained, Telsa is laying down drag times that obliterate gasoline combustion engines by a few .10 of a second. And yes, Ludicrous mode is scary (sort of). But where is the wail? I am…February 16, 2016
Lucifer Roars
he Hellcat in fury, in either iteration (Charger or Challenger) is like hearing Wagner in the original Teutonic. Caterwauling and over-the-top. While the Tesla has insane power, what it lacks, and this is…February 13, 2016
Man Sticks Head Through Wall. Looks Great.*
While we've got nothing against big agencies (or any former employers), it's better to measure stature of a firm by the size of their ideas. It's not hard to picture what we're talking about. The Lucid brand…February 12, 2016
Big Dog Buzz
I really appreciate all the emails about my posts. Seriously, though, you should just visit www.buzzthatbrands.com and thoroughly digest every slice of the conversation prism if you want to take a bite outta…February 11, 2016
Idiotic Consistency.
We worked with a freelancer last year. He was an idiot. We had a partner once. He was a jerk. Both proved to be reasonably successful for business and here is why: Consistency. While the freelancer was an…February 9, 2016
Cellphone Bling. Burgers. & Music Services.
We join this post in progress from a seat at the CMA and a discussion about take out food with Drake... Because hamburgers cannot play musical instruments allow us to provide a short, sizzlin’ guide to the…January 25, 2016
How Fast is Fast?
Tesla, always looking for more (and God Bless their horsepower loving hearts) has moved beyond “Insane” mode in the P 85D. For a King’s grand, you can drop your 0-60 time from 3.1 – 2.8, and take every other…January 18, 2016
How Marketing Will Be Re-Written in 2016
Love this name for a company. If ABGeistDigital did not have a track record I would purchase the North American rights to the above name and here is why: 2016 will be the year of the marketing brand BINGE. I…December 30, 2015
Trump as advertising pitch.
A little secret. Over the years very few clients have listened to me. Maybe if my name was Trump and I had bathrooms with gold pee stalls and more hair... Now that I have your attention, suspend any concern…December 27, 2015
Tune Rage. Solved.
If you are traveling over the Holidays, groovyman offers a way to end arguments between “family DJs” during long drives. Because most people lack the time, talent or inclination to actually master a musical…December 8, 2015
4 Overlooked and Ridiculously Obvious Reasons The Potato Holds The Key To Marketing Success.
So is binge branding here or not? Read this dispatch from the intrepid Shelly Palmer at CES 2015. "T-Mobile is boosting video consumption offering free online video bingeing (“Binge On”) from 24 powerful…December 3, 2015
Buzz Branding? Try Binge Branding.
Understanding that more and more consumers essentially prefer to "binge" on content holds the key to better marketing. (A great post here from Deloitte .) If you doubt this assertion, I suggest you pay…November 30, 2015
How Many Ways Can You Picture Health Care?
One of the advantages of running an agency in Minnesota is that "health care" is a hub here in "fly over" land. At ABGD, we have more than Mayo Clinic to thank for that national perception. The largest HMO in…November 25, 2015
Hands On Banking. As in "Hand Saw." Mixed on Phone (Lumia 1520).
A clip from our TV campaign for Minnwest Bank. Shot with a little camera and mixed on a phone. If you are a TV production studio you might want to stop reading now and burn this post before your clients read…November 20, 2015
$849,000.00 in earned media from $69K. That's like, what, a 900% ROI?. I lost track.
Depicted above is the most successful multi-level content marketing and event campaign ever created for a grocery store. It was copied by Target Corporation in Houston for $1,500,000.00 and the ROI was nowhere…November 17, 2015
3 Ways To Make People Love (Not Hate) You Online
We all want trophies when it comes to digital marketing. And yet too many brand managers still give me that "deer in the headlights" look when I say we can take them to a million unique visitors in a flash,…November 14, 2015
E-Nail It.
This chart says it all. When it comes to actually selling things through mobile marketing, email nails it. Anyone can sell you on social posting but it takes a more experienced hand to craft a successful…November 13, 2015
Bad Love Buy
Scale is a useful concept for understanding a "brand advocate's" influence. Sites like Klout track the online influence of advocates. Yet online influence must correlate with real world respectability and the…November 12, 2015
The Most Demented Product of the Year
As an agency known for buzzthatbrands (go there now, www.buzzthatbrands.com ) I am often reminded of the secret to Marlene Dietrich's fame. She said, "say something nice about me or say something nasty but at…November 11, 2015
Exploiting Xmas. By hook, crook or archetype.
We're not ones to ever talk about politics or religion with clients but this idea? classic ABGD formula. Invent something that addresses a zeitgeist whether real, or in this case, perceived. Thinking people of…November 2, 2015
$2.4 million earned media from 6k ad. No PR.
If you'd like a download of this and how we accomplished this visit here . It remains the biggest brand for buzz buck of the last five years. While past performance is no guarantee of future success, you might…November 2, 2015
Buzz That Brands
How do you create create branding from clear blue sky? We have assembled some of our best work from the past decade (most of it in the last three years) that has collectively generated millions in earned…November 2, 2015
Fake Buzz. For A Beer.
Let's say you have a craft beer that has to compete against SAB Miller (or whatever they are called now). Let's say that the Surly, Summit and even Fulton local beer brands have a two year head start on you.…November 2, 2015