Social media isn’t free. Nor should it be.

A few months ago I worked on an advertising project that came up because a client was promised some free production and media. This offer was too good to pass up so they asked the agency to add some value and help make the most out of the opportunity. I…

Don’t start your social media effort with a Facebook page

When initially discussing social media with clients, often the first thing brought up is using Twitter or Facebook as an outgoing tool to push their advertising messages. If you’re thinking about social media from a traditional marketing perspective, there’s nothing wrong with this concept. It’s obviously a cheap media buy,…

Jimmy’s Week on the InterWebs 8-28-09

Posted late because, hey, I'm busy. I think this is the story of the week just because it's such a good example of both what is wrong and why there is hope for the social web. A PR firm, Reverb Communication, was busted for gaming the iPhone app store. They…

Ten things advertising people need to know about social media

Image via CrunchBase Notice this doesn't say "Top Ten." Just ten things, as a modest practitioner of copy and social media, I think aren't obvious to people coming to social media from advertising. I expect some people will have a few problems with this list. That should be expected, we…

Pay for tweet seems a lot like borrowed interest

One of the first things you learn as a copywriter is that borrowed interest is a lame way to engage a consumer. What is borrowed interest? It is borrowing interest from a celebrity or something perceived as interesting, like skateboards or superheros and attaching it to a product with no…

Is Social Media Advertising?

Image by Straws pulled at random via Flickr Not so long ago advertising was TV, newspapers, magazine, outdoor and newspaper ads. Even with the Web in the mix, most "digital stuff" was left to digital specialist. As the digital space has become more important to consumers and clients and more…

The Gates Story Got Me Thinking About Our Industry

So let's just get this out of the way. It's wrong for police to abuse, be biggoted, racist or to racially profie. And let's get this out of the way too. It's wrong to verbally abuse and attempt to humiliate someone who's job it is to protect your community. Not…