An ad is a great way to encapsulate information into a tiny bite. Think of it as a appetizer. Done well it leaves the consumer wanting more. I think the main meal is content marketing: creating useful information for prospective buyers.

Content marketing is about providing something useful. A how to video on hanging up a picture sponsored by Black & Decker is content marketing. A blog post about five things we often forget when staying at a hotel sponsored by Priceline.com is content marketing.


People seem to be more interested if a brand can have a relationship with their brand and teaching the consumer helps build a trust and a bond with more credibility than just a 30 second spot.

Infomercials however aren’t always content marketing. They often are a little too far into the fake-smiles-and-bobbing-head department of gee whiz testimonials. I am talking about useful information presented in a way that makes the receiver of that information feel they have been given a value.

There are many ways to do it for free or cheap. Blogs, video sites, pod casts and social networks are great places to share information and build interest about a product. These can be a great way to measure sentiment, drive awareness, and encourage conversation. Tie this to a marketing funnel and you’ve got the opportunity to convert people who respond to the information into more qualified leads and of course activate sales.

I spend a lot of time in the cinema these days, but it was only recently on a plane from Tokyo that I finally got to see a film recommended by my daughter called “Juno” that got top nods at the Oscars.

I loved the film but I was honestly surprised how asleep at the wheel the Ferrero USA company is – makers of Orange Tic Tacs – considering the little gems are a main character in this flick, and not since “My Big Fat Greek TV Movie” and the Considine’s obsession with Windex, has a major American non-paid product placement been featured so “cool-y” in a major motion picture.
Yet Ferrero have not done a thing to capitalize on Paul’s (Cera’s) nonstop fascination with the orange one-calorie treats. And yes, Ellen Page’s Juno actually uses those very words!

Heck, Ferrero has an opportunity to go for broke here with the one movie everyone is talking about that does not star Johnny Depp. It appears this European entity has its collective corporate arms folded, probably because “Juno” is about a 16-year-old pregnant kid — brilliant and mature— and they don’t want to be in the dialogue or debate about their treats supporting an unwed young Mommy.

I think it’s shortsighted. This is where making noise comes in handy. I can only hope that the Tic Tac makers somehow, somewhere, get their act together and create a colorful mini-site for “Juno” fans to share what’s orange about their lives — and create a chat room for lovers of this fine Americana and modern talk of the town.

Service companies – take note. It’s a freaking Harvard Business School study in the future: Always use what’s handed you, especially if it’s colorful, like maybe orange? Activate’s favorite color.

The popular online hangout Facebook is forcing users to adapt to a redesigned website — whether they like the new look or not — starting today. Interesting that the users have no choice but maybe it is a gamble worth taking?

Facebook’s facelift includes separating users’ personal profiles into different areas of the site and providing more tools meant to make it easier to share information and photos. Since unveiling the makeover seven weeks ago, Facebook had left it up to users to decide whether they wanted to switch over. But that option will be taken away from all users by the end of the week.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says the changes — although for the better — will alienate some of Facebook’s 100 million users. But the company is hoping the gradual unveiling of the changes, which began last May, will ease the transition.