Despite multiple uses of the word "social," Social Media Club Nashville's February event, an ice cream social at Tasti D-Lite, wasn't just a party. In addition to meeting other people who are working in social media, we heard from Tasti D-Lite's director of information and social...

BtoB magazine had an excellent Q&A in its Feb. 8 issue about the impact of emerging media on direct marketing. The panelists included Bruce Biegel, managing director, Winterberry Group;...

It's been a few days since Undercover Boss (Sundays at 9/8c) aired right after the Super Bowl. We're still a little obsessed with it and like to talk about the show to anyone who will listen.

If you haven't...

It's the day after the Super Bowl, and the people we follow/read/talk to are discussing the ads more than the game itself. Could that be because we're in PR?

For all the hype--and the expense--the ads were underwhelming. A few were entertaining, a few were emotional, but most were simply forgettable. Worst of all,...

"Freeze! This is the police! You're under arrest! On your knees! Put your hands on top of your head!"

We know the scene too well. Some police officer has finally cornered a suspect after a 10-block chase through the city. It's a staple of every copy show on TV.

Marketing that...

Peter Shankman was the featured speaker at yesterday's NAMA/PRSA meeting in Nashville. Peter is the founder of Help a Reporter Out (HARO), an e-mail that goes out three times a day to 125,000 subscribers, filled with requests from reporters for sources on whatever story they're working at the moment....

Ann Handley is the chief content officer for MarketingProfs, an educational community of more than 350,000 marketing professionals.

Social Media Examiner has a great interview with Ann about how her organization manages employees'...

In the late 1990s, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers introduced the concept of "mass customization" in their landmark book, The One to One Future.

Their premise was to create systems that combine the cost efficiencies of mass...

We seek authorities. Clients value them. Reporters use them as sources. Conferences ask them to speak.

The mindset of an authority is different from traditional sales and marketing. We explored the steps for an organization to become an authority in a previous post....

We’ve always revered authority. It was a privilege once reserved for academics, scientists, and top executives in organization.

Appearing in the Harvard Business Review will always be a career-validating achievement. At the same time, free and inexpensive publishing tools have democratized the concept of authority.

Here are five steps anybody or any organization can apply to become an authority.