#Narrative: Throwing Bourbon On The Fire

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From a minor tweet about the length of time it takes to char a barrel for making bourbon to a congratulatory tweet from KFC… How Maker’s Mark missed the mark with their brand strategy. (Note: Date sequences have been adjusted to highlight flows of conversations and threaded discussions) …

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Looking Forward To 2013

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Many thanks to all with whom I’ve had the opportunity to connect over this past year: for your friendship, your collaboration and your patronage. Intelligist Group has lots of exciting plans for 2013 and I owe a great deal of it to the incredible people I connect with on a daily …

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Brands, Narratives and Story Worlds – Part 1

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In Part 1 of this series I talk about the application of cutting edge entertainment IP franchise production techniques to address some of the challenges we see today in corporate communications. Entertainment and corporate communications have intertwined for as long as there have been things to sell and stories to …

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Social Media has leveled the playing field. What’s your game plan?

So we have a challenging dichotomy: there’s a fear in social media that we’re giving too much away, but content seems to be the currency. I wrote a blog a while back called The Age of Thought Leadership in which I discuss the concept of knowledge abundance vs, knowledge scarcity. Which side are you on? Does it matter? …

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Who’s Going To Read My Blog?

When I talk to my clients about blogging the first question I get is “who’s going to read it?” It’s a reasonable question and a reasonable concern. It’s just the wrong question. …

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Dark Matter and Invisible Thought Leaders

He exerts tremendous influence over the purchasing decisions of his social circle, yet he is invisible to all the machinations of corporate marketing. He is an Invisible Thought Leader. …

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The Age of Influence

Whether you’re an employee or employer, business or entrepreneur, understanding influence is a critical success factor in the 21st Century. …

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Can’t We Make Webinars More Effective?

When will sales and marketing departments realize that webinars can be so much more than Powerpoint presentations? It’s not about the technology anymore. The technology is out there and the audience is sophisticated enough to use it. …

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A Chink in the Apple Armor

There’s a chink in the armor. A blemish on the Apple mystique. Rather than accept responsibility for a problem with his product and maintain it’s elevated status, he’s “lowered” Apple and the iPhone to the level of every other Smartphone. …

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Shouldn’t Customer Service be a Marketing Opportunity?

How would Texas-native Michael Dell have responded had he known there was a Dell customer lending a hand in the Gulf cleanup who needed a little extra attention? What public relations opportunity was missed? …

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