The old social media vs. the new.

One of my professional service firm clients is struggling with the notion of using social media in their marketing efforts. Run by folks generally over the age of 50, this firm comes from the same school that taught lawyers to shun advertising or, for that matter, any kind of marketing. They believe that business is business and all that social stuff is, well, something else. I simply asked: "Is golf social or business?" They immediately responded by saying "social" ... and then backtracked as we discussed all the deals they had made on the golf course. One positive difference: A female colleague opined that golf helped keep women out of the business world for years. Clearly, the "new" social media has no gender bias.

"Number one in many ways"

Back in 1983, while driving through Manila, Philippines, I looked up and saw a billboard advertising a brand of laundry detergent. Although fairly new to the advertising business, I thought that their slogan was just about the dumbest thing I had ever seen. Fortunately for me, the next 27 years included LOTS of examples of bad advertising -- which actually helped me learn about good (and occasionally great) advertising. In this blog, I hope to share examples of both and to facilitate many conversations about awareness, preference and other things that serve to grease the wheels of capitalism.