In this conversation, Julia and I talk about her role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Vision Advertising, her "work hard, play hard" spirit, her accomplishments as an athlete and how she's overcome the many challenges she's faced in both her personal and professional lives.
What’s your Studio 54? What’s your big, brilliant idea, the one thing you’re doing to do that’s going to break through the clutter and make you a star? What’s your plan for success? The brainchild of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, Studio 54 was a nightclub on 254 West 54th Street in New York City that was ridiculously popular in the late 1970s. It is home to the Roundabout Theatre Company today. During the heyday of the disco era, Studio 54 was the place to be for stars, celebrities and anybody who wanted to dance the night away in the city that never sleeps. Rubell and Schrager were ingenious in creating such a hot spot for people who wanted to enjoy the nightlife and bask in the limelight in Manhattan.…
At the New England Direct Marketing Association's Marketing Technology Summit on December 3, 2018, I was so happy to have the opportunity to talk with Christina Inge about marketing, social media, her tech consulting company, Thoughtlight, and much, much more. Listen...
I recently saw a ridiculously awesome movie, Bohemian Rhapsody. You know the story. It's about the legendary rock band, Queen, and their late, great lead singer, Freddie Mercury. There's a scene in this movie in which the band is developing the idea for their song, "We Will Rock You." You know the song. They wanted to engage their audience. They wanted their fans to be part of that song. Watching that scene and listening to that song gave me a thought. As it was for Queen in playing that song, it is for all brand and businesses. You want to engage your audience. You want to involve them in whatever it is you do in some way, shape or form. You want to rock your audience.
The importance of having a good, positive culture in the workplace cannot be underestimated. The Boston Red Sox won 108 games during the regular season this year, the most in franchise history, and then cruised through the postseason to win their fourth World Series title since 2004. The Sox had to compete against plenty of other talented baseball teams in 2018, but perhaps none had the camaraderie and culture the Boston team had in their clubhouse. Maybe none had such a supportive, selfless manager like Alex Cora at the helm, either. Talent and skills aren’t always the determining factors in winning. Without the right culture instilled into the workplace, even the best teams – and businesses in general – can fall behind the competition. Without a strong leader installed at…
It's known as friction. It's anything that gets in the way of anything less than a stellar customer experience. Brick-and-mortar retail operations can't afford to have any degree of friction come between them and their customers in this day and age. There are simply too many competitors vying for the same sales, whether that competition is located down the street or somewhere on the internet. Customer service can be the difference between success and failure. Poor customer service is not only bad for business, it can put you OUT of business. The best products, the best prices, the best marketing, the best advertising...can't overcome an abundance of friction.
I was listening to a podcast the other day. Bill Simmons was interviewing Judd Apatow. They were talking about how difficult it is for comedians to come up with new routines day in and day out. It got me thinking. That’s how it is for those of us in the fields of marketing, advertising, PR and social media. We need to come up with new content on a constant basis if we expect to be seen and heard by our customers, connections and constituents. We need to inform, educate, persuade, convince, entertain, even demonstrate that we have a sense of humor if we want to succeed in this revolutionary, new business era. Watch...
Fake news is all around us. Turn on the TV. Listen to the radio. Read the newspaper. Liars, cheaters and stealers abound. Who knows who and what to believe anymore? That’s why it’s more important than ever for businesses and brands to have candid conversations with their connections and constituents. Honesty has always been the best policy, but today the truth will set you far apart from the competition and the clutter. Today, the more transparent, authentic and immediate you are, the more successful you will be in business. Use social media to engage with your audience as human beings, not logos and corporate colors. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and the like to establish long-lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships with your customers and prospects. Keeping it real as never been more…
Try doing the opposite of what you’ve been doing up until now on social media. That’s right. Take off your sales and marketing hat, and put on a hat that says, “I’m just like you.” Not only are the algorithms on social media not working in your favor, but your audience is tired of the same old promotional messages you’re sharing with them. If you’re not paying to play, chances are you’re not reaching very much of an audience at all, anyway. So, put a face on your brand and a smile on your face. Show that you have a personality, not just a pulse. Do what George Costanza did in episode 86 of “Seinfeld.” Do things the opposite way on social media. Be less promotional and a lot more…
