Relationships. They are an integral part of our lives, both personally and professionally.

In the marketing world, we strive to build and maintain strong relationships with our clients, vendors, and each other. Businesses, in turn, have a responsibility to foster long-lasting relationships with their customers. Marketing initiatives are key to this effort. Whether it’s a coupon offer for Carter’s on Facebook or tips from a utility company on how to make a home more energy efficient, every relationship is important – and worth the time and effort to maintain it. 

America is getting hammered in the media.  Whether you read it in today's New York Times, "Running Out of Time", or today's Wall Street Journal opinion piece, "Ignoring Inequality", our major media are playing their role in hammering the American reputation, America's brand value.

Accidents happen. Breakdowns occur. The proverbial stuff, as they say, will hit the fan.
So, are you ready? Is your business prepared?

And not in the “sure, we have an old flashlight and a space blanket in the trunk” prepared. We’re talking about full-on, career- and office-saving crisis communications plans and execution strategy, for when serious, potentially business-altering emergencies and PR disasters rear their ugly heads. 

JetBlue is my favorite airline. It is not just the TVs or the fact that I can check a bag for free, it’s the user experience from web to phone to terminal to plane. Granted the airline benefits from the dysfunction that defines its domestic competitors, but regardless Jet Blue creates a relatively easy, enjoyable travel experience.

Blue gets branding. 

I have an addiction. And that addiction is taking BuzzFeed quizzes. How else will I know what kind of pasta I am, or what city I should live in? Maybe these quizzes feed into our me-centric, “I tweeted what I had for breakfast” culture. Maybe it’s the same reason horoscopes are popular. Or maybe they just make me feel like a 13-year old again, taking quizzes in Seventeen magazine. 

Utilities are in an interesting place right now. Mandated savings goals are increasing, the economy isn’t great and technology is taking over. On top of this, the target is changing. All the “greenies” have already converted their lifestyles to be more sustainable and energy efficient. The “penny pinchers” have already made all the upgrades or investments (they can afford) to save “x” on their monthly utility bills.
So who’s left? 

As of this morning, a share of Facebook is worth $59.30. What is a Facebook fan worth for a brand? Long a debated question (and considering research shows people very rarely visit company pages), the answer might be trending towards next to nothing.
Remember when brands excitedly hustled to buy “likes” from people on Facebook? It was a no brainer, right? Pay less than a dollar per fan acquisition and then enjoy 24/7 organic timeline distribution. Brands could stay in touch, inspire sharing, present special offers and interject fun, clever thoughts and contests throughout the Facebook experience.  And , brands still can, kind of... 

New England winters historically have often been brutal and cold.  Recently however, it has gotten worse. Our winters have left us with less than desirable amounts of snow and significantly below average temperatures. Summer hasn’t been ideal either. Many days have been in the upper 90’s and for New Englander’s that is quite simply…unbearable. 

As millennials: We think we’re special. Ahem, we know we’re special. We actually do enjoy being social, not just with a screen. We prefer spending our money on experiences over objects. We know what marketing is, and we know what you’re trying to do. 

There are enough creative directors online right now bloviating over which were the best and worst Super Bowl ads this year and why. I'll spare you my own irrefutable opinion and instead skip to some other high-level takeaways.

Super Bowl ads used to be just that: ads. But the best of what we watched yesterday weren't ads; they were fully realized, digitally-driven campaigns, many of which began long before the final two teams were set, and by the time the players took the field, had already been watched, passed-along, praised, or mocked by millions.