The Engagement Principles

Blogs have exploded on the media scene because they’re easy, they’re affordable, they’re instant, and they allow for a level of connection (two-content flow) that most other media simply don’t.
Of course, blogs are capable of doing great things, but for the marketer, they’re also potential vehicles of doom.
Sure, mention the blogging hall of shame and [...]

In my last post, I wondered aloud if “Engagement Writers” weren’t about to become a critical subset of the copywriter species.
Matt Ambrose at the Copywriter’s Crucible posted in much the same vein (and it’s worth reading even though I won’t cover most of his post here).
Of interest was how he ended his post:

The Tamar report [...]

Over the last three decades, copywriting has increasingly become an “outsourced” function.
When an organization needs the occasional ad, an annual brochure, a few press releases, and some Web site copy, outsourcing makes sense.
Today, I’m seeing the reverse trend.
Too Many Channels. Too Few Words.
Organizations have many, many media channels to fill. Blogs, e-newsletters, e-mail, forums [...]

Where do ad and PR Agencies fit in the age of engagement?
Don’t ask — most don’t seem to know. This story from the Black Star Rising blog (the blog of the Black Star photo agency) reveals the changes faced by ad agencies, and how their traditional business model is under pressure:
The advertising community is [...]

I’ve profiled a handful of book blogs here on the Engagement Principles; it’s a fascinating market where “brand loyalty” (assuming the author is the brand) is often breathtakingly strong.
The market is fertile ground for engagement marketing, which is the goodreads site came to my attention.
It’s a book-oriented social networking site, and while the social networking [...]

Second Life continues to get a great deal of online buzz — and a lot of attention from corporate marketing departments afraid of missing the boat – but a German marketing agency found that most Second Life Users weren’t impressed.

From the odd-but-informative folks at Collateral Damage: 
The German marketing research agency Komjuniti surveyed 200 Second Life users and [...]

Engagement occurs anywhere a company connects with clients around the shared passions and values orbiting the brand — something that could easily happen on a message board.
So why do I recommend blogs to my clients instead of message boards?
BlogWrite for CEOs (Debbie Weil) tackled this issue, and while she stole my next blog topic (I’ll [...]

David Airey’s blog delves in the SONY Playstation 3 mess, and showcases a devastating anti-PS3 YouTube video that’s been viewed better than a half-million times.
This comes on the heels of the Sony Flog (a fake fan blog) that seriously pissed off readers (click to see the typical reaction from the gaming blogosphere).
Clearly, Sony’s practicing a [...]

Patagonia has long been a leader in the outdoor clothing and equipment industry.
They’ve also pushed forward on the “green manufacturing” front, making low-impacts and environmental projects a key part of the company’s charter.
With that as a background, I’ve long been amazed they didn’t have a blog presence–one that allowed their supporters a place to [...]

Economists call them “switching costs” - the monetary, physical and convenience penalties that keep customers “loyal.”
For example, ordering a new computer is fairly easy. But transferring all your data, installing your software and getting it set up exactly the way you want is time consuming.
It’s a switching cost.
It used to be you were stuck with [...]