The primary danger in taking actions in response to data (or even structured tests) in our industry appears to be overconfidence in overt data points and a lack of grasp of randomness and statistical...
Recently, I had a chance to review a deck produced by one agency handing back over a PPC account to its client owners (or potentially, a future agency). Bullet point after bullet point referred...
“All they care about is price.” Seth Godin reminds us that pure commodity thinking is deadly. If that’s all your customers can think about, they don’t care about anything to do with your product....
At our house, “Canada’s Worst Driver” is a huge hit. The show is so popular nationwide that it’s into its eighth season. Not too shabby. Speaking of “hit,” that’s what contestants do to the...
Search Marketing
The Most Credible Brands Are the Thought Leaders… and How Google Is Going to Make Very Sure of That
What does it look like these days when someone Googles your brand? For years, that question has been under the purview of “online reputation management.” Phase I of that field (1998-2007) was roughly: did...
As we explained three years ago, we are now seeing a renaissance in the effectiveness of online display advertising because so many of the dollars have shifted from believing in certain “channels” and “publications,”...
Recently, Gord Hotchkiss penned a column that referred to a panel discussion he led on, wait for it, “Is Advertising Evil?” At least he was brave enough to ask the question. There must be times...
As some of us know, paid search works great. It captures users with high commercial intent whether they type in broad queries, specific queries, or something in between. You can budget as little as...
On Saturday, Seth Godin gave me something to think about. Thomas Midgeley was the evil genius advocate of leaded gasoline and CFC’s. Both have caused widespread damage; moreover, it’s impossible to argue that there...
In Canada, as in every country, there are many regulations governing the terms of mortgages offered to consumers. In addition to that, some of Canada’s banks (called “Chartered” banks) have long enjoyed a special,...