Listen closely and you will hear the ghosts of Australia’s marketing sector speaking. Actually, you don’t have to listen that hard.

They’re all over the place and they’re droning on rather loudly. They just don’t know they’re dead yet. Sadly, neither do the businesses that listen to them and buy their services.

They are the old guard of the marketing sector; those advertising and PR executives who have emerged from their creative and journalistic antecedents and who believe truly in the adage, “there’s no such thing as bad advertising”. Read more »

With all the social media and influence measurement tools available today, the communications sector should be understanding more about what makes us happy and productive, and what motivates us to participate in social conversations.

Unfortunately, the reverse seems to be true.  Understanding about what makes an authentic engagement, and what constitutes a satisfied and committed social community is as unclear as ever[1]. And the reason for this comes down to a misunderstanding of the differences between insights and inference. Read more »

Influencers are the ultimate fans.  They understand products often better than company representatives, and they accrue audiences based on the legitimacy and quality of their advice, understanding and willingness to engage with like minds.  And precisely because they are product users – rather than salesmen – they know the weaknesses, strengths and opportunities for product development.

In real terms, influencers are experts.  They dedicate unpaid hours to research and sharing of news around a product or a brand, and they often have ideas about how to improve the experience of products – from manufacturing and delivery, to interaction design. Read more »