I’ll be at BiteBash in San Francisco tonight, “Navigating Your Brand through the Great Recession”. It’s such a timely topic. Bite’s David Hargreaves sums up the risks and opportunities that surround marketing right now: “Harvard Business Review recently reported that companies who slash marketing spending often find that they later have to invest much more than they saved in order … Read More
2009 Time 100 peeks at people influencing the influencers
I am impressed with the interactive section on the “People Behind The People” published with the 2009 Time 100. It’s an indicator that even a mass consumer audience is interested in learning about “behind the scenes” influencers. Time did a great job slicing and presenting this content to boot, given their audience. It’s a reminder for all of us that … Read More
Analyst relations at risk on 2 fronts
One of the challenges facing high tech marketing is how to update existing analyst relations programs, given the growing importance of more types of influencers. No one wants to lose valuable AR skills. Yet, companies want to realize better returns from these staffs and programs. This puts AR at risk on 2 fronts. The first is a matter of perception: … Read More
Is your influencer network strategic or tactical?
In today’s Email Insider newsletter, guest contributor Chad White (Smith-Harmon) points out fundamental differences between email programs used tactically and those used strategically. His points resonate with influencer programs as well: Those that are using it [email marketing] tactically view email campaigns as isolated one-off events. An email is sent out and sales are tallied up. There’s no bigger picture. … Read More
World Innovation Forum in NYC: where to find business innovation influencers
The 2009 World Innovation Forum takes place tomorrow and Wednesday in New York City. Academics, experts, practitioners and other thought-leaders will present their views on how innovation can help businesses grow and increase their profitability. In addition to an impressive speaker line-up, the organizers are expecting an executive audience representing more than 100 companies in more than 20 countries. The … Read More
Don’t miss Marketing Is Broken, Influencers Can Fix It on May 20 in San Francisco
Please join us for what promises to be a lively discussion about what’s wrong with marketing and how an influencer program can fix it. On May 20th, we are hosting a reception and presentation on influencer marketing at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Check out the details below. We’ve reserved complimentary tickets so email me (barbara.french@influencer50.com) or any of … Read More
Analysts as authors: extending influence through books
May marks the 1-year anniversary of the release of Charlene Li’s and Josh Bernoff’s book, Groundswell.  Several industry analysts have released books since then. I figure it’s a good time to shout out to some recent analyst authors and talk a little about why writing books can be such an important activity for market influencers and influencer relations professionals alike. For IT industry analysts and other … Read More
Earth Day: Who’s influencing green tech and clean tech decisions
Someday, every ICT industry influencer on the planet will include aspects of green or ‘environmentally responsible’ within their area of tech expertise. Â And someday, every influencer relations program will embrace these ideas. Â Someday. Today, it seems appropriate to mark Earth Day with a shout out to some of the pioneers. Here’s a small sampling of some notable industry and competitive … Read More
NCF2009: Where to find the social media influencers
NewComm Forum 2009 is just around the corner. I agree with Tom Foremski that this is not only the largest gathering of social media experts in the US, it is also a favorite of most of us who have attended over the years. I recommend it to anyone serious about meeting, hearing, influencing or simply hanging out with the A-listers … Read More
Indirect influencers and decision-maker purchase criteria
Influencers often have a say in the purchase critieria used by decision-makers. Often their influence is direct, such as inputing to a request for bid. Indirect influence is an important factor as well. While the most widely known (or perhaps infamous) example in the tech market is Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, most indirect influences are far from obvious. Influencer relations programs … Read More