Boomers kicking butt

Boomers may not be the new kid on the block, but that doesn’t stop them from outspending their generational counterparts. As Nancy Shonka Padberg reports, U.S. boomers hold 70% of disposable income. The research also reports that 71% of boomers go online every day. But as eMarketer reports, boomers are more likely to complete online tasks that mirror their offline behavior. Sharing and archiving photos, for instance, is a natural habit most boomers are used to doing offline; the digital space makes that activity more efficient. But ask a boomer to update their online status and you may get a few funny looks.

The insight: When crafting digital experiences for boomers makes sure they add value and are an extension of their offline behavior.

Sources: Pew Internet, Deloitte, Forrester Research, GfK, MRI, Nielsen and BoomerAgers August 2012 Report

Why valuable content has to be useful (because I’m hungry)

Can you suggest any good places to eat?

Of course you can. But you don’t know whether I’m asking for a special occasion, if I’m looking for somewhere quick and cheap to go with the kids, whether I want something formal or more relaxed, or even what kind of food I prefer. Read More

Arguing for a B2B marketing argument

I love a good argument... and honestly it can be about pretty much anything, I will happily argue with you about almost any topic. Read More

Why do people use Pinterest?

What’s really motivating Pinterest users? That’s the topic of a fascinating piece by Carina Chocano in the The New York Times called “Pinterest, Tumblr and the Trouble With ‘Curation’.” Read More

Context – Empathy – Experience: Confab goes customer

All your content efforts will be a waste of time if you don’t first figure out some details about your customers. It’s a message that was front and centre yesterday at Confab.

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Get agreement on your customer: Confab 2012

I originally started writing this halfway through day one at Confab. After a couple of sessions the theme that’s standing out is how important it is to secure buy-in to the foundations of your content program from across your organization.

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Why technology is only half the battle

We’re stuck in a rut when it comes to technology and social media innovation according to Alexis Madrigal’s blog over at the Atlantic. He argues that we keep relying on the same old same old. Take for instance Pinterest. At first glance a great idea but, he says, dig a little deeper and it becomes clear it’s just another photo sharing site.

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The end of SEO? Changes to fight over-optimization, embrace semantic search and social influence

New changes to Google’s much coveted search algorithm is going to force marketers to pay closer attention to their content. The changes will reward sites who place a greater emphasis on creating, curating and managing useful and interesting content, which means content strategy is key for organizations that are looking to improve their overall search rank. Read More

Ariad slays a Dragon

Entrepreneur and the newest Dragon on CBC’s the Dragon’s Den Bruce Croxon stopped by to give us some insight into how he built one of the most successful online dating sites in North America – LAVALIFE. Read More