Marketing
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Programmatic Media, Explained Before the Google Ruling
In the coming weeks, a federal court will decide whether Google must break up parts of its adtech business. The Department of Justice argues that Google has too much control over the advertising supply chain—running tools for both buyers and sellers, while also owning the exchange in the middle. If the court orders changes, the…
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TCB: Taking Care of Business (in a Flash) and the Ad Agency Life
The famous Elvis Presley TCB logo—the bold letters with a lightning bolt streaking through—has been around for decades. I’d seen it before. I knew it stood for Taking Care of Business. But on my visit to Graceland, I learned something new that took it from “cool rock ’n’ roll graphic” to “core business mantra.” That…
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Is Local TV Following the Same Path as Radio and Newspapers?
Every time I see another media consolidation headline, I get déjà vu. The latest? Nexstar is buying Tegna for $6.2 billion, which will create one of the largest “local” TV empires in the country. If it feels like you’ve heard this story before, it’s because you have. I’ve lived this story before — twice. When…
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Search is Diversifying, Google is Changing — and Leads Are Harder to Find
For over a decade, many marketing strategies have relied on the gravitational pull of Google. High-intent searches turned into clicks, and clicks turned into leads and sales. But two forces are reshaping that reality, and the implications for growth are profound. First, consumer behavior is shifting. In certain industries, especially health, travel, and high-consideration purchases, studies…
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Your Phone Isn’t Spying on You (and Other Marketing Myths That Make My Eye Twitch)
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, “Google/Facebook/Instagram must be listening to my conversations, because I was just talking about ____ and now I’m seeing ads for it”, I could retire to a tropical island and sip umbrella drinks while muttering “that’s not how it works” to passing seagulls. Let me…
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I Survived the Browser Wars. Now We’re in the AI Search Wars.
I still remember the first browser wars. It was the mid-90s. I was online with a dial-up modem that sounded like a fax machine getting into a fistfight. Netscape Navigator was the way to explore the web—until Microsoft started bundling Internet Explorer into every Windows computer. It felt like overnight, everyone was using IE. By…
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Why Trust Is the Ultimate Competitive Advantage in Marketing Teams
In marketing, deadlines are tight, budgets are limited, and the stakes are high. A single campaign can influence revenue, brand reputation, and even careers. In that kind of environment, you’d think technical skill or creativity would be the top predictor of success. But in my experience, the strongest differentiator isn’t just talent—it’s trust. Trust is…