The Optics of Marissa Mayer

I recently wrote about Yahoo! and specifically its CEO’s efforts to revitalize the laggard Internet brand, a brand that started life alongside Altavista, another once-dominant Web brand whose fate Yahoo! hopes not to share (in spite of acquiring it).The take-away of the earlier post was to draw attention to all the media attention Marissa Mayer was drawing to…… Continue reading The Optics of Marissa Mayer

Converged Media Rising

Y&R’s Brand Asset ValuatorBack in the day, I had the good fortune to work on the introduction of Brand Asset Valuator, Y&R’s seminal study that turned conventional wisdom on its head about how brands are built. Through thousands of interviews across dozens of countries, Y&R concluded that a brand’s “Esteem” is derived through “Relevance” and…… Continue reading Converged Media Rising

Cyber Monday: Hoax or (Key)Stroke of Genius?

Anyone who has ever worked in an agency has had some exposure to the business development process. After all, without topline growth, how can agencies sustain themselves?I’ll always remember how one agency for which I toiled invited a highly touted outside consultant to help re-vamp the agency’s new business prospecting and acquisition processes. A group…… Continue reading Cyber Monday: Hoax or (Key)Stroke of Genius?

Out to Launch

I’ve never met Larry Weber, though he’s promised on several occasions to “take lunch” if our paths happen to cross in either the Beantown or New York. I certainly am well aware of the agency that retains his namesake, and the success it enjoyed when he reigned, and today under Harris Diamond’s stewardship.The indefatigable Jeremy…… Continue reading Out to Launch