Bronies a culture I cover in several of my classes and this is a fascinating post mortem on the culture.
The Last Bronycon: a Fandom Autopsy (video)
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A recipe for running a successful association
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This post is for associations that are in emerging industries with niche expertise. I’ve had clients that want to tap into social media but the nature of their business makes it a challenge. I often recommend that they tap into professional associations within their industry and then develop a content strategy that makes sense. (Associations should be thought of as niche social networks...
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (video)
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My kids and I have been going to Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs for the past 4 years and I discovered this race when I “bumped into” rallying videos on YouTube. (Rallying is a deep, passionate niche with most fans in Europe.) The race features a diverse array of cars, motorcycles, trucks and quads that race up the mountain at speeds of over 140 miles per...
How to monetize Reddit (updated)
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Note: I recently forwarded this post to a good friend of mine who just happens to be a Redditor and has made the front page numerous times. I updated it based on his feedback. The content of his original response is here. All my changes are bolded. I was recently at a conference and we had one of the top people from Reddit speaking. I struck up a conversation with the person from Reddit and one...
Fandoms: Reddit vs. Tumblr
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You may or may not have heard about Fandoms. (If not, click here.) Â Fandoms are groups of people that are unbelievably passionate about “something”. Comic books, TV shows and movies are some of the more powerful fandoms. (Sherlock, Supernatural and Dr. Who are known as the big 3. Also known as Superwholock.) The most passionate members of these groups spend up to 60 hours a week...
Niches
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I have always been a fan of niches and believe they are the best target for marketing efforts. I define niches as a group of people who are incredibly passionate about an experience they share or have shared. Sometimes that experience can be created by a product or service. (Niche = Geek. Wine Geek. Lego Geek. etc) Â I have recently become aware of several emerging niches and thought I share them...
Snobs rule!
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For most, the word snob is derogatory.  Someone who’s palette is so sophisticated they can’t be pleased. Someone who has the highest standards when it comes to experiencing the thing that they love. If you think about this definition, you could also call them geeks. Terms like beer geek, bike geek are common these days. Subject Matter Experts, (SME – pronounced...
The death of the marketing campaign
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I had coffee with the CEO of a very large agency this past week and during our conversation, he mentioned that one of the things he sees is business struggling with is the demise of the marketing campaign. (Did I mention this he runs a VERY large agency?) To be honest I wasn’t shocked by this statement as it’s something I’ve seen over the past 4 years. I was surprised that an...
Curation vs. Aggregation
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Last summer, I was teaching a class and I had a slide with a bullet that mentioned content curation vs. aggregation. Immediately a student raised her hand and asked; “What’s the difference?” Since then I’ve been meaning to write this post and recently had it jostled from my memory when I saw it posted on Twitter from this year’s SXSW. I can’t remember who...
GeekLOVE (inforgraphic)
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When I grew up being called a geek or a nerd was a very negative thing. (See infographic below for the difference between the two.) Over the last several years, being called a geek has become a badge of honor, so much so that you can now geek out over your subject of choice. For instance: Food Geek or Foodie Film Geek Fixie Geek Architecture Geek SCUBA geek What’s interesting about this is...