The following post was originally published on Campaign Asia.
The last few days have seen a great deal of chatter on Twitter and elsewhere in social media–on the changed algorithm introduced by Klout to measure social media influence. And how the changes have resulted in carefully nurtured (and built) Klout taking a tumble. In many cases, by as much as 20 points, virtually overnight.
The official Klout blog that has posts mentioning the changed algorithm is flooded with comments. I spotted over [...]

(The following was originally published on Campaign Asia.)
This post is inspired by an HBR article on the attitudes that business leaders take towards social media.
Ironically perhaps, the six attitudes make up a list of six F’s: Folly, Fearful, Flippant, Formulating, Forging, Fusing.
(For those interested in reading the original article, click http://bit.ly/p3bS3F)
A reflection of the reality that social media is still largely peripheral to the C-suite vision of key business drivers, and is seen at best as a support to marketing. That [...]

The following post was originally published on Campaign Asia.
This morning I woke up to a Twitter timeline unlike any I had seen before. It was filled with a stream, rather a flood of tributes. To Steve Jobs.
It was more than people tweeting condolences. It was an outpouring.
Of feelings. Emotions.
Of pain. Shock. Disbelief.
Of memories.
Of love.
Of the pride and joy of having shared a connection with Steve through the products he invented.
And a discovery, a rekindling, an exploration of the connection one [...]

The following post was originally published on Campaign Asia.
It has been an exciting and enlightening two and half years on Twitter. It has been my micro blog related to my observations, opinions and questions on the world of brands, marketing, social media, digital, advertising—and the people behind it all who influenced me, made me think, learn and grow as a marketer. I rarely, if ever, have used it for casual updates of where I am or what I am doing—and [...]

The following article was previously published on Thinking Aloud.
Through the eyes of a marketer who sees the foundations of success starting with A, B, C…
In a world where social media has freed the reins of expression and hugely democratized it, and technology and mobility has put the power to express with a click in the hands of millions and millions of people, a question topmost in the minds of marketers is how they can ensure the success of their [...]

The following article was originally published on Campaign Asia.
Everyone and every brand today wants to do social.
By embracing social media. By creating home pages on popular social networks. By reaching out to their consumers. Drawing them to their social avatars. And then attempting to engage and influence them. To “like” them. To interact with them. To hopefully at some point turn them into buyers. Brand loyalists. And ardent brand advocates.
That’s all very well. And noble in intent, too. But [...]

The following article was originally published on Campaign Asia.
July 13, 2011. A day that unfortunately saw a spate of bomb blasts in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, India.
It was also a day that saw social media, specifically Twitter, come of age.  And not just come of age, but actually score over the big television networks in the manner in which the aftermath of the bomb blasts was handled.
Almost miraculously, within minutes, a community formed. Not of people who necessarily [...]

The following article was originally published on Campaign Asia.
There isn’t a day that goes by without chatter and excitement over some new way of measuring social media Influence—be it personal or that of brands.
In the good old days, clout measured influence. It’s not surprising then that in today’s digital interconnected world, clout still counts—except that it now seems to be spelled with a “K,” as in “Klout.”
I read somewhere, that today Klout scores are quoted on résumés. And if [...]

The following article was originally published on ClickZ.asia.
Most people in Asia (and certainly the subcontinent) will be aware of the Indian Premier League (or IPL), the new format of cricket where a game lasts just three hours, with each side playing 20 overs. More than the cricket, what’s really made the IPL enormously popular is the format it follows—of city-level franchisee owned teams that consist of a mix of Indian and international cricketers (much on the lines of club [...]

How to Prevent a Click-On Follow from Turning Hollow for a Celebrity Brand
The following article was originally published on ClickZ.asia.
There isn’t a day that goes by when one doesn’t read of brands (and their agencies) achieving yet another follower (and fan) milestone. Sounds great. Perhaps it is.
Or perhaps not always.
Certainly not, if one looks at the Twitter following Beyoncé (@Beyonce) has garnered—a million-plus followers.
Which one might say is par for the course for a global star who’s probably sold many [...]