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Power 150 in Wall Street Journal

April 16, 2008 | 4 Comments

I woke up to an email from Scott Baradell (of Spin Thicket fame) informing me that the Power 150 made The Wall Street Journal. Here’s a short excerpt from the article:

Small businesses looking to pitch their products or services to influential blogs have some help these days.

A host of Web sites and free tools are allowing companies to find out who the top bloggers in their industry are, what they are writing, and how readers are responding. Being informed about what is being said can help a small business craft a pitch that will garner the attention of both the bloggers and readers.

Some Web sites list the most influential blogs in a specific industry. For example, AdAge Power150, run by Advertising Age magazine, shows the top media and marketing blogs, while eDrugSearch.com’s HealthCare100 ranks the top English-language health-care blogs.

UPDATE: Check out Mr. Baradell’s flattering tribute. Thanks, Scott!

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Blogging, Marketing, Media, News, Power Profiles, Public Relations, Social Media, Technology

Grand Opening: 250,000 Square Feet of News

April 11, 2008 | 1 Comment

The Newseum opens today in Washington, DC and features 250,000 square feet of news history, technology and hands-on exhibits. As a historic newspaper collector and news junkie, I will definitely be making the pilgrimage to the Newseum before I die.

According to newseum.org, the Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. Here is a great video tour:

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, News, Video

Chicago’s Best Blogs

April 10, 2008 | 3 Comments

The Chicago Tribune just profiled me as one of Chicago’s Best Blogs. Like Ad Age and the Power 150, this is a nice traditional/social media crossover, and I’m discovering lots of fellow Chicago-based bloggers.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Blogging, Design, Marketing, Media, News, Public Relations, Social Media, Technology

The Top 30 Online News Sites

March 25, 2008 | 2 Comments

According to Nielsen Online, which provides this data to the Newspaper Association of America on a monthly basis, the top 30 online news sites, ranked by sessions per person, are:

Brand or channel; sessions per person; unique audience (000)
1. drudgereport.com; 19.9; 3,445
2. Daily Kos^; 8.9; 1,204
3. Fox News Digital Network; 8.3; 10,177
4. CNN Digital Network; 7.9; 37,181
5. AOL News; 7.7; 21,119
6. Yahoo! News; 7.4; 35,274
7. MSNBC Digital Network; 6.4; 34,013
8. ksl.com^; 6.0; 796
9. Breitbart.com; 5.3; 2,674
10. Google News; 5.3; 12,050
11. Gannett Newspapers and Newspaper Division; 5.1; 13,998
12. NYTimes.com; 4.9; 18,975
13. Netscape; 4.8; 2,709
14. Townhall.com; 4.7; 1,152
15. Media General Newspapers; 4.6; 1,761
16. GTGI Network 4.5; 1,345
17. Star Tribune; 4.3; 2,108
18. TWC News Websites; 4.1; 840
19. NewsMax.com; 4.0; 4,054
20. Zwire^; 3.9; 1,089
21. Cox Newspapers; 3.9; 5,197
22. washingtonpost.com; 3.8; 10,441
23. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 3.8; 1,259
24. The Buffalo News^; 3.7; 502
25. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 3.6; 1,472
26. MediaNews Group Newspapers; 3.5; 5,850
27. USATODAY.com; 3.5; 10,571
28. WorldNow 3.5; 10,588
29. IB Websites; 3.4; 7,565
30. St. Louis Post Dispatch^; 3.4; 1,022

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Media, News

New Todd And Feature for Authors and Their Books

March 23, 2008 | 1 Comment

UPDATE: Click here to access the new authors + books section.

Since launching this blog in July of 2006, dozens of authors and publishers have asked me to promote their books. While I am all about promoting a good book, I just don’t have the time to read that many books from cover to cover.

In an effort to support authors and give my readers a glimpse of new marketing and media books, I am launching an “authors + books” series. The series will feature guest-written posts by authors of new or recently-published marketing and media books. Starting today, authors wanting to participate in my promotional series can email me a short pitch.

The guest author submissions, preferably 300 to 700 words, can either be 1) an edited excerpt, so that it can stand alone, from the forthcoming or recently-published book, or 2) an original byline column not previously published anywhere else. When I say “not previously published,” I mean not verbatim. You can still use previously-published ideas, concepts and topics, but the content should be somewhat unique from any other previously-published version.

The only other requirement is that your book and post must relate to marketing, media or one of the other categories in the left sidebar of my blog. Not all author pitches will be accepted - they must fit appropriately with the theme and content of this blog.

If your pitch is approved, please submit your post with a short biographical byline (no more than three sentences) as well as front cover artwork and a head shot. Your guest posts will be archived in a new category on my blog called “authors+books.”

Lastly, I will ask that you send me a physical copy of your book, so that I can also read it when/if I have time and perhaps add some of my own commentary down the road (no guarantees). It will also become a part of my ever-growing library of marketing and media books that I keep at work for me and my colleagues to read and reference.

According to my server stats, my blog - toddand.com - currently gets 93,000 hits per month, of which almost half are unique visitors. My visitors include many of the world’s top marketing agencies, media companies, corporations and educational institutions.

Thanks for your interest in Todd And = Marketing + Media, and I look forward to your pitch.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Authors+Books, Blogging, Educational, Management, Marketing, Media, News, Personal Finance, Public Relations, Random, Social Media, Strategies+Tactics

People News: Leo’s Back and Dan’s the Man!

March 21, 2008 | 1 Comment

Just some quick but important people news. First, Leo Bottary is back to blogging. Leo moved to Boston and joined Mullen, an integrated marketing firm. Previously, he worked in the Tampa office of Hill & Knowlton, where he authored the blog Client Service Insights, part of H&K’s Collective Conversation. After a hiatus that left several bloggers wondering where the heck he went, Leo makes his return today with CSI Season 2. Personally, I’m pumped about Leo’s return because he was one of my first blogger buddies. We had some great exchanges like the famous pirate post in which I pointed out to Leo, who had just written about trends in client presentations, that he completely missed perhaps the biggest trend in client presentations… talking pirate.

Secondly, Daniel Honigman, of his self-titled blog, has accepted a social media strategist position at the Chicago Tribune. While reporting to the paper’s innovation editor (great title), Daniel will help manage the Trib’s new social media initiatives. His first day was St. Patrick’s Day. I’m extremely excited for Dan because I recognized him long ago as being one of Chicago’s brightest and best up-and-coming bloggers. I like to think I’m a good eye for talent and this helps underscore that thought. Previously, Daniel was staff writer for Marketing News, the magazine of the American Marketing Association. He recently received his masters from Medill School of Journalism where he was a Mike Royko Fellow, quite possibly the greatest honor for a journalism student as it is awarded to outstanding writers whose work mirrors Royko’s.

Welcome back, Leo, and congrats Dan! All the best to both of you.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Blogging, Marketing, Media, News, Public Relations, Social Media

67% View Traditional Journalism as “Out of Touch”

March 1, 2008 | 2 Comments

This isn’t news to most of us, but a We Media/Zogby Interactive poll recently found that most Americans view traditional journalism as “out of touch.” And while blogs aren’t the most trusted source of news, 60% of Americans see them as significant to the future of journalism. Here are some of the most interesting nuggets from the survey:

Internet is the top source of news for nearly half of Americans.

Two thirds of Americans (67%) believe traditional journalism is out of touch with what Americans want from their news.

Two thirds (64%) of Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities.

Nearly half of respondents (48%) said their primary source of news and information is the Internet, an increase from 40% who said the same a year ago.

Overall, 29% said television is their main source of news, while fewer said they turn to radio (11%) and newspapers (10%) for most of their news and information.

Just 7% of those age 18 to 29 said they get most of their news from newspapers.

Very few Americans (1%) consider blogs their most trusted source of news, or their primary source of news (1%).

Three in four (75%) believe the Internet has had a positive impact on the overall quality of journalism.

Although the vast majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism (64%), overall satisfaction with journalism has increased to 35% in this survey from 27% who said the same in 2007.

Both traditional and new media are viewed as important for the future of journalism - 87% believe professional journalism has a vital role to play in journalism’s future, although citizen journalism (77%) and blogging (59%) are also seen as significant by most Americans.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Blogging, Educational, Management, Marketing, Media, News, Social Media, Strategies+Tactics

Seize Marketing Moments… Dunkin Style

February 26, 2008 | 2 Comments

Brilliant! Dunkin Donuts is seizing the moment with a masterful marketing move:

When Starbucks shuts down all of its nearly 7,100 national stores this evening for employee retraining (some of the contracted Starbucks are on a different training schedule), Dunkin Donuts will hand out free small hot lattes in all of its 450 Chicagoland stores.

Source: Chicago Tribune

I wrote about a similar, equally brilliant tactic by Illinois State University in July of 2006.

UPDATE: My local Dunkin Donuts told me that they gave away 56 coffees yesterday evening. And my colleague said her Starbucks tasted horrible this morning - so bad that she actually tossed it. I think more training is in order… and more free Dunkin Donuts coffee too. By the way, a great conversation is taking place at Ken Wheaton’s Adages blog - Ken asked who benefits the most from the Starbucks closure?

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Marketing, News, Strategies+Tactics

FIVE HUNDRED POSTS!

February 21, 2008 | 22 Comments

Today is my 500-post birthday!

I originally planned to share a bunch of historical stats and write a lengthy post about why I blog and what I’ve learned. After several drafts, I decided against it. It just seemed to be too much. Too wordy. So here is my cliff notes version:

By now, most of you know this is a hobby blog for me, not a business. I post random personal thoughts and discoveries relating to the very serious but often comical crossroads of marketing and media.

This blog started out as an experimental archiving system for me to document cool marketing and media stuff I found online. Over the last two years, it evolved into much more.

Blogging has forced me to stay on top of marketing trends and new media tactics. It has been a school of social media and I’m very thankful to all my fellow marketing and media bloggers for being so generous with their knowledge and thought leadership. So much of what I’ve learned has been applied to my career or assisted my tactical decision making in one way or another.

Beyond what I’ve learned and taken away from the blogosphere, I’ve also attempted to give back. In addition to my own regular posts and a few tiny projects like my phone-phriendly website list and accreditation analysis, I’ve also made one major “legacy” contribution - the Power 150.

More important than any post or product, I’ve made several new blogger friends and acquaintances. As a hobby blogger with a nine-month-old daughter and full-time job, I don’t have as much time for blog conversations and extensive commenting. And frankly, the nature of my posts (mostly multimedia and short insights) doesn’t encourage comments. So, while I may not be the most conversational blogger at times, I greatly value the relationships I have made with such incredible authors like Drew McLellan, Kami Huyse, Chris Thilk, David Airey, Charlie Moran, Gavin Heaton, David Armano, David Meerman Scott, Chris Brown, C.B. Whittemore, Matt Dickman, Scott Baradell, Ann Handley, Daniel Honigman, Todd Defren and several others.

I’m also very thankful to all those who have linked to me and sent hundreds of new visitors my way. Here several of my best referrers:

Brand Flakes for Breakfast
Marketing Facts
Communication Overtones
Marketing Vox
Creative Generalist
Branding and Marketing
Greg Verdino’s Marketing Blog
Online Marketing Blog
CustomersAreAlways
Brendan Cooper
Duct Tape Marketing
B.L. Ochman
Search Engine Journal
Emergence Marketing
The Publicity Hound’s Blog
Strumpette
Experience Manifesto
PR Blogger
‘Cross The Breeze
Influxinsights
ExperienceCurve
The Social Media Marketing Blog
the brand builder blog
adliterate
Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Blogging, Links, Management, Marketing, Media, News, Public Relations, Random, Social Media

Blogger Social 08 and Library Hotel

February 3, 2008 | 11 Comments

I’m pumped. I’ll be attending Blogger Social in NYC from April 4 to 6, 2008 - representing the Ad Age Power 150.

Blogger Social is essentially a weekend-long happy hour for bloggers to share best practices and casual conversation. With dozens of marketing bloggers in attendance (check out all the attendees below), I’ll be scouting new marketing and emerging media topics and tactics. Registration is open until February 15, so you still have time to sign up!

I was originally looking to stay at the Millennium and Paramount hotels. Instead, I opted for the hotel built for bloggers - Library Hotel. The location is practically the same - midtown Manhattan, three blocks from Times Square. The price is just a few bucks more than Millennium, but daily breakfasts and a wine/cheese dinner receptions are included. The reviews of Library Hotel are 100 times better than Paramount - according to TripAdvisor’s popularity index, Library is No. 4 out of 338 NYC hotels. Millennium is 107 and Paramount is 240.

Bottom line, if you’re attending Blogger Social and haven’t yet booked a hotel, consider Library Hotel. I’d love some company. Even if you have booked your hotel, you should still be able to switch for no fee since we’re still two months away. And if you need more convincing, here it is…

UPDATE: Library Hotel has agreed to offer a $20 discount (per night) for all Blogger Social attendees. However, this is based on the hotel’s availability and cannot be guaranteed. In addition, this can only be offered if Blogger Social guests call the sales director directly to book as Yogini Patel is the only person that is authorized to provide any discounts. You can contact Yogini at:

Yogini Patel
Director of Sales & Marketing
Library Hotel…is now a smoke free environment.
Phone: 212-204-5413
E-mail: yogini@libraryhotel.com
Website: www.libraryhotel.com

In addition to free wireless internet and complimentary deluxe continental breakfast every morning, the hotel stay includes a DVD player with free selection from the hotel’s DVD library of the American Film Institutes top 100 films, in room safe, in room mini-bar, plush bathrobes and slippers, bottled spring water, hand-held hair dryers, makeup/shaving mirrors, newspapers, complimentary health club privileges nearby. Oh, and did I mention the complimentary wine and cheese reception each evening from 5-8pm.

Plus, while I was researching images for this post, I found that 800-CEO-READ blog recommended Library Hotel in 2006.