Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

Harry Potter and the Secret Sauce

In an age where everyone is standing in the marketplace, screaming as loud as they can, it would seem the ultimate "sell" is silence. As you're reading this post, the new and final book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is being delivered to secret locations in North America. Despite what you may have read about a leak, security measures have been put in place to protect the contents of the book. The book series fans are adamant that the information contained in the leak is false and misleading. Many have added their voices to... Read more →

Ask(?)Away: Take Your Brand from Commodity to Community, Director Tom Clifford -- Part Deux

Yesterday we covered the question of how to engage publics via documentary and film making. This is part two of a conversation with Tom Clifford or Director Tom. Energy and passion are essential when a company wants to take its brand from commodity to community. You'd want to do that to hire new talent and retain the talent you have, for example. Valeria Maltoni: So if I understand correctly, you are viewing the story unfold from behind a lens -- unfiltered and personal. Is that always the case? How do you insert the view from the top, what the management... Read more →

Ask(?)Away: Take Your Brand from Commodity to Community, Director Tom Clifford -- Part One

I don't know about you. I always thought that being in a movie would be fun. Many are in love with the idea of having their fifteen minutes of fame. So filming corporate videos should be a great experience, right? Not quite. Many corporate videos do not bring your brand to life, says Director Tom. Your story is often not told in a clear and authentic way. Why is this important? So it can stick. You want your story to jump off the screen and into your customers' hearts. Thomas R. Clifford, Director Tom, is passionate about enlightened corporate film... Read more →

Blog News Release: The Age of Conversation

Today is the official release date of The Age of Conversation, an eBook co-authored by 103 authors from 10 nations. The permanent link and page to this group project on this site is here. Preliminary press: AdAge and Social Computing Magazine. Formats/Prices: Hardbacks $29.99 Paperbacks $16.95 E-book $9.99 Available at Lulu stores. Background Dedication If you're blogging this and want more information or are going for a specific angle: The idea was generated by Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan (see background) The proceeds from the sales go to Variety, the Children's Charity. If you'd like to talk more about where... Read more →

Welcome to the Future, Now -- blog|Philadelphia

I've been thinking about a glorious recap for the threads and lessons extrapolated at blog|Philadelphia. The very timely column by The Inquirer Associate Editor John Timpane aptly titled The Future: The Ultimate Has Been does the job. A former English teacher and poet, Timpane is in the unique position to view the currents of our times in the proper perspective. After spending two full days with people who are into video casts, podcasts, and other technologies that are in varying degrees of emerging, I am gravitating again towards the comfort of what I know -- the inner thinking and feeling... Read more →

blog|Philadelphia: Open Source Marketing

Some of you may have noticed that button on the sidebar. Today is the day I facilitate a conversation at blog|Philadelphia on open source marketing. Chances are, I'm doing just that as you're reading this post. I've been warming up to the concept for quite some time. And in conversations with other bloggers and professionals who joined yesterday I got the sense that things are indeed headed that way. Since this is an unconference, the subject matter fits. It is also fitting for the readers of The Blog Herald, as they are getting a preview of what my three reasons... Read more →

Do You Own Your Customers?

It's a legitimate question -- many companies spend a lot of time passing the buck to one department or the other while customers give up on getting service. It was a provocative comment to one of my posts a couple of weeks ago by Becky Carroll at Customers Rock! that made me think about it. This is the subject of my weekly FC Expert post on customer conversation. After you read that post -- it's brief, I promise -- let's come back here and think together for a moment. How can companies executive teams get in touch again with their... Read more →

8 Random Things About (Brand) Me

Games are a part of social conversations. The games we play weave our story into the network of our relationships and allow us to get to know each other better. Lewis Green tagged me with a new meme that originated with Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand -- it's called 8 Random Things About Me. I decided to participate. Here's Why I Think this Sort of Meme is Useful I go to a lot of events; I see them as opportunities to learn something new and occasions to meet new people. One of the best ways to connect with someone... Read more →

MarketingProfs:Daily Fix Debut -- What's It Mean to be a Marketer?

Have you ever had those days when you felt like asking: "wanna have fries with that?" In our eagerness to demonstrate that we bring value in the short term, we may overdo in zealousness to the detriment of our long term reputation. It doesn't help that in a quest to understand and measure the value of a chief marketing officer, academics tend to hang their hat on financial-performance metrics alone. How much do financial officers contribute as measured against the same standards? Advertising Age highlights some of the old questions in a recent article about a study due for publication... Read more →

BrandingWire: Take a Walk on the Wild Side, Estes Park, CO

Estes Park is a 6 square mile town located 70 miles (about one hour and 40') northwest of Denver at an elevation of 7,522 feet. It counts 150 lodging establishments that offer 2,600 rooms and has been defined the YMCA of the Rockies with 219 cabins that can house 4-88 people each for a total of 476 rooms. With 7 private campgrounds and 5 Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) campgrounds, 577 summer sites and 186 winter sites, as well as 2 Roosevelt National Forest campgrounds, this is a perfect location for outdoor recreational activities. The RMNP includes 355 miles of... Read more →