In today's edition of CMO.com, Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) shared the latest research on the disconnect between how great digital marketers think their advertising is...and how poor their consumers perceive it.  In summary, 58% of the surveyed marketers think they are providing high-value advertising to their consumer.  Only 38% of their consumers agreed.

As a professional marketer, timelines and deliverables are non-negotiable.  Deadlines are usually firm.

For most of my projects, I provide a Gantt Chart to my clients to see the project timeline.  The Gantt includes defining the weeks when I need client approval, so we can assure the right people will be available. 

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to reconnect with the very talented Randy Nichols. Randy shared how to build your organization with SWAT.

Don't confuse this with SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).

Do you remember when computers first came out?  You would turn on your computer, then go make a sandwich; or, save a document while you made a trip to the bathroom.

Today, if it takes more than 10-seconds for my computer to turn on, I get cranky.

Today, everything happens faster.  So fast, that in marketing, we work in micro-moments.

My husband hates when I say, "it's not about you", and ironically, this post is not about him either.  

As a strategic marketer, it never ceases to amaze me when clients say, "I don't want to market myself online (or text, apps, TV, radio, etc) because I don't look at those ads."  It takes everything I have to not say, "it's not about you".

In our current world of online transparency where "everyone" has a website, blog, and social media, you need to protect yourself in an unlikely place -- stock photography.

Just because an image is on the internet does NOT mean you have the privilege of using it.  Videos and photos may not be free or free to use.  Cover Your Assets.

S​​mell is the sense most closely linked with memory.  Scents can create memories deep in our brain, then trigger those memories at a later time.  For a marketer, that can be the sweet smell of success!

What fragrances triggers strong positive (or negative) feelings or memories for you?  Movie popcorn?  Lilacs?  Coffee?

Whether you watched the game because you love football (or one of the teams), you were partying with friends, or you like to see the commercials, Super Bowl 51 did not disappoint.  From President George H Bush's coin toss to The Patriots' win in overtime, it was a great game.  

And while there were no "super crazy" commercials this year, unless you count the Mr. Clean spot for which I have no words to describe, I enjoyed 17 of the 112 spots I watched.  Here are my top five favs:

Several years ago, one of my popular speaking engagements was "Why DWELL on Marketing?". DWELL was an acronym for what I consider to be the five pillars of successful marketing:
 Differentiation
 Written Marketing Plan
 Evaluate Each Step of the Way
 Love Your Employees
 Love your Customers

OK, so maybe not all videos go viral.  But, online videos can have an astronomical impact on your marketing.  Check out these 2016 stats from wyzowl:

• 98% of those surveyed have watched a video to learn more about a product or service.
• 83% of businesses who have a video on their home page believe that it’s been an effective tool.