Shobha Ponnappa

Branded content: how to make consumers devour it!

January 22, 2013 by Shobha Ponnappa Leave a Comment

Branded content is where brands deliberately link themselves with newsy or trending entertainment to build high-interest brand-related content. Many brands have now found ultra-innovative ways to hijack online “happenings” to their own advantage and to get customers to devour it all in diverse formats. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brand Advertising, Brand Communication, Brand Innovation Tagged With: Ad Age, branded content, Cannes Lions, coca cola, content marketing, Expedia, infographics, Mini Cooper, newsjacking, Swedish Post

McDonald’s social media gaffe and nimble recovery

January 20, 2013 by Shobha Ponnappa Leave a Comment

McDonald’s social media lessons seem to have been learnt the hard way. Spectacular failure has led to introspection, re-strategizing, deft recovery and subsequent spectacular success. There can't be a better case study of what not to do in the social media - and then what to do to make it all more than okay! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brand Education, Brand Insights, Brand Storytelling Tagged With: #McDStories, brand myths, french fries, hashtags, McDonald's, questions and answers, social media, Twitter, videos, YouTube

Visual social media: the new focus area of brand strategy

January 17, 2013 by Shobha Ponnappa 2 Comments

Visual social media is the new phenomenon. There is no denying that a massive shift has happened in the way we communicate online. Image-driven social networks are exploding on the scene, even as smartphone cameras are upgrading constantly to keep pace. Has your brand gone “highly pictorial” yet? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brand Advertising, Brand Engagement, Brand Storytelling Tagged With: brand storytelling, Facebook, image strategy, Instagram, Pinterest, social media, viral, visual, visual social media, visual storytelling

Brands and consumers: who really belongs to whom?

January 16, 2013 by Meera Sharath Chandra Leave a Comment

Brands and consumers. For years, this tumultuous relationship has been the subject of heated debate and has been an advertiser’s daily dilemma. Now it is time to ask that vital question. Do consumers belong to brands - or must brands belong to consumers first? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brand Consumers, Brand Insights, Brand Strategy Tagged With: behavioral biometric, brand messages, brands, consumer DNA, consumers, family circle, friends circle, professional circle, relationships, synergies

Guy Kawasaki: evangelist of Apple and a world changer

January 13, 2013 by Shobha Ponnappa Leave a Comment

Guy Kawasaki was formerly the chief evangelist of Apple. He is currently the co-founder of Alltop.com, and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. Guy's blog titled "How to change the world: A practical blog for impractical people" is among my most favorite web destinations. Here is a collection of some of the best quotable quotes by Guy Kawasaki, on his own blog and other websites ... … [Read more...]