by Paul M. Rand| July 8, 2014

Marketers and communicators seem to be asking the same question after Google once again updated its Panda algorithm: “Will this affect how many people see my press releases?” The simple answer is that it determines how effective your communications are. Panda was first released in February 2011 with the intention of lowering the rank of […]

by Paul M. Rand| May 23, 2014

We’ve past the end of the beginning of social media. Companies are no longer dabbling in social because it seems like a good idea. Social and digital programs must move the needle on business results if we are to be successful. Yet, less than 8 percent of marketers believe their social programs are achieving the […]

by Paul M. Rand| April 17, 2014

From the corner store to the largest multinational corporations, businesses are setting their eyes ever closer on how people are talking about and recommending their products and services – as they should be. Ninety-two percent of consumers say that a recommendation from someone they trust is the number one influencer of their purchase decision. Recent […]

by Paul M. Rand| March 7, 2014

More than 30,000+ digital and social brethren – including more than 30 Ketchum and Zocalo Group colleagues – will descend on Austin for SXSW Interactive 2014. As I look at the ever-expanding collection of speakers, panels, events and parties, I don’t get the sense there will be any breakout “2014 SXSW was the year of […]

by Paul M. Rand| February 28, 2014

In today’s marketing landscape, some degree of channel integration is the expectation in every communications campaign. Tie that to the growing importance of the PESO spectrum of paid, earned, shared and owned channels, and agencies need to be more nimble to address clients’ needs connecting these complementary components. With that, what we’re seeing is the […]

by Paul M. Rand| September 20, 2011

This post originally appeared on the blog The WOMMA Word, a blog by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.   As Social Media Week Chicago begins, we’re honored to be among 12 global cities participating in this international event. The week-long conference is a platform to connect people, content and conversation around current, best and […]