Do you hear that buzz?! It’s not a bird…no! It’s not a plane, no, NO, it’s GOOGLE!!!!  That’s right Google does it again, this time with their latest product launch Google Buzz. Giving us all yet ANOTHER way to share with our networks online, this tool is rumored to potentially threaten Facebook and Twitter as [...]

”Stop! Collaborate and LISTEN!” Let’s apply Vanilla Ice’s song lyric to social media. Your customers are talking, are you listening? Whether it be around your product specifically, your competitor, or the industry as a whole, people are engaging in conversations online through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, forums, product reviews, etc. as an outlet to recommend, [...]

Cuddled up in my Snuggie™ blanket over the weekend, I flipped the pages of my February 2010 issue of Elle Magazine and came across a survey about iPhone users that consumer electronics specialists, Retrevo, conducted called the Gadgetology report.  This online survey featured in the Modern Love section of the magazine, consisted of 445 iPhone [...]

Last Tuesday, January 12th the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake hit Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.  Once I had heard the news of the massive destruction, I immediately hopped onto my Twitter account @carolynruiz and searched for Haiti using Twitter Search .  I did this because I wanted to see the real-time news transpiring and how I could contribute to [...]

Last Sunday my parents were leaving after visiting me and my family. They were heading back to Switzerland after a 3 months stay in california due to our 3 month old addition to the family, my proud little baby girl, Kirra.
After I read that Switzerland, and the rest of Europe were getting hit by one [...]

More often that not, when you hear the word “viral,”you may think of contagious viruses either attacking your computer or your immune system. However, when it comes to marketing, going “viral” is often the goal brands intend to achieve when they push marketing messages out through video, websites, social media, email, word-of-mouth, etc.
Unfortunately, many companies [...]

The battle lines have been drawn. The super powers have been amassing their arsenal of resources. Now, the front lines are engaging. The battle for ultimate control of a brand has begun between the 20th century traditional agency and the 21st century interactive agency.

Last week I was in the local mall getting a jump on holiday shopping. I happened to be in one of the two malls that has opened a Microsoft Retail store. I was curious to see what it was like as I always enjoy browsing the Apple store.

Every authentic brand has a story behind it. In “The Brand Mindset™”, Duane Knapp describes it this way;
“All genuine brands have a story, a legend about how they got started. On the surface, a historical account of the brandʼs beginnings may not be impressive. However, they can be very powerful because they offer inspiration and [...]

Twitter usage is exploding. It’s gone from silly, self-indulgent status updates such as “I’m sipping coffee now” to another Internet wild west. Business professionals are experimenting with this social media channel trying to discover where it can drive real value to their business