The marvels of Big Data, machine learning, and (if and when things get that far in any particular endeavor) artificial intelligence have sometimes appeared overstated. When it comes to deploying these to boost marketing efficiency, many marketers wonder if Google is unleashing all of this power to our benefit; and, if so, how can we tell? In that realm, it feels like a mixed blessing. Yet sometimes you just have to sit back and marvel. I don’t...
For the second year running, Page Zero is traveling to Ottawa to attend SaaS North, Canada’s foremost event for founders and investors in software-as-a-service companies. Attendees will network, share the latest trends and tactics, and even "match-make" (from an investment standpoint). There are more dollars chasing good ideas than ever before. That’s good for startups that want to raise money at favorable valuations—sometimes pre-revenue. From an investor’s standpoint, it’s challenging. Even the “bargain bin” of...
With the emergence of the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, many observers feel like the moment is ripe for Facebook to take a major fall. Change is certainly in the wind. Facebook, now dimly aware of its limitations, is now virtually begging to be regulated. Facebook should stick to what it knows. Simplify revenue streams and focus on commerce, not propaganda....
CPG conglomerates accustomed to "spray-and-pray" ad practices have turned accusatory towards the most highly accountable forms of media of all time. Eliminating PPC ad campaign waste in the form of invalid clicks and underperforming segments etc is crucial. But in successful accounts, hypervigilance around waste gives way to ordinary levels of tightening....
To kick off the year, we’ve been treated to the usual round of roundups: expert predictions for what to expect in the coming year. For Search Engine Journal, an esteemed list of 25 PPC experts offered their prognostications about what to expect in our rapidly-changing field in 2018 and beyond. Other than my own product idea (an “old AdWords interface emulator”), what burning issues are the gang focusing on? Several analysts mention machine learning. The power...
Last week, with my colleagues Cory Kleinschmidt and Mona Elesseily, I attended and spoke at Pubcon in Las Vegas. To refresh your memory, Pubcon is the tactical digital marketing conference that just won’t die. As other conferences slowly decline due to changing tastes, this one keeps going and going like the Energizer bunny. Sessions are as fresh and tactical as ever; impressive for a long-running series. Sessions on LinkedIn advertising and WordPress optimization were two of many...
Whether it’s in the field of trade, tax, foreign investment, antitrust, culture, or anything else, initiatives that block foreign companies from doing business – while often well-meaning, and sometimes aiming for consumer protection, local justice, or even some international development objective – perhaps fail to realize their own flaws. Primary among them is protectionism. In levying grand and bold strictures and fines upon offending (foreign) companies, regulators find themselves deep in (political) wars of tit-for-tat –...