Caraluzzi’s is just like every other grocery store in America. They sell the freshest produce, and stock their shelves with the best name-brand products. The employees are friendly and helpful. They’re close and convenient. Caraluzzi’s is your friendly neighborhood market, just like Trader Joe’s. And Wegmans. And Stew Leonard’s. With so many similarities, how does one retailer stand out from the rest? For starters, they can make an emotional connection with their audience. An authentic social media campaign can help. Reliable Research Creating a compelling social media campaign is not necessarily the work of a creative genius. It takes planning, …

“See link in bio” always seemed like an unnecessary step. Whenever I come across it in social media I think, hey, doesn’t that make the path to purchase more difficult? I suppose that’s the marketer in me. Even as a designer, though, I was taught to make the user experience as seamless as possible. Isn’t clicking once so much easier than clicking twice? The problem, I’ve come to realize, is me. In both instances, I had no empathy for the user. The Social Part My education as a designer and a marketing professional led me to make a few misguided …

I had an existential fear of the alternate digital reality in 1999. If you recall, that’s the year The Matrix was released. Yes, that dystopian sci-fi thriller featuring Keanu Reaves, where humanity lives in a simulated world created by intelligent machines. In the movie, we physically “plug in” to interact with other people in a virtual existence. The plot, genius in hindsight, freaked me out. But I never actually thought it would happen. Looking around, though, seeing people walk down the street with their eyes glued to their screens, it’s not a far stretch to say that the movie’s predictions were disturbingly …

Just about every night, while I’m watching TV or reading in bed, something on her phone will inevitably make my wife giggle. Or crack up, laughing. We share a similar sense of humor, so eventually I cave and ask, what’s so funny? Check your phone, she’ll respond. I’ll click on the notification and, even though I’ve told her many times that I don’t have that app, it will be a link to a TikTok video. Should I just download it, already?! TikTok has grown to be more than just funny dance videos, of course. It’s a marketing machine. Despite the …

I had just spent the previous four weeks crafting the perfect social media campaign. That’s what I thought it was, at least.  The idea was to raise money for a local entertainment venue with an easy social challenge — help name the theater’s main stage. It was mentioned during a client conversation about branding but came to fruition in a class devoted to social media for the public good. I remember thinking, what a fantastic opportunity to test educational theory with professional practice. The concept was simple: Ask users to share their stage name idea using #upstagenewtown. Donate to the …