By Ted Wright

Readers of my posts know that I’m rather demanding when it comes to the accuracy of marketing speak and the effectiveness of marketing channels. For me either something works or it does not. As such, I enjoy getting into discussions with Scott Guthrie about Influencers, who is one, who is not and why that distinction […]

By Ted Wright

How do you create a contract with an influencer? The answer to this question is simple. In fact I can answer this in two words: “You don’t.” When you try to contract with an influencer – specifying that they post so many times for a certain amount of money, for example — it rarely goes […]

By Ted Wright

Just a quick note. If you must use an “influencer,” approach the relationship by seeking to buy their time not their mind. The more requirements you put on them (i.e. # of posts, length of video, etc) the more you make the relationship about the contract and not the partnership. As my good friend Chrissy, […]

By Ted Wright

  The Wall Street Journal just published an in-depth post about the corruption and lack of accountability in the influencer marketing industry. Is this the beginning of end for this marketing mega-trend? Let’s take a look at this today. The problems with influencers Here are a few highlights from the WSJ feature: Influencer marketing is […]

By Ted Wright

  Every marketer has influencers on their mind today. It appears to be an unavoidable conversation at any meeting or conference. But I think the term “influencer” is overly used to camouflage garden variety advertising. Same kind of messaging and effort. Differences are that the channel you are viewing it on and the people producing […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright Like the Roman colosseum, a good Word of Mouth Marketing strategy will stand the test of time. Word of Mouth Marketing may not always be as glamorous, but it’s solid and unbreakable. Defining Word of Mouth Marketing Word of Mouth Marketing has come to mean something broad for many people, so I […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright We are so immersed in the digital world that it’s easy to assume that it is a mirror image of society – the same conversations must be taking place online versus offline. But a new study confirms what word of mouth marketers have known all along – the two channels must be […]

By Ted Wright

I am a huge fan of great street art … you know the exuberant expressions found painted on the sides of buildings and empty concrete spaces in nearly every big city in the world. To me, it is an unbridled and authentic story somebody is expressing to the world. I love it so much, I […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright The most important thing we do at Fizz is finding ways to transmit customer stories in authentic, interesting, and relevant ways. And while the “what” behind the story is essential, the “who” in the delivery of that story is also critical to our success. So an essential part of our job is […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright On a long trip to Oman I had a chance to catch up with the news and read about the college entry scandal. An article by Ashely Reece chronicled the social media journey of influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli, daughter of actress Lori Laughlin. A few findings: Red flags Olivia was already the […]

By Ted Wright

I know what you’re thinking,  “Who are these elusive Influencers everyone’s always talking about anyway?  What makes them special? How do you know one when you see one?”  And most importantly, “How can I get them interested in my cause?” “Influencer” is a term bandied about a little too loosely these days. In this short video, Ted […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright For a story to be shared widely by brand advocates (aka “real Influencers”) the experience that the advocate has with the brand has to match the story. The following is an example of when that doesn’t happen: Story: Adidas is taking plastic waste, hand-harvested from ocean trash, melting it down then spinning […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright It’s official, Influencer Marketing is dead. When Urban Outfitters makes fun of the marketing strategy you sold just six months ago as “The NEW New Thing,” you have problems. Debate me in the comments if you’d like, but I don’t want to be the person on stage when the SVP of Marketing […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright In 1999, a few friends were chatting online about the inevitable destiny of business and the internet. They believed that companies would have to humble themselves and show a more human face to the world to survive in this new space driven by human conversations. The friendly conversation turned into a blog […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright If you’ve been paying attention, you not only know who influencers are, you know what motivates them to share stories and how to encourage them to support your message. But what is the word of an Influencer really worth? A single influencer, according to Procter & Gamble, is worth one million brand-specific […]

By Ted Wright

In the landscape of marketing, where do Broadcast and Word of Mouth Marketing fit in? Broadcast had a strong 35 year run where it was effective, but it’s decayed over time. Effectiveness is referring to the fact that it was a successful tool for selling more stuff to more people more often for more money. […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright If you’ve read any of my stuff, you know I have a specific, grounded-in-data point of view on why someone is an Influencer and how they act. Influencer marketing (IM) is all the rage – and there’s a reason for it. When done correctly, it works. But in order for IM to […]

By Ted Wright

By Ted Wright Every vital brand has a story to tell, and the most effective way to spread your story—even in today’s digital age—is through word-of-mouth conversations. The key to word of mouth is having a great story to share, and the best stories are like jockeys: short, agile and human. Short. In our experience, […]

By Fizz

Originally posted on Inc’s marketing blog, this post was written by Peter Economy, columnist at Inc. Anyone in business knows that marketing is a key ingredient in selling the products you make and the services you deliver. If people never hear about the things you sell then, chances are, they won’t buy them. But what kind of marketing […]

By Ted Wright

Recently there was some hating on Guy Kawasaki’s re: his tweets. The angst was over questions of ownership of content and value of retweeting mass amounts of info. I’m a busy guy with employees, clients and responsibilities at home so I don’t have time to wtirie about hypothetical ‘net ethics. I’ll leave that to the […]

By Ted Wright

CATAGORY: MOMENTUM – Word of mouth program to juice existing products/services. TITLE: REFUEL WITH CHOCOLATE MILK WINNER – BRONZE WOMMIE The American Dairy Association (ADA) of Ohio wanted to sell more milk. AcrossAmerica, milk consumption had dropped by half since the 1970s and Ohio was no exception. Milk simply had become less and less a […]

By Ted Wright

Some folks at Deutsche Bank say that premiumization in the liquor business is dead. What’s next, finance tips from someone’s Creative Director?  All joking aside we don’t see the era of anything being over. In tough times the stupid and ridiculous get weeded out. Ed McMahon’s premium vodka and silly flavored rums are probably not a […]

By Ted Wright

  So you want to hire some influencers to build some buzz and word of mouth for your brand, huh?  At Fizz, we’ve done this a time or two and have perfected a process that finds the right people, the first time around.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you head […]