If you want your content marketing messages to be remembered, you must engage the emotional memories of your readers. Memory formation happens in two ways: A new memory is formed when it hits the amygdala and makes an emotional connection. stimulus may hit the amygdala and be assimilated because it resembles a previously established emotional connection. What results is a neural network of recalled associations that gets triggered by a memory of a hot-button stimulus. Everything we retain in memory is because it’s gained an emotional place in our brain. Make an emotional impact. MORE >>

Madison Avenue Crystal Ball for 2011. If you think 2011 will be the same as this year, get ready to strap on an extra seat belt.  The agencies that thrive in the future will succeed by helping their clients navigate these turbulent times, building brands that consumers wish to engage. Madison Avenue pundits have been predicting the end of ad agencies for a long time.  Ad agency trends have been unfolding before our eyes. We have already seen top creative directors leaving the best agencies to find their souls.   squirrel fights ”).   The coming year is about more change.  Period.   Tom Peters. MORE >>

Here is one of the toughest marketing challenges I can imagine — engage customers with a medical practice, which of course is surrounded by patient privacy issues. To make things even more difficult, the practice specializes in cosmetic surgery — not a subject people usually want to pronounce in a public sort of way.  Add in a recession and some intense competition, and you have yourself one massive marketing mountain to climb. Unless you possess the business savvy of Lisa Reath. We’re doing this by providing targeted patient education in a fun way using new media. Blogging. eBook. MORE >>

How long do you have to make an impression when you engage visitors online? Whether it's welcoming a visitor to your site or social presence, the answer seems "not very long at all". But, exactly how long do you have to make visitors “Think, Feel, Do”?! Conversion optimization Usability and design Clickdensity conversion Dave Chaffey eyetracking landing pages Smart Insights Digital Marketing usability web design MORE >>

In just a couple of days, I’ll be in Barcelona speaking at the Cisco Partner Velocity Conference. To say I’m looking forward to this opportunity is an understatement. I'm honored to be asked to share my insights with their channel partners from around the world. And I can’t wait to hear firsthand the challenges and opportunities these marketers are dealing with. The timing of this event couldn't be better. Marketing is undergoing a remarkable evolution at this moment. The multitude of mediums we can use to speak to our marketplace is revolutionizing how we work. MORE >>