Connectual Blog

Why Did You Join Kenshoo?

2010-09-25T05:07:40Z

I've been getting this question a lot in the 2 weeks since I announced my "decision" to take the CMO role at Kenshoo.

So, like other Connectual-related FAQs I've gotten over the years, I decided to share my answer via blog post.

First and foremost, I want to make it clear that I LOVED what I was doing with Connectual. I was privileged to be consulting with some of the most innovative companies in the space and working with some of the brightest (and best connected) minds.

I was not looking …

The Decision

2010-09-14T03:20:07Z

Last week, I declared my free agency and intention to follow in the footsteps of Lebron James and join an all-star team.

As promised, today I posted a video announcement with "The Decision." Don't worry, I don't drag it out for 20 minutes like Lebron did on ESPN.

SPOILER ALERT: more details are included in the official press release from my new employer.

Update 9/13/10: More scoop on …

Aaron Goldman Declares Free Agency

2010-09-07T16:02:19Z

Chicago, IL - September 7, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Aaron Goldman, a digital marketing professional with over ten years experience, today announced that he is putting his business, Connectual, on hold indefinitely to pursue a job with a digital marketing industry leader.

"While there's still more I'd like to do with Connectual, the time is right for me to find an opportunity where I can have a bigger impact," said Goldman. "As the digital marketing space evolves, the best way to succeed is with a talented team and innovative solution set that's already at scale."

Connectual was …

Ready to Bing on Yahoo?

2010-08-31T23:10:24Z

On Friday, I spoke on the record with Mike Shields at MediaWeek for his article, "Agencies Prep for Yahoo-Bing Transition." We had a great conversation that ran the gamut from functionality to market share. Ultimately, Mike only used one of my sound-bytes in his piece so I'll share that here and provide more thoughts after the break...

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Per Aaron Goldman, principal at the digital marketing firm Connectual, Bing is now Google’s equal in usability. “But just as good is not going to win,” …

Analyze This: IBM Buys Unica

2010-08-16T17:34:42Z

On Friday, the big news in digital marketing was the IBM Unica acquisition for $480 million. See WSJ coverage. Unica provides what it calls Enterprise Marketing Management (EMM) or Marketing Resource Management (MRM) services. Here's a quick excerpt from Unica's corporate brochure:

"Offering the only EMM solution to cover the entire marketing cycle – from analyzing and planning to designing, producing, executing, and measuring – Unica's Affinium software suite provides an unprecedented level of integration, unmatched functionality, and extensive marketing automation capabilities."

Sounds pretty good, right? Who wouldn't want something unprecedented, unmatched, and extensive??

Below is a schematic that speaks to Unica's …

Everything I Know About Marketing I Learned from Google

2010-09-13T13:31:19Z

Aaron Goldman's new Google book is now available. In it, he shares 20 "Googley Lessons" from the world's most ubiquitous brand to help marketers better engage their customers and prospects.

Here's all the information you need to know including where to buy and how to interact with the Googley community...

Googley Lessons website - contains the full introduction, executive summaries of each chapter, behind the scenes info on the blog and much more!

GoogleyLessons Facebook page - includes …

Ain’t No Party Like a Connectual Party

2010-08-10T21:58:32Z

Last Thursday, TalentFoot, Elevation+, Vevo, and Connectual broke in our new Chicago office with a little soiree. Here's a quick recap along with all the SFW pics...

DJ Carpenter queued up the party mix.

Camille tried to block out the party mix and squeeze in one last business call.

Mark tested all the appetizers to make sure they weren't poisonous. The garden veggie dip was a little questionable so we tossed it.

The referral board was …

Connectual Gets Physical

2010-08-10T21:57:34Z

On June 1st, Connectual opened its first office at 220 W. Huron Suite 3002 in the River North area of Chicago. The idea is to create a hub for digital marketeers to network, brainstorm, and generally plot to take over the world. The space has 6 individual offices, 2 conference rooms, kitchenette, bathroom and a nice big main room with 4 desks, a couch, and a closet. Plenty of room to get Connectual!

Each of the individual offices are being sub-leased to like-minded entrepreneurial types in the digital space. Currently the inhabitants of this microcosm of the digital marketing ecosystem include …

Will Foursquare Cash In Those Check Ins?

2010-05-11T07:11:23Z

Original Image Source

Today I was cited in a MediaPost story about ads on Foursquare.

As reporter, Laurie Sullivan, points out, currently Foursquare "offers an advertising platform for merchants that allow brands to promote specials, but it doesn't target mobile ads. The platform allows companies to claim their business to run promotions on the site. Through geo-tags, people within a specific geographic radius will see the specials."

In prepping this piece, Laurie asked me some if I thought advertisers would sponsor check-ins. My response is …

Why Facebook Should Share Its Crop

2010-05-06T14:48:33Z

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The June issue of Consumer Reports includes warnings about sharing personal information via Facebook due to risk of identity theft and other crimes. MediaPost had the scoop and asked various marketing wonks, myself included, on the implications for marketers if people limit their disclosure on social networks.

I took the opportunity to suggest that Facebook encourage people to share their data directly with marketers in exchange for cash, an idea I've been championing ever since running a personal experiment …

Not Just Fun and Games for Google

2010-04-16T19:33:36Z

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Earlier this week, Laurie Sullivan from MediaPost asked me for my POV on Google hiring Mark DeLoura in the role of "Developer Advocate."

My 2 cents is shared in Lauries's post titled, "Is Google's Next Big Thing Video Games?"

Below is the blurb. What follows are my thoughts on Google, gaming, apps, Apple, and the iAd platform.
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Between the iPhone OS and Android, the world should expect to see Apple and Google continue to duke it out in the mobile marketplace. "The …

Why Doesn’t Connectual use an Hourly Rate for Consulting?

2010-04-02T21:45:04Z

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Now that I've finished my book manuscript -- check out GoogleyLessons.com for more details on that project -- I can get back to more regular posting.

Let's start by addressing a question I've been getting a lot lately...

Why doesn't Connectual charge an hourly rate for consulting services?

To answer this question, I'd like to relay a story that Tom Kuthy, formerly of Resolution Media, shared with me in the context of negotiating agency fees with a client during a new business pitch.

Some fifty …

Google’s Chilling Super Bowl Ad

2010-04-16T19:35:44Z

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Last Sunday was a cold day in Hell, indeed. Not only did the company that's never needed to advertise throw down a cool couple mil. for a Super Bowl ad but it chose to promote the one product in its arsenal that didn't need the exposure.

My brother, David, and I shared our POV's -- yes, SEM runs deep in the Goldman DNA -- with MediaPost for its recap of Google's showing in the big game. More commentary after the excerpt...
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Some …

Airing Out the Future of Search Algorithms

2010-02-09T20:30:23Z

At SES Chicago I was interviewed along with with Marshall Clark for Webmaster Radio discussing "Social Search and Distributive Reputation Systems" -- which is fancy for evaluation of content or, as Marshall calls it, "Page Rank for People." In this 7-minute clip, we discuss the various social media signals the search engines should be incorporating into their algorithms to improve relevancy. In a nutshell, the idea is that, when determining authority for a particular asset, the person who created the content should be weighted more heavily than the page on which …

Will You Survive 2010?

2010-02-06T16:36:09Z

Image Source - Sony Pictures Digital Inc.

There's been plenty of chatter lately over who will survive 2012 but that's two whole years aways! What are you doing to prepare for 2010? From a digital marketing perspective, that is.

MediaPost recently published its annual "Survival Guide" -- a collection of articles geared towards specific segments to help them prosper in the coming year. I shared my thoughts for the guide for agencies and the guide for CMOs. The excerpts with my POV are below (note: …