Doug Stephens

I've never doubted the power of Facebook to connect brands and consumers. The problem is that the market looks for a direct and immediate correlation between consumer interactions in the social space and sales -- a standard not even television is held to.

The marketing profession is coming from...

Personally, I feel we've moved beyond the check-in economy. Sure, there remains a small segment of the population that continue to check-in but the trajectory of the trend is declining. Whether coupons, be they personalized or not, can resuscitate check-ins is doubtful.

It's a matter of not thinking about channels and starting to think more about the consumer's logical path to purchase for your product. When are they most likely in the day to need what you sell? Once you map this, your brand needs to be available at those moments...

David's points would build a good foundation for any retailer. I would add though that these steps are quickly becoming table-stakes. In and of itself, none of this will constitute a differentiator.

Content is really the key variable. Your content must be EXCELLENT or no one (except your mom)...

What worries me more than the crime that's been committed is the abject lack of shame on the part of Walmart. In a statement on the issue Walmart said, "If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are." Excuse me? What is it, if...

Coincidentally I'm doing a keynote on this very topic in about 2 hours.

The truth is that the strategic purpose of a store has shifted. Technology has displaced bricks and mortar as the sole means of distribution and will continue to do so on an even steeper trajectory as...

I think we will soon look back at Amazon as being the forerunner and to an extent, the originator of a far more revolutionary level of efficiency and convenience. "Contextual Commerce" is the new frontier. It's the confluence of a myriad of data that consumers will trade for optimal...

In response to M. Jericho Banks, here are a few stats for consideration.

From 1979 to 2005 the average family went from apportioning 50% of their income to fixed living costs to 75% (adjusted for inflation). The middle 3 quintiles of income earners had almost no discernible income growth...

The grocery industry in general has traditionally been a race to the bottom. It's a low-margin industry that is most comfortable using price as its battleground. Very few retailers such as Wegmans and Whole Foods, to name a couple, have chosen to differentiate their store experience, rather than compete...

I think there's a huge opportunity for Best Buy to deliver education and training to its customers across a multitude of categories and perhaps even develop a new revenue channel in doing so. There's really nothing here though that strikes me as game-changing. It sounds like they're planning to...