Blog

06.21.19

The Hook Made You Look… Even in B2B

What does the narrative “hook” look like in B2B? About the same as B2C. The average human attention span in 2019 is less than 8 seconds. That’s a long bull ride, but a really short narrative trip. When you encounter a prospective client, the same person who privately laughs at memes, cries at […]

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06.13.19

Want to drive change? (Hint: Your content is the key.)

Did you know that forgoing one cup of coffee every day for a year can save a swimming pool’s worth of water? We didn’t either. There’s a lot we can all do to combat water scarcity. Our latest project with The Weather Channel focused on what can be done, why it’s necessary, and how to […]

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04.05.19

All technology companies should tell stories

In the year 2019, we’re still very much in the throes of our technological transformation. Conversations are constantly buzzing about AI, the cloud, and connected devices. But while true breakthroughs take us leaps and bounds into the future, that type of disruption isn’t happening every day. The lulls between those breakthroughs create flat spots on […]

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01.28.19

Striking Gold with Data Driven Creative

Here at Centerline, we pride ourselves on accurately reading the marketplace, anticipating our clients’ needs and, when necessary, pivoting accordingly. It’s a collective skill that comes from asking a lot of questions… and then finding the answers. Our partners at Protegrity recently turned to us for that very reason. Rather than market to the masses, […]

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07.31.17

Amazon’s New Influencer Marketing Program will Fail—Though There Could be Light

I stumbled across an article on AdWeek today: “Improved Social Media Metrics Boost the Value of Influencer Marketing to Merchants.” In short, the article introduces Amazon’s Influencer Program (currently in beta) that enables social media influencers with shoppable content (think big time fashion, makeup, technology, and lifestyle social media influencers) to use a vanity URL […]

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04.18.17

The Varied Benefits of Quality Assurance

As a QA Analyst at Centerline, my mission is to hold every project to an incredibly high standard. The goal is to ensure that every project meets or exceeds the standards of functional and experiential quality necessary to make a positive impact on the user/viewer/reader. We at Centerline don’t just want our creations to “get […]

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01.20.17

Show, Don’t Tell

Show, don’t tell. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve chanted this to myself, scribbled it across the tops of pages or stuck it to my computer screen on a Post-It. It’s taught early and often in journalism and creative writing courses, considered almost a gospel among writers. A collective mantra. A constant reminder. […]

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05.31.16

Value Propositions vs. Positioning vs. Messaging

I confuse the terms value proposition, positioning and messaging very much like I confuse the purpose of the liver, spleen and kidneys. Each one is important and related, but they serve very different functions. I’m guilty of lumping value proposition, messaging and positioning into one big bucket of “what we want to communicate.” And this […]

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05.19.16

Vanity Metrics versus Proxy Metrics

Recently, I’ve seen a resurgence of the term “vanity metrics” in my social stream. I think when people say something is a vanity metric, it’s because they’ve actually realized they weren’t using the metric correctly. Instead of finding its best use, they throw it out. They’re missing the point of a proxy metric. This post […]

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04.20.16

Tools We Use: Keynote vs. Prezi

Prezi Overview: Nate Jones I already know what you’re probably thinking. “Is this guy really about to try and sell me on Prezi? That was cool for, like, a year.” But stick with me because what I’m about to tell you may shock and disturb you: most of the Prezis you’ve probably seen aren’t really […]

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03.08.16

What’re the differences between business, marketing and advertising objectives?

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Steven Keith will simplify a misunderstood marketing term, kill a common marketing misconception, or pry apart terms within the realm of digital marketing that should never have become synonymous. The differences between business, marketing and advertising objectives often get confused, or, at the very least, they blur into each other creating […]

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03.03.16

What is the difference between Direct Advertising and Content Marketing?

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Steven Keith will simplify a misunderstood marketing term, kill a common marketing misconception, or pry apart terms within the realm of digital marketing that should never have become synonymous. The difference between direct advertising and content marketing is fairly straightforward. Direct advertising, often synonymous with direct marketing, is a solicitation or […]

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