Blog

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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02.19.16

Applied Innovation: Projection Mapping the Mainframe

This week, IBM announced a new entry-level mainframe, the z13s. Centerline worked with the IBM team to craft a 22-minute webcast, launched in conjunction with Fast Company, that features IBM executives and customers like Vodafone and ADP discussing the benefits of the z13s. You can view the full webcast, and the entire Fast Company experience, […]

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02.01.16

Dual Process Theory in Content Marketing (Part One)

The other day several of my brilliant co-workers were discussing the definition of content marketing. What is it, really? Why should our clients pay for it? There was some really great discussion about this… that I didn’t participate in. I didn’t speak up because the discussion sparked an idea in my head that I didn’t […]

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08.13.15

Become An Analytics Competitor

Business Intelligence and Analytics Programs can be found in many organizations today. A Gartner Survey reveals that 73 percent of organizations have invested or plan to invest in Big Data by 2016. While this is a great trend, organizations find themselves at vastly different maturity levels in terms of the analytics they are performing, the […]

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05.21.15

Understanding Different Types of Web Designers

Know any good designers? In short, of course. The real question is: What type of designer do you need? Within the past couple of decades, graphic design has surpassed packaging and print design, pushing into web design, game design, app design, interaction design and user experience design. A good designer, just like any professional, is […]

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05.19.15

Operations Strategy? What Operations Strategy?

Have you ever asked a simple question in professional conversation with someone and experienced that unmistakably embarrassing look on their face like they just realized they forgot to pick their kids up from the mall? I seem to get that whenever I ask someone to point me to their Operations Strategy. Why aren’t more people […]

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03.05.15

Building a Customer Experience Framework

At last week’s High Five Conference, Kate Williamson, John Lane, Steven Keith and I led a customer experience (CX) workshop that sparked fantastic conversation with marketing and creative professionals from across the country. The purpose of our workshop was to share the CX tools and methodologies that we use with our clients to help them […]

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