Mike O'Brien

A former ClickZ editor, Mike O'Brien couldn't stay away and now contributes to the site in addition to working as a content marketer at Sailthru, the world's largest sender of personalized email. He primarily writes about the innovative ways brands use technology now and the ways they might in the future.

Core Strength Is Key, Both In Athletics and Marketing #CZLTO
Conference Coverage

Core Strength Is Key, Both In Athletics and Marketing #CZLTO

11y Mike O'Brien

Core Strength Is Key, Both In Athletics and Market...

Brand excellence trickles down to the podium, according to Canadian Olympic Committee CMO Derek Kent, who discussed the importance of social during h...

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Dr Pepper Crosses All Platforms with Social Media Influencers
Social

Dr Pepper Crosses All Platforms with Social Media Influencers

11y Mike O'Brien

Dr Pepper Crosses All Platforms with Social Media ...

Rather than confining content to a single platform, Dr Pepper incorporates Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Vine and Periscope in its first foray into so...

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Facebook Video Views Gaining on YouTube [Study]
Media

Facebook Video Views Gaining on YouTube [Study]

11y Mike O'Brien

Facebook Video Views Gaining on YouTube [Study]

Though YouTube remains the dominant video-sharing platform, Facebook keeps catching up; the social media powerhouse is on track to soon deliver nearly...

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Meet the CMO Behind the Transformation of America's (Favorite) Diner
Social

Meet the CMO Behind the Transformation of America's (Favorite) Diner

11y Mike O'Brien

Meet the CMO Behind the Transformation of America'...

Largely through clever social feeds, Denny's has turned its older image around since John Dillon, now the chief marketing officer, joined the chain's ...

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Can Snapchat Help McDonald's Combat its Millennial Problem?
Marketing

Can Snapchat Help McDonald's Combat its Millennial Problem?

11y Mike O'Brien

Can Snapchat Help McDonald's Combat its Millennial...

Snapchat is very popular with Millennials, while McDonald's is not. Could McDonald's glean some of that popularity, being the first brand to use the p...

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Brands' Video Ads Focus on Fathers
Media

Brands' Video Ads Focus on Fathers

11y Mike O'Brien

Brands' Video Ads Focus on Fathers

Though Mother's Day generates much more money, brands like Toyota, Minute Maid and Oreo have launched heartfelt video campaigns celebrating dads in ti...

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UGC Is the Key to Instagram Success [Study]
Social

UGC Is the Key to Instagram Success [Study]

11y Mike O'Brien

UGC Is the Key to Instagram Success [Study]

User generated content on Instagram is a goldmine that not nearly enough brands are utilizing, according to new research from digital think tank L2. R...

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Vodafone Gets Grannies Cooking on Facebook Using Smartphones
Social

Vodafone Gets Grannies Cooking on Facebook Using Smartphones

11y Mike O'Brien

Vodafone Gets Grannies Cooking on Facebook Using S...

Facebook and smartphone use skyrocketed among Romanian seniors after an experimental campaign by UK telecommunications giant Vodafone connected them w...

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Macy's and Whole Foods Bring Ad Powered Car Charging to the West Coast
Display Advertising

Macy's and Whole Foods Bring Ad Powered Car Charging to the West Coast

11y Mike O'Brien

Macy's and Whole Foods Bring Ad Powered Car Chargi...

In exchange for advertising and environmental credibility, brands like Whole Foods and Macy's are funding the electric car charging stations that will...

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Norwegian Airline Creates Emoji URL
Marketing

Norwegian Airline Creates Emoji URL

11y Mike O'Brien

Norwegian Airline Creates Emoji URL

Norwegian Airlines demonstrates the rise in visual communication, promoting a new flight to Las Vegas with a web address that consists of emojis for a...

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Hotels.com's Silent Ads Poke Fun at Facebook's Rules
Media

Hotels.com's Silent Ads Poke Fun at Facebook's Rules

11y Mike O'Brien

Hotels.com's Silent Ads Poke Fun at Facebook's Rul...

Clever new ads from Hotels.com feature subtitles and an ASL interpreter. Meant to be watched without sound, the ads acknowledge the default silence of...

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Instagram Beefs Up Ad Offerings
Social

Instagram Beefs Up Ad Offerings

11y Mike O'Brien

Instagram Beefs Up Ad Offerings

In the next few days, Instagram will begin testing further calls-to-action for sponsored posts. The Facebook-backed platform also plans to expand its ...

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Brands Fight Ad Blindness With Interactive Experiences
Media

Brands Fight Ad Blindness With Interactive Experiences

11y Mike O'Brien

Brands Fight Ad Blindness With Interactive Experie...

Brands like Target, Shazam, and The Home Depot are increasingly making interactive mobile ads, while also taking decreasing user attention spans into ...

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Google and Levi's Smart Jeans Could Be a Source of Dumb Data
Data insights

Google and Levi's Smart Jeans Could Be a Source of Dumb Data

11y Mike O'Brien

Google and Levi's Smart Jeans Could Be a Source of...

Levi's is partnering with Google to create yarn for gesture-sensitive smart clothing, but are so many new wearables a potential data nightmare? Read M...

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What Challenges Do Agencies Face in 2015?
Agency Spotlight

What Challenges Do Agencies Face in 2015?

11y Mike O'Brien

What Challenges Do Agencies Face in 2015?

According to some agency higher-ups, the quickly-growing digital space calls for constant innovation. Read More...

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New Google AdWords Products and Partnerships Focus on App Attribution
Analytics

New Google AdWords Products and Partnerships Focus on App Attribution

11y Mike O'Brien

New Google AdWords Products and Partnerships Focus...

During its annual I/O Conference, Google announced new offerings and mobile partnerships to improve segmentation, attribution and promotion within app...

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Apple Is The World's Most Valuable Brand [Study]
Analytics

Apple Is The World's Most Valuable Brand [Study]

11y Mike O'Brien

Apple Is The World's Most Valuable Brand [Study]

Having grown 67 percent from last year, Apple overtook Google for the top spot in WPP's annual ranking of the top 100 global brands, demonstrating tec...

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YouTube TrueView Ads To Become Shoppable
Display Advertising

YouTube TrueView Ads To Become Shoppable

11y Mike O'Brien

YouTube TrueView Ads To Become Shoppable

Google is adding a Buy button, and now, so is YouTube. Advertisers will soon be able to link to their websites and product listings on Cards within Tr...

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Tweets of the Week: Farewell, Don Draper and David Letterman
Social

Tweets of the Week: Farewell, Don Draper and David Letterman

11y Mike O'Brien

Tweets of the Week: Farewell, Don Draper and David...

This TV-centric week, brands tweeted about the Red Nose Day charity event as well as The Late Show with David Letterman and Mad Men, both of which air...

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Delta's New Safety Video Stars The Entire Internet
Media

Delta's New Safety Video Stars The Entire Internet

11y Mike O'Brien

Delta's New Safety Video Stars The Entire Internet

The new six-minute safety video seen by Delta Airlines passengers pays tribute to popular memes and YouTube videos, celebrating the video giant's 10th...

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Amazon Extends One-Hour Prime Delivery to Local Businesses
Ecommerce

Amazon Extends One-Hour Prime Delivery to Local Businesses

11y Mike O'Brien

Amazon Extends One-Hour Prime Delivery to Local Bu...

Starting today, New Yorkers with Prime memberships can order groceries, meals and baked goods from select local businesses, cementing Amazon's role in...

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German KFC Debuts Smart Fast Food Trays
Marketing

German KFC Debuts Smart Fast Food Trays

11y Mike O'Brien

German KFC Debuts Smart Fast Food Trays

Consumers can now text without getting their smartphones dirty, thanks to the Bluetooth-enabled trays KFC Germany premiered during the chain's new loc...

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Starbucks And Spotify Team Up To Create "Music Ecosystem"
Marketing

Starbucks And Spotify Team Up To Create "Music Ecosystem"

11y Mike O'Brien

Starbucks And Spotify Team Up To Create "Music Eco...

The music in 7,000 Starbucks locations will be powered by Spotify, per letters of intent the two brands signed earlier this week, connecting them in a...

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AOL Allows Advertisers To Target App Users
Media

AOL Allows Advertisers To Target App Users

11y Mike O'Brien

AOL Allows Advertisers To Target App Users

Right after its acquisition by Verizon, AOL has enhanced its programmatic platform to help marketers not only target mobile app users, but attribute t...

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Wearables Are Still In Their First Inning
Media

Wearables Are Still In Their First Inning

11y Mike O'Brien

Wearables Are Still In Their First Inning

The popularity of wearable technology continues to grow exponentially, but it's a fairly new concept about which consumers and marketers still have qu...

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Emojis Allow Brands to Engage on Messaging Apps
Media

Emojis Allow Brands to Engage on Messaging Apps

11y Mike O'Brien

Emojis Allow Brands to Engage on Messaging Apps

Brands like MillerCoors and 1-800-Flowers consider emojis and stickers a non-disruptive way to engage consumers on messaging apps, the world's most po...

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Mobile Commerce to Increase 32 Percent This Year
Media

Mobile Commerce to Increase 32 Percent This Year

11y Mike O'Brien

Mobile Commerce to Increase 32 Percent This Year

According to new eMarketer research, mobile commerce - which currently makes up 22 percent of the e-commerce share - will go up to $77 billion this ye...

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