Independent Thinking Blog
Independent Thinking Blog
PR and Marketing Are Finally Converging
The lines between PR and marketing are blurring, and over 50% of practitioners think the distinction will be meaningless within five years.
Every Budget Tells A Story
One of the best courses I took in graduate school was an economics requirement that everyone else had dreaded – and then proceeded to hate. I loved it. The topic was fascinating. So what enthralled my liberal-arts-educated brain? A primer on social security, pensions,...
Personalization or Privacy: Which Comes First?
Consumers want personalization. It's the 21st century equivalent of the place where everybody knows your name. It's why we love Amazon. It's why we use mobile wallets and let our browsers auto-save form data. It's why Facebook is so insistent on wishing me "good...
Three Cybersecurity Steps You Should Put in Place Right Now
Cybersecurity is a very big deal. Just ask the health systems that have had their data hacked. The retail chains that have had customer credit card information stolen. Or even the hotel that paid to remove ransomware after all its guests were locked out of their...
Here’s Why Chatbots Aren’t Ready for Prime Time
It's time to talk about chatbots again. Last year I asked if chatbots would solve customer service. As companies, we want automation to take over simple tasks. But, as consumers, we want something else. We want seamless transactions and brand consistency. We can...