The Russian government has recognized competitive video-gaming as a sport, opening the door for Russian gamers to apply for sponsorship from the Sports Ministry and get official recognition for their achievements. “Computer sports have been recognized and entered into the first class of the all-Russian registry of sports,” said the Russian Sports Ministry in an announcement June 8. The decision comes into effect within 10 days of publication. This unlocks access

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Chief marketing officers are investing more in event and experiential marketing these days, because live brand experiences are proving their ability to engage audiences effectively in an increasingly noisy world filled with so much digital marketing. However, marketers should focus more on defining their brand culture and aligning their event mission statements around that to differentiate their value proposition and drive attendance in today’s experience economy. According to last year’s

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Social media is no longer just about networking with friends and people. The platform, given its popularity and humongous user base has steadily evolved into a potent marketing tool for many companies. A little bit of creativity blended with quirkiness, zing and boldness on social media can do wonders for any enterprise overnight. Presenting to you some recent campaigns from past year that are examples of how quirky, unique and

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Cultural moments and events bring people together. Social media has changed the way we experience those moments; they unfold prolifically in real time online. Any event can be amplified by live commentary, pictures and videos from attendees. People can engage (or disengage) in the conversation at any time, before, during or after an event. By understanding social media’s ability to amplify an event, businesses can maximize the impact by drawing

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RIO DE JANEIRO — On a recent morning on the shore of Guanabara Bay, 37-year-old Jose Carlos Daniel stood with his fishing pole and discussed his night job as a doorman. “I’m concerned about violence,” he said through a translator. “I’ve seen robberies, fights. I’m not very optimistic about security during the [Olympic] Games.” In the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games, which officially begin Aug. 5, much international attention

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Engagement is necessary for a successful content marketing campaign. Some marketers see social media as a platform for widening the audience for their content. It’s all about how many “eyeballs” they can get. However, the smart marketer knows that social networking is not a one-way lecture, but a means of building relationships with your target audience. Your goal is to get your readers and followers on social media to take

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Food is inherently nostalgic. We all have memories of dishes that our family cooked or that we ordered at our favorite restaurants growing up, and we are constantly creating new food memories. These memories can be activated by sight or smell, and of course, taste.  A slice of our favorite pizza or a meal at a hot new restaurant can cause a euphoric reaction in people, similar to what one

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The tire-swallowing potholes are fixed. A few new luxurious hotels dot the skyline. Flowers and trees seem to have sprouted through cement, brightening downtown and making it almost unrecognizable to even the locals. Cleveland, rising once again after decades of decline, is ready to host a party — the Republicans. But before Donald Trump’s expected nomination at the national convention in July, when red, white and blue balloons — and

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We’ve been hearing for years now that consumers are overwhelmed with advertisements. There are some reports that suggest individuals can see up to 5,000 advertisements a day. While I’m not sure of the accuracy of this figure, we can all agree that the bombardment of marketing messages is a real thing. The “Ad Blocking Crisis of 2015” didn’t come out of thin air. Because of this outcry from consumers, brands

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Has there ever been a salesperson who closed a million-dollar deal via an outbound email blast? My guess is that the chances this has happened range from slim to none. Author Thom Singer summed it up best in The ABC’s of Networking, when he noted that, “When we shortchange the face-to-face, we shortchange the relationship.” Singer was right, and businesses are following his advice: Despite the proliferation of digital-communication tools

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