Michael Leis

User Experience as a field, and Website creation in general can stand to learn a thing or two from distinctly old-media craft: namely screenwriting and film theory. This year, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Cindy Chastain in proposing to present the topic at SXSW 2010 on exactly how to do that. To expand [...]

Amidst all the talk around, well, talk, it’s important to remember that a brand strategy working through social media may be a complete MacGuffin. Most social media brand engagements, after all, follow similar strategy guidelines as any new web or application presence. It’s going to where the people are, understanding what the brand’s role there [...]

An era of upheval: the dominant systems of broadcasting are scrambling. What is this new media that’s popping up? Everyone seems to be gravitating towards it, “traditional media” giants are getting pushed out. Brands wonder how they’ll have a lasting affect here; how can they stay in the discourse.

With television mired in a snake eating its own tailspin of a failed ad sales model ruining the quality of its programming, where do we go next? Our communications economy is now, and maybe forever, valued by the context within which valuable relationships take place.

For decades, Coming Up Next as both a turn of phrase and a business model has affected the way we create and consume television. Initially, television programming was a story in two acts with a single sponsor. So creating spaces for more sponsors in those breaks between acts made a lot of sense. Networks, and media planning created immense wealth by selling this time. But the economy of spot television has always been dependent on captive viewership and scarcity of inventory.