Straight Talk Blog
Ted Rubin
Be Nourished by the Love You Give
I have learned over the years, especially with the challenges I have faced with my daughters, to be nourished by the love I give, not by the validation I might receive in return. For so long, my acts, and thoughts, of care and generosity were quietly tethered to a...
Shift From a Targeting Mindset to a Matchmaking Mentality
Shifting from a targeting mindset to a matchmaking mentality in marketing represents a transformative change in how businesses engage with their audiences. Targeting traditionally focuses on identifying specific groups and persuading them to adopt a product or...
Is the Paradox of Choice Plus the Paradigm of Spam Killing Ecommerce?
My friend, colleague (former business partner) and retail thought-leader John Andrews recently asked this question on LinkedIn (see post embedded below)... "Has the paradox of choice plus the paradigm of spam killed eCommerce?" "I often find that during a digital...
Return on Relationship Adds More to ROI Than Meets the Eye
RETURN ON RELATIONSHIP (ROR), a concept I have been using and evangelizing since March 2009, is increasingly recognized, but NOT nearly enough, alongside traditional Return on Investment (ROI), and highlights the often-overlooked value derived from building and...
The Evergreen Edge
Evergreen Trading is a media trade company that delivers innovative solutions to help businesses maximize the impact of their advertising budgets. Evergreen empowers its clients with a distinct advantage—The Evergreen Edge— enabling brands to unlock unparalleled value...
The “Social” in Social Media Has Been Left Behind
Social media platforms, in their early stages, were bustling spaces of authentic conversation and connection. Brands that excelled understood that success in this realm was not just about broadcasting messages but about cultivating genuine relationships. The recent...
Networks Give You Reach… Communities Give You Power
If at some point your brand voice is misunderstood by stakeholders, a great deal will depend upon the community you have built around your brand. Building a strong community creates a support system that goes beyond simple interactions or surface-level engagement....
A “Giver’s Gain” Philosophy
From an early age, my Dad instilled in me the value of being a giver. He led by example, always extending a helping hand to our neighbors, fixing things, and offering assistance in any way possible. His acts of kindness were not driven by any expectation of...
Friendship Has Many Forms…
A great mentor drilled into me at the beginning of my career, and my Dad in many ways my whole life, that some friends will be for when you just need someone to listen and offer comfort; some will be for when you need advice and support. Some will be there for just...
Think Like a Child… And Change Your Creative Mindset to One That Works!
When we think like children, we unlock a world of curiosity, playfulness, and boundless imagination. Children don’t worry about limitations or what others might think—they explore, ask questions, and dive into creativity without fear. They see the world as a place...
Reflections on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. For me, not being a religious person but more of a cultural Jew, it is a day of fasting (a religious activity that I participate in as a hat-tip to the community) and more...
Apply an Emotional Lens to Your Programmatic Ad Buys
VIDEO INTERVIEW ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Hotspex Media combines the head of a hold company with the heart of a boutique agency. The seasoned Hotspex team's hands-on approach and proprietary emotional targeting helps their partners maximize ad impact through powerful emotional...
Business Cards Offer a Valuable Opportunity to Build Connections
Business cards present a great opportunity for connection. It's unfortunate that so many foolishly think they are outdated…. but as always with something overlooked, a great opportunity presents itself for those who understand the value. In today’s digital age,...
RITE AID Partners with Evergreen Trading… and Evergreen SAVES Them in a HUGE WAY!
VIDEO ⬇️⬇️⬇️ SPEAKING HERE with RITE AID CMO Jeanniey Walden at the company headquarters in Philadelphia. RITE AID partners with Evergreen Trading… and Evergreen SAVES them in a HUGE WAY! Evergreen's partnership with RITE AID is just one example of why Evergreen...
What Holds You Back?
"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." ~Denis Waitley This quote has always been stuck in my head, "It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not," as it highlights the power of self-perception in shaping...
Busy, Busy, Busy…
I think the “busy” word is also used to fend off any possibility of outreach for so many that think of connection and relationship building as a chore… AND who worry that the outreach might require some sort of a commitment to be of assistance. Too many don’t...
Instituting a Required Two Gap Years of Service After High School
Here’s an idea to help our young adults mature and learn after High School and before college, or entering the workforce independently, AND raise the productivity in the US for projects that require man/woman-power. A required two gap years that must entail either a...
Empowering an ‘Open to Ideas’ Workplace Culture
A welcoming and 'open to ideas' workplace culture is crucial for employee engagement and innovation because it fosters a sense of community, support, and teamwork. This environment empowers employees with autonomy, creativity, and productivity, leading to a thriving...
Balancing Remote and Onsite Work
Absolutely Mark Ordover… what you shared below is right on point. How do we create employee community while at the same time empowering autonomy, creativity and productivity? Always keep in mind that… A Network gives you Reach; A Community gives you Power! Networks...
Customer Experience With Return on Relationship
Return on Relationship (ROR, #RonR) impacts brand success by fostering trust, authenticity, and emotional connections with customers. This leads to increased brand loyalty, higher customer retention, and positive word-of-mouth, ultimately enhancing brand equity and...
AI Generated “Influencers” ARE NOT Influencers
AI Generated “Influencers” ARE NOT Influencers… they are AI generated ADVERTISEMENTS… plain and simple. And need to be held to the same truth in advertising standards. I have been told by too many that AI-generated influencers "blur the lines between advertising and...
AI for Retail Advertising… a Nuanced Understanding of Human Emotion
Excerpt from... Despite Fears, AI Continues Integrating Into Industries ~via Forbes and Lisa Chau RETAIL: “For the past three years, Reticle AI (A Division of Hotspex Media) Co-Founder and President Josh Rosen has been active in the development, sales, and scale of an...
Embracing This Era of New Media
Back in 1997, I had the pleasure and good fortune of getting hired by Seth Godin at Yoyodyne, where the internet was being labeled as "new media." However, the truth was that there was nothing truly new about it. It was essentially traditional media wrapped in a fresh...
Traditional Advertising Isn’t Extinct, but There Is Simply Too Much Noise Out There
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing landscape, traditional advertising is simply not enough. People are craving real connections and genuine interactions, and it's time for marketers to step up to the challenge. We're living in a time where Bob Dylan's famous...
Embracing a Positive Mindset for Personal Growth
You may recognize me as an optimistic individual if you've engaged with my content throughout the years. I make a conscious effort to maintain a positive outlook, particularly in my interactions with others. Although in my younger years - and I still like to think of...
Father’s Day Can Be Challenging for Some of Us
I don’t get to celebrate Father’s Day in the traditional way as a Dad, so I cherish my daughters from afar, am thankful for their happiness, intelligence, health, success, and beauty (inside and out)... and think about them with love. It has been getting more...
The Constant Evolution of Brand Communication
Throughout history, brands have continuously adapted their communication strategies to keep up with technological advancements. From print to radio, TV to web, and now the digital AI era, the landscape of marketing is always evolving. However, is it truly a...
Maximizing Content Reach and Ownership
I publish all my content on TedRubin.com and distribute it from there. I utilize Medium, LinkedIn, and external blogs to endorse and re-share my content. Even if I create content for another platform and receive compensation, I ensure it is also posted on...
The Importance of Measuring Return on Relationship (ROR) as a Part of Social ROI
Understanding the value of Return on Relationship (ROR) is crucial when it comes to measuring social ROI. This encompasses organic engagement, community management, sentiment monitoring, and various other factors… as well as judgment with regard to the emotional...
Allowing Creators to Create
RETURN ON RELATIONSHIP Conversation "The Vital Role of Allowing Creators to Create" with ATT's John Starkweather ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️