Apr. 16th: Ken Wisnefski Discusses the Importance of Branding with ABC News

Kenneth Wisnefski on ABCKen Wisnefski, Founder & CEO of WebiMax, recently discussed the importance of branding with ABC News.

In the interview, Ken explains that the rising cost of Masters Tournament ticket prices is “100 percent related to Tiger (Woods)” and details the impact of Tiger’s name value as a brand for the Masters.

Read More on ABCNews.com

Nov. 20th: Ken Wisnefski Featured on CSMonitor.com

Kenneth Wisnefski in The Christian Science Monitor

“In-store sales at major retailers this week will be significantly influenced by mobile applications,” marketing expert Kenneth Wisnefski said in a statement released this week by the company he founded, WebiMax.

The mobile apps, by the way, include Amazon’s Price Check, which allows you to scan a bar code in a store and then view prices for the same product online, or to read online product reviews before buying.

Read more at CSMonitor.com.

Nov. 19th: Kenneth Wisnefski on FOXBusiness.com

Kenneth Wisnefski on FOX Business

On Nov. 19th, Ken Wisnefski contributed an article to FOXBusiness.com in which he discussed mobile devices and their integral role in the Holiday shopping season this year.

In the article, Ken states, “The market has remained strong throughout this year and is expected to skyrocket in the fourth quarter of this year with the debut of a new generation of tablet PCs.”

To read the full article on FOXBusiness.com, click here.

Will Google’s Impending FTC Fine Impact the Search Engine’s Future?

In early 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google was exploiting little-known functionality within Apple’s Safari browser which allowed the search engine to install cookies even with Safari’s privacy settings set to disallow them.  Google was quick to respond to the accusations with a company spokesman issuing the following statement to WSJ in response to their article:

“The Journal mischaracterizes what happened and why. We used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enabled.   It’s important to stress that these advertising cookies do not collect personal information.”

Despite Google’s claim, however, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation in order to determine what, if any, privacy and security policies had been violated in the situation.  On Friday, US District Judge Susan Illston ruled that Google will have to pay a $22.5 million fine assessed by the FTC after their investigation concluded that the search engine had violated user privacy on Safari-enabled devices.

Although the fine is the largest ever issued by the FTC, Google is likely to be minimally affected by the loss.  In fact, the Associated Press has reported that Google generates that same amount in income every four hours.  While Google may not be monetarily impacted by the fine, the company will now have to change how it collects data from opt-out users going forward.

Now, one of Google’s greatest challenges will be developing cookies that allow ads to be targeted without sacrificing user privacy or consider utilizing other ad delivery techniques.  Google’s financial future is definitely not in jeopardy due to the fine, but major re-strategizing is essential if the company intends to avoid more major future fines.

What are your thoughts on the FTC investigation of Google?  Let me know!  Reach me via email at ken.wisnefski@webimax.com or on Twitter: @KenWisnefski.

Nov. 14th: Kenneth Wisnefski Discusses Obama’s Social Strategy

Kenneth Wisnefski on AMA's E-Newsletter

Yesterday, the American Marketing Association released their monthly E-Newsletter and in this month’s edition, Ken offered his thoughts on the 2012 campaign and how social media helped lead Obama to victory.

Ken states: “The President [had] a stronger social media influence rating online, and was able to connect and engage with his audience more so than Governor Romney was.”

Read more at MarketingPower.com.

Nov. 13th: What the President Can Learn From Business Executives

Kenneth Wisnefski on FOX Business

WebiMax Founder & CEO Kenneth Wisnefski discussed the Budget Control Act of 2011, the “fiscal cliff” and the potential consequences of the U.S. budget crisis with FOX Business yesterday.

In the interview, Ken states: “Businesses are on the front lines, they see things and can explain how they impact their business’ balance sheets, hiring and investing practices and financial decisions.”

The full story is available to read online at FOXBusiness.com.  Read more

Nov. 11th: Kenneth Wisnefski Speaks with The Philadelphia Inquirer

Kenneth Wisnefski on Philly.com

Earlier today, Ken spoke with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s John Timpane about the Presidential Election and the impact social networks such as Twitter made on Election Day.

Ken said, “(Obama) directly engaged with his follower base in aggressively connecting with them during Election Day” and believes this high level of engagement may have led to his victory.

For the full story, visit Philly.com, the official site of the Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News.

Nov. 8th: Ken Wisnefski Discusses the Role of Public Relations in the 2012 Presidential Election on PR News

Kenneth Wisnefski on PR News

WebiMax CEO, Kenneth Wisnefski recently discussed the integral role of public relations in the 2012 Presidential Election and how Romney and Obama’s PR strategies were essential to their campaign efforts.

In the article, Ken states:  “The role of online PR was particularly important for both Romney and Obama this year, as one of the primary focal points of their campaigns was enhancing their reach and visibility on the Web.”

For more, read the full article at PR News Online.

Is Obama’s Social Media Following Responsible for his ‘Four More Years’?

The results are in and Barack Obama will remain in the White House until 2016, but after participating in the most costly campaign to date, what really gave the President the advantage in the polls?

As the incumbent, his visibility going into the campaign was far greater than Mitt Romney’s.  Additionally, the Commander-in-Chief boosted his efforts in this year’s race to the White House, creating a campaign that was both effective and innovative.  Although these factors weighed heavily into Obama’s success in this year’s election, the greatest single contributor to his campaign efforts may have been social media.

Social media played a significant role in Obama’s 2008 campaign and this year saw those efforts taken to an even higher level.  With a combined following of over 50 million individuals on Facebook and Twitter, the President’s online presence is virtually unparalleled.  Unlike his 2008 campaign, which focused largely on Facebook, YouTube and the now-dwindling MySpace, Obama has utilized Twitter as a primary social engagement tool this year.  In fact, his last-minute Twitter interactions are likely to become the framework for Election Day campaign efforts in the years ahead.  The “#VoteObama” hashtag was a worldwide trend on Election Day and helped to keep the President firmly in the minds of American voters on Nov. 6th, without the aid of traditional platforms such as commercials and billboards.

Social media has provided a major outlet for Presidential candidates, voters, business owners and virtually every individual to maximize their “real-time relevancy”.  Obama capitalized on the social media trend and for two consecutive elections, it has paid off.  Future campaigns will see the 2008 and 2012 elections as shining examples of the power social media provides to candidates.

While Obama’s social following may not have been the only contributing factor to his return to the White House, it certainly played a substantial part in the campaign’s reach, visibility and ultimately, success.

Nov. 7th: Ken Discusses How Facebook and Twitter Transformed the Election with the Philadelphia Inquirer

Kenneth Wisnefski on Philly.com

WebiMax Founder & CEO, Kenneth Wisnefski discusses the importance of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter in this year’s election and how social media has impacted the campaign.

According to Ken, “4 out of 10 voters indicate their decision will be based on some of the activity heard on social media.”

For the full story, check out the Philadelphia Inquirer online at Philly.com.

Nov. 6th: Kenneth Wisnefski Discusses Obama’s Last-Minute Twitter Surge with The Daily Beast

Kenneth Wisnefski on The Daily Beast

Ken Wisnefski discusses Obama’s last-minute Twitter interactions during Election Day 2012 and how social media impacted his campaign.

In the article, the author notes:  “According to Wisnefski, real-time updates on Twitter can—and will—influence voters before they go to the polls.”

To read the full story, visit The Daily Beast.

Nov. 5th: Ken Offers His Social Media Insights to Politico

”There is a spike because this happens once every 4 years,” said Wisnefski. “Social Media continues to be a trending phenomenon therefore constantly requiring expert insight and commentary. Election night I expect to be higher because it is completely an analysis and game of prediction and estimation.”  See the full story on Politico.

Nov. 5th: Kenneth Wisnefski Discusses Obama’s Twitter Campaign with I.B. Times

“Obama placed major emphasis on leveraging the Internet to engage with voters while John McCain virtually ignored leveraging social media and engaging with voters online,” wrote Kenneth Wisnefski, founder of the Internet marketing company WebiMax, in a statement. “Social media has only dramatically risen in prominence since then.”  Read more on I.B. Times.

Nov. 5th: Bracing For a Social Media Explosion on Election Day

The Washington Post

The Presidential Election set to take place tomorrow will largely be reliant on independent voters and winning crucial swing states. There has been a significant amount of momentum building in social media and the online community that will play a major role in helping independent voters make their choice.  Read more on WashingtonPost.com.