Sweeney Wins Digiday Retail Award for Best Digital Brand Marketing Campaign Agency recognized as one of the best and brightest in digital marketing. CLEVELAND - March 31, 2014 - Sweeney, a leading full-service marketing and public relations agency, was recently honored as a finalist in the Digiday Retail Awards competition in New York City for the Best Digital Brand Marketing Campaign.

Sometimes I feel like our whole industry has gone mad... and then I realize it's me. But this is not one of those times. For the past couple years the topic of "content development' and "content marketing" has become a very popular buzzword that is snowballing downhill and growing to cartoonish proportions.

We recently had a few laughs with a client about social media - "It's got to be easy if a 5 year old can do it!" - was the gist of the conversation. While we all know there is much more to social media marketing that five year olds cannot do (yet)...

The outcome of last year’s marketing efforts (or even last week's) – positive, negative or neutral – provide valuable data.  And if you analyze and assess properly, the insights will be priceless.  On the other hand, if you assume you already “know” and “understand” the results, you run the risk of missing out on making new gains in the year ahead.

Last week we had the honor of winning a 2014 Digiday Retail Award emphasizing Sweeney as one of the best and brightest in digital marketing. Our campaign was a finalist under the category Best Digital Brand Marketing Campaign. Working with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, we developed the Magic with Fabric and Trim campaign that supported its launch of new HGTV HOME fabric and trim - available exclusively at Jo-Ann Stores.

I was reminded today of the silliness that sometimes is our business. It all had to do with a client I serviced many moons ago – a national trade association for manufacturers of compressed air and gas equipment.

Data is a wonderful thing. Which is why our industry is so obsessed with all things data related. And the bigger the data, the better.  Because whatever little data can do for you, bigger data can do in a bigger way.

For the most part, I grew up admiring news guys like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite... and entertainment interviewers like  Steve Allen and Johnny Carson.  Even now, I prefer the skillful hands of guys like Charlie Rose and David Letterman.

Last night I had the most amazing JCP moment ever.  First, over dinner, my wife tells me that she and her friend happened to wander through the JCPenney at Great Northern and "the new renovation they started a year or so ago really looks great now.