Last week I talked about how marketers should leverage culture to promote brands. Today I would like to talk about why we also can (and should) change culture. As I watched the video above I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Is marketing changing culture? Or is culture changing marketing?” Or in other words, are these ads changing our perception of beauty or is our perception of beauty changing the ads? I still don’t have the answer, but maybe it;s a little bit of both.

What did you read as you ate breakfast this morning? The newspaper or the back of the cereal box? It’s a funny bit of pop culture behavior, reading cereal boxes, but Mark Addicks of General Mills says that on average, a person reads the text on their box 12 times. Some of those people are looking for calorie counts and nutritional information, but many are just passing the time as they eat.

Back in November I shared this image on Google+. Chris Brogan, re-shared it and then 370 others followed suit! It is by far the most popular thing I have posted on Google+. Also, in April I blogged about how a piece of my content went viral on StumbleUpon, which as of today has gained over 1.2 million visitors.

Google must have had a meeting at the end of 2011 that possibly went something like this. Larry Page: We are going to do so much stuff at the start of 2012 that it will get the Internet industry types’ knickers in such a twist that they won’t know what hit them. Staff: Will our bonus be tied to it? Page: Yes. Staff: We’re all in. The latest update is regarding Google’s privacy policies. In short, they are attempting to consolidate products and the privacy policies that each carry.

Have you ever wondered how you can get a bit closer to the CMO of your company? Are you looking for a way to network your way up the corporate marketing ladder? Well, according to a study released by Forrester Research and Heidrick & Struggles you may want to pass along some of your tech knowledge to gain their favor. The study called “The Evolved CMO 2012″ shows that the highest levels of the marketing environment knows it could use a little help with technical knowledge.

Remember all the talk about how Google was going to give free high speed Internet to Kansas City, ahem, Kansas City, Kansas that is? Well, that goal hasn’t changed (in fact it has expanded to include Kansas City, MO as well) but apparently there is more to the logistics of the plan than originally met the eye. You had to think that this was too good to be true when you first heard it and now we find out that maybe it is.

Pubcon has been one of my favorite marketing conferences over the past decade. It has been an honor to speak at the various events held around the country. Now the joy-o-meter just cranked up to 11, with Pubcon Paradise! Yes, my favorite conference is now heading to my favorite destination in the world….Hawaii! And Marketing Pilgrim readers can save 20% off registration until Feb 7!

Once upon a time there was a commercial printing company. Of course this wasn’t just any company. This particular company was once regarded as a leader in its region, often winning awards for excellence. However, as time passed technology evolved and changed not only the process of printing but also the consumer demands. Needing to respond to these changes, the owner of the company upgraded their production capabilities by purchasing a digital press. In layman’s terms a digital press is similar

I am not a stock guy. Never have been. I also find discussions about who has the larger market capitalization number equivalent to the “My dad can beat up your dad” playground stuff kids engage in. The following chart, though, is interesting because it tells the story of two companies and gives insight into the larger picture of where we are today in the increasingly digital world we all live in. This come from SAI.