Heather Taylor

Heather is a writer and filmmaker who covers media and communications, tech, ecommerce and the arts and was listed by Brand Republic as one of the top 200 most influential bloggers in 2011. She is currently VP, Head of Social Content and Strategy at Social@Ogilvy. These posts were written during her time as editorial director of Econsultancy in New York (2012-13).

Prior to her move to Econsultancy, Heather was acting editor of About the BBC, the BBC corporate blog and website, and managed online corporate reputation for the BBC. Previous roles included social media manger for PayPal UK and social media/ PR manager for Groundswell award winner, giffgaff.

Heather speaks at events on social media, marketing, community and filmmaking - previous speaking engagements include talks at ComicCon, Reputation Online Live, Technology for Marketing and Advertising, PR Week, European Customer Experience World, Social Media in Business, Media Camp London, and Digital Surrey. She has also advised on social media strategy for a number of startups and charitable organizations.

Post-Penguin survival dominates Affiliate Summit #ASE12

At Econsultancy, we've been writing about the changes being implemented off the back of Google's Penguin update and how it will affect what you do to your site. How are we surviving in this post-Penguin world? And how are affiliates and those sites that relied on link building (amongst other things) to make their money, going to continue to stay in business?

This morning at Affiliate Summit East in New York, Wil Reynolds, founder of SEER Interactive, spoke about the changes Google has made with Penguin and how to prepare for the ones that will be game changers. Immediately following his session, Lornen Baker, Vice President of Business Development at BlueGlass, spoke about how we have to look at link building in a new way.

by Heather Taylor 13 August 2012 22:02pm 11 comments

JUMP feature: How to succeed in social commerce

For our forth JUMP interview, we had a chance to speak with Ryan O'Donnell, co-founder and CEO of Let's Gift It. He will be leading a panel at JUMP in New York on the strategies and tactics in launching and maintaining a successful social commerce initiative.

We spoke to O'Donnell about the founding of Let's Gift It, how to activate communities and social discovery, and the importance of data and disruptive technologies to all sizes of business.

by Heather Taylor 13 August 2012 14:22pm 0 comments

Audi continues to pick up momentum with #WantAnR8 campaign

This week we’re highlighting new movements into social with our weekly showcase of The Dachis Group's Social Business Index.

Our focus is on three well-known brands – a Spanish fashion brand, everyone’s favorite German car company and a popular nationwide department store.

We also take a glimpse at the top twenty brands on the Social Business Index, a real-time ranking of more than 30,000 global brands based on their performance in the social space, to see how the biggest brands in social are faring. A new addition back into the charts is Facebook as it jumped 8 points to number 20.

by Heather Taylor 09 August 2012 18:20pm 2 comments

Olympics and Christmas emails hit our inboxes this July

Even though summer is here, the volume of promotional emails sent by retailers is at an all time high. According to marketing software company Responsys, retailers sent an average of 16 emails in July. This is an increase of more than 18% year-over-year.

But what is driving the type of content they are sending out? A strange mix of Olympics and Christmas appear to be the big hitters last month.

by Heather Taylor 08 August 2012 18:02pm 0 comments

Five guiding principles behind Making Measurement Make Sense

Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS) is, in its own words, a cross-industry coalition committed to developing brand-building digital metrics and cross-platform measurement solutions.

Last week, IAB, ANA and 4A's, the member organizations behind the 3MS initiative, led a webinar showcasing the work behind 3MS and where they are to date. IAB's Sherrill Mane, explained the initiative further:

Basically, [3MS] is a collaboration across the ecosystem to make digital media metrics more brand friendly. We have to have core metrics, standardized metrics and work flow processes to make it easier to have agencies execute campaigns and create a better supply chain. Publishers [also] need this approach as they need a way to speak a language that is understand by all parties.

by Heather Taylor 07 August 2012 22:03pm 1 comment

JUMP feature: Moving publishers from print to multimedia

For our third JUMP interview, we spoke with Joy Puzzo, Corporate Audience Development Director for Advanstar Communications, about some of the ways publishers can move from traditional publications to multimedia experiences in advance of her JUMP session on November 1 on "Redefining News Media Brands."

Joy filled us in on what she does day to day (we're tired just hearing about it!), the need for testing and why it's so important to learn from our customer's needs.

by Heather Taylor 06 August 2012 17:39pm 0 comments

H&M boosts Instagram presence with #HMSummerSpot

This week it's all about style on our weekly showcase of The Dachis Group's Social Business Index.

Our focus is on three well-known brands – a British design house known for its plaid, a biker’s paradise and a Swedish clothing company that’s fast becoming a global powerhouse.

We'll also take a glimpse at the top twenty brands on the Social Business Index, a real-time ranking of more than 30,000 global brands based on their performance in the social space, to see how the biggest brands in social are faring.

by Heather Taylor 02 August 2012 20:10pm 1 comment

JUMP feature: Sharing metrics will move the industry forward

For our second JUMP interview, we reached out to MPG's EVP/Managing Director Innovation, Mitch Oscar, who just had a hand in creating the first ad supported Video on Demand directory in conjunction with the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Mediaocean and Rentrak.

We spoke to Oscar about innovation in the advanced TV space, what metrics are being used to measure Video on Demand (VOD), and how we, as an industry, have to share more so we can advance.

by Heather Taylor 01 August 2012 19:45pm 1 comment

Will m-commerce overtake other payment options? [infographic]

Around the globe, our retail spending habits are transforming and mobile is a big part of that.

$1 out of every $10 is spent online and nearly half of Americans are interested in paying with a mobile wallet. In the US, 42% of all mobile subscribers have smartphones and 3.6% of online payments are currently made via them.

by Heather Taylor 30 July 2012 17:10pm 1 comment

Turning likes into buys: infographic

As we continue to look for ways to bridge the gap between Facebook likes and consumer spending, it's important to see how much social media is affecting potential customers.

A new infographic by CouponCabin and Column Five Media takes a look at just how much influence social media has on consumers, and what types of companies people are more likely to be loyal to.

by Heather Taylor 27 July 2012 16:49pm 0 comments