Rick Mathieson's Blog, page 11

������ Brandjacking: Email-based Brand Impersonation Scams Are on the Rise

 

Forty-years-old and still the center of attention, despite younger, sexier competition. It's true: Email marketing is hotter than ever.

But it's also facing a growing threat from email-based brand impersonation scams.

Today, brands can generate as much as $40 in revenue for every $1 spent on email marketing. But without the right protections in place, cybercriminals can hijack or spoof your brand's email domains and launch phishing attacks that hide behind your company's good name. The results can be catastrophic for victims���and for your brand reputation. 

In a recent appearance on the Jim Blassingame Show, I talked about how despite the rise of social media and secure messaging apps, email still reigns supreme as marketing's ultimate killer app. But increasingly, fraudsters are looking to "brandjack" your company's visual identity and reputation in order to swindle businesses and consumers���including your own customers���out of billions.

While Jim's show is targeted to SMBs and startups, the lessons are especially pertinent to larger brands. 

Listen Now: Why Email Marketing is Red Hot for Brands���and the Fraudsters Who Impersonate Them (Part 1)

Listen to Part 1 of that conversation here. In an upcoming post, we'll feature Part 2, which focuses on best practices for protecting your brand, employees, partners and customers from email-based impersonation scams. 

 

���� Silent Coca-Cola Print Ads You Can Hear, AI-Generated Leadership Slogans & More

The Loaded Questions keep flying as we recall some of our favorite memories from Season 2 of Rick and Rick Rule the World.

IN THIS EPISODE

���� Silent Coca-Cola print ads you'll swear you can hear (at 9 sec)

���� The technical name for the psychological effect Coke uses in those ads - it's SCIENCE (at 1 min, 09 sec)

���� ��� Revisiting the knee-slapping family fun of "Brightburn" (at 2:09)

���� The Top 3 "Game of Thrones" character names parents are giving their newborns (at 3:17)

���� What Rick M. really wanted the GoT characters to do with the Iron Throne ��� (at: 4:02)

���� How the Ricks are going wide (at 4:47)

���� Which was more fun for the Ricks - Season 1 or Season 2? (at 5:54)

������ How ingesting too much of a good thing can go bad fast (unless it's Ricks Pez candies, of course) (at 6:28)

���� AI-created leadership slogans gone bad (at 8:01)

���� IKEA's plans to turn your living room into the set of your favorite TV show (at 932)

���� The Ricks nail their rendition of "Never Ending Story," the sex lives of Muppets, pre-Internet gaming, still obsessing about Shamrock Shakes, the trouble with time capsules and more (at 10:33)

Listen through the embedded player, on iTunes, or by downloading here.

Approximately 14 min, 45 sec. For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, and all other streaming services.

 

 


 

Coca-Cola Silent Print Ads You Can Hear, Pumpkin Spice Overdose & More

The Loaded Questions keep flying as Rick and Rick recall some of their favorite memories from Season 2 of Rick and Rick Rule the World.

IN THIS EPISODE

���� Coca-Cola silent print ads you'll swear you can hear (at 9 sec)

���� The technical name for the psychological effect Coke uses in those ads - it's SCIENCE (at 1 min, 09 sec)

���� ��� Revisiting the knee-slapping family fun of "Brightburn" (at 2:09)

���� The Top 3 "Game of Thrones" character names parents are giving their newborns (at 3:17)

���� What Rick M. really wanted the GoT characters to do with the Iron Throne ��� (at: 4:02)

���� How the Ricks are going wide (at 4:47)

���� Which was more fun for the Ricks - Season 1 or Season 2? (at 5:54)

������ How ingesting too much of a good thing can go bad fast (unless it's Ricks Pez candies, of course) (at 6:28)

���� AI-created leadership slogans gone bad (at 8:01)

���� IKEA's plans to turn your living room into the set of your favorite TV show (at 932)

���� The Ricks nail their rendition of "Never Ending Story," the sex lives of Muppets, pre-Internet gaming, still obsessing about Shamrock Shakes, the trouble with time capsules and more (at 10:33)

Or Listen Here

Approximately 14 min, 45 sec. For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, and all other streaming services.

���� ASMR Affirmations for Creative Directors, AI Leadership Slogans, Whopper Overload and More

It's an epic round of Loaded Questions as the Ricks recall some of their favorite moments from Season 2 of Rick and Rick Rule the World.

IN THIS EPISODE

���� Top 5 ASMR Affirmations for Creative Directors (at 1 min 3 sec)

���� Our Lucky Charms-inspired St. Paddy's Day IPA - the Breakfast of Leprechauns (at 4:01)

���� For the first time ever, the Ricks pick the same #1 favorite Super Bowl spot ��� (at: 6:30)

���� ��� Not that we didn't have to revisit that whole Hyundai's 7 Levels of Hell controversy (at 7:55)

���� Rick M's prediction for Google parent company Alphabet gets an update (at 9:34)

���� The Ricks fight over "Spider-Man Far from Home" (at 10:24)

������ Ricks don't let Ricks repeat Ricks without rubbing it in (at 12:00)

���� Rick and Rick experience Whopper Overload (at 13:52)

���� Shamrock Shake memories, babies named after GoT characters and other moments from Season 2 (at 15:35)

Or Listen on iTunes or Download Here

Approx 19 min.

For US audiences only. See cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, and all other applicable sites, apps, and streaming services.

���� Why Podcasts are the New Website, DIY Deepfakes, and More

DIY audio deepfakes. Tinder's new choose-your-own-adventure streaming series. The new app that tells you if the people texting you are being flirtatious, or if you're strictly friendzone. Plus more. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

���� JJ Abrams enters the Spider-verse, with a little help from his son (at 48 seconds)

���� Flirt-worthy, or strictly friendzone? A new app scans your text conversations to find out (at 2 min, 52 sec)

����������������� A new app allows you to create audio deepfakes of yourself���so what could go wrong? (at 4:51)

������ Is it Pumpkin Spice���or poison? And did a 23-year-old woman just find out the hard way? (at 5:58)

���� Swipe left or right? Tinder's new choose-your-own-adventure-style streaming series (at 8:02)

���� Shake a Coke and a Smile: New Coke cans trigger cool new augmented reality experiences (at 9:18)

���� Thanks to Google algorithm updates, podcasts are the new webpage (at 13:03)

���� What those Google algorithm changes mean to news aggregators may be bad news

���� Which generation has the most ethical shoppers? Spoiler alert: It's not the Boomers

�������� It's still summer, so of course these two brands are already running Christmas ads

Or Listen on iTunes

Approx 17 min, 34 sec.

For US audiences only. See cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, and all other applicable sites, apps, and streaming services.

���� Popeye's Goes BYO Bun, KFC Readies Dating Simulator Game, and More

���� The Joker steals the show at the Venice Film Festival. KFC's new dating simulator game seems seriously creepy. The very different Coke Challenge could land you in jail. And is it time to say, "Oh, Thank Heaven for iPhone 11?" Plus a whole lot more.

In This Episode:

���� One Rick gets to enjoy "Rio" ��� (at :45 sec)

���� ��� While the other Rick gets a "View to a Kill" (at 1 min :30 sec)

���� Weekly poll: "Terminator: Dark Fate" vs. "Zombieland: Double Tap" (at 2:16)

���� No fooling: "The Joker" takes Venice���is he gunning for an Oscar next? (at 3:45)

���� Eleven sent: The iPhone's goes bionic (at 5:30)

�������� A very different kind of Coke Challenge is nothing to sneeze at (at 7:26)

���� From the WTAF Dept: The new dating simulator game from KFC (8:48)

���� BK's new AR game helps you "Escape the Clown" (at 9:30)

���� Now you can own your Bud Light Victory Fridge (at 10:45)

���� Popeye's goes BYOB: Bring Your Own Bun (12:00)

���� Quick: Name the latest brand to 86 its logo (at 13:35)

���� Mercedes serves up voice and AR tech to score big (at 14:58)

Or Listen Here ����

Approx. 17 minutes

For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, and all other streaming services.

#EscapeTheClown: BK is Using AR to Troll Mickey D's And We Are There for 'It'

 

Just when you think Burger King can't top the crowning glory of last year's Whopper Detour campaign promoting its mobile app, it pulls off a battle royal from within its chief rival's own stores. 

Last year, BK won countless awards for geo-targeting offers for a 1-cent Whopper to customers who come within 800 feet of a McDonald's (see the success story below). But BK Germany may have upped the ante���again. 

In a cross promotion celebrating the release of "It Chapter Two," Burger King is using advertising on Facebook and Twitter to invite consumers to download its mobile app and scan a review of "It" within a movie magazine McDonald's distributes in-store.

According to The Drum, when consumers download the app, they're able to play an augmented reality-enabled mobile game that displays a "flee and run" route to the nearest BK. If they make it there within a certain amount of time, they're able to buy a Whopper for just one cent. 

It's just the latest in the kind of inventive campaigns that helped BK clean up at this year's Cannes Lions Advertising Festival���and at the cash register. And in truth, BK's unorthodox philosophy about marketing has been on display as far back as its work with CPB Group.

With this brilliantly devious cross-promotion, the QSR might just win "" for a second year in a row. 

 

 

������������������������������'You're It': Nike Starts a Game of Tag to Inspire Girls

 

We're digging a new campaign from Nike Europe that's designed to inspire young girls to get physically active.

The effort, from W&K Amsterdam, involves a virtual game of tag that can be played across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat for the chance to earn rewards points. As Ad Age reports, there will also be a real-world game of tag in London's Lee Valley on Sept. 24. 

Nike has always been innovative in its marketing and advertising, and the brand long ago learned that it pays big to play games with your customers. 

The only weak spot we see in "You're It"? Nike's famous tagline. Oops. 

Learn more about Nike "You're It" here.

 

 

���� Inside the Taco Bell Hotel, Why You're a Cyber-stalker, Summer Movie Scorecard & More

What really went down at the Taco Bell Hotel. Our Summer '19 Box Office Scorecard. Why YouTube seems to think robots deserve animal rights. Spidey's future with the MCU, and more. From Sept 2.

Or listen by link

IN THIS EPISODE:

���� Did Spidey Really Get Spiked From the MCU? (at 2 min, :30 sec)

���� Why We're All Cyber-stalkers Now (5:55)

���� Why YouTube Thinks Robots Deserve Animal Rights (7:28)

���� What Really Went Down at the Taco Bell Hotel (9:17)

���� Enter: The Holo-sphere (11:34)

���� The Battle to Rank Among the Top 10 Movies of 2019 (14:33)

������ What movie ranked dead last in the top 100 movies this summer? (15:30)

���� Which of these movies got the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes this summer (16:03)

���� Which summer 2019 movie tried to be this year's "Meg"? (16:48)

Approx. 18 min, 25 sec.

For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, and all other streaming services.

���� Lucky Charms Marshmallows Go Super-sized, The Banana Splits Return, 'The Boys' Goes Big Time & More

The Ricks discuss Amazon Prime's superhero satire, "The Boys." Super-sized Lucky Charms marshmallows are coming to a s'more near you. The Banana Splits are back���in a gory new, R-rated movie. McDonald's McFizz cups are getting double takes for all the wrong reasons. "Friends" gets its own LEGO set, and a whole lot more. From August 27.

Or listen by link

IN THIS EPISODE

����������� The Ricks talk Back to School and pre-Internet gaming in the good old days (at :25 sec)

����  The Ricks have a big milestone coming up (at 1 min, 40 sec)

������������� It's summertime, so of course Pumpkin Spice Lattes are already back (at 2:00)

����Remembering McDonald's Shamrock Shakes of yesteryear (at 2:32)

����The Banana Splits are back, in an very violent, R-rated horror flick (at 3:35)

����  Why you need to drop everything & watch "The Boys" on Amazon Prime (at 5:08)

���� Did somebody say McWTF? McFizz is an unintentional eye-opener (at 9:00)

����"Friends": Old TV comes with perks���LEGO's Central Perk Playset (at 10:13)

���� Lucky Charms Jet-Puffed Marshmallows: Magically Delicious? (at 11:20)

���� "Star Wars Barbie" rocks the geek look���for an out-of-this-world price (at 12:34)

���� Instagram and WhatsApp get new names (at 14:13)

���� Verizon sells Tumbler to Automattic ��� for how little? (at 15:05)

�����������������  Look who's coming to CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (at 15:52)

Approx. 17:05. For US audiences. Review privacy and cookie policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify and all other streaming services.