Author: Sean Duffy

Sean is a founder of The Duffy Agency, a digital marketing agency.  The Duffy Agency specializes in developing proprietary audiences for international brands. The agency has offices in Malmö, Sweden and Boston, Massachusetts with partner agencies in 50 other cities around the world. Sean splits his time between Boston and Malmö.  Sean has over 25 years’ experience working with advertising and brand strategy in Boston, San Francisco, Stockholm and Copenhagen. He began his career in the US as a copywriter with BBDO in Boston and later as creative Director for Knight Advertising in San Francisco. In 1991 Sean moved to Stockholm to work as Creative Director at Sweden’s largest ad agency, Lowe Brindfors. After 10 years with Lowe, Sean started The Duffy Agency in 2001. In addition to his involvement with the agency, Sean is also Lecturer and Practitioner in Residence at the Lund University School of Economics & Management. As a frequent speaker on online marketing and strategic brand development, Sean draws on his experience working with dozens of global brands including IKEA, Saab, Volvo, Absolut, VF Corporation, Pfizer and GSK.  Sean has also served two terms as the European governor of TAAN Worldwide (www.TAAN.org).
Sean is a founder of The Duffy Agency, a digital marketing agency.  The Duffy Agency specializes in developing proprietary audiences for international brands. The agency has offices in Malmö, Sweden and Boston, Massachusetts with partner agencies in 50 other cities around the world. Sean splits his time between Boston and Malmö.  Sean has over 25 years’ experience working with advertising and brand strategy in Boston, San Francisco, Stockholm and Copenhagen. He began his career in the US as a copywriter with BBDO in Boston and later as creative Director for Knight Advertising in San Francisco. In 1991 Sean moved to Stockholm to work as Creative Director at Sweden’s largest ad agency, Lowe Brindfors. After 10 years with Lowe, Sean started The Duffy Agency in 2001. In addition to his involvement with the agency, Sean is also Lecturer and Practitioner in Residence at the Lund University School of Economics & Management. As a frequent speaker on online marketing and strategic brand development, Sean draws on his experience working with dozens of global brands including IKEA, Saab, Volvo, Absolut, VF Corporation, Pfizer and GSK.  Sean has also served two terms as the European governor of TAAN Worldwide (www.TAAN.org).

The real reason marketers should fear social media

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LOSING CONTROL OF THE MESSAGE? — YOU CAN’T LOSE WHAT YOU DON’T HAVEWhen I speak to marketing executives or read posts about traditional marketers embracing social media I notice a common theme: the fear of "losing control". I don’t get it.True, there was a time when the advertiser controlled the message and maybe even perceptions. Those were the days when communication was one-way. The only way to speak to millions at once was by spending millions in mass media like TV, radio and newspapers. The average consumer could disagree with the message but without an industrial-sized media budget their views remained localized and rarely gained critical mass. So I guess you could call that "control" (in hindsight, "tyranny" seems a more apt descriptor).   But get over it! Throughout most of North America and Europe that control was lost at least a decade ago when the internet became as mainstream as Britney Spears. And the rest of the world is catching up fast.
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Stop obsessing over your web site and start focusing on your web presence

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"Location, location, location" has been long standing advice to business newbies. This is just as true on the web as it is on Main Street. The only difference is that  on the web there is no terra firma. New geographies are created every time someone hits "enter" on a search engine. And when that happens the best location for your business is on the first page of your customer’s search results.  This process puts the best business real estate on the planet within reach of anyone, including you – if your site is optimized.  So I’m all for SEO.  But now its time for CEOs and marketing managers to go beyond simply optimizing their web site and start thinking in terms of optimizing their web presence.   Read More…
 

Time to get your blog on!

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HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BLOGThis is my third blog. The other two I wrote when I could find the time. That was almost never. My posts were sporadic. My excuse for not blogging was the same I hear from many of my clients: I was too busy doing my job.    …. Read More