Another crazy week of travels, this time to Cincinnati for house-hunting and some really interesting digital meetings/trainings.  In the meantime, here is what caught my eyes the past couple of days:

• CPG Brands Better Buy Paid Search- Yahoo and Mediavest just released a study that said “brands generated an average 160% increase in unaided awareness by being present in standard sponsored-text search results compared with when consumers weren’t exposed to their search ads.”  This backs up results released by Google a couple of weeks ago as well.
• Map of Pop vs Soda vs Coke in US – This is one of the coolest graphics I have seen in awhile.  As a “pop” guy living in the heart of “Coke” country, this just fascinates me.  What can I say, I’m a nerd.
• Techno/Marketer: The Face of Facebook e-book- Matt Dickman of Fleishman-Hillard provides this simple “snapshot of what the real face of Facebook looks like on a Global and US level.”  A perfect, quick read for marketers and Brand Managers.
• Web Strategy by Jeremiah: The Evolution of Brands on Twitter- Jeremiah Owyang is consistently one of the most rel event and interesting reads on-line for marketers.  He does it again with this easy walk-through of how a brand should wade in the waters of Twitter.
• David Armano: The Micro-Site Isn’t Dead (It’s Just Not Useful) – A must read for every Brand Manager and marketer, especially since this is coming from an agency guy who works for a company designing a lot of micro-sites for brands (including P&G brands).

This week I am headed back to Cincinnati to serve my Best Man duties at the wedding of one of my great friends.  All will be quiet on the blogging front while I am away but here are a few links to leave you with that have got me thinking lately:

• AttentionMax “Why Passion Matters” – I just love this statement: “passion is not something that can be bought, outsourced or faked.”  When I think about people I want on my team, passion is #1.  You can train someone to be a great marketer…you can’t train passion though.  I’ll take the bet that the person passionate about their job and life in general will beat experience or a “pedigree” any day.
• Copyblogger “Are You Talkin’ To My Generation” – A great look at how to think about talking and getting in the minds of different generations.
• Lightheavyweight “What is Strategy?” -Simple thoughts but very needed.  Too many brands try to be everything to everyone.  Strategy needs to be simple, narrow and focused.
• Godin “We Specialize in Everything” – I missed this post until I caught a mention of it on m-cause.  I love this quote “When choice is limited, I want a generalist. When selection is difficult, a jack of all trades is just fine.  But whenever possible, please bring me a brilliant specialist.”  There is something to be said about finding yourself a niche and doing it better than anyone else.
• The Gen Y Guide to Web 2.0 Work – This is brilliant…even more so for the fact she created a killer presentation on her Nintendo DS! [slideshare id=396865&doc=genyweb20-1210364558509716-8&w=425]
• Digital Nomads and The New Workforce – Great post and something I want to write about more later.  In today’s world, great talent can work anywhere.  Companies need to start embracing this and thinking about a world where their best people might not need to live in the home office.  Save on relocation money and let them live/work where they want.  Doing so opens up endless opportunities to attract amazing talent.
• Viral Garden “Social Media: Where Have We Been, Where are We Going?” – Great summary post.  I’m actually thinking of putting together a presentation along these lines to educate my fellow Brand Managers about the Social Media space along with successes and failures.  If helpful, I’ll post here for all to see.
• Techno/Marketer “Developing Personas for Marketing Strategy” – This is one of the best summaries on the concepts of personas that I have ever read.  At P&G we talk about personas as our WHO, attaching a name to a Prime Prospect that is our target market.  Great, great summary of how to develop a WHO for your person.  When I consult, I am shocked at how many brands and businesses havent taken this step.  You can’t create a marketing plan without developing a robust WHO…it’s that simple.