By Patricia Wilson, founder of BrandCottage


Tom Moradpour, one of my favorite Twitter pals, has issued a rallying cry: same-day tweeting by the marketing community on a common topic.


Today’s Twitter marketing topic is leadership. Tom is busy gathering bloggers on this topic — proof he is already a leader of the 21st Century.


Every business school offers study on business leadership, providing students with leadership and case studies. Post graduation, there is a plethora of leadership magazines, Web sites, newsletters, conferences and seminars. I admit, I’ve done my share of studying on the subject. And still do.


But I want to propose the hypothesis that many great leaders are born, not made. Early in life, leaders demonstrate leadership-favorable personality and intellectual traits. These traits are recognized, enabling GREAT leaders to continue to hone their leadership skills over the course of a lifetime.


Here’s my list of born-leader characteristics:

1. Self-Motivated. We all knew the kid in High School who did it all. Star athlete, exemplary student, class president, well-liked. This is almost always someone who will become a leader. An inner voice drives them. Their God-given talents do not go undeveloped. Then there is the kid who was quiet, but always doing something amazing — volunteering in Africa, writing a blog, helping those in need. These too are self-motivated leaders.
2. Builders. Leaders are born with a desire to build. Whether it’s a business, a sports team, a charity, a school fund-raiser or some other passion. Early on, leaders build communities.
3. Intuitive. One of the most important skills in leading a team is the ability to develop instincts and empathy. It is critical to understand how a person feels or thinks when in his/her shoes. Leaders have a high level of this social functioning. Most leaders have the gift of “reading a room” and knowing how to drive a conversation to successful results.
4. Inspiring. Leaders inspire others to join in the development of missions and visions. It’s a very delicate balance. Most leaders hire incredibly smart people. Great leaders know how to inspire smart teams to solve problems.
5. Hardworking. The best educated people in the world rarely experience success without a lot of hard work. Work ethic is interrelated with motivation, drive and ambition. The best leaders are more often than not the hardest workers in the organization. Anyone can be taught a given work skill, but a solid work ethic comes from within.
6. Adaptable. This may be the most important leadership trait of all needed in the 21st century, when technology and the business climate change rapidly. Modern leaders are always learning, always watching the competition, always identifying the obstacles and opportunities, and never resting on what once worked. In the 21st century, forseeing where the trends are headed, where technology is going, and how companies must be flexible is critical to success.
7. Confident. A final, but essential ingredient, great leaders are confident. But just as important, great leaders also inspire confidence in others. They know the light that shines on others reflects back on themselves.

Kudos to Tom for initiating this important topic and providing us all the opportunity to learn — from each other — on how to become better leaders.

Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

By Patricia Wilson, founder of BrandCottage

Gretchen Rubin is one of the most inspirational people I’ve met on Twitter. She is author of the best-selling book, The Happiness Project. The book chronicles a year in which Gretchen “test drove” the many theories on happiness.


Her Web site is full of great resources, such as Six Words on Happiness, Twelve Personal Commandments, daily quotations and The 2011 Happiness Challenge. She has a lot to say about what makes us happy. I realized that being on twitter is actually a happiness booster. Not that she says it in so many words. But being with others, helping others, staying positive are all happiness boosters….and also what twitter is all about! I’ve noticed after I’ve    engaged with others on twitter, I always feel happier.

On reading her blog post on some happiness boosters that aren’t so good for you,

• Using treats as comfort rewards.
• Letting yourself off the hook.
• Turning off your phone.
• Expressing your negative emotions.
• Staying in your pajamas all day.

Great advice. #tweet on.

Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

By Patricia Wilson, founder of BrandCottage

Yeah, the Super Bowl is cool. But as a media strategist, I can’t wait to weigh in on the most important kickoff of all — the sponsors of the greatest game on turf.

A Sneak Preview

Everyone understands the humongous advertising reach gained by a 30-second Super Bowl spot (106 million viewers last year) even if there is debate on the wisdom of spending so much money in one day. In the advertising industry, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels have been alive — for weeks — with discussions and pre-game anticipation and early predictions on winners and losers.

In fact, all the social media discussion around Super Bowl ads has become an important channel in its own right — expanding the already huge Super Bowl viewing audience with millions of additional online impressions. This allowed unprecedented integration of traditional and digital media.

But here’s what’s new. Advertisers are not only stirring the pot of excitement about the debut of their ads on Super Bowl Sunday, they are even providing sneak previews, via social channels.

Brands such as Audi, Best Buy, Budweiser, CareerBuilder, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, E*Trade, GoDaddy, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Snickers, Teleflora, 20th Century Fox and Volkswagen “are all over social media trying to drum up interest in the commercials they plan to run during Super Bowl XLV on Fox on Sunday,” according to The New York Times (Before Sunday, a Taste of the Bowl).

The advertising industry  is also capitalizing on the Super Bowl advertising frenzy. Check out Brand Bowl 2011, from Mullen and Radian6. The site, in short, tracks Twitter conversations to determine real-time audience reaction to the spots.

You can certainly expect Tweets from me at @BrandCottage. And I look forward, as I do every year, to engaging with other marketers and ad enthusiasts. You can follow the conversation on twitter and join in the fun with hashtag #brandbowl.

Oh, and good luck Packers and Steelers.

Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

—By Patricia Wilson, founder of BrandCottage

Welcome back to work and Happy New Year!  After a brief respite, we are ready to begin a new journey here at BrandCottage. I was reminded over the holiday break how important it is to take time off, slow down, find time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. With so much advanced technology and an always-on business mentality, thinking time is all too rare.

BrandCottage Reflections

BrandCottage accomplished a great deal in 2010, both for ourselves and our clients:

• 2010 marked BrandCottage’s most rapid growth in the history of the company. This, coming off a down year for the industry in 2009. To say we were surprised and delighted is an understatement. This time last year, few knew where marketing was headed. There was much doom and gloom. But marketing began to see a rebound in 2010. In talks with our clients, they value marketing more than ever.
• Our digital brand offerings grew at record speed in 2010, both for social media and for paid digital advertising.
• Emerging brand technologies propelled us to new and exciting platforms. Throughout the year, we immersed ourselves in marketing’s transformation.
• We continued to gain new clients in new industries and we are proud to say that we were responsible for helping many of our long-standing clients evolve and transform as well.
• New technology also helped BrandCottage grow: video chat, virtual meetings, text messaging, conference calling, social media and many other solutions helped us run even more efficiently as a virtual agency.
• Meanwhile, we never dismissed our core values: veteran marketing chops, can-do attitude and client-first priorities.

BrandCottage Resolutions for 2011

• We can never forget, as an agency, that we are in the client-services business. BrandCottage will continue to improve client services in 2011.
• Emerging technology is transforming marketing and branding. Everyone in the marketing industry, including BrandCottage, must be dedicated to continuous learning, sharing and engaging to stay on top of emerging trends.
• Giving back to others is far more rewarding than receiving. BrandCottage will continue to increase its commitment to helping others.
• The value of hard work never goes out of style. We work extremely hard at BrandCottage. But we also will find some time for more fun.

I look forward to seeing all of you this year!


Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

By Patricia Wilson


Where have all the news junkies gone or, more appropriately, where are they going? And what does the migration from print to digital — if its exists — mean for marketers and the advertising agencies that want to reach news consumers?


Consider these transformational changes in news consumption:

• Print newspaper circulation continues to decline. The Audit Bureau of Circulations, in October, found that 379 daily newspapers reported an average 10.6 percent drop in circulation (see The New York Times story).
• Purchases of U.S. magazines at news stands and other retail outlets, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, fell 9 percent in the second half of 2009, while subscriptions fell 1.1 percent in the years second half (see msnbc.com story).
• 28 percent of newspaper executives responding to a recent survey by the Associated Press Managing Editors, a group of newspaper executives, said their publications are considering online fees (see USATODAY.com story).
• According to a survey by Editor and Publisher (itself, a magazine that is shutting down), 55 percent of readers said they would be very or extremely unlikely to pay for online newspaper or magazine content (see News Consumer story).
• At the same time, 81.5 percent of the online paid subscribers of The Wall Street Journal and Consumer Reports consider them to be good, very good or excellent value, according to the Editor and Publisher study.
• To really complicate matters, 26 percent of Americans get news on their mobile phones, according to a new Pew Research Center study, Understanding the Participatory News Consumer.

For advertisers and marketers who are wondering where to find their target consumers in this jungle of media usage patterns, it’s time to remember:

1. All good marketing starts with clear objectives.
2. Every media can accomplish something….and most often not the same objectives.

Online news is fast, it’s searchable and it saves valuable time. But online news is also highly fragmented. Print, on the other hand, is surprisingly engaging and encourages readers to take deeper dives. They both have their place and, as media strategists, we have to make the right choices for our brands.


For example, I can’t imagine the brand launch of a new car design or Prada jeans without thoughtful print campaigns. Or products for babies without being in Parent magazine, where new moms and dads seek information-rich articles, photos and sidebars. For the same reasons, radio is intrinsically a good bet for fast-food restaurants, just as digital advertising is fabulous for reaching highly targeted segments at places in their lives where they are close to a purchase decision such as taking a trip to Europe, for example.


It’s more important than ever for marketers to get back to understanding what each media type can and can’t do. New media, without a doubt, is growing and important. But there is still a place in the media plan for traditional media.


Patricia Wilson is the founder of BrandCottage, a media marketing company with offices in New York, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.