AJ Kohn
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AJ Kohn

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About AJ Kohn

AJ Kohn is Owner of Blind Five Year Old, a San Francisco Internet Marketing firm specializing in search. An experienced marketing executive with a successful track record spanning 20 years, AJ combines a deep understanding of search marketing with a passion for product strategy and iterative product development, fusing design and user experience with quantitative analysis.

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Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Ch, Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes

Change is a permanent part of the marketing landscape. But change is never easy and this week was full of change. We get to review updated data on mobile payments; test a new version of bitly; transition from Google Places to Google+ Local; prepare for a rumored Facebook smartphone and assess a new Google Shopping […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Tracking Google’s Dune Strategy

This week Google took substantial steps to ensure that it remains the dominant way in which users access the Internet both on mobile platforms and desktops. These major news items may not have gotten as much notice with the Facebook IPO and iAcquire link buying scandals. And maybe you missed funding news for GitHub, the […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: All The Non-Facebook IPO News Fit To Print

Warning: This column contains no Facebook IPO news. But there sure was a lot going on outside of that particular media circus, from new product launches by Twitter, Majestic SEO and Hubspot to new rounds of funding for Pinterest, Quora and Bit.ly. The best of Twitter in your inbox This new email digest also features […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Porn, Hoodies and Minority Report Ads

Once again, this week felt like an episode of Melrose Place, with fashion gossip, porn and the unraveling of lies. Thankfully, there was alternative programming available with notable start-ups (Drawbridge and Mixpanel) raising a round of funding and advances by Google and Foursquare in the convergence of social, local, mobile and commerce. Drawbridge Comes Out […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Twitter IPA, Tumblr Grows Up and SoLoMo Meets Commerce

This week saw the continuing convergence of social, local, mobile and commerce with Facebook and Groupon making strategic acquisitions. In addition, micro-blogging platforms Twitter and Tumblr both moved forward with advertising initiatives. Of course, we still had drama with Larry Page giving Bill Clinton-like testimony and Marissa Mayer taking a page from Eric Schmidt’s playbook. […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: What Does 1 Billion Dollars Buy?

The drama has subsided this week and instead we find out just how far 1 billion dollars can go in today’s economy. But if you really need your feuding fix, look no further than the torrid triangle between Amazon, Apple and book publishers. Here is why Facebook bought Instagram Facebook was scared shitless and knew […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Google’s Grand Plan, Groupon Hiring An Engineering Army & comScore vCE Study Finds Ad Inefficiency

This week’s news revolved around the growing ways in which marketers and advertisers can optimize their digital marketing efforts, from better insight into advertising metrics to ‘instant’ market research. In parallel, we see changes to the business strategies being implemented by Google and Groupon, and track the launch of new products in social media management […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Google Rethinks Wallet Strategy, Pinterest Gets Serious About Revenue & PeerIndex Scores $3M In Funding

Evolution and transitions seem to be the major themes this week. Twitter and Pinterest are both transitioning from scaling to monetization. Adobe continues to improve their digital marketing business while Google Wallet and CityGrid Media look for better ways to grow their products and properties. Meanwhile Yahoo and ICANN continue to devolve in different and […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Patent Infringement, PayPal “Here” Payment System & No Idea Is A Good Idea

Two contrary forces were at work this week with many companies living in the past while others sought to claim the future. Experian Hitwise Launches AudienceView Using AudienceView, retailers can track and trend the online behavior of existing and potential consumers to better optimize online media planning and target their messages to reach and retain […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Proving Social Ads Work, Enterprise-Level SEO and Social Solutions, and DIY Reputation Management

There were a few interesting and contrasting trends this week. The first was around enterprise-level solutions to Internet marketing challenges. Major brands and Fortune 500 companies are investing in solutions that can help them with both SEO and social media. At the other end of the spectrum you have solutions for SMBs and every day […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Groupon Acquires Hyperpublic, Pinterest Addresses Copyright Flap and Twitter Rushes Toward Ad Business

This week brought a number of contrasting stories around tracking and privacy along with significant hires to support the ongoing evolution of major Internet properties. Groupon snatches up local-data startup Hyperpublic for better deal targeting “We have everything. Need Twitter handles of vegans in the East Village? Done. Millions of display ads referencing places in […]

Marketing management

Marketing Biz: Yahoo CEO Trashes Product Team, Can AOL Patch Patch?, New Searchmetrics Backlink Analysis Tool

Welcome to the first edition of Marketing Biz, a new weekly column dedicated to business-related news and announcements in online marketing. Each Friday we’ll deliver the most interesting news items in the past week coupled with a quick take and perspective. Marketing business news for the week revolved around the accelerating changes in search, social, […]

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