Over the past half a dozen years or so, all I've heard about in my circles is "owned, earned, and paid" media types. Marketing professionals love ... and I mean LOVE ... terms they can drop with clients as a way to sound smart. And although I'm a little weary of the ubiquity of these terms, it's true that media types are an important part of any integrated campaign conversation. However, it can be an amazingly cost-effective or expensive conversation, depending on the types of media you choose or create.

"Part One" of this series provided the foundation required to determine whether or not you should expand your integrated marketing and social directives on a global scale. Now ask yourself whether it makes sense to hire an external vendor or service to speak on your behalf in a given language. If the answer is yes, then what are the necessary steps to ensure they meet brand guidelines and gain a deep understanding of your businesses culture?

My online career began way back when Sony DiscMans still roamed the Earth – in 1994. One of many sermons we preached in those days is that by developing a website, you could reach a <shouts> "GLOBAL CUSTOMER BASE." </shouts>. At that time, the world was still very big conceptually. Digital communications was still in its infancy, and large businesses and brands that constructed a digital presence did so in a cautiously optimistic manner.

I find it incredibly interesting that in an industry like advertising where we mold "reality versus perception," that the majority of the industry, as a whole, still seems adverse to marketing to the LGBT community. I get that it's incredibly difficult to teach old dogs new tricks. However, we as marketing professionals should be pushing the envelope of "risk versus reward" with our clients. And the simple truth is this: Brands and businesses that take the LGBT community seriously now will reap the rewards over their risk-averse competitors that are.

Often speaking to peers, friends and associates in the business, I get questions regarding what they should look for when selecting an agency or service affiliate. Of course this is a double-edged sword because a company only wants to show the best and brightest of their thinking and results. There is no tab on any website that says, "biggest disasters and how we overcame them," but I would damn sure click on it first if it was an option.

They say that a picture can speak a thousand words. I wouldn't deny this for a second, nor would I question the power of words, editing, locations and the cadence created within video to construct emotional value. So when I found this video, I laughed to myself. While in the end it does end up being an advertisement for a stock video company, it also says a lot about advertising and our willingness to digest it.