Marketing is in Eric Anderson's blood. His father and grandfather ran a small agency in Decatur, Illinois. But before following in the family tradition, Anderson took an academic detour, earning an M.A. in Literature from Marquette, and a Ph.D in Cultural Theory from Washington State University. Early on, Anderson was plugged into the web. In 1994, he created Washington State's first online English curriculum. The experience shaped Anderson's understanding of the emerging online world, and today he shares his expertise with a roster of White Horse clients that has included Schlage, HSBC, Columbia Sportswear, Wellpoint, Microsoft, Wells Fargo, and KinderCare, to name a few.
Anderson also shared his insights on social media through White Horse's Social Media Podcast Series, which won the Silver Summit award in 2009. One thing that set those podcasts apart is Anderson's use of game theory to provide a framework for understanding social media. As he puts it, "Game theory illuminates the marketer-consumer relationship as historically adversarial but evolving toward greater cooperation through social media -- if marketers don't blow it."
Currently, Anderson is focused on mobile, which he sees as the next great digital divide. "As consumer behavior evolves faster than our digital strategies, every marketer and every brand will bridge, leap, or fall screaming into this chasm in 2012," he predicts.
Anderson blogs "unreliably" at
Unsettler.com, and somewhat more regularly at iMedia Connection.
Fun fact: Anderson is the author of the 2010 book, "Social Media Marketing: Game Theory and the Emergence of Collaboration." He is currently shopping around his next book, a film studies manuscript on game theory and the films of Quentin Tarantino, because he believes "Mr. Pink has a lot to teach us about dealing with conflict."
Backstory
The editorial team at iMedia Connection is proud to present the iMedia25 Class of 2011, compiled with the help of our 2010 honorees and our community of digital industry professionals. This list recognizes the accomplishments of key influencers in interactive marketing, who not only excel in their own business roles but are also able to execute on innovative ideas, share them with peers and consumers, and push this vital field to new levels of success and significance.
