Social media has enormous potential for blue-chip companies, but it also has plenty of hot air. Walgreen’s director of social media Adam Kmiec took to the stage at Digiday Social. That’s why one of the most valuable role he plays in Walgreen’s is serving as a reality check. Kmiec compares the social media today to the overheated expectations of the Web back in 1997. That’s led to the rise of social media gurus, such as Chris Brogran, who charges $22,000 per day for consulting and is already writing a book on Google Plus for business. “We have consultants, agencies, we have ‘strategery’ groups who are all selling this hype internally on a daily basis,” says Kmiec. But much of the promises don’t add up. Look at social wunderkind Dell’s performance against Apple over the past few years. “Do you know what Apple’s social strategy is,” Kmiec says, “great freaking products.” Watch his full presentation below.
More in Media
Here are the biggest moments in AI for publishers in 2025
Here are some of the moments that defined how publishers adapted to the AI era this year.
Digiday+ Research roundup: Gen Z news consumption and diversification in the DSP space were 2025’s top trends
As 2025 winds down, we rounded up the biggest trends of the year, based on the data that resonated the most with Digiday’s readers.
What publishers are wishing for this holiday season: End AI scraping and determine AI-powered audience value
Publishers want a fair, structured, regulated AI environment and they also want to define what the next decade of audience metrics looks like.