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
Inside Bloomberg Media’s survival guide for the AI era
The business news publisher has yet to sign a content licensing deal with an AI company, but it did recently implement a new AI-powered on-site search engine.
Media Briefing: Overheard at the Digiday Publishing Summit, September 2025 Google search edition
Media execs aired their grievances about Google referral traffic and their souring relationship with platform during the Digiday Publishing Summit.
How EssentiallySports’ creator program benefits both sides of the equation
Over the past year, sports news publication EssentiallySports has employed creators to make in-house video and editorial content around major tentpole sporting events — and thus far, the experiment has paid off.