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Archives for June 2011

June 30, 2011 By Brandsplat 1 Comment

Google+ Doesn’t Quite Add Up

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In Google’s ongoing quest to become Facebook, we’ve seen some big-time social media misfires and plain old bad ideas (Google Buzz, anyone?). But this is Google we’re talking about, so failure at becoming the next big social media star hasn’t hurt them one bit, and the pockets are deep enough they can experiment with bad social networking until the end of time. So social media marketers, digital branders and PR junkies alike cautiously awaited this week’s arrival of Google+. The reviews of + are pretty much on point with other social media products released by Google and go something like this: “kind of sucky but, hey, it’s Google, so we’ll wait and see if gets better… and if not, we always have Facebook.”

Greg Finn of Search Engine Land said this about Google+: “All in all, this is the best social product put out by Google to date, but probably not enough to convert existing social users away from their current service.” And that, right there, is the issue. As social media marketers, we see our clients huff and puff and roll their eyes back into their heads at the mere mention of joining yet another social network. Granted, Google is so powerful that anytime it releases something social, there are the masses who queue up to hurl barbs at them before even learning about the new product. But I truly don’t think this is the case with Google+. Like Finn and several others have pointed out, the name is just bad and it doesn’t fit with the brand. Also, maybe it’s okay if Google doesn’t rule at everything. Maybe being the most powerful search engine ever is enough.

We’ll wait to give our opinions on it, though, until we get our own hands on Google+, which won’t be available to the general public for a few months. And if Google+ is a fail, we have no doubt the tech and media giant will keep searching for the right social media answer.

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Digital Engagement, Email Marketing, Facebook Management, Facebook Marketing, Online Brand Management, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Management Tagged With: social media marketers

June 29, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Love Your Blog

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Every so often, as readers of all things Internet and eternal blog scanners, we are lucky enough to run into a blog wherein the creator of the blog is writing about something they truly love. This is a revolutionary concept, as many blogs read as if the poor soul behind the laptop had a gun pointed to the back of his head while a person in a mask barked orders like, “Blog about Michelle Bachmann or else!” The point is maybe blogging about what we love can translate to more readers, better conversations with our audiences and endless inspiration for blog topics.

A clear case of a blogger in love with what they blog about is Annie from Annie’s Eats. This happy homemaker truly loves baking yumminess in the forms of pies, cakes, and everything you can possibly shove into an oven. Her blog sings with inspiration. And the reader finds themselves saying “ooh… I want to make those cupcakes” even if they’ve never made a cupcake before. While not all of us get to blog about universally-loved things like cupcakes, every writer has the opportunity to infuse his or her work with the passion and zeal that they personally have for life. When that passion is in your blog, readers can tell. Love for your blogging topic can manifest all sorts of wonderful things, from more links to book deals and beyond. Also, by blogging about what we love, there is little risk we’ll run out of things to say. When there is a passions for what we’re blogging about, the topics and inspiration just seem to come with little or no struggle.

In the end, blogs are creative works which require love, passion, interest, fire and thought. Leaving those things out of the equation leaves readers in the cold. So if you’re passionate about massage and your business, then by all means — the world needs a good massage blog and you should be the person to do it. Otherwise, somebody who isn’t passionate about massage could wind up writing blandly on the topic you are in love with and that would just be wrong.

If you need help writing a blog that people will fall in love with, we can help with that too!

Filed Under: Blog Content Management, Blog Marketing, Brandcasting

June 28, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Locally-grown Viral Magic

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“Local” has become one of those nouveau hippy words that signifies both locally-grown and undeniable pretension. Yet you can’t truly argue with the concept of helping your community by buying goods produced in your neighborhood. With local chic being something city folk simultaneously embrace and snicker at, there is one local good that has become a beloved viral sensation: the local commercial. These corny (and sometimes downright strange) low-budget delights are the viral video age’s version of independent film — so much so that the Independent Film Channel now has an entire series devoted to local commercial icons Link and Rhett entitled “Commercial Kings.” So we wondered: What does it take to become a viral video local commercial legend?

What every popular local commercial has in common is its “what in the hell is this?” quality which makes viewers stop, re-watch and forward to friends. And speaking of friends, ours over at Make the Logo Bigger found this gem from Lipstick Bail Bonds which illustrates our point nicely. This ad is part Charlie’s Angles, part Dog the Bounty Hunter and part unintentional comedy gold, making it just the thing people will eat up with a spoon. The Credit Mac Daddy is another example of local genius, and one which illustrates the other key to viral success: humor. Whether it’s bad jokes or good jokes (or just so bad it’s hilarious), viral genius like Credit Mac Daddy makes viewers laugh and makes ads memorable. Another common ingredient in these spots, although not an essential one, is music. A sublimely silly song can elevate a local spot from bearable to booty-shaking brilliance.

While it is difficult to say if producing a campy commercial actually helps one’s business, it certainly can’t hurt. Millions of people are hearing about dinky mom and pop places which normally only locals would have known about. So, did viral marketing make local commercials hip or is it the other way around? Sound off in the comments section below, and include a link to one of your local greats.

Filed Under: Video Content, Viral Marketing Tagged With: Viral Marketing

June 27, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Dial “S” for Shopping

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Mobile commerce is kind of like some sneaky dictator from an old movie who overthrows a country without the rest of the world knowing it. Seemingly overnight, we now buy things with our phones like it’s something we’ve always done. And speaking for myself, using my phone to shop makes me feel cool. I have literally been near my laptop, but chosen to use my smartphone to buy movie tickets instead because “it’s easier” (although I’m not sure how true that really is) and because it is so fun. A dieting friend of mine recently dumped the Papa John’s Pizza app on his phone because he knew within minutes he could fall off the wagon and into a vat of cheesy, saucy goodness before he knew what happened.

Since nearly everyone with a smartphone has been swept up into the mobile commerce tornado and marketers are moving fast to satisfy the need. We and tons of other marketing blogs have been keeping our eyes on this phenom for quite some time. Diana Adams at Bit Rebels, for example, has been covering the topic for a while (and might I add, doing a bang-up job of it). Also carefully monitoring the trend is Microsoft, which recently cooked up an infographic which tells us how and why mobile commerce works. While fascinating (and confirmation of our suspicion that nothing is real unless there is an infographic to go along with it), the real revolution happening here for marketers can’t be covered with a brightly-colored picture. Social media marketing, digital engagement and mobile marketing have all kind of melted into one giant engagement blob which requires marketers to think of all of the channels when creating a campaign. Taking into consideration whether our clients can get their products sold via smartphone is the next marketing compatibility test.

So, dear readers, let’s start the week with a little conversation. Is mobile commerce a good time or merely just another way to avoid human contact? Do you have a mobile marketing plan? And lastly, tell us your fave ways to spend coins with your smartphone.

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Mobile Marketing Tagged With: Brand Engagement, mobile commerce, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing

June 24, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

5 Things You Might Have Missed!

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Maybe this lady can’t believe it’s not butter, but we can’t believe it’s finally Friday. In an epic week of headlines and general stupidity, we have yet again managed to find 5 things you might have missed. Don’t mention it. It’s just because we love you.

1.) Rethinking the Food Label: Everybody hates the way nutritional labels are written and designed. And everybody loves food revolutionist and author Michael Pollan. So this contest, which challenges designers to come up with alternatives to the hard-to-read food label, looks like a win-win to us. It’s the kind of crowdsourcing digital engagement we love — complete with some real activism behind it.

2.) Don’t Mess With Ebert: Ailing but forever feisty film critic Roger Ebert was taken to task this week when he tweeted “Friends don’t let jackasses drink and drive” about the death of Jackass star Ryan Dunn. Harsh? Yes. But also memorable — and it caused Facebook to dismantle Ebert’s page which then kind of erupted into a whole social media and freedom of speech blurred lines kind of thing. Regardless of where you stand, the whole shebang is a fascinating look at how we deal with social media and strong opinions.

3.) Cut and Scratch on Your Desktop: Wheels of Steel turns laptop nerds into DJ stars with an ingenuous animated turntable that could make your office the life of the party. Even more amazing is that Wheels of Steel was created without Flash, meaning everybody can have a chance for vinyl-spinning greatness.

4.) All Hail the ‘Kings’: The first episode of Rhett and Link’s commercial kings was up on Hulu all this week before it premieres tonight on IFC. For fans of viral video commercial weirdness, this show is pure genius.

5.) Oh Snap: This commercial for Steak ‘n Shake rounds out our list for perfectly capturing that “you’re so busted” feeling of being caught by kids and then having to bribe to keep their mouths shut. Watch this ad now… or we’ll tell on you.

Filed Under: Five Things You Might Have Missed Tagged With: Digital Engagement

June 23, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Marketers Have a Ball at Wimbledon

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Modern sporting events are product placement and marketing hell. Especially the big ones. Call it Super Bowl Syndrome or the Olympic Effect or whatever you wish, but sports are now big fat advertisements with the occasional sweating from an athlete. Nevertheless, we still tune in for the spectacle, the drama and, let’s be honest, the ads. So when Wimbledon kicked off a few days ago we were curious to see what big brands were going to be lobbing over the net.

Sony’s “Balls” video is far less lurid and more charming than the title would suggest. In fact, the minute and nearly twenty-second ad is a spin-off of Sony’s original 2005 spot — except this time Sony is hawking 3D home technology. So appropriately the tennis balls are bouncing along the streets of San Francisco and into your living room! Sony put big bucks behind this ad and the multimedia campaign that bounces alongside it. It’s one of the first big campaigns of the 3D at-home era and will be remembered long after Wimbledon is over. This ad also marks the beginning of Sony’s 20-year commitment to sponsor the event.

Yet for big-time branding on the tennis court, nobody beats IBM. More than any shoe company or soft drink, Wimbledon belongs to IBM. The tech giant not only powers and sponsors the event’s site, but it also supplies the fancy gadgets to capture all of the court side happenings, statisticians to record the numbers and a “Green Data Center” which serves as environmentally friendly hub for all things Wimbledon. And no sporting event would be complete without an app, so naturally IBM has whipped up a Wimbledon app which spits out all of the numbers, stories and victories right onto your smartphone.

Wimbledon has always been an ace for advertisers. Now, thanks to digital branding, everyone can get a piece of the action.

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Digital Engagement Tagged With: digital branding

June 22, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Changing Minds, One Tweet at a Time

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“The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” — William James

It isn’t uncommon to find a social revolution hot on the heels of a recent political revolution. In Egypt, where a Facebook-fueled uprising took down an oppressive regime, a new movement is brewing among the people of the nation, who have tapped into crowdsourcing to broadcast a strong message against sexual harassment.

On Monday, June 20, the Twitter hashtag #endSH was sprouting up all over the social media website. Tweets from all over Egypt, nearby countries and the world were buzzing about sexual harassment. It was all part of an online campaign to inspire Egyptians to talk about the growing problem using social media and blogging. HarassMap, a sexual harassment awareness group, joined forces with activists, bloggers and members of the media to designate June 20 as a day to openly address sexual harassment.

Egypt’s political changes ushered in a dangerous time for women on the streets of Egypt’s big cities. From catcalls and lewd invitations to assault and rape, Egyptian women are subjected to a hostile environment each time they leave their homes. Shockingly, sexual harassment isn’t a crime in Egypt, making the incidents nearly impossible to report and social change difficult to achieve.

But online on Monday, there was hope. Twitter activists and fed up Egyptians from all walks of life talked about the social disease openly in tweets. Even Egyptian men like Twitter user Mohameddiab678 are outraged and speaking up. “The most important reason for the Sexual harassment numbers to go higher in our part of the world is silence ….. SPEAK UP #EndSH” his tweet from Monday read.

What is inspiring about campaigns like this one is that Twitter and social media continue to be validated as ways of truly motivating people to get involved. Will a few thousand tweets and some good publicity end an Egyptian tradition of disrespecting women? Not hardly. But for Egypt — a country veiled in modesty and secrecy and violence — campaigns such as this one bring an issue out of the shadows and into the forefront. And, really, isn’t that how all revolutions begin?

Filed Under: Social Media Management, Twitter Management, Twitter Marketing Tagged With: Twitter and social media

June 21, 2011 By Brandsplat Leave a Comment

Drinking Up Fried Kool-Aid

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Every summer as the County Fair is held in towns across the country, food lovers, festival fans and oddity collectors marvel at the latest food creations sold to fairgoers. From barbeque pork sundaes to Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers, food blogs have taken a liking to spotlighting a new and slightly terrifying treat every year. The fair food phenom of 2011? Hands down, it has to be deep-fried Kool-Aid. Yes, the beloved Kool-Aid man has been kidnapped, dipped in batter, dusted in powdered sugar and served up for thousands of adventurous eaters.

While the head scratching machinations of such a treat are cause for many a tweet (as of this writing, “Deep Fried Kool-Aid” is trending on Twitter), the real story here is Charlie Boghosian, the marketing marvel and mad genius behind these devilish delights.

For the last five years, Chicken Charlie’s has wound up in every national newspaper and online news website for throwing odd food items in a deep fryer and selling them at highly-attended summer county and state fairs across America. Twinkies, Girl Scout cookies, s’mores, avocados, Oreos and now Kool Aid have all taken the deep fryer plunge and wound up on Charlie’s menu. Conan O’Brien, ABC News, the Los Angeles Times and scads of food bloggers have covered the culinary “oh no he didn’t!” adventures of Boghosian. For a business that only operates during the summer, Charlie relies on his newest menu items causing a sensation.

During the summer months, Facebook and the company’s website work overtime in tempting hungry fairgoers with deep-fried delicacies. Deep fried Kool-Aid, which is something like donut holes with the drink mix added to the batter, have caused a stir, with mentions in the San Diego Union Tribune and the LA Weekly.

Charlie and his frying factory might not be for everyone’s palette, but the story of a guy who loves to fry any and every thing is one news outlets haven’t gotten tired of. The story is timeless and entertaining — in other words, it’s PR gold.

So, my lovely readers, let me ask you this: What story, product or service does your business have that is marketing and media magic? Holler back in the comments section below!

Filed Under: Brand Engagement, Digital Engagement, Email Marketing, Facebook Management, Facebook Marketing, Social Media Management, Twitter Management, Twitter Marketing, Weekly Five Things You Might Have Missed

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