American Red Cross

Please answer my brief survey for the American Red Cross. It will only take a few minutes to complete.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XYNFB57

Thanks!

The Current Pulse of the Social Media Revolution

July 18, 2010

 “Social Media isn’t a fad; it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.” This quote is from a YouTube video entitled Social Media Revolution 2.

It has been estimated that social networking accounts for more than 22% of all time spent online in the U.S. The average visitor spends 66% more time on these sites than a year ago. Two-thirds of Americans now use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social media sites. This is up about 230% from the 20% penetration in 2007. In addition, 43% are visiting these sites more than once a day. 

We have discussed many social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Ustream, 12seconds, Flickr, Dailybooth, FriendFeed and Tumblr in The Keaton Chronicles.  These new media platforms are evolving so rapidly that it is difficult to keep up with their statistics. I have compiled some interesting facts and trends that I wanted to share. Some of the most popular social networking sites include: Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Facebook   

Facebook currently has more than 400 million active users. Fifty percent of the active users log on to Facebook in any given day. The average user has 130 friends and is connected to 60 pages, groups and events. The data show that Facebook has come to dominate social networking in the U.S.

There are more than 100 million active users who access Facebook through their mobile devices. These mobile users are twice as active on Facebook as their non-mobile user counterparts. There are more than 550,000 active applications on the Facebook Platform and more than one million Web sites have integrated with the Facebook platform.

This platform has a global reach with about 70% of Facebook users residing outside of the U.S. There are over 70 translations available on the site.

The Social Network, a movie about the history of Facebook, will appear in theaters this October.  Check out the trailer.

MySpace   

The number of Facebook users has greatly surpassed MySpace users in the past year. However, MySpace’s 57 million U.S. users are highly engaged. The user composition of MySpace has shifted to younger people. Nearly half of the site’s users are 24 years old or younger. MySpace users want games and entertainment (Facebook users want both news and community and Twitter users mostly consume news). 

Twitter     

This micro-blogging social network only allows for a maximum length of 140 characters per Tweet. Twitter users are sending 55 million Tweets per day. The site reaches approximately 10% of all Internet users and has a user retention rate of 40%.

Twitter has more than 106 million registered users and gets 300,000 new users a day. It receives 600 million search queries a day and more than 3 billion requests each day.

Since the inception of Twitter in March 2006, there have been over 10 billion tweets. One percent of Twitter visitors are addicts and account for 35% of the visits to Twitter. That is an astonishing figure! Regular Twitter visitors account for 27% of the visitors and 41% of the visits to Twitter. The remaining 72% of Twitter visitors are considered to be passers-by.

What does this data tell us? Twitter users are not active and the growth rate of new users is slowing. Despite these numbers, Twitter remains as one of the top social networking sites and should be utilized by marketers.

What do Social Media Users Want?

The chart below shows the varied interests of the unique visitors to specific social networking sites. This information is important for marketers, advertisers, public relations specialists and other communications professionals to be able to effectively leverage each site.

My thanks go out to Chitika.com, HubSpot.com, Mashable.com, Web-strategist.com, Facebook.com, MySpace.com and Twitter.com for compiling and sharing their statistical data.

You’ve come a Long Way . . . Barbie!

July 17, 2010

Barbie’s newest addition, Video Girl, is a Barbie doll, video camera and LCD screen in one! How cool is that?

Mattel is showing the world that they are in tune with today’s “Barbie Girl.” She is into the digital and social media scene, and, of course, sports her signature, platinum hair. To stay in line with Barbie’s mission to promote different professions for girls, Barbie Video Girl is designed to get girls excited about a career in video production.

As a celebrity Foursquare user, Barbie will be using the location-based social media platform to help her navigate her travels across the U.S.  Foursquare is a mobile marketing application that is gaining popularity as a social medium as well as a game.

Foursquare will steer participants on an innovative scavenger hunt from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. This summer vacation promotion will officially begin on July 20, 2010. On-location tasks, such as checking in on Foursquare, will be part of the fun.  Barbie will also use Twitter to tweet out text, photo and video clues.  A winner in each city will be awarded a Barbie Video Girl doll.

By teaming up with two social media platforms, Foursquare and Twitter, Mattel is going to gain a lot of positive publicity. The dolls sell for $50 and can be used as an educational toy. I predict the Barbie Video Girl will be a top seller — just in time for the holidays. What do you think of this marketing initiative?

Advertorials on the Internet

July 16, 2010

What is an advertorial?

An advertorial is an advertisement that is in the form of an editorial or news article. Advertorials should have disclaimers indicating they are paid advertisements. Most publications, including those on the Internet, will not accept advertisements that look exactly like the news stories contained in the newspaper, magazine, journal or Web site in which they are to appear. The tone of advertorials usually resemble press releases (news releases)  rather than legitimate news stories.

Why are advertorials effective?

Advertorials are very effective because of their layout and content. The layouts are designed to look like the other articles in the publications (including online publications and Web sites). Content wise, they are written in an editorial style, which suggests that someone else has endorsed the product or service. By using quotes, facts and statistics, this is a very powerful forum. Advertorials are persuasive since the readers may assume they are news articles as more credibility is given to good editorial content than to paid advertisements.

Well crafted advertorials are written in much the same way as news articles. They are written in third person, use headlines and sub headlines, have a lead paragraph that hooks the reader, contain quotations and testimony from real people (often experts), comprise facts and statistics and include an ending paragraph that has a call to action for the reader.

SuperFoodsRx Advertorial

Below is an example of an Internet advertorial for SuperFoodsRx. This campaign generated hundreds of visits to their landing page and resulted in dozens of new orders each day.

 

 

Is Poor Nutrition Causing Serious Harm to Your Health?

Scientists have long marveled how some people in certain countries live remarkably long, healthy lives while we, in the west, suffer from high rates of chronic diseases and other health problems.

Computer analysis has enabled researchers to determine which populations are the healthiest and live the longest and analyze what these populations have in common.

The results point to one key factor; diet. The healthiest groups eat certain foods in much higher quantities – these foods have come to be called super foods.

Common problems such as lack of energy, poor skin and hair, and dramatic mood swings as well as serious problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers can also now be traced to poor nutrition.

Scientists have analyzed the super foods that these healthy populations eat and found they contain hundreds of micro-nutrient compounds, vitamins and antioxidants. A growing body of research from laboratory and human studies suggests that these nutrients work best in concert with each other, or synergistically.

Bottom line: Giving your body the right micronutrients in the right combination can make a huge difference to how long you live, how much energy you have, how often you get sick and even whether you get certain types of cancer or heart disease.

The problem of course is that we all live busy complicated lives. In a world of processed food and limited time, it is unrealistic to think we can eat the optimum diet including all of these super foods.

Enter San Diego, CA based www.superfoodsrx.com. This new company has addressed this problem by developing a daily nutritional supplement designed to provide the same mix of super-nutrients that are found in the so called super foods.

Dr. Steven Pratt is the developer of this remarkable nutritional system. A best selling author of nutrition and longevity books, Dr. Pratt also consults for top athletes and is a senior staff member at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California.

Just how remarkable is the supplement. Dr. Pratt commented, “The nutrients and antioxidants we use in SuperFoodsRx have been shown to decrease symptoms of fatigue and to increase the effectiveness of dieting by helping to reduce the appetite and boost metabolism. They have also been linked to a lower incidence of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. There are several key micro-nutrients we included that can help to improve your complexion and strengthen hair and nails and the premium omega 3 found in SuperFoodsRx has been proven to reduce stress and mood-swings and improve memory and focus.”

SuperFoodsRx is currently offering a free trial of their supplement system. You can learn more about the free trial offer at www.superfoodsrx.com 

 

Have you ever come across an advertorial that you first thought was an independent news story?

Why is Mobile Marketing becoming so Popular?

July 12, 2010

Mobile marketing may seem intrusive to some, but the truth is most messages are opt-in where the consumer chooses to receive the messages. This type of permission-based marketing allows the brand to interact with their consumers via their mobile phones at any time and any place. People take their mobile phones with them wherever they go, so this constant accessibility and immediate interactivity can keep a brand “top of mind.”

Because communication between a brand and its consumers occur on a one-to-one basis, there is more control over the customization and the frequency of the messages. The ability to personalize and target messages are key benefits to using this media outlet.

By using time-sensitive messages, which trigger a response, most brands choose mobile to drive people into a store or get them to take action rather than change their impression of a brand. Promotions, special offers, coupons, discount codes, contests, tickets, and Web site URLs are just some of the thousands of text message applications that can be crafted and directed to specific consumers.

A brand can interact with its customers for the duration of a campaign and also maintain a long-term relationship with them. Communications include Short Message Services (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) that combine text with simple graphics and sound. Today, there are Fourth Generation (4G) services for cellular wireless phones.

The costs of mobile marketing are still very low in comparison to other types of mass communication. With the widespread use of mobile devices increasing, this marketing platform will continue to rise in popularity.

The Power of YouTube

July 11, 2010

Whether it is a comedic satire, an animated impression or a narrative documentary, there is nothing like the power of video to portray an event or tell a story.

YouTube, video-sharing Web site, was started in 2005 by three former PayPal employees. It was sold to Google for $1.65 billion in 2006.   

YouTube has more than 2 billion views per day and can be viewed in 22 countries in 24 different languages. The average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube.

Currently, there are nearly 100,000 videos on YouTube about the BP oil spill. The following video is the most popular and my personal favorite. This is what happens when BP spills coffee . . .

Here is a BP Parody: Press Conference Ends Awkwardly.

Thank goodness for honest, empathetic and heart-felt apologies . . .

Sometimes it is very hard to find out the real truth. This short film shows interviews of fishermen and other coastal residents talking about the effects of the BP oil spill on their livelihood as well as their lifestyle.

Good Morning America sent Weatherman Sam Champion to Louisiana to show the underwater perspective of this disaster.

YouTube is also a vehicle to share good solutions to this Beyond Pathetic (BP) crisis. This informational film shows how a material of switch grass and other natural matter can be used to clean up the oil.

As you can view, YouTube is much more than a way to “Broadcast Yourself.” The videos can be for entertainment, informational or biographical purposes. I am hoping they can also be used to solve this country’s worst man-made disaster.

Secrets on Facebook

July 10, 2010

Many studies have shown that Facebook users want information about new products and special prices and promotions. That is exactly what Victoria’s Secret Facebook pages offer their customers.

The division of the two brands – Victoria’s Secret (for the mature customers) and Pink (for the college-aged customers) has increased the effectiveness of the brands’ overall integrated marketing communications. The social media marketing tactics are tailored to the unique target audiences of each brand.

Victoria’s Secret’s Facebook page features a “Bombshell Blast: Summer Songs” promotion. The page showcases songs, which can be downloaded for free to the first 5,000 fans. Listen to VS’s featured song of the week “Meddle” by Little Boots.

 

You can download it for free at:

http://www.facebook.com/victoriassecret?v=app_7146470109#!/victoriassecret?v=wall

The VS Facebook also showcases profiles of top “Angels” models. It includes fun facts, beauty secrets and fashion tips. This is a way to further the models’ notoriety and fame, thus, increasing brand appeal.

The fan page for the Pink brand is very engaging to the visitor. In fact, it leads the fashion category on Facebook. This fact is understandable given the demographics of the Pink target audience. The Pink fan pages have creative content, two-way communication with their fans, interesting videos and beautiful photographs that promote the products and the Pink brand as well as publicize sales, discounts and events.

One of Pink’s most successful promotions is “Pink Nation,” an online membership club.  This campaign features the “Pink Collegiate Collection” line of clothing. Last spring, there was an online competition among 58 colleges to win “Pink’s biggest bash of the year.” The winning school was West Virginia University! This was a terrific way to engage the co-eds as the “Collegiate Showdown” competition went viral and visitors were allowed to vote daily. Weekly statistics were posted to the site and this ran during and after “March Madness.” The winners were unveiled just like the NCAA brackets.

This wallpaper can be downloaded for free. It provides an affinity with the college and the Pink brand. Plus, it promotes one of the popular designs found on their collegiate line of apparel.

Pink has done an excellent job of obtaining their social marketing goals of increasing brand awareness, increasing brand loyalty and driving sales. This has been achieved by offering a multitude of discounts and specials through their integrated social marketing efforts as well as engaging their fans with videos, interesting photos, downloadable wallpapers for computers and cell phones, quizzes and coupons. Through Pink Nation and its Facebook fan page, fans and followers can join in the discussion of why they love VS Pink products and which ones are their particular favorites.

From Blog to Blog – Update on InnoCentive’s Oil Spill Disaster Solutions

July 10, 2010

As the oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, InnoCentive continues to reveal solutions to this disaster and offer assistance to BP officials.

(As I talked about in an earlier blog, Ustream is a social media that features live video streaming of events online and lifecasting. It is an emerging media that is proving to be a powerful platform. For live feed, go to http://www.ustream.tv/).

InnoCentive, a company that utilizes online crowdsourcing to solve some of the world’s toughest problems, is still receiving hundreds of solutions for the oil spill crisis in the Gulf. These scientific and mathematical answers are not even being explored by the executives of BP. Why — because BP says they have the situation “under control.” Really?

Dwayne Spradin, President and CEO of InnoCentive, wrote in his recent blog posts,

“The teams at BP lack an urgency to involve the outside world.  They appear to actually believe they have this crisis well in hand while putting forth that stoic, concerned face we’re all now use to seeing – working around the clock and doing everything humanly possible .  BP is not the victim here.  A catastrophic leadership failure, driven by a closed and arrogant culture.  This does not bode well for the Gulf.”

“The issue now is that BP could not even move forward with the two problems THEY identified as vital in this cleanup phase: remote sensing of the oil and better skimming technology.”

Please check out some of the innovative, scientific and creative solutions for handling the oil spill as recommended by some of the world’s experts. These solutions are eco-friendly and many are very inexpensive and easy to initiate.

Some of these solutions include:

1. The Barge Barrier;
2. The Bubble Squid;
3. The Coconut Coir; and
4. The magnetic plug.

How will this ongoing crisis ever be stopped if the executives of BP are unwilling to accept FREE suggestions from outside experts?

More Social Networks to Explore

July 4, 2010

Over this long 4th of July weekend, you may have some extra time to explore some social networking Web sites of which you may be unfamiliar. If you like to use social networking for keeping in touch with people or for entertainment or even for marketing your brand, here are a few sites in which you may be interested.  

  Dailybooth is a picture-taking social network. The concept is to take a picture of yourself everyday and chronicle them for the world to see. It is simple to use – upload or email your pictures daily. For a marketing tool, the site could be used to showcase fashion by uploading different pictures of outfits or brand images.

 

Another platform that is increasing in popularity is FriendFeed. This site allows the user to put all of his/her social media into one stream (i.e. all of the tweets from Twitter, pictures from Flickr, Blog posts from wordpress.com, links from StumbleUpon, etc.). Everything is in one neat package to share!

Here is an example of what a FriendFeed page looks like: http://friendfeed.com/amyrsward

FriendFeed is something to watch. It may cross over to mainstream use in the near future.  

 

  Tumblr is another micro-blogging site that allows the user to post text, pictures, audio, video, chat and links. Currently, Twitter is the only other micro-blogging site with which it interfaces. Check out the Tumblr account for Lenny Kravitz. It definitely is a lot more interactive than Twitter. 

 http://lennykravitz.tumblr.com/

Lights, camera, action . . .

July 3, 2010

Sure, everyone knows about Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr. But, I am going to talk about some social networking sites you may not have heard about.

There seems to be an endless list of new platforms popping up as social networking is increasing in popularity. Video cameras and webcams have sparked the creation of two networking sites – 12seconds and Ustream.   

12seconds is a micro-blogging video Web site. The videos are limited to 12 seconds in length. The concept came from the fact that an eight-minute YouTube video may only have a little bit of entertaining footage. Users have the ability to video message their friends via Facebook and Twitter.

While in concept it sounds cool to video message your friends, I thought the site was boring.  But who am I to judge, I am not a huge fan of America’s Funniest Videos either.

If you love clogging, you might be interested in this clip:

It can be found on:  http://12seconds.tv/v/RUK36

Ustream is a platform, which features live video streaming of events online and lifecasting (a continual broadcast of a person’s life through digital media). The concept behind this social media tool was created when two of the three founders returned from active duty in Iraq. They wanted their Army friends who were deployed overseas to be able to communicate with their families back home. Ustream allows soldiers to talk to all of their loved ones at one time as free time in the war zone is limited.

Ustream.tv is the live interactive video broadcast platform that allows anyone (with a webcam and computer) to broadcast to a global audience. The user simply creates a channel on Ustream and is able to engage their audience and further build their brand.

This Web site was used by nearly all of the major candidates in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. It helped the campaigns by allowing a greater number of voters to ask political questions. Barack Obama used Ustream to rally his base.

Here is a YouTube video for the Soldier Knows Best channel. This user is in the Army and is a self-professed techno-geek.  His live feed is broadcasted every Wednesday at 8:00 pm Eastern on http://www.soldierknowsbest.com.

Have you used any of these video sharing platforms? If so, what are your thoughts?

“Unofficially” speaking . . .

June 29, 2010

There are probably thousands of “unofficial” blogs that support a product, discredit a service, analyze a company’s motives, etc. These unauthorized, unsponsored blogs can be a brand’s best friend or worst enemy. The candid attitudes can (and often do) influence scores of people into purchasing or boycotting a particular product or company.

Take for example,

• The unofficial Sprint Cell Phone Blog
• Disney (Unofficial) Blog – Families.com
• Simply Droid – The Unofficial Android Blog
• The Wal-Mart Watch Blog
• eHarmony Blog (unofficial)

Personally, I find these sites to be more credible and straightforward than many corporate sites. While many of the comments are pro-brand and the blogger may seem like a company spokesperson, many are also critical of brands and uncover the flaws as well as the benefits.

From a recent post on SmartBlog on Social Media, Jesse Stanchak addresses:  How should brands handle unofficial communities?  

Stanchak explains that Facebook recently replaced their unofficial fan pages with “community pages.” This was an effort by Facebook “to support the fans while preserving the official status of branded pages.”

Stanchak asks his audience, “Are you in favor of the shift toward community pages on Facebook? How do you handle your unofficial fan presence? Do unofficial pages have a hidden downside I’m not seeing?”

His readers’ responses:

S. Hackney – “As a marketing pro, I understand managing your brand. But, policing the communities that have sprung up as a result of their adoration of you is simply bad brand management. Instead, why not engage the community leaders, applaud their efforts and invite them to participate in your sandbox?”

M. Srivastava – “… an unofficial community is created in the honor of the official community and hence punishing them or trying to eliminate them means u are disrespecting either your customers or fans hence one thing that an official page can do is link these unofficial communities to expand their reach and increase their base.”

J. Haydon – “The real job of marketers is to watch these Community Pages – and learn. Then respond with wisdom and creativity.”

T. Rubin – “Plain and simple… embrace anyone who has the good graces to feature your brand in an advocate environment. Positive or negative feedback should make no difference. Enhance the positive and adjust for the negative. Listen, learn, and adjust accordingly.”

I am analytical by nature, so I need to hear all sides before I make my decisions. These kinds of blogs give me professional, expert advice rather than simply one-sided corporate messages. What is your take on “unofficial” blogs?

#1 Viral Campaign of the Past Decade was an Accident

June 28, 2010

What happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos? I say it is pure symphony! Check it out!

This cultural phenomenon started as a backyard experiment. Two “scientists,” Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz had heard about the Diet Coke and Mentos explosions and decided to try it out in their backyard. The first test only used one bottle of Diet Coke and a handful of Mentos. The chemical reaction of the two edible products created a spray of six to eight feet. 

The two men instantly decided they had to do something with this reaction and the very next night, they presented their very first choreographed show at the Early Evening Show, a live theater, in their hometown of Buckfield, Maine. The live audience loved it, so they decided to take their geyser show a step further.

After six months of experimenting with various geyser effects by drilling holes in the bottle tops, swinging the bottles on ropes, rolling them down hills, etc., they created their first  three-minute video (shown above).

The rest . . . is all viral!

The video went online at EepyBird.com on Saturday, June 3, 2006. Within hours, thousands of people had watched the video. Just two days later, the Late Show with David Letterman called and the following day, Late Night with Conan O’Brien called to get the act on their comedy shows. Their act went all the way to Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas then around the world to Paris, Istanbul, Holland and Belgium.

What’s next?

BP rejects over 900 ideas by InnoCentive for saving our Gulf Coast!

June 27, 2010

InnoCentive is a global company that uses crowdsourcing to collectively solve some of the world’s toughest problems. This company has offered FREE advice and solutions to BP to help contain the Gulf oil spill.  So far, BP has been saying they have the situation under control and do not need any outside advice from the world of experts. Amazing!!!! InnoCentive is not giving up though.

What is InnoCentive?

InnoCentive is an open innovation company that challenges anyone to solve particular problems in exchange for monetary rewards (up to $1 million). The company publicizes research and development problems ranging from engineering, math, chemistry, information technology, food/agriculture and life sciences to business and entrepreneurship. InnoCentive utilizes social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook and the InnoCentive Blog to rapidly disseminate challenges for the experts of the world to solve.

A little History of InnoCentive

The company’s founders worked at Big Pharma Eli Lilly and Company. This group believes in the wisdom of crowds. The concept of InnoCentive was developed to help generate research and development solutions for the pharmaceutical company. By networking with retired scientists, university professors and students and other top people in their respective industries around the globe, many solutions have been developed. The concept grew and there are over 1,000 challenges posted on the InnoCentive Web site.

The Oil Spill Challenge

InnoCentive posted a challenge on its corporate Website on April 30, 2010, for any solutions for the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. This was the first challenge issued by InnoCentive that did not offer any monetary rewards. Instead, they appealed to their vast pool of expert “Solvers” to respond quickly with ideas and approaches to help with this emergency situation.

 

 

Track the efforts of InnoCentive on:

      FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/InnoCentive

      Twitter at http://twitter.com/InnoCentive

      Perspectives on Innovation (InnoCentive Blog) at       http://blog.innocentive.com/

My Dad’s Advice on Parenting . . .

June 18, 2010

“Keep it simple and don’t ever forget what it’s like to be a kid.”

That’s the opening line from Cutlass, one of      Glamour Magazine’s Reel Moments short films.

Glamour Magazine found a way to revive its 65-year-old reputation, score over 600,000,000 media impressions, get in tight with Hollywood celebs and donate to FilmAid International. How’d they do it?

With the power and innovation of new media! Glamour Magazine enlisted Freestyle, a full-service development and production company, to invigorate their brand. This firm uses emerging media to help brands, like Glamour, achieve their marketing goals.

Glamour started by creating buzz among their faithful readers. They asked their readers to tell them their real-life stories in exchange for prize packages worth over $5,000. The essays were judged by online YouTube viewers and bloggers chimed in with their critiques.

Hollywood actresses were lured into the project by being given the rare opportunity to stand behind the camera rather than in front of it. Glamour management realized that only 7% of the directors in the Directors’ Guild are women and they wanted to give talented women this rare chance to channel their creativity using a different outlet.

Kirsten Dunst directs her first movie, Cutlass.

Kate Hudson wrote and directed, Cutlass. This short film stars Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart.

 

Watch other Glamour Reel Moments films at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfSLNWlrynY

What’s All the Twitter?

June 16, 2010

I have to admit, I never realized the effectiveness of  until I was coerced into using my two-year old account for a graduate school assignment.  Since I do not currently own a smart phone and I keep up with my friends and family via Facebook, emails, texts and phone calls, I did not need another platform to consume my already hectic life.

In addition to realizing I have to bite the bullet and invest in a smart phone, I learned that Twitter has its rightful place in social media. I increased the people and companies I follow from about five to over 50 in just a couple of days. I am receiving valuable job update information from Merck Pharmaceuticals. Even though most of these jobs are not in my field of study, I have learned the importance of utilizing this social media platform for up-to-the-minute news and information. I plan to follow more companies as I expand my job search to be among the first out of the gate to apply for positions in which I am interested.

For purely entertainment purposes, I am following Ashton Kutcher, Matthew McConaughey and Rob Thomas. These men are actually pretty funny. I learned from Rob Thomas’ twitter that his song, “Ever the Same,” was featured on General Hospital. Thomas’s twitter was, “If someone says, ‘You look so familiar.’ I always say ‘Do you watch General Hospital?’” I “Googled” the video and am listening to it as I continue to write . . .

Being a “Mo-towner” has its perks

June 6, 2010

This weekend was the IMC Weekend for faculty, professors, graduates and classmates of my Integrated Marketing Communications online master’s program. The event was held in my hometown (and current residence) of Morgantown, WV.  I am one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to drive for hours or fly clear across the country as a few of my past professors did.

The highlight of the weekend was presenting one of my favorite IMC professors with the “Golden Quill Award.” This prestigious award is chosen by the students who nominate a professor that has positively impacted their IMC experience. Prof. Larry Stultz is a creative genius. His professional background includes advertising and design. Now, he is a professor at The Art Institute of Atlanta and West Virginia University.

In his Creative Strategies class, Prof. Stultz taught me to think out of the box and really helped me get in touch with my creative side. I am very analytical by nature, so he had his work cut out for him.  

Here is a picture of Prof. Stultz (center) and my “date,” Kevin Hart (his lovely wife couldn’t make it).

This photo was taken with Kevin’s iPhone; uploaded onto Facebook, where he tagged it; I opened the message on my email; clicked on the Facebook hyperlink and uploaded it to this blog. Who would have thought that would have been possible ten years ago?

The only thing certain about emerging media is that it is changing by leaps and bounds almost instantaneously!  Who can even imagine where our society will be in the next ten years?

Here is one of my favorite videos of technology that may change emerging media. Can this new technology bring us a Sixth Sense? Enjoy!

 

June 8, 2010

I was “tagged” in a picture on Facebook. This picture was taken by a professional photographer during Saturday’s roundtable discussion. Cathy Chickerell and I were having a good time!

The IMC faculty and staff are always trying to improve. They listen very carefully to feedback and certainly practice what they preach!

A Whole New World of Drama

June 1, 2010

When I asked my 13-year old son what his all-time favorite Web site was, he quickly answered, “Cartoon Network.” He used to play on the computer much more when he was younger. (Now, he Facebooks.) I was amazed at how vast cartoonnetwork.com is. It is a virtual amusement park of online video games, shows and fun facts. It can entertain a kid, or even an adult, for hours!

Cartoon Network has done a great job of fusing animation with education in their new series, Total Drama World Tour. The characters in this show jet set to exciting and exotic places. The new series features intriguing destinations such as, The Alps, The Amazon, Egypt and Tokyo, Japan.

Trivia Question (True or False):  The idea of Cartoon Network was conceived as a way to showcase Ted Turner’s library of animated cartoons, which he had acquired from MGM, Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbara.

Scroll down for answer . . .

 

 

 

Trivia Answer: True - Cartoon Network started by airing classic cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, the Flintstones, and Yogi Bear.  But, overtime, they started creating and airing their own original animated series and even some live-action films and shows. Some of their first creations included Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Codename: Kids Next Door and Johnny Bravo. Cartoon Network’s newer shows include Camp Lazlo and Dude, What Would Happen.

Check out the new top rated show – Dude, What Would Happen: Spider vs. Fly

http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/dude/index.html?episodeID=8a250ab028ad2b6d0128db5c51010163

And, to reminisce about the classics, sit back and enjoy this Tom and Jerry “The Ugly Duckling” video:

Thank goodness my days of Barney are behind me!

Targeting minorities through relevant communication

May 31, 2010

Marketing to ethnic target audiences is not a “one-size fits all” concept. Marketers must realize that a well-defined target audience is based upon characteristics that go well beyond demographics. These include lifestyles, attitudes, perceptions, behaviors and desires. It is important for marketers to have one-on-one conversations with members of their target audience in order to fully understand them below the surface.

Here are a few good ideas on marketing to minorities from the US Small Business Administration :

1. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all minorities are alike.
2. Learn as much as you can about your potential customer’s traditions and beliefs.
3. Be careful when translating English, especially slogans, into foreign languages.
4. Use the native language media of the group you want to attract –particularly in print media.
5. Have staff members who speak the language of the ethnic group or groups you are targeting, and make sure signs and fliers printed in the appropriate languages are displayed prominently in your establishment.
6. Reject stereotypes and clichés.
7. In the same vein, sharpen your sensitivity to cultural slurs or taboos.
8. If you can afford to hire a specialty advertising agency or marketing consultant, the money will be well spent.
9. Be prepared to “educate” your audience.
10. Finally, get involved with the minority community.

For the entire story by Chris Forbes, go to http://ministrymarketingcoach.com/2008/02/19/10-ways-to-improve-your-marketing-to-minorities/

As in marketing to any audience – target the person, not the ethnicity.  After all, communication is most effective when it is with an individual. Do you know how to communicate with an entire minority group? If so, you are likely onto something . . .

This is no longer the age of Aquarius . . . It is now the age of Techno Geeks . . .

May 24, 2010

After all, this is the “me” generation. Millennials, also referred to as Generation Y or the Digital Generation, have been practically plugged into the Internet since their birth. This group of individuals was born between 1982 and 2000. They expect constant feedback and require almost constant stimulation. Technologically savvy, these people multi-task very well and sort through information that has been disseminated from every direction. They talk on their cells, text, surf the Internet, watch a DVR of their favorite reality show, chat on Facebook and listen to their MP3s almost simultaneously.

Since I was born pre-1982 (ok a lot “pre”), I have lived the television era. Even though I was born after TV was broadcasted in color, my family still had a couple of black and white TVs with the big 13-channel dials. That being said, I have had to learn emerging media; it was not part of my childhood.

Technology is rapidly changing our everyday lives. State-of-the-art televisions are nearly impossible to keep up with. Samsung has created the latest in TV innovation. The Series 5 features a flat panel, high definition, LCD television with touch-screen controls. These models are 46-inches and higher. How cool is that?

Marketers need to be everywhere their consumers are. Products are now advertised in movie clips, gaming videos and via mobile phones. Emerging media has spread across all living generations and all future generations will follow suit. As technology progresses, so will the media and marketers. I often wonder how products will be marketed to my grandchildren’s generation. Any thoughts?