(Extra Credit) Follow up on new trends

After writing my review of what I have learned this year about guerrilla marketing, I decided to stay in tune with the newest trends and see how creative people were becoming with their advertising ideas.

And wow, was I ever impressed. These new ideas have really got me thinking. I wonder if the creatives of this work are traveling on a subway to work, just looking at normal objects and putting their clients product in place...


Or perhaps they wake up from a wild dream after brainstorming the night before on a pitch that's due the next day. Maybe they wake up from the half-reality, half-surreal state and come up with some really outgoing advertisements...


Either way, the power and pull of these ideas are amazing. Though some may see them as rather invasive, and even somewhat dangerously distracting, I feel they have distinct advantages over traditional advertising.

Advantages:
-garnish attention and making people stop and read the message
-lasting impressions
-gives company name a creative and innovative image
-impresses people
-make people think

Possible disadvantages:
-too invasive/distracting (accidents/annoying)
-short effect
-limited reach

To me, the advantages certainly outweigh the disadvantages. If I were a client in this day and age, I would work more on integrated these guerrilla tactics alongside other traditional methods, gaining both side's advantages.

Check out the rest here.

(FINAL POST)- Guerrilla Progress

Several months ago marketers and advertising professionals were raving about the death of the 30 second television spot, and the detrimental effects to the industry. The truth is that these people did not fear the decreasing impact of TV advertising, but rather dreaded the total fall in traditional media approaches. By having the opportunity to create this my blogging project I was able to really tackle this issue as well as the crucial alternative to this potential conflict: guerrilla marketing and word of mouth/buzz advertising. By closely monitoring the industry and keeping up to date with blogs, AdAge weekly, the news, and other media networks, I was able to form my own opinion on whether or not traditional media was dying. More importantly, however, I was able to discover the fields of non-traditional advertising like WOM and guerrilla efforts, and was soon able to notice the power and potential of an ever-changing marketing tool.


Back in the beginning of the year people viewed buzz marketing as less accepted and unpredictable means of advertising, truly undermining the potential of its powers. There were the new trends, like moving billboards, segway advertising, and even bicycle advertisements. But deeper under the surface was a greater potential and creative way to reaching consumers of all markets. Starting around late January, stretching into early February, people had a nice glimpse at the power of this form of marketing/message relaying. Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens created a guerrilla campaign for the Cartoon Network show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which quickly caused the city to seize activity momentarily. This example demonstrated nearly all aspects of what my blog was about. First, the guerrilla campaign was something non-traditional, and much unexpected by the mass public it reached. And when the work was released, an enormous amount of WOM began which spread the story to parts all around the world. It created a buzz, whether positive or negative, which attracted more people to the events, a large portion of which then paid more attention to the station’s show. Even if the effects were an indirect result from the desired outcome, the stunt caused a large increase in attraction to the show.

In other less subtle ways, guerrilla media has started to reach into other popular forms of media, including the Internet and certain social networks. With the help of certain software and programs, marketers have begun to mix guerrilla efforts with interactive consumer content. Blogs, including mine, have become the newest technological socializing method used by millions of people throughout the world. The advantage of this method allows marketers to not only create company blogs, but to also monitor the consumer activity concerning their business on other’s blogs. With consumers, not companies, spreading the messages about certain products and services through WOM, businesses are either sharing positive feedback and return, or negative publicity.

Furthermore, companies are also finding their ways into social networks like youtube, facebook, myspace, and more. Through hilarious video postings and clever company ideas, I was able to discover that this buzz form of marketing has the potential to create a great deal of WOM among consumers and explore several relatively new advertising outlets. What has been scaring marketers, however, is the interactivity involved in this network marketing, and the pull it has on consumers which decreases use of more traditional media choices.

With that said, I have noticed that companies would rather take advantage of this opportunity, rather than neglect and ignore these alternatives to “older” forms of advertising. By having this blog project, I was able to explore one of the newest forms of media: Second Life. This online world filled with imagination, creativity, and endless potential has sprung many ideas for advertisers all over. Companies like Coke and Mercedes have already begun to experiment with advertising in the Second Life world. They have been seen branding islands, creating brand representative Avatars to relay information in world, and even place their products in the “game” to allow people to purchase them. Again, these non-traditional efforts are all part of a campaign that causes greater buzz and attraction among consumers. To expand upon this more, advertising agencies and marketing firms have built in world islands which allow them to express their creative efforts and abilities to prospective clients and employees. Through my blog research I have begun to speculate that Second Life could be what the Internet was to companies several years ago.

Another advantage of this blog project was the ability to witness the advantage of such marketing efforts in this field. I was able to watch Chipotle, a McDonalds franchise spin-off, benefit from these forms of non-traditional advertising. The company was reported claiming that they barely use television spots and other traditional approaches. Instead, they rely heavily on quality customer service leading to increased customer satisfaction, which ultimately leads to more WOM between consumers. And in the end, the power of positive WOM can be worth 1000 television commercials. This is because a friend is more likely to credit and believe another friend who raves about a new restaurant like Chipotle.

Though guerrilla marketing and WOM tend to rely on non-traditional efforts, it shouldn't downplay certain traditional measures still affected in these fields. In fact, a recent incident involving Imus, a popular radio DJ, became so popular in the media that Nike decided to respond in one of the most traditional ways: a Magazine advertisement. The issue involved negative comments released by the DJ about a women’s basketball team, and the news of the event quickly spread through the power of WOM relaying on websites, video postings, and nearly every blog.

But the new trends are what seem to interest me most in this field of the industry. I discovered that with the help of buzz/guerrilla campaigning, certain industries and artists whom would usually reject marketing have now come to embrace these new methods. For example, Nine Inch Nails, a popular industrial band strongly against many forms of media, have taken advantage of such unexpected and untraditional methods. They have recorded certain tracks and hidden them on USB drives throughout their concerts during shows. After fans find these USBs they are encouraged to go to artist-created websites and blogs to review and spread the message of their events. It’s all an intricate plan devoted to increasing consumer (fan) involvement.


The only regret and complaint I have about this blog project is that our time was too limited to discover more about such an interesting field. In other words, I hope to expand my blogging experience and truly discover the fields of guerrilla marketing and buzz advertising. In my opinion, after extensive research and industry watching, I feel that guerrilla campaigns and efforts are the new ways for our generation. We are a tough to reach crowd, and a multitasking, multimedia consuming crowd. Without these unexpected and nontraditional ways, companies messages would be lost in the noise of more traditional displays. With that said, I feel the future of advertising lies within this field of the industry. Through experimentation and trail and error with guerrilla attempts, people have already come up with certain tools like building graffiti, which is yet to become a mainstream form of advertising. Certain uses of this marketing allow for enormous amounts of creativity and endless ways to create consumer buzz. If you don’t believe me, check out the new Justin.tv website, and see the power of WOM on a live feed. It’s going to be interesting to see where the future of buzz advertising takes us, and even more exciting to continue blogging and staying in tune with this interactive world.

(Extra Cred.) A who new way to smell fragrences...

Second Life is a relatively new platform that has been offering endless creativity to the most imaginative people, including several business. But you may notice one thing wrong, Avatars cannot smell! For that matter, they barley have access to all 5 of their senses. How are businesses going to attract Avatars to their freshly cooked food products or lovely smelling roses?

Well now, Calvin Klein is saying who cares if the Avatars cannot smell their products, they can still experience them. And after all, isn't that whats most important, the brand experience.

CK is planning to launch their newest fragrance, CKIN2U, in Second Life for Avatars to experiment with. They are well aware that you cannot smell a product in SL, but have no objection to doing so and think it will be a new interactive way to stay in touch with the brand.

Since you cannot smell the fragrance, spraying it will form sparkling bubbles to form around you or other Avatars, initiating conversation among who ever is around.


Along with this new outlet, CK is teaming with Justin Bovington’s Rivers Run Red on the Avalon island in Second Life. And according to the blogs
CK will be holding a photography contest with a grand prize of 1 million Linden (SL) dollars. UK visitors will also be able to visit a website to order a free sample of the fragrance.

Personally, I think this new launch strategy is a great idea. Judging from the recent television ads for this new fragrance, CK is trying to target a slightly younger, teenage/young adult market (18-24). Using such social networks like Second Life provide new ways of website traffic, interactive consumer involvement, and great ways to build brand awareness, desire, and image.

Though people cannot smell the product in SL, they also cannot feel the SL Lexus they drive, taste the SL Coke they drink, or feel the expensive clothes on your SL Avatars. Does this stop them from spending real money on these SL items? The answer is no.

CK is intelligently integrating the new forms of media and is making sure not to neglect a large outlet used by their target market. Hopefully this plan will help build positive brand image and an increase in awareness, driving a step closer to great sales.

To learn more, check out this site, or here

Turning a positive into a negative?

Word of a brand new campaign has come out by Nike, a relatively short and specific campaign. In response to the ignorant remarks by Imus (WFAN radio host, Nike created a very simplistic looking print ad solely for New York Times source (particularly the Sunday April 15th edition).

The ad used an ample amount of white space and rather informal tone with its copy. Though simple, the ad has a very powerful message and will surely inspire and motivate not only women, but people all over the world.

What does this say about the issue?

Well, like the last line states, humankind has a long way to go. We have a long way to go with censorship, racial issues, ethnics, politics, gender agreements, and much more. But most importantly, in a very subtle way, it is saying Nike supports these insulted women, and recognizes that their company stands above these petty arguments. They are not coming straight out and saying we support these women, as well as all other athletic women, so buy our products! They are respecting their sponsored athletes, and noticing their feelings and rights beyond the court.

In my opinion, it is a very effective message and caring attitude to take. They are taking an approach that risks judgment and criticism from many other radio hosts and affiliations. There is a fine line concerning advertisements that cover such controversial issues, with such little time in between. Many people could say this is distasteful to take advantage of such a situation by putting your logo all over it, and saying they are here for them.

But Nike has always had a reputation of motivating and encouraging people of all kinds to be themselves. I think this ad perfectly displays their true feelings and attitude towards the situation. Plus, by limiting the medium to one edition of one magazine, I feel the ad as more of a PSA then an endorsement recognition.

Besides the fact, without such powerful word of mouth and buzz about the situation, this whole advertisement would have never been possible. It is amazing how quickly something is reported and turns into a nation wide concern.

I say thanks Nike, thanks for confronting and handling the issue properly.


Check out more here
or Nikewomen.

More sites of NIN

Just found some more sites released by Reznor, or at least in affiliation to the group NIN as part of their new viral marketing efforts:


http://anotherversionofthetruth.com/
http://bethehammer.net/mallory.htm
http://105thairbornecrusaders.com/memories.htm
http://www.consolidatedmailsystems.com/citizen_unknown/

NIN is changing the music industry...

It's not what you would expect from such a different band. And as much as Nine Inch Nails' lead man, Trent Reznor, claims it's not a marketing campaign, it really is. To promote their new album, Year Zero, NIN has begun a new marketing approach, something less traditional and more interactive with their fans and even live audience members.

Think of their new efforts as an interactive guerrilla campaign, except the volunteers who act in the campaign are fans, or even you! These efforts cover several tactics like text encrypted into t-shirts (revealing websites), Orwellian websites produced by the band, and my favorite, USB flash-drives found in bathrooms of the concert halls during NIN shows.

If you check out this site, you'll find multiple sitings of these reported USB findings. Reznor also comments on the drives saying they were just another way of circulating the music, and getting pass the outdated CD medium. In my opinion, this was a genius way of promoting the music of NIN. Not only does it drive people to their shows, giving them something exciting and thrilling to look forward to, it also provides one of the best forms of marketing: word-of-mouth. These songs that people find in the bathrooms on these drives are brand new, from the latest album, and not even released yet. After finding these, one is compelled to share their discovery with as many people as possible to spread the music.

These new was of marketing and promoting a band's music is taking campaigning to the next level. It provides people with an interactive "scavenger hunt," something to get people involved in the music and artistry behind the band. By exploring the above website, one can take a look into the haunting, yet intriguingly interesting stories of Parepin, a large influence to some of Reznor's chilling lyrics.

With the help of 42entertainment, NIN has produced a promotional campaign which has given fans enhanced access to the music, and a better way for people to become involved with what they love. Like mentioned in earlier posts, giving the consumer control and alternatives gives them the freedom they desire, and the desire to want more.

To check out more, visit this article.

And you thought the iPhone was ahead of its game...

Technology is a rather spectacular subject. There are the advantages it brings, and there sure are the downfalls with its furtherance. Its latest advance, however, is something incredibly powerful, whether good or bad.

Companies like NeoMedia Technologies have undergone research and development to bring some of the most advance information retrieval to cellphones today. Picture yourself and other customers finding something you may want to purchase: a house, car, food/beverage product, or even service. What do you do? Well, depending on the product value, you usually research the product, whether it be its nutrition value, price, or performance. Usually, you may find yourself doing this on the Internet. Now, imagine yourself driving by a billboard that displays a message for a new car, pointing your cellphone at the sign, and receiving a text message that displays all of the product details (size, color options, price, monthly rates, etc). Intense, right?

Well the capabilities are already underway. McDonald's in Japan are allowing consumers to point their cellphones at a hamburger wrapper to acquire the nutritional information. They are even using cellphones to board airplanes, not paper tickets!

Think of the possibilities. You no longer will have to drive home back to your computer to do the research and the cool new product you saw while out. All of the retrieval will be done on spot.

In my opinion, it seems that the term "point-of-purchase," and even "impulse buys" have expanded their boundaries. It's like your product has a POP display wherever it stands for customers. People will most likely be more willing to make purchases with fewer waiting time in between their initial desire for the product, and the point it takes to decide.

Companies like Hewlett Packard are quick to jump on this new technology. They are teaming up with other companies, mainly Microsoft and Motorola , to further advance these capabilities and bring more convenience and power to the consumer. Advertisers will soon join this movement, once again changing the face of advertising and the way we make our purchases.

I agree with the article in saying that there will be a little difficulty in attracted consumers to truly utilize this option. Over time, people will probably lack the urge to go out and scan products and objects just for fun. Once the initial buzz of the new technology is over, advertisers are going to need to develop new ways to attract people to do this. People will not just randomly do it, you must provide an incentive or an intriguing factor.

I have been giving this some though and have come up with a couple ideas. First off, you could leave the customer wanting more with the actual physical message in the store. A sign for Axe Bodyspray may show a beautiful girl revealing a portion of her body, then the tag-line saying, "scan me to reveal more..." Or on a less riskier note, you could have a Pepsi POP say, "scan here to receive a promotional code to use at the register as a coupon."

The possibilities seem endless at this point. The only thing that worries me is the security precautions that may come with this new technology. For example, the use of the cellphones as plane tickets may just be a little too much. This could bring concerns as for forgery and other threats.

Check out more here .

Extend your "fifteen minutes of fame"

Ketchum has announced that one of its subdivisions, Zocalo Group, will open this week. Zocalo is a new company devoted towards word of mouth (WOM) advertising for companies and businesses looking for an addition to their traditional advertising. Literally, a Zocalo is a leisurely area that comforts people to visit, relax, and enjoy great conversation with one another. In essence, that is what the Zocalo group is attempting to create and maintain. They want your company to capitalize on your most important customers, or the evangelists as they say.

The group's equation for success is simple:
Impress customers with your product/service and they will become natural advocates of your brand and will be willing to share the word (Organic WOM). Then, amplify these feelings of sharing messages through strategic and efficient marketing campaigns (Amplified WOM). Put these two together and you have Organic WOM + Amplified WOM= Sustainable WOM).

After looking at the numbers, it is easy to persuade yourself to believe in this methodology. I cannot help but agree with this company, along with several other professionals of the past, when they say that WOM can be the most successful form of promotion/advertising available. To harness the power of trust, credibility, believability, and persuasion between you, your customers, and their peers, can be a powerful tool. I have been a firm believer in WOM and find myself easily persuaded by my friends and family when it comes to purchases. Nearly all of my products/services, besides clothing, comes from recommendations from others around me.

My impressions of this subdivision are quite positive. I feel like more firms/agencies should take advantage of these opportunities within controlling WOM and increasing your message sharing abilities. As for their implementation of their strategy and delivery, I again stand impressed. Their helpful model and extensive customer categorizing shows promising dedication that they will seem to be following.

My only concern, and skeptical outlook, is that I believe it will be very difficult to measure the success of specific Word of Mouth advertising. Though they stress their advantage and capability of measuring their results specifically, I have yet to find their approach to doing so. In my opinion/experience, WOM is very effective, yet nearly impossible to measure. Of course the use of surveys and questionnaires can help this problem, however, I am interested to see if Zocalo has other ideas.

Check out more background information here

The middle man...

Again, another interesting post...

Triangulation is an interesting theory to think about for many marketers and entrepreneurs.

I myself instantly started to think more towards the 16 dollar bottle. Amazing what more options/competition can do in this consumer driven world.

Risky business

Again, while reading over some of Seth's posts, I came across an interesting little blog that I thought was noteworthy.

Risk truly is something companies worry about day in and day out. Executives make decisions to buy new products, acquire new services, and even hire new people everyday based on the risk of their new acquisition being successful. Seth mentions a key point that most B2B transactions require a large amount of risk, seeing as the amount/size of their order is much larger then most consumer requests.

I do have to agree with him for the most part. A high amount of risk is not always a negative quality. It intrigues certain people to try new alternatives and hope for the best. And like he says, when people discover a new success, coming from a large risk, they are much more likely to tell their associates and friends.

Think about it. It is like hearing about a completely new computer coming out, something different then a PC or the all mighty Macs. Not everyone is going to be quick to jump the gun on it because it is a huge risk compared to the safety they have with their previous computers. When someone decides to indulge in this risk, however, and find success, well then the new Apple has been created. These satisfied customers will soon spread (WOM) the word and the business will benefit from their risk factor.

Word of caution: creating products with a higher risk is not always wise. Though it does have the potential to generate a great amount of buzz, you must be 100% confident that your product/service does not fail.

Justin.Sane!!!

While checking out some great blogs this week (including Seth's blog), I came across a rather interesting and peculiar site. It's called Justin.tv and gives a unique look at one individuals life. If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you visit the site and spend some time there, for this could be the start of something new.

Justin, the CEO and cameraman of this site, has strapped a camera to his hat and has been recording his life for the past 17 days now to its entirety. From running errands to the post office, to going on dates with girls he meets, he makes sure to include every single detail as if you were right alongside him, as a Siamese twin. The interesting, yet rather brow-raising feature of this site is that the video is streamed live for any visitor to see.

The homepage consists of a video display of Justin, links to his blog where he recaps his day, forums, detailed schedules of his days, and more. When I visited, I was surprised to find so many fans and other visitors conversing rapidly on the interactive chat-boxes provided through the site. As I sat waiting, watching Justin type away on his laptop, I wondered if he ever interacted with the live audience he had on his site. I also began to ask people and fans there what attracted them to this site, not only initially, but to return as much as some did (nearly everyday for some). Disregarding some ignorant remarks, I managed to reveal that people just liked being there, talking with others, and watching another person live there life. It seems that people have this fascination with watching and knowing what other people are doing. Yet I cannot really complain, because I too found myself glued to the website, watching this stranger's every move. It was intriguing, yes, but rather creepy at the same time.

After about 20 minutes, however, I finally decided to pull myself away from watching him and put some real thought into what was going on. My first question was whether or not he really came up with this idea, or is some company behind this? And if there isn't, how long is it going to take for there to be one backing the project?

Seeing as this blog is all about advertising, I also thought about the endless possibilities with this new media. First off, Justin already has sponsors filling the bottom portion of the site, and they aren't little local companies. Companies like Go Daddy and Zipcar are already backing him financial. I think it will only be a matter of time before the banner ads and possible pop-ups come.

But the big idea, in my opinion, is the possibility of extreme product placement. Think about it for a minute. The more people that come to Justin's site, the more hits he gets, and the better ranked his website becomes. The better ranked, the more attention he will receive from marketing companies and advertising firms seeking locations to put their products/services. Now, digest this.

Justin lives his life day to day, minute by minute on camera to the entire world. He eats certain foods, uses specific electronics, wears branded clothes, and much more. Imagine these companies contacting Justin about how they want to "sponsor" him in his life! He would be one of the first sponsors of a company for doing nothing! He wouldn't be an athlete, artist, or musician. Companies like Apple could buy his crew laptops and get full product placement. Even car companies can lend him cars so he can drive it around where ever he needs to. The potential with this website are amazing, and I can't wait to see what happens with Justin.tv

Until then, check out what he's doing, spread the word...it's something to watch
Check out this article about it, the Real Truman show

Ask Google what they think...

If you Google my name, you'll most likely find a link to this site in the top 3 links. In fact, if you Google your own name, you'll probably find something long lost about yourself. That's not the point. The point is, nearly everyone who uses the Internet uses Google. To many, Google has become their homepage and a sole search engine devoted to research, entertainment, and news. In fact, this blog is even powered by Google. At some point, one must stop and wonder when the line of being a monopoly is crossed. Recently, someone actually did stop to question this fact, and that someone is competitor Ask.com.

In a new effort to expand people's methods of obtaining information via the Internet, Ask has begun a guerrilla marketing campaign that has intrigued quite a buzz. This new campaign was recently launched in the UK and can be seen on the underground rails of London. The idea was formulated through the frustration of many reps at Ask. The employees were not necessarily angry with Google, for they mention how Google has done nothing wrong. They are more disappointed with the way people retrieve information on the web, and usually rely on only one source/search engine.

The ad is meant to generate a great amount of buzz among people, intriguing the viewer to visit the sponsored-site shown. Though it is quite an effective ad, people have criticized Ask for not listing their name on the message.

In my opinion, however, leaving out the Ask logo/name in the ad has several advantages. This is a message to sway people away from using one primary search engine, mainly Google. It would be a contradiction if Ask were to label their-selves in the ad for it would give the impression that they want everyone to use their site now. In comparison, it would be like a giant PSA campaign to encourage people try different things, but then hinting that your product/service is the best alternative. Plus, that is the intention of the ad, to tell people to try more sites when searching for information. This is why Ask lists several search engines on their mentioned website information-revolution.org, giving people an option to check multiple sources.

If you check out this site, you'll notice a "revolutionary" tone to the pages. You will also find the Ask logo at the bottom of the page, revealing who is behind the message. The company is asking people to join the movement and describes that the freedom of information is an important right to possess, and nothing should limit that. Though there is still criticism from skeptical people who argue Ask should not intervene, the site legitimizes Ask and shows that they truly are concerned in this issue, rather than wanting people to use their site.

Both bad and good, this guerrilla campaign has sparked quite the commotion among several people and groups. The advertising will soon extend to other outlets including print, radio, TV, and billboard. The messages have started debates on many blogs and through several public. Despite the backlash, I feel Ask needs to stick with with their campaign and support something that is going unnoticed among many.

The freedom of information lies mainly within the hands of the people. Especially when concerning the Internet, I feel people need to take more responsibility with their information obtained and how they source their gatherings. I feel Ask has done a great job in informing people on the issue, and should continue educating people through the power of WOM and guerilla advertising.

To read more on the topic, start with CNET's News.com post.

Real men cry into Brawny towels...

The more people and companies become comfortable with the Web, the more they start to experiment with new tactics and strategies with their products and services. Viral marketing, with roots stemming far back, is actually considered rather new and still hasn't caught on by many top companies. But for businesses like Brawny paper towels and Frito Lays Doritos, viral campaigns are not all that new, just still very successful.

Recently in the New York Times, Georgia-Pacific, one of the world's leading manufacturer of such products like paper towels and paper, have created a campaign that uses viral marketing to sell Brawny paper towels to women, age 25 to 54. They have justified this market due to the increase in amount of women spending much more time on the Web these days.

To start this campaign, GP used a very traditional viral technique of sending emails to all of the people who signed up on www.allyourrooms.com, a site created by GP for people to check out tips on cleaning, decorating, entertaining, cooking, etc. In my opinion, this is a great, personal way of contacting these people directly to inform them of the campaign. Of course, email is fading these days, but it is still one of the most strongest direct-mail services. These people are encouraged to visit the Brawny website, and check under the "tongue in cheek" section to hear some funny comments by the Brawny Man like, "why, you look beautiful today...it must be your eyes." The most important part of this campaign is not the commentary being spoken, but the button below the image that says, "send to a friend." This is the viral success of the campaign, the endorsement Brawny receives whenever one of these women visits the site, watches the clip, and then sends it to a friend.

Even better, the site has a link to the Brawny Academy, an actual reality show directed at the women of this target market. The show consists of several wives (of this age group) who are fed up with the laziness and dissatisfying ways of there husbands, so they send them to Brawny Academy to go through a forest "boot camp." The trailer, is rather amusing and the episodes are promising. I am sure it will be a successful show which just provides another outlet on the website for these women to stumble across, and become hooked on. These shows provide more power because they have the ability to entertain these women, and hold much longer visiting times. The more time the women spend watching these shows, the more they are exposed to the Brawny Man, the labels, the logos, and most importantly, their husbands using these products. In summary, these are all effective ways to brand this company to their markets, and a more efficient way to spread the word of their products.

Still, with such great ROI from the website and increase in awareness through the viral aspects, Brawny spent less than 1 percent of its $24.2 million estimated budget on the Web,and a consistent 31.4 percent on broadcast network television commercials.

Slowly, companies are learning the importance of not only the Internet, but the online interactivity and integration that is involved. The more outlets and entertainment your provide for your consumers who visit your site, the more chance you have to provide product/company information. To further this, the more creative and popular you are on the web, the more people will talk about your site and your products that you offer. It's a chain of events that needs to be mastered by any company in this day and age of technology-based consumers.


To check out more, visit the New York Times.

Rap Cat...

Sometimes, franchises are known to have some hilariously random advertising campaigns. Such irrelevant work that you would think this stuff would never sell the product at all. Take Burger King's Buckin Chicken commercial. Obviously a funny play on words here, not a whole lot to do with the brand, but the commercial still ranked quite well in consumers mind's.

Well, Checkers, another burger franchise (less known), has decided to go down the same road. Instead of spending their advertising budget on typical TV spots, print ads, or billboards, they have devoted a large portion to Rap-Cat.. This is a very funny website devoted to Checkers' little furry mascot, a rapping cat. Hes got videos, a bio, music, extras, and even merchandise! People who visit the site can by ringtones, join the fan club, or buy their cats Rap-Cat accessories.

The clever part of this site are the commercials that are nicely woven in to the other content, making them rather funny and enjoyable to watch. Also, this is an age of nontraditional marketing, and pulling a stunt like this has the potential to greatly help your business.

As me and my friends watched this site, after laughing for several minutes, we started talking about how great it was. I hear one of the girls I was with say how she wanted to buy all of the cat accessories for her cat, and even get the ringtone. My other friend said how he had never heard of Checkers before, and is very intrigued to try it now.

This is a perfect example of buzz marketing, and word-of-mouth at its best. I congratulate Checkers for a job well done, and recognizing that perhaps an interactive website is whats best for certain consumers today.

Warning: listening/visiting this site will get the song stuck in your head all day!!!
(it even made VH1's top choices here

Promote this...

I am at it again, time to get this blog out there.

If you can recall, a couple of weeks ago I posted on this blog about how to promote your blog and what steps I had done for mine. To start with, I signed up with Weblogs.com and Blogdigger.com. These sites update their directories every time I post, giving searchers of those sites an opportunity to catch my blog.

I then linked my site to my email signature, and watched my responses/comments climb. This helped show my bosses, family, and intern-manager who I was, and what I was doing with my time.

I topped it off with tons of Word-of-Mouth promoting and filling my social networks with my link (AIM, FaceBook, etc).

Today, I tried a new technique, simply respond to my peers and fellow bloggers. With my classmates, I spent time reading through several blogs, commenting on the posts that I found most interesting. I also checked outside sites/blogs and emailed several people about their input on certain matters at hand. Forrester's Marketing Blog was a site I visited and commented on.

Commenting on blogs not only allows you to check out what other people are saying, but it also leaves room for you to drop your URL. This is a great way for the authors to spend a little time at your blog in return. In fact, it also keeps you more involved with the entire social network of blogging, and the more your involved, the more known your blog will be.

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Pinkberry in Second Life?

Recently, I have been talking a lot about Second Life. After all, why not? Mark my words, as well as the many others from people who told me, it will eventually be all over the world, or a new world within itself.

I am also performing extensive research on Pinkberry, a relatively new frozen yogurt craze that has swept addicted customers across the West Coast (California), and a few locations in New York City. In determining a successful marketing plan for this company, I have teamed up with a small group to target 18-24 year old College Women of these areas. The primary markets will be geographically located in California, while the secondary market will consist of relatively the same type of students located in NYC.

As part of our plan, we feel that creating a SL build for Pinkberry will be essential and a creative way to express Pinkberry's brand image. From my numerous hours spent in SL, I have noticed one key characteristic: people love to accessorize and add to their avatar's experience. What would be more perfect then SL people walking around indulging in some tasty Pinkberry frozen yogurt. I myself love to be carrying around a Coke can, casually sipping of the drink from time to time. If there were Pinkberry stands set around different locations, however, I would obviously switch to this cold and delicious treat.

One of the major distinctions between SL and real life is the endless amount of creativity and imagination that SL can provide. With that said, if you want your company to stand out in the game, then by all means do so. People usually don't explore SL to be bored by a crowded and unimaginative Mercedes Dealership, or a boring PR firm. Companies should express their creativity in the game to show how open-minded their brand can be. Take the advertising agency, Leo Burnett, for example:
Leo Burnett Headquarters

What, you didn't expect a large "tree trunk" building with bouncing apple rides and flying pencils for this firm? Well this is exactly the point, companies like this are able to show their creativity and prove to prospective clients that they have the imagination it takes to support their products.

Or how about Kawaii Ku, a fantasy shopping center where some parts are based from "cartoonish" landscapes, and others portray more dirty, bad parts of the city:



As for Pinkberry, they need to create a main Island shaped like a giant dish of their frozen yogurt. The swirl would be very colorful and contain several toppings, offered in real life, and placed as objects for visitors throughout the island. A very important factor would be the presence of Pinkberry representatives (as avatars of course). This way, if people had any questions about Pinkberry products, nutritional value, locations, or anything, they could be easily helped. They should also include the company website as a link so people can simply click on the link and be taken to the site.

Beyond the island, Pinkberry should work out agreements with other major locations in order to open up SL stores and mini-stands. This would further increase the awareness, and hopefully popularity of the yogurt.

The reason Pinkberry should open in Second Life, according to our plan, is due to the increasing statistics of college users across the world. It is projected that this market will soon be a leading segment of Second Life, and that branding a company in world would increase their chances for success.

By using the appeal of creativity and friendly representatives, Pinkberry has the potential of successfully increasing their brand image and awareness through SL involvement.

Can marketers really socialize with social marketing?

Whenever a new form of media is introduced to the public, it is only a matter of time before marketers consume the outlet with floods of advertisements. Just six months ago Google was offering Youtube 1.6 billion dollars for ownership, and of course there would be an advertisement strategy involved in the purchase. But with new ways to advertise on these sites, new viral ways, is it really acceptable to the public.

Let us take the very popular College Humor website, visited daily by prankster college students, or others just looking for a good laugh. The site is filled with hilarious pictures of college peers, witty editorial articles relating with the students, and the much visited daily videos . I have to admit, I am, and have been for a few years now, a huge fan of the social media based site. I visit nearly once (if not more) a day and at least check out all of the videos which provide me with a great laugh.

Recently, however, I have found something rather intrusive, something that serves as quite an annoyance for me. College humor has started to place advertisements around the boarder of several videos I try to watch, encompassing the entire outside of the video space, and usually plastered with logos. I would link the site of this advertising, but they appear randomly when you watch the videos, so I urge you to watch several of them to see for yourself.

Now, I am by no means a advertising critic, and rarely do I complain about the amount/intrusiveness of advertisements in my life. But I too have lines that can be crossed.

To start with, I go to this site not only to watch the videos, but also to read the clever commentary that is paired with the video. Its like they give you something to look for while watching. But with the addition of these "frame-advertisements," The commentary text is completely cut off, and I have to instantly close out of the advertisement to read the content. By then, I have seen the video, miss the joke, and am ticked off.

Secondly, the first time I saw this type of advertisement I was very confused and thrown off. While watching a video of a student streaking across campus all my attention was focused on the giant Kraft label that surrounded the video. Initially, since I had never seen these advertisements, I thought Kraft was sponsoring the video, and in fact performing the stunt (or at least encouraging it). As I continued to watch, confused, I thought to myself,"this is some bad publicity for Kraft."

So all in all, its no surprise to me that advertisers will be "invading" social media networks, nor do I wish them not to. But in order to be successful at doing so, I rec commend several points. First, don't cover up important information on the site that visitors depend on, your ad will be closed immediately, and if it does stay open, consumers will be aggravated not with the site, but your brand (gives them a face to blame). Secondly, be careful who your "unintentional" sponsors/partners are. If your company deals with preventing fires, make sure you don't advertise on a site like College Humor where your logo and company will be surrounding a video of pyro-maniacs.

I have come to accept this frame advertising, and in fact enjoy its efforts of being less intruding on visitors. But there are some minor changes that need to be done in order to generate success from them.

For more information, check out Ad Weeks related article with Google & Youtube.

Second Business...

After recently visiting some interesting company fronts in SL, I have taken away a bit of advice for future companies, or perhaps one of my own some day. Second Life is a different world, with different rules of society, and this should be well noted when thinking about building your business here.

To start with, I checked out the ever so famous Leo Burnett build. It was a lot like what you wouldn't expect. Mainly outdoors, there were large "tree forts" with libraries on top. There were some interesting objects like a bouncing apple, which hung from the trees, and a flying pencil (company trademark) for all visitors. One of the most eye-catching parts for me, however, was the large auditorium with a microphone in the middle. I'm guessing this location is used for larger conferences and meetings with the agency and visitors or even faculty.

The other two places were personal shopping centers not for yourself, but for your second-self, your avatar. Here you could preview all sorts of merchandise ranging from roman clothes, to body piercings, to tattoos, and even range rovers and porches. Each location was laid out in a unique way; one store had a more professional, mall-like feel, while the other shopping center was set in an anime cartoon land. Once walking through different portals of the areas you could teleport to larger cityscapes and window shop there (unless you had some real linden dollars--which cost real U.S dollars). The best part about these locations, the call to action shown right when you teleport. Paper Couture, a Second Life clothing business, has left their link in their build, making it easy to just click it and visit. You can preview all of the clothing collections and view model avatars wearing the clothing. Back in the store you can by the clothes again on Second Life. Interesting enough, its almost the reverse process of how we buy merchandise in real life.


As for creating a successful business front in SL, these companies had some pros and cons. Mainly, I feel the name of the actual location was not branded enough, or barely visible. If I came across Leo Burnett in Second Life, I wouldnt have a clue as to where I was.

This brings me to my advice about opening/building your Second Life business, or business in Second Life. First off, certainly spend lots and lots of time in SL before thinking about building (did I mention a lot of time). This program is relatively new to many people, and to rush into something may not be as fortunate as the original internet outcome. It takes large amounts of money and time to maintain a build in SL, so have someone from your company research the program, the surroundings and everything else involved with your build plans before you begin. Also, be prepared to have a PR firm/individual ready when you do build. You never know what could happen to your image once placed into a world that is bound by minimal law. Be careful when building.

Create a build as you would in real life, but use the creative advantage of Second Life. To explain further on this broad statement, I mean to build a world that represents your company first: use logos and brand color schemes, create a feel that is comfortable and matching with your brand image. For example, if your company were to be Apple, create a futuristic world with use of solid whites and blacks. Make sure to include your logo all over the place (without becoming to obsessive). But at the same time, don't be afraid to explore your endless boundaries in the game. Create teleports that allow you to transport visitors to fantasy worlds and truly make the experience interactive. If your image permits, have games, free objects, and other qualities that will make avatars want to return, or at least bookmark the landmark in their inventories. Remember that your store front in SL has the same idea as it would in RL, it gives people a chance to view a representation of your company and image. So treat your build well, create exciting activites for the avatars, and show your product/service at its best.

With this said, make sure your world is social. Since this is a social media network, make sure you include activities and locations to make an avatars experience social and interactive. Like in many SL businesses, have meeting places or lecture locations. This will allow you to hold meetings and speakers that will entertain the visiting avatars as well as inform them.

Another note, this is not PowerPoint or MS Excel, this is a 3D virtual world. Your presentation skills have become endless. With the lack of physical appearance, one can become truly comfortable with their avatar and truly impress prospective visitors with some interesting information. So when giving your company overview, walk people through a 3D version of your presentation. Make sure they have opportunity to interact with what is being said/shown. Forget the bullet point style informing, create movies, sounds, and activities suitable for the SL world.

For more information about some technical details and even basic starting points, check out Business Week's SL tip sheet. It will tell you how to design your avatar, understand the virtual culture, and other tips to get your started.

And remember, just like a blog, you have to get your SL business noticed before you can expect to see any avatars filling your Island/location.

Nintendo customer spreads the word...

Over at the Nintendo headquarters, the representatives don't view their consumers as "you," but rather as "we," or shall we say Wii.

Recently, a story has leaked about how incredible the customer service is at Nintendo. A child customer, Saska, was having troubles with his Nintendo Wii system and decided to give the company a call to see what they could do. Before even completing the hold message on the phone, a cheerful representative greeted Saska with a friendly solution: why not just bring the system down to headquarters, since you live so close? To his delight, Saska was welcomed at the headquarters in Redmond, Washington, by a life-sized Mario and other game characters. Within a half on hour of arrival, the company had his system completely fixed, saved all of his progress, and even reset his warranty clock. The boy was so delighted he wrote in to tell his story to the .

Whats ironic here is that the Consumerist is usually known for their flaws and tricks around companies. This piece, however, was a warm story which really gave Nintendo some great buzz. By utilizing their friendly customer service, Nintendo was able to overwhelmingly please a customer, whom in return spread the news to many people.

A simple task like this is just what a company needs to strive on. In earlier posts, I have mentioned how it is necessary for businesses like Nintendo to rely heavily on customer satisfaction in order to gain loyalty. This maneuver has done exactly that.

With Saska happy and ready to tell the world, so are the many other that he encounters. Already, there have been numerous stories and posts about the quality of care at Nintendo, for even I am participating in this Buzz.

When all is said and done, sometimes marketing does not cost a penny. Positive word of mouth from satisfied customers can be all that a company relies on.

To check out more, read the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Blog (WOMMA), Nintendo Makes Customer Happy, Gets Buzzed About.

No trespassing...

When telemarketers started to invade homes, people took it personally. When the Internet was flooded with pop-ups, Internet surfers were outraged. And email, we all know about email. The more marketers intrude on personal space, the more people will do to ban these messages. Recently, consumer advocates have gotten do-not-mail bills on the agendas of legislatures in more than a dozen states. These laws will not only stop unwanted messages, but will also become a marketer's nightmare.

Many states, including NY, have this legislation passing through their judicial systems as you read this. People are becoming fed up with unwanted messages and are blocking out more and more advertising.

In my opinion, this issue is going to take several years to process for it involves both sides constitutional rights. For consumers, people will argue that their amended privacy rights are being breached. And for marketers, they will say that they have the right to free speech and expression, protected by the first amendment.

In regards to this subject, Lori Schwartz, VP-director of Interpublic's Emerging Media Lab, said "Viral marketing is really overhyped. The word viral should go back to being a medical term." I, on the other hand, strongly disagree. Sure, there are a handful of companies that blast people with emails (enlarge this, make more with that, etc), but these businesses are the exceptions. What about the successors like Hotmail, Careerbuilder, and many more. People like Schwartz argue that advertising is becoming over-invasive, but I think viral marketing is just poorly-hyped.

Advertisers need to tailor viral efforts more towards the consumers needs. Of course, it helps to be shocking, surprising and filled with the unexpected. But in the long run, marketers should be trying to fulfill the single most important question for a message to reach, "what's in it for the consumer?"

Or perhaps, instead of entering people's personal space frequently, viral marketing can take a slightly different approach. Ad Week's Do-Not-Mail article explains a new "opt-in messaging" as a solution. This involves creating an online community and allowing marketers to invite people to join the excitement. This can be seen with Quicken and Turbotax services online.

In the long run, I do not see this as an end to a chapter in advertising, or even viral marketing. It will just be another roadblock to dodge, a minor pothole really. Take TiVo for example. Advertisers were in great fear over the thought of their pricey messages being skipped. But in all reality, the better tailoring of these messages have caused consumers to still watch these commercials, and with more interest, on their recordings.

For more information, check out this interesting article.