Social Media Kicks the Ass of Old Media

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Who's This Pompous Idiot?

Want to hear an interesting conversation about social media and it's impact on marketing, advertising, public relations and journalism? Want to know how the role of public relations is changing in the world of public relations? Want to explore the differences in mentality between new media and old? Want to now whether or not it's sinful to publish a story before every last detail of the story is known? Want to know why readers, who are now commenters, are so important to the whole of the story? Then give this podcast a listen.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 7-08    
Topic: Opinion, Social, Trends and Culture



Twitter Will Trump Facebook

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Writing on Entrecard Graham Langdon makes the argument Twitter will be bigger than Facebook. He's right. Twitter is many things but it lacks the baggage and some of the "creepy" aspects of Facebook. All within 140 characters, Twitter is IM, email, mobile app, chat room, focus group, news source, a wall on which to bounce ideas, a research resource, presence indicator.

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by Steve Hall    Apr- 7-08    
Topic: Opinion, Social



Google Hate Website is Back in Business

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Ahhh. Nothing spells success like the obsessive, well-indexed and unquenchable hatred of an anti-corporate website.

Rejoining Starbucked, I Hate Microsoft, Untied and Comcast Must Die is Fucked Google, which was shafted in 2006.

We're not sure what tipped the scale back in its favor. Probably had something to do with all those firings. Because the author of Fucked Google has this to say: "I finally have a good stream of pissed-off Google employees feeding me information so you guys can look forward to lots of valleywag-style dirt in the coming days."

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by Angela Natividad    Apr- 4-08    
Topic: Brands, Consumer Created, Online, Opinion



Seven Reasons Why Twitter is a Great Social Media Resource

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One of the students who attended our Social Media panel at Boston's Emerson College Tuesday, April 2, Pamela Sieple wrote a wonderfully concise article about Twitter and why it's a great resource. She's right. Twitter goes far beyond its "What are you doing?" roots as anyone who uses it will tell you.

Pamela says Twitter is a great resource for the latest news, feedback on immediate thoughts or needs, a basis for networking, a channel through which live news coverage can be had and, of course, a bit of self-promotion. Give it a read and forward it to everyone you know who's jaded about the purpose and benefits of Twitter.

by Steve Hall    Apr- 4-08    
Topic: Good, Opinion, Social



When Advertising Maturnity Bras, Use Models Who Actually Need Support

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You'd think if a maternity bra ad was going to get all constructionist with cranes to depict the supportive nature of the bra, they'd get a model with huge boobs who actually looked like she needed support like this lady or this lady who both look like they need cranes to hold their breasts up. Except, of course, when they're modeling ridiculously too small bikini tops.

Come on people. If you want to make a statement, get a bit more dramatic about it. People might actually notice your ads a bit more.

by Steve Hall    Apr- 1-08    
Topic: Creative Commentary, Opinion



Newsflash! Marketers Must Learn Digital Marketing! Ad Age Says So!

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What? You've got to be kidding. What year is it? Oh, it must be 1992 or something because it's that Total Quality Management verbal diarrhea management consultancy crap all over again. After reading this Advertising Age article penned by a couple of Booz Allen dudes, I'm wondering if the two authors found an old IBM PC in the storage closet, booted it up and found this very same article on it which, itself, was probably a 64th generation copy of the same management blather that's been spewed forth over and over for years offering absolutely nothing of value other than the invention of a few new buzz words each go 'round.

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by Steve Hall    Mar-30-08    
Topic: Opinion, Research



Media Optimization Has Trumped Creative Optimization

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It seems we've taken a step backwards when it comes to online creativity. Not so much in terms of its excellence, rather its importance as a factor in online marketing. Certainly technology has made possible a vast array of online advertising units which provide advertisers and publishers the ability to tailor programs to marketers' needs. But what happened to taking advantage of online media's flexibility as it relates to creativity?

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by Steve Hall    Mar-28-08    
Topic: Online, Opinion, Tools



So, Uh, About that Rape Thing.

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Yeah, that was kind of a stretch.

Here's what happened. Some tipster emailed us sounding off all offended about rape connotations in an ad on Wienerschnitzel's homepage. So we looked and saw this shit with the hungry Eskimos, and we were like, "Okay, whatever. We can kinda see the creepy rape angle."

The dude emailed us again today and said the spot on the site had been changed, which is why the whole Eskimo thing jived so badly with rape. Apparently the previous ad featured a wiener being harassed in an office setting, after which an HR woman says, "you asked for it."

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-26-08    
Topic: Bad, Commercials, Opinion, Television



Powerlines: How Reagan Won Hearts and De Beers Made a Monopoly

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We just finished reading Powerlines: Words That Sell Brands, Grip Fans, and Sometimes Change History, by CMO Steve Cone of Epsilon. (The one with the specs and the grimace.) It's a survey of propaganda that probably helped color the landscape of your life. The last chapter has tips on creating a powerline -- not a guaranteed formula, but still good stuff to keep in mind.

People exposed to an ad will probably pass judgment on it based on the visual and the most visible print. (Typically that's the tagline.) Ad-heads spend plenty of time on pictures, but few consider what impact a resonant string of words can deliver.

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-24-08    
Topic: Good, Opinion, Publishing



A Well-Intended Rip-Off's Still a Rip-Off, Frankly

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Check out this "Awareness Test" for Transport of London. The goal is to demonstrate that a driver can't avoid obstacles s/he doesn't expect to see. For people who've never seen the video before, it probably comes across as a neat way to deliver the message.

The problem is, there are plenty of people who have already seen something similar -- likely this video, which was put together in 1999 by Professor Daniel Simons of the University of Illinois.

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by Angela Natividad    Mar-21-08    
Topic: Cause, Commercials, Opinion, Video