BRANDSTRONG

Facebook, and Its Ironic Predicament

2007-12-13T23:00:00Z

The majority of Facebook’s negative PR discussion has revolved around its recent implementation of Beacon, but there’s a bigger issue at hand. The challenges that Beacon has posed to Facebook have been well documented: On November 30, New York Times reporter Louise Story claims that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg misled her about Beacon’s being an opt-in program, when it was actually opt-out . Coca-Cola subsequently decides to temporarily withdraw from the Beacon program because they “ are not sure...(read more)

Advertising 101: Creative juices not flowin'? Poke fun at PR!

2007-11-28T15:45:00Z

In theory, I should take exception to this video, but instead I find it hilarious.

The latest installment of the Mac vs. PC commercials features a "PR Lady" serving as PC's last ditch effort to save face for himself (er, itself?) and Windows Vista. Take a look:

This is all well and good, but...as is common after watching YouTube videos, I was led to watch about 5 related "Mac vs. PC" episodes. Interestingly, these videos contained a not-so-subtle trend I hadn't recognized before.

Has anyone noticed that all Mac ever does is ask questions? Mac always wants to know what PC (read: competitive space) is doing, even though PC's antics are unfolding right in front of him. Sure, Mac may interject a "Mac's can do it all in one step" or "Macs come bundled with iTunes, iThis and iThat" every now and then, but really:

If Mac's so smart and simple, shouldn't he be a little more in the know?

Maybe he needs a PR Lady ;)

Go Digital, or Go Home.

2007-10-23T04:13:00Z

I ran across two absolutely fascinating and thought provoking videos from Professor Michael Wesch of the University of Kansas while reading TechCrunch this weekend.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

This video has received over 3.5 million views and 6,000 comments on YouTube since it was first posted in February 2007. Makes you appreciate the value of separating form from content on the Web. There is no narration in this video, so pay close attention...I'd even encourage watching it twice to catch all the nuances.

Information R/evolution

This video was posted only 1 week ago and has already received 60,000 views. It's about "digital information" vs. information as it has been traditionally defined.

These videos are meaningful indicators of the communications landscape to come:

1. Information gathering is becoming increasingly decentralized.

The "company Web site" and highly circulated publications are no longer the only viable sources of information about products, services and other offerings.

2. Anybody with an Internet connection and a bright (or not so bright) idea can have an impact on even the most well managed brands.

This impact, if negative, can be virtually out of the realm of immediate damage control, as "messaging" is meaningless to the majority of Internet authors. Take a look at my previous post for some good examples.

3. Of the utmost importance to brand builders is that we have equal opportunity to provide meaningful contributions to this "information r/evolution."

Content is King. Yes, there is an excessive amount of "noise" in Web 2.0 and the public exposed to it may turn a deaf ear. But this should not divert those who wish to build strong brands from using it.

I'll part with a simple reality: If you ignore the Web, you will be left behind. Without risk there's no reward...and someone is always willing to take the risk.

Maven POV: The A-B-C and D's of Digipalooza

2007-10-17T14:01:00Z

And, NO, I'm not talking about Accountable, Bold, Collaborative and Diverse.

At Digipalooza, the Digital Mavens, digital delegates and all in attendance had a great opportunity to learn about digital and social media...yada, yada, yada...you already knew that right? If you didn't, check out the 800,000 live posts Niall Cook wrote on the subject while we were there. Good stuff. Surprised his comp didn't light on fire from all that typing...

Digipalooza was about allowing mavens to develop their own analyses as much as it was about learning from existing ones. In order to do that, I'm first going to share the A-B-C and D's of Digipalooza. These are links to engaging digital content we looked at during the 8 HOURS of presentations and they're awesome. If I haven't lost you after looking at all those humorous videos, challenging crises and rather bizarre Web sites, jump to the final paragraph for one lingering thought.

Axe Boot Camp - Preventing going injuries for novice spring breakers. MUST SEE. (YouTube)

Bike Brawl - Enough comments on this blog to make a novel. (CityNoise)

Continental Airlines - Bad, bad, bad, bad Continental Airlines experience. (INContinental)

Dozing Off - A sleeping Comcast technician. A universal experience. (YouTube)

Engadget Rumormongoring - Fooled by a hoax. $4B joke's on Apple. (TechCrunch)

Flickr Group - "Everythingisbetterwithbacon." Not for vegetarian eyes. (Flickr)

Gorilla Drummer - And this has what to do with milk? MUST SEE. (YouTube)

H...

iRobot - Rooma's are the new dog. And ladybug. And frog.. And tiger... (myRoomBug)

John Edwards - Addresses nuclear energy in Florence. (YouTube)

Kodak - Umm. Wow. They definitely do more than film. (YouTube)

Laptop Fire - Dell "notebook" up in flames! MUST SEE. (Gizmodo)

Mainframe - The Art of Sale by IBM. A-B-C. Always Be Closing! MUST SEE. (YouTube)

Nokia - Argh, can't find on site. Help anyone? Need where they link to blogs (Nokia)

Our Promise to You - JetBlue's Customer Bill of Rights. (JetBlue)

P...

Q-bicle Wars - Okay, kind of a stretch, but I already used the C. MUST SEE. (YouTube)

Ronald McHummer - Make your own activist sign. Hummer + McD's CSR = Trouble. (EWG)

Sales Manager Confessions - 22 to be exact. All about Dell. This post has 400K views. (Consumerist)

The Long Tail - Cervelo's 360 degree site for cyclists. (Cervelo Online)

U...

Vincent Ferrari - Cancel the account. Cancel the account. MUST SEE. (YouTube)

Will it Blend? - Blend an iPhone? How about hand me the 600 bucks instead. (Will it Blend?)

X...

You're Doing What? - Johnson & Johnson vs. Red Cross = Reputation building nightmare. (JNJ BTW)

Z...

Okay, we'll pretend that the Digipalooza alphabet only has 21 letters :P

Truthfully, I don't have a favorite. But I do have a theory. Since it needs a cool, generic name like "Freakonomics" or "The Tipping Point," and is currently nothing more than a skeletal thought bubble, it'll have to wait until next post before seeing the light of day.

It's Just a Yellow Piece of Rubber

2007-09-26T17:26:00Z

Well, actually, it's silicone. Silicone gel. Rubber silicone? Who cares.

As of today, I've been wearing a LIVESTRONG wristband for exactly 1,228 days - since the day it first came out - without ever removing it from my wrist. It's been through showers, flag football, the Pacific Ocean and college parties diligent study sessions, and still looks the same as the day I bought it. Not a single sign of wear.

But the other day, it encountered its toughest test to date: a 5 year-old on a temper tantrum. Quite possibly one of the scariest things known to any 23 year-old without kids.

Two weeks ago, while I was coaching my basketball team of 5, 6 and 7 year olds at the YMCA, a young boy ran through our practice, stole the basketball from one of the players, and ran off to the playground with it. I walked over, asked for the ball and brought it back. Then he did it again. I recovered the ball, again. Then he heads our way for a third go-around. I gently put both hands out to stop him from taking the ball. I couldn't let this go on all day...

He glared at me, like...Chucky. Then he stuck two tiny fingers around my LIVESTRONG wristband and continued to stare directly into my eyes. He was going to rip off something I had not voluntarily removed in 3 years - it was as much a part of me as my fingers and toes.

What would you do if, for no apparent reason, someone attempted to destroy something of yours that was easily replaceable, but infinitely meaningful?

After some light coaxing, and help from other parents who were around (as his were nowhere to be found), the boy finally let go.

This got me thinking - why has "living strong" become so important to me, and millions and millions of others? Why did it take something as simple as a $1 wristband for me to derive motivation and inspiration from the simple things in life?

This blog is about simplicity. The LIVESTRONG brand has successfully employed a strategy of simple associations to transition from a popular trend to a sustainable movement in only 3 years. It uniquely impacts groups of people, as well as individuals. It is an ideal combination of content and creativity, in:

one word,

one color,

with immeasurable impact.

It's not just a yellow piece of rubber.