When you wake up on Jan. 1, Whatever year it is you can expect to see the Rose Bowl (yes, except when the 1st falls on a Sunday). I remember watching the game with my dad just about every year – except for the two times we’ve been there with WSU.
This year, as I watched the game, I saw a couple ads from lead sponsor VIZIO. They were great ads, but the thing that rubbed me wrong was the hashtag shown at the end – #VIZIORoseBowl. Yes, we know you’re the sponsor… but did you really think you’d generate a ton of conversation around a hashtag that is tied to one of the most-nostalgic games in sport?
This is a prime example of how, to no one’s fault, simply pushing a hashtag out into the wild can flop. Granted, nothing is probably hurt from this (assuming they didn’t go buy a sponsored hashtag, etc.), but they’re losing out just by trying to divert conversation.
Take a look at the search brought back and decide for yourself.
Really needing a win this holiday season Cougs. Let’s go take one from the puppies. Couldn’t sleep tonight, so I banged this out on the old iPad:
Twas the night before Apple Cup when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not Coug, Dawg, or mouse.
The pom pons were hung by the foam fingers with care,
In hopes that Kickoff soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of footballs danced in their heads.
And mamma in her hoodie, and I in my cap,
Had just logged off of Cougfan for a long winter’s nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the… Seriously, what’s a sash?
The moon on the breast of the field turf covered with snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a Butch T. Coug, and 11 athletes in Coug gear.
With a little old mascot, so learned and strong,
I knew in a moment we’d hear the Jaws song.
More rapid than eagles his teammates they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!
“Now Leaf! now, Gesser! now, Bledsoe and Rypien!
On, Bumpus! On, Hanson! on Thompson and Gleason!
To the top of the hill! to the top of the Bryant Hall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the Stadium the players they flew,
With the dreams of Cougar nation, and Old Crimson too.
And then, in a twinkling, I thought I heard on the roof
Panting and pawing, a lame puppy woof.
I tried hard to think, and turned around,
Chuckled when I remembered a team, winless year-round
Now my Butch he has fur, from his head to his foot,
And his jersey is never tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of signs he has flung on his back,
For when he points and says “Go Cougs,” that way and back.
His eyes-how they twinkled! Though to some they are scary
His color is Crimson, don’t ever think cherry!
He loves the limelight and to put on a show,
And his road uniform is as white as the snow.
He removes old Crimson from it’s Game Day sheath
And dreams of waving it holding a Rose in his teeth.
He lives for the long pass and even the belly
For First Downs, and running backs that make defenders’ legs jelly!
He fights for the trophies to put on the shelf,
And I have to admit, I’d like to see some myself!
Someday before that old Lee Corso is dead,
We’ll all see that sportscaster put on Butch’s head.
Now the Cougs need the fans, as they go about their work,
So yell, clap, and chant and scream like a jerk.
Yell at the kickoff and for every flag a ref throws,
For tomorrow is game day so pretend it’s the pros!
For you can bet that you’ll hear the Cougs whistle,
When the QB leaves center and goes to the pistol.
And you’ll hear Cougs exclaim at the wondrous sight
“Happy Apple Cup to all, Go Cougs tonight!”
Well, I got engaged a while ago.
Luckily, I have the coolest fiancée ever and she let me make a blog about our story/engagement/wedding.
Also, in a quest to make getting married easier, I’ve vowed to use technology in any way possible. For me, that started with using Google Docs as a way to share and keep our guest list updated.
The gadget I installed is a pre-made gadget, but is a pretty good reminder for when we get on the doc and want to add people. Don’t worry, though… you made the cut… probably.
Beyond that, you definitely won’t “see” the ways we’re using tech to get hitched – that’s all part of the quest. However, there may or may not be a certain social media flare to our save the dates. However, check back for updates about how we’re using tech to make our wedding day easier (and hopefully more fun).
Related articles
- Planning a Wedding With Google Docs (tequilacupcakes.com)
- See Seth Rogen and Bride Lauren Miller’s Gorgeous Wine Country Wedding Pictures! (popsugar.com)
I actually sat here thinking about what to put as the headline for this post, but that’s all I could come up with. I was literally at a loss for words.
I’m not a fanboy – though I own a number of Apple products. I’m not even a normal Mac user.
Regardless of your affiliations, thoughts, or entrenched feelings, the world actually did just lose one of the great minds of our time.
Godspeed Steve Jobs.
Most of my professional life has been spent at agencies – some great, some not-so-great. Through the good (and the bad) there are always lessons to be learned. Here, for your consideration, are a couple of those lessons.
As digital and social media pushes continue to eat away at, and sometimes trump, traditional marketing budgets, it can seem like throwing a sentence on your website about how you “do social media” can be an easy way to keep (and gain) business. The weird thing is, the changing agency climate of the times isn’t solved by a quick-change offering set – it’s a combination of a number of factors that are making (and breaking) agencies of today… big and small alike.
The thing about the market is that it’s like the honey badger, it simply doesn’t give a shit. The market and your opportunities will move on with or without your agency (PR, Marketing, Advertising, whatever). It doesn’t matter if you’re in the front office or a cube next to the bathrooms, there are things you can do to keep your agency at the top (of minds and RFI lists).
Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.
The times they are a-changing and there’s no going back. Agencies that are still operating as if it’s 2000 are sadly more outdated than their Windows XP systems. Markets and clients change and if your business model and offerings are as stale as the yellowed paper they’re printed on, you’re looking at some disappointment in your near future. Look to market leaders and hiring trends to see how to align your business for success.
Competitive Compensation
While economies around the world are rising and falling like a roller coaster, the agency world continues to thrive while many other businesses falter. Oftentimes agencies are asking a lot of their employees and if they’re not willing to compensate fairly for their time, efforts, and talents, those talented employees will find somewhere they feel appreciated. Taking the time to keep on top of salaries in your area is a great way to keep talent and attract new talent. Gone are the days of the “wait until your annual review” and today’s workforce expects to see changes in compensation as duties, contributions, and influence change. Remember, base salaries are only the beginning as employees are looking for healthcare, vacation packages, and company perks when determining their level of compensation.
Partner Up
You can’t always be the big shop on the block. In many cases partnering with a complimentary agency can be a boon for both businesses as you’re able to fulfill on client needs and bounce referrals back and forth. Always be careful to guard your best-kept secrets and talent, though as partnerships can turn ugly when there’s a lot of money on the table. However, when done right, partnerships can definitely build and grow both businesses involved.
Do Less
When the market changes faster than you can keep up with, sometimes the best thing to do is cut your service offerings, not try to expand to fit the market. When you look at the possibilities of meeting new service offerings, you have the choice of trying to make do with what you’ve got in-house or hiring from the outside – both have their benefits and drawbacks. Making do can often mean falling behind and failing to meet expectations Hiring from outside can definitely mean more $ and that doesn’t sit well in today’s business landscape. Look at your offerings and do a serious SWOT to see where you can throw resources and make the biggest impact for your clients and employees. In the end you’ll be loking at more business as you hone your skills and set about making a name for your business rather than trying to be a one agency band.
Fail Harder
It’s on the wall (in pushpins) at Wieden + Kennedy, so I definitely can’t take credit for this one, but I think it’s incredibly important – not just in agency life, but in real people life as well. If you’re able to throw everything you’ve got behind your vision and capabilities, then you have nothing to regret at the end of the day. If you go down in flames, but you know you did so with conviction, determination, and the buy-in of talented employees, you can’t really ask for anything more.
Note: MSFT, makers of Windows XP is a client of SCG, my employer. I was neither promoting the use of or negatively talking about the non-use of their products/services.
Related articles
- Altimeter Report: Advanced Companies Still Struggle With Social Media (socialmediaexplorer.com)
- Get in the game – using social media for recruiting. (MyPerfectCareer.tv)
- YC-backed Crowdbooster Launches Social Media Monitoring Dashboard That Does The Thinking For You (techcrunch.com)
- Grow Your Business With the Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing (growmap.com)
Infographics are everywhere these days, not just in the pages of USA Today. Visual.ly, recently launched publicly as a place to share, view, and post infographics. They even have a Labs section that lets you make your own:
Well, that was fun.
It’s rare that you get a government scandal and a funny name (that so perfectly maps to said scandal), but there are some candidates in the House and Senate. Let’s look at the possibilities:
The House
- Speaker John Boehner – Say it however you want, buddy – we only see it one way in our heads.
- Marcia Fudge (Ohio 10th) – I don’t want to hear the details when this scandal surfaces.
- Johnson (Bill, Ohio 6th; Eddie, Texas 30th; Henry, Georgia 4th; Sam, Texas 3rd; and Timothy, Illinois 15th) – Let’s face it, we all love crotch humor.
The Senate
- Mike Crapo (Idaho) – Again, not another scandal that you want to talk about at the dinner table.
- Johnson (Ron, Wisconsin & Tim, South Dakota)
Statistical Analysis
NOTE: If you know me, you know I hate numbers. Therefore, this data assumes the next scandal will in fact happen so someone with a funny/appropriate name for the scandal.
Chances the Scandal Will Be In House vs. Senate
Chances the Person Involved will be a Democrat vs. Republican
Chances the Person will have the last name Johnson
Chances It’ll be Funny As Hell
Conclusion
Looks like anyone with the last name Johnson should make their Twitter/FB accounts private and keep their PR teams on DEF-CON 1. That is, unless that asipring politician Dick Vaginaburg gets elected in the next cycle.
Image via Wikipedia
Nordstrom isn’t wasting any time upping their social game. After hiring Seattle’s Shauna Causey to head up social media efforts, campaigns have been flying faster than half-priced Jimmy Choo shoes (I know next to nothing about fashion, btw).
In their latest installment, Nordstrom teams up (again) with TOMS shoes. This time around, they’ll livestream (along with in-store events) an unveiling of TOMS Shoes’ next 1-for-1 product. The products are currently locked in 90 lb. contraptions in a number of Nordstrom locations.
View the livestream on June 7 by visiting this link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202842906424369.
For more information on TOMS + Nordstrom, head here.
There’s been this ongoing debate in the marketing profession for a while now about where social media should live within the whole mix. I’m definitely part of the camp that sees (as my employer Spring Creek Group does) Social living in the middle of a triangle that includes Marketing/Advertising, PR, and Customer Service. Now, there are many in each camp who will talk, at length, about why their respective organizational fiefdoms should hold the Social Media reins, but none has really made a convincing argument that’s become widely agreed upon.
However, what happens more often than not are cases where each part of that triangle make incredibly embarrassing blunders that shoot their argument for control squarely in the foot. The most-recent of these tremendous gaffes comes on the heels of what might be one of the biggest marketing-related stories in a while – Burson-Marsteller‘s campaign on behalf of Facebook to smear the crap out of Google. I’m not a fan of Google and believe their “don’t be evil” mantra about as much as I believe anything that comes out of Sarah Palin‘s mouth, but come on Facebook.
But, that’s beside the point…
When Burson-Marsteller was outed as the agency that took on this devious client project, people took to Burson-Marsteller’s Facebook Page to let them know how they felt… only to have their comments deleted by Burson-Marsteller’s Facebook community manager (or whatever the pseudo-equivalent to CMs in the PR world). Big no-no. WIRED broke the story about that and the Twitterverse has been exploding since.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. Heck, Apple deleted comments about the faulty iPhone 4 antenna from its community forums – and they have die-hard fans. What these situations do point out, though, is the importance of a public-facing Social Media Policy.
Policies like those at Best Buy, Coca-Cola, and others offer a one-stop shop for users to see exactly what they can expect when dealing with these brands in social. These policies not only say how the brands act in the social space, they also lay out guidelines for how they expect their communities to behave (i.e. their thoughts around what is and isn’t acceptable in their communities).
Yes, Burson-Marsteller crapped the bed by removing posts (some of which were probably warranted based on their idea of what was and was not appropriate on their page), but without outwardly sharing that view of “appropriate” content, they don’t have a leg to stand on when making that claim. If your page is receiving enough volume, or you plan on doing so in the future, you’ll want to look into creating a social policy.
Related articles
- Burson-Marsteller says it shouldn’t have pitched negative Google stories secretly for Facebook (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
- Fallout from Facebook’s Google Smear Scandal (pcworld.com)
- Facebook red-faced after PR attack on Google (windsorstar.com)
- Burson-Marsteller Deletes Critical Facebook Posts but Spares Google-Smear Flacks (wired.com)
Just had this “Sponsored Story” pop up when I signed in to Facebook. Yes, that’s Beast… yes, Mark Zuckerberg‘s d
og.
Either Mark (or his girlfriend) is bored or Sponsored Stories aren’t quite selling as well as Facebook had hoped.
Either way, I’ll admit that I keep up with that little pup’s shenanigans. I really hope it’s actually Zuckerberg writing the copy/taking the pics, because I’ll just cry if it’s actually some intern.
The K-9 already gets more engagement on his posts than most brands could hope for. I think it’s a little unfair he also has unlimited access to Facebook’s marketing platform as well.
Related articles
- Zuckerberg Somehow Qualifies for Mortgage, Buys House (techland.time.com)
- Scenes we’d like to see: Zuck makes Mad’s cover (cbsnews.com)
- Mark Zuckerberg Kicked Off Facebook [Feuds] (gawker.com)
