The picture below says it all.  The picture was taken at the Santa Cruz boardwalk.  Talk about trying to market to children, pepsi created an entire ride devoted to shipping!  I wonder what these children are going to be drinking when they grow up

What do you think about this?

Thanks for reading

Did you enjoy the post?please subscribe to my RSS feed!

Would you pay to use social media platforms such as twitter, facebook, linkedin, etc? If so, how much would you be willing to pay? Below I have outlined a few reasons why a subscription based approach would not work for social media platforms. I would love to hear your ideas/thoughts/comments on this hot topic. Do you think social media platforms should charge? What say you?

[Read more →]

Did you enjoy the post?please subscribe to my RSS feed!

The Groundswell is available on Amazon.com starting April 21st

For those of you in social media eager to get your hands on plenty of real world examples and case studies, “Groundswell” is definitely going to tickle your pallet. I just finished reading the book and must say that it was a fantastic. Charlene and Josh clearly demonstrate their expertise as both analysts and authors. The data is sound and plentiful and the writing style is engaging and interesting. What more could you ask for?

The book lays out some valuable strategies for getting involved in social media and discusses many of the successes and the pitfalls that a company can go through. What I really like about this book, is that it really portrays social media as what it is…damn hard work. So many companies are under the impression that social media is as simple as creating a blog, this book will serve as a great wake up call. Creating a successful social media strategy is probably one of the most difficult (fun and rewarding) things your company will do.

If you are company executive or just some guy looking to get involved in social media, this book is really going to open your eyes. In fact this book should be required reading for any company seeking to dive into the social media pool…seriously.

[Read more →]

Did you enjoy the post?please subscribe to my RSS feed!

It amazes me how much money is spent on Superbowl commercials each year. 2.5 million dollars for a 30 second spot. These companies are all paying large amounts of money to spam viewers. Sure it’s fun to see Justin Timberlake get thrown around or watch a giant mouse tackle some poor guy eating Dorritos, but then what? Are the commercials just a waste of money?

Well, it depends. Commercials have gone from being informative to being a source of entertainment. Commercials are movies packed into 30 seconds and it’s the marketers job to make sure that those commercials get 2 thumbs up.

So why spend all this money on a Superbowl commercial? Think bigger picture. All of those entertaining commercials are now going to be featured on social media sites such as youtube. The successful commercials will get passed around and the others will die. Remember that Justin Timberlake commercial? It already has almost a million views.

However, spending 3 millions dollars on a commercial IS a waste if:

• the commercial is not viral
• the commercial does not provide information on features or benefits
• the commercial doesn’t make sense
• and most importantly, if the commercial can’t be found on social media sites to being with (anyone see the Dorito’s commercial?)

Did you enjoy the post?please subscribe to my RSS feed!

Recently a friend of mine went to go place flyers on car windshields in support of a political candidate.

Marketing to people without their permission is one of the worst things you can do. It leaves a sour taste in people’s mouthes. Remember that time you went out to your car and saw a flyer stuck on your windshield for “Psychic Readings.” What’s the first thing you did with that flyer? Threw it on the floor.

Spam marketing is dangerous, it can hurt the reputation of any successful brand, company, or individual. You want proof? Check your e-mail. How many of us have spam folders or filters that automatically delete spam mail? Most of us do because we simply don’t care and we don’t have the time.

If you are going to market to people, make sure you have their permission and make sure it’s something they want to hear about. If not then you can bet that your marketing efforts are a big waste of time. The only thing your marketing is going to do is give your company or brand a bad name.

Did you enjoy the post?please subscribe to my RSS feed!