Mutually Inclusive PR

With a Wink and a Nod to Spinal Tap...

Brown Communications got a grudging pat on the back from AdRants' Steve Hall for their latest self-promotion on their storefront billboard.

This one features an amplifier volume switch that goes up to 11.  Brings back memories of Spinal Tap, the great mockumentary that showed Christopher Guest how it's done.

In Spinal Tap, the heavy metal rocker enthuses about the fact that after fudging the number on his amplifier, it now goes "one louder" than the others.

Nice to see the other Saskatchewan marketing/digital/PR blogger get some attention.  Nice one, Derek.

Tags:  saskatchewan, outdoor, promotion, advertising, browncommunications, regina

Previous post:  Self-promotion: Make a Statement
 

Holiday Tableaux - Mix and Match

Via Ed Lee's blog, I came across Choose Your Own Holiday Adventure, set up by iStudio.

This is a nice little self-promotion tool for the web design firm.  I chose to NOT include music, so it's safe for work (unless you click on the video game - then all bets are off).

Based on your input, the Playmobil figures are arrayed in a tableau, so don't complain if it looks really weird.  (Playmobil figures always look a bit sinister, with their bland, Stepford normalness.  I think the dog did it in the study with a pipe wrench.)

For a look at a traditional Eggertson Christmas, check out my own holiday adventure by clicking the banner ad below (nobody will try to sell you anything).  I think Ed's North Korea Christmas has a more authentic feel...

And to everyone at iStudio, have a great holiday, wherever you are, and whatever play figures you choose to play with!

Interactive Sites Can Work, if the Concept Is Right

Here's a Flash site that makes the most of low-res graphics and the public's expectation that milk will be marketed in a wholesome way.

Instead of testimonials about health and bone density levels, mechantchoco.com (warning: site launches with sound) uses a horror film motif to reveal the sad fate of kidnapped chocolate bunnies, ducks and bears that are ground up and turned into chocolate milk.

The choppy, cheap horror-film look of the graphics works well.  Selecting different options, you can see how the chocolate critters were bashed, ground and micro-waved into pieces before being transformed into chocolate milk.

The campaign earned BBDO Montreal a Cassie grand prix.  For six weeks in 2005 Quebec was peppered  with posters for various "missing" chocolate animals, prompting teens to visit the site.  Sales went up 17%, says the Globe and Mail.

Tags:  ads, flash, promotion, dairy, youth,marketing

Rewarding Images

  How to cross the street in Brooklyn 
  Originally uploaded by gillicious.

You stay subscribed to some blogs just because you like to be surprised by whatever the person might do.

I came across Gillian Gunson on Flickr, and have subscribed to her blog Gillianic Tendencies for a year now.  Lots of discussion of her cat, her job, her hair.  Lots of self-portraits and angst about her cat, her job, her hair.

And a bright personality that shines through it all, keeping me coming back.

This week I was rewarded with this photo from her recent trip to New York.  Not your average tourist...

Photo by mmonk.

Saskatoon BarCamp Oct. 28

In the tradition of unconferences, there will be a BarCamp in Saskatoon at the end of the month.

I don't even know if I'm going, but I'll spend tomorrow thinking about what I might present if I do go.

BarCamps are a great chance for people interested in technology and new media to talk to each other, share their enthusiasm and knowledge, and spend time with interesting people.

If you haven't checked out the Saskatoon BarCamp site and the wiki, go now.  The price is right.  It's free.

Without Inherent Excitement, Word of Mouth would Fizzle

When's the last time someone broke into the conversation because they couldn't wait to tell you about a nondescript product or service that met some of their needs in a generic sort of way?

Unless your friends are broke and have found something free that would normally cost hundreds of dollars, it's not likely.  People may be pleased when they find something that sort of meets their needs, but they don't get excited about it.

And excitement lies at the heart of generating word of mouth.

Software developer Eric Sink has an entertaining and enlightening piece about the need to narrow the focus of your product design so that it perfectly meets the needs of a group of people. Then you have potential for generating buzz, if buzz doesn't just bubble up by itself.

Designing something that sort of meets the needs of a huge group of people? Don't even think about word of mouth. And why are you even doing it in the first place?

Since I found the link to Eric's piece on Robert Scoble's blog, I'm officially declaring this Scoble Week on Mutually Inclusive PR.  Next week I promise to look further afield for topics...

Update:  I fixed the headline, which said "fizz' instead of "fizzle."

Tags: robertscoble, buzz, word of mouth, wom, promotion, excitement

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Buzz can Replace Media Comps, but it Takes Work

As Gnomedex organizer (with Ponzi Indharasophang) Chris Pirillo notes, there are times when a conference is priced low enough for media to afford the full fee, and organizers don't need to give them a free or reduced pass.

But anyone who doesn't have built-in buzz from bloggers (see gnomedex on Technorati), or some other method of motivating their target market to action, will still want to comp enough media to keep their conference in the news (most conference coverage is promotion for your next conference).

Pirillo has depended on media coverage in the past, and likely will in the future.  But he also has the reputation and network to get the word out on the conference.  He and Ponzi run a well-oiled promotion machine for their projects, so someone considering raising barriers to free media access would do well to think about the profile the Seattle tech mini-magnate has created for his global microbrand (to borrow a phrase from Hugh MacLeod). Pirillo and Ponzi have put in a huge effort at building an audience, establishing relationships in the technology field, positioning him as the ultimate early adopter with a positive attitude, and making sure something cool happens at the 400-person Gnomedex conference every year. 

There are no simple shortcuts to that kind of reputation.

Tags: conferences, tech, gnomedex, chris pirillo, media, blogs, promotion

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If 43 Things Doesn't Float your Boat, Try 43 Thongs

Richard Eriksson has launched the latest social networking site.

The foot fetishists of the world, having tried 43 Things, 43 Places and whatever other variation on 43 the Robot Co-op came up with, can now visit 43 Thongs.

This parody site looks and feels like 43 Things, but thankfully doesn't take the joke too far. I tried 43 Things when it was starting out, but I just didn't have the stamina or the interest to live my life large for my online neighbours.

If you have always wanted to see flip-flops in action, this is the site for you.

Link via Darren Barefoot.

Tags: humour, parody, 43things, robotcoop

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Significant Moves Kick off Fiscal Year

I always keep my eye out for startling news on April 1.  For a few years I couldn't figure out why so many shocking stories broke on this day.  Then I realized, it's the start of the fiscal year for many companies!

This year's crop:

Josh Hallett does some sleuthing to uncover a new venture by previous blog combatants Steve Rubel and Jeremy Pepper.

Hey, Robert Scoble is leaving Microsoft and joining Google. Also check out the Scoble dashboard.

Speaking of Microsoft, apparently they're buying Open Office for a sum reported to be "in the billions."

And then there's this announcement that a Canadian government MP wants journalists jailed if they provide distorted coverage (via Antonia Zerbisias). Oops -- that item wasn't from April 1, yet it seems even more bizarre than the other ones.

Rubel, for his part, points to a valuable service provided by Wikipedia this year.

Tags: aprilfools, pr, public relations

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Morale Boosters Don't always Cost Big Bucks

I saw this parking pass on a vehicle in the local mall parking lot. 

Additional cost to make a boring employee parking pass into a positive statement about working at Ipsco: $0.00.

(The "tubular" comment refers to the steel company's main business -- making steel pipes.)

Tags: Ipsco, signage, employees, design, morale, engagement

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