CheapThrills

Mayor Menino announces his candidacy at my company

I caught a glimpse of Mr. Menino practicing yesterday (he actually asked me and a co-worker to stay and watch him go through his speak - pretty freakin' cool - but we were most likely running to some mind-boggling meeting or something). We had no idea what he was doing here until we heard he'd be at Digitas today announcing his candidacy. Apparently he chose us because we're one of the largest employers in Boston. Plus, the office is pretty hip.

Here are some pics from the press conference (the crappy ones were taken with my wack LG Chocolate, please excuse the low quality. The good photos courtesy of P. Johnson's iPhone).

That's our president on the steps with the reddish hair.

Related -
Boston.com: Menino not ready to leave quite yet
Boston Herald: The race is on, Menino announces candidacy

237 crazy bloggers write a book. The Age of Conversation II now available for sale!

Last week brought a whirlwind of emotions on me, so I’m a bit behind the times on this announcement  (sorry fellow authors!!!): The Age Of Conversation II—Why Don’t They Get It launched last week and is now for sale via Lulu.com. Excite!

I participated in this little blogger experiment last year… 104 bloggers wrote 400-word chapters, which all came together to be part of an e-book called The Age of Conversation. At the time, I had only met 2 of the 104 authors. Now—thanks to my company, Blogger Social and its superstar organizer CK, editors Gavin Heaton and Drew McLellan, and this funny thing called the World Wide Web—I think I’ve met around 60. But this year my task might be harder, because the project has become much, much bigger.

237 authors bigger.

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G. Kofi Annan, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw and James G. Lindberg, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem, G. Kofi Annan, James G. Lindeberg

A few months ago I created a page of enticing short chapter excerpts supplied by several of my co-authors. Feel free to check 'em out here. And this is mine:

Sure, some people disagree with my views. Some commenters call me a moron. A loser. LAME. But so what? It’s hard to get a good game going without engaging your Queen.

These blurbs are just teasers though. For the real deal you really gotta buy the book. All proceeds go to Variety, the Children’s Charity.

And a special shout-out to my Digitas co-worker Lori Magno, C.B. Whittemore and Cam Beck - for their general AOC-buzz-generating awesomeness.

Beyoncé's washed-out L'Oreal ad and role models

Beyoncé’s L’Oreal print ad (shown to the right, in which she appears totally whitewashed) has been sparking discussion all over the blogosphere. I was reading some thoughts presented by one of my daily reads, The Black Snob, and came across a comment to her post that went something like this:

"…who cares how light or dark Beyonce is? She is an incredibly talented singer and she has done well for herself. She doesn't go out and get trashed or forget to wear important articles of clothing under short skirts, like certain other celebrities. Actually, she is one of the few celebrities I would actually call a good role model. It's really none of my business what shade her skin is.”

This really got me to thinking. Does the commenter have a point? Is Beyoncé a good role model? Why do we all seem to care so much about her complexion?

I had to travel back in time to find my answers to these questions. Back to when I was about 10.  Even though my mom wore her hair natural, I seriously believed that light skin and straight hair were the norm.

Why? Well, ever notice that there are virtually no ads on TV or in mainstream fashion magazines for Black beauty products?

Truth be told, advertising lied to me on a daily basis.  Ads for hair dyes, foundations, lip sticks – all of it. I’d watch a Pantene TV spot and then save up my allowance for a bottle shampoo because I thought it’d make my thick curly hair flow in the wind.

Notice, you'll never find a disclaimer on a Pantene ad that says, "Our advanced Pro-V Formula will not work for Black hair. No matter how many times you use it." After many failed attempts, months of savings spent and a few tears shed, I realized that Pantene would never do for me what it claimed it could do for everyone.

So finally, at the age of 11, I got my hair chemically relaxed. When I walked out of the beauty parlor, I had straight hair down to my waist that the wind could carry effortlessly.

I’d never felt such joy.

Now, we see beautiful high-profile Black women taking the Pro-V standard of beauty (the White standard, really) and emulating it. Women like Tyra Banks (shown), sporting fake hair every day. Claiming she’s a “slave to her weave.” Women like Beyoncé, who is becoming lighter and lighter right before our very eyes.

But in reality, they are projecting the ultimate lie. They’re celebrating this phony ideal that little Black girls will try to achieve. That little Black girls have been trying to achieve for years.

And lying does not a good role model make.

Beyoncé's L’Oreal ad? That’s not African-American beauty. That’s someone else’s beauty. I'd like to see a little more of ours.

Related:
Jezebel: Photoshop of Horrors
Guardian: Mighty White
Afrobella: Whitewash and Photoshop
Racialicious: Feria Can Lighten Anything You Want
E! Online: We Didn't Lighten Beyonce. Honest.

Mad Men again... AMC's online casting contest produces gems

The You Could Be On Mad Men Contest: make the best 1-minute video and get flown out to L.A. for a walk-on role in a future episode of the show. Great use of user-generated video.

But also, some of these entries are freaking crazy! It's like, either the actors takes themselves way too seriously (umm, what's up with all the camera cuts here?), or they just kinda suck,

OR they make a mockery of the whole thing. Like this one (clip below), by Victor Fischbarg. He only has 2 votes so far, so he probably won't get very far. But dude. Come on. The hand? That's awesome. You'll win my eternal admiration if you can find a more craptacular character rendition.

Mad Men: Q&A and the future of ad agency fashion

Since Mad Men’s rocket launch to Must See T.V. status, everyone’s suddenly all interested in the ad industry. I hear questions like these all the time:

• “Do you guys really drink all the time?” (see this Gawker post for more on that – the first agency mentioned is mine)
• “Are the guys really that bad?” (in the ad agency of 2008, everyone’s that bad)
• “Do you really have that much fun?” (well, to answer your question, we have a jumping contest today from 1-4pm in the 15th floor “Jumpatorium”)
• “Are your co-workers really that clever?” (a whole-hearted head nod YES)
• “Who is the Don Draper at your agency? Can you give him my number?” (we’ve got a Draper or two, and I’ll see what I can do)

And then there’s the fashion. Sure, a few creatives sport fedoras, awesome button down/blazer combos and daring hair color choices. But to be honest, our everyday outfits pale in comparison to what you see on Mad Men. 

American Copywriter thinks the sleek and sexy will make a comeback in the modern agency. While I could imagine a male creative perhaps pulling on a suit for a pitch (maybe), I highly doubt they’ll be a drastic change in daily ad man fashion. A pity, really, because a man with a sharp suit and a vision can sell virtually anything.

And as for the women? Joan-chic… that has a nice ring to it. 

The All-New Pontiac.com – I know I never write about work...

Update: The site has been taken down for a bit... so I guess we can just call these screengrabs "exclusive spy shots" (b/c I'm so damn important)

...but what can I say, the new Pontiac.com gets me giddy. The redesigned, rewritten, re-everythinged site launched today after months and months of work by a tireless and tenacious team of some of the brightest people I know.

The new site boasts a ton of fresh dynamic features - my favorites being 1) the ability to save information that's of particular interest to you (favorite vehicles, nearby dealerships, etc) and 2) the myriad ways users can narrow down their vehicle searches.

Customers can even search by the monthly rate they’d like to pay, which is probs the tool I’d find most helpful. Oh, and also, users engage in all this so-called “narrowing down” by sliding a fun little do-dad (see photo above). The whole process is very quick, clean and intuitive.

But from the copywriter on the account’s perspective, I think the coolest thing about the new site is its enhanced visuals and voice (haha, of course I’d say that). Say what you want about Pontiac, the brand's got identity. It’s got presence. And I think that the peeps at Pontiac should be commended for their willingness and enthusiasm to push that voice to its farthest limits (which, in turn, not only made my job easier, but also infinitely more exciting).

First, the animation and copy on the home page is true-to-form Pontiac: bold and in-your-face.

Second, the flash animation and Pontiac-y highlight tiles on each vehicle’s Model Overview page (here's the '09 Vibe for an example) really work to envelope the user in that “rockin’ out” Pontiac voice.

And finally, no question the new Pontiac.com voice's pièce de résistance is the Experience Pontiac section, which houses all content related to Pontiac culture (music, sports, photos, history, original video content, promotions, etc). This section of the site really uses language, visuals, and supporting content to bring Pontiac's brand identity to the next level.

So there’s a little scoop on the new Pontiac.com from (one of) its copywriters. In my opinion, the new site is more Pontiac than Pontiac... what does that mean? Is it a good or bad thing? Well - that's up to you.

Calling all YouTube lovers - Send me your secret list of awesome clips!

Hey. You there. Do you spend entirely too much time on YouTube? Do you scour the site for funny clips? E-mail blast your friends with “besties”? Post particularly provocative clips on your Facebook profile or Twitter them to show strangers just how witty you really are?

Yes? Well then I’ve got a fun project for you. I’ll be writing a weekly column on The Madison Avenue Journal called Commercial Worthy, where I will be exploring the T.V.-commercial-potential of all my favorite YouTube vids.

Of course, after years of YouTube addiction I’ve got tons of clips – but I’d also love your input. If you keep a list of awesome clips, or if you come across one that you think would make a great commercial video, comment on this post with a link or e-mail me a tip. If I find the video particularly commercial-worthy, I might write it up.

And check out the column, which will run every Thursday on TMAJ.

Update: ... or Wednesday. Check out my first column.

Welcome to the ad:tech Blogger pit!

I'll be coming to you live from sunny San Francisco (well, actually, from a windowless room full of bagels and coffee) with the news, the scoop and the down-low from ad:tech '08.

Fun fun fun!

ad:tech People's Choice Award reviews, from Ryan to you

 Over the course of next week, leading up to ad:tech San Francisco, I will be reviewing some of the ad:tech People’s Choice Award nominees. These reviews, along with other great pieces from my fellow Marketing peeps, will be posted on the Madison Avenue Journal. 

My first review covers FX’s rich media unit, which promotes nip/tuck’s upcoming season and drives to a  micro site. Here’s a short excerpt: 

To promote the upcoming nip/tuck season, which premiers October 30, FX launched an ad  campaign fronted by the most powerful image (no, Ali G fans, it's not a naked woman on a horse - but astoundingly close). I mean, seriously, who isn't intrigued by a skinny chick, an ass, a pair of angel wings and two bleeding back scars? It's just so - so  nip/tuck creepy-meets-sexy.

The entire review is posted on the MadAve Journal now, so go check it out!

Digital Marketing Industry in April! ad:tech, Blogger Social, Age of Conversation craziness

I know, I know, I’ve gotten totally into the whole Election ’08 scene. But for right now, I must focus my attention elsewhere. I am an advertising copywriter and digital trend-watcher after all, a fact (and a passion) that cannot be left to the sidelines. Because this month, as you can see, it’s all about the industry.

Announcements!

1. I will be attending ad:tech, which is scheduled to take place April 15-17 in the lovely city of San Francisco. As a member of the press, I will be reviewing creative and conducting interviews, as well as live-blogging some Keynote Presentations and covering select breakout sessions. So if you can’t make ad:tech this year, join in on the conversation with me and it'll be like you're there in spirit!

Here are the presentations I'll be live-blogging -
Tuesday:
Keynote Roundtable: The Art of Conversation - Building Great Brands in the Digital Age

Wednesday:
Keynote: Consumers, Content and Control: Big Media in the Digital Age
You Don't Know Jack! Teens Speak Out

Thursday:
Closing Keynote: Internet Superstar, Live at ad:tech

And the sessions I'll comment on - 
Power Panel: Tales from the Bleeding Edge - Game-Changing Opportunities for Tomorrow's Marketer
Power Panel: The Modern Agency
Power Panel: Social Network Marketing - Exploring the Value Proposition
Exchange Series I: New Creative, New Tools 
Urban Wallpaper: Digital Signage and the Rise of the Fourth Screen 
Making Widgets and Gadgets Work for You

Let me know if there are one or two of these sessions that you find especially compelling so I can be sure to write a particularly robust blog post on the subject.

2. Blogger Social is this weekend! Tons of marketing bloggers attending (see list here) and looks like there are a bunch of Sunday brunchers as well. If you’re interested in joining, sign up here. Or if you're traveling home through New Jersey, hit Steve's backyard BBQ!

3. This year’s Age of Conversation list of authors is out, and I am seriously pumped. The number of contributors went up from 100 to 275, and I can hardly wait to read what everyone’s got to say. The topic for 2008: “Why don’t people get it.” I’ll be writing about my personal experiences in the conversation lane how my perception has changed/evolved since last year. As always, my aim is to write something that’ll raise a few eyebrows ;)

Here is the complete list of 2008 AoC authors in all its glory. Please join me in giving 2008's Age of Conversation a celebratory lift-off toast!

Adam Crowe, Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob Carlton, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Bradley Spitzer, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Clay Parker Jones, Chris Brown, Colin McKay, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Cord Silverstein, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Goldstein, Dan Schawbel, Dana VanDen Heuvel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Darryl Patterson, Dave Davison, Dave Origano, David Armano, David Bausola, David Berkowitz, David Brazeal, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Emily Reed, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, G. Kofi Annan, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Graham Hill, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, J.C. Hutchins, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeremy Middleton, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, Joe Talbott, John Herrington, John Jantsch, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Flowers, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kris Hoet, Krishna De, Kristin Gorski, Laura Fitton, Laurence Helene Borei, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Barnes-Johnston, Louise Mangan, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Marcus Brown, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Mark McSpadden, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Hawkins, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Monica Wright, Nathan Gilliatt, Nathan Snell, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul Marobella, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Beeker Northam, Rob Mortimer, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Cribbett, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tiffany Kenyon, Tim Brunelle, Tim Buesing, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Longhurst, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

Guest Blog: Castro, Cold Chillin'

By Slinky Redfoot

The latest fad in unoriginal ad campaigns is the “story” idea: everyone from celebs to normal, hardworkin’ folks like you and me boring us with tidbits from their humdrum lives. Gee, Martin Scorsese wears silk socks! Wow, Barb from Duluth collects crystal hummingbirds! Perhaps AAPR (shameful jumbling of letters for reasons I won’t get into) should approach recently retired Fidel Castro and go down this road.

_____________________

Brandspankin', where Slinky Redfoot gives brands the spankin' they deserve
More Guest Blogs on CheapThrills

MITX Event: I've found it! The magical solution for marketing to the social web!

For marketers, the online social world presents quite the conundrum—how do marketers utilize such a buzzin’ space without being perceived as obtrusive? Because now more than ever, it’s all about the user's time, not the marketer’s. Now more than ever, marketers aren’t the ones calling all the shots; people are voicing what they want and need, and companies are rushing to provide.

Such was the discussion at last night’s fabulous MITX event, Social Media: the Opportunities and Implications for Marketers, which was held at the Parris Lounge. Larry Weber, social media guru and chairman of the W2 group, moderated a panel comprised of some heavy-hitters from the social media space: Tom Arrix from Facebook, Suzanne Skop from MySpace, and Juan Fernando Santos from Studiocom. In addition, Jeff Taylor, Founder and CEO of newcomer Eons weighed in from a start-up’s perspective (and he absolutely blew my socks off btw), and Pauline Ores from IBM spoke on behalf of a 100-year-old business adapting to this new digital space.

A few key points from the panel discussion:

• Now more than ever, customers are vocalizing what they want and it’s up to companies to get it.
• Jeff from EONs described how community members are meeting on the site, and then a week later meeting in person. To me, that’s what social media is all about.
• People who are on social networks want to be heard. And they don’t necessarily want to be rewarded monetarily for voicing their opinions. Rather, they want access. They want the inside scoop.
• Social networks can easily double as focus groups—which are (or were) quite costly to organize.
• For traditional media to catch up, it needs to run its content in a lot of different places. It needs to be widely accessible and, in my opinion, free.

But what about marketing? Where do advertisers fit in? Well, you see, no one really knows. Someone mentioned an influencer-type of scene, where people tell their friends/virtual community about their favorite products. But if the company is pushing that, it sounds a lot like a payless pyramid scheme… or the failed Facebook Beacon.

Which brings me to my final takeaway: insiders from the leading social media sites really have no idea how to market to their users! And I don’t say this as an insult to any of the panelists, but rather as an exclamation of excitement. We’ve got all this great data, unbelievable segmentation possibilities, and HUNGRY Internet/mobile users who simply can’t get enough of the virtual world. So much opportunity, and so many kinks to be worked out. As Larry Weber put it last night, right now in the social media space, it’s a matter of maturation. We’re encountering, as he put it, “first generation hiccups.” Example: Coke friending his daughter on Facebook. Yeah, that’s pretty freaking lame.

So don’t let the heavy-hitters fool you; they do not have the golden equation that will magically make their users interested in marketing. We’re all mixing potions--or, in our lives, scribbling away at the whiteboard--together. And what fun it is!

Find more photos like this on MITX Exchange

Age of Conversation REDUX - casting call!

How time flies. The Age of Conversation hit the virtual bookstores almost a year ago, and now time it’s time to open up the dialogue once again. Drew and Gavin are currently cookin’ up 2008’s AoC, which will be bigger and badder and hipper than EVER before.

And will center around a new topic, naturally. Only this time we’re deciding it together. Here are the options:

• Marketing Manifesto
• Why Don’t People Get It? (Get what, you ask? My interpretation includes Uggs and sweatpants and this music video)
• My Marketing Tragedy (and what I learned)

Cast your vote at SurveyMonkey.

Drew’s blog post goes over all the juicy details—definitely check it out to get a feel for this year’s project.

If you’re down to contribute, e-mail Drew and let him know! And be sure to check out last year’s authors—they’re really some badass marketers:

Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan (these two crazy guys conceived this awesome project) CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino, Mack Collier, Lewis Green, Sacrum, Ann Handley, Mike Sansone, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty (Boston blogger! Yay!), Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich (Boston blogger! Yippee!) (New York blogger, that is :)), Luc Debaisieux (who I will SOMEDAY meet, lol), Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai, Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton, Mark Earls, Mark BlairCB Whittemore, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno (Digitas!), Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G. Kofi Annan, Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiels, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton, Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi (we met in Paris... but I was like 30 minutes late, and I'm still ashamed), Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal (Oman's own), Andy Nulman, Amy Jussel, AJ James, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird,Troy Worman, S. Neil Vineberg

Contributing to AoC is also a great way to make new drinking buddies :) Pictured below (right before we went for martinis) - me, Scott Monty, Lori Magno, and Brian Reich.

Hangover prevention

I think Gatorade needs a new consumer insight to play off of, because their messaging really isn’t reaching a large, super-special group of dedicated consumers: Young Professionals Whose Definition Of Networking = Drinking Too Many Cocktails 5 Night A Week. You know who you are, and you know you down a jug of fruit punch Gatorade before passing out to prevent a morning hangover.

Gatorade! Embrace your consumers!

Also, I just think these swirly images are rad. It’s not animated (focus on one football-looking thing and the image will stop moving). Neat! Should totally be used in an advertisement.

For more scary unique ad ideas, check my man Matt Brand’s blog, BrandSpankin’.

A Man's Man? How about a Butt's Toilet?

I heard about the Washlet Clean is Happy campaign a few months ago when New York City would not allow the Happy Bottoms to grace Times Square’s billboard scene. But I didn’t realize how deep this campaign really ran… until two days ago when a colleague brought their site to my attention.

And now, well, I can’t stop thinking about the Washlet. I can’t stop thinking about the five people whose butt curves are now imprinted in my memory. Five new butts, five new happy butts… it doesn’t get any better than that.

Or does it? Visiting the Washlet site for the first time made me so overcome by – let’s say, nouns – that I didn’t have a chance to pick out all of the wonderful things that would make the Washlet such an integral part of my life. But on second, third, and fourth viewing, I really nailed down the golden points. So for a second, let’s do go through a few of them.

• First off, this site promotes interracial relationships. During the technology guy’s intro speech, notice how the older gentleman’s eyes creep over to the Black lady. It’s so obvious that he likes her.
• It’s a toilet seat that’s got more in common with my laptop computer than any other toilet seat I’ve ever encountered (and that says a lot, because I sure encountered many a toilet seat). So that must mean that my laptop is just as similar to a toilet seat—which is really great news for laptop owners when there’s no bathroom in sight.
• It uses technology (much like science in this movie trailer). Technology like “nifty technology,” “remarkable technology,” and “technological wizardry.”
• The toilet seat turns bad air into good air. Eem… I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like a good idea.
• It involves a cleansing wand made of advanced antimicrobial plastic. I think I had one of these in my dress-up bin as a little girl, actually. So I’m familiar with this concept.
• Best of all, you can try the seat at a variety of bathroom supply dealerships. Even BETTER news if it’s an emergency and the store is closer than home.

Please - oh you simply must! – visit the site. Take extra time with Technology, Washlet 101, and Happiness tabs (all playing from the same site: www.washlet.com).