Too Social?

Have we as consumers become too social? 

As I look down at my iPhone - connected to GPS and with a camera + voice recorder built-in - and then at all my social apps; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc...I realize that I have the ability to share my everything with the world. Thankfully, I don’t. But the point is I could and some people do. And what happens when the consumers are too social? Can they be too social? I think so – but what’s the response?

Some companies decide to bury their heads and pretend that social media is a fad that will go away. Some barely accept it into their lives by creating a Facebook page that is never updated and adding ‘like’ buttons to their website, while some jump right in and engage with their audience through live video chat, online events, social promotions, online customer service, etc. But can too much social engagement become detrimental to the brand?

Earlier this month, pro wrestling's Vince McMahon brought his social media event of the year to the screens – emphasis on screen(s) – of millions of wrestling fans! With the pay-per-view event on TV, exclusive content available on YouTube and Facebook and super star interactions on Twitter, it isn’t surprising that Wrestlemania had 110 trending topics in 5 hours, received over 3.9 million views on YouTube, plus an event hashtag that was mentioned more than 600,000 times in less than 24 hours. 

But are all these social add-ons a good thing?

I still remember years ago, when I was sitting with family laughing, screaming and reacting to the matches on TV. I enjoyed every moment of it and became emotionally attached to my favourite wrestlers. And guess what - I wasn’t Tweeting or posting on Facebook while I did it. Sometimes I’d wiki-search for a wrestler’s bio if he was new, but I was experiencing the show with real people and acting like the perfect fan, falling for every stunt and becoming angry when the heel would cheat - and now it’s all changed.

Flash forward to present day. To understand the full story lines of a weekly show, I now need to watch the YouTube channel and listen all week on Twitter to catch up on the latest feud between the Bella Twins and Kelly Kelly. Even when I’m watching on television, there are constant references to something on Twitter that I should have paid more attention to and the experience, as a result, becomes a lot of work. Relaxing with family and friends is hijacked by another 2 hours spent on my mobile screen trying to find out everything I need to know in order to follow the plot. 

So, what happens when a company becomes TOO social? Can a company cross the line of usage when it comes to social media? Or, are fans like me just being a little too resistant to the future of entertainment?

-@mandamwright

The Power of Placement – Week 4/6 as Marketing Intern

@mandamwright

I can’t believe how time is flying here at FUSE. Over the past few weeks I have really thought about what an internship is, and how it can affect a student. I know some peers went to placements thinking they were getting a job, some to graduate and move onto other studies, and many like me just didn’t know exactly what to expect. My belief is you should never go into a situation like placement and expect to get a job, there may not be an opening, maybe you don’t fit with the team, or maybe it’s perfect and you get it, but I think that if your entire focus is securing a job with the company you will over look everything else you can get from a placement.

These are my key takeaways from my internship at FUSE Marketing Group.


Networking – It is a given that being an intern allows you to meet a multitude of industry professionals, but taking advantage of this oppourtunity is how you will get the most out of your placement. The end goal is NOT to get a job but to make connections. Connect with your team on Linked In, shadow internal meetings and reviews, go out to lunch with the individuals you work with every day, connect with them on a personal and professional level. Don’t only make them your friends, but show them what you can do in the office as well.

Learn from these professionals, wow them, and search for that ‘golden reference’.

Studying – The office atmosphere has many differences from the classroom, but the main similarities I noticed was how close everyone becomes and how many different personalities comprise one team, let alone the entire office/company. Studying how all of these individuals interact with each other as well as how they adapt to the each unique client is a lesson in itself.

Understand the office dynamic as well as the many different techniques to adapt to different clients and you will go far in this business.

Experience – The one shout out I must give to my program at St. Lawrence College (Advertising: Integrated Marketing Communications) is our experience with local clients and the ability to run through the entire campaign process from the RFP and Pitch all the way through to Execution and Analytics has helped prepare us for agency life. In the office I suggest help with EVERYTHING, if there is anything on a project you are even remotely interested in, ask how you can help. Offer your time to everyone on your team, and to other teams, try to get your hand into as many projects as possible (without over extending yourself, because you want all of your work to be your best work) and expand your experience beyond sitting at a desk waiting for a project to fall in your lap.

My highlight of placement so far would have to be my work on the FUZZ Blog, not because it is astounding and groundbreaking, but because they trusted my work enough to have it associated with their brand. Seeing my blog post on the main website, shared on their Facebook and Twitter was the pat on the back I didn’t realize I needed.

My Advice to anyone entering into placement (Outside the obvious – show up early and be professional)

Everyday of placement is an in office interview. Never expect a job from an internship but earn an amazing reference. Every meeting is a first impression, every morning is a chance to show how dedicated you are to the industry and brand, and every interaction is a window of oppourtunity to create a long standing professional relationship to help you in the job search of the future.

Week 2 @FUSEmg! What have I learned? 2/6

Week two already, I feel like time is just flying and I dread the end of April! From client meetings, internal brainstorming, blog work and helping anyone who needs it my days are anything but boring. I was even able to show off my people skills this week while doing sampling on the street! The weather may be gloomy but my spirits are not.

I, of course, cannot disclose any client information but I have to say sitting in and listening to real clients is eye opening! Sitting in class listening to the teachers explaining how a client meeting will be does not prepare you. I am so glad that the last two years at St. Lawrence College we didn’t just receive lessons and lectures but were able to work on real campaigns and dip our toes in to the reality that is pitching to the client and adapting to their needs and desires. 

Lesson 1: The client knows their company better than you, as an advertiser, ever will, or should. The client should be an expert about their company and products; you need to be the expert on how to talk to and inform their target market and how they will respond to positioning and branding. As the marketer (from what I have seen so far) you need to be the channel, strategy and consumer expert, let the client tell you about their brand. Go in with facts and knowledge of the brand and leave all biased behind so that you can create a clear picture on how the client sees their own brand and how they want their customers to see it. 

Life at the Agency: The community and atmosphere of agency life (this agency) is so warm, even in a bad mood and completely stressed out and fighting to meet a deadline everyone here is supportive, understanding and friendly, it’s like a large family with strong communication skills. I’m only on my second week and I am greeted by everyone who walks by my desk, I am invited to lunches and meetings and I don’t think my brain has ever been so buzzing with information! The day is done at 5, and I am reflecting on what I’ve done, experienced and learned until I finally fall asleep at night (and I may even be dreaming it, who knows.)

Wish me good luck for my 3^rd week at FUSE Marketing Group and the halfway point of the best experience of my life! (Yup I’m sucking up :P)

@mandamwright

P.S. Cut down my coffee intake from 2  a day to 1 a week! 

What did you do on your Vacation?

Dead Island was about to break the Zombie-Gaming Genre mold, and they needed to start that off before anyone had even purchased the game. Dead Island wasn’t like your typical Zombie-Killing Game, it was going to be a narrative, a story-driven game. As we have seen in recent months, Zombies are like the new Vampires, since Twilight destroyed all hope of Vampires staying a positive horror image a new monster needed to step up to the plate.

The Walking Dead, an AMC television show (and prior to that Graphic Novel) paved the way for Zombies to enter the consumers eye in a new light, Dead Island wasn’t going to let this oppourtunity pass it by. The Official Announcement Trailer for Dead Island is long for a video game trailer, but also very effective. It uses music with no dialogue, an emotional appeal created by the sad story of the vacationing family and it’s graphically appealing. Don’t take my word for it; turn up the volume, sit back and watch the majesty of this trailer.

Even as a very infrequent gamer I loved this, and reviews for the game show that for an innovator that could have potentially been before its time, it was a dead ringer for what the gaming community needed. Did you get pulled in by the tragic end to this innocent vacationing couple?

Skip This Ad Now

Is this the future of Video advertising? When is the last time you saw a commercial on Television? Well you are probably not quite like me so my guess is last night or this morning depending on when you are reading this blog post. My answer; the last time I saw an advertisement on Television…well the movies doesn’t count, I watch that show online, and … well it must have been a holiday…yes, I think when I was at my parents home for Xmas I watched some television and there must have been an advertisement on then.

You see I don’t pay for Cable or Satellite, I am not made of money, but I do have Netflix and most of my favourite shows air online on the company website so Television advertising almost never reaches me, but online video does. I can’t go more than a few days without winding up back on Youtube, infact I was about to watch a video as research for class and this advertisement came up, yes I can skip it, but it grabbed my attention right away, so I would grade that as effective.

Do you see online videos becoming the new norm for video advertising or it is where we also put commercials and trailers when we have finished with our Television Media Buying?

Second thought, have you ever chosen NOT to “Skip this ad now”?

Superbowl Sunday: Foot Ball or Ads?

Superbowl Advertising and the let down that all Canadians get when they realize we don’t see the amazing and much anticipated commercials of those lucky Americans. But why do we anticipate that which we so happily avoid in our everyday lives? Don’t most people normally use the commercial break to get up from the couch, take a much needed bathroom break, or even channel flip to that other show that you just can’t miss? Instead on Superbowl Sunday you cling to that screen and beg the giant brands to spoon-feed you that advertising you normally avoid.

It’s a little shocking, but as a Canadian perhaps I am just not aware of the wonders that I am missing. Superbowl ads are expensive, they are kept secret for months leading up to the grand unveiling and then they are gone again, well unless you have the internet. I watched most of the Superbowl advertisements online for the first time, infact for the only times as I don’t have cable or satellite any longer, and I have to say some of the advertisements are a giant let down. I mean, so many people have waited and longed for these ads, and they were no different from the ads I would normally see on television, except for a select few that really differentiated themselves from the crowd!

I have or will be looking at a few of these superb advertisements on this blog and am going to be watching the 2012 Superbowl this Sunday and let you know if I am still disappointed by the hype.

And incase you were wondering, yes I will be using the game for my much needed bathroom breaks and socializing, cause really…football!

Enjoy your Superbowl and let me know what you think of the ads! Now, who is playing?

Google Art?

Google seems to have its hand in everything lately. New Social Media Platform, Google Events, Google Maps…Google Art! It seems like a logical leap for Google to stay on the creative side. One of my favorite features of Google (besides the ease of search) is the different logos on the homepage for different days and events! My favorite one recently was the Jim Hensen interactive puppets created for his birthday.

Now realizing that this logical and creative jump for Google resulted in Google Art…what is Google Art?

What is the ‘Art Project’?

A unique collaboration with some of the world’s most acclaimed art museums to enable people to discover and view more than a thousand artworks online in extraordinary detail. –Google Art FAQ

Sweet! But how does that really help me?

Well if I am interested in art I can:

-       Explore museums with Street view technology!

-       View Artwork at high resolution and learn more about the artwork with expanded view functions?

-       I can even create my own collection!

So perhaps I can do a lot, but why would I want to?

The Google Art Project is amazing for teaching capabilities. Imagine being a High School Art Teacher; just think about it for a second. You can’t afford to take all 60+ of your students from all of you classes to that very prestigious art museum across the country, or even in a few cities over. Money is tight; the students are working part time jobs to pay for Post-Secondary when they are done. So why not use what is now at your fingertips.

Book a computer class, have the class do a virtual tour, they can look at each art piece at their own leisure, they can even use this site for homework assignments later that is easily accessible and more fun than buying an ancient art textbook.

Many other companies, individuals and groups can defiantly use the Google Art Project to their benefit and it looks amazing on all of the museums that have already signed up. Great PR for all of the prestigious museums who have seen the benefit of being online and making themselves more accessible to the general public.

Will you be checking out the Google Art Project? Maybe test out the Street view of a museum you want to visit before your next Vacation to really understand what it will be like when you get there. Expand your experience to last after you visit the amazing museum with all of its spectacular artwork.

Facebook Advertising Can Work

Facebook advertising can work, or it at least got me. So I want to go shopping at this new online store (well new to me) and buy some amazing Geek shirts and maybe even try out to be their new Model.

Am I really that easy? (Don't answer that!) Is it that easy to grab the attention of a 20 year old College student? Well yes and no. Using Facebook advertising really allows you to target and connect with the appropriate audience.

Snorg Tees didn't advertise to my mother, or my teacher, they advertised on the Facebook page of a young college student with interests that include: Batman, Comic Books and Smallville. They knew who they were hitting before I even had a chance.

Now I am targeting, I am hoping that the eyes following this blog are geeks, nerds and fun people who would be interested in Star Wars shirts, Joke sayings and Zombie pictures. If you are interested in geek style shirts to wear under your dress shirt or to wear to your local comic book shop then check out this online store. Oh, and girls, do you want to model for some Geek shirts and win some swag? Then check out this link to Snorg Tees and compete to be their next model!

Well enough of my plug, and enough my 'awe' on how easily a Facebook Ad grabbed me, why don't you pay a little more attention next time you are online, are the ads popping up related to you in any way? Are they targeting you on your interests or by what sites you are clicking on? What about the ads on my site, are they targeted to you?

Snorg Tees, they found my weakness for geek shirts!

Want to become a Snorg Girl? I know I do!

2010 – The Year of the…Women?

X-treme Rogue

One of Marvel’s many goals for 2010 was to celebrate women of all types; whether heroines, villains, artists, writers or other contributors to the Marvel Universe. Many believe that one of Marvel’s greatest weaknesses is their perception and representation of women in their comic books. I disagree.

In the past when women were required and expected to be stay at home mothers and generally seen and not heard Marvel (as well as many other comic book companies) had female characters. Marvel may not have made every female character positive but they didn’t make every male character positive either. Fictional characters are boring without depth and faults. Marvel did an amazing job in X-men of creating strong relatable female characters along side their popular male characters.

Uncanny X-men

Rouge, arguably one of their stronger members of the team, was extremely popular with the female fans. She was physically strong and had the power to become stronger by stealing the powers or strength from mutants and humans a like. Rouge's amazing power was also her greatest weakness; she was unable to have physical contact with anyone while she didn’t posses the control of her powers. Her tragic love story with Gambit captured the hopeless romantic female readers. Thankfully the die-hard fans were rewarded with some Gambit and Rogue action in a few comics like X-treme X-men. (Which after hearing about her new control of her powers in this series I immediately went to my amazing local comic book shop to order)

Stepford Cuckoos

X-men also stars strong characters such as Jean-Gray, Storm, and even some tragically amazing villains such as Mystique and Magneto’s daughter the Scarlet Witch. While looking into each of these characters from the X-men universe as well as many more it is easy to see that Marvel didn’t have a vendetta against women. They had character ideas, plot line ideas and the worked like any creative person would. Their characters were not created to promote women in a negative way but just another character created (whether female or male) to have personality, depth and to help the story to progress.

Pixie

Lately Marvel has heard the cries of under appreciated female fans and is trying to over compensate for perhaps not giving the female characters enough ‘lime-light’ or positive qualities. I am afraid that Marvel may be pushed too far and while trying to appease it’s female viewers it may in fact alienate them more. I am glad the female fans and employees are being recognized and celebrated but I believe there are better ways for Marvel to promote their female characters then in this gimmick. The strong female characters deserve more then to just be used as tools to appease some angry female fans. Some women are not of amazing moral caliber and some are the most sincere imaginable. Emma Frost will forever be of low moral fiber and have enough plastic surgery to look amazing and I wouldn’t want her any other way. On the same thought Rogue is a strong female presence (when written correctly) with great ability to be both sincere and extremely selfish, she may have mutant powers but she still has human emotions.

Rouge will forever be one of my favourite characters because of how REAL she is portrayed in the X-men 90’s animated TV show and many of Marvel’s comics that feature her.

Thank you Marvel for recognizing women, but heed these warning ands be tactful.

Every Chick has her weakness!

Weaknesses, every chick from real life to comic books has a weakness. For some it’s purses or makeup and for Powergirl its a little green meteor rock and for Harley Quinn it’s her unyielding love/obsession for The Joker.

What is my weakness you may ask? Well it is simple and it is complicated and I will answer first with; Shoes! I am still a chick, though a very untraditional chick. Now I will NOT go out and spend hundreds of dollars on shoes in fact I’m not sure if I have EVER spend more than approx $80 on a very nice pair of fancy shoes. I try to keep my impulsive purchases to a minimum and I weigh price versus use in my head many times before I hit the ‘buy’ button.

I have just over 20 pairs of shoes for presentations, working out, general use and some costume pieces (come on, I cosplay). Now I want to add a few more shoes to my collection that I have just seen advertised in my Zatana and Powergirl comics this month. I want Superhero shoes! I mean, I know I won’t ever find a Powergirl or Harley Quinn shoe, I’m just not that lucky and they are not that popular but Converse and DC have joined forces to create an amazing line of Converse shoes.

Including Batman; Superman and Green Lantern, DC is using the most popular and most recent heroes to hit the spot light this year and I truly hope they are able to expand their line in the future to create shoes with Villains and less popular characters as they introduce them in Smallville and in their animated movies.  I may have a budget and I may be one of the most reasonable out of my species (gender) but I can tell you that if I find a pair of Batman or Superman Cons that fit my petite feet I will be snatching them up whether it requires a credit card or not.

Now that you know my weakness, I shudder to think how many will use it against me. This is The Hottest-Geekette signing out!

Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Friends.

Lately I have been a little Fang Obsessed with the season premiere of True Blood Season 3, and I have been looking into what helped this season reach the outstanding numbers that it did.

In an interview with Tongela Johnson, True Blood discussed their marketing plan; “Instead of a traditional marketing plan, True Blood creates an “in world” perspective. This is done through a wide array of social media, digital, and traditional advertising techniques”.

After watching the bonus disc for Season 2, I noticed their wide array of Fellowship of the Sun commercials and that they all had web addresses. I decided to take a look and not only did HBO create a site for The Fellowship of the Sun (http://fellowshipofthesun.org) and the American Vampire League (http://www.americanvampireleague.com/) but they also have their very first website http://trubeverage.com// for the sales of the TruBlood beverage created to help promote the show.

TruBlood is a carbonated drink, flavoured to be Blood Orange and displayed to be a blood type. The beverage has its own small marketing campaign that promotes itself as well as the drinks for some very eccentric Fang Sympathizers.

After the drink was created to promote the first season, the advertisers for HBO’s True Blood had to step it up with online viral advertising as well as some shocking Outdoor ads. I have discovered a vampire blog that I have just started following called Blood Copy (http://www.bloodcopy.com) as well as a Human/Vampire dating site (http://lovebitten.net/).  

True Blood’s advertisers had a challenge this year with Season 3’s premiere and their need to top their previous advertising campaigns, their website states;

“We created and executed a campaign to disrupt reality and people’s perceptions of what an advertisement really is”.

If you haven’t noticed some slightly bizarre ads this year, take another look at Monster.com Billboards, as well as Harley Davidson. 

Digital Kitchen says:

“When we started we were hopeful to get 2-3 brands to sign on, however in a matter of weeks we were able to secure six brands: Geico, Monster, Mini, Harley-Davidson, Gillette, and Mark Ecko”.

Their campaign proved to be exceptionally successful. Not only do they have a large viral and reality disrupting campaigns but you can also follow True Blood on Facebook or get your fix on Twitter by following BonTempsGossip, I know I will be a follower!

Don’t miss True Blood on HBO.