The ABC's of ideas and themes in 2008

The following list covers my ABC's of the notable ideas, themes and happenings of 2008:

A: Apatow Effect: After the success Judd Apatow has enjoyed with raunchy R-rated comedies, movies like "Role Models" and "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" were released this year and it was assumed that they came from him. They did not. They weren't horrible, but I would have been concerned if I were him, for associations clearly could have been made. A big thing that he also paved way for is Red-band trailers, which can be seen online and could persuade many more people to go to theaters.

B: Batman: "The Dark Knight" smashed box office records left and right and its viral marketing campaign was pretty awesome. The late Heath Ledger may win an Oscar for his role as The Joker. It was hands-down the biggest film of the year, but I'm more excited about how upcoming films may be marketed because of it.

C: Change: The word of the year. The word that President-elect Barack Obama chose to brand himself around. The word resonated with so many people during this year's hardships.

D: Digg: The site allows users to share content and news links and it basically shows how people get news now, in a nutshell. It's never been more evident how newspapers are really yesterday's news. The ability to vote on what's newsworthy and all the comments that users can leave make it a much more interactive way of getting news. It also landed Microsoft as an advertiser, as it seemed desperate for fresh marketing opportunities this year.

E: EA Sports: The Tiger Woods viral spot was my favorite marketing of the year. It showed how listening to what consumers are saying about your brand is important, how to do it, and how to effectively respond to what they are saying. Great job by EA Sports.

F: Fey, Tina: Her portrayal of Sarah Palin on SNL was the viral sensation of the year. Viewers turned the channel right after her skits were through, but the buzz around the clips was huge. Sorry, Facebook, you were clearly worthy.

G: Goodbye, "The Wire:" I thought after "The Sopranos" that I would never love again, but when "The Wire" left me one year later I almost cancelled HBO because I was afraid to get hurt again. I was very emotionally vulnerable. "John of Cincinnati" almost wooed me but then came back to my senses. The last season of "The Wire" showed a glimpse in to the struggling newspaper business and provided those hard-to-swallow moments and commentary of how depleted the streets of Baltimore are.

H: HARO: Help a Reporter Out: The site was big in 2008. It's for reporters who are searching for story material or for sources. The site's founder, Peter Shankman, created a database of thousands of PR professionals who can find source material and contact other reporters. It should continue to get bigger for journalists and marketers in 2009.

I: iPhone: Maybe the most obvious choice here. With the 3G released this year, everyone else is merely scrambling and trying to keep up. What can't you do with this device? It's the trendsetter for the change that is occurring in the way people get news, listen to music, watch TV and movies, receive marketing and communicate.

J: Josh Childress: The former Atlanta Hawks player could become a trendsetter himself because of his unprecedented leap abroad. The lucrative tax-free contract, villa, car and chef provided by his team was too much to pass up. If NBA Commish David Stern says he isn't concerned, just ask him again next summer after a star follows in Childress' footsteps.

K: Kanye West: His "808's & Heartbreaks" might have been the boldest music idea of the year. All auto-tune singing? It was a risk, but as usual, the ever-confident artist decided that he was going to do it how he saw it and it would be greater than anything else ever released. Great it was not, but I was fascinated by the idea and change more so than the music itself. He says he wants to "be Elvis."

L: Lil' Wayne: The self-proclaimed "martian" had the most successful year in music. He sold a million units in one week, which today is like seeing an increase in your 401K, it just isn't happening. He appeared at the County Music Awards, bravely embraced this rock-star image and rolled with it. Like Kanye, his 2008 album, in this case "Da Carter III," was not close to the best material he's released, but it just might have been the most stunning.

M: "Mad Men:" The show might have been the last motivational factor I needed to join Twitter, as many of the show's characters started using Twitter. So, I thank them for that. The show had a stellar second season, and as a young marketer, the constant of thought-provoking ideas from Draper was much appreciated.

N: Networking: This was probably my most important idea of 2008. Everyone is networking in new ways, with sites like Linked In available. You have to remain confident that even the smallest of relationships that you make can lead to something more meaningful and fruitful, an important lesson I learned this year.

O: Olympics: Beijing proved to be a worthy host, as the 2008 games drew 20% more viewers than Athens in 2004. Micheal Phelps, Dara Torres and Usain Bolt, among many more, provided great excitement and proved that the TV can still rule, despite the millions of viewers that tuned in online. There was nothing else like watching Phelps going for gold every night and seeing his primal scream in 2008.

P: Pandora: In my opinion, the best music site out there. The site allows you to create radio stations based on songs that sound like your favorite artists or songs and it's pretty amazing how on-point they are. Among the sites that are completely changing the way people listen to music.

Q: "Quantum of Solace:" The new Bond film was as anticipated for the film itself as the "Star Trek" preview that was premiering prior to the film. Daniel Craig looked pretty svelte and the film took in $70M its first week. Bond still lives.

R: Recession: The most dreaded word of the year. Unemployment, bailouts, gas prices.. Let's move on and know that the letter 'R' will stand for 'Redemption' in 2009.

S: "Synedoche, New York:" The Kanye West of films in 2008. Also, the most ambitious film for the year. Most ambitious is very different from best, but I sometimes am more intrigued by ambition and great ideas than actual results because I wonder why the great idea couldn't pan out. Charlie Kaufman had me thinking for days after this one and it was maddening.

T: Twitter: duh. nuf' said.

U: UFC: Founder Dana White claims that "boxing is dead." His comments outraged a lot of fans, but his company, UFC, has been flourishing. The barbaric Kimbo Slice and Brock Lesnar made it a huge year for the 'Octagon' as ticket prices and PPV sales were steadily growing. I remain a Boxing fan and feel UFC will fade out soon, but White may continue to prove me wrong.

V: Vampires: "True Blood" and "Twilight" made me wonder what on earth was going on. Did fans of "Lost Boys" become producers and finally reach the point in their careers where they grew up and got nostalgic? Either way, the HBO show was critically acclaimed and the movie amazingly appealed to an enormous young audience and has made a boat-load of money off a small budget. Marketers, take notice.

W: Wordle: The very fun site that allows you to produce "word clouds" from the text on your blog or Web site. It's artistic and shows the prominent words that appear on your site, which potential readers can look at to see if it's worthwhile to take a peek. Take a look at this blog's "word cloud".

X: "X-Files: I Want to Believe:" Maybe the idiotic idea of the year. Not the film, but the release date. Who the hell was going to see this one week after "The Dark Knight" was released? The flick subsequently bombed at the box office and the marketing team at the studio is to blame, but on the other hand, "Californication" was a pleasant surprise this year.

Y: You Tube: This site was huge last year, I know, but in 2008 it became larger, more social and it introduced the suggestions function, similar to Pandora, Netflix or iTunes' Genius. It is surprising what videos are recommended to you at times, give it a try with your account. This was the year that the Baby Boomer generation really grasped You Tube and started to understand social media. The iPhone application certainly didn't hurt.

Z: Zune: The digital music player was the one gadget that many people were surprised that President-elect Barack Obama was found to use. He's a Mac guy, and uses a Blackberry, but a Zune? That's right. You would have assumed he was an iPod guy, right? RECOUNT! Z is a tough letter, you know.

Cheers to a prosperous 2009 for everyone!

The Point of No Return: Becoming a Made Man on Twitter

If I should be logged off before I wake, please Re-Tweet this post to all,

"Once you enter this family (Twitter), there's no getting out..." - Tony Soprano (Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan?)

I apologize ahead of time for the inevitable "Sopranos" metaphors that are on the way, but two months ago I was like Christopher Moltisanti when he was dabbling in screenwriting, while still participating in typical mafioso stuff. Now, I'm like Chris when he was getting "made" and he saw that crow outside of the basement window. I've officially become a "Made Man" on Twitter.

No one pricked my finger for blood, or burned ashes over my keyboard or anything, but I've reached the point where I know that there's no looking back, whereas two months ago I was still a petty soldier, logging in just once a week. I've been lured in by the mass amounts of money and pride that comes with being a "Made Man." Or, the mass amounts of knowledge and links and the pride you feel when you know about stuff before CNN does. I see the road that is ahead of me. If I make sure my envelopes are full every week and I don't step on any one's toes, I could become a Capo (Twitter Elite) one day.

Two months ago I didn't really grasp the Twitter lifestyle, as I logged in but didn't really know what to do, but as I started following more and more users, I gravitated towards it more each day. I began seeing all the fancy cars, pinstripe suits, gumars, great links, job leads, blogging tips, breaking news alerts, etc. It became evident that I would never be content living the life of just another Jo-Schmo who doesn't even know what bluetooth is. Now, as a "Made Man" I'm making connections, branding myself, learning a lot about the direction marketing is heading, all while walking with a pep in my step.

But, let me warn you. Living the life of a "Made Man" is not all fun and games, it comes with its fair share of costs, as well. I always have to be looking over my shoulder and have to be strapped at all times, a life of constant paranoia. For if I miss two days on Twitter or don't kick up to the skipper on time, I'm in for it. I can never seem like yesterday's news, as I have to constantly provide insightful tweets and make sure those envelopes aren't getting light. You can end up in the can more easily than you can imagine. I also have to watch what I say and who I say it to. If I drink too much vino one night and get out of line with a "made" guy in another crew, I've got to be prepared to face the consequences. I can't re-tweet my own blog links too frequently or criticize the wrong blog, for I could end up at the bottom of the E. River with Luca Brazzi, Sal "Big Pus" Bonpensiero and all the other ex-users of Pownce. And don't even get me started with the sleepless nights wondering what's happening on those mean streets of Twitter. I sleep with my pistol (laptop) on my bed stand every night, grabbing for it countless times upon hearing every little creak from my door.

Who knows where this life will lead me. I could end up with a great job because of it, end up running my own crew, but if I'm not careful, all this could be for nothing. I could have become that screenwriter I envisioned myself as years ago, but I know living this life is a risk worth taking, at least I hope it is. Now we all know how Chris got whacked, we'll just have to hope I make some wiser moves along my route..

Such is the life of a "Made Man" on Twitter.

-George Fiddler
aka Media Appetite
aka Pop Cult PR George
aka Georgie Two Times

Shoe-in Sports Marketing: Nike and Adidas

On a day of great college football and possibly the biggest and richest fight of all time, I want to discuss some sports marketing. There have been a couple of advertisements in circulation that have gotten a lot of people raving. For good reason? That's to be debated, but the spots being discussed are the Lebron James/chalk ad from Nike and the "Celebrate Originality" ad from Adidas.

The Nike ad is based on a pre-game ritual that James goes through every game, clapping chalk above his head at the scorer's table. The chalk is used to make it easier for players to get a good grip on the basketball. I remember Kevin Garnett doing this at the Target Center when Lebron couldn't grow facial hair yet, but Nike chose to use Lebron's "chalk-clap" as a way to show how iconic he has become and to connect with the playground and hip-hop communities. Frankly, it was a great angle. A cameo by Lil' Wayne certainly doesn't hurt. Lebron has long talked about how he intends on becoming a global icon, and the commercial shows how something so small about him still has the effect of resonating with many "witnesses," if you will. Nike could have done a spot based on his headband, one of his tattoos, his goatee, etc. Focusing on the minuscule things in his life that still are witnessed by large audiences was a good direction for the ad and the "chalk clap" was a perfect choice. Only huge figures like Lebron can be subjects of ads adhering to such seemingly unimportant things. I don't think we would care so much to see how Lebron's teammate, Anderson Varejao, picks his hairdo, for instance.

I did notice something peculiar, however. It is no secret that Lil' Wayne raps about the drug culture, in fact he has released a mixtape album titled "I Can't Feel my Face", a reference to the film Blow. Chalk resembles certain drugs. Blogger Ian Schafer made the same observation in a recent blog post. He wrote how Nike could be intending on showing that it understands the rise from having nothing to super stardom that Lil' Wayne has experienced. I just don't think Nike wants to be seen as supportive of a drug culture even in the very unlikeliest of ways, which this ad could arguably be on the borderline of doing. Schafer also pointed out the music used in the ad, a rap song titled "Candyman," also a reference to drugs. I loved the "chalk clap" angle, as well as Nike's attempt to show that it understands and connects with the playground and hip-hop culture, but I think Lil' Wayne's cameo makes the ad a little problematic. That's my take from a marketing analyst, but from a music, Nike and sports fan, I loved it on every level.

Cool new ads are always fun to see but social media is clearly more effective in interacting with consumers and Nike has succeeded in that regard as well. Nike allows fans and consumers to chat with one another and even Lebron himself on Nike Talk, which I think was a smarter move than even the ad itself. Nike has also created Nike 6.0, where the brand connects consumers in social online communities based on the consumer's sport and it is also very cool and interactive. Here's the link to its soccer community, its running community and its extreme sports community. It will be exciting to see how much Nike relies on integrating big ads with its social media endeavors as marketing heads in that direction.

As for the other ad, you can ultimately break it down to this angle: Who wouldn't want to be at this party: Patrons include Russell Simmons, DMC, David Beckham, Kevin Garnett, Young Jeezy, Katy Perry, Estelle, the Ting Tings, Missy Elliott, Method Man and Redman, among others. I am jealous every time I see the ad. Again, from the music and sports fan, I love this ad on every level. It's also amazing from a production standpoint. From the marketing analyst perspective, the "Celebrate Originality" message is clearer to get than what Nike was trying to do and Adidas also succeeded. You take a look at all the big-name guests at the party and they all can be seen as innovators and unique, "original" artists in their respective field, in one way or another. That's what I love about the ad. I know Tim Duncan is an Adidas guy, but I just don't think his personality is one that would mesh with that party scene. Kevin Garnett? His enthusiasm makes him the life of the party.

Now, after tooting the ad's horn pretty loud, I don't want to seem like the party-pooper, but I have to bring this up. I couldn't help but, again, sense a subliminal drug message. The blog, AdRants also asked if the fun at the party may have been "drug-induced?" The eclectic, psychedelic aesthetics of the ad could make a viewer wonder if the lens was influenced by say, Hunter S. Thompson? This type of approach may just have been smart, for there is not one mention or shot of any alcohol or drug-related prop in the ad. Also, the party, like I said, is one that everyone wants to be invited to. Are there parties that are thrown that appear to be similar to the one in the ad? Do people possibly use intoxicating or hallucinogenic substances at these parties? Perhaps, but have you ever seen a party like this one before? I just think Adidas needs to be very careful in its ensuing ads in the campaign that it in no way suggests that the viewer "celebrate originality" by using anything resembling a drug. The next ad could very well erase this possible interpretation.

Adidas targeted social media sites You Tube and Facebook with this campaign originally and months later the campaign is a smash on both sites. The online forum for the campaign is also quite interactive. I am very impressed with the efforts that both Nike and Adidas have gone to in implementing social media in their respective campaigns and I am thirsty for more from both. Stay tuned..

Milking the Oscar Race

Before I saw "Milk" last night, I was wondering what film would win Best Picture if it had to be announced right now. I thought and thought some more and I came up with "Wall-E," "The Dark Knight" and possibly "The Changeling." Those are the front-runners? It would certainly make for a strange ceremony. Well, the academy has got to be relieved with "Milk," because having a big blockbuster like "The Dark Knight" up for a lot of big awards is not something it typically does and I don't think it wants to start a new trend. We could see a Seth Rogen Best Actor nomination if the Batman movie can get all this Oscar attention. The academy doesn't want the prestigious awards show to turn into the Nickelodeon awards. Anyways, in "Milk" Sean Penn put on, arguably, the performance of his career. OK, second best performance, I forgot about Jeff Spicolli. We do have a few more films that are likely to get attention in "Revolutionary Road" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," but besides that it does look awfully thin.

When I was watching "Milk" last night and witnessed everyone cheering on Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, James Franco and the 1970's Gay-Rights movement on the screen, I had a thought. Previously in the day I was on Twitter, tweeting about how I was excited to see the film and I was amazed at all the interactive debates going on about a plethora of topics. I was thinking that with social media and interactive marketing being as big and influential as it is right now, why doesn't a studio produce a fan-created film? It could reach out to many popular actors, directors and screenwriters to see if they would agree to be on the ballot and have the fans vote for who they want online as a part of a large social media community. They could pick an "it" actor like Hirsch, a veteran director like Van Sant and a hot theme like civil rights and political hope to create a film like "Milk." Imagine the site, with 10 options for leading actor, 10 options for director, 10 options for screenwriter, plot, location, supporting actors, etc. How would this film not be the biggest box office smash and interactive phenomena Hollywood has ever seen? The downside is that it could be likely that the younger generation who is familiar with social media would participate more than a crowd that might create a film like "Milk," and we could end up with another "High School Musical." To prepare for that happening, multiple different genres or age groups could be directed towards specific sites so a drama with Gus Van Sant wouldn't be infiltrated with Zac Efron. Also, this would show the older generation that is resisting social media just how effective the online interactive forum can be.

Social Media and My Life

Friends... The picture you see above is my head.

I intentionally addressed you all as "friends" because, after this week, I feel just about as exhausted as Sen. John McCain has to feel and we all know how fond he is of the "friends.." greeting. Maybe his head feels like it's going to explode due to all the podcasts, blogs, tweets, vlogs and Google search results that he has been exposed to, I don't know, but I know that I sure feel that way. A substantial reason why the Senator lost so handily was due to his inability to implement a solid social media plan in his campaign. This is totally old news, but you can read about Obama's digital victory and McCain's failures here or a zillion other places, but the point is that I feel like I messed up with my first attempt at using social media to promote myself and want a mulligan. That, I know, is a wish that the Senator and I could chat about over an early bird special.

So, is every one and their mothers telling you that social media is NOW and that you need to drop everything that you're doing like it's hot and hop on the social media bandwagon? Social media aficionado Chris Brogan wrote an excellent blog post that you should read regardless if you just realized Facebook is not actually a physical book, if you tweet occasionally or if you yourself are a social media honcho. Nice plug, Chris? It's not like he needs it, but it is a good post. I joined Facebook originally to socialize w/ college friends in regards to topics like binge drinking and rap music. I've watched anything and everything on You Tube. I later started this blog to vent, mostly, but also to brand myself. I later joined Linked-In to connect with potential employers and to feel a wee bit pretentious. I joined Twitter a couple of months ago, but did nothing with it, until this week.

All of sudden, "BOOM!" The Ari Gold coined term does justice, both to the enlightenment that using Twitter can do for one, and in regards to how my head feels after following tweets to about 3,000 blog posts this week on how to effectively use social media. I'm curious about everything and don't see a tweet that I don't want to be a part of. Such is the impact that social media can have. Twitter is really an unbelievable resource, and the marketing tool of searching twitter is an even better way to know what's being said about topics. My social media awakening has lit a fire underneath me and inspired me to practice the tool more avidly. I don't know much right now due to knowing too much (?!?), but I do know that social media is inevitably going to a big part of my life, whether I like it or not.

Marketing Through the Recession and in the Cyber Universe: Sports Edition

So I recently thought about buying some tickets to a Timberwolves game to check out the new look squad in person. I then subsequently took an unfortunate stroll down memory lane to last year and realized that if I went to another game, I would inevitably leave it feeling the same way I did after attending a game last season. That feeling can be described no more perfectly than exactly like it is to leave the casino, downtrodden after taking a horrible beat in poker. I went to the Target Center last year for a game and in hindsight, it was easily the worst way that I could have spent $50. Horrible product on the floor, a half-full arena full of people wondering why they bothered to come and absolutely no other compelling aspect that could be justified as a reason to attend a bad game to witness. I was wondering just as much about why Kevin McHale traded Brandon Roy for Randy Foye as I was about how the team's marketing department have jobs. After this reminiscing, I couldn't find a reason to go this year, but I have been very curious about what the team's marketing crew came up with to draw fans to games this year, especially given that fans have less disposable income, arguably, since the team joined the NBA 20 years ago.

Now forward to this week when I read a story about a promotion that another awful team, the New Jersey Nets, is currently offering to fans. The best the T'wolves could come up with was designing new jerseys and a new court, but the Nets drew national attention for the idea of giving away free tickets to unemployed fans. The franchise gives fans an opportunity to send them resumes to be passed along to the team's sponsors and in exchange, the fans are awarded free tickets. It's a great marketing idea because the team's staff knows they aren't going to sell out games, so they figured that they might as well do a noble, socially responsible thing and get positive national PR out of it as well. Only if my team could come up with such an idea.

After the success of You Tube, social media and the phenomenal online marketing by President-elect and "Marketer of the Year" Barack Obama's campaign team, it's about time ESPN decided to create a web-only show. "Mayne Street" is the new Internet show starring Sportscenter anchor and sarcastic funnyman Kenny Mayne. The site for his show has a chat room, a blog, a group for followers of the show and an interactive link to write to Kenny. The online format is much more cost effective than a television show, it allows a quirky group of fans to unite and chat and there are still advertising opportunities for the network. The show features content that the network itself would never run on television, as it pokes fun at the show's premise and its corporate headquarters. Just as I expect similar marketing from sports franchises to the campaign that the Nets are running, I expect more online shows and wow, even presidential web-speeches in the near future.

Guitar Hero & Film History: Hmmmm

The new ad for the latest version of the hugely popular Guitar Hero video game has got me thinking about how other iconic movie scenes could be used to help sell products. The Guitar Hero "World Tour" advertisement has four of the world's most recognizable and successful athletes dancing and singing in their underwear like Tom Cruise in Risky Business and it has caused quite a bit of buzz, especially in the sports blogosphere and on ESPN. Besides from wondering why Kobe didn't go all out and rock the tighty-whiteys and how much coin Red Octane, Guitar Hero's publisher, had to offer to lure megastars Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps and Tony Hawk, I'm curious as to what brands would make sense matched with movie scenes for advertising. Here are a few ideas:

1. Here's an easy one: Rocky Balboa's famous, jubilant and celebratory jumping on the top of those steps in Philly for Old Spice. Have even the biggest of guys, like Shaq or to be more modern, Greg Oden, make that run up the steps and be elated and dancing when he realizes that he still doesn't stink after such a rigorous workout.

2. A little more abstract: How about Kilgore in the great Apocalypse Now with his famous line, "Do you smell that? Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning?" It could be used with Martha Stewart for Febreze. She could scold Robert Duvall's character, telling him that if he just used the pleasant smelling spray Febreze, he wouldn't have to settle for the disgusting smell of Napalm. Never would happen, but funny to imagine.

3. The ending to The Graduate could be used for seemingly anything, but nowadays, could it be more pathetically perfect than it being used for an online dating site? It makes me want to vomit, but it's so obvious, with two high profile actors running off on a bus despite having a church full of family members and friends present to see two people wed. The catchphrase would be something corny like "Matchmaker dot com, where only relationships matter."

4. After that last one, I desperately need my Godfather fix to restore order. How about the line from Part III, "Right when I thought I was out... They pull me back in" line for a guy who discovers the dollar menu at KFC. Or the line from Part II, "I knew it was you Fredo... You broke my heart" for two squabbling brothers, one using a Mac and one using a PC. Now that would trump all the ads that those two brands have been retaliating and counter-retaliating at each other with. Or while we're on the topic of Mac vs. PC, how about a Mac-user playing Sonny Corleone at the tollbooth and the killers being played by all PC-users. It would be classic. The PC's shoot Sonny (Mac) about two hundred times and then say, "Carlo told me Sonny would be here... and I'm a PC." That about wraps this discussion up, I'd say.

Draper vs. Soprano & Mad Men Twittering

The more and more I watch AMC's Mad Men, the more and more I have been realizing how it is no coincidence that David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, happened to create the show as well. Tony Soprano was the gloomiest, most complex alpha male that TV has arguably ever seen, that is until we were introduced to Don Draper, star of Mad Men, played by Jon Hamm. There was a recent USA Today story that noticed the comparison as well. Infidelity, a suffering wife, a powerful job and being secretive are a few of the parallels identified. After getting hooked on Mad Men, which recently won the Emmy for Most Outstanding Drama for the second consecutive year, I still can't figure out why HBO turned down the program for its network. After what Chase gave HBO with The Sopranos, the network shouldn't have the right to reject an idea from him for a series about a guy watching paint dry in a warehouse, let alone a thrilling show about the ruthless world of advertising in the 1960's. I'll take any excuse to blog about Tony Soprano and to take a stroll down memory lane, but the similarities between the characters are stunning and it is no surprise that both programs have been successful. Given the success that both shows have enjoyed, I wouldn't be surprised that when competing networks start going back to the drawing board to brainstorm new ideas for fresh programming, the reoccurring central plot theme that keeps getting brought up is a show with a mysterious guy, a type often seen in film noirs, or like Draper and Soprano.

Also interesting on the Mad Men front that is worth bringing to people's attention is the marketing that the show has created with the social networking and micro-blogging site, Twitter. Many of the show's characters have been appearing on the site, leaving comments that are in line both with how the world functioned and spoke in the 1960's and with the personalities of the characters. The complete story can be found at Business Week. More and more brands are taking a stab at marketing with social media and with Twitter in particular and it is starting to pay off, as I, for one, was intrigued by the idea and spent some time visiting the site and seeing what the central characters in the show were up to. According to the previous story link, AMC denied both instructing its actors to blog on the site in character and hiring an agency that came up with the idea, but either way, they should be thrilled, as the idea of interacting with your favorite TV character is an idea that I think many people would find compelling and it is great marketing.

Declare Yourself: I Think I'm Scared to Vote Now..

I thought Saw V came out in October. After catching glimpse of the inserted advertisement and watching this video, I could hardly tell the campaign apart from the gruesome horror franchise. The campaign is Declare Yourself, a national nonpartisan campaign that's objective is to get the young generation to vote and to have its voice heard. That simple phrase, "have your voice heard," is apparently the term that gave life to the odd, creepy ads. The tag line for the campaign is "Only you can silence yourself." I think the idea is compelling and definitely provocative, but I also think that it may be going a bit far. Forming alliances with social media sites, like they have with Friendster and Twitter, getting celebrities like Jessica Alba involved and being in association with companies that appeal to the youth, like Urban Outfitters and US Weekly are all great ways to connect with its intended audience, but the shock value of the messages could be toned down. We will have to wait and see how many young voters turn out for this ground-breaking election, but their impact can't be overstated. That is why it is so important to find creative ways to persuade them to vote, and the tag line that the campaign has come up with is good, but the execution of the ads could be altered to not cause confusion or consternation with the crowd.

Microsoft Ads: Building Buzz With Seinfeld-esque Nothingness

If there was anyone who was a bit critical of the first Microsoft advertisement from super tandem Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates, it was me. I actually had a post idea last week where I was going to compare the failure of the Gates and Seinfeld duo in the Microsoft ad to the presumed failure of Righteous Kill with over-the-hill superstars Robert Deniro and Al Pacino. I wrote something up, but I then had second thoughts, as I succumbed to my gut instinct telling me that I would be kicking myself a couple of weeks down the road after a brilliant follow-up ad was released. The first ad hardly worked with its stab at silliness in the discount shoe store and it seemingly failed even more in revealing the message that it was attempting at sending. Bloggers were bashing the initial ad left and right, but I expected more from the campaign that Microsoft reportedly sunk $300 million into. The overwhelmingly negative reviews of the first ad created more anticipation for the second installment, which was obviously on the way. Why give away the whole story in the first act? The second I saw the first ad, I was confused, but I simultaneously had thoughts of a climatic conclusion to the series of ads aired during the Super Bowl, given the personnel in the ad and the price tag. Now, things have become more clear, as the second ad premiered this week and has enjoyed more favorable reviews. The premise has become more obvious, with Seinfeld and Gates moving into a very middle-class, "average" family's home.

This campaign is clearly an answer to the Apple ads that have succeeded in not only building a near-Monopoly-type of brand with its ads that have branded white space and have proven that less is sometimes more, but also in making Microsoft and Vista seem slow and very old and uncool. As a result, Microsoft needs this campaign to work. As this LA Times article points out, Seinfeld and Gates also are in need of some revamping. After two ads, it seems clear that the two, ultra rich guys, are trying to connect with the everyday man and poke fun at their wealthy and in-a-funk perception. The best part is that they are taking a page out of the Seinfeld playbook, using the plot about "nothing" that the NBC show was famous for implementing. I am looking forward to the next installment and the campaign now has some momentum on its side. If the ads will culminate in turning Apple users, like myself, back into PC users is to be seen, as is my prediction of a campaign-concluding ad in the Super Bowl that will possibly be bigger than the game itself.