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Interview: Forrester Analyst Josh Bernoff, Author of 'Groundswell' & 'Empowered'

Josh bernoff forrester "The power has now shifted such that big companies need to be worried about one individual with a microphone called a 'blog.'"

When I first read that quote from Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff, I was compelled to ask him about what many brands may perceive as the downside to the democratization of digital media.

In this source interview for my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (available everywhere books are sold), Bernoff (co-author of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies and the upcoming Empowered) shares his views on what brands must do to monitor and shape consumer sentiment in the age of social media.

(approx 8:49)

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

OD_cover "... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

 

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Taco Bell's 'Super Delicious Ingredient Force' Viral Video Series



Somebody's got some hashish in my 'Adult Swim.'

I don't know what kind of sick bastards came up with this Cannabis-Meets-Cartoon Network perversion. But bless them for it.

Sure, it's cynically designed to be "viral" among college students (yeah, good luck with that). But it does seem like a suitable way to promote Taco Bell's "4th Meal" concept for late night partygoers in need of some serious munchies. 

But some nicely subversive dialogue, and a few rather unexpected characters (who seem pretty stoned out themselves) from such a mainstream brand.

And what's not to love about that?

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OD_cover "... WITTY, INSIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC & HIGHLY INSPIRING ..."

“THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”

Alison Moore
Vice President, Brand Strategy
& Digital Platforms
HBO



>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Viral Video: 'Toy Story 3: Inception'



  It's "Architect" Barbie and her amazing new dream house.

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OD_cover "... TRULY A MUST READ FOR MARKETERS WHO NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE CLUTTER ..."

“Today, the 24/7 always-on consumer sees everything as an advert. In this new world of ‘consumer time,’ marketers need to bond with consumers in ways that go beyond a mere iPhone or gaming application— just another passing fancy that won’t stay relevant. Rick Mathieson’s THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is truly a must-read for marketers who need to cut through the clutter to gain a deeper understanding of their consumers, spot trends and predict outcomes.”

Conor Brady
Chief Creative Officer
Organic, Inc

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Interview: BSSP's John Butler (Pt. 2) - Driving Digital Innovation for MINI

Mini motorby "Let's advertise to people who already own the car."

It sums up John Butler's unconventional approach to marketing MINI that I explore in my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (available everywhere books are sold).

In part two of this source interview, John Butler talks about how this mindset, combined with in-house digital expertise at Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners led to such innovations as billboards that use RFID technology to call out to MINI drivers by name.

The effort was part of the MINI "Covert" campaign that has helped MINI make a major splash in the world of automotive marketing. 

Here's more from a great interview that offers some outstanding insights on success in the digital age.

The On-Demand Brand Interview: John Butler (Pt. 2) - Driving Digital Innovation for MINI

(approx 5:34)

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OD_cover "... REQUIRED READING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE ..."

“Absolutely inspiring! Mathieson takes us on a lively journey through the digital marketing universe, with powerful insights into what has worked, what hasn’t, and most important of all—why. His 10 rules of engagement will spark creativity and inform a new generation of digital marketing initiatives—including my own. Put simply, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is required reading for the digital age.”

Peter Cole
Technology Director
R/GA



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Interview: BSSP's John Butler on Building Brands In The Digital Age (Part 1)

John butler shine stern partners "Building brands in the digital age comes down to a single word, and that word is 'experience.'"

It's just one of the pitch-perfect comments made by John Butler in this source interview for my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (available everywhere books are sold).

This podcast is the first from that interview, which offers an exclusive look at how John and his agency, Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, approach digital marketing initiatives ranging from RFID-based billboards that call out to MINI drivers by name, to the new Jamboxx iPad app.

It's a great interview that offers some outstanding insights on success in the digital age.

The On-Demand Brand Interview: John Butler (Part 1)

(approx 4:08)

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OD_cover "... EXCELLENT ..."

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.”

Publishers Weekly



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Diesel Facepark: A Real-World Version of Facebook

Turns out Diesel's "Be Stupid" campaign is pretty darn smart."instead of wasting our lives in front of a computer, we we chose to waste our lives in the park," shouts a promotional video designed to introduce "Facepark," an event where people unplug for a while to actually meet each other in the real world. Oh, but also online at a special microsite.

There's a lot of talk right now on just how effective Old Spice's viral video campaign has been in boosting sales. And while it's too early to truly tell, it really wasn't the point of that particular facet of the campaign anyway. It was about repositioning a tired brand.

Diesel facepark Here, it's unclear how Diesel's sales will be directly impacted. But one thing's for sure: It's "stupid" campaign is turning out to be a nice way to bring an aura of counter-culture hipness to the brand - and to capitalize on the inevitable Facebook backlash.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

OD_cover "... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Interview: Steve Coulson, Campfire, On Discovery's New Social Media Experiment, 'Join The Colony'


"The Colony" is getting cooler by the day.

Last week, I posted about Discovery's new effort to promote its survivalist reality show, "The Colony," with a social experiment that simulates how your social circle might react on Facebook as a devastating pandemic unfolds. 

The initiative, created by Campfire, includes fake footage fictional updates from your real friends, family and colleagues as they post about the effects of the outbreak on the cities where they live.

At the time, I posted that the experiment reminded me of a kind of digital era update to "Special Bulletin," a 1983 TV movie about a nuclear incident in Chesapeake Bay that freaked everyone out because it appeared to be actual news footage instead of just a movie. I figured nobody would get such an obscure reference.

I figured wrong. In a new audio interview, Campfire creative director Steve Coulson tells me "Special Bulletin" was indeed a major inspiration for the effort. He also shares his insights on bringing such initiatives to life through social media, and why Discovery in particular has been so successful at it.

Telling Stories: Campfire's Steve Coulson on the "Join The Colony" Social Media Experiment

(Approx.14:18)

Read more about the effort here.

And join the colony yourself, here.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

OD_cover "... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Domino's 'Pizza Proverbs' Contest - See Your Words on New Pizza Boxes

Dominos pizza proverbs It's like haiku for your Domino's Hawaiian Feast Pizza.

The Domino's Pizza Proverbs contest lets you submit 100 character proverbs for the chance to see your words of wisdom printed on the new Domino's pizza box.

Domino's own suggested bon mots include "Give a man a pizza and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to order online and he'll eat for a lifetime" and "Life is what happens between slices."

And fan entries so far include ""A pizza a day keeps the hunger away" from Brenda A and "Home is where the pizza is delivered" from Taylor C.

Would love to see this fully integrated with mobile as well as with Twitter direct. But it's still fun (and it feels a bit more organic than the whole Naked Pizza thing).

Become your own Pepperoni Plato or Italian Sausage Socrates here.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

OD_cover "... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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'The MAD MEN Job Interview': See If You'd Get Hired

Timed to the launch of this next week's season premiere of MAD MEN, AMC launches an interactive job interview so you can find out if you have what it takes to get hired at the new Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce - and at what level. 

The initiative follows last week's "MAD MEN Starring You," a new effort from JibJab that enables you to insert yourself into show recaps.

No time for such diversions? You've got a job. If not, the interview begins here.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

OD_cover "... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

 

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Discovery Launches A Social Media Experiment To Simulate Response to Pandemic

Discovery the colony social experiment facebook "The Colony" may soon include your friends - and they probably won't like it one bit.

According to reports in Adweek, The Discovery Channel is promoting the second season of its survivalist reality show 'The Colony' with a social experiment called "Join The Colony," which simulates how your social circle might react on Facebook as a devastating pandemic unfolds. 

The effort, created by Campfire, includes fake footage fictional updates from your real friends, family and colleagues as they post about the effects of the outbreak on the cities where they live. 

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at how Discovery has long used such social marketing initiatives to promote programing like its annual Shark Week block - as well as expansive alternate reality games/adventures like The Lost Experience.

This new effort from Discovery looks exceptionally compelling - and creepy - as a kind of digital era update to "Special Bulletin," a 1983 nuclear disaster special that came across like real television footage and freaked everyone out.

Here, the effect may be far more powerful.

Read more about the effort here.

Join The Colony yourself, here.

And read more about the book, here.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

OD_cover "... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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