🎬 Why Short Form Social Video Rules B2B, Lays & Coca-Cola Do Us a Flavor

❄️A design blunder for Bath & Bodyworks. Lays brings back five fan-favorite flavors. The Ricks have fun with AI headshots and AI Snapchat filters. Why short-form social video is the most effective tool for B2B high-tech marketers. Election 2024’s staggering digital ad spend. Loaded questions and more. From November 3. 

IN THIS EPISODE:
😎 Rick W’s big week with AI LinkedIn headshots (at 01:23)
🤖 Rick M cracks himself up with AI Snapchat filters (02:41)
😱 Rick W one-ups that with blue hair and tattoos (03:12)
🙏 F*cks Given: Nun? Is there a future for Netflix’s smash hit Warrior Nun? (03:50)
🥶 Snowflakes-cum-design fail: The “Clandles” at Bath & Bodyworks (06:00)
🎬 Bite-size brilliance: the power of short-form social videos in B2B high-tech marketing (07:48)
😋 Mountain Dew-flavored Lays & Oreo Coke Zero: a specialty flavor flare-up—or out? (10:30)
🤪 Heinz à Deux? Ketchup brand’s “Ha-Ha-Ha” leaves the Ricks asking, “W-T-F?” (15:23)
🧢 Hi-Chew has a bizarre new mascot…and the Ricks have questions (16:43)
📈 Doing the numbers on Election 2024’s staggering digital ad spend (18:14)

Approx. 19 minutes, 55 seconds. For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and all other streaming services. Episode intro, commercials, and artwork created with generative AI tools.


🏈 Doritos 'Crashes' Super Bowl, B2B Branding & Content Conquers Cannes

Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" returns after nearly a decade. How content marketing conquered the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Why digital payments are emerging as a key element of B2B brand building. Plus: What the heck did a bag of dropped Cheetos' Cheetle do to the Carlsbad Caverns? From October 12. 

IN THIS EPISODE:

🎉 The Ricks' return for an all-new season (at 01:11)
🧛 Alien: Romulus, Salem's Lot, Evil & More: Horror that's hitting the Ricks' radar (05:00)
👑 Content's coronation at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival (09:12)
🔻 Doritos revives its popular "Crash the Super Bowl" user-generated ad contest (11:14)
💵 Why digital payments are becoming a key element of B2B brand building (12:51)
☢️ Why dropped Cheetos' had a world-changing impact on the Carlsbad Caverns (15:50)
🔎 In the age of generative AI, organic search traffic is in for some stuff (17:52)
🕵🏻‍♂️ A surprising look at changing consumer search behaviors (18:51)

Approx. 21 minutes, 7 seconds. For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and all other streaming services.


🍗 Popeye's Goes BYO Bun, KFC Readies Dating Simulator Game, and More

🎯 The Joker steals the show at the Venice Film Festival. KFC's new dating simulator game seems seriously creepy. The very different Coke Challenge could land you in jail. And is it time to say, "Oh, Thank Heaven for iPhone 11?" Plus a whole lot more.

In This Episode:

🏖 One Rick gets to enjoy "Rio" … (at :45 sec)

💣 … While the other Rick gets a "View to a Kill" (at 1 min :30 sec)

🤖 Weekly poll: "Terminator: Dark Fate" vs. "Zombieland: Double Tap" (at 2:16)

🃏 No fooling: "The Joker" takes Venice—is he gunning for an Oscar next? (at 3:45)

🍎 Eleven sent: The iPhone's goes bionic (at 5:30)

👃🏻 A very different kind of Coke Challenge is nothing to sneeze at (at 7:26)

🕹 From the WTAF Dept: The new dating simulator game from KFC (8:48)

🤡 BK's new AR game helps you "Escape the Clown" (at 9:30)

🍺 Now you can own your Bud Light Victory Fridge (at 10:45)

🍗 Popeye's goes BYOB: Bring Your Own Bun (12:00)

😶 Quick: Name the latest brand to 86 its logo (at 13:35)

🎾 Mercedes serves up voice and AR tech to score big (at 14:58)

Or Listen Here 🃏

Approx. 17 minutes

For US audiences. Review cookie and privacy policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, and all other streaming services.


HP TV Spot Sparks Sentimentality—And Forgetfulness (Podcast)

Daddy_daughter

Rick & Rick talk about sentimental TV spots and it sparks a senior moment when they can't quite remember the name of a certain song from years gone by.

RICK & RICK CAN'T REMEMBER

>>CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON ITUNES<<

(Approx. 3 min)

 

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GramGram: This Is Your Grandma's Social Media—Here's How to Use It (Video)

 

Check out this spoof video from Project GramGram, which comes with some great tips for connecting with your dear old grandma—including using a fictitious new service that lets you send social media posts via snail mail, so you can update her instantly, "in three to five days."

My favorite: Alternative options like, "the phone app, available on most mobile devices."

Apparently it's all the work of some Brigham Young University students. Which means their muse was, most likely, a certain somebody who wasn't going to hear any more about their excuses for not staying connected.

If this is the result, we hope they tell her thank you for us.

Read more.

 

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Author Rick Mathieson Talks 'Facebook Reactions' (Radio Interview)

 

What's not to Like about Facebook Reactions?

For some marketers, the answer may be plenty.

For consumers, Facebook's new Reactions feature is a fun way to go beyond the Like button, enabling them to express their feelings about posts with one of six icons: The Like or thumbs up icon; the Love or heart icon—and now, a choice of four emoji faces: HaHa or laughing; shock or surprise; sadness—and anger. (See Jimmy Fallon's take on the pros and cons in the YouTube clip above.)

There are even expansion packs that replace the official icons with images from Pokemon, Deadpool, Adventure Time—and even Donald Trump.

Reactions: HaHa—or Anything But?

While consumers may give Reactions a thumbs up, some brands may feel their relationship with Facebook has just become more ... complicated. After all, instead of just Liking a brand's post, consumers are now free to express emotions some marketers may not exactly heart.

In fact, early buzz indicates some marketers may have their own facial expressions (or hand gestures) for Reactions.

But is that the right away to react?

In a radio interview the other morning on the Blasingame Show on Forbes Radio, I talk about Reactions and what they may mean for marketers: the good, the bad—and the ugly. 

(Note: It sounds like there were some technical difficulties, so audio quality is not the best)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO: RICK MATHIESON REACTS TO FACEBOOK REACTIONS (RADIO INTERVIEW)

(Approx: 4 min)

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Top 10 Social Media Campaigns 2015 (Video)

 

GenWowAwards-2015Turns out all the crazy rumors were true: Social media marketing is more than just Facebook, YouTube & Twitter these days.

For all the buzz we’d hear over the years about how this or that social platform is sure to be a boon for marketers (…remember Google+?...) talk usually just circled back to Facebook, Twitter and maybe throw in a YouTube video and a vine and call it a day.

Not in 2015 – at least not all the time.

With certain audiences (read: millennials) Instagram, Periscope, Snapchat and others helped marketers seriously hit their marks.

A look at some of our favorite social media campaigns from the year that was, not necessarily in any order:

10. GOPRO: SKATEBOARDING CAT

GoPro is obviously a brand built on content – it is, after all, its raison d'etre. Who doesn’t love those extreme sports shots of people doing acrobatics as they skydive or ski or jump trashcans in the driveway on their bikes? But even in 2015, we can’t escape online cat videos—and in the case of this Instagram (and YouTube) campaign, you wouldn’t want to. Meet Didga, an Australian cat that skateboards—incredibly well. That said, there's a family nearby that has a dog—a little bulldog named Henny—that skateboards all over the place, and even has her own YouTube channel. I'm not sure she's quite Didga's level yet. But who knows: Maybe she'll have her own GoPro video series one day.

9. SPOTIFY: #FOUNDTHEMFIRST

My wife could seriously be a talent scout for any genre in the music industry—I can’t tell you how many times she has discovered bands and said “these guys are going to be huge in a couple of years" and been spot on. Unlike my wife, many music aficionados like to claim bragging rights for being the first to find hot acts. Which makes Spotify’s #FoundThemFirst social campaign so compelling. Last summer, the online music streaming service rolled out a "Found Them First" microsite that lets users see which musicians the system knows they heard before they became megawatt sensations. They can then build and share a playlist built on their discoveries—and Spotify will offer them a new playlist with other new acts they might like as well.

8. GROUPON: BANANA BUNKER

I've never been that into Groupon, but I have to admit this campaign was, er, ballsy. In April, Groupon posted a Facebook photo of plastic banana containers, as if they were packaged goods, and responded to everybody who posted a suggestive joke. I have no idea if the bunkers sold well, but it’s still fun. And at over 45,000 shares, apparently others also saw the appeal. Pardon the pun.

7. TACO BELL: SNAPCHAT STORIES

Taco Bell and millennials are made for each other. So Snapchat must be the perfect platform for both, right? Well if this little initiative is any indication, the answer is an emphatic (thumb’s up). Taco Bell hired two twentysomethings to essentially set up a “Stories” studio/”news room” where they could create and collaborate with super fans on fun real-time and more thought-out content (including a lot of UGC). And while we haven’t seen any sales figures for platform promotions, we still have to imagine this channel can’t hurt with this QSR’s most devote customers.

6. DUREX: #CONDOMEMOJI

Let’s try to get a little control over our Emoji, folks. Yes, Oxford named this emoji as its 2015 Word of the Year. Not the word “emoji,” mind you. Literally this symbol—“tears of joy” is the Word of the year. And as if by magic, Durex has a new hashtag campaign that might just inspire you to use that emoji – or even better, one that helps young people talk about safe sex. As it happens, Durex research shows that 50% of 18-25 year-olds use emoji when discussing sex. So for World AIDS Day December 1, Durex is asking for help encouraging the Emoji masters who create the official icons to create a condom Emoji.

5. HEFTY ULTIMATE CUPS:#PARTYHARDMOMS

Worth it: This series of online videos for Hefty Easy Grip plastic cups turns conventions on head with stereotypical moms who speak fluent over-the-top teen that had had fans going cray. One installment, #Turnt (shown at top), has been viewed 2.6 million times on YouTube alone, #WorthIt, 2.1 million times. Who knew suburban moms could have so much street cred?

4. CO-OPERATIVE INSURANCE: NOSTALGIA FM

This UK-based consumer insurance cooperative was putting on the hits this year with NostalgiaFM, which allows users to enter the year they first past their driver’s test for a playlist of #1 songs from that month and year. Over 15,000 people used the app on its first day. And in its first five days, the effort generated 200,000 engagements on Twitter and Facebook, and a huge amount of traffic to the company’s website.

3. WWF: #LASTSELFIE

What’s not to love about the World Wild Life Fund’s “Last Selfie” promotion with Snapchat, which takes advantage of the fleeting, transient nature of Snapchat communications with short ads that show just how quickly an endangered species can be wiped off the planet. Powerful, and perfect for the platform. In just its first week, consumers posted 40,000 tweets about the initiatives to 120 million timelines. And in just three days, WWF reached its fundraising target for the entire month.

2. TOMS SHOES: #WITHOUTSHOES

These shoes were made for helping: TOMS built its brand on donating a pair of shoes to needy children for every pair sold. This summer, whenever someone posted an Instagram photo of their bare feet using the hashtag, TOMS would give away a pair of shoes to someone in need—no purchase necessary—to the tune of 296,243 pairs.

1. ALWAYS 'LIKE A GIRL': #UNSTOPPABLE

Maybe it’s not as good as the original, GoodWorks Effie-winning #LikeAGirl (60 million views on YouTube, and millions more on other sites) but it’s still a powerful message, perfect timed around all the "Fight Song"-infused hype last summer for CBS’s new hit show "Supergirl.” #Unstoppable has generated nearly 40 million views on its own. And best of all, Always is partnering with TED-Ed to launch programs to boost girls’ confidence. An heroic effort, for sure.

 

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5 TOP FORMS OF CONTENT MARKETING: AUTHOR RICK MATHIESON ON THE JIM BLASINGAME SHOW

 

It’s the biggest buzzword in marketing today—but also the most over-hyped.

Indeed, for all the promise of “content marketing,” it’s not as easy as it seems. In a recent poll, a full 43% of B2B marketers, for instance, cite content marketing as an effective tactic for lead generation. But 43% also say it's also one of the most difficult.

It's also not always as effective as you might believe. According to eMarketer, developing the right content for the right audience is a major factor in why content marketing efforts fail to get desired results.

Indeed, despite today’s emphasis on all things digital, 84% of marketers develop old-school print brochures as #1 in their lead generation efforts.

Not that that's bad. Print does have a place as a delivery mechanism for some forms of content marketing—if anything, it's gained more cache in the digital age. But it's just one of many.

SO WHAT'S WORKING?

In this recent appearance on the The Jim Blasingame Show, I attempt to demystify content marketing.

Here in part one, I share five of the most effective types of content today, starting with the kind of video content consumers spend 6 billion hours per month viewing—and the kind up-and-coming-brands like Poo Pourri and BetaBrand (above) are using to break into the big time.

Some of the other top content forms will obvious to you, others maybe less so. Either way, any conversation with Jim means you’re going to have some fun along the way.

Of course, since Jim’s show is targeted to SMBs, our conversation is focused more on marketers who hope to gain traction in the marketplace without big-brand budgets.

But as you'll hear, whether it's big brand or small, one thing is clear: For all the time and money spent developing content to draw in prospects, a growing number of marketers are realizing they most overcome one cold, hard fact: Nobody anywhere is waiting around for your content.

This audio Q&A might help you find new ways to change that.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO:

5 TOP FORMS OF CONTENT MARKETING: AUTHOR RICK MATHIESON ON THE JIM BLASINGAME SHOW (PT 1)

(approx. 6:16)


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Rick Mathieson on Blasingame Show/Forbes Radio (Concl): Newsjacking

 

From "prankvertising" to "newsjacking."

In the conclusion of my recent appearance on the Jim Blasingame Show/Forbes Radio, we get into newsjacking, which is more popularly known as real-time marketing. 

If you're not familiar with the term, think Oreo's much ballyhooed Super Bowl moment, Arby's Grammy hit, and NASA's gravitational pull, among many others.

In truth, I would characterize this all as "real-time social media marketing," as real-time marketing has evolved to become more associated with real-time, personalized marketing-to-sales conversion on websites. Think personalized offers displayed to the right person at the right time as part of a retail website experience.

That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about marketing efforts to break through the clutter with highly-relevant social media marketing (and advertising) tied to real-time events in hopes of generating brand moments that get shared and gain widespread attention. The video above is a great summary of some of the most positive elements of Oreo's initiatives.

Of course, there are some who are more than skeptical over the ROI of such efforts—witness this recent piece from Content Strategist. And yes, given the infrastructure some brands deploy for it, real-time marketing may not make a lot of sense.

But for smaller brands, it may be a different story.

While I normally work within the world of larger brands, the Jim Blasingame show has me on from time to time to translate trends in world into possible opportunities for his audience, which is primarily SMBs.

In the conclusion of this recent interview, we'll talk about how for local businesses, newsjacking could make for a low-cost, low-bandwidth proposition that lets these companies demonstrate they are active members of their communities and dialed into the things that matter to their customers.

And they can do it in a way that larger brands will never be able to emulate.

LISTEN NOW:

2015 MIDYEAR DIGITAL MARKETING REPORT: AUTHOR RICK MATHIESON (CONCL): NEWSJACKING

(4-mins, 30-sec)

PLUS, LISTEN TO:

Part One of the Interview: Products Are The New Services

Part Two of the Interview: The Rise of 'Prankvertising'

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The Thoroughly Useful Ad Banner: The 3M 'Post-It' Ad (Video)

 

It's enough to make you love retargeting.

Online display ads for 3M's Post-It brand sticky notes have proven just that—sticky—by enabling consumers to write themselves notes, reminders and to-do lists right inside the ad units.

Through the magic of retargeting—technologies that deliver that same ad to you wherever you go around he Internets, usually to your chagrin—your virtual Post-Its re-appear everywhere you go.

In this case, you enable the ad to replace actual retargeted ads with your pervasive Post-Its, keeping your memos top of mind and always within view.

Which is frankly more than I can say about my real-world Post-Its, which seem to get destroyed or lost before I actually cross off my action items.

Maybe I need augmented reality Post-Its, instead.

Read more here.

(Thanks to PB for sharing)

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