Socially Adept

Virtual Worlds 2015

Someone sent me this article from Wired Magazine on Second Life and Virtual Worlds.  The premise of the article is how many brands are spending millions to create in world destinations that no one will visit.  To be honest, I've been of the same mindset for the last year.  Although Second Life is a cool concept, there was nothing going on that would keep me there.  I didn't get any satisfaction from being in world and most of the people I encountered struggled with maintaining a conversation.

However, it really is too soon to say how successful virtual worlds we be.  We've barely scratched the surface with Second Life and with every early entrant there are bound to be issues.  As additional worlds get created, the industry will learn from past mistakes and make drastic improvements.  After reading the Wired article, I started thinking about what I hope virtual worlds will evolve into (for better or worse), so here are those thoughts:

• Websites as we know them will evolve into a virtual world specific to your brand, cause, community, etc.
• Like the Nintendo Wii, users will create avatars that they use to navigate these sites and communicate directly with business leaders, staff, and Influencers they are interested in
• "Avatars will leap frog through worlds as simply as we currently navigate through websites," which will drastically increase marketing opportunities as games and interactive components become more of a story than a distraction
• It's possible that some of these virtual destinations will be "pay to enter" where you can participate in say virtual paint ball, or other types of quick multi-player games beyond the World of Warcraft MMPROPG.

I could go on and on, but I'm really starting to see further into the future and I can't help but get excited.  Does anyone else have any ideas about what might happen?  I'd enjoy hearing other perceptions.

Zen and the Art of Corporate Blogging

Mack Collier over at The Viral Garden has recently started the "Company Blog CheckUp" series where he evaluates corporate blogs to determine how well they are doing in the social media space.  I love this idea and have since enjoyed speaking with Mack about the things he sees during his reviews and ways that consultants like myself can help improve the success of company blogs.

After a few email exchanges with Mack, I checked out his bio and his Linked In profile to learn that he is looking "to help companies find ways to empower and embrace their communities of customers as their marketing partners."

Considering this, I think it is a brilliant move by Mack to showcase what he can bring to an organization from a consulting standpoint by reviewing blogs on The Viral Garden.  It's only a matter of time before the likes of Kodak and others start thinking that having someone to assist them on a long term basis will only improve their presence in the social media landscape.  Why not enlist someone who has already invested their time in helping you succeed?

Spykes Pulled: Kids will have to carry flasks once again!

I saw this coming about two months ago.  Goodbye Spykes... we hardly knew ye!  Sorry kids... it's back to Boone's Farm and MadDog 20/20!  I think my first drink was Zima... my how things have changed.

Coke, Crayon and Second Life

I love Coca-Cola (I have to write out Coca Cola because "I love Coke" just sounds bad).  I think I have single handedly put a few of the children of Coke executives through college.  It was great news today to see that they are using their Marketing money for something innovative and Social Media based...

"a competition in Second Life, the name of the project is VirtualThirst and involves the general public and residents of Second Life designing Coke vending machines that deliver “experiences”. (see the entire post from Experience Curve Here."

Coke has been working with Joseph Jaffe's new marketing company, Crayon to execute this project and as anyone who reads JaffeJuice knows, Joseph and the gang at Crayon are huge Second Life advocates.  (note to Second Life: Give Crayon some kickbacks).

All in all - I like this idea and hope that Coke is successful with it.  As I have said before, Coke is a brand that would value from Social Media immensely.  They have become a staple in society and have established a brand that people are passionate about.  (How many Coke drinkers would drink Pepsi?)

This news has encouraged me to jump into Second Life and check out the initiative (Find me in Second Life - Lukas Greene) but I am not sure it will result in the ROI that Coke may be anticipating.  Sure, it's a great way to connect with the existing Second Life crowd, but how far can it go beyond that?  I guess we'll wait and see.  See you in Second Life if you'd like to discuss.

Xerox 'Affordable Color' Site

Xerox launched the Frugal Color site to help generate awareness on their cost effective color printers.  The site is very well done and quite entertaining (That actress always cracks me up).  Of course, this site isn't really Social Media...it's Interactive Media, but there is nothing "social" about Frugal Color.  This is another example of the clear disconnect of the "Social Media" nomenclature currently being used within the Marketing and Advertising world.

If anyone knows what agency built this site for Xerox, please let me know.  If they are going out to brands and pitching this stuff as "Social Media" then companies all around the country are being duped.  What's new and innovative about this site?  Not much in my opinion.  It was cute, but I have no reason to go back and interact with the content... I've done it.

Then, there is this site... Extreme Offices.  Talk about missing the boat!!!  This is a great premise for Social Media and which ever agency is working with Xerox needs a lesson in what Social Media is.  How they managed to get the Marketing execs to sign off on two sites with absolutely no "Social Media" interaction is beyond me. 

The key word in "Social Media" is SOCIAL!!!!  Next time your Ad Agency or Interactive Agency pitches you a social media idea... make sure you ask these important question...

What makes this idea social? Why would anyone want to come back?  How can users participate and add content?  Why would they want to? 

So close Xerox... so close.  With a few minor changes, this site would bring in much more people... including your target audience.

Choose Your Agency Like You Would Choose a Doctor

Lee Odden, over at TopRankBlog, has a great post today about Getting Social Media Marketing Straight which is a must read for any biog brand looking at entering the Social Media space.  There is clearly some disconnect in understanding the community and it is important to understand the space when considering a consultant or an agency to work with your brand within the Social Media community.

I liken selecting an agency or consultant to selecting a Doctor.  Every big brand needs a Primary Care Physician (Traditional Advertising Agency, PR Agency) to help them bring their message to the consumer.  On occasion, you'll need to visit a specialist like a dermatologist to help you with a specific problem (Interactive Agency).  However, once the problem has been identified, both your Primary Care Physician (Advertising/PR Agency) and your specialist (Interactive Agency) will suggest that you meet with a Surgeon who specializes in your specific problem (Social Media Marketing Agency).

The current problem is, that you PCP and Dermatologist aren't recommending that you seek the help of a specialist.  Instead, they are telling you that they can help you with the problem.  The result is a huge scar on your brand like this one for Uncle Ben's that BL Ochman astutely points out.

Additionally, your PCP will tell you that they know the best people in the business, but in reality, they are pushing you to their partners instead of helping you get in front of the best people.  A Social Media Marketing Agency knows where the best people congregate and helps you join the conversation and make your own selection on who is the best for your brand.

There's more to come on this later...but food for thought when sending out an RFP.

Are You The TEXT Message Champ?

LG announces the "National Texting Championship" for March 31 and April 21st.  Hopefully, someone will Twitter the event as well!  I'd love to have a play by play of this event.  This is a great branding event and I am sure LG will get some good buzz out of it.  I can't wait to hear how fast some people can text some of the longer messages.

Hopefully, LG will invest a little more into this event.  Right now, they only have the registration page up, but if they are smart, they will video the event and push it out to YouTube.  Additionally, they should sign the winner up to utilize for future events and advertising.  Remember the kid with the Rubix Cube?  I think some people will be fascinated by what some of today's kids can do with SMS.

All in all, I love the idea, but would have liked to see better execution with more Social Media involvement.  This was the perfect event for it.

AB Spykes is sure to spruce up your Prom!

Anheuser Busch claims that Spykes will cater to the “contemporary adult consumers” who it says are “looking for innovative alcohol beverages to match their active lifestyles.”  Hmmm... interesting.  Why name it "Spykes" then?

To me, this product is just begging to be dumped into the punch bowl.  It's small and flavored with 12% alcohol...and conveniently fits in your pocket!  Then of course... the name pretty much tells you what to do with it... spike something.

However, I do like this little site!  It's a great way to mix some concoctions, but be sure not to listen to Max...he doesn't know what he is talking about!

Sunsilk should have maintained they weren't involved!

For anyone who watched this video (and apparently, there were 9 million of us) I have one simple question... how on earth could anyone have thought this was a real video?

If anyone out there has selected a bridesmaid who would just stand by and video tape this catastrophe, instead of helping their friend and knocking her to the floor before she cut her hair off, please let me know.  I would never believe for one minute that a bridesmaid would keep filming this tantrum. 

Sunsilk should have maintained their statement about not being involved.  This is terrible.  Sure, it got 9 million views, which is great, but it does nothing for the Sunsilk brand and 9 million people have no idea Sunsilk was involved.  Let these women try to get some stardom and rethink your social media strategy that at least supports your brand.

Another Diesel Update

The good folks at Diesel have been sharing some information with me on the recent "Intimate Lock In" campaign that launched this week (thanks Miguel, Serena and Matteo!).  Below details the growth daily since the campaign launched:

22nd, monday: 36,146
23rd, tuesday: 58,664
24th, wednesday: 57,346

So far today, the site has logged close to 70,000 visitors.  There has been over 3,000 mentions on the web and there are approximately 18,000 different locations accessing the campaign.  I've been advised by my good friends at Diesel to "make sure I visit the site tomorrow night."  I am not sure what is going to happen, but with the end of this campaign, I would expect something exciting.  I recommend that everyone check it out!

The question I posed to Diesel, however, was how do they plan to maintain this traffic once the campaign is over?  Hopefully, I'll get some insight into this, but there are so many things they can do to maintain interest in the brand and encourage repeat visits.