Saturday, April 18, 2009

Susan Boyle Knows Something You Don't

Over the past week, the name Susan Boyle has been pegged at the top of the Trending Topics on Twitter. You can always tell when there's an item related to pop culture, current events or breaking news, because it rises to the top of Twitter's barometer of culture on http://search.twitter.com.

In this case, the name belonged to a woman who has ascended to the 15 minute throne because of a television show (in this case Britain's Got Talent), the immediacy of YouTube and an amazing talent. Rather than try to describe what's been happening, I'll let you see for yourself. Since embedding is disabled for this video you'll have to click through to see it.

When you come back, we'll talk about another equally as remarkable video.

Just about two years ago, a car phone salesman by the name of Paul Potts had a very similar story unfold on the same show. You can see that video by clicking here. I wrote about it in two posts: "Your Next Creative Genius May be Closer Than You Think" and "What I Learned From Paul Potts."

In both situations, we see something happen with the audience (and perhaps with ourselves) that seems to universally apply to human nature: there's initial skepticism, followed by awe. But ultimately, we want the underdog to win. Why? Perhaps because we can relate to a "regular" person and we like the idea of overcoming odds to be successful.

The lessons that I wrote up in the Paul Potts post also apply to Susan Boyle's situation:

Assumptions can limit your creative output
It's okay to take risks
Know your audience and connect with them on an emotional level
Exceed expectations
When we're constantly hit over the head with polished, branded, uber-cool ads, campaigns and come-ons, it's refreshing to see a down-to-earth, humble approach. It gets more attention.

But here's another thing that's going on. It's been just two years since Paul Potts made his first appearance, but the Susan Boyle phenomenon is being treated like an anomaly. How quickly we forget - the social media pundits and even the the show's judges seem to have forgotten Paul. The reality is we're overrun with the latest headlines, shockers, tragedies, personal issues and more, and things like this will always come and go. I still remember Paul, but mostly because I wrote about him before. I wonder how many others forgot?

Turning this to practical business advice (I wouldn't let you down!), do you think your company's product or service is that memorable? If a Paul Potts with 44 million views on YouTube doesn't even come to mind for the public and even the judges involved, what can you do that's going to stick with people?

Giving them a predictable, repeatable experience each time they use your product is one way - I'd say it's the price of entry. No amount of viral videos, marketing gimmicks or slick mailers are going to matter if you've got a shoddy product. But beyond what's expected, how are you exceeding expecatations, creating the "wow" factor, and still being on a level that they can identify with.

And that's the challenge, isn't it? Britain's got talent, but have you? If you don't, then go out and hire or partner with someone who does.

Maybe a Susan Boyle or a Paul Potts can help you.

Labels: customer relations, fun, Marketing, Paul Potts, Susan Boyle, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:30 AM

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

That's #%*ing Awesome

Pardon the expletive, but it's for a good cause. You see, Bud Light has won its first Emmy Award.

I received the following announcement via email:

The 60th Creative Arts Emmy® Awards were held this past weekend, and Bud Light’s "Swear Jar" received an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Commercial," marking the first time Anheuser-Busch has won an Emmy. The 60-second spot was created by DDB Chicago and directed by David Shane through Hungry Man.

I used Swear Jar as an example when I was debating the proper use of WOM vs. Viral. According to this version on YouTube, it's gotten about 3.5 million views. According to Anheuser-Busch Communications, the aggregate total is over 12 million. Not bad for Bud.tv.

(Incidentally, I believe that the difference is measured in the outcome, because you can't accurately predict virality.)

Here it is again for your enjoyment.

If you want to see what I have to say about the use of expletives in the marketplace, check out Watch Your Frickin' Mouth.

Photo credit: maubrowncow

Labels: fun, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:27 AM

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Why I Won't Make A Viral Video for You

This is something of a public service announcement. I can't tell you how many times I've heard clients/companies say "we'd like you to make a viral video for us." As Greg Verdino would say, "I think I just threw up in my mouth a little."

People, people. It just doesn't work that way. You can't will something to be viral, any more than you can tell an author to go write a bestseller, a director to direct a blockbuster, or an 8 year-old to be a major-league ballplayer.

Virality (if there is such a term) lies in results. It means that if you've created something worthy of passing along and comment, it will be more likely to reach epic heights on YouTube or whatever other way you're choosing to measure it.

For companies looking to create the next viral video sensation, David Meerman Scott recommends creating 10-20 videos in the hopes that maybe one of them will work. If you look at the how many videos actually reach viral status, he's probably right - if not even a little conservative.

I hate to tell you, but you're probably not going to have a viral sensation on your hands. The best you can do is to create content that matters to your customers and prospects and give them the ability to share that content around.

Oh, and the image above? It's taken from the January 1973 issue of National Lampoon magazine. The original caption was "If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog."

Related posts:
"A Mind-Blowing New Advertising Model"
If You're Going to Do Viral, Do It Right
Research + Entertainment = Wildly Successful Campaign
Psst! Want the Secret to Viral Marketing?

Update (7/16 at 2:45 p.m.):
This video was released by the guys at JibJab just 6 hours ago, and currently has bout 2,200 views on YouTube. I think it has qualities that will make it go viral - it's universally funny, it's topical, and you can pass it along. Let's track the numbers and see how they do over the course of the next week.

Update (7/23 at 5:10 p.m.):
It's now a week since the release of the video, and I'll let you be the judge of the results. It stands at over 517,000 views. That's already more than their video from the 2004 election, This Land.

Labels: Advertising, client, Marketing, strategy, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:37 AM

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Can a Commodity Be Entertaining?

It had sure as hell try to be, if it needs your attention to succeed.

We're tired of interruptions. We want entertainment. But how do you provide entertainment when you're dealing with a commodity? How do you make people thing a little differently about something they know as if it's a part of them? How you you make them care enough about your product that they'll want to share it with others?

The guys of Straight No Chaser came up with the perfect solution. Or so thought 3.3 million (and counting) viewers on YouTube (click through if you can't see this in a feedreader).

While a capella singing may not be your thing, you have to admit that these guys really got your attention. They took the expected and made it unexpected. They transformed the familiar and mundane to humorous.

Is this effective? What are you doing to stand out from the crowd? Let me know your thoughts.

Labels: fun, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 3:51 PM

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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Is It Viral or WOM? What's the Difference?

I've been having a really interesting Twitter debate (Twitdebate?) with Christopher S. Penn and Albert Maruggi about the difference between word of mouth (WOM) and viral marketing. You can follow Chris and Albert on Twitter as well.

Albert was wondering what to call the spread of a commercial like Swear Jar and Chris chimed in with "word of mouth." I disagreed, saying there's an inherent difference between WOM and viral. I would have elaborated, but you know, 140 characters and all...

So I'm opening it up here to a larger debate. I think that WOM is a one-to-one or one-to-few methodology with an influencer asking for the listener to try / look at something. The expectation is that the listener will then start using a product or service. There's a specific call to action.

Viral, on the other hand, is much more about creating something that is dependent upon network of people to pass it along. It's a one-to-few-to-few-to-few.... model. If a campaign / site / video goes viral, it does so by virtue of being worthy of being passed along and without a specific call to action (albeit the unspoken CTA is "pass this along").

I guess I'd sum up my position as follows: WOM is tied to making people try/buy things and if done well, results in a long-term impression. Viral, on the other hand, is tied to making people pass things along and is more or about creating a quick buzz.

My Parthian shot: people create viral videos, not WOM videos.

For more information, the Internet Marketing Driver had a great post on this subject.
Update: here's a post from Seth Godin that stuck with me and influenced my position above.

So now the fun begins. What do you have to say about all of this?

Labels: Marketing, Viral, WOM

Posted by Scott Monty at 3:43 PM

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Psst! Want the Secret to Viral Marketing?

Viral marketing is like the weather: everyone's talking about it, but no one is doing anything about it.

You know why? Because you can't. That's right. You can't simply manufacture viral marketing. But don't tell that to some marketers. They're out there, practicing something akin to alchemy.

Think there's a science behind viral marketing? Or perhaps a secret formula? I think there's a bit of each, but they follow that famous saying by Louis Pasteur, "Chance favors the prepared mind."

While so many marketing efforts are more measurable than ever before, there are aspects to the practice that are still a combination of art and science. Good research trumps everything, but then again, so does common sense.

When it comes to "viral marketing" I think the secret sauce is simple: make it entertaining. If you know your audience, what they like and what will grab their attention, adding an entertainment angle to it (plus the ability to easily pass along the content) will make it viral. That's it. You may recall a mathematical formula I've used here before:

Research + Entertainment = Wildly Successful Campaign

That's not to say it's going to work. Odds are, it won't. But this is the formula that has to be followed, in my opinion, if you want any shot at success. You don't just upload some half-ass video to YouTube and claim you've got a viral video. The 42 people who view it may think so, but I doubt your client or manager will.

Bottom line: you need to exercise good judgment, gut instinct, have some smart research insights, and know your audience. Come to think of it, this doesn't sound that different from traditional marketing, does it?

Thanks to Rohit Bhargava for issuing the challenge on this one. I hope I can bring these and other insights to Ad:Tech.

Labels: Marketing, Rohit Bhargava, social media, strategy, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 10:58 PM

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Ad Placement: Unfortunate, Lucky, or Savvy?

For those of you who appreciate humor in marketing, here's something that's bound to cheer you up, no matter how your day is going:

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads

When marketing humor is unintentional, it's even funnier. But humor is one of the most difficult types of writing and speaking styles to pull off. It takes a sense of humor, an understanding of what your audience finds humorous, the ability to set up the concept and a good sense of timing - or in the case of print ads and banners, proper placement.

And that's not easy. When it fails, it's a huge flop. But when it's successful, you've captured the entertainment value that seems to be at the core of so many great campaigns. I've previously extolled entertainment value as a key component in viral campaigns, and we've seen a few notables that have been comment-worthy, including Shave Everywhere, Subservient Chicken and Tea Partay.

What have you seen that's got entertainment value and causes you to "send to a friend"?

Coda: the output from the iPhone/Will It Blend experiment is for sale on eBay. Bidding closes on July 20 at 16:06:59 PDT. Current bid: $1,126.00. I guess their video series does sell blenders.

Labels: Advertising, fun, Risk, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 8:11 AM

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

The Ultimate in Viral Marketing

Now here's a great lesson in creating marketing that's worthy of becoming viral.

We all know that one essential ingredient in a successful viral campaign is content that's entertaining. Only then will you guarantee pass-alongs.

Case in point: the Geico Cavemen created by The Martin Agency. Over the last year, the TV campaign for Geico.com ("So easy even a caveman can do it") has generated a remarkable following. Now, in the ultimate acknowledgment of entertaining ads, ABC is developing a sitcom for the cavemen.

According to Variety.com:

"Cavemen" will revolve around three pre-historic men who must battle prejudice as they attempt to live as normal thirtysomethings in modern Atlanta.

So easy even ABC can do it.

Labels: Advertising, Marketing, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 9:41 PM

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Thursday, February 01, 2007

Truth and Consequences in Social Media

As social media becomes ever more prevalent, it's clear that some thought should be applied in advance of actions. Wal-Mart and Sony flogs, client pitches and viral marketing gone horribly wrong are all examples of what happens when you don't think about unintended consequences of your well-planned strategy. And when it's so easy to bring a marketer's foibles to the attention of the world, it's more important than ever to question the tactics with some good old common sense.

We've gotten to a point in our World 2.0 where we do things because we can rather than because we should. We have oversized cars & houses, we're cloning embryos, we SuperSize everything - pick your issue and your political persuasion and there's something you can point to that we do or have, simply because it's available.

That's not exactly the way to run your marketing campaign. "We can strap battery-powered electronic devices to bridges to build buzz!" Uh, yes you can, but you probably shouldn't.

And all of this naturally affects brand and reputation, which is more fragile than ever for smaller businesses, with consumers taking control of the conversation in our MyTubeTechnol.icio.us world. It takes so long to build a trusted brand, and it can all be undone with a careless action, heated conversation, or a plan that sounded good one time in a meeting.

Case in point: Maggie Fox over at the Social Media Group notes Why you need to pay attention to the blogosphere - now that the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell is getting smacked around in the blogosphere. According the Globe and Mail, the firm is trying to maintain its reputation amidst

[M]ostly unverified accounts from anonymous posters, suggest[ing] workplace morale is awful. One anonymous blogger who claimed to be a former Sullivan & Cromwell employee said on The Wall Street Journal’s law blog that he had “never worked with a bigger bunch of sycophants and cowards.”

And on yesterday's Small Agency Diary, Marc Brownstein penned an entry called Retaining Talent: What Works? in which he created a check-list of how an employer can ensure that employees are interested in sticking around. In his comments section (glad to see he has one!) Brownstein was greeted with a scolding from a former employee who advised him to walk the talk.

This is part of the risk in taking a strong point of view in a blog. You're bound to find detractors. But the point is, you've provoked a conversation. In this case, Brownstein can not only monitor the conversation, but can engage in it as well. He'll need to make a decision about how to respond: refute the assertions, let them die out, or keep building his reputation by cross-posting on other blogs and encouraging peers and clients to speak what's on their mind. With any luck, it'll be positive.

Blogging is not for the faint of heart. It takes dedication and courage - courage to know that you will be judged on what you write, how well you communicate, and whether your ideas are equivalent to your reputation.

Are you up for the challenge?

Labels: 2.0, blogs, ethics, Marketing, New Media, Risk, social media, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:23 PM

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Research + Entertainment = Wildly Successful Campaign

A couple of months ago, I touted entertainment value as being the key driver behind the success of some of the most popular viral videos. It turns out that one of those campaigns, Shave Everywhere from Philips Norelco has the stats to prove it.

In its live coverage from the Ad:Tech conference, Promo says that Humor, then WOM Drive Successful Norelco Launch.

With less than $1 million for their budget, Philips created a video on a dedicated Web site to generate awareness, achieve sales goals and generate buzz that could be measured and quantified. The results are impressive:

313,675 unique visitors the first week
613,632 unique visitors the second week
1.7 million visits total
31% pass-along rate
Sales reached 300% over an already "lofty" goal
Over 500 blogs featured the video

More impressive than the results are the methods undertaken in determining the approach. This was not simply lightning in a bottle - it was deliberately researched and planned.

"We had a lot of pushback, was this right for the brand?" [brand manager Zdenek C.] Kratky said. "[But] we knew that the media spin alone wasn't going to get us what we wanted."

The company performed consumer research and pre-testing, which helped guide the decision.

"That's where the miracle happened," Kratky said of the consumer research, "when you spend more time with the consumer than you do in the conference room."

Lest you think I've abandoned my core focus here - B2B - these principles should apply for any campaign, whether it's B2C or B2B. Audience research, testing and feedback are important factors if you aren't completely familiar with your audience. It can save you a lot of embarrassment and can drive some very impressive results.

Labels: Marketing, rules, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 11:36 AM

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Monday, October 30, 2006

And Now, a Word from Our Sponsors

As promised on Friday, here's the new EepyBird Diet Coke/Mentos experiment (#214, for those of you keeping track). This time, it's wholly supported by the product manufacturers.

Not quite as exciting as the first one, but innovative nonetheless. I predict that it will get passed around, but it won't have the same buzz as the first video.

Labels: Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 4:03 PM

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Friday, October 27, 2006

Friday Fun Video

Better late than really late. Five months later, Coca-Cola has finally decided to embrace the Diet Coke & Mentos craze. If you recall, the original video was embraced by Mentos, but Coca-Cola distanced itself from the viral video and wanted no part in it.

This time, Coca-Cola has sponsored the EepyBird guys and is challenging viewers to submit their own videos of zany concoctions of Diet Coke and God knows what else. Coke. It's the real thing!

I guess I'll have to do a special Manic Monday Video entry to follow up on this hype.

Thanks to Joseph Jaffe for the lead.

Labels: Friday Fun, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:54 AM

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Friday, September 29, 2006

Friday Fun Video

There really isn't much commentary about this video, so I'll keep it short. Here in Massachusetts, we have Christy Mihos, an Indepdendent candidate, running for governor.

One of the things that's been a huge concern here for the last decade for politicians and the public alike has been the Big Dig. Christy Mihos is no stranger to it, as he served on the board of the Massachusetts Turnpike and has been a notable critic of it.

There's been a huge buzz about the ad that he released last week, slated to run only between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., due to its content. I've been searching around for it since Saturday; the campaign caught on to the buzz (and probably received numerous requests) and finally posted it on the campaign Web site.

Let's see how long it takes before someone converts the Flash to mpeg and posts it on YouTube.

Labels: Friday Fun, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:09 AM

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Wednesday, September 27, 2006

If You're Going to Do Viral, Do it Right

Great post by BL Ochman on What's Next Blog, called Doing a Viral Campaign Ain't Cheap, or Easy.

An important, and sometimes overlooked principle is that "a viral campaign requires not only social media, which provides remarkable new tools, but also integration with offline marketing, from street teams and guerilla marketing, to billboards, TV, radio, and print."

I would also argue that viral is not a channel that can necessarily be controlled. A true viral effort doesn't start out that way; it becomes viral by virtue of the audience connecting with it and making it viral. What clients (and sometimes we) term as 'viral' could otherwise simply be categorized as 'interactive.'

As I've said here before and constantly barrage by colleagues with, social media by itself is not a solution. It's another option in an expanding array of marketing channels. In the BtoB space, it may not always be appropriate for a client, but it's important to have a working knowledge of the range of new media.

It's nice to see my assertion backed up by BL Ochman: "New media marketing is simply not a substitute for all others. It is a tool: one of the best ever created."

Amen, sister.

Labels: New Media, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 1:35 AM

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Monday, September 25, 2006

That's Weird

AOL cancelled the world premier of the newest 'Weird Al' video, "White & Nerdy," claiming that the video had already been leaked online.

'Weird Al' Yankovic writes on his MySpace page:

Apparently, the video has already leaked online, and AOL doesn't feel comfortable doing a "World Premiere" promotion for a video that a number of people have seen already. Anyway, it's really a bummer... it would have been great promotion for the album...

Why rely on a deal with AOL? Let YouTube do the work for you! Posted on September 18, it already has over 822,000 views as of September 24, and 5,575 comments. 3i makes a great point: "The pre-release of the video actually affords AOL a chance to get into the social media space proactively and bring the community something additional of value. Unexpected? Yes. But not insurmountable if you’re thinking 2.0."

Labels: New Media, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 7:05 AM

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Friday, September 22, 2006

Not So LonelyGirl

In the last two weeks, the big discussion regarding online video has been around LonelyGirlGate.

It turns out that LonelyGirl15 was not simply an self-vlogger, but rather the brainchild of a couple of guys in L.A. who were trying to jumpstart a career in full length film by scripting every video she made.

A couple of observations from her "My First Kiss" video this week. First, it's the second most-viewed video of the week, with over 600,000 views. Evidently the scandal worked in her favor.

Second, it seems a little odd, knowing that it's scripted, to hear Bree - whose MySpace account is currently the most-visited account this week and this month - to be so coy about telling us about her first kiss, leading up to it with phrases like:

"I really don't want to tell you, but..."

and

"Go away!"

If you don't want to tell us, and you're recording yourself, you probably don't really want us to go away.

Someone's trying a little too hard to sound authentic.

Labels: Friday Fun, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 11:06 PM

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Wednesday, September 20, 2006

"A Mind-Blowing New Advertising Model"

In Viral Ads: It's an Epidemic, CNN Money notes the popularity of using YouTube to distribute a viral message (or in the case of Smirnoff's Tea Partay, using their own Web site to post the video, and seeing it ripped and posted on YouTube therafter).

The $64,000 question is "Can YouTube and Google Video figure out a way to make this a business?" It's the question we are all asking ourselves around the office and in the agency business. Is this a sustainable business model? If advertising dollars are required, at what point do advertisers begin to fit into the model, and where do they fit without alienating the loyal audiences of these sites?

YouTube has been inking deals lately (most recently with Warner Music, for a paid branded channel), but beyond that, there must be a some sort of financial infrastructure to support the incredible bandwith required by hosting hundreds of millions of videos. According to the article, "They hint that they are working on a mind-blowing new advertising model that may eclipse these efforts."

Just what that model is, they don't say. We'll have to wait and see.

On the flip side, agencies think that a really good viral ad doesn't need to be promoted - it should create its own buzz. You can't will something to be viral (or can you?).

At a social media roundtable last week, the group was trying to determine how

(and whether) to advertise in social networks. We were discussing some of the hot viral campaigns (Su bservient Chicken, Shave Everywhere, Tea Partay) and what made them successful. I suggested they came on the scene, almost unannounced and had a single element in common: entertainment value.

Lo and behold, at the conclusion of the CNN article, Kevin Roddy of BBH (the agency that created Tea Partay) says:

"I believe if you want to be successful in the world of viral, you need to play by the rules of entertainment, not the rules of selling. A lot of brands might have difficulty with that. But as soon as you [sell], people say, 'Well, I'm not going to do your work for you.'"

Props to Steve Rubel for the link.

Labels: strategy, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 10:21 AM

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Thursday, September 14, 2006

New Numa, New Media

A couple of interesting developments related to YouTube. First, a new site called Viral Video Chart tracks the most talked-about videos on YouTube (thanks to Micro Persuasion for the link).

Coming in at #11 is New Numa, a video by Gary Brolsma, the original Numa Numa kid (*see below for details on Numa Numa). Here's the interesting part of New Numa: with this video, Gary is challenging viewers to participate in a contest to vie for $25,000 in grand prize money for the best video.

Since the posting of the video on September 8, 2006 (one week ago!), it has had over 1.6 million views - plus it's helpful to know on YouTube that others can rip your video and repost it under a diferent title, so the views may be significantly higher. "New Numa" (Gary's YouTube name) has nearly 1,200 subscribers and the video itself has encouraged nearly 20,000 comments.

The New Numa has its own Web site, on which Gary is immortalized in a logo. Once there, you can download ringtones, buy Numa Numa gear, chat with Gary, get the music from iTunes, and read a press release from Jaeter Corporation, the new media company that is hitching its wagon to Gary's star.

It used to be that star personalities sprung from campaigns (think Jared, Mr. Whipple, etc.). Now media companies are taking advantage of individuals' 15 minutes of fame and trying to create a larger sensation out of it. What fame-seeking shlub can turn that down?

For the two of you of you not familiar with the original Numa Numa, here it is. Gary Brolsma had recorded this on his Webcam and sent it to a friend. Ever the pal, his friend uploaded it to the Internet and a star was born.

If you ask me, the original is much better than the new also-ran. Plus, I like the logo.

Labels: Friday Fun, New Media, Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:21 PM

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Tuesday, September 05, 2006

I'm Lovin It

Sometimes it pays to get back to the basics.

In Street Smarts on the Digital Highway, BusinessWeek reports that McDonald's didn't see much movement in its breakfast business from TV, radio and newspaper ads in the Chicago. What caused the most buzz? A billboard.

But not just any billboard. A fully-engineered sundial that suggested which McDonald's foods you might want at a certain time of the day.

But Leo Burnett didn't stop there. They sent this photo to Chicagobusiness.com, a regional portal, where it was visited 105,000 times in two weeks and from where it richocheted around the blogosphere.

BusinessWeek states:

"With a clever idea and a few thousand dollars, brand managers are able to harness the power of blogs, video and photo-sharing sites like YouTube and Flickr, thanks to millions of people roaming the streets with camera phones."

It's a basic concept that takes advantage of the newest technologies. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves to remove the Web 2.0-colored glasses and just squint a little bit.

Labels: Advertising, blogs, New Media, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:36 PM

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Thursday, August 24, 2006

When We Quit, We Quit Silently

AdWeek reports that Agency.com removed themselves from the Subway pitch, supposedly because they "reached the finals of a pitch for a conflicting account."

A likely story. I note they didn't make a video to commemorate that event. And wouldn't it be ironic if it's the Arby's account they're pitching? (ref. Coudal Partners)

Even if they were able to remain in the running, I think there was too much controversy over the video, which could have resulted in doubts over their ability to handle the account. But they did manage to kick-start a discussion around viral marketing and the associated discussion around social media.

Labels: Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 11:25 PM

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WillVideoForFood has done a quick manifesto on their site: The Seven Deadly Sins of Viral Video

No mention of Agency.com, but the Smirnoff Tea Partay gets a swipe.

Also of note on their site: the YouTube Bubble-Burst Pool.

Labels: Video, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 5:55 PM

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Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Yo, Yo, Yo - Tennis Anyone?

No doubt you agree that a rap song is probably the best musical accompaniment for a malt beverage commercial. But preppies? Smirnoff Raw Tea might be onto something.

Joseph Jaffe sums it up with: Yo, yo...where my wasps at? What we commonly call viral marketing, Jaffe calls communal marketing. In this piece, he aptly points out the need for measurement: we need to start challenging ourselves to demonstrate and validate the business impact of "viral"/communal/CGC et al.

With over 800,000 views at the time of this posting, let's hope that Smirnoff has some way of measuring the impact.

Props to Hugh for the link.

Labels: ROI, Viral

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:05 AM

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About Scott

For hi-res, click here

The best way to describe Scott is "Renaissance Man." Friends and colleagues that know Scott from one facet of his life are very frequently surprised to learn of his interests and talents in other areas.

Scott is a marketing and communications professional focused on the digital industry — specifically on social media. His career spans a number of industries such as healthcare, pharma, biotech, travel, automotive, tech, and communications, and includes a wide range of clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Currently on the staff of corporate communications in Ford Motor Company, Scott heads up the social media function and holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. He is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business.

Prior to joining Ford, Scott served as Consigliere for crayon and spent a number of years with PJA Advertising + Marketing, a boutique BtoB agency specializing in health sciences & high tech.

In addition to his consulting and agency background, Scott is an active blogger and podcaster. He writes about the intersection of advertising, marketing and PR at The Social Media Marketing Blog and also writes The Baker Street Blog, a literary undertaking. Scott has been featured in numerous news and business publications, on a variety of podcasts, and on national television. Scott is a recognized thought leader in the social media industry and frequently speaks at industry events.

Scott received his Master's in Medical Science from Boston University's School of Medicine concurrently with his MBA from BU's Graduate School of Management. He lives in the greater Detroit area with his wife and two young sons, golfs all too infrequently, and has a hidden talent for voice over work.

Oh, and one last little-known fact: Scott coined the term "tweetup."

You may download a headshot here, courtesy of C.C. Chapman and a PDF version of Scott's bio here.

Books in which Scott's work is featured:
The New Rules of Marketing & PR
Twitterville
Six Pixels of Separation
Monkeys with Typewriters
Read This First
World Wide Rave
Get Seen

Disclosures/Relationships

Scott is on the Advisory board of SavvyAuntie
Scott is on the Advisory board of Business Smart Tools
Scott is a judge for the SAMMY Awards
Scott is on the Advisory board of The Hive Awards
Named one of iMedia's 25 Top Internet Marketing Leaders & Innovators
This blog's content is also syndicated on Social Media Today
Plaid occasionally does web work for me and designed this site
No animals were harmed in the making of this blog.

Speaking Events

Scott speaks on social media at events, seminars and conferences around the world. His topic generally focuses on corporate use of social media, becoming an online spokesperson, and specifically on the progress that Ford has made in the recent past. If you're interested in booking Scott to speak at your event, please send an email to speaking [AT] scottmonty [DOT] com. Scott's bio and headshot can be found in the "About Scott" tab above.

Some previous engagements include:

BlogWell - How Big Companies Use Social Media - Minneapolis - August 13

Where to find me online

  Blip.tv
  del.icio.us
  Dopplr
  Facebook
  Flickr
  FriendFeed
  Google Reader
  hulu
  Library Thing
  Lijit
  LinkedIn
  MyBlogLog
  Reddit
  Shelfari
  SlideShare
  StumbleUpon
Technorati
  The Baker Street Blog
  The Social Media Marketing Blog
  Twine
  twitter
  upcoming
  Utterz

What I like

Scott Monty is a fan of

Ford Motor Company

Create your Fan Badge

TOOLS

  Trailfire
  MOO
  CrazyEgg
  ShareThis
  StumbleUpon
  Twitter
  Jott

The Webware 100 for 2008

BLOGS

bub.blicio.us
Mashable!
TechCrunch
Read/WriteWeb
Web Worker Daily
Lifehacker
Global Neighbourhoods
Community Guy - Jake McKee
/Message
The Engaging Brand
Web Ink Now
PR Squared
theshortestblogintheworld
How to Change the World
CatchUp Lady
WOMMA
Digital Influence Mapping Project
Logic+Emotion
[chrisbrogan.com]
Adrants
Web Strategy by Jeremiah
indexed
The Buzz Bin
Citizen Marketer 2.1
PR 2.0
Influential Interactive Marketing
The Viral Garden
Marketing Profs Daily Fix
Conversational Media Marketing
Servant of Chaos
Conversation Agent
Seth's Blog
Social Media Explorer
Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights Blog and Podcast - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
Marketing Over Coffee Marketing Podcast

Media Bullseye
Doug Haslam
Marketing Edge
gary vaynerchuk
Jaffe Juice
Copyblogger
Advertising Age - DigitalNext
The Marketing Minute
Pistachio Consulting Inc.
The Marketing Fresh Peel
The Social Organization
Greg Verdino's Marketing Blog
Church of the Customer Blog
Forrester's Marketing Blog
Twitter Facts
ThirdWay Advertising Blog
Paul Gillin's blog - Social Media and the Open Enterprise
Bryper's Blog
Social Blogworking Magazine
Note to CMO:
Citizen Marketer
Groundswell
MediaJoltz
Vlog Soup
THE AD-VOCATE
The Lonely Marketer

Podcasts

For Immediate Release
HBR IdeaCast
Knowledge@Wharton
Manager Tools
Managing the Gray
Marketing Edge
Marketing Over Coffee
Six Pixels of Separation
TrafCom News Podcast

Contact Scott

Facebook

Twitter

Who is Scott Monty?

Hi, I'm Scott. I'm the head of social media for Ford Motor Company. This is my personal blog, where I share my perspectives on social media - the convergence of marketing, advertising and PR on the Web - for marketers, agencies, the enterprise and the individual. This blog contains my personal views.