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Friday, December 04, 2009

Ford's Got a Reason to Fiesta
Last week, I wrote about how Ford was so thankful to the Fiesta Agents who were in 100 of our vehicles as part of the Fiesta Movement, and how some of them began to show their thanks as they wrapped up their experience.

This week, it got even better.

On Tuesday evening, Ford hosted a tweetup in Hollywood at the famed Palladium, where we brought together more than 90% of the Fiesta Agents in person, their friends, and fans of the Fiesta Movement to celebrate the conclusion of 6 months of activity by these social influencers. It was a remarkable event - check it out on Current - featuring the band Parachute, a short awards ceremony hosted by Jake & Amir, mobile tweeting food vehicles (including the famed KogiBBQ and Coolhaus), and the first reveal of the 2011 Fiesta.

We even managed to score the World's Largest Tweetup according to Guinness World Records, which is now getting into the social media record-keeping business.

And when we were done with that, we brought all of the nearly 100 agents out on the floor of the Los Angeles Auto Show to help us unveil the new cars. You can check the video out on The Ford Story.

And Now, For Something Completely Different
We've completed the first phase of the Fiesta Movement. The numbers were great. But lost in a lot of that was the fact that the pool of 100+ drivers acted as something of a focus group for six months. The agents gave feedback to our design & engineering team so the North American version could be made with drivers like them in mind.

Not only that, but here's the cool part: they've been creating content nonstop for 6 months. And really good content too. So here we have the making for consumer generated media as the cornerstone for some of our early advertising for the 2011 Fiesta:


Now What?
Since the Fiesta won't be delivered until the spring of 2010, there are still a few months to go to continue the online buzz. But how will that happen now that the program is over? The good news is there's a Chapter 2 to this evolving story.

If you liked what you saw over the last six months, now you'll have the opportunity to get involved yourself and apply to be one of the 20 teams of two that will be part of the Fiesta Movement Chapter 2. Just head over to FiestaMovement.com and check out the rules.

And in the meantime, Ford will be continuing to nurture the relationships with the 100 or so agents who had to give their cars back. They'll be part of @FordFiestaAsk, which is being set up to answer questions from people who want to know about the car or the reservation process. You can see the "Real Answers" interface here or follow the hashtag #FiestaAsk.

And on the shopping site, we're giving people a chance to totally customize their car and get some pretty sweet features and a customer experience that are unmatched in this segment. Once your reservation is complete, you'll be able to share it on Twitter and Facebook to tell your friends about it - and show them the design you've chosen.

So that's where we are at this point. Lots of information, I know. But it's exciting stuff. And there's more to come.

Related articles:

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Friday, November 27, 2009

On Giving Thanks
For those of us in the U.S., we have just celebrated Thanksgiving. It's a time of year when we gather with friends and loved ones to celebrate and give thanks for all that we have and all that we are.

I thought it was entirely appropriate then, to mention that the first segments of Ford's famed Fiesta Movement is coming to a close. And Ford has a lot to be thankful for. A bit of background, just in case you're not familiar with the program.

The Beginning of a Movement
First of all, why the term "movement"? The Brand & Content Alliance team that put this program together likened it to a social movement - which as defined by dictionary.com is a diffusely organized or heterogeneous group of people or organizations tending toward or favoring a generalized common goal. The collective awareness of and excitement around this new vehicle would be the goal.

In late 2008, Ford re-launched the Fiesta as an all-new vehicle in Europe. The name had been around for some 30 years, but the new Fiesta was to be something special indeed. This would Ford's first truly global platform car, which means that it will be nearly identical in any country you find it. Since the car was already available in Europe and would not launch in the U.S. until the spring of 2010, there was a unique opportunity at hand.

So, earlier this year, Ford announced that we would be making 100 Euro-spec Fiestas available to individuals or teams who proved they were socially vibrant and could take part in a 6-month long experiment, during which we would loan them a vehicle. The only requirement was that they would have to produce one video a month based on a theme (Travel, Technology, Style/Design, Social Activism, Adventure, Entertainment). Other than that, the Fiesta Agents (they received assignments, or "missions," from Mission Control) could say whatever they wanted about the vehicle. And we aggregated all of their content on fiestamovement.com - unedited, uncensored, in real time.

In addition to building buzz, we solicited feedback from the agents as to what they liked and didn't like about the vehicle. We shared that input directly with our engineering team and they were able to make a few tweaks to the North American version of the Fiesta before production was locked down.

Results
The program is just winding to a close, but the output has been impressive.
  • Of the 700 or so videos that the agents have produced, we've seen 6.5 million views on YouTube.
  • Their Flickr photos have been viewed more than 670,000 times
  • There have been over 3.4 million impressions of Fiesta Movement on Twitter.
  • Over 50,000 hand-raisers have indicated that they want more information about the vehicle as it goes on sale
  • 97% of those 50,000 do not own Ford vehicles.
  • There is a 58% level of awareness of the Fiesta - for a vehicle that's not even available in this country yet, which is the equivalent of the awareness of some of our vehicles that have been in market for 2-3 years.
  • All with $0 in traditional advertising.
More information on the vehicle and the program can be found on Ford's Media site.

It's a Celebration
To help celebrate the success of our agents, Ford is throwing a little party - a fiesta of sorts, you might say - in Hollywood on Tuesday, December 1. We're hoping to make it the world's largest tweetup - and you're invited. Not only that, but as a community, we can work together to make the record a possibility. More on that in a moment.

The event will salute the agents - some 90% of whom will be in attendance - with awards. The band Parachute will perform and music will be spun by DJ Pesce, all while Current TV roams around, giving you a chance to be seen on television. Not to mention that the North American Ford Fiesta will be revealed for the first time. Add to that some celebrities, weblebrities and lots of interaction, and you've got a rockin' party.




Here's Where You Come In
We'd love to see you at the party. Here are the details:

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Hollywood Palladium, 6215 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA (map)

You can RSVP on Eventbrite if you think you'll be in California next week. If not, please share the link with anyone in your network who might be in the area and encourage them to attend. There are a number of social networks built into Eventbrite, or you can tweet out something like this:

Ford Invites You To a Hollywood Fiesta! http://bit.ly/FiestaParty

We'd like to make sure we've got lots of people there who are connected to the program, the agents, or to our extended networks in some way. This is a great way to show the power of social media.

Giving Thanks
As I intoned in the opening paragraph, this time of year is about giving thanks and also about reflecting on what's happened in the past year. I'm reminded of Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town," in which the characters were reminded that it's important to stop and consider the little things in life. One of them lamented:

"It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another."

You can imagine that the Fiesta Agents, with their frenetic schedules over the last six months, have had little time to reflect. But already, even before the program is over, I've already seen a few of them stop to acknowledge how lucky they've been to be part of the program. Notably Hilary McHone (aka @BrooklynHilary) and Natasha Wescoat (@natasha). There may be others; these are the ones I recall seeing in a blur last week.



We have a lot to be thankful for at Ford this year. But that will be another post. Until then, I hope I'll be able to see you in Hollywood. If you can't be there, follow the #fiestamovement hashtag on Twitter on Tuesday night. It'll be a real fiesta.

Related article: Ford's Got a Reason to Fiesta

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Say It Like You Mean It
I get a lot of unsolicited email. People looking for information, people with interview requests, people who are selling things. I try to be generous with my time, but it's the last group I don't have patience for.

Let me tell you why.

If I'm trying to make a good impression and I only have a limited amount of space or time to do so, I would think it's important to have my act together. While I certainly understand and can forgive nervousness or lack of polish, when I come across sloppy errors or blatant incompetence, it's the delete file for you. I have a very limited amount of time and I need to focus meeting goals. I'll give you an example of something that put me over the edge.

An email arrived in my inbox with the subject: Targeted Emailing List

I thought: "Okay, I'm not directly responsible for email marketing, but this might be interesting for some related reason."

I was quickly disavowed of that notion when I read the body of the email, which began:

Dear Customer: [emphasis not even added - they were dumb enough to make it bold]

We are a list compiler and a dominant player in the List Business Industry with over 40 Million B2B contacts and 200 Million B2C contacts. We have all varieties of business records that come with complete contact details including working business email addresses.

Aside from the annoyance of being called "Customer," (which I'm not), the very service they're selling is "complete contact details" of 200 million contacts. I guess I didn't make it into the database.

If you're going to convince someone of your ability, please be sure you've demonstrated it effectively. Physician, heal thyself.

Have you had any similar experiences?

Photo credit: detritus


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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I've Been on a Calendar, But I've Rarely Been On Time
#hotmen And to prove it, I'm late with this blog post.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the never predictable, always thoughtful Dave Delaney with a scheme that I can only describe as hairbrained inspired. I've known Dave to go to bat for individuals before, raising money for good causes. Many were local businesses or colleagues, but Dave's passion always rang true and led him to success.

So that's where the latest idea came in. Dave decided to plant his tongue firmly in his cheek and ask a number of us (18, to be exact), to pose for the Hottest Men on Twitter Calendar. No lie.
But if it were all about just seeing (cough) hot guys, we wouldn't sell a single copy. Well, that's not entirely true - Jason Falls would buy one so he could hang Mr. April in his office.

But there had to be a hook. Dave's angle: 40% of the proceeds of the calendar (the net after production costs) will go to DonorsChoose.org, where teachers post projects and how much they cost, and you can choose what to fund. It's a great cause.

So, if you're in the market for 18 months worth of photos, including a hot & sweaty new media consultant, a buff and bronzed mobile marketer, a fearless community leader, a voice-over guy like no other, a humorist extraordinaire, a woodcrafter-cum-social media marketer, a podcaster across borders, and possibly the bravest geek I know - then this is the purchase for you. Even the Village Voice is taking notice. Oh. Wait.

"But I have absolutely no interest in this kind of thing," I hear you saying. Fine. Don't make me pull a National Lampoon. Do it for the children, for I believe the children are our future. Here's what you can do:

2. And share the link around, using the hashtag: #hotmen.

And just for fun, vote for your favorite "hot" man on Twitter. I haven't got any favorites, but I hear there's an October surprise. (Not-so-subtle hint: I'll reward you with many fine blog posts).




Thanks for joining in the fun here. Let's work together so we can help raise enough money to give these deserving teachers and children some resources they need.

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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:
  1. Assumptions can limit your creative output
  2. It's okay to take risks
  3. Know your audience and connect with them on an emotional level
  4. Exceed expectations
  5. 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.

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Monday, December 22, 2008

As If You Really Wondered...
If there's one thing I'm not a fan of in the social web, it's the peer pressure surrounding memes. On the one hand, it's a forced post that I'd rather not write; then again, if I don't write it, I feel like I'm letting a friend down.

In this case, that friend was Aaron Strout, a social media and marketing colleague from back in Boston. Aaron has recently relocated to Austin (joining a number of other Boston illuminati) and is heading up marketing for Powered. And he told us seven things we may not know about him and challenged others.

So, here are the seven things you may not know about me (keep in mind I've done this a couple of times before). That means if you do your research, you'll know 23 things about me.

  1. I worked as a writer for the Department of Veterans Affairs during the Clinton healthcare reform proposal era. The thought was that the VA would need to compete with the Johns Hopkins and Mass Generals of the world, so they needed their own reform project. Industry and government leaders met and our group wrote the plan. I also wrote for another project Meeting the Challenge: A Research Agenda for Health, Safety and Food for America. I later went on to become a speechwriter for the Director of Medical Research.

  2. Speaking of medical research, I hold a Master's in Medical Science from Boston University School of Medicine and an M.B.A. with an concentration in healthcare management from Boston University Graduate School of Management.

  3. I was an altar boy for 10 years, serving under Father Ted, a very old-school priest. He was a no-nonsense guy and he expected things to be orderly. I kind of cringe every time I seen an altar server wearing sneakers at mass - Fr. Ted would have excommunicated them.

  4. When I participate in karaoke, to disguise my inability to perform current hits, I typically choose older songs and impersonate the singers. My favorite - it's a tie betweetn "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" as a duet between Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias and "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

  5. Before I joined Ford, I had only driven one American car - and a GM one at that. When I was in high school, I inherited a Vette. No, it's not what you're thinking. It was a Chevette.

  6. If you told me that I could only have a single kind of candy for the rest of my life, it would be Peanut M&M's. And yes, I'm old enough to remember when light brown was a color of regular M&M's.

  7. I won't be doing another one of these memes for at least another year.

Now, in keeping with the rules of the game, I nominate these seven unsuspecting souls. These are all people whom I've met or interacted with for the first time throughout the course of 2008. It's my goal to break out of the echo chamber a bit and extend your reading, if you're not already aware of them:
Amber Naslund
Justin Levy
Samir Belwani
Bob Knorpp
David Alston
Matt McDonald
Shannon Paul


Photo credit: sheeshoo

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Sunday, October 05, 2008

Some Hope for the Sartorially-Challenged
I take my personal appearance seriously. It's part of who I am and how people perceive me. I'm proud that someone like Dmitri Gunn has called me "the sharpest dressed man in social media today."

Even when I was working at an agency and when I was consulting with crayon - workplaces that were business casual - I took pride in what I wore and how I presented myself. It's part of my personal brand.

But looking sharp and business casual are not mutually exclusive. In this day of open collars, one fashion pet peeve (among many) is the total disregard for collar stays (or stiffeners). The result? You've seen it - collars on button-down shirts that curl up or seem to be flying away.

It's a minor detail, but it sends a message to those around you that perhaps you don't care about details. Or that you haven't entered the "grown-up" world of business attire yet.

The Solution
Luckily, I'm here with the answer to the problem you didn't know you had. Wurkin Stiffs has developed the magnetic collar stay that they call Power Stays. Place the Power Stays™ into your shirt’s collar stay pockets and place the super-strong magnets on the inside of the shirt… It’s that easy!

And just in case you thought that this post had nothing to do with social media (other than that lots of social media types work in casual environments), here's their YouTube video explaining it:



If you're accustomed to wearing your shirts without a tie, I highly recommend that you consider buying a set of these. Or make it a gift to a friend or family member this holiday season. They'll thank you.

Do you have any modern-day fashion tips or suggestions? I'm sure we'd all like to learn.

Photo credit: believer9

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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

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Mad Men Gets All 2.0
I've been a fan of Mad Men since the series premiered. The production values are amazing and the story lines are gripping, with some very complex characters. And I wrote about the unique advertising model that the show used, essentially making the ads relevant on a show about advertising in this day and age when we can skip right by commercials.

Back then, the show's blog was already in full swing; now it's even more so, with show highlights, previews and interaction with the various commenters. The categories that the authors are selecting fit right in with the show as well: 1960s Handbook helps we modernistas understand what life in the Kennedy era was like; Fashion File is a testament to both the cool styles of the early 'Sixties and the difficult and detailed work that the fashion designers perform for each episode.

There's also a very active forum, Mad Men Talk and a contest: the best impression of a character (by popular acclaim) wins a walk-on role on the show. And naturally, there's the long-standing Facebook group.

But now it looks like the show's marketing team has stepped up the game again by really jumping into the social media space. Mad Men - this show with such rich characters - is now on Twitter. Specifically, you'll find the following characters there, tweeting with each other and with you, if you "@" them:
Update (8/25/08): Also added to the roster are:
Their profiles link to www.sterlingcooperadvertising.com, which is a mirror for the show's site at www.amctv.com/originals/madmen.

To the marketing geniuses behind Mad Men, I say, "Well done!"

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Tuesday, August 05, 2008

A Little Plaid Goes a Long Way
I'm a little late with this post (as I am with a number of posts - I apologize for that; my life is getting back on track after the move to Michigan). But it's something I wanted to bring to your attention.

As I mentioned in April, the team at Plaid was planning their 2nd annual cross-country trip, heralded as Plaid Nation. Done with their usual style of humor and irreverence, this is a social-media-meets-face-to-face campaign that's worth noting.


If you're not familiar with what Plaid Nation is, it's 5 people from Plaid (an ultra cool and fantastic agency to work with - I had the pleasure of doing business with them when I was at crayon) who for the past two years have decided to do a road tour to meet people and build their brand. In the process they've secured a client or two and have impressed all sorts of people along the way.

While last year's goodwill tour was based on the east coast, this time around, the Plaidish opted for the west coast. In their Econoline van (hey - a Ford product! Cool.) wrapped in the Plaid colors, the team went from Vancouver to Vegas with many stops along the way in just 10 days. From Seesmic to Scoble and Twitter to Zappos, they visited many of the hot companies on every tech geek's short list. Not to be outdone, they had some fun with more of the tried and true, like Jones Soda and Sony Pictures. They even managed to have a run-in with the Canadian authorities.

One of my favorite aspects of this tour was the completely integrated way they treated it: from face-to-face interactions to full online access, the Plaid Nation tour was awash in social media goodness. The the web site. It consisted of:
  • An interactive Google map, where the team tracked their progress
  • A blog
  • A Twitter account
  • Opportunity to IM the van
  • Three mounted van cams that streamed live video
  • Dedicated channels on Vimeo and Ustream with scheduled live and archived materials
  • A facebook page
  • An updated schedule and Tweetup opportunities
  • Flickr photos


Not to mention the really cool, retro chic design they gave the site. It made me feel like I was on the stops along the way with them.

Even though the trip is over, the material that remains behind is still worth checking out. These guys clearly had a lot of fun and were very generous with their experience throughout. Way to go, Plaid!


Plaid Nation Tour - July 21, 2008 from Plaid Nation on Vimeo.

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

A Guy Walks Into a Bar...
Stop me if you've heard this.

Yesterday, I asked a question on Twitter - one that Joseph Jaffe rhetorically asked on his blog - I posed it as a joke and asked for responses.

The question was: How many social media experts does it take to change a lightbulb? My original answer on Joe's blog was: "309. One to come up with the idea, three to turn it into a strategy, five to execute it, and 300 to influence someone else to do it."

Naturally, responses to my question were far better than my lame punchline. Here are some examples of what I received:

@mncahill: 14,465 to twitter about the need for "LightBulbCamp" and one to hire a developer to change it.

@scottaparks: None, it never gets changed. They are too busy looking for a better bulb!

@cohnjoyne: before I tell you how many soc media experts it takes to screw in a light bulb, full disclosure, GE is a client of mine

@adam_rosenberg: at least 10. that way you have 1 to change it and at least 9 to tweet about it.

@scottstead: A: 500, Chris Brogan to ask the question, 495 to respond, 3 to organize changealightbulbweek08, 1 to change the lightbulb

@ScottWitsToo: 3. One to change bulb. Two to discuss how we could change light bulbs better if only we could talk ad nauseum about the process

@LewisG: At least two, so an argument over the ethics of monetization can occur.

@jtobin: A team of 6 will happily consult, but nobody actually wants to execute the light bulb change for you. :-)

And this one from @jeffglasson:
4, Mitch Joel to give 6 steps to open the package, Brogan to write a 100 blog post series on the process, L. Feldman to score the puppet adaptation, and CC Chapman to actually screw the lightbulb in and get the job done!

What's your best response? Let me know by leaving a comment, or share the joke with some friends.

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Saturday, July 12, 2008

Thank You, My Friends
This is the last post I'll be writing from the Boston area - or at least as a full-time resident of the Boston area - for the foreseeable future. I've lived in the region for 20 years and I've developed a number of friends and colleagues in the area, many through the advent of social media over the last couple of years.

Last night, I was roasted by a number of people who were kind enough to give up their Friday night and turn out for a very unique and memorable event. Instigated by none other than Chris Brogan and flawlessly orchestrated by John Wall, I was the recipient of fun-filled barbs at my expense.

Admittedly, I'm an easy target for a roast, but when stacked up against the auto industry and Detroit, there's an abundance of material. Last night's roasters spared no expense. They included:
  • Susan Getgood - was a fine dinner companion who refrained from flinging insults at the end of the evening.
  • Todd Van Hoosear - a man with Michigan roots himself, he set me up with the 3-1-3 gang hand gesture that might get me out of a jam if caught in downtown Detroit
  • John Wall - who noted that my new color a crayon should be "turd brown"
  • Laura "Pistachio" Fitton - who still thinks there's an opportunity to monetize our Twitter concept
  • Chris Brogan - who thought that crayon's thinning ranks should result in the company renaming itself "pencil"
  • Adam Zand - favoring his Elton glasses, he played the Henry-Ford-was-a-Nazi card
  • Len Edgerly - a class act, if ever I met one, he used skills akin to Sherlock Holmes to deduce why I would choose to go to Ford
  • Doug Haslam - he compared me to that other Renaissance man, George Plimpton, leaving me with a copy of Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback. He also showed a copy of my crayon resignation letter:
John manned the control panel and took care of the audio recording of the entire event. I've got to say, I have a very funny and talented group of friends who unleashed without mercy. Since I've got a good sense of humor, I took it all in the spirit it was meant, but I also got a chance to offer a rebuttal.

If you're not familiar with the concept of a roast, check out the Wikipedia definition. According to tradition at the Friars Club, "we only roast the ones we love."

I'm reminded of what the Wizard said to the Tin Man about his heart:
A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.
And after last night, my heart is filled with gratitude for the tribute paid to me by my friends, and not a little sadness for leaving Boston behind. It's a major hotbed of social media, with many bright, creative and selfless people. It's not going to be the same without you.

Farewell, my Boston friends. I look forward to many more interactions, both online and off, where I'm sure we'll continue our collaborations and our friendship.

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Monday, June 23, 2008

Living in a Web 2.0 World
This is one of those things that's just really cool. Take 1,001 logos from so-called Web 2.0 companies, use AndreaMosaic, a photo mosaic tool, and you've got a Web 2.0 version of Google Earth.


The full interactive version is available here.

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

When Interests Collide
Why do people blog? I'm sure there are a lot of reasons, from marketing to ego to reducing stress.

For me, it's mostly because I enjoy the topics that I'm writing about - I have a passion for them, I enjoy sharing what I've learned and learning about what other people are thinking of the same subject. If I can help someone discover something or spark a conversation about a thought, then I'm very happy.

My blogs are pretty wide-reaching, from the one you're reading (my main blog) to the Baker Street Blog, about one of my literary interests, to Nothing Could Be Finer Than Being in Your Diner that I write with C.C. Chapman.

So it's pretty interesting when I find something that encompasses more than one of the subjects that I write about. In this case, it combines my interest in Sherlock Holmes with Twitter (which, if you aren't a user, has been experiencing a lot of down time lately):

Via Hugh McLeod.

If you blog, I'd love to know what motivates you. Why do you keep doing it?

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Monday, January 07, 2008

Eight Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Me
I thought I just did this last year, but in deference to Todd Defren (get it?) who tagged me, I'll participate in the 8 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About Me meme. It's the least I can do to give something back to the community that's been so kind to me - that is, unless you feel this is akin to torture...

The rules are simple: link to your tagger and post the rules; list 8 random facts about yourself; tag 8 people at the end of your post; let them know they've been tagged.

And awaaaay we go:
  1. When I was a junior in high school, I was called out of a classroom by the vice principal - normally the school's disciplinarian and someone with whom I had previously had no significant contact. Mr. "C" as he was known, informed me that I was a unanimous choice of the faculty and local American Legion to be our school's representative at Boys' State.

  2. When I was in college, I spent my first three years on the drumline of the BU Marching Band, I was part of a service fraternity that supported the university's music organizations, so some sort of participation was required, so my senior year, I opted to become the announcer for the marching band. It was a nice mashup of my music interest and voiceover aspirations. Plus, I regularly brought down the house with such gems as, "Welcome to Nickerson Field at Boston University. Be sure to try our Charles River Chowder."

  3. I have a hearing problem - severe enough that I may be getting hearing aids soon. My problem is a combination of tinnitus (pronounced TINN-it-us), a high-pitch ringing or buzzing that never ceases, and a hearing loss of higher pitched sounds. It means I have a hard time hearing whispers, higher pitch voices such as women, and at times, general conversation. I'm losing the ability to hear leaves rustling in the wind and when the peepers come out at night (because that's similar to the sound I always hear in my head). Ironically enough, my favorite composer is Beethoven, who also suffered from the same thing before going completely deaf. I can't really complain when I know that he produced some of the world's most beautiful and enduring music without the benefit of being able to hear it. We'll see how the hearing aids work out (hopefully).

  4. I don't buy new cars, and when I purchase I car, I'll only pay below the market rate. I know some people saw the photo of my car parked in my garage during the snowblower plea and questioned my situation. When I was considering a car, I knew I needed an AWD vehicle and it came down to Subaru, VW and Audi, as I wanted a sedan, not an SUV. Turns out the Audi was cheaper than the VW - and since my dad works at an auto auction, I got a sweet deal.

  5. I hold or have held memberships in a number of unusual groups - The Wodehouse Society, the Titanic Historical Society, and the Boston branch of the English-Speaking Union. I have just finished a 5-year stint as the founding head of The Beacon Society, a non-profit that promotes childhood literacy through the Sherlock Holmes stories.

  6. I rarely watch late night TV anymore, but Johnny Carson is still my hero. The Tonight Show isn't the Tonight Show without him. I always admired his quick wit, charm, and regular guy approach, not to mention his ability to keep the humor and attention focused on his guests, not on him. Whether it was Midwest grandma or a Hollywood starlet, all were equals when they were on the panel with Johnny. One of the greatest compliments I receive is when people tell me that I remind them of Johnny.

  7. I was on As Schools Match Wits, the nation's longest running high school quiz program. I'm still kicking myself over one stupid answer that I gave that potentially cost us the title, but maybe I can redeem myself on Jeopardy some day.

  8. I had a hard time coming up with a final one, but in the spirit of keeping this interesting, I'll end with this throw-away: if someone offered me the opportunity to become a game show host, I'd take it.

The next victims participants that I'm tagging are: Guy Kawasaki (hey, I've gotta try, right?), Dan Schawbel, Laura Fitton, Chris Wilson, Jason Falls, Bryan Person, Jon Burg, Joseph Jaffe (is there anything we don't know about you? )

Photo credit: Little Lioness on Flickr

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Monday, December 24, 2007

Going Truly Digital This Holiday Season
I don't know if you've heard, but Queen Elizabeth II is going digital, as she releases her annual Christmas message on YouTube. What's more, the Royal Family has even established its own channel on YouTube. Not bad for an institution that 10 years ago was being thought of as potentially irrelevant and extinct.

I addressed my share of holiday cards this year (well, truthfully, I used mail merge and address labels, but there was manual labor involved), but I thought what a great time to start integrating some digital messaging as well. Here's one for you:

video

While I recognize that not everyone on my list is able to send/receive electronic messages, odds are the percentage will grow higher each year. Which is why it's cool that I can record a message like this with ooVoo, Seesmic, or any number of applications. If I really get my act together, I can do the ultimate cool thing: connect with up to 5 people at a time on a video chat via ooVoo, which could make for some fun holiday interaction.

Whatever you're doing for the holidays, be safe and enjoy. And I look forward to hearing from you in whatever manner you choose to communicate.

Disclosure: ooVoo is a client of my company, crayon, LLC.

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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.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

New Media Douchebag: Are You One?
If you haven't seen this video yet, you need to watch it. While it may be a little too close to the truth for some, I had a good laugh.


video

I guess the question is: does this really apply to you (or me)? I view my online activities as part research, part education, part self-marketing - all of which lead me to new discoveries, realizations and insights that I can then share with clients.

So while the online busy work may seem (and feel) like it's so much fluff, it's what you do with those findings, how you share them and how you impart your unique perspective that makes it time well spent.

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Friday, September 28, 2007

Even the Most Subtle Decisions Are Made for a Reason
It seems I'm in good company. Blue is in right now - my official color with crayon is Midnight Blue (Greg is green and Joseph is Aquamarine. I'll let them explain their own choices, if they wish).


I chose that color when I joined because - well, look around you here on my blog for a hint. But more than that, I chose the color for a business reason. Since I deal with clients on a regular basis, I wanted to espouse some of the feelings that blue typically conveys:
  • Openness
  • Calm, cool and soothing effects
  • A feeling of well-being
  • Fidelity

I know a lot of this might be hocus-pocus or completely subjective. Does blue have any sort of effect on you or on the decisions you make? Would you or have you ever decided against a brand or product because of its color?

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Monday, September 10, 2007

There Are Worse Habits
This probably isn't a surprise to anyone reading this blog, but according to a poll I recently took, I have a problem:

90%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?


At least it's free.

What's your score? Click on the image above to take the poll yourself. Come back and tell me about it, or let me know on Twitter.

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Friday, September 07, 2007

How Hulu Made a Lulu
Just a quick post today. Have you heard about Hulu? It's News Corp. / NBC Universal's supposed rival to YouTube. It took them 5 months to come up with a name, but that didn't stop YouTube from referring to them as Clown Co in the interim.

NBC Universal will be running its own content on Hulu, which is more crucial than ever, after its contract cancellation with iTunes because of the dramatic price increase per episode that was proposed by iTunes.

And just when you thought the soap opera aspects of this venture couldn't get any more interesting, comes a lawsuit being lobbed by none other than Lulu (publishers of the Age of Conversation). Evidently, Lulu is claiming trademark infringement, unfair and deceptive trade practices and for federal cyberpiracy. So in addition to sounding alike, here's some sort of overlap of products & services.

What makes this all the more ironic is that in when translated to Swahili, "hulu" means cease & desist.

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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:


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.

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Monday, June 18, 2007

What I Learned from Paul Potts - Roundup
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I've been following the Paul Potts / Britain's Got Talent phenomenon over the course of the last week. It all wrapped up earlier this evening with the final performances and the tallying of the votes.

In a nod to the fact that good things do in fact happen to good people, Paul Potts was selected as the winner. Here's a video recap of the finalists, the decision and Paul's encore performance.



If you're reading this in a feedreader, the video can be found here.

At the risk of getting completely Potted on this blog, I'll wrap up this series by enumerating the lessons that I've learned after watching these videos over the last week:
  1. Assumptions can limit your creative output
  2. It's okay to take risks
  3. Know your audience and connect with them on an emotional level
  4. Exceed expectations
  5. 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.
I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I have; I know that original video still stands in my mind as one of the most remarkable I've ever seen. I wish Paul the best in his newfound career. Here's hoping that we can all achieve the same level of success, either personally or professionally.

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Friday, June 15, 2007

Potts Sticker
I've been pleasantly surprised at the wide response that my previous post has attracted. Paul Potts, the mobile phone salesman from Wales wowed the audience with his rendition of "Nessun Dorma" on ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

I realize that not everyone has access to ITV, so here's an update on the competition. Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan were on their feet this week, joining the audience in giving Potts a second standing ovation at the conclusion of his latest performance in the semi-finals last night.

Holden said Potts made her cry again and Morgan said that Potts was exactly the profile they were looking for: somebody doing an ordinary job, very unassuming, with an amazing talent, and they could provide him a platform to show the world what he had.

I'd say that if he sticks to it, odds are he's going to win the whole thing. The finals are on Sunday, June 17.




Video link for feedreaders.

Oh yeah, he's got a MySpace page, too.

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Monday, June 11, 2007

Your Next Creative Genius May Be Closer Than You Think
As you know, user-generated / consumer-generated content has been all the rage over the last year. Many pundits have gone so far as to claim that traditional advertising agencies' days are numbered. But the agencies themselves have lumbered forward, continuing to support hundreds and hundreds of creative staff (not to mention a sizable chip on their shoulders), with the confidence that no one can produce high quality creative the way they can.

Earlier this year, the Doritos Super Bowl ad proved otherwise - at least with regard to concepting. The agencies and production houses still have the expertise in execution of the 30-second spot. I think in the end, the creative juice will be found somewhere in the middle - the agencies and their ability to navigate the supply chain, along with active input from consumers, will together create some pretty powerful stuff.

But in the meantime, the takeaway message is the old cliche - don't judge a book by its cover. Agency execs pooh-pooh ideas because they come from "the people," and that is a huge mistake. Good ideas can come from anyone - on your team, from a client, from an agency - hell, stop and ask a few people on the street while you're at it.

Case in point: Paul Potts, a dubious-looking mobile phone salesman goes on ITV's Britain's Got Talent to attempt to sing opera
You have to see this video. I think it's one of the best moments in the history of reality TV (okay, okay - not a huge honor, but you get the point) and a great example of how we humans like to judge based on superficialities.

The judges rolled their eyes when they saw the contestant, clearly expecting another feeble performance on this grown-up talent show. In the end, Potts had the audience on their feet, people were crying, and Simon Cowell - yes, the Simon Cowell - was clapping, exclaiming "you are absolutely fantastic."



Using a feedreader that doesn't embed video? Click here.

Take a moment and think about the many assumptions you make on a daily basis - about vendors, clients, colleagues, people you pass on the street or sit next to on the train, the guy you get your coffee from or your newspaper man. The next Pavarotti might be closer than you expect. Have you given him the chance to sing for you?

Here's some context on the aria, "Nessun Dorma," as well as Pavarotti singing it for comparison.

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Monday, June 04, 2007

Popularity is All Relative
I feel like I've been asleep at the wheel here over the last week or so. Having some time off between gigs has been therapeutic and invigorating, but it had the unintended side effect of making me less engaged with my blogging, rather than more.

Sometimes it takes a colleague or a good friend to give us a dope slap and get our butts in gear. In this case the honor goes to Patrick Schaber at The Lonely Marketer. Patrick is currently enjoying a positive flux in his subscriber numbers, so he put together a list of his most popular posts that some of his newer readers might have missed. He invited me to do the same. While I don't always jump into the meme thing, I do so when I think there's some value to be gained for my readers.

It's funny how a simple exercise like this allowed me reminisce about what I was thinking or what was going on in my life at a particular time. In addition, it also made me realize that my blogging ability - from interacting with others to my depth of analysis and my writing - has improved with time. Kind of makes me wish I could edit some of those earlier entries! (Well, I could, but I shouldn't.)

So here are my most popular posts, as determined by traffic volume, from the last 10 months or so:
I'm Lovin' It
On Corporate Blogging
When Should a CEO Blog?
If Ancient Rome Had the Internet
What Would David Ogilvy Twitter?
Quick Thought on Being Different

As I read those posts, I realized that the level of popularity is directly related to the style that I affect on my blog (and in real life, for that matter). It's a combination of informed intelligence, opinion and humor. I hope you'll enjoy them, if you haven't read them yet.

And continuing the tradition, I'd love to see popular posts from:
Greg Verdino
Bryan Person
Doug Haslam
Donna Papacosta
Paull Young

What's popular on your blog?

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Nothing Lasts Forever
This has to be one of the funniest videos I've placed on this blog. Usually I keep this kind of fun reserved for Friday, but by then it'll be everywhere, as it totally skewers the advertising world. Let's start the weekend a little early!



The video, called The Break Up, is about the end of a relationship - in this case the relationship between an advertiser and a consumer. Things have changed, but Advertising is still the same unidirectional self-absorbed jerk. Consumer isn't pleased, as she wants genuine love, affection and conversation.

Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions initiated this project and has a blog running called Bring the Love Back to promote the process and ideas, and both the marketing manager and the agency are contributing to it. It's genius.

And one of the coolest parts? It was inspired/supported by David Armano's BusinessWeek article It's the Conversation Economy, Stupid.

Via David Armano at Logic + Emotion.

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Monday, April 09, 2007

Quick Thought on Being Different
Most people who know me appreciate that I'm a little different. My iTunes playlist probably has more Weird Al than anyone is entitled to; I am a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the literary society devoted to the study of Sherlock Holmes; I was trained classically on the accordion.

More than you ever wanted to know, I'm sure. But people remember these things about me and they remember me because I'm different. And different is remarkable.

Christopher Morley, the founder of the Baker Street Irregulars and founder/editor of the Saturday Review of Literature, was a remarkable man and ahead of his time. Aside from founding the Three Hours For Lunch Club (the concept of which I love), he also understood the need to be different. We can all relate to his words:
Read, every day, something no one else is reading.
Think, every day, something no one else is thinking.
Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do.
It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.
Go out there and be different!

This post was inspired by John Moore's observation of Chili's woes.

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

What Would David Ogilvy Twitter?
This is highly irregular - picking up on your own meme. Just Friday, I issued a challenge: a Twittermeme. "What Would ___ Twitter?"

Well, my post below about David Ogilvy and what he might make of the social media space prompted one of my meme-meisters to ask what would David Ogilvy Twitter? I'm not one to back away from an intellectual challenge, so here we go:

What Would David Ogilvy Twitter?
  1. L: Madison Avenue
  2. At noon on Twitter, the quietest thing is...Twitter
  3. @Scobleizer is that an eye patch you're wearing?
  4. New app for everything: TwitteResearch
  5. Giving a Twitter Magic Lantern presentation to WPP board
  6. Gotta run. The Man from Schweppes is here.
  7. @SirMartinSorrell you odious little sh*t
  8. L: Castle in France
  9. New book being released: Confessions of a Twittering Man
  10. Can someone help me make the background color of my Twitter page red?

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Monday, April 02, 2007

Right Up There with the Whoopee Cushion
While yesterday was officially April Fool's Day (and thank you for humoring me), I just came across this suggestion from John Chow's blog. Essentially, he intoned that if you want big subscription numbers, you need a big button.

I guess the part of me that enjoys April Fool's Day so is probably located on the same gene that controls my affinity for dribble glasses, joy buzzers and spinning bowties. Which is why I think that this visual ranks right up there with the old jumbo sunglasses.

I give you: the World's Biggest RSS Button:


Aside from the sheer lunacy of this button, its presence raises an important point about your blog. Do you have a prominent RSS button? My preference is for a 32 x 32 px icon, but 16 x 16 is good too. And it should always be above the fold.

While you're at it, you should give your readers a choice: email, RSS or both? Despite we bloggers living and breathing RSS, the statistics show that RSS hasn't hit the mainstream yet. So, give your audience the option of receiving updates to your blog in RSS format or through an email service like FeedBlitz.

Lastly, here's one point that many bloggers miss. While they provide the guideposts for subscribing - feed icon, email submission - many times they forget one small detail. The ask. Sometimes, if people aren't invited to the party, they won't show up.

So, I ask you: won't you consider subscribing to my blog?

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Sunday, April 01, 2007

It Figures
Fate, why must you taunt me so? Just when I'm starting to enjoy something, it gets yanked away...

I'm referring to David Armano's announcement that he's written his last post for Logic + Emotion. That's it. He's hanging up his keyboard. Kaput. Done. Finis. Over and out. Says "there are a number of reasons" for it, but he won't get into it. C'mon, Dave! You owe us at least that!

This comes as quite a shock, since I've been corresponding with him frequently on Twitter, made reading his blog a daily to-do, and just found his work to be inspiring on many levels. I'm not sucking up - here are three posts in which I used Dave's illustrations over the last year, to show you this is genuine fandom:
This news comes on the heels of Dave announcing that he just hit the 1-year mark; others who have also recently celebrated this milestone include: Gavin Heaton Servant of Chaos, Mack Collier of Viral Garden, and MarketingProfs Daily Fix. Let's hope they don't do the same.

Oh, if you really want the background, check this out.

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Friday, March 30, 2007

Twittermeme
I'm picking up on a hilarious post from Kevin Dugan called What Would Jesus Twitter?

I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for a Twittermeme. I'm calling it "What Would __ Twitter?" Pick someone - a celebrity, a historical figure, a real person (another Twitterer?), or some other persona and fill in the blank. Then Twitter me or blog about it. I'll start:

What would Sherlock Holmes Twitter?

10. Eliminating the impossible.
9. Dog doing nothing in the night-time.
8. Ahh! 7% solution, I love you!
7. Bum Rush Professor Moriarty on May 4th
6. @Mycroft: Can I use my Blackberry in the Diogenes Club?
5. Just once, I wish Watson would write about my softer side.
4. L: 221B Baker Street, London
3. Chasing hound of the Baskervilles. Hard to run & Twitter
2. @IreneAdler, you'll always be the woman to me
1. I hate this hat.

I'm tagging Armano, Verdino, Gavin, Bryper and Jaffe.

And if you haven't checked it out yet take a look at TwitterPoetry that Gavin Heaton established.

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Schwag for Your Next Unconference
I was flipping through the Wall Street Journal today (Heaven forfend! I'm still reading print!), ready to fold it up and toss it in the recycling bin, when a 4C full page ad on the back of the Marketplace section caught my eye.

It was an ad for Titleist featuring 20 golf balls with different logos sitting on newsprint. The headline was "Excellence is the best investment" and the golf balls had logos from a wide variety of well-known brands such as Fidelity, Marriott, Lexus, EMC, Ocean Spray, Timberland and FedEx. In an effort to entice readers to associate their own brands with Titleist, the ad encouraged readers to go to titleist.com/customball to create logoed golf balls of their own.

It may be an old cliche, but there's still a ring of truth to it: a good deal of the business world uses golf as part of deepening relationships. Prospects, customers, employees, board members - essentially any constituency that matters - can be drawn into the conversation and engaged on a more personal and human level while on the golf course. But what does that have to do with the Titleist ad and social media?


This is a great example of an old-school company adapting to the world of new marketing and new technology as part of its branding efforts. Titleist gets the benefit of being able to run an ad with 20 well known brands that have created custom logos, thus strengthening their own, and they get wider exposure by encouraging what is essentially consumer-generated content (i.e. your own logo on a golf ball).

Here's my take on how their service delivers.

The Good
I had never before thought of or desired to visit the Titleist Web site. Golf balls are very nearly a commodity (or should be, the way I golf!) and in my mind don't offer much in the way of differentiation. Even though they aren't marketed this way, I think all golf balls are pretty much equivalent. For my money, the clubs (and the lessons) make the difference.

So I give Titleist full credit for getting me to visit their site based on a nice piece of creative with a compelling call to action.

Once there, you can select from event-related balls (birthdays, launches, etc.) or simply design your own ball. The interface is very smooth with - its Flash-enabled - and it allows you do quickly navigate through the steps.
  1. Choose the type of cusomtomization - name, logo, name & logo, etc.
  2. One, two or three lines of text in your choice of 4 colors
  3. Your logo
  4. Type of Titleist ball you'd like
  5. Standard or customized packaging
It's as easy as drag & drop, and you can resize and crop your logo so it fits on the face of the ball.

Room for Improvement
Here's where Titleist falls down on this otherwise cool site:
  1. Logo balls require a minimum order of 12 boxes (144 balls). That may be fine if you're going to a lot of shows, have a lot of customers, or you lose a lot of balls. But if you're looking to do something on the small end, it's not really an option. An example of a company that does it right with small orders of highly customized material is Moo.
  2. There's no pricing information.
  3. Once you're done with your design and are ready to place your order, it's not as simple as clicking "order now." You need to physically print out your order, gather a high-res file of your logo and track down your nearest "authorized Titleist golf shop or promotional products distributor." At least you can go back to the main site and click on their Golf Shop Locator to find one near you.
All in all, this is not a bad service. And like Moo, it's an interesting and unique way to brand yourself at smaller events like unconferences.

Note: I am in no way affiliated with Titleist nor was I paid or approached by Titleist to write this post. I'm simply a social media expert with golf on the brain as spring rolls around.

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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

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 Keynote at OMMA Global Sept. 21, 2009

MIMA Summit

Brand Camp '09 "I am Speaking at" Widget 135px Direct Marketing Association International conference, Oct. 18-22, 2009



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Marketing Edge
Marketing Over Coffee
Six Pixels of Separation
TrafCom News Podcast

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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.

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