Facebook as the New Twitter

According to Forrester Research, a new behavior is emerging in the social space: people are using vehicles for rapid, back-and-forth discussion. While this was once confined to Twitter, it’s now being seen on Facebook in the form of status updates. These users are referred to as Conversationalists and they make up roughly a third of the online population. Here’s what else we know about this group:

• 56% of them are female
• 70% are 30 or older (so much for that theory that social media is for teenagers)
• Their household incomes are about $2,100 above the average online consumer

Other groups that are emerging include:

• Spectators (those who consume social media) make up about 70%
• Joiners (social network participants) are still growing rapidly
• Creators (people who create online social content) are still growing slowly.

Yes, these groups overlap, hence the total adds to more than 100%. Notice that the number of online consumers not using social is down to 17%, and dropping.

While We’re on the Subject of Social Media…

AdWeek is out with an article questioning the long-term legitimacy of social media agencies that are quickly sprouting across the country. As I’ve said before, great social media is no substitute for a fully integrated communication strategy, and I think this year will be a make-or-break year for the so-called experts.

Will NBC Lose Money on the Olympics?

Flash back to 2003 when NBC paid $2.2 billion for the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics Games. Of course, at the time, the network assumed that it would make millions while dominating 17 consecutive nights of TV and promote its primetime lineup. Sounded like a win-win at the time, right?

Now, flash forward to 2010. The Olympics are facing stiff competition for ad revenue from the World Cup, demand is generally flagging for Olympics sponsorships, and the US doesn’t have any marquis athletes to hype, plus there’s that pesky economy. NBC Universal Sports President Dick Ebersol last week said he expected NBC to lose money on the games for the first time in memory, raising questions as to whether the struggles of sports marketing’s ultimate platform are cyclical. Couldn’t be that NBC paid too much for the broadcast rights, could it?

A Sweet Deal for my Readers – Just in Time for Vday

I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I’m in love with nameplate necklaces that spell out various social network ID’s. Now, you, too, can proudly declare your geek status at the next tweetup, thanks to my new friends at Survival of the Hippest. As a special deal for my readers, they’re offering 10% off of your order if you use this link.

Attack of the Lollipop Head

Over the weekend, a story caught my eye and I can’t stop thinking about it – Extra TV ran a segment about a recent ad for Ralph Lauren, in which a basically skeletal model is depicted as having a head larger than her pelvis, thanks to some questionable photoshopping. Immediately, this threw me into an uproar – as a woman, this ad offends me, but what upset me more than anything is Ralph Lauren’s rather lame statement: “For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.”

Excuse me? They didn’t know that this had been done? I have worked in retail marketing and nothing went to press without several rounds of approvals, and that was at a furniture manufacturer in the midwest. They’re trying to tell me that an iconic international brand like Ralph Lauren would print something without final approval? I don’t think so.

Over the weekend, a story caught my eye and I can’t stop thinking about it – Extra TV ran a segment about a recent ad for Ralph Lauren, in which a basically skeletal model is depicted as having a head larger than her pelvis, thanks to some questionable photoshopping. Immediately, this threw me into an uproar – as a woman, this ad offends me, but what upset me more than anything is Ralph Lauren’s rather lame statement:

“For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.”

Excuse me? They didn’t know that this had been done? I have worked in retail marketing and nothing went to press without several rounds of approvals, and that was at a furniture manufacturer in the midwest. They’re trying to tell me that an iconic international brand like Ralph Lauren would print something without final approval? I don’t think so.

Will Tweet for Food

From time to time, I like to point out grassroots marketing efforts, particularly because of the degree of authenticity. Those who know me well know that I am also involved in a group called Tastecasting, which combines two of my favorite things – dining out and social media. Check us out here, especially if you’re interested in starting a chapter in your city.

Defining Average

The 2010 Census is sure to bring surprises to marketers – the “average” American consumer is no more. As demographics expert Peter Francese writes for Advertising Age, “The average American has been replaced by a complex, multidimensional society that defies simplistic labeling.” Though official data won’t be released until April, 2011, we do know some of the preliminary findings: diversity statistics are widely varied by demographic group, the American household is extremely varied (married couples without kids are the prevalent type, followed by single people), and the population is shifting toward the southern and western portions of the country.

Happy Monday (and Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers)

Finally, here are a couple of spots that have been making me laugh lately. Bud Light does a genius job drawing parallels between an uncomfortable breakup and selecting a beer, which Geico presents a talking pothole that is eerily reminiscent of how I imagine Britney Spears sounds like. Enjoy!

My New Favorite Website

Yes, kids. Even the King shops at WalMart

I know it’s just plain wrong to laugh at people, but PeopleofWalmart.com is just plain hilarious. Will/should the discount doppelganger squash the site? I hope they don’t, and it’s not just because I’m easily amused. Yes, the site mocks the more eccentric WalMart shoppers, but it also went viral virtually overnight, which puts WalMart in the collective conscious of potential consumers. There isn’t enough money for that kind of publicity.

Thought Leaders and Other Marketing Wunderkind
As many of you know, I have been involved with the Community Marketing Blog since May when I competed in the blog-off. We have recently relaunched the site. To see what we’ve been up to, as well as discover some of the findings in our little social media experiment (and show me some love as I wrote this entry), check it out here.

What is a Facebook Friend Worth to You?
So you want to be a Facebook rockstar and have a grillion friends, but you just don’t have time for the legwork? Well, today is your lucky day – online ad firm uSocial can help you. Pay them and they’ll make you appear to be big on Facebook – in fact, they’ll deliver you 5,000 Facebook “friends” for 7.6 cents per friend (or a mere $654.30), or up to 10,000 Facebook “fans” for a mere 8.5 cents a fan (or $1.167.30).

Speaking of Facebook, the social networking site is testing a lite version of Facebook. Try it here.

Meanwhile…
According to a study by ComScore, online video consumption is up in the morning and late night dayparts. Anyone else not shocked? However, that’s something to keep in mind if online videos are part of your marketing arsenal.

And Finally, a Little Joy Just Before the Weekend
The outro movie from the long-anticipated Rock Band: The Beatles game. Enjoy.

Die Fail Whale, Die!

If you spend any kind of twitter, then you know the Fail Whale: the eponymous whale that lets you know when twitter is having issues. This is especially frustrating when you’re in the middle of a conversation, promoting your latest project, or trying to track down an old friend. To vent your frustration, Andrew Conn has graced us with a Flash game that lets you take out your frustration.

Speaking of Twitter…

If you’re tired of having to do detective work every time you receive a follow request, then Twimailer is for you. Once you sign up, you will receive an email from Twimailer with a the potential follower’s user name, avatar, bio, and recent tweets, as well as links that will allow you to follow or block the user.

So What Should I Write About?
I think by now we’ve cleared the question of whether or not your company should blog, so next comes the Big Hairy Question of what you should write about. I’m asked this all the time by my clients, who are terrified of blogging because all they know are spreadsheets. Remember, blogging is about building relationships, so here’s a list to help you get started.

• Check your inbox. What are people talking about? Are there any questions you can answer?
• Comment on someone else’s blog. What blogs are you reading? Do you have an opinion about what they’re saying?
• Offer advice. Most of the time, people read blogs because they’re looking for ideas and advice to help solve their own problems. Are there any services that you can offer to help solve these problems?
• What have you been up to? Can you offer behind-the-scenes stories or insights?
• Comment on the state of the union. Are there any new developments in your field? Can you discuss real-world applications?
• Photos and videos are absolutely priceless. People love to see the proverbial “man behind the curtain” at work. Be transparent and let your clients in on what you really do.
• E-books are incredibly valuable when you offer something that your readers can’t get anywhere else, plus they are a natural blog entry.
• Share your presentations with your readers. Have someone video your latest presentation or upload your slides on slideshare and let your readers get a feel for what you presented.
• Be the News. A blog is a great place to announce the latest developments at your company – new hires, awards, new developments, technology updates, etc.
• Dialog is the New Black. Use your blog to generate debate and/or discussion with your readers. This will help spark future topics, as well as generate reader loyalty.

So Much for What we Leaned in College
Remember the basic advertising classes we took in college and they beat into our heads what differentiates a good spot from a bad one – clear call to action, make your product memorable, etc? The latest spot for Chi Chi’s Salsa breaks those rules, but still works because it’s clever, repetitive, and funny as hell. Plus, if you’re a dork like me, you’ll imitate the robot in the ad for days. Enjoy it here.

A Little Burst of Happiness

Now that the 4th of July holiday weekend is over, it’s time to get back to the business of life, in general. But, before we get back to work, I wanted to share the following with you – a commercial for the Columbus Zoo, which was recently named the best zoo in the country (after years of being #2) by USA Travel Guide. The choreography and the lyrics are an absolute riot and I can’t help but laugh every time I see the spot on TV. Enjoy!