Online Marketing Done Right – the Case of HBO’s True Blood | Yoke If you’re a vampire aficionado, it’s almost certain that you’re hooked on HBO’s popular TV series True Blood. Even if you aren’t into the pale bloodsuckers, it’s still pretty likely that you’re addicted to the show all the same.Without getting into the reasons why True Blood manages to keep people glued to the TV following the hazardous antics of a perky, half-fairy waitress and her pulseless nightwalker friends, I’m going to look at exactly how a fantasy series, so often of marginal interest, became so popular and mainstream. The buzz around True Blood has been phenomenal. Many people working in the advertising industry have referred to True Blood as having one of the most well thought out marketing campaigns to date. The campaign is on-going, but can be broken down into four parts; generating intrigue, extending the campaign, revealing the purpose of the campaign and, finally, maintaining interest. Generating intrigue Extending the campaign Revealing the purpose Maintaining interest
What Is The Kryptonite Of The Millennial Generation? No generation is just a single dimension or can be defined by a single thing. However, there are certain trends with every generation, and our newest to tackle the business world is no different. I am in constant awe and amazement at the levels of intelligence and poise possessed of so many millennials entering the workforce today. (Although, to be fair, that was because we all sat around in coffee houses, draped in way too much flannel, debating Nirvana lyrics, and deciding whether Ticketmaster was evil or just greedy.) But, in spite of growing up in the midst of a great technological leap forward, millennials have a fatal flaw – a weakness in your armor – and that is a lack of perspective. To use a favorite Seinfeld-ism, “Not that there is anything wrong with that.” History Repeats The decisions in your field or discipline that you are facing today have already happened. Think our recession is new? History vs. Are you the wiz kid when it comes to 80′s night at the bar trivia contest?
5 Rules For Crowdfunding Success From The Queen Of Multitasking Underwear (You Read That Right) Technology probably isn't the first thing most people think of when they think of underwear. Joanna Griffiths is not most people. While studying at INSEAD, one of the world's largest graduate business schools, Griffiths saw an opportunity to create a product that did more than the existing options on the market. "Thanks to technology, almost everything has evolved, everything but our underwear," she says. Griffiths needed a way to fund her new venture, Knix Wear. The campaign was a success, surpassing the $40,000 goal (by an extra $20,000). 1. Before you start your crowdfunding campaign, Griffiths suggests that it's important to study others who have done it well. 2. No matter how much experience you have in the crowdfunding space, it requires a strategic approach to reach--and exceed--your goal. 3. For many in the crowdfunding world, there are no second chances. 4. 5. Start your campaign on Monday and end your campaign on a Friday, says Griffiths. [Photos courtesy of Knix Wear]
Future Insight: GOOD Magazine’s Fascinating Short Documentary | General interest and philanthropy media platform GOOD produced a short documentary on the future of learning which features some top innovators in the educational technology space. The documentary provides a hodge-podge of viewpoints about revamping education with the objective of anticipating the kind of world students inherit. Check out some of the highlights below and be sure to set aside 12 minutes to watch this documentary. Etuk is CEO of DimensionU (formerly Tabula Digita), a suite of games focusing on core K-12 subjects. He opens the documentary by claiming the popular educational models of today don’t inspire motivation in students. Khan points out his videos can be used individually or in the classroom and encourages students to work at their own pace. Perhaps the most compelling of the speakers in the documentary is Calcutta-born Sugata Mitra, professor of educational technology at Newcastle University who delivers some of the documentary’s most intriguing viewpoints.
The Importance of Social Media in Driving People to Your Museum or Visitor-Serving Nonprofit (DATA) « Know Your Own Bone – Nonprofit Marketing & Online Engagement There’s a lot of conversation about the ROI of social media and confusion about how to explain its importance to executive leaders. Need help? Here’s some data behind how social media drives attendance to visitor-serving organizations (zoos, aquariums, museums, botanic gardens, theaters, etc). It’s as easy as 1-2-3 (or, rather, the transitive property in mathematics): The above data indicates the index value (i.e. the relative importance) of select factors (“utilities”) that influence the market’s decision to visit a visitor-serving organization (VSO). The US Composite data represents the overall US population. It is clear to see that for the overall US population and high-propensity visitors alike how important “reputation” is to your market’s overall decision-making process. So we know that reputation is a major driver of visitation. Social media and online engagement positively contribute to your bottom line by enhancing your reputation, which is a significant driver of visitation.
files/2012-Nonprofit-Social-Networking-Benchmark-Rpt.pdf 5 Ways Small Businesses Get Social Media Wrong Nellie Akalp is the CEO of CorpNet.com, an online legal document filing service, where she helps entrepreneurs incorporate or form an LLC for their new businesses. Connect with Nellie on Twitter or visit her free resource center. It’s hard to go anywhere these days and not be bombarded with social media. That's because Facebook has 900 million active users, there are more than 200 million Twitter users, and then there’s Pinterest, the latest darling. Given this reality, it’s impossible for small business owners not to feel a sense of urgency to master the social media landscape. 1. This might be the most difficult lesson for the small business owner. In fact, if your social media strategy is just about marketing or sales, then you’re not approaching it right. Social media is all about building relationships and growing trust. 2. You know how painful it is to be stuck at a cocktail party, talking to that self-absorbed person who only talks about him or herself. What does this mean? 3. 4.
How the Pros Measure Social Media Marketing Success From left: Sarah Hofstetter, David Rosenberg and Dexter Bustarde A lot of campaigns seem aimed at accruing Facebook Likes. But is that success? What's the point? Dexter Bustarde: Earning a Facebook Like, by hook or by crook, is a success, but it's a success at a very tactical level. If I have a client with a campaign completely focused on getting Facebook Likes, I'll do what I can to show that this tactic should be working towards a broader strategy (using Facebook to tell people about your brand), which in turn should drive towards a business goal (getting people to spend money on your brand). David Rosenberg: The value of a Facebook Like is directly connected to the anticipated actions the brand hopes its newfound followers will take on behalf of the brand. Sarah Hofstetter: The question you’re posing is actually interesting in and of itself. What about Twitter? Rosenberg:There are different ways to measure success. How do you see social media measurement evolving?
The 6 Pillars of Social Commerce: Understanding the psychology of engagement inShare881 Social media is about social science not technology. As such, its value is not realized in the Likenomics of relationship status nor in the scores individuals earn by engaging in social networks. The value of social media comes down to people, relationships, and the meaningful actions between them. As such, its value is measured through the exchange of social currencies that contribute to one’s capital within each network. Through conversations, what we share, and the content we create, consume and curate, we individually invest in the commerce of information and the relationships that naturally unfold. One of the greatest myths in new media is that social networks facilitate conversations about you that would not otherwise take place if your organization weren’t present. The control you think you lose by opening up to online engagement actually gives you a sense of control. The A.R.T. of Engagement The Psychology of Social Commerce Heuristic Number 3: Scarcity- less is more