LMAO at Last Comic Standing on Tour

Enjoyed Last Comic Standing (LCS) at Christopher Newport University’s Ferguson Center for the Arts on September 26th.

Louis Ramey, 5th runner up on the 6th season of LCS, served as MC. His jokes, rapport with the crowd and overall professionalism leads me to believe that America may have gotten this season’s winner wrong. Iliza Shlesinger as the season winner became not only the first woman but the youngest to carry the title. Her appearance last night was disappointing, to say the least.

Multi-tattooed Marcus, who came in 2nd during the season, and Jeff Dye, the non-swearing-yet-still-twistedly-profane young comedian, both intimated it aptly during their sets. They’d already lost the LCS title, they’re on a nationwide touring gig and are being paid nonetheless, so it didn’t matter if they were funny or not. Yet, they both came through like champs, and I laughed ‘til I cried.

However, Iliza has the same philosophy, I fear, and although she came away the winner, the pressure is on her to continue to hone her craft and be sharper than ever. She allowed what was a great stage show at the Ferguson to end on a very low note.

Best thing about the evening IMHO? Marcus’ impressions of Christopher Walken as the newly-elected-write-in U.S. President.

Blogging Projects

Ever run out of things to say (i.e. write about)?

Not me! And, now I've found some great lists of cool topics for even more blog-fodder. Here's my short list, and, of course, I'll always blog about Hampton Roads.



1. Photo Tour, take pics of off-the-beaten-path things to see in each of the 17 cities, towns and counties of Hampton Roads.

2. Video "How-To", gotta think on this one, but not sure what I do that would be video-interesting, hmmm. Suggestions?

3. Share Friends, share some friends’ blogs or websites and comment on them.

4. Tools I Use, share some of my favorite web tools.

5. Interviews, talk to anyone, family, friends, coworkers, and ask them the same questions to compare their perspectives.

6. Questions, pose interesting, creative questions on various social sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook and then add to blog with best responses.

7. My Media, show podcasting or video creation in action.

8. I have a Cause, share my favorite social cause with background, challenges, ways to connect and join the cause.

9. Something Silly, share my "guilty pleasures", such as LOLcats or fashion faux pas or funny videos.

10. Business, the list is limitless here of all things to do with my business, including trade and professional membership organizations.

11. Photo Blog, post stories told in pictures or video or perhaps just sounds.

12. History Tour, discover and share photos of historical persons or historical places, perhaps even contrasting current photos of geographical changes.

13. Talk with Journalist(s), "interview" a radio, TV or newspaper personality, especially with regard to social media.

14. Tomorrow’s Classroom, make suggestions on improving education in America today, such as using social media tools, video-immersion, etc.

15. Next Big Thing, make predictions, make suggestions for improvement for an existing brand.

16. I've got a Secret, share tips on something at which I'm an "expert", such as engaging in social networking or sales.

17. Fan-ship, show appreciation and passion for what makes me a fan, be it golf or sci fi, or Hampton Roads; use social media to change opinions and make others a fan, too.

18. Oops, share stories of mistakes and mis-steps, such as fumbles in social networking, and share the experience with others as a teaching tool.

19. Share Media, show mainstream media new ways to connect and be relevant.

20. Reviews, share thoughts by reporting on speeches, concerts and other events.

ok, I could go on, but you get the idea!

Photo Credit, MrLomo

Social media in moderation

Posted this Q&A on with some interesting variety of responses to follow:

How do you impress upon those in social media that moderation is key; if you're profile is on the web, everyone can see it??? Just realized my nephew (20 yo) looks like an idiot online!

A follow-up from my first post:

From Blake Imeson
"When it comes time for him to get a job and he starts to get Googled then he will realize you have to be careful about what goes online. I am around his age and I think most people are conscious of the danger to your reputation the internet can be. There are still people that are oblivious to the image they give online. Consolation is that most profiles are fairly private (Facebook for instance) and most can be set to decent standards of privacy, people just don't bother."

From Kathy (Ford) Broniecki
"As a potential employer, I purposely avoid facebook and myspace accounts of prospects. Especially those under 25 that haven't figured out that potential employers could be looking at every drunken escapade. I view this much like I view the multiple tatoos and piercings - somewhat of a right of passage. Some measure of leveling humiliation generally precedes maturity. However, I'm in the advertising industry and someone in a more conservative industry may see things differently."

From David Bird
"My final year students are similar. On a session I do on privacy, we have a good look at their googled photos. Then we have a long talk about all the privacy options available on the social networks. The other conversation we have is: would you want to work for someone who would actively exclude you from a job interview because you had a good and wild time as a student?"

From Bridget Waldron
"I would let him know that his online image is a part of his personal brand and he should be more careful of how he presents himself in person and online. In the age of You Tube, blogging, facebook etc., being overexposed has its drawbacks and more companies are paying close attention to these sites as they screen potential employees."

From Kimmo Linkama (a viewpoint from outside U.S.)
"Then again, it is really sad if you have to start seriously watching every word you say when you're hardly 20. I think this corporate interest about the quality of employees is bordering on paranoia -- and when you finally get a job, you're subjected to "voluntary" drug tests and what have you. The same paranoid watching over you all the way... There are clear cultural differences, though. My impression is that Europeans allow more foolishness than Americans. Another interesting point is that when young people start to realize they have to be on their best behavior on the internet, how many of them will knowingly create a false profile? I'm sure this is already happening. Employers should not pay a lot of attention to the more personal or intimate social media as an information source."

YELP, help is on the way!

Yelp is all about the power of word-of-mouth, WOM in an online community format. Review everything local to share your insider tips, warn others about bad experiences, help folks who are new in town, and support your favorite local vendors.

I'm doing my part (check out my reviews by clicking on the YELP link), be sure to do yours!

Marketing Tactics with an Eye on Strategy

On my list of "things to do", key marketing tactics for success:

• Marketing Plan, keep it simple, listing purpose in marketing, key benefits, target audiences, marketing weapons, niche (value proposition), and identity.
  
  
• Marketing Calendar, for the next 12 months, including media, metric to measure and results.
  
  
• My "Name" or "Brand", something easy to spell, pronounce, remember, believe in and share.
  
  
• Value Proposition (niche), what makes me special, what do I stand for, what makes me different, what can I "own".
  
  
• Key Benefits, a simple list of all the benefits offered.
  
  
• Research, References, Referrals, what people say about me, what I've done in the past that shows my successes.
  
  
• Friendly Guerrillas, designate several friends, viral and otherwise, to share my brand.
  
  
• Competitive Advantages, listing why someone should come to me if I offer some of the same benefits as others.
  
  
• Networking, online and off.
  
  
• Elevator Speech, 30 seconds, 75 words (preferably less) that I use to into myself and makes others want to know more.
  
  
• Contacts Database, customers, prospects, suspects (prospective prospects) and friends.
  
  
• Vision, Values-define who I am by what my customers want me to be.
  
  
• Email Program, for higher response rates than USPS mail, less intrusive, eco-friendly, easy to "pay it forward".
  
  
• Money Back Guarantee, 'cuz I believe in me.
  
  
• Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! On average 70% of business is lost is not due to poor service or bad quality, but because of apathy and lack of follow-up.
  
  
• It's All About the FREE! Start offering a free one-hour consultation to prove my expertise.
  
  
• Speaking at professional and trade organizational meetings, and for free (see above).

Social Media and Marketing, getting started

Courtesy of my friend, Lizz Gunnufsen, Public Communications Coordinator for the City of Chesapeake, here is a recap of her efforts to implement SM into her city's government:

SocialMediaGovernment



Looks like her forays into Social Media have paid off with her MANY requests to give the presentation to others.

Way to go, Lizz!

UrbanPlanet, we live here so get used to it

Great online discussions revolving around communities can be found at UrbanPlanet.org, like this one on Virginia Beach Light Rail and Transit, Light Rail/BRT and other Transit initiatives.

Lynx Light Rail in Charlotte NC
Photo credit deritastudio

Do you have Great PR Manners?

I saw this great PR email request posted recently and had to share. Fill in the blanks with your name, company name, location, prospect's name and see if it works! Oh, so simple and yet SO effective!

TO: _______________

Good evening, my name is _________ with _______ (PR/AD agency) in City, State______. We recently created a social media department, and are working with a client who specializes in the creation of social networking platforms. I know they have very specific announcements coming up, and I was wondering if you even like to receive these types of announcements (e-learning, online collaboration, marketing, social networking, corporate training.) The last thing I would want to do is just start blindly sending press releases or other correspondence your way, without even an introduction email asking you if you would even be interested in receiving these type of announcements.

I know you must get countless email a day regarding this type of thing, so I wanted to at least send you an email introducing myself and gauge your interest level. I’ll be in touch, thank you for your time.

All my best-
______________
Company Name________________

2008 Marketing Facts from AMA, MarketingPower.com, did you know?

Top 10 U.S. Sponsors for 2007:

1. Anheuser-Busch (#1 in 2006, too) – wonder what will happen with the InBev purchase?

2. PepsiCo (#2 in 2006, too)

3. Coca-Cola (up from #4 in 2006)

4. Nike (up from #4 in 2006)

5. GM (dropped from #3 in 2006) – and surely will drop even more?

6. Miller Brewing (same position as in 2006)

7. AT&T (didn’t even make the list in 2006)

8. Sprint Nextel (up from #9 in 2006)

9. Toyota-USA (didn’t even make the list in 2006)

10. Ford (dropped from #8 in 2006) – and surely will drop even more?

Extrapolating from 2007’s global online population brings us estimates through 2012 (that’s only 4 years away from now!) of well over 2 Billion. Yes, that’s with a B. Asia and the Pacific Rim are now and will continue to dominate with close to 45% of users on the world-wide web. North America trails with less than 15% of users. The biggest growth % seen will be in the Middle East/Africa by doubling their population of users.

What is the most local of all advertising media? Radio. Nearly 71% of the $21Billion spent in radio in 2007 was for local spots.

And how did all media ad spending fair? Comparing the same time period from 2006 to 2007, all ad spending was relatively flat. The biggest losers? TV and newspapers. Their losses were felt as gains in ad expenditures in magazines, radio, outdoor and the internet.

Newspapers overall have lost big numbers (nearly 8% overall) within national and retail ad spending; the biggest of all in classifieds (16.5% over 2006 numbers). Online newspaper ad spending helped make up some of the loss by growing 18.8%.

Who were the media spending winners over the last 5 years (2002-2007)? Alternative marketing with gains of 17.5% overall. Online and mobile (+31.4%) includes search and lead generation, online classified/display ads, e-media, online video and rich media, internet yellow pages, consumer-generated ads. Interactive marketing (+28.6% includes e-direct marketing, WOM (word of mouth) marketing and e-custom publishing. Entertainment and digital out-of-home advertising (+15%) includes local pay TV, VOD (video on demand), interactive TV (ITV) and digital video recorder (DVR) ads, videogame and home advertising and satellite radio advertising. Branded entertainment marketing (+13.4%) includes event sponsorship and marketing, paid product placement, advergaming and webisodes.

Where is the biggest advertising spending growth in format? Video and rich media (including sponsorships, lead generations/referrals and email embedded ads.

Online social network spending is the most explosive category by far logging a +163% gain over 2006, projected to “taper off”, and I use that term loosely) in the next 5 years to approximately $2.6Billion (again, with a B). Currently, MySpace leads the way with over ½ of all social network ad spending. Rival Facebook enjoys approx 18% of the ad market.

OUtdorr advertising increased 7% from 2006 to 2007 with eh biggest gains felt in catergories of Comunications (+35.7%), automotive “other” (+11.8%) and insurance/real estate (+9.2%).

Overall TV ad revenue dropped in the same time period at a rate of 4.4%, the biggest loss felt in local broadcast TV of 9.5%.

And, our good friends at Technorati tracked the staggering growth of the blogosphere over the last 5 years. Blogs have exploded from a modest 300,000 in Apr 03 to nearly 113 Million in Apr 08.

Consumer-facing companies in the webspace have connected with millions of consumers: social network Facebook, micro-blog communications tool Twitter, media voting site Digg and free community provider Ning. Not one can compare to the consumer interface created by Google, though.

HD Radio(TM) Content Sees Strong Momentum

WHRO makes the Wall Street Journal! Here's the excerpt:

Hampton Roads Uses Six Channels to Time Travel.

Hampton Roads Educational Telecommunications is taking multicasting to a new level with two FMs in Norfolk, Virginia. In what could be the most ambitious complementary programming strategy for HD Radio programming today, WHRO and WHRV program six digital channels daily. The main station, 89.5 WHRV (an NPR affiliate) is news/talk; the station's HD2 channel offers a "SpeakEasy" format; and an HD3 channel airs an alternative music mix dubbed "RadioNtenna." Meanwhile, 90.3 WHRO main channel plays classical music; its HD2 channel serves up connoisseur classics within its "Alternative Classic Music" format; and its HD3 brings listeners back to the roaring 20s via the "1920's Radio Network" channel.

For the full story.

Bert's brother, the advertising model

Ya' jes gotta chck out the Bubba!

Social Media Business Marketing Plan

1. What is the goal? Prioritizing the goal(s) will help determine the proper tool(s) and to help stay on track vice diluting efforts by jumping at every networking opportunity.
   
   
2. What is the budget? While most services are free, the professional time required to be successful, according to researchers, can be as much 10 hours per week. Time has a value and must have a real, measurable ROI.
   
   
3. What is the message? The objective, obviously, is to make connections and build relationships, but the key is to find that common bond.
   
   
4. What is the next step? Make it real. Time to lead the network into the real world. Figure out how to meet outside of the web. Coffee? Picnic? Happy Hour? Dinner? An event? Take it to the next level.
   

Branding By Word of Mouth or the Power of the Story

Belief in a brand is the most powerful influence of all, even to the point of altering our physical sensations, mixing our own personal experiences, and reducing all we know about a brand to an easily accessible impression or perception.

Humans are social creatures. We’ve flourished on earth because we take advantage of the power of groups. And, human survival has depended on passing information from those we trust. Word of mouth has been with us from the beginning and is a key influencer in every marketing study ever done.

The closer someone is to us, the more we tend to trust their opinion. And, the more enthusiastic the endorsement, the more value it has to us. If we get a lukewarm recommendation, we probably won't run right out and take action. Our “gut” immediately decides whether the word of mouth we receive is credible and whether or not to pay attention. Studies have also shown that we alter our own memories of a brand experience depending on the opinion of others.

Brand memories are not unalterable snapshots. They get changed every time we retrieve them, altering them to fit the opinions of others and saving this altered memory. Others have such a powerful influence on our brand loyalties.

"Social Networking" has taken over porn's top spot

Photo CreditOnline fever has everyone all atwitter. An article on Reuters highlights that Social networking sites are the "hottest attraction on the Internet", taking over the top spot long held by "porn". This is a MAJOR change in how people communicate. And, a welcome change in online users' "interests", too.

Research done by "data geek", Bill Tancer, analyzed the information of over 10 million web users, indicating that one of the major shifts in cyberspace has been a drop in the surfing of porn sites. Over the last ten years, porn searches have dropped from an all-time high of 20% of all web use.

"As social networking traffic has increased, visits to porn sites have decreased," said Tancer. Marketers take note of such an increase in social networking.

American celebra-mania is still affecting us, though, especially in the current U.S. presidential election. Web surfers are busy looking for photos of Republican VP candidate Sara Palin photoshopped in a teeny bikini or "researching" how tall is Barack Obama vice researching any real campaign issue.

Information spreads so quickly on the internet that the speed and the "need" for instant gratification predilects fact checking, too. The old adage of "just because you see something in print, it's not necessarily true" holds for online as well. Get the facts!

Now there's a business opportunity for someone: creating an online fact-filter search engine! And, I'm sure, those whose business models somehow combine porn and social networking are even happier with the survey results. They win either way.

So how popular are social networks worldwide? According to Synovate's survey, 42% of us are using social networks (like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn). The other 58% have no idea what we're talking about.

The survey was conducted over 13,000 internet users ranging from 18-65 years of age in 17 different global markets. Countries with the largest understanding of social networks? Holland 89%, Japan 71%, U.S. 70%.

Interesting factoid: on average only 26% of the users were actually using social networks. Holland 49%, United Arab Emirates 46%, Canada 44% and U.S. 40%.

Lots of people are uncomfortable giving their personal information online. Only 26% of all users surveyed , as a matter-of-fact. The highest fear rates: Serbians 71%, India 57%.

According to Synovate's Sr. VP, Bob Michaels, identity theft continues to be a major U.S. problem. Another growing issue is online defamation — posting negative and/or false information about someone online — so people are becoming more and more careful about the information they share. It's much easier to blast someone or something online if we only know you by your cleverly anonymous "handle".

So, who's most uncomfortable handing out their information? Japan and Germany both with 85%, Taiwan 83%, Canada 79%, Brazil and South Africa 77%, Poland and U.S. 70%.

And, then there are those people surveyed who think social networking is dangerous. Overall 51%. Brazilians 79%, U.S. 69% and Poland 62%.

Of interesting note, approximately 1/3rd of those surveyed claimed to be losing interest in social networking. Wonder who they are? No one I know.

Moving images

My Twitter "friend", John Dickerson, is Slate.com's Chief Political Correspondent. He recently tweeted his must-see playlist of past Presidential campaign ads.

Most interesting about the Tweet was learning about the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC (Astoria). Check out the "Web Projects" link for more web-accessible motion memorabilia.

I'd never heard of the museum and now MUST travel to NYC just to see it! The Museum of the Moving Image advances the public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. It does so by collecting, preserving, and providing access to moving-image related artifacts; screening significant films and other moving-image works; presenting exhibitions of artifacts, artworks, and interactive experiences; and offering educational and interpretive programs to students, teachers, and the general public.

I wish we had something like this in Hampton Roads! Any takers?