Obama drives searchers to his message, McCain doesn't

McCain didn't think about having a campaign ad against Google searches of his recently selected VP?

Obama did put an ad next to searches about his speech from last night.

On a huge news day for the campaign, Obama will send more people to a crafted campaign message than McCain. McCain searches will be distributed across some positive coverage, some negative coverage, some crappy coverage, but none to a strategically developed message reinforcing his overall campaign architecture.

Some decisions are hard, not this one.

Cool is cool, digital or not

So I just watched Michael Phelps win his 10th gold and at the commercial break Visa had a spot ready to go congratulating him. I was shocked, and it wasn't just me.

Within 8 minutes there was a bunch of mentions on Twitter. Tweeters included @jannygirl (over 500 followers), @designmom, @ederdnover, @lbbinc (all over 200 followers)



B/c of social media when you surprise, delight, inspire, entertain, motivate, enlighten, or teach people its so easy for them to tell EVERYONE (not just those within shouting distance) and sometimes they do.

The Phelps thing was so obvious, on point, and cool. Working in digital marketing its so easy to get caught up in a lot of jargon, tactics, and techs. Getting a spot ready to go in advance of Phelps making Olympic history was just a cool idea, not a digital thing to it.

Social media makes cool ideas everywhere more effective. Is the growth of digital media going to make TV advertising less important? I'm not sold on that. But I do think it will make weak TV advertising less important.

Always Be Closing Is For Boilerroom Meatheads

I've worked a couple sales boilerrooms in my day. It was in this environment I was banged over the head with the mantra "ABC, Always Be Closing". If someone wanted to check with their wife before buying a stock you would say "I'm sure you make lots business decisions in your job without checking with your wife, this is no different, and we need to move now." Then, ABC, "Let me just get some info from you and we'll pick up 100 shares. Where can I send the account package?" BOOM, ring the bell, I just caught a fish.

Marketers operate this way too. Anytime they get your attention, they are trying to get you to spend your money or your time on THEM. The folks behind Dr. Horrible, don't operate this way and I love that.

My Twitter friend Dr. Horrible tweeted about this link this AM.

Maybe you hated this campy musical and you might have already seen this campy video about a kid dancing around the world. The important thing to recognize is that here's someone who's marketing without selling. Here's someone who's trying build real relationships. And I think it will pay off.

I know the skeptical view of this. With the limited amount of people's attention I invest in getting why drive people to a video that doesn't tell anyone anything about me (or my product)?

My answer. If you do it once, it doesn't do anything. But over time if you establish yourself as a valuable resource for your fans to find entertainment (and in Dr Horrible's case become a curator for all things campy and kitsch) then the next time you put something out you've got some chits in the bank with some very important people.

Not only will these fanboys buy the Dr. Horrible dolls, and signed posters but their passion will give other people permission to pay $40 for a family to go to a film, or buy a DVD. It will inspire the curiosity of everyone they expose to their fanaticism. And maybe when a TV commercial hits their DVR, an ad hits their magazine, or banner runs over their email, they might not completely ignore it, and they might be driven to theaters, TVs or bookstores.

Sure, the 7900 people that receive Dr Horrible's Twitter message could've been pointed to something more "promotional" but I don't want to be friends with someone who's constantly trying to sell me something. And I'd be less interested in their tweets as well. Thank goodness, the Dr. doesn't do that. I would've been out of the loop about how I can learn about the adventures and schemes of Fake Thomas Jefferson.

I'm already excited to buy it.

That's No Moon

It's an intergalactic battle station of social media.



I am rarely political usually because I disagree with most people I know on most political things. I've learned over time, no cares what I think. But here's an issue I can get behind... who the hell is against our elected representatives using social media to communicate with their constituents?

What did your congressman do today? This month? This year? I have no idea, but if Facebook can keep me up with what my high school lab partner ate for lunch, I can certainly read a daily 2 sentence update on how my Congressman is spending my tax money.

So how do you fight against this ridiculous banning of communication? Use social media tools. I love how they applied the same approach I learned from my old basketball coach, Eric Stein. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Shithead.

You can read the entire website in under 2 minutes then use social media to easily follow this issue and make your voice heard. You can keep up with the leaders of this fight on Twitter, read how people are talking about it, check out all the web links through Del.icou.is, and declare your advocacy through post a button on your blog (or MySpace Page, or whatever you have) or by simply a copying link into your Twitterfeed that says " Congress, change the rules. Talk to us on our social networks. http://LetOurCongressTweet.org Let our Congress Tweet! #LOCT08" The movement has left the website its out in the world.

So basically to close the loop on the metaphor, this fascist rule about limiting communication with our elected leaders is Aldoran (Princess Lea's home planet) and social media is the Death Star about to blow it into tiny pixels.

Now get in the conversation.