Those that have visited this blog more than 2x, and/or have spent more than 15 minutes interrogating our archives might have discovered that we're trend-spotters. Once or twice, we've even been credited with starting tidal waves.
We could only smirk at today's headlines profiling "Potty-Mouth" Carol Bartz, and her latest bombing with the F-word.
Yes, smirking at the below video will offend certain sensibilities. But, even at the consternation of my #1 fan (who is not an advocate of expletives in advertising, or anywhere else), we say Yahoo! to You, Carol!!
Your latest guffaw, captured by the news media and now widely-available across the Planet Earth, demonstrates the observations that we made right here barely one week ago; that Potty is becoming the norm across all forms of messaging, and proves the point we made: its a great shock and awe strategy.
Since the news of your most recent F-bomb attack has now spread faster than swine flu, you've become a top-ranked search term on Google (oh, the poetic irony!) and your stock traded up 2% today. Now, you need to turn on the PR machine, cync it up with your ad sales division and get the f**king share price back to $17!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sh*t That We've Said..Prove Prescient
Five days ago this blog profiled the increasing trend in shock and awe advertising by using expletives within product marketing messages. A great test of this 'new genre' will take place this week, during the CBS upfront presentation, during which they'll unveil the upcoming "Sh*t My Dad Says" sitcom.
With Mad-Cow icon William Shatner starring in this new series, the theme of the show is in deference to the viral mania of Twitter; the story line is based on the real tweets of a self-described "shlebby kid" in which he spent less than a year tweeting his potty-mouth Dad's wittiest risque comments before the kid's twits vaulted to Top10 ranking on Twitter..with an audience of 1.3 million followers.
Presuming CBS maintains the same title for the show as the twitter page (which is also the title to the coffee table book that's now a NYT bestseller), CBS is betting on the growing audience appetite for potty-mouth content.
Can't wait to see which advertisers pony up in the upfronts to advertise during this show--and whether any of them will be running their own potty-centric promotions.
With Mad-Cow icon William Shatner starring in this new series, the theme of the show is in deference to the viral mania of Twitter; the story line is based on the real tweets of a self-described "shlebby kid" in which he spent less than a year tweeting his potty-mouth Dad's wittiest risque comments before the kid's twits vaulted to Top10 ranking on Twitter..with an audience of 1.3 million followers.
Presuming CBS maintains the same title for the show as the twitter page (which is also the title to the coffee table book that's now a NYT bestseller), CBS is betting on the growing audience appetite for potty-mouth content.
Can't wait to see which advertisers pony up in the upfronts to advertise during this show--and whether any of them will be running their own potty-centric promotions.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Screwed By Crude; Slick Talking Down a Slippery Slope; BP's Pipe Dream?; Federal Agency Facing PR Fiasco; Moguls Muck Up Marketing Communications..Lessons Not to Live By..
For those that have stumbled on to this posting consequent to seeking a creative and crafty corporate communicator, the views expressed below do not (necessarily) represent the views of this blog's publisher. The following submitted piece is merely illustrative of our appreciation for witty, and thought-provoking prose.
Screwed By Crude; Slick Talking Down a Slippery Slope; BP's Pipe Dream?; Federal Agency Facing PR Fiasco; Moguls Muck Up Marketing Communications..Lessons Not to Live By..
wow...The headline (however run-on), tells a whale of a tale..and should be a case study for any studious (or film studio) marketing communications consigliere.
Sure, last month's Deepwater Horizon oil rig collapse off the coast of Louisiana, and subsequent environmental tsunami has (deservedly) remained a front page story since the tragedy first unfolded. Millions of gallons of oil leaking havoc on Mother Nature, billions of dollars in environmental clean-up costs and businesses lost, and most incalculable; the tragic and unnecessary loss of 11 lives; oil rig workers whose families will never be able to replace their lost loved ones.
And each chapter in the continuing saga reads no differently than more than a handful of previously-published, billion-dollar, Corporate Greed-Meets-Foggy-Bottom best sellers. The ones where truth is always stranger than fiction.
Or, as a good friend of mine likes to say, "Yo, LD! You can't make this sh*t up!"
In this case, we've even got a chorus-full of whistle blowers, perhaps saner, but just as prescient as Madoff-Buster Harry Markopolos. Each of whom were apparently trumpeting the "alarm" well in advance of the portending Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster; an event that proved the sky really is falling.
For those that think that investigative journalism has no shoes (as in The King without clothes), and the profession has become a calling that's notorious for disconnects, and has been vanquished to the realm of impotency, we invite you to bookmark the CBS 60 Minutes broadcast from May 16; the one that will be remembered as the catalyst to a multi-billion dollar, multi-head-axing episode in the long-running history of Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Winning Musical Comedy, HBO Series: "Corporate Greed-Meets-Foggy Bottom."
More importantly, to the current and up-and-coming Marcom and PR crisis managing spinmeisters: heed the cry of yet another case study in which the defending team continuously punts instead of passing, bunts into balks, and has so far duffed every shot before Tiger Woods had to step in and suggest shoving all of the (golf) balls down BP's slippery chute.
Yes, the stories about BP whistle blowers have been leaking out for weeks; faster than the gush of as much as 25,000gallons barrels of black gold that's been leaking every day not far from our coast line.
And all of opposing teams, including BP, Halliburton and rig operator Transocean have been doing a comical job of punching and jabbing each other along the way. Certainly no blame taking, just flame throwing accusations at others. That's usually a recipe for disaster for PR Crisis managers.
But, to disprove those that insist Big Business has become adept at sweeping the tar under the carpet (Toyota not included); crisis managers managing the Deepwater debacle are finding themselves in deep doo-doo. Marcom Maestros Take Heed! Don't do as they're doing; do as we say.
Within less than 500 minutes after 60 Minutes revealed the lead whistle-blower telling his story to the media for the first time, the first head has fallen: Chris Oynes, the Federal Government's senior executive in charge of overseeing the safety of offshore oil rigs coincidentally "retired" on Monday.
Hellooo??..Quitting your job now?! Amidst a national catastrophe and a firestorm of allegations? Sorry to tell you, but quitting your job isn't going to protect you from losing your government pension if you're ultimately convicted of a crime related to your role in this disaster.
Didn't you hear? Politico is breaking a story that documents the long-cherished history of your agency, and your office, of covering up safety oversights, knowingly failing to collect fees owed by drillers, and otherwise cozying up to oil industry lobbyists like panhandlers on New York's 10th Avenue.
There's a two chapter lesson to be learned from what's going on. Its in the latest edition of Marcomm 201 and Elementary Crisis Management. Here are the bullets:
1. To BP: Of course you're going to deny, deny (and deny some more) any culpability for what some fear is Exxon Valdez times ten. Two critical mistakes:
i. Asserting your innocence in the face of expert testimony (and corroborating emails) from multiple individuals that seem to prove that you knowingly skirted all safety guidelines in pursuit of a faster buck
ii. Placing all of the blame on your subcontractors.
Positive positing is what sells, or at least saves the day. Stay away from the dart-throwing; your message needs to be controlled for sure, but you need to focus exclusively on all of the proactive steps you are taking. Put boots on the ground with bucks in their hands and win over the locals. You scored $5 billion in profits last quarter, so you can afford to spread some cash around in the name of Good Will.
2. To MMS. The tide is already coming in, and its carrying a flotilla of feisty ombudsmen that have already portrayed your agency for having a culture of ineptitude that makes the SEC look down-right capable in the course of regulating their industry. May G-d have mercy on your souls if it turns out that you let Chris Oynes retire with a get-out-of-jail free card in hand.
What you should have done is immediately suspend Oynes without pay, and without his ability to collect his government pension, pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the agency's alleged oversights of its oversight obligations. How can you justify such a draconian tact, you might ask?
Duh..how about the fact that despite the Deepwater disaster, in the days and weeks following, MMS continued to blatantly print out off-shore drilling approvals for the same area! BTW: why didn't MMS collect more than $1billion of fees owed to Uncle Sam by the drillers that haven't been regulated?
3. To Sarah Palin: That new song of yours, with you teasingly moaning "Drill, baby, Drill!" is in bad taste, and bad for your brand image.
Screwed By Crude; Slick Talking Down a Slippery Slope; BP's Pipe Dream?; Federal Agency Facing PR Fiasco; Moguls Muck Up Marketing Communications..Lessons Not to Live By..
wow...The headline (however run-on), tells a whale of a tale..and should be a case study for any studious (or film studio) marketing communications consigliere.
Sure, last month's Deepwater Horizon oil rig collapse off the coast of Louisiana, and subsequent environmental tsunami has (deservedly) remained a front page story since the tragedy first unfolded. Millions of gallons of oil leaking havoc on Mother Nature, billions of dollars in environmental clean-up costs and businesses lost, and most incalculable; the tragic and unnecessary loss of 11 lives; oil rig workers whose families will never be able to replace their lost loved ones.
And each chapter in the continuing saga reads no differently than more than a handful of previously-published, billion-dollar, Corporate Greed-Meets-Foggy-Bottom best sellers. The ones where truth is always stranger than fiction.
Or, as a good friend of mine likes to say, "Yo, LD! You can't make this sh*t up!"
In this case, we've even got a chorus-full of whistle blowers, perhaps saner, but just as prescient as Madoff-Buster Harry Markopolos. Each of whom were apparently trumpeting the "alarm" well in advance of the portending Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster; an event that proved the sky really is falling.
For those that think that investigative journalism has no shoes (as in The King without clothes), and the profession has become a calling that's notorious for disconnects, and has been vanquished to the realm of impotency, we invite you to bookmark the CBS 60 Minutes broadcast from May 16; the one that will be remembered as the catalyst to a multi-billion dollar, multi-head-axing episode in the long-running history of Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar Winning Musical Comedy, HBO Series: "Corporate Greed-Meets-Foggy Bottom."
More importantly, to the current and up-and-coming Marcom and PR crisis managing spinmeisters: heed the cry of yet another case study in which the defending team continuously punts instead of passing, bunts into balks, and has so far duffed every shot before Tiger Woods had to step in and suggest shoving all of the (golf) balls down BP's slippery chute.
Yes, the stories about BP whistle blowers have been leaking out for weeks; faster than the gush of as much as 25,000
And all of opposing teams, including BP, Halliburton and rig operator Transocean have been doing a comical job of punching and jabbing each other along the way. Certainly no blame taking, just flame throwing accusations at others. That's usually a recipe for disaster for PR Crisis managers.
But, to disprove those that insist Big Business has become adept at sweeping the tar under the carpet (Toyota not included); crisis managers managing the Deepwater debacle are finding themselves in deep doo-doo. Marcom Maestros Take Heed! Don't do as they're doing; do as we say.
Within less than 500 minutes after 60 Minutes revealed the lead whistle-blower telling his story to the media for the first time, the first head has fallen: Chris Oynes, the Federal Government's senior executive in charge of overseeing the safety of offshore oil rigs coincidentally "retired" on Monday.
Hellooo??..Quitting your job now?! Amidst a national catastrophe and a firestorm of allegations? Sorry to tell you, but quitting your job isn't going to protect you from losing your government pension if you're ultimately convicted of a crime related to your role in this disaster.
Didn't you hear? Politico is breaking a story that documents the long-cherished history of your agency, and your office, of covering up safety oversights, knowingly failing to collect fees owed by drillers, and otherwise cozying up to oil industry lobbyists like panhandlers on New York's 10th Avenue.
There's a two chapter lesson to be learned from what's going on. Its in the latest edition of Marcomm 201 and Elementary Crisis Management. Here are the bullets:
1. To BP: Of course you're going to deny, deny (and deny some more) any culpability for what some fear is Exxon Valdez times ten. Two critical mistakes:
i. Asserting your innocence in the face of expert testimony (and corroborating emails) from multiple individuals that seem to prove that you knowingly skirted all safety guidelines in pursuit of a faster buck
ii. Placing all of the blame on your subcontractors.
Positive positing is what sells, or at least saves the day. Stay away from the dart-throwing; your message needs to be controlled for sure, but you need to focus exclusively on all of the proactive steps you are taking. Put boots on the ground with bucks in their hands and win over the locals. You scored $5 billion in profits last quarter, so you can afford to spread some cash around in the name of Good Will.
2. To MMS. The tide is already coming in, and its carrying a flotilla of feisty ombudsmen that have already portrayed your agency for having a culture of ineptitude that makes the SEC look down-right capable in the course of regulating their industry. May G-d have mercy on your souls if it turns out that you let Chris Oynes retire with a get-out-of-jail free card in hand.
What you should have done is immediately suspend Oynes without pay, and without his ability to collect his government pension, pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the agency's alleged oversights of its oversight obligations. How can you justify such a draconian tact, you might ask?
Duh..how about the fact that despite the Deepwater disaster, in the days and weeks following, MMS continued to blatantly print out off-shore drilling approvals for the same area! BTW: why didn't MMS collect more than $1billion of fees owed to Uncle Sam by the drillers that haven't been regulated?
3. To Sarah Palin: That new song of yours, with you teasingly moaning "Drill, baby, Drill!" is in bad taste, and bad for your brand image.
Monday, May 17, 2010
#Marcom#OrthoCenter# For#Crisis Management#PR #SEO Tips#Courtesy of #BP#Celebrity Apprentice and#Tradworx
For those of you that skipped the Sunday NYT, and went straight to Scott Turow's new book, you missed the latest digital news primer for today's world: one where journalists' (and marketing pundit) words are worth little (unless they're audited based on number of web visits to the author's article).
You don't need to watch the 60 Minutes story about BP, Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, Lebron James, flash trade at Tradworx, or follow the tragic story of Emily Keyes; but each share one (and perhaps other things in common) for Marcom Savants
When inserting the top 10 most searched Google-searched names/phrases in an online news story headline (above are the top 10 as of 3 pm EST today, May 17), you're likely to get exponentially more visits to your article, blog posting, or even a time-sensitive company press release. So they say.
Thanks to the fact that I also inserted Twit-friendly hash marks in the title to this posting (and pushed away the hash brownies), the wizards of Web 3.0 proclaim that I'm likely to experience 3x-4x uptick in visitor traffic.
Twit-friendly? Should I have said "Twitter-friendly"? Or, "Tweeter Friendly?"?
BTW-Orthocenter is a mathematical phrase referencing the center of a triangle. Its now being used as a bonafide buzz word that apparently replaces words that previously described points of convergence.
You don't need to watch the 60 Minutes story about BP, Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, Lebron James, flash trade at Tradworx, or follow the tragic story of Emily Keyes; but each share one (and perhaps other things in common) for Marcom Savants
When inserting the top 10 most searched Google-searched names/phrases in an online news story headline (above are the top 10 as of 3 pm EST today, May 17), you're likely to get exponentially more visits to your article, blog posting, or even a time-sensitive company press release. So they say.
Thanks to the fact that I also inserted Twit-friendly hash marks in the title to this posting (and pushed away the hash brownies), the wizards of Web 3.0 proclaim that I'm likely to experience 3x-4x uptick in visitor traffic.
Twit-friendly? Should I have said "Twitter-friendly"? Or, "Tweeter Friendly?"?
BTW-Orthocenter is a mathematical phrase referencing the center of a triangle. Its now being used as a bonafide buzz word that apparently replaces words that previously described points of convergence.
Friday, May 14, 2010
This product is F- -king Fantastic!
Shock and Awe. Hat's off!
Although my #1 fan accuses me of having potty mouth (to whom I apologize!), its true that I don't have a problem with risque, easy-to-recall ads; the kind that provoke sensibility.
What? We should be concerned about the impact on little kids, tweens and teens that come across ads that tease with quasi-expletives? Puhlease.
Prime-time Network TV has become no more risque than Playboy Magazine. You say dirty words in ads are"bad," but "dirty" images that show everything short of the very short hairs on Beverly Hills 90210 is OK? Don't be silly; The Genie is out of the Bottle.
I can see the banking industry ad now:
"Our Two Biggest Competitors:
1. Sh**ty Bank.
2. Skank of America.
Ta-Da! Its Time To Bank at TD..!"
1. Sh**ty Bank.
2. Skank of America.
Ta-Da! Its Time To Bank at TD..!"
Or the insurance industry's upcoming ad:
" AIG = A--Hole; Call AFLAC Instead.."
Or, this new ad from the fast food industry:
"Our Fries Are F**King HOT!"
Monday, May 10, 2010
Financial Industry Finally Gets It: Web Video
Yes, we've been shouting for months (actually years) about the need [and pent up demand] for financial industry firms to embrace web-based video applications.After all, the most compelling content is about sight and sound; the more timely, the better.
Lo and behold, as profiled in today's NY Times, Thomson Reuters, the financial news/content publisher is launching a web-based video platform (described as a YouTube for traders) that combines video clips produced internally by the news service (about 15% of the content), along with clips sourced from a myriad of other news outlets (e.g. CNBC, Forbes, etc.) as well as 'partners' that include Wall Street analysts and trading market commentators from boutique firms.
The service, dubbed Reuters Insider, will only be accessible by those that subscribe to Reuters' desktop service, and presumably, this 'channel' will eventually provide advertisers with yet another way to deliver their brand message to a highly-sought after audience of uber rich eyeballs.
Re-affirming the the wisdom that we've been wagering on for longer than we can remember, Thomson Reuters Markets Division capo says "People are increasingly visual, and they expect to access information in that way. They want to be able to look at a chief executive and see the expression on the analyst's face."
Haven't we been saying that for months? OK..so we're prescient.
One of the frequent visitors to this very blog, a senior partner of the boutique broker Miller Tabak, was also mentioned in the NYT article for their role in serving as one of the content providers to Reuters' new service, "We're dropping significant time and resources into video programming for Reuters Insider because we have to come up delivering information to a new generation of analyst."
See me; Hear Me. Buy Me.
Lo and behold, as profiled in today's NY Times, Thomson Reuters, the financial news/content publisher is launching a web-based video platform (described as a YouTube for traders) that combines video clips produced internally by the news service (about 15% of the content), along with clips sourced from a myriad of other news outlets (e.g. CNBC, Forbes, etc.) as well as 'partners' that include Wall Street analysts and trading market commentators from boutique firms.
The service, dubbed Reuters Insider, will only be accessible by those that subscribe to Reuters' desktop service, and presumably, this 'channel' will eventually provide advertisers with yet another way to deliver their brand message to a highly-sought after audience of uber rich eyeballs.
Re-affirming the the wisdom that we've been wagering on for longer than we can remember, Thomson Reuters Markets Division capo says "People are increasingly visual, and they expect to access information in that way. They want to be able to look at a chief executive and see the expression on the analyst's face."
Haven't we been saying that for months? OK..so we're prescient.
One of the frequent visitors to this very blog, a senior partner of the boutique broker Miller Tabak, was also mentioned in the NYT article for their role in serving as one of the content providers to Reuters' new service, "We're dropping significant time and resources into video programming for Reuters Insider because we have to come up delivering information to a new generation of analyst."
See me; Hear Me. Buy Me.
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