Our goal as online marketers and publicists is to produce and distribute “good” content, right?
We want to represent our clients and our company with the highest degree of respect and dignity and class and professionalism.
Good, that’s what we’ve been trained to do, not just by books and professors and mentors, but by society in general. Put your best foot forward.
Perhaps it’s time to rewrite the rules a bit and focus on being BAD.
Yes – BAD!
[If you've broken into hives, please calm yourself, it's OK.]
Let’s think about the really memorable content. Is it your mortgage company offering a good fixed rate? Or is it the really horrible, weird, shocking, nasty thing?
Exhibit A: William Hung
Exhibit B: William Shatner
Exhibit B2: More Shatner
Exhibit C: Kanye West
These “bad” things became quite memorable. And nobody was hurt during this. If you think Kanye’s interruption didn’t help Taylor Swift’s career, you’re not thinking clearly…
All three of these people increased their profile by being actively BAD. Kanye was actively drunk/stupid/evil, but still BAD. The Williams are just plain ol’ bad, but Shatner plays it for laughs.
Perhaps if our goal was to be MORE memorable and LESS by the book, we may be able to cut through the marketing clutter much better.
My questions to you – what companies utilize the “bad” tactics to market themselves effectively? Would you consider doing this for your company or clients?
The year was 1960. The Cold War was in full effect, Neil Armstrong hadn’t yet touched the moon and Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States. Heck, The Beatles hadn’t appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show yet!
However, a comic book came out, issue #28 of The Brave and the Bold. It featured the first-ever team-up of seven of the greatest and most powerful superheroes of all-time! Over the years, dozens of characters spent time as members of the Justice League of America (not to mention it’s popular off-shoot groups!). Each grouping of heroes had something in common – the whole was greater than the sum of it’s parts. Everyone working together had much more of an impact than if each hero had their own agenda. They didn’t always get along, but they worked as a team. Sound familiar, Communications Pros?
Don’t we all want to be a superhero? Check out which member of the Justice League of Communications you are most like!
Code Name: Superman
Powers and Abilities: Ummm…everything…he’s frickin’ Superman! Every communications team has a Superman (or woman)…and if they don’t, they may be in trouble. Your Superman may seem like he’s from another planet. His skills are top-flight in just about every area. He may not be THE best at EVERYTHING, but when you need EVERYTHING, he’s the best. He’s a natural leader, and not just because of his powers. Leadership and respect are earned, and this fella has done just about everything to earn every ounce of it. Deep down, you hate him. And even deeper down, you wish you were him. But it’s cool, the burden of being Superman isn’t for everyone.
Code Name: Batman
Powers and Abilities: Top-flight athlete, master strategist, genius inventor
The Dark Knight strikes fear into the hearts of evil-doers everywhere. He strikes from nowhere and everywhere at once. He knows you better than you know yourself – and while his methods are suspect, nobody gets the job done as consistently as he does.
On your team, there is probably a person you don’t like or trust. They keep to themselves, possess a mysterious past and speak grimly about the future. However, the one thing you know about them is that their work is second-to-none. You don’t know HOW they get the job done, and frankly, you are probably better off not knowing. But at the end of the day, your Batman is on your side
Code Name: Wonder Woman
Powers and Abilities: God-level strength, speed, flight, lasso of truth
If you think Wonder Woman is just a female version of Superman, you are selling her far short. The champion
of the Amazons has the requisite superpowers needed to get the job done, but her ability to look at the bigger picture is what’s really important. She has conversed with the Gods and has greater vision than anyone else on the team. Being able to see how everything fits together (or how it should) is critical on a communications team. You are not acting in a vacuum – there are many moving parts here, even for small companies, so you have to be able to understand the greater plan.
The other notable Wonder Woman trait is empathy. Someone as smart and talented as she is could be horrible to work with. However, she understands that not everyone views the world as she does and works to open eyes instead of punishing people. She ain’t a “den mom,” though, so don’t take advantage of her.
Code Name: Green Lantern
Powers and Abilities: No fear, alien power ring that turns your will power into hard energy
Test pilot Hal Jordan was given a power ring from a dying alien that made him one of the most powerful entities in the entire universe. He just didn’t really know it at the time. Green Lantern started as a smart-alecky fly-boy who chases the ladies, parties hard and makes it to work on time (ish) and get the job done. His will to succeed allows him to overcome some sloppiness.
On your team now, you have someone who’s maturing. They are living life, making some mistakes, and, despite some major faults, able to save the day. It’s a constant juggling act and if they don’t start making some progress soon, you’ll have to reevaluate their status, even knowing how good they are. Can you take that risk?
Code Name: Flash
Powers and Abilities: Superspeed
The Flash has one skill: speed. And he has mastered it. He has used his speed to break the time barrier, travel todifferent dimensions, clean up dangerous debris, deflect explosions, save people from would-be-tragic falls and more. But he is NOT a one-trick-pony.
This person on your team became known for one particular skill. It was something you needed at the time: writing, proofreading, pitching, whatever. But over time, they became more than just that one skill. They proved to everyone that their mastery of one area translated to another part of the team. Perhaps someone who’s great at calling reporters also became the person who sold ideas up the flagpole? Or a great strategist showed aptitude at dealing with clients. That’s The Flash. One ability doesn’t just mean one role.
Code Name: Aquaman
Powers and Abilities: Lives underwater, swims like a fish, ruler of the seas
Arthur Curry is a conflicted man: he is a man of two worlds. He is the King of the Seas – ruling 70% of the planet, a daunting task for anyone. But he is half-human, as well. So while he must represent the 70% on dry land, his prime loyalty is to his Kingdom.
Everyone is a little bit Aquaman. Be it your family, your house, your dream side gig, we all feel the pull from another important aspect of our life on a daily basis. The key is to manage it properly. Unlike any other superhero, Aquaman sets limits and boundaries. When someone goes wrong at “home,” he checks out immediately. He may seem aloof and jaded by peers and observers, but he sleeps soundly at night knowing he is comfortable with his priority scale. The team is important to him, but not THE most important thing.
What other heroes belong on your Justice League of Communications?
Let’s get this out of the way: soap is not inherently “cool.”
Marketers have been trying to shove personality into stuff that removes body odor and makes you smell vaguely reminiscent of something, be it a river in Ireland or an iceberg in Antarctica.
However, Old Spice hit the jackpot this week with their new series of video responses to Tweets, YouTube comments, articles and blog posts.
1) Character: The star is Isaiah Mustafa, who is also the pitchman in the current TV campaign Old Spice is running. Having him record these spots shows that this initiative is important to the company.
2) Instant: Each video has the same talent, costume (as it were) and set, with limited props. They are all also less than :60 each, so incredibly quick to film and turnaround. Shot with a single camera and no special effects, the only reason they would need multiple takes is if Mustafa busts out laughing on set, which I’m sure happened more than a few times. With the quick production time, the video can be relevant and timely.
3) Funny: The writing is incredible. Pitch-perfect for the character…full of wit, double entendres, and complete over-the-top arrogance.
4) Viral: Every video is housed on YouTube and can be instantly shared across multiple platforms. Users can embed it in blogs (see above!), so the YouTube video gets the views while people share it around the world. And because they have the TV star in a short, funny manner, people WANT to share it!
Obviously, I’m a fan…but what is your opinion on this campaign?
I spent a good portion of Thursday afternoon at #140conf – The 140 Character Conference, investigating the state of NOW, related to our good friend Twitter. The event was part of Digital Capital Week, a series of conferences, awards, meetings-of-the-minds and other fantastic gatherings.
Event founder Jeff Pulver is a terrific example of the best there is in social media. He is candid about how social media has been a positive force in his life and, as the starter of a movement, he is making a tremendous impact in the world.
The Social Media Dress Code
I am not an easily offended person. Outside of insulting my wife and dog, not much will rattle me.
However, a trend emerged from #140conf that really got to me.
This was a conference aimed towards professionals in the communications industry, educating them on the value of Twitter as a marketing, communications, teaching, crisis management, entertainment and charitable tool.
Most every presenter was dressed to impress in the professional world, with suits and/or appropriate business casual wear.
However, several male speakers went on stage wearing, no joke, shorts, t-shirts and sandals. They were among the social media career folks, not professionals who worked into the social media realm from other segments.
As someone with “Social Media” on my business card, as someone who joined the social media world following a career in mainstream PR, as someone who takes pride in working in the most fun, social, interactive industry on the planet, I was offended and embarrassed.
I’m sure you’ve heard the common perceptions about social media folks – anti-social (ironically), living in basements, doing something a kid could do.
At it’s core, social media is about communication. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, they are all tools that will go away at some point. Knowing how to use those tools is great, but that doesn’t make you a communications pro. A carpenter is known for getting the job done, not which saw he uses. Communications is the same thing – a skilled trade.
I was offended because by dressing like slovenly slobs, these presenters are perpetuating the stereotype of the industry I love instead of using their forum to make things better. I was offended because no matter what they said in their presentation, I had trouble taking them seriously. I spent time away from my office to gain insight from “thought leaders” only to find out they dressed like college sophomores after a long night partying.
We are an industry of creative, innovative, active, social professionals. As an emerging communications segment, we have the responsibility to represent ourselves properly.
I’m not 30 yet, but feel much older when I say this: If I am going to spend my day listening to what you have to say in a professional setting, put some damn pants on.
My questions (to the #u30pro crowd and up!) are thus: Am I overreacting? Is dress code really all that important in our industry? And if so, what should the standard be?
[Note from Mike: The following is a guest post from NEW Buzz Contributor Andi Narvaez! Click the Contributors tab above to learn more about her! She currently is petitioning me to change the site's name to "Da Buzz." I'll take it under advisement.]
LOST is to social media as… how many times can you jump the shark???
The Castaways - plus Ben. Jerk.
Hi, my name is Andi Narvaez and I’m addicted to LOST. Like some of you, I was told by the rest of you, “you HAVE to watch it. It’s sooo good.” And not only did I watch it, I’ve devoted the last seven weeks of my life to catching up from the very first episode. That’s right. If there are six seasons, a total of 121 episodes, each 45 minutes long… you do the math. The sad thing is that after the second season, it wasn’t even worth it. But like a good addict, I couldn’t quit it.
Is this sounding familiar? That right. Social media. Hey, if I’m going to make those 5,445 hours (Holy waste of time, Batman! I wish I hadn’t done the math…) worth my time, you bet your life I’m at least going to get a blog post out of it.
LOST is like social media in many ways.
If you think of the island as the Web, think of the passengers on Oceanic Flight 815 as everyone who ends up here either intentionally, by accident, or fate – who knows really. Some of them die. Some survive on shore (the people who get on Facebook, open a Twitter account, but you ultimately stick with Facebook and quit Twitter because it’s stupid and who cares what you had for breakfast, right?) Some of them move into caves and start living on the island rather than surviving on it (most people who use some of the basic social networks and update them pretty frequently). Finally, others explore the island and they find the hatch. They move in and the island becomes home (people on Facebook, Twitter, those who blog, upload and share media, etc.).
And though we sometimes thinks the Web belongs only to us because our experiences via social networks and niche sites are increasingly more personalized, the reality is that there are Others who also live here (and have lived here longer too!) and they do their own thing. But we can only learn that by exploring the Web and bumping into what’s out there. Then we learn that by creating our own realities within this virtual space, we affect the lives of others’ in many ways even if we do not see it.
And then seasons 3, 4, 5, and 6 happen and we don’t know whose lives ends where. [Note from Mike: And...WHEN!]
When a show jumps the shark that many times we need to ask ourselves, “why am I still watching this?” And the answer is – those characters and that island. Social media has had its ups and downs too. We’ve seen social networks come and social networks go. We have had to adjust to changes on our social media platforms. Most recently, our privacy has been the victim of a social network’s fickle terms of use.
But six seasons later, we’re still here because we know and love the characters and we care about our island. And in one way or another, we think of ourselves as candidates.
Some weeks ago Mike Schaffer, the proud owner of this blog, asked which LOST couple we like the most. I jokingly said “Hurley and Charlie” but I’d like to officially take that back and say, “The people and the island.”
The final episode of LOST will air on Sunday, May 23. None of our questions will be answered. But at least we’ll still have social media where we’ll endlessly debate and ask the infamous question – WTF?
Theme songs. Every TV show has one. Heck, every WWE Superstar has one! And, be honest with yourself, you want one, too. Imagine every time you walk into a room the same song played, heralding your arrival and alerting potential enemies that they’d better step correct. How frickin’ cool would that be?
(For the record, my personal theme song is a toss-up between Trapt’s “Headstrong” and “Brass Monkey” by the Beastie Boys. Got a problem with that??)
Theme songs have become hit songs (remember The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You” from Friends?) and hit songs have become theme songs (like The Who’s “Who Are You?” with the CSI franchise.)
And if you don’t think that theme songs are identifiable, let me bring up Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:
Be it Cheers, The Golden Girls or Fat Albert, the theme song set the stage for the show. And more than 20 years since ANY of those shows were on the air, just about anyone who has seen a few episodes immediately identified the program with the song.
So, my friends and colleagues, it’s time for us to select a theme song for the PR industry!
What elements go into a theme?
1) It has to be catchy.
2) It has to explain what we’re all about.
3) It has to be awesome.
My proposal is an all-time classic: “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders.
Why? Well, it’s catchy, it’s awesome and just take a look at some of the lyrics:
‘CAUSE I GONNA MAKE YOU SEE
THERE’S NOBODY ELSE HERE
NO ONE LIKE ME
I’M SPECIAL, SO SPECIAL
I GOTTA HAVE SOME OF YOUR ATTENTION
GIVE IT TO ME
And, honestly, if those words don’t sum up the mission of public relations, I don’t know if anything ever could!
Here is the full version of the song:
That’s just my suggestion – what do YOU think should be the theme song for the PR industry?
Test pilot Hal Jordan was given a power ring from a dying alien that made him one of the most powerful entities in the entire universe. He just didn’t really know it at the time. Green Lantern started as a smart-alecky fly-boy who chases the ladies, parties hard and makes it to work on time (ish) and get the job done. His will to succeed allows him to overcome some sloppiness.
