A friend recently sent me a link to a funny clip you probably have already heard of, or even viewed: "Where The Hell Is Matt?” This four and a half minute video montage introduces Matt Harding, your average Joe, as he dances his way through 42 different countries, vigorously flailing his arms and kicking out his feet in what is now his signature jig. There isn’t too much more to say about the video – it’s simple and surprisingly endearing.

I had read about the viral phenomenon a few weeks back, but at the time, didn’t think it was compelling enough to YouTube. A random guy who’s hit fame doing something wacky? Eh, I’ve heard enough of those Jared the Subway Guy-esque stories. But after my friend emailed me the direct link, I had no excuse not to click on it. So click I did.

Continue reading "A Dancing Gnome"

One of the most fascinating programs that my wife and I watched this year was an episode of PBS's Frontline called "Growing Up Online." We don't have kids yet, but it's in our future, and eventually our kids will be teenagers. I graduated from High School only 13 years ago, and the experience of being a teenager has completely changed. This new generation doesn’t know what life was like before the web.

Continue reading "Growing Up Online"

My colleague Matt Jones wrote another opinion piece published in B & T Magazine. In it he discusses whether a brand-based discipline should focus on driving sales.

“It’s all about the Benjamins” (money for those not fluent in hip hop speak), according to the artist formally known as Puff Daddy but now known as Diddy (or P. Diddy as he remains in some markets for legal reasons). That could also have served as the theme of Jack Morton’s global leadership meeting in Boston last month. Because money featured a lot. Specifically, how we can help our clients make more of it.

Continue reading "Retail or Brand?"

Angus MacGuyver – the mightiest problem solver of the 20th Century – is helping me solve the age-old problem of explaining to my friends exactly what an ‘experiential marketing creative guy’ does every day. How’s the legendary Mac assisting?

I just whip out the above picture and say, “Hey, see the paper clip . . . well think of it as any product or brand. Most are the same, yeah? Competitors looking and behaving just like their competition in a world full of me-too stuff.” (They nod.)

Continue reading "I carry this to tell people what it is I do for a living"

As I noted in this post a couple of months ago, this economy is really going to suck some wind from the sales. (Yes, I know a bad pun when I write it!) Today, I felt the first effects of it: MajorCorporateClientX just missed its quarterly earnings "by a mile" and suddenly that no-bid proposal that was a sure thing is simply gone. Another project for that client has shifted from Q2 to Q3. Buckle up.

As budgets shrink, I expect we'll see a drop in attendance at B2B events in the coming year. We'll see internal events scale down. We'll see less ostentatious consumer events. One the other end of the spectrum, I think we'll see continued growth in social media marketing -- sponsored facebook applications, blogging, influencer networks, and the YouTubing of the corporate world. There's no cheaper way to gather a crowd and engage them in conversation, and the fact that it is a conversation, with consumers self-selecting to interact with your brand, makes it not just cheap but also valuable.

We're launching a facebook application for one of our clients this week. I'll be posting more about it after launch.

My colleague Matt Jones wrote another opinion piece published in B & T Magazine. In it he discusses that no matter what channel you're using to connect to your audience, the important thing is keeping communications and experiences REAL.

"If it looks good, you’ll see it. If it sounds good, you’ll hear it. If it’s marketed right, you’ll buy it. But if it’s real, you’ll feel it.” So said Kid Rock (underrated both as a musician and a marketer). The point of quoting the Kid is to introduce a simple notion. Real.

Continue reading "To feel it, you've got to keep it real"

Just thought I'd share the perfect example of when a brand creates an experience that not only connects with the passionates it aims to reach, but also inspires those people to share the experience with others.

Last week, Prilosec OTC, an indication made by Procter and Gamble, finished launching their third Bunco World Championship in Las Vegas. Prilosec created the Bunco competition as a way to engage women who are passionate about the popular dice game--like this blogger who mentions the brand several times while taking us on her journey to Vegas.

http://domestic-chicky.com/