Most of the time, they are indeed timely, relevant and on-target. I may not use them all or embrace your pitch, but I do welcome them.
Here's an example of how not to pitch. This is from Barbara Teszler with Levine Communications in LA. While I am sure it was well intentioned, the problem is that I have nothing to do with my desire to change jobs. Having been self-employed for 25 years, I am not looking for greener pastures or seek greater happinness in the workplace. I am actually pretty happy and very blessed in my life, thank you very much.
Before you pitch - do your homework.
And don't randomly spam people like me. It gives our practice a bad reputation a bad name and hardly serves your client, Shawn Achor.
Matching Chevy's branding imagery of off-road toughness and durability, Nan & Bobby artfully extended this strategy with the use of creative and very original video demonstrating the vehicle's off-road capability. Photos courtesy of Silverado's Facebook page.
Putting the MAN in Mancation.
Nan and Bobby took a Chevy Silverado ¾ ton 4x4 to a couple of ranches. During that time they came across the Llano River, countless deer, 3 beavers, turkeys, skunks, armadillos and even a rattlesnake on their truck.
The coolest part was that they documented their time like pros. Their video work and production values kicked ass and made me want to jump out of my desk and into the truck with them, and well.... just be manly. If you have a drop of testosterone in your veins, their video is going to call to you as well.
Not only did these guys have fun, but they went to work for the Bastrop fire victims by working in a less-than-glamorous sorting facility. They took time out of their Mancation to help others. Social good via social media and it wasn’t planned by you.
Excellent vetting, indeed.
A Brand Manager's Dream Come True
While experiments like these certainly have some elements of risk, Nan and Bobby kicked ass when it came to representing the brand exactly as the way the brand should be represented. They weren't a bunch of weenies driving to the grocery store, the spa, or church on the streets of San Antonio.
No... they took it off-road and demonstrated its clear durability and well, its manliness.
These guys embodied the essence of the trip. I want to jump in that damn truck.
If you are reading this post before October 7, be sure to vote for Nan and Bobby by visiting Nan's blog post here. Details are provided so you can cast your vote.
Chevy, excellent work on scouting and finding the right pair of guys to show how tough your truck is, how it handles terrain and how much fun you can have in a Chevy.
You guys are proof that although your company is 100 years old (on November 3rd), you still have that scrappy startup mentality to think out of the box and get two guys that embody your brand so well to tell the Chevy story through photos and video.
During the recent Digital Home Summit, AT&T's Vernon Reed, Lead Member - Technical Staff at AT&T Labs in Austin was one of the keynote speakers. After his talk, he shared his insights on G.hn with me. What's interesting to note is one of the driving forces behind G.hn was the desire to move towards a customer self-instal using all three media with a common set of silicon that will enable more self-installation of more devices on the home network. If you want to learn more about the G.hn standard, come on over to my other site Everywire.com.
#BrandsConf will be taking place November 9, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y.
If you are interested in reaching brands and the agencies that serve them, please reach out to me - alan at weinkrantz dot com for sponsorship information.
#BrandsConf is the the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the "humanization of brands" and the impact the real-time web is having on both branding and on business.
The voices shared at #BrandsConf will include people from both North America and Europe. To date about 95% of the expected speakers have been confirmed and the remainder are in the process of being confirmed. More speakers will be announced in the weeks ahead.
If you are thinking about attending #BrandsConf, now would be a great time to secure your seat. With the "early bird" ticket costing only US$ 399 (until Sep 30th), register NOW to guarantee yourself access to the event over at: http://Brandsconf.com/register.
If you've ever watched a #140Conf event on Ustream, it's done through the magic and technological wizards at NewTek, the company that produces the TriCaster. Philip Nelson has been with us at several #140Conf events to help with the behind the scene production and technical support to ensure that we are able successfully stream the event so that those who can't be with us can watch from afar, or for future use and viewing, the TriCaster has served as the medium by which we save the presentations for future viewing.
Philip has a new Kickstarter project - a country album in the making. He's trying to raise $5,000.00 to get it produced. The deadline is October 7, so this is a shout out to ask the #140Conf for your contribution of $10, $25, $50 or more... whatever you feel comfortable with.
#140Conf community member and speaker, Nelson DeWitt has been funded for his project through many of you in the community. We hope you'll consider showing your support and a way to say thanks to Philip for his support of our events.
This is not a post about what to do next with Facebook's refresh.
There's tons of great coverage already there that is more of the how and not a whole lot on why.
Clearly the wind's blowing in a new direction, but you don't have to do a knee-jerk response to yesterday's Facebook announcements. Photo by me shot near Cottonwood Falls, KS. (c) 2011
Facebook's Refresh Can Help You Refresh Your Own Facebook / Social Communications Strategies
Before you jump in and decide to redecorate the house, step back and ask what's worked in the past, where do you need to clean up a bit, and what your communications goals are for 2012.
Simple, articulated statements from your management team are a practical place to being the process.
It's Not Just About Facebook
Let Facebook's refresh help be the catalyst for what could / should be next with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, G+ and so on.
Nick Wingfield is moving from The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times.
He'll remain in Seattle... If you follow journalists you are trying to connect with on Facebook and G+, you'll know what they are looking for, beats they are covering and at times, even once in a while, if they change pubs.
LinkedIn Marketing Expert, Kristina Jaramillao, has a great story on Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog, where she cites a According to 2011 Arketi Web Watch Media Survey, illustrating that 92% of today's journalists are now actively using LinkedIn.
That's up 85% from just 2 years ago.
Are your company's thought leaders on LinkedIn?
Are their profiles updated?
Are they refreshing new and compelling content - or links back to content they are populating?
Kristina's post is straightforward and common sense. It's often the later that stares you in the eyes and tell you to just do it.
