Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

A couple weeks ago a bunch of my female friends began posting colors -- and only a color -- in their Facebook status updates. "Nude and turquoise." "Black." "Pink." I didn't really think much of it until about the fifth unrelated friend did it. Was this supposed to describe some sort of emotion or mood they were in at the time? I had to know, but wasn't about to look like the clueless idiot by asking them.

So I Googled "why are people posting colors on facebook?" Here's what I found out. Women around the world are posting their bra color on Facebook in order to raise awareness for breast cancer. Nology noted that it took place over the course of January 8, 2010. Though women were still posting a week later.

No one really knows how it started. I've heard it started in Michigan. One news source states it could have been overseas. I asked my girlfriends how they heard about it and they told me fellow Facebookers. Organic colleague Leah Salt thought it stemmed from the UK because she saw it from her friends there first. "It's funny because all my British friends started posting their bra colours and it took a whole 24 hours before my Canadian & American friends caught on."

One thing is for sure, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation didn't start it, but it's surely caused a spike in their followers.

Last week my colleague Craig Ritchie started a thread talking about the success of the campaign. The Dallas News reported that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation had 134,000 fans on their Facebook page before this trend started. Today they have 164,481 fans.

Komen is happy that the viral message has prompted women to schedule mammograms. One woman posted "My revealing my bra color made me remember to schedule my Mammogram for this yr....Nude!"

Men have even joined. One male posted this on the Susan G. Komen's wall:
"fresh & white [MEN for breast cancer awareness]" and another "green [MEN for breast cancer awareness]."

The trend not only prompted individuals to speak out, it spurred community on all fronts. The creator of the Facebook group "breast cancer awareness ♥ I updated my Status with my Bra colour ♥" started on January 7, 2010 claims she didn't start the bra color campaign. Though she definitely helped to keep it going. The Group is now up to 93,652 fans.

The awareness "campaign" -- if you can really label it a campaign since there's no known root or long-term strategy behind it -- has both supporters and critics (though seemingly much fewer of the latter).

I think it's a pretty creative way to get people thinking, talking and acting on something that affects so many people. I wonder if because it began so obscurely that it really took off. I feel that when a brand ties itself too closely to convincing people to take action that fans are more often turned off. So if the Foundation actually did start it and just gave credit to the people, that's one heck of a smart strategy. And if they didn't, they definitely did the right thing by supporting it.

Sarah Jo Sautter

One month ago yesterday, a 28-year-old Justin Halpern launched a Twitter page wherein he tweets out quotes from his 73-year-old father Sam. See, some time earlier Justin had moved back into his folks' house in San Diego. Initially, he quoted his dad in the status line of his instant messaging account. Later a friend suggested he use Twitter. On August 3rd, Justin launched the feed with this missive from Sam.

"I didn't live to be 73 years old so I could eat kale. Don't fix me your breakfast and pretend you're fixing mine."

Sam is a preternaturally quotable old cuss, whose penchant for colorful language didn't take long to become the signature feature of most of the daily updates. By mid-month Sam had hit his stride.

"My flight lands at 9:30 on Sunday...You want to watch what? What the fuck is mad men? I'm a mad man if you don't pick me the hell up."

With material like this, the number of followers exploded. Approaching 250,000 now, this page now has a follower total more than three times that of two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash and two-thirds of the way to Tina Fey. With hundreds of people adding SMDS every hour, the stream has now attracted the attention of the publishing media. According to the LA Times, Justin has signed with an agent and is considering offers from publishers. Sure, he was already a writer for Maxim. But it's only been 31 days.  Twenty-nine tweets. This has to be the craziest ratio of writerly output to popular and industry response in history. Justin's not even within shouting distance of 1,000 words yet, but a quarter million people appear to be hanging on damn near every one of them.

And therein lies the lesson. As anyone who's ever tried to grab your attention with 14 words on a banner ad can attest, sometimes a highly condensed story can have much of the character, nuance, and narrative arc of its bigger brethren. Creating the right mechanism of delivery is tricky. But Justin and his dad sure cram a lot of story into those 140 characters. And it seems to resonate more than a little bit. With all of those people tuning in to read what Justin's dad has to say, those little stories--that are all part of a bigger story--are starting to develop some muscle. Sometimes the old man even talks about products. Mrs. Dash: thumbs up. Maker's Mark. Aye. Jim Beam, Kate Beckinsale, not so lucky. At this rate Sam will have a Super Bowl spot by January. Well, maybe I'm getting ahead of the story. But, at least a free case of Mrs. Dash should be already on its way.

Daniel Turman

PS. Hat tip to Craig Ritchie for breaking this news for me. On Twitter, of course.

Okay, so I'm a bit burned out on the MJ tributes, but saw one more worth sharing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1KOcBYGjM
 
Not sure if T-Mobile is a silent partner in this or if BouncE (the dance troupe) just took the power back. (I wrote about this in an earlier post where the company sponsored something similar.) From the sounds of it, there's genuine recognition and love in the air.
 
Plenty o' related vids too.

Sam Cannon

Editor's note: The more than 1.3 million views of just this one version is again proof that good ideas spread organically.

Do you heart TED talks? Wonder how some of these folks come up with their inspiration?

Check out Sputnik Observatory which is billed as an observatory for the study of contemporary culture. It is a beautifully executed "micro-TED" like experience. Filled with pointed 1-3 minute vignettes from much larger interviews it covers topics as broad as genetics, architecture, quantum foam, and bacteria. I love the feel and aesthetic (things react to your mouse, and remember your path from the video galleries to the navigation, to the logo), they have an idea of "paths" through the experience, allowing you to explore other peoples explorations, further reinforcing the "remembering your exploration" theme. Simple sharing to other services (FB, twitter, etc...).

To quote their launch blog post:

"Ideas are not viruses. For the launch of Sputnik Observatory, we decided to focus on one theme that illustrates our philosophy: Bacteria. Why? Bacteria have survived since the beginning of time, not by combat, but by networking. Sputnik Observatory believes that ideas survive because they fit in with the rest of life. Ideas are social. Ideas should interconnect and re-connect continuously because by linking ideas together, we learn, and new ideas can emerge."

Dean McRobie

Check out this unboxing video for the Samsung WB1000. Ok, it's a spoof but a very clever one. I was fooled at first and I don't think I was the only one judging by the comments.

The interesting thing is that the video is posted in two places. On Samsung's Youtube page, as well as a regular user edanhush184, who seems to be getting more views than Samsung's page.

And what exactly is "unboxing"? One of the most celebrated geek rituals...

"It begins with a rush right from the moment of purchase, whether online or off, to the foreplay of opening the package, examining its contents, and ends with the exhilarating finish of turning on and using your tech toy... Think Lolcats riding rainbow rollercoasters; the sensation in the pit of your stomach...that unforgettable." Jank (nixiepixel.com)

Adam Turinas

Exhibit A: BooneOakley's new website.



Did you click? Press play. But try clicking from the traditional URL too: booneoakley.com. See how you were seamlessly ported off to the YouTube video. It is the agency's site. One that has embedded links to the portfolio and all other points of relevant interest. And all presented in convenient YouTube format. Shareable, embeddable, and comment-able. And , as one commenter noted: "Boone Oakley - 1, The rest of you hacks - 0."

Exhibit B: Getyourbasketballon.com.



Blast Radius hires Charlie Murphy from The Chappelle Show to star in an elaborate and ingenious mythology around the man who beat out Michael Jordan for the last spot on his 10th grade basketball team: Leroy Smith. Deliberately lo-fi, the site's brilliant integration of YouTube and social media is matched by the talent on hand. Better still, it promotes Nike subsidiary, Brand Jordan, without a single Jumpman logo to be seen. And Charlie Murphy as a ludicrous basketball motivational specialist? It's like unaired Chappelle show sketches.

Now, for the rest of us? Time to get our YouTube on.

Daniel Turman

PS. Hat tip to Sacha Reeb for finding the BooneOakley site and providing the following commentary: "Smart site placement. Direct viral path. Endless seeding possibilities." Agreed. See Exhibit A.

PPS. Not all of the Leroy story is a myth. He really did beat out Jordan for the one spot for a sophomore on their team, largely because he was taller. And as an homage, Jordan used the name "Leroy Smith" as his alias when checking into hotels throughout his career.

Three. Wolf. Moon. If you recognize the three words, then you probably know at least part of the story. If you don't, it is the digital equivalent of a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon and six months later that action directly resulting in a category-five hurricane striking New York City. Well, in this case, tiny Marlborough, New Hampshire.

On November 10, 2008, Rutgers University law student Brian Govern posted a satirical review on Amazon.com. It was for a product that he hadn't been shopping for, but found its way to him by way of the site's proclivity to recommend somewhat random products. In this case the recommendation was for a t-shirt. A t-shirt emblazoned with an image that was destined for an irony-driven star turn in the national spotlight. One that appears torn from the side of a disco van from 1977. In Anchorage, Alaska. Three airbrushed wolves. Howling at an oversized moon.

Unable to resist, Brian wrote an impassioned endorsement that ended with the following words. About a product he had no intention of purchasing.

"Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women
Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark."

Today, 859 other people have added reviews of their own. And a product which last year was trickling into the hands of consumers at a rate of one or two per day is now selling at a rate of more than 300 units per hour. Michael Krinsky and Jeff Grosner, owners of the company that produces the shirt, are now the unlikely manufacturers on the top-selling item of clothing on Amazon.com, a position that they secured on May 19th and have held since.

The story made it into the newspaper of record--the New York Times--last Sunday. It got to ABC News--and TV--on Wednesday. The Associated Press released their syndicated print version of the tale 23 hours ago. But what none have so far chosen to mention is the cult that spawned the phenomenon. Following the breadcrumbs to other "related" products for sale on Amazon.com quickly demonstrates the cult's power. As well as the talents that they wield.

I am speaking of the cult of the satirical reviewer.

They have written poetry about milk. Cracked wise about overpriced diamonds. Gotten snarky about exercise pants. And now they've got their first number-one hit. Three Wolf Moon. Remember the name. Because it may well symbolize a spiritual shift in the very fabric of hipster irony. Mock Three Wolf Moon if you must, but why? Instead, recognize the cultural moment that produced it. Celebrate the unlikely response by a student and the ensuing dogpile that now has 300 shirts an hour flying across the Internet. As an oft-sarcastic and sometimes public-facing consumer, personally, I'm finding the moment strangely empowering. A new twist on the American dream. With wolves. Which makes it inherently more awesome.

Daniel Turman

PS. Of course there's a YouTube parody that's racking up the views too.

A few days ago two Domino's employees took it upon themselves to document a pretty distasteful (literally) joke -- or so they're calling it now. If you haven't seen the video that many sites grabbed before YouTube pulled it down, you might want to pass.

One employee plays the old prank of putting something that doesn't belong into an order he's making while the other employee captures it on video. To make it worse, they act like this isn't the first time they've done this. Just check out their other videos. Not good for Domino's or the fast food world in general.

But the crowdsourced sleuthing came to the rescue. The Consumerist stepped in, helped locate the store and the employees, then alerted the manager and Domino's headquarters. Dominos responded quickly by firing the employees. That's what we'd expect, but that doesn't help skeptics like me who wonder if there are copycats out there messing with orders right now. (And I'm sure there are.)

So could Domino's have avoided this mess to begin with? What should they do now to make sure it doesn't happen again? A few Organic employees weighed in:

"Honestly, any attempt like that just looks like duct tape. The real source of the problem is disengaged employees. It reminds me of that great training game where you managed a Kinkos full of unsatisfied and unhappy employees.

The real solution here is training and programs that incentivise and motivate employees. If that happened at a Starbucks, the problem would have been rectified before it ever got that bad."
-Chad Stoller, Executive Director, Emerging Platforms

"...Disengaged employees, or just bad hires? It's naïve to think this kind of crap doesn't go on everywhere. I worked in a restaurant during college, and well, it's a wonder we don't all get sick more often. The best way to deal with this proactively is to hire folks with the right attitude, first and foremost. Although it's interesting, that girl who made the video was perky and happy as hell and probably interviewed well, same as the booger guy. But they were both missing a chip or two, clearly. Certainly, good training programs and involved management make a huge difference, but in certain industries, maybe what a company like that needs to do is institute some kind of prescreening psych test."
-Tracy Coté, Executive Director, Human Resources

No matter what, Domino's will definitely take a hit. I'm sure there are many people who side with these comments:

"Wow. This really gives me pause. Guess I will be eating at home tonight and far into the future."
-Jeff Bossardet, Associate Creative Director

"I just threw up in my mouth a little. You hear things like this and I think a lot of times, you brush them off. No more, I say!"
-Tara Williams, Copywriter

Do you think Domino's did all that they could? What should/could they do now to increase customer trust? And the big question, will you ever eat at Domino's again?

Thanks to Chad Stoller and Jay Bain for the links.

Sarah Jo Sautter

Editor's Note: Yes... some things are worth sharing, even two months late. Originally a post sent around by Sam Cannon, praise for this fantastic campaign reentered my inbox this week from Adam Turinas as something his "70 something aunt in Canada emailed it to me. Hhhmh! This internet thing could be big". Proving a good campaign doesn't just touch the hearts of us marketers, but 70 year old Canadian aunts.

On an otherwise average Thursday morning in January, T-Mobile UK made good on its campaign theme, "Life is for sharing," by giving some unsuspecting commuters at Liverpool Street Station something to share: a blaring music mix interrupted the drone of PA announcements as 400 "undercover" dancers stepped into a tightly choreographed routine for about two-and-a-half minutes - just enough time for people to take notice and whip out their camera phones. Relevant and entertaining, the dance and related clips have racked up millions of views already on YouTube. Goes to show, good ideas promote themselves.

The Dance
The Rehearsal
The Tease
Audience Reaction
"Share Your Best Moves" YouTube Channel

Sam Cannon

People think NASA, they think "can do" right?

Well, judging by this video shot on a borrowed camera and edited at home by a NASA engineer, the agency that put humankind on the moon faces some of the same problems the rest of the world seems to. Too long, amateurish, cloying and at times downright trite - but bang on. So bang on that upper NASA management has used its very existence to deeply question how they foster some of the best ideas in space that never get developed - the ones that are generated by the person in the next cube.

Craig Ritchie also noted some interesting things about the YouTube video itself: "the comments are much more thought out and obviously experience-based than the stereotypical YouTube flaming; the rating 5 stars with 204 ratings; and 94K+ views in less than a month."

You can read more about the story and NASA's reaction at NPR.org. But a more intimate reaction is on the blog of Wayne Hale, previously Space Shuttle Program Director at NASA, now Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships. He ties it back to how in BOTH space shuttle catastrophes there had been grass roots, internal flags raised and solutions offered to the problems that led to the crashes. Longer, but a really really fascinating read.

Alex Churchill