Jaffe Juice

It had to happen I guess. After I decided to hold part 2 of the Podshow interview hostage, arousing the slumbering giant of Adam Curry's ire and rage, it was just a matter of time before I got a dose of my own medicine.

Last week (a week from today in fact), I recorded episode 69 of Across the Sound (simulcast with CalacanisCast Beta) with Jason Calacanis at his home in Brentwood.

It was my first video podcast ever and so naturally I was looking forward to seeing the finished product.

It's been a week now and all I've received from Jason is some line about the file size being too large - blah blah blah. He's got a house full of rocket scientists and a bull dog to boot. Someone has to be able to figure out how to edit and FTP.

Anyway, I hereby withdraw all rights for Jason to air our SimulPodCast until further notice and he becomes my bitch.

I'm sorry it had to come to this. Somewhere, Robert Scoble is smiling.

As we gear up to this year's Stupid Bowl, I thought I'd share some random thoughts on the Big Game, which I must admit I'm looking forward to for the GAME, as opposed to the commercials. Give Peyton his ring already...but also give the Bears the respek they deserve and have earned.

Personally, I've given up on Madison Avenue's ability to hit a home run on Advertising's center stage. As I followed the progress from the risque to the law-abiding (thanks to Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction) to the simply forgettable, it seems like the only buzzworthy element about the commercial side of the extravaganza is a sick inside joke. Besides ourselves, mainstream media and variety shows, do consumers really give a shit about the commercials (besides self-reporting pandering within a 5% margin of error of course)?

Moreover, would someone please produce *any* shred of evidence in the Super Bowl's proven ability to boost sales, awareness, consideration, anything? I've yet to see any shred of validation of late that does anything besides report on intangible "buzz".

This year's biggest story is YouTube and it's hard to believe that just one year ago there was almost no way of an advertiser achieving any kind of scale in terms of extending the views of their commercials. This year, it will be open season on flogging the commercials, but it all seems like a bit of a Hail Mary to me. Don't get me wrong, I'll  be monitoring number of views on YouTube, but unless I'm seeing something north of 2,000,000 (Tea Partay territory), so bloody what?

Marketers and their agencies have still not learned or applied Integration 101 i.e. use the Super Bowl as a "beginning", not an "end"; extend the commercial online, as opposed to simply trying to milk the number of views. I have heard that Snickers will be doing that...

The Super Bowl is still a game of Reverse Russian Roulette, where - unless you're the grand prize winner - you've just flushed $2.6 million down the proverbial toilet.

Then there's the CGC component to the Super Bowl with Doritos, Chevrolet and Emerald (I believe) At the end of the day though, these will just be 30-second spots and I'm not sure how most consumers will even know they were created by other consumers....or care. All the buzz will be "pre" as opposed to "post" i.e. the story behind the story, as opposed to the story itself (which let's face it, should be about selling stuff, no?)

All in all, I'm expecting another yawnfest and borderline desperation attempt. At least this way, I get to be surprised and avoid disappointment.

I'll also be contributing to an Adweek blog as well as recording a live episode of Across the Sound which I hope to post within an hour of the completion of the game. So expect a few surprises (I'll have Shel, Neville, CC and Aaron with me) and a lot of noise in the background when you wake up on Monday morning!

There is a sinister underground operation afoot. Popping up in hotel rooms everywhere...where and when you least expect it. Young turks...punks...destroying property and littering the non-descript, stain-filled boxes...I mean rooms or respected hotel chains abound.

This must STOP. TODAY. We simply CANNOT allow any forms of individuality, expression or creativity to get in the way of mass producing bland homes away from homes.

I love this whole movement called Secret Wall Tattoos (thanks Steve!). I have no clue where it is heading, but I will absolutely peer behind every frame in the hotel room I stay in next (unless of course it's nailed to the wall)

M&M's have a new initiative out, called Become an M&M. They've promoted it like crazy via TV and Print (to name a few)

So I took a visit, based on what I thought would be an incredible mash-up opportunity i.e. upload a photo and have your facial characteristics embedded into a familiar M&M profile.

The reality was a much more basic experience i.e. choose from a fairly limited range of customizable features and characteristics.

Also the "server" wasn't working, so all my family portrait (below) wasn't able to be saved and remixed/used for additional functionality. Guess the M&M maintenance factory is closed on weekends...

All in all, an idea with tons of potential but subdued impact due to a limited execution. Pity.

I always look forward to Brandchannel's Reader's Choice Awards, which are conducted amongst marketing-savvy respondents against the criterion of "impact" (fancy that, a brand actually making a difference, instead of cavorting with puppies, bunnies, babies and flowers)

It's unbelievable when you think about it that upstarts like YouTube and Wikipedia are in the global top 5. In fact, Google and YouTube make up a formidable 1-3 punch.

Skype surged ahead of parent, eBay, which is amazing.

Roughly 5 built their "brands" with barely a cent of advertising and 4 of these are under 10 years old. That said, the enduring power of brand is still evident (Coca-Cola), whereas innovation (Nokia) and change (Toyota) are both rewarded.

Jaffe Juice and Across the Sound are proudly 2/2000.

The initiative began here on Tino's blog. There's still time to add your blog and mug to another link-bait-a-palooza.

Besides a bit of fun and games, I love how this puts a kaleidoscope of faces to blogging and certainly humanizes social media beyond compare.

PS - Can you find me?

PPS - Just had an idea. What if this were the cover of Join the Conversation? 2000 bloggers...what do you think?

Update: Looks like the wisdom of crowds is unanimous that this is a good path to pursue. Let's hear from the rest of you....!

Response to the cover design has been ok (in terms of number of submissions) at best. This is David Armano's. I'm holding out on the inner designers in you all to come through at the death :) Come on everyone...especially the agency folks. Let's see what you can do!

Within the next week or so, I will display all the submissions and let you all vote and comment.

There is still time on the wiki chapter, but again I'm a little underwhelmed by the number of you who have taken on this charge. When I said, "why are you so afraid of conversation?" I wasn't referring to you specifically, but I guess I might have been, right? Prove me wrong please... www.jointheconversationwiki.com.

You're all commenting on this on your own blogs every day...now, let's take the conversation outside of our little inner circle to those who need it most.

Seth Godin wrote a very short post this week, which is pretty chewy and digestible.

99% of the time, in my experience, the hard part about creativity isn't coming up with something no one has ever thought of before. The hard part is actually executing the thing you've thought of.

The devil doesn't need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics.

Try as I might, I couldn't piece together the 2 statements, so I thought I'd comment on both separately.

I'm torn on the POV that says, ideas are a dime a dozen, it's all about execution. As a small business, that statement basically biases in favor of larger competitors that have the scale and resources to execute, but arguably might not be capable of the kinds of ideas that a boutique or start-up might be able to conjure up for several reasons (specialization, fresh process etc)

That said...a great idea that is poorly executed is just a poor solution (and thus idea) I certainly have come to respect both the ability to execute, as well as the means to do it well.

The implications (from my side of the moon) are two-fold:

1) Partnering/outsourcing/collaboration will be key

2) In the new marketing world, execution is most definitely key. The hallways are littered with poorly executed ideas (from social networks to CGC to fake blogs) Ironically, the larger companies have been poorer at this...

Via a new blog to me, simpleANDlovable :), a POV on the second as well as these comments on working through the devil's advocates amongst us:

• Challenge your ideas, but stay positive
• Hard times come, then they go
• Persist and ideas become reality
• If it wasn't hard, everyone would be doing it (via Dean Gowans)

So I guess the connection between the 2 statements is that in order to be able to execute the idea in the first place, one of the hard parts is selling it through and getting it past the Devils.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with brand marketers and had to deal with a fair amount of pushback (including, podcasts don't work and people who listen don't go back) It's all good and part of a cathartic process which will inevitably help create bridge between skepticism and acceptance; idea and execution.

The new campaign for Orville Redenbacher is beyond the pale. As NBF George Parker points out, this bizarre and twisted caricature more closely resembles the whacked puppet from the movie, Saw, than the popcorn brand's mascot. I think he's wrong though...clearly this is the reincarnation of Six Flag's Mr Six.

Now while I am happy that Mr Six found work again following his unemployment hiatus, I am deeply concerned about the folks down in Miami at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, who clearly have not only jumped the shark, but the entire damn acquarium.

What the hell were you thinking? Do you hate the client and were trying to get fired? What possessed you to put together something so obviously twisted?

And as for the client, clearly you have a death wish (see: Saw). That you even posted the horrendous commercial on your website, proves my point.

I am just one human, but I will do my best never to purchase your product again...or at least until you apologize and/or explain the underlying joke, because I never got it.

Current Adweek poll reads as follows:

As much as I'd like to gloat at the popular choice, i.e. not to do a Super Bowl ad at all, I'd like to put forward another choice: An integrated call-to-action with some kind of site-side experience to qualify, extend and fulfill those interested and inclined to visit.

The extent of stupidity, arrogance and laziness in the industry is overwhelming.

WOW - over 40 people showed up this morning for the first ever "coffee with crayon" on crayonville Island in Second Life. Remember we are doing this EVERY Thursday from 9-9.30am EST (although people will still actively chatting beyond 10am this morning)

Second Life crashed towards the end of the gathering and as much as I'd like to take credit for it, I'm sure it was for other reasons. On a related note, Greg Verdino swung back immediately after the sim went back up, saw nobody and then wrote an article about it :)

Here are some pictures from this morning and also there is a transcript available. 

That's the line (sorta) of the infamous Head On commercials, along with the tagline, "Apply directly to forehead."

As an aside, their website is so bad that I can't even put it into words. Actually I'll put it into numbers: 1995.

So here's my question: we've all seen/heard/heard about the commercials, but how many of us have actually bought the product? I've never spoken to a single person who has ever purchased the product...

Surely these guys should be reallocating some of their investment a) into their website and b) into conversation? And don't call me Shirley.

Hot on the heels of my post about United's decision to starve their coach customer on flights under 2 hours, I get an e-mail from the airline offering me 5,000 miles. They put it right in the subject header and in big bold type in the e-mail itself. Cool huh?

Actually it's 1,000 miles if I refer 4 people to join Mileage Plus. They even insult my intelligence by breaking it out: 250 x 4 = 1,000

The program continues by explaining that I only get my 5,000 miles if all 4 of the people I referred ends up flying a paid, qualifying roundtrip flight. (In case you're confused, I pasted the terms & conditions in the extended post below)

I'm preparing my elevator pitch now: hey trusted friend of mine, why not sign up for United's coooool frequent flyer program. They care sooooo much about you, they've even removed those unhealthy snacks.

Man, these guys need help....

OK, I think this is a really interesting conversation item and I'd better hear from American Copywriter ON THEIR A.W.O.L. Podcast. Damn, I wish I'd been able to discuss this George Parker on ATS #68 which is due to come out some time this week.

Leo Burnett recently lost the Altoids account, which went to Hal Riney in SFO.

So in the trades this week, they ran this spread (click to view):

It basically lists all the great, award-winning work and runs with the following copy: Thank you Altoids for 12 great years.

So here are my questions:

• Is this a genuine thank you or rather a big bird? I must admit it comes off with a sour grape taste
• Either way, LEO is putting a stake in the ground. They're defending the fine work and in today's terms, a LONG engagement. They're doing what MOST agencies don't do...they're walking their talk (Bravo!) and actually using ADVERTISING (the horror!) In which case, do you like the ad? :)
• But ultimately, are they missing the point? And by point, I mean pencil as in gold pencil as in awards as in "success is much larger than just advertising?" In other words, did great creative always translate into great sales?
• And either way, is it fair to task the agency with the ultimate accountabilit of sales when in reality, there are so many extraneous factors/variables always in play?

What do you think? I really believe this opens up a great discussion meme.

I'm going to be LA next week. If you're around (or about) and want to try and hook up, shoot me an e-mail. Jaffe [at] getthejuice [dot] com

United airlines are a smart bunch of buggers. They realize that if they starve their customers, they'll be extra hungry for the meal waiting for them at the end of their short-haul flights. That's right...the meal they're about to have AFTER the delay because the ground staff haven't arrived, after the wait for the bags to arrive, after the claim for lost/damaged luggage has been filed, after the wait for the cab, after the business meeting, after the cab ride back to the airport, after the sprint to make the plane, after the flight back home, after the wait, wait, wait to get back in the car.

But man oh man, can you just imagine how good that meal's going to taste?

That's why United - The Thinking Airline - has decided to drop snacks on flights less than 2 hours (which PS equals about 5 hours when you factor in travel and wait time, dumbasses)

According to the geniuses at United, they figure this move will save them $650,000 this year. I guarantee you they'll LOSE more than $650,000 with passengers that choose alternative airlines in the process.

This is just so stupid. If you agree, Digg this post or better yet, post a comment of disdane for all to see. Uggggggggh

Update: Digg link

Well, actually I came out at a rather ego-rrific #11 out of the list, with Adrants and Seth's Blog tied in 1st and 2nd positions respectively and Rubel in at 15th. fellow crayonista Shel Holtz came in at 28.

Of course my headline was meant to be intentionally misleading. Jaffe Juice did however, receive the joint highest score (14 out of 15) in the "highly influential Todd And Point category"

Here is the methodology behind the Todd And score:

Todd And Points (1 to 15) – As the only subjective measure in the Power 150 algorithm, 1 to 15 opinion points were assigned to each blog. Todd And values frequent, relevant, creative and high-quality content. The use of audio, video and graphics is also heavily weighted in the Todd And Points.

But kidding aside, I don't have that big a problem with this highly unscientific subjective call. I've always said that bloggers are not journalists (for the most part) and are absolutely biased. In fact, it is that bias that is part of the attraction. The bias is often manifested in the form of passion and it is arguably more transparent than many mainstream outlets that receive labels as "left-leaning" and "right-wing" and yet continue to call themselves "fair and balanced"

Yes, the Power 150 is nothing more than an endearing link-baiting effort (but one that I cannot criticize by virtue of my lofty position) That said, it certainly has value (much like The Viral Garden's Top 25 Marketing Blogs of which I am 13th) for example, directing people looking for a collection of marketing blogs to a convenient list and we know how much everyone loves lists.

Thanks for the effort Todd. It certainly must have taken mega time to prepare and you've certainly been noticed :)

A while back, Paul Mcenany over at Hee-Haw Marketing and Beyond Madison Avenue suggested setting up some kind of Coffee Morning with crayon.

In our usual style, we're doing it our way and starting this Thursday at 9am EST in crayonville Island in Second Life, we're launching "coffee with crayon."

Right now, the agenda is informal and open for anyone and any topic regarding new marketing.

This isn't about Second Life per se, although it's absolutely one topic you might want to discuss.

So swing by this - and every - Thursday at 9am EST for good (real) conversation, (real) company and (virtual) coffee.

Who needs brand advertising, when you have this kind of anthem creative?

The only thing I want to know is if I'll be cool, thin, hip, good looking, popular, rich (I'd need to be with all the upgrades) just by purchasing Apple iProduct? Gee, I hope so. It's either that or Peter Stuyvesant cigarrettes.

Max Kalehoff (a previous guest on Across the Sound) alerted me to his Online Spin column today, titled: 2006 Agency of the Year: Nobody. He also posted about it on his blog. He knew I'd bite...

He correctly observes Ad Age's incorrect classification of EepyBird and LonelyGirl as consumers. I'll address this in my upcoming book, Join the Conversation, and I'll offer up some alternatives, including Prosumer and Producer amongst other party favorites.

Finally, Max offers up 10 critical attributes and capabilities of what an agency of the year might look like:

1. Foremost, agency staffers must be passionate about acting in the interest of consumers as much as they are in the interest of paying clients.
2. The agency must drop tactical communications from its core positioning and instead embody the value of creating great experiences, with tactics following.
3. The agency must embrace a world where paid media placements lose overall traction, and instead master the new currency of word-of-mouth, where reputation and propensity to recommend are earned.
4. The firm must strive for everlasting client partnerships, not because of insatiable desire for ongoing revenues, but because it understands that programs which achieve deep, ongoing customer experiences and loyalty are incompatible with a start-peak-end model.
5. An agency of the year should be one that first evaluates the client’s internal processes and culture, to ensure those dimensions optimize opportunities for greatness, not hamper potential.
6. The agency must gain expertise in areas of innovation, product and customer service–versus solely on marketing communications.
7. The firm will value institutional customer-listening as a core competency far more than institutional speaking.
8. Enterprise creativity will stem not from a creative department, but collectively from a group of staffers with diverse disciplines, each with the ability to think creatively, abstractly and from different vantage points.
9. The agency may get out of the advertising business, for the most part, and perhaps outsource the more tactical aspects.
10. The agency increasingly will recognize and organize around you, the individual.

crayon isn't an agency per se, but for kicks I took the test and by my calculations we scored 10/10. Where do I pick up our award? :)

Seems like anything with an i in front of it is a) in Apple's sights and b) most likely going to be in others' as well. Cisco is challenging Steve Job's attempt to take over the world with this complaint, in other words LAWSUIT, claiming that they have rights to the "iPhone" trademark from their 2000 acquisition of Infogear (that's right, THE Infogear...the company you've never heard of, with the products clearly not enough people cared about either...except Cisco)

I think Cisco, Apple and 99.9% of all other companies should "Just Shut-Up" and get on with life. These squabbles are - most of the time - giant egofests which are dreamed up in order to keep inadequate lawyers busy with mindless crap. It's a waste of everybody's time, money and does nothing but make the world worse off in the process.

That said, this is KARMA ladies and gentlemen. If any company deserves a giant dose of their own medicine, it's Apple.

Make no mistake, I still want an iPhone.

Cleon has very kindly set up some visibility for the Manifesto for Experimentation in Second Life (see pics) so now you can download it in-world with one click of the mouse from crayonville Island.

I also briefly attended the movie premiere of Four-Eyed Monsters in SL, which crayon co-hosted at our CGC Cinema. It was really well attended, although sadly the experience was still waaaaay sub-par due to my crappy computer and the fact that SL is still not quite there in terms of providing the kind of seamless multi-media experience that I think would accelerate the investment/integration in-world and provide a tangible tipping-point.

I'm thrilled to share my Manifesto for Experimentation, which was released today and published by Change This.

For those of you who don't know about Change This, shame on you. It's just the most unbelievable repository of passion, vision and thought leadership and for these 3 reasons, it was an honor to be able to contribute. I want to thank the folks over at Change This for the job they did in terms of the art and creative direction...as well as for the opportunity.

Take a gander, download the manifesto, pass it along, spread the word and CHANGE the status quo...by embracing a culture and methodology of experimentation, risk taking, constant learning and new marketing.

(with apologies to Head On)

Steve Jobs, you might be an arrogant SOB, but I looooooooooooooooooove your products.

Goodbye Blackberry Pearl, Hellloooooo iPhone!

A category killer or another failed attempt at convergence? Who cares...sign me up.

ANA swami, Bob Liodice, continues to blaze a clear path forward towards a future in which marketing resumes a leadership position.

In this post in a series, he outlines a new agenda for agencies and tackles key issues such as:

…a reinvention of their business model. It will require their people to find new, more effective ways to connect with consumers. They’ll need to go way beyond the traditional modes of “understanding the client’s consumers” and actually become the client’s consumers – consuming their media, participating in their social networks and living their lifestyles.

He also outlines a critical variable in the equation: compensation.

Traditional compensation models are increasingly passé. At this point, commissions are nearly extinct, and there is growing frustration with the labor-based fees that replaced them, as they are based on input (hours worked) rather than output (value delivered). Furthermore, the once heralded performance incentives don’t appear to work, according to many agencies. All of which points to the new frontier of value-based compensation, the core principles of which are these:

• Never sell time, ever.
• There can be no financial incentive to recommend one channel solution over another.
• Agency must embrace any financial mechanism that rewards the quality of the idea.
• Tailor compensation to the needs, circumstances and culture of each individual client.

Amen Bob. I'm listening, espousing (my chapter on fixing the agency mess for anyone who has STILL not downloaded it for free and then purchased the book) and practising.

As I mentioned on Bob's blog, my only "concern" is marketer participation and responsibility in terms of it taking two to tango.

• Where is the pushback coming from?
• Which side (if not both) should be taking the lead here?
• Should agencies (or marketers) walk away if the other side refuses to compromise or proceed down the "chosen" path?

Thanks Apple. You've reinvented comparative advertising through personification.

Yesterday Across the Sound, my New Marketing Podcast hit 100,000 downloads in just over 8 months of using RadioTail's Ripple Service. All things being equal - and assuming flat growth - that would extrapolate to 150,000 downloads over a one year timeframe.

It's a pretty amazing figure, and yet I still believe that podcasting numbers are underrepresented on the whole. For example, all text and audio mentions/references/clips via blog and other podcasts are not factored into these numbers at all. Moreover, podcasting is still in its absolute infancy and I fully expect exponential growth to occur as various technology innovation/introductions become more pervasive e.g. continued seamless intregation of iPods in cars; wi-fi in MP3 players etc.

In addition, podcasting is as much a qualitative assessment/value proposition as it is quantitative. My podcast is typically an hour. That's an hour a week of intimate one-on-one conversation.

I will continue dedicating myself to podcasting and investing my time in building an audience, community...and doing my part to help grow the industry.

I hope you'll be a part of it as well.

Jim Nail alerted me to his blog post this morning which is titled, "Ad Age misses the point of consumer control" He's referring to this week's Ad Age cover which pronounces the consumer as Agency of the Year and contends that Ad Age comes up short, unlike Time's Person of the Year (You...or at least, Me), which nailed it (ahem).

...Ad Age says, "The question for 2007 will be whether marketers and agencies find ways to harness that consumer-bred creativity...and deploy it to the service of brands."

In other words, big corporations and brands still have the power, they only let the consumer have the illusion they have the power.

Ad Age has been seduced by the lure of the big YouTube pop, and is leading its readers astray with the mirage of viewership numbers that are as ephermeral as the next email.

I haven't read the article yet but the way I see it:

• Ad Age actually got it wrong when they conceded that they were going to name Draft-FCB as agency of the year. Biggest Loser of the Year perhaps (in relation to the Wal-Mart scandal), but certainly not Agency of the Year
• They needed to produce a rabbit out the hat and arguably, if Time had not beaten them to the punch (Time-ing is everything), their cover would have made more of an impact. This way, they come across as pretty benign...even trying too hard. And that's before one analyzes the content as Jim Nail just did...

My 2c is simple:

1) Bottom line, if you're a traditional marketer then this headline will rock your world and should (hopefully) be making most agencies pretty damn nervous. That said, expect a floodgate of manipulative crap to gush out of Madison Avenue's doors as a direct reaction to this "revelation"

2) The real issue is what makes an "agency" by traditional vs new marketing standards. The fact that Draft-FCB could have even been considered as Agency of the Year demonstrates everything wrong with the agency world. To call the consumer an agency is the biggest insult of all. This is probably where Jim and I are most aligned...

CGC is not the same as consumer generated media or advertising. Marketers need to stop looking at the consumer as a pawn or free pass at their "next campaign" and genuinely look to become a part of their world...make it better...and stay the course.

Kodak's Winds of Change "self deprecating" "viral" video is getting quite a bit of play lately. According to YouTube:

This is a commercial that was produced for internal use. But it has become so popular, especially with employees, that Kodak has released it for external viewing. It demonstrates that Kodak not only understands it's changing business but also has a sense of humor.

Although I smell a whiff of intentional stoking of the viral fires, who the hell cares?

Here we have a stodgy "old world" company continuously playing catch-up and proving itself in a world of pure-digital upstarts. So how to compete (at least from a communications standpoint)?

This is the perfect start.

Of course, it remains to be seen if they will indeed walk their talk (some of the stuff in the video is pretty cool and futuristic, but was it real or crap?), but either way could we be seeing some fight in the old goats yet? 2007 could be the year of the fogeys (Blockbuster recently announced they've signed up their two millionth online customer )

Let's get it on!

Episode 67 of Across the Sound - The New Marketing Podcast is up and ready for your listening pleasure.

In this episode, Sony's Flog, NBC, my book, Join the Conversation, WPP and much much more.

For those of you who haven't taken a listen yet - either to Across the Sound or Podcasting in general - give it a whirl. You can subscribe via iTunes by clicking on this link or download ala carte here.

This site says it all. An ode to this Summer's battle of the overhyped brands, Wii vs PS3, and the former's ninja-star remote control super-controller-destroyer-weapon.

The consumer strikes again (this time with the Wii Remote)

According to a Sapient study (self-serving alert), a little over 50% of CMO's believe that "traditional, large advertising agencies are ill-suited to meet online marketing needs"

In addition, 49% of respondents revealed that "traditional advertising firms have difficulty thinking beyond traditional print and TV media models"

According to the study, less than 10% of the sample looked to partner with large agencies for their online marketing. Seems low to me, but if true is a breath of fresh air that all the "one-stop-shop-bullshit" isn't resonating (nor should it)

The research reflects the two biggest challenges facing marketers today:

• Measuring the effectiveness of marketing spend
• Operationalizing their entire digital strategy

Finally, the study reveals a 6-point checklist when it comes to evaluating a potential marketing partner: (in order)

1. Quality of Creative Content
2. Innovation and Strategic Value
3. Price/Cost
4. Sophisticated Analytics and Measurement Systems
5. Proficiency in Emerging, Interactive or Digital Media
6. Traditional Print, Offline and Media Buying Services

I was sent a heads up by one of the finalists in the Doritos CGC Super Bowl competition. In short, Doritos will air the consumer created commercial which receives the highest number of votes...

It's an initiative that I would file in both the "shit, I wish I had thought of this" and "incremental shift happens" files. With the former, it's definitely a smart way to acknowledge CGC AND do it on Advertising's center stage. With the latter, it's yet another example of cramming new marketing into old marketing's tired and staid 30-second container. In addition, I wonder to what extent the 90 million consumers watching will know what's going on and if so, will actually give a damn?

Put differently, this is purely a buzz play and the success of this will depend predominently on the ability to generate pre-bowl buzz on the CGC component (I'm doing it right now) For this reason, I would hope that Doritos puts a fair amount of media weight behind the voting component.

Skeptical me also wonders how much behind-the-scenes manipulation took place throughout the process. Are these 5 finalists truly 100% pure in terms of their creation (i.e. no tampering by ad execs)? In addition, are these 5 finalists "consumers" or amateur filmmakers i.e. are the industry savvy? And if so, does it really matter?

On the whole, I think the 5 finalists are pretty strong (unlike the Tahoe shortlist). "Check Out Girl" and "Mouse Trap" are definitely the edgier of the spots...and would most likely receive my vote. "Chip Lover's Dream" and "Live the Flavor" are more conventional (i.e. view like ads) and would be ideally suited to any day other than a Super Bowl. "Duct Tape" is even more formulaic as in could easily be a Bud Light commercial (that could be a good or bad thing)

On the whole, a great demonstration of the power of CGC.

Towards the end of last year, I announced the title of my upcoming book, "Join the Conversation: How to engage marketing-weary consumers with the power of community, dialogue and partnership"

I also announced a two-tiered opportunity to contribute to the book by:

a) Designing the cover of the book

b) Contributing to Chapter 10 titled "Why are you afraid of conversation?"

In both cases, take a stroll over to www.jointheconversationwiki.com, where you can find out more and participate (fyi - props to John and Kevin who have begun the process already!)

I can't tell you how excited I am at the prospect of opening this up to you. I truly mean it when I say I am nothing without you guys. That's not blowing smoke up your ass, unless of course it helps getting you off your ass :)

So...take up the challenge. Spread the word. Make this yours and show the world what we can do as a team.

• Merriam-Webster released it's 2006 update which included the terms spyware, ringtone and mouse potato. Seems the first two have been around forever and should have been included ages ago...but I'm a little stumped on the third. Is this even real? Seems like this was concocted by TV people who can't figure out the net...perhaps it's because they have too much spyware on their computers????
• The inaugural golden poo award goes to Sony for 2006's best flog (alliwantforxmasisapspandafakeflogalongwitharrogantglibandpatronizingcopy) Mission Accomplished?
• Edelman under the gun again for giving away free laptops w/Windows Vista to key bloggers. BL and I share the same POV (and I suspect we're not alone): there's nothing wrong with giving away the laptops, provided a) bloggers disclose this information to their readers and  b) bloggers are allowed to express themselves freely (i.e. making room for a negative/neutral review...otherwise it's PayPerPost)
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