Jaffe Juice

If you're wondering whether my spontaneous iPhone (which I looooooooove) for an episode of Across the Sound was a fluke, wonder no longer.

It's official. I have my second iPhone, but this time it's a whole different ball game.

Enter Tim Coyne, "LA's Web Maverick". He's an actor; a podcaster - check out: The Hollywood Podcast; a listener of Across the Sound.

Tim - not you, your company or your clients - responded to my original barter/sponsorship offer and I'm now the proud owner of 2 (two) iPhones.

It's always terrific to meet a listener of the show; it's even better when they are not necessarily in the marketing field (people like Matthew Ebel for example) Diversity of audience allows for a richer conversation and in most cases, these "non-marketing" people are in reality, better marketers than you or I. The reason is simple: marketing is not something you learn or study or buy...it's something you either have or you don't.

Take Tim for example. He's using the Web and new marketing to differentiate himself. Amidst a sea of sameness, Tim is hoping that this sponsorship helps elevate himself.

Tim has a specific goal: leverage this sponsorship to achieve a very specific outcome: to secure an audition on either CSI, Criminal Minds, Shark or House. All four are terrific shows...I watch them all. I absolutely love Criminal Minds (probably one of the most underrated shows) and am a big James Woods fan.

You can hear it all right here

To help him narrow his search and focus, he'd like both his and my community to decide for him. You can leave your vote/choice as a comment on this thread or vote on his site.

As Tim explained to me on ATS #86, this is more "Fatblogging" than it is "One Red Paperclip" conceptually. By putting a stake in the ground and coming out with a goal, Tim is hoping that this will be "audition by community".

Tim plans on documenting and sharing his journey with you as well. He'll be podcasting about it, sending in audio updates to ATS. He'll be twittering throughout: http://twitter.com/timcoyne. Tim really is Actor 2.0

...but it doesn't stop there.

This sponsorship is going to involve you. In this new and wonderful world of social media and social networking; where book titles like "Wisdom of Crowds", "Tipping Point", "World is Flat", "Long Tail", "Life after the 30-second spot" and "Join the Conversation" are not cliches, but calls-to-action, each and every one of us can make incredible things happen.

You can help in one of the following ways:

• The direct way: social/networking. The ability to make the kind of introduction which helps secure Tim an audition. He'll take it from there i.e. let his talent do the talking
• The indirect way: spread the word! Internalize this. Make it your own. We have the power to uplift a burgeoning brand. We can get Tim on The Today Show or Good Morning America. A combination of social media and mainstream media would do the trick
• The social way: help create an audio promo for Tim...or better yet, interview him on your podcast. His e-mail address is: thehollywoodpodcast [at] mac [dot] com
• The internal way: All you PR junkies out there...help Tim with his press strategy (social media releases etc) or marketing

NOTE: Do not approach any of these shows - or their personnel - directly. Hollywood is a relationship game and it's really important not to burn bridges.

...but it doesn't stop there!

Mack Collier, are you listening? I'm going to pay it forward and give the iPhone right back to the person that is ultimately *most* responsible for helping Tim realize his dream. You see...maybe I do know what I'm doing after all :)

This sponsorship is not about an iPhone (although there is tangential thread about the iPhone becoming a sort of creative currency if you think about it), it's about Tim; it's about the incredible community that is Across the Sound; it's about the power of using new marketing to prove new marketing.

So do it for an iPhone if you must, but more importantly, do it for Tim. It's a great opportunity for us to use new marketing to prove new marketing.

On your marks. Get set. GO!

I predicted a long time ago (I'm talking 5 years) that one day, the new wave of leadership in the marketing/media space would come from within the digital space.

There is absolutely no conceivable way that the leaders of tomorrow can possibly come from anywhere else than the digital realm. That doesn't mean they necessarily have to *be* in digital at the time, BUT they're going to have to be deeply and intimately versed in the interactive space in order to stand an iota's shot in hell of being considered.

I might take this one step further and add in a layer of new marketing knowledge that extends beyond the media (online advertising, video, search) business, but for now...it's all digital.

To that end, I want to congratulate two friends/colleagues, Sarah Fay and Scott Sorokin, who have been tapped by that man Verklin to LEAD the newly formed, integrated or is it compressed "Carat". Out goes the old guard and in comes the new generation. It's ballsy. It's obvious. It's a bold experiment.

On one hand, you could say what's old is new again (much like agencies that unbundled and are now reconsidering rebundling), what has emerged is a whole, as opposed to a part of sums. However in this case, the fact that the leadership (and bias?) is coming from the interactive arena sends out a loud and clear signal where Carat's focus will be aimed in the future to come.

David Verklin is a pretty astute marketer. Make no mistake. He is opportunistic and very eagle-eyed when it comes to being where everyone else has yet to consider.

I'm very impressed with this move and I wish Sarah and Scott only the best in this new challenge.

Check out Jaffe Juice and Across the Sound around 4-5pm EST today.

Episode #86 of Across the Sound has a sponsor, a terrific initiative and even an incentive (Hint: it rhymes with MyTone)

Feedblitz, which is the service that powers my daily e-mail digest, now offers me the ability to learn a little bit more about the motivations behind people that unsubscribe from Jaffe Juice (yet, it happens from time to time)

Some of the reasons include: (from the sublime to the ridiculous)

• Content no longer relevant
• Too many updates
• Subscribing via another method
• ISP requested removal
• Changing e-mail address
• Other or will not disclose
• Offensive, strongly disagree or disapprove

Here is some commentary, starting with the most important one:

Too many updates - This the worst possible reason because it goes against the very nature and fiber of what makes a blog different, unique and special. It's ironic because most of the time I'm worried I don't post enough and so, when I get this explanation I want to tear my hair out. Here's why: blogs are the ultimate on-demand or pull-/permission-based vehicle. e-mail, whilst subscription-based is still push based. The beauty of blogs is that when I update my blog, you'll know about it. If I don't update in a month, so what. You haven't missed out. Sure, e-mail does the job, but what happens when you subscribe to 20+ blogs via 20+ e-mail newsletters...e-mail becomes VERY intrusive.

So here's what I want you to do if you are subscribed via Feedblitz:

1. Go to Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com) and register

2. Next, click on the "Add" button and in the box, type http://www.jaffejuice.com

3. There are a variety of feeds displayed. Generally, you'll want to look for one that includes the name, "feeds.feedburner" or an extension that ends in atom.xml or rss.xml. I have one for example that will translate each post into audio and generate a mini-podcast (readspeaker). Select feeds.feedburner.com/jaffejuice

4. If you like, you can preview the feed, to confirm this is the right choice and you like the format

5. Now scroll to the bottom and click on the "subscribe" button

6. You'll notice that "Jaffe Juice" now appears in your list of feeds on the left hand side. When it's "bolded', that means there are new unread posts (the number is displayed in parentheses)

7. You're almost done. I recommend you click on "download notifier" (under "additional features" in the feeds tab) which will place a neat icon in your menu bar tray.

8. When it lights up, "you've got posts" and one click will take you to your selection

9. As you get used to Bloglines (or your preferred R.S.S. aggregator/reader), play around with various options, preferences etc. such as how many posts to display etc.

10. Subscribe to more blogs and even your favorite media outlets (many have R.S.S. enabled feeds now)

Note that this will work for all multimedia e.g. subscribing to my podcast, Across the Sound (type in: www.acrossthesound.net). Look for the enclosure to click to play

Subscribing via another method - This is music to my ears. And based on the previous point, I hope to see many more of these as you migrate from e-mail to R.S.S.

Offensive, strongly disagree or disapprove - I've only received this once and it was CBS' Les Moonves

Content no longer relevant - How can this ever be true, when there is always new news, ideas, memes and threads popping up every day? Perhaps these people feel I'm a broken records; perhaps they've seen the light and don't need me anymore? Who knows...

Other or will not disclose - To me this is the most saddening and/or maddening one of all. It's so selfish that, after receiving free and hopefully valuable content for a period of time, some people don't have enough respect to give some constructive feedback.

So there you have it. I really hope I'll be seeing less "too many updates" and more "subscribing via another method". Remember, head on over to Bloglines (or similar R.S.S. aggregator) and give Jaffe Juice a whirl via R.S.S. If you like it, go ahead and unsubscribe to the e-mail digest and while you're at it, start subscribing to many other terrific marketing blogs, like these 32 M.V.B. finalists or Ann Handley's Daily Fix.

• To blog or not to blog? That is the question.

• Web Jungle on "Death of the User" - BRAVO!!!

• Are Bloggers Allowed to Make Money? writes Lewis Green on Daily Fix. This post follows the conversation which began after I offered sponsorship of an episode of my podcast in return for an iPhone
• CC Chapman continues the thread on Managing the Gray. He's concerned "new media" is selling itself short. I'll answer him in person next week when CC and I hopefully record a segment for Across the Sound together.

This episode was recorded in Mexico City after my keynote at the IAB Conference on July 27th, 2007. Unique insights into the Mexican online ad market. Audio comments to +1 206 203-3255. Join the twitter group at www.twitter.com/acrossthesound

Direct download here
iTunes or iPhone subscription here
R.S.S. Feed here

0m - Final Simpsons Introduction from Scott Monty

5m30 - The microphone is passed around the room and you'll get to hear from a collection of conference attendees, organizers and speakers.

13m30 - Happy Birthday in Spanish

14m45 - Congratulations to my friend, Dave Morgan, who just sold his company, Tacoda, to AOL. What a treat that we get to share this together literally a day or two after the announcement.

16m30 - Danny Meadows-Klue, one of the pioneers in the Interactive space and founder of the IAB Europe.

19m20 - Thanks to Media Contacts, who sponsored my presentation and 500 copies of Life after the 30-second spot, which I'm proud to say has now been translated into Spanish. Observations on calls-to-action and the fact that everything is global.

23m35 - A Discussion on the CNN-YouTube debate

32m50 - From voter apathy to marketer apathy. Do people or companies run markets? A discussion on change management, selling through new marketing approaches, integration and experimentation (AKA Will it Blend?)

ConAgra has shifted its Orville Redenbacher and SlimJim accounts from Crispin Porter. Gee, I never saw that one coming...

Guess faking conversation and forcing negative buzz doesn't work after all...

Last night, the landmark and unprecedented CNN - You Tube debate aired on television (CNN). All in all, roughly 3,000 questions were submitted. Obviously only a fraction were asked.

I watched part of the debate and I, like most people, walked away with an overall favorable feeling towards this new and novel format.

There are plenty of insights, observations and discussion points worth noting. Here are a few thoughts:

• Why did CNN need You Tube? Surely CNN should have had the clout and reach to do this "solo"?
• Corollary: This was a great way to engage a younger and more proactive audience - both in terms of participation and tune-in.
• To that end, what % of viewers last night do you think were "new to CNN" and what % do you think will stick around and keep watching CNN?
• Cheers to CNN for tightly integrating this into their pre- and post- programming e.g. airing and extending this consumption experience via "video responses"
• Jeers to CNN for having to cede so much equity and visibility to You Tube (as opposed to CNN)
• For those of you wondering what happened to all the questions that *didn't* make the debate, here they are. I'm still wondering how many were censored or perhaps I should say "rejected"

Last night's debate is anywhere between a seminal moment in media and a very clear notch in the lifecycle and evolution of media where we saw YouTube (AKA Google) as an ever-emerging media powerhouse. It also undermines the declining influence and clout of the traditional/old portals: Yahoo!, MSN and AOL.

The Republican debate is on September 17th. I'll be watching.

Audio comments to +1 206 203-3255. Join the ATS Twitter Group at www.twitter.com/acrossthesound. This week's show builds on last week's experiment of an iPhone for an episode of ATS sponsorship.

Direct download here

iTunes or iPhone subscription here

0m - One more round of Scott Monty's terrific Jaffe Juice intro

2m - iPhone for an episode update. Chip Griffin, CEO of Custom Scoop will be sponsoring an upcoming episode of ATS plus terms of a new supersized offer for a month's sponsorship...

12m - Responding to Mack Collier's  assertion that sponsorships need a  communal component and additional/ incremental value exchange. Is this the new value exchange i.e. free content is not enough?

25m - Random choosing an audio comment. This one is from Simon Young from New Zealand on a great Generation C initiative (Looksy.org), as well as the spirit of disagreeing.

31m17 -  A terrific "walking the talk" initiative by Plaid - The Plaid Nation tour, plus an audio comment from Darryl Ohrt about introducing internal bloggers (specialists) within organizations and a trackback to Debbie Weil/Alliconnect blog and the need for a conversation department.

40m15 -  Winners & Losers:  My winner is 7-11 for their self-deprecating (and smart), playful and irreverent participation in The Simpsons Movie marketing campaign. My loser is Leo Burnett for d'ohing their toys about the fact they pitched the same idea to Fox Pictures a year earlier.

Sidebar: Interesting sidebar where I was contacted by a PR agency pitching on behalf of Adweek i.e. for me to interview an editor from Adweek (shouldn't it be the other way around?)

Darryl Ohrt (third from left), who I "met" via Brandflakesforbreakfast, works at a company, similar to crayon, called Plaid. They've put together an awesome demonstration of social media in action with their Plaid Nation tour.

They're visiting prospects, clients, bloggers, journalists etc and mapping their progress via live streaming via ustream, twitter, Google Maps, Flickr (check out picture w/me), blogging etc.

I didn't ask them if they were podcasting though...maybe they'll send in an audio comment to +1 206 203-3255 for me.

In short, it's an awesome demonstration of what most agencies suck royally at i.e. walking their talk and using their own principles in practice.

I wish them nothing but the best of luck on their efforts and journey and hope they return with plenty of new biz.

PS I didn't realize that Bill Green (second from left) was the man behind the legendary makethelogobigger. If I had known, I would have bowed down in awe!

• Mack follow up on my iPhone for an episode experiment. Be sure to check out the comments
• Adweek 7-11 Kwik-E Mart Simpsons tie-in
• Ray-Ban follow-up effort. Will it blend?
• Buying buzz? Surely not. Nielsen contends that advertising and buzz are proportionately causally related
• What's plaguing viral marketing piece. I need more time to digest this but it seems as if there is some dispute about the Tipping Point methodology wrt a handful of infueuncers versus a mass audience causing something to tip
• Chris Thilk draws a line in the sand with respect to blogger and influencer outreach, do's and don'ts

Somehow I'm back on track, dropping 2.5 pounds this week. Not sure if I did anything differently or special, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

It's really funny how the overwhelming fear of "letting you down" has kept me from giving up.

Fatbloggers Unite!

On ATS #83, which I uploaded on Sunday morning, I spoke about an interesting experiment regarding the monetization of podcasts (or blogs for that matter). I don't have this confirmed, but I'm sure one of you will verify this, but according to Technorati, only 8% of bloggers have monetized their blogs. That's troubling.

Besides joining the large podcasting and blogging networks, which skew unfavorably towards the very large of the large, how else can a podcaster for example make money?

I tried something different on Sunday. I basically "wished" for a new Apple iPhone, and in exchange I offered up sponsorship of one episode of ATS. I wasn't entirely sure anyone would bite, but I figured this could be a novel twist on the old barter arrangement to assign a value to one specific episode of my podcast.

Within an hour of the episode going live, I had my offer. Chip Griffin, CEO of Custom Scoop, responded (actually, I had two offers) and on Monday, 24 hours after I made my offer, I purchased my iPhone (this picture of the iPhone box was taken with my iPhone), which Chip will reimburse.

Chip will most likely come on ATS as a date to be determined to co-host the show.

Custom Scoop and myself put out a joint press release. You can view it here

As an aside, Greg Verdino told me he bumped into Steve Rubel last week who proudly displayed his iPhone that he waited for hours to purchase. It's ironic that it is Across the Sound - the podcast that Steve and I launched together that ended up being responsible for myself getting an iPhone.

So where to from here? I'm going to try for a fully-loaded MacBook Pro or a Vaio (I'm going to let the barter sponsor choose) in exchange for a full month's sponsorship of the show.  Alternatively, if I receive a second iPhone, perhaps I'll trade it up for the MacBook Pro or Vaio...think of this as One Red Paperclip meets Ad Sales :) Oh, the possibilities...

I really think this could be seminal moment for podcasters (and bloggers) to be able to monetize their sites and content with brands - and smart marketers - as the heroes. There's an explicit value exchange present, which allows sponsors plugged into the conversation to validate specific podcasters and connect with their audiences in a fun and transparent way.

PS I LOVE my iPhone and will give a detailed review of it soon

Looks like Twitter can be used pretty effectively to make a clear and loud statement:

Wonder who's behind it....?

Also wonder how long it will take before "rahodeb" becomes a verb.

I was asked a question on ATS #83 via Jay Berkowitz. He also asked the same question to Adam Curry and Mitch Joel.

Tom Kasperski just commented and I thought I'd elevate his comment and begin a separate conversation/list about the differences between radio and podcasting:

1. Radio is more interactive due to real time call-in and dialog between callers and host
2. Radio is light years ahead in monetization, but that isn't saying much
3. Radio program planning is usually more disciplined. Many podcasters don't respect their listener's time and should edit more vigorously
4. The power of podcasting is the ability to focus on niche content. It will be interesting to see if there will be a convergence between subscription radio and podcasts for larger niches
5. Radio is more interruptive. The media is littered with commercials but podcasters are starting to do the same. Radio makes it much easier to channel surf so podcasters should take note. At some point listeners will permanently unsubscribe if podcast advertising gets out of hand
6. The other key benefit of podcasts: the ability to do extended segments. Radio programming is so fragmented that you always feel like you're getting the Reader's Digest version of everything. Radio also imposes a degree of stress and apprehension on it's users and guests. There's always pressure to move on, cut off hosts and guests even if the conversation is excellent. - Podcasts are ideally suited for time shifting, but many radio programmers are starting to catch on and offering their programs as podcasts.

Let's keep this going...

The whole subject of anonymity comes up again with this Whole Foods/FTC kerfuffle pertaining to the Whole Foods acquisition of Wild Oats:

Via Mediapost/WSJ:

John Mackey, co-founder and chief executive of Whole Foods, posted anonymously about his company and the acquisition target Wild Oats Markets on the Yahoo stock market boards beginning in 1999 until last year. Using the pseudonym "Rahodeb" -- an anagram of his wife's name, Deborah -- he routinely bashed Wild Oats, posting nuggets such as "OATS has no value and no future," The Wall Street Journal reports. That particular post was made in February 2005; this year, Whole Foods agreed to purchase Wild Oats for $670 million in February.

Mackey then proceeded to try and spin this up on his website FAQ, taking out his one foot from his mouth in order to insert the other one:

Who is "rahodeb" and why does the FTC quote this person?

From 1999 to mid-2006 I made a number of postings on the Yahoo! financial bulletin boards concerning Whole Foods and Wild Oats under the user name "rahodeb." The FTC discovered my identity as rahodeb through one of the millions of litigation documents that Whole Foods provided to them. They are quoting rahodeb in some of their legal documents and no doubt seek to embarrass both me and Whole Foods through these disclosures. I want to make the following points about rahodeb here:

1. I posted on Yahoo! under a pseudonym because I had fun doing it.  Many people post on bulletin boards using pseudonyms.
2. I never intended any of those postings to be identified with me.
3. The views articulated by rahodeb sometimes represent what I actually believed and sometimes they didn't. Sometimes I simply played "devil's advocate" for the sheer fun of arguing. Anyone who knows me realizes that I frequently do this in person, too.
4. Rahodeb's postings therefore do not represent any official beliefs, policies, or intentions by either Whole Foods Market or by me.
5. At no time did I reveal any proprietary information about Whole Foods on Yahoo!
6. All of rahodeb's postings should be read in the full context of the discussions that were taking place on the bulletin board at the time the postings were made. Reading them out of context may lead to serious misunderstandings.
7. All of rahodeb's postings also need to be understood in the context of the time that they were written. Because the competitive market has evolved so much in the last 5 years, older postings mean far less today than they did when they were written.

To be sure, there are specific advantages and disadvantages associated with anonymity. Giving courage to those who - otherwise - would not have been comfortable speaking up is part of the social media DNA. That said, when anonymity becomes an excuse for cowardice (especially when malicious intent is present), it is clearly unacceptable.

In Mackey's case however, this was neither. Rather, it was just plan and simple stupidity. He got caught red-fingered and try as he might to rationalize or weasel his way out, I fear this will not end well for him...

In this episode, listener comments about the Nikon D80, iPhone for an episode, Fatblogging, Jack Jaffe, Pod Baiting, Comment Pimping and much more. Audio comments to +1 206 203-3255.

Direct Download here

iTunes subscription here

0m - Terrific Simpsons introduction from crayonista, Scott Monty, and a brief conversation on the upcoming The Simpsons Movie premiere and towns of Springfield.

5m25 - 2 audio comments from Rick Couture and David Jacobs from the Connected World Podcast

19m35 - Personal and communal reflections on the birth of my son, Jack, involving Flickr, Twitter, Blogging and Blogger Outreach

24m56 - An audio comment from C.C. Chapman on being a proud papa following my joining Flickr

27m45 - Discussion on monetizing podcasts and an audio comment from Tim Brunelle on various B2B applications

33m23 - An update on the 100th episode sponsorship opportunity plus an irreverent experiment, which if successful, could be a new way to monetize podcasts - an iPhone for an episode!

Update: Looks like the barter/trade is complete. Within an hour of the episode going live, I had a bite. Will fill you in soon.

38m24 - Audio comment from Chip Griffin on Content wants to be free...

44m20 - Jay Berkowitz challenges Messrs Jaffe, Joel and Curry with the same question about why podcasts are so similar to radio. It's an interesting audio version of link baiting. I also tangent in a chat about blogging v podcasting when it comes to updates and subscription.

56m13 - A special shout-out to John Wall for his incredible gift for Jack (plus the M-Show promo!)

57m15 - An update on Fatblogging plus an audio comment from Sebastian Keil on FatTwittering

1h - Winners & Losers - Both are Debbie Weil, who should have known better when she asked her friends and colleagues to help seed a conversation on a client's blog. Pretty sad, when your friends turn on you though. Also a tangent on breaking the ice in blog conversations.

Update: BL informs me that she did not "turn on" Debbie, but rather just admitted she made a mistake. Perhaps I got confused with folk like Lee Hopkins et al.

Interesting tempest in a teacup brewing regarding (ironically) author of The Corporate Blogging Book, Debbie Weil.

It all stems from a series of e-mails she sent soliciting/asking for/encouraging comments on one of her client's blogs. The client? GlaxoSmithKline and their weight-loss drug, Alli (perhaps I should try it?)

The blog in question was the AlliConnect blog and according to Weil, she was trying to encourage conversation/participation amongst shy readers...which makes sense if you think about it (the shy part)

So what's the story here and should we just move along and get on with our day...

There is no doubt a bit of blogger-on-blogger violence, which seems to be part of the blogger snarky DNA. There is also no doubt a pinch of heat associated with the pharma category in general.

Weil has a great reputation and if you follow the comment threads, most of the sentiment is in her favor.

I'm not quite sure I would have gone about it the same way, but I do think there is merit in the ability to break the ice and get the ball rolling. When I give presentations, it's always soliciting the first question that is the hardest. After that point, the floodgates open up.

One final point...Debbie was 100% transparent about her intentions, but I wonder if there is still a component missing i.e. is it necessary for the commentors to disclose the fact they had been asked to participate in order to start the conversation?

Via Grok

Another week, another pound of fat added. Get it together, Jaffe. Stop the rot. Reverse the incline.

For the first time in this process, I didn't want to post, but I guess this is where the rubber hits the road and this fatblogging communal initiative either works or doesn't.

Hopefully, I'll report back next week with better news.

I was interviewed on NPR yesterday about Google's announcement regarding Maps and allowing consumers to create their own mash-ups using the Maps API.

I was actually at Pershing Square for breakfast at the time and I ended up taking the interview in the staff toilet!

Take a listen: Download 11_mktmorn.mp3

Agencies are (in)famous for declaring the following 12 word war-cry: The best way to kill a bad product is with great advertising. I believe I wrote in Life after the 30-second spot, maybe this should be changed to the best way to kill any product is with advertising.

Segue to the news that the Sony PlayStation account has gone into review. My old stomping ground TBWA\Chiat\Day is the agency that has held the business to date.

2 thoughts:

1. To what extent is this the fall-out from the really blown launch of the PS3 – especially compared to the success from upstart Wii?
2. To what extent is this the realization that flashy, glossy (and let’s face it, really creative) advertising is no long enough to power a successful launch of – let’s face it again – a product (brand) that virtually sold itself

In other words, to what extent would Sony's Playstation product/brand be considered a winner or loser and in both cases, what role did advertising play in decelerating or accelerating failure?

Stumbled upon the Koolaid Antidote blog and with it, an opening salvo on the continuing CGC conversation. In it, I am set up against Andrew Keen, who argues that "UGC is dumbing down art, culture and society in general - encouraging even the most uncreative and inarticulate to express themselves through digital media."

Andrew, Keen to come on ATS to discuss and debate?

Also had to share this image from the blog which positions me as an "idealistic revolutionary"

Hmmm. On March 26, 2006 I blogged about the McNuggets (w)rap and teed up the idea (subtly admittedly) that McDonalds might want to think about putting this on TV.

Today, 16 months later (!), I see the (w)rap on TV as part of an actual McDonalds ad. The caption at the bottom reads as follows: "actual user generated content"

So how did it feel? Quite stale actually.

It just didn't work for me. Maybe because it's 16 months later and this idea just doesn't seem that new anymore. Or perhaps its was the eerie "actual user generated content" tag, which seemed almost like an agency talking to itself. Do consumers (read: humans) even know what "user generated content" is and if so, do they care?

Perhaps if McD's had mentioned the two guys' names or driven traffic to a website with additional original scores from the dynamic duo, it might have felt more authentic.

What I'd like to know is how much money (or free McNuggets) the 2x dudes made in the process. Anyone got inside information?

Trevor is an intern at Mentos. He clearly has nothing better to do with his time than communicate with other board cubicle cohorts throughout his day.

He clearly is very talented though at what he does (in terms of putting together this very interactive website with all the right trappings) and so if you're reading this blog, Trevor, consider this an open invitation to come and work for crayon.

I'll even double the salary Mentos is paying you, although I'm hoping it is fee-less internship.

Seriously though, this is clearly Subservient Chicken 2.0 and there are several key aspects to this that make it very engaging.

Now where it goes from here and how long it lasts is anybody's guess. For what it's worth, I'd like to recommend that the folk over at Mentos seriously consider giving away free Mentos - it's a golden opportunity starting at your in the pimpled-face.

Really love this very smart piece that Karl Long (who actually works at Nokia) created to pay tribute to the imbeciles who wasted 1-2 days of their lives to buy a phone. It also gives a nice edge to the Nokia brand, which quite frankly, could use a bit of an innovation recharge.

As I watched the video, I couldn't help but wonder how many people were duped influenced by the iPhone advertising.

New category on Jaffe Juice: New Marketing reflections courtesy of my Nikon D80 loaner camera. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so when I find these moments, I'll snap and share 'em with you.

You've all witnessed the hotel that trusts its customers so little that they insure themselves against hanger-theft with these incredibly impractical removable hangers.

I don't know about you, but nothing devalues a relationship more than this kind of in-your-face insult.

The hotel by the way was the "classy" Deerhurst resort in Huntsville, Ontario.

Feel free to leave your own similar examples in the comment thread.

It's time to get off your lazy asses and get into the game. I'm sick and tired of standing in front of rooms of marketers and seeing them all fess up to never have listened to a single podcast.

If you commute to work, walk, jog, mow the lawn, go to gym, travel, find yourself staring into space when eating lunch in your cubicle....WHATEVER....it's time to feed your brain and find out first hand why there are already more podcasts than radio stations in the world.

Here is a single episode of the Forward Podcast, which gives a nice comprehensive review of the following P.R.-skewed podcasts:

• For Immediate Release
• Inside PR
• Trafcom News
• New Comm Road
• Comms Cafe
• Six Pixels of Separation
• PR Junction
• Across the Sound
• Marketing Over Coffee
• On The Record Online
• Managing the Gray
• American Copywriter

In addition, since you're already reading Jaffe Juice, if you are currently subscribed to the R.S.S. feed (feeds.feedburner.com/JaffeJuice), you'll notice that I've started "simulcasting" my podcast, Across the Sound on this feed. In other words, your R.S.S. reader will include the audio enclosure that you can just click to listen.

You can also head to iTunes and subscribe directly to Jaffe Juice. This way, whenever there is an audio update (new podcast), you'll receive it directly into your iPod.

I've been out of the loop long enough to see the Technorati jump from Twitter to Jaiku to Pownce and now apparently to BouGie.

Kudos to Armano for touching on the same concern I've had about this new manic environment we're living in.

On one hand, I feel anywhere on the continuum of prude to laggard. On the other hand, I feel somewhat disingenuous to even knock the spirit of innovation and pace of chance. After all, this is the new order of society. The only constant is change. There is no ONE BIG THING, but rather a MILLION LITTLE THINGS.

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem with this rapid pace of new product introductions. I think what is irking me is a combination of 2 factors:

1. The $$$ signs in everyone's eyes. After all, all one needs to do is introduce a semi-cool new application without much of a strategic reason-to-believe, slap on a web 2.0 logo, get Robert Scoble to bless it and then sell out to Google 12 days later. Right?
2. The seeding approach (I've got 5 free passes to the Beta of Fickl. Who's interested?) which has transformed the flock of sheep into a swarm of frenzied bees (or locusts). The end result is the same.

In both cases, the connective tissue is the ability to tap into and harness the potential of the influencers. I guess my constructive advice here is that you'll need as powerful (if not more) ability to sustain the fleeting interest and use this opportunity to ramp up the adoption from geeky innovator through to early and late majorities in order to really be successful.

The 5 free passes approach is a great best practice, but by itself is rather superficial and exceptionally fleeting.

This is part 1 of a very special 2-part episode of Across the Sound focusing on blogger/influencer outreach and specifically, Nikon D80's outreach program. It is honest, spirited and pretty heated. Enjoy. Audio comments to +1 206 203-3255.

Direct Download here
iTunes subscription here

CK's blog: http://www.ck-blog.com/cks_blog/
Tangerine Toad's blog: http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com/

PS This picture was taken with my loaner Nikon D80 camera while I was recording ATS #82 with Toad and CK!

The outline of our conversation:

• Each of us talk about how we came to be here today i.e. with respect to Nikon's D80 program
• Bubbles, teacups and trolls
• Transparency, authenticity and value
• How is blogger outreach different to celebrity product placement?
• Deconstruction of the program - what irked Toad and CK? The price? The fact I'm not a photographer? The way I was selected? Jealousy?
• The inevitability of conversation. I content that no matter what Nikon did, they would have been criticized. This the price of entry of conversation
• Are we unfairly deconstructing Nikon when every program could (or should) be held to the same standards?
• CNN/You Tube debates
• "Controversy" as an ingredient in social media activation (38m)
• Value is relative - How is Jaffe blogging about Nikon's D80 camera different to fatblogging or commenting on Taylor Hicks winning American Idol?
• Are we insensitive, ignorant or neglectful insofar that we don't put ourselves in Nikon's shoes? Did we know their budget? Was this an entry-level experiment and if so, surely they got their money's worth. Ultimately, was the real shame here the lack of participation/response from the Nikon brand management folk?
• Your brand is not my friend
• PR versus Marketing perspective - If you had $15-25K to spend, would you rather place a page in a magazine or give away 50 cameras?
• What's wrong with bloggers trying to monetizing their blogs?

...and much much more.

I've completely out the loop. I heard that Google bought itself. Yahoo! closed down. Adam Curry went to work for Sony BMG. Jason Calacanis weighs 300 pounds. Jeff Jarvis was nice for an entire whole day. Steve Rubel joined forces with a Japanese consortium to initiate a hostile takeover of Edelman - it is now called Edemame. George Parker and Julie Roehm are now partners in a change-management company. Adrants' Steve Hall is now the publishing editor of The Christian Science Monitor.

Any truth to those rumors or do I need better sources?

I think I need to dust off the cobwebs and start again. Can you help? What are some of the recent stories, memes, themes, planes, trains and automobiles that I should know about and post about?

Send some ideas and links where possible and I'll feed them into the Jaffe Juice sausage machine.

PS A new episode of Across the Sound will be out of the weekend. It's a 3-way with CK and Tangerine Toad, talking about blogger outreach and the Nikon D80 program in particular.

Hmmm, I put on 2.5 pounds this week and 0.5 pounds the week before. I also haven't blogged since June 25 and haven't podcasted since June 6. Coincidence? I think not.

Could it REALLY be that blogging and podcasting burns calories at a faster rate than was previously believed? If the results are true, this could be breakthrough findings for the weight-loss industry.

Or it could be the fact that the lack of blogging/podcasting is due to the arrival of little Jack Zev Jaffe (as he was named at his bris last Sunday), coupled with the celebration and excessive scotch consumption to celebrate his arrival (with a bit of July 4th thrown in for good measure)

So now comes the test. As I settle back into the swing of things, I'll need to get back on track and reverse the weight gain. Ultimately you will be my witnesses and judges!