marketing info + opinionshttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/articles about marketing executions and trendsen-US2008-11-21T13:11:04ZSquarespace Site Server v5.0.0 (http://www.squarespace.com/)banned? why? huh?http://grenadefishing.com/marketing/banned-why-huh.htmlk.2007-09-15T20:07:16ZThis P Diddy commercial for the fragrance Unforgivable Woman was banned by MTV. It’s definitely sexy. However, that’s about it. I’m not sure why it would be classified as ban-worthy. No nudity. No violence. Our Puritan values getting out of control? I’m also surprised it was banned by MTV of all folks.

I actually really like this video. It was very well-executed. I actually, for a brief moment, thought Diddy was kinda sexy. I said “brief moment.” 

Also… She has got to be one of the hottest women I’ve seen in a long time!

…Oh wait a minute! I think I get it… It’s a viral marketing tactic. If it’s banned, people like me will post it! Ooooh. Wicked clever! 

diddy%20unforgivable%20commercial%20mtv%20banned.png

via radarmagazine.com
 

Reader Comments (1)
09.16.2007 | Unregistered CommenterPaul Berg
 

She’s gorgeous, but can’t act worth beans, even in those quick-edit scenes. And he’s sooo annoying and full of himself. And what’s with the lame “mission impossible” sound track. The best publicity they could have is to be banned….Like your site tho Kristine. paul

]]>win an iphonehttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/win-an-iphone.htmlk.2007-07-13T04:33:08Z contest%20win%20iphone%20thisnext%20free.png

Recommend the things you love on ThisNext and tag it “crave” to automatically qualify for the iphone contest. The more things you love, the better your chances of winning.  Can it get easier than that? Check it out.

I want one! 

 

 

 

 

Reader Comments (1)

07.13.2007 | Unregistered CommenterDoug Werby
This is the gadget we all dreamed about. It’s here, it works great and it’s intuitive just like most apple products. Camera is great, html web on the road, full e-mail and iTunes. It’s light years beyond any other device of it’s kind.

07.14.2007 | Registered Commenterk. 
Of course you have one already, Doug! Please do not tell me you were one of those people in line. I doubt it. I am jealous. I do find it a bit intimidating actually, but I think I could get over the intimidation if I were handed one tomorrow. It has had great reviews, and most people comment on how surprisingly small it is. You do picture it the thickness of an ipod, but it’s much thinner.
I have no doubt the iPhone is great. My doubt is with AT&T. How is their wireless service? Where I live, I can only get clear reception from Verizon. Anybody out there in Dimond, Glenview, Oakland Hills (Oakland) uwilling to share their opinion about AT&T’s wireless serivce? Thanks.

]]>jobs | Director of Distribution & Saleshttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/jobs-director-of-distribution-sales.htmlk.2007-07-08T00:01:04Zmarketing social networks social shopping job openings open positions employment santa monicaCompany: ThisNext, Inc
Location: Santa Monica
Job Title: Director of Distribution & Sales
Description: Director of Distribution & Sales

ThisNext is a market-leading social shopping network set to revolutionize how people shop online. ThisNext’s mission is to improve shoppers’ quality of life by helping them discover great new products and the people who recommend them.

ThisNext is venture-backed, growing rapidly, and based in the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica, CA. We have a can-do culture in an open loft space and abide by a work hard, play hard philosophy.

ThisNext is looking for a media distribution & sales/ecommerce samurai who

* is relentless in pursuit of deals
* is highly organized with excellent follow-thru & client management skills
* is comfortable building and managing their own pipeline
* plays well with others, including marketing, product, & tech departments
* understands the intricacies of online and traditional media distribution
* understands how to monetize traffic (cpm, cpa/cpc, sponsorships, etc)
* has worked w/agencies and directly w/clients
* has worked with ecommerce and/or affiliate partners
* has a deep rolodex in online media
* has a passion for and participates in the social web

3-5 years managing significant online distribution and/or ecommerce deals is a must. Start-up experience is a big plus, as well as flexibility of mind, strategic insight, a sense of humor, and love of adventure/desire to change the world.

]]>here's a good fakehttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/heres-a-good-fake.htmlk.2007-03-02T10:51:44Zmarketing advertising fake ads luxury brands funnyFantastic little prank, and even more fantastic viral marketing for Gucci (if you ask me).

True event in Switzerland. This fellow, Juan Isidro Casilla, takes a photo of himself, photoshops in the Gucci perfume bottle, sends the image to a newspaper, gets it published. Gucci is billed $50,000 for the ad.

Brilliant.

fake gucci ad.png 

via adfreak


]]>quantcast.comhttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/quantcastcom.htmlk.2007-01-26T03:15:33ZQuantcast [beta] is a new internet ratings service, similar to Alexa and Technorati, except they are “open source” (the very trendy and now passe web 2.0 jargon). It offers very detailed demographics information, which I find extremely interesting.
By reviewing some sites I’m familiar with, my amateur conclusion is their data is not accurate. I suppose that’s where the word “open” comes into play. You can update it the information so “advertisers can see correct data.”

quancast.com photo homepage image.jpg 

Call me crazy girl, but why would I want to expose my competitors to so much details about my company? Maybe if I’m a large, public corporation it makes sense. But then again, if I’m a public company, my information is “public” and can be found via the annual report or Google. For a small competitive start-up, this would be equivalent to handing over your war tactics to the enemy.

]]>econ 101http://grenadefishing.com/marketing/econ-101.htmlk.2006-12-13T05:00:51ZI remember my high school teacher explain why Coca Cola was most expensive than Generic soda. Because, “The cost of advertising is passed to the customer and is reflected in the retail price.” I suppose that was my first lesson in P&L management.

Palm just announced they will spend $25 Million to promote the Treo 680. This is just the Treo 680, by the way, not any of their other products. Geez! No wonder why the thing costs $399. If you live in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York, watch out for their “new” ad implementation -  Treo Accost Agents….

From their campaign statement:

treo680.jpg“Street teams touting the devices will show off the ability to use the Web while on the road by stopping people on the street and allowing them to perform interactions (such as making travel arrangements or dinner reservations) on the spot.”

 
On a personal note, I did like my Palm Pilot, so I’m glad they’re back with a better product. I miss talking into my “calculator” (as one of my friends put it).

via Brand Week

 

]]>zunehttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/zune.htmlk.2006-11-14T14:37:14ZUPDATED 11-15-06

After further investigation on Zune, I’ve decided I am not even curious anymore. Here are the positive vs. negative reviews about Zune:

Positive Points

  • Larger screen makes video viewing more pleasant.
  • Good user interface.
  • Wireless music sharing.
  • Point purchase system calculates out to .99 cents. Itunes just raised their price to $1.69.
  • Unlimited download subscription for $15/month.
  • There is not a copy limit on songs you purchase (Itunes has a 6 song limit).

Negative Points

  • Twice the size of the Ipod.
  • Larger screen a plus, but pixelated.
  • Design looks incomplete and clunky (okay, ugly).
  • 30 GB limitation.
  • Short battery life (Zune’s 14 hour claim not correct).
  • Limited accessories available.
  • Website has 2 million songs, whereas Ipod has 3.5 million.
  • Ridiculous points pricing structure (buy points instead of using real money. Why?).
  • No podcast, tv shows, movies or audiobooks.
  • Zune does not work on your existing ipod accessories.
  • You Itune songs do not transfer without a bit of hacking.
  • Microsoft is up to their “We Are the World” thing again. Zune only play Zune songs.
Does this sound a little familiar? Remember Sony’s Betamax?

Read Walter Mossberg’s review at WSJ.com
Read James Stoup’s review at AppleMatters.com


zune.jpg

Zune is Microsoft’s competition for the ipod. I’m more curious than I’m wanting, just to check out the contender, you know? The wireless music sharing function sounds cool, though it does bring back that nostalgic memory of the old Palm Pilots. Oh, how 90’s!

This little gadget gives you exclusive access to Zune’s website, where you can socialize with other users, share music and listen to full-length songs before buying. Actually, you can listen to songs three times in three days. That may be worth the switch. The negative? Apparently some folks complain about the memory at 30 GB. (FYI, that is about 6,000 songs.)

Click image to view Zune at Amazon.com.



]]>when typos really counthttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/when-typos-really-count.htmlk.2006-11-07T15:18:45ZI wonder how Comcast’s HR department will ever defend themselves if they ever dismiss an employee go for lack of attention to details or writing skills.  What a classic. (A condensed version below with typo in bold.)

 1745largeLogo.gif


Title:  Sr. Internet Product Design & Development Engineer

Skills:  B.S. in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering or equivalent in work experience & self study.

Experience:

*At least 1 yr. experience supporting a high transaction, e-mail/web environment required.

*Most have excellent written and verbal communications skills, a professional image and must be able to comfortably interact with managers and executives at all levels in major corporations.

*Direct experience with ISP Messaging, IMAP, LDAP, Authentication and Address Book server products.

Original job post at Dice.com.


]]>tagshttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/tags.htmlk.2006-11-03T21:54:16ZI love tags. Whether I’m using them productively or not is another matter. I’m not quite sure people know what tags do… Basically, and in very elementary language here, it is the same as keyword search. You enter keywords you want your content attached to when people use those words in their search programs (internal to that site and external on Google). 

Amazon recently launched tags capabilities for their products online. I think this could be useful, though I’m not sure how thousands of people with no interest in search relevancy would help me find my product any better. If anything, I think it may hinder my search process… Here is an example of how tags can be unproductive, though extremely humorous.

 federline.jpg

This is Kevin Federline’s CD…

 

 

 

 

 

These are the tags people have placed on his CD… (Maybe I should give people more credit than they deserve.)

 federline tags.jpg

 

See the whole list at Amazon.com.

]]>yay, he finally gets a bloghttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/yay-he-finally-gets-a-blog.htmlk.2006-09-30T09:53:15Z rory thompson.jpg

One of my favorite commentaries writer, Rory Thompson, from Brandweek.com finally launched a blog, appropriately called “Short Takes.” If you are into brands + marketing + humor, then his blog is worth a web feed. He somehow succeeds in finding the oddest marketing tactics out there and pokes friendly fun at it. And when they say ‘short takes,’ they really mean it. Very short single paragraph short takes on what’s happening out there in the big, bad brand world.

My past mentions from Short Takes:
Update From the Department of “Duh”
A New Form of Torture

 

]]>survivor show to split teams by racehttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/survivor-show-to-split-teams-by-race.htmlk.2006-09-21T02:47:01Zmarketing t.v.

When I say ‘by race’ I mean ‘by the color of your skin.’ Yeap. I can’t do better than what this reporter has to say about this… “We’ll pause here to give you time to re-hinge your jaw.”

Click to read more …

]]>cirque du soleil apparel, hmmmm.http://grenadefishing.com/marketing/cirque-du-soleil-apparel-hmmmm.htmlk.2006-09-19T03:44:36ZWhen I think of Cirque du Soleil, I think about four things and in in this order; the acrobatics, the music, the costumes and the hefty ticket cost. The costumes are fabulous. When they announce an apparel line, what do I imagine? I imagine wild translations of lizards and dragons and mutant beings of greens and reds and orange. I imagine influences of cultures old and new. Of China, of Russia, of places in fairy tales. I imagine the elements of earth and heaven and hell.

Well, you get the picture. Imagine my surprise when I see…

click here

]]>user generated marketinghttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/user-generated-marketing.htmlk.2006-09-09T14:34:29Zmarketing web culture kristine dang

Here is a posting I ran across that best describes the scenario of how user-generated marketing happens. This is the reality of online marketing today and very difficult to orchestrate intentionally.  If you do, better make it a topic that looks and feels real, or be extremely intentional. (FYI. I was 1 of the 83,000 he referred to. I found the video on BoingBoing and listed it on my Time Wasters list.) (Um, you may want to ignore his statistical analysis…)

From FlexYour Rights.org 

BUSTED Reaches 500,000 Viewers!

Submitted by scottmorgan on August 16, 2006 - 2:05pm.

Thanks to the rising popularity of internet video, BUSTED has now reached over 500,000 viewers! Three years after it’s release, our film is reaching more people than ever, and receiving very high ratings from internet audiences.

Here’s how we calculated it:

The authorized version available on Youtube.com has now generated over 83,000 viewings. But our biggest break occurred when the massive blog BoingBoing.net linked an unauthorized version available on Google Video. The Google Video version of BUSTED went viral, generating links on several major video sites and peaking at the rank of 18th out of all videos on Google.

Since Google Video doesn’t have a built-in counter, we’re forced to estimate the magnitude of our biggest success to date. For lack of a better method, I’ve extrapolated overall viewings by comparing the number of viewer ratings on Google (1575) with the number on Youtube (251).

(Note: since Youtube allows videos to appear in Myspace and other sites without offering a rating option, I subtracted the number of external Youtube viewings before computing)

Assuming 6 times as many people saw BUSTED on Google Video, we estimate total Google viewings at over 450,000!

Nonetheless, combining our Youtube viewings, our Google estimate, counts from smaller sites, screenings, and sales, we feel confident that BUSTED viewership easily exceeds 500,000 at this point.

We’re grateful to everyone who helped the film succeed and we hope you’ll continue helping us spread the word. We don’t know how many people we have to reach in order to make consent searches a thing of the past, but I know we’re not there yet. Every viewer is one less potential victim of police coercion and one more voice in the growing effort to inform all citizens of their 4th Amendment rights.

Feel free to share the Youtube version with your friends and family, but don’t forget about us. We’d never interfere with our most effective outreach venue yet, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills.

Click here to support Flex Your Rights.

]]>The Real Natalie Portmanhttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/the-real-natalie-portman.htmlk.2006-08-24T02:20:50Zmarketing youtube web culture advertising funny viral marketing music video

This is now top placement in my Time Wasters list.  I’ve always liked Natalie Portman, but I was really mad at her after watching V for Vendetta. That was horrible! Talk about a let-down. Watching this video got me to forgive her. So, so funny. See Natalie Portman video. 

(Yes, you need sound! Okay for work if they are okay with silliness.) (If they are not okay with silliness, you need to quit your job.)

 

On a more serious note, what great branding work. You think my blogging it and passing forward the video was unintentional?  Very well planned and executed (Saturday Night Live is not a bad place to start a viral marketing campaign.) All I have to say is, after some serious disappointments with the viral marketing videos recently, this one makes up for it and also gives me hope there are still some creative agencies out there that ‘get it.’ 

Thank you, Nicky, for sharing this with me.

]]>my kind of social networkinghttp://grenadefishing.com/marketing/my-kind-of-social-networking2.htmlk.2006-08-24T02:20:04Z ThisNext.com is a new social network site that allows you to recommend products, create a personalized list, tag them, trackback to your blog, get recommendations from others and even shopcast what you like. Not shabby. It’s kinda like a merchandising version of Reddit, but with more web functionality. Of course I already added a few favorites. My products would be under, guess what? GrenadeFishing.

See examples of my list Me Like, Me Want, Me Have on ThisNext. While you’re there, rank me, will ya?

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