happykatie :: katie rocks out the interwebs

Mom 2.0 Summit case studies - big, small, NPO and in between

A look at some case studies from Mom 2.0 Summit marketers and small business owners:

Quaker Oats - Social Responsibility (Candace and Danielle)
Starting to recognize the power and influence of all the people in this room as far as brand reputation.  60% of consumers, during a recession, say they will stay true to a brand if it's for a good cause.

Wanted to develop a campaign that was able to market WITH moms, not just to them.  25 Bloggers - 25 Days // Taking silly photos of themselves with the Quaker guy.

11 parties simultaneously for Inauguration Parties - completely bi-partisan.  Donated 2 cases of oatmeal to food bank of choice for each  - all above and beyond a million oats donation on Facebook.  Traditional media was quick to pick it up - Karen (Chookooloonks) had 5 media outlets at her house to cover the story in Houston.

Twitter profile - Quaker Talk (250 followers in one month) // almost 300 photos uploaded on Flickr // 1000 followers on Facebook.  Was such a unique moment in time (inauguration), so it was pulled together quickly to leverage the hope and optimism at that time.

UStreamed some of the parties - live chatting and video, discussing the progress of the inauguration, etc.  A first for Edelman and Quaker Oats - highly successful (and fun).

Opmom (Carrie Pacini)
Partnered with Sony and Young and the Restless -- focused marketing efforts internally by adjusting modules of site to feature a promotion centering around a favorite application of OpMom:  sharing recipes.

The group only selects themes that are engaging to their members - daily change-ups with questions, regular contests (like trips to Paris), regular requests for information.

YouData (Trae Nicholson)
MeFiles help connect advertisers waste money by sending out messages to people that are not interested or engaged.  Have hooked up with companies like SoapNuts - a company with about 10 different target customers (quilters, septic tank owners, etc. - very varied!!).

They love YouData because they are respectful in the way they reach the audience.  Only very targeted viewers even get to see their advertisements - not into doing multi-level marketing, want a more friendly approach to connect with people they really care about.

Susan Rafte of Pink Ribbons reaps the benefits of YouData for her NPO, as sites partner up with their organization to donate portions of their ad revenue (and encourage users to do the same) to them.  While folks may not get rich watching YouData videos/ads, sending those dollars to an NPO can do a world of difference.

Mom 2.0 Summit starts today - and so does the Laptop Mama coloring contest!

Calling all Internet-loving mothers and marketers - the Mom 2.0 Summit starts today featuring an enormous variety of super duper lady Bloggers and a few dudes (including Ed Schipul and Guy Kawasaki).

I'll be speaking this evening, but as my table chats last only a few minutes you might blink and miss me - so here is a 'She's Crafty' page outlining some of my favorite spots for inspiration, how-to help and links to help monetize your crafting obsession.

I am also running a 'Laptop Mama' coloring contest for Mom 2.0 Summit attendees and YOU!!  Download your favorite Mama Online coloring sheet (created by the AMAZINGLY talented Illustration Dan, he's so rad).  You have 2 choices:  NAUGHTY or nice.  Choose wisely.  Or don't choose at all - you can color both and submit, I'm not a coloring page nazi here.  Visit the www.happykatie.com/shescrafty page for further details.

Word to yo' mama!

Peeps on the go - Mobile Web made easy for Public Relations geeks

 

Are you a Crackberry addict or an iPhone junkie?  Or are you just plain confused watching people walk around with headset in ear and cell phone in hand 24/7?  Perhaps I can help :)

I am speaking on Mobile Web for PR pros at PRSA Houston's PR Day tomorrow (my first PR Day speaking gig ever!!) and will be leading 2 30-minute table talks about the basics of Mobile Web.

So what the heck does that mean?  Basically, it means that soooo many people on a global level have access to cell phones than computers (over 2.7 Billion cell phones out there vs. under 1 Billion personal computers) that savvy PR gurus have to change with the times and communicate with their Web visitors where they actually are.

The Mobile Web = Mobile people (not the hottest new handheld or the latest iPhone).  People are on the go - whether they are customers, friends or family - and have easier access to the Internet through their cell phones than ever.

I have included my general 'what to know about Mobile Web' outline after the jump -- or you can open up this PDF as well for easier printing.  If you're attending tomorrow, you'll also get to hear Ed Schipul speak in the first breakout session on Strategic PR with Social Media!  DOUBLE WHAMMY!!  :)

Pssssst....  Looking for the Wii Giveaway post?  Click here!

 

Image thanks to Flickr user IamSam!

Blogging for Business - Sweeter than cupcakes?

Blogging for Business - Sweet for all sizes

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: business small)

This is a recent presentation I did for an Internet Marketing for Small Business class at the UHSBDC last week.  It's always a challenge to know exactly what a varied audience is looking for when discussing Blogging for Business 101, so this presentation gave a wide overview of companies making a success of it in different ways and the tools they use to get there.

This particular presentation has a few general points on defining a Blog's success (the message primarily being that you need to be creative, pro-active and diligent in finding a definition of success and measuring it - lots of pre-launch evaluation action):

• What are you specifically telling your visitors to do?
  • Eyeball those driven hits to specific areas of your Blog, your services/products page, a special landing page on your main Web site, etc.
• Action in your comments area
  • Try www.intensedebate.com for a more social approach to commenting
• Are you getting talked about, linked to or visited by Influencers?
  • Prolific Bloggers vs. Influential Bloggers - use Technorati or IceRocket rankings to determine who is who influence-wise (you want Influential btw)
• Pick your reader's brains with polls (like www.polldaddy.com)
• Get people signing up for your newsletter (www.mailchimp.com)
• Raise funds (www.chipin.com) and track your campaign goals

Not a comprehensive list, of course - but a basic starting-out kind of thing.  I look forward to running classes where the Social Media training is more hands one versus example-driven and theoretical.  Fun to really get your hands dirty, whether with clients or passionate marketers diving into the Social Media world.

Swash me silly - Tide says 'no more laundry day'

So here's an interesting twist on the ordinarily rather boring laundry detergent industry - instead of making laundry day sexy to college students everywhere, Tide is telling them to forgo it all together!  The company has launched a chain of stores called Swash to help encourage the 're-wear' lifestyle:

Swash is offering students dryer sheets, dewrinkling spray, stain-removing pens, odor-removing sprays and lint rollers that can help give their clothes the look and smell of having been washed without the trouble or expense of actual washing. In the process, the brand's helping eliminate the one domestic chore most college students do.

Going one step beyond that, Swash is also holding a Rewear-a-thon encouraging participants to take photos of their re-worn outfits each day they wear them - with daily awards of $50 to lucky crusty jean wearers.

Definitely an interesting campaign, especially when green living is such a hot marketing ploy right now.  So do we call Swashitout the ultimate green wash campaign (har har)?

Words you find on the things you buy

Chocolove
Originally uploaded by cknlomein

Packaging matters to me.  A lot. 

Unique touches and good design sway me greatly in my purchasing choices - I will be far more likely to spend a little more cash if a product is thoughtfully constructed.  Yes, I'm a sucker like that.

Here are 2 swell examples of unexpected packaging that made me sublimely happy this week:

~  A silk black strappy tank top from Talla (a birthday present from my mom :) ) had a nice size-card attached to it by a white silk cord that told me this:

'May you have enough happiness
to make you sweet, enough trials
to make you strong, enough sorrow
to keep you human and enough hope
to make you happy.'

~  A dark, dark Chocolove bar flavored with hot chilies and sweet cherries was housed in a wrapper that brought us the voice of Oscar Wilde, quoting his poem In the Gold Room:  a Harmony - full excerpt after the jump:

Her ivory hands on the ivory keys
Strayed in a fitful fantasy.
Like the silver gleam when the poplar trees
Rustle their pale leaves listlessly,
Or the drifting foam of a restless sea
When the waves show their teeth in the flying breeze...

I like it when my purchases speak to me, thank me, befriend me and joke with me.  That's why I'm also a huge MOO cards fan, Threadless lover and Jones Soda junkie.  Those brands love me; they tell me so regularly and that makes me want to give them part of my paycheck :)  There's a reason they call them Lovemarks!

Meet Heliomag - my favorite corporate Blog

So you've probably noticed that I'm a pretty big Helio fan these days.  My Helio Ocean is great, my customer service experience with them has been fantastic and now I'm hooked on their blog:  Heliomag.

Talk about a company doing that Social Media hat dance right - Heliomag is actually a place that real people like to visit and doesn't try to bore me to death with thinly veiled corporate policy blahblah and other ridiculousness.

Heliomag gives you cool interviews, sweet art exhibit and creative news, tips and tricks for your Helio,  music reviews and oh yes -- a link to the DVORAK zine. dOOd.  In short, their company Blog is a universally interesting place that offers regularly updated unique content, which in turn makes Helio look cool and informed, which in turn makes me - the consumer - feel cool and smart for giving them my money.

I like feeling cool and smart - how about you?

happykatie on Dublin radio - check it out 4/13 9am CST

If you're sitting in front of a computer tomorrow morning at 9am CST, be sure to tune into NewsTalk, Ireland's Talk Radio station.  Radio personality Sean Moncrieff will be interviewing me on Googling your dates and other fun stuff.

Using Google for 'people research' interview with Dublin radio host Sean Moncrieff
Katie Laird
Schipul - The Web Marketing Company
Fri 13-Apr-07 9:00 AM to Fri 13-Apr-07 9:30 AM

You can listen online with the Live WebCast here.

Note to self - Viral video can sometimes make you look like an a**

An interesting example of popular viral video gone bad - TDA Advertising creative director lectured at a Colorado college and was filmed smashing a student's ringing cell phone.  The video received around 3 million views and was covered on many heaving hitting MSM networks and blogs alike.

A year later (via AdRants):

Bummed-out TDA creative director Schoenberg admits the viral was staged, though this fact is eclipsed by the more popular sentiment that he's simply pure evil. "The point was to show my students, and our clients, the power of 'disruptive' communication, and that it's clearly done," he explains. "However, there are now millions of people out there who think I'm a dick. That's a big increase."

What is particular sad/funny about this is that TDA never received a single hit on their site from any of those 3 million viewers.  Just a bunch of bad mouthing and negative karma.

Let's take a quick look at what lessons we can learn from this:

1. Hello?!?  Branding?!? - If you're going to make yourself look 'pure evil' at least get your company name/logo/link somewhere to attract angry lynchmob hits.  Maybe a few of those torch bearing villagers will swoon and be swayed by your client portfolio or something...
   
2. Be smart - Think your viral video premise (and potential reactions/repurcussions) all the way through.  Is this how you want your organization represented for years to come?   The public's collective memory is annoyingly long about these things and reputations take ages to repair.
   
3. Don't be a faker - Let's face it - staged videos are a little lame, especially once they're outed.  Give us something authentic and thought provoking.  Want to go with disruptive?  Okay then... at least make it believable.

Leaving a mark on your brand junkies

Some brands are like crack.  When you're not using or buying, you're talking incessantly about it, looking for a dealer or... uhm, blogging about it at 4am.

Companies spend millions of dollars creating powerful emotional connections and experiences with their customers.  This emotional connection is solid gold, as many consumers emote with their wallets.  The economics of emotion is intense.

This is all really fascinating stuff if you're interested in branding and badging a company you love.   Saatchi & Saatchi's Lovemarks has an amazing site dedicated to the exploring the 'Future Beyond Brands' and invites consumers to submit, comment and vote on Lovemark brands in all their feel-goody glory.  They featured one of my Lovemark submissions a couple of weeks ago about Gmail (see graphic above)... which I feel pretty strongly about because I'm geeky like that. 

What brands make you flail with glee, widen your eyes with ecstatic intensity and feel warm fuzzies?  My personal Lovemarks:

• Lomos
• Moleskine
• Nutella
• Google
• Apple
• Vespa
• Mimobots
• Ikea
• Target
• Converse (before Nike bought them...)