One Unique Vlogger

In the world of content, bloggers are still important providers of information (hi!) but the rise of vloggers cannot be discounted. It makes sense to see more vloggers coming onto the scene given our shorter attention spans and preferences to watching over reading. What intrigues me is the way toy manufacturers have pounced on this medium – and smartly so.

There are vloggers for just about every subject matter: food, video games, lumberjacks and more. In addition to being a great creative outlet, #YouTubeMoney is also a big influence behind the increase of vloggers. The following video does a great job of explaining the confusion about the amount of money YouTubers can make. You can watch the full video here but I really want you to drink in these stats about a particular vlogger that’s popular in my home:


There are a lot of highly-viewed YouTubers with which I am totally unfamiliar but thanks to my son, I’ve been aware of the Ryan ToysReview channel since his channel was created in March of 2015. As a matter of fact, I believe my son is responsible for 25% of those views mentioned in the video above!

Graham has been keeping @RyanToysReview in business for a long time now! He's probably the source of about 25% of all of those channel views!

A photo posted by Nick Baggett (@nick_baggett) on Oct 27, 2016 at 7:09pm PDT

Here’s the gist: Ryan’s videos aren’t really product reviews. They’re really just videos of him playing with all kinds of great toys. The footage is presented along with cheerful music and respectable (but not flashy) video effects that appeal to children. I’ve always gotten the sense that this channel grew from videos of Ryan enjoying his toys, recorded by his mom as all moms do. Once the number of views started piling up, Ryan’s mom upped her editing skills.

How Toy Manufacturers Come Into Play

If you haven’t taken a trip to Toys”R”Us lately, let me tell you that the toys featured in Ryan’s videos are EXPENSIVE. It’s not likely or feasible that all of these toys are purchased. I imagine that toy manufacturers are taking note of Ryan’s high number of video views and identifying his YouTube channel as an additional marketing avenue. With this in mind, they supply complimentary toys to be featured in his videos. Ryan probably gets to keep the toys, his mom gets #YouTubeMoney and the manufacturer’s products are seen by children from around the world.

In order to continue receiving free toys to review, it would make sense for Ryan’s mom to boost the number of channel views as much as possible, right? That’s why I think it’s even more interesting to take a look at how Ryan’s channel is promoted. Look in the description of Ryan’s latest video and you’ll find a long list of links to his other videos. Not his Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Branding be damned, that’s a smart way to add quick views.

More evidence that Ryan’s video views take precedence over branding:

• The weird phrasing of his YouTube channel’s name. Be sure to note that it is Ryan ToysReview and not Ryan’s Toy Reviews. When researching Ryan’s channel for this post, my instincts steered me to input the latter into my search query. Ryan’s website URL (which features the same weird phrasing) isn’t the first listing on results page - - his videos receive top ranking. That’s either a convenient coincidence or a very cunning approach to the Google search algorithm. (Also, at the time of this post, the website URL redirects to the YouTube channel's URL.)
• His Twitter Feed. Each tweet is just a link to the latest video on the YouTube channel. The Twitter account seems to serve no other purpose. 

OOZING PUMPKIN Halloween Fun and Easy Science Experiments For Kids to do at Home Elephant Toothpaste https://t.co/scAZpwXVFk

— Ryan ToysReview (@RyanToysReview) October 26, 2016

• His Instagram Feed. Only one photo that’s almost a year old. 
• His Facebook Feed. Very sporadic links to videos with little-to-no responses to the numerous comments each post garners. 

Ryan is unique vlogger in that his video views soar to new heights without much promotion from other social media channels. Such support may not be needed since his primary audience does not use social media. 

Ryan’s videos inform viewers like my son about the latest toy trends. Because of Ryan and his “reviews”, my son has knowledge of toys without ever seeing said toys in a store or TV commercial. Toy manufacturers know this all too well - - and so do vloggers. I am impressed with the way the two sides work hand-in-hand, knowing their success depends on each other.

As impressed as I am with the manufacturer/vlogger relationship, I’m equally disappointed for Ryan on special days. Can you imagine how much of a letdown his birthday and Christmas must be if he gets to play with new toys almost every other day of the year?

Thank you for reading!

Random Post Time

The 6-month (!!!) span between this post and my last entry correlates with a lot of activity on the home front and at work. I've also struggled finding topics to cover. I've always tried to center on advertising techniques that I find interesting or tactics that I want to learn more about. The point of this post is to bust the atrophy off my writing muscles. I'll do that by touching on a few topics that I've considered covering on this blog. Maybe I'll expound on these topics in their own posts. This post, however, scores off the Randometer charts. Sorta like this Bitmoji.

(Some friends at work introduced me to Bitmojis, which may or may not have contributed to that 6-month span.)

Sports Cards and Marketing

Growing up, baseball card collecting was a huge hobby of mine. I spent hours reading the stats on the back of cards and looking over every last detail of the photos on the front of the cards. It's hard to imagine getting so much enjoyment out of pieces of cardboard. The internet was not a thing yet so all that I learned about the hobby came from interacting with my friends. I was recently served the following ad while killing time on YouTube.



Sports cards have changed and so have the marketing efforts of card companies.

Instagram Frustration

I want to keep my Instagram profile public so I can continue embedding posts from my account. Unfortunately, some very questionable accounts have declared open season on my profile. Anyone can follow my public profile without requesting permission and boy do I attract some weirdos. I'm certain these are not actual people - they're obviously phony profiles. Each one has zero posts and zero followers but are following several hundred accounts.

I'm blocking most of these followers but if you know of a way I can fend off these weirdos while keeping my profile public, please leave me a tip in the comments!

NIKE Golf

So NIKE just announced that they will no longer manufacture golf clubs, balls or bags. They will continue to make golf shoes and apparel.

I think a lot of people share my stance on NIKE's equipment. I don't think the lack of equipment will hinder the success of their shoes and apparel. I've been a fan of both and have never owned a NIKE club.

Yep. Played on the Farm Links greens today!

A photo posted by Nick Baggett (@nick_baggett) on Aug 12, 2014 at 3:23pm PDT

Jim Varney

I was flipping TV channels the other day and came across the description for the 1993 Beverly Hillbillies movie, in which Jim Varney played the lead role. I never realized that he starred in any movies other than his "Earnest" films. Where a lot of people remember him for his movie roles, I remember Varney more for his 1980s television commercials. I've written before about the risks of celebrity endorsements and the safety of character endorsements. Reading up on Varney, I learned that he was a central part in a unique marketing strategy that enabled him to gain acting work across the country because he was not (yet) a nationally-recognized figure. This interview touches on that concept:



This approach allowed the commercial directors to use the same story frame for multiple ads and products.

For example, here's a local ad for Doubles Pizza.



And here's the same type of ad for Mello Yello.



Wonder why Vern was always on his roof?? And will we see a return to this kind of simple character endorsements?

OK, told you this post was going to be chopped full of randomness. I hope to return to consistent posting now!

Great Uses of Social Media By Late-Night Shows

These days, it’s not enough for a popular TV show to be entertaining while episodes are actually airing. Nope – that entertainment has to endure between episodes. I recently wrote about the creative ways certain shows are relying on Twitter to stay top-of-mind. Now I want to take a closer look at the social media tactics used by a specific type of programming: Late-Night shows.

Before diving in, let me clarify that the following examples of excellent social media usage aren’t intended to shine a spotlight on the show hosts. Even though some of them are great follows on a personal level, this post highlights the unique social media maneuvers performed for the betterment of the actual show. Let’s begin with a host that built his Late-Night credibility one social media post at a time.

JIMMY FALLON | Hashtags and Games

Fallon gets it. He’s perfected the craft of using social media to interact with fans off-air. He invites his Twitter followers to play along in creative hashtag games that range from sharing weird personal stories to creating funny alternative lyrics to popular songs.

Hashtag game! Tweet out the worst gift you or someone you know ever gave or received and tag with #WorstGiftEver. Could be on our show!

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) December 2, 2015

JIMMY KIMMEL | Halloween and Viral Twerking

Kimmel and his staff know the power of video. Each year, Kimmel fans are invited to participate in an always-funny Halloween stunt. Parents are challenged to film the reactions of their children when told their Halloween candy is all gone. The submissions get better every year!


But that’s not the only YouTube success the Kimmel show has enjoyed. You may remember this viral video…


…that turned out to be staged by Kimmel all along!



JAMES CORDEN | Car Karaoke

Corden took the helm of the Late Late Show in late 2014 and quickly educated American on what his British fans already knew: he’s really into music. That’s easily noticed in his wildly popular Car Karaoke skits, which are smartly posted on the CBS website and the show's Facebook page before it reaches viral proportions on YouTube.

Our #CarpoolKaraoke with One Direction is finally here and totally worth the wait.
Posted by The Late Late Show with James Corden on Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Our decreasing attention spans and endless info cravings are two big factors as to why social media is becoming a required promotional tool in the entertainment industry. For these Late-Night shows, social media provides another access points to fans in a time when the viewing or original airings is not guaranteed. If you know of other examples that you would like to share, send them my way on Twitter. Thanks for reading!


Top Photo {Courtesy}

3 More Social Media Wishes

I was satisfied with my post about my Top-3 social media wishes but since then, I've come up with a few more wishes. Just like my original wishes, these wishes are a little nitpicky but relevant enough to really enhance my experience with these particular social media outlets. Let's get right to it.

Pandora – List the Year! 

I'm not big on music. It doesn't dictate my life as much as it did when I was in high school. However, I do enjoy playing a radio in the background when I'm working on a project at home. Pandora does the trick for me. Hearing some of my favorite songs my own 90's Alternative channel really takes me back to days with fewer responsibilities (yet more angst). Pandora is great about providing details of songs such as the artists, the cover art from the album on which the song originally appeared and even the lyrics to the song. What isn’t provided is the release year of the song – and that sorta bugs me. XM Sirius displays the year of songs currently played by users and my DRV guide lists the release year of movies in the channel description. I always catch myself looking at the screen and searching for the year when Pandora plays a great song. I'm sure they have their reason for excluding the year but this would be a great addition, in my opinion.

(By the way, Pandora is a social media network because it requires a unique, personalized profile and custom channels can be shared with other users. Also, if you're in the Birmingham area and like 90's alternative music too, check out 94.9 The Alt FM. They play a lot of songs from the 90's and 00's with a tolerable amount of late 00's Emo music and today's "HEY" music.)

Google+ - Let the People Hoot! 

I enjoy using Hootsuite to schedule social media posts. It's very flexible and allows me to send messages from all of my social media messages – except Google+. Yes, you can send and schedule messages for your Google+ business page with Hootsuite, but not your personal profile. From what I've determined, this is a Google decision – they won't permit users the ability to manage their personal G+ posts with Hootsuite (or any other social media dashboard, from what I can tell). This is a real head-scratcher. It seems that Google would allow this type of connectivity if it ever wanted Google+ to shake its "ghost town" image. Sure, there are workarounds available through IFTTT but they're too convoluted. I'll just continue to keep my fingers crossed in hope of day when Google throws Hootsuite users a bone. Facebook does…just sayin'. Then again, it may not matter as Google seems to be repositioning Google+ as a business tool, according to this recent

video.


Tumblr & IFTTT – Can't We All Just Get Along? 

I use Tumblr primarily as a place to share content from others. IFTTT helps streamline a lot of "sharing steps" for many of my social media profiles. For a reason I cannot determine, YouTube and Tumblr do not want to connect via IFTTT for me. I've tried several recipes that are built to take the YouTube videos I like and instantly share them on my Tumblr. I've even tried building my own recipe to accomplish this but to no avail. It just…does…not…work. It's the only recipe I have trouble with and, even though it won't cause me to quit YouTube (never!) or Tumblr, my Tumblr experience sure would be a lot cooler if there was more harmony in this relationship.

Share your social media wishes with me in the comments below or with me on Twitter! Who knows? I may add even more wishes soon!

My Top 3 Social Media Wishes

Social media isn't going away - and that's great for individuals seeking entertainment as well as for advertisers seeking proven opportunities to get messages seen by said individuals. Twitter, YouTube and all other social media seem to be continuously refined. I'm not sure if that tweaking is intended to improve user experience or just keep users on their toes (similar to the way graphics on Coke cans are frequently changed).

When it comes to changing social media, I have three tiny wishes that, if granted, would help me enjoy social media even more.

#3 - Resurrect the original GetGlue

After Twitter, GetGlue was one of the first social media apps I added to my phone. In a nutshell, GetGlue allowed users to check in to television shows, songs, movies, video games and books. I am a little wary of interacting online with others but I had no such reservations when it came to sharing reviews and seeking suggestions within GetGlue. Naturally, GetGlue faded at my peak enjoyment level and was purchased by tvtag. It promised to maintain (and improve on) the great features of GetGlue. But that promise was never close to being kept. Eventually, tvtag also bit the dust. I've seen recent reports about another company (Voice of TV) purchasing GetGlue but I'm not holding my breath. I just want the original to come back!

Click here to watch a great review video of the original GetGlue app.

Voice of TV revives #GetGlue @getglue @voiceoftv @TelfieApp http://t.co/1PBNd4JSso pic.twitter.com/yRoO4mzD9K

— VOICE OF TV (@voiceoftv) July 23, 2015

#2 - Adjust my News Feed on the Facebook app

I'm very aware that operator error may be at play here but I can't figure out how to set my News Feed to "Most Recent" in my phone's Facebook app. It seems to default to "Top Stories" which, for me, consists of photos and posts that I've already viewed - days ago. Being able to scroll through my feed in real-time would be much more enjoyable. Please leave any tips that may help in the comments below!

via GIPHY
#1 - A "Back Up" button for Twitter

I get why users are shown the most recent tweet upon opening the Twitter app. After all, Twitter is becoming the go-to news source for a lot of people so the most recent updates need to be shown ASAP. Even though Twitter is the #1 social media outlet in my book, I don't constantly check my timeline. So when I go a few hours between viewings, I feel like I've missed out when someone's tweet from a few seconds ago is the first tweet in my timeline. More often than not, I scroll my timeline back an hour or so just to make sure I haven't missed the beginning of a funny exchange between my favorite athletes or earlier posts about a late-breaking event. Having a button that would automatically back your timeline up an hour would be all kinds of awesome, don't you think?

A button that "rewinds" your Twitter feed an hour would be nice. I like to see what I've missed. #firstworldproblems

— Nick Baggett (@Nick_Baggett) April 24, 2015

{Top Image: Courtesy}

Twitter Cards: Teach Myself

When faced with the task of learning a new skill or technique over the course of my career, I've benefited from lots of training. But I've also had a lot of success in teaching myself - Google search and instructional videos on YouTube have been helpful (and quick) tools used to increase my knowledge.  

Twitter cards have been around for a few years now and for just as long I've been aware that I need to know more about them. I want to learn how I can implement Twitter cards on the sites I manage, including this blog. Learning about Twitter cards is something I want to do on my own so in this post, I'm going share more details about why I want to do this and how I plan to do this. 

WHAT ARE TWITTER CARDS?

We all know that fans and followers respond much more to social media posts that feature images. Twitter cards take that notion to the next level by allowing users to feature media within your tweet. The following text taken from Twitter's blog provides a much better explanation:

With Twitter Cards, you can attach rich photos, videos and media experience to Tweets that drive traffic to your website. Simply add a few lines of HTML to your webpage, and users who Tweet links to your content will have a “Card” added to the Tweet that’s visible to all of their followers.  

The Tweet below shows a Player Card below the 140 characters:

Connect & discover: The Twitter story in 1:40 http://t.co/TRRiDAbkUR

— Twitter Advertising (@TwitterAds) November 8, 2013

HOW WILL I LEARN?

I'll be spending a lot of time reading the previously-mentioned Twitter blog. I've also already done enough Google searches to learn that adding Twitter cards to a Blogger site requires a few extra steps. Unfortunately, I've only one tutorial on YouTube to help with this process but it's such a poor quality that some of the articles I've come across are more helpful. 

I'll study up before I take any action. My early understanding is that there are multiple variations of Twitter cards and each alter the way your tweet displays the extra media. I'll provide an update on my progress in one of my future posts. Feel free to leave any suggestion in the comments!

UPDATE: Read Part II of this series here. Part III can be found here. 

Your Personal Brand is a Self-Portrait

In a way, personal brands are similar to corporate brands. Both require the right tools and appropriate effort to be built the right way in order to have a story told without really telling it.

My post on Jose Canseco's irremediable personal brand is one of my most-read entries. In this post, I want to share my thoughts on a few examples of personal brands I admire plus share details about my go-to tool used for developing my own personal brand.

PERSONAL BRANDS I ADMIRE 

Over the past year, I've come across the work of two unique individuals that has made me want to learn all I could about these people. I think that's the level of interest all personal brands should strive to reach. It's certainly what I want my personal brand to accomplish.

Casey Neistat is a filmmaker that does a masterful job of incorporating his flair and fearlessness into his work. You may know Casey from his viral video that captured the reaction (or lack thereof) of New Yorkers when he tried to steal his own bike. Another showed what happens to cyclists when they obey the law and stay in the bike lane.

Casey has a very active YouTube channel, which features his daily vlog. In addition to being cutting-edge, perfectly edited and so sharing, Casey's vlogs are inspiring. It's difficult for me to admit that a person younger than me is inspiring but...he totally is. We're in a lot of the same spots in life and the following clip shows the same urge that I've been feeling lately.



I'd summarize Casey's personal brand by saying he's all about daring athleticism, passionate creativity and pushing limits while being conscious of his relationships. He's a relentless worker whose many talents contribute to the success of his amazing projects.

#tbt that time @jcrew asked me to make a movie about their Traveler Suit and I wore it surfing. lost a good pair of sunglasses that day

A photo posted by Casey Neistat (@caseyneistat) on Apr 2, 2015 at 10:23am PDT

Anthony Bourdain has become better-known for his television shows than his accomplishments as a chef. Netflix introduced me to Anthony by way of his show, Parts Unknown, and I've read his book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, that kick-started his media career.

In all of his shows, Bourdain comes across as achy and rarely wrong but also lovable. It's not really "my way or the highway" with him but his critiques of odd cuisine do have a hint of "I enjoy this and if you don't, there is no hope for you." Above all else, Bourdain is very knowledgeable about many topics (he's even an accomplished fictional crime novelist).

I am a foodie by no means but Parts Unknown has really enlightened me. The show's visuals and each episode's adventure is clearly influenced by Bourdain.


Bourdain's personal brand features heavy doses of knowledge, culture, experience and attitude. It's perfectly understood why corporate brands (like a Scotch distillery) are now lining up to get his endorsement. Of course, any blessing Bourdain gives to a product will have to be done his way.

Via @BalvenieUS . A taste of what's coming from #RawCraft series .

A video posted by anthonybourdain (@anthonybourdain) on Feb 5, 2015 at 4:55pm PST

MY #1 TOOL

The best personal brands seem to appear as if they fell into place without much direction. But, some effort is required - especially for those of us that don't have a team of publicists at our command.

You already know to establish your presence with various social media profiles and perhaps a website. But it's important to be efficient and make the many branches of your personal brand accessible from a central location. For me, no other tool has helped with this task than my about.me page.

Think of an about.me page as a compact, less-corporate version of a LinkedIn page. Capable of being fully customized, about.me pages can feature beautiful background photos, fonts, colors and other design qualities that make your story stand out. Add "apps" to your page that will link visitors to your social media accounts and then use those apps in an about.me HTML widget on your website or blog (as I've done in the sidebar). If you act fast, you can customize the URL of your about.me page and feature it on your email signature, resume, business cards and other locations that will be sure to attract visitors.

WHAT YOU MAKE IS WHAT YOU SEE

I see personal brands as self-portraits. The work you put into developing your personal brand gives insight into to way you see yourself. I'm not as outspoken as I should be so I've really benefited from digital tools like my about.me page to share my talents, interests and credibility. I felt very vain when originally building my brand but a little vanity is required when telling your story, I guess. Along the way, I've learned new skills that I use in my job as well as improved my ability to tell my story.

Thank you for reading. Feel free to reach out to me - I'd love to answer your questions or learn who's personal brand inspires you


{Top Photo: Courtesy}

Thanks, Captain Obvious

I've mentioned before that when it comes to advertisements directed at me, I can't see the forest for the trees. Most of the time, I'm unable to follow through with an advertiser's desired response because I'd rather focus on trying to answer questions like, “Hey, how’d they do that?”

This happened most recently while I was watching a few episodes of a television series streamed on Hulu Plus. This particular show lasted about 45 minutes and allowed for three or four 1-minute ad breaks per episode. I was very impressed when I noticed the following ads for Hotels.com spread out in succession during the breaks:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

• Obviously, how'd they do that?! These three spots played in the proper order, if you will.
• I like that the Captain acknowledges the low probability of viewers actually paying attention to the spots.
• Searching for the best deals on hotel rooms is something I don't do often. With that in mind, I’m amazed that there's enough competition in the world of hotel booking to warrant this level of advertising.

OTHER TAKEAWAYS

I was happy to hear daylight isn't in any danger, and does not actually need saving.
— Captain Obvious (@CaptainObvious) March 8, 2015

• According to this article from Adweek, the Captain Obvious campaign is fairly new. The videos above were posted to Hotels.com's YouTube channel a few days before this post.
• I’m a little leery of Captain Obvious's Twitter account. It seems odd that a highly desirable Twitter handle the likes of @CapatainObvious would be available for such a new character and account. Perhaps it was purchased? Or maybe the ad agency that created the character smartly claimed the name before Hotels.com came calling?
• Also, for an account that was created in November of 2013 and only follows 10 accounts, the Captain's 94,000+ followers seems awfully high. Perhaps they were purchased?
• Then again, maybe such a skewed following is perfectly explained by Hotel.com’s affiliation with over 240,000 hotels from around the world? Like I said, I’m certainly not up-to-speed on the hotel booking industry.

So thanks, Captain Obvious, for being a new, fictional spokesman on the scene - for all the reasons I mentioned in an earlier post. Where will we find you next??

{Top Photo: Unsplash}

Product Placement in Modern Times

A core purpose of advertising is getting your message where it can be seen and product placement has been a go-to method for many years. While television shows and movies still provide many opportunities for companies to feature their products in action, modern marketers now have even more venues for this technique.

In an earlier post, I discussed a company that makes it possible for new ads to appear in old episodes of your favorite TV shows. Now I want share two recent examples of product placement in social media videos.

I wanted to dive into this topic more when I noticed the following post in my Instagram feed.

You can search our new small video for Canon Company. Search Come and See #canon #comeandsee #ontheroofs #dubai

A video posted by Vadim Makhorov (@makhorov) on Feb 14, 2015 at 9:12am PST

I enjoy videos and photos that depict people doing amazing things that I could would never do. That's what makes Vadim Makhorov a must-follow in my book. Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov are a talented duo of fearless photographers that make up On The Roofs and share incredible photos from hard-to-reach places. Their photography skills have caught the attention of Canon, who hired the pair to showcase their cameras in a smart campaign titled, "Come and See." It's primarily a UK campaign but the website is worth a look.

Dude Perfect has made a name for themselves in the world of trick-shot videos. Their YouTube channel (a must-subscribe) is full of well-made videos, which feature sponsorships and product placements at an increasing rate. Pringles called on the guys of Dude Perfect to promote the Flavor Slam, an accessory that transforms an empty Pringles can into a mini basketball hoop.


Since the Pringles Flavor Slam is only available at Walmart, the giant retailer also gets an appearance in the video.

These types of partnerships are win-wins. Companies get unique exposure for their products and entertainers get to continue their craft. It's great to see such an adaption - can you think of any other examples of product placement in modern times?


{Top Photo: Courtesy}

A Missed Target in the Soda Wars

I'm a bit of a challenge for my fellow advertisers when it comes to casting marketing messages my way by traditional methods. I'm a proud cord-cutter and don't do appointment television so it's almost impossible to catch my attention with TV ads. In the car, I switch stations so fast during commercial breaks that it's almost like an instinct. Forget newspaper and magazine ads too.

My recent post about the relationship between Santa Claus and the Coca-Cola Company made me consider the ways such a huge company (and Coke's competitors) could reach people like me. So I made a quick list of the main ways advertisements reach me in my personal life:

• Web ads based on browser activity.
• Preroll advertisements on YouTube and Hulu Plus.
• Ad breaks on my free Pandora account.
• Sponsored posts on Twitter and Facebook.
• Email subscriptions. 

I'm sure I'm missing a few but the list isn't very long - and these are all channels that are clearly not traditional methods. 

So back to Coke. They cover the globe with advertising and, to keep up, Pepsi does too. Their behemoth brands are instantly recognizable and the Soda Wars require each company to keep pushing. But as I thought more about how these companies reach people like me, I realized that it's been a while since I've seen any type of ad from Coke or Pepsi. I really racked my brain and came up empty. So, starting with a clean slate, I kept track of any exposure I had to these brands for 2 weeks. Here are the results:

First, Coke:

• I went to a movie in a theater that serves Coke products. After an seemingly endless run of ads, trivia and etiquette reminders, a Coke ad appeared just before the movie began. You know the one - ice cubes fall from the top of the frame, clinking along until they fill up the entire screen. Audio of a beverage being opened follows this image, which is then covered by a poured soda. 
• I happen to follow Coke on Tumblr, which I forgot because their posts get lost in the mix. But, a few weeks after the movie theater ad, I scrolled past the Coke Tumblr in my feed and a bright, red image that featured the white silhouette of the Coke logo definitely caught my eye.

That's all! Two instances in two weeks! 

Pepsi didn't perform much better:

• I spend a lot of time watching videos on YouTube and lately I've come to really appreciate the perspective given by drone videos. During my 2-week experiment, I happened to come across this video that featured drone footage of New York City's five boroughs. Here's a screen cap of something in that video that stood out: 

• I also find myself watching a lot of viral videos on YouTube, like this one that featured some cool, slo-mo footage of a room full of mouse traps being set off by ping pong balls. Turns out that this viral hit was made possible by it's sponsor, Pepsi Max. I know...it's not Pepsi, but it's in the family.

That's all for Pepsi. It's a tie. For the most part, I was a missed target during this observation of the Soda Wars. I'm not sure what to make of this. My only conclusion is that I'm not a very "visible" target by traditional means and, because I don't search for or visit the websites of these brands, I don't appear in new media cross hairs either. 

I know I'm not the only person that is exposed to ads exclusively by way of the methods I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Time will tell if big brands make adjustments and the Soda Wars impact my life once again.  

Max Headroom: First Spokesperson I Noticed

The practice of using a spokesperson to promote a service or good isn't new. A spokesperson allows consumers to associate a trusted face with a product. I would think that being a spokesperson for a nationally-sold product is a good (and highly compensated) gig. The time it takes to reach "spokesperson" status varies but make one mistake and that opportunity is gone in a flash.

When I think about my personal awareness of spokespersons, the earliest example that comes to mind is Max Headroom. Maybe it was because he wasn't exactly human. Maybe it was because he was purposely targeting kids like me. No matter the reason, I was amazed by this futuristic promoter of New Coke. The fact that Max was everywhere - TV, magazine covers, games - made him even cooler. Access to information back then wasn't quite like it was today so I gave credit to The Coca-Cola Company for developing such a unique character. It was only until recent years that I learned that Max had a lot going for himself before Coke came calling.

Newsweek - April 1987

BRIEF HISTORY OF MAX HEADROOM

• Max’s first appearance came in a 1985 British TV film titled, Max Headroom: Twenty Minutes into The Future. The character of Max was a hit and he was made part of a British music video show (remember those?) that same year. 
• America caught wind of Max’s popularity and he was given his own show on Cinemax in 1986. The series (titled Max Headroom) was based on the original film. 
• In 1986 and through 1987, Max was tapped to be the face of New Coke as The Coca-Cola Company scrambled to develop a separate campaign that promoted Coca-Cola Classic, which had to be created in response to the negative reception of New Coke. The Coca Cola Company probably couldn't simply scratch New Coke entirely and Max was a great fit. If there’s anything I remember about New Coke, it’s definitely Max's "C-c-c-catch the Wave" slogan.

• Max's popularity peaked in 1987. His likeness was featured on t-shirts, posters, toys - you name it. Even a Max Headroom mask made an appearance in one of the more significant incidences in broadcast television history. A small group of people that had the intelligence and equipment needed to interrupt the signals of Chicago-based WGN did so on November 22, 1987. This recent article from Wired recapped the incident and you can watch the video for yourself on YouTube. It's one of the eeriest videos I've seen on YouTube. The hijack itself was scary as it exposed the vulnerability of broadcast signals at the time. 

I came across most of these facts from Wikipedia. Please check out Max's wiki page and be sure to read over the wealth of information found at Pop History Dig.

LIFE AFTER NEW COKE

New Coke may have been a flop but it opened more doors for Max. He was the subject of another TV show in 1987, this time on a major network - ABC. And get this: Max also was the host of a talk show on Cinemax in which he conducted interviews with celebrities of the day. Unfortunately, the shows weren't popular and big portion of Max's visibility took a hit as The Coca-Cola Company worked to turn New Coke into a fading memory.

My search to find elements of Max Headroom's "work" after 1987 came up empty. The only noticeable example I came across a series of creative ads that aired in 2007 informed viewers in Britain about the upcoming switch to a digital broadcast signal.



MAX'S IMPACT ON SPOKESPERSONS 

Arguments can be made for using characters or real people as your spokesperson. Real people, like Bill Cosby, have a history of letting you down. Sure, the actress may run afoul but we'll never see news reports about the legal troubles of Flo from Progressive.

I realize that you lose heat-of-the-moment recognition when taking a conservative approach to selecting a spokesperson but Max Headroom showed that it's possible to make a lasting impact without the risk of human flaws creating drama for your company.

Insert Better Voice Here

Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutomb, better known as Dikembe Mutombo, rose to fame as a star center for the Georgetown Hoyas and several teams in the National Basketball Association. His professional career spanned nearly two decades before ending in 2009. During this time, Mutombo became known as a stellar defender and shot-blocker.

Originally from Africa, a great deal was always made about Mutombo’s intelligence and his ability to speak English, French and several other languages. I don’t know about his fluency in French but his deep voice and thick accent made his English difficult to take in long doses. And, judging by this recent interview, it still is:


I remember a discussion in a communications class back in college that pertained to athletes endorsing products and services. The following Charles Schwab ad that features Mutombo came up in the discussion:


If you can’t view the video, be sure to click here. It’s priceless.

During the class discussion, I pointed out that Mutombo's voice had been dubbed over. The silence and blank stares from my professor and classmates indicated that they did not believe me - probably because I had never contributed anything useful to any of our previous discussions. Unfortunately, YouTube wasn't around yet and I had no way of proving my claim.

Even though the Schwab ad is still not available on YouTube, I finally found the grainy copy that I posted above. During my search (is it weird that I've searched for several years?), I also came across this article that gives a little background to the voice swap.

Apparently, Mutombo wasn't informed that his voice didn't make the final version of the ad. He first became aware of the decision when he saw the Schwab ad air during the World Series.

Mutombo was quoted in the article as saying, “I was mad. I heard some Nigerian guy talking.”

It’s clear why the change was made and how it was successfully pulled off in 1999. However, it’s interesting to consider if such a move could be made in 2014. Avenues like social media give us inside access to celebrities and athletes all the time - we know a lot about them, especially the sound of their voices. I don’t think advertisers could pull such a fast one on today’s public.

Top photo credit: ESPN

DON'T LOOK DOWN: The real Mad Men of New York Advertising

I'm killing 2 birds with 1 stone with this post. First, I'm sharing a cool video that showcases the skill required of the painters that are responsible for creating outdoor advertisements in NYC.


This post also gives me an opportunity to try out YouTube's share-to-Blogger feature. So far, so good! I had to tweak the HTML code to center the video embed but other than that, I really like this easy way to quickly share a video.

Reason 4,072 why I really like Google!

Octocopter Videos

Marketers are always looking for the next head-turner. The use of octocopters - - from spelunking to package delivery and everything in between - - is way up and golf marketing is always on my radar. That's why I was pleasantly surprised to see a local golf course incorporate the use of a 'copter (or are they drones?) in its latest marketing efforts.

Despite being a challenging course, Eagle Point Golf Club in Birmingham probably isn't as highly regarded as other heavily marketed courses in the area. But Eagle Point has separated itself from the pack when it comes to innovative marketing techniques. I recently came across these videos on Eagle Point's YouTube channel:


They filmed a video for each hole on the course, which takes the act of describing the hole to another level.


If other Birmingham golf courses are using octocopters in their marketing videos, I haven't seen them. But you better believe that other courses will be getting in on this trend very soon. After all, showcasing a bird's eye view of your course's layout in a video looks so much better than any ground level photograph ever did.

Kudos to Eagle Point Golf Club for breaking new ground. I believe we'll start seeing more of this from the big golf equipment manufacturers soon. Callaway Golf, which has a super sharp marketing team, has already begun working octocopters into some of their videos.



UPDATE: Eagle Point Golf Club closed for good in 2016. Unfortunately, their forward-thinking marketing wasn't enough to fend off hungry real estate developers.

Wasted Videos: The Tacoma Ads

I drive a Toyota Tacoma. An old Toyota Tacoma. Although I'm not quite ready to taken on an upgrade, I enjoy perusing the Toyota website and observing the features of the latest Tacomas. The website is very helpful - I've learned a lot about the new models and the lazy person in me is always glad to see that not all of the information is text and copy. No, there are some very well-made videos available for viewing on the site that do a great job of prolonging my visits.

See for yourself:

The thing that amazed me the most about these videos was the fact that I had never seen them before. I watch a lot of YouTube videos and have performed a lot of Google searches for Tacomas but I have never had any of these videos pop up as a pre-roll advertisement. It's puzzling because these videos are quirky and short - the prototypical video to use in a pre-roll spot. These videos/ads haven't appeared during my short, TV-watching stints either.  It's clear that Toyota paid for and received high quality videos. But I'm not so sure why the videos are only used on their website. Each of the videos' descriptions on YouTube features a #TacomaWins hashtag, which would strongly indicate that they're part of a campaign that extends to social media. I'll have to begin following the Toyota or Tacoma social media pages to see if I can spot the videos there. If they're not seen there, it will be difficult to resist questioning if these great videos were wasted. 

Ramco is a Real Company and So Are Their Products

You know about pre-roll videos, right? For consumers, pre-roll videos are the annoying online commercials that play before news clips or music videos. For advertisers, they’re great marketing tools that force numerous impressions on target audiences.

While recently scanning the depths of YouTube for interesting and relevant videos to share on my employer’s social media outlets, the first glorious seconds of the following Ramco sales video pre-rolled one of the videos I selected to watch:

Like most pre-roll videos on YouTube, I had the opportunity to skip this ad after the first five seconds passed. But I couldn't turn away. Here are the thoughts that ran through my mind as I watched this video:

• Yes! A new parody video featuring grainy film from the 90’s!
• Wait…what’s the joke here?
• This is running really long to be a viral video.
• I’m going to give it a few more minutes – this reveal is going to be AWESOME!
• This is totally a trailer for the next Terminator movie.  Arnold Schwarzenegger will be on screen in 3…2…1…
• Hmm…Maybe I should search “Ramco” just to see if this is a real company.

Yup!  Ramco is indeed a real company and they make arguably the finest parts washers in the business. I say ‘arguably’ because I don’t want to unjustly overlook any other parts washer manufacturers that may exist. I didn't know Ramco existed before seeing this video. But if Ramco is flexing this much marketing muscle, I take that as a good indication that the parts washing industry is much bigger than I ever fathomed. Like…it exists.

Let’s not look past this video’s finer features. It’s a well-produced video and it is certainly very informative. But the video quality makes you wonder if Ramco just converted one of their decades-old promotional videos from VHS to a digital format and uploaded it to YouTube. I mean, even the clothing worn by Ramco employees in some of the still shots says “1993 Ramco Company Picnic”.

Knowing that pre-roll videos are tied to cookies and search history (and other elements that a real marketing guru could explain), I wondered why this particular video pre-rolled for me. My only guess is that this video was selected for me because I searched for and viewed a video that featured massive tire-shredding equipment a few days earlier. At the time, I didn’t remember that video and the Ramco video really caught me off guard.

I've poked a lot of fun at the good people at Ramco in this post but I want to close by tipping my hat to their marketing people.  Ramco has all the bases covered: website, Twitter, Facebook,YouTube and even LinkedIn. Ladies and gentlemen, it is your own fault if you find your knowledge of parts washers to be lacking.

Seriously – GREAT JOB RAMCO! Your marketing got my attention for sure!