Twitterfied

It seems like the Twitterverse is blowing up- I can barely turn on the TV without the site being mentioned on the Today Show, CNN, Colbert Report, you name it. In Kansas City, it is no different. Many of the local news stations are doing informational segments, and you can find at least one seminar covering Twitter every week.

But, regardless of the buzz, what does Twitter mean to local businesses? I have attended many of these local sessions, because even though I Twitter, I want to hear from all perspectives. I have heard from older women who "don't get it" to young ad professionals who rely on Twitter as their main method of communication.

Turns out, there are a lot of opportunities out there for local businesses and non-profit organizations. But, don't start bombarding your audience with sales and specials. Instead, provide them with unique content that is relevant to your brand, and you will start to gain their trust as an expert- not as someone just out to make a buck.

Right now, it is mostly national companies seeing success, but that means the local market still has a lot of growth potential.

In the end- it goes back to one solid advertising principle- know your audience. For example, many are surprised to find the average age of Twitter is 37, not younger as some expected. And, with all the coverage Twitter is getting nationally, this demographic will continue to change.

Like other forms of social media, Twitter has some basic principles that help aid success. Do a little on-line research before you start out, including monitoring the Twitterverse.

Good luck!

(you can find Cindy at www.twitter.com/auggy)

Rainbow of Flavors Explosion

Everyone the last few days has been in an uproar over the new social media strategy by Skittles. Social Media experts everywhere are wagging their fingers at the brand- telling them they are "doing it all wrong." Instead of encouraging teens to talk about Skittles, they are encouraging "false conversations" about the brand instead. In other words- people are just throwing the word "Skittles" in their tweets just to be noticed, or worse, using the brand name and profanity together.

OK- let's take a breath here. How many teens are just going to talk about Skittles calmly and in a way that is organized and organic? A few, but the overall risk of social media is that you have to be prepared to take the good with the bad. If someone wants to tweet that "Skittles Sucks"- well, maybe they really believe that, and that is the risk of having a Facebook Page, etc.

But, let's face it- people all over are noticing the Skittles campaign. They are blogging about, writing articles about, and analyzing Skittles. When was the last time I wrote about the brand- right- never. I am a measly little media planner and buyer, but still.

They have taken a risk, and it has gotten people talking. And, that, is much more than many brands can say these days.

Obama- Marketing Machine

On this historic day, I thought I would reflect back a little bit on the marketing efforts put forth by Barack Obama. He has been revolutionary in many ways, not the least bit of which is all the new mediums he has dabbled in.

Of course, traditional media has been used a lot, but on top of that, Obama has noted the importance of the youth vote, and therefore, has explored many areas others have not dreamed of. These, partnered up with more main stream targets might be what propels him to victory (it is 3:30pm, so still too early to tell.)

* Twitter- if you follow Obama, you not only got updates on his campaign stops, but you were also notified of his pick of Joe Biden as the Vice-Presidential nominee.
* Email Blasts- practically every day, email blasts were sent out from the Obamas or Bidens, touting milestones and events throughout the campaign.
* Video Games- Obama is the first candidate to run advertising in some popular video games.
* Infomercial- In an last effort to get his message out to the masses, Obama purchased a 30 minute commercial on several networks, drawing in 30+ million viewers.
* Social Groups on Facebook/ MySpace- fans were able to share their love of Obama through various ways, including "flair", etc.
* Banner Ads- targeted demographically and geographically, banner ads ran on many sites across the Internet.

I am sure there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind first. Obama, with his logo, message, advertising campaign, etc. created a brand for himself. This brand has infused a passion into his followers like I have never seen in my lifetime, but one that I hope to see again and again.