At The End Of The Day

A Media Catfight

Catfighting can turn ugly. But, you can't help but watch, or even be entertained. Some of this is happening now, thanks to statements from Guy Kawasaki, concerning Twitter, that he made at a Search Engine Strategies conference in New York in March. If you haven't heard of Guy or Twitter, you might stop reading now.

Net of Guy's comments. Does he use ghost tweeters? Yes. Does he use Twitter for marketing? Yes. Are you shocked? Apparently, some people in the media business, including marketers and digital media experts, were.

Some reactions:
He thinks Twitter is a tool. I think Guy is a tool.
Is Guy Kawasaki singlehandedly ruining Twitter?
Guy Kawasaki: Twitter Spammer

You can read more of the saga, with links to the original sources of all of these comments, at the Clix Marketing PPC Blog, run by David Szetela, owner, blogger and Twitterer.

To allow equal time, Szetela interviewed Guy on his PPC Rockstars radio show on WebmasterRadio.FM. If you missed it, as I did, you can read all the Twitter comments at #PPCRockstars. They are astounding, as many for their cattishness as anything else. Samples:

Is this a Guy hanging? This is like knocking batteries off shoulders
Guy picks on SEO experts who can't create content but uses ghostwriters...WTF!
Ask him if spamming twitter users for traffic is a business plan Garage would invest in

And one that sums it up:
WTF is everyone so wound up about? It's a frackin radio show.

Yikes people. Twitter has many uses. One thing I like is how it's infinitely customizable to a user's need. Create the network you like, that's relevant to you. Don't be so naive as to think you won't come across marketing. This isn't Facebook, you know.

Pre-Earth Day Ideas

Our client, HP Hood, has a newsletter with some tips on sustainability. These are good and easy. One is also relevant to tax day (ugh).

1. Change the default margins on your word docs from 1.25" to .75" Save 5% on paper, especially for multi-page docs (also makes it easier to do those "one pagers").

2. E-file and get an e-refund. You use much less paper. Check paper in particular is high quality and uses a lot of resources.

3. Move your refrigerator away from the wall. Air circulation around the coils makes it work more efficiently.

4. Park your car in the shade. Your car is cooler, and fuel doesn't evaporate in the tank as quickly when the tank is cooler.

Bonus Quiz - when was the first Earth Day celebration?

Can Twitter Create Colleagues?

When I do presentations, my toughest audiences are usually my own internal colleagues. They know when I'm saying something important or just giving them the usual. They have very sensitive BS-meters.

Yesterday, I sat through a webinar on using web 2.0 to create loyalty, presented by American Marketing Association and Vovici. Of course, there was a dedicated Twitter feed.

Besides the usual repeats of presentation material, there was also interesting back and forth side comments that colleagues usually keep to themselves. Some of them questions, some were the usual side, and snide, comments, some highlighting good points, and some the BS-meters going off.

I'm finding I like using Twitter feeds to hear the side conversations, as long as they are comments and not just repeats of the presentation. I'd recommend Twitter for that if nothing else.

In A World Where Godfather Quotes Are Copy...

What's with The Godfather quote in the promos for the new Russell Crowe movie, State of Play? Have Godfather quotes become that ubiquitous? The line in the promo is, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." I'm hoping there are some royalties due on that one.

State of Play only joins other movies that quote, liberally or not, from one of the greatest films of all time. Two that come to mind immediately are Ocean's 13 and You've Got Mail. Can you think of others?

The Man Behind the Package

Newsweek has a story in the current issue about Peter Arnell, the man who designed the Tropicana package, and who is currently suffering tremendous angst as he goes about blaming everyone else for this.

To read this story, one sees all of the worst qualities of people in advertising, all rolled into one neat package. I am very happy myself to work in a place where passion is for the work, and for the client's business success, not for the self-promotion.

Also, to read this story, one (at least me) sees writing with little checking, reporting without question (reference the part about the random man on the street who loves the Tropicana package) and the kind of piece that makes one question what purpose the report serves. Not their best work.

Blog Activity

When you're busy, you don't blog as much. I don't Tweet as much either.  Less than once a day now.  I will though, I prommise.

About Face

Remember that crummy package from Tropicana? They pulled it. I wonder how much that cost? Actually, I can make an educated guess, but I wouldn't want to embarass anyone.

Award shows

On the same day as the Oscars, I attended the Interactive Advertising
Bureau conference and saw their sales excellence awards. It made me
think, would someone with no stake in your award care about who wins
or why? If not, think about why you're giving out the award.

Sent from my iPhone Jonathan Hutter Garrand

Don't Taze Me Bro!

The man who invented the Taser gun has died. The obit from the NY Times is here. A fascinating piece of trivia is in the 6th paragraph. Where the name of the device came from. Post your guess if you want, before you look at the answer. I believe you have no chance of guessing correctly.

Complain Complain

Latest is that the TV networks are complaining about the amount of air time New President is taking to bring his economic stimulus package to the masses. According to The Washington Post, one network executive (wisely anonymous) said, "His economic stimulus package apparently does not extend to the TV networks."

The first appearance is tonight, the second next Monday. We here are having to work hard to reschedule client advertising around these pre-emptions. What really bugs me is on 2/24, he's planning a 2-hour address to a joint session of Congress. He better have a really good speech ready to hold an audience for two hours. But that's not what bugs me. 2/24 is a Tuesday. He's pre-empting Idol.