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Share, don't bare, on Twitter

Posted by Bob Brin on January 23, 2009 at 2:23 PM

Not to beat a dead horse against a brick wall (I always say), but this story about the PR guy who posted comments that were too hasty and nasty is too important of a lesson not to learn something from it. Social networking is just that -- social. What you post is no longer just between friends, it can easily go to friends of friends and can end up in other Twitter sites, blogs, etc. Trashing others is dangerous. If not social suicide, it may be professional suicide. My advice: assume everyone is listening . . . We counsel clients not to stay away, but to remember that its better to stay positive -- connect, compliment, and critique constructively as you would in any social setting. Rants and condescension is so last decade! Enter a social media community as a listener and follow the contacts, reporters and other pundits you need to know. It's a great way to find out who's talking to who(m?) and learn from their open exchange. Then share, don't bare. I'm not saying never speak out or be real. Just remember your opinion reflects on you and those you represent. That age-old advice "You're never off the record" rings even truer.

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Mothers-Who-Blog Misconceptions

Posted by Bob Brin on January 19, 2009 at 8:47 AM

Here's a good read before you approach mothers who blog. Top 10 Misconceptions About Mommy Bloggers says they don't like being lumped into a Mommy Blogger or Mompreneur stereotype. Some don't even like being called mommy bloggers. Note the age-old media quandry: "translate the skills honed and refined through their blogging into lucrative writing, marketing, and product spokesperson gigs" and not be perceived as money-grubbing or be taken advantage of by companies. The comments are as infomative as the blog.

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Best and Worst Brand Names of 2008

Posted by Bob Brin on January 15, 2009 at 2:51 PM

Our good friends, the naming wonks at Pollywog, got a nice article published in the this month's issue of Twin Cities Business Magazine "Best and Worst Brand Names of 2008."

Names like Intel® Dual Socket Extreme Desktop Platform, make me think of our spoof for Jim Beam on the worst that could happen if Wrigley Stadium were re-named.

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Starbucks Coffee: No Longer Their Only Over-Caffeinated Product

Posted by Jason Swartz on January 12, 2009 at 2:02 PM

You know economic times are tough when Starbucks, the same company that charges up to $5.00 for a cup of slightly above average coffee, now charges their customers an additional $3.99 for in-store Wi-Fi access - at least those customers who don't have a Starbucks Rewards card. I feel like this is the beginning of a great social media frenzy, one that I'm anxious to watch play itself out.

I was just on Facebook, and noticed a friend's status that read:

"Starbucks made their biggest mistake charging for wireless. Lost me as a regular, because I now do all client & friend meetings at Panera."

This intrigued me. As far as I knew, Wi-Fi at Starbucks was always free. But according to their Web site, complimentary Wi-Fi is available only when you "register your Starbucks Card and use it at least once a month." So, not only do you have to use your card at least once per month, you also need to go online and register it by creating a Starbucks.com account, which involves the following process:

1.) Create a user name and password
2.) Confirm your password
3.) Provide your first name, last name, home address, zip code, email address and city of birth
4.) Agree to the terms and conditions, even if you don't want to
5.) Enter your card number
6.) Scratch the back of your card to reveal the "pin" number, and then enter that pin number in the required field
7.) Click "Finish"

Once completed, Starbucks rewards you - not with unlimited Wi-Fi access - but with limited usage of two free hours per day. Don't get me wrong, two hours per day sounds like plenty of time to use the Web at a coffee shop. But why the limitation? From a communications perspective, the word "unlimited" is going to resonate much better with your audience - especially in a case like this. And remember, the two free hours of Wi-Fi are only available to those customers who have purchased, used or reloaded their card in the last 30 days.

Now, back to my friend's Facebook status. Note the last part about how they plan to host all their future meetings with friends and clients at Panera. Surely, Panera's process of gaining free Wi-Fi access is similar to Starbucks, right? I'll let you decide. Here's how Panera describes the process of getting free Wi-Fi in their store:

"Yep, it's free. Just sit down, open up your laptop and you're ready to go. Send an email as you munch a warm bagel. Read the news as you sip a latte. It's a nice alternative to the office, isn't it? Please relax, do what you need to do, and enjoy our Wi-Fi. It's free all day long."

Personally, I think Panera should make a move and start advertising their free Wi-Fi to people who own a Starbucks reward card. Bring it in, enjoy some free Web surfing and get some type of discount on Panera's food and/or coffee. By doing this, they would borrow a great idea from another competitor who took advantage of Starbuck's uncanny ability to stay out-of-tune with consumers. The first was Caribou, who began accepting an electronic Starbucks coupon - originally intended for Starbucks' own employees - which leaked to the general public. Rather than accepting the coupon themselves, Starbucks withdrew the offer days after it was sent out, saying that it went beyond its original intent. With their ears perked up in the social media space, Caribou cashed in by accepting the coupon in exchange for a medium-sized drink of their own, driving would-be Starbucks customers into their doors by the Volkswagen SUV-load. Hopefully, Panera is also tuned in and will show us another great example of how a company can use social media to its advantage.

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Wanna buy my Nissan? You're too wimpy...

Posted by Matt Kucharski on January 9, 2009 at 9:21 AM

Received the CraigsList entry below from my friend and Worldcom Group partner Bill Collins at Travers Collins in Buffalo. Not to be a buzz kill, but it's more than just entertaining -- it's great writing. It has an objective, speaks clearly to an audience, uses creativity, tells a story, gets across key points, and it's well-structured. Enjoy and remember it next time you're writing an important item.

Nissan should give this guy a free car for all of the visibility he's gotten them...

Reply to: sale-945361858@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-12-04, 5:15PM MST
OK, let me start off by saying this Xterra is only available for purchase by the manliest of men (or women). My friend, if it was possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this Nissan would look like Tom Selleck. It is just that manly.

It was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you had your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Linens & Things. No, that's what your Prius is for. If that's the kind of car you're looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. I mean it. Just stop.

This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated leather seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or On Star (real men don't even know what the hell On Star is).

No, this brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It has a 265 HP engine to outrun the cops. It's got special blood/gore resistant upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you're operating on yourself. The Xterra also has an automatic transmission so if you're being chased by Libyan terrorists, you'll still be able to shoot your machine gun out the window and drive at the same time. It's saved my bacon more than once.

It has room for you and the four hotties you picked up on the way to the gym to blast your pecs and hammer your glutes. There's a tow hitch to pull your 50 caliber anti-Taliban, self cooling machine gun. I also just put in a new windshield to replace the one that got shot out by The Man.
My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $12,900, but I'll entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $5,000 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphincter-kick with a follow up three fingered eye-jab. Would it hurt? Hell yeah. Let's just say you won't be the prettiest guy at the Coldplay concert anymore.

There's only 69,000 miles on this four-wheeled hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me, it will outlive you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo.

Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it's a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho Chuck Norris stunt double, then contact me. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my ladies, but I'll get back to you. And when I do, we'll talk about a price over a nice glass of Schmidt while we listen to Johnny Cash..

To sweeten the deal a little, I'm throwing in this pair of MC Hammer pants for the man with rippling quads that can't fit into regular pants. Yeah, you heard me. FREE MC Hammer pants.

Rock on.

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