Yaffe Tidbits

Ad of the Week: MasterCard "Pickle Jar"

It's one of the most successful, longest-running, most-parodied ad campaigns of our time: MasterCard's Priceless campaign. In recent offerings it's been kind of hit or miss. Sometimes they try and put too much into the ad or make it do something that takes away from the simplicity of the premise. But in their latest ad, "Pickle Jar" MasterCard has come back to the true roots of the campaign.

The commercial a very simple premise with a simple visual, a man trying to open a jar of pickles. The announcer keeps talking about different month's gym membership fees while he tries in vain to open it.And then the kicker comes that is not only "priceless" but hearkens back to the simple humor of the best spots in the campaign. It takes a great twist on what you think is going on to what the real message is. I'm sure most of you have seen it by now, but in case you haven't I won't spoil it.

I couldn't find the spot in an insertable format yet, but here's the link to watch it. Nice job, MasterCard. Enjoy.

Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email at fans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.

Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director

How Technology & New Media Helped Haiti. What It Means To Marketers

We all witnessed an interesting phenomenon last week.  The U.S. rallied it’s political strength, emotional celebrity clout and its spirit of giving to raise close to 54 million dollars for Haiti.  In one week the U.S. orchestrated this massive relief effort: raising funds, getting water, food and supplies, medical doctor expertise including surgical theaters and expediting delivery of orphaned children who were mid-process of the adoption process.  

Our participation in the Haiti disaster over the last week was truly remarkable.  The U.S. television media organized multi-channel interactive access in presenting the real time situation, the pleas for help, the organizations where money should be sent and summarized how the money would be used, in graphic detail. Through the on-going media exposure using the most heart felt, engaging reportage, a stabilizing effort of relief and medical care was brought about out of complete chaos and disaster. We were even able to witness how the aid was beginning to repair the overwhelming damage.

But it wasn't just about mass media. The organization of new media channels for reaching out to each and every U.S. household with compassion and dignity brought the disaster vividly into all of our lives in a whole new way. Social media and the Internet have personalized the involvement among all of us.  By connecting through these online channels, all of us could feel we were personally a part of the relief efforts and the aid given. Even children and young teens were establishing organized efforts for relief. 

 This event crystallized in my mind the future role of the United States in a global community. Utilizing our creativity, intellect and technological reach, as a nation we have the capacity to lift third world communities into self-managing democracies by empowering individuals with the tools for on-going sustenance. 

Whatever one has to say about the all-encompassing and imposing nature of technology and media in our lives, we clearly saw how we can use our creative assets to further the benefit of global mankind. Technology allows for distribution of wealth in the most specific one-on-one terms.The scope of audience privy to the information is so vast because of technology, the burden in no longer on a select few. 

As marketers, it is our responsibility to harness this power in the most effective ways for building brands and making a difference. Cause related marketing is such a powerful magnet with the appropriate strategic partners. It takes creativity, imagination, intelligence and humanity. It can only serve to make all of us look good and feel better - about ourselves and about the companies we do business with.

Guest blog by Joanie Abraham, Partner at Style Branding.

Ad of the Week: Coke Viral Video: "Happiness Machine"

This week we're sending a little love out for a video Coke produced for the web, called "Happiness Machine." It features a "special" Coke machine they set up in a New York college campus that interacts with the student body by giving out extra Cokes, Pizza, a 6 ft. sub, by handing out flowers, making balloon animals, going off with bells and whistles like a Vegas slot machine and other things.

Hidden cameras catch the students reactions - which are the best part of the video. They really get into it, cheering, sharing the free Cokes and food, hugging and thanking the machine. It's a very simple concept that is well done and fun to watch. At this posting they already have nearly 708,000 views on YouTube in their first 8 days since posting.

Coke's Viral Video: "Happiness Machine"

According to an article in Marketing Daily, this is the first video they've done strictly for the web with no TV exposure and first Coke video to go viral globally. The video ends with a line "Share the happiness, share the video" and "Where will happiness strike next?" - which leads you to believe that they may set up other machines and shoot other videos in more locations. The Marketing Daily article said that Coke hopes this video is successful enough that they shoot many, many more. So far, they're off to a good start.

Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email at fans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.

Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director

Here's One Way to Find a Social Media Marketing Expert.

There are a lot of self-proclaimed experts and gurus out there,claiming to be able to help you navigate the web 2.0 world. Social media's been around for awhile, but the concept of companies using social media as part of their marketing mix is one that's just now really starting to take off. Most companies, especially small to mid-sized ones, don't know how to use it and are looking for experts. But how can you tell if the expert you're talking to truly knows what he or she is talking about. Are they able to practice what they preach? Finding out who really knows their stuff and is capable of creating measurable ROI was the idea behind Blog Off II - a contest that pitted bloggers against each other for 12 days in December. created by Andrew Ballenthin and the Community Marketing Blog.

I had the pleasure of being on the panel of judges who formed an international"Dream Team" of social media and digital marketing practitioners for the contest. We had 28 contestants from the U.S., Canada, England, Italy, India and the Netherlands who wrote over 110 blog posts. This created over 27,700 page views and generated over 1,260 comments. Those are good, hard number, and pretty amazing for a 12 day period. The entrants were judged on these numbers and then we (the judges) looked at qualitative characteristics such as writing quality, how well they engaged in conversation with their audience and other similar issues.  The top 3 winners split $45,000 in prizes, including a new logo and branding package designed by The Yaffe Group.

In order to do well, Blog Off II contestants needed to use all their social marketing skills to drive traffic to their posts. They needed to write good content about things people wanted to know more about. They had to engage them to get them to come to the blog and then engage them further in an on-going conversation once they got there. In the end, the winners were those who had already created a strong enough social network that they could tap into it and drive traffic. They were also those who had the strongest personal brand, so people were interested in what they had to say and trusted them enough to engage with them. In return, each blogger's social network was expanded by the contest and blog readership. And their personal brands were enhanced by being a part of it. That's the kind of results you want for your company's brand. It's also the qualities you want in a social media expert/guru.

Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to be a part of something like this that proves they truly understand how to use social media and leverage their own personal brand for marketing purposes. However, you can look at who excelled in this contest and watch for the upcoming Blog Off III. You can also look at the dream team and the community marketing blog team. Each of us has our own twist to offer and, since we've all built communities of our own, can likely direct you to someone who's the perfect fit for your needs, even if we're not.

The most important thing you can do when looking for someone to guide your company through the new social marketing landscape is to take the same care you would if searching for a new marketing firm, PR company, HR resource, employee trainer or any other professional service. Because, social media has parts of all those functions rolled into one and you need to make sure the person or firm you hire doesn't just talk a good game, they play it well, too.

Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director/Social Media Director

Ad of the Week: Jack In The Box - Mini Sirlion Burgers

Okay, we admit it. This ad is just ridiculous, silly and makes us grin. It could be the chipmunks-like background singers or the tiny cow staring a prairie dog in the eye, but this ad from Jack In The Box just but smile. Good production values and the kind of quirky humor Jack In The Box is known for.

Jack In The Box "Mini Sirlion Burgers"

They did a follow up one with mini buffalo ranch chicken sandwich that wasn't nearly as good, although still good fun. Enjoy.

Jack In The Box "Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich"

Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email at fans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.

Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director

5 Ways to Improve Your Business on a Micro-budget

If you’re an entrepreneur or smaller business looking to get more business on a small to miniscule budget, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that with all the free and low cost tools available in the digital and social media world, you can be quite effective without spending a lot of money. The bad news? To make it work, you do need to invest a lot of time sprinkled with inspiration and innovation. Having a personality helps, too.

More good news: many individuals and companies are finding a lot of productive leads and connections through these channels. More bad news: it’s not a quick fix. It’s something you need to commit to and keep at. That doesn’t mean it will take you a year or two to see any results. But, it does mean you can’t just post a brilliant blog or open a Twitter account and expect the new business to start flooding through your doors.

Here’s 5 ways you can start improving your business without seriously hurting your bottom line:

1. Connect, connect, connect.

Use all the social networking tools available to you. Social networking is a great way to connect with people who may need your product or services. Just make sure you don’t start by broadcasting how great you are or trying to sell something. It’s like a cocktail party. Start with small talk; find out where you have common interests and where you can help them with their needs. It’s a good way to get to know someone you’ve never met before. Once they like and know you, they’ll be much more likely to want to do business with you.

I would suggest starting with LinkedIn if you haven’t gotten into any network. It’s the most business oriented site. Here’s a good post on how one business owner used LinkedIn to get a board of directors seat. From there, it’s a matter of preference and what type of business you’re in. You may want to start a Facebook fan page or personal page next. Or you may find the immediacy of Twitter is more to your liking. Here’s a good post by Lara Galloway on how she uses Twitter as one of her main new business tools.

2. Answer Questions on LinkedIn

One the best features on LinkedIn is the Q&A section. Why? It gives you a chance to meet people out of your network, help them with a problem they have and display your expertise. Just go to the sections where questions are being asked on subjects that fit your business offerings and your area of expertise.

Here’s just one example of how that’s worked for me. I saw a question from a guy writing a book on social media. He was looking for examples of social media success stories. I told him about a campaign we’d done for one of our clients that had worked well. He liked it, we linked together and over the next 6 months had several conversations through LinkedIn messaging. This fall he was looking for judges for a big Blog Off competition his company was having. I volunteered and became part of an international "Dream Team" panel. Besides the publicity of the contest itself, I will be listed in an upcoming book as one of the world’s top social media people, will be talked about on a Blog Talk Radio show that reaches millions and in video shows by one of Europe’s top providers of online content. Not bad for a small business owner in Detroit.

3. Use Blog Talk Radio

This is a free, easy way to create podcasts for your own enterprise. There are two ways you can use Blog Talk Radio to help your business. One is to sign up at blogtalkradio.com and host your own show. This way you can have your own radio talk show. You can invite guests who will speak on subject matters relevant to your audience or you can invite guests who represent companies you want to do business with. Or you can sometimes just speak on subjects you’re knowledgeable about and make those podcasts available to your potential clients. For an example of doing your own show, you can look at the Mom Biz Coach show.

The second, and easier, way to use Blog Talk Radio is to volunteer your expertise to someone who has a show. Our head of Yaffe Direct, Michael Morin, went on the Chuck Talks Business show and had an hour long interview. It went well and, with Chuck’s permission, we downloaded the podcast and posted it on our Yaffe Tidbits site. We then edited a 2-minute teaser of some of the best parts of the interview. We emailed the two minute version to a list of prospects along with a link to the full podcast. Within a few weeks we got several inquiries from potential clients who we never would have gotten to talk to otherwise.

4. Buy a Flip Camcorder

You can get a really nice Flip Camcorder for around $125; I’d also pop for the small tripod that’s about $20-25. The Flip is an extremely easy way to shoot, edit and post videos to your site, blog, Facebook fan page, YouTube channel or wherever you can add video to your online presence. Video is a way to really put a face on your business. You can simply set it up on the tripod, point it at yourself and record a video blog. You can also record and post client testimonials. It’s also small and portable that you can carry it with you when you go to a conference, meeting, seminar, tweetup or wherever. At these events you can ask people’s opinions on whatever issues you’d like to cover for your clients/potential clients. It takes nothing to plug the Flip into your computer and use the included edit system to string together the comments you like and post that video to one of your sites. All this adds to both your content and your credibility.

5. Blog about potential clients

If you have a blog for your business (if you don’t, start one now), you can meet potential clients simply by asking them if you can interview them for an upcoming blog post. It’s a great way to meet and get to know someone in a non-sales environment (important note: don’t try and sell yourself or company during the interview). Who doesn’t like the idea of someone wanting to interview them for their expert opinion? More often than not, you’ll be able to find someone willing to talk about their business for the free publicity for both their company and themselves.

Even if you don’t get an interview, do research on the company and write a blog post about what they’re doing right as a company. Here’s an example of a post I wrote about Biggby Coffee. After creating it, send the post to them. Even if it doesn’t peak their interest in you, they may link the post to their own site or blog. We still get traffic to our blog from companies that have linked to a post about them from many months ago.

There you have it. Five ideas that should get your business some attention without spending an arm and a leg. I’d say good luck, but it really is just a matter of good hard work.

Originally posted on the Mom Biz Coach Blog as a guest post by Mike McClure, Partner, ECD

Ad of the Week: Smirnoff "Gong"

Alcohol advertising in the U.S. is an interesting category. It's the one product you can't show your customer using it in your ads. No guy chugging down a cold beer or woman sipping her martini, So, many advertisers settle for creating metaphors for refreshment and settle for an icy looking bottle in someone's hand.

This week's ad of the week creates that same metaphor but in a very, well... refreshing way. It does the whole refreshment thing. It even uses the overdone snow out of context on a hot day concept. And a party on a rooftop. Yet it still seems fresh. In the ad for Smirnoff Ice called "Gong" the imagery is hip and not your typical fare. Could be the African landscape. Could be the great effects. It's just a cool ad. Take a look and see for yourself.

Smirnoff "Gong" ad

Got a suggestion for Ad of the Week? Leave your comment here, send us an email at fans@yaffe.com, send us a tweet or post on our Facebook page.

Mike McClure, Exec Creative Director

Hey, Technorati! Here I am!

Ever wonder how you can claim your blog on Technorati? It's pretty easy. You go to their site and register yourself. Once you have done that go back to the site and click on your profile name to pull up your account info. You can then add stuff about yourself, upload your photo, create your byline and claim your blog. Make sure you update the personal spaces you filled in before clicking the claim your blog button or you'll have to enter it all over again.

Once you've clicked on the blog claim button, there are fields to fill out for your blog, it's name, url, keywords, a brief description of the blog, etc... Then you submit it and they send you an email The email has a code in it and a link to your appropriate account page. The code is some random letter and number sequence like SG426NCDTDQC or something very similar. They will tell you to post that code into a new blog post like, say... this one. After that you click the button on the account page that says you're ready to be verified and then the magic happens. This involves mostly waiting around for them to get back to you and let you know you're an okay Joe (or Jane).

It's worth it though, because then your blog posts can be found in the Technorati system, where they are discovered, move up in authority, become the basis for your vast new empire and you have the (slight) chance to become a mega digital celeb/guru, make millions and take over the world. Or at least make it easier for your aunt in New Jersey (hi, Aunt Ginny) to find your post about some obscure thing she never really could understand anyway.

Mike McClure, ECD, SMD & New Technorati member

Have You Had Your New Year's Freak Out Yet?

It's a condition people who work in business, especially business owners, are prone to: The New Year's Freak Out. You know, that moment when all the festivities are over and you realize that a lot of things have been piling up on your plate while you enjoyed your holiday. Now they need tending to, because business never really stops. It's kind of a "holy crap!" moment.

I had that moment early the morning of January 2nd. I woke up and was lying in bed thinking about all the stuff I need to accomplish over the next few weeks. I have two big presentations in two weeks, regular work staring me in the face and all the social media for the company, including editor/writer of this blog. Plus, a guest blog I'm working on and some stuff with Blog Off II, an international competition I was a judge for. Anyway, you get the picture. After the Christmas holiday, New Year's and my daughter's birthday (she's a New Year baby, now 19) were over, my business person brain clicked back on. And I had a little freak out moment as my brain started doing complex calculations of work divided by hours avialable to me. How about you, have you had your "freak out" moment yet?

I found that making out lists and spending a few hours putting together a plan of attack eased my mind, or at least lulled it into momentary silence. Spending a little time over the weekend just sorting through some of the smaller stuff and getting it off my plate helped to. 2010 is off and running. I look forward to seeing what it brings. But, I can't sit and watch to see what happens. Because, as it happens, I gotta run! How did you handle your New Year's freak out? Or are you still in vacation mode?

Mike McClure, Partner, ECD & Social Media Guy On The Run