VAGINA - Yes, I said it!

About a week ago, I watched a Kotex ad on TV that caught my attention. The commercial features a woman in her 20s describing how she felt about her period, explaining how it made her feel like "dancing" and "twirling in slow motion" in her "white spandex." The ad ends with the tag line, "Why are tampon ads so ridiculous?"

I thought the commercial was really smart and funny, and told myself I should start buying Kotex because they deserve to be rewarded for creating such a great ad. A few days later, to my surprise, I learned that the commercial had spawned a controversy and criticism from TV networks for its frank approach toward a topic that has long been considered taboo.

I don't want to start ranting about censorship or freedom of speech here because that's only going to spur a debate that we know will never be fully resolved. Instead, I want to comment on how, thanks to social media and Web 2.0, consumers are finally able to receive the transparency they deserve with respect to being informed about the products they buy. Whether or not ads ends up being banned from certain TV networks or countries makes no difference now. Thanks to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube, consumers everywhere will always be able to access them in some way, which, of course, is great news for companies! Yet another example of how the web is changing the marketing world.

Mae

Related links:
Kotex website

Conan O'Brien and the Power of Social Media

On March 5, 2010, Conan O'Brien decided to randomly follow someone on Twitter. That day, Sarah Killen's life changed. Once a regular 19-year-old from Michigan with just a handful of followers, she now has almost 30,000 followers (including me! I couldn't help myself!), been on numerous talk-shows, had a handful of interviews, and has raised nearly $2,500 for a breast cancer awareness walk called Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. Now THAT is the power of social media!

Know what I think? I think this is a great example of effective viral marketing. Yes, he made this girl famous--but he also effectively made himself famous (well, more famous). Yes, Sarah is the one getting tons of interviews and new followers, but Conan's scored some interviews and new followers himself (including me! I couldn't help myself!). I'm sure this act didn't hurt his talk show's viewership and ratings either! To sum it up, this simple act resulted in:

• A girl's life being changed for the better (this is debatable of course, but based on a recent interview it seems she is really enjoying her new-found fame)
• Indirectly contributing to a good cause (the whole cancer awareness thing)
• An increase in brand awareness if we treat Conan himself as the "brand" and his show as the "product"

Best of all, the act was incredibly easy and fast to do and cost absolutely nothing! There were no videos involved, no stunts, no tricks, nothing! Just a simple click of a random button! Quick, simple, effective--truly, a shining example of effective viral marketing.

Mae

Related Links
Sarah Killen's Twitter page (might as well follow her :p )
Conan O'Brien's Twitter page
Conan...Demonstrates the Power of Social Media

A Whole New (Social Media) World

I have to be honest--as interesting as my e-Marketing classes have been, I can't say I ever felt same passion my peers do about social media. Yes, I have Facebook and Twitter accounts, but for the most part I only used Twitter for my summer internship and haven't updated it since then. It was only after our midterm last week, when I was "forced" to do a more in-depth exploration of Web 2.0, that I began to truly see what a fascinating world it was!

Since my midterm 2 days ago, I have done the following:
1. Become more invested in this blog - While I only started it because it was a class requirement, I am now thinking of continuing it even after this class ends. I will likely include non-e-Marketing related topics though, since really, there is so much more to my life than that!

2. Reactivated my Twitter account - I think I've posted over 5 new Tweets over the past 2 days, which is quite an accomplishment since that was about the total number of Tweets I had within the past year.

3. Integrated my Facebook and Twitter accounts - I am hoping this will encourage me to Tweet more, since the app I installed only imports Tweets to Facebook, but not vice-versa.

3. Reactivated my DailyBooth account - I joined DailyBooth last summer under my roommate's suggestion. I was an active member for about 3 months until school started, then I moved out of our apartment and forgot about it. Shame--DailyBooth is really fun!

4. Created a Digg account - I've always complained about the lack of things to read online; I was starting to get weary of FMyLife. The same (ex)roommate suggested Digg to me.

5. Discovered Bit.ly - Very useful tool, since Facebook status updates, Twitter, and DailyBooth all have wordcount limits and links tend to be lengthy!

So as you can see, my Web 2.0 journal really has just begun! This is probably the first time I can say a midterm "changed" my life!

Til then,
Mae











(That's my latest DailyBooth addition there!)

FMyLife: The Book

FMyLife.com--I am sure you, or least one of your friends, siblings or stalker ex-boyfriends have heard or even posted on it before. FMyLife is a UGC blog where users submit 300-word stories about unfortunate happenings in their daily lives. FMyLife.com has gained popularity because of its funny and outlandish but ultimately relatable stories.

Here are some excerpts:
Today, I had drunk sex with a girl that I barely know. I didn't have a condom and was nervous about getting her pregnant, but she assured me that I could pull out. Right when I was about to pull out, she wrapped her legs around me and yelled, "Be my baby's daddy!" I couldn't get out in time. FML

Today, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her "Edward". I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy her "Twilight" book. She was talking about a fictional vampire. FML

Given the website's success, it made sense that the creators decided to publish a book. My opinion? Let's start with why I initially thought it was a stupid idea (note initially--bare with me as I explain my change of heart). First, none of the book's content is new, so why sell something that people can get online for free? Second...wait. I couldn't think of a second reason! That's when I realized the FMyLife book can actually provide benefits that the online version can't!

You might think that only site-visitors would buy the book, but I find that the reverse may also be true. For instance, I first saw the book about a 3 months ago in a local bookstore, skimmed through it and actually almost bought it. That is, until my friend knocked some sense into me and said, "Don't be stupid, you can read that online for free!" The funny thing is I had never visited the site at that point despite having heard good reviews on it. Thus, a regular site-visitor was born.

The book contains a selection of the best stories by a certain date, so users don't have to sort through un-funny and obviously-fake ones online to get to good ones. I think one of the best reasons for having a book though, is that it's portable: you can read it in the bathroom, bring it to work or show it to friends. Also, if the creators can profit from it, then why not? The costs are minimal--the content is already written--so they barely have anything to lose.

I thought I'd share my insights on the book because I think it's a great example of what I'd call reverse social media-ism I guess. It's also a reminder of how traditional marketing still works. Many online firms seem to forget this, but just as traditional businesses have started incorporating online techniques, then maybe e-businesses should also start incorporating offline techniques.

That said, wouldn't an FMyLife calender be awesome?

Mae

Related Links:
FMyLife Facebook page
FMyLife: The Book