April 2007
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Fans of MTV Movie Awards -- and those who secretly covet the golden bucket of popcorn trophy -- now have a chance to make a play for an award of their own: "Best Movie Spoof" in the User Generated Category. Aspiring spoof-makers can upload their work onto an interactive website, which launched April 23 on Yahoo! Movies. Photos, videos, and commentary from the site will also be featured in the awards show, giving fans extra incentive to contribute and vie for a slice of fame.
After aspiring filmmakers upload their submissions, other visitors to the site can discuss and vote for their favorites. The top five nominees will be flown to the "2007 MTV Movie Awards" in Los Angeles, where they will compete for a spot on the main stage. That an award is being doled out for user-generated content underscores its validity as a medium and gives fans a great way to participate and spread the word.
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On Jan. 1 and 2, 2008, MySpace users will have a chance to weigh in and cast their votes in a presidential e-primary. MySpace partnered with nonpartisan/nonprofit group Declare Yourself, and in March launched a page dedicated to aggregating the 2008 presidential hopefuls' official profiles. The network-wide vote is another step in the "MySpace Impact" effort to drive voter registration and awareness.
According to WOMMA member company comScore Media Metrics, 85% of MySpace's 65 million monthly U.S. visitors are of voting age. Also, according to WOMMA member company Nielsen//NetRatings, MySpace users aged 18 and over are three times more likely to interact online with a public official or candidates, proving MySpace a good forum for spreading awareness about the upcoming election.
Learn more (TechCrunch)
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Part plug for "The Simpsons Movie," part just plain fun, 7-Eleven is reportedly in talks with Fox Home Entertainment regarding a deal that would see nearly a dozen 7-Eleven shops morph into Simpsons-esque Kwik-E-Marts. Complete with products that are sometimes featured on the Simpsons -- including Buzz Cola, KrustyO's Cereal, and Squishees -- the retail spots are likely to be a hit for diehard Simpsons fans, who are already chattering about the proposed project on blogs and message boards.
Whether or not the cool concept and fan buzz will translate into increased sales for 7-Eleven or box office turnout at "The Simpsons Movie" remains to be seen. In the meantime, though, eager fans of the series can finally get their hands on a Squishee.
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Not many food chains would see the arrival of wild animals in their franchise locations as a positive PR opportunity. But when a coyote wandered into a Chicago loop Quiznos location, the company responded quickly. Quiznos issued a press release vowing to "support all two-legged and four-legged guests looking for 'more meat.'" The tongue-in-cheek press release also noted that Quiznos has been looking to "expand its customer base and appeal to different demographics."
In response to the surprise visit from the coyote, who has since been dubbed "Adrian," Quiznos donated $1,000 to the Chicago Animal Care and Control location where Adrian stayed briefly before his release into the Flint Creek Wildlife Refuge. The company also offered Adrian a Prime Rib on Garlic Bread sub as a going away present before his release. Not only was the unique press release picked up by a variety of news sources, it also sparked a ton of positive buzz for the sandwich franchise.
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Nearly 300 pumped attendees headed to New Orleans this Tuesday, April 17 and Wednesday, April 18 for WOMMA's Word of Mouth Basic Training conference. The intensive two-day event included excellent presntations from keynotes Chip Heath, co-author of "Made to Stick," and David Weinberger, renowned blogger and co-author of "The Cluetrain Manifesto," as well as cutting-edge sessions from all the other speakers and panelists. The networking was electric, and Tuesday night's dinner in historic Lafayette Square was the kind of feast attendees have come to expect from WOMMA.
Thanks again to all of our amazing speakers, sponsors, and partners -- without whom this event would not have been possible. You rock!
Check out the WOMBAT blog for a play-by-play recap.
To promote the 2007 Nissan Altima's push-button ignition system, the company is deliberately "losing" 20,000 key rings in bars, concert halls, sporting arenas, and other public places in seven major markets. The key rings sport three keys (a car key and two house keys -- for authenticity's sake) and two tags, one that reads: "If found, please do not return. My Next Generation Nissan Altima has Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, and I no longer need these." The other tag directs the finder to enter a sweepstakes which they can enter either via text message or by visiting www.altimakeys.com.
Nissan is building buzz by giving consumers something they can take with them -- the key ring. More importantly, however, the company is building word of mouth by cleverly addressing a common consumer problem -- the agony of lost keys.
Learn more (BusinessWire)
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The Knot Inc., parent company of social media and wedding resource site TheKnot.com, launched Lilaguide.com last month. The new site is a hub where parents can research, rate, and review baby stores, gear, and services. The site launched with 32,000 listings and more than 120,000 reviews from parents who want to spread the word about the baby care products they love and loathe.
A baby-centric online community seems like the next logical step for a company that cut its teeth on a website that pushed wedding planning into the social media stratosphere. The site's word-of-mouth-infused content exchange is based on the Lilaguide book series, which is a guide that reviews baby goods and services written for parents by parents.
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WOMMA member company DuPont tapped video blogger extraordinaire Amanda Congdon, of Rocketboom fame, to star in a handful of video blogs to promote DuPont products. According to a ClickZ article, DuPont is happy, thus far, with the results of the venture. According to WOMMA Board member Gary Spangler, e-business and project leader for DuPont Electronic and Communication Technologies, Congdon fans who check out the videos tend to watch all of them and are spending an average of 10 minutes doing so.
A benefit of using video blogs is the ease with which the form translates into a viral sensation. Though the videos for DuPont weren't created as "viral videos," Congdon's DuPont endorsements are being passed along via email and copied onto the blogs of enthusiastic viewers.
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Burt's Bees, maker of earth-friendly skin-care products, kicked off its "Burt's Bees Bee-utify Your World Tour" on March 23. The tour, which was developed in conjunction with WOMMA member company Alloy Marketing Promotions, will travel through 15 U.S. cities via an enormous mobile hive, in which consumers can sample Burt's Bees products. The hive team is offering free on-site hand massages and skin-care consultations to those lured by the spectacle of the massive hive -- just one of the WOM-worthy elements of the endeavor.
Those that venture into the hive can also contribute to the company's "What Do You Do for the Environment?" chalkboard, which helps emphasize the company's positive stance on natural products and negative attitude toward animal testing. The 50 best chalkboard entries in each city win a free sapling tree to plant to offset carbon emissions.
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Next week, WOMMA is packing up and heading to the Big Easy for two days of intense word of mouth learning at our annual Word of Mouth Basic Training event. It's taking place this April 17-18, and we're sure we'll see most of you there -- either in the sessions, where some of the best word of mouth case studies and how-to's are going to be presented; at one of the networking breaks, schmoozing up your word of mouth marketing peers; or at the traditional, down home New Orleans-style dinner that we're hosting Tuesday night, where good food and good word of mouth conversation will converge.
For those of you who haven't signed up yet, you've still got a few days left to register. Hurry, though, as spots are going fast.
We hope to see you there!
Register for WOMBAT today!
WOMMA member company Dell has created a site where its customers can offer up both praise and criticism for the company's products. At Ideastorm (www.dellideastorm.com), users can create an account, share and discuss ideas, and vote on their favorite ideas with the ultimate goal of product improvement. The site launched on Feb. 16 and by Feb. 27, community members had contributed 2,251 ideas, which had elicited 4,477 comments.
For the second component of the campaign, Dell enhanced the main page for its social media site, StudioDell, to include video. Customers are encouraged to upload videos that demonstrate how they use Dell products and technology for their creative projects, creating an environment where Dell enthusiasts can show off how they've put the company's products to work, perhaps inspiring other potential customers in the process.
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Twitter.com wants to know what you're doing. Eating a tofurkey sandwich? Sitting down to a morning meeting? Wishing you were still at home in your pajamas? All of those things are worthy of Twitter, the latest social media craze that has masses of tech-savvy folks broadcasting the minutia of their day. Twitter is blog-like in that users can post what they want, when they want from either a computer or a cell phone. The only caveat is that each message is limited to 140 characters.
Once a Twitter user creates an account, he or she can invite friends to join or connect with existing Twitter-ers. Fans of the site claim it's a good way to stay connected, while others claim the constant onslaught of messages is a lot to handle. In any case, the new form of online social media means new word of mouth potential for marketers, though it may raise concerns around ethical disclosure, given the limitations of its format.
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The polls are closed, and WOMMA is pleased to announce the newly-elected members of its Board of Directors. WOMMA's Board includes major brands, agencies, researchers, word of mouth specialty firms, and top experts. It represents the diversity of companies that have embraced word of mouth marketing.
WOMMA's new Directors are:
* John Bell, Managing Director/Executive Creative Director, 360 Digital Influence, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
* Idil Cakim, Vice President, Interactive Media, GolinHarris (Incumbent)
* Sam Decker, Vice President, Marketing and Products, Bazaarvoice
* Virginia Miracle, Director, Word of Mouth Marketing, Brains on Fire (Incumbent)
* Paul Rand, Partner, Global Chief Development and Innovation Officer, Ketchum Communications (Incumbent)
* Julie Wittes Schlack, Vice President, Innovation and Design, Communispace Corporation
* Laura Shuler, Chief Strategy Officer, President (U.S.), Jack Morton Worldwide
* Scott K. Wilder, General Manager, Online Communities, Intuit (Incumbent)
They will join the following Directors, who are currently serving on the Board:
* Dave Balter, CEO, BzzAgent
* Pete Blackshaw, CMO, Nielsen BuzzMetrics
* Ed Keller, CEO, The Keller Fay Group
* Rick Murray, President, me2revolution, Edelman
* Jim Nail, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, TNS Media Intelligence/Cymfony
* Gary Spangler, E-Business Leader, Electronics and Communications Platform, DuPont
* Jamie Tedford, SVP, Marketing and Media Innovation, Arnold Worldwide
Read the press release.
There are fewer than two weeks left until WOMMA's Word of Mouth Basic Training conference. We're swarming the Big Easy April 17-18 for the one, the only, and the absolute best how-to conference for word of mouth marketers. If you haven't yet registered, now is the time.
Register today -- before it's too late! -- to claim your WOMBAT freebies, including:
--> Free Book: WOMMA is giving a free copy of keynote speaker Chip Heath's book "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die" to all WOMBAT attendees.
--> Free Drinks: Come to early registration Monday, April 16 and stay for a cocktail reception. Sponsored by Icosystem.
--> Free Dinner: Eat, bond, and network with your fellow attendees at one of WOMMA's legendary group feasts.
--> Free Crawfish Eating Lessons: That's right! Not only are we going to serve them up at our traditional New Orleans dinner, but we'll show you how to eat crawfish the right way, too.
Register today!
Chipotle Mexican Grill doesn't spend a lot of money on traditional advertising. In fact, according to a recent article in BusinessWeek, Chipotle spends less on advertising annually than its former parent McDonald's Corp. spends in 48 hours. Not bad for a food chain that saw 13.7% sales growth in 2006. So what's Chipotle's secret? Word of mouth, of course.
Since the company's inception in 1993 it has been a heavy user of word of mouth marketing techniques, from shipping free burritos in 1997 to the Denver courthouse where the Timothy McVeigh trial was taking place, to hosting annual Halloween contests in which customers dressed as a burrito get a free Chipotle burrito for their efforts. Currently, Chipotle is holding a video contest for college students at select universities who have submitted 30-second ad spots that will likely only add to the buzz.
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Anheuser-Busch partnered with niche social networking site MingleNow.com to launch its "Here's to Beer" campaign, which promotes the beer industry and is sponsored by A-B. The campaign invites MingleNow users to upload pictures of friends toasting each other with mugs or bottles of beer. The photo toasts, which the company has dubbed "clicks," make great pass-alongs with lots of viral potential.
Because the promotion involves the beer industry and not just A-B, the company is hoping to stir the hops-and-barley passions of beer enthusiasts, regardless of whether A-B is their brand of choice. And because the site is built around photo sharing -- with pictures often being snapped inside pubs, which enforce strict age limitations -- the threat of participation by minors is significantly reduced.
Learn more (Media Post)
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