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Posts Tagged ‘social marketing’
Old Spice Guy: Online Marketing Done to Perfection
Michael Block | July 14th, 2010
I am what marketers would call “brand loyal” to very, very few products. A trip through the super market with me is a total crap shoot. When purchasing paper towels, I will almost always go with cheapest option that isn’t quite as thin as tissue paper. When buying beer, I will reach for the Bud/Miller/Coors Light pack that I see first. When tossing toothpaste into my cart, I find that I’m a sucker for fancy packaging and little else. But when deciding on deodorant, the decision, since high school, has always the same: Old Spice. I never quite knew why I insisted on Old Spice. One might think that it’s because I like the scent but that can’t be right; I often forget which scent I prefer. I even have “Aqua Reef” in my bathroom at home and “Pure Sport” here at work (you never want to be smelly when meeting a client). Perhaps, I choose Old Spice for its performance. Well, I can’t imagine that that’s the case because I’ve never actually taken the Old Spice Challenge: “If you don’t like it you can call 1-800-PROVEIT and we’ll buy you a stick of yours!” That’s okay, Old Spice, the “stick of mine” would just be more Old Spice! Deodorants, for the most part, are pretty similar. They serve two purposes: keeping you from stinking and projecting an image. Most deodorants can handle the first requirement, although I’ve heard (and smelled) that there are some exceptions. The second requirement is Continue reading…
Tags: old spice guy, online marketing, social marketing, Twitter, Viral Marketing, youtube
Posted in Editorial | 3 Comments
Google Me & You: Taking Social Seriously
Michael Block | June 30th, 2010
Kevin Rose, the founder of social aggregator Digg and all-around Internet bigwig, recently tweeted that Google was up to something big and that it was purportedly called “Google Me.” After much hoopla, major online news channels were confirming the story and already speculating on what Google Me meant to the social fabric of the Internet. Would Google Me become an adequate competitor or even replacement to Facebook? Is Google taking this project seriously? Would it be a huge success like Gmail or a huge bust like Google Buzz? When can we expect it to launch? The one thing that we know for sure, though, is that we don’t know much yet. Much like all the speculation about Lebron James, it seems that we’ll just have to just wait until Google Me is finally unveiled before we have the real scoop. If you’re interested in reading more about Google Me, I’d recommend the following resources: Former Facebook CTO: ‘Google Me’ Is Real, And It’s Gunning For Facebook [TechCrunch] Openness Would Decide Whether ‘Google Me’ Is Genius or Garbage [Wired] A new social network? ‘Google Me’ [CNNMoney] These articles not only give you a great cheat sheet on what you may be able to expect from Google Me, but they also detail what may cause Google Me to succeed or fail, how it might be different from Buzz and how it may choose to fight Facebook. It’s really riveting stuff and I wouldn’t deign to suggest that I know better than any Continue reading…
Tags: facebook, Google, Google Me, social marketing, social networking
Posted in Social Media | 3 Comments
Google Buzzing. Twitter Fretting?
Michael Block | February 9th, 2010
Just about a month ago, I editorialized on the Wpromote blog about Google’s response to Yelp’s refusal to be purchased by Google: Hell hath no fury like Sergey and Larry [Google's founders] scorned. Keep in mind, all you innovators out there, that if Google offers to buy you out, what they are really saying is, “Don’t make us do what you do, only better!” Remember MapQuest? Yeah, neither do I. Well, it looks like Twitter may be getting similar comeuppance. Google just announced Google Buzz and you can learn about it in the video above or in the TechCrunch article hot off the presses. This move by Google is significant for a number of reasons: It’s built into Gmail and tons of people already use Gmail. It’s an outstanding parry to Facebook’s decision to try their hand at email (which would compete directly with Gmail). If you have Facebook and Gmail, one could argue that Twitter may be on its way to irrelevancy. Let’s speak to #3 because it’s a pretty bold statement. By the way, if you want to come off as a jerk, refer to your own statements as “bold.” It’s wicked-effective. Anyway, let’s think about the things that people use Twitter for: Updating peers on what they’re doing: Facebook and Buzz now have this covered. Sharing with peers things like pics, articles, memes, etc.: Facebook and Buzz now have this covered. Updating non-peers on the points above: Facebook and Buzz can have this covered (depending on privacy Continue reading…
Tags: facebook, gmail, Google, google buzz, social marketing, Twitter
Posted in Google, Internet News | 2 Comments
Tues News: 1/26 (Funny Edition)
Michael Block | January 26th, 2010
Whenever I talk about my job as a search engine marketeer, I often am met with blank looks. It’s not because I’m a rocket scientist and the language I’m using is too difficult for mere mortals to comprehend. It’s also not because I’m a giant bore (I hope!). My guess is that a lot of people just don’t know very much about SEM and, therefore, find it boring. But it’s not all so banal! Sometimes, marketing, even in the search engines, is hilarious! This week, in the Tues News, I will show you exactly what I mean with three funny links to brighten up your wintry afternoon. Let’s get going! This first link is one of my favorites in quite a while. Danny Sullivan, the Big Cheese at SearchEngineLand, is one of the smartest guys in our industry, especially for SEO. I’ve even written about him before in the Tues News. Anyway, he had some sage SEO advice for Bill Gates this week that I found to be really funny. Bill’s blog isn’t getting any love in Google but, perhaps more embarrassing, it’s getting even less love from Bing, a Microsoft property! It just goes to show you that all the money in the world won’t buy you a blog that search engines care about. [SearchEngineLLand] Who doesn’t love web comics? I know I do! In fact, I read about six ongoing web comics on a daily basis (during my free time, not during work, of course). One of the Continue reading…
Tags: apple, Bing, Google, Internet News, SEO, social marketing, Twitter, Viral Marketing, web comics
Posted in Tues News | 4 Comments
Tues News: 8/18 (Social Edition)
Michael Block | August 18th, 2009
Recently, I made the decision to put a halt to my tweeting for the time being. A friend of mine visited me from New York this past weekend and told me that if I didn’t knock it off with all the tweets, Facebook updates, suggestions and funny articles, he was going to defriend me… in life. That got me to thinking, “What’s going on in the world of social networking anyway?” As it turns out, the answer is, “Lots!” Today’s edition of the Tues News puts the spotlight on social networks. If you don’t know what social networks are, then I want to know where your cave is because boy, does it sound secluded! Of course, we’re talking about Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the like. I recently saw this funny, artistic interpretation on such sites and thought I’d pass it along even though I don’t think it’s very accurate. Still, if I were to tweet about it, it might make me more popular (@mblock, everyone)! Enough chit chat, let’s get going! Have you ever wondered what kind of twitterer you are? Well, Yahoo has a new feature called “Know Your Mojo” that will tell you. As it turns out, if you ask Yahoo, I’m a “Matchmaker,” meaning that I like to send out a lot of URLs to people to keep them aware of the newest cool, funny or quirky things going on online. Of course, if you ask my friend Doug, I’m an “annoying nuisance who needs to take Continue reading…
Tags: facebook, myspace, social marketing, social networking, Tues News, Twitter
