I Can Has Great Marketing
Angel Djambazov of Jones Soda’s affiliate program pointed me to what might be the greatest marketing scheme of all time… making your LOLCat famous.
Make Ur Lolcat Famous Contest « Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures - I Can Has Cheezburger?: “Jones Soda wanted to put a lolcat on their clever soda bottles across the country. So we asked if we can run a contest to find that special lol. (It’s like American Idol, but we don’t has to listen to ur singing voice.)”
Despite my wife’s eye rolling every time I check icanhascheezburger.com (or wear my tshirt from them), I still love LOLCats.
Well done, Jones Soda (and Angel).
Quotably
Neat new service called Quotably to help you follow Twitter conversations more effectively.
So Wrong It’s Funny
Shoemoney® is early on the April Fools’ Day jokes…
How Long Until Someone Is Killed At An Affiliate Summit - ShoeMoney®: So lately I have been asked a lot why I no longer attend affiliate summits. Well this is basically it. I think I would have had a lot more fun at the affiliate summit back a few years ago when I used to love to get drunk and crazy but that is not really my thing anymore. Mix that in with the fact each time I was asked to speak it was a complete train wreck. Then mix in the death threats, and the fact its kind of become a thug conference … well I just have a hard time justifying paying money to experience that… if that makes any sense.
This is why I don’t watch much TV these days… I have posts like this on the internets to laugh at and entertain me.
Head over and read the whole gut-busting post (and don’t forget the comments from the Shoemoney® Sheep Show as well).
Shawn Collins is Wrong: Asus eee Owns Dell Vostro
Shawn Collins has a new video demonstrating his crush on the Dell Vostro
He compares the Vostro to the Asus eee
The Asus eee (”Easy to Learn, Easy to Work, Easy to Play”) is a fantastic little machine that solves a number of problems in my life. It’s comparable to the Macbook Air
Plus, the Asus is a solid state machine meaning that it boots up almost immediately (takes about 10 seconds), is very rugged and has an incredible battery life (around 3 to 3.5 hours for me).
With a gig of memory, 8 gigs of storage, 3 usb ports and a MicroSD slot, it’s the perfect travel machine.
So, there’s no comparison between Shawn’s bulky 14 inch Vostro that is sure to be dead in 3 years since it’s a Dell and my little Asus which will be humming along for years to come.
ShareASale Goes Video
Looks like all of our wishes (well, mine at least) are coming true and Brian, Carolyn and the ShareASale gang are going to introduce affiliate marketing into the online video space.
Earlier today, this message was sent out to the ShareASale Facebook group by Carolyn Tang..
Facebook | V-Commerce Playahs: “Alrighty, we’re gettin’ with the times and exploring v-commerce. Nothing like bringing the magic of television online! Our tech team is hard at work developing a player with embedded tracking for affiliates to use on their sites.
So…open ended wishlist style question…in a perfect world, where we had boundless tech and financial resources, what features would you like to see in that player? Customizable? Size? Rating systems?”
This is every exciting indeed and the replies to Carolyn’s initial post have been beyond interesting with a number of affiliates weighing in.
It’s great to see an affiliate network using a channel such as a Facebook group to gather feedback. I only wish more networks would follow ShareASale’s lead on this sort of communication (as well as blogging) and feedback solicitation. You don’t need to control the conversation in order to produce value as Brian and team are clearly showing.
And I’m beyond excited to see an affiliate network getting into video. Take notes.
Careful With that Twitter, Eugene
D’oh.
McCain staff person gets the boot after sending out a troublesome tweet…
McCain Staffer Out, Spread Obama Video - Politics News Story - WCVB Boston:
Republican Sen. John McCain’s campaign suspended a staff member who sent out a provocative video linking Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama to the comments of his spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
“The staffer, a low-level aide named Soren Dayton, sent out a link Thursday to the YouTube video, titled ‘Is Obama Wright?’ on the social messaging Web site Twitter.”
Lesson?
Don’t staff your social network duties with low level employees or temps. Take it upon yourself to make sure that your company is being represented by the best and brightest possible on these emerging social platforms. They do have sharp edges.
(Title refers to a Pink Floyd song if you are uncool and didn’t get it).
Mainstream Media Can Still Drive the Traffic
I noticed on Google Trends that one of the hottest terms this morning was “coupon mom.”
So, I dug a little deeper and it looks like the site received coverage from a local news outlet in Pittsburgh, PA…
kdka.com - ‘Coupon Mom’ Offers Tips For Shopping Online: “Searching for great bargains doesn’t have to be about spending hours hunting for the best prices in local stores. Instead, it can be done with just a few clicks of the mouse.
KDKA’s Consumer Editor Yvonne Zanos talked with ‘Coupon Mom’ Stephanie Nelson about some internet surfing secrets that can save consumers money. “
So while we continue to talk mostly about online social networks or web2.0 traffic, don’t forget to include more mainstream outlets if you’re trying to grow your brand.
@GaryVee’s School of Marketing
Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibraryTV
is at it again… this time schooling all of us on how to market through Twitter.
Pay attention, folks. Class is in session…
Santa GaryVee: “A couple days a week (and sometimes much, much more!) the benevolent Santa GaryVee will direct you to exclusive mind-blowing deals, available only via Twitter.
Gary Vaynerchuk loves EVERYONE and wishes happiness and most importantly health to all. But once that’s granted, he wants nothing more than to put together incredible deals on wine and other merchandise.
Free shipping, discount codes, unbelievable prices… all will come as your gift from the one and only Santa GaryVee.
Friend up Santa GaryVee on Twitter today and reap the benefits of these wild, generous offers!”
Should be fun and yet another reason for you to check out Twitter. And if you’re already on Twitter, here’s your reason to join the Very Green Team.
Happy Birthday to Wayne Porter
From heaven Utu replied to him: “Young man, you are noble already in your own right — but what would you want with the mountains?”
Today is Wayne Porter’s birthday. Everyone take a moment and wish him well and many more years of pushing the envelopes and pulling the virtual puppet strings.
The Greater the Fear, the Nearer the Consultant
If you’re in Chicago on June 9, this could be a “fun” talk to hear…
Affiliate Marketing: Far More Dangerous Than You Think: “For many years, Alan has been (and remains today) highly critical of the affiliate channel, so this promises to be a lively session!
Joining Alan on the panel will be Barbara Hurd, VP of Business Development, Harry and David; and Vicki Updike, VP of Merchandising and Marketing, Miles Kimball.
Affiliate fan or foe, come watch the fireworks!”
Or you could head over to the Oriental Institute at Univ of Chicago and ponder how, much like the consultants, false confidence in their own superiority (instead of developing better chariots) cost the Assyrian empire it’s position as a super power in the ancient near east. Both would accomplish the same thing.
