Archive for the ‘Random’ Category
What’s So Funny About Social Media and Online Marketing? April 2012
Monday, April 23rd, 2012Let’s face it; lots of people consider spending one’s days with online games, tinkering in PhotoShop, “working” in Facebook, and using words like “viral” and “targeting” in decidedly non-lethal ways a funny way to make a living. Why not laugh with `em?
Find sh*t marketing people say, cross-dressing Linux developers, the stages of Twitter addiction, still more priceless demotivational posters, an online tool for generating business jargon phrases, Russian unicorns, things puppets hate about Facebook, the funniest tweets of last year and more in this collection of amusing, creative and offbeat market and social media stuff.
Sh*t People Say (Various Sources)
Starting early last year, a raft of sh*t various sorts of people say videos hit YouTube, some going viral, some less so. The flood continues, though the more recent additions to the genre are becoming progressively more arcane (e.g., Sh*t No Adult with ADHD Says). Here are a few of the best technology / marketing related creations. Funny even if you’re not seeing them for the first time.
David Pogue: Be There, or Be Cher! | CrossOver Impersonator launching at MacWorld! by CodeWeavers
How do you get the world’s attention if you’re a scrappy little Linux-realm software company with a bit of creativity (and some really smart coders) but no cash? Well, you could try producing an outrageous cross-dressing-themed video, but that’s risky–it could definitely go wrong. Or, it could go spectacularly right, as this effort did from CodeWeavers founders Jeremy White and Jon Parshall.
10 Incredible Interactive YouTube Videos by Mashable Business
“Like a 21st century version of the choose-your-own-adventure books, interactive YouTube videos can up the engagement factor by letting the viewer decide the course of the action, or just play around with the content,” writes Amy-Mae Elliott , who then shares “10 top interactive YouTube experiences, from both businesses and individuals, that incorporate gameplay, quizzes and just plain old fashioned entertainment.”
Social Media Saves Valentine’s Day by Socialnomics
A cute little video from the brilliant Erik Qualman about a guy who uses social media perhaps too well on Valentine’s Day.
The 46 stages of Twitter Usage by Chris Voss Show
Funny and true progression of common Twitter reaction beginning with ridicule and ending in addiction.
De-Motivational Posters for Freelancers by FreelanceSwitch
For those days when you wonder, “Was I crazy to leave to leave the corporate world?,” this priceless collection of demotivational posters will remind you that yes, you were. And are.
Video Case Study Parody by Jack: A Blog About Experience Brands
The pink pony birthday party video case study parody. Parents will get this.
Twitter Gets the Ken Burns Treatment From Funny or Die (Video) by All Things D
Funny or Die goes Ken Burns on the history of Twitter. Hilarious, mostly safe for work (a few cuss words), and it’s endorsed by Perez Hilton.
Clever QR Code Example: The World Park by Firebelly Social Media Marketing Blog
Not funny, but very creative video showing “a clever use of QR codes. The World Park campaign turned New York City’s Central Park into an interactive board game.” As blogger Chad Richard advises, “You have to see it for yourself.”
Business Jargon Generator by Growth Science
Anyone can write clearly. The challenge is to be able to appear profound even when you have no clue. This handly tool will help. For example, “If you’re not sure what to call your next PowerPoint slide deck you might use ‘Experiential Paradigm Convergence.’ Nobody will know what it means – and that’s the point!…Want your boss to think you’re forward-looking? Ask why nobody’s been prioritizing ‘Proactive Competence Alignment.’ If your boss asks what that means, say it’s to ensure ‘Global Impact Integration.’” Try it yourself!
The Lighter Side of SEO: People Search for the Darndest Things by Inkling Media
Ken Mueller shares some of the odder search phrases that visitors have used to find his website, based on Google analytics data. Among the unexpected phrases that have driven search traffic for Ken: “random things Mennonites can’t do,” “shiny comphy shoes” and “wooden pegs for marketing.” Hmm.
Not Google+: The First Antisocial Network [PARODY VIDEO] by Mashable
Do you have too many social networks to manage already? Does the world really need another one? The guys from College Humor provide their answer here.
“Russian Unicorn” — a bad lip reading of Michael Bublé by BadLipReading
Okay, it’s not marketing-related, but this video take-off on “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” is extraordinarily well done. And funny. Not to be missed.
The Best Of “Google+ VS Facebook” Videos by @NewCommBiz
Benjamin Beck pulls together four of the best videos about the battle between Google+ and Facebook. It may be a deadly serious fight for Google and Facebook, but no reason the rest of us can’t laugh about it.
10 Things Puppets Hate About Facebook by Burgers By Phone
People sharing pictures of what they just ate, cartoon cows as gifts, getting tagged in pictures where you look terrible, and seven other reasons that puppets (and many non-puppets) hate Facebook.
The 50 funniest tweets of 2011 by HappyPlace
A fantastic (for the most part, other than the questionable political tweets) collection of some of funniest tweets of the past year, among them, from @Starlett17: “I hate when old people poke me at weddings, point and whisper ‘You’re next!’ So I’ve started doing the same thing to them at funerals.”
The 10 Best Commercials of 2011 by AdWeek
Tim Nudd presents ten of the best, if not the best, TV ads from last season. Fortunately the list was compiled before the Clint Eastwood ad from this year’s Super Bowl, which while interestingly crafted, seemed like it should have been either promoting Ford (Gran Torino) or the Republican party.
Honest Logos by Viktor Hertz
An interesting collection of “honest logos, revealing the actual content of the company, what they really should be called. Some are cheap, some might be a bit funny, some will maybe be brilliant.”
9 campaigns that won with humor by iMedia Connection
Jim Nichols like the use of humor in these campaigns. The quality is uneven, but the collection includes a few clear hits, like the Tom Hanks video in which “Reality TV’s biggest train wreck was beautifully spoofed.”
Best Random but Interesting Marketing Posts, Articles and Resources of 2011
Friday, April 20th, 2012As always, this penultimate post highlighting the most valuable content of the past year is dedicated to interesting marketing and social media content that didn’t fit neatly into any other category.
Are QR codes an intriguing technology that never lived up to the hype, or is widespread adoption still just around the corner? Is social media worth the effort for online retailers? How can B2B companies improve customer service using social media? How can you deliver dazzling presentations by avoiding common mistakes? How can someone with no artistic talent create inspiring and informative infographics?
Find the answers to those questions and more here in eight of the best hard-to-categorize-but-worth-a-read marketing posts and articles of the past year.
12 Most Important Things We All Can Control by Straight Talk
Noting that “There are so many things in life that we simply cannot control, but what about the things we CAN control? As human beings, we have the power of reasoning and choice, both of which give us substantial control over our own life situations. We just need to be reminded of this from time to time,” Ted Rubin provides just such a reminder in these dozen aspects of life that are under our control, from our actions and attitudes to friendships and learning.
Marketing with QR Codes by Smart Insights
For those curious about QR codes but don’t know a lot about them, Danyl Bosomworth explains what QR codes are, marketing considerations when deciding whether or not to use them, seven of the top applications for QR codes (e.g., maps, coupons, how-to advice), and two illustrative case studies.
Ten ways marketers can use QR Codes by eConsultancy
If Danyl’s post above got you interested in exploring QR codes, Lee Carpenter-Johnson presents 10 ways to use them in business, from placing them on cash register receipts (particularly if you have a mobile-savvy clientele) and product labels to business cards and print ads.
E-tail Marketing: Is Social Media Worth the Cost? by MarketingProfs
The short answer is—yes and no. Among the research results presented here, “Only 5% of online shoppers surveyed say they are primarily influenced by social media to visit a top retailer’s website. Most (38%) cite existing familiarity with a brand, followed by promotional emails (19%) and search engine results (8%)…however, customers who visit retail sites because of a social media interaction are highly likely to purchase.”
7 Ways to Improve B2B Customer Service with Social Media by Social Media B2B
Writing that “If you have not yet brought your customer service reps into the realm of social media, it is time. They are the most qualified to respond via social media, as they are the ones responding by phone and email,” Jeffrey L. Cohen details the process and key considerations for getting a customer service department up to speed and effectively using social media for customer interaction.
5 Ways to Ruin Your Next Presentation by CIO Magazine
Thomas Wailgum shares five tips from Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience
How To Create An Infographic – With No Discernible Talent Whatsoever by DIY Blogger NET
Dino Dogan presents a seven-step guide to creating an infographic, though despite the title, at least a bit of talent is needed. The guide is designed for Mac users (and the Pixelmator tool he recommends is an Apple iOS app), though several of the steps are universal.
Inbound Marketing Partnerships and Pricing by Impact Branding & Design
Finally, benchmark pricing/costs can be hard to come by, but this detailed price and service list is one helpful data point for inbound marketing costs, whether you’re agency thinking about how to price these services or a corporate marketer wondering what you should expect, roughly, to pay for them.
“Oursourcing” – Typo or New Concept?
Thursday, May 26th, 2011I was writing some web copy for a client the other day when I accidentally typed “oursourcing” instead of “outsourcing.” Now, being that I don’t exactly type with the fluid grace of a classical pianist, I make typos all the time. But this one caught my eye. It seemed like it should be a word.
I envision it meaning something beyond doing it yourself, but less formal than outsourcing and less chaotic than crowd-sourcing. Along the lines of:
oursourcing (n): collaboration between a small group of individuals inside and outside of an organization to perform a specific task for mutual benefit.
The keys are that the individuals involved come from more than one organization, and that there is mutual benefit in the project. The recent collaboration between me and Cheryl Burgess on the Nifty 50 Top Women on Twitter and Top Men on Twitter posts would be a small example of oursourcing. The Social Media Examiner blog (a collaboration between Mike Stelzner, Mari Smith, Chris Garrett, Denise Wakeman, Cindy King, Casey Hibbard and Jason Falls) is a larger example. The steering committee behind the B2B Twitterer of the Year Awards would be a larger example still.
It could be the way a harried marketing manager with no time to produce a corporate blog could get this done, spreading the work between individuals from other departments and outside the organization. It could, alternatively, be used to create an un-corporate blog; an industry blog co-written by individuals from different but non-competitive firms in the same industry speaking to the same audience.
Or it may be just a typo. What do you think—is there any need for this “word?” Is it a concept that has legs, or only a result of fat fingers?
Fast Company, Lebron, Twitter and the #Nifty50 (Coming Soon)
Monday, April 25th, 2011
Visit @ckburgess Blog at: Blue Focus Marketing
What’s So Funny About Social Media and Online Marketing? 2010 Edition
Monday, March 14th, 2011Anyone can tweet, post or email a funny or clever link and waste a few minutes of your day. This post is more ambitious: wasting your entire day. Maybe not today. Maybe it would be best to read this post on a weekend. When your spouse or significant other is away. Seriously.
Most of these are funny, many are amazing, some are just remarkably creative. Take a break from the marketing/PR grind and enjoy!
The Google Toilet by Current
Now that Google knows what you search for and what websites you visit (personalized search), what you write (Gmail), what you say on the phone (Google Voice) and where you live (Google Maps), there’s no more of your privacy to invade, right? Oh yeah there is, as this hilarious video points out (hey—it could happen).
117 Funniest Creative Job and Recruitment Ads by JobMob
Phenomenal collection of job ads, from the creative, funny and scary to the WTF?
Employees Leaving Their Laptops Unsecure? Try These Public Humiliation Templates From Their PC… by The HR Capitalist
If you don’t lock your workstation when you leave your cube or office, this will convince you to do so. If you work with people who don’t lock their PCs or laptops when they take a break, this will give you ideas.
Top 20 of the Most Hilarious Spelling Mistakes on Resumes and Cover Letters by Resumark Blog
Example: 14. “I consistently tanked as top sales producer for new accounts.” Priceless.
5 hilarious branded videos by iMedia Connection
Classics from Evian and Old Spice, plus a few remarkable brand videos you may have missed.
50 Clever, Hilarious and Geeky Twitter T-Shirts by Bit Rebels
Not sure I’d actually wear any of these, but it’s an amazing collection.
Snippets: Some Examples of Bad Writing for Your Amusement and Horror
From am actual college writing assignment. How to write properly so that your prose doesn’t end up in a post full of great examples of unfortunate writing, such as: “The ladies of the church have cast off clothes of every kind and they can be seen in the church basement on Friday afternoons.”
The Internet Coos Over “Iron Baby” [VIDEO] by Mashable
A clever parody, despite some obvious missed opportunities.
12 Worst Photoshop Mistakes ever by Oddee.com
What happens when powerful photo editing software ends up in the wrong hands.
24 NOT photoshopped pictures – Illusion or delusion? by Graphic Design Blog
In contrast to the pics in the Oddee.com post above, the images here (most anyway) aren’t PhotoShopped, they are just amazing photography.
5 funny (and frustrating) client types by iMedia Connection
Agency types will laugh and/or cringe at this taxonomy of difficult clients, including The Illogical: “Non-logicals, as we call them in the office, are free to say whatever the hell they want. They don’t believe in the comparative peace and tranquility that logic can bring to the table. They’ll say things like ‘I don’t like this concept, but I had a dream, and I can’t describe it really, but I think our website should be like that.’”
Swagger Like Us by OMMA
The story behind Toyota’s brilliant “Swagger Wagon” video.
Social Media Blues by YouTube
What happens when rednecks with banjos and too much time on their hands discover social media.
Marketing’s Greatest Creation: The iPhone Cult by The Great Startup Game
Yes, the iPhone is very cool, but the overblown hype and cultish devotion the device inspired in some aficionados get skewered in this video.
Top 10 YouTube News Bloopers by Mashable
As Amy-Mae Elliott, the blogger who rounded up this collection of video snippets notes: “News anchor fails are always hilarious, because they are a stark contrast to the usual poise you generally see from such professional figures.”
Colbert as social media guru (video) by TechFlash
Stephen Colbert’s take on social media, Google and online privacy.
Yeah, it’s really tough to maintain coolness once one reaches middle-aged suburban fatherhood, so might as well listen to this rap and laugh about it.
Gotta love this: “Marketing through social media is like herding cats. And just to make it interesting, many of the cats are drunk and stupid.”
12 Social Media Buzzwords Redefined by Marian Schembari
Not your standard, boring industry glossary here. Nope, Marian gives you the real meaning behind over-used social media jargon, for example: “Crowdsourcing – The act of being stingy and relying on a group of people to do your (bitch)work for free.”
Top 10 Geekiest Marriage Proposals by Mashable
Funny, creative and sweet examples of using video games, iPhone apps and other geeky methods to pop the big question. My favorite: the LOLcats proposal.
Young Mattie Fein (vs Jane Harman) via YouTube
I know we’re all sick of political ads after last fall’s noisy election, but this is one of the best ever. Though Mattie Fein lost her race for congress, the video remains a winner.
Facebook movie spawns Twitter Parody by Geary Fresh
No explanation needed. It’s even safe for work.
Become a social media guru with one PPT slide by iMedia Connection
How social media controls everything (infographic). What, you didn’t know?
Fantastically Creative Examples of Paper Art That Make You Say Wow by Smashing Apps
What some artists can do with paper is nothing short of, as my daughter says, amazazing.
10 Of The Best Brand Viral Videos On Youtube In 2010 by Simply Zesty
A noteworthy collection of brand videos from last year, ranging from the touching (T-Mobile “Arrivals”) to the astounding (Roger Federer Gillette shot) to the classic (Coke Zero and Mentos rocket car).
13 Facebook Parodies That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud by All Facebook
A 50′s-style Facebook etiquette guide, jealous grandmas, Farmville and more. It’s minutes of entertainment, thought not for the whole family.
The Perfect Stimulus: Bad Management by The Wall Street Journal
Scott Adams (yeah, that Scott Adams) explains why bad management is good for the economy: “The economy needs workers who are fed up, desperate and willing to quit their jobs for something better. Remember, only quitters can be winners, because you can’t do something great until first you quit doing something that isn’t.”
Everything I Know About SEO I Learned in the 80′s by Search Engine Guide
Stoney deGeyter manages to explain the principles of search engine optimization using almost nothing but 1980′s rock song titles. Even if you don’t appreciate his humor, this post is worth five stars for its incredible collection of links to classic rock videos.
Off Register: Luscious (video)
Designers, printers, and anyone who’s ever worked in an agency will relate to this challenging situation.
Remembering Leslie Nielsen: His Best Quotes by Funny or Die
Immortal comic brilliance.
Clients Say the Funniest Things by Advertising Age
Laugh, sigh and cringe at this collection of actual agency client quotes, e.g., on social media: “I get it but I’m worried that people will start talking about our product without us.”
The 6 most offensive and/or psychotic gingerbread houses we could find by someecards
Creative variations on the traditional holiday gingerbread house, like this one.
Mainframe: The Art of the Sale, Lesson One (video)
A must-see training video for your technology sales force.
Top 10 Resolutions Anyone Can Keep by The Suburban Jungle
Okay, so we’re past “New Year’s Resolution” season–who cares, this is still priceless and worth a(nother) read. For example, Jenny’s resolution #9 for this year: “Become Addicted to Something. Smoking, alcoholism and Starbucks are so trite. I’m thinking something unique like nasal spray or hand sanitizer. Or at least something beneficial to my endurance like crack. Look, I already have a shopping addiction; maybe I could offset the bills with a robust gambling problem.”
Little Asian PC girl vs. MAC parody by Funny or Die
Taking the Mac vs. PC thing a bit too far. NSFW (language).
Related Posts
What’s So Funny About Social Media and Online Marketing? (2009 edition)
Best of 2008: Amusing, Creative and Just Plain Odd
