I had never heard of this company before but it's a very creative commercial.

A very good contisement in my opinion.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNmjzJh_Yvg]

Here's the link for the feed readers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNmjzJh_Yvg

An infomercial is supposed to be information in the form of a television commercial. These tend to be hard sells where the goal is clearly to get someone to buy right now (or in the next 30 minutes to receive a bonus pack of whatever they're selling.) The focus is clearly more on the promotion than the information...meaning the information is only important in conveying the sale.

Contrast that with edutainment which is not overtly commercial in nature, rather it's teaching something in an entertaining way. I always like Bill Nye the Science Guy for this approach (though I actually grew up with Mr. Wizard and Mr. Rogers.)

And we can't forget infotainment, which we're quite accustomed to now. This is a most often a tv show where news is given but dressed up to entertain us simultaneously. I think that was what the whole Dateline NBC, To Catch A Predator thing was supposed to be...maybe.

Given all these portmanteaux (yes, I looked that up) I want to add another one to the mix: the contisement. A content advertisement. The contisment is a commercial or advertisement in the form of content that has value and interest to the target audience. I think Super Bowl ads go for this approach. Clearly they're trying to entertain (that's the value) but they're equally advertising whatever the product or service is.

I go into all of this because even though I think the contisement may be a legitimate category of approaching advertising, it's still a little different from a pure content promotion strategy. A pure content promotion strategy isn't overtly commercial. It's primarily focused on delivering valuable content and only very minimally focused on the promotion. The promotion isn't any single blog post, podcast, or online video. The promotion is what comes in time after you have earned people's time, trust, and attention. You don't stop selling with a content approach. You don't quit promoting either. You just take the time to build a relationship before you make that sell or give that pitch.

All that being said, if I have to choose a secondary approach after a pure content promotion, I'll take a contisement any day.

I have recommended blogging specifically as a great marketing tool for quite a while now and I'm always excited to hear how it works for people. Back in December I spent some time with Jeff from Mossy Creek Custom, a local gunsmith here in Nashville. He was just launching the business in Nashville and was anxious to get the word out about what he does so I encouraged him to start blogging. We went over all the "content is promotion the new strategy" stuff and even had to back up with the six categories of web 2.0, but by the end of a few sessions together the light had clearly come on and we were just talking specific strategy and execution.

A few days ago he called to tell me that his traffic had tripled because his post on Friday was showing up on the first page of a Google search. It turns out there are a lot of people who are interested in modifying their Glocks. He's been doing a great job of creating content for people who are interested in custom guns and has discovered that he's one of only a very few people who are blogging about guns like this. Jeff is already emerging as one of the best and most helpful voices in the area of shooter information. I predict that by the end of the year he'll be recognized widely by gun enthusiasts for his blog. He's already made some great connections and his traffic is on a steady growth pattern. The recent post was just a big shot in the arm that's still going strong now five days later. It's giving him more exposure to more people with more opportunities for business.

This is a great story of someone blogging strategically with a marketing mindset. Many people would likely think that gunsmiths and blogs don't mix but Jeff is taking the approach that content is the best (and most affordable) way to connect with people. He's creating helpful, educational, and informative content to the readers. He's building a base while finding his blogging voice at the same time. It's stories like this that should encourage someone on the fence to give blogging a shot try.

After being introduced to SuperVirals.com recently I thought it was worth mentioning in a post because this seems like a great step in the right direction of letting people create content for companies. Yes, they're promotions, but they're content...user generated content in fact.

SuperVirals is an Australian based company that is coming soon to the United States. The idea behind SuperVirals is to create a destination where companies can sponsor contests where the people create the commercials. The contest winners are those who generae enough votes during the contest. The prizes range from free products to cash.

I really like this concept because you have people creating content for products rather than the companies creating ads or commercials themselves. In order to win each contestant has to drum up support for their work...which of course is promoting the product in the process. This user generated content is less likely to be considered advertising by the people who watch it because it's user generated but we all know, of course, that these are advertisements in the end. That being said, a recent SuperVirals contest winner had just over 15,000 views for her video. That's not bad but I don't know I'd quite be able to call it viral. The quality of the content isn't too super either. It's pretty much what you expect...YouTube with a prize. This is still a good concept and one that, in time, can really take off. The users will make or break it here. The opportunity for the advertisers is low cost with a potentially high reward. I'm going to be very curious to see how it does in the States.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycIjt-ykWRo]

I'm not an iPhone or iPod Touch guy. Not yet anyway, but when I saw this I thought it was pretty cool. There's a guitar version out too. Some people got together and pulled in a Nintendo DS and even made a band. An iBand of sorts. I would love to see Ben Folds do something with this.

Yesterday I referenced a 2008 iMedia Brand Summit video talking about the blurring lines between ads and content. There were some great stats provided on the video and here were some that really stood out to me.

• 62% of consumers feel "there are too many ads in media." (source: Yankelovich)
• 65% of consumers feel "constantly bombarded by ads." (source: Forrester)
• 65% of consumers feel "bombarded by too many ads." (source: McKinsey & Company)
• 75% of consumers feel "overwhelmed by the amount of media." (source: NBC)
• 18% of consumers say they dislike all forms of advertising. (source: Doubleclick, January 2007)
• 39% of consumers claim they avoid advertising as much as possible. (source: JWT/Adweek survey, 2007)

Regarding trust in advertisers:

• In 2005, 25% of consumers said they trusted ìpeople in who work in the advertising industry"...which means 75% don't trust people who work in the ad industry. (source: HarrisInteractive)
• In 2007, 17% of consumers had any confidence in advertisers or the advertising industry...which mean 83% don't have confidence in ads or advertisers. (source: mediaVillage.com)
• Today, 6% of consumers say they believe marketers' ad claims...which of course means 94% don't. (source: Forrester)

Conclusion: Forget the big fish.

This post is a few weeks in coming but I was thinking about it again last night after watching this video (and Carol Kruse from Coca-Cola made the same point on the video) so I thought it was worth posting.

I've been talking a lot lately about content being the new (and I contend it's the best) kind of promotion strategy. For instance, last week I wrote about creating compelling, valuable content using the Old McDonald method to jump start your thinking and previously wrote about the filters we all have to keep out those 3000 to 5000 ads hitting us every day. Interestingly enough, a traditional media event, the Super Bowl, supports all of this thinking.

Think about it. The Super Bowl is the one day of the year when people are as interested (if not more) in the advertising they will see as the event itself. It's like the entire nation decides to collectively turn off its ad filter and sits back and says, "Advertise to me!" The funny thing about this is that these ads aren't really ads, they're content...heavily branded content. The advertisers know the mentality is different on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year so they think about how they're going to entertain people. This shows that marketers can think as content creators when they choose to but that they simply choose not to do so the rest of the year.

If we follow this rationale further, Super Bowl Sunday shows us that content works when you get through or around people's ad filters. I believe new media marketing tools like blogs, podcasts, online video, etc. get around people's ad filters all the time because they are chosen for consumption. In other words, the consumer pulls this media to him or herself whereas regular advertising is pushed on him or her...and how many of us like to have anything pushed on us? Yeah, I don't either. New media marketers try to put themselves in a position to be pulled as easily as possible and that's all a content promotion is, something that people want to pull. Given all of this, my conclusion is that for new media marketers, every day is Super Bowl Sunday.

[HT to Eric Holter for saving the video mentioned above via his Del.icio.us account. It's a good (dare I say delicious?) feed to follow. Eric is also a huge New England Patriots fan so any resurfacing of old wounds he may experience as a result of the Super Bowl mentions above are purely coincidental.]

When I was asked to review flauntR recently I was skeptical because it seems like there are a ton of these kinds of things out now and none of them have impressed me in what they deliver as much as my personal favorite online photo editor, Picnik. I have been a huge Picnik fan for quite a while and it's even one of my top five web applications so here's the most objective review I can provide...just thought I should say all of this up front.

FlauntR (yes, they are very web 2.0ish by dropping a vowel) is a free, web based photo editing application. It offers six tools that they refer to as:

• stylR - Puts your image in a virtual picture frame of various designs from which to choose.
• editR - Basic photo editing tool for resizing, cropping, effects, etc.
• textR - Shapes, graphics, and text additions for the photo.
• picasR - Image effect tool to modify the image in a color scheme and style like well known paintings
• profilR - Sizes your image based on the dimensions of many social media site specifications.
• mobilR - Sizes your image for your particular cell phone/mobile device specifications.

Conclusion: After playing around with flauntR I'm not convinced that it's better than Picnik. The site seems much slower slower than Picnik and the overall design and function isn't nearly as clear and intuitive either. Needless to say I won't be leaving Picnik for flauntR.

FlauntR does do a few things well though. Its profilR and mobilR tools are pretty cool and could be quite handy when you want to create a quick profile image of yourself on just about any social media or social networking site. They seem to have many of them covered (though they're missing Twitter) and I can really see the benefit of this rather than looking up the specs for a particular profile picture you're ready to change. Likewise, mobilR would be a good tool as long as your particular phone is in their database. They currently have a large selection of LG, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry, Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia phones.

The picasR tool is fun to play with and might be helpful if you find the right painting style for a picture you want to modify. The stylR tool isn't for everyone. I'm not a fan of it personally but I think the folks who send ecards and include animated GIFs in their emails will enjoy it.

Bottom line: flauntR isn't the best out there but has some features worth noting. It's still in alpha so the speed and usability issues may improve over time. If so, flauntR could be supR. If not, it might be a stinkR.

I've noticed that people who have opinions about blogs and bloggers see them in one of two ways: either as fish or rats.

Fish are:

• Beautiful
• Admired
• Valuable
• Prized

Rats are:

• Disruptive
• Sneaky
• Hated
• Pests

The reason I bring this up is because some of us who happen to think blogs and bloggers are fish work with, for, or around people who see them as rats. It's a huge divide when you think about it. If someone thinks they're rats how can you convince them otherwise? You could talk about blog growth and hope they're convinced that 100 million bloggers worldwide can't all be wrong. You could give anecdotes of stories where bloggers have made and changed news stories or rallied around causes to help people. You could tell them that generating content is the new promotional strategy (and I would insert personal stories here) but that may not be enough either.

If I know I'm talking to someone who sees blogs and bloggers as rats rather than fish I generally try to find out how they arrived at their conclusion. Many times this idea developed from an experience (either one they had or something they heard about) where a blog was used in a negative way. Perhaps it was an attack blog or some kind or the perceived lack of control with a blog that made them uncomfortable. Whatever the case I haven't yet discovered a sure-fire method of changing someone's mind and I don't think there is one but the best thing to do is to deal with the issues that led to the conclusion they now hold before dealing with their perspective of blogs and bloggers. Forget that they think blogs are rats. Deal with the reasons they think that. Take the time necessary to reconcile those issues. Only then will you have a chance to turn that rat into a fish.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM]

You know the old saying fool me once it's your fault, fool me twice it's mine? Seems appropriate here. For some reason I don't think this video would be as popular without the British accents. It ups the cute factor.

Is there a lesson to be learned there? British accents increase interest? Something to think about...

Link for the feedreaders: Charlie Bit My Finger

You know February 14 is a big day but I expect you don't know that it also signifies something else...that it's only one month until Pi Day. You know of Pi Day don't you? March 14? 3/14? Pi = 3.14? It's legit, I promise.

To prepare for your Pi Day celebration you can purchase your very own slice of Pi. If you don't know why you would use it, check out the Pideas page. To date 120 slices of Pi have been taken and as of the time of this posting, there's only one digit to be purchased before another free one is up for grabs to the quickest clicker.

I contend that content is the new promotional strategy because it cuts through the clutter of the 4,000 (on average) promotions that are targeted at us every single day. Content takes the focus off the advertiser/promoter and provides something of value to the consumer/audience. New media tools like blogs, podcasts, and online video are phenomenal ways to create content (on the cheap even) with the added bonus of being easy to go viral if the content is good enough.

What I've realized, however, is that even if you agree with me on this you may not be sure how to begin. Case in point: I was talking to a friend the other day about his blog, one where he's been blogging regularly for about nine months now but only provides updates about what he's doing and where his travels take him. He wants to really use his blog to build a platform and brand for himself so I challenged him to be creating content that's not about him as much but rather has something of value to his blog readers. Inevitably his personality comes through and in the end it is about him, but just not as directly. I broke it down into five categories for him to consider as he thinks about creating valuable content.

The best way to remember the five categories is to think about Old McDonald...you know...Old McDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O...yeah, that one. Here are five categories of valuable content with Old McDonald in mind:

• E - Entertain: Entertainment is one of the easiest ways to create valuable content. We all know what it is to be entertained and hopefully we have an idea of what will entertain the people we're trying to reach. This is one of the primary reasons I do a video of the week here. Humor is a great place to start when it comes to entertaining. Humor is valuable. Don't underestimate the value you earn by making people laugh.
• I - Inspire: Inspiration seems to be in short supply these days so if you can do this successfully you'll stand out. Thinking more generally here, consider this category the emotive or "touchy-feely" approach. The Free Hugs Campaign and Kleenex's Let It Out campaign come to mind here.
• E - Educate: When you educate people you tell them how to do something or share some information that the will find useful or helpful in some way. LifeHacker falls into this category as does someone like Seth Godin who provides helpful ideas for marketers. Educational content can tell you how-to, when-to, why-to, where-to, and what-to do.
• I - Inform: When you inform you provide news or updates about something. TechCrunch is a blog that has done extremely well in this regard. They make news, break news, and report the news in the world of technology. The difference here from the educational approach is that when you inform you're not telling, for instance, when-to do something but instead tell when-is something. Further, information says where-is, who-is, and what-is happening.
• O - Outrage: Controversy is actually a great form of content. Now, you have to be a little careful here because with controversy there are undoubtedly people who are for you and people who are against you (thus the controversy). Outraging your industry to help the consumers you want is a great way to use controversial content to your advantage. The Huffington Post and HotAir fall into this category in many cases.

It's important to note that there's really no clear line between these categories nor should you feel compelled to stay in only one. I suggest you look at all five categories as options for you to consider as you create content. In fact, some of the best ideas would really mix several of these basic elements like a entertaining and informative or educational and inspirational. So, next time you think about creating valuable content, hum a little Old McDonald in your head and see if you don't get a few ideas going.

By the way, this is part of a presentation I gave at Podcamp Nashville over the weekend. You can download the entire presentation here.

I use the word Google all the time as a verb, like, "Just Google that to find out..." or "Have you Googled that company?" I suspect you do too. It's like Google means any type of online search (though you're most likely to use Google as 65.98% of us are doing.)

How great is this is you're a marketer? Google is a company whose name has become a verb like Xerox. It's a rare category. Some brands don't become verbs but become more generic nouns for something. Kleenex, frisbee, coke (depending on where you live you might call it soda or pop too...but here in the south it's all coke), and tylenol are examples of this. You say the words and everyone knows what you're talking about. The bad thing about being a noun is that your name gets used but your product might not. The thing about being a verb, especially for Google, (not so much for Xerox these days I suspect) is that when you're a verb you get the exposure and the product/service usage too.

I spent the day at Podcamp Nashville and had a great time. I want to thank Dave Delaney, Kelly Stewart, and Marcus Whitney for their roles in pulling it all together. I believe Allison Groves and Lizzie Keiper were also instrumental in things running smoothly today. Big thanks to these folks and any other behind the scenes people of Podcamp Nashville.

Now, reflections on Podcamp Nashville 2008:

• I like The Cannery Ballroom. It was a really good venue. More spacious than Barcamp was over the summer at Exit/In.
• Everyone seemed to think the wi-fi was super slow...I didn't have my laptop with me so it didn't matter. This was a point at which I was glad I didn't bring the computer with me.
• Cliff Ravenscraft was a good presenter to start the day off. This guy does 17 different podcasts. 17. That's crazy...but he seems to have enough passion to make it happen.
• It was great to meet C.C. Chapman in person and talk about launching new media marketing consulting. We realized we both jumped out on our own at the same time (October, 2007) so it was interesting to compare notes. He was the first of two keynote presenters and did well. He let pictures run randomly the whole time during his presentation. It was a different sort of experience but quite good.
• Dave Delaney did a very solid Twitter presentation. I picked up a few tips there.
• Moes served a good lunch as always. I have always liked Moes...but I've said that before.
• PowerPoint ate my presentation and I had to show it in the "edit" mode rather than presentation mode. This was a point at which I really wished I brought my computer with me.
• Scott Schwertly did a great presentation about presentations. It was good to reconnect with him. I hadn't seen him in probably two years or so when we both had other employers.
• Joseph Jaffe was the other keynote. It was interesting to hear his optimism about podcasting (both audio and video) in a time when some people are already saying that podcasting is dead. The stats seem to agree with Joseph. Steve and I had a few minutes with him after his presentation and he talked about his motivations to move into video blogging/podcasting more extensively. Quite interesting.
• I officially met several people I have known of or met online like: Ginger, Keith, Nathan, and Darrin.
• I didn't see Kate, Rob, or Ben. Did I miss you guys (and girl)?

Bonus thoughts...
Nathan and I recorded a quick episode (10 minutes) of The New Mediology at the end of Podcamp Nashville today too. There are random shout-outs to Kelly Stewart and Allison Groves as they walked by and Nathan Ketsdever walked up to talk and then realized we were recording. It was pretty funny but also a cool thing about podcasting on the spot.

All in all a good day. Met some great people. Made some good connections and even reconnected with some people I didn't expect to.

Side note: I think this is the single most hyperlinks I've ever put into a blog post.

Tomorrow I will be at Podcamp Nashville. If you're going to be there and we don't know each other please introduce yourself to me. Also, I welcome any feedback on the presentation I'll give at 2:00. If you like it, great. If not, even better...it will help me refine it.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=vFLs9RI8mSA]

I came across this video earlier in the week and really like it for a few different reasons. First, the point of the video (the confusion that can occur because Starbucks calls a small coffee a "tall") is something most any of us who have been to Starbucks have thought about at some point. The other thing is that this video shows what some talent and creativity both in front of the camera and with video editing can do to create really compelling content.

I advise people all the time to create content for whatever they're doing. Inevitably, when I mention video content they think it's going to be way too expensive or complicated. This video shows it doesn't have to be expensive (or complicated) to be done well and get a lot of people to watch. It's up to almost 300,000 views after only one month online.

Link for the feed readers: Small is Tall

You ever have one of those weeks where you think things are going to be one way and they turn out completely different? That's what this week has been for me. Between a sick wife and daughters and the resulting cancellation of several meetings, a crazy storm night on Tuesday that derailed an entire evening of catch up time and a complete transfer and little details required for the redesigned MicroExplosion.com (thanks to AnthologyCreative) it's been a little nuts. Somewhere in there I've been trying to squeeze in the time to finish my presentation slides for PodCamp Nashville this Saturday (sorry I'm late Kelly) and record the next episode of The New Mediology. Then, of course, there's client work that trumps all of this (except the family stuff of course.) So...it's been a little different than expected. Regularly scheduled blogging will resume soon and I'll still have a video of the week tomorrow!

Welcome to the new home for MicroExplosion Media. Nice, new look. Same ole me.

Two Sharpies and one really, really long line equals a pretty cool picture. My question is, are they going to leave this on the wall? Paint it maybe?

Link for the feed readers: Line Art