MTV= Reality TV No Longer

Oh the water cooler, how it once was graced by discussions about The Bachelor, Survivor, The Mole, Beauty and the Geek...and the list goes on. Reality TV shows have provided endless amounts of dialogue between viewers and priceless opportunities for networks to get their programming covered. For goodness sake, each Survivor winner was mentioned on local and national news outlets around the country!

MTV not only jumped on the reality trend, but one could almost say initiated it with its "Real World" series way back when. Punk'd, Laguna Beach and the Newlyweds, were all the buzz with its teenage target. And who could forget the Osbournes? I remember talking with friends and family about that show, as well as reading articles about it in the newspaper and seeking out online updates about the show.

Taking a look at the MTV that existed before the reality TV push, a major discrepancy exists between that broadcasting line-up and current programming. The network went from music videos and Daria to My Super Sweet Sixteen, Parental Control and the Flava of Love. The reality TV model served MTV well for a period of time, but now the once buzz-producing shows are no longer delivering.

We all knew there has been an excess number of reality shows on MTV for quite some time, but it is shocking to read that MTV hasn't had a scripted show in 5 years. This information comes from the recent Media Post's TV Watch article which explains how MTV's poor ratings and an "executive shake up" are resulting in its first scripted series in quite some time, Kaya.

Although the reality TV genre has lost a bit of its sparkle, it seems to still have a relatively strong hold on popular media. But what does MTV's fizzle of reality programming bode for the genre? What does it mean for the future of good old fashioned water cooler buzz? I guess that is up to Grey's Anatomy and 24.

Check out some reviews of MTV programming on yelp.com. This is a neat site to see what people are saying about a variety of entities. This is probably one of the sites that could become victim to something I discussed in an earlier blog, the new payola of online influencers to inflate ratings. The reviews on MTV, however, seem to be legitimately heartfelt and are a fun read.

Publicizing the Blog

In order to try and get the word out about my blog for Audience Research, I did the following:
-Post the link on my Facebook profile
-Comment on a blog entry of a fellow student blogger with a link back to a relevant entry of mine
-Comment on a blog entry on Coleen's Cuisine blog; the entry was the first search item to come up with a Google search query of "Pinkberry blogs"

Hopefully I will get some hits!

Pinkberry: A Story of Buzzzzz

When two of my fellow classmates and I chose to do our final class project on Pinkberry, we did so from a list of companies provided by our professor. We had never heard of Pinkberry before, all we knew was that upon visiting the website we instantly were transfixed by the naturally beautiful simplicity of the product images. Merely looking at the site is a guilty pleasure for my group members and myself, as we each take turns issuing a statement along the lines of "Man, we are so going there one day." Certainly none of us knew of the obsessed customer base of the company and the word of mouth phenomena that is Pinkberry.

In a recent article in Entrepreneur magazine, co-owner of Pinkberry, Young Lee, likened the word of mouth transfer from customer to customer, to a machine gun. The rapid-fire buzz brought the friends of customers, business partners, and, as it would seem, the world to the obscure location in West Hollywood. The power of the Pinkberry product allowed the company to overcome any obstacles and become wildly successful. This product power is a combination of the sleek stores and customer experience, as well as the very unique-to-the-US-market product.

This product is not unique, however, to the Korean market where supposedly the inspiration for Pinkberry is located. The February 21, 2007 New York Times article on Pinkberry, Heated Competition. Steaming Neighbors. This is Frozen Yogurt?, addresses the competition that the stores have spawned and some of the issues surrounding who came up with the concept first. If you stop to think about it, really the buzz about Pinkberry is to blame for creating other frozen yogurt look-alikes.

Bottom line: People are completely obsessed with this product and that blind obsession has lead to several parking tickets and consumer recommendations. People are not only talking about it in real time, but online through social marketing sites. A Flickr photo search with the query of "pinkberry" results in several hundred uploaded pictures of people oohing and ahhing over their particular frozen yogurt/topping combination or the decor of the store. Blogs discuss the product, while people talk about their devotion to Pinkberry on their MySpace profiles.

Ready and Willing Opinion Leaders

And we thought they were hard to reach.

According to a blog entry on the WOM Research Blog, influential consumers are relatively easy to get in touch with. Who knew? Information from StartSampling and McElroy Inc. shows that these "Social Persuaders and Influencers," or "SPIs," are receptive to in-store trials and brand websites to mention a few tactics. In fact, according to the study and in comparison to the average consumer, these PSIs are easy to reach.

If these consumers are so easy to reach, why have they evaded marketers for so long, or at least why has it been made to seem that way? This mystical character, the opinion leader, has captivated marketers and been the motivation for countless studies and focus groups particularly, it seems, at the teenage level. Perhaps these individuals are naturally curious, are comfortable with taking risks, and enjoy being informed about the consumer culture around them.

The article goes on to justify what we all know; the SPI represents a golden brand opportunity. The research shows they are "61% more likely to learn about product or services through product reviews" than the average consumer and "76% more likely to seek out information from store employees." The list of percentages continues with several impressive and confirming statistics about the comfort SPIs have in discussing something in a social setting, sending emails, and talking to peers.

What does this all mean? Well, if these influencers are easy to reach while the average consumer is very difficult to reach, let's continue to put these SPI's to work spreading the buzz. At least we finally know they are getting the marketing messages.

Engaging the Audience on Another Level

Windows created quite the buzz-based campaign for their recent release of Windows Vista. According to an entry on Womnibus, a blog specifically about word of mouth marketing, Microsoft went all out with a campaign speaking specifically to the bloggers of the world and the techno driven, computer game playing segment. The Womnibus article, Vista Puzzle Campaign Brings on the Buzz, also linked to a Red Herring article about the campaign, Vista Buzz Builds on Puzzles, which begs the question, "Will the buzz translate to sales?"

Considering that this campaign is being viewed as one of the "most ambitious interactive games to create product excitement in history," I was surprised that I had not heard about it. Perhaps the genius behind the campaign is that it was extremely targeted to the "vista enthusiasts," the hardcore techies, and in that case, it would make perfect sense that I knew nothing about it.

I must admit, the concept is rather elaborate and exciting: mysterious clues sent via black envelopes and cryptic sky writings in major cities by the "puzzle mistress" of an online game. Even more compelling are the prizes, with the reward for first place being a trip 63 miles into space. Thousands of people have been going to the vanishingpointgame.com to pore over clues and try to solve puzzles. The black envelope sent to bloggers contained an oddly shaped USB drive with clue documents and then a letter from Loki, the puzzle mistress. Even one blogger, Tod Ogasawara , claimed that he was not a "viral marketing fanboy" but that he simply is a sucker for a puzzle.

Checking out the puzzle website now, it appears that all of the puzzles have been solved, so there must have been quite a response. The deadline was in conjunction with the Vista launch February 8, but the website does not seem to say anything about the winner. Will the contest deliver the fabulous prize and cement a successful first month launch?

Getting Attention and Driving Site Hits

A recent article from the The Wall Street Journal Online, The Wizards of Buzz, breaks some very interesting news about online customer ratings, comments, blog posts, and social book marking sites. There exists a certain level of trust between online users and online consumers, a trust that is continually strengthened by the popularity of online social networking. Therefore, when a member of the network rates a service highly or blogs about a particular topic, the online community pays attention. The community especially pays attention when one of their prolific pundits gives something a mention.

Although hundreds to thousands of people post on sites such as Reddit.com, Del.icio.us, Stumbleupon.com and more, a relatively small group of people make up the majority of posts. These individuals are followed by readers and become respected for their expertise or entertaining content. It is this group of commentators who then have the ability to direct traffic in droves to websites or attention to recent news pieces.

With their fairly wide exposure, these seemingly ordinary people gain a shade of celebrity status among their web readership. We all know that celebrities are courted left and right to promote causes, well now these web personas are being pushed by sites and companies to plug their products. What does these mean for the social networking sphere which promotes such a sense of community and trust? Just as quickly as companies are entreating web personas to create some buzz about their products, social networking sites are initiating teams dedicated to nipping this in the bud. If users cannot trust the integrity of the commentary on a site and the viability of the user ratings, then there will be no reason to visit.

Marketers are trying their best to infiltrate the latest trend in online activity, hoping to go beyond site ads and clickthroughs to blog mentions and inflated rankings. With people spending so much time online talking and interacting, it is an ingenious, yet treacherous frontier to pursue for creating buzz.

Superbowl: The Ultimate Viral and Word of Mouth Advertising Event

It would be a huge oversight, as a blogger dedicated to discussing word of mouth, viral, and guerrilla marketing, if I did not mention the Superbowl ads and the vast amount of buzz they produce. This perhaps is the one time when people look forward to commercial interruptions and are often even more attentive during these breaks than during the actual programming. In a word, Superbowl ads are golden.

Not only do people talk about the commercials before, for example the Nationwide advertisement with Kevin Federline leaked out prematurely, but they discuss them during the game and for several days after. On Monday, the first thing we gabbed about in all of my classes were our favorite Superbowl ads. On Friday, you guessed it, we were still talking about them. And with the viral video community, viewers not only talked about the ads, but watched them again and again. There were sites dedicated to Superbowl ads and rankings such as SuperBowl-Ads.com, but tons of commercials were posted to YouTube, the machine of the viral video revolution.

Also any controversy surrounding advertisements during the Superbowl was highly public and thoroughly discussed by many. The Snickers advertisement entitled "chest hair" featuring two men sharing a snickers bar and accidentally kissing, was seen as extremely offensive to the gay community and promoting homophobia. This posting on gather.com by John M., Snickers Ad Causes Controversy, Gets Pulled, prompted much discussion. Check it out; read about the ramifications of the spot and then take a look at the numerous comments posted in response to the entry.

It might not have been the most remarkable set of Superbowl ads, but I'm sure all of the advertisers felt that the $2.6 million they paid for the spot was well worth it in terms of buzz.

Image from- http://www.jazzsports.com/super-bowl-2006/super-bowl-odds-2006.php

They Keep Trying

A marketer's dream is to know everything about the target, to understand that group so completely that no move is unanticipated and that no product fails to hit the mark. If a marketer could, they would just spend every single day with the target audience, and sometimes members of the target audience do allow marketers to come into their homes, check out what's in their closet and hang out for a while. However, that is not the norm and typically companies have to find other ways to figuratively invade the lives of the consumers.

After reading several articles on specific target market segments (female teens, young males, boomer women and Hispanic women) it is plain to see that in-depth research and a great deal of time go into getting to know a segment. Buzz Focus: Cracking the Ficke Tween Code was an excellent example of the "hang-out"/focus group approach to understanding an audience. The author spent time asking young girls what they thought about emails, samples and celebrity endorsements. Turns out, this group was willing to gab and disclosed that they adore ads, can't get enough samples, find email "sacred" and greatly admire celebrities. Now the men and boys in Targeting Young Men, on the other hand, were described as experts in "confounding advertisers." This enigma of a a segment has been most successfully reached by grassroots and has succeeded in alluding the Neilson ratings.

Looking more closely at the older female market, the articles entitled Market Focus: Hispanic Women and Market Focus: Target Female Boomers, described some findings. In the Hispanic household, the female is the "decision maker" and looks to do what is the best for their families, often buying premium brands. In order to figure out what this segment is like, they recruit people who really know the market and how to reach them. Spending on advertising directly targeted to the Hispanic community has grown exponentially, and will only continue to over the years. Now the boomer age segment of women in general is an interesting group. This is a viable and profitable segment, that seemed to be best understood, at least in the article, by women marketers just taking time to learn about themselves and all about women. This segment seems to be dominated by a collective, nurturing mentality that enjoys social networking and blogging.

Image from- www.ciadvertising.org/.../Implications.htm

They Don't Call it Guerrilla Marketing for Nothing

Guerrilla- (n.)
a member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc. - definition courtesy of http://www.dictionary.com/

In order to get a better sense of buzz marketing, I conducted a cursory search of specifically buzz marketing agencies and groups that specialize in alternative advertising. I slowly began to realize how very appropriate the term "guerrilla marketing" is. Reading over the mission or self-promotional statements of a handful of companies, I see that these groups are aggressive tactical units, seeking and destroying the last pure shreds of untouched-by-advertising time in an individual's day. One appropriately named company is "Street Attack." Amazing. If I were a brand, I would hire them too.

Upon reading the following statement by Street Team Promotion.com, I felt as though I was reading a Roman-esqe charge to the advertising troops. --

"Street Team Promotion.com provides highly customized micro-marketing campaigns for products, services and events. We bring the exposure and the results businesses need in expanding their brand and reinforcing their brand message to specific demographics effectively. We ignite a social influence that can begin in local markets and reverberate regionally and then nationally." - National Campaign Director - Street Team Promotion.com

Others were a little more internally concerned rather than imperialist. Buzzoodle seemed to be concerned with training employees and promoting positive feelings for the company, for example. Buzz marketing firms can be focused on a single target audience, and devote their existence to knowing everything about that market. Buzz Marketing Group is such a company that makes its business off of doing everything short of reading the thoughts of teenage females.

Curious about some alternative marketing agencies?
Buzz Marketing Group
Street Attack
Steet Team Promotion.com
Buzzoodle

Image from- http://www.altterrain.com/Brand_Ambassador_Marketing_Expedia.htm

Podcast: The Industry News Source

I just finished listening to a podcast from the independent global PR firm, Edelman. Earshot, their series of podcasts, cover a variety of pertinent industry topics from "Ethics in Social Media" to "Political Blogging." The podcasts, about 20 minutes in length, are hosted by Phil Gomes, Senior Counsel for Online Communications at Edelman and senior advisor to the Society for new Communications Research. The episode in particular that I downloaded was entitled, "Careers in Communication: Asia/Pacific", and dealt with "challenges facing graduating students in the Asia-Pacific Region."

Ad Age also has a collection of audio shows on aspects of the advertising industry, or marketing communications industry in general rather, called Why it Matters. These audio reports are hosted by Hoag Levins, the executive producer of AdeAge.com. The report that peaked my interest was the "Audience Tracking Issues in a Time of Media Upheaval" which featured an interview with Ann Marie Kerwin, the Ad Age MediaWorks editor.

This form of receiving industry news is fantastic. By simply downloading this podcast, I was privy to a panel discussion between the Gomes, a professor at the prestigious Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU), a PR practitioner at Edelman Singapore, another PR professional at Edelman Hong Kong, and a graduate student at NTU. By listening to the Ad Age audio report, in less than eight minutes I heard the media tracking trends from an expert . As a student, this was an amazing opportunity to gain a global perspective of the PR industry and to grasp the changes in the media world. There was something so much more real and memorable about listening to the industry trends rather than reading them. I am extremely enthusiastic about the possibilities of receiving industry updates in this format.

You can listen to Edelman podcasts at:
http://www.edelman.com/podcasts/
Phil Gomes is a prolific blogger and you can visit his blog at:
http://www.philgomes.com/blog/
Ad Age audio shows are available at:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=48120
Visit Hoag Levins' Website at:
http://www.levins.com/

Image from- www.totalcatholic.com/podcast/index.html

Tell a Story: Seth Godin's Google Address

The buzz whiz, Seth Godin, began and ended his presentation at Google with congratulations on the company's amazing success over the years. The in-between time was spent both explaining the cause of that success and warning against becoming average.

Taking a moment to consider my own Google usage, I simply reflect upon the day that has passed me by in a very normal fashion. Today, I have easily used Google's search feature over 25 times to find public service announcements, weather, images and more. The thought of using another search engine never even crossed my mind. Furthermore, I can vividly remember remarking not just today, but on other days to friends, acquaintances and professors that "I adore Google." All of this came to mind when Godin told the story of the woman who approached him after seeing the Google shirt he was wearing. "Google is my life," she said, according to Godin. And that is one of the major reasons that Google has experienced out of this world success; people love the company and the services it provides because it unlocks the power of the Internet.

Something remarkable is "worth making a remark about", mentions Godin. Google has continually dominated the thoughts of Internet users by delivering just that. If there isn't something special about a product or a service, then no one is going to talk about it. If no one talks about it, no one knows about it. Take Gmail for example, as Godin frequently did throughout his speech, and consider whether users really need all of that space to store email. Probably not, but the fact that it is different and at the "edge" makes it worth talking about, in Godin's words, gives it a story. Recently having signed up for Gmail, I am completely enamored with it and I exclaim so without any prompting . It is a service that I find so "remarkable" that I have already convinced my roommate to give it a try. She loves it too. Gooogle Earth is another such service that is on the edge and therefore a subject in Godin's address. I have discussed Google Earth often in my classes and with friends.

A final key to the Google empire is personal and relevant "permission marketing" that is specifically tailored to the online searcher. When a product is searched, then advertisements for that particular product don the sidebar of Google search results pages. Google supposedly delivers value to its users in this manner. At the same time, this is actually the one aspect of Gmail that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The other features are so amazing that I am willing to have my privacy violated, and yes that is what I see the personalized advertisements on the side of my inbox as, a violation of privacy. The first time I noticed a correlation between my emails and the sidebar was when I received an email from a professional Public Relations group. There in the right hand column were ads to find a PR position and other related sites. Creepy was the first word that came to my mind. My roommate and I have since discussed this and came to the same conclusion. I recognize the lucrative nature of these click-throughs and do not see them as an attempt by Google to meet my needs.

I was surprised that I was completely enthralled with the almost 50 minute Godin presentation and hardly felt the time. He made some extremely valuable points and through watching it, I have learned how very integral "buzz" was in the rise of one of the largest dot com's.

Check out the video

Image from- www.nerdyshirts.com