It was exciting to see our Wall Street Journal documentary go live on the WSJ Business Center site this week. If you haven’t gotten the chance to view the documentary, you should! It is a great inside look at the company, the culture and the services we offer here at Oneupweb.
Our CEO, Lisa Wehr, provides a bit of background on how Oneupweb became what it is today – a cutting edge digital marketing company
Lisa Wehr
Several leading team members are interviewed in the documentary and offer their take on the company’s myriad of services available to their clients and also their enjoyment in working at Oneupweb.
When the film crew was here in Traverse City last fall interviewing and filming the locations, it was a fun time indeed. It is great to see in the final product how that good time translated into this amazing film. We are happy to see our #Relentless energy and passion for the digital marketing world showcased on the Wall Street Journal’s site.
We also love how the Wall Street Journal began the film, “Keep it interesting or be ignored.” They get our vibe and get that we are sincere in our efforts to be “One UP!”
Keep it interesting or be ignored
So, slide on over to the WSJ Business page and tell us what you think! We’d love to hear your thoughts!
MASCOT: defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck.
CHERRY BEAR
Today, I watched a marketing video a friend of mine here in Traverse City helped create for a company out near the Sleeping Bear Dunes, the Cherry Republic.
Cherry Republic is located in Glen Arbor. It is a company that specializes in gift packages for what this region is known for – cherries!
The company’s viral videos wasn’t a method they usually employed until recently. It was a smart choice if you ask me. In reviewing their YouTube channel I see two videos.
The two videos at present time on the Cherry Bear Republic YouTube channel
As you will see the two videos were launched within the last three week time period. The video my friend helped with was launched first. As of today, it has received 1,944 views. That is really good for a local company! The second one launched yesterday. It has already received 684 views.
As can be observed the company has a mascot. Their mascot is: Cherry Bear. I love how they implemented their mascot into the videos. The “Cherry Bear Stocks up for Hibernation” is clearly a day-in-the-life of the Cherry Bear. We get to see in the end of the video the bear resting finally to stuff him with cherry goodies on the beautiful Glen Arbor shores of Lake Michigan. In “Cherry Republic Thanksgiving Cookoff” we still see the bear present in little animations and artwork helping us through the flow of the video while also inviting us into the company culture via a yummy cookoff.
Also, love the little “mom, stop talking” blooper in the opening. So cute! Gotta love moms!
"Mom! Stop talking!" blooper screen shot
Indeed, Cherry Republic implemented an excellent idea within their company social media marketing campaign. Smart tactic, Cherry Republics!
MAYHEM
Let’s take another one of my favorite mascots, Allstate’s Mayhem.
Sexiest Mascot alive! The only time Mayhem is welcomed.
I’m sure he is a favorite for a lot of you. I mean, how amazing is that, that an insurance company hit a home run with accident and mishap topics via the “Sexiest GPS Alive!” This could be the only time you would hear many of us scream “GO Mayhem!” Well, besides those select few that mosh about at a Sex Pistols concert, which actually could make for a good Mayhem commercial.
By the way (BTW), finding a proper hyperlink for mosh about wasn’t an easy task to avoid extreme profanity while holding classical music vs. death metal. So, make sure to click it and enjoy the musical dance of mosh and stage diving. It’s my ode to Mayhem!
Mayhem Facebook Fan Page - notice we call it a "Fan Page"
The Mayhem character (mascot) has a huge following. Their Facebook fan page – note to the word “fan” – holds one million, one hundred and three thousand, four hundred and seventy-five fans [1,103,475]. That’s a lot of likers! The fact that they have almost 50,000 people talking about the mascot in the last 24 hours within Facebook is also a stat number to get crazy over.
Imagine sitting in a social media marketing meeting and having that sort of feedback to a brand. “Is it working” someone asks. I don’t know. What do you think?
Another interesting find I discovered on the Mayhem Facebook was the fan photos. I can’t believe how popular Mayhem was this year for Halloween. GO Mayhem!
Mayhem - popular Halloween costume 2011
IN CLOSING
How about you? What do you think of company mascoting? Any insights? Any outside of the box stories? Share them. Would love to hear from you!
And now… I close with my ode to Mayhem once more: my favorite Mayhem commerical “Toddler Mayhem.”
Social Media has become a hotly integrated item for a company or project’s marketing campaign. It’s a platform that can both save your budget and also go viral with an insane amount of return as compared to TV ads, radio spots and/or outdoor advertising.
The Viral Virtuoso
Why is that?
It’s what is known in the oldest of traditional forms of advertisement as word-of-mouth. It is the Viral Virtuoso. Recommendations from personal connections or opinions shared by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising.
“Ninety percent or consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions posted online.” (Nielsen, 2009)
Those are some pretty huge percentages and worth the argument that any and all brands need to get with the flow and master (at best) the networks of Social Media. And, that’s obviously the skinny on that!
Tie My Shoestrings, Please
Even a short film out of Detroit discovered social media’s benefits despite a shoestring budget [2010/11].
Official Poster for One Last Call - click through for IMDb page
One Last Call, a short film created for a master’s capstone project, was implemented on a shoestring budget of $5,000. By the end of the finished product it reached an appraised worth of close to $35,000. It was a production that was, of course, about the filmmaking, but it was also about the business side, a side that takes place behind the scenes. This is something most non-industry pros have no idea about – that not so glitzy and glammed up side. Things like negotiations and contracts, location planning, city permits, sponsorships, music scores and studios, creating merchandise and so on comprise this hidden world. On this project, agitating social media fan base prior to the film entering production played a role in the invisible side as well.
In fact, social media was the success point of One Last Call. Its utilization of social media before heading into filming was part of the reason the project received a total five (5) sponsorships prior to finishing principle filming. In turn, giving the project the ability to complete at that $35,000 level. The film brought on such national sponsors as Coca Cola Creative and NVIDIA.
Some Social Sizzling Stats
In the first 30 days of launching the project’s “OLC Short Film Project” Facebook fan page, the film garnered a fan base of close to 900. On YouTube, the trailer received close to 1,000 views and the music video topped 500. On Twitter, NVIDIA and Channel 7 news WXYZ (the top in Detroit) tweeted more than once about the project. Upon announcement of the premiere via the social network, Coca Cola Creative contacted the project letting them know they wanted still involved. The national company volunteered a booth at the event giving out free Fuse drinks to a sold out crowd at the Main Art Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Now That We’ve Tied My Shoe Laces, Let’s Play!
Another successful factor that played into this project was the encouragement of interaction from its fans on Facebook. Part of the strategy for the page was to go beyond simple conversation surrounding the project and post only things pertaining to One Last Call. One Last Call and the production team connected with their fans on a personal level, as is recommended in any social media campaign or plan.
Andy Rathburg (Dodge in OLC) w/Clay Matthews Fathead behind-the-scenes: photo Marc Ruiz
Within a few hours of posting one of the behind-the-scene photos from the set people were commenting and “Liking” the OLC page. Because Rathburg was tagged in the photo, his almost 3,000 followers were suddenly made aware of OLC’s existence.
These techniques worked wonders. The corresponding posts were, in turn, re-posted and oftentimes tweeted. This helped drive people to the OLC page and “Like” it. The project also encouraged behind the scene photos and set humor, which resulted in a high rate of views and “likes” from the fans.
Made-In-Detroit: A Finished Weave via the Viral Shoe String
Since the release of the short “Made-In-Detroit” film, a cult following has been ever expanding. Mentions and references to the project continue and those who were involved still give wings to the Viral Virtuoso that has become Detroit’s One Last Call success.
It was just a short film, made for a master’s program capstone. Forty (40+) people came on board in the real world and thousands came on in the virtual! Not bad for a first film from a team of emerging filmmakers from the neighborhoods of Detroit.
Some Social-lite Advice to Close With
Pay attention to that social network out there because it is what helped launch the public awareness of this project and its team. If you, as a company and/or project, are not on the social network yet, then you are missing out on a lot of leads, ROI and awesome fans!
Thank you Social Media for stepping to the platform!
And we now close with the teaser trailer from the film – hurry before its time for your “One Last Call!”
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Reference:
Neilsen. 2009. Global Advertising: Consumers Trust Real Friends and Virtual Strangers the Most. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtual-strangers-the-most/
Forgive me, but I’m feeling a little fired up! After some research on the product, I have come to the conclusion the little 7-inch device is smokin’ hot! Not to mention its awesome price tag, which is a good 50% cheaper than the Playbook and $300 cheaper than the iPad!
Hot! Hot! Hot!
I am a mega reader and writer (I know, shocker). But, I don’t own a pad or a tablet yet. I haven’t been fully won over by these devices, but after this reveal from Amazon I am honestly SOLD!
Why am I sold? Let me share with you the Kindle Fire’s features and you will understand.
Obviously the price tag is one feature I appreciate about this little sizzler item. Check out this great chart from Ken Sena of Evercore Partners. It shows how the price undercuts the tablet/pad market. I’d be shaking in my boots if I were the other brands.
Sena predicts that by 2016 the CAGR of the Kindle Fire will decline by 6% to $149. That’s awesome, but I won’t be waiting until then for that sales price – it’s already on sale for me. I’m ready to run out and buy it now!
This next feature! I melted from its amazing heat! Of course, this Kindle has the WhisperSync technology to automatically sync your library, last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights across your devices that its predecessors had. But, now it’s synced with more devices out there from Amazon’s instant video feature. If you own or have access to one of these compatible devices, like the Samsung LN40C560 40-inch 1080 60 Hz LCD HDTV for instance (could be mine – maybe), then all you have to do is sync up the two devices and watch the video on the bigger screen now.
Sync to your TV, HDTV, Blue-Ray, or DVR
I have a library of not just books, but magazines as well. As much as I LOVE to have my library of books and mags I won’t lie, I have been feeling a little guilty about the trees these days. And so, reviewing the Kindle Fire’s picture quality on a 7″ vibrant color touchscreen that delivers 16 million colors in high resolution was a definite selling point for me. Between watching movies and reading my favorite mags, I am sweltering with delight on this feature.
The Kindle Fire has an intuitive interface, so it makes it super easy to use and go back to my most visited and most interested links.
Amazon’s Prime members enjoy unlimited, commercial-free streaming of over 10,000 popular movies and TV shows. Basically, I can pull the little sultry device out of my purse at break time and watch a quick episode of my favorite shows, like Spartacus or Stargate SG-1.
It has a fast, dual-core processor, meaning I can do things like read a chapter in some book I need to get down for work while uploading a video to go along with that research. I can listen to tunes while I surf the web too. It’s a little multi-tasker like me!
It has its OWN cloud feature! I don’t have to worry about memory uptake on the device – slowing it down like molasses, because Amazon has its own cloud via the net where I can store all that. No matter where I am or what I am doing. I can access it.
The Amazon Cloud
You can stream music from your Amazon cloud drive online or download the driver and go offline. They have 17 million songs in the Amazon MP3 Store. I could see myself on my treadmill able to have it sitting in front of me while I walk or run. In fact, I could be listening to music while reading AND walking! Just hope they don’t make a law akin to the ‘walking and texting’ deal.
It’s strong! The screen is chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic. Honestly, how many times have you all out there dropped your iPhone or Android and cracked the screen – Right? … Exactly!
So, there you have my review on the new Kindle Fire tablet. What do you think of this new device? What would you consider to be the pros and cons of utilizing such a spicy device?
Oneupweb’s global headquarters are just across Lake Michigan from the lovely state of Wisconsin. A state that’s known for its delicious dairy products, the Green Bay Packers and Oshkosh B’Gosh (partly because it’s so fun to say). They also have intellectually stimulating city pronunciations. Like Michigan, Wisconsin has many cities and counties named after Native American words. See below for a list of Native American named cities and counties in Michigan:
Michigan – Big Sea Water
Muskegon – Plenty Of Fish In Michigan
Osceola – Medicine Drink
Oswego – Flowing Out Lake
Pontiac – Ottawa Indian Chief Killed At Cahokia, Illinois-1776
Saqwasibi – Coming Out River-Flowing Into Lake Michigan
Kalamazoo – Otter Tail
Mackinac – Turtle Island In Michigan
One of the trending videos on YouTube now is one titled Texans trying to pronounce WI city names. As a lifelong Michigander, I was able to correctly pronounce several of the cities. But for those who may not be familiar with the Midwest’s naming convention, these Texans have one heck of a time. Enjoy…
Were you able to correctly pronounce any of the Wisconsin city names? Tell us which ones you had a hard time with in the comments section below.
