Love the Nike+" I Am Not A Runner" Ad

I just saw the Nike+ "I am not a runner" ad and laughed out loud. How funny! This ad made me think of when I first started running again four years ago. I remember thinking how hard it was and asking myself why I was doing it. Then of course I acquired what I believe will be a life-long case of running fever. This commercial captures the love/hate relationship that new runners and even some veterans have with the intensely demanding sport. Well done Nike...you sure do know running!

The Rise of Foursquare

How do we know that Foursquare has gained momentum and credibility as the next big social network?

First of all, big consumer brands are getting on board with the technology. Just this week Starbucks announced that it is integrating Foursquare into its Frappacino "Have it Your Way" promotion. Foursquare mayors at Starbucks nationwide are receiving a substantial discount on the beverage through the end of the promotion.

Second, Facebook is looking at geo-location as the next phase of its mega platform. If Facebook is on board with the technology that speaks volumes. There are even rumors of Facebook buying Foursquare though I haven't heard anything to substantiate those rumors yet.

Also, the movers and shakers of business and marketing have adopted the technology. When the influencers are on board the masses usually follow as we saw with the explosive growth of Twitter last year and Facebook's non-stop growth.

Finally, if you do happen to get on Foursquare you may just get sucked in from the sheer fun and competitiveness of the game-like app. Just today I became mayor of a couple of venues and unlocked some new badges and I find myself liking it more and more.

Twitter Tops Social Tools for Social Media Marketers

According to research conducted by Social Media Examiner and reported by eMarketer, Twitter tops the list of most used social media tools by marketers.

The survey, which was administered in January of 2010 asked marketers to identify which tools they use most. The results were as follows:

• Twitter - 88%

• Facebook - 87%

• LinkedIn - 78%

• Blogs - 70%

• YouTube or other video site - 46%

• Social bookmarking sites (i.e. Delicious) - 27%

• Forums - 26%

• Digg, reddit, Mixx, etc - 22%

• Ning sites - 17%

• MySpace - 11%

If you're in marketing and not sure what to think of Twitter or how to effectively use Twitter, my advice is talk with Twitter users and solicit their feedback. I'd be happy to talk with anyone about my thoughts on why Twitter is the preferred network for marketers, including myself.

Dairy Queen Uses Integrated Promotion for Blizzard's 25th Anniversary

I don't always think of Dairy Queen (DQ) as a savvy marketer but I really like their current campaign strategy for the 25th anniversary blizzard promotion.

First of all, the DQ blizzard is a favorite of mine and probably a million others. It is most definitely a DQ cash cow. I am confident that I have been loving the DQ blizzards for the 25 years they've been around!

Now onto the marketing strategy, which integrates old and new media channels. There is a TV ad, online social media effort asking consumers to create Happy Birthday videos for the Blizzard and submit on YouTube. DQ will select the Top 100 videos and reward customers with $25 gift cards. Additionally, DQ is promoting mobile sampling events to happen at various DQ locations where they'll be passing out free product.

This is a good example of an integrated campaign that incorporates online and offline media. And it's a feel good campaign to help DQ customers connect with the brand. Seems like a winning campaign to me.

Does Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?

Does your company have a social media policy? For smaller companies the answer could very likely be no, but developing a policy may protect your business.

Even if you're not currently using social media as part of your overall marketing strategy, please keep in mind that your customers and employees are using it and you should at minimum be monitoring what's being said.

Here are some questions to consider in developing a social media policy:

• Who if anyone specifically is responsible for managing your business' social media. Whose managing the Facebook page, Tweeting, etc?
• Who is responsible for developing and approving content or else defining in the planning stage what topics are permitted to be shared? 
• What are employees allowed to say and what must be kept confidential? For example in the healthcare field there are strict patient privacy laws called HIPPA that prohibit sharing patient information with anyone not authorized to receive the information.
• Are there any restrictions for employees (i.e. some may be allowed to use social media at work due to nature of their roles but for some it may not be necessary)?
• Who will develop out the social media policy and how will it be shared with employees? In writing? In meetings? Both?

If you don't have a social media policy in place I encourage you to think through these questions and start formulating the framework for your policy. It's an important step in protecting your business.

Ohio Department of Health Ad Campaign = Fail

Really Ohio Department of Health? I'm going to have to call this new ad campaign promoting breast milk a fail. Some even consider it an epic fail - including my teenage daughter and her peers who quote say "it's nasty, nobody wants to look at breast milk"! I have to kindof agree that the message and the image are not very attractive. Is the milk all over the baby's face really needed to convey the point? What's next...showing the breast?

So this is my little plea to the Ohio Department of Health. Please rethink the branding for this campaign. How about something like Breastfeed your baby for optimal health and just show a healthy, happy baby? This campaign is just bad. 

The Boston Marathon Brand

Wow! What an exciting day for running and runners everywhere! Especially for those running in the 114th annual Boston Marathon and those there to cheer them on! While I wasn't there to run or physically cheer for my friends - I was there in spirit and know many other people were too. The Boston Marathon is widely recognized as one of road racing's premiere annual events for a number of reasons including its longevity and also the need to "qualify" to be able to participate in the race. With such wide popularity and prestige, a limitless amount of runners would LOVE to be there to participate but alas NOT EVERYONE can run it due to time and capacity issues. To Boston Qualify aka BQ is considered prestigious for serious amateur runners who have trained hard (sometimes tirelessly) to be able to participate in such a world-class running event. Even watching the event online as a spectator was awesome because the runners and crowd exude energy!

While other marathons such as New York and Chicago have gained clout, Boston is still by far the rolls royce of marathons as runners from all over the world come to compete for the chance to be recognized. Boston is the power brand of marathons and I hope to be there running it and experiencing it firsthand in 2011! Fingers crossed!