A couple months ago, I discovered the joy of LOLcats.  The buzz generated by the LOLcats brand of humor is a case study on the power of the internet.  The best way to attempt to explain it is that Lolcats is the internet version of an inside joke, a really really cute inside joke.  You just need to see it for yourself.  But I digress.

I have subscribed to 5 different mailing lists offered under the “I Can Has Cheezburger” brand, including “Engrish Funny,” “ROFLrazzi,” “FAIL Blog,” “Loldogs,” and “Lolcats.”  This means that every day, I recieve emails containing hilarious captioned pictures and links directing me to the website for more silliness.  The business model behind these emails is simple: Click the link, comment on the picture, and spend time on the main website … which enables the website to charge higher advertising fees justified through higher traffic.

In the interactive field, iPhone apps are a constant topic of discussion.  And, of course, we are supposed to be defining the potential applications of emerging technologies.  But at what point does “being on the edge of cool” stop justifying new ventures that don’t seem to contribute to the bottom line?  This is where Lolcats comes in.

My daily emails began promoting the “I Can Has Cheezburger” iPhone app.  As a consumer, I was all over that app.  As a business-minded individual, I found myself wondering how the app contributes to the revenue model.  In some cases, applications may send you to the website, encourage you to spend time/money elsewhere, or, of course, charge a fee.  The LOLcats application really does none of the above.  It simply provides entertainment to the users.  In this case, an iPhone app is actually counterproductive.  You see, as any logical person would do, I have unsubscribed from my daily Lolcats emails.  No more inbox flooding.  No more going to the website.  All that remains is one click - I pull up my iPhone app, and I’m instantly entertained.

I am a big believer in the value of brand equity - usually, when a consumer is spending more time with your brand, it’s a good thing.  But if they are spending more time with your brand, while driving less money to your brand…the math simply doesn’t add up.  I would pay for this iPhone app.  I might link to the website to comment.  But please don’t tell the Lolcats.  They’ll turn me into nomz

It’s no secret - our economy is sick. Unemployment is on the rise, people are at risk of losing their homes, the stock market is down, and people are generally worried about their financial future.

As a result, people are scaling back on their spending -forcefully becoming more thrifty. Still, let’s be honest, we’re Americans. While we might cut back - even a lot - we won’t cut completely out; it’s the American way to be spendthrift-ish.

So for the next several months while the economy shakes things up, what should be your strategy -particularly during the busy, competitive holiday season? People are bound to spend less. So what how do you draw more of this smaller pool of dollars to your brand vs. the competition?

Fundamentally, there is a shift in the way people spend their money. Much more, people need to feel good about the money they’re spending. Value is huge. So if you can’t change your product, what can you change?

How about CUSTOMER SERVICE?

It slipped away when people would buy regardless of the experience, because spending wasn’t an issue. Today, though, a dollar needs to go farther. It isn’t just the pair of shoes a customer buys, but the experience she has doing it. Brands need to make their customers FEEL GOOD about the money they spend. Call it guilt management … with a smile.

Let me give a personal example:

I’ve had some major dental work done over the past 2 years. For anyone that’s been through this kind of ordeal, you know it’s painful and time consuming … but more than that, it’s EXPENSIVE. Bottom line, it’s natural to put these things off - and even more so in tough financial times.

And when it comes to dental work there are always options. Do you get the cheap filling or crown, or the pretty one? Do you pull the tooth, or repair it, etc.

Recently, I wrapped up my dental work - and I bought the pretty options/the more expensive options. Why? His SERVICE sold me. I adore my dentist and his entire staff, and they made me feel good about choosing the pricier options.

And to say that I haven’t cried in his chair would be a lie. Still, I love my dentist - now that’s sayin’ something. Everything about his business is better than any other dental experience I have had. They run the business like your personal experience makes or breaks them. They give frank and honest consultations, fair options, and they learn who you are and deliver based on your needs. I’m now loyal, and will “shop” with him for all my dental needs, period.

This is a huge lesson for businesses right now - online or offline. Actual service improvements will improve your bottom line. That’s a fundamental business change if you’re not already excelling in the area. But the other lesson here is this: Make people feel better about spending with you. What do they get buying from you that they don’t get at your competitor? Sounds simple. But if my experience has shown me anything, the simpiler the answer, the more likely it is to be right.

** Props to Dr. Wingfield **

I was perusing AdFreak as I often do mid-afternoon for my industry laugh, when I read the post “Viewers rise up against ‘Saved by Zero’ ads.”

I’m fairly certain I don’t even need to describe this ad, I think everyone knows it. My 10-year old son will even sigh when he hears it now.

What I learned from the AdFreak post is that there are actually several websites hosting rants about this ad (e.g. Consumerist, Esquire). One quote the post cited: “It makes me want to kill someone/never ever buy a Toyota.”

Now, you know you’ve done something wrong when something like this happens. 

I am NOT one to subscribe to “any publicity is good publicity.” I think you need to respect your audience and deliver a message that they actually want to hear - something they can connect with, that will move them to act. Maybe the idea of 0% financing is a good one - but delivery is everything.

Tell me how this ad moves somebody to act? (besides to rant on websites, or declare they’ll never buy a Toyota, or threaten suicide)

I recently wrote a guest column for MobileMarketer.com. The topic was making sure that SMS messages comply with carrier rules - something that seems straightforward … however, it’s anything but. This topic is definitely something I think our blog readers will find interesting, so you’ll find the article below.

Also, make sure to the check out MobileMarketer.com - it’s a terrific resource for mobile marketing, media and commerce.

Ensure SMS messages comply with carrier rules

Ensuring your SMS messages are compliant with carrier rules is not as straightforward as you would think.

The level of inconsistency and mixed interpretation is mainly due to a lack of oversight and standardization in the industry.

In order to avoid costly lawsuits such as Timberland’s $7 million, carriers have attempted to protect themselves, which is ultimately positive for consumers, but a pain for marketers.

When sending SMS messages to subscribers across multiple carriers – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, et cetera – it is very difficult to conform to the exact requirements without knowing which carrier each subscriber is using.

For example, carriers require an opt-out message such as “Text STOP to Unsubscribe” and a message telling subscribers they might get charged for the SMS.

In this instance, the exact requirement from Verizon is, “Standard message charges apply” and for T-Mobile it is, “Other charges may apply.”

Not knowing which carrier the subscriber is using makes it easy to violate this requirement.

To be fair, I am sure the carriers lend a blind eye to which version you use as long as it says something close, but technically, you may be breaking one or more carrier’s requirements.

It’s standard to ensure that these types of messages appear on initial subscription confirmation and system transaction messages, such as “text HELP” and “text STOP.”

Most marketers assume that once they have provided this initial notification to the subscriber, it is acceptable to use the full 160-character message allotment for their message. However, this is not quite the case.

An examination of what Verizon and T-Mobile require for Mobile Originated (“MO”) messages or transaction responses (that is, someone texts in a keyword and receives a response), reveals that these messages must include the “Standard message charges apply” for Verizon and “Other charges may apply” for T-Mobile in their total characters.

Effectively, what this does is reduce the available characters from 160 to 128 in the case of the Verizon example, if you add a space or hyphen to separate this from the rest of the message (“-Standard message charges apply.”).

This adds up to about 20 percent less copy. If you require as many characters as possible don’t follow this clause, I’d suggest using acronyms instead; “-StdMsgChrgsAply” or “-OthChrgsMayAply” which is 16 characters, or 10 percent of the 160-character allocation.

To illustrate this point, here is a hypothetical situation.

A commercial airline could provide customers a free flight-information service. Subscribers might text their flight number “DL323” to 33581 and receive a message back on the status of the flight.

Because this is considered an MO, the commercial airline must put “Standard message charges apply” at the end of every message, even if the subscriber has SMS’d 10 times in the same day to get the flight status.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if only one carrier has a rule and the others don’t.

To be safe, you’re better off ensuring all messages conform to the tightest of requirements, especially if you don’t know the exact carrier the subscriber is using and you want to avoid complex business rules with your SMS technology provider.

Furthermore, it is likely other carriers will follow suit soon and perhaps require tighter rules on all SMS messages regardless of the type of message.

Ideally, the industry needs to receive consistent standards and regulations in order to simplify SMS message requirements.

If you think about it, it’s not that different than the inconsistent ISP rules we had for email marketing before CAN SPAM.

I hate to say it, but perhaps we may need more lawsuits before SMS spammers destroy this medium, and carriers get even more confusing.

I was one of the first to receive the new T-Mobile G1 phone last week (known to some as the Google Phone, GPhone or Google Android phone). It has been a lot of fun getting to know my new phone and there is definitely quite a bit of “WOW factor” from friends who play with the gadget.  While I have not had too much time to really learn all of the features, below are the major functions that I have been utilizing.  As I find more features, I will comment on this post.

Here are the things I love about my new phone:
• Amazing form factor with crisp, super responsive touch screen and easy to use slide out keypad
• Crisp vivid imagery, icons, etc. with highly customizable desktop
• Easy browsing and fast connection through the 3G or WiFi
• Pattern unlock is faster (and cooler) than typing in a numeric code
• Small scroll ball as an additional navigational tool – this comes in really handy when trying to click something smaller than my finger tip
• 3 megapixel camera is easy to use with button where it would be on a regular camera
• Awesome Google Maps integration with GPS and Google Street View including Compass View (you can actually rotate the phone and the view of the street changes with the angle of the phone)
• ShopSavvy Application - you can scan a barcode and compare product prices with many online sites
• Shazam Application - the application will listen to music and tell you what is playing, then can connect you to YouTube or the Amazon MP3 store.  I have even tested it with obscure songs, and it has been able to find it every time.
• Compare Everywhere Application - similar to ShopSavvy, except it tells you what local stores are selling a product you scan
• Open Source Android Market - many, many more useful applications should be on their way

What I don’t like:
• No integration with Microsoft Exchange Outlook email. Supposedly third party developers are working on fixing this
• When the charger is plugged in, it is hard to use the flip open keyboard
• No “pinch and spread” multi-touch on the screen

If the goal for the first “Google Phone” was to compete favorably with the Apple iPhone, then the T-Mobile G1 has hit a home run. The potential for this phone becomes even greater as time passes and more developers leverage the open source Google Android Marketplace to develop additional functionality. Also the form factor of the devices launched by carriers will change as more handset providers design for Android.

The next installment in my favorite movie series, Saw V, comes to theaters this Friday, October 24th.  Let me tell you how a unique tool used in its promotion blows my mind - nasty pun intended

Here’s what engagement with movies used to look like:

The consumer sees a movie trailer a few months before the film’s release.  In the weeks preceding the big release date, the consumer sees a few 30-second commercial spots on TV.  Perhaps they catch a glimpse of the movie poster during a visit to the theater.  Finally, the big night arrives, and it’s up to the producers to immerse the consumer in a 2-hour experience that will encourage them to speak positively about the film with their friends.

The quality of the movie is out of marketers’ hands, yes.  But marketers have found a new way to ensure that consumers are spending more than 2 hours with their movie brands, thereby increasing the chances that they will share their engagement with others.  Furthermore, marketers are transcending the concept of word-of-mouth, a crucial determinant in the movie-going process.  In a 2006 Los Angeles Times poll on the moviegoing habits of teens and young adults, 38% of those surveyed said they share their opinions about a movie during or right after the film or on the same day.  It is hardcore fans alone who hit up the message boards.  So how can marketers gain and virally spread the interest of casual movie-goers, people who may have a slight interest in their films?

Enter mashups.  Let them direct the movie!

Mashups aren’t entirely new to the YouTube universe.  People have been recreating trailers for a while now, posting “re-cut” versions on YouTube for pure entertainment purposes (sometimes, hilariously inappropriate entertainment purposes).  Marketers found a way to turn these blatant copyright violations into promotional machines. The mashup has become an incredible marketing tool.

You want the proof?

In 3 days, I spent 10 hours creating mashup trailers from the Saw movie series.  10 hours of TRUE engagement.  10 hours of FREE engagement.  And you better believe that I am creating buzz with my friends.  Upon posting the mashup tool to my Facebook profile, I uncovered three more Saw fans, manifested in the form of public wall posts, status updates, and news-feed glory.

It’s a simple concept: incent me to chop up your movie by entering my work into a contest with a sweet prize.  I am likely to spend hours perfecting my trailer, spread the word, and see your movie.  Combined, DVR adoption and the internet have opened doors such that a 30-second commercial should serve as no more than a reminder.  Make consumers feel your brand by finding ways they would like to interact.

It used to be a scary thing - giving control of your brand to your consumers.  But isn’t marketing about giving the people what they want?

While perusing Seth Godin’s blog, I stumbled on a post that was brilliant in its simplicity. So I have to share it:

Do you have 16 Boxes?

“… Imagine that you have a 4 x 4 grid to fill with assets. If it’s a business, it might be location, reputation, staff, offerings that are in high demand and a sector that’s robust… if you’re doing it for yourself, it might include your resume, your network, your skill set, etc. When someone chooses you or your products, they’re considering everything you have to offer. Whether you’re looking for a job or trying to make a sale, there is rarely only one thing that makes the difference.”

“That’s why human nature is so enraging. When something is going wrong, when the economy is out of sync, we panic. We obsess about just one of the sixteen boxes and ignore the others. We talk ourselves into hysteria about how, “none of our customers have any money,” or, “in this bleak economy, we’ll never make a sale.” Instead of using the relative downtime to build up the other 15 boxes, we just sit in the corner, keening, worrying about that one box that’s out of whack.”

It’s common sense right? Sort of business strategy meets positive thinking?

Is this just wishful thinking? Maybe. Maybe not. Yes, eventually tough decisions have to made when $$ doesn’t come in. I get that. But, take a minute to consider what could be achieved if we put panic aside. Focus would shift from “money money money” to: building upon category expertise, focusing on new ideas, challenging conventional thinking, building culture ….

I’d venture to guess that the companies who chose this path will come out stronger in the end.

Read the rest of Seth’s blog here.

Ok, so I WAS going to blog on one of my favorite topics - the desperate survival tactics of Starbucks, most recently with their new and surprisingly successful Oatmeal product launch. BUT, I decided to table this rant for a more timely and irresistible topic: JOE THE PLUMBER.

“Joe” (actually Samuel J. Wurzelbacher - whose personal story has taken an interesting political/media twist) took center stage at the third and final presidential debate when Obama referenced a conversation he had with Joe about his small business and the taxes he might face under Obama’s tax plan.

Right, so what does this have to do with interactive marketing?

Well, perhaps not surprisingly, Joe the Plumber has fueled yet another opportunistic marketing frenzy. Shortly after the debate, there was a lively bidding war on Joe the Plumber keywords. According to a recent ClickZ article, regional plumbing company Mr. Rooter topped the sponsored listings on Yahoo with “Joe Plumber.”  Cafe Press also joined the madness with a “Joe the Plumber” T-shirt. (Of course. Nothing these days escapes the grip of the screen print tee.)

ClickZ also reported: “Over at Google, the Obama-Biden campaign purchased the keywords that link to a Web site that includes a calculator.” Here taxpayers can use the microsite to calculate the personal impact of Obama’s tax plan by simply entering their salary.

And this is where opportunistic marketing meets interactive best practices.

The Obama-Biden campaign didn’t just purchase the keywords and walk away. They approached this like seasoned online marketers. They linked them to a relevant destination: a microsite that addresses the very topic that surrounded the idea of Joe the Plumber: how each candidates tax plan will impact small businesses and individuals. If McCain’s camp doesn’t respond, Obama will end up with the final word on this topic.

Purely looking at the marketing play here - this was a very smart reaction on the part of the Obama camp. Online has been a very good friend to this campaign. And make no mistake, it has happened very deliberately by a group of extemely savvy digital and social media marketers.

Over the summer, a small team of Engauge employees pulled off an extraordinary feat: in 6 weeks we produced a site for a major client, from scratch, that receives approximately 2.5 million page views per month.  At the outset, we were in an uncomfortable position for any project team: we had a tight deadline, no functional requirements, no visual/creative program established, and not much of an idea how the new site should behave.  There was only one way we could possibly produce a quality product in such a short amount of time: we would all start from zero and work in parallel, we would produce flexible assets and we would react to each other’s work as we progressed.

As Team Lead for the production effort, I felt obligated to identify a process that would allow team members from far-flung disciplines like graphic design, behavioral research, and programming to work in parallel without leading to chaos and disruption.  We borrowed heavily from the Agile software development process and came up with a strategy that we’ve coined “Interdisciplinary Agile.”

The tenants of the Agile philosophy are succinctly described (in under 70 words) in the Agile Manifesto. The success of an Agile project hinges on the quality of communication between internal production team members and between the production team and the client.

The most fundamental piece of our strategy was the 15-minute daily “standup” meeting. Every day the client services team would get together with anyone who was currently producing assets for the website (i.e. wireframes, user survey results, creative comps, or code) and each person answered three questions:

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What are you doing today?
3. What roadblocks are preventing you from accomplishing your task?

Often, standups would precipitate small, quick break-out meetings between team members to address more complex issues.

Another important focus of our strategy involved building our deliverables within two-week “sprints.”  The idea is to define tasks in such a way that after two or three weeks, you’ve produced something you can demonstrate (and it doesn’t always have to be pretty).  We produced functioning database access code (demonstrated via an incomplete first-draft user interface) in the first two-week sprint and finalized the user interface in the following two-week sprint.  After the first four weeks, we had essentially completed the site; however, we provided another two week “client acceptance” period where we accommodated client requests for changes.

As a team, we benefited greatly from working concurrently; we managed ourselves effectively and took ownership of the work we had to do.  Great ideas that came out of the flow of the project could be incorporated into the site in short-order and everyone had an opportunity to provide new insight to the project and help guide our progress towards the final goal.

Issues, personalities, gaffes and SNL parodies aren’t the only interesting things to look out for this election season.  It has been fascinating to see how the candidates are using media, particularly digital media, to their advantage.

Taking a look at the candidates’ digital media usage, both have a presence on Facebook, as well as run-of-the-mill campaign emails.  Obama has a section of his website devoted to media and has enlisted text messaging, ringtones and site widgets to name a few.  The newest addition?  “Obama ‘08,” a free iPhone application that can be downloaded from the Apple.com iTunes store.  It is currently #15 on the ‘Top Free Apps’ list.

The application is very thorough and easy to use.  One of the unique features I found particularly interesting is the ‘Call Friends’ tab.  It organizes your contacts by battleground states and keeps track of the calls you have made.  Another interesting feature is the ‘Issues’ button which allows you to expand each issue of this election to read Obama’s plan for each one.  Also not to be missed is the ‘Donate’ button in green, with an election countdown next to it.

To maintain fairness, a thorough review of McCain’s website was conducted to see what media is being used.  Like his opponent, he has his campaign commercials, interviews and speeches.  The website also highlights videos that are available on YouTube.  However, you cannot click on the YouTube icon to take you to the campaign’s channel.  I also was not able to find a link to their Facebook application.  If I was not a political junkie, it is unlikely I would have known he even has a presence on Facebook.  It should also be noted that at the time of the Obama campaign’s launch of the iPhone application, the McCain campaign did not have an iPhone application available.

Regardless of who your vote goes to in November, it has been so interesting to see from a digital marketing standpoint how these candidates are using digital media to their advantage and the impact it will have on how future campaigns will be run.