Alison Driscoll

‘Cuz I can totally see someone, hammered, having this incredible revelation that “we should advertise on the moon!” And then sobering it into Rolling Rock’s Moonvertising promotion.

I drove by the Boston Moonvertising billboard several times (it’s on my way to work) before I remembered to Google the term. I’ll admit I was duped into thinking some ridiculously cheesy advertising/technology company was going to try to buy/sell ad space on the moon. Yep, look up “gullible” and you’ll find my picture. In my defense, I drive too fast and don’t have the greatest eyesight, so I couldn’t really make out the logo.

But I did go to the site eventually, so their old-school outdoor ad worked. Kind of.

The Moonvertising site dropped the ball, in a lot of ways. It’s slow, kind of confusing, and not nearly as cool as I’d hoped. A lot of hype, not a lot of hip. I like where they’re going with the full moon parties, but they’re only in 3 states (I think; the scrolling action was really bad) and I’m not driving to Jersey for a beer I don’t really have any affinity for.

But, I love the Rolling Rock brand for trying, so I stayed on the site and hoped it delivered the cool factor I so desperately was waiting for. It didn’t. Just a few not-so-funny videos and the amusing realization that people think they are actually going to try to beam their logo onto the moon. With lasers. (Insert Austin Powers joke here.)

I love them for trying, and the creativity is great, but the website is disappointing, to say the least. They obviously wanted to create a viral campaign that would get people talking (there’s a lot of uncertainty about whether they will attempt a Moonvertisement on March 21st; my guess is no).

I realized I’ve started analyzing TV rather than watching it, which has totally changed my viewing behavior. I’m all about the TV/internet integration/cross promotion (apologies for the excess slashing) a la (anyone know how to do accents in WordPress?) QuarterLife, Lost and Greek. I also am loving/scrutinizing LipStick Jungle, but not for the internet bit as much.

I’m still on the fence about QuarterLife, ‘cuz the main character, Dylan, is super annoying, at least to me. Totally think her Pilot Ep opener was one of the major reasons the show tanked on NBC and got pulled after that one episode. Watch it and try to tell me that doesn’t make you want to change the channel. Online you can skip or jump around; on TV, you’re stuck cringing (unless you had the forethought to DVR the show) or changing the channel. And that was a death sentence for QuarterLife. Bye-bye internet-TV crossover.

I don’t actually watch Lost, but they do some cool stuff with the internet, including fictional sites that pretend Oceanic 815 is a real plane (and airline), provide clues and further the show. There’s also a Lostpedia and an Alternate Reality Game (ARG), stuff that’s way over my head but reminds me of my brief obsession with LonelyGirl15.

Greek is a cheesy ABC Family show that I forgot to watch after one or two episodes. However, it’s back for Season 2 so I guess they didn’t need my viewership. It’s of interest to me not so much for the quality of the program (Scott Michael Foster is a cutie though, and very lovable on QuarterLife) but its internet tie-in, VirtualRush, where you can “rush” online and interact with the show.

LipStick Jungle is my only “must-see-TV” right now, but not for any great internet relevance, more on the marketing side. Maybelline is doing an old-school sponsorship promotion (”presented by” and all that) and plugging their new products–hard–in the most flagrant product placement I’ve ever seen. However, I think LipStick Jungle has huge potential in this niche, if they can just tone it down a little. Nearly everything mentioned in Sex & the City took off; at least a little of that magic must be left.

Coincidently, Quarterlife is doing some great product placement with Toyota Scions. Moral of this post? Everything can be traced back to QuarterLife? Not quite, but I respect what the creators are trying to do. And if you can make me watch despite wanting to smack your main character, that’s saying something.

So I’m driving to the 9-to-5er this morning, flipping through the radio stations ‘cuz I haven’t updated my iPod in a while when I hear Ramiro from Jam’n 94.5 talking about reputation management. Like, what?!? So of course I had to call in and explain how it works, that it’s not hacking, it doesn’t exactly erase stuff but replaces, it’s not illegal, etc.

My roommate thinks this is one of the coolest parts of my job, but his parents were horrified when I tried to explain the concept to them. I suppose to successfully execute a reputation management program requires a certain moral flexibility (which, like it or not, I have most certainly developed over the past year), and some people can’t really get past that. It’s kind of become a game to me now; I love checking up on reputation management clients, searching for their name and feeling a sick sense of accomplishment that I’ve hidden their misdeeds.

Online reputation management is only going to become a bigger and more competitive facet of the internet. Admit it: you Google your blind date, potential hire, prospective employer, babysitter, professor. Everyone does; “googling” has become a necessity in the professional world, and a guilty pleasure on the personal side.

The internet is an amazing resource and a valuable tool, but it can quickly turn on you if you have a less than squeaky-clean past or a slanderous opponent. However, if you know what you’re doing (or can find someone who does), the internet can quickly be swung back to your side and used to your advantage. It’s really all about who, and what, you know.

Yep, that’s right, Merry Christmas. Not Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings. ‘Cuz you know what? Tomorrow is Christmas, not Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or any other Wintery holiday. So Merry Christmas to all.

For whatever reason, I didn’t really get into the Christmas spirit much this year; I really think the internet has taken a toll on my festive-ness. I did a lot more shopping online and consequently was waaaaaay more annoyed by the mall than in past years, when mall shopping was almost guaranteed to put me in a merry mood. I also started thinking about how much of this holiday really is just about advertising…but more on that once Christmas is officially over, I don’t want to be the Scrooge in my family.

Then, there are all the Christmas vs. Holiday debates. I’ve been annoyed by the PC-ness of this issue in the past, but never noticed its full extent until I became more active in the blogosphere.

I also broke my wrist (and yes, my cast is pink), which makes shopping and baking, my two most favorite Christmas activities, very difficult. Even online shopping; I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to type with a cast on but, it is a biznatch, let me tell you. And as of yet, I’ve not discovered online baking, so there goes my other creative Christmas outlet.

In short, the internet has Grinched me this year. The etailers have isolated me from the masses, and the blogosphere has educated me on the horridly money-driven consumerism we dress up as Christmas. Then, to make matters worse, even this all-powerful network could not bake me a batch of Christmas cookies.

So, unless mommy dearest has been keeping up with my blog and got me some USB bling, I’ve lost my faith in the internet. I’m going back to Santa; he never left me spam.

Finally, someone is in my corner, defending the recently legal drinkers in the work force…OK, so they called us “the young” and it’s Advertising Age, a print publication that is traditional media-centric and still trying to get the hang of this new-fangled internet ‘thang…but still. At last, some “authority” came out and admitted that “the young aren’t stupid.”

I was super excited when I first read this post, as I deal with pig-headed clients who refuse to listen to or accept my advice once they’ve met me and realized how old I am. I’ve also been told I don’t “look smart.” It was meant as a compliment, but who knows.

Anyway, my point is, Advertising Age, a somewhat stodgy and “the man” of old-school advertising, had to tell people we are a force to be reckoned with. My issue is not with the blog post, but with the fact that it warranted being written.

As the youngest member of the BU faculty, Jonathon Feit undoubtedly has dealt with much more ageism than I could ever encounter. I understand his frustrations with present day dinosaurs, and I applaud him for finding a way to make people sit up and listen, ‘cuz hey, I’m doing the same thing right here. What upsets me is where it ran.

I’m assuming Feit, or some editor somewhere, thought the only way to grab the ageists’ attention was to get it in “their” press. Good thinking, except you used the blog, not the print magazine, which is what the very people you’re targeting put more stock in. Strike one.

Now, as much as I enjoyed reading the post (which is my next problem with it, but we’ll get there), I’m not the one being convinced. To really convince the target demographic, I think an author in the same age bracket as the target would have been more effective. Strike two.

Unless, of course, Feit wanted to direct it towards the old dogs to disguise a simple self-congratulatory pat-on-the-back post. I know I liked it, but I’m the choir; does he really think he’s going to get these old dogs turning tricks? Strike three, you’re out.

Definitely read “The Young Aren’t Stupid-but They Are Changing Your World” if you already believe that. Chances are, if you’re here, you figured that out on your own. If not, check out some amazing young’uns I only sometimes dare to compare myself to, like Amanda Gravel and Dan Zarrella. They truly demonstrate just how, like, not stupid we totally aren’t.

I totally got swept up in the holidays already, and it’s barely Thanksgiving. This whole Christmsas shopping thing is becoming a bigger, and longer, marketing ploy every year.  Now, if I were talking about anything other than advertising campaigns, bigger and longer might be a good thing, but it seems like Christmas comes earlier every year (not a good thing in any situation), convincing us to shop early and spend often. But does that stop me from buying into it? ‘Course not, I just use it as an excuse. But more on that later.

As of (Black) Friday, my absolute favorite holiday, I will officially be in the clear to get in the Chri$tmas spirit and start paying some ad execs’ salaries. However, I couldn’t resist sharing this cool article on fun, funky and functional techie gifts just a little bit early.

I personally would love to  see a Swarovski crystal USB memory key under my tree this year. Impractical? Maybe. Pretty? Definitely. And therein lies the marketing genius.

I’m nothing if not girlie. Princess-like at times. And I’ve never pretended otherwise, which I think is why I had a hard time being taken seriously when I first started working at an internet marketing company-the male-dominated office was a microcosm for the entire industry. However, things are changing and  more and more girlie-girls are entering the “man’s world” of computers.

Smart technology companies are taking the “pinking” theory one step further and encouraging women to purchase computer accessories and electronics by making them more feminine. Gone are the boring black laptop bags and lost hours at BestBuy; Target, Coach, Apple, Dell and Sony are just a few of the enlightened brands making tech products and accessories more appealing to females.

Some may call it a cheap marketing trick (what other kind is there?); others think it dumbs down or de-professionalizes the industry or work place. I think it stylizes things women need anyway, so what’s the harm? If I have to carry a laptop case anyway, it might as well match my outfit. As long as I’m still doing my job well, why does it matter that my iPod is accessorized with a pink suede case from Coach and my laptop stays safe in a cute polka dot tote?

So a little while ago (like, literally 5 minutes ago) I’m doing my morning Facebook check to see what my friends have been up to in the last 9 hours or so (Greg wants to be my friend, Courtney wants to see the ballet and 12 more of my sorority sisters are attending chapter dinner tonight, if you’re interested), when I had the greatest idea ever: Christmas decorations for Facebook.

There are a few apps that have their own take on this idea, but it’s the standard tree or decorations constrained by a box. It’s the same problem that has plagued developers since Facebook opened up its platform; applications must fit inside a small box on the left or right side of the profile. This has stifled the creativity of many Facebook developers, but I never fully understood how frustrating it was until I realized I could not spread holiday cheer to my Facebook profile.

However, being a very festive person, I persisted in my search, but to no avail. All the Christmas apps were made by outside sources, so they were subject to the same restrictions. The only apps that have the potential to go outside the boundaries of the box are those designed by Facebook itself.

And so I am begging, pleading, suggesting, hinting, challenging Facebook to make a special, limited edition holiday decoration application that will let me string garland and holly and shiny stars around my profile. Or maybe put a huge tree along one side, or a little snow village along the bottom. I want to decorate my profile the way you decorate a house. No one I know puts a candle in one window and calls it festive; you put candles in all the windows, and garland around the trim, and a wreath on the door.

Many people spend as much time on Facebook as they do in their dorm or house or apartment, so why shouldn’t we be able to decorate our online home as we would our real home? Macy’s has a very strong brand identity and image, but they decorate for the holidays. Let Facebook spread some cheer.

I am confident that this would catch on like crazy, so I’m calling on Facebook employees to help me. Leah Pearlman, Andrew Bosworth, Jared Morgenstern, Dave Morin, Joe Hewitt, Randi Zuckerberg. Chris Hughes and of course Mark Zuckerberg to develop a profile decorator for the holidays. Call it an early gift to all those loyal users who so naughtily sneak on Facebook all day at work…and so nicely blog about how Facebook is so much better than MySpace.

Here’s a really cool example of niche and viral marketing at work. Geek Flirt, a new dating site specifically geared towards geeks, is using every type of internet marketing tool to promote itself to scores of self-proclaimed online “geeks” who flock to sites like Digg and Facebook.

Geek Flirt is offering free Geek Flirt lip gloss to new users who sign up now. I joined, since I recently came out as a geek, and the packaging on the gloss is really cute. It’s cherry flavored, which I usually don’t like (I’m a mint girl), but this one doesn’t taste like cough syrup so it’s good.

The GeekFlirter Facebook App (sign in to Facebook to add) and Geek Flirt Lolcat Maker are fun little additions to the site, so even if you don’t find your geek god or goddess, it’s still fun. Check it out, Digg the promotion and get a free GeekGloss that promises to make your dates  “end a little bit smoother.”

Oh yeah, and I helped come up with the idea, so if those weren’t enough reasons, do it to support my ego.

The 9-to-5er just started up a company blog, so I will now be blogging about copywriting and SEO stuff over there as well. More technical and businessy, a little more censored, but definitely some good stuff about content and writing for the web-with some social media and Facebook thrown in, of course.

I’ll still be blogging here, where I can say whatever I want (and more frequently very soon, I swear), but check out the AMPloyee blog for some excellent insight on design, development, PPC and search engine marketing.

Shameless plug, but I figured I’d share some of what I do at work.

As I’m sure most people have figure out, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which, in my opinion, is simply a marketing ploy to sell women more stuff and make them feel less guilty about it. Don’t get me wrong, I fully support breast cancer research and awareness-I just don’t think that’s what this campaign is really about.

Every year, retailers cash in on philanthropic females with a propensity for pink. Call me cynical if you want, but 10% of proceeds for one month on one randomly rose-hued item is not a very sizeable charitable contribution for most major brands. So really what they’re doing is making a whole bunch of normal stuff pink to designate them as breast cancer donation items, when in fact they are simply marketing to a large segment of the population who will buy anything because it’s pink, and have been tricked into thinking they are supporting a good cause.

So that’s my issue with using breast cancer to sell useless consumer products. Now, on to a much better use of your hard-earned money and our beloved internet-the Design-her-Gals Virtual Breast Cancer Walk. This walk benefits the Gal to Gal Foundation, which uses the funds to improve the lives of women diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, the most advanced and invasive type of breast cancer.

The Gal-to-Gal walk does several things very well, for fundraising and for the internet. First, they kept the donation low-$3 to register, with the option to donate more. Definitely doable for anybody with internet access.

Second, they created a virtual event, one of the next big things for the internet. These are really cool when they’re done well, really easy and very viral. Basically, a marketing hat trick. I’ve been pushing one of these types of events at the 9-to-5er, and this walk definitely validated my ideas.

Third, they made the site highly interactive and fun, encouraging people to come back every day to learn trivia on the city they’re “walking” through and search for friends, real or virtual. Both of these features give the site high word of mouth potential, which also raises their fundraising potential.

Finally, Gal-to-Gal cashed in on the avatar craze, a key part of any virtual event. Designing a little mini-you is fun; just look at the popularity of the South Park character generator or the Simpsons avatar creator. People love to look at themselves, and this is just another expression of that. Or, you can think of it as paper dolls for grown ups.

Either way, anything that lets people create virtual versions of themselves is almost sure to be a hit. Combine that with some social interaction and a cause people can get behind, and you have a nearly sure-fire marketing plan. The true test is whether it works in the real…er, virtual…world.