July 01, 2010

Did Chris Brown's Tears Wash His Sins Away?

There is no doubt Chris Brown felt emotion during his performance of 'Man in the Mirror' at the 2010 BET Awards. As a tribute to the late Michael Jackson (a controversial figure of his own), feelings were bound to be stirred up. This was also Brown's first public performance since he plead guilty to assaulting Rihanna as the two left another awards show related event. Crying may have been a result of built up tension, nerves, a suggestion by someone that it was high time for Brown to act like he did wrong.

The public has not been forgiving or kind to Brown, nor do they feel he has been particularly demonstrative in his shame, repentance or remorse. Although it is being reported that R & B artist Lloyd passed on some much needed advice to Brown on how little visible emotion he has displayed, it seems Lloyd does not want to be associated with any fakery that may have been involved with Brown boo-hooing on stage. He's asserting that he didn't tell Brown to cry.

Should you date Chris Brown? No. Is he a fantastic performer that deserved a good shunning? Yes. Is he going to win any brownie points from the public if he turns on the tears to try to win us back? We need to see real emotion, Chris.

Rapper Denies Advising Brown to Cry at BET Awards Show [theCMUwebsite.com]

March 03, 2010

5 Creep-proof Methods to Socialize Your Marketing Campaign

Social media email marketing is about sharing, networking and establishing a continuous presence without behaving like a creeper. Practice these five essential steps for immediate results.

Give your customers a choice in how they want to be connected. Omnipotence worked for Oprah, it can work for you. Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Use them all. World domination will follow.

Maintain relevance. No one wants to hear about your Aunt Lydia’s unfortunate accident with a knitting needle, unless you’re selling prosthetic eyes for a living. Keep the information current, pertinent and relatable. Status updates are the most powerful part of the social media equation. They serve as mini press releases in disguise. Announce an upcoming event or create buzz around an unreleased issue of your e-newsletter.

Be a friend. A professional friend. Recently, the viral wine company, Toasted Head, contacted me directly and offered to send me a t-shirt after I commented on their Facebook fan page. I then proceeded to talk about it on twitter, to my friends and as you can see I’m still talking about it today. A friend would give you the shirt off their back. A professional friend would use it to sell wine.

Group forums on social media sites are a great way for you and your company to be seen as a valuable resource in your industry. Answer questions thoughtfully, join in discussions, point people in the right direction. And make the occasional customer feel special.

Know thyself. Keep up with what throngs of fans are saying about you by using social media's search functionality. After you’re done basking in all this positive (hopefully) attention, keep delivering the goods to your fanboys and girls. When it comes to social media, talk is profitable.

A search for #nook would reveal that @ComeAlongSloan recently purchased the eBook reader for her mother-in-law and @annakavanaugh is feeling indecisive. Real-time marketing data from two real-world customers. I'd bet Barnes and Noble is listening.

Think above the fold. When a visitor clicks on a link and has to scroll around to find what you sent them there to find in the first place, (a.) you’re annoying, and (b.) you’ve lost them. Keep your most compelling information above the fold, please.


If you think this post has nothing to do with awards, or awards shows you'd be right. If you think I'd make a fantastic marketing blogger then comment to your little hearts content.