For this week’s podcast, I interviewed Julia Allison, who appears on the cover of the August issue of Wired Magazine. We talked about tips for self-promotion in the new media age, personality-based marketing, and why she won’t be buying an iPhone.

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View photos, videos, and story links in the blog post below:

“BRACE YOURSELF”

Julia Allison Wired Magazine cover

Those were the words that Wired Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson said to me when I told him I was interviewing Julia Allison for my podcast.

I’d already seen the media maelstrom that starts churning whenever her name is mentioned. And so had he. In response to a thank you e-mail Julia wrote to him, knowing all the flack he would take for putting her on the cover, Chris stated “Don’t worry—we’re big boys and we knew what we were doing.”

Put simply, what he was doing was marketing. Some people love her. Many people hate her. But what you can’t deny is that she’s a lightning rod for publicity. Would you prefer the alternative of a boring cover that doesn’t evoke any reaction?

I’ve heard more than one person say, “Oh my God, I hate that girl, I was on her web site for 20 minutes and I can’t believe the things she posts on there.” From a strictly marketing perspective, the key phrase is “on her site for 20 minutes.” What is the average time spent on your blog or website?

Julia talks about:

  • What three elements make the top YouTube video of all time
  • What is the “The Worst Idea She’s Ever Had”
  • Why she refuses to get the new iPhone 3G

So pull up a chair and play the podcast above or download via iTunes.

Photos and videos!

Continue reading to see multimedia elements discussed in our interview:

6 Women On Wired Magazine Covers

  • Photo: Geek Outfits at Wired 15th Anniversary Party (Meghan Asha, Chris Anderson, Julia Allison, Louis Rossetto)

Julia Allison Geek Outfit

Julia's Gadgets

4 Responses to “Episode 14: Interview with Julia Allison – Queen of self-promotion, lightning rod for publicity, Wired cover story”

  1. Maureen says:

    So many thoughts prompted by this podcast. I need to sort through them. :)

    Loving the supplemental videos, too. Those’ll help me kill time on a Friday at the office.

  2. The Hopkinson Report » Episode 36: Top 10 marketing trends that mattered in 2008 (and what’s to come in 2009). says:

    [...] 9. Advertising smarter 2008: Reality TV… gossip websites … celebrity magazines … over-the-top news programs … are companies tired yet of contributing to the dumbing down of America and advertising to the lowest common denominator? 2009: Aim higher. Of course we’d like you to advertise on Wired, but when every dollar counts, shouldn’t most companies try to reach the most intelligent, educated consumer? Podcast to listen to: Episode 14: Interview with Julia Allison – Queen of self-promotion, lightning rod for publicity, Wired cover sto… [...]

  3. The Hopkinson Report » Episode 25: Pushing drugs. Ask your doctor about pharmaceutical marketing. says:

    [...] Interview with Julia Allison – Queen of self-promotion, lightning rod for publicity, Wired cover sto… [...]

  4. The Hopkinson Report » Episode 24: Ad Campaign Showdown - Apple vs. Microsoft, Round 2 says:

    [...] downloaded out of 23. What, did you think Steve Jobs and Bill Gates would be more popular than an interview with Wired Cover Girl and self-promoter Julia Allison? [...]

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