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Archive for the Twitter Category

Feb 03 2009

Episode 42: Victories and failures of social media in Super Bowl commercials.

Posted by: admin in Apple, Branding / Advertising, Facebook, Marketing Case Studies, Pop Culture / Entertainment, Twitter, iPhone

Vince Lombardi Trophy Ah, the Super Bowl. Two teams meet on the field, nearly 100 million friends gather to watch the game at home, and ad agencies are charged with making a breakthrough TV commercial in only 30 seconds.

While those in the online marketing world live and breathe social media, we have to remember that outside our inner circle, there are still millions without Facebook accounts and that many think Twitter is a Looney Tunes character.

In this article, I analyze which companies effectively drove their message home, and which ones fumbled their big opportunity. After all, a TV spot during the big game is expensive; extending that brand to your audience via social media costs far less, and is often free.

Play Episode as a Podcast (recommended):

Or read as a blog post:

The commercials were judged on the following two criteria:
1) Was the spot effective in driving their marketing message
2) Did the website deliver on that message

SUPER BOWL CALIBER
E*Trade - The smart-talking baby commercials are hysterical, and may have just coined a new golf term, “shankopotamus.” You watch the spot, you laugh, and you know what the product is about. Upon arriving at the web site, there are links to view the commercials, including even more hysterical outtakes. Bonus: E*Trade bought the Google keyword shankopotamus.

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Jan 28 2009

Episode 41: Freshbooks.com interview – The “Head of Magic” uses social media and retro marketing to build a loyal following.

Posted by: admin in Apple, Branding / Advertising, Facebook, Interviews, Job Search / Interviewing, Marketing Case Studies, Social Networking / New Media, Twitter, iPhone

Freshbooks.com interview – Saul Colt, the “Head of Magic” uses social media and retro marketing to build a loyal following. from Jim Hopkinson on Vimeo.

Wouldn’t it be great if ALL companies…

Took their customers to free dinners
Sent their users flowers when they’ve had a bad day
Received a 99% positive referral rating
Had an entrepreneurial blog and irreverent newsletter
Had a Twitter following so passionate that users solved problems
Instilled a little bit of “magic” into everyday life?

Well, if you’re a marketer, a manager, or public relations rep trying to improve your company’s image, then my interview with Saul Colt, “Head of Magic” for the online invoicing company “Freshbooks,” is a must-listen.

Our 20-minute conversation is a marketing case study for using social media and “retro marketing” to grow a loyal following. We discuss:

How Freshbooks was born out of frustration that many freelancers face
Why they take their customers — even non-paying ones — to free dinners
What just might happen if you get stood up on a blind date
His title, and what happens when the “Head of Magic” heads to Las Vegas

Why he has a Love-Hate relationship with Zappos.com
The iPhone promotion that differentiated them from every other company
Their CEO’s blog post “The 7 Ways I’ve Almost Killed Freshbooks“
How their iPhone app helps on-the-go freelancers keep better records

To learn how to use current social media tools like Twitter, Blogs, and Newsletters build your brand, listen now:

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Download via iTunes:
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Helpful links:

About Freshbooks | Freshbooks Tour | Twitter.com/freshbooks | Twitter.com/Hopkinsonreport

You might also like:

Get a Room! An entrepreneurial couple gives marketing tips for startups.

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Dec 23 2008

Episode 36: Top 10 marketing trends that mattered in 2008 (and what’s to come in 2009).

Posted by: admin in Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Pop Culture / Entertainment, Social Networking / New Media, Twitter, iPhone

Today I’m going to live up to my tagline and do exactly that, taking a look back at the marketing trends that mattered in 2008, and what’s to come in 2009.

Apple iPhone

Play Episode as a Podcast (recommended):

Or read as a blog post:

Hey Everyone… Christmas is just days away for me so I’m going to crank out a quick top 10 list before I head home for the holidays. I’ll give you the marketing trend that mattered this year, how that trend could evolve in 2009, and the podcast episode to go back and listen to that covered the topic. Let’s roll.

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Jul 02 2008

Episode 11: Twitterer-in-Chief? How social media is changing politics.

Posted by: admin in Branding / Advertising, Facebook, Interviews, Marketing Case Studies, Pop Culture / Entertainment, Social Networking / New Media, Twitter

Jim interviews political reporter Sarah Lai Stirland about Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and how social media is changing the 2008 political race.

Last week I had a great interview with political reporter Sarah Lai Stirland. Not only is she a well-respected writer on Wired.com’s political blog, Threat Level, but she has a smashing British accent to make the podcast even more intriguing.

What would it be like if the next President gave updates on Twitter? What if he continually updated his Facebook status and uploaded photos of White House events? The next time our president takes a vacation at Camp David or attends a peacemaking meeting in the Middle East, maybe he could take a video camera and post a few clips on YouTube. And what kind of cell phone does our leader pack in his pocket? Is he in line for an iPhone 3G? Banging out text messages on a Sidekick? Or sticking to a time-tested Razr?

Obama Facebook Status

Links to topics discussed in the podcast:

Cliff Schecter’s book “The Real McCain“
Federal Election Commission homepage
Obama’s birth certificate controversy on Daily Kos
Tracking presidential candidate’s social media rankings on TechPresident.com
Article by Sarah covering the viral video discussing how John McCain does not use a computer. In it, she asks the Wired audience the question, “Does it matter if a President of the United States is computer illiterate?”

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