carrie*connects

Links | Now On Our Other Blogs

Now on our other blogs, these scintillating stories that I know you won't want to miss!

On Bloomacious: 

Bebe's New Fall Ad Campaign is inspired by The Tudors

Chrisitian Siriano Rolls Out a New Collection (of color!) with Victoria's Secret

The US v. John Lennon ~  a VH1 Documentary you'll want to see

Basking in the Dog Days of Summer ~ some end of Summer ideas to max out the fun!

on Bloomacious Digs:

Monte Design has a very cool glider for the nursery ~ rockers have never been this cool.

on Bloomacious Cafe:

Member Pooja Renee Motl discusses the new film, Julia & Julia

and offers a recipe for Heirloom Tomato Salad that looks just scrumptious!

Social Media Marketing ~ How To Infuriate Your Fans & Friends on Facebook pt. 1

About a year ago if I mentioned the concept of harnessing the power of Facebook and Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, ect as a realistic strategy for marketing a brand, I would generally get a very long "hmmmmmm ....." followed by a very pregnant pause from many of the people I talked to.   A massive question mark would float over their heads as, more often than not, they just couldn't grasp the concept. 

Magically within the past six months however all that's changed with virtually every person I've ever known jumping on (at least) the Facebook bandwagon.  Unfortunately, rather than adopting the evolving norms of social media into the platform, which BTW are based on (1) actual human contact (2) original and interesting ideas (3) reciprocation ~ most Facebook newbies have attached dusty old marketing ideas to their shiny "new media" programs.  

As a result Facebook in particular is being used in some very annoying ways.  I thought I'd start tracking the most insidious behaviors and note them down here (mostly as a venue for venting my angst about the situation)....if you want to annoy on Facebook, here are some ideas:

1)  Businesses who want to really tick off their Facebook fans should be sure to send incessant group emails announcing minor sales, bland product announcements, and other information that is of interest only to their internal sales staff.  As a blogger, I'm used to getting press releases from other PR firms emailed rapid fire via specific email accounts, as such I really have little patience for this type of information sent to my Facebook in-box ~ and I'll lay you odds that I'm not in the minority here.  Even the most casual Facebook user is most likely not interested in being spammed about your 5% off sale once a day - if they are they'll visit your page to see it.  Facebook by definition is a "FACEBOOK" ie: people attached to faces, and personalized messages should only be sent this way. 

2) Keep requesting your friends "fan", join a group, or attend an event 0ver and over and over - even though they've probably repeatedly chosen to ignore your previous attempts for a reason.   Once is more than enough.

3)  Repeatedly poke, send game requests, gift requests, and all manner of the embeddable widget nature to people you've never had any sort of correspondence with and to whom you're a complete stranger - they love that.

4) Post only the dullest and most narrowly defined product photos and information about your company on your Facebook page so that instead of a lively interactive forum with an array of accessible ideas and information, it resembles a yellow page ad.

5) Never correspond with your fans or friends when they post info of their own (you know - the stuff that comes through on your homepage news-feed from them) ~ we know you're the only one that matters!  And when they comment on your posts or go so far as to post items to your page or wall, be sure to ignore them.  People love being treated solely as "consumers" and not individuals - isn't that what "social" means?  Oh it doesn't??  It means engaging and talking??  Whoa ....

Oh....there will be more .... stay tuned.   Yes, the Medium is the Message, but only if you know how to use it.  Otherwise it's just another cyber-armload of junk-mail to toss in the trash unopened.

A Flow Chart For Getting On The Sartorialist

 
If you're familiar at all with this new fangled thing called blogging than chances are good that you've heard of the Sartorialist - yes the little bloggity blog that gets upward of 50,000 readers a day and has spawned a book and a reality show for street photographer Scott Schuman.  

Considered one of the most influential fashion portals on the web, many with a mind for fashion branding have been devising ways to surreptitiously get their goodies (ie accessories, clothing, ect) in front of the famous street snapper.  Now, the evil geniuses at Refinery 29 have come up with a very clever (albeit tongue in cheek - but with vast amounts of irony thrown into the mix) flowchart of ways to improve your chances of getting on the site. 

I'd cut and paste it in here but think snagging their fabulous artwork is not really playing fair - so here's the link >>>

Pop Culture | Holly Madison Marries the Travelocity Gnome

In what seems like a fairly unlikely co-branding partnership Holly Madison hooked up with the Travelocity Gnome over the weekend for a fun spirited "nuptials" ceremony.  The photo opp was in support of Holly's Peepshow at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.  Judging from the photos a fun time was had by all.

wireimage

Fab Promotion | Threadcakes Contest

I love this contest that Threadbare T-Shirts has mounted to promote their seemingly endless collection of interesting and artful designs.  Called Threadcakes, entrants pick out their favorite Threadbare T-Shirt design and interpret it with flour and sugar in the form of a cake.  The contest started June 15th and runs through August 3rd - to date the promotion has inspired some very interesting and creative entries such as "The Apple" shown here.

There are two divisions of the contest 2-D and 3-D - 2-D being the sheet cakes with images created in fondant and icing on top much like a photo - and 3-D more sculpturesque.

An impressive roll out of prizes awaits the winners that includes free t-shirts, baking supplies, and ingredients.  To enter visit here.

via {ifitshipitshere.com}

Bloggers Beware ~ The FTC is Watching.

 
In an announcement that will surely send a ripple of terror through the mom and beauty blogging business in particular, the Federal Trade Commission has accounced it will soon be cracking down on blogs that offer "reviews" in exchange for free merchandise, as well as those that make affiliate commissions without revealing the arrangement.

Troubled by what seems to be a lack of journalistic ethics, the FTC cites the practice that many bloggers employ in which free merchandise is exchanged for positive reviews. 

"If you walk into a department store, you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk," Rich Cleland, assistant director in the FTC's division of advertising practices told the Associated Press recently. "Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and ... they have an economic motive for what they're saying, that's information a consumer should know."

"Journalists who work for newspapers and broadcasters are held accountable by their employers, and they generally cannot receive payments from marketers and must return free products after they finish reviewing them," the AP article continues...

"If the guidelines are approved, bloggers would have to back up claims and disclose if they're being compensated — the FTC doesn't currently plan to specify how. The FTC could order violators to stop and pay restitution to customers, and it could ask the Justice Department to sue for civil penalties."

The situation does remind of the Napster flap up a few years back and I predict that a few specific violators may find themselves being held up as unfortunate examples.

Read more about it here>>

Events | Sean Combs White Party Move to Los Angeles

Find more photos like this on Bloomacious Cafe
Sean Combs and Ashton Kutcher teamed up to throw the annual White Party over the weekend - this year the event was in support of "Malaria No More".  It was also the first time the iconic party was hosted in Los Angeles - and the location, a private residence in the hills really was a lovely one. 

A lavish swimming pool was the perfect place for performers to create a sense of celebration by swinging over the water and dancing in giant plastic bubbles.

There was also no end of branding and promotional opportunities as companies like Ciroc, Georges Duboeuf, Lab Series Skincare, Starbucks, Lia Sophia, Sean John and more offered celebrity gifting areas.

In keeping with the theme white furniture and draping was used to create a sense of drama, while white food that included white cupcakes, white wine, even white candy was offered to guest.

Food PR | Appleton Estate's Drink Generator

 
I thought this online drink generator from Appleton Estate was pretty nifty when I saw it this morning.  I was cruising the site after Forbes emailed me with a recipe for a Royal Apertif which is a blend of Appleton's Rum, syrup, lemon juice, and champagne.  It looked good but I was hoping for a larger picture - and then I found the impressive drink generator - sort of a fun mood ring for partiers. 

 

Basically you click on the site, and then pull levers in answer to questions like: 1) How are you feeling right now?  2) What are your plans for the evening? 3) what smells and tastes attract you? 4) How would someone describe you? 5) How do you deal with a rainy day?  and so on ... my answer the first time was the Planter's Punch shown above, which does indeed look like something I would enjoy. 

The Appleton Estate Drink Generator is an interesting, unilaterally accessible version of the personalized cocktail creation service from Liquid Relations that I wrote about a couple weeks back.  It gets consumers involved with the brand in a way that informs them about choices and asks questions in a conversational manner.

This is a great concept for cocktails, but it could also successfully be applied to a range of consumer goods, such as customized fragrances, salad dressings, candles, room fragrances, floral arrangements, china patterns, art work, cake flavors, ect. ect...!  Great concept!

Technology Trendcaster | Become a Sociopath ~ It's the Latest Thing!

I recieved an invitation this morning to join the new social network StyleCaster (which sounds suspiciously like a column that I write called Trendcaster on Bloomacious.com) - naturally I immediately zoomed over to take a look and post my mug on my own page.  

While the site doesn't seem all that different from our own network Bloomacious Cafe it apparently is embedded with lots of watching and listening devices that when explained in the video below makes me yearn for a nice long nap. 

Terms like "associated neuro network"  and "associative dynamics" are a far cry from my favorite phrase "me likey!"  but they mean similar things.

If there's any doubt after listening to this explanation that networks are the new blogs (which are the new magazines) then take a sneak peek at Fashionair which is girding up to launch soon.

Broken down gently, networks allow companies to watch the patterns and flows of their members - whom they friend, what they comment on.  We've done the same thing for the past 6 months through our networks and it's not quite as scientific or reliable as the Sociocast guys would like you to believe. 

Networks do provide a venue in which individuals can enjoy a club-like camaraderie- they also can serve as a TV station, a community blog, a messaging system and a newsletter - and are the next step beyond Facebook and Twitter.

Fashion PR | What's Better Than a Fab Louis Vuitton Ad Starring Madonna? A *leaked* LV Madonna Ad

 
The fashion world is abuzz about this "leaked" Louis Vuitton ad starring Madonna in her bunny ears (you may recall the ones she wore to the Met Gala a few weeks back).  While readers of The Fashion Spot swear its authentic, one has to ponder the intensive amount of airbrushing the Material Girl has recieved in this shot.  Depending on your perspective it looks either very dreamy or barely recognizable.  I personally love the rich colors and to be frank it hardly matters at this point whether it's the actual photo that will show up in the September issue of Vogue or not - the picture is being posted on thousands of websites and blogs as we speak in a clever viral PR campaign.

Fashion PR | Isabel Toledo at Barney's NY

Isabel Toledo made a splashy appearance yesterday along with Ruden Toledo at Barney's New York - a trunk show of gorgeous fall fashions, and an interview with the brilliant Simon Doonan were part of the event.  In keeping with typical Barney's creativity, Isabel's appearance was staged in a super fun and graphically interesting way.

A Fashion PR Don't ~ Hawking Rihanna's Courtroom Clothes

Not too long ago (well actually a few years ago now) I started reading about horrendous pitches that some publicists have been serving up to the masses.  The Bad Pitch Blog on Media Bistro has a detail of many - but these are usually reported without naming names.   The word "flack" is used so many times it looses its meaning.  And we've gotten quite a few doozies over on the Bloomacious desk from publicists who clearly didn't put a lot of thought into what they were circulating on their client's behalf. 

Now the highly read Gawker is throwing a cyber-fit over a press release (of all things in this day and age) they received hawking the clothing worn by singer Rihanna to the Chris Brown hearing.  And when Gawker speaks the universe listens - repostings of the PR misstep are circulating the blogosphere like wet hornets around a nest. 

Sometimes in PR it's not what you say on your client's behalf - it's what you don't allow to be said.

Fashion PR | Patricia Fields May Pull Out of Sex & the City Film?

Wow - no Pat Field for the Sex and the City Sequel?  That's what Grazia is reporting - apparently Sarah Jessica Parker wants Carrie Bradshaw to be a little more down to earth and thrifty - aka - a Recessionista - in the next incarnation of the film.  I get that - the film was on HBO over the weekend so I caught bits of it (for the 40th time) and it reminded me that the outfits were a little out of line with what anyone but a millionaire could afford.  It's a bit out of tune with the way people are feeling these days I think.

Having said that I'm a huge fan of Pat Field's use of color and line - she's shown above with some creations from the line she designed for Mark's and Spencer in the UK - if you look closely you'll notice that versions of both pieces were featured in the first SATC movie.   She's also really done a fab job styling Ugly Betty and the Confessions of a Shopaholic film. 

Of the SATC situation Fields told Grazia, "I don't use the recession as a reference for my creativity."

While many will ponder and lament this, it could be a huge opening for smaller fashion brands to do product placement on the film should Fields actually leave.  Fields is notoriously obsessed with top labels, and her own design work, generally leaving smaller companies out in the cold. 

Grazia is also reporting that Fields would love to do a makeover on Susan Boyle -- OK!

via Grazia