carrie*connects

Social Media Impact Explained

This is a clever little YouTube infomercial argument for social media that is very compelling - I hesitate to agree with the producer's enthusiasm for Gen X driving the way the trend is evolving, and I think their concept is a bit reductive in terms of scope, but it does offer great food for thought - especially with the notion that brands need to drive their message directly to their customers.

Video | Do You Need A Social Media Recovery Group?

If you erupt into a mini giggling fit when you watch this video (from Sony Vaio) about Social Media, you may need to seek counseling (like I do).

This is Brill ... The Start A Lie Campaign

Love this idea ~ The Tappening Movement is an educational campaign to move people away from bottled water.  A clever devise they created was this "Start a Lie" website in which you choose from a number of witty, implausible lies about bottled water such as "Bottle water hates Father of the Bride" and "The US Government uses bottled waterboarding" and then spread the word on email, Facebook, Twitter or Digg (what no FriendFeed??)  It's not a non profit, but it is quite clever.

Events | Boston MFA Hosts a Giant Karaoke Party

I love this event - a giant dancing and karaoke party held on the Museum of Fine Art in Boston's front lawn to kick off what sounds like an interesting exhibit.

As described by the museum: ""Seeing Songs" presents an eclectic mix of work—mainly from the Museum's collections—that draws on music as inspiration, focusing on abstract as well as representational art and connections to musical forms as varied as classical, jazz, and pop.

From lyrical works on paper by Wassily Kandinsky and a painting by Stuart Davis that depicts music as gesture and improvisation, to recent videos by Gillian Wearing and Candice Breitz that explore the relationship between pop stars and their fans, this exhibition brings together an international group of artists in whose work we see songs."

The Vogue-ing party included a giant screen and a Madonna impersonator which celebrated one of the key pieces by artist Candice Breitz’s - a video installation entitled "Queen (A Portrait of Madonna)".

One thing to note: A stated goal of both the installation and the event was to involve younger people with the museum - they publicized it through social media like Twitter and Facebook, ect to this end.   So I thought it was kind of interesting that the main musical icons featured were Madonna, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond - all artists over 50 that I wouldn't necessarily associate with a your typical urban youth - I would see Katy Perry and Black Eyed Peas perhaps as more appropriate, however perhaps they have not achieved iconic status yet in the eyes of the museum.  Here's a video of the dancing and singing. 

Twit Notes: Kevin Spacey Tries, Fails to Explain Twitter to David Letterman

Kevin Spacey is always fresh and funny - and his appearance on David Letterman last night was no exception. Love this clip in which he tries to explain the nuances of Twitter (which apparently even Elizabeth Taylor and Larry King have mastered) to a non-tech friendly Dave.

I'd love to point out to Kev that Twitter etiquette goes that those 800,000+ following him should get a reciprocal follow from him - hmmm - to date he follows *4* people!!  ahhhh!  Celebs :-)

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.

Beauty PR | Pretty Package: Q-Tips' Fancy New Dispensers

I'm a sucker for lovely graphic design, so I couldn't help but fall a little bit in love with these new vanity top dispensers from Q-Tips when the company sent them over last week.  Beauty publicists just adore a well designed package - it eases the way for print editorials as well as being a great drop in for film and TV placements. 

Bold and evocative, the Q-Tip boxes measure about 3 inches on each side and have a nifty drawer that slides open to reveal a good amount of the product.  The colors are shown here: turquoise and gray, orange and yellow, red and grey, and purple and grey. 

Ah Yes, The Oprah Effect Examined

As long as I've been in business - and that's about 14 years now -  the overriding desire of virtually every client I've represented has been to be on Oprah.

When we make up lists of publicity goals, having a sit-down with the daytime talk show queen ranks far over having products featured on popular dramas, or even appearing on the Today Show.  Now MSNBC is focusing on the phenomenum in a special scheduled to air Thursday.

"The Oprah Effect" will take a close look at businesses featured on the show over the years, "to explain Oprah's unparalleled impact on their bottom line, their secrets to getting on her show and how the Oprah Effect continues to translate her brand and others into big business and big dollars."

In another point of interest, MSNBC has released their first video press release in support of the special - an interview between two NBC anchors going over highlights.  CBS did something similar a couple weeks ago when it was promoting its Anna Wintour profile.  Get your video cameras out - it's sure to be a trend.

NBC Throws A Really Big Office Party

The cast of NBC's The Office got together in Malibu today with a really big cake and a very sharp knife to cut it with - that's Kate Flannery holding it. 

In typical office party fashion, the cake was propped up on some very elegant Dunder Mifflin copy paper boxes.  Jenna Fischer tastes it below.

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TV and Infomercials Very Influential According to Report.

Almost one in four women who have shopped through TV shopping networks and one in three who shopped via infomercials said they spent more money on beauty products during the past year. This is according to a new report, Emerging Channels Series: Beauty Care Products, Special Focus: TV Shopping Networks & Infomercials from The NPD Group.

The women who shop via television for beauty (4%), report spending almost as much as the fine department store shoppers, more than traditional department store shoppers, and those who buy from dermatologists.

Fifty-two percent of respondents who said they spend more money through TV shopping networks said, “It is easier to shop there.”  Reasons that followed were, “There are more products available that I like (43%),” and “I purchased more beauty products in general compared to last year (35%).”

Additionally, infomercials and TV home shopping channels are influencing purchases through other channels. Thirty-eight percent of TV / infomercials shoppers said they browsed on TV to compare product pricing or get product information and then made the purchase either online or in a store.

TV home shopping network shoppers are most likely to say they shop just one hour or less per week, and are most likely to tune in between 8p.m. and 10p.m. in the evening (31%) or between 6p.m. and 8p.m. (18%). Infomercial shoppers appear to be active at even later hours, with 40 percent saying they usually shop between 10p.m. and 2a.m. Additionally, almost 80 percent of the shoppers on the leading shopping channels (QVC and HSN) will shop/purchase if they watch.

above: The women behind Global Goddess demonstrate their products on HSN

Jerry Seinfeld Returns to NBC!

Guess whose coming back to TV to dispense some comedy infused marital advise?  Jerry Seinfeld!

According to Variety, Seinfeld will appear on and be involved with "The Marriage Ref," a nonfiction series that will feature opinionated celebrities, comedians and sports stars offering commentary and advice to real-life couples enduring "classic marital disputes."

The show will air on NBC, however the network has not committed to a time slot or season debut date as of yet.

"This is not a therapy show, it's a comedy show," Seinfeld told Variety.  "After nine years of marriage, I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich."

The show will be exec produced by Ellen Rakieten who has worked on the well loved "Oprah Winfrey Show" in one capacity or another for the past 23 years.  

"Picture well-known people weighing in on a couple's relationship issues and deciding who is right and who is wrong right on the spot, like a referee," she said of the new show. 

Sounds interesting!  I wonder if Madonna, who spent a good amount of time with Seinfeld over the weekend at the Vanity Fair Party will be a guest?  Wouldn't that be spicy?

Rainn Wilson is our new favorite actor!

Rainn Wilson, yes our new favorite actor since his amazing and curiously crazy road test of our client Orbit Baby's Stroller on The Office last week, was a guest at the Vanity Fair Portraits launch party last night.  Yes, how could you not love that name - Rainn?  We submit that moms and dads across the country should now name their little boys Rainn!

Orbit Baby's big day at "The Office"

If you're a big fan of The Office, chances are you saw last night's episode, "The Baby Shower".

And naturally it   was a baby shower to end all baby showers. 

Front and center in the storyline of the show was our client Orbit Baby's Infant System and Bassinet Cradle. 

While plenty of remarks and blog posts around the web today surmised that Orbit Baby must have placed their baby gear on the show, the product actually wound up there through a much more organic sequence of events.

Joseph Hei, co-founder of Orbit Baby talked a little bit about it with some fans of the company today....he told them:

"From what we understand, some folks from "The Office" use Orbit Baby products personally and really love them. So, when they saw an opportunity in the story line they were developing with "The Baby Shower" to get Orbit strollers into the script, they got in touch with us. While we worked with them to get just what they needed, we weren’t really sure what to expect, so when we saw it ourselves last night, our jaws dropped open. The Orbit Baby office has always loved "The Office", so being part of the show was a real thrill for all of us!"

Of Dwight's "extreme road test" Joseph smiled and had these thoughts:

"We don’t recommend parents throw their Orbits into barbed wire fences, or drag them behind cars like Dwight Schrute, but in reality they’re made to safely protect children even better than they do Dwight’s watermelon.

We’ve always prided ourselves on using higher-quality materials and more advanced engineering than anyone else in the baby industry. Hopefully our appearance on The Office was a fun way to show everyone that the Orbit can take much more than what Dwight dished out!"

"The Office" staff sent us these production shots to share - we hope you love them as much as we do.

And if you really love The Office, stay tuned we'll be announcing another surprise in a few days.

If you'd like to see The Baby Shower again, or for the first time - be sure to visit The Office website.