I’m the proud owner of a new Chevy Volt, and I’m thinking of ordering a license plate that says Shocked. You see, I thought I’d buy a Nissan Leaf. After multiple visits to the Leaf website, reading reviews and watching videos of the owner experience, their marketing connected with me. I decided the quirky [...]
An opportunity missed, and at what cost?
I just contacted a company because a coupon code they emailed me didn’t work. As it turns out, it expired in their time zone, not mine, so I missed a discount of about $10 by about 10 minutes. Sure, I could have been an ass about the fact they didn’t state the timezone on their [...]
God is in the details
More evidence that the days of boring church marketing are long gone: Mars Hill Church, based here in the Northwest. We thought we’d peek under the covers of their website to see if we could discover who coded the site, and look at what we found: If you’ve never fiddled with HTML, this won’t mean [...]
Do we hate Dollar Shave Club’s viral video?
This being the Responsible Marketing Blog, you might think a video with an F-Bomb in it might attract our ire, right? Wrong. Watch this: There are plenty of things we don’t like: Racism. Bigotry. Violence. Corporate greed run amok. Comic sans. But boring marketing is irresponsible, and boring Dollar Shave Club is not. This is f**king brilliant. [...]
Responsible or not? CIT’s college recruiting video
College advertising is usually so, well, meh. Not so with this ad entitled “It’s a Snap” from filmmakers Henry & Aaron, done with full creative license for their alma mater, Western Australia’s Central Institute of Technology. The video has gone viral, leaving some to say it has changed the face of college recruitment advertising. So, [...]
Your name + your picture = LinkedIn ad
I received the following message over the weekend from LinkedIn friend David Quinn that you definitely need to read: I really like LinkedIn, but as a person concerned about privacy and social networks, I believe that I have to point out a change to you. Without attracting too much publicity, LinkedIn has updated their privacy [...]
It worked with Darth Vader. Why not Ferris Bueller?
Volkswagen’s “The Force” Volkswagen commercial was a huge hit with nearly 50 million views since its Super Bowl release last year. Here it is, in the unlikely event you haven’t seen it: Now, a 10 second trailer featuring Matthew Broderick has the internets abuzz wondering if a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off sequel in the works. With over [...]
Responsible Marketing LinkedIn group is heating up
Did you know there’s a Responsible Marketing Group on LinkedIn? Yep, it currently has an international membership of 866 members, and the conversation has recently heated up recently. Check out a great conversation we’re having about Denny’s Maple Bacon Sundae, and feel free to join us as we discuss where commerce and conscience collide and/or [...]
How, when and where we share on the web
Take a few minutes to review these enlightening statistics from AddThis representing sharing trends over the last five years. A few highlights: Most active day for sharing: Wednesdays Most active time of day: 9:30 A.M. EST Most users click within the first two minutes 75% of clicks happen within the first day Interestingly, most shares are [...]
Tums commercials gone wrong
In commercials, funny is money. So is sex. So when combined, sexually suggestive, funny commercials are usually bank. And the more sophomoric the humor, the more I usually like them. But these new spots for Tums antacid are just wrong — specifically these three: Inappropriately suggestive is funny when it makes sense, and is relevant [...]
12 examples of marketers that have exploited 9/11
Last year, we inducted Courrier International into the Responsible Marketing Hall of Shame for their insensitive exploitation of 9/11. This year, Euronews has listed a dozen more examples in Marketing and the exploitation of 9/11 that are every bit as disturbing. Here are the images: The exploitation of 9/11 by marketers is disrespectful, irresponsible on every [...]
So tasty: Schweddy Balls Ice Cream
Ben and Jerry’s has announced a new limited edition batch of ice cream, “Schweddy Balls.” For the uninitiated, here’s the SNL skit it’s based upon: It’s funny. Really, really funny. Surely some people will be offended, right? Of course. Some people will are offended when you say “darn,” too. I’d argue “Schweddy Balls” is responsible. [...]
Lumpy mail. Love it or hate it?
You’ve received them before—an unsolicited package that has something in that you just have to open. Because of it’s lumpy nature, this form of direct marketing is called “lumpy mail.” Sometimes there’s something interesting but usually it’s just trash and trinkets. Still, it grabbed your attention and you opened the package, right? Response rates for [...]
Another recycling award for Outsource Marketing
We’re proud to receive recognition as a King County’s Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction once again this year. We are honored to join five other Issaquah businesses that were recognized for their sustainable efforts including The City of Issaquah, The Issaquah School District, Timber Ridge at Talus, Rowley Properties, and Pogacha. This marks the fifth [...]
KFC’s shameful attempt at Responsible Marketing
A Utah KFC’s recent attempt at Responsible Marketing via this hair-brained cause marketing campaign has left us speechless: That’s right, buy a jug of high fructose corn syrup-powered soda pop—one of the primary causes of diabetes and childhood obesity—and we’ll donate a dollar to juvenile diabetes research. Our take: absolutely shameful and completely irresponsible. What’s [...]
SPAM is SPAM if you say it is
Are you a spammer? I don’t care what the technical definition is – if you make it hard for people to unsubscribe from your mailings, you might be viewed as one. Don’t require multiple clicks to unsubscribe. Don’t force someone to enter their email address into your system to unsubscribe. Be responsible and use an [...]
What’s your sustainability grade?
The following post was written by Jillian Ranney, an intern at Outsource Marketing. I recently discovered The College Sustainability Report Card, a website that grades the sustainability efforts of universities and colleges across the US and Canada. I’m talking a true-blue report card here. Much to my delight, I was able to find my alma [...]
American eagles and flags coming soon to an ad near you
Osama Bin Laden was a bad man and the world’s a better place without him. And I’m just as patriotic as the next guy. But mark my words, soon you’ll see ads with American eagles and the American flag popping up, just like after 9/11 as advertisers aimed to capitalize on American emotions. With thousands of [...]
Graphic warning labels on cigarettes proposed
I won’t bore you with all the reasons I hate cigarettes, but childhood migraines due to passive cigarette smoke is where my disdain for the stuff started. Given the shocking facts regarding the health risks, I’ve always thought cigarettes should be even more heavily regulated, if not banned outright here in the U.S. Imagine my [...]
Introducing Outsource Marketing’s Video Services
. . . and Shawn Telford, our new Director. Here’s our intro video, peppered with a few select shots from his reel: He’ll make you laugh. He’ll make you cry. He’ll make you say, “Did he really do that?” Regardless of the emotions he conjures, one thing’s certain, Shawn Telford knows how to get and [...]
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Return of the salesperson from hell
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An opportunity missed, and at what cost?
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God is in the details
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Do we hate Dollar Shave Club’s viral video?
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Responsible or not? CIT’s college recruiting video
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Your name + your picture = LinkedIn ad
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It worked with Darth Vader. Why not Ferris Bueller?
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Dmedw22: I'm assuming you’re a "Quill Guy". I had th...
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Patrick Byers: That's a shame, Shelley. When the app connects co...
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Shelleychaudoir: I love many things about my Volt; however, shame o...
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Becca: Every dealer represents the company and they are t...
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Amber King: I agree. Even if they are a franchise, the car dea...
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Phil Q: It amazes me in information age that there are s...