Posts Tagged ‘word of mouth marketing’

Not interested in Blow? Try Meth instead.

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Meth Coffee

The response to my post regarding Blow Energy Drink yesterday was a hearty two thumbs down. So, I can only imagine what you might think of Meth Coffee.

From their homepage:

Dear Agent,

I am dispatching to you a sample of smooth and highly seismological coffee bean substance. Try this new flammable specimen, but distribute with caution.

METH COFFEE, a volatitherepeutic beverage, IS FORMULATED after chemical confetti and wakes zombies, f*%#s with perfectionists, straightens drunks, rattles teetotalers, revs vandals in search of impetus, brightens house chores AND CUTS BOREDOM LIKE A GODDAMN RAZOR.

Their two minute ad follows. It’s all about shock value, so viewer discretion is advised:

As you might expect, they are getting a ton of media coverage, from Business Week to ABC News to High Times.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the folks at Blow Energy Drink Mix and Meth Coffee are trying to one-up each other?

Other than the enviable buzz (pun intended) and word of mouth these companies are generating, do they have any redeeming value?

What say you?

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Posted in corporate responsibility, responsible or not?, socially responsible, videos, word of mouth | 4 Comments »

What are you doing to drive word of mouth?

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

Word of Mouth Marketing Book - Click here to view on Amazon.com

Each month, the Outsource Marketing Book Club gathers to review a marketing book of interest and chat it out. Our goal is simple: find new ways to help our clients.

Everyone knows word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing, and for that reason it’s one of the ingredients of Responsible Marketing. Problem is, few marketers seem to do it well.

Today we reviewed Word of Mouth Marketing, by Andy Sernovitz, one of the founding members of WOMMA. There have been a host of books on the topic, BuzzMarketing by Mark Hughes, The Anatomy of Buzz by Emmanuel Rosen and of course, Seth Godin’s Unleashing the IdeaVirus. I’ve read ‘em all, and Sernovitz’s book is every bit as good, and in some ways better than it’s predecessors.

Our book club deemed it one of the best we’ve read in the last year. Why? Sernovitz finds the right balance between theory and application. Examples are simple and his how-to templates are actually usable straight out of the book. You read that right. And since we serve companies of all sizes (from the largest in the world to some small, interesting startups) we were excited to see his ideas really are for organizations of all sizes.

In the introduction, Sernovitz explains that word of mouth has made us more honest as marketers, that because of social media and ease of sharing information the following statement is true:

For the first time in the history of modern business, we have a force for good that is also driven by the all-powerful profit motive.

Can you see why I like it?

What’s the best word of mouth book you’ve read? I’d love to hear about it.

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Posted in books, word of mouth | 1 Comment »

Business cards: Little billboards for everyone

Monday, January 21st, 2008

I like to think of business cards as mini-billboards: you only have a second or two to make an impression.

I believe strongly that:

Most companies need to be significantly more creative with their business cards (and spend more on design and printing). Irresponsible? Think again. What’s the most powerful form of marketing? You got it. Word-of-mouth. And when does that happen? Usually in-person.

>Crap cards = negative impression
>Plain cards = no impression
>Interesting cards = conversation

The rounded corners on my business card were pretty unique a decade ago but are more common now. We still get positive comments, but we’ll need to freshen them up sometime soon.

Consider breakthrough design, unique materials, alternate sizes and creating the possibility for interaction.

Everyone should get ‘em, and I mean everyone. Why shouldn’t the teller, the bagger or the guy in the warehouse all carry business cards? Sure, they won’t hand many out, but then it won’t cost much, will it? It’s an inexpensive morale-builder that can pay dividends in employee retention and with prospective employee referrals. Besides, wouldn’t it be cool if you could have all your employees sharing your brand with the world?

Last, I can’t do an article on business cards without recognizing one of our clients: Telepress is a Northwest-based company that prints business cards, stationery and more for some of the largest, most-respected companies in the world. Their tagline: “Passionately protecting your corporate identity.” Check them out if you believe your corporate identity is worth protecting.

And if your brand isn’t worth protecting? Well, that’s a bigger problem and you should hire some professional help.

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Posted in branding, creativity | 3 Comments »