With the current internet meme of Rebecca Black's Friday YouTube video staying popular and finally starting to peak as it is reaching maximum market saturation. All memes have a life cycle similar to a product life cycle. Like most internet memes when something new comes focus transfers from this meme to the new thing, as described in Brand Value - It Changes with the Tide post. The remixes, parodies, and covers are still being introduced on YouTube. With the videos starting to die down in popular as this meme comes to an end it is being revived. Both by FunnyorDie's April Fool's Day gimmick of turning it into Friday or Die and by Jimmy Fallon with the help of Stephen Colbert, The Roots, and Taylor Hicks. Extending the life cycle long enough for this to be in my opinion awesome.
YouTube Videos keep on being removes you can see just the video here or the full story and more videos on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Blog.
Why this is better and being blogged about is more about the back story of how this happened because over $26,000 was raised for charity. They timed the release on the end of the Memes life cycle more likely because of scheduling. Luckily Rebecca's Black Friday is still popular and being consumed by the masses so this video has an additional audience. In addition to being part of Friday's episode of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon with Stephen Colbert both things would gather a large audience to consume this media.
So if this video was made in a month would it be as popular? Doubtful because it is likely that the "Friday" meme would be over. It would still be popular because of who is doing it, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. The added views and popularity of the timing would help this get more views, attention, and word of mouth than being released to some other meme or at another time.
Added bonus get your QR reader out at 3:47 for another special bonus message.
Spoiler for those who can not read it, it takes you to a bonus thank you video you can see here.
Some previous similar blogs include Time Sensitivity and Importance of a Timely Response.
Do you think the timing of this video will help? How so and by how much? Does what the video is of help it, if they sung a different song would it be as popular? Anything you would like to add?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Importance of a Timely Response
When some negative press occurs about you or your organization it is your job to address that complaint right away, and if it is a large story gaining momentum you need to stop it immediately. The negative news is like a small leak in your boat if you choose to ignore it or take to long to fix it, the leak gets worse. The leak will get larger and more water (negative press/publicity) will get into your boat (company) and stall your engines and maybe even sink the boat. Even after stopping the leak you will still have to take the time to clean up the water damage caused by that leak.
Jay Culter was recently injured during the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. While injuries do happen the Chicago Bears took what many consider to be too long to release a statement regarding his injury. Much of his negative back lash could have been stopped if they told the media that he suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee.
While Taco Bell took an immediate and proactive approach to a lawsuit claiming that Taco Bell doesn't use enough meat in their tacos and instead it is mostly oats and other fillers. Taco Bell used social media and the tradition press release to address the lawsuit immediately. The action they took helped to slow the damage and more importantly let the public know the(ir) facts about their meat.
A timely response is the best action to take against any negative publicity or press. In the current age of instant information from the use of social media a delay of a response will only make the problem worse.
How quick do you expect a response from a company? Does a later response have the same impact to you as an instant response? Any other examples you know of and would like to share?
Jay Culter was recently injured during the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. While injuries do happen the Chicago Bears took what many consider to be too long to release a statement regarding his injury. Much of his negative back lash could have been stopped if they told the media that he suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee.
While Taco Bell took an immediate and proactive approach to a lawsuit claiming that Taco Bell doesn't use enough meat in their tacos and instead it is mostly oats and other fillers. Taco Bell used social media and the tradition press release to address the lawsuit immediately. The action they took helped to slow the damage and more importantly let the public know the(ir) facts about their meat.
A timely response is the best action to take against any negative publicity or press. In the current age of instant information from the use of social media a delay of a response will only make the problem worse.
How quick do you expect a response from a company? Does a later response have the same impact to you as an instant response? Any other examples you know of and would like to share?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Happy Holidays, The Benefits of Giving Back
What one person can do
A single individual can make a large impact this holiday season by giving a little bit, whether it is time, money, new/ used items you have no use for. You can go ring a bell for the Salvation Army or volunteer for one of many different charities. Right now there are numerous Toys for Tots toy drives and other charitable drives going on that are easy and convenient to donate to. During this season one person can make a difference and a group can make an impact.
What a small business can do
A business also has the ability to give back. Your place of business can be a drop off location for a toy or food. You can have your own toy or food drive and allow your customers to give back as well. The business can donate a percent of sales on a day to charity. Or like Milwaukee's AJ Bombers which has a local "celebrity" bar tender every Friday night where that individual receives tips that go toward a charity of their choice. This is a great way to give back to the community. Another great example of always giving back is Teecycle. One dollar of every shirt sold goes towards restoring urban rivers and trails. I encourage all my readers to look into Teecycle and buy a shirt or 10.
What large corporations can do
Continue to give to charities and back to the community. Most if not all corporations have a few charities they donate to and ways they contribute to community development. Some companies choose to publicize there donations while others keep silent. I am fine with either approach, if you donate to charities your consumers could and should be aware of that.
The Benefits of Giving Back
- You are helping out someone in need and your community
- Public goodwill and improved image
- A way to separate yourself from the rest
- Companies that give to charity are more profitable
- Feelings of accomplishment and self worth
- When your in need others are willing to help you, ie #saveteecycle
Do you intend to give back this holiday season? How do you give back? Any other benefits of giving back you would add?
Photo Credit to Atran.Photography
Photo Credit to Atran.Photography
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Need To Prioritize
Different people have different priorities, for me my current priority is working as much as I can whenever I can while I still can. If you noticed I have not written a blog post in a while. The reason is that writing a blog post is low on my list of things to do. I am not a professional blogger nor do I have a large following, this blog is just that a blog. Because of that if I don't feel I have the time to blog I don't force and make the time to write. So despite my plans in My Promise to Myself I have not blogged every Sunday. I was even debating posting this immediately but decided to wait until Sunday. With much less free time and increase of workload I have to prioritize how I use my remaining time.
I ask myself what do I have to do? Or what can wait? Pretty much the only of live television I watch is sports on the weekend. For me television can wait so can many of my other activities. Much like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs I do what needs to be done first now and depending on time I will do as much as I can. I still take the time to read marketing articles and blogs daily to continually improve myself. What I have cut back on is my Twitter activity and reading updates from a select few instead of all. I also cut back on my running, but more of that is due to the cold instead of the lack of time.
It is all about what is important to me. If I had the time I would do much much more. With the limited time I prioritize my daily activities. I do not have nor do I follow a schedule aside from when I work. I find that usually working off a schedule constricts me and doesn't allow me to dive into what activity I might be doing. I choose to do something that needs to be done and work on it until it is finished despite how long it will take. Sometimes I am unable to do this because of a lack of time, when that happens I stop and move onto what else needs to be done and multi-task. That new activity takes priority over the task I was doing.
So that is why I have not been blogging or on Twitter as much.
What activities have priority with your time? Do you have or use a schedule?
I ask myself what do I have to do? Or what can wait? Pretty much the only of live television I watch is sports on the weekend. For me television can wait so can many of my other activities. Much like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs I do what needs to be done first now and depending on time I will do as much as I can. I still take the time to read marketing articles and blogs daily to continually improve myself. What I have cut back on is my Twitter activity and reading updates from a select few instead of all. I also cut back on my running, but more of that is due to the cold instead of the lack of time.
It is all about what is important to me. If I had the time I would do much much more. With the limited time I prioritize my daily activities. I do not have nor do I follow a schedule aside from when I work. I find that usually working off a schedule constricts me and doesn't allow me to dive into what activity I might be doing. I choose to do something that needs to be done and work on it until it is finished despite how long it will take. Sometimes I am unable to do this because of a lack of time, when that happens I stop and move onto what else needs to be done and multi-task. That new activity takes priority over the task I was doing.
So that is why I have not been blogging or on Twitter as much.
What activities have priority with your time? Do you have or use a schedule?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
A Company's Most Valuable Asset
The most valuable asset for any company are its employees
Without the employees a company could not be where it is today. The employees no mater the job all have a roll in the company and its success or failure. With the current economic downturn many companies are neglecting the most valuable asset to ensure a profit. As a business student I understand the occasional need for cutbacks. As mentioned in When is it Time to Change the Status Quo blog post "There is no perfect business, formula, or strategy each and everyone can be improved and refined" There is not a perfect business with 100% efficiency and they all can be improved, so instead of resorting to layoffs and cutbacks first look for ways to improve efficiency. Or invest in your employees, happy, motivated employees are more productive and efficient. To make the employees content and motivated might not cost anything, employees care about more than just money. I highly recommend that you watch this video by RSA Animate Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us and the other RSA Animate videos.
Treat your employees right and enjoy the rewards
The best employees are the motivated employees, so as a company you need to find a way to motivate them. Google recently gave its employees a bonus and a raise to keep them happy and motivated. If you watch Undercover Boss on CBS they show examples of the best employees who are motivated and who might also have a touching story. Those are the individuals companies want to employ. A motivated employee takes pride in what they are doing and understand their importance in the company AND the company understands the employees importance. The difference between a motivated employee and an unmotivated or disgruntled employee is clear. The difference is even clearer in the areas of customer service and quality control. A motivated employee takes the time and effort for the customers behalf not their own.
Not all employees are right for your company
A company is like a machine it is made up of a lot of parts (people) and they all have their place. If a individual does not fit in where they currently are or is not motivated the machine will not run efficiently. The part is either in the wrong place or doesn't belong in the machine. Don't force the part into the machine if it doesn't fit, it will damage the part and maybe the machine. If the person doesn't fit or isn't motivated to do a proper job then their boss and the company needs to find a way to motivate them so they do or find someone who will. The departments of Customer Service and to some extent areas that need quality control have high turnover rates. Those employees no longer fit in the machine. Once one part goes bad it starts to effect the rest of the parts in the machine. Either repair or replace that part those are the only two options the company has.
What do you think are the most valuable asset? How do you make sure to keep employees motivated? Do you notice a difference between motivated employees and non-motivated employees when you deal with customer service or other areas?
Without the employees a company could not be where it is today. The employees no mater the job all have a roll in the company and its success or failure. With the current economic downturn many companies are neglecting the most valuable asset to ensure a profit. As a business student I understand the occasional need for cutbacks. As mentioned in When is it Time to Change the Status Quo blog post "There is no perfect business, formula, or strategy each and everyone can be improved and refined" There is not a perfect business with 100% efficiency and they all can be improved, so instead of resorting to layoffs and cutbacks first look for ways to improve efficiency. Or invest in your employees, happy, motivated employees are more productive and efficient. To make the employees content and motivated might not cost anything, employees care about more than just money. I highly recommend that you watch this video by RSA Animate Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us and the other RSA Animate videos.
Treat your employees right and enjoy the rewards
The best employees are the motivated employees, so as a company you need to find a way to motivate them. Google recently gave its employees a bonus and a raise to keep them happy and motivated. If you watch Undercover Boss on CBS they show examples of the best employees who are motivated and who might also have a touching story. Those are the individuals companies want to employ. A motivated employee takes pride in what they are doing and understand their importance in the company AND the company understands the employees importance. The difference between a motivated employee and an unmotivated or disgruntled employee is clear. The difference is even clearer in the areas of customer service and quality control. A motivated employee takes the time and effort for the customers behalf not their own.
Not all employees are right for your company
A company is like a machine it is made up of a lot of parts (people) and they all have their place. If a individual does not fit in where they currently are or is not motivated the machine will not run efficiently. The part is either in the wrong place or doesn't belong in the machine. Don't force the part into the machine if it doesn't fit, it will damage the part and maybe the machine. If the person doesn't fit or isn't motivated to do a proper job then their boss and the company needs to find a way to motivate them so they do or find someone who will. The departments of Customer Service and to some extent areas that need quality control have high turnover rates. Those employees no longer fit in the machine. Once one part goes bad it starts to effect the rest of the parts in the machine. Either repair or replace that part those are the only two options the company has.
What do you think are the most valuable asset? How do you make sure to keep employees motivated? Do you notice a difference between motivated employees and non-motivated employees when you deal with customer service or other areas?
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