Posts Tagged ‘buzz’
Social Media
The Good (Internet) Samaritan
posted by McKenna @ January 12th, 2009
A recent Tweet from a frustrated mother whose 3-year-old wouldn’t sleep got me thinking: How does the Good Samaritan concept apply to the Internet?
This particular Tweeter, who goes by the name Thordora, got the cops called on her. Fortunately, there wasn’t much of a story beyond her Tweet – her daughter was safe and sound in her bed. But the story has sparked renewed interest in other stories like it, especially the sad tale of Abraham Briggs.
This brings up the question of anonymity, right to privacy and all that fun stuff when using the Web. But for many people, those concepts are hoity-toity ideas that have no bearing when a child’s (or anyone’s) life might be on the line.
A lot of people – especially mothers – have taken Thordora to task for writing that Tweet. One blogger on ParentDish said “she got what as coming to her.” She continues:
“There is such a thing as social responsibility over the Internet. People use the web to create a community. As with a real community, those in a virtual simulation care for and are concerned about all the members, even if they’ve never met. They’re also just as vigilant about protecting that community.”
So when do we use social media for the social good? Is that even important? If you had read this Tweet from Thordora, what would you have done?
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How’d They Do That? No, Wait - Why’d They Do That?
posted by Greg Batiansila @ July 10th, 2008
One thing that strikes me over and over as I listen to or watch ads is the question “How’d They Do That?” How did they pull it off? I know clients enough to know that clients tend to be play-it-safe professionals trying to ensure they’ll have a job tomorrow by carefully maintaining and dusting off their brand daily.
So…how did an agency get the permission to make a commercial for a product that revolves around a suicide attempt? A commercial with only two spoken words, and one is an expletive?
I could see how perhaps a marketing manager trying to establish themselves as a whiz kid could have greenlighted this, but I’m more intrigued on how corporate approved the tact.
Then again…maybe the above is best answered when the “Why?” is answered. The use of the expletive means it was never going to make broadcast television. The subject matter – suicide – is nowhere near “safe.”
The answer to “why?” is the old dictum that if no one’s talking about you, you don’t exist. And to get some talk, some buzz, you create an objectionable video with profanity and get people to comment on it. Sure, it will never be on NBC, but will it be shared or watched online out of pure curiosity? Will you watch it? More views, which make other people comment on it. I have never looked at a Heineken ad on YouTube. So if you accept the rules of the game – and many brand stewards will not – you can see how this is a successful campaign.
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