Is Hate-Tweeting Oprah Basically The Same As Loving Her?

Oprah Winfrey (twittername: @Oprah) caught tons of media (and social media) attention last week by opening a Twitter account live on her TV show. If a recent Twitter Search is any indication, the tweet community appears to be less than tweet-ceptive. Check out all the hate-tweeting going on:

Questions:

Don't you think all these less-than-positive mentions of the @Oprah name are actually a good thing for her brand overall?

Wouldn't you consider it a huge win if your brand got this much attention it's first week on Twitter?

I'm just sayin'...

The Web Beats Traditional Media (Yet Again)

Have you heard about the recent star-powered popularity contest that came in the form of a contest to be the first Tweeter to gather 1 million followers on Twitter.

In one corner, Media giant CNN (twittername: @CNN) sporting it's millions of television viewers and fire-fueled promotional machine. In the other corner, underdog everyman-actor Aston Kutcher (twittername: @aplusk), equipped only with a laptop and a small web-based videocast (oh yeah...and his hugely popular brand and black book of A list friends.)

CNN was largely considered the favorite...after all, they have Larry King. But Kutcher leveraged his fan base (and a large offering of man-boy prizes) and pulled off the upset victory.

Yet another example of the web out-media-ing the media.

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Cool Content + Social Media = BUZZZZ!!!

Savannah College Of Art And Design is doing something really cool with social media right now. The school is hosting the Game Developers eXchange (game developers, educators and students sharing their behind-the-scenes knowledge of the game industry.) The cool part is that they have built an online videocast channel called SCADTV into their website. They are using this great tool to provide live coverage of the event. They are also live microblogging about the event (and their SCADTV coverage of it) on Twitter (twittername: @scaddotedu). Users can interact by tweeting questions and thoughts live by using "#gdx" in their message.

I love this stuff! Combining multi-media assets and social media tools is a super-strong play. Are you using your website to engage your audience in this way?

How Will You Protect Your Brand From Viral Hijacking?

Have you seen this yet?

A couple of lovely Domino's (thankfully now EX) employees were looking for YouTube fame. What they achieved instead was a viral-hijacking of Domino's basically respected brand. With this series of disgusting behind-the-pizza-oven videos, these two have levied more destruction than Pizza Hut, Little Ceasars and Papa John's combined.

Patrick Doyle (President, Domino's U.S.A) went to the web to deliver some probably too tightly-scripted damage control.


What do you think...

Did Doyle get it right?
Did he do enough to erase the negative buzz?
How would you respond if your brand was under a similar attack?

SMILE AND MOVE: Sometimes It Really Is That Simple.

I've blogged about Sam Parker (twittername: @justParker) in the past ("The Power Of Words" 05/20/2008). He is a professional motivator (great job if you can get it) who is effective because his messages are simple and actionable. He also gives us great examples of the importance of using slick, quick, fast-paced, educational, informational, entertaining and interactive content to help get a message across.

Here's his latest work...I'm sure you'll enjoy his message. More importantly, learn from his technique. Ask yourself the question, "how can I package and present my brand with a similar impactful spirit?"

Is Britney Spears Socially Stupid?

Last week was an interesting one in the world of New Media. Two new high profile jobs were in the headlines. Anyone interested in Viral Marketing should be watching these very closely.

In Washington DC, President Obama unveiled his new DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE. Meanwhile, Britney Spears began her search for a 2.0 MEDIA MANAGER.

High profile positions like these can do nothing but legitimize the need for solid Social Media planning. The question is...can Britney Spears keep from screwing this up?

DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

Early last week, within minutes after the inauguration, a brand new blog was introduced at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/. As a result, we were more formally introduced to Obama's New Media mastermind...Macon Phillips:

As the week (and even the weekend) progressed, it became apparent that we are dealing with a different White House. So far, The White House Blog has been a pretty readable combination of press-release/policy information and some slightly more candid quotes from our latest President. There has also been an occasional (and refreshing) behind-the-scenes editorial:

"For incoming White House staff, the past few days have been a singularly thrilling -- and learning -- experience. Wide-eyed staffers roam the halls of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with thick stacks of HR paperwork in hand, new phone numbers are being memorized -- and the line for coffee and club sandwiches is starting to grow as word spreads about the White House Mess. It's safe to say that working at the White House isn't something anyone can prepare for, but the career staff continue to work tirelessly to make the first few days as smooth as possible."

It will be very interesting as time goes on the see how much of this editorial aspect remains. Day-in-the-life, behind-the-curtain, insider glimpses of what it's like to be in the White House everyday...that's pretty engaging stuff. The amount of personalization and transparency used in future posts will surely determine whether this becomes a blog for the common man...or merely an unused tool for the press. I cheer for the common man. This type of "open" communication will go a long way in times like these.

BRITNEY SPEARS 2.0 MEDIA MANAGER

Also in the news last week, as if stealing directly from the Prez playbook, pop-tart Britney Spears posted a new job listing:

If anyone needs an online makeover right now, it's Ms. Spears. Building a better Britney through Social Media is a logical plan. The problem is that the above job posting only appeared (as far as I can tell) on a Harvard job board. Apparently Britney's people think there is a pedigree in Social Media. Bad move!

Consider the new DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, Macon Phillips. It can be argued that this guy holds the top New Media job in the country right now. Currently, Phillips is the poster boy for Word-Of-Mouth Marketing. Interesting to note...Macon Phillips went to a university with a watchable basketball team:

HARVARD NEW MEDIA SPECIALIST

Oh, by the way. It looks like Harvard is also looking for a New Media Specialist. This posting is showing up on job boards all across the nation:

Funny...looks like Harvard isn't limiting their search for a New Media pro to just the Boston area.

That would be social stupidity.