Sweetmantra: Internet Marketing Advice

How I Ended Up Doing Social Media Marketing for ABC TV's Traveler - Part 2

Who is Will Traveler?

I don't know, and apparently Facebook (or someone) doesn't want you to know either.

Last week, I wrote a blog post about how I found myself briefly running the social media marketing campaign for ABC TV's new show, Traveler.

As you may recall, after watching the first episode of the series, I realized that ABC and the producers of the show had completely missed the social media boat. I logged in to Facebook to search for "Will Traveler," the missing character at the core of the show, and found nothing. Not even a basic Facebook profile. Talk about a lost opportunity.

So I did what should have been done in the first place. On May 31, 2007, I created a Facebook profile for Will Traveler.

I tried to make the profile as realistic and as 'in character' as possible, based on the facts I was able to gather from the show. I identified the school he apparently attended. I listed his interests (electronics, politics) and favourite movies (The Manchurian Candidate, The Conversation). I even cited a quote from Jack Kerouac, one of the character's favourite authors, and had Will join a Jack Kerouac Facebook group.

I was particularly proud of the photo I chose for Will; I thought it was suitably ambiguous and mysterious:

In other words, I created a Facebook profile for Will Traveler that fans of the show would instantly identify as his.

The next day, June 1, I began finding friends for Will. I started with me (Bill Sweetman) and my colleague Collin Douma (of Radical Trust fame). I had let Collin in on my little experiment, and he was all in favour of it.

Since there were already a half-dozen or so 'unofficial' Facebook groups devoted to the TV show (created by fans of the show), I had Will add the creators of those groups as his Facebook friends.

By June 4th, Will Traveler had a growing collection of Facebook friends and was starting to get unsolicited Friend requests and messages from fans of the TV show.

Clearly I was on to something. And fans of the show were having fun.

Then, on June 5, I attempted to log in to the Will Traveler Facebook account and got this message instead:

"Your account has been disabled by an administrator. Please contact disabled@facebook.com for more information."

I immediately sent an email to Facebook, asking for clarification.

On June 5, I receive this response from "Justin" at Facebook:

"Fake accounts are a violation of our Terms of Use. Facebook requires users to provide their real names. Impersonating anyone or anything is prohibited. We will not be able to reactivate this account for any reason.  This decision is final."

Now, I totally respect Facebook's desire to enforce its Terms of Use, however I think they need to be consistently enforced. After all, thousands of cats have Facebook profiles. Last I heard, cats can't type. And there are at least 49 fake "Wentworth Miller" Facebook profiles. None of them have been disabled.

Puzzled and somewhat miffed by Facebook's seemingly arbitrary decision, I decide to try to find some answers

On June 6, I email Justin from Facebook and ask him how they ended up being 'alerted' to my Will Traveler account in the first place? Did someone (ABC perhaps?) lodge a complaint about it?

We will never know, since I never got an answer from Justin, and my Will Traveler profile remains disabled. In fact, as I write this, there is not a single Will Traveler profile on Facebook, although there are now 17+ Facebook groups (none created by ABC or the producers of the show) devoted to the Traveler TV show, including "Addicted to Traveler" (570 members) and "fans of ABC's Traveler" (227 members).

So who is Will Traveler? And why was his Facebook profile really deleted?

Your guess is as good as mine.

One thing I do know: ABC TV and the producers of the show missed a golden opportunity to use Facebook to promote Traveler.

How I Ended Up Doing Social Media Marketing for ABC TV's Traveler - Part 1

For a few days earlier this month, I found myself running the social media marketing campaign for ABC TV's new show, Traveler.

After all, somebody had to.

Allow me to explain...

On May 30, 2007, ABC TV launched a new summer series, Traveler. No doubt inspired by the success of rival FOX's Prison Break, Traveler follows the misadventures of two young college guys who are on the run from the FBI for a crime they didn't commit.

The reason they are accused of the crime (the Oklahoma City-esque bombing of a New York City museum) is that one of their college housemates, a sketchy, technologically-savvy guy by the name of Will Traveler, appears to have framed them. Now Will has gone missing, and our two intrepid heroes must track down the elusive Will Traveler in order to clear their names.

Here (below) is a 3-minute trailer for the show that will give you a sense of how the whole thing revolves around the quest to uncover 'Who is Will Traveler?"

I caught the first episode of the series a day after it premiered, and while I quickly deduced the show wasn't for me (it was too predictable) I was struck by one thing: ABC and the producers of the show had completely missed the social media boat.

Halfway through the first episode, our heroic college boys are beginning to wonder if this Will Traveler guy they thought was their friend was really who he said he was. They begin to ask themselves questions about his background, and who this Will Traveler may be connected to. Then one of the guys decides to do some research into the mysterious Will Traveler.

Right about this point I'm thinking, OK, here comes the scene where they Google his name. But instead, one of the guys goes over to his girlfriend's house and rifles through printed (ahem) photos he has of Will Traveler.

When I see that, it suddenly hits me. These are American college kids in 2007. They wouldn't have a stash of printed photos. All their photos would be on Flickr or Facebook. In fact, why don't they just log in to their Facebook accounts and do some searching for Will Traveler there?

So that's what I do.

I log in to Facebook and do a search for Will Traveler thinking, duh, ABC or the producers of the show will have already created a 'profile' page for Will Traveler in order to extend the experience of the show. After all, it wouldn't cost them a penny to do this.

Nothing. Nada. No Will Traveler.

But surely hundreds, if not thousands, of fans of the show would be turning to Facebook to do their own 'investigation' into who the mysterious Will Traveler is? Think of the fun ABC or the producers of the show could have with this. Think of the buzz this would generate.

The more I think about this, the more excited I get.

So I do what ABC or the producers of the show should have done in the first place. On May 31, 2007, I create a Facebook profile for "Will Traveler."

And then the fun and games begin...

Stay tuned, as they say in TV land, my Will Traveler story will be continued in a week.

Sony Pictures' Killer Marketing Idea

Is it possible to have an immersive, interactive, and on-brand marketing experience without even visiting a Website?

I believe you can, based on my recent experience interacting with the proprietor of the Pinewood Motel.

Here's the scoop: I'm watching TV and see a commercial for Sony Pictures' new horror film, Vacancy. Other than the fact it has some A-level stars in it, the film (and the commercial for it) looks like a typical slasher flick. Until the end of the commercial, that is.

Instead of the now de-rigueur Website URL, the following is briefly flashed on screen during the last second of the commercial:

"For reservations please call 1-888-9-VACANCY"

Huh?

I take the bait, grab the phone, and punch in the numbers:

"Folks, you've reached the Pinewood Motel..." says the creepy guy at the front desk.

And I am hooked.

Check it out: 1-888-9-VACANCY. It's very clever, even if the film isn't.

CMA Word of Mouth Marketing Conference 2007

I will be speaking at, and attending, the Canadian Marketing Association's Word of Mouth Marketing Conference, April 12, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. Unless I am mistaken, this is the inaugural year of this conference.

I will be participating in a panel discussion entitled "Going Viral & User Generated Media" moderated by Louis Gagnon, Vice-President, Marketing, monster.ca. Joining me on the panel will be Janet Kestin, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy & Mather and Martin Ouellette, President & Creative Director, Provokat.

I believe we're going to attempt to define what viral marketing is. That alone should be worth the price of admission! ;+)

I'm particularly looking forward to the luncheon keynote address by Kyle MacDonald of one red paperclip fame.

For more information about the conference, visit the official CMA Word of Mouth Marketing Conference Website.

iSummit Diary: "Wife Crack" and "Branded Entertainment"

I attended, and was a speaker at, iSummit 2006, March 29-31, 2006 in Toronto, Canada. This entry is the second of two featuring my notes from the sessions I attended.

Xbox 360 Live Arcade

John David, the Lead Program Manager for Xbox Live Arcade, gave attendees a tour of this next generation videogame console's Arcade service and revealed some other interesting factoids about the 360:

• Arcade gives Xbox 360 owners who connect to the Xbox Live service the opportunity to download and sample 'simple' arcade games. All are free to sample, but in most cases a small fee is required to play the full game.
• 50% of Xbox owners so far have connected to the Xbox Live online service.
• According to John, Arcade is a way for Microsoft to get the game console "back into the family room" where it will be used by all members of the family, not just the hardcore gamers.
• 3 million arcade games have been downloaded through Arcade.
• Microsoft had expected an average 8.5% conversion rate of Arcade game trials to purchase, but have been getting a remarkable 20% conversion rate instead.
• I learned a new term; John referred to a few of the Arcade games as "wife crack," meaning a game, usually puzzle based, that is highly addictive to the female spouse of a male gamer. (Of course, lots of women play videogames, but "wife crack" refers to games that appeal to spouses who normally never play videogames.) Microsoft is very interested in these "secondary" gamers (the spouse) because that's where the growth in the videogame market lies. See also "gamer widow."
• While Microsoft's focus is still on making the 360 "an awesome games box" the Xbox 360 console has other capabilities that make it directly competitive with current and future offerings from other major players, including cable and satellite companies.
• Microsoft will soon be adding music videos and song downloads to the Xbox Live Marketplace, some free, some paid. Hello, iTunes? It will be interesting to see what will happen when (not if) Microsoft adds TV shows and movies to the menu. Background downloading of large media files is apparently in the works.
• Xbox Live is also a communications platform: 600,000 text messages a day are exchanged on Xbox Live between its members.

Branded Entertainment: R U 4 Real?

This session provided an overview and examples of "branded entertainment," long-form content that is partially or fully funded by advertisers as an alternative to conventional advertising tactics such as TV commercials. Examples featured during this session included:

• The Ringing: Created by GJP Advertising in Toronto, this three-minute online horror movie spoof is actually an ad for Covad Communications, a VOIP start-up. The movie features staff at a small business being terrorized by their phone system, before being saved by a Covad employee.
• The Swarm: On behalf of M&M Minis, BBDO Worldwide created a custom comic book with Marvel as well as an online "CyberComic." The objective of this campaign was to drive engagement with the brand by tweens. Shawn Zupp, BBDO's Director of New Content, told the audience that branded entertainment was chosen because it was deemed a "less passive and less predictable" media experience for the target market.
• The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman: These short movies, dating back to 2004 and no longer online, featured comedian Jerry Seinfeld kibitzing with an animated Superman on behalf of American Express. Dave Sylvestre, Group Creative Director at Organic, described these as "opt-in entertainment" and said the goal was to be 95% entertainment, 5% advertising. For the record, I still consider the whole Seinfeld & Superman affair a PR stunt more than anything else.
• Nike Full Ride: Jeff Spriet, President of Chokolat (the "branded entertainment" arm of Taxi Advertising & Design) suggested that "associated entertainment" is a better name for the strategy as its goal is to create brand associations. To address what he called "TV commercial wear-out," Chokolat produced "Full Ride," a series of four 30-minute shows for Nike about up and coming college football players. Broadcast on ESPN last August and also available 24/7 on the Web at www.nikegridiron.com (although not any more, it seems), these 'TV shows' cost less to produce than a typical 30-second television ad and received a 0.2 share of the 18-49 year-old TV audience.

Finally, and as luck would have it, at one point during iSummit I found myself sitting next to Salim Ismail, Co-Founder of PubSub. If you're a blogger, or interested in staying on top of what bloggers are writing about, then you must check out PubSub. It's described as "a matching service that instantly notifies you when new content is created that matches your subscription." Fair enough, but you really have to try it to see its power. If you're familiar with the Google Alerts service, then you will have some idea of the usefulness of PubSub, which 'reads' over 23 million blogs. While not a new service (it's been around since 2004), PubSub isn't that well known among the bloggers and marketing practitioners I have spoken to. I'm on a mission to rectify that! ;+)

For more about iSummit I encourage you to check out the iSummit blog and the iSummit Website.

Ten Viral Marketing Best Practices

A colleague of mine recently asked me if I had a list of viral marketing best practices. I guess I do - in my head - so it's about time I jotted them down to share with others. And before I forget.

If you're plotting the next Subservient Chicken or Liberal Leadership on eBay, here are 10 best practices to keep in mind:

1. First and foremost, think high concept: The viral 'thing,' whatever shape or form it takes, has to be highly provocative in some way. This, of course, is easier said than done, otherwise we'd all be drowning in these things. (And thank God we're not.)
2. Work backwards from the headline: Think about what the headline of the blog entry - or the subject line of the email - about your viral marketing concept would be. Hint: if it won't make a concise headline or subject line, then it probably won't make a good viral marketing concept.
3. Keep it simple: You have to hook people fast, so don't overburden your concept with too many elements or distractions. (Yes, sometimes you can be TOO clever.) Your concept should be able to work when plugged into the following fill-in-the-blank sentence, "Hey, did you hear _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____?" For instance, "Hey, did you hear that Canadian Websites now need to be licensed?"
4. Humour Sells: Nothing says viral better than a good belly laugh. If you can have people laughing in their cubicles (admittedly not an easy task, even for comedy writing experts), you are well on your way to viral fame.
5. Sex Sells: But that's way too easy and probably not appropriate for what you, sophisticated Internet marketer, are trying to promote. Leave the 'naughty hotties in a hot tub' concept for the beer company ad agencies.
6. Big Names Sell: A viral marketing concept that leverages a well-known person, place, or thing may work better because less explanation is required to understand what the concept is about, and the association with the known entity will strike a common chord with many people. Get legal advice before you use a Big Name, though. Or not, depending on your appetite for lawsuits.
7. Topicality Sells: A viral marketing concept that is 'torn from today's headlines' can have a leg up over the competition. Since everyone is already talking about the topic in the first place, the communication pump is already primed. The trick here is that it can sometimes take a while to come up with a killer concept, and by then it may no longer be a topical subject.
8. Don't Try Too Hard: If you ask, or beg, for viral pass-along status, chances are people will see right through you. A really compelling viral concept will stand on its own and people will want to share it with others without being prodded by the folks behind it.
9. Reality Sells: People are overwhelmed and usually unimpressed by what they perceive to be 'corporate' advertising; what often works best in the viral space is unvarnished content by real people, or at least made to look that way.
10. Mystery Sells: Everyone loves a good mystery, so a viral marketing concept that keeps people guessing will only contribute to the buzz factor. At some point in time, however, there must be a payoff, otherwise you'll really piss people off. Unless that's the point in the first place. Off you go.

Have fun. I'm going to watch the Honda "Cog" commercial again...

URLs Gone Wild

I still kick myself for not following through on an idea for a book I had during the early days of the Dotcom boom. I had been on a business trip to San Francisco - arguably the epicentre of the Internet 'gold rush' - and while I was there I started to notice all the unusual places that URLs were plastered.

Sure, people were promoting 'MyGoofyBusinessIdea.com' on billboards and posters, but creative (or maybe desperate) marketers were also putting their URLs on other, uh, interesting things. Had I been more on the ball at the time, I would have started documenting this phenomenon with my camera.

Even without photographic evidence, I still thought it would be beneficial, even inspirational, to share with you some of the more memorable places I've seen URLs advertised over the years.

• printed onto tiny stickers affixed at eye level above a men's urinal
• stencilled onto highway signs and overpasses (like graffiti) on a busy highway
• printed on the 'fortune' inside a fortune cookie
• carved in ice and used as a dinner table centrepiece
• painted on the entire side of a Volkswagen Beetle
• written in the sky in little 'digital' puffs of smoke by a skywriter plane
• encased in layers of ice on the surface of a hockey rink
• moulded into the top of a chocolate bar
• printed on the side of a hot air balloon
• written into the sand on a public beach before it opened for the day
• temporarily tattooed on a woman's bust (at least I think it was temporary!)

I'd love to hear about the strange places you've seen URLs advertised.