360DigitalInfluence

They are an undeniable part of our culture. From “The Man in the Hathaway Shirt,” to The Most Interesting Man in the World, to the GEICO Gecko, you can’t deny that - when done right - fictional brand characters can live well beyond a campaign and become a memorable part of our lives.

And with the rise of the social web, we’ve seen a number of these characters try their hand at becoming a part of our online lives as well. The question is…can that be effective? continue reading

The late Jack LaLanne of The Power Juicer (May He Rest in Peace)

First, we got Lean ’n Mean with The George Forman Grill. Then, we were dazzled by the Bedazzler. Oh, the 21^st century infomercial has provided us with so many titillating, and downright hilarious, consumer goods.

So what, you ask, are the top-selling among them?

Weight loss remedies, exercise equipment, kitchen appliances, and skincare products.

Thanks to off-peak advertising space and late night shopaholics trolling the broadcast networks at 3am, we have… the infomercial. And yet, these days, the infomercial isn’t just saved for the 3am crowd. The infomercial has finally made it to the mainstream. In fact, by 2009, most US infomercial spending was during early morning, daytime, and evening hours and, if that’s not shocking enough, over $150 billion worth of consumer products in the U.S. are now being sold through infomercials.

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Want to earn a three month fellowship at Ogilvy and go to the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France? Well, then, simply sell us a brick.

That’s the pitch from our colleagues over at OglivyOne. They’ve recently launched a search for the World Greatest Salesperson. The call for entries is simple: send in a video selling a brick and you’re entered to win. Head over to Ogilvy’s Youtube Channel to submit. “If you can sell a red brick, maybe you can sell anything,” said Mat Zucker, of OgilvyOne in a recent interview about the contest with the New York Times.

The contest is in response to what many perceive as the industry’s wandering away from the discipline of sales. Sure, social media has brought about major changes in the way that businesses communicate with consumers. But, for many of our clients, the way they make money has not. Selling is still critical to success. Our founder and former door to door salesman, David Ogilvy, is often quoted as saying “we sell, or else.”

The spirit of this contest is akin to renewing your wedding vows; many years have passed and the environment is radically different, but the commitment remains the same: we sell, or else. So check out the video, and sell us your brick. You could find yourself working at Ogilvy.

Check out our Facebook page or head over to the Ogilvy Youtube Channel to enter.

This Facebook Friday is dedicated to the Little Guy: the one-man communications team, the small business owner, or the intern for a non-profit who just got assigned Facebook (I’ve been there). So here’s to you, Little Guy, and because you make Facebook awesome, here are six easy and (almost) free tips for your “little” Facebook page. And you Big Guys can learn a thing or two as well.
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This week, John Bell and I delivered Facebook Bootcamp for PR, a one-hour training webinar for public relations and marketing professionals hosted by the Bulldog Reporter’s PR University. During the workshop, we shared
key strategies and best practices on how brands can build a successful Facebook strategy, engage with fans through Facebook, and add scale and impact to your Facebook presence through additions like applications and targeted advertising.

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