A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American
Facebook Content is Important
According to recent studies, there is very little correlation between how frequently a Facebook page administrator posts to their wall and the page's total number of fans. However, there is a strong correlation between the amount of other types of content (notes, links, photos, videos) and the number of fans.
So if you want to grow your Facebook fan base, it's important that you move beyond simple wall posts and add photos, videos, links and other useful content.
Additionally, Facebook's recent move to an algorithm-driven news feed means that just because someone is your fan, does not mean they will see your wall posts or status updates (true for both individuals and brands). Instead, the default news feed is now comprised of content that Facebook thinks you'll like, based on your interactions with content from that author in the past, and interactions by your friends with that content.
This puts a tremendous premium on posting engaging content that will generate comments and "likes" and "shares". If you're not paying attention to your content engagement scores within your Facebook analytics, start doing so now. And test content types to see what works best for your brand.
Airplanes Can be Funny Too
From Leslie Bonk: South African low-fare airline kulula.com recently came up with a brand-new, funny airplane motif. One of their Boeing 737-86N's called "Flying 101″ is entirely covered with details and funny remarks about the plane. The captain's window is marked with "the big cheese", the co-pilot's window with "co-captain, the other pilot on the PA system", and the jump seat is "for wannabe pilots."
In addition, the following descriptions are on parts of the plane:
- avionics (fancy navigation stuff)
- windows (best view in the world)
- black box (which is actually orange)
- loo (or mile-high club initiation chamber)
- rudder (the steering thingy)
- stabilizer (the other steering thingy)
- overhead cabins (VIP seating for your hand luggage)
- fuel tanks (the go-go juice)
... and much more.
More photos and information here.
"Think Different," Still Works
Apple's Think Different commercial may be 4 years old, but it still works and it's still one of my favorites. Click here to see marketing at its best. After seeing it you just feel good about what people can achieve.
Two Ads for my Female Readers
What can I say? Sometimes I like to suck up to my female readers. So here are two spots that women will find funny ... men, not so much ... which is also funny.
Fist we have MasterCard's "Gym Membership." You won't see the ending coming.
Dodge took a lot of flak for its Challenger ad that ran during the Super Bowl. If you don't remember it, or haven't seen it click here. I actually liked it. But apparently, women didn't. So here's the women's retort. It's a spoof ad explaining the other side of things. Careful, it has a swear word in it near the end so NSFW. Actually, I think it's a lot more accurate than the original ad.
Now for the Gents ...
To be honest I only included this so that I'd have an excuse to post a photo of Danica Patrick. What can I say ... I'm weak.
If you think you can make a better, funnier, classier commcercial for Go Daddy, (and most of you should be able to accomplish that), the company has launched a social media-fueled consumer-generated commercial contest. First place will net the winner $100,000 with second and third bringing in $50,000 and $25,000 respectively. It appears that Go Daddy is willing to spend more money on your commcercial than it spent on its own Super Bowl commercials.
Danica Patrick and the president of Go Daddy will choose the winners. OK, everyone, click here to enter ... and to watch some Go Daddy videos.
VentPeng Productions
Our friends Bob and Marty Hamil and Phillip Jones (not pictured) recently updated their Web site, VentPeng Productions. Click here to see it. These three are indeed a hilarious group of entertainers.
Bob and Marty are currently staring at The Blackwood Breakfast Variety Show in Pigeon Forge, TN.
Each year for the past 20 or so years Bob, Marty, Phillip and a handful of very loyal and sturdy volunteers have manned the hospitality suite at the International Ventriloquist Convention. That is tough duty to say the least. It involves long hours of putting up with vents from all over the world who tell lame jokes, abuse puppets and seldom go to bed before the morning sun starts peaking over the horizon. I try to avoid that room at all costs. I learned long ago that for some unexplained reason if I'm asked to speak in the hospitality suite, I slur my words.
Dale and Leslie are regular fixtures there. They claim to be "networking" and catching up with vent friends who they only get to see once a year. But I think it's the alcohol that attracts them.
Thinking Warm Thoughts
Speaking of Dale and Leslie, here's a photo of them taken last November while they were in the Caribbean ... literally.
I thought this photo would help remind people who live in snow-covered vistas that warm weather does exist. Actually this is one of my favorite photos because it means that Dale wasn't here and I could write this blog without having him looking over my shoulder, censoring my cleverness.
Or
Readers have sent me scores of puppet-related cartoons over the past two and a half years. It's interesting to see how many play off of the same concepts with only slight variations, or nearly exact copies. Did they see someone else's idea and later think it was their own? Being original is very, very difficult. Which I guess explains significant chunks of my routines.
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American
Game Piece Moves Web Site Traffic in the "Right Direction"
NCL Graphic Specialties produces more than 400 million labels/coupons a month for a variety of industries including food and bottling. The company's Web site gets a lot of traffic because it offers information about promotional options, marketing ideas and more. But NCL wanted to know more about those who make up its visitor base. So the company initiated "NCL - The Right Direction Contest."
To showcase its capabilities, NCL created a complex die-cut, miniature-folded, scratch-off game card that is overwrapped in clear material, (above). Visitors to NCL's Web site can fill out a form to obtain the special game pieces. Players have an opportunity to win Garmin® Navigation Systems, Tervis® Tumblers, coffee mugs or compass key chains. Every game piece is a winner.
According to NCL, many Web site visitors are taking the time to provide company information, product needs and email addresses. NCL is winning right along with its prospects.
To obtain a game piece go to http://www.nclgs.com/ Go ahead ... you gotta win something.
Preventing Generations for Generations
From AdAge: Trojan distributed its first newspaper freestanding-insert coupons recently with offers ranging from $1 off the Trojan2Go card to $2 off vibrating products. The company's foray into coupons was part of a major Valentine's Day retail promotion to boost lagging sales.
Though some other marketers claimed seeing a trend toward "recession sex" last year as people with more time on their hands got frisky, Trojan wasn't seeing things that way. Trojan's tracking research showed signs of an actual decrease in sexual activity.
Regardless, it's good to know that when it comes to "safe sex" there's now a coupon for that.
Palm Readers
Former U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was the featured speaker at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville, TN. During a question and answer session she snuck a look at notes she had written in ink in the palm of her hand. Needless to say, the media jumped all over that.
So I did a little searching on the web and guess what? There's a product for people who write on their hands ... really. The To-Do Tatoo is a temporary tattoo with lines, and a skin-safe washable gel pen. You can have Amazon deliver one. (Maybe they should re-name it, "The Sarah Palin Memory Method.")
If you're going to write on your hand, at least you can be neat about it.
Marketing Hand Notes
Here's another positive spin on "hand notes." Those annoying stamps you get on your hands at clubs can actually be life savers. At some clubs outside the U.S. hand stamps contain "Do not drink and drive" messages and the phone numbers of local cab companies. This new form of advertising has received praise from both police and liquor establishments.
It's probably just a matter of time before hangover remedies start paying to be included on hand stamps as well.
H.O.G. Heaven
Being from Milwaukee, these caught my eye.
If a loved one was really into Harley's, you may want to look into The Harley Davidson hearse. It belongs to Kevin Brennan Familly Funeral Home, in Topeka, Kansas. For $795, a driver will take the dearly departed from the funeral home to the house of worship, then on to the cemetery ... compared to $475 to $575 for a lift in a traditional hearse.
If you're getting married and you're really into Harley's, The Bridal Carriage will cost you just $495 for the first 3 hours.
I wonder if Dale will let me convert his Harley Davidson Springer into something practical like a "Mannequin American Mobile Home"?
Harleys & Hollywood
Speaking of Harleys, the Harley Davidson Museum is currently running a special display, "HarleyWood - The Harleys & Hollywood Exhibit."
From the museum: "The Harley-Davidson Museum tells the story of how motorcycles impacted pop culture and "Harleys & Hollywood" shows examples of this ongoing fascination."
Visitors to the museum can see bikes from the movies G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Star Trek and Wild Hogs along with bikes owned by Clark Gable, Steve McQueen, Ludacris and Jesse James. The exhibit ends this month.
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American
SEO Still Driving Force in Building Traffic
From CopyBlogger: Take a look at the image below, from SEOmoz:
In simple terms, the chart shows that when it comes to "search," what people say about you is more important than what you say about yourself.
Google wants to know that people are linking to you, and it wants to know the words they're using (link anchor text), because those give you credibility and are a trusted relevance indicator ... more so than what you say about yourself.
So although compelling content is always rule number one, if you don't rank well in the categories above, you will slide farther down the search engine listings. Brown & Martin, Inc. can help.
More Women on Social Networks, But Products Not Benefiting
A consumer survey found that about 54% of women visit social networking sites at least once daily, and 75% of those women admit they're more active on networks now than they were one year ago. Facebook dominates the segment with 66.4% saying they use Facebook, followed by MySpace at 16.3%, Twitter at 3.1%, and LinkedIn at 1.4%.
The study also revealed that seeing a brand on a social network makes 17% of women feel positive and 19% feel negative about that brand. The other 64% were neutral.
When asked whether social networking sites influence purchases, 75% of women who participated in the study said ads on social networks do not influence what they buy.
Some marketing experts believe brands need to "catch up" and create messages/packages that women will appreciate online, and can pass around. Time will tell.
Selling Trucks with Laughter
From our friend Mike McCann: It's always interesting to see how different countries take different approaches to selling the same product. Truck commercials in the U.S. tend to focus on "toughness" and include lots of shots of vehicles traversing water, mountains and rocks.
Australia takes a different approach. They use trucks to make us laugh. And laugh you will. Click here to see an entertaining Australian commercial for Toyota trucks. Bugger!
$2 Million for Passing "Go"
MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition reinvents the 75 year-old game with a new look, featuring a round game board, electronic banking, music and sound effects.
MONOPOLY: Revolution Edition features the traditional streets of Atlantic City, but with property values more reflective of today's prices. For example, players collect $2 Million when passing "GO" instead of $200. Keeping track of the millions changing hands during game play is an electronic unit that serves as banker, dice and music player.
The game also features clips of hit songs from five decades, including "Umbrella," "Bad Day" and "Drive My Car," and sound effects that bring a contemporary new spin on the classic family favorite.
In 1935, Parker Brothers began selling MONOPOLY, which would quickly become a cultural phenomenon. Seventy-five years later, more than 1 billion people in 108 countries have played the game designed by Charles Darrow and based on the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Of course, there are tons of Monopoly versions now on the market from specifically-branded ones like The Simpsons and Disney to Army, Navy, Star Wars and local city editions. But, if the idea of a modern version of the classic board game bothers you, there is an alternative. They have a beautiful wooden replica of their 1935 version.
Ta-Tas
Upset Colorado ... Again
Via AdFreak: For the
second time in
a week, Colorado has gotten all worked up over an ad featuring ta-tas.
Last
week, the town was Colorado Springs, and the ta-tas were non-human.
(Furry and
pink, they belonged to Lucy the Slut of Avenue Q,
whose bus-shelter poster was nixed.)
This
week, the town is Aurora, CO and the ta tas are human, belonging to a
model
advertising the Perky Cups coffee shop (I love that name!) ... where
waitresses
serve coffee while (gasp!) wearing bikinis.
The
city council deemed the ad legal after people complained, but the coffee shop's landlord took it down on Wednesday.
"I would love to leave it up forever, but I'm getting beat up," owner
Jason Bernal said Tuesday. Bernal said people had stopped in to
complain,
though one stayed to buy a burrito and coffee.
At
least we know that there are "boobs" in Colorado.
Ad Aimed at Very Targeted Audience
For the record, I'm not making this up. The ad above is recruiting players for a gay rugby league ... I think in the UK. (I'll let you come up with your own OMG mental picture.) But you have to admit, the creatives "behind" this ad know their audience.
Stuffed and Unstrung
WestBeth Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company's Henson Alternative announced the New York debut of "Stuffed and Unstrung", a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. This one-of-a-kind comedy performance is set for a special 10-week limited engagement kicking off Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at the Union Square Theatre in New York. The official opening will then take place on Thursday, April 1 at 9:00 PM.
Click here to see a clip of "Puppet Up!" which "Stuffed and Unstrung" evolved from.
The show is unpredictable, irreverent and it's never the same twice as puppeteers set off on trails of twisted sketches and songs at breakneck pace while interacting with the audience. In short ... it's often hilarious. Click here to go to the Facebook page.
On the Road
Dale with Bertha the Bag Lady at the annual NCRA employee recognition dinner. Bertha has over 110,000 views on YouTube.
Speaking of puppets, Dale and his suitcase posse (including me) were in McPherson, KS recently to perform for the National Cooperative Refinery Association. It was a great group. So here's a shout out to all of our new friends back in KS. Thanks for joining my blog!
Don't your employees or association members deserve some laughs? Contact us or click here for more info.
One Downside of Being a Puppeteer
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American
Omitting "$" Can Mean Bigger Sales
This just in from the terrifying world of "neurobiological marketing". The human brain can be fooled into spending more money if restaurants omit any reference to "dollars" on their menus.
Neuromarketing, a blog "Where Brain Science and Marketing Meet," reports on a Cornell study that looked at three restaurant price display techniques:
- Numerical with Dollar Sign: $12.00
- Numerical without Dollar Sign or Decimals: 12
- Written: twelve dollars
The researchers expected that the written/scripted prices would perform best, but they found that "the guests with the simple numeral prices spent significantly more than the other two groups."
It's hard to believe that the omission of "$" makes people forget that they're spending actual money. But what do I know?
I Usually Like Puppets in Ads ... But ...
To promote bundled Internet, phone and TV services, FairPoint Bundle (link to FaceBook page) uses a fluffy little creature that seems to be part monkey, part Alf and part Tribble. Viewers are encouraged to "Love your Bundle," which is fast, reliable, fun to curl up with and works during a power outage.
I don't know if I trust this particular puppet. He seems to be snuggling way too close to the woman on the sofa, and it may just be a matter of time before he sets those flashlight eyeballs on "kill". Click here to see the commercial.
If You're Looking for a Reason to be Afraid of Me, I'll Give You One
Okay, I wish this was a joke, but it's not ... and as a Mannequin American I'm seriously thinking about a discrimination lawsuit. Here's an entire Web site devoted to "Immediate help for Ventriloquist Dummy Phobia." Are you kidding me?!
First, we're "Mannequin Americans," not "Dummies." Second, how would people like it if I had a Web site devoted to "Immediate help for Mexican Phobia"? Or, "... Jewish Phobia"? Or, "... Italian Phobia"? Oh, wait. I have that one.
Getting over "Ventriloquist Dummy Phobia" will only cost you $147 for "CDs and Workbook," or $2,497 for a "One-on-One VIP Program." (and they call ME a dummy?!) Give me $2,497 and I'll pay Mannequin Americans to stay away from you.
From their Web site: "Risk Factors and Causes: Ventriloquist Dummy Phobia is usually caused by an intense negative experience from your past." Really? If I ever meet the yahoos behind this Web site, I'll give them a negative experience from today.
Besides, everyone knows people are more afraid of clowns than puppets. Even the U.S. Postal Service uses that fact in this recent and rather amusing commercial.
Now excuse me while I go to the mall and scare the heck out of people with Mannequin American phobia.
More Proof ... Clowns are Scarier than Puppets
The cutline for this VW ad is "Volkswagen lane assist. Gives you an alert when ou're not." And what does the company use to promote its new system that helps drivers stay alert? Not a puppet; but a scary clown. That would not only keep me alert ... it would keep me awake for years.
"I'm No Dummy" Now on Sale
Speaking of "puppets" the documentary, I'm No Dummy" is now available for pre-order at Amazon.com. I think they are offering a discount before the official release date. My advice to all who would be interested in this documentary is to buy it now.
Despite its racist title, "I'm No Dummy" is a good documentary on Mannequin Americans, ventriloquists and ventriloquism ... and it features several of our friends including Jay Johnson, Lynn Trefzger, Jeff Dunham, Jimmy Nelson and others. And I love the subtitle ... "Sometimes You Just Need to Vent." Ain't that the truth.
Know Where Your Billboard Is
From FailBlog: When buying a billboard to help those with alcoholism, I'm guessing that it's best not to place the ad near a billboard that promotes alcoholic beverages. Just saying ...
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