A Social Media Campaign That Works
A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin
Mannequin American views and guidelines on marketing/PR trends, news from the world of puppets and ventriloquism, bits of humor and other interesting but useless information. I post every Tuesday and Friday.
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Another Nostalgic Product Fades Away
Okay, I must be getting old, (I really don't know ... you'd have to cut me in half and count the rings to find out), anyway I just read that the 100 year-old brand, Max Factor" is going to be discontinued in the United States. When I was a sapling Max Factor was touted as the "Makeup of Hollywood," and stars like Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe and others touted the product line. What the heck happened? How can a product fall from number 1 to number 0? Oh, yeah ... I guess GM could explain it to me.
Max Factor will continue to be sold in 70 other countries, including 20 countries where it's the No. 1 brand and in the U.K. and Russia, where it's the No. 2 brand.
Not for Pediophobes
From AdRants: If you have Pediophobes, (the fear of dolls), you may not want to watch this commercial from Australia for Allen's candy. The ad uses a three story tall doll/marionette. (I think I'm in love.) For those who are into puppets, this is pretty cool. Click here to see the commercial.
Even more interesting is a giant puppet/marionette created in 2006 by the French theatre company Royal de Luxe. They used a crane to move it around. Like me, it looks alive. Again, if you're into puppets at all, you'll find this to be rather remarkable. Click here to see this fascinating use of a giant puppet.
Some Social Media Campaigns Work
Dunkin' Donuts is merging their new product release campaign for "Coolatta" with their Facebook Fan Page strategy. (I'm still suspect of the value of most product Facebook approaches. But Dunkin' Donuts has over 800,000 fans, so what do I know?)
With Dunkin' Donuts Keep It Coolatta sweepstakes, Facebook fans can post photos of themselves with any Coolatta beverage to the Fan Page wall, add the caption #CoolattaGiveaway, and subsequently update their profile with the pic, and they'll be entered to win a daily giveaway through June 24. Dunkin' Donuts will randomly select winners, award the prizes, and update their official profile with the winning image.
If you're a Dunkin' Donuts fan, you might like that prizes are themed for summer and include an iPhone, flatscreen TV, a summer wardrobe, and JetBlue flights. You also might get a kick out of your photo being featured on their profile.
It's an interesting way to motivate Facebook members to promote Dunkin' Donut products and engage with customers and "fans," and a great strategy to immediately make their Facebook presence relevant to the bottom line.
Something to Keep You from Work
If you're familiar with the video game Bejeweled, you'll enjoy the new Chiquita Smoothie Web site. Even if you're not familiar with the game, you may end up wasting an entire afternoon on Chiquita's version of it.
This promotion for Chiquita Smoothies is a good way to not work ... which is something I'm always on the lookout for. In this game, if you can fill the blender with fruit before time runs out, you get entered (and re-entered!) into a sweepstakes to win a trip to Jamaica. (So really, it's not a total waste of time.)
The marketers behind this site know the secret to a good advergame. a) keep it simple b) incentivize gamers, and c) tap into something they're already obsessed with and already know how to play.
I do have one question, though. What the heck kind of advergame doesn't have a pause button? Are they trying to get me fired?
Ventriloquist Makes Forbes List of 100 Most Powerful Celebrities
From Daniel Jay Robison at http://www.ventriloquist.org/: Jeff Dunham has made the Forbes top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities list. Jeff is #84 ... ranking him higher than Tina Fey, Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell, Danica Patrick and 11 others. (I think they should have listed the Mannequin American's like Walter and Achmed who are responsible for getting Jeff on the list.) Click here for more info.
According to Forbes, in the past 12 months, Jeff has brought home $30 million, making him the third-highest-earning comedian in America behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. He had the top-grossing comedy tour in North America in 2008 and has performed 145 shows since last June. His DVDs have sold more than 4 million copies.
The "Vegetable" Most Consumed by Toddlers Is ...?
Gerber's portion of a new "Start Healthy Stay Healthy" Web site includes a video showing parents being shocked into reality. Parents on the street discover that the "vegetable" consumed most by the average rosy-faced US toddler is ... wait for it ... French fries! Click here to see the 30 second video. It's amusing ... especially the parents' reactions.
After this revelation, parents look appropriately shocked and appalled. Yeah, didn't see that coming. It's not like we have a nationwide obesity problem or anything.
Visit http://www.starthealthystayhealthy.com/ for more "heart-warming and thought-provoking" health-related reality checks.
