I guess the train didn't help

On Monday, I talked about using social media and search to track the value of an event, focusing on a vintage subway train promotion by HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”  Today, I read that the premiere actually had a disappointing rating--2.9 million viewers, down 8% from an average rating of 3.2 million viewers per episode in season one.  Perhaps even more discouragingly, 40% fewer people watched this year’s season premiere than last year’s series premiere.  No word on whether the train helped or not.

What’s a marketer to do?

I happen to enjoy the show, which depicts the lives and loves of crooked politicians, gangsters and bootleggers in Prohibition-era Atlantic City.  Thus I have a personal interest in seeing it do well.  If I were promoting the show, here’s what I’d think about:

If a marketing event happens in a subway, and no one is around to live-stream it, does it make a sound?

Here’s a cool promo event: HBO sponsored a vintage 1920s subway train to promote the season premiere of its “Boardwalk Empire” series.

Fun, yes, but how does it help HBO?  Short answer: a marketing event can make a sound, but you have to know how to listen.

Where to look, whom to ask

Blog: Your company is smarter than you think

Having spent much of my career in agencies as the research guy, I can tell you that few businesses have all the market research they need.  Even agencies or companies with large, effective research departments can never cover all the angles they need over the course of a year.  Worse still, many businesses devote too little to market research and have hardly anything they can use.

What to do, then?

Fortunately, most companies know more than they realize.  The researcher simply needs to know where to look, or really, whom to ask.

UR Doin it rong: AT&T

Remember “The Odd Couple” TV show?  Remember how whenever Jack Klugman’s slob Oscar would do something gauche, Tony Randall’s effete Felix would shake his head and intone “Oscar...Oscar...Oscar...?”  Well, even though I resemble Oscar much more than I do Felix, I feel the need to shake my head and mutter “AT&T...AT&T...AT&T.”

America’s second-largest mobile company utterly failed at a mobile promotion.  That would be like if America’s second-largest automaker put tires from America’s second-largest tire maker on one of their vehicles, only to have the tires fail and roll the truck over.  OK, not that bad.  But still.

Let’s review this one.

I'm bald, you idiots

Or, perhaps, a tale of two emails.

I found two emails in my gmail account (plannerben AT gmail dawt cawm, in case you don't have it) side by side this morning.  One came from LinkedIn, and offered me a very useful article on how small businesses can employ social marketing.

The other came from Klout, a supposed social media powerhouse.  And it was blitheringly, irredeemably and completely stupid.

No capice, Barilla

So last night, Adrea Bocelli dropped by my neighborhood, along with his friends Tony Bennett and Celine Dion.

They sang at the behest of Italian food giant Barilla.  Overall, the promotion makes sense.  Barilla wants to become the brand leader in Italian-style foods, so they put on an event celebrating Italian culture.  I don't know how the very Quebecois Ms. Dion got invited.  I suppose Madonna had a face lift scheduled.  Or something.


Overall, the event made sense.  Barilla sampled their products before and during the event.  People got a chance to pretend to live la dolce vita for a bit.  However, one thing just struck me as...odd.

Top 10 list: Best uses for NYC Bike Share Ads

In my last post, I discussed smart, Translinear opportunities for New York City’s planning bike share program.  Of course, I can’t waste this opportunity for good schtick, so in homage to David Letterman, here’s my top 10 list of how 10 New York icons might use the ads:

10. 1-800-LAWYER: “Property of NYC.  If stolen (by you), call 1-800-LAWYER.”