Ms. Swift Shows How Powerful Social Networking & Twitter Can Be

Not all of you may know who she is, but Veronica Ballestrini, 17, has been using twitter, YouTube and Facebook to make her career, sell more than seven million records in the last four years, and sign a country music contract. So, love country, or hate it, but you've got to love the fact that this woman had the smarts and the gumption to keep plugging away at her online presence to build up a following. An online following that outstrips just about any country western star except for Miley and her dad Billy Rae Cyrus.

Ms. Swift was a nobody just a few years ago, but she was among the first country artists to aggressively use online media to promote herself. With 100,000 followers online, she had Country Music Television calling her and asking to play her music.

So if you're still wondering about whether social networking and twitter actually work - take a look at what this girl from Connecticut did. Oh yes, or you might just look at a little country called Iran and ask how the revolution is being communicated...

Content Marketing - It's My Facebook And I'll Do What I Want To

Not sure if everyone's been following the latest with the Manhattan Borough President's press secretary Lee Lander. Apparently Lee went off on a bit of a rant about Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. It wasn't the nicest of rants either, with the racist epithet coming up on a number of occassions.

I'm not going to delve into what this aide said in his rant, but rather how absurd his idea that his facebook account shouldn't have been used against him, and that some things are "private." The idea that "hey, it's my facebook and I'll do what I want to," "free speech protects me no matter what I say," and "but, I did it on my own time," are played out. The idea that in this day of blogs, tweets, podcasts and mobile media, that anything you say is private is borderline absurd. No longer is it just Lindsay Lohan and Barack Obama who are being picked up. It is you, me, and eveyone else. Your work, your play, your life is all out there. For anyone and everyone to see and use as they wish. Whether that is fair or not is a whole other discussion. The fact is, we are all now public beings - public brands.

If you think about it, it's really not all that bad. It just means we're all being held accountable for being true to ourselves and our personal brands. No longer can we have secret lives. No longer can we lead double standards. If we deviate, in time we'll most assuridly get caught. Especailly if it is a big enough blunder - i.e., a rant that attaches your personal view of racism to a national event.

So how does this all come into the content marketing arena? Think about it. It's all content. A 140 character tweet, a uTube video, a blog entry. It's all content, which can be used to positively position a product or a person. Or negatively position them.

So next time, watch it. Take a step back before you publish your post. Think about what you're writing, speaking, videotaping, and ask yourself, is this something I can agree with, even if it's taken out of context? Is this true to your brand - personal or professional?

Louis Vuitton and 40 Years of Moon Travel

Talk about a brand that truly knows itself and its customers. Bravo Louis Vuitton.

Yes, LV is a luxury brand. Yes, their logo and products are the envy of any high-end shopper. But more important, it is a name and brand that knows who they are. It is a symbol that stands for travel and the journey. How big and how small one goes with the concept of the journey is up to the individual. From a small clutch and a trip for a latte, to the kind of baggage one only sees in vintage shots of ocean liners, to a trip to the moon. It is this last journey that they were smart enough to realize just how big it could be. Not because they could latch onto the 40th anniversary buzz, but because they could help to make the buzz. They went from being a product company that creates luggage, to a company that moves people.

When I first saw their print advertisement months ago, I thought, "Wow, now there's a company that understands what they are about, and isn't afraid to use real people that truly exemplify their brand, instead of just another pretty body or face." I never realized how big they were going to go with it though. From a store wrap that attracts gawkers and, more important, shoppers, to today's reproduction of The New York Times July 21st, 1969 headline, complete with, yes you guessed it, their ad on the back, they not only captured the excitement, they built upon it by honoring the astronauts. Best of all, when I saw President Obama with the astronauts - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins - I couldn't help but think about the ad by Louis Vuitton.

To the other brands out there - first find out what is at the heart of your product and your company. Cull it down to one word. Then find a way to take that word off the drawing board and bring it to life. For Louis Vuitton, it was journey. For the rest of us, it was the Apollo 11 moon shot from 40 years ago.

New York Congress - Can Anyone Tell Me What's Going On

I mean really. The NYS Republicans talked several NYS Democrats into joining their side. Then the Democrats locked everyone out of the capital. So, becuase one side had a key and the other didn't nobody could do anything for several weeks. Then several Democrats decide they'll become Democrats again. Meanwhile all of this is because of "deals" struck.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!

Doesn't this all kind of sound like 1890's fat politicians bribing, paying kickbacks, and giving out favors? As the Times reported "Under the deal, Senator Malcolm A. Smith of Queens will be president for an undetermined period of time, and Senator John L. Sampson of Brooklyn will be the leader of the Democratic caucus. Details of the arrangement were explained by Mr. Smith at a news conference."

If we're going to go back to this kind of politics, can't we at least bring back the hookers, alcohol, and graft that made politics fun in the first place.

Branding? It's just all coated with slime. And not the good kind either.

Sometimes Shutting Up Is the Best Policy

So what's going on with Dick Cheney? He had his 8 years in the spotlight, outpacing Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame, by immeasurable time. But he just wouln't let it lie. Now, there's nothing wrong with standing by your convictions - no matter how misplaced they are. But there is something wrong in believing your own press. Bottom line, there's often a better way to go about getting your agenda through, than just forcing it into the public eye.

Not only is he becoming known as the only politician who is doing more public speaking after he left office than when he was in the office, but his ratings keep dropping every time he speaks. Based on a CNN poll, fifty-five percent of people questioned still have an unfavorable opinion of the former vice president.

And what about George Bush - who hasn't said a thing in public since leaving the oval office?
In the same timeframe, “Former President George W. Bush's favorable rating rose six points in that same time period, and Bush has not given a single public speech since he left office.” Or so says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

So what's the brand lesson in this? Sometimes it just best to say nothing. Sometimes it is best to build a consensus before going public. Sometimes it is far better to stay away from your the press than pushing an agenda through it. And at absolutely no time, should you stop looking at the polls. Agree or disagree with them, but you only get yourself in trouble by ignoring them.

It's Not The Time For Mauve

Mauve. Can you think of a worse color? It's not a matter of liking the particular hue or tone. It's more a matter of what mauve stands for. Which in my humbel opinion is blah. Not even a capitalized BLAH, but simply blah. It's not a nothing color - which can be profound. Instead, it's a color of mediocrity. It reminds me of a Ford Granada, circa 1977, or a K Car. It reminds me of a patio set in a mid-west suburb. It reminds me of a company or a person who has just given up and decided it's better to do time on Maple Drive than it is to take a stab at doing something.

Mauve. It's not the time for mauve. Not that there is ever a time for mauve. But now, more than ever is the time to make a stand, to step up with midnight black, or fire-engine red, or natural heather even. Now is the time to do something bold. Because if you don't you'll just fade into the pack and remain as much of a standout as the K Car.

If this isn't the time, then there will never be one.

Party First, Country Second

I'm confused. Very confused. How can a Rush Limbaugh say he hopes the President fails, in the same breath he speaks about being a patriot? How can he even begin to think it's okay to put the success of his political party above the success of the President of the United States, and of the United States itself?

Without delving into politics too much, it is unconscionable that any pundit, newscaster, or even shock radio/tv host [whether it's Rachel Maddow or Rush Limbaugh] who calls themselves a patriot or true American, can wish that the President fails. "I deal in principles, not polls," wash Rush's response. So I ask, what principles are they, that he holds so dear? Is his principle and brand about "Damn America as a democratic state, and win at all costs?" If so, then his message is right on target.