Marketing, branding, advertising, public relations | Jamesgang Creative » pop culture

Don’t be fooled by fake websites voting for Google Fiber | citizen-times.com | Asheville Citizen-Times

Gary James — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:05:20 +0000

My “Letter to the Editor” in the Asheville Times today. Anyone not familiar with what’s going on: Asheville is a city being considered for 1gb broadband from Google. This site, GoogleFiber.com was created, “unofficially,” by someone to create a horserace online. People voted for a month.

The voted ended. Then, suddenly, another round of voting? Why, some of us asked?

In the meantime, a Letter to the Editor pops up telling people to continue to vote. So, I did a little research and discovered this info:

Don’t be fooled by fake websites voting for Google Fiber | citizen-times.com | Asheville Citizen-Times.

Google Fiber Asheville, Study: 52 Percent Of Bloggers Consider Themselves Journalists, Is Social Media working for Small Biz?

Seven Traits of Highly Effective Press Releases « BusinessWired

Gary James — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:36:07 +0000

The information shared here through BusinessWire is straightforward and simple.

Crafting the message and content is obviously the most important factor in developing an excellent public relations and press release campaign.

When developing a press release, I try to incorporate at least Five out of Seven of the traits that are outlined in the article. One that I leave out is based on budget; the other the goal of the release. Here are the 5:

1. One link in one form or another in the body of the release.

2. Emphasis on key points in the release via special formatting.

3. A subheadline.

4. Encourage sharing on social media

5. Special characters in the headline.

The two that are missing are:
1. The company name in the headline: It sort of depends on where the brand fits in the scheme of things. After establishing the company branding, sometimes it’s better to focus totally on the message and support the company branding throughout the release.

2. A photo or video included: There are totally dependent upon the client’s budget as they almost always add some cost in distribution. However, these costs also vary widely, and there are many ways to get the message distributed within budgetary concerns.
If you need effective messaging, please give me a call.

Seven Traits of Highly Effective Press Releases « BusinessWired – Business Wire Blog.

21 Twitter Tips From Socially-Savvy Companies | Fast Company, Every business has a story. Are you telling yours?, Manage Your Brand’s Social Media Presence with One App

Facebook, MySpace Confront Privacy Loophole – WSJ.com

Gary James — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:22:25 +0000

The best part of sharing this story, is that I posted the story of Facebook “leaking” privacy information – on Facebook. You have to love it! Facebook, MySpace Confront Privacy Loophole – WSJ.com. Related Posts Facebook’s Great Betrayal, 9 Ways To Improve the SEO of Every Website You Design, Seven Traits of Highly Effective Press Releases [...]

Facebook’s Great Betrayal, 9 Ways To Improve the SEO of Every Website You Design, Seven Traits of Highly Effective Press Releases « BusinessWired

21 Twitter Tips From Socially-Savvy Companies | Fast Company

Gary James — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:45:21 +0000

This is very interesting. Unfortunately, it focuses on companies that actually have budgets (there is a mention in point #3 about “a meager budget of $15,000″ for one particular twitter campaign. In Asheville, that would be expected to produce a logo, positioning statement, branding campaign, six months of facebook, tw itter blogging, brochures, feature articles and news releases. Oh, and a website with e-commerce.

Good points in this article. They can be applied on a smaller scale, but on the same hand, there needs to be realistic expectations when budgets of “$15,000″ are non considered meager, but exorbitant.

21 Twitter Tips From Socially-Savvy Companies | Fast Company.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm and others, Seven Traits of Highly Effective Press Releases « BusinessWired, It’s 1988 all over again.

Republicans, Leukemia Team Up To Repeal Health Care Law |

Gary James — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:47:04 +0000

Thought clearly, satire, the definition which is, according to Wikipedia, ” human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are censured by ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, ideally with the intent of improvement.^[1] Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its purpose is often not so much humor for its own sake as an attack on something strongly disapproved by the satirist, using the weapon of wit.

And, along with the scorched earth policies of America’s minority party becoming a public relations quandary, perhaps they should look at this, along with programs such as Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as research.

Republicans, Leukemia Team Up To Repeal Health Care Law | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source.

Asheville North Carolina: Celebrate Earth Day with PRAWNC and Toast to Spring, ‘South Park’ season premiere Tiger gets clubbed; Cliffs missed oppty?, Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm and others

How TV Superchef Jamie Oliver’s ‘Food Revolution’ Flunked out

Gary James — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:55:55 +0000

Good case study on public relations meets reality television. Excellent example of defining the problem wrong and then creating the wrong solution. How TV Superchef Jamie Oliver’s ‘Food Revolution’ Flunked out | | AlterNet. Related Posts Study: 52 Percent Of Bloggers Consider Themselves Journalists, We’re Googling Ourselves Stupid – Salon.com, Don’t Eat the Marshmallow – [...]

Study: 52 Percent Of Bloggers Consider Themselves Journalists, We’re Googling Ourselves Stupid – Salon.com, Don’t Eat the Marshmallow – Yet

Study: 52 Percent Of Bloggers Consider Themselves Journalists

Gary James — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:17:56 +0000

Yesterday a number of our crack, ace, super social media guru blogger experts when all a-twitter announcing that Google had chosen Asheville in its “google fiber initiative,” linking to the blog announcing the win, and giving themselves whooo-hooos and high fives.

I did a quick search in Google, under “google fiber initiative,” (10 sec) and saw a WP story dated 3/29 stating the selection would happen sometime in the Fall (took 60 sec to peruse). April Fools! And yet, I was watching this start to go viral. A perfect example of the “journalistic” technique of expert “bloggers.” Perhaps the question is not whether they think they are journalists, but why? I know pop culture is allowing people such as Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh to define themselves as such – though they are actually just entertainers paid to incite, demean and espouse rhetoric – but, before we call bloggers journalists, or they call themselves that, let’s ask them what they use for source material. Their friends tweets?

At least it wasn’t Swiftboating. Now THAT was journalism!

PS I’m still waiting to see the “Mea Culpas” from the bloggers on the April Fool’s joke.

Study: 52 Percent Of Bloggers Consider Themselves Journalists.

Don’t be fooled by fake websites voting for Google Fiber | citizen-times.com | Asheville Citizen-Times, Traditional Ads Yield Social Traction, Paid Internet TV Would Cut Nearly 8 Million Viewers 10/30/2009

‘South Park’ season premiere Tiger gets clubbed; Cliffs missed oppty?

Gary James — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:51:43 +0000

I’ve never been a devotee or regular watcher of “South Park,” but what I have seen has usually amused me. Not only that, but I’ve found it to be profoundly on the mark when it comes to satirizing pop culture. This review from Ken Tucker’s TV Blog for Entertainment Weekly points out that they aren’t simply satirizing Tiger Woods but the entire self-righteous focus media in general makes about “bad behavior.” And, I LOVE the idea of the 360x box game: satire on TOP of satire.

I think we should also applaud advertisers, especially local ones, who are willing to see this type of programming for what it is – namely, allowing viewers the opportunity to take a step back from all the hype while also lampooning it – and I appreciate Asheville advertisers for supporting this show, particularly in light of Tiger Woods’s huge golf course project located a mere 10 miles out of town (or thereabouts).

After the “mea culpa” last month, many of those indebted to the project, and I mean that literally, were falling over themselves to congratulate Tiger for “coming clean and showing his vulnerability” while we hope to start taking deposits on homesites again, which start at $250,000 and homes are $700K to you-can’t-afford-it. In fact, it’s pretty difficult to find how many anything costs at the Cliffs of High Carolinas including the golf membership. Must follow the old adage, “….if you have to ask.” So, I don’t know, but if I were the marketing director of this property, I would have done whatever it took to have advertised on this premiere showing. And, I would have picked up some ads in markets my research has shown me are still interested in Tiger Woods and his “premiere American golf course” community in Asheville.

Because, as they say, “if you can’t beat ‘em…..” show them you have some balls.

‘South Park’ season premiere review: Tiger Woods got golf-clubbed | EW.com.

Republicans, Leukemia Team Up To Repeal Health Care Law |, Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm and others, The First AAF Asheville ADDY Party – February 20th

We’re Googling Ourselves Stupid – Salon.com

Gary James — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:33:42 +0000

Let’s see, so the digital revolution led us all to this: a gigantic, commercial, high school reunion/mall filthy with insipid tabloid trivia, populated by perpetually distracted, texting, tweeting demi-humans. Yes, the information age truly is every bit as glorious and special as everyone predicted it would be!

Digital Nation: What has the Internet done to us? I Like to Watch – Salon.com.

5 Social Media Myths | Digital Tonto, Paid Internet TV Would Cut Nearly 8 Million Viewers 10/30/2009, Is Social Media working for Small Biz?

5 Social Media Myths | Digital Tonto

Gary James — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:58:41 +0000

A very good article that helps tone down the social media hysteria. Well, at least turns it down a notch. 5 Social Media Myths | Digital Tonto. Related Posts Manage Your Brand’s Social Media Presence with One App, Is Social Media working for Small Biz?, AAF Social Media presentation featured panel of local gurus

Manage Your Brand’s Social Media Presence with One App, Is Social Media working for Small Biz?, AAF Social Media presentation featured panel of local gurus