March 30, 2008

Communication Breakdown Workshop Off to a Slow Start

I know my employees aren't going to like this level of transparency, but I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with myself for NOT heavily promoting this non-profit workshop that we created from scratch for the benefit of The Boys and Girls Club of Portland. We had a lower than expected turnout at both workshops the past 2 weeks, but on the bright side, we learned some critical take-aways that could make this program a big success this summer or fall when we try it one more time.

Here's the concept behind the Communication Breakdown Workshop:
The acceleration of technology innovation like Web 2.0 and other online tools is having an adverse effect on family dynamics. Kids and their parents have always struggled to communicate, but these days, they don't even speak the same language - (IM'ing, hanging out on social networking sites for kids 8-13 years old like Microsoft LiveSpaces, Yahoo! Kids, Disney, and Millsberry). Parents want a way to communicate, connect, and bond with their kids, but still protect them from the predators that they fear in "online communities." The workshop is a lot like an online scavenger hunt with cool discoveries of safe music-making sites and blog posts on LiveSpaces.

What we learned:
1. Promote it heavily in email, web, search, in-kind media partners, and on-site at The Boys and Girls Club.
2. Don't schedule the workshop during Spring Break - bad idea.
3. Instead of having a wide age range like 8-13 years old, keep it to 11-13 year olds and their parents or 14-16 year olds. A four year age difference is like light years for kids at that age.
4. FREE pizza will always be the best on-site marketing ever.
5. Try a test run for this workshop at an organization like Friends of the Children where mentors are a huge part of the equation.

Comments (0) | Posted by ryan at 9:15 PM | Permalink

April 30, 2007

Lance Armstrong Continues to Inspire

No matter what the controversy is that surrounds Lance Armstrong, you have to give the guy credit for extreme mental toughness in the name of a powerful cause to fight cancer. So many celebrities talk a big game, it's nice to see one that gets it done. This is an excerpt from an article I recently read:

"Lance took Jimmy V's message and ran with it (ESPN Magazine)
By Chris Fowler

Lance Armstrong was suffering big time. He had collapsed into a hotel bathtub loaded with ice cubes. The tough facade, maintained for the crowds and cameras, had been stripped away. After 26.2 miles of punishment from New York City pavement, his legs screamed in pain. This was agony he never felt on the bike.

Those same legs dominated the planet's supreme sporting test seven times and made it seem pretty easy.

I'll never forget Lance strolling into the small, elegant bar in the Hotel du Crillon, fresh off the post-race podium on the Champs-Elysees in 2003. Just minutes earlier, he had finished his most demanding and frightening Tour de France. In three tumultuous weeks, he had fended off constant attacks from rivals, swerved down a steep grassy slope in the Alps to avoid a crash, and been slammed to the pavement after hooking his handlebar on a spectator's souvenir.

And there he was in the bar, still in his cycling shorts and yellow jersey, settling into a red velvet chair to chat, downing a beer while his three kids climbed into his lap. The only evidence of the huge strain was the relief in his smile. But that's how it always went: race like hell for three weeks, crush the competition, then party into the Parisian night.

So the e-mails after last November's New York City Marathon were surprising. "Dude, it was pure hell!" ... "The hardest thing ever." "

"Of course, Lance never let on that his preparation for the marathon included not a single run longer than 13 miles. Saddled by the busiest "post-retirement" schedule imaginable, he basically mailed in his training. He somehow broke three hours. But he paid for it. The day after, he jetted to Phoenix but he couldn't walk. A hotel luggage cart was needed to roll him back to his room following a speech.

Another e-mail summed up his first marathon experience: "Never, ever again." But this November, he will return, running the five boroughs again. What about the hellish agony? The shin splints? The humbling luggage cart episode? All forgotten. Champions have short memories.

"I've gotta do it," he explained. "It raises so much money." Without cycling, Lance needs new podiums to keep pushing The Cause. Plus, he loves the energetic New York crowds that kept pushing him last year. This November, he won't underestimate the marathon."

Comments (0) | Posted by ryan at 11:10 AM | Permalink

March 11, 2007

Bono's Red Campaign Costing Way More than its Bringing In

My #1 Online Marketing Prediction for 2007 was that cause-related marketing, if done correctly, would have the most buzz and effectiveness. Dove continues to get accolades for its "Campaign for Real Beauty" and even investment banks like Goldman Sachs are doing the right thing by strong-arming energy utility bad boys to go green.

However, the one campaign that I was sure would out-perform all others in the cause-related marketing arena was the Red Campaign where dozens of major brands charge a premium for their red-colored products and give a significant portion of the proceeds to the AIDS effort in Africa. I may be wrong on this one. AdAge reports that "Bono & Co. Spend up to $100 Million on Marketing, Incur Watchdogs' Wrath" while only bringing in $18 million in revenue (the quick math shows a $82 million loss).

Comments (1) | Posted by ryan at 5:12 PM | Permalink