I know this page is beautiful, but if you're into feeds, you can subscribe and get all this ANM goodness right in your feed reader. And hey, do you love comments? I know I do. Feel free to let me know what you think!
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last 6-9 months, you know about Halo 3. Since the announcement, the marketing machine for the uber-anticipated 3rd episode has been in full swing. Some of it has been good, some if it has been not-so-good, some has been incredibly elaborate and intense and some of it, like the ad below, has been great. The latest commercial, entitled “Believe” shows an incredibly detailed model of the turning point in the battle for humanity backed by Chopin’s “Raindrops”. If you haven’t seen the entire thing, it’s definitely worth a look.
This has been a truly massive campaign, spanning almost every media you can think of. They even have a Halo 3 version of Mountain Dew, most likely a first for video games. And how did it fare? I’m pretty sure 170 million dollars in the first 24 hours is a sound success. That’s more than the Spiderman and Harry Potter movies if you’re counting.
This is incredible for me, as someone who has been playing games for a long time, because 10 or so years ago, there was barely any mainstream video game advertising at all. How things have changed. I guess you just have to believe.
In the late 17th to early 18th century, also known as The Golden Age of Piracy, it was common practice for pirates to intentionally beach their ships and flip them from side to side, repairing the hull and scraping off anything that had become attached. This process, called careening, was done so that the ship would sail fast and straight, and also so it would hold up over time.
We might not be burying treasure anymore, but we should all still be practicing the art of careening. Not with pirate ships, but with messages.
There’s a lot of noise out there (rough seas) and in order to get our message across (the Carribean, the state, the room) we have to make sure that there’s nothing diverting it or slowing it down.
So beach your message, take a look at it, and get rid of anything extra you don’t need. Trust me, it’ll sail better if you do.
I read a lot of business books. Most are good. Some are great. Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath is a great one.
This book is great because it applies to almost anyone. I can’t think of a person out there that wouldn’t benefit from improving the quality of their message. Chip and Dan do a great job of presenting and explaining their ideas in ways that are easy to understand and fun to read. Definitely worth a look.
I was at a nice local family restaurant the other night. I’m sure you know the kind of place. Good atmosphere, pretty good food and pretty good service. As we got seated and I took a look at the menu, I was struck by a short phrase placed next to the upscale pick-two (think surf and turf) combo meals.
“No Sharing, Please”
I was (and still am) baffled by this. Now I’m not a scientist, but I was pretty sure that when you purchased a meal, you were entitled to eat it how (and with whom) you pleased. Apparently not. I understand that sharing at a buffet is frowned upon due to the nature of the business model, but I don’t understand how a regular restaurant can justify not allowing you to split a meal with someone.
It doesn’t take much to figure out the reason for all this: money.
The point is that you really have to be careful what messages you are sending your customers, intentionally and unintentionally.
The line might as well have said “No sharing please due to the fact that we won’t be able to squeeze out as much money per person if you do.” It had the same effect.
A recent post from author Tim Ferriss got me thinking about being “in the zone”. In his post, Tim says it’s important for each individual to find the time period during the day where they are the most creative and productive. Like Tim, my “zone” is in the late night/early morning, somewhere from 12-4am. At first glance, the fact that I kick it into high gear when the rest of the world is sleeping might seem unfortunate, but I’m starting to realize that it’s not so bad. I can get a lot of stuff (blogging, stats, new design, etc.) done with little to no distractions. I just had to get comfortable to really hit my stride.
And all of this, naturally, got me thinking about marketing (it’s a gift and a curse). The thing about marketing, and I’m not the first to say this, is that you can get by being just okay. Pump a lot of money into ads, put together some same-old press releases, coin a decent slogan, and sales will probably increase. And you’ll get by.
But to really succeed, you have to focus on hitting your stride.
Hitting your stride as a marketer means getting yourself to a place (mentally, physically, existentially?) that will enable you to create something special. If all your best work comes out of brainstorming sessions, then why aren’t you focusing on brainstorming? If lightning always strikes after a cup of tea, you better bring extra to the office. If all your best writing happens after sitting down with a beer (Blue Moon, if you’re buying) then don’t be afraid to grab one and get focused.
Figuring out what makes you capable of great things is the hard part. After that, just enjoy the ride.
It seems to me like every movie I see advertised on TV has been heralded as “The MUST SEE movie of the Summer!” or “The thriller that grabs you and won’t let go!” or something else equally fantastic. But have you ever looked closely to see where those quotes come from? I know a good review from Time or The NYT holds some weight, but honestly, I don’t know many people that care if the local paper in Glassboro, New Jersey thinks a movie is incredible.
So why is EVERY movie trailer filled with praise? Because every movie trailer is filled with praise. That’s just how it is.
It doesn’t matter if they have to grab a quote from the Centre County Times, as long as it’s bold, enthusiastic, and positive. The problem is, that I don’t even really notice/process them anymore. And I bet I’m not the only one. I wish someone would do a study.
jacknife
That way I could watch a trailer that looked like it was made by the director, not the marketing department, and I would decide for myself what THE BEST MOVIE THIS SUMMER!!!! might be.
Almost every blogger puts a blogroll together. The reasons range from simply highlighting other consistently great content to an attempt to get some more link love. But one thing that seems to be common about blogrolls is that they go largely unnoticed. So here’s a look at who is on my blogroll and why. I encourage all of you to let me know who I’m missing and to share the whys of your blogroll on your site.
* Andrew Barbaccia
-A good friend of mine who has the smarts and charisma to make it big. * Brand Autopsy
-One of the definitive blogs about branding. Definitely worth your time. * Brandcurve
-Another great viewpoint on branding from Susan. * Conversation Marketing
-When it comes to internet marketing, Ian is someone you should listen to. * Drews Marketing Minute
-Consistently great insights from Drew McLellan. * Duct Tape Marketing
-Jon Jantsch is one of the most popular marketing gurus on the net. * Greg Verdino
-A unique look at marketing courtesy of one of the fields top minds. * Guy Kawasaki
-The godfather of entrepreneurs. This is a must in your reader. * Jetpacked
-Good quips on anything related to new business * Muhammad Saleem
-One of the foremost social media authorities on the net. If you want to be ahead of the curve, read this blog. * Neil Patel
-Personal branding is vital to success today, Neil shows us how he became an internet “rockstar”. * Presentation Zen
-Presentations are an integral part of business. Make yours better. * ProBlogger
-If you’re a blogger, read this blog. Darren is THE authority on blogging. * Pronet Advertising
-Great content on social media and techniques from a solid group of writers. * SEOmoz
-The only SEO blog I read. * Seth Godin
-If you’re reading this blog, you know why this is here. * Young Go Getter
-You can honestly always expect great business content from the guys at YGG. If this isn’t in your reader, put it there.
A 
Social Homes