David Ortiz on Facebook Shows Why Some Are Afraid of Social Media

Despite the big traffic and abilities to engage with consumers, some brands are still afraid of social media. Most grasp the power of social media (from blogging to widgets and from Facebook to Twitter), but many are still afraid of what user interactions can lead to.

On Twitter, those interactions are less scary because bad behaviors are often isolated and not tied to the brand itself. For instance, if Ashton Kutcher Twitters about his new movie, negative reactions are not directly connected to Ashton... in the world of blogging, it is akin to turning off your comments (activity can still occur - but not in your stream).

On Facebook, the commentary is directly associated... as David Ortiz and Reebok found out today. Ortiz used Facebook to promote his new auction supporting breast cancer. Within 5 minutes, he got the following reaction:

"Now that you are not doing steroids would you please hit the ball opposite the shift. .220 average is not cutting it for me."

It is unfortunate... but you wonder why fear still exists?

david-ortiz-facebook

Marketing Case Studies: Manny Ramirez & Dodgers; Mexico & Swine Flu

Thursday's New York Times profiled two messy and complex marketing cases that remind us how quickly things can change and how dangerous relying on any one revenue-stream or person can be:

1. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Manny Ramirez

The Dodgers entire marketing and merchandising campaign was centered around their best player, Manny Ramirez - whom they just signed to a two-year, $45m contract. On Thursday, Manny was suspended for violating MLB's steroid policy and will miss 50 games... not only paralyzing the Dodger's offense, but crushing the organization's marketing campaigns.

2. Mexico, Tourism and the Swine Flu

"It will take a long time for would-be vacationers to forget those images, but the Mexican government is trying to help them, with a multimillion-dollar campaign to restore Mexico’s brand, as hotels cut rates 50 to 70 percent....

When Mexican officials announced almost $2.1 billion in tax breaks and loans to help the Mexican economy recover from the residual effects of the flu, the tourism industry received special attention — loans for hotels and airlines, cuts in airport and port fees, and tax write-offs for businesses — worth, all told, $450 million. The reason is clear. Foreign tourism earned Mexico $13.3 billion last year. Tourism employs more than two million people and accounts for about 8 percent of the economy."

Sirius XM Loses 400,000 Q1 Subscribers - Thanks iPhone / iPod!

For subscription services, one of the core business measurements is new / lost subscribers. Read the quarterly earnings transcripts for companies like Comcast and you will realize how much attention is paid to subscription and revenue per subscription metrics.

This week, Sirius XM (SIRI) reported very poor numbers and saw their stock fall from $0.54 to $0.42:

The satellite radio monopolist said it lost 400,000 net subscribers during Q1, finishing the quarter with 18.6 million subs.

Retail subscribers -- those who sign up for Sirius on their own, not by buying a new car -- were the biggest defectors, at 370,000 net sub losses, down from 49,000 net sub losses a year ago.

According to BusinessInsider.com, Sirius blamed their struggles on the auto industry. Certainly a weak auto market - and economy - will negatively impact Sirius XM...

But isn't the real issue that Sirius XM simply doesn't provide as much value as it used to? iPods and iPhones have effectively captured the majority of satellite radio's initial value: on-demand music and content. Now, between massive music libraries, podcasts, Pandora and countless other ways to access content you want - there really is no reason to pay a subscription price for Sirius.

In fact, the only reason to subscribe is if you are particularly drawn to specific personality (like Howard Stern).... and even that is eroding. For instance, XM used to have rights to all MLB games with MLB Home Plate. Now, for a one-time $9.99 fee, you can get an improved version for your iPhone or iPod Touch - complete with box scores, video and other customizations.

And that's just the content piece. Neither Sirius nor XM ever understood form factor and portabilitiy... and obviously Apple has mastered that. So while Sirius wants to blame Detroit and a struggling indsutry for their woes - they should really credit a technology company for beating them in both device and content.

McDonalds McCafe Takes Over YouTube

McDonalds has launched an advertising campaign alongside their new McCafe coffee line. You've likely seen the new McCafe spots during prime time television and today McDonalds overtook YouTube's homepage (see screenshots below). The campaign is interesting in itself - primarily because of the real estate and integrated components... and in a format that we have seen before.

But the most interesting part is how McDonalds defines their iced coffee: based on the diagram it is about 90% "light cream" and 10% "brewed coffee". Is this actually considered a coffee drink? Did McDonalds diagram it incorrectly and reverse the ingredients? Whatever it is... it cannot be right:

mcdonalds-mccafe

McDonalds McCafe McDonalds McCafe

2009 Syracuse Fashion Show - Video

I spent the weekend at Syracuse University for my sister Randi's Fashion Show. As part of Syracuse's Fashion Design program, Randi put together an entire collection for her senior year - including concept, creation (sewing, printing, etc) and presentation. The below video shows her six-outfit, Egyptian-inspired collection... which was outstanding. Be sure to watch in HD:

Syracuse University's Annual Fashion Show: April 24 The fashion design program in the School of Art and Design's Department of Design presents its annual fashion show. Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center.

The Ultimate Business Card

"It doesn't fit in a Rolodex... Because it doesn't belong in a Rolodex."

The below video is hilarious and reminds me of the American Psycho scene where Christian Bale and his banker friends dissect one another's business cards:

Also a good business card, but not quite as "crowd grabbing" is Steve Martin's:

Best Business Card Ever

Microsoft's Latest Laptop Hunter, Giampaolo

First Microsoft had Lauren. Now they have Giampaolo, a "technically savvy" twenty-something looking for a computer that fits his $1,500 budget (higher than Lauren's $1,000 budget).

Because Giampaolo's budget is higher, he is actually able to choose between Macs and Windows-based laptops. And like Lauren, he is attracted to the Mac: "It is so sexy. But Macs to me are about aesthetics more than the computing power." This is a more roundabout way to say what Lauren said in the previous commercial: Macs are too expensive.

I love the commercials because they do a great job positioning value in a poor economy... while admitting (and jabbing) that Apple may be the "cooler", "sexier" brand.

Both points clearly aggravate Apple owners because these two Microsoft spots have garnered massive attention and caused quite among bloggers... which is exactly what Microsoft wants.

More at Technologizer, 9to5Mac and VentureBeat.