If nothing else, we’ve (mostly) all heard about the media darling that is the Old Spice Guy.  And we’ve heard countless debate on the effectiveness of this campaign.  There are two camps and they bolster themselves with plenty of data.

One of the first in the camp of “it didn’t work” was MaggieMcGary1 on socialmedia today. Citing an article in BNET, she states that sales were down.  ”Shocking.”  The BNET article actually has corrected itself recently, but they stated:

“But sales of the featured product—Red Zone After Hours Body Wash—aren’t necessarily tracking with that consumer appeal: In the 52 weeks ended June 13, sales of the brand have dropped 7 percent according to SymphonyIRI. (That amount excludes those rung up at Walmart.) P&G execs were not available to comment.”

This was quickly followed up by BL Ochman: “The bottom line: there is no such thing as a social media strategy. There is business strategy incorporating social media. But if that strategy doesn’t include sales, it’s nothing more than a tactic. Tactics don’t move markets.”

On the other side of the debate is PR Week who are reporting:

“The brand’s ad agency Wieden + Kennedy developed and coordinated 186 customized video responses that contributed to a 107% increase in Old Spice Body Wash sales over the last month, according to Nielsen data from Mike Norton, director of external relations for male grooming at P&G.”

So which is it?

Media Bistro asks us to wait and see.

But the interesting thing is to actually look at the numbers.  The “sales slump” was a 52 week number ended June 13,  PRIOR to the social media blitz.  The 107% figure is a monthly figure for the previous 30 days.  (measured by Symphony IRI in June).  This would include early data AFTER the recent blitz.

So we can assume it “worked,” right?  Well, Ad Age also points out that the campaign was bolstered with a high value coupon.  It also notes that the other P&G body wash in the category, Gillette, rose 277% in the same space in the same time.  And they didn’t have Mr. Mustafa pitching them.  (Granted, they are a smaller player in the space).

Back to Media Bistro, we will have to wait and see.

If … we are defining “worked” by sales register data. And that is the rub here.  Is it all about immediate sales data?  Kevin Green of Digital Influence Group said:

“Doesn’t the increase in connected consumers create significant opportunity to market products? Don’t get me wrong… I agree that more direct integration could have been included, but the value of the connection has to be worth a significant amount and the effort. Does engagement always have to include conversion? I would argue that it does not.”

And here is how I tie it back to Elasticity and a few opinions from our side of the debate.  First, let’s go back to the numbers.  Actually, let’s go to a comment on an NPR story they did on the Old Spice campaign.  A follow up to a popular story read that not everyone is comfortable and liking the “Old Spice Guy.”  One listener complained that Old Spice was the “scent of gentlemen,” and represented countless men for generations prior to ours that were true gentlemen.

Perhaps that is why the brand was on a slide (back to the 7% decline).  Today’s consumers thought of the brand as their grandpa’s brand.  One they didn’t want.  So to hold steady or even gain in a period is a good business outcome.  Even better, to appeal to a broader audience and begin to walk away from that perception is even better.  The business objectives may never be public, but they seem apparent.

When asked by our clients about ROI, we always ask what they are trying to achieve.  It may not always be about conversions.  It may be reputation, it may be perception, it may be search results, or numerous others.  Not all of which are measured by sales.  That said, they are measurable and we can prove results on any objective with true data, relevant and timely.

Second, let’s look at Triangulation. The original Old Spice commercial was slapped up to YouTube after it appeared and garnered a modest amount of hits (a few million I think).  After a traditional media blitz (NPR, Good Morning America, etc.) and social media engagement that linked the 3 pillars of the model, views went over 90 million.  True proof in action.

And finally, to sales.  There is a link from social media to conversion.  It often times appears in overlapping data points to draw the connection.  A client of Elasticity often employs several tactics to push sales campaigns and drives to an online channel.  When taking the social media component out of the mix, there is a trend line that can be drawn that shows a boost in traffic and conversions from the norm.  But when you layer in the social media components of the program in a week later, the trend lines spike and map back to spikes in social media activity.  This has played out multiple times in their conversion charts as well as those of other clients.

So at the end of this lengthy analysis, did the Old Spice Guy work?

I would argue that it, indeed, has.

1. It reached new audiences
2. It brought awareness to a brand that was beginning to slip into obscurity
3. It stopped and began to reverse a negative sales slide
4. It has shown signs (along with coupons) of turning sales into a profitable trend
5. It has shown the value of the oft-misunderstood social media “channel” (for those that think it a channel)
6. And it showed that slapping a video on YouTube won’t cut it.  You need the additional “topspin” of a well-thought out campaign with multiple parts that feed on each other.  It’s Triangulation and the highest visible example of its power yet.

My comment to each, in separate conversations, was that Forbes has done an enviable job of opening a hearty can of whoop-ass on many of its competitors and hanging in there with the solely online publications that have excelled, as you can see in this comparison between Forbes.com, Businessweek.com, and HuffPost.

Why do I think Forbes has done it right?

In a pill, they got over themselves, realizing that it’s not about Forbes, but the people reading Forbes — a demographic that has evolved. It’s about consumers and what they want in their daily media diet. And what we are seeing from consumers is that they want variety, they want the ugly blood and guts served with a side of fun and games.  Tax policy with a side of fart jokes.

There’s a reason why an Indiana University study found “The Daily Show” to be as substantive as network news, and a Rasmussen Report showed 32 percent of adults ages 30-39 believe that “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” are capable of replacing traditional news outlets.

There’s also a reason why instead of reading a morning newspaper when we get to work, we come in, grab a cup of coffee, and flip to our Live News Feed on Facebook and scroll through news items that our Facebook Friends have posted — ranging from genocide in a third world nation to leprechauns in Mobile, Alabama (no, really, you should click on the leprechaun link).

And as Forbes and HuffPost excel in online news, you see similarities in companies who are excelling in social media.

Zappos employees talk about anything and everything in social forums — not just shoes. Vegetarian (Communist) products brand Morningstar Farms does  a nice job with content on Facebook. And we counsel our client Charter Communications to place content in their social media channels that does not solely revolve around them.

So whether it be in traditional media circles, or in the online social realm — mediums that aggregate information should never forget that the content isn’t for you. It’s for the consumer.

I am a nerd for commercials.  I actually miss watching them sometimes and when I’m alone with my remote and a taped episode of “The Real Housewives” or “Life Unexpected,” I sometimes let them play rather than zip through them with the FF button.

As an admitted emotion-whore, I bestow L-O-V-E on commercials that evoke tears or outbursts of laughter.  To me, those are the very top of the tops.  I haven’t put too many spots in the “awesome” category.  Not because I’m picky or high-maintenance or judgmental, but because most TV commercials suck and they are SO not funny.

You know I’m right. 

The exception that set me off on this rant is the IKEA commercial where the husband and wife use sports analogies to praise their kitchen appliances.  This spot is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny.  They are high-fiving and hip-checking.  The wife gives an “ass-slap” to a utensil drawer and the husband chest-bumps the refrigerator.  I cackled with laughter the first time I saw it. 

I can’t point you toward IKEA’s brilliance because when I went looking for the commercial online, I couldn’t find it.  In fact, I went to Ikea.com, Youtube, Ikea’s Facebook Page, and did a Google search with no success.

This is a customer relations #FAIL. (favorite Twitter trend)

Why?  Because I would have posted it, sent it, endorsed it, and watched it over and over.  (I told you, I’m a nerd for commercials.)  If a brand is going to take the time and trouble to produce a clever, well-scripted commercial, why on earth wouldn’t that brand leverage it on every consumer touch-point imaginable?  The idea is to break-through the cluttered media landscape, no?  Why not give your brand message a fighting chance by employing a blend of media?  Companies need to cast their consumer net both broadly (TV) and deeply (Interactive).

Social media offers a way for consumers to opt-in to, talk about, and “Like” engagement with your brand.  But if they can’t find what they want because you forgot to employ some SEO to support your marketing efforts or can’t be bothered to refresh content on your website and fan page, you both lose. 

The opportunity to become part of an organic conversation with consumers is lost.  The content which could have added depth and character to the brand’s online identity is relegated to a one-way medium.  And most importantly, the company causes frustration by not providing findable content for a consumer’s search.

The consumer loses the chance to be funny, show off her taste and connections, and maybe influence the purchase decisions of her 600 or so closest friends.  If her friends are a representative sample, half of those will be planning some kind of remodeling on their homes this year.  Multiply this by the 69K fans IKEA has on their Facebook page and we are talking about a boatload of kitchens. 

IKEA, Are you picking up what I’m laying down?

The basic concept of Triangulated Marketing is leveraging each consumer touch-point to influence, promote, and grow the next.  The social component of Triangulation is where momentum happens.   

So, the moral for IKEA?

Don’t be so square.

Interviews Held in Dark Room Apparently Didn’t Tip Off New Hires

St. Louis (March 17, 2010) – Elasticity, a leading digital word-of-mouth marketing agency focusing on the triangulation of social media, blogger outreach, and traditional media relations, stunned its heavily mustached, bacon-loving social media following today by announcing two new hires. Joining the firm are:

• St. Louis-native Christine Schmidt Ryder, who formerly served in partnership development and digital marketing roles with iVillage and AOL in Chicago, who brings an expertise in marketing to women at a time when 80 percent of the leading online communities are predominately comprised of female users, and 80 percent of household spending is controlled by women. Ryder also enjoys long walks on the beach, L.L. Cool Jay’s “Bigger & Deffer” album, and thick-cut pepper bacon.

• Andy Barnett, who is unable to naturally manufacture facial hair, formerly served as the Digital Global Practice Lead for Fleishman-Hillard in its corporate headquarters in St. Louis. He adds deep expertise in digital and social media strategy, online research, and search engine marketing (SEO/SEM) capabilities at a time when web search has become essential for companies interested in better-managing their online brand image. Barnett also enjoys wearing thick brown belts (even with sweatpants), fruit-accented microbrew beer, Norwegian death metal music, and runs a wombat rescue shelter in his spare time.

“These dynamic additions bring strategic capabilities to our already robust team of remarkably productive leading-edge and award-winning professionals,” said Brian Cross, managing partner and director of rocket science of Elasticity. “They will be instrumental in ensuring our unparalleled industry leadership as we provide key synergies to our clients in developing the turn-key solutions that Elasticity provides.”

Cross then added, “I got synergies and award-winning in there, right?”

“We needed some people without mustaches and they were the best we could find,” said Aaron Perlut, managing partner and chief nuclear mustache grooming specialist of Elasticity. “They bring a fresh perspective to our work, because let’s face it, Burt Reynolds just turned 74 and Billy Dee Williams is on his last, Colt-45 loving leg.”

The sweeping announcement stunned leaders and slackers alike in the social media community.

“I have no idea who those guys are at Elasticity, but really, best of luck to them,” said Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs, an 11-year social media veteran and co-author of the New York Times best selling book Trust Agents. “I really just wish they’d ease up in letting me know about what they are doing all the time.”

Jason Falls, principal of Social Media Explorer LLC and a nationally-recognized expert on public relations, social media and online communications, also struggled to capture his thoughts on the matter.

“I met the Elasticity guys once at South By Southwest,” he said. “I left my iPhone in the bathroom and one of them spilled a beer on it. I’m not quite sure why the hell they’d want to quote me in a news release but good for them, I guess.”

Brian Solis, globally recognized as one of most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media, felt the new hires put Elasticity on solid footing.

“Uh huh, yeah sure,” he said. “Does anyone even put out press releases anymore? I haven’t seen one in so long that I forgot what they looked like. ”

The greatest criticism, however, came from Elasticity follower @DrAbeFroman who expressed dumbfounded frustration in a Twitter post.

“Seriously dudes. What the hell? A chick? A bare-lipped mortal? Why not just hire Richard Simmons?”

Founded January 1, 2009, and based in the home of the world’s largest mustache – St. Louis and its Gateway Arch – Elasticity provides communications strategies that straddle the realms of new and traditional media, often using humor-based themes, working with companies that include Charter Communications, Monsanto, Capital One, Anheuser-Busch, Toro, Stifel Nicolaus, Lanworth, SFP, Stout, the American Mustache Institute, and the United Karate Kid Haircut Association.

Saturday Night Live has 30+ years of background in this.  They’ve poked fun at everything from presidents to popular culture and their Weekend Update has been the satirical news of record.  The Onion took a further step at creating new humorous antidotes, stories and otherwise and placing them out as a news media outlet (print, video, online, blog) like any other.

Then came the popularity of shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.  The Daily Show taking what was started with Weekend Update and expanding to new audiences and The Colbert Report taking on the political blow-hard pundits who are gaining in popularity as of late.

But the traditional news media continued to stand firm.  They did not even acknowledge the other avenues existed.  The news was paramount.  And important.  Important enough that humor, parody and satire had no place.  And those that delivered the news?  Just as important.  There were no humorous angles to Dan Rather or Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow.

And thus, public relations as an industry followed suit.

But things are changing now.  I’m sure there is no one instance that was the tipping point, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was the Daily Show.  An IU study found the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to be as substantive as network news.  A Rasmussen Report showed 32% of adults ages 30-39 believe that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are capable of replacing traditional new outlets.  And nearly one-third of younger Americans see Colbert and Stewart as true alternatives to traditional news outlets.

That’s a big impact.  So how did traditional news outlets respond?  They started slowly.  They played clips on their shows (well, the cable news guys did–they have a lot of time to fill) to get a laugh, to prove a point that fit their political agenda, or attacked the satirical shows in retribution.

But then Brian Williams from ‘NBC Nightly News’ started showing up as a repeat guest on The Daily Show.  It was humorous, genuine, and a reach to cross into the audiences that watch the program.

But last night was a new milestone in my opinion.  If you haven’t seen the piece on Chatroulette, you must go now and watch it. (I’ll wait). Did you count the media personalities in that piece?  At least 5.  All 3 major new network anchorpersons (ABC,CBS, NBC) as well as some cable news for good measure– MSNBC and Fox Business.  And they weren’t just mocking the video roulette site.  They were poking fun of themselves.  They were poking fun of their industry.  And they were doing it on The Daily Show’s terms.

They showed that the news doesn’t have to always take itself so seriously.

Why?  Well, for one, to get viewers.  But it’s more than that.  It’s an attempt to show that they are human.  They are endearing themselves to their audience, or better yet, a new potential one.

And they did it through humor and self-deprecation.

So, if you made it with me this far into a long blog post, my question is this: why hasn’t the Public Relations Industry followed suit?  Why have they continued to act as if they are above the fray?  Why have they insisted that the news is more important than any humor based program you can think up.  (And by news, I mean EVERY press release ever written for any client need–big or small)  Why would they not follow the actual media they are working with?

This is not an indemnification of the industry as a whole, only to say this: lighten up, you may just actually be more effective as an agency/industry if you do.

We have found at Elasticity that humor, parody, and the lighter side of human nature have phenomenal appeal.  Stories are placed more frequently.  Programs take off and go “viral” with greater frequency, and we’re able to break through the clutter.  We’re able to endear our clients to their audiences.

Another example we talked about this week.  Ole’ Miss is replacing their beloved Col. Reb with a new mascot.  The story is that Admiral Ackbar is a leading contender.  We all heard this story and it took off like wildfire.  Do you think you would have heard about this story had they been thinking about replacing their mascot with a bear, or an eagle?  (though it may have been picked up by Colbert since he hates bears)

This is a highly controversial topic right now, and those who practice this type of communications are not taken serious.  But it is catching on.  There are more and more every day that see this.  And in time, the larger agencies may just play ball on our terms, much like the major news networks participated in Chatroulette.

Now, this is not to say that the news is all humorous, nor to say that no news is actually legitimate.  Only to say that humor often times breaks through clutter and the news media is starting to catch on.  You don’t have to be 100% serious 100% of the time.  Having a “human” face often times endears you to your audience.

And isn’t that what “public relations” is all about?  Endearing yourself to your audience?

]]> http://goelastic.com/theblog/index.php/2010/03/does-humor-belong-in-pr/feed/ 1 http://goelastic.com/theblog/index.php/2010/03/managing-a-crisis-today-i-couldnt-write-it-better/ http://goelastic.com/theblog/index.php/2010/03/managing-a-crisis-today-i-couldnt-write-it-better/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:11:11 +0000 Aaron http://www.goelastic.com/theblog/?p=724 I read a lot of blogs. Funny ones, blogs on news, sports, midgets, mustaches, the Muppets, and so on.

The ones I read on PR, social media and marketing are a mixed bag. Generally most people are trying to say something that would be perceived as being immensely smarter than the person before them by throwing out a dozen statistics and varying untested theories. Admittedly, I’m sure our blog is no exception, at times.

So yesterday my partner Dan, who is very good looking, sent me a piece from MediaPost by Catharine P. Taylor about how the present crisis at Toyota is a prism into just how radicalized the new world of public relations has become. But instead of giving you my analytical perspective on it, telling you where I agree and disagree and how much brighter I am than Taylor because I’m kind of a big deal with great hair — I’m simply going to republish it — because it’s an excellent piece.

You can either link to it here on MediaPost’s site, our read below.

You’re welcome.

Toyota’s Crisis: Prism Into How Social Media Has Radicalized Public Relations
by Catharine P. Taylor, March, 4, 2010

True-confessions time: I used to be a PR person — back when it was a very different profession than it is as I sit here in 2010, typing away on a Wi-Fied laptop, checking tweets and charging my smartphone so I can access my email when I go into the city later today.

I started out as a glorified secretary at Ogilvy & Mather back when cable was considered cutting-edge, and worked at a handful of other big New York agencies that churned out TV commercials in a steady rhythm. Later, after a decade as a reporter, I took the stock options bait, and was an employee for just under a year at Organic during the dot-com boom/bust year of 2000. Fortunately, I didn’t vest.

My PR background explains why, when it comes to marketing and social media, it’s the public relations ramifications, not the advertising ones, that interest me most. Even if there was some evolution in what a PR job was between my traditional agency jobs and my year heading communications at a digital shop, it was still basically the same: try to establish an image for the company, ferret out news and disseminate it, and build relationships with reporters, who had sole control of the PR distribution channel (though not necessarily in that order).

But then came social media. And how social media is changing public relations gets further and further from what I used to consider “doing PR.” Today’s case in point: Toyota Conversations, a site powered by Tweetmeme that aggregates tweeted news, images and video about Toyota, Toyota’s own Twitter feed, and other crucial information for Toyota owners affected by the recall. (The site was built in partnership with our friends at Federated Media.) When you put something like Toyota Conversations in the context of PR as we used to practice it, it becomes crystal-clear how much things have changed. The site is a pretty unvarnished view of the issues Toyota faces. It’s not often that you come across a corporate site with links to stories that criticize the company,  as in, “How Will GM Deal With Its Recall? Blame it On Toyota.”

But it’s not just that. When I looked at the site this morning, I was reminded that given the rise of social media, jumping into a conversation when it’s most against you is perhaps the only way that a major company can appropriately handle PR these days.

I never had to deal with a crisis the magnitude of Toyota’s — I was only in the ad biz, after all — but was certainly in the middle of situations where a bunker mentality prevailed.  Since reporters were in charge of the distribution channels, this usually meant that while the company I was working for at the time obfuscated, the reporters provided whatever transparency there was. We declined comment; they told the story, aided and abetted by off-the-record info from sources within the company. While reporters still play that role, now it’s also up to the corporation to lay it all out bare — as painful and threatening to the corporate psyche as that might be.

I do have certain quibbles with Toyota Conversation. Including tweets from Toyota owners would have been a good idea, particularly since Toyota tweets are readily available on Twitter Search and via Bing and Google. In the name of transparency, Toyota should consider it, even if there’s some risk. Still, in creating a site like Toyota Conversations, the company has made the biggest leap it needs to make: to start down the path of honesty after a period when it wasn’t honest with consumers or itself.

There’s much to learn from Toyota’s missteps. I’m anxiously awaiting the tomes from consulting firms about what went wrong. But they’d be overlooking something major if they didn’t take into account that a massive retooling of PR, because of social media, is part of the process of recovery for any company faced with a consumer-confidence crisis.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock only Harry Winston could afford or ignoring posts by one of my partners in crime, you’ve seen the statistic touting “85 percent of all brand purchases are made by women.” But did you know that 85 percent translates to something like $7 TRILLION in spending power?

Chicks rule.

Many of the advertisers wooing them, however, do NOT.

Roughly 91 percent of women think advertisers don’t really understand them. That may have something to do with only 3 percent of creative directors actually being women. Or, it could be that brand managers often use a “focus group of one” to determine their marketing strategy. Or maybe it’s just that the typical demographic stereotypes are total bunk. (I’ll say ‘D’ – All of the above.)

Think I’m kidding? See for yourself. Mom Logic posted some of the worst of the worst in an effort to shame brands into higher standards.

The demographic dichotomy is that designing marketing to make men happy may, in fact, alienate all of your female consumers.

Case in point, Burger King(R) has missed the mark by targeting their ads to the lowest common denominator, yet their CEO recently “discovered” that women were a huge segment of their consumers. (Insert sarcasm here.) Weird, huh?

I have one word to describe a recent ad aimed at kids and moms for BK’s SpongeBob meal prize… FAIL.

Conversely, successful advertising to women can actually better serve your male consumers as well.

So, how do we engage this audience of material girls wielding their wealth willfully? The conversation with them has to match the Elasticity of the demographic itself. Women have been stretching boundaries for centuries. Isn’t it time you join them?

Clearly, it doesn’t take a rocket-scientist, social media guru or both to understand that women are social beings. Yes, on average we talk more (about 3 times as much as men). We (often) ask advice and seek opinions before formulating our own. We (usually) listen to our sisters, girlfriends, daughters, friends, mothers, and female colleagues. We rant (Ask Motrin).

As the saying goes, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

But we also rave, especially to our female posse.

Kelly Skoloda, author of Too Busy To Shop, writes, “Gain the trust of one woman and you gain the trust of all who trust her.”

Social media has become a valued source of information and entertainment for many women. eMarketer published a study done by Blogher and iVillage about the growth of social media at the expense of other media.

Women use social media to gather information, express opinions, discuss topics/brands/ companies/ experiences, connect and share. Women are having conversations online everyday – women who spend $7 trillion a year, women talking about companies, women who are discussing brands.

Brands have the opportunity to engage and delight their female consumers by participating in social media. The rules are simple – just act like a veteran husband:

· Listen attentively

· Ask for input

· Invest TIME with the one(s) you love

This doesn’t just make sense intuitively; it makes cents financially… quite a lot of cents!  Reports (.pdf) show that the most socially engaged brands have grown 18% on average over last year.

Women’s friendships – on or offline – are the jewels of our lives.

If you want them married to your brand and your brand only, “put a ring on it,” socially speaking.

We do.

Do you?

And I’m not just talking about where a company’s prospective customers are getting their information. We’re talking about how consumers interact with the information, how they perceive the sources from which it comes, whether they trust corporate websites, if it’s more powerful coming from a friend or a third party review, and so on.

It’s all changed, and many corporate marketing budgets are being wasted on programs that have little to no impact.

This video does a nice job of poking fun at those who need to wake up and smell the consumer as they are still lost in the wilderness — and the wilderness is getting crowded.

You’re welcome.

And it needs to be found.  There are so many ways for people to bury communications methods these days that the big industry money maker this year is going to be promoting promotions.  Really, it is.  Advertising for advertisements….  Really.

So look out for the great new buzz terms: “viral seeding” along with “tradigital” and “increasing visibility of your program.”  While they seem rational enough terms (well, except for tradigital), make sure they aren’t adding to the budget to push something that won’t fly in the first place.

Now, we get asked a lot about Elastic Marketing.  As an agency, we’re often dubbed a “hybrid” agency that sits somewhere in the middle of a Ven diagram with overlapping circles of advertising, PR, and social media (and I guess digital gets thrown in there too).  And we do our fair share of ridiculing the status quo in our pitches, so it’s only fair that we share what it is we do a little more here online.

A recent client was ecstatic when he “figured it out.”  He said we were “like an episodic, story-based sitcom” that “played itself out online and offline.”  And I have to say, that’s pretty accurate in some measures.  In a way, it’s a more modern version of the soap opera.

I may have to explain that a bit here.  Wikipedia defines a soap opera as “an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio.  The name ’soap opera’ stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Lever Brothers as sponsors and producers.”

Now, we’re not into dramatic fiction, and we certainly aren’t television producers.  What we do is episodic, but those “episodes” aren’t necessarily in chronological order and most likely play out on a multitude of channels.  Rather, our storyline is something that organically plays to a specific cause.  Say, for example, bringing the mustache back into popular culture.  That may include blog outreach, traditional PR, event marketing, and advertising.  And it’s not something that goes away after a short run on TV.  This particular example has been going on for over 4 years.

So does your company want to change the status quo?  It may be something as simple as getting people to eat more potatoes.  It may be getting you to understand and appreciate rail liquor.  Hell, it may be to grow a luxurious mullet.  Whatever it is, there are a series of episodic events online and offline that can better get your program goals into the popular vernacular.  To actually get people to care about what it is you are doing.

And that is where Elastic Marketing comes into play.  We get that snowball rolling downhill.  We get the mullet talked about and have it show up where audiences actually care to hear about it.  People start talking more about potatoes and celebrating rail liquor.  And not because we virally seeded the campaign, but because people actually sought it out and cared to listen.  That’s Elastic Marketing.

(none of the above examples relate to any past or current client we are actively working with.  any resemblance to anybody in any close approximation with mullets, rail liquor and potatoes is purely coincidental.  and if you know of anyone in any close approximation to monkeys, mullets, mustaches, Mr. T or wee people, please contact us immediately)