Tag: business
What Motivates Us?
Entrepreneurs can change the world
This is a great video seen on Phreadz. It is an ad for http://grasshopper.com/ but except for the last second of the video is completely unrelated to Grasshopper. The message in the video is strong and worth 2:19 seconds of your time.
Straight No Chaser – 12 Days
Universal in grand stupidity forced Youtube to take down the Straight No Chaser 12 Days video that had over 10 million views! Fortunately, AOL video still has the original up. You can see the new and old video by clicking to this post. I have since relocated the website selling their new cd called Holiday Spirits. I hope Universal comes to their marketing senses and lets Youtube put the original back up with its 10 million views intact.
I understand the Wii fit!
Watch this NSFW video titled Why every guy should buy their girlfriend Wii Fit and you’ll understand too!
Now the real reason I linked to the video: Views: 5,362,590 in two months! Holy cow! That’s called "going viral!" If Youtube was paying $5 for every thousand views (as suggested in Business Week) that one minute, nine second video of a girl in her panties swinging her hips would be worth $26,812.95!
How does it get viral? Emailed, social networks, links from sites like Asylum.com (AOL) and Popurls.com. This one in particular is being passed around so much that you almost have to work to not see it. Getting content to go viral is the dream of most content producers such as bloggers, video makers, podcasters, and so forth. But only one viral piece can bring down your servers and net you very little money. Figuring out the secret to getting content to regularly go viral is how people quit their day jobs and make their living blogging. Is it the underwear? Am I wearing the wrong underwear when I type?
Joystick Division interviews Giovanny Gutierrez who works for Tinsley Advertising to see if this one minute video was a marketing stunt.
Now even though the president of the company told me this is just a private video you posted with your Tinsley account, I’m not fooled. Admit it: you’re a part of a clandestine, Nintendo-sponsored viral marketing campaign!
The whole thing was just an idea I had for a spec viral video. I came up with the idea because that really is my girlfriend (not my sister like many have assumed), she loves Wii Fit and even more, looks hot doing it. [Source, Joystick Division, Q&A With the Man Behind "Why every guy should buy their girlfriend Wii Fit"]
So he did pre-meditate it going viral! That’s powerful. The LA Times even picked up the story. Here’s a great spoof video!
Pleasure Island and Adventurer’s Club closing
If I had the ability, I’d make multiple trips a year down to Disney World’s Pleasure Island. It is an innovative and unique entertainment experience primarily made up of different themed night clubs. Every night at midnight they celebrate New Year’s. The had comedy clubs, discos, country and so forth. All clubs were within a gated area separated from the parking lot by a moat. Under 18 could be on the island until a certain time then it because an adult only party. I always thought it was very well done.
My favorite part of Pleasure Island was The Adventurer’s Club. Oh what was the word we members used? Bangalosh or something.KUNGALOOSH!!!!(Thanks Missybw!) The Adventure’s Club is one part alcohol, one part animatronics, one part puppeteering, and one part improv comedy. You entered the club from the 2nd story which had a balcony overlooking the activity below. Downstairs the actor’s were dressed in costume as 1930’s adventurers some pompous, some safari attire, etc. They would tell stories of their adventures (despite some clearly having never ventured outside the club much less the wilderness) and statues and other adornments on the walls would chime in to share commentary. You never really knew what would speak next.
When I was there once, some pyt came into the club and glanced over the rail at the activity to watch. One of actors saw her and addressed her. "‘Ello Missy! Ave ya ev’r been to The Adventurer’s Club?" The entire room turns their attention to her as she leans on the rail, shakes her head and blushes. "Well, you really should come down here and join us! Since you’ve arrived, things are looking up!" She was a wearing a very, very short skirt.
I seem to recall a bell too. Often an actor would enter one of the rooms (there was a study, a lounge, and a couple of others if I recall correctly, all just off the center room), ring a bell and make an announcement. The Adventurer’s Club was always jovial and unexpected activity. Instead of closing it, they should be copying its model in every major city and college town across America!
According to the Pleasure Island FAQ:
"By September 28, 2008, all of the nightclubs on Pleasure Island will close. It will be last call for the last time at 8 Trax, The Adventurer’s Club, Mannequins™ Dance Palace, BET Sound-Stage™ Club, Motion and The Comedy Warehouse."They’re replacing the nightclubs with outsourced restaurants.
Annual passholders get to play a round of golf instead.
Great. Thanks for shutting down the single most creative attraction at Disney World.
BoingBoing notes an online petition is going around to save The Adventurer’s Club. Somehow I don’t think that will hold much weight with the Disney execs.
Update: The PI FAQ makes it sound like Pleasure Island will become more like Disney Marketplace.
Why do people web?
Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang posted The Three Web Activities: Task, Project, and Business Programs which I agree from the web management perspective. I think when building websites it is important to consider the 3 reasons users come to a website. My response to Jeremiah Owyang:
I agree with your breakdown from a web management perspective. The IT guy, the techie, the web programmer should be very focused on The Task, The Project, and The Business Program. With[out] those, the website fails to function.
I have a list of 3 which is about that function. My list is derived from the end user experience rather than the web management side. I address this list with my clients when they are trying to make decisions about their webite:
1. Information
2. Utility
3. EntertainmentThat order is important.
People go to the web first for information (e.g. I want to call company X and need their phone number). I am astounded at the number of business[es] that make it difficult to contact them.
People go to the web secondly for utility (e.g. “I want to make travel arrangements” or “I need to do some online banking/bill paying”)
People go to the web thirdly for entertainment (e.g. “going to watch the television show I missed last night,” “watch some youtube,” or “play some games”).
I find businesses mistakenly want to build backwards thinking that if they first build something entertaining that will draw their audience in. Then they can provide utility (often associated with profit). And lastly, if they ever get around to it, information.
People will argue that entertainment should be first in the list but that is a delusion. We may spend more time on entertainment but most people go to the web for information first.
“Social media” is changing the equation slightly. Services like Twitter provide information, utility and entertainment in one fell swoop.
Links referenced:
Are you in The Converation?
Put @RedCross in your Twitter
