Plaxola

Look at the fine mess you got me into this time, Stanley! I’m not sure how he does it, but Robert Scoble, God bless him, managed to inadvertently insert himself into the middle of yet another digital brouhaha — this time involving our favorite (“walled-in”) social network. Rubel, eat your heart out!ValleyWag postulates this morning…… Continue reading Plaxola

The Price of Admissions

How many TV commercials do we currently see promoting Nintendo’s runaway video game machine, the Wii? Not too many given the player’s impossible-to-find status.The machines are so newsworthily scarce, some have accused the Japanese manufacturer of manufacturing the shortage. I mean what better way to drive demand, than by creating it? Or, doesn’t one’s desire…… Continue reading The Price of Admissions

Bin Laden, Bush and Bees that Buzz

Could it be that Morgan “Super Size Me” Spurlock’s new movie may have surreptitiously captured Osama Bin Laden on camera? Just consider the marketing potential if it were true.Spurred by this tantalizing tidbit, the Buzz Brothers Weinstein snapped up the U.S. rights to distribute “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden.” Good news for…… Continue reading Bin Laden, Bush and Bees that Buzz

Facebook’s About Face

The powers-that-be at Facebook deserve some credit for capitulating to the criticism of their Beacon marketing program. The activists at MoveOn diverted their attention from the political realm to expose the vagaries of opt-in and opt-out as it applied to this Facebook privacy-challenged monetization initiative.Under the Beacon program, Facebook merchants had the ability to share…… Continue reading Facebook’s About Face

PR Pet Peeves

At least Russell Shaw didn’t indict the whole profession for the mistakes of a few.At 1AM this morning, the VoIP, IP telephony and broadband journeyman journalist for the likes of ZDNet (not to be confused with sibling CNET) and others, aired his frustration with trade show PR “types” charged with capturing, for their clients, the…… Continue reading PR Pet Peeves

Leopard

A cursory glance at what some top tech industry analysts are saying about Apple’s new Leopard operating system indicates an evolutionary, not revolutionary boost to the Mac, the computer industry’s biggest market share gainer.Apple’s venerable product line may no longer have the same brand cache as its “i” siblings, but make no mistake: Mac sales…… Continue reading Leopard

Goodbye Mr. Peanut, Hello Mahmoud

It’s no secret that the brave new world of 2.0 is awash with myriad conferences and industry gatherings covering just about any subject that could hold sway with one’s imagination. But guess which industries have the most to gain (or lose) from these social media-fueled confabs? Right. Advertising and PR.With that said, New York City’s…… Continue reading Goodbye Mr. Peanut, Hello Mahmoud

Poof Goes the PR Push

The moment the Wall Street Journal News Alert crossed my desktop Friday night, I thought of Harry Potter’s final splash, and how the dastardly New York Times spoiled the book publisher’s marketing ploy, I mean plan.You see, The Journal upset the apple cart by purchasing Alan Greenspan’s new tome and running with a piece on…… Continue reading Poof Goes the PR Push

The Blue Mist and Halo 3

At a time when the U.S. was embroiled in another unpopular war, this 11-year-old was summoned along with his fellow summer campers to a giant bonfire presided over by “The Blue Mist,” the adopted name of the camp’s owner. We suspected something big was up, but didn’t realize how big.Sure enough, the Blue Mist solemnly…… Continue reading The Blue Mist and Halo 3

Do It Wrong Quickly

Social Media Collective member Robin Carey pinged the socially conscious group today to announce Amazon pre-orders of Brian Solis’s new, fun-titled book “Now is Gone,” in which the Valley PR man: “…explores how New Media (and Social Media) are forcing the evolution of PR through a rich set of meaningful interviews, case studies, and comprehensive…… Continue reading Do It Wrong Quickly