It is hard to ignore the unprecedented oil spill affecting our coast at this moment. Whether you tune into the mainstream media or log onto a social media website like Facebook, it is not that uncommon to see or hear Louisianans expressing their — ahem — “distaste” for the public face of this disaster: British Petroleum.
What I, or you, feel about BP in particular (or the oil and gas industry in general) is not of any importance to this non-soapbox blog post.I have instead compiled a few opinions stated by PR professionals, media outlets and others on BP’s and others’ reactions to the spill. Notice the days these posts were made; over the semester, BP’s grade has sunk.
As a self-proclaimed TV junkie, you would think that I would lovingly embrace every pixel that finds its way to my screen. Not so. As soon as a commercial comes on, I’m flipping the channels to find something else to watch. Butthere is one exception —that’s the commercial for the 2011 Kia Sorento. I literally start dancing every time I see or hear this commercial. If you haven’t seen it or have no idea what I’m talking about, check it out:
A while back I was dubbed one of the “green” employees of BBR Creative. I always turn off my lights and computer monitor whenever I step out of my office; I absolutely hate to waste paper; and whatever I know can be recycled goes in the bin instead of my office trash can.
I admit I am by no means the greenest person on the planet. In the grand spectrum of eco-friendliness, I am a definite greenhorn (lame pun intended). But I do what I can with the knowledge I’ve acquired thus far about living a green lifestyle.
Being green is definitely not easy though! There are so many new terms, guidelines and issues to learn and remember that being earth-friendly can quickly become confusing. Many people want to be involved, but they just don’t know where to start.
Luckily, there are hundreds of green-related mobile applications that are helping people to make more socially conscious lifestyle choices. On Earth Day, I came across several useful websites that list and explain eco-friendly apps available today:
My favorite application mentioned is the Gorgeously Green Survival Guide for the iPhone. It’s touted as “a quick reference eco-guide for the woman on the go.” The application guides you through the confusion of shopping for eco-friendly choices, and you can even create “Gorgeously Green Checklists” while you’re at the store stockpiling everything from meats and produce to lipstick. In addition, the app gives you tips on being green, advice on saving money while going green and ways to dispose of hazardous materials. Using this application eases the pressure of trying to remember what products are good vs. bad and helps consumers to overcome the hurdle of not knowing the first steps to take when becoming green.
Our industry demands we stay relevant. That means keeping up with the latest technological advancements to help clients. Keeping our fingers on the pulse of pop culture so we are always “in” on the joke. Staying opened minded enough to adjust and change directions when conceptualizing campaigns, programs and marketing strategies.
Over the course of the last several years, staying relevant has meant pushing the limits of social media and the amount of targeted messages in which our clients communicate with stakeholders and clients over these mediums. We’ve been achieving this through the realm of social media, but are we really succeeding? Are people listening? The advertising industry has definitely drank the Kool-Aid when it comes to apps, Facebook fans, blog posts, YouTube and using social media to enhance a brand.
Don’t get me wrong, social media can be great when used properly and in some ways it can definitely make our jobs easier. But I worry that many in our industry might be missing the real message when updating clients’ Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and such. What, is the message? Human interaction — and that as advertisers we should still strive to create an intimate relationship with living, breathing in-your-face human beings.
Ad Age columnist, Derek Walker, had a great column on this very issue last week. In this article, Walker talks about how we as advertisers, “throw out words like ‘honest’ and ‘authentic’ like they can be manufactured.” He speaks of our common need as an industry to focus on, “speaking to the human connection in all of us.” Really, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
The Internet has successfully ravaged my attention span. In fact, in the construction of that intro sentence alone I somehow managed to:
• Update my Facebook status
• Check my horoscope on The Onion
• Totally derail my train of thought
Me plus millions of others, apparently. BuzzFeed understands the nature of the beast and, utilizing a legion of similarly afflicted visitors and staffers supernaturally adept at stumbling upon cool items, capitalizes on the fickle nature of Web trending on a daily basis. In their own words:
“We are a viral tracking Web site with 4 million monthly visitors, a viral network with over 50 million monthly impressions, and a viral media platform with awesome technology for launching and optimizing content. In short, we’re the best place to find out what’s going viral online, and the first place to start if you want to make something go viral.”
In addition to its own trend-sniffing staffers, who no doubt each own heavily eroded iPhones, the site allows users to submit trends deemed worthwhile — usually in the form of embedded videos, pictures or links. The BuzzFeed editorial staff promotes items of worth, visitors in turn share the content via their own means and a trend is born. Every day.
