Ahhhh, the holidays

Holiday ads have started airing and its only November 8th.  It is hard to predict if consumer spending will increase or decrease this season.  What about holiday event ticket sales for The Nutcracker, Christmas Jubilees and other special presentations? Anyone out there have any thoughts?

9-11 Commemorative Commercials: Classy or Tacky?

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, State Farm, Budweiser and Verizon, among others, aired 9/11 tribute commercials.  I found these ads to be very genuine and moving homages to that historic day.  Some people will argue that creating and airing such commercials is taking advantage and seeking financial gain off a tragedy.  I couldn't disagree more.  I was sitting watching NFL and fiddling on my laptop when I heard the children begin to sing "New York State of Mind."   It made me pause, look up and take a moment of reflection on what was lost ten years ago.  And I believe that was the sole intent of State Farm.  At that moment I posted the following tweet:

Today I received the following response:

This has made me curious as to the opinions of the masses. Do you support the creation and airing of these 9/11 tribute commercials or do you believe they are in bad taste?

Oddly enough, I believe the point my responder was trying to make was negated by the fact that he was doing exactly what he is accusing others of doing.  Looking at his twitter feed, he seeked out posts to which he could respond to with links back to this one site, no doubt as advertising to build page views for his own agenda.

The State Farm, Budweiser and Verizon ads may be viewed at http://www.tvguide.com/News/911-Tribute-Commercials-1037241.aspx.

2011 Ace Get Your Weekend Back

Clever...

Announcing Official Website

It's official, I'm in business.  Please visit my new website at www.adgrlsu.com.  AdgrlSu Social Media Management is an agency devoted to digital media and more specifically social media.  If you need help organizing and managing your social media marketing, contact me for a consultation.

Eathquakepocolypse

On Tuesday, August 23, 2011, a 5.9 earthquake hit the east coast and within minutes, and perhaps seconds, various social media platforms were abuzz with the chatter.  

From Facebook:

"I thought I was just imagining an earthquake until I just logged onto Facebook and everyone is talking about our earthquake!!!! I have never felt anything like that before!!!" Angela Roberts

"Freaking EARTHQUAKE!! We lost stuff off our top shelves and it scared the hell outta the cats! HOLY CRAP!!!!" Christopher Carothers

From Twitter:

"#BreakingNews: 5.8-magnitude #earthquake strikes #Virginia, with tremors felt along the east coast" @Foxnews

"Yup! We felt it here. RT @ariannahuff did you feel earthquake in ny? It started in richmondva! #nyc #earthquake" @Forbes

And my favorite:

"And right at 10 minutes for the earthquake to reach Epic Swarm status. That's absolutely insane. http://4sq.com/pH90eQ" @aboutfoursquare

Almost immediately a venue was created for Eathquakepocolypse.  Check-ins at this freshly created venue were quickly in the thousands, the fastest swarm in foursquare history. Dozens of photos were also being uploaded.

Visit Foursquare for more about the record-breaking stats.

What can we learn from this?  We are addicted to our social media.  Even in the face of a natural disaster we want our twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and everything else.  I would venture to say it helps us feel safe and comforted to still be able to connect, even if its with virtual strangers.  

It is important to note that minimal damage was reported in connection with this earthquake.

New Posts coming soon!

I've been super busy, but will be writing again soon!

California Riverside Ballet Site Re-Design

In the spring of this year, the California Riverside Ballet entrusted its website re-design project to students at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire in San Bernardino, CA.  The students had just 11 weeks to create new branding for the ballet.  Their work included a new logo, stationery, website and twitter background.  The image to your left was the existing site.  The image below is the newly re-designed site.

During the course of the project the students were able to meet with Artistic Director, Mario Nugara, and Executive Director, Janet Rose, to receive direction on the project.

The result is a much more dynamic site that shows off the beauty and artistry that the ballet offers.  The re-design also allowed for a more prominent placement of calls to action, including ticket purchasing and donations.

Remember to pay attention to these attributes in the design of your own sites.