Will We See a Backlash Against Social Media, & a Renaissance of Old Media?

Posted on February 16th, 2010 by John Sostak

Don’t bet on it.  Arcade Digital is firmly planted on the side of new media, and social media marketing.  Micro blogging and niche communities offer a perfect fit to advertisers trying to target a demographic for clients with ever shrinking advertising budgets.

I am responding to a very interesting blogpost by Greg Satell.  His take on social media marketing.  It is called 5 Social Media Myths, and I think he could not be more off on his theory.  His belief that there will be a backlash against social media, and a renaissance for old media is a 180 from my beliefs, and it is trending toward my beliefs.

I replied below.  Hope you enjoy.  Please let me know your thoughts.

You’re way off on this blogpost Tonto. I, and millions like me use social media each day for buying. Not to mention this is what is working for our businesses and our clients businesses. Amazon has never advertised anywhere but online, and they are the Wal Mart of the web, because of their community.

Yelp is more important to a business then all 4 major networks…put together. That may seem a bold statement. I will stand behind it in 5 years if you throw it in my face because they close shop, and their is a 5th major network.

Brand is becoming less important everyday, which is why every retailer has a private label option (not generic). I buy the Kirkland brand at Costco, and we haven’t seen them advertise. 7-11 is a client of my companies, and they have rolled out a private label, and it works! A private label selling well in a c-store!

TV is providing pay per inquiry airtime, because they and their agencies cannot fill all the open slots.

I think the social media promotional strategy is the only innovative advertising strategy for a big brand. See a post I did on Tempur-Pedic and their Twitter approach, http://arcadedigital.com/johnsblog/archives/369 It features a CNBC interview with their CEO Mark Savary.

I believe the backlash will be the opposite of what you predict. I believe unsolicited advertising will become a brand killer. As we become busier and busier, our time becomes more valuable. Brands that interrupt our lives, will be blacklisted. The big brands that build great social media buzz, will be viewed positively, and will be embraced.

Good post, but you are missing the bullseye…unless you are trying to build online buzzzzzzz…

Tags: social media

Save March 5th, CFD Blaze Fundraiser at Murphy’s Bleachers in Wrigleyville

Posted on February 16th, 2010 by John Sostak

The CNA building in Chicago paying tribute to the CFD, Chicago Fire Department

The motto of the Chicago Fire department is “We’re there when you need us”. We don’t just say that motto, we believe it. Our charities need us, but we can’t support them without your help.

The Blaze, the CFD football team is hosting a fundraiser at Murphy’s Bleacher Bar, in Wrigleyville, Chicago, March 5th.  Tickets are $30.00 and include all domestic beers, drinks, wine and appetizers.

Parking is included, but no need to drive. Murphy’s is conveniently located one block from the Addison Red Line stop.

Get excited, we will not only have booze, and friends, but you can WIN cool prizes! Raffle tickets will be available for a chance to win (among other items) a 40″ flat-screen TV and four rooftop tickets to a Cubs game.  I am certain it won’t take a lot of arm twisting to get a split the pot raffle going.

We will have CFD Blaze t-shirt’s for sale. Show off your team spirit!  Buy a few shirts for yourself, and your friends and family.

The Blaze’ first game is April 7th against the Chicago Police Department. Purchase space in the ad book.  Real estate is going fats, and this is a great way to reach a lot of police, firefighters and family members of City of Chicago employees.

Murphy’s Bleachers March 5, 7-10pm
3653 N. Sheffield
(Parking Included)
Conveniently located one block from the Red Line (Addison stop)

Proceeds from the evening will go to support several amazing organizations including The Gold Badge Society, Ignite the Spirit and The Illinois Burn Foundation.

Tags: CFD, CFD BLAZE, Charity

When Valentine’s Day goes bad! Bitten on the way to the Old Country Buffet.

Posted on February 15th, 2010 by John Sostak

Joy playing catch with Abby at the beach

I have to say, my wife Joy is a fan of Valentine’s Day, all holidays for that matter.  She is very thoughtful.  My wife’s superpowers include; she works on average, 60 hours a week; she is actively involved in post graduate education and continuing education; works out 7-10 hours a week; takes great care of our dogs (and me); she never misses a holiday or significant date.

I am not able to keep track of these dates, or holidays.  It isn’t because I want to seem macho, or that I am insensitive to significant dates.  It’s just how I am wired.  I regret it.  I have my own “superpowers.” I won’t list them here, this blog post is about Valentine’s Day, and before I detail why it needs to be ignored, I wanted to thank Joy.  I am lucky to have her.

I am a marketing professional, and respect how Hallmark, FTD, gift shops and human nature has created significant dates, like Valentine’s Day, Sweetest Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, etc.  Through their collective marketing endeavors, we are required to treat these days like events similar to Christmas, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, the 4th of July and News Years Eve.  Now, each person we love should be appreciated regularly, and for us to pick a mandatory day is a brilliant marketing play.  These companies have created nationally recognized days that require we plan, shop, modify our schedule, make reservations, and basically conform to their corporate driven agenda.  Brilliant, I am golf clapping because these companies should be proud.

This also creates stress, and expectations that cannot always be met.  Not everyone’s spouse is as understanding as mine.  Some flip out when they are given a stuffed animal on the way to the Old Country Buffet, because they wanted an ankle bracelet, or new tattoo, or God know’s what they expected.  The following news report was taken from the Chicago Sun-Times, and it details what happens when Valentine’s Day goes bad.

A northwest Indiana man was arrested Sunday after calling police to report his girlfriend battered him during a fight over a Valentine’s Day gift.

Indiana State Police found the woman walking on eastbound I-80/94 just east of Ripley Street (Route 51) about 4:12 p.m. Sunday with a fat lip, a scratch below her eye and a fresh bite on her left arm, according to a release from police.

Police learned Deaundre J. Gray, 20, was taking the woman to a buffet restaurant in Michigan City when she told him she didn’t like the Valentine’s Day gift he gave her, a stuffed animal with balloons attached, the release said.

Gray began to hit her, but she defended herself, and in so doing, kicked the front windshield, putting a crack in it. She was also bitten during the attack, the release said.

The woman attempted to call 911 on her cell phone, but Gray broke it in half, the release said. He then stopped his 1999 Oldsmobile Alero in the right lane and pushed the woman out of the car. She picked something up and threw it at the car, putting a dent in the bumper.

Gray went to a gas station at U.S. 20 and Route 249 in Portage, where he called to report being battered. Instead, he was arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count each of battery, interfering with reporting a crime and criminal mischief, the release said.

I wanted to post this to help people remember that Valentine’s Day, is only a day.  Please do not go to jail for biting each other before you even get to the Old Country Buffet over a stuffed animal that your Boo may think is to small.  Remember, this is only a Hallmark holiday.  Love each other every day, and keep it civil.

In the immortal words of Jackie Moon, “ELE! Everybody, Love, Everybody!”

Tags: Holidays

Apple App Store has over 150,000 Apps, & they all will work on the iPad.

Posted on February 14th, 2010 by John Sostak

Chart from Distimo that shows Apple has over 150,000 mobile apps.

From TechCrunch.

During Apple’s iPad event in January, CEO Steve Jobs announced that Apple now had over 140,000 apps in the App Store (along with over 3 billion downloads). If the numbers by app analytics company Distimo are correct, that number is now past 150,000.

But the App Store is growing so big, so quickly that these milestones alone are hardly noteworthy anymore. But Distimo also offers up some nice data along with the milestone number. For example, of the 150,000 apps, some 75% are paid applications while only 25% are free. This is in stark contrast to the second largest app store, Android Market, where recent data suggests that over 60% of the app there are free.

Something else that’s very interesting is that the highest percentage of apps in the App Store are now paid book applications. In total, there are over 27,000 book apps in the store, and of those 92% are paid apps, according to Distimo’s data. That number bodes very well for Apple’s soon-to-be-released iPad, of which a big selling point will be the new iBooks application. There has been a lot of talk about how the iPad won’t hurt the Kindle because the Amazon device’s e-ink makes reading more enjoyable. And while it’s true that e-ink is easier on your eyes (thank a backlit screen), it seems that iPhone owners simply don’t care — again, great news for the iPad.

In terms of overall app numbers, games still rule, with over 28,000 of them in the store. But a much higher percentage of those are free versus the percentage of free book apps. All told, both games and book are far and away the two most popular categories in the App Store, with entertainment in third with just over 20,000 apps. And the numbers drop quickly from there. Education is the fourth most popular category, but that means only 10,000+ apps.

Tags: Apple, apps, techcrunch

I Don’t Build in Order to Have Clients…

Posted on February 12th, 2010 by John Sostak

Howard Roark

“I don’t build in order to have clients.  I have clients in order to build.”  Howard Roark, from the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Tags: Books