Buzz Builder

Greenpeace's Publicity Stunt on Mt. Rushmore Achieved Its Objectives

On 7/8/09, three Greenpeace activities climbed on Mt. Rushmore and unfurled a giant banner with President Obama's profile and message saying “America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians. Stop Global Warming.” Immediately, news of this action spread around the world. The stunt was particularly effective at garnering media attention for three reasons:

1. It took place on one of America's most iconic memorials.
2. It's bold size and juxtaposition of President Obama vs. great past presidents created a powerful image.
3. It provided a strong visual image to illustrate the passion of environmentalists regarding the talks about global warming at the G8 meeting in Italy.

A journalist for the Rapid City Journal (SD), who had found my post in this blog about publicity stunts, called me to ask about the efficacy of the publicity stunt and ran my comments in a story about the Greenpeace effort. The article observed:

“I’m guessing activist groups around the world are going to be looking at this saying, ‘hmm, this might be a case study for us,’” said Patrick Galvin of Galvin  Communications in Portland, Ore. Galvin specializes in helping businesses build buzz without expensive advertising.

Greenpeace snapped a photo of the banner with an aerial camera, and a video camera operator near Highway 244 at the memorial broadcast live footage of the incident online.

Greenpeace released a well-timed statement about the demonstration and placed it prominently on its Web site, which included live updates posted on Twitter, an online microblogging site. 

Media organizations throughout the country quickly picked up the video and still images supplied by Greenpeace. The video, images and Twitter messages fleshed out news articles which initially took much of their information from a Greenpeace statement issued moments before the climbers unrolled the banner.

Galvin said he also was impressed by the activists’ adept use of Twitter. Before the event, friends and supporters of the organization and the climbers on Mount Rushmore eagerly spoke of the event on the online site Twitter in the hours and minutes leading up the banner drop.

Several of the climbers broadcast their location to the world via Twitter as they rappelled onto Abraham Lincoln’s stone face.

“Twitter has become this platform that, more than anything else, people are attracted to it for its immediacy,” Galvin said. “Having one of the rappellers tweeting about it was brilliant.”

In a subsequent interview that I provided the same day to The Christian Science Monitor, which appeared on 7/8/09, I observed that the Greenpeace effort might not be a total success:

Galvin said in terms of communicating a message effectively, he’d give it a “nine out of ten.” But the jury is still out he says on whether the overall strategy will work. That’s because Greenpeace broke the law and if any damage to Mt. Rushmore was done, it could be a big negative for the organization.

“If there was any defacement, if that banner whipped a piece of Abraham Lincoln’s nose, then the message will get diluted very quickly,” he said. “I’d give it a qualified thumbs-up.”

Since those articles appeared, it appears as if the Greenpeace publicity stunt served its purpose. Traffic to the Greenpeace website spiked as the story was reported around the world in thousands of blog and media outlets. The global warming debate seemed to garner a surge of discussion. The apparent lack of damage to Mt. Rushmore and quick release of the Greenpeace activists who carried out the stunt did not engender any long term negative consequences for the organization.

Three Tips for Rising Above the Recession and How to Prepare for a TV Interview

Today I was interviewed on Fox TV in Portland, Oregon about three things things that all businesses can do to rise above the recession. You can watch the clip here.

In preparing for the interview, I followed the advice that I always give my clients who go on television:

1. Visit the TV program's website to familiarize yourself with the show and the person who will be interviewing you.You'll feel more relaxed talking to somebody you know and your interviewer will feel flattered that you know his or her background.
2. Have just a few basic message points that you want to cover.
3. Practice what you're going to say with a friend so can make your points quickly, easily, and naturally.
4. Pretend the interviewer is your friend and smile a lot.
5. Make sure to thank the producer who invited you on the show and offer to be a guest again.

Special thanks to Melissa Moog, founder of Itsabelly (a unique baby concierge service) and regular guest on Fox TV in Portland, for introducing me to a news producer at the station. Melissa, a media savvy entreprenuer, has done an excellent job growing her business with buzz as you'll see from her outstanding online press room.

Travel Portland's Twisitor Center Lands Some Well Deserved Media Attention

Kudos to the folks at  Travel Portland, the city's official tourism agency, for scoring attention for their innovative "Twisitor Center" in an Associated Press article that is being picked up in newspapers around the country!

The Twisitor Center allows Twitter users to "tweet" or send short questions about things to see and do in Portland, and get short answers back fast.

The Twisitor Center is a cool way to tap into the friendliness of wired Portlanders so they can easily share their knowledge of unique ways to enjoy the city that only natives possess. It's a tool that many companies will find particulalry useful. For instance, real estate and relocation companies can tell their clients the Twisitor Center since it will give them instant access to information that will make adjusting to their new city much easier. I'm sure that Twisitor Centers for other places will soon start popping up like mushrooms in an Oregon forest.

Will More People Eat Skittles Thanks to Twitter & Social Media Buzz?

In today's Wall Street Journal, there's a fascinating article about how Mars Snackfood launched a new website last week for its Skittles candy which attempts to leverage the power of social media. The article states: "Instead of a typical product site that highlights information about or videos and games related to a product, the Skittles website features content created by consumers - most of it gleaned from other websites."

The article mentions how the online buzz for Skittles jumped quickly after its new website launched with comments on Twitter going from just handful to more than 800 overnight. The comments are multiplying rapidly as you'll see on Twitter's search results page for Skittles. But when you review the comments, you'll note that most are merely attempts to land 15 seconds of fame as a tweet (Twitter post) scrolls up the Skittles home page. Additionally, a significant number of posts are quite negative about the product or Skittles attempt to stir up social media buzz. I'm sure that the advertising agency that created this new campaign for Skittles is telling Mars that online buzz is building and generating coverage in the mainstream press such as The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age. But, would any of the people seeing this buzz ever eat even one Skittle? While Skittles foray in social media will likely garner its agency some advertising industry awards, I doubt that it will do much to sell Skittles.

Independent, Electic Alberta Street in Portland, Oregon Gets New York Times Buzz

I was thrilled to read a travel story in The New York Times yesterday extolling the virtues of the eclectic and charming Alberta Street in Northeast Portland, Oregon. Since Alberta Street is the closest commercial street to my home, I spend a lot of time there and I've always admired its cool galleries, diverse restaurants, and colorful street scene. Too often, when I travel, I feel as if the commercial areas that I visit are cookie cutters of one another. You won't find a single chain store on Alberta and there are still plenty of artists in the neighborhood. That uniqueness has gotten the street plenty of buzz over the years proving that being different is a great way to get people talking.

Buzz Marketing Camp Launching in San Francisco Bay Area - Learn How to Get People Buzzing & Buying on a Tight Budget

Many businesses are struggling to attract customers with reduced marketing dollars. Even companies that have kept their marketing budgets intact are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their sales objectives since consumers are buying less and not responding to traditional advertising. That's why I'm launching Buzz Camp which is a results-producing, idea-generating half-day workshop designed to help businesses of all sizes break through the commercial clutter and get people buzzing and buying in spite of a challenging economic environment. The first Buzz Camp will take place on 4/23/09 in Berkeley, CA in association with the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce.

Buzz Camp will cover:

• The latest trends in buzz marketing and what they mean for your business.
• How to build a cohesive brand message that drives business growth.
• Buzz secrets from America’s most successful companies.
• How to create buzz through online newsletters, seminars, special events, blogs, networking (both face-to-face and online including Facebook and LinkedIn), consumer review websites (Angie’s List, CitySearch, Yelp, etc.), and viral videos.
• The inside scoop on what the media and bloggers want and how to generate free publicity that greatly exceeds what you could afford to purchase in advertising.
• How to obtain free and prominent media and blogger coverage using a simple three-step process that Patrick developed to land his clients in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week, Forbes, Boston Globe, InStyle, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Business Times, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Oakland Tribune, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, The View from the Bay (KGO TV), NBC News, Evening Magazine (KPIX TV) , KTVU News, Home & Garden Television, etc.
• Techniques to increase the loyalty and enthusiasm of your customers and prospects that drive repeat sales and referrals.
• How to get to the top of Google and other leading search engines through search engine optimization (SEO) without wasting money on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.

Check out details and registration information for Buzz Camp here.

Should a San Francisco Chiropractor Sue a Former Patient Over a Negative Yelp Review?

I'm convinced that customer review websites will be absolutely critical to the success of all businesses. That's why the front page story in the San Francisco Chronicle about a San Francisco chiropractor suing a former patient over negative reviews published on Yelp, a popular website that rates companies, is so fascinating.

The Chronicle reports that Christopher Norberg posted his first Yelp review in November 2007 after visiting Steven Biegel at the Advanced Chiropractic Center on Valencia Street. In his six-paragraph review, Norberg criticized Biegel's billing practices and said the chiropractor was being dishonest with insurance companies.

The story details how Norberg and Biegel exchanged emails about the complaint. And, when Norberg refused to take down or edit his commentary, Biegel decided to sue for libel and invasion of privacy. Biegel's business has been hurt by the reviews, said his attorney, Eric Nordskog of San Francisco. "Although negative reviews are fine, there are certain statements that are false statements of fact," he said. "He accuses Biegel of dishonesty and of committing insurance fraud, which is a crime in California."

If Norberg's comments are false or exaggerated. I can certainly see why Biegel would be frustrated enough to undertake legal proceedings. However, even if Biegel wins a lawsuit, he might end up hurting his business. Based on the hundreds of comments that the story has already received on the Chronicle's website alone, many are siding with the Norberg for reasons of free speech.

In the words of Andy Sernovitz, my friend and word of mouth marketing pundit, when it comes to bad online customer reviews, "the solution to pollution is dilution." That is, Biegel would be much better served laying out reasons why Norberg claims aren't true without suing him. And to counteract the negative weight of Norberg's review, Biegel should ask his satisfied patients to go to Yelp and share their perceptions of his practice. These steps would be much easier and less controversial than a lawsuit which has an uncertain outcome both in terms of the judgement and how the public will perceive it.

Ryz, a New Portland Footwear Company, Builds Buzz with Crowdsourcing and Traditional PR

On Friday, 6/27/08, there was a great article in The Oregonian about Ryz, a new footwear company in Portland that is tapping into crowdsourcing and traditional media outreach to create buzz. Check out pictures and the back story behind the first shoe Ryz is introducing in Brent Hunsberger's Playbooks & Profits blog post for The Oregonian. I'm impressed with how Ryz is building buzz and I talk about this in the below video.

Our Boxer Bella Creates Buzz in The New York Times for Our Word of Mouth Marketing & PR Firm

Thanks to our boxer Bella, this has been a banner week of buzz for Galvin Communications, our word of mouth marketing and PR firm. Marci Alboher, who writes the Shifting Careers Blog for The New York Times, blogged on 4/30/08 about how Bella is earning her keep as our Director of Goodwill  (D.O.G.). Marci's post has already generated  over a thousand visits to Bella's Boxer Shorts Blog and our company website.

Since February 2006, Bella has been a diligent blogger. She has built a loyal audience with her great sense of humor and joie de vivre. Bella and I often compete to see whose blog generates more traffic and she beats me many days.

Read the brilliant comments of my wife and business partner Ellen in The New York Times explaining how Bella's blog has made us smarter marketers.

STORViNO Video Creates a Powerful Marketing Platform

Online video is a powerful way to make your products or services stand out in a crowded marketplace. It can be a surprisingly reasonable expense to create a professional video that highlights uniqueness and builds buzz.

Bob Stonhaus, one of my firm's current clients, is leveraging video in effective and inexpensive ways that many entrepreneurs should consider. Bob invented a unique wine storage product called STORViNO  which is made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastics like bread crates and milk container storage trays. If you speak directly with Bob or watch the video below, you can't help but feel the enthusiasm that he has for STORViNO. Working with the talented Max Fancher of Maximize Video Productions, Bob created a three minute video that captures the STORViNO story in a fun and interesting way.

Bob's video is serving many different marketing purposes. A link to the video is prominently displayed on STORViNO's home page. This is proving to be an effective tool  for driving consumer and retailer interest in the product. The video is also posted on YouTube and other popular video sharing websites with a variety of tags that a typical web searcher might use. I find it useful to send bloggers and journalists to the STORViNO video so they can learn about the product and experience Bob's enthusiasm in a visceral way that words can't describe. At trade shows, Bob plays the video on a continuous loop so people can learn about the product from him even if he's engaged in conversation with somebody else.

I love marketing efforts that you create once and can use time and time again.