Fake News: Trick or Tactic?

We’ve all seen fake news stories pop up on Facebook and Twitter. 2014 included a ton of great, yet fake, stories such as the LeBron James “Space Jam” sequel, and the woman with three breasts. Unfortunately, it’s easy for a news story to get out of control, especially when some reporters are more concerned with speed than accuracy.

What happens when these fake stories are intentional? It’s a lot easier to get press coverage with the unique, unusual, and adorable. Check out the clip above from “Nathan For You” to see just how easy it can be to go viral.

Here’s a couple examples of stories invented for publicity.

Jesus Loves Kit Kat

When I first began my advertising minor, our professor showed us an example of viral content; the Kit Kat Jesus. This story broke in Europe through a Dutch news site due to a fake email from a European agency. The image was shared on over 150,000 websites, including several news sites, for a grand total of zero dollars.

The image was created purely for publicity. The relevance to recent Jesus imagery stories and Good Friday made the image spread like wildfire.

Chicken Chain “Steals” Big Mango

Another big story from 2014 was the theft of an Australian tourist attraction, a 10-ton mango statue. The theft made headlines around the world. There were photos, footage, media releases–but no police report was made.

The “theft” was actually a publicity stunt orchestrated by a Sydney advertising agency. The Australian chicken chain, Nando’s, used the stunt and following news coverage to promote a new mango-flavored sauce.

Is It Ethical? 

When it comes to the ethics of using a blatantly fake story for publicity, the answer should be pretty obvious. While the execution of these stories seems innocent, it still stems from false information. These stories can lead to great results, but can also lead to lack of trust in the future. I know I’m a lot more skeptical than I used to be when I see unusual stories online.

What do you think about fabricating stories for press coverage? Share your thoughts below.

YouTube Kids and the Ethics of Child Advertising

It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend’s 5-year-old nephew that I realized YouTube had replaced television for a lot of young kids. He loves watching a variety of user-made content, including Minecraft videos and short cartoons. The only problem is how YouTube is set up; he’s basically one click away from the seedy parts of YouTube.

This week, I stumbled onto the YouTube Kids app. Available for iOS and Android, the app offers a child-friendly experience and a simplified YouTube. The app is free, but still features advertisements. YouTube says the advertisements are heavily regulated. The ads must be family friendly, and they cannot direct to an advertiser’s website.

Kid-Friendly or PR Move?

The new rules don’t please everyone. Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood thinks the whole concept is misleading.

It’s disingenuous to claim that YouTube Kids, or any ad-supported programming, is “kid-friendly.” Children are already inundated with advertising selling them everything from junk food to junk toys — and it’s not good for them. Research links child-targeted marketing to a host of problems facing kids today including obesity, unhealthy body image, the erosion of creative play and family stress. And children are more susceptible to advertising than adults. They don’t have the cognitive wherewithal to defend themselves against it.

Linn brings up a good point. Can kid-friendly advertising really exist? It’ll be interesting to see what YouTube considers appropriate for the YouTube Kids app.

These regulations aren’t expected to deter any potential advertisers. US children are some of the top consumers of advertising. If anything, advertisers will probably get more creative. It’s likely we’ll see more product placement and cross-promotions in YouTube videos targeted at children.

If YouTube follows through with their promise to make the app “kid-friendly,” it could be revolutionary and great for their overall image. Otherwise it’ll feel like a targeted ad-machine for young kids. But then again, is this really that different from kid-targeted network television such as Nickelodeon and Disney Channel?

What Did Social Media Think of the Oscars?

As the 87th Oscars come to a close, people are talking, but not necessarily about the winners and losers. Social media buzzed about speeches, musical acts, and “penndejos.”

Powerful Speeches 

Several acceptance speeches reverberated across social media platforms during the 87th Oscars. The most notable included Patricia Arquette, John Legend, and Graham Moore.

Arquette called for wage equality for women and Legend condemned the increasing number of black Americans in the prison system. Moore revealed an attempted suicide at age 16, and encouraged those who felt weird or different, to “stay weird, stay different.”

Social Media Loves Melodies 

The Oscars are Hollywood’s big celebration of film, but when it comes to social media, almost everyone was talking about music. Lady Gaga dominated social media with her “Sound of Music” medley as Facebook and Twitter both experienced their highest activity of the night.

John Legend also met social media success during his performance of his Oscar winning song, “Glory.” Legend was the third most mentioned person on social media, behind Gaga and Patricia Arquette.

Sean Penn Surprises No One

Sean Penn made a tasteless joke in what should’ve been a monumental moment for Mexicans everywhere. “Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?” Penn said before announcing Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu’s “Birdman” as best picture.

Twitter exploded as soon as Penn left the stage. The joke went viral, attached to cleverly named “#Penndejo” hashtag. Iñarritu and Penn have worked together in the past, and insist the joke is a jab between friends. The “joke” was inappropriate for the setting, especially when not everyone is “in on it.”

Carnegie Mellon Crushes 800 Dreams

If you’ve ever sent an email to the wrong person, you’ve felt that white hot feeling of embarrassment. Now, imagine that feeling multiplied by 800. That’s what happened to Carnegie Mellon University this week as they “accepted” nearly 800 applicants. Unfortunately, these applicants received acceptance emails by mistake.

Sorry Not Sorry

800 applicants received emails claiming acceptance into Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious graduate computer science program. About seven hours later, “apology” emails were distributed.

“We understand the disappointment created by this mistake, and deeply apologize to the applicants for this miscommunication. We are currently reviewing our notification process to help ensure this does not happen in the future. “

The two paragraph apology hardly makes up for the disappointment felt by the rejected applicants. “It was heart-shattering,” said an applicant from Saudi Arabia. While Carnegie Mellon obviously can’t accept everyone, this mishap is cruel and their apology feels insincere.

Lesson Learned

If anything, this incident can act as a warning to others. These emails were sent from an automated system, and could’ve been prevented through diligent attention to detail. When dealing with such important channels of communication, it’s important to triple check your emails. It might even be beneficial to have a second pair of eyes look over your work.

This also makes the school look less credible as a whole. For a university with a top-ranked computer science program, something like this shouldn’t happen. Hopefully one of their newly accepted students can figure out a solution.

1-800-Flowers: Disappointment on Demand

Social media has given companies the opportunity to create a two-way street for conversation with their customers. Reaching your target audience has never been easier, but dealing with customer complaints now takes place in a public forum.

Flower Failure

As Valentine’s Day 2015 comes to a close, it’s become an annual tradition to see 1-800-Flowers.com deal with customer service fallout. 1-800-Flowers.com had a terrible year on social media in 2014. Pictures of dead flowers or comments about undelivered products circulated the internet long after V-Day.

It looks like 1-800-Flowers.com didn’t learn their lesson from last year, as an almost identical slew of problems followed them this year. Unsatisfied customers flocked to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share their opinions on the flower delivery service. More dead flowers, undelivered flowers, and automated customer service robots. At this point, it’s hard to see why the customers are still coming.

It’s No Secret on Social Media

Photos and comments like these could have dire consequences for the brand. One year is an accident, two years is a trend. Personally, I see these complaints and tell myself to never order from 1-800-Flowers.com.

At this point, the brand needs to step back and apologize for their poor service. This is an opportunity to fix their mistakes and learn for next year. Whether this is a quality control issue or a delivery issue, this can’t happen again next year. In a world where similar services are popping up everyday, they don’t have room for mistakes of this caliber.

“The Daily Show” Needs Jessica Williams

Jon Stewart made an announcement on Tuesday that he would step down from “The Daily Show.” Stewart has helmed “The Daily Show” for over 16 years. This announcement comes as a huge shock, especially since “The Colbert Report” ended so recently.

“In my heart, I know it is time for someone else,” Stewart said during the Tuesday taping of “The Daily Show.” Stewart has no concrete plans for his departure, nor does Comedy Central. The network has stated that “The Daily Show” will “endure for years to come.”

That being said, it’s time to begin the nonstop speculation about Stewart’s successor.

Or we can end it right now, because it should be Jessica Williams.

Williams joined “The Daily Show” at 22, which is amazing because I was working a dead-end job at a movie theater at 22. She is immensely talented and tough as nails. Williams has consistently succeeded in exposing racism, sexism, and privilege in everyday life.

Williams is exactly what “The Daily Show” needs. She has the experience and she has the talent–not to mention she’s funny as hell. Besides, I don’t want to see some random white dude. Only 3 out of 21 late-night programs feature a host who isn’t a heterosexual white male. None of these hosts are women. It’s 2015, late-night television doesn’t need to be a white boys club.

“The Daily Show” is often seen as a launchpad for huge comedy stars–and I think they’ve found one in Williams. It’ll be awhile before we have any idea of who is taking over “The Daily Show,” but you know who I’m rooting for.

UPDATE: Jessica Williams says she will not host “The Daily Show”–and that’s okay. She’s a cool lady and I’m excited to see what she does next.

The Fallout of Sony Pictures and Amy Pascal

This week, Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair, Amy Pascal, resigned her position at the studio. Pascal fell victim to a high-profile cyberattack last year which resulted in stolen private emails. These emails revealed conversations with producer Scott Rudin containing racist remarks about President Obama and mocking several celebrities.

Unsurprising, and Not Undeserved

This news should not be surprising to anyone. There’s no argument the things said by Pascal were abhorrent and harmful to her entire company. What is surprising, is that Pascal is the only senior Sony manager to depart after the cyberattack fallout. The rest of the Sony Pictures team will remain to deal with the aftermath and rebuild the company.

Producer Scott Rudin and writer Aaron Sorkin both said foolish things through leaked emails, but haven’t seen nearly as much backlash as Pascal. Pascal has become the face of the Sony hacking, even though she wasn’t the only person who made a mistake.

Pascal was often identified as, “the film industry’s top female executive.” This makes the whole situation even more disappointing. Pascal stood as an inspiration to women everywhere with interest in the male-dominated film industry.

The email leaks also revealed Sony Pictures has a disparity in pay when it comes to gender. Pascal was the only woman at Sony Pictures making $1 million or more. These are things Sony Pictures deeply needs to consider as they restructure their company and brand.

The Future of Amy Pascal

Pascal will move on to form a new production company with ties to Sony Pictures. While she remains involved with the film industry, it’s going to be tough to repair her reputation. Reputation is everything–once you’ve lost that, you’ve lost it all. Of course, that’s not to say that what is lost cannot be regained.

If nothing else, the attack on Pascal has taught us that nothing is hidden from the public’s eye. Private emails are no longer private, and joking with your friends can have disastrous results. Whatever happens to Pascal, I hope she has learned from her mistakes and understands why her words and actions were harmful to women and people of color.

What do you think about Pascal’s resignation from co-chair? Should she have been given a second chance or was it the right thing to do? Share your thoughts below.

Stream Dreams: Companies Subscribe to Cord-Cutters

I’ve recently begun binge-watching House of Cards on Netflix. I finished the first season in about a weekend. Now I just want to hang out with Robin Wright and plot schemes. Please curb your judgement here, I know I’m not alone in this. In fact, there’s data to back me up on this.

Nearly 75 percent of Americans have admitted to binge-watching; 40 percent binge-watch through streaming services. Luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, binge-watchers will soon have a lot more options to choose from.

Television Is Changing

Streaming services are dramatically changing the way we watch television. In 2014, traditional television viewership dropped 12 percent. Ted Sarandos, Netflix Content Chief, believes people watch television in a different way when using Netflix.

“Everything that’s watched on Netflix is watched super deliberately,” he adds. “It’s not background noise. It’s not something you turn on and go off and eat dinner. And [its] watching the same show until you’re done. This is much closer to books, where people say ‘I’m going to start Breaking Bad tonight.'”

New Companies Subscribe to Streaming

Thanks to the success of Netflix and other streaming services such as Amazon Prime and Hulu, other companies are hopping on the bandwagon. HBO Go will launch in the Spring. Back in January, Dish announced a streaming service with 12 networks–including ESPN. Just this week, Nickelodeon and Disney both announced specialized streaming services. 

Dream Come True or Oversaturation?

Soon we’ll have a streaming service for just about everything. This situation has its ups and downs. First of all, for cord-cutters, this is the dream. Being able to pick and choose your content for a fraction of the cost of cable is awesome. The downside to this is content spread across too many platforms. Having 10 different streaming subscriptions with one or two shows you like is not ideal.

While I’ll absolutely pick up HBO Go, I’m not too sure about the rest of them. If the demand is there, these companies will have no problem changing the way we watch television forever. We might even see the eventual extinction of cable. This idea is both exciting and a little scary.

Only time will tell when it comes to streaming services. Personally, I do miss the background noise aspect of traditional cable. I’m hoping the increase of streaming services will convince cable companies to be more competitive price-wise. Yeah, sure.

What are your thoughts on the increase in streaming services? What’s your limit when it comes to streaming subscriptions? Share your thoughts below.

The Killer Creativity of ‘Game of Thrones’

This week, HBO released the latest trailer for everyone’s favorite nerdfest. Game of Thrones is back for season 5 this April. Since its 2011 debut, Game of Thrones has become a cultural icon. This success could not have been possible without their brilliant marketing team.

To celebrate the release of the season 5 trailer, let’s take a look at some of the Game of Thrones team’s best marketing tactics.

Dragon Skull Found on the Jurassic Coast

One of Game of Thrones’ most memorable tactics went viral back in 2013. Taylor Herring PR placed a giant dragon skull on Dorset’s “Jurassic Coast,” which is famous for its dinosaur fossils. The stunt resulted a ton of realistic and enchanting photos while generating hype for the upcoming season.

Game of Thrones on the Big Screen

This week, HBO screened the final two episodes of season 4 in over 200 IMAX theaters across the country. The screenings were one night only, and offered fans an exclusive first look at the aforementioned season 5 trailer. HBO made $1.5 million in one night, which means we can definitely expect a repeat of the stunt in the future.

#RoastJoffery: The First Social Comedy Roast

Game of Thrones has a multitude of hateable faces, but Joffery trumps them all. To generate conversation between seasons, HBO and 360i used the hashtag #RoastJoffery to invite fans, celebrities, and even brands to mock the little brat. The campaign ended with over a million engagements on over 60,000 original posts from users. There were over 800,000,000 earned media impressions over the course of two days.

“Beautiful Death” – Gruesome Meets Gorgeous 

Another brilliant move by HBO and 360i is the “Beautiful Death” series. Artist Robert Ball has created a work of art commemorating iconic deaths in each episode. The illustrated posters were released on a daily basis leading up to the season 4 premiere. The trend continued as new posters appeared for each episode of season 4. The posters were incredibly popular and are available for purchase on the “Beautiful Death” website.

With season 5 only a few months away, there’s no doubt we’ll see more creative and effective tactics from the Game of Thrones team. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for more David Bowie covers.

What do you think of these kind of marketing tactics? Worth it or a waste of time? Share your thoughts below.

The Multimillion Dollar Half Minute

I’m an advertising nerd and a Seahawks fan, so this Sunday is exciting for two reasons. This Sunday is Super Bowl 49, and NBC is confident it will be the greatest of all time in terms of advertising. With 30-second slots selling for $4.5 million, advertisers are using their time wisely and watching their content closely. Let’s take a look at what we should expect during the big game.

Heartstrings, Not G-Strings

With the success of emotional ads last year, it’s no surprise advertisers are aiming for a repeat. Budweiser plans to play the cute card again with a sequel to their Super Bowl 48 hit, “Puppy Love.” The new ad will continue the shift in tone for the brand and will undoubtedly show up at least 15 times on your Facebook feed.

Budweiser isn’t the only brand with a furry friend this year. GoDaddy’s ad will feature Danica Patrick with a nearly identical dog. The brand usually features Super Bowl ads with women wearing bikinis or less. GoDaddy seems committed to their new image; the dog even has his own Twitter account.

Automotive Makes Way for New Brands

Some of the Super Bowl’s top ad-buyers are automotive brands. However, this year will not feature some fan favorites. Hyundai and Volkswagen, along with seven other car brands are opting out of the Super Bowl due to high costs and money better spent elsewhere.

The lack of automotive means a lot of open ad space. The high cost of advertising hasn’t dissuaded everyone. This year’s Super Bowl will feature 15 newcomers, the largest since 2000. Some of the most notable include Skittles, Wix, and Loctite. Loctite, a glue company, has spent their entire advertising budget on the single spot.

Tactics and Gimmicks

Living in a digital era, it’s no surprise that brands are moving the grit of their campaigns online. This year is no different, and will feature new ideas from old brands. Whether this year’s offerings will stick, is another story altogether.

One standout example is Pepsi. Pepsi will promote a reality-style cooking competition featuring Pepsi-centric recipes. The episodes will air the week leading up to the Super Bowl, with the winner announced during the game.

Overall, this year’s ads have a lot of promise. New brands (hopefully) translate into new ideas. I’m not too interested in more dog ads, but do what works I suppose.

Which brands have piqued your interest for this Sunday? Share your thoughts below.