Buzz Builder

Red Bull Gets Wings & Buzz with Flugtag Publicity Stunt Since 1991

Kudos to Red Bull for creating Flugtag, an annual publicity stunt that has taken place in numerous locations around the world since 1991. Each year, it generates tremendous buzz for the company  reinforcing its advertising slogan: "Red Bull gives you wings." Flugtag is a tongue-in-cheek flying event judged on three criteria: distance, creativity and showmanship. What constitutes a craft is purely up to the imagination of the participating teams.

The first Red Bull Flugtag took place in Vienna, Austria, in 1991. Since then, more than 35 Flugtags have been held around the world -- from Ireland to San Francisco -- attracting up to 300,000 spectators. The record for the farthest flight-to-date currently stands at 195 feet set in 2000 at Flugtag Austria. The U.S. record stands at 155 feet set in Nashville, TN in 2007 (see video below from Red Bull which documents this flight).

I was impressed to see Red Bull's Flugtag event featured on the front page of The Oregonian, my daily newspaper, this past Saturday with a photo of a contestant getting ready to jump off a ramp. Clearly, a great photo was the clincher to secure such prime coverage since the article didn't cover the contest rather it merely noted the deadline to apply for the event in August is less than two weeks away.

Yes, Red Bull and other companies have discovered that publicity stunts can still break through the commercial clutter and generate tremendous media and public attention provided they meet some basic as I explained in this post.

Travel Oregon Website Builds State's Buzz Creatively

I'm proud to be an Oregonian and I get a lump in my throat every time I return from a trip outside the state. Recently, my wife and I enjoyed a fantastic trip to Oaxaca, Mexico where we loved the people, delicious food (I still dream about the amazing mole sauces), amazing ruins (don't miss Monte Alban just outside Oaxaca), and beautiful arts & crafts (check out our visit to one of the most famous local rug merchants). Yet, when our Mexicana flight dipped below the cloud cover and we saw the tree-lined streets and parks of Portland, we felt incredibly lucky to live in such a green and friendly place.

Our neighbor, a Wieden+Kennedy employee, has been working on an an elaborate web project for the Oregon Tourism Commission. The Travel Oregon website is nearly complete and it has a lot of cool free features such as the ability to create a personal journal to plan and save trips as well as as a signup for a free electronic newsletter and interesting Travel Oregon Magazine which comes out twice a year. Of course, I'm incredibly biased but the most interesting feature of all is the 365 Days in Oregon calendar which features our dog Bella the Boxer. Just click on April 16 to see Bella and her boyfriend, the chocolate lab Norm from across the street, in action on the beach. Even before appearing on the calendar, Bella's blog generated more traffic than this one. Now, she will pull into an even larger lead that will be hard to overcome.

If you want to see why Oregon has been generating such great media buzz, check out the Travel Oregon website and I bet you'll be making plans to visit our state soon.

No Recession in Word of Mouth Marketing Spending

Thanks to the outstanding free newsletter that I receive from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, I learned that according to a new study  from PQ Media, spending on alternative media, which word of mouth marketing is a part of, is expected to continue to grow in 2008, in spite of a slowing economy. Alternative media spending grew 22.0% to $73.43 billion in 2007, according to PQ Media's research. Spending is projected to grow 20.2% to $88.24 billion in 2008.

Free Buzz Marketing Seminar in Berkeley, CA on 4/10

All Buzz Builder Blog readers are invited to attend my free seminar "Galvanize Your Business with Buzz" on Thursday, April 10 from 8 am to 10 am in Berkeley, California.

The seminar will teach your how to:

• Ensure that your best customers keep coming back
• Inspire satisfied customers to refer their friends and colleagues
• Grow sales through e-newsletters, blogs, viral videos and search engine optimization
• Command free media coverage that is far more powerful than advertising Leverage media exposure for maximum advantage

The free seminar will be held in OCSC Sailing's Club Room at One Spinnaker Way in the Berkeley Marina. OCSC Sailing has been a client of Galvin Communications, my word of mouth marketing and PR firm, for four years.Check out the outstanding press we've helped OCSC Sailing land since they've been our client.

To reserve a space for the seminar, please RSVP to [email protected] or call 503-249-8800 by Tuesday, 4/8. If you know people who might be interested in attending, please invite them. To learn more about my speaking programs, visit my speaking page.

 

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.

Buzz Marketing Lessons from Cricketwood Bed and Breakfast in Bend, Oregon

Earlier this month, my wife and I spent four days and three nights at the Cricketwood Country Bed and Breakfast  in Bend, Oregon. We enjoyed our stay immensely and learned some excellent marketing lessons.

First, Jim and Tracy, the cordial husband-and-wife Cricketwood owners, go out of their way to deliver an experience that far exceeds the competition. Unusual amenities included a choice from a vast array of made-to-order gourmet breakfast items (try the delicious German apple pancakes); unlimited free soft drinks, water, beer, and wine; access to a large library of free DVDs which can be taken to your room to watch on a great high-definition TV; a book containing personal restaurant recommendations and menus; complimentary night time cookies and ice cream treats; massage table with free oil; and full-scale fountains in the middle of some rooms (thankfully they can be turned off when you want to go to sleep). We've paid a lot more at other places and gotten much less.

Second, Jim is so enthusiastic about his business and committed to guest services that he made a video explaining the Cricketwood story. He told me that he likes to tell the story in person but sometimes it's more convenient for folks to listen to the story on their own schedule. In each room, Jim has placed a DVD featuring his account of Cricketwood's story. I planned on watching just a few minutes but I got caught up in Jim's enthusiasm and  couldn't stop watching. I'll never forget the story and I'm sure that I'll pass it along to others.

Third, Jim and Tracy understand that it not enough to provide a differentiated and quality experience to get people buzzing. Rather, you have to ask for it. Throughout our stay, we heard them tell us and other guests that their business depends upon word of mouth for growth. We were specifically asked to put in a good word for Cricketwood on TripAdvisor, one of the largest and most reliable travel websites. In our room, we also found a small stack of business cards with instructions on how to submit TripAdvisor or Yahoo Travel reviews. I liked Cricketwood so much that I placed a review  and a three-minute video tour of Cricketwood on TripAdvisor - it's amazing to see that 80 people have watched the video in less than a week since I posted it. It's not a Coppola film but it does highlight what makes Cricketwood unique. 

Memorable amenities, excellent service, and the solicitation of reviews have earned Cricketwood the top B&B rating on TripAdvisor for Bend, Oregon and a five star rating (the highest possible) on Yahoo Travel. If you're in Bend, enjoy your stay at Cricketwood and the business inspiration you'll receive.

Why I'm Willing to Pay for Angie's List & Reliable Word of Mouth Recommendations

I'm willing to pay for quality word of mouth recommendations. I just received a note from Angie's List, one of the country's leading customer review websites of service providers with approximately 600,000 members across 124 U.S. cities, informing me that the free subscription that I've enjoyed for more than a year is ending. If I want to continue using the service, it'll cost me $27/year if I use the promo code LTRPROMO when I signup online or by phone.

I blogged positively about Angie's List last year while I had a free subscription. However, I'm  frugal when it comes for paying for online subscriptions since there is so much free information available. Yet, I have been unable to find a free or paid service like Angie's List with such comprehensive listings. More importantly, I've used Angie's List to find a variety of service providers such as electricians, handymen, painters, chimney sweeps, HVAC experts, plumbers, etc. Every single highly-rated service provider that I discovered on Angie's List provided quality service at a fair price. This leads me to believe that Angie's List invests a lot effort in making sure that reviewers are non-biased "real people." I would be curious to know how they do this since I imagine that is tempting for service providers to "stuff the ballot box."

Angie's List has also given me the means to obtain an informed second opinion when friends recommend service providers. It's not like I don't trust people but I enjoy getting an opinion beyond a sample size of one.

What customer review websites with paid or unpaid access do you like? I'm always open to new services and curious to see what else is out there. 

Brandweek Says Future of Word of Mouth Marketing Is Bright But Watch Out for Excess

Eric Newman at Brandweek has an interesting article about the growth of word of mouth marketing. In 2007, he noted that companies will spend $1.3 billion on WOM marketing, up almost 33% from $981 million in 2006. He quotes various pundits who anticipate that spending will continue growing at a rapid pace in 2008.

As a word of mouth marketing practitioner, I'm satisfied that my field is doing well. However, I  have some concerns that the power of word of mouth marketing might be negatively impacted if marketers try to control it so closely that consumers doubt the credibility of the messages that they hear.  Rather than obsessing about messages to communicate, all companies should realize that their best way to manage buzz is to ensure that their products and services are of the highest quality. Then, it makes sense to reach out to existing customers creatively to let them know that their buzz is both appreciated and necessary for the company's continued success.

Word of Mouth Wins Iowa Caucus

One of the biggest winners in yesterday's Iowa Caucus was word of mouth marketing. On the Republican side, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who was virtually unknown just a few months ago, surged to a resounding victory over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney who spent nearly 20 times more money on advertising in Iowa than Huckabee. Huckabee won with the overwhelming support of Christian conservatives who turned out to caucus in record numbers. The biggest reason behind the large turnout had nothing to do with traditional advertising. Rather, it was the enthusiasm of Huckabee's supporters who worked to get their friends and family to support their candidate.

For the Democrats, the surprisingly strong performance of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton defied the expectations of many pundits. Obama focused on a message of change while Hillary emphasized her experience. Exit polls seemed to vindicate Obama's change message. But, the real story was the huge turnout of young voters who voted overwhelmingly for Obama. The huge number of young Obama supporters going door-to-door to get out the vote in the general populace and inspire their peers to vote was the tipping point.

Before Election Day in November,billions will be spent on traditional advertising. But, I would bet that the victor will not be the one who buys the most advertising. Rather, it'll be the candidate who gets the masses buzzing.

Word of Mouth Marketing Radio Interview

I recently posted a streaming audio  radio interview  featuring me on KUIK in Oregon speaking about the power of word mouth marketing. I talked about my first experience with buzz marketing when I broke the Guinness World Record for hammock swinging as a way to attract attention for my father's hammock stores. I succeeded in landing prominent coverage in newspapers and television stations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and hammock sales surged. Also, you'll enjoy some of my  easy-to-implement tips and ideas that any company seeking media attention should use.