Custom Digital Marketing, Social & Interactive Media Consulting

Generation Gap

*embedded clips are from cable, viewer discretion is advised*

From The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, discussing Google’s new glasses technology and Facebook buying Instagram --



While it may be a humorous point of view, it does address an issue that we in the new and interactive media world must not ever lose sight of -- a generation gap when it comes to new technologies. It is paramount to keep this in mind when developing new services, technologies, platforms, etc. Some of the gap is societal, some of it behavioral, some of it institutional, some of it stereotypical, but it is there. You may have the next Instagram app or idea, but if it isn’t accessible, user-friendly and easy for at least the majority to understand, it’s worthless.
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#IGotTheTweetsLikeGrassley

*embedded clips are from cable, viewer discretion is advised*

Stephen Colbert, one of the better utilizers of Twitter to advance his brand (satire), is at it again. This time, he is calling out Senator Chuck Grassley and his unique Twitter style --



He begins with an incredibly accurate statement - “These days, all politicians have a powerful media outlet at their disposal, Twitter.”

In fact, everyone has that powerful media outlet at their disposal. We’ve seen Twitter have a hand in everything from telling your followers how much you hate mondays to taking down dictatorships and oppressive regimes.

But it has to be used effectively. Something Senator Grassley is not doing.

The shorthand style Colbert mocks in the video clip may be fine for tweens and teens to shoot messages back and forth to one another, but it comes across as ridiculous when it comes from a United States Congressman. If Senator Grassley really wanted to tweet the point he was trying to make, spreading it out over a couple of successive tweets or making use of a service like TwitLonger would have helped to make sure his message wasn’t lost in translation.

The other part I want to address is the #IGotTheTweetsLikeGrassley Twitter hashtag. Colbert has used this strategy before, even engaging his audience over social media, encouraging them to join him in skewering his targets. Clips below are from The Colbert Report, showing Stephen putting the Twitter hashtag to use --

#NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement



#preparethem (starts about 4:40)



#InMyHeart (starts about 2:35)



To bring this full circle, the bottom line is to make sure to understand the new media space in which you are operating. Use platforms like Twitter in ways that advance your message, your business, your cause. Ineffective or incorrect use can be just as damaging as no use at all.
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The Hunger Games - Social Media Odds Ever in Their Favor

Chances are, especially if you are or have a child from ... let’s see ... 8-18, you’ve heard of The Hunger Games, the popular young adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins as well as the first movie based on the books released on March 23, 2012.

As with just about anything marketed today, especially something where the initial audience is Generation Digital -- those young teens who live and breathe on social media and online communities, who have known only a world of sharing on Twitter, Facebook and tumblr -- there must be appropriate planning and consideration given to a social media marketing campaign. The Hunger Games formulated a comprehensive social media playbook and successfully implemented that plan to maximize the technologies available, utilize the built-in fan base from the books and fully leverage the power of interactive media effectively.

A collection of commentary about the successful use of social media by The Hunger Games movie:

The Hunger Games’ Social Media Campaign: A Case Study in Content Marketing

4 Social Media Secrets From The Hunger Games

How The Hunger Games Scored Big Through Social Media

Hunger Games' Social Media Lesson? The Need for Real-Time (Data) and Longer Lead Time

The Hunger Games: Using Social Media Marketing to Bring Fiction to Life

Not how–but why–”The Hunger Games” rocked the social media world

'The Hunger Games' plays social media

Lionsgate and the team behind the marketing of The Hunger Games did their prep work, they had a plan in place and executed that plan to record-setting perfection.
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E-mail Marketing 101 with Jon Stewart

*embedded clips are from cable, viewer discretion is advised*

You can always learn a thing or two, even in the most unexpected places. This time it comes from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In the clip below, he discusses President Barack Obama’s use of social media and e-mail marketing --



The take-away from this? Communicate truly.

Sure, when you are dealing with blogs, tweets, status updates or e-mails, you want the message to fit general expectations for the platform (140 characters or less, etc.); however, if you try to ‘fit in’ and twist your message into something that doesn’t coincide with who you are, it will present as ‘fake’ or ‘spin’ or ‘PR speak’ and you will lose credibility in the new media space. Understand the platform and the space in which you are operating, but don’t stray from who you are or try to pretend to be something you are not.
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