Owner's Box

Generation Gap

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2012-04-11T22:06:43-04:00

*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 --

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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.

#IGotTheTweetsLikeGrassley

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2012-04-11T21:19:06-04:00

*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 --

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

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

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

#preparethem (starts about 4:40)

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

#InMyHeart (starts about 2:35)

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

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.

E-mail Marketing 101 with Jon Stewart

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2012-04-06T17:02:50-04:00

*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 Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

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.

The Hunger Games - Social Media Odds Ever in Their Favor

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2012-04-06T22:49:06-04:00

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.

#epicfail: Atlanta BBQ joint burns themselves

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2012-02-09T16:33:37-05:00

You may have seen snippets and screenshots of this incident circulating around over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, this is another clear example of what can happen when you post before you think.

You can read more about this tale here, here, here, here and here.

[I am going to try to keep my puns to a minimum]

Our cautionary tale begins not even two weeks into 2012. Local woman Stephanie Stuck took her husband to Boners BBQ, an Atlanta restaurant near Turner Field, to celebrate his birthday. Seemed like a good idea – it’s a local joint, they had a Scoutmob discount coupon - so why not stop by the establishment with the slogan ‘Put a little south in your mouth.’

After eating their meal (with the whole place to themselves), they paid their tab and left. Stephanie was rather underwhelmed by the experience at Boners BBQ, so she posted the following rating and review on Yelp.com (as countless others have done). [screenshot from Yelp.com]

That is when the BBQ hit the fan, so-to-speak. Apparently Hell hath no fury like a restaurant scorned.

The owner of Boners BBQ, Andrew Capron, and employees of the Atlanta BBQ joint proceeded to launch a social media assault against Stephanie for her less-than glowing review and her lack of leaving a tip (a claim Stephanie denies, stating she and her husband left two $20 bills for a just-over $30 tab, coupon included).

The following post appeared on Facebook and Twitter, including a picture and link to Stuck’s profile:

“NOT WANTED! (Stephanie S.) left waitress 0.00 tip on a $40 tab after she received a Scoutmob discount. If you see this woman in your restaurant tell her to go outside and play hide and go f--- yourself! Yelp that b----”

This, of course, launched a torrent of comments, responses and news media coverage.

Reaction ranged from those voicing support for Boners BBQ, applauding them for calling out the non-tipping customer, to those expressing outrage over how a business could call one of their few customers a ‘b----‘ and telling them to ‘go outside and play hide and go f--- yourself.’

Boners BBQ eventually did issue a pair of apologies to Stuck for their actions toward her. Yet, comments and actions on their Facebook and Twitter pages arguably calls into question the sincerity of those apologies. *You can see Facebook screenshots here, and since it is from Facebook, bottom to top is chronological order.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do I begin? This is a total fail top to bottom with how Boners BBQ handled this situation.

If you read Stuck’s Yelp.com review, it is well thought out, reasonable and articulate. As the customer, she is well within her rights to comment and review on a restaurant, or any business for that matter. That is one of the beauties of sites like Yelp.com and Angie’s List, it allows everyday people to either praise or criticize a business based on the service they receive, saving some from having to go through a negative service experience.

The response from Boners BBQ is, quite frankly, baffling. They managed to break nearly every cardinal rule when it comes to interactions on social media. More importantly, they broke the rule ‘the customer is always right’ and the Golden Rule (treat others the way you want to be treated). Plus, the facts in their rant were incorrect. The tab was $40, but before the Scoutmob discount, it was $30+tax after the discount.

Yet, if you look at some of the responses and comments from both fans of Boners BBQ and the restaurant itself, one could argue that this is an aura/attitude that the business has previously established for itself – this anti-establishment, rebel, ‘forget you’ attitude. For some, that is a draw, something fans of the Atlanta BBQ joint come to expect from their favorite restaurant. Personally, I think this is a way too narrow niche to market to, and a losing proposition in the long run.

It just comes down to common sense people. You don’t curse at your customers, belittle them and insult them. That’s not just a good social media/iMedia practice, that’s just good real-world practice. Any interaction, whether on social media or not, it comes down to using your common sense. Take a moment, think before you click post or send; if something doesn’t feel right, something doesn’t sound right, something doesn’t look right, then don’t do it.

#epicfail: LFL Fumbles Toronto Turmoil

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-10-27T20:37:36-04:00

Pre-game: For a little background, check out this article from The Toronto Star.

First, I want to being by stating I am not here to argue the merits of each sides’ claims, assign blame or take sides. I am strictly looking at this from an iMedia perspective, analyzing how the sides made use of the tools and whether or not, in my opinion, they used them correctly – a little ‘Saturday Morning Quarterbacking’ so-to-speak.

Timing – using the immediacy of interactive media tools effectively –

Advantage Triumph20

Overall, the players came out in a no-huddle offense, firing off status updates and tweets, responding to fan questions and concerns, getting out their side of the story the same day news of the departures leaked out. (Screenshots 1 2 3 4 5)

The league, on the other hand, gets a delay of game penalty, letting seven days pass before issuing any kind of statement. (Screenshots 1 2, Link to Statement)

When it comes to the new media, social media space, it is key not just to be first, but be credible. The players nailed both.

Message – conveying your point within the confines of the platforms –

Toss-up (with a penalty on the LFL)

As for the message, social and interactive media provide a difficult challenge, getting your point across in the narrow space constraints of a tweet, status update or blog post.

The player’s messages definitely adhered to three C’s – consistent, clear and constructed. Despite coming out of the gate quickly, their comments were consistent and clear across the various players and platforms. Their comments were thoughtfully constructed, stating their side in a calm, professional manner; the same way someone would issue a statement at a press conference. (Screenshots 1 2 3, Link to News Video, Link to News Video #2)

The league took far too long to issue a statement. In the absence of answers, rumor and speculation filled the void and fan sentiment turned against the league. (Screenshots 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, Blog 1 2) By the time the statement was issued, the damage was already done – Pandora’s box had opened. Yes, the statement was constructed, true; and yes, it did address some of the issues raised buy the players and questions posed by the fans; however, there was a thematic shift to personal attacks that did the league a disservice, muddying the waters, rendering their message unclear and not very concise. (Screenshot 1, Link to Statement)

The players used the tools more effectively, remaining engaged with fans, stating their side of the story, answering questions quickly. They did not hide, they did not wait – the faced the controversy and addressed it promptly.

Management – observation and participation in the conversation –

Flag – Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Toronto Triumph & the LFL

Multiple fans reported having their comments deleted from team and league Facebook pages, even being banned from commenting at all. (Screenshots 1 2 3 4 5 6)

Talk about a penalty -- the league broke one of the cardinal rules of the new media space – Thou Shalt Not Censor the Conversation.

Look, I understand organizations and brands wanted to protect their interests – and negative reviews and comments don’t really help advance that goal. However, deleting comments just because they are negative, or they disagree with you or you just don’t like what they said is not how the new media game is played.

The advantage of the platforms, like Facebook, is the interactivity, the two-way conversation. The point is not to just silence your critics via deletion, but to engage and learn from them, converting critics into fans if possible.

Censoring the conversation causes your organization or brand to lose credibility in the new media world, something that is nearly impossible to get back.

Instead of deleting negative comments and banning their authors, a simple reply of “The LFL and Toronto Triumph will be issuing a statement in the near future regarding the claims made by former Triumph players.” A response like that, heck, ANY response is a better practice in the new media space rather than what the LFL and the Triumph did – deafening silence coupled with censorship and manipulation of the conversation.

Final Score

– Triumph20 FTW

The players leveraged the new media and social media tools effectively, much to their benefit.

They got out first
Their message was consistent, clear and constructed
The did not manipulate nor censor the conversation, they welcomed it

The league committed costly penalties

Delay of game – too long to respond, creating a deafening silence
Unsportsmanlike conduct – censoring/manipulating the conversation
Illegal shift & Personal foul – the eventual statement did address questions and concerns raised by the departed players and fans, but the theme shifted to include personal attacks

FSU ‘axes’ social media – right play or wrong call?

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-10-22T21:59:03-04:00

Came across this the other day on TheLedger.com while cruising the interwebs –

Florida State Players Vote to Nix Social Media

From the headline alone, as an interactive media professional, my first thought is – “Not a smart move.” As a general rule, you never want to cut off your interactive communication channels, your social media. Whether the feedback and comments are positive or negative, the interactive nature of social media is a powerful tool when used properly; a tool you do not want to be without nor give up.

Reading further explained why the decision was made to cease social media.

A small group of FSU players — including quarterback EJ Manuel, wide receiver Kenny Shaw and defensive back Greg Reid — said on their Twitter feeds Saturday night that fans were hitting them with negative commentary after the Seminoles lost their third straight game. ...

Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said he did not ban the use of Twitter and Facebook, surmising that the players voted on the ban during a players' only meeting Sunday night.

It seems that it was a decision made by the players and the players alone in response to the negative feedback some fans were shooting their way during the Seminoles three-game skid this season.

However, as the article theorizes, Head Coach Jimbo Fisher’s previous warnings about social media likely influenced his team at least to some degree –

But Fisher has preached the pitfalls of reading and responding to comments from fans. … "I don't think it's smart … There's no benefit. Tell me a benefit for getting on it? Because the only thing that comes back is negative. They read all the stuff that people say. I've told them, ‘Be careful. Don't listen to it and don't reply back.'" ...

"Coach Fisher has always warned us about the social networks because a lot of it is just people having a chance to voice their opinions, directly to us," Manuel said. ...

"Obviously right now it's kind of negative. ... It was a joint effort. Everybody understands that we need to focus in and not be up at night worrying about Twitter or be up at night worrying about Facebook. Focus on what we have to do. Twitter and Facebook is just extra stuff that we don't need right now."

Now, you can argue the merits of the reasoning behind the decision to ban social media, from the “focus in” and ‘eliminate the distractions’ standpoint, from the fostering a healthy environment for young players and men to develop … but that is for another time and place.

Here, what we are concerned with is looking at the decision to ban from the standpoint of interactive and social media strategy and best practices.

Simply put, as a general rule, cutting off social media and interactive feedback channels in the face of criticism is the wrong play call. You lose credibility in and trust from the new media space when you shut down your social and interactive media channels when confronted with negative feedback.

Instead, organizations need to use the opportunity to engage in conversation those lobbing criticism their way, learn from them to make your organization better. Being honest and open, not running from criticism but facing it head on and working collaboratively with your fans on making things better is where the true power of interactive media is leveraged.

*I do want to note that there are exceptions to every rule. Careful, deliberate examination of your unique situation and circumstances by a trained, experienced interactive and social media professional will help ensure that your organization makes the winning call when it comes to leveraging interactive and social media.

Word of Mouth, meet Global Village

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-07-24T14:09:17-04:00

Think of the last time you did business with a company and it left a bad taste in your mouth. Maybe the company got your order wrong and it was a pain to get it corrected. Perhaps the salesperson was rude, ignored you or couldn’t answer your questions. Got it in your mind? Good.

Now, how many people did you tell? Probably a handful of friends, some family – maybe five or six people tops.

Back in the day, companies could keep unsatisfied customers ‘under wraps’ … responding (or not) to that particular situation, knowing the damage would be minimal at best should they find the situation unfixable. Any bad press would be limited to the verbal reach of that specific customer. Occasionally, a higher-profile customer may be the one unhappy, necessitating a rapid, more public correction.

Now, take a look at these –

@promotingyou (3,935 Followers)
Ok this @redbox representative "Michael" has NO customer service skills. Please offer classes to your employees

@IrinaVoronina (9,885 Followers)
Another awful @unitedair experience . I m soo done w that airline!!!

@CarieIsSoVery (2,135 Followers)
Fort Myers BMW, thanks AGAIN for the absolutely horrible customer service. This is exactly why I bought my car in Ft Lauderdale. You suck!

See the problem? Each of these people has thousands of followers on Twitter, with @IrinaVoronina close to 10,000. No more is the bad experience limited to the half-dozen, but now a negative experience reaches thousands with the press of a button.

If companies aren’t paying attention to tweets on Twitter, or basically anywhere in the new social interactive media landscape where people can share their opinions and experiences with dang-near everyone, they are doing themselves a disservice. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are the new arenas in CRM – Customer Relationship Management. Companies need to be proactive when possible and respond quickly when necessary. Engaging your customers in the social conversation, not just those that ‘like’ your brand, but those that may have issues with your business only serves to help your company in the long run. Customers want to feel that they matter, that people are paying attention to them. A simple reply to a disgruntled tweet can make all the difference, turn that negative customer into a positive example of your company in action, taking its customers seriously, caring about their experience.

Coach’s Tip:

Monitor social media channels like Twitter for what people are saying about your company and your brand. Be prepared to respond to concerns and problems as well as reward loyal brand champions.

All-Star iMedia Integration

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-05-21T20:32:00-04:00

I wanted to highlight some excellent iMedia integration from SPEED and NASCAR.com and their coverage of the 2011 Sprint All-Star Race. SPEED has their on-air personalities tweeting and interacting with fans, a Facebook contest, and photo updates. NASCAR.com has the Miss Sprint Cup trio interacting with fans on RaceBuddy. Nice incorporation of Facebook and Twitter chat, integration with streaming video - great use of the technology to enhance the race coverage.

The SPEED Social Tracker

RaceBuddy on NASCAR.com

“Trouble! The #79 car, sideways …”/The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-03-26T19:19:03-04:00

Bristol Motor Speedway, aka ‘Thunder Valley,’ is always a source of action and drama when the NASCAR circus rolls into town. And, for the Nationwide Series, the fireworks began prior to the start of the Scotts EZ Seed 300 one week ago today.

From NASCAR.com -
“Jennifer Jo Cobb climbed out of the No. 79 Ford of 2nd Chance Motorsports prior to the start of the Scotts EZ Seed 300 on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway after a conflict with team owner Rick Russell.

Cobb failed to take the green flag after leaving the car shortly before the race's warm-up laps began. The conflict came about when Russell decided to start and park his car at Bristol in order to save it for the race next week at Fontana.”

Almost immediately after news of Cobb’s self-described ‘Jerry Maguire moment’ broke, sides were chosen (read more here and here). Fans and onlookers were determining who was right and who was wrong in those critical moments immediately after word got out of what happened.

As the week passed, the situation literally boiled down to ‘he said, she said.’ And the only people who know exactly what happened are those involved – Jennifer Jo Cobb and Rick Russell, owner of 2nd Chance Motorsports.

*For more on what happened in the Nationwide Series garage at Bristol, check out these articles:
Jennifer Jo Cobb Stands For What She Believes; Walks Away Before Start Of Bristol Event
Jennifer Jo Cobb quits team after dispute over start-and-park
Why Jennifer Jo Cobb decided to opt out of Saturday's Nationwide race
Jennifer Jo Cobb Seeking New Deal
Driver refuses to start Nationwide race after she says that owner ordered her to start and park

I bring up what went down between Cobb and 2nd Chance Motorsports, now that the dust has settled (sort of), because it provides an interesting case study (so-to-speak) illustrating what to do - and what not to do - when it comes to interactive social media and crisis response management.

First, the good – Jennifer Jo Cobb

From a December 2010 article on The Daly Planet –
“There is perhaps no better example in NASCAR of someone who has used social media, amateur NASCAR blogs and the Internet to develop effective sponsor exposure and a strong fan base. All of this is necessary due to one well-known fact.

"No one covers trucks, they just don't," said a popular NASCAR journalist to me in November. The drivers who get the most attention on TV in the truck races are the cross-overs from the Sprint Cup Series. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are big draws when they race a truck. For a single truck team owner/driver like Cobb, there is simply little help with exposure from the NASCAR media. Cobb's answer was to make it personal. She has a thriving community on Facebook of pages for both her race team and for herself as a driver. On Twitter, Cobb speaks easily with fans and has created lasting bonds with many. The Internet is full of NASCAR blogs with stories and features on Cobb. “

Jennifer Jo Cobb is making the most of the communication avenues available to build up her brand, connect with her fans and market herself to those with the deep pockets in order to make her dream of racing a reality. Being a woman trying to make it in big-time stock car racing, Cobb knew she had to do something unique, something to bring attention to her and her race team. Essentially, it was take to social media and reach out to her fans or pose scantily-clad in a ‘lad mag’ to garner some coverage. Cobb chose the former.

Jennifer Jo Cobb built her support from the ground up, in true grass-roots style - much like her race team and business interests.

So, when it all went down before the green flag flew, Cobb already had established relationships with her fans and the avenues to communicate with them. In turn, her fans had come to expect an open honesty in her communications, trusting what she had to say.

Most important of all, Cobb kept those avenues open.

Fans could visit her Facebook and Twitter pages and be kept in the loop as to what was going on in the Bristol garage. Fans could also have a say – two-way, interactive media – but we’ll get to that later.

The Bad – 2nd Chance Motorsports

Coming at this after the fact, I cannot speak to the quality, history or effectiveness of the Facebook and Twitter pages for 2nd Chance Motorsports – I only know they existed prior to this past weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

What I can gather from various reports on the fall-out after Cobb walked away, the folks at 2nd Chance Motorsports should be wishing for a second chance to deal with the fan and media reaction better than they did.

From speedwaymedia.com:
Before sunset on Saturday they had to take down their Facebook account because of all the messages they were receiving. Since then their Twitter page has also been taken down.

Social networking at its best, it’s great when it’s there and provides and inside look for fans of the sport as well as a great communication tool for teams and drivers. Yet, when something goes wrong it helps deliver blows.

After the incident on Saturday the voice behind the Twitter page for 2nd Chance [Motorsports] did their best to explain the situation to fans. But every one of their messages came off in a negative way and weren’t well received. In a way, they just added fuel to the fire.

Messages like: “For anyone that disagrees with any decisions we make, no one is making you ‘follow’ us.” Or, “It is not my place to give the details. All I will say is wait for the official word if you want to know the true story.”

There was also, “Owner unable to hear reporter track-side due to hearing loss from fighting in Vietnam. Want to blame him for that too?”

Wow. If ever there was a textbook example of what not to do, that’s it.

Another strike against 2nd Chance Motorsports – they took down/suspended their Twitter and Facebook accounts following a barrage of negative comments after Cobb told her side of what happened, live on ESPN.

At the exact moment when they needed an avenue to get their side of the story out, to diffuse any rumors or lies about what was going on in the Nationwide garage at Bristol, 2nd Chance Motorsports did the one thing they absolutely shouldn’t have done – they cut themselves off. (as of this posting, the pages are still not up/available)

I would also venture a guess that there was not a long-standing fan/race team relationship over interactive social media – unlike Jennifer Jo Cobb, who started building such a relationship from lap one.

(It also would have helped to have a calmer, cooler head manning the social media avenues to respond to the criticism.)

The Ugly – The Aftermath

Just because the race is over and the Nationwide Series has moved on to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, the ripples from the Cobb vs. 2nd Chance debacle are still radiating throughout the NASCAR community. Accusations are flying and the mud is being slung.

From NASCAR.com –
Russell said Cobb put his phone number as well as his wife's on Facebook, and that he's had at least 25 harassing calls. He said the 2nd Chance Motorsports website had to be shut down. Cobb said the number was put up by somebody she didn't know and that she had it taken down.

From ESPN.com --
The owner of 2nd Chance Motorsports has filed a police report alleging larceny charges against Jennifer Jo Cobb, …
Rick Russell alleged that Cobb and crew chief Steve Kuykendall stole $16,000 worth of race car parts from his Mooresville, N.C. facility. Russell said police found about half of the missing parts on Sunday in a storage bin used by Cobb not far from the shop.

From examiner.com –
According to Kuykendall via his Twitter account, Russell threatened him and Cobb's crew with violence while the situation was unfolding at the beginning of the race. "Car owner rick russel threatened myself and anyone associated with jennifer with a jack handle in the pits!" Kuykendall also said on Twitter that "Rick russell is making lots of untrue accusations about jennifer and I. The only thing we are guilty of is wanting to race!"

From ESPN.com –
She plans no legal action against Russell as long as he returns a few items -- including the seat, dry brake system and shock -- that she owns.

Russell said the seat already has been removed from the car.

"I don't think it's worth it," Cobb said of legal action. "If I can get at least one or two of my things back, I'm satisfied to walk away."

Cobb said Russell tried to have Kuykendall arrested for trying to retrieve personal belongings of hers and guests in the hauler.

"I hosted female soldiers for my Drive2Honor program and he had a soldier in tears because he refused to let her have her purse," Cobb said. "After an hour and NASCAR intervening, she got it back."

It’s unfortunate that for-all-intents-and-purposes a contract matter between driver and team is being played out in front of everyone. Such is the media world in which we all operate, for better or worse – the 24/7 news cycle, instant and constant access via interactive social media. Even if Cobb didn’t walk away from the 79 car live on ESPN minutes before the start of the race, and instead did it late Friday night under cover of darkness, Baltimore Colts-to-Indianapolis style, news of her departure would have gotten out, eliciting a similar, if not the same reaction.

Duh, winning

It human nature to want to boil down a situation like this into who won and who lost – who came out AOK or better and who ended up worse for having gone through it.

Without question, Cobb came out of this on top -- at least so far. She has a ride for today’s Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway – the #41 Mustang with Rick Ware Racing. [Read more about it here, here and here]

From sportingnews.com --
"I've got a ride for California, my T-shirt sales have quadrupled this week, I've got fans who are sending in donations to make sure that I have the money to go racing with other teams, I've got people calling me to give speeches because I give speeches about perseverance and determination and reaching your goals," Cobb said. "I want to stick up for my integrity and reputation, (and) the best thing for me right now is just to focus on the business side of it."

Cobb said she is simply trying to focus on getting rides for the rest of the season, instead of trying to defend herself from Russell's various accusations.

"This is a business," Cobb said. "There's a Jen Cobb behind the scenes who sat with her mom and went and saw her dad and hung out with friends. Then there's Jennifer Jo Cobb the racecar driver who is in this for business. It's Jen's dream to go race, so Jennifer Jo Cobb has to work on making that happen.

Meanwhile, Rick Russell and 2nd Chance Motorsports are forging ahead, going to Auto Club Speedway with a different driver – and going after Cobb and her crew, accusing them of larceny. In the opinion of many fans - “so he doesn’t have enough money to run a full race, but he has funds to pursue legal action against Cobb and her team?”

This is not the place to pass judgement on who is in the wrong and who is in the right, to determine which party did the other the ‘wrongest’ -- as I mentioned before, the only people who really know the truth are those involved.

In terms of effective use of interactive social media, Jennifer Jo Cobb got it right. From lap one, she established a presence in the social media space, interacting with fans and marketing herself via new media channels. And when controversy struck, she kept those channels open, keeping her fans informed as to what was going on, in as level-headed a voice as possible.

2nd Chance Motorsports got it wrong. When the controversy hit, new media channels were closed off. What little information did get through did nothing to help tell the race team’s side of the story, it only served to pour gasoline on an already volatile, emotional situation.

The take-away from this? There are no second chances when it comes to making an interactive social media impression.

The Value of iMedia

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-03-07T23:18:04-05:00

Here are a few hard stats -- in an easy-to-digest video format -- demonstrating the value behind iMedia and what it can do for you.

These come to us courtesy of our friends at Socialnomics

(if the embedded videos don’t happen to work, click on the title to go to YouTube and watch)

Social Media Revolution 2 (refresh)

Social Media ROI : Socialnomics

Like what you see? Contact us today at The iMedia Playbook and have one of our iMedia coaches help you develop your personalized playbook today!

Opening Up The Playbook - iMedia Isn't Just for Sports

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2011-01-08T15:45:13-05:00

If you have been following The iMedia Playbook from the very beginning, you know it started out as a master’s capstone project, outlining how sports franchises can effectively utilize interactive media.

I as explored the realm of interactive media more, it became obvious to me that every business, organization and brand has a use for this stuff. Being an avid sports fan, I focused on sports for my project, but this is a viable idea and an urgent need for anyone trying to market themselves in this day and age.

So, as the title suggests, I am opening up the playbook, expanding my focus to ... well ... everything and everyone. Any organization -- from the mom-and-pop corner store to the multinational corporation, from the non-profit charity to the sports franchise -- can utilize interactive media to grow their fan base and their business.

So, while the site may still be decked out in sports decor, and our title may still be playbook, our reach and our focus goes far beyond the playing field. Think of it like SportClips -- while the name and the decor may be sports-centric, we do way more than that and we cater to anyone and everyone.

Every organization can benefit from an interactive media playbook. Contact us today and let one of our coaches draw up a custom playbook for you.

Welcome to newly expanded and more comprehensive The iMedia Playbook.

Ridin' Solo: When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2010-12-22T18:43:50-05:00

Being a student of all things related to interactive media and sports, I came across an intriguing situation toward the end of the summer from Women’s Professional Soccer. I thought it deserved a little closer examination as a ‘case study’ of sorts, looking at how organizations handle things posted on social media and what the consequences are for those who post.

It all begins back in early August. The Boston Breakers were hosting the Atlanta Beat in a WPS match. Following the match, Beat goalkeeper Hope Solo took to her Twitter account (@hopesolo) and posted the following:

In the span of four tweets, Solo demonstrated all that is great about Twitter and why people are wary of its use. Solo’s Twitter followers got a glimpse ‘behind the curtain’ with an explanation Solo thought her fans deserved. On the other hand, her comments were viewed by some as inflammatory, accusing Boston’s ‘fan club’ of less-than-family-friendly comments.

Now, the Atlanta Beat front office has a situation on their hands. One of their employees, a player, has made a public statement accusing the Boston’s supporters. Standard operating procedure in a situation like this is damage control -- issue a statement. Atlanta’s GM issued the following ‘official’ response to Solo’s statements, using the same medium she did (an important guideline to keep in mind when handling issues in social media):

One of the key attributes of social media -- its immediacy -- is both a selling point and a drawback. Followers have instant access and those involved can instantly respond, which the Riptide (Boston’s ‘fan club’ referred to by Solo) did:

That wasn’t the end of Solo’s (mis-)adventures on Twitter. She took to her account again following the season-ending loss to the Washington Freedom, implying that the officiating was slanted in favor of Washington and that the league (Women’s Professional Soccer) wanted Freedom in the playoffs, manipulating circumstances to ensure that outcome. This time, Solo’s tweets netted her a $2,500 fine, suspension for one game and eight hours of community service. (Those comments, as well as others made by WPS players and personnel are addressed in this article here.)

So, what’s the point? Why dig up something that happened months ago? I find it interesting to look at the differences in the aftermath of Solo’s tweets.

The beauty of Twitter, and social and interactive media in general, is the immediacy and the unfettered access it allows followers to have to their favorite athletes. Fans of Hope Solo follow her on Twitter because she has strong opinions and is not afraid to voice them. Her fans love her for that and would expect nothing less from their favorite goalkeeper.

The line that was crossed, I think, is when Solo called into question the integrity of the league and its officiating. Similar to the secret fines (that ended up being not so secret) that NASCAR handed Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman for comments they made, the issue was attacking the integrity of the sport. With Hamlin and Newman, it was implying that NASCAR (the league) was manipulating the race by throwing caution flags for debris that wasn’t there. With Solo, it was implying WPS (the league) and its officials conspired to make sure Washington won the game and advanced into the playoffs.

This is the challenge faced by those who leverage interactive and social media -- how to balance the openness and free-flow of ideas that people love about social media with protecting, defending and monitoring their brand (be it team, company, charity, product, whatever).

Regardless of where you set your ‘line’ -- the point where comments made in the social media space will trigger some form of consequence or punishment -- the key is to know where that ‘line’ is before you dive into the social media space. Have a set of guidelines and remain as consistent as possible when adhering to them.

Rookie Season, Rookie Mistake: Launching The iMedia Playbook

theimediaplaybook@gmail.com — 2010-05-15T14:05:37-04:00

In travel, theme parks and restaurants, it’s called a “soft open” or “soft launch.” You open the doors to the public without formally announcing the opening. It’s a disaster-check of sorts; a chance to work out all the kinks and potential problems before the formal launch or opening later.

That is the approach I took when it came to launch this new venture, The iMedia Playbook. Not officially open for business, I approached a single client just to give my ideas a test drive -- to see how they fly out in the real world.

Since I knew the coach, I approached the softball program at the local university. In hindsight, probably not the most ideal choice as a test client for TiMP’s soft launch, but I did learn a valuable lesson:

Pick a client that actually needs what you are offering
Since my client of choice, a university softball team, is part of a larger athletics department, many of the ideas and strategies I was bringing to the table were already being handled in house.

Yet, all was not lost. Since I was unable to ramp up much of what I intended TiMP to offer, my soft launch exercise became one of observation. I became a scout, taking notes on everything I could, learning as much as possible by watching how the university athletic department utilized interactive media platforms. Use of streaming video, social media, blogs, images and standard video were all pieces of a larger media, marketing and exposure strategy.

I did also use the opportunity to tinker with a few projects on my own. I travelled to an away game in the area to take photographs and record audio for what became three slideshows, complete with a soundtrack. I assembled a trio of Flash pieces for possible use in a fundraising campaign for a new softball complex. I took the opportunity to attend home games, observing how the streaming video feed of the game was coupled with play-by-play for those watching on their computers. I followed the Twitter account and friended the Facebook page to see how those platforms were utilized as part of the overall strategy.

All in all, it was still a successful soft launch. Although I was not able to ‘test out all the features’ The iMedia Playbook had to offer with this inaugural client, the information I gathered watching the ideas and theories in action was extremely valuable. The scouting report I compiled watching the university athletics department leverage the interactive media technologies will serve as a valuable resource for the future of The iMedia Playbook.

OT -- As an added bonus, the softball team won the conference championship for the first time, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. This only added to the comprehensiveness of the scouting report, getting to see how the interactive media technologies were utilized during a championship run. Plus, I’ll admit, it’s exciting to follow a team during a championship season -- I am still a sports fan after all.