 | Ypulse Daily Update 06.29.09
Directory and more at Ypulse.com | |  | Quick Links Ypulse Essentials: 1 In 7 Teens Expect To Dye Young, Disney's Hetereosexual Magic Kingdom, NYC Kids Choir On YouTube Posted by anastasia  Recession spawns more teen entrepreneurs (profiled in the New York Times, reg. required, along with quotes from Ypulse Mashup speaker Donna Fenn. And according to TechCrunch, there are lots of jobs in science, technology, math and engineering, but not enough recent grads qualified to fill them. Plus an OpEd in the New York Post questions whether college is really worth it financially)
- Dying young (One in seven teens expect to die young -- these are the same teens engaging in risky behavior. Plus a disturbing look at kids and teens under 18 having plastic surgery.) (Red Orbit) (USA Today)
- AdAge reviews 'NYC Prep' (and "Make It Or Break It." The N [soon to be "TeenNick"] will debut its new half hour series "The Assistants" July 10th. "Swimming With Sharks" for teens? And ABC Family will be one of the big sponsors of this year's Simon Mall Tour. Plus an interview with the writer for "Greek" and the controversial "10 Things I Hate About You" television series.) (All Headline News) (New York Times, reg. required)
- Disney is a 'heterosexual' Magic Kingdom (according to this academic study - does this surprise anyone? Plus Disney's "Princess Protection Program" drew 8.5 million viewers) (Multichannel News)
- YouTube makes NYC kids' choir famous (check out the vid if you aren't one of the 7 million people who have already. Plus YooStar wants to be the "Rockband" of YouTube) (AP) (Variety)
- Trojan buys product placement (in a music video selling safer sex after its "Evolve" campaign was rejected by broadcasters. And the Truth Campaign teams up with Imeem to reach youth through music/social media. Plus AdAge profiles a successful film camp that brings Canadian, Israeli and Palestinian youth together) (New York Post) (ClickZ)
- YA goes 'supernatural' (more on the trend inspired by the success "Twilight" and "Harry Potter") (Boston Globe)
- 13-year-old grapples with a Sony Walkman (in a publicity stunt to highlight the device's 13th birthday) (PSFK)
P.S. Check out the comments on my Nielsen post last week including a response from Nielsen.
Posted in: Ypulse Essentials Ypulse Sponsored Post: The Pros And Cons Of Pocket Promotions Posted by anastasia Today we have our monthly sponsored post from Jason Bakker, the Director of Marketing at Campus Media Group, the exclusive sponsor of the Ypulse Campus Channel. This is the latest in a monthly series of posts that's part of Campus Media Group's site sponsorship.
The Pros And Cons Of Pocket Promotions
 Many college marketers are tasked with getting on campus to interact with students, press the flesh, and hype up their new product or service. Some fall into the trap of overthinking their execution and feel that a full-fledged event is in order. Not so. Well-timed, professionally executed "pocket promotions" can eliminate the need for full-scale campus events and tours. Designing tents, securing permits, and navigating other logistical hurdles can take months and cause you to miss an opportunity to be on campus right away.
Pocket promotions work well when your timing is, well, timely. For example, a timely pocket promotion might be a beverage company handing out free product to a campus that has just won an NCAA championship. Small pocket promotions work even better when the promotion is part of a larger national campaign you are running. A hypothetical example of this might be Taco Bell dovetailing a late-night college bar promotion with the national release of a new menu item. Methods like this work because you are bringing an extension of your campaign into niche markets for direct impact.
Understand that a pocket promotion is a short-lived event (just a few hours) promotion in a highly targeted area (on campus, at a beach, tailgating event, etc.) where, usually, a street team is interacting with a consumer one-on-one about something very specific with a mixture of some custom media. Maybe you are promoting a new movie release, or creating awareness about drunk driving. No matter what your message, it needs to be quick and to the point and offer an opportunity for people to walk away from your conversation understanding what you want them to do while encouraging them to share it with their friends.
Here are some pros and cons to pocket promotions:
Pros
- Minimal start-up: These types of promotions are nimble and can be created quickly to seize an opportunity.
- Expeditious: Doesn't require months of planning or the need to secure permits.
- Portable: Can be picked up and moved to where your customers are.
- Economical: Staff models, management, product, and basic metrics are easy on the budget. Some simple guerilla media (wild postings, chalking, projection ads) also give it a fun feel.
- Scalable: If it works, you can get it up and running in other markets on a dime.
- PR: If your promotion is creative, ties in a great cause, delivers a cool message, or utilizes unique media, you are bound to get some press.
Cons
- Backlash: These pocket promotions are typically done ambush style. It may result in being asked to leave a location, fines, or complaints from citizens, depending on what you are doing.
- No one home: With proper scouting, you should be hitting the right places at a time when your customers are there. You always run the risk that they might not show up when you want them to.
- Short-lived: Not a good strategy if you need anything sustained. Engaging your customer in a more meaningful dialogue over time and building a relationship is always better than a here-and-gone approach.
- Inclement weather: Unless you are an umbrella company, rain will probably ruin your pocket promotion. Bad weather (rain, snow, bitter cold, etc.) can be a buzzkill and sometimes rescheduling just won't work.
For more campus coverage, visit the Ypulse Campus Channel. Posted in: Ypulse Essentials | Campus The Death Of Michael Jackson & Mega Fame Posted by anastasia  Of all the wall-to-wall Michael Jackson coverage we've been blanketed with over the past weekend, one story really jumped out at me -- it was David Segal's piece in the New York Times about how fame may never be the same again. The gist is that fame on the scale of Jackson's would be nearly impossible to achieve in the new fragmented media reality we live in.
When the news of Jackson's death broke on Friday, I spotted a few tweets lambasting MTV for not having immediate wall-to-wall live coverage, continuing to play its reality programming, and therefore being irrelevant. Of course, the tweeters were my age or older -- echoing the ongoing complaint from those of us who grew up with MTV that it has abandoned the "M" in music television. I agree that MTV has become less relevant to today's youth, but I don't think it's because they've stopped playing music videos. The network that helped make Michael Jackson and Madonna some of the biggest stars on the planet has also become a casualty of the new media landscape that makes this level of fame nearly impossible to achieve and all the more fleeting.
The Times article also argued Jackson's fame would be impossible to achieve in today's battered music industry. From the article:
Michael Jackson has sold an estimated 100 million copies worldwide of the 1982 album "Thriller," which spent more than 31 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts.
It's one of those high-water marks that nobody will touch, because record stores are vanishing, and along with them, megahit albums are vanishing, too. A big week on the Billboard charts is a quarter-million units sold, which is about the number of units the Jonas Brothers moved last week with their latest release, which opened at No. 1. And it's rare for an album to last even three weeks at the top.
People who buy music tend these days to buy -- or steal it -- online, a song at time.
Even the fashion trends Michael inspired from the glove and jacket of many zippers would be hard for a singular artist to replicate on such a massive scale. Today youth trends often bubble up from YouTube videos or travel in a viral way from school to school with the help of Facebook or MySpace instead of being handed down by pop star on the scale that Michael or Madonna (with her rubber bracelets) could achieve in the pre-internet era.
The one recent exception might be Barack Obama, who has managed to achieve pop star status (in addition to the presidency)...
Sorta Related:
The Jackson '6' contest on SMITH Magazine's site (write or read 6-word epitaphs!)Posted in: Ypulse Essentials | Campus | Music
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