Red Wagon Management » twitter

Promo FAIL

Red Wagon Management — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:04:10 +0000

In preparation for this year’s conference we’ve been brainstorming on ways to spread the word and continue building the brand of CREATIVEMIX. Some of the questions we’re asking are: Should we do the 100% recycled coffee sleeves again (they were cool, useful, but were a lot of work to distribute)? What about posters? Facebook ads are so 2007, should we just tweet our blog posts instead? How can we generate love and web traffic for those who help spread the word? Do you think people would join an affiliate program if we give them $10 for every ticket they helped us sell? How much is a colour ad? You’re kidding, right? And so on, and so on.

Now, for whatever reason, my brain got sidetracked the other day with all of the things that I HATE about events (and event-related marketing) and I went OFF on a mental tangent that produced some totally useless but funny images (at least to me, I giggled as I photoshoped). So, I’m going to call this a little window into everything that I think is sick and wrong with respect to events. Here’s some event promotion FAIL items that I’ve received in the past when attending an event, conference, or tradeshow; a couple at the end are just for fun – I got carried away.

Stress Squeeze Toy	Silly Putty
Logo Launcher	Game Cube
Frisbee	Credit Card
Snuggie Blanket	Pack of Smokes

Now I have to get back to work. The moral of the story is: cut out the crap. We’re going to continue with what we did last year: keep things simple like not giving people a name badge or a printed program and making everyone use ceramic coffee cups filled with Ethical Bean Coffee – that kind of stuff. How we’re going to get people there is still being worked out. Chime in if you like.

So if you’re planning an event do the world a favour and don’t destroy the earth one tchotchke at a time. If you need gifts or giveaways for your event be smart and order it from Saul Good Gift Co.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert [This post can also be seen on CREATIVEMIX.ca/blog]

Event for Creatives

Red Wagon Management — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:40:08 +0000

As you probably already know, Eileen and I host an annual creative conference here in Vancouver (annual is a strong word, last year was the first). Well, it went super-duper and we’re doing it again. Here’s the date announcement from CREATIVEMIX.ca:

Big news! CREATIVEMIX is coming back for another round! Thursday, November 4th. Remember that. Write that down. Tell other people.

Now, you’re probably wondering what’s happening and who’s speaking . . . well, we can’t tell you that. There’s a lot we can’t tell you right now but not because we don’t know. Well . . . maybe it’s because we don’t know, or maybe it’s because we’re busy connecting and collaborating with a lot of cool peeps right now and it wouldn’t be fair to let the cat out of the bag. There will be interesting and useful updates every couple weeks from here on out so be sure to sign-up for our e-mail newsletter (or the RSS feed); that way you don’t miss anything. We’re aiming to launch the program and open registration May 1st.

We CAN tell you that we’re adding workshops and will be hosting a contest for the exhibition. Oh, and the conference will again be at the cool-n-funky Roundhouse Community Arts Centre! Helpful eh?

Follow at Twitter.com/CREATIVEMIXca

Business Uses for Twitter

Red Wagon Management — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:00:20 +0000

Update: Want to get the most out of Twitter?

follow Darren Rowse or visit www.twitip.com

Article: I highly recommend this article by Jodi Mardesich (Inc.). I think it’s important to understand the value and limitations of social networking tools with respect to event marketing. Many people cram event promo down their friends digital throats and that is the exact opposite of how Web 2.0 works. Authentic conversations and newsy content sharing is at the heart of this medium; event producers need to respect their networks. Microblogs should not be used to make up for a lack of demand.

Now, when it works it’s pretty cool. Here’s a good example: NaturalPod and Mama Renew blogged about an upcoming conference their participating in Healthy Families Conference and they posed a question to their customers and readers. Based on the comments/tweets/posts they awarded a prize (a free event pass). This is great. It’s authentic, action oriented, it rewards participation, and targets an audience who is 100% in the target demographic. My name is Corwin Hiebert and I approve this message.

I’ve posted a snippet of Jodi’s article below.

————

Microblogging tools like Twitter are enabling direct communication with customers. Should you be developing a Twitter strategy?

“Wow. It’s not even 9 a.m. and I got all my required things done for the day. Maybe I’ll go back to bed.“ Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media, a Web design and Internet marketing firm in Portland, Maine, “tweeted” that note in mid August. One of his 300 or so “followers” on Twitter, a social networking service, messaged him back, asking what made him so productive. “My secret is Pleasant Morning Buzz coffee from Whole Foods. Damn, now I have to kill you,” Brooks wrote.

Later that day, Slaton Carter, a social media coordinator for Whole Foods Market, the natural foods retailer based in Austin, messaged Brooks. His unsolicited missive, chosen as “Tweet of the Day,” had earned him a $25 gift card.

“Who says Twittering doesn’t pay?” Brooks jokes.

Welcome to microblogging, a new form of Internet communication that has interesting business possibilities. Continue reading at: http://technology.inc.com/networking/articles/200809/twitter.html