Dead are the days of pre-pitching traditional media for product/company launches. Traditional media being the end-all-be-all for major announcements is taking the back seat to blogs. Not just any blogs, but influential, buzz-generating, coveted blogs. When it comes to major announcements, gone are the days of embargoes where mentions of the product are held until the media gets the go-ahead from XYZ company. Assuming your announcement is newsworthy enough, you can't control the hype. Word WILL get out in the online community. Instead, companies should help create the hype by controlling who starts it. Are you with me? Companies need to know the people in the blogosphere who have the most influence in their industry, and then carefully plant a seed and watch it grow. Pick one or two people (and DO NOT pitch them as though they are traditional media) with whom to share your announcement and let it roll (pick them wisely - some bloggers can be oh so nasty while others will share the love).

The great thing about planting a seed with one blog is that, compared to traditional media, blogs work together to share information. If the New York Times writes a story, the WS Journal won't be knocking down their door to write the same thing the following day. But, take some leading tech blogs. CrunchGear writes a review and BAM! there it is on Gizmodo within the hour. In that same hour, thousands of people are reading your review, and - here's the best part - making comments, asking questions, getting more information. Plant Seed. Watch Grow. Buzz Generated.

We recently used this tactic with our client, Pepper Pad 3. The launch is a few days away, but it was important to them to create some excitement now to get the hype going about the product. As an agency, we are extremely dialed in to the world of blogs, social networking and user generated content. So, we knew exactly where to plant the seed to get some immediate energy around the launch. What resulted was a sweet digital review that CrunchGear created and posted on YouTube. Blog posting and social media penetration. Done and Done.

Posted by lindsey at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I’m a big fan of expression through art, and over the past few years I’ve run across some amazing graffiti-style examples in Indianapolis. At the beginning of this summer, I drove past a building outside Broad Ripple Village (in Indianapolis) – it was a huge graffiti mural representing the three tenants who were in the building (dry-cleaner, a framing store and vacuum cleaners). It was so powerful I pulled off the road and walked up to the building and stared for 20 minutes at the piece. After doing some research, I tracked down the 2 artists who both happened to be residents of Indianapolis.

I met Dan and Ben of Subsurface Materials about 2 months ago and was able to check out their portfolio of work, which is truly remarkable. For those who happen to dabble in painting (myself included), one can only imagine how hard it is to paint with Spray cans –let alone murals towering over 15 feet high and 50 feet wide. What they are able to do with Spray paint is borderline insane.

It just so happened we were moving offices and I desperately wanted Dan and Ben to paint a mural in our new diggs. I outlined a vague idea of what I wanted hoping they might be able to read my mind and come back with something that would fit what was in my head. Needless to say, they knocked it out of the park. I was fortunate enough to watch them through the process and was floored by their mad skills. Even my daughter who sat and watched said “You guys rock!”.

Click here to check out a slideshow of the process beginning to end.

Posted by kelly at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We already shared with you what a fun time we had last night helping out the Special Olympics, but we wanted to give a special thanks to our emcee, Ryan Hupfer (aka Hup). Ryan is just an all-around cool guy, and he did an awesome job at the event. His energy and sense of humor was much appreciated! Ryan is a long-time friend and coach to the Special Olympics, so this was not just a "do-gooder" event for him. You may recognize Ryan from Channel 13 here in Indy - his mug can be seen in the early a.m. hours on the morning show.

What you may not know is that Ryan is the king of social networking and digital video and he is working on a bunch of really cool projects. He already pulled together a video from last night that you can watch below. He wrote the book "MySpace For Dummies" (cha-ching!) that comes out soon, and he has a Web buzz all his own from his HupsHoopty.com video diaries. On top of that, he also works with a very innovative Carmel company called MediaSauce, a marketing firm with a focus on interactive and emerging media. As you can see, Ryan has little "free" time, so we're grateful he was able to spend his Sunday afternoon with us!

Just thought we'd give our emcee a few props. If you haven't gotten enough Hup, you can stalk him on his MySpace page.

Posted by lindsey at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

BLAST could be found Groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon yesterday at the Rathskeller in downtown Indianapolis. For the last few weeks, BLAST has been working closely with Special Olympics of Marion County to plan their inaugural fundraiser, Groovin’ in the Garten. The afternoon was filled with live music, raffles and a silent auction…and did we mention dancing?! The Special Olympics athletes came with their dancing shoes on and certainly gave all of us a few lessons on how to shake your groove thang!

The event raised around $7,000 for Special Olympics of Marion County. The money will be used for uniforms and athletic events for over 1,200 athletes.

BLAST thanks all of the local businesses that generously gave their support, as well as our emcee – Ryan Hupfer.

If you are interested in volunteering for Special Olympics and/or would like to make a donation, please let us know!

Posted by heidi at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Viral videos are everywhere these days. Every morning I listen to CNN Headline News on my way to work and they’ve even devoted a weekly segment to this phenomenon. True – it’s usually a bunch of guys performing on treadmills – but still… it’s CNN Headline News!

The most recent viral video to catch the eye of millions is lonelygirl15. The series of video diaries lasted over a four-month period and lead viewers to believe that Bree (the main character) was the home-schooled, teenage daughter of very religious parents. Bree would upload her video diary via YouTube and her Myspace page. The series of videos took the path that most good viral videos take; viewers became enthralled with the teen and her angst. People passed along her postings and her video diaries had an audience of millions. And then reality hit, as it always does.

In a press conference (yes, they really held press conference!) it was revealed that lonelygirl15 was actually a fictitious story being performed by a trained actor. The drama was - well - a drama. Did this clever ploy work? The answers that you receive will vary. Some argue that this revelation will be the demise of this webseries. Others have argued that this is only the beginning for these filmmakers. My take: this was a home run for these folks! In a matter of months, the buzz generated about this girl has been off the charts. Since the revelation that she is actually a 19 year-old actress, the popularity of the video series has skyrocketed.

Check out YouTube; the majority of the comments on the videos have come AFTER the announcement. Take a look at “Bree’s” MySpace page; the comments – for the most part – are supportive and curious about what’s going on in her world. Not only has this creative bunch been signed to a high powered talent agency, they’ve found themselves all over the media. Outlets like The New York Times, Le Journal de Montreal (the largest newspaper in Quebec), and The NBC Nightly News have jumped on this story - making the creators not only an internet phenomenon, but also a mass media phenomenon.

When you decide to take part in a viral marketing campaign, you walk a fine line. Just what will happen when you’re found out? For this group of people, the reaction couldn’t have been any better! They have managed to reach out to the youth via social media (YouTube, MySpace) and the general public via traditional media (newspapers, television, etc.). lonelygirl15 has done something that I have a feeling will be happening a lot more over the next few years: made the jump from viral video to mainstream newsmaker. And I’m talking a legitimate news maker, not just another funny video of two boys lip-synching to Jessica Simpson.

In PR we’re always searching for eyeballs - people to see to the message we are putting out on behalf of our clients. Think about the number of people who have learned about lonelygirl15 over the last few weeks alone. Add together the audience of YouTube, The New York Times and The NBC Nightly News. That’s a pretty nice reach for something that started out as a hobby for few small filmmakers. I’d say that YouTube and other social media outlets just earned a lot of credibility as a vehicle to get the attention of the mainstream media. Will your video be the next media darling?

I'M OUT!

Posted by sabrina at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)