Tweet, tweet, tweet

Considering I've been such a proponent of social media in this blog, it's a wonder it took me so long to tune into Twitter. Most of you are probably familiar with Twitter, but since I need to fill at least two paragraphs, humor me. Twitter employs a concept known as microblogging. Basically, it involves the publishing of very brief (typically 140 characters or less) updates for anyone in your network to see. Another form of microblogging is the Facebook status update.

Though I've known about Twitter for sometime, I never used it because I didn't see its practicality. After trying it out for a little bit though, I can see its appeal. Unlike a Facebook status update, where you can only see what your friends are doing, on Twitter you can follow anyone using the service. As a blogger, I spend a lot of time surfing the internet for cool stuff to share. So being able to instantly see what a blogging bigwig like David Armano is posting saves me some work.

This type of program also represents an interesting way for companies to maintain even better and more direct relationships with their customers. While specific marketing tactics are still being explored, there have already been some interesting attempts. For instance, as detailed in the Church of the Customer blog, Southwest Airlines has used Twitter to send out information regarding deals on airfare and company news.

So, if you're interested in Twitter and want to give it a try look me up. My user name is not particularly creative. You can find me by looking for, you guessed it, Rob Frappier.

Paul McEnany: Ad Guru?

Kudos to my friend and fellow blogger Paul McEnany of Hee-Haw Marketing on his recent write-up in Quick DFW. It's a nice Q & A and Paul gives some solid insights into youth marketing and social networking. Bravo.

I don't know about the headline though. Ad Guru? Really Paul? Burnett, Ogilvy, McEnany? Haha. Just kiddin' ya. But seriously, what's with that picture? Did they say you were being profiled for most eligible bachelors of Texas? OH SNAP!! I'll be here all week.

Colin Powell, Tony Blair and You

Fancy a trip to New York City to sit down with some of the most influential and powerful men and women in the world? Well don't just sit around reading my blog. I'm probably just going to throw up a funny YouTube clip and call it a day. Where you really need to be is at the Exclusive Experience section of Experience.com. From there you can apply for an opportunity to go to the World Business Forum 2008 at Radio City Music Hall in the Big Apple. Here's the official blurb.

Experience is looking for young business-minded talent with drive and ambition, who value entrepreneurialism and ethics, and who have the savvy and know-how to talk one-on-one with the most innovative and influential men and women in the business community.

Sounds pretty swank, no? And from what I understand, Experience doesn't skimp on the accommodations. Anywho, I won't be applying myself as I've got some other more pressing issues to take care of (i.e. selling my posessions and moving across the country), so I'm strongly encouraging all three of my faithful readers to give it a whirl. Go on, make me proud.

Oh, yeah. Here's that funny YouTube clip. I loved this commercial when it first came out.

The Catch-22 of Job Experience

When I wrote a post a couple weeks back about my first official job rejection, I invited others to share their own stories in the comments. I was amazed to see the number of responses. It was a veritable smorgasbord of frustrated job seekers. One common complaint, especially from recent graduates was the Job Experience Catch-22.  In other words, you need experience to get the job, but you can't get experience without the job. It's an incredibly frustrating cycle that is absolutely demoralizing to job seekers.

But there has to be some way to get out of this trap, right? Brad Karsh, of JobBound.com and AdAge's Ask Brad Column, gave some advice in an interview with FOX Business.  

Leave The Breakfast Club Alone

Has anyone seen JC Penney's recent back to school advertising? It's all themed after the classic 80's teen dramedy The Breakfast Club. Why? According to JC Penney CMO Mike Boylson, "We have several new brands that appeal to different teens with different styles...The movie's premise of kids with different backgrounds coming together to find they had more in common than what they thought was perfect for what we were trying to communicate."

Makes sense I guess. But does it make for good commercials? To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan. It's not that I think The Breakfast Club is the best movie ever or anything, but it still has a certain cultural significance. The films of John Hughes helped to define the popular perception of an entire generation of people. So, when seeing how JC Penney has re-imagined the film, I was less than impressed. They're just too glossy for my tastes. But, that's just one man's opinion. You be the judge.

ad:tech Chicago

Remember a few months back when I wrote about ad:tech San Francisco and how awesome it probably was? Well, as you know, I didn't get a chance to fly out to California to see it. But, that was okay because, as of yesterday, morning digital marketers were rocking out at ad:tech again, but this time in my very own backyard. That's right baby. The windy city was playing host to ad:tech Chicago.

So, with that awesome news out in the open, you're probably expecting lots of great new digital marketing tidbits. Well, I hate to tell you, but I don't have any. You see, I couldn't get out to ad:tech because I was working on both days of the event. Can you believe that? I only work Monday through Wednesday. I mean, what 's going on? They couldn't just postpone it until Thursday. Jeez. It's like nobody consults me about anything around here.

Anyway, I had to work so I missed the party. Disappointing, I know, but a man's got to eat! Luckily, I have a decent back-up plan. Instead of reading my blog for news on ad:tech, check out the official ad:tech Chicago blog. It's content is provided by Adrants and MarketingVOX so you can be sure they're bringing the goods.

Crazy Gym Commercial

Wasn't sure if this was real or not at first, but it turns out that it is. What kind of a crazy health club is this place?