Another specialty video: Think Deep and Grow Rich

ZENWAY = ZEN TRAINING + WARREN'S WAY! Another specialty video by Gloria Buono-Daly and Maria Benevenga for client Zenway.com. Financial IQ Training for Parents and Children. Zenway Group provides financial IQ tutoring for kids and coaching for parents. "Merging time-tested Zen mind IQ training into the proven Warren Buffett Way, we developed a system of unique practices and strategies to think deep and grow rich,"says founder Brian Zen.

Google Search Results and Winter Olympians on Sports Illustrated 2010 Swimsuit Issue: Are the Feminists or the Beauties Making It More Exciting than the Olympics? by Gloria Buono Daly

Google search results and SEOlympics: Are the Feminists or the Beauties Making It More Exciting than the Olympics, and is this an OxyMoron?

From last month to a few days ago, the 2010 Winter Olympics received less than a few hundred thousand Google search results and as of today (February 10th) received 4,350,000 Google search results, less than 24 hours after the release of Tuesdays, Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue featuring bikini-clad Olympian beauties Lindsey Vonn, Hannah Teter, Clair Bidez and Lacy Schnoor. See Google exact search engine results spreadsheet below for detail information of all 32 swimsuit models; this total includes the "fab 4 Olympians." Interesting to note a total of 22,708,040 Google Exact hits for ALL 32 swimsuit models in the 2010 issue with 8.34% coming from the Fab 4 Olympians:

Feminists appear clawing, complaining for attention about Sports Illustrated’s famous Swimsuit Issue (Tuesday, February 8th issue, and on newsstands now) as being sexist due to the treatment of 4 accomplished Olympian beauties posing in what they describe as sexual positions wearing bikini-clad swimwear and half-nude wear. Feminists’ main issue, besides the sexist poses, is why are these Olympians not being recognized for their athleticism instead of their beauty? Is the way SI treats women athletes sexist? Is the sky blue? If these 4 beauties choose to pose, isn't it their choice, their bodies? Wouldn't this net out the "sexist" part since they're getting something out of it too?

No matter how they pose, from Lindsey posing in a tuck-stance downhill ski position in SI’s Preview Issue, Thursday, February 4th issue, (the cover photo feminists refer to as a "doggy style sexual position"), to others photographed with crossed legs, lying down, legs opened, etc., there will always be criticism and celebration. OK, I admit, this photo (see left photo) might accent her derriere a bit. Of course SI photographers were having a ball but I’m certain these beauties were also enjoying every moment of their photo shoots. To all  feminists, myself included, “isn’t feminism about choice?” These young women are accomplished Olympians, feminists and mold breakers, who have made their own choices. Why can’t they celebrate being both beautiful as well as being one of the best skiers in the world any way they choose to?

From a marketing and communications perspective, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues have been around for decades and every year this issue brings about controversy, media frenzy, and with all the attention, big money, advertisers, web presence, etc. that comes with it.  Yes, feminists and afeminists all know “Sexy Sells.” We cannot ignore the marketing aspect and realize that this is overriding the Winter Olympic Event (regardless of feminists protesting the Winter Olympics). Real feminists know that freedom of choice matters most and that feministic double standards have been downhill since the eighties.

But Now I’m wondering, in light of our tough economic conditions, are more and more feminists speaking out simply to be a part of the action and media frenzy to draw attention to themselves and their causes? In essence doing exactly what they complain the media and Sports Illustrated are doing? Isn't it about time we reach that plateau where feminism means never having to say you're feminist, never having to say your opinion is better than someone who has a different feminine viewpoint? Why does it seem that so many feminists still believe that to be a true feminist you must be a liberal elitist, graduate magna or summa cum laude, read tons of feminist literature, etc.?

Below are some quotable quotes from comments by these Olympians on posing for Sports Illustrated. Since I’m not sure which of the 4 said what I’ve put my guess in parentheses. If anyone knows for sure, please reply and I will correct accordingly. Thanks.:
- “It’s fun to be sexy. Growing up in Vermont in the woods always covered I never dreamed of being half-naked being risqué.” (Clair Bidez?)
- “To pose topless wasn’t that hard cause I was always covered up. I was a little bit nervous though.” (Lacy Schnoor?)
- “We work hard on these bodies and are always covered up in helmets and ski suits…” (Hannah Teter?)
- “I enjoyed the opportunity to be in Sports Illustrated without my helmet and my ski clothes." (Lindsey Vonn?)

For NBC, sponsor of this years Winter Olympics, there was disappointing news. After NBC Today's Matt Lauer interviewed Lindsey Vonn yesterday morning (Tuesday, February 9th) we learned that she may not be able to compete in the Olympics due to a deep contusion to her shin (deep muscle bruise). According to Lindsey, it is excruciatingly painful for her to even put on her boot. According to Chris Chase of Fourth-Place Medal, “this news is just as bad for NBC, which has built a huge marketing campaign around Vonn and her quest to become the Michael Phelps of Vancouver.” The Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver begins Friday, February 12th. Chase also believes that NBC will lose money on Olympics and will not ever broadcast another? (Blog, Fourth-Place Medal, Chris Chase January 11, 2010.)


P.S. For those curious, here's the sexiest pose of me on the slopes, back in 2002 at Lake Tahoe.

Presenting Another Specialty Video: AnnHarringtonJewelry

Another Specialty Video by Gloria Buono Daly, Marketing and Creative Director and Maria Benevenga, Graphic Design, Genius, and Production

Back by Popular Demand, Twitter and The Ripple Effect: More Than Spreading Your Wings and Flying

Twitter, a micro-blog with a 140-character-limit blurb known as a “tweet” having potential to create a chain of social media networking events that can lead to exponentially larger alterations of social media networking instances. Twittering appears to have maximized the power of connecting. In less than 4 years, it is  estimated that there are over 250 million twitter accounts worldwide.

But if you think that Twitter and the bird’s far reaching effect is enough to make your media campaign a success, try spreading your wings and flying. You just might find yourself in a nose-dive!

Of course, everyone is twittering, with hopes of creating shifts in perspectives that will lead to greater connections, better businesses and stronger communities.

It’s been said that a sea gull’s simple flap of a wing can change weather, and so too a simple tweet can create ripple effects in the customers, employees, friends, colleagues and even those people and entities that you have never known and now suddenly have become your followers.

Why then are there still no analytics for measuring effectiveness, or tried and true processes and marketing solutions from this bird?

Although Twitter’s wide massive appeal has grown so quickly in such a brief time, it is still considered new. Twitter became available to the public in 2006 but really gained momentum in April 2007. According to Wikipedia “The tipping point for Twitter's popularity was the 2007 South by Southwest, SXSW, festival. During the event usage went from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000.” This all occurring after the Web 2.0 buzz of 2006, which arose 2 years after the first Web 2.0 Oreilly Conference, October 5 – 7, 2004, at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, CA.

Today, there are many factors that contribute to the success of a social networking marketing campaign and Twitter is just one of the many digital integrated marketing tools. Besides having experience, skill and passion about what you are communicating, successful social media marketing requires a well thought out, detailed, marketing plan and timeline. Even with all this, there are still no guarantees; What works for one company or person  may not be as effective for another.

While there are no magic bullets that will guarantee the overall success of your campaign, below you will find a listing of some helpful tips to guide you through the process of integrating twittering into your corporate digital marketing programs:

1. Create momentum with effective communications and set up kick-off meetings well in advance of your deliverables

2. Optimal participation is key. Schedule regular (weekly or bi-weekly) meetings (virtual or in person) and involve as many employees/departments in your organization.

3. Ensure that your meeting handouts include guidelines for branding specs, e.g., having company logo included on all tweets, regardless of whether a company is using different blog/tweet names for different products,/themes, etc., appropriate tone, buzzwords, keywords, etc.

4. If your social marketing media campaign calls for multiple bloggers and twitterers, make sure your respective tweet names match respective tweet blogs; This information should all be mapped out (e.g., spreadsheet) and incorporated into your digital marketing plan alongside all of the other marketing tools you will be integrating

5. Use common sense and discuss best practice to ensure employee tweeters know their leaps and bounds when contributing to avoid compromising your blogs/tweets integrity and reputation

6. Tie in tweets with your company’s blogs – an example is how Martha Stewart’s tips, ideas, etc., from her blog into tweets – again, not necessarily coming from someone from her company, but created such a brand following that followers as well as employees include her ideas in their blogs

7. Understand and learn of the importance of following potential customers, existing customers, vendors, suppliers, etc.

8. Incorporate short and simple auto-respond tweets for new followers – assuring real-time reply in the event no one is able to respond immediately; Although the majority of folks recommend not using auto-responds, my suggestion is to test the waters but keep auto-responds short, thanking them for connecting and sharing relevant information.  If you feel auto-responding is working against you, simply remove it. At least you can say you gave it a try.

9. Understand the importance of hashtags and other application enhancements and use them carefully. E.g., including hashtags in your tweets, e.g., #followfriday; and applications, Tweet Meme, etc. There are pros and cons to hashtags - some folks feel the short 140-character blurbs get distorted from the #hashtag symbol while others are embracing it. So far, I haven't been incorporating hashtags into my tweets. I plan on giving #hashtags a try soon.

10. If you are interested in following please feel free to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gbdaly

written by Gloria Buono Daly (c) 2009

The Black Eyed Peas - I Got A Feeling on Oprah Chicago

If every one at this concert donated $10 to Haiti (Red Cross, whatever), this would make a big difference. If this video isn't enough to make you want to dance nothing will. It's aerobics on steroids! The sync of Audience, Awesome; the Stage, Amazing; and Oprah, Oprah! Suddenly I'm feeling half my age (a teenager, haha lol, yeah). Donate $10 and Dance to this video! There are 2 to choose from.

The Old Network - If I Only Had A Brain display at Web2Expo NYC 11182009

GeekCrow Rendition of If I Only Had a Brain: One of the highlights at the Web 2.0 Expo in NYC (Nov 2009) was a large glass cube display of technology monitors, wires, copper, etc., dating back from 1969 to 2000 piled on top of each other like a bonfire. This was quite an attraction and brought many chuckles I wanted to share.

When Next is NOW: My Promo Multimedia Video Gets Completed

All things about allthingsdigitalmarketing.com. My "next" project finally my "NOW" video!

Special thanks to Graphic Design Specialist, Maria Benevenga and to Gail Blanke author of "Throw Out Fifty Things Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life" for helping me make my "next" to "NOW" happen.