Archive for September, 2008

Now it can be told… Both Promo Interactive and the Promo Web site are part of a broad revamp of the Penton Marketing Group online properties, and the changes you’ll see in the next few days should make them both more interesting to read and to write. more

In a set of integrated promotions around the release of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL ‘09” computer game, convenience chain 7-Eleven and beverage maker Pepsi have coordinated campaigns that include Madden Meals, a new Pepsi flavor and in-store pre-order and pick-up of the game, which dropped at midnight on Aug. 12. more

This summer Dell and Microsoft teamed up on a Facebook-centric viral game that offered to bring the band One Republic to play a free concert at the college that racks up the most game points. more

Marketers are just now starting to figure out what mobile can offer them, and many have yet to test what’s possible in the realm of social networks such as Facebook. But two new reports, one from ABI Research and the other from JupiterResearch, suggest they don’t have a lot of leisure for contemplation. more

After almost 10 months of Promo Interactive, Brian Q. felt the need to take a short time out this week– a little seventh-inning stretch in the year, if you will. This will allow him a few moments of quiet repose in which to reflect, to catch up on industry trends and generate new story leads, and not at all to watch the Chicago Cubs take their division and the National League by storm with their seven-game lead. Not at all. Honest. more

Recent developments in both the Democratic and Republican campaigns have given more proof—if it was needed—that Web 3.0 tactics are reaching into every aspect of our lives. They’ve also provided some operational lessons that marketers of brands a bit more everyday than the U.S. presidency should be watching closely. more

Over on the other side of the aisle, Republican John McCain, who will get his party’s nod this week, has gone on record as saying that he’s an “Internet Illiterate’ who never uses e-mail and needs help from aides to find Web sites. That puts him out of step with the 65% of white college-educated men over 65 who use the Internet regularly, according to the Pew Internet Project.

But someone on the red-state side knows the value of the Web, especially in research. That’s evidenced by the changes made to the Wikipedia entry for Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, McCain’s surprise choice for the number two spot on the ticket—almost all of them favorable and by the same editor, shortly before McCain announced his choice in Dayton OH last Friday. more

For sports fans, getting a chance to spout off in the spotlight can be as valuable as any cash prize. And rubbing elbows with actual players or sports pros can turn a local supporter into a brand evangelist faster than you can say, “The Cubs win the pennant.” (Go ahead, say it.)

Two sports-based promotions this fall are offering to give fans that megaphone moment in exchange for user-generated content (UGC) uploaded to a Web site. more