In June I wrote about the terrifying discrimination against people with albinism that is taking place in parts of Africa. Rick Guidotti (a former fashion photographer turned health advocate) has partnered with Under the Same Sun, and will be heading to Tanzania in mid-October to assist national and local officials in putting an end these hate crimes.
If interested, please show your support by signing this petition: http://www.underthesamesun.com/petitions.php
I recently wrote about the concept of an Agency Farm Team. The thinking behind a pop-up agency is not dissimilar:
Porter Novelli, a leading public relations agency, is popping up on the list with a short-term, pop-up agency inside its halls, staffed by younger employees who have spent the summer creating campaigns for clients with fledgling businesses to promote.
The entrepreneurial pop-up is named Jack & Bill, after Jack Porter and Bill Novelli, who joined forces in 1972 to found Porter Novelli, an agency now owned by the Omnicom Group with 100 offices in 60 countries.
Eight Porter Novelli account supervisors and account executives — average age, 26 — have been running Jack & Bill on behalf of five clients that are receiving free services…
…Jack & Bill and its clients found one another in a way that turned upside-down — or perhaps pop-up-side-down — the traditional pitching process for selecting a public relations agency. Typically a client calls in several agencies to compete for an account; in this case, the partners of Jack & Bill asked potential clients to audition to win the pop-up’s free services.
What’s interesting about this idea is that Porter Novelli not only saw it as a way to develop emerging clients (as I had considered), but also to empower its emerging employees. It allows them to simultaneously showcase 1) their young talent, and 2) the firm’s digital skills – while experimenting in social media and drumming up some press of their own. The project was scheduled for completion after NY Fashion Week, but apparently Jack & Bill may now live on.
Are we on to something here?
Lately, I’ve had a couple friends ask me about the genetics of things like athleticism, intelligence and homosexuality. Regardless of the question, my answer is the same: I have no idea. The focus of my training was solely on medical genetics. When we did disucss genetic testing for non-medical traits, it was generally within the context of the surrounding ethical, legal and social issues. To be honest, I fear the use of genetics for non-medical reasons (as might anyone who has watched the movie GATTACA.) Nevertheless, I’ve decided to make an effort to be more informed in this area.
In browsing, one of the first things I came across was The Genius in All of Us, an interesting blog-to-be-book project by writer David Shenk. He’s posting pieces of his book-in-progress (tentatively entitled “The Genius in All of Us: Nature, Nurture and the New Science of Talent and Giftedness”) and is actively seeking feedback from readers in order to enhance the project. From what I have read so far, he provides a balanced yet skeptical look at the “science” behind the genetics of giftedness, and takes a critical approach to the way in which this science is portrayed in the media. It’s worth a look.
“Recreational genetics”: A useful paradigm
A while ago I posted about “recreational genetics,” a term that was refuted by a couple of commenters on this ScienceRoll post. I agree that drawing a definitive line between the practice of recreational and medical genetics is impossible. However, I think the concept is an important one in understanding the differences in motivations for seeking out genetic testing or pursuing genetic research.
This week 23andme dropped the price of their testing from $999 to $399. Despite their claims that they have “democratized personal genomics” the facts remain that:
So even though someone might gain some health-reated information (proven, research or otherwise) from the 23andme service, I would still argue that the test is recreational in nature.
Over the next couple of weeks, I am planning to look into and post about a few recreational genetics topics, starting with athleticism. If there is a topic you are interested in or a good resource you know of– please feel free to pass along.
TV Marketing Idea: Bring Fictional TV Series to Life
As Liam points out, people are really enjoying places where the real and fantastical meet. The most popular movies (Harry Potter), TV shows (Heroes) and commercials (Coke Happiness Factory) support this attraction. Interesting to me here is the common need for a screen, or lens, to experience this magical mix.
So, inspired by 1 ) transmedia storytelling like Mad Men’s Twitter kerfuffle and the Lost Experience 2) planned reality programming like The Hills and Improv Everywhere – I’ve been thinking about how broadcasters can better bring fantasy, or fiction, to real life.
Imagine you’re at an after-party in LA and the boys from Entourage show up. You might have a chat with Turtle or catch Vince flirting with an ex. Or you’re at a hot new Manhattan restaurant and the girls of Sex In The City are there – and skip out on the bill. They all seem to be in character, but there are no cameras to be seen.
Why shouldn’t our favourite fictional personalities from the screen make real life appearances? There’s definitely potential to add layering to their stories. But even uneventful appearances are sure to create buzz and speculation about next week’s episode. There’s no doubt fans would document spottings and share in social media. And you could even tip-off TMZ for some free coverage.
You’ve heard of Reality TV. How about some TV Reality?
A few months ago I wrote my best post ever (so say the stats) about an idea to Take Your Customer To Work. Today, Jason sent me this write-up about a mommy blogger’s recent all-expenses paid visit to Pampers’ Baby Care Headquarters. In her post, OhAmanda’s description of the experience definitely reinforces the value of the TYCTW idea:
Tour of Pampers’ Discovery Center & Baby Care HQ
The Discovery Center is like a giant daycare. Only instead of dropping your kids off, you get paid to bring them in! You get free snacks and juice and then researchers watch you put on diapers. On your kids, I mean. We got to see the moms & babies, talk to the kids and watch research taking place.
Let’s say one of the researchers said, “Now, why exactly did you pull the tab like that?” And the mom says, “Well, it’s in the wrong position. It would be better here.” The researchers take that info upstairs to the secret pampers-place and they hand make a new diaper. This place was TOP SECRET and even our camera men weren’t allowed inside. But after donning hairnets and goggles, we were!
We watched four women hand make some prototype diapers based on the moms downstairs. I asked the supervisor, “How often do you do this?” He was kinda confused and said, “Well, like one shift. Eight hours a day.” I said, “I’m sorry. You make prototype diapers EIGHT HOURS a day? EVERY DAY?” I just can’t believe there is that much to improve upon in a diaper! But this is what Pampers does. They want to be the very best for your baby.
Pampers’ Mommy Blogger Event is hardly the first to invite influencers to the home office. But this initiative so nicely demonstrates the virtues of customer involvement, conversation, and transparency. Which brings me to the post title: are corporate invites the next-big-thing in social media strategy? They’re definitely on trend marrying worlds on & off-line.
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Obviously the responsible marketer’s rules of respect & transparency must apply to this idea. Otherwise, these invites could also easily just become the latest “free vacation” ploy.
