The Big Boys Go To MySpace and Beyond

When I was at the NJLA Conference it was great fun Podcasting. The question that keeps coming up for libraries isn’t always what’s new but how can we incorporate what’s new into marketing for our business. The NY Times article this morning talks about G.E.’s new foray into using media beyond the conventional mediums of commercials and print ads.

“G.E. One Second Theater," as the campaign is being called, presents a humorous peek behind the scenes at recent General Electric commercials produced by BBDO. The campaign is intended specifically for new media like digital video recorders, which can be used to watch expanded versions of the spots, and the MySpace social networking service (myspace.com), where visitors can read a mock profile of Elli, the elephant star of one of the commercials. The spots will also be accessible on MP3 players, through podcasts presented as if they were recorded by Elli and other characters from the spots, and on a microsite (onesecondtheater.com), which offers an online version of the campaign.”

I remember in the early days of the web when an entire underground network of idealists were building websites thinking we were creating a new world that would never be invaded by commercialism. How wrong we were. Of course we all know it was only a matter of time before the advertising gurus would try to figure out how to utilize the best word of mouth advertising platform since backyard fences – Myspace. Will it work? Well they have the multimillions to experiment!

As libraries you could get on board very quickly and start the blogs that will connect to their links from “Horton the Who” and sign up as a “friend”. My thought is that the first on board as friends will get the most visits and certainly gain some attention for your library. Also since the new phrase is “Got a second” why not start incorporating it in some posters in your libraries? If it works you are in the forefront of a new media explosion! Let me know how it works!
If you don't want to write your comments here, e-mail them to me directly: ndowd@njstatelib.org

All about me.. the "Me" Brand

We've all been seeing "me", "my" and "your" used more and more in advertising.

The NY Times has a great article this morning that talks about this shift of personal branding and why it has become so popular. American Express touts “My life. My Card”, Coke’s new commercial is about “My Coke”. The Google generation of consumers wants more than personalized searches, they want all their products to meet their unique needs.

"Brands are becoming more personalized and customized because consumers want brands on their terms," said Allen Adamson, managing director at the New York office of Landor Associates, a corporate identity consulting company owned by the WPP Group."


This is nothing new to libraries. We have always put “personal” into our service but perhaps this is the time to begin incorporating the “my” message into our promotions. “My card. My library. My life.” Most public libraries have sections that are labeled for user ownership with "my accounts" but universities have hopped on the trend full force. Cornell and Auburn are examples of the "My library" websites that are cropping up to attract the attention of users.

I was wondering what kind of campaigns have local libraries used lately that fits into this thinking? I love the idea of a “My librarian” campaign. Make up buttons with the faces of your librarians and whenever they help a customer give them the button. Have kids draw posters of their librarians… Would love to hear from the field on this… If you don't want to write your comments here, e-mail them to me directly: ndowd@njstatelib.org

Category: "the Brand"