The zen of celebrity marketing

At the last ALA conference I was in a session with a handful of people ( in a very large space) and as the speaker droned on and on about her topic I heard bursts of laughter from another room - LOUD bursts of laughter. Suddenly I was no longer paying attention to this speaker but instead concentrating on how I could inconspicuously leave the room to see what was going on next door. I managed to "escape" and what I found next door was a room packed and I mean packed with people laughing and having the best time of their lives.

What a contrast to the room I just left. And sadly not only did that session have a really important message for libraries, the speaker was nationally recognized. But nationally recognized is a far cry from being a celebrity.

I've noticed there are a few people in our field who understand what it takes to be a celebrity. The man who had the packed room at ALA was Stephen Abram, he understands. Some other people who understand are Michael Stephens and Patrick Jones. Celebrities aren't always on a national level, I worked with a woman named Zarita Mattox who knew how to be a celebrity in her own community- remember that name because she will eventually be national as well. I'm sure you have your own list.

We are a nation obsessed with celebrities. It begins early in our lives when we begin to look at the most popular kids and think they have something we don't possess. Our culture attaches value to the rich, the successful, the famous... I heard recently that a group of kids were polled and indicated they would rather be famous than smart! So it is no wonder that some in the library field would like to be a celebrity.

Being a celebrity isn't being in an ivory tower. Celebrities are bigger than life but they are loved because we still believe we can be like them. They do all the things we wished we could do and more and give helpful hints every step of the way. Celebrities create makeup and perfume lines to help young girls look like them.... of course no girl is going to, but that is the allure after all.

When the State Library asked Stephen Abram to New Jersey last year there was an air of excitement. I hadn't met him before but a quick look at his blog gave me the idea that this was someone who was innovative. I was impressed that he offered his PowerPoint presentations freely and even more impressed at the list of other speaking engagements. His presentation was witty and informative- a speaking style that won over the room. His superstar attraction is that incredible intellectual humor spiced with a wee bit of "clean but off the cuff" Canadian humor. Its him and it works beautifully. Abram loves librarians and so he can poke fun at how they are while getting the message across of where they must go. What we can learn from him is that celebrities love their fans and offer everything possible to help them improve themselves.... not to be like him but to be a better them.

A link to Tame the Web was my first introduction to Michael Stephens and his blog. On my first visit there I read about where he was touring - all over the world. Then I noticed the graphic he used for his photo- a neat comic- and then began reading and noticed that not only did it seem he knew about every innovative librarian in the field, he loved what they had to say and shared the information in such a clear and concise manner that I could scan it all without ever getting bored. After that, it was like buying a Volkswagen and all you see are VWs on the road. Blog after blog seemed to mention Stephens. When he appeared in person there was a buzz of excitement and it seemed people wanted to be seen in pictures with him. It would seem that he is that cool guy who knows how to be laid back and excited all in the same breath. What we can learn from Stephens is that celebrities are humble about their own accomplishments but proud of all accomplishments because they produce a result that matters.

I first met Patrick Jones when he came to NJ to speak about teens and loved his personality. When I looked him up, it was evident that I was not alone in my admiration for him. He was dubbed Mr. Inspiration by Library Journal and that is indeed what he shares with his audience. I had video taped him and when I played it back there were moments when his voice was identical to the late Leo Basclia who had created a generation of "huggers". Jones is the "I'm Okay, You're Okay" guru . He lets everyone know he was the kid that didn't fit into libraries and then shows you how you can attract others so they don't miss out on what libraries can offer them. What we can learn from Jones is that celebrities remind us that before they were a celebrity there was mentor that made a difference- and that sometimes it is more important to be a mentor than a celebrity.

I think the most important lesson about becoming a celebrity is not to strive to be a celebrity. Celebrity marketing is telling your story fully. You can't name yourself a celebrity anymore than you can dub yourself "popular" - it is what it is. But along the way, you can do the things that you admire in others. It may or may not result in celebrity status but you'll be further along being the type of person you admire and that's really how celebrities are born...




library marketing

Another neat Vlog to promote services

Michael Stephens of Tame the Web Fame, spotted this great video from Arlington Heights' Vlog - take a look.




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Five Things you probably don't know about me

Thanks Pete Bromberg for tagging me. This looked like so much fun when everyone else was writing but now trying to think of five interesting things is really hard… :-)

1. I was second runner-up for “Best Legs” in eighth grade.
2. When I was a beat reporter, one of my favorite assignments took me up in a blimp where we rode along the Jersey shore… way cool!
3. I ran for mayor and lost by a little over 100 votes. The fun part was that I was running against a long established and very well funded candidate. The secret to my success? I made homemade cookies and put them out where I was speaking… people were attracted and once they began to munch, I began to talk… I had good ideas but the cookies- they were really great!
4. A poetry anthology that my friend and I published was bought by a University in Israel to be distributed to doctors so that they could get in touch with the feelings of their patient’s families- talk about “Poetry Power”!
5. My favorite scents- bread baking in the oven, summer days after a rain, salt air, and pine forests

And now I tag Jill Stover, Judy Macaluso, Liz Burns, Sophie Brookover and Norma Blake.


library marketing

Another YouTube Contest

Looks like the Gail Borden Library in IL is also running a YouTube contest. rule here. We have decided to ad a contest as part of the Super Librarian Comic Book launch- it is so cool the way libraries grab onto good ideas!

This January and February ... we're asking everybody in our library community to pick up their cameras and join the visual storytelling fun. People of all ages are invited to upload a 4-minute (or shorter) video to YouTube. Then send a link to us, for entry into one of two categories: "My Favorite Book" ... or "Community Favorites" ... . Videos can be funny, poignant, clever or cool, and they must be library-appropriate.

Take a look at their site - they have videos of staff recommending their fav books!

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