At the Last Minute: Relay for Life Online

Posted by on Jul 26, 2007 in Uncategorized | 6 comments

Relay for Life Second LifeI got the call this morning – “Second Life Relay For Life has almost no buzz or PR – and it’s tomorrow!”

So here’s the instant marketing plan to help this group get donations up and running.

  1. Get the donations page set up.
  2. Realize the donations page has an AWFUL URL to promote.
  3. Use the word-of-mouth friendly name TodayIsave.com/alife
  4. Get some artwork because there isn’t really all that much. Mashup SL and RFL logos.
  5. Facebook group. Get it set up, point it to the donations page.
  6. Look at the marketing collateral and realize it’s all depressing. People are dying, etc.
  7. Look at the research and spin from it – donations led to the HPV vaccine, a major contributor to cervical cancer.
  8. The long blurb: “Donations in the past led to the HPV vaccine which will lead to the prevention of cervical cancer. $20 today could save the life of your mother, child, or best friend tomorrow.”
  9. The short blurb: “$20 today could save a life tomorrow.”
  10. Promote the hell out of it on Twitter, blogs, Facebook, etc. and launch this baby like crazy.

A taste of things to come – stolen milk crates and peak oil

Posted by on Jul 24, 2007 in Rant | 2 comments

Let’s talk briefly about polyethylene – specifically, high density polyethylene. It’s a dense plastic that is extremely strong and resistant to a bunch of things. Things like Tupperware are made from it. It in turn is made from petroleum – oil – in a lossy process that consumes 1.75 units of petroleum to produce 1.0 units of polyethylene.

Why is this important? Well, it seems that milk crates – those super-high density crates that virtually every college student has at some point – are vanishing at a rate far beyond the usual theft rates. The dairy industry investigated and found that the price for recycled polyethylene jumped from about 7 cents per pound to 22 cents per pound over the last two years. Recyclers were accepted stolen milk crates in bulk, chopping them up, and shipping them to China to be used to make consumer goods.

Think about that for a second. China, already one of the world’s largest consumers of petroleum, has companies paying 22 cents per pound for used polyethylene instead of refining petroleum to create new polyethylene. That means that in their manufacturing processes, it’s cheaper to recycle (or use recycled materials) than it is to manufacture new – which is not usually the case.

What does this mean? To me, it hints that the cost of petroleum and relatively limited supply is causing one of the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturing economies to choose recycled materials over new, and that means that the supply of oil is probably tighter than we think.

Peak oil, anyone? A harbinger of things to come?

A last thought before bed

Posted by on Jul 23, 2007 in New media | 5 comments

Another reason new media folks may not like to leave the fishbowl?

When you market outside your community, the rejection rate gets a LOT higher, and the rejections themselves can be a lot more vicious.

If you’re a nice, kind, easy-going person, as many in new media are, dealing with skyrocketing rejection rates can really sting.

As Clarence says, let it marinate.

New PDF guide to support your favorite blog or podcast

Posted by on Jul 22, 2007 in Advertising, New media | 0 comments

I just posted up on the Financial Aid Podcast a PDF guide, one page, 5 power promoter tips. If you as an audience member of a new media outlet like blogs, podcasts, or social networks want to help your favorites grow, grab this guide and share it.

A moment of bliss

Posted by on Jul 21, 2007 in Uncategorized | 6 comments

The Ultimate SlackershotToo often I forget that paradise is never far away, no matter where you are. Tonight on the deck, just relaxing and sitting in the armchair, the temperature was just right, the breeze just right, and someone in the neighborhood here has a wood fire in an outdoor fire pit burning. It’s not close by, because it’s not overly smoky, but it’s got just enough of that campfire smell to be absolutely wonderful.

The temperature is probably about 65 degrees or so (Fahrenheit, for my international friends it’s 19 C) which is to me one of the best temperatures in the world for relaxing at night. 65 plus a decent breeze is just heavenly.

To sit down in a rocking chair, enjoying the breeze and a bowl of ice cream – that’s a little slice of paradise that doesn’t require any kind of investment other than just sitting down to relax.

Hope you have a great evening, too.