Unlearning what you've learned

Why is it so hard to break out of routine? To unlearn what you've been taught? To undo what society has knowingly trained you to think? When you've been living in rules and restrictions, how do you really live when you're free? I'm always thinking how can I be different? When you're the youngest in a big family, you have all your older siblings that your parents want you to follow. My mom asked me this question a lot:

Mom: Why don't you try to be normal?
Me: What's so great about being normal? I want to be different!

I've been thinking about this for a while now. When you're given the opportunity to do what you want to do, do you continue to follow the rules because that's what you're used to doing or do you stir it up and do something different? If you do something different, how far do you push it? With anything, the higher the risk, the higher the rewards and the bigger the penalties.

Here's a few things that keeps me thinking...

• Why are females usually the ones being rescued?
• Why do you need to get married?
• Is it really a big deal that the female is the "bread winner"?
• How come SEX is such a hush subject?
• Why would the words of celebrities have more weight than my words?
• Think outside the bun - Taco Bell
• Drivers Wanted - Volkswagon
  

Most of what I've learned to be "right" is from family, school, entertainment (tv/movies/books), etc. What I'll spend the rest of my life doing is unlearning most if it. Maybe it made sense back then but a lot of time has passed and a lot of it doesn't make sense anymore. It may also not be right for me. It's not that you decided one or the other but that you decided. If you decide to go right, I'll go left. Then we'll share our experiences!

Tokio Hotel rocks my world!

If you don't know- NOW you know!
Tokio Hotel is coming to Houston
August 28 at the Verizon Wireless Theatre and I can't tell you how excited I am. I initially found them after watching episodes I missed of "America's Best Dance Crew" where I also fell in love with the Jabbawockeez.

Why you need to love Tokio Hotel...
The name - let's face it... It caught my eye because I absolutely love foreign music. At first I thought they were Japanese and from far away, Bill the lead singer had sort of a Harajuku image. Honestly, I wouldn't have given them a second glance on MTV's site if their name wasn't Tokio Hotel.

What they stand for -- or what I think they stand for...
It's SPECTACULAR that a band so young has written and created such deep music to inspire people. If you know me, I'm all for doing what you want to do in life and being happy. This group has done just that even before they became teens. Anyone with that much passion and ambition has to be given props. On top of that, they really do look like they enjoy what they do from watching their episodes on YouTube. They are original and obviously setting trends just by being themselves. No matter what anyone says, I truly believe that they stick to their guns to be who they are and not told who they need to be.

Music & Performances
Everyone knows, content is KING! What does that mean in this regard? Tokio Hotel's music, performances, videos, etc. is what rocks! The real reason why I fell in love with Tokio Hotel is watching their performance of Monsoon at the 2007 Europe Music Awards. From there, I bought their cd and love every song on there.

What does this have to do with marketing?
The long tail - I found out about Tokio Hotel through MTV while just bored and surfing through links. You can probably consider that editorial but I found them which is key. Being linked on various sites and being easily found is great and it works. It may take weeks or months but if someone finds you, it works.

YouTube videos - who wouldn't want a little insight to the band's life and lifestyle? Who wouldn't want to get to know the band a little more and feel like they are apart of the band's day to day life? The videos in general get a lot of response, comments, linking, etc. It seems so simple to do and it has quite a lasting effect. It's on YouTube so it is easily searchable, users can watch it over and over (I do), you'll find other videos from other users, it creates buzz, it's easily link-able or easily forwarded, it's free* promotion (which is important for those on a budget).

Viral - Many of their fans found out about the band from a friend. Needless to say having attractive band members didn't hurt them either. Viral campaigns are difficult to gauge since it may take a while to get there or it may be instant. When you're creating a "viral" campaign, you just never know what is going to take off and what is going to sink. From their YouTube episodes to their VIP site, selling their cd, etc., this group is big on promotions always remind their fans that they are there and they are where their fans want them to be. They take advantage of marketing to their fans every chance they get and boy do their fans love them. (I do.) Building that fan base that Tokio Hotel has is what every company wants.

Am I saying this is what your company should be doing too? ABSOLUTELY not! Every company is different and every business is different. You need to figure out who your audience is first and foremost and listen to what they want/need and see how you can provide that for them . That is what Tokio Hotel and their team has mastered (as far I as I see it). But like I said, everyone is different and you just need to figure it out. Try some things and see if it pans out and if not, try something else. The only thing I say you need to do is LOVE TOKIO HOTEL!



*Everyone knows there is no such thing as a free lunch and in this regard, it takes human resources, time and energy to create, edit, produce videos so consider that when you're reviewing your strategy.

What do you do again?

I get this question alot because no one really understands what I do.

Q: "What do you do?"
A: "I am the digital marketing specialist for chron.com."
Q: "What does that mean?"
A: "I help get the word out for whatever it is that needs to have the word out"
Q: "So what do you do?"
A: "I help promote chron.com and other sections of the site through various means like search engine marketing, email marketing, at events and such. That includes creating flyers, signage, promotional items, etc. That doesn't mean I actually create it but I work with a team that designs and creates these things with the direction I give them."

So, if you're a marketing person, you get that. If you're not... you really don't get it. Why is that? Why is marketing so difficult for people to understand? It's everywhere. It may not be an exact science when you're looking at results but down the line, its working somewhere. Someone told me, you just gotta be there when they need you. There's a saying out there...

"No marketing is like winking in the dark at a party. You know what you're doing but no one else does."

I love marketing. I love the fact that it allows me to be creative and think and dream and to help create these amazing campaigns. But, what do I do again? What's the objective of my position? I wonder sometimes if I'm the one that doesn't get it. Naw, that can't be it. ~_^ I'm just thinking too much. Where's the tequila bar?

Common Sense Spoils

I took my car to the dealership to get its usual maintenance and check up. Of course there was something wrong with it. My battery was dead and I didn't know why. Anyhow, I get sent to get a rental car. I asked for something small. I am a fast driver and I refuse to change for a large car (that and plus I refuse to pay extra for gas). I get in the small rental and drive to work. As I pull into the garage, I start feeling for the window buttons. I'm feeling around and I don't feel anything. OH MY FREAKING GAWD! There are NO BUTTONS! I quickly look down and there it is... a window crank. What in the world is that?

Do you know how long its been since I've even seen a window crank? I didn't think they existed anymore. Personally, I didn't think I was that spoiled. All the cars I had ever owned were hand me downs from my uncle, my cousin, my parents, etc. All the cars had automatic windows. I must have been lucky. Am I the only one to think that window cranks are from the caveman days? Who in the world still has a window crank?

A friend of mine thought this story was hilarious. Actually, what she found funny was that I didn't have automatic seat adjusters. My car has manual seat adjusters. My reasoning behind that is, it's faster for me to adjust my own seat versus waiting for the seat to move me to the correct spot. Automatic windows can pull up and down quicker than I can ever crank it open. Plus you don't have to reach across the passenger seat to pull down the window.

Another thing - the rental car didn't have automatic door locks. What is wrong with that? Even my old '89 Camry had automatic door locks. I think it is a safety issue.

So is it that I'm spoiled? I don't think so. I think it is just that the people who marketed automatic windows, automatic door locks and what have you did such a good job that I believe in my heart that I should never have to manually lock my door or crank a window ever again. When I went to buy my car, I specifically wanted automatic door locks and windows. It's not even a hard sell, just common sense.

Surprise it's MJ!

So I'm helping my sister at the family doughnut shop - D.Donuts in Pearland. If you ever go, the kolaches are the best and I'm totally addicted to the tacos and croissant sandwiches. She tells me the short stories of random customers who either don't care that she finally raised her prices (due to inflation of course) or tell her, tuff noogies which means I'm going somewhere else. I'm thinking... it's a business and we can't slowly die as a business if we can't cover our overhead. People should undesrstand that, right? Others were just thinking, what's another 5 or 10 cents? That's right... cents! They'll come back anyways. It's not like she increased prices 100%.

To my point - which makes for a really short blog... your hardcore customers won't care that you raise prices (it's called reality). They'll keep coming back for the quality of the food and the quality of the service. For those that are "bargain" shoppers - they will be back because we still have the one of the lowest prices in the area.

So the surprise? There was a pot of Mary Janes in the dumpster. Anyone up for a party? Maybe tomorrow?