CouchSurfing: Wave of the Future?

Umm, thanks, but no thanks...

I think that this is the dumbest idea ever, but I have a few friends that swear by it. Two social networks, CouchSurfing and AirBed & Breakfast, offer beds in the houses of volunteers. Basically, you sign up to be a host, and then say yes or no to people who ask to come stay with you.

I haven't seen the movie 'Hostel', but I've seen the previews, and they are scary enough to turn me away from this idea. Even if your host doesn't want to maim, murder or rob you, what if their couch smells bad? Or they smell bad? Or they make really gross food and you feel obliged to eat it? I could keep going, but instead I'll just keep paying for hotels.

Oh, the times they are a changing...

Today, Mashable posted an interesting article on how the PR world is starting to change. Instead of systematically sending out press releases, PR firms are now building relationships with reporters/bloggers.

This isn't incredibly shocking news to me. It is pretty clear that some of the more effective PR pros have well built relationships with journalists/bloggers. The main thing PR people need to do to be effective, is know the audience. If a journalist has been writing numerous columns on the housing market, would you pitch him a story about the presidential election? Of course not.

Check out the article here. It is worth a read.

Beyond Product Placement

Brian: Want to watch the Italian Job?
Me: I don't know...is it good?
Brian: It's basically a 3-hour commercial for Mini Coopers.
Me: Well, when you put it that way. Yeah.
-Real Conversation

Everyone has heard of product placement. Who could forget when Michael J. Fox went back to the future and ordered a coke? Or was it a Pepsi? Whatever. Anyway, the idea is that you pay a lot of money for your product to be seen on the big screen.

"Drive and Deliver" has gone one step beyond: it's a documentary about truck drivers paid for by a truck company. It's budget includes a red-carpet premiere, a first-rate soundtrack, soulful musings, and long shots of the big, beautiful trucks.

I don't really understand how this is going to help: their target audience is probably commercial truck buyers, but the movie is reaching everyone. Assuming anyone wants to go watch a documentary about truckers. Sounds about as exciting as that movie about the guy who drives across the country on his tractor. (NY Times)

Emily Brill: Your Pitching Nightmare

MTV has pitched the wrong girl. Emily Brill, New York socialite and weight loss success story, was e-mail pitched on a casting call for a show where girls lose weight to become models. According to the pitch, "models will endure twelve weeks of physical fitness training to get down to their ideal size...models must put their best foot forward at all times while staying focused on losing weight."

The pitch backfired, and now Emily published an angry post about it on her blog. This illustrates one of our core Axioms: do your research!

VP Madness!

Love him or hate him, you have to admit Obama knows how to talk to Gen Y. Now he's taking social media to the next level by announcing his VP on Twitter before he tells the press. He will message all of his "followers" at the same time, the time isn't specified but it will be before the convention. Cell phone addicts can text "VP" to 62262 to receive the news.

10 dumb viral marketing campaigns

This makes for a very entertaining read. Check out the 10 dumbest viral marketing campaigns here.

Then vote for which one is the dumbest here!