Posted by Aja on September 3rd, 2010
Are you thinking of sending out a press release in the hopes that it will result in some type of media coverage? Before you risk wasting your time, money and effort, make sure that the information you are sending out is newsworthy i.e., something that a reporter would actually deem worthy of coverage.
Various factors contribute [...]
Posted by Aja on August 30th, 2010
Antoine Dodson
If you haven’t heard of Antoine Dodson, his infamous on-air rant, and subsequent rise to semi-superstardom, you might want to poke your head out a little from the rock you’ve been living under. The short recap: In July an intruder attempted to attack Dodson’s sister by breaking into the family’s home at a housing project in Huntsville, Alabama. Dodson defended his family and sent warnings to the intruder in a news interview that was a curious blend of a sad and disturbing stereotype that is somehow hysterically funny enough to make you really ashamed for laughing.
Dodson is one of many to have humiliating videos go viral. However, unlike the others, who simply got laughed at millions of times over, Dodson has been able to parlay his five seconds of fame into fifteen minutes that has been profitable for him and his family. The original rant spawned the song “Bed Intruder” which has become an itunes hit and made the Billboard top 100. Dodson appeared on the Today Show, became the topic of a New York Times article and created his own website where he sells t-shirts featuring his own catch phrases from the interview like “Run Tell Dat”. According to Dodson, the money that he has made as a result has been enough to move his family out of the projects.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding his recent fame, Dodson’s experience is a testament to the ever changing rules of marketing, media attention and PR. He may not have known that his 30 seconds of local air time in Alabama would have made him a national sensation, but the level of coverage that he has received by accident is above and beyond what many companies achieve after months of hard work.
Youtube, blogging, twitter and other social networking websites have shifted the balance of power between the media gatekeepers and everybody else. The traditional methods, like sending press releases, are still important. But the ability to broadcast yourself in endless ways on the web, gives you another opportunity to draw attention without waiting for a reporter to run a story or spending a ton of money on advertising. You certainly don’t want go make a fool of yourself on camera thinking that is about to bring you the same results, but there are a couple of lessons that we can learn from Dodson.
Posted by Aja on August 26th, 2010
Creative Commons License photo credit: karsten.planz
Thanks to everyone who played in yesterday’s quick trivia contest. According to market research, America’s favorite food is pizza. The winner of yesterday’s contest is:
Tarisa
New services, exciting changes and a very important announcement are scheduled within the coming weeks. Don’t forget to subscribe and stay updated!
Posted by Aja on August 25th, 2010
photo credit: Two Ladies & Two CatsCheck out my weekly Wednesday post at Black and Married With Kids. This one is called Kiss Your Spouse!