NSPCC and the facebook profile pic swap campaign...or not?

It started some time ago. My Facebook friends have changed their profile pics. This sounds like a pretty normal thing to do. Everybody does it, right? This time it was different, they swapped them for pics of their favourite cartoon characters from the time when they were small kids. Different but nice I though... so I did the same.

This is my fav cartoon – she has the same name like me and her dogs name is a “Hamburg-steak” (the closest possible translation I could find). I loved their funny adventures when I was little.

Four days ago I noticed a new wall post:

“Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same, for the UK children charity NSPCC. Until Monday (December 6th), there should be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is a campaign to stop violence against children.”

Ahhh, here is the real reason. How great is this? They all wanted to help the children and the NSPCC. I love doing things for charities and this gives me even a bigger reason to keep my cartoon profile pics until the December 6^th. 

December 6^th

Twitter hashtag #NSPCC is trending across the UK. So it’s really taken off then. The power of the social media has been demonstrated once again. I feel as if I was a part of something special and good of course. 

Many nice blog posts have been written, Tweets tweeted, walls updated, emails sent....and then bang, the Daily Mail comes with this: “Facebook cartoon character campaign 'nothing to do with the NSPCC', charity says”

Shocking:

“...However, disturbingly, rumours are now sweeping the net that the campaign is actually a smokescreen for paedophiles hoping to narrow down which users are children...”

So the campaign that I found so great, was in fact made by paedophiles? No way, it is hard to believe that it turned out to be something so disgusting.

At the end of the day, I think it still helped raise awareness though.

“NSPCC reported that the recent cartoon facebook profiles campaign inspired an 85%
increase in web traffic and 49% increase in donations.”

Foursquare - social network of the future or a time waster's dream?

Social media Screw Ups - A History

Yes ladies and gentlemen. The history of Social Media marketing is pretty varied. It is filled with success stories, which we celebrate. Unfortunately, there are some certain examples, nicely summarized in this slideshow, that make me see that SMM is really not a game.

Social media Screw Ups - A History

View more presentations from Social Media Influence.

The 46 stages of Twitter

I've stumbled across this on my search for something new/interesting in Social Media. And this is very funny!

**The 46 stages of Twitter**

1. Hear the word Twitter. Scoff.
2. Hear it again from someone else. Scoff again.
3. Hear about famous celebrity who is apparently "On Twitter." Scoff, but make mental note to check it out.
4. Log into Facebook to comfort self.
5. Sign up for Twitter.
6. Give up because it seems dumb.
7. Loudly criticize others on Twitter.
8. Follow @johncmayer, @aplusk, @rainnwilson, @wilw, @mrskutcher, @oprah, and one other person you actually know.
9. Post tweet that is a variant of: "Trying out this Twitter thing."
10. Attempt to dig a little deeper into Twitter.
11. Notice rampant usage of words: "Tweet," "Twitter," "Twitterverse," "Tweetie," "Tweetdeck," and something called "RT."
12. Scoff again, this time in confusion.
13. Tell friends you "tried that Twitter thing, but didn't get it and it's stupid anyway."
14. Log into Facebook because that site at least makes sense.
15. Read story about Twitter somewhere.
16. Log back into Twitter.
17. Try to avoid saying Tweet, Twitter, Twitterverse, Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and ReTweet.
18. Respond to @rainnwilson.
19. Curse self for fanning out.
20. Log off for 4 months.
21. Come back, just to see.
22. Post something relatively funny.
23. Get RT'd.
24. Discover that RT means ReTweet.
25. Make it your life mission to get RT'd.
26. Install Twitter app on your phone.
27. No longer ashamed to say "I've gotta Twitter that."
28. Attend events with the sole intention of "Tweeting" them.
29. Pray to get RT'd.
30. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
31. Close computer.
32. Open computer. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
33. Think in 140 character sentences.
34. Compulsively check phone all day every day.
35. Tweet that you compulsively check phone all day every day.
36. Alienate actual people in your life in an attempt to impress ones you don't know.
37. Lose weight because you forget to eat.
38. Place phone by bed so you can check first thing in the morning.
39. Defend Twitter to the death from detractors.
40. Hear self, and vaguely recognize that you have become "That Guy."
41. Feel like, and start to behave like River Tam.
42. Vow to quit Twitter to preserve sanity.
43. Read this and change mind.
44. Think to self, "I should twitter that."
45. Recognize irony.
46. Twitter it.

*Originally published by shanenickerson.com

Innovation in Social Media Marketing is everything.

First it was the Expendables. I cheeky little YouTube campaign that was so innovative that it made us all go WOW! But hey, it wouldn’t be Web 2.0 if there was nothing that could beat it.

Recently, Tippex launched its fantastic viral campaign. This engaging and interactive campaign can easily claim to be the one of the most innovative campaigns yet. It will be hard to beat it. Having said that...I am 100% sure that something better will come soon.

Here is the initial video:

Selecting an option from those above will take you to a YouTube site...then wath and have fun!

You can write anything you want. I’ve tried: kiss, like, eat, kill, fight, has, fart, drink, dance, is, smile, play, draw, swim (Funny one), sit, rest, tickle (so cute), shoot, drive, listen, dance, erase or tippexed  and sex. I wonder if there are any other words that I could use. 

It is obvious that running viral campaigns is getting loads of attention from marketers. They are cheaper , can reach masses and people can watch them on their own convenience. Traditional mass advertising is getting a bit boring and repetitive. It’s the innovation that rocks the world!