SEAN TINER

(Sean Tiner ) (Sean Tiner ) (Christian) (Sean Tiner ) (Sean Tiner ) (Rodney Rumford , Co-Founder of Tweet Photo) (Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable ) (Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable ) (Sean Tiner ) (Mirna Bard, Nureach Global) (Marta Donayre , GrantsWiz ) (Marta Donayre , GrantsWiz ) (Bob Fine, Cool Blue Company LLC ) (Becky Carroll, Customers Rock!) (Angie Swartz , Twitter Talk Radio) Today, I spoke at the Cool Twitter Conference in San Diego , CA. I lectured on "Using Twitter to Engage Constituents." Although, I used nonprofit case studies to convey successful Twitter engagement and fundraising examples, the marketing theories from my presentation are applicable to corporations, brands, and individuals that desire to use Twitter as part of their integrated marketing communications plan. At the event, I really enjoyed exchanging social media ideas with various marketing professionals. I will post tips and tricks from the conference soon.

Marcus Goodyear, an online editor for several magazines, recently wrote Viral Marketing: We Share What Defines Us , an exhaustive follow up to my recent post, Why Do Certain Websites Go Viral?

Last week, Ashton Kutcher made national headlines by challenging CNN to see who could be the first Twitter user to have one million followers. Kutcher punked social media and won the challenge by being the first Tweeter to reach one million followers. Shortly afterwards, Oprah had Evan Williams , the founder of Twitter, on her show. The exposure introduced Twitter to Oprah's legion of viewers who no doubt learned about the micro-blogging service for the first time. From March '08 to March '09, Twitter saw its traffic explode over 2500 percent (see chart below) . Earlier this year, fmylife .com .launched. The site lists short humorous entries about unfortunate circumstances. Anyone can anonymously contribute to the website. In 4 months, the site went from zero viewers in January to 1.8 million unique visitors in April (see chart below). The website has already secured a book deal with Random House Books and there is probably a movie deal somewhere in the works. Twi...

(Original Andy Warhol Film) (Branded Film) Recycle Content? It's a strategy that has paid large dividends for the hip hop industry. With a plethora of YouTube movies, I'm surprised more brands do not edit existing viral films. It's an experimental idea that may hit a home run. Surf's Up! Last year, a YouTube user posted an edited Andy Warhol commercial that featured a Quiksilver surfboard (see films above ) . Although the movie has only received 10 thousand views (to date) and not gone viral (over 1 million views) , the editing allowed Quiksilver to creatively market to an established audience, Andy Warhol fans. Each time a YouTube user searches "Andy Warhol," he or she has a chance of discovering Quiksilver's commercial. The film is naturally discovered and reflective of the user's interests. I feel the strategy of recycling content can be replicated by an array of companies, especially for newer brands seeking to create awareness and interest. Alt...

"...Don't Vote?" Leonardo DiCaprio recently produced 5-Friends , a non-partisan PSA persuading young people to register and vote. From Dustin Hoffman to Ashton Kutcher to Eva Longoria, various celebrities encourage voter registration. In less than one week the movie has received over one million views, but I feel the PSA misses the mark for its primary target audience. If you are really apathetic and don't care about voting, would you take the time to watch a four minute PSA? No, I bet your attention will fade after 45 seconds. Instead of consolidating all of the celebrities into one long film, I feel DiCaprio should create 2-3 shorter PSAs. Yes, celebrities can lure the public's attention, but can they reverse apathy?

“Creativity is an advertising agency's most valuable asset, because it is the rarest.” -Jeff Richards If your interactive campaign does not generate buzz, you can flush the campaign's viral growth down the toilet. You don't have to sell trendy products to create interest in a video. From toilet manufacturers to insurance companies, traditional corporations are successfully leveraging Youtube to promote products and services. CWS' "Say No To Dirt" commercial illustrates how ordinary companies can creatively encourage consumers to talk about a brand. The goal of CWS' Youtube movie is to convey a fresher image and connect with younger buyers. Since its launch, the movie has accumulated over a million hits and received praise in the marketing world. Yes, the content may be offensive to some people, but pushing the envelope is sometimes a good thing. If you walk the line, no one will remember your brand from XYZ brand. I never talked about a toilet company befo...

(April 6, 2008 Screen shot of Seantiner.blogspot.com) I'm excited to learn that my blog now has trackable international readership. Alexa, a free global website traffic monitor, is tracking a split between Australia and The United States, with approximately 5% and 95% respectively. (I'm know there are friends in other countries viewing, it's just not tracked by Alexa, yet.) Thank you again for your interest in my artwork and creative ideas. NOTE: I am only investing my time and reaching a diverse audience through the power of Web 2.0 to promote my blog. (Driving Traffic Through Web 2.0 Diagram (C) Tiner) A special thanks to all my friends Down Under, especially the ones I recently met in Fiji! :)

(Excerpt from my thesis: Thinking Beyond Web 2.0: Leveraging the Dynamics of Generation-Y to Build Business ) According to Seth Godin, a best-selling author of business books and a famous marketing consultant, ten years ago the third most popular website on the Internet was Jennicam , a site that allowed voyeurs to watch a young girl frolic in her bedroom ( Permission Marketing, 1999 ). Internet surfers were intrigued by the mystique and realness of watching a young girl share her secrets with the world. ...Sound familiar? ....Remember Lonelygirl15 ? Flash forward approximately 10 years from Jennicam and you are introduced to Youtube.com's Lonelygirl15 aka Jessica Lee Rose, a 19 year-old entrepreneur who used Jennicam 's strategy to garner attention and propel herself to Internet stardom. In fact, Forbes Magazine made her #1 on 2007's " The Web Celeb 25 " list, a ranking of the Internet's most influential people ( Forbes.com ). If we flash forward anoth...