According to a legend, there was a small fortress back in 16th century, attacked by the Ottoman Empire. After a long siege, food run out and the people in the fortress were hungry and exhausted. The commanding officer started to consider surrendering to the enemy. There was only one small rooster left to eat, not enough to feed them all. But then, an old and wise woman suggested to the commanding officer to fire the rooster out of a cannon to give the enemy the impression that they had plenty of food left. And it worked – the enemy retreated. It was a proper PR spin, good old fashioned propaganda.
Now, imagine the people in the fortress had Facebook... I bet you the siege would end differently!
“I’m hungry!”
“Looking at that rooster right now, reaching for the knife!”
“Not much to do but wait for surrender”
Last weak Siggi wrote about the problems Israeli army is facing in relation to Facebook. British Ministry of Defence has similar worries. Their soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq aren’t exactly happy campers and they often use social networking sites to channel their frustrations and complaints. So, guys at MoD developed the Defence Online Engagement Strategy which describes how these threats are going to be tackled. Words like dismissal and even court martial are mentioned. The document also describes how they intend to use social media as a PR weapon.
The document states: “...our own people are our most effective advocates in promoting our activities, and they can be our most damaging critics."
The same goes for all organizations. For MoD controlling the online activity of soldiers is a difficult task, but at least they have the court martial, unlike other types of organizations.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Croatia: Mediterranean as it once was. Tourism promotion as it once was.
When planning to go on a trip to a foreign country or looking for the next holiday destination, most of us go to YouTube for more information. What you find there will most certainly influence the decision you make in the end.
Last year, Tourism New Zealand, a commercial tourist company in New Zealand invested $320 000 for tourism promotion on YouTube as a part of a broader campaign. This included 24 hour paid video space on YouTube homepage showing their new commercial “100% Pure New Zealand”.
Apart from that, they’ve established New Zealand branded YouTube channel – the world’s first dedicated to a single country. The channel was updated regularly with new content such as mini-documentaries.
Within first 48 hours they recorded around 500 000 views of their TV ad. Not bad. This ad is the first video that shows up when you search for New Zealand on YouTube.
In words of Tourism NZ CEO, George Hickton, YouTube is a great example of how a small country can use technology to its advantage.
Like New Zealand, my homeland Croatia is a small country with tourism accounting for around 1/3 of GDP. So, tourism promotion should be one of the top priorities.
When you put “Croatia” into YouTube search engine, one of the first results you get is a video showing rapper 50 Cent sniffing coke prior to his concert in Croatia. Not exactly something you want potential visitors to see.
To get to the promotion video of the Croatian National Tourist Board you’d have to go through five pages of content, and it was uploaded by an anonymous user. So, it is safe to say the tourist board isn't using YouTube at all.
As for the quality of the videos, it is hard for me to be impartial, so feel free to comment on that.
According to New York Times, when you actually visit Croatia "You will cry when you see it. Bring tissues. You will need them."
According to me, when you watch these videos you will fall asleep. Make some coffee. You will need it.
Croatia, the Mediterranean as it once was - part 1
Croatia, the Mediterranean as it once was - par 2
Last year, Tourism New Zealand, a commercial tourist company in New Zealand invested $320 000 for tourism promotion on YouTube as a part of a broader campaign. This included 24 hour paid video space on YouTube homepage showing their new commercial “100% Pure New Zealand”.
Apart from that, they’ve established New Zealand branded YouTube channel – the world’s first dedicated to a single country. The channel was updated regularly with new content such as mini-documentaries.
Within first 48 hours they recorded around 500 000 views of their TV ad. Not bad. This ad is the first video that shows up when you search for New Zealand on YouTube.
In words of Tourism NZ CEO, George Hickton, YouTube is a great example of how a small country can use technology to its advantage.
Like New Zealand, my homeland Croatia is a small country with tourism accounting for around 1/3 of GDP. So, tourism promotion should be one of the top priorities.
When you put “Croatia” into YouTube search engine, one of the first results you get is a video showing rapper 50 Cent sniffing coke prior to his concert in Croatia. Not exactly something you want potential visitors to see.
To get to the promotion video of the Croatian National Tourist Board you’d have to go through five pages of content, and it was uploaded by an anonymous user. So, it is safe to say the tourist board isn't using YouTube at all.
As for the quality of the videos, it is hard for me to be impartial, so feel free to comment on that.
According to New York Times, when you actually visit Croatia "You will cry when you see it. Bring tissues. You will need them."
According to me, when you watch these videos you will fall asleep. Make some coffee. You will need it.
Croatia, the Mediterranean as it once was - part 1
Croatia, the Mediterranean as it once was - par 2
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Coca Cola: The Real Thing in a Virtual World
Coca Cola was one of the first companies to get involved in virtual worlds and among very few that seem to have done it right.
In 2002. they launched their own promotional mini virtual world, Coke Studios, at music site MyCoke.com. It was targeted at teens and young adults, enabling them to create their own music mixes in a virtual music studio. Coke Studio avatars were called V-egos, and they had the possibility to socialize in public rooms based on international cities and communicate through an in-world messenger.
Last year, Coca Cola launched a contest for Second Life residents and the general population to design a virtual vending machine that dispenses an experience rather than a can or bottle of Coke, through its “Virtual Thirst” competition. They wanted people to create a portable device for Second Life’s “in-world” digital society that “unleashes a refreshing and attention-grabbing experience, on demand”.
Unlike some companies, Coca Cola didn’t make the mistake of just jumping into SL without considering the needs and expectations of the residents. They started by assembling a virtual advisory board consisted of Second Life residents and designers and collecting feedback on the competition concept.
Michael Donnelly, Coca Cole’s Director of Global Interactive Marketing described this approach to SL community:
“We have been careful to seek the opinion of the Second Life community before bringing it a new experience. Our approach has been to create a program that enhances this exciting virtual environment. We plan to continue conversing with residents throughout this process. “
Instead of just creating an island in SL and waiting for residents to stumble upon it, this creative approach enabled people to express their creativity and communicate the values connected to the brand."
Recently, Coca Cola replaced Coke Studios with CC Metro - a Coke bottle-shaped continent in the virtual realm of There.com. The reason behind it was to create a richer, more lifelike experience for the residents. There.com is a small virtual environment in comparison to SL, but its major advantage is tighter control over intellectual property and resident behaviour (adult content, for example)
Although you can’t beat the real thing, Coca Cola was pretty successful in transferring the values connected to its brand to virtual realities.
In 2002. they launched their own promotional mini virtual world, Coke Studios, at music site MyCoke.com. It was targeted at teens and young adults, enabling them to create their own music mixes in a virtual music studio. Coke Studio avatars were called V-egos, and they had the possibility to socialize in public rooms based on international cities and communicate through an in-world messenger.
Last year, Coca Cola launched a contest for Second Life residents and the general population to design a virtual vending machine that dispenses an experience rather than a can or bottle of Coke, through its “Virtual Thirst” competition. They wanted people to create a portable device for Second Life’s “in-world” digital society that “unleashes a refreshing and attention-grabbing experience, on demand”.
Unlike some companies, Coca Cola didn’t make the mistake of just jumping into SL without considering the needs and expectations of the residents. They started by assembling a virtual advisory board consisted of Second Life residents and designers and collecting feedback on the competition concept.
Michael Donnelly, Coca Cole’s Director of Global Interactive Marketing described this approach to SL community:
“We have been careful to seek the opinion of the Second Life community before bringing it a new experience. Our approach has been to create a program that enhances this exciting virtual environment. We plan to continue conversing with residents throughout this process. “
Instead of just creating an island in SL and waiting for residents to stumble upon it, this creative approach enabled people to express their creativity and communicate the values connected to the brand."
Recently, Coca Cola replaced Coke Studios with CC Metro - a Coke bottle-shaped continent in the virtual realm of There.com. The reason behind it was to create a richer, more lifelike experience for the residents. There.com is a small virtual environment in comparison to SL, but its major advantage is tighter control over intellectual property and resident behaviour (adult content, for example)
Although you can’t beat the real thing, Coca Cola was pretty successful in transferring the values connected to its brand to virtual realities.
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