News SPLASH

We've all seen it happen -- the video that travels around the world, gathering viewers as it is passed from person to person.  This can happen with an inspiring call to action like Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" or a tongue-in-cheek battle cry like Sarah Silverman's "The Great Schlep."  A friend sent me a video yesterday that moved me enough to forward it to five other friends (an action typically banned by this group!) and I started to wonder if others felt the urge to pass it along too.  So I did a little test and here's what I found:  After just 19 hours, viewership of the video on YouTube grew from 4,000 to 16,000.  In less than half an hour this morning, more than 1,000 people viewed the piece.  Here are the stats:

Dec. 9, 2008, 4:15pm - 4,070 viewers on YouTube

Dec. 9, 5:04pm - 6,004 viewers

Dec. 9, 8:54pm - 8,110 viewers

Dec. 10, 7:41am - 14,514 viewers

Dec. 10, 10:31am-15,535 viewers

Dec. 10, 10:57am - 16,692 viewers

So how does this apply to marketers?  It shows once again that you need to create an emotional attachment with your audience and you don't do this by just talking about your product.  In this case, author Kelly Corrigan doesn't mention her book in the video clip but you can bet sales for "The Middle Place" will shoot up.  In your own business, what is the greater connection to your product?  How can you help busy mothers provide nutrition to their kids?  How can you educate consumers about gasoline so that they see it as more than a commodity?  So, talk about more than your product's specs.  Offer information that educates or entertains and you just might have the next viral video.

Regardless of how you feel about the election results, one thing is clear:  The power of a grassroots movement is undeniable.

The 2008 Presidential election captured the hearts and minds of people like no other in recent history.  One friend in California traveled for hours to neighboring Nevada with her husband and two young children to canvas for Obama.  A woman I met this weekend drove from Connecticut to Pennsylvania to spread the word.  In Scranton, she was directed to three different locations until she found one that could use her help -- because the area was overloaded with volunteers.

When people feel an emotional attachment to an issue - or a company, or a product - they will go to great lengths to help it succeed.  We can take important lessons from the Obama campaign when it comes to building a grassroots groundswell.

Consistent Message:  In the end, Obama's message of hope and change was consistent and authentic, and strong enough to galvanize a nation.

Bold Strategy:  In an article in Monday's The New York Times, reporter Adam Nagourney wrote that the 2008 race for the White House "has rewritten the rules on how to reach voters, raise money, organize supporters, manage the news media, track and mold public opinion, and wage — and withstand — political attacks, including many carried by blogs that did not exist four years ago."  It's easy to stick with the tried and true but the Obama team rethought campaign tactics from harnessing the Internet to communicate and raise money (a strategy pioneered by Howard Dean) to recruiting volunteers as ambassadors for the campaign.

Discipline:  In any campaign (marketing or presidential), setbacks are part of the process.  The discipline comes from knowing how to react to them.  Do you rewrite your strategy every time you hit a hiccup?  Are you so in love with your direction that you won't stray?  Or do you stay flexible and nimble, recalibrating as needed like the Obama team?   Many say Obama ran a near flawless campaign.  I'd say he ran a disciplined one that looked honestly at what was working and not working along the way, making intelligent adjustments that ultimately led to victory. 

Just got back from Natural Products Expo East here in Boston.  What a feast...for the mind, the eyes and the mouth!  This is innovation at its best and we wanted to share some of our favorite products from the day.

Best Packaging - We are past the toddler stage but can still remember the spills from cups and even juice boxes.  First Juice has the answer.  It is an organic fruit and veggie juice beverage blended with purified water.  Not only does it encourage long-term healthy habits, the juice comes in a spill-proof, re-usable sippy top bottle.  Good thinking!

Best Cause Related Product - We loved the look and philosophy behind Give Spring Water.  Ten cents goes to local charities with each bottle you buy.  They are color-coded so you can select the type of cause you want to support.  For instance, Give Love is green and benefits the environment.  Blue is Give Life and benefits children in need.  Founder Ben Lewis says this is a movement to bridge the for-profit and non-profit worlds, responsibly and sustainably.  Get on board!

Best Twist on Yogurt - From the largest dairy free ice cream brand, All Natural So Delicious now offers yogurt made with coconut milk.  They say it is the world's first (that they know of) coconut milk yogurt.  And all six flavors, including raspberry, passionate mango and vanilla, are dairy and soy free.  We learned in our food science days that vanilla is the hardest flavor to work with so that's the flavor we tried.  One word:  Yum!

Best Snack - A frequent stop when we visit Times Square is the Popcorn, Indiana store so we were thrilled to see the company at the show with new flavors and, best of all, a Whole Grains Stamp on their package.  Popcorn, Indiana's Original Kettle Corn and new Sea Salt Popcorn are both certified as a whole grain snack.  If you eat just one serving of the Sea Salt Popcorn, you will have consumed nearly half of your entire daily USDA recommended allowance of whole grain.  All for 130 calories.

Best Indulgent Product -- The JaMocha Beans (dark chocolate covered, locally-roasted organic espresso beans) gave us a needed afternoon jolt and we really liked that they come from Cape Cod ("By the Sagamore Bridge, near the Christmas Tree Shop").  Another delicious choice is the Bog Beans®, chocolate covered cranberries.  Both are brought to you by Cape Cod Specialty Foods.

One thing is for sure - innovation and inspiration are alive and well in Boston this week. See any interesting products?  Tell us.