Smells Like 'Tween' Spirit

Friday night I helped orchestrate a midnight DVD release party for "Twilight" at the Blockbuster in West St. Paul. I knew the movie had some built-in appeal among the tween demo. I had no idea how much appeal. More than 300 screaming fans showed up at the Robert Street store to play Twilight trivia, win merchandise and be the first to own or rent the teenage vampire film. We promoted the event heavily on Facebook, KDWB and the other local media, and tied in with the American Red Cross and Edy's Ice Cream ("Give a Pint, Get a Pint"). But I believe we could have just stood on the street corner with an 8x10 of Edward (Robert Pattinson), and generated the same response.There's a marketing lesson in there somewhere. And if my ears ever stop ringing, I may figure it out.

Hope Springs Eternal

Winter drags on here in the heartland. After a welcome warming trend, the snow had all but disappeared. Then, we got a dusting this week. Our 16 year old skateboarder emerged from his hole, saw the white ground cover, turned on his heels and promptly returned to his bedroom. Like Punxatawny Phil, we expect to see him in another 6 weeks or so.It's been a particularly bleak winter for a lot of ad professionals too. Here's a little ray of sunshine: www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com. It's an informative, entertaining blog for unemployed ad people.Spring is coming. I just know it.

Murketing

I learned a new word today. In his new book "Buying In," New York Times Magazine columnist Rob Walker writes about "Murketing." He coined the term by blending "murky" and "marketing." Mr. Walker is referring to the practice of blurring the lines between branding channels and everyday life. He cites product placements in blockbuster films, computer games and comic books; "Got Milk" billboards that are rigged to pump out the aroma of fresh-baked cookies; and Dunkin' Donuts recruiting teens to temporarily tattoo their foreheads with its brand. Last week I was in Chicago for a PR Consultants Group conference. WLS radio personality "Mancow" talked about a publicity stunt he orchestrated in 1993 involving a sidekick in a Bill Clinton mask getting a haircut on the Oakland Bay Bridge. After tying up rush hour traffic for hours, Mancow ended up being charged with a felony and millions of dollars in fines. Ouch. There's an example of murketing that clearly generated huge headlines but went painfully awry.