The Thicket

Submit Your Story (x10)

We've all recently waxed about the most loved/hated Super Bowl ads but few have noted the ridiculous overuse of call-to-action requests for online content/story submissions.
This tactic doesn't make sense/success in most product/campaign situations.
Ask for and use submitted content only if your audience is already actively doing it and you know how to apply it wisely....and please don't fake it. If you feel that you have to link user submissions to a contest then it's not very real (buzz: authenticity) either.

Zune On Sale at Toys R Us!

I received this as an email today and thought it an odd disconnect.  Not only would I NOT think to buy electronics from Geoffrey and Toys R Us, but the ad is hokey and a little creepy.  When you click on the link, the music is good, but totally unrelated to the Toys R Us demoraphic, and I have to wonder how many kids in this age range are thinking to themselves "hmmm...Zune vs. iPod???, I know, I'll check out Toys R Us for their opinion."

just a bit texty (and it scrolls too)

this is more than just a poor (obviously regulated) ad but so visually overwhelming that I feel the urge to exit the page/site (seen on boingboing.net).

Online Sweepstakes Marketing Tip

Don't bet on people using your "send to a friend" tool....who wants to lessen their chances? now, if my vote is counted x # of persons enlisted then that'd be smart marketing.

Most Wii Demos and Trailers Only Capture Half the Fun

Maybe I just haven't seen them yet but whenever I view a demo of a Wii game or a trailer, it shows me what's on the screen.  That's well and good when I'm considering a PC or XBox 360 game, but with Wii you might want to know what the controller (or Wii-mote) experience is going to be.  Maybe it would look a little hokey, but I'd like to see an insert window on these demos that shows what the player is doing to make what you're seeing on the screen happen. 

For example, check this demo of the new Metroid Prime, released for Wii.  Gameplay looks similar to past versions but I'm sure it's the controller experience that brings the real newness to it.  Something I couldn't possibly grasp from this demo. 

Google RSS Reader No Likey Password Protected Feeds

  I've been trying out Google's RSS Reader lately as a break from my trusty ole NetNewsWire Lite.  Actually, it's more of a taste of using a web based reader vs. the desktop variety.  My original position was that desktop installed app readers give me the ability to read offline, like on an airplane.  But that doesn't always ring true since many sites only output the first few sentences of a post and I like to be able to drill over to the site itself.  So, as I'm already a fan of Google's applications I've been pretty happy with their reader.  Had my first moment of something not working ideally today -- Google's RSS Reader has issues with RSS feeds that require authentication (i.e., a password).  Maybe I'll spend some more time with it and figure out a work-around. 

USB Memory Stick Giveaway Etiquette

So I grab a USB memory stick out of my bag that I got at the last trade show I was at.  I'm in St. Louis and preparing for a presentation and we're swapping files back and forth amongst the pitch team.  I'm the one connected via BroadBand Access so I download the updated graphics from the home office and go to load them onto this  giveaway USB stick  Up pops "Not enough space" or something like that.  What the heck?  How big is this... what?  20MB?  Are you frakin' kidding me?  Who would give out a 20MB USB drive.  Am I being punked?  I don't even think you can get them normally from those premium places like Branders.com.  You'd have to special order it.  That means that someone in the marketing department of the company I got this from actually went out of their way to get the smallest they could find.  Imagine the conversation. "No, I'd like it to be smaller.  How small of a memory stick can I get?  20MB you say?  Perfect."

There should be some rule of etiquette about giving out these things.  I say 250MB is the minimum.  How 'bout you?

Which Candidates Want to Be Your Friend?

If the U.S. presidential election is based on how many friends you have on YouTube, John Edwards becomes "43"

A candidate having a YouTube page is like saying humans breath air, but a quick survey of some candidates YouTube pages shows they don't have many friends and most have none.  Hardly a scientific exercise but I am constantly amazed how long it takes these campaign teams to understand what could be the most cost effective tools they could have. 

Unofficial U.S. Presidential Candidates YouTube Friends Rankings

1. John Edwards  - 37 Friends

2. Mitt Romney - 3 Friends

3. [TIE]  Barack Obama - 0 Friends

3. [TIE] John McCain - 0 Friends

3. [TIE] Hillary Clinton - 0 Friends

Political Correctness in the Realm of Turalyon

I never thought I'd be longing to have the birds and bees conversation with my son, but getting this notice about his inappropriate naming of a character in World of Warcraft has me there. 

The name selected for this character has been deemed as inappropriate for the World of Warcraft by the In-Game Support staff of Blizzard Entertainment. Upon your next log-in, you will be prompted to select a new character name.

For further information, please view the World of Warcraft Naming Policy and Terms of Use Agreement: (http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01722p) and (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/termsofuse.shtml).

Regards,

Ekrikanix
Game Master
Blizzard Entertainment
www.worldofwarcraft.com

There's more stuff about terms of service but you get the idea.  Well, Mr. Ekrikanix the Game Master.  Thank goodness I had YouTube around so we could watch this great 1980s PSA from the Department of Health Education and Welfare.  Better parenting through keywords.