best of 2011

I do it every year … [2005] [2006] [2007] [2008] [2009] [2010] … so I can’t stop now. For new readers or people who are just discovering my content, I always do a list of my favorite / top / best blog posts from the previous year so here’s 2011’s list:

• In terms of pure web traffic and visitors, my analysis of the PR disaster between Brandlink Communications and The Bloggess was the top post of the year. The post was linked to by several PR outlets as it contains several good points on what NOT to do in PR / blogger outreach. The follow up post on how ad and PR shops should find a partner for disaster was also a hit.
• Another post that got lots of pageviews is my argument on why the idea of personal branding is a myth.
• The economy is still in the doldrums. But I still encourage you to do something instead of waiting for bad times to pass. I offered $500 for an In-N-Out burger. (And had a Double-Double (animal style) in November!)
• Girl Scout cookies are a great example of why brand extensions are a bad idea.
• Most ad agencies stink at social media.
• One of the most recognized brands threw away their most valuable asset this year.
• If there’s one constant with Facebook, it’s change. But most small businesses make the same 3 Facebook marketing mistakes.
• With all forms of social media, you need to rethink your media placement strategies as you’re now marketing with mayflies.

I truly thank you for being a reader of the Shotgun Marketing Blog. I hope to continue to provide you with useful and entertaining content in 2012. Don’t miss any of the upcoming posts by either subscribing to the RSS feed (through a reader or by email) or following me on Twitter or on Facebook.

white (flag) coke

It’s something I say a lot…
You don’t own your brand.
You can (and should) develop a brand strategy to guide the message, but ultimately the attributes of the brand rest in the hands of the market.

Coca-Cola is getting pushback on their white holiday cans.

Coke drinkers are mad about everything from the fact that the white cans are too similar to silver Diet Coke cans to furthering the global warming polar bear hoax. And to prove the theories of product sensation, some drinkers think Coke tastes different in the white cans. The whole incident harkens back to the Tropicana or Gap logo disasters.

Coca-Cola seemingly didn’t learn the lesson of their 1985 New Coke disaster and messed with another core attribute of their brand.

Coke is red. That simple sentence should be in their brand book as something to never mess with.

I assume their white can strategy was another subtle step to back away from Christmas messaging to more generic PC polar bear ‘holiday’ ads. But Coke can’t easily shed Christmas symbols they helped create like the iconic image of Santa Claus.

For over 100 years, Coke has become a part of the American cultural zeitgeist. They have done a good job making people have an emotional attachment to their sugar water. They need to be careful not to disturb those emotions.