The Hundred Thousand Dollar Dentist Visit: Money From Viral

A seven-year-old kid goes to the dentist to have a tooth removed and feels woozy as the anaesthetic gradually wears off. Dad records his kid’s verbal ramblings for two minutes. Video ends up on YouTube in January 2009. It goes viral.

Just over a year later the Dad has a thriving internet business off the back of one video shot on a camera phone. True story.

Who are these people? Where did they come from? What was the dad’s motive for filming his son in this state? And how did this translate into a hundred thousand dollar money-making marketing venture?! Let’s find out.

First, somewhat confusingly, father and son have the same name: David DeVore. So, from this point on, we’ll call them David Sr and David Jr. The DeVore’s are from Orlando, Florida and David Sr’s line of work revolved around real estate.

What was the inspiration?

David Jr had been suffering from hyperdontia- the presence of an extra tooth. David Sr filmed the footage to reassure his wife (who was involved in a meeting) that the dental procedure had gone to plan and there was no reason to be unduly concerned. He posted his findings (to his friends’ amusement) on Facebook, and then later on YouTube. His. Very. First. Post.

Alcohol Advertising Heading For The Gutter?

Fosters.Smirnoff. Budweiser. Pimms. Guinness.Bailey’s. You know the brands, you know the ads and you probably know what some (most?) of them taste like too. But you may need to savour that (hazy?) memory if the people at the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) have their way.

NICE, an independent advisory group to the NHS, published a 100-page report on Wednesday issuing recommendations that they believe will help reverse Britain’s underage and binge drinking culture- including a total ban of all UK alcohol advertising and a steep increase on the prices of all alcoholic beverages.

According to Professor Ian Gilmore, the President of the Royal College of Physicians and Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, the NHS are reportedly paying an annual bill of £2.7billion for the treatment of alcohol-related illness.

Furthermore, Britain’s heavy drinking culture has been the leading cause of death for nearly 15,000 citizens each year, as well as up to 1.2million violent alcohol-induced incidents.

“There is clear evidence from around the world that we are drinking much more than most other developed countries and the problem is apparent right across society- not just with our teenagers or with binge-drinking,” said Professor Eileen Kaner, Chief of the NICE Guidance Development group linked to the case.

“We are constantly surrounded by various images of and opportunities to buy alcohol, from promotional offers in supermarkets, to advertisements in the media. This encourages us to drink more than we otherwise would, sometimes without us even realising it.”

NICE’s recommendations regarding advertising and marketing of alcohol include:

• Ensuring the limits set by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are appropriate for the proportion of the audience under age 18
• Providing adequate protection for children and young people where alcohol advertising is permitted
• Constructing a stringent regulatory system to cover all alcohol marketing, particularly when it involves new media (for example, web-based channels and mobile phones) and product placement.
• Ofcom, the ASA and the government should keep the current regulatory structure under review.
• Assessing the potential costs and benefits of a complete alcohol advertising ban to protect children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing.

This has sparked a widespread debate in the alcohol, marketing and advertising industries as to the validity of NICE’S argument. Is there enough evidence to suggest that a steep rise in alcohol prices will cause a drop in drinking rates? Would a reduction/outright ban of advertising and promotional tools really stave off Britain’s thirst for the booze?

Not at all, according to Ian Twinn, director of public affairs at ISBA, who believes NICE failed to consult with the advertising industry throughout their study and that their report overlooked legislations which are already in place to restrict drunken behaviour. “It is making claims that are not borne out by the facts,” Twinn said.

He continued: “Banning advertising is not going to stop people from eating and drinking too much. We need to use advertising as a positive force.”

Britain has been here before of course. Replace the words ‘alcohol’ with ‘smoking’, and reminisce back to a time known as the mid 1980’s and 1990’s. By 1986, television adverts were censored from showing a person actually smoking and by the mid 1990’s, corner shops, newsagents and off licenses were forced to remove cigarette branding from their front-of-shop displays.

And after the Labour government took power in 1997, a pledge to crack down on smoking advertising was eventually enforced (in stages) from 2003-2005. But are these strategies really comparable?

British pubs, bars and hospitality trades have already felt the squeeze after the UK smoking ban in public indoor areas, with the pubs being the greatest victim to the harsh economic conditions. While there are various issues at work here, the smoking ban has undoubtedly been a contributing factor. What would a price rise in alcohol achieve?

The poor might resort to brewing a slightly more ‘special’ of special brews, but a more likely scenario could be a rise in crime, as the most desperate drinkers attempt to get their hands on the base rate booze. Hardly an improvement.

So are we about to witness a cataclysmic moment for these trades and industries anytime soon? Probably not. The new coalition Government has said it will stop supermarkets from selling alcohol below cost price but they have made no further promises beyond that.

Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, said: “Regarding NICE’s recommendations… it is not clear that the research examines specifically the regressive effect on low income families, or proves conclusively that it is the best way to impact price in order to impact demand.”

He continued: “The root causes of social problems lie not just in Government policies – although 24-hour drinking legislation has severely undermined clinician and police efforts to get to grips with this problem – but in social norms and peer influence.”

This would indicate a return to depression-era 1930’s American prohibition to still be very much a long shot. Let’s embrace it! If the sun’s a-shining like it is in London today (it’s 27 degrees!), take advantage of the slightly over-expensive drinks prices and enjoy your Friday evening! Just like the British summer, these prices are unlikely to last forever. Source: www.blur-marketing.com

5 Secrets to Successful Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is the latest Web buzzword – it can also be as confusing as a tuk-tuk ride through Bangkok. Handle Crowdsourcing with care.

An increasing number of businesses are turning to Crowdsourcing to drive more efficient ideation, innovation and marketing. Not to mention Crowdsourcing as a next generation outsourcing/partnersourcing model. But how do you make it work?

Here are 5 secrets to successful Crowdsoursing:

1. Leadership – a crowd needs a strong leader and a clear, inspiring mission. Crowds form for a reason – not just for the hell of it!

2. A gaggle is not a crowd – until your crowd is at least 1,000 strong it will produce ad hoc results

3. Mixed, Generic crowds generally fail – focused, motivated and specialist crowds yield the best results – break any of these 3 rules at your peril

4. Building sustainable crowds – A sustainable crowd needs a win win model and to be treated with respect at all times. Overly competitive, dog eat dog Crowdsourcing models are bubbles waiting to burst. The Web equivalent of talent sweatshops. Use competition-only Crowdsourcing with care

5. Crowds are free – Crowdsourcing is not social networking or a stand alone Web community – you do not charge the Crowd for anything. You reward them – period.

Crowdsourcing has rapidly shifted from Web trend to a core business process innovation like outsourcing or internal marketing. An increasing number of businesses, large and small, are adopting it. And a crop of specialist Crowdsourcing start-ups are leading the way.

There is much to figure out. The Crowdsourcing movement has just begun. But it can change the way businesses and governments organize and create a more democratic, open environment for change. Let’s hope.

Source: www.blur-marketing.com