Buzz Builder

Yahoo! in Sheraton Lobbies Won't Impact Google

In an interesting interview in Brandweek today, Yahoo!'s Chief Marketing Officer Cammie Dunaway discusses the company's marketing plans for 2006. Her claim that putting Yahoo! lounges inside Sheraton Hotel lobbies will build buzz for her company doesn't make much sense. She stated:

"This is a great way for the Sheraton brand to introduce travelers to Yahoo!'s range of products. We'll have free wireless access and computers stations. People can get free trials; we'll get new customers. One of our big objectives is communicating that Yahoo! goes beyond the PC. We want our users to access Yahoo! anywhere, anytime. "

It's hard to imagine that there are many travellers at Sheraton who don't know Yahoo! Furthermore, how many people do you think would prefer to use the Internet from a hotel lobby rather from the comfort and convenience of their hotel rooms?

The problem with Yahoo! isn't that people don't know it. It is a very recognizable brand. Rather, the company lags far behind Google in coming up with innovative services. Furthermore, the Google PR juggernaut is impressive in how it leverages all its actions for maximum media exposure.

Kickstart Your Business with an online referral management system

What was your most important new business source in 2005? If you are like most service professionals, including me, referrals are one of your best ways to generate new customers. Yet, do you have a system to attract, receive, and reward successful referrals to grow your business in 2006?

Referrals are more important than ever since the average American consumer is bombarded with more than 1,000 commercial messages a day. Even with a large advertising budget, it is extremely difficult to penetrate commercial clutter and get your message heard. In contrast, people are predisposed to buy from you when a friend or colleague recommends your services. Furthermore, referred prospects are usually in the market for the service you offer, or else they wouldn’t have been referred to you in the first place.

This month, I began working with an interesting new online referral service called Tell-A-Pal.  If you are a service oriented business or professional,  Tell-A-Pal is an easy way to receive referrals from people you know and trust, and reward those who send you successful referrals.  In just minutes, you can use Tell-A-Pal to create a personalized web page that anybody can use to send you referrals.  Just email your contacts a link to your Tell-A-Pal page so they have an easy way to send you referrals.  When someone sends you a successful referral, you send them a referral reward.  Tell-A-Pal charges a small transaction fee each time you receive a referral through the system. Additionally,  Tell-A-Pal has powerful tracking and administration features that make it easy to manage and track all referral activity.

To see what Tell-A-Pal can do to kick start your business in 2006, sign up for a free 30-day trial.. 

A tip of the hat to the New Year's Buzz for the Travelocity Gnome

Hats off to the folks at Travelocity who pulled off a successful buzz marketing effort in New York City on New Year's Eve! If you were one of the thousands in Times Square to see the ball drop, you probably saw a little extra red in the crowd courtesy of a Travelocity promotion.

The company distributed 20,000-hats in New York City on New Year's Eve. The pointy hat is a reference to the company's spokescharacter, the Travelocity gnome, which has appeared in ads since January 2004.

One person was picked at random to receive a trip to Monte Carlo. People not in Times Square were eligible for another giveaway, a trip to Las Vegas, via an online contest.

“We thought since New Year's is such a widely televised event, with the sweep of the camera [through the crowd] constantly, it would be so fun to have people randomly in the crowd wear pointy red hats, which of course points it to the gnome,” said Lisa Shimotokahara, group creative director at McKinney + Silver in Durham, N.C., the agency that worked with Travelocity, to Adweek Magazine.