07 August 2008

ASPCA: Marketing For a Cause Gone Awful

I'm a huge animal lover. I have two rescue dogs, two rescue cats, and would probably have a houseful if only I had acreage.

But I cannot watch the ASPCA commercial that's been on the air now for several months. (I'm embedding it below, but I warn you that it's hard to watch, and might be near impossible if you're an animal lover. I had to stop it playing on YouTube just so I could copy the link. If you're sensitive, might just skip it and take my word for it.)



It's been running on the Food Network, which is a favorite TV destination of mine. This whole thing is awful to me for two big reasons.

1) Food Network is losing a viewer on a regular basis, because every time the commercial comes on, I switch channels. And often I forget to switch back. This morning, I've switched three times in the last hour, and I now will not go back for fear of running into this spot again.

2) The ASPCA has gone past the line of sympathy and empathy, and crossed into anguish. If I can't watch the commercial because of how distressing it is, I'm not going to be compelled to stay tuned and give. It's causing the opposite reaction - complete avoidance, despair, helplessness. That's not what they're after I'm sure. And I've heard from literally dozens of people who won't watch the commercial either. Are they giving?

Tugging at heartstrings might have it's place in advertising, marketing, fundraising - emotional appeal is a cornerstone of strong messaging, and I understand the motivation. But I think there's a line. I'd be much more likely to get online and give if I saw a spot full of success stories - happy animals moving on to bigger and better lives after being rescued by the ASPCA. Instead, I'm afraid to head to their site lest I be bombarded with horrific images of mistreated animals all over again.

I *know* what the ASPCA does - I'm not ignorant of the mistreatment of animals, it's harsh reality, and the great strides the ASPCA is making to combat it. But seeing it in all of its brutal reality isn't making me more likely to get closer to their organization.

So what do you think? Is this spot too extreme for you, or do you think this is just the right message? Are you motivated to give, or to change the channel?
Zemanta Pixie

Blogs from the Social Media Fishbowl

A few days ago, I was asking around on Twitter and Plurk about social media people's must-read blogs. After a good influx of responses and requests to share, here we go! I'm happy that while some of these are old favorites, a few were new to me. And of course this is not an exhaustive list and isn't meant to be definitive; these simply represent the 25 that were mentioned most often (most more than once).

Some focus on PR, some on marketing, some on a blend of everything. Please add yours in the comments, too.



1. The Buzz Bin by Geoff Livingston

2. Chaos Scenario by Cam Beck, John Herrington and Paul Herring

3. Church of the Customer Blog by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba

4. ChrisBrogan.com

5. Communication Overtones by Kami Huyse

6. Conversation Agent by Valeria Maltoni

7. Diva Marketing Blog by Toby Bloomberg

8. Every Dot Connects (multiple authors)

9. For Immediate Release by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson

10. Influential Marketing Blog by Rohit Bhargava

11. Logic+Emotion by David Armano

12. Marketing Profs Daily Fix (multiple authors)

13. Mashable (multiple authors)

14. /Message by Stowe Boyd

15. Micropersuasion by Steve Rubel

16. Online Marketing Blog by Lee Odden

17. PR Squared by Todd Defren

18. PR 2.0 by Brian Solis

19. Read Write Web (multiple authors)

20. Social Media Explorer by Jason Falls

21. The Social Media Marketing Blog by Scott Monty

22. Social Media Today (multiple authors)

23. Techipedia by Tamar Weinberg

24. The Viral Garden by Mack Collier

25. Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang

Like I said, I could easily extend this into a list of 100+, so please share in the comments what blogs are can't-miss for you!


Image by Mike Licht



Zemanta Pixie

07 August 2008

ASPCA: Marketing For a Cause Gone Awful

I'm a huge animal lover. I have two rescue dogs, two rescue cats, and would probably have a houseful if only I had acreage.

But I cannot watch the ASPCA commercial that's been on the air now for several months. (I'm embedding it below, but I warn you that it's hard to watch, and might be near impossible if you're an animal lover. I had to stop it playing on YouTube just so I could copy the link. If you're sensitive, might just skip it and take my word for it.)



It's been running on the Food Network, which is a favorite TV destination of mine. This whole thing is awful to me for two big reasons.

1) Food Network is losing a viewer on a regular basis, because every time the commercial comes on, I switch channels. And often I forget to switch back. This morning, I've switched three times in the last hour, and I now will not go back for fear of running into this spot again.

2) The ASPCA has gone past the line of sympathy and empathy, and crossed into anguish. If I can't watch the commercial because of how distressing it is, I'm not going to be compelled to stay tuned and give. It's causing the opposite reaction - complete avoidance, despair, helplessness. That's not what they're after I'm sure. And I've heard from literally dozens of people who won't watch the commercial either. Are they giving?

Tugging at heartstrings might have it's place in advertising, marketing, fundraising - emotional appeal is a cornerstone of strong messaging, and I understand the motivation. But I think there's a line. I'd be much more likely to get online and give if I saw a spot full of success stories - happy animals moving on to bigger and better lives after being rescued by the ASPCA. Instead, I'm afraid to head to their site lest I be bombarded with horrific images of mistreated animals all over again.

I *know* what the ASPCA does - I'm not ignorant of the mistreatment of animals, it's harsh reality, and the great strides the ASPCA is making to combat it. But seeing it in all of its brutal reality isn't making me more likely to get closer to their organization.

So what do you think? Is this spot too extreme for you, or do you think this is just the right message? Are you motivated to give, or to change the channel?
Zemanta Pixie

Blogs from the Social Media Fishbowl

A few days ago, I was asking around on Twitter and Plurk about social media people's must-read blogs. After a good influx of responses and requests to share, here we go! I'm happy that while some of these are old favorites, a few were new to me. And of course this is not an exhaustive list and isn't meant to be definitive; these simply represent the 25 that were mentioned most often (most more than once).

Some focus on PR, some on marketing, some on a blend of everything. Please add yours in the comments, too.



1. The Buzz Bin by Geoff Livingston

2. Chaos Scenario by Cam Beck, John Herrington and Paul Herring

3. Church of the Customer Blog by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba

4. ChrisBrogan.com

5. Communication Overtones by Kami Huyse

6. Conversation Agent by Valeria Maltoni

7. Diva Marketing Blog by Toby Bloomberg

8. Every Dot Connects (multiple authors)

9. For Immediate Release by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson

10. Influential Marketing Blog by Rohit Bhargava

11. Logic+Emotion by David Armano

12. Marketing Profs Daily Fix (multiple authors)

13. Mashable (multiple authors)

14. /Message by Stowe Boyd

15. Micropersuasion by Steve Rubel

16. Online Marketing Blog by Lee Odden

17. PR Squared by Todd Defren

18. PR 2.0 by Brian Solis

19. Read Write Web (multiple authors)

20. Social Media Explorer by Jason Falls

21. The Social Media Marketing Blog by Scott Monty

22. Social Media Today (multiple authors)

23. Techipedia by Tamar Weinberg

24. The Viral Garden by Mack Collier

25. Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang

Like I said, I could easily extend this into a list of 100+, so please share in the comments what blogs are can't-miss for you!


Image by Mike Licht



Zemanta Pixie

07 August 2008

ASPCA: Marketing For a Cause Gone Awful

I'm a huge animal lover. I have two rescue dogs, two rescue cats, and would probably have a houseful if only I had acreage.

But I cannot watch the ASPCA commercial that's been on the air now for several months. (I'm embedding it below, but I warn you that it's hard to watch, and might be near impossible if you're an animal lover. I had to stop it playing on YouTube just so I could copy the link. If you're sensitive, might just skip it and take my word for it.)



It's been running on the Food Network, which is a favorite TV destination of mine. This whole thing is awful to me for two big reasons.

1) Food Network is losing a viewer on a regular basis, because every time the commercial comes on, I switch channels. And often I forget to switch back. This morning, I've switched three times in the last hour, and I now will not go back for fear of running into this spot again.

2) The ASPCA has gone past the line of sympathy and empathy, and crossed into anguish. If I can't watch the commercial because of how distressing it is, I'm not going to be compelled to stay tuned and give. It's causing the opposite reaction - complete avoidance, despair, helplessness. That's not what they're after I'm sure. And I've heard from literally dozens of people who won't watch the commercial either. Are they giving?

Tugging at heartstrings might have it's place in advertising, marketing, fundraising - emotional appeal is a cornerstone of strong messaging, and I understand the motivation. But I think there's a line. I'd be much more likely to get online and give if I saw a spot full of success stories - happy animals moving on to bigger and better lives after being rescued by the ASPCA. Instead, I'm afraid to head to their site lest I be bombarded with horrific images of mistreated animals all over again.

I *know* what the ASPCA does - I'm not ignorant of the mistreatment of animals, it's harsh reality, and the great strides the ASPCA is making to combat it. But seeing it in all of its brutal reality isn't making me more likely to get closer to their organization.

So what do you think? Is this spot too extreme for you, or do you think this is just the right message? Are you motivated to give, or to change the channel?
Zemanta Pixie

Blogs from the Social Media Fishbowl

A few days ago, I was asking around on Twitter and Plurk about social media people's must-read blogs. After a good influx of responses and requests to share, here we go! I'm happy that while some of these are old favorites, a few were new to me. And of course this is not an exhaustive list and isn't meant to be definitive; these simply represent the 25 that were mentioned most often (most more than once).

Some focus on PR, some on marketing, some on a blend of everything. Please add yours in the comments, too.



1. The Buzz Bin by Geoff Livingston

2. Chaos Scenario by Cam Beck, John Herrington and Paul Herring

3. Church of the Customer Blog by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba

4. ChrisBrogan.com

5. Communication Overtones by Kami Huyse

6. Conversation Agent by Valeria Maltoni

7. Diva Marketing Blog by Toby Bloomberg

8. Every Dot Connects (multiple authors)

9. For Immediate Release by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson

10. Influential Marketing Blog by Rohit Bhargava

11. Logic+Emotion by David Armano

12. Marketing Profs Daily Fix (multiple authors)

13. Mashable (multiple authors)

14. /Message by Stowe Boyd

15. Micropersuasion by Steve Rubel

16. Online Marketing Blog by Lee Odden

17. PR Squared by Todd Defren

18. PR 2.0 by Brian Solis

19. Read Write Web (multiple authors)

20. Social Media Explorer by Jason Falls

21. The Social Media Marketing Blog by Scott Monty

22. Social Media Today (multiple authors)

23. Techipedia by Tamar Weinberg

24. The Viral Garden by Mack Collier

25. Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang

Like I said, I could easily extend this into a list of 100+, so please share in the comments what blogs are can't-miss for you!


Image by Mike Licht



Zemanta Pixie