America’s Federal Trade Comission has released new guidelines concerning the use of testimonials and endorcements in advertising and social media. This marks an important turning point in the way paid bloggers can operate in the US, which will almost certainly filter to the rest of the world in due course.

…bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service

Read the full press release here:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm

‘The Denver Egotist’ have published an article ranting about bad headline writing, here’s number two:

http://thedenveregotist.com/editorial/4646/the-rant-the-top-10-cruddiest-headlines-that-prove-youre-a-no-talent-hack

2 : Size matters.
This has gone beyond a bad headline. To call it a cliché would be an insult to bad clichés. It’s now so overused and trite that even the sight of it on a concept makes me feel physically sick. “Ah yes, but I have a fantastic new way to use it” you’re saying. No, you don’t. Not even Nike or Apple could make this work. If this ever makes it onto your pad, consider a new career. If it gets printed, consider yourself lucky that there’s someone even dumber than you are out there – the idiot client who bought it.

Stumbled onto this hilarious blog which records the use of unnecesary quotation marks in ads and elsewhere

http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/

Pay attention to where you ads are going or risk embarrassment…

One of the key factors for successful word of mouth advertising is the ‘chat-worthiness’ of the message. Sometimes this can be completely unexpected as with this unfortunate advert placement on the back of a bus. Hampshire police had no idea how popular their bus ad would be, all due to the unfortunate position of the exhaust pipe. Ultimately this ad would be posted on websites around the world and discussed on BBC Top Gear – one of the most popular shows in the world. Just shows how unpredictable a viral success can be.

Today, almost every conceivable marketing channel is saturated with advertisements. This is leading businesses to use more innovative methods of attracting attention. Have Swissair taken things too far?

More innovative advertising ideas here

An interesting summary of Twitter users is shown below. As with most communications tools, a small number of users do the majority of the work.

Social ‘epidemics’ explained

‘The Tipping Point’ by Malcolm Gladwell is an essential read for anyone involved in marketing. Beautifully written, it describes the factors which contribute to making a brand go ‘epidemic’. If you are considering using word of mouth advertising or social media it is particularly relevant. Highly recommended.

The other side of the argument:

An interview with the social researcher Duncan Watts debates whether The Tipping Point is fact or fiction.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/is-the-tipping-point-toast.html

Read both and decide for yourself….

A good explanation of social media done by the animators at http://www.commoncraft.com/

Struggling to write your marketing plan? Try this tool from the Chartered Institute of Marketing which will put all of the elements into a word file for you to download at the end…

http://www.cim.co.uk/marketingplanningtool/

Let us know what you think.