ErinIs.com

The power of community is evident through many social media platforms. Companies are learning that cultivating a positive brand experience through open communication and 24/7 availability can create consumers who are your brand advocates. I am a huge believer of social media participation and online reputation management (really you can’t create your presence without closely monitoring the results through a rep management process). 

Sometimes the community takes something and owns it in a way you could have never imagined making it 100 times awesomer. In those times you can only be thankful that some people have way too much free time on their hand and just the right dose of creativity. Yahoo Answers, Amazon Reviews and some people’s random sites have generated hundreds of users to participate and hundreds of thousands to view. 

Here are some of my favorite: 

Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt (Amazon Review) 

• 688 customer reviews 
• 7,245 users voted on the reviews

This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that’s when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to ‘howl at the moon’ from time to time (if you catch my drift!)……

Does anyone know a website where for cool bebo profile names? (Yahoo Answers)

• 4 response
• 416 users voted on the reviews

…The internet burned brightly as an escape, a way to show who you were to a wider audience, a way of discovering and sharing things you never knew existed, a way of forcing back the ever encroaching shadows of the real world to keep your internal flame burning just that little bit longer….

Tuscan Whole Milk, 1 Gallon, 128 fl oz (Amazon Review)

• 1,059 customer reviews
• 1,436 users voted on the reviews

One should not be intimidated by Tuscan Whole Milk. Nor should one prejudge, despite the fact that Tuscan is non-vintage and comes in such large containers. Do not be fooled: this is not a jug milk. I always find it important to taste milk using high-quality stemware — this is milk deserving of something better than a Flintstones plastic tumbler. One should pour just a small dollop and swirl it in the glass — note the coating and look for clots or discoloration. And the color — it should be opaque, and very, very white. Now, immerse your nose in the glass and take a whiff. Tuscan transports you instantly to scenic hill towns in central Italy (is that Montepulciano I detect?) — there is the loamy clay, the green grass of summer days, the towering cypress…

Back in the olden days of the internet, Facebook was just for college kids, flash sites were cool and you couldn’t rely on someecards to be there to help you communicate openly with your friends. 

All the way back in 2003 you had to rely on your own internet skills to send out cards to your friends, family and complete strangers. You bought a URL, maybe the name of your pet, you created a real life card and then you uploaded it to the previously mentioned URL. 

The result of your efforts would be Jara.com.

Simple, effective and peaceful. Thank you Geoff and Jara. You made my day.

I can’t even be mad that I wanted your URL for a client. You’ve paid 6 years worth of domain and hosting fees so you could continue to wish those closest to you (and those of us who stumbled upon it) some much needed Peace on Earth. 

Frank Duffel is a guy I could see my dad being buddies with – a bit of a hard ass but simple and straight forward. While he puts the “no” in innovation, he somehow ended up with a Facebook page, a youtube series and his own website, but my guess is that the overly ambitious June is responsible for that (see episodes 4 and 5). 

Mr.Duffel is the President of The Post Shredded Wheat Co. where they’ve done nothing to change the cereal since 1892. After two two huge achievements, adding milk to cereal and make Post Shredded Wheat spoon size, Post Shredded Wheat has not changed a thing. To fully understand Frank check out his speech on Progress…good stuff. 

Well done Ogilvy! It’s incredibly entertaining, sociable and still delivers a powerful message. Heck, I bought a box at the grocery store today and I don’t even eat cereal.

This went viral a couple of weeks ago and I didn’t have a chance to post or write about it.  It’s such a great spoof of the New York Times spot.

One of the best PSA campaigns ever put together. Well produced, fabulous integration with enough components to go viral all on its own . They even created their own little catch phrase, Tan-Tasic. 

Check out the website for your free Computer Tan trial.

Jack from Jack in the Box is my favorite brand persona. He’s hilariously human with his giant head, busy career and random friends. And the Sourdough Jack is without a doubt the best hangover cure.

Anyone watching the Super Bowl who lives within driving distance of a Jack in the Box saw his horrific bus accident. Jack suffered severe head trauma and is not doing well in the hospital.

Once you’ve wiped away the tears head over to HangInThereJack.com
for in-depth updates or you can keep up to date via his twitter (Barbara, Jack’s assistant is keeping up to date).

The entire campaign is based on the fact, that just before he was hit by the bus Jack was talking about how great it is that any item on the menu is available anytime. So those worrying about Jack should indulge and order breakfast for lunch and dinner for breakfast.

I adore the campaign, as much as it breaks my heart. Jack in the Box HQ is here in San Diego and loyal fans and Jack supporters have created a vigil in his parking spot. Check out all the pictures below.

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For all those who’ve lost their jobs recently there is a glimmer of hope, because everyone is doing something for the recession from Hyundai offering to take back your vehicle if you are laid off within 12 months of buying the car to all of the great giveaways.

Personally, I’d love to spend my time being unemployed on the beach in Austrailia which is why I’ve applied for the Island Reef Job. A promotion to support tourism in Queensland. But one has to think if you’re “prize” is an actual job (The Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef) you might not see a lift in traffic as most people this appeals to are uneployed. Check out the view from your office. 

If you don’t get hired for the Queensland isalnd job, you could try a win a free vacation from SunGlass Warehouse. They’ll pay for your flight, hotel, some spending money and some sunglasses and beach gear. Sweet! Plus you can get bonus entries for twittering, blogging  or emailing your friends. 

Now wish me some luck as I head out to Vegas for the a few!

JC Penny has done something incredibly right with their viral campaign for ‘The Doghouse’. My 60 some year old father excitedly told me all about this hilarious video/website his friend sent him. He had the freaking commercial memorized.

Now my dad had no idea it was from JC Penny’s; he doesn’t know what a viral campaign is; hell he’s not even really sure how it saw it online. But he loves it so much he told my brothers and uncles about it at Christmas. 

I tried to explain what viral was and that it was actually from JC Penny. He didn’t care. He wanted me to show him how to upload his picture to the website because he felt he probably desereved it at some point in his life (possibly for the Christmas he bought the entire family a gym membership, thanks dad). 

Well done JC Penny’s, bravo. 

Just for my dad here is the website Beware of the Doghouse. Enjoy!

Ninjas. Pirates. Zombies. The web is full of all three. Are they good or evil? Who knows, but they do provide an incredible amount of entertainment. I definitely think there is potential for some advertisers to jump on the bandwagon and incorporate all three into some sort of crazy web adventure. Which would turn viral in a heartbeat and find itself plastered across all sorts of social media (So any advertisers who’ve stumbled on this with a huge ad budget, you’re welcome!). 

While zombies are obviously enemies to everyone (since they don’t discriminate on the brain eating), pirates and ninjas have a natural hatred of each other. If you need proof of this absolute fact then check out the video below. 

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I love this video series by Audi with a family of luxury car owners as their stereotypical owners. Although I’m not sure if Audi is supposed to be normal, they just seem kind of boring.

Here is episode one.