The Fro Fro Blog

Twitter: To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

When I first started writing this blog a couple of years ago, I was like a kid in a candy store.  I couldn't get enough of the rush that came from expressing myself creatively, getting accolades from you lovely people, and having my words be read by strangers all over the globe.  Only a single-digit percentage of people on the planet were writing a blog, and I was one of them.  I was the new new thing.  

I LOVED it and couldn't imagine EVER not wanting to blog about something at least two or three times a week.

Then, along came Facebook.  I was a like a kid in a candy store filled with all my favorite candy.  I loved reconnecting with friends, seeing what they were up to and keeping them up to date on what's going on with me.  I have Facebook to thank for reuniting me with my sorority sister Anne -- we ended up doing the Danskin Tri in Austin together last year ISidebar: Jo Jo and I are about to do the "5th Annual Jo Jo and Fro Fro at the Danskin Tri" this year.  Come join us!)  I can also thank Facebook for being the catalyst for last week's Bacon Bacon Bacon Burger -- the idea was hatched when Howie (a college friend) recommended Nueske's bacon as the very best, and my cousin Stacey put in a plug for Zingerman's bacon bread.  

It's so much easier to "microblog" than to blog, and my Facebook status update began to overtake my blog in the 24-hour apple pie of my time.  

I LOVED it and couldn't imagine EVER not wanting to post pithy updates ay least two or three times a day.

Then along came Twitter.  I am now a kid in a candy store filled with all my favorite candy -- and the other kids in the store are my favorite celebrities!

At first I admit I didn't "get" Twitter.  Like you, I was asking myself, "What's the point?  Do I really need Twitter if I'm already on Facebook?"  Especially since you can set up your Facebook status to update based on your Twitter tweets (Twitter lexicon for messages) automatically.  That's all changed for the following reasons, so to speak:

1. You can follow people on Twitter who are not your friends in real life (as much as you'd like to believe that they are).  

For example, I'm following Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) -- so I was getting into the flow of his daily training routine and what he does when he's not about the bike -- directly from Lance himself.  Then, the other day when he unfortunately crashed on his bike in Spain and broke his collarbone. So now I can get up-to-the minute updates on his condition, complete with pictures of his freshly sewn scar.

Then, of course, there's the royal first couple of Twitter, Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) and Demi Moore (@mrskutcher).  Following these two on Twitter is such a romantic vicarious thrill.  Earlier this week, Ashton was on location for his new movie in France, and missing Demi back in La La Land.  So he asked the Twitterverse to send a "love bomb" -- he implored his his hundreds of thousands of followers to send a message of love to Demi at 7:45 am Pacific Time, right after she sends the kids off to school -- and we did!  She loved it, and it made me smile the rest of the day.  

I'm also following some of my favorite celebs of the food world, such as my idol Ruth Reichl (@ruthreichl), Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea (@Gachatz), Nate Appleman of A16 (@nappleman), Chris Cosentino of Incanto (@offalchris), Dave Martin of Crave (@chefdavemartin), Daniel Patterson of Coi (@dcpatterson), Gail Simmons (@gailsimmons) and Martha Stewart of Omnimedia (@MarthaStewart). 

It really gets good when you observe people interacting with each other:

@dcpatterson: riddle me this: what does one say to a customer who orders bone marrow and then proclaims it "too fatty"?

@offalchris: get the fuck out of my restaurant

@dcpatterson: charming.  was thinking of a more positive approach - this is the hospitality biz, right?

@offalchris: yes I know but it does get frustrating

Personally, I think Patterson should have asked the customer if this finger made him look fat.  Here's another fun exchange, between NFL and Dancing with the Stars legend Warren Sapp, and Gary Vaynerchuk, wine expert, blogger and Twitterer with quite a large following: 

@WarrenSapp: @garyvee I bet I can drink you under the table.. and yes, even wine ;-)

@garyvee: @WarrenSapp joins Twitter and his 2nd tweet ever he talks trash and wants to challenge me to a wine drinking contest!  good start ;) lol

One caveat:  Some of celebs purportedly hire ghost writers and (gasp!) don't post their own tweets.  Shame on them.  I loved following @TinaFey ("Am I eating a Caramello bar for lunch?  Yes.  Yes I am.") but then found out she was a fraud.  As you become more Twitter-savvy, it's easier to separate the shams from the silk purses.  For one thing, you see how many things they post that only they could.  Just spend one day following Ashton, Demi and Robert Luketic (@robluketic), the director of Ashton's next flick, Five Killers, and you'll see what I mean. 

2.  Speaking of fake, some of your favorite fake people are on Twitter.  

Mad Men is one of my favorite TV shows - and there are people who have appropriated the Twitter profiles of some of my favorite characters on the show -- sometimes more than one version.  There's Don Draper (@_DonDraper and @don_draper), Betty Draper (@bettydraper), Peggy Olson (@peggyolson and @BadPeggyOlson), Pete Campbell (@pete_campbell), Ken Cosgrove (@ken_cosgrove) and others.  Just like they might on the show, Betty throws out the meatloaf that Don doesn't want when he comes home late from another night of working late. A likely story.  

3. Speaking of advertising, Twitter is a great word-of-mouth marketing vehicle.

After following the making of Five Killers through the eyes of its star, his spouse, and the director for the next year, you know I'm going to see that movie!

4. You can be followed.

Don't freak; it's a compliment.  It's a great feeling when you start to have adoring masses -- you people taught me that!  But do be careful.  Standard Web vigilance applies.  

5.  You can be entertained by others' humor and and creativity.  In 140 characters or less.

Each tweet has a 140 character limit.  It's fun to see what people do with that space. 

@chef140 posts recipes -- yes, recipes -- that are all no more than 140 characters.  Here's one: "Toss 1lb cookd #pasta w/1.5c #chickpeas, 2.5c frsh #spinach, 8oz crumbld feta, minced grlc clove, 3T lemon jc, 1/4c EVOO, s&p."   Take that, Rachael Ray!

@paulfeig, actor, producer, director and writer whose credits include Freaks and Geeks and The Office, writes some terrific tweets on his own and then incites his followers to follow suit.  For example, he started #tplays, 140-character mini-dramas.  (Find them by searching on #tplays.  Or see what others are saying about your favorite subjects by simply searching on those keywords.)

@BstTwt broadcasts the best tweets others have written.  To wit:  "@nick I invented a device for making people call you for important conversations: a freshly poured bowl of cereal."  

As you can see, I LOVE it, and can't imagine EVER not wanting to satisfy my Twitter addiction two or three times an hour.  

 

So until the next new new thing comes along, follow me on Twitter...and try to keep up.

 

http://twitter.com/laurafrofro

I Want Candy

It's well-documented that I have quite the sweet tooth.  This week it was satisfied multiple times: 

First, on Thursday evening at The Candy Store's first anniversary celebration.  Congrats to the folks at my favorite source for hard-to-find treats, like my childhood fave Marshmallow Fluff as well as my new obsession ever since Sydney, Violet Crumble.

  

The Candy Store | 1507 Vallejo St. San Francisco | (415) 921-8000 | thecandystoresf.com

Then, on Saturday afternoon at TasteTV's Mini Chocolate Salon at Williams-Sonoma that I found out about through the San Francisco Bay Area Chocolate Meetup.

The demonstration reinforced much of what I'd learned from Chuck at Charles Chocolates two weeks ago -- but this time I actually got to see tempering done by hand up close.  Mary Loomis of Saratoga Chocolates made it look so easy!  Mary made cherry truffles -- fresh cherries with cherry liqueur ganache piped in, then enrobed in more chocolate.  Mmm MMMM.   She also brought lots of samples of her handmade chocolates and I can tell you that there is truth in her advertising -- the Sea Salted Caramel is truly "exceptional."  

Then Chef Dennis Kearney from Coco Delice made us some Bourbon Truffles that were also quite good.  I would have eaten more, but I hadn't eaten lunch yet...but you know what they say.  Life is short; eat dessert first.  I should mention that both chocolate makers make an extra effort to source local ingredients and use locally-processed cocoa.  Chef Dennis is also sweet on corporate customers -- he'll do your branded chocolates, gift bags and boxes, and even hosts corporate team building events.  Great idea, 'cause in my book, nothing boosts morale better than having fun making a great product while getting ganache all over your hands.

Links:

TasteTV

Williams-Sonoma

San Francisco Chocolate Meetup

Saratoga Chocolates

Coco Delice

What you can't see in these photos was that Williams-Sonoma's demonstration kitchen directly overlooks Macys Union Square, where a different kind of candy is currently on display... delicious Mr. David Beckham Eye Candy.  

GOD, I love advertising.

Links:

Becks blogs about the billboard

Thank you, Emporio Armani

  

  

First on the Block: iPhone

That's right, people, I'm among the first to get a hold of the iPhone!  Intrepid reporter or marketing victim?  You decide.

I've been an Apple devotee ever since my first MacIntosh in college.  Corporate America gave me a PC, but I still have a Mac at home, plus multiple iPods -- a 2nd gen which I got after my 1st gen was stolen from my car, a mini, a (Red) nano and an itty bitty Shuffle for workouts. 

When I heard that at long last, the rumors were true and that Apple was coming out with a phone, I was beside myself with excitement.  That excitement turned to borderline insanity when I heard about the phone's magical features and saw the TV ads.  I knew I'd have to do whatever it took to get my hands on one, even if they did leave smudgemarks everywhere.  I asked for the day off from work and the countdown began.

Nothing anyone said could deter me.  "Apple's 2nd generation is always better and cheaper."  "The battery life will suck."  "AT&T's EDGE is way slow."  Who cares?  In my mind, the iPhone was a thing of beauty....and magic.  Have you seen the screen?  Or, the scrolling?  My God, I couldn't wait.  One of the features I was most excited about was the visual voicemail.  Rather than going through voicemails sequentially, not knowing who called, on the iPhone you see a list and you can pick which messages to listen to (or not).  Oh, Steve Jobs called?  I'd better listen to that one first. 

Anyway, I started figuring out my plan of attack.  Read up on reports of how the purchase process would work and tried to get some inside scoop.  Everyone seems to know someone who knows someone at Apple, but unfortunately no one was getting hooked up anywhere (as far as I know).  So I headed over to Walgreens and bought a folding beach chair for ten bucks, then started packing my "stakeout" bag with the following items:
- Sleeping bag (wasn't sure I'd need it, but it was in there just in case)
- CLIF Bars
- Smart Water
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Reading Material (Eat, Pray, Love, Gourmet, People, Blueprint and Self)
- Camera

I decided that the AT&T store on Union Street would be a better bet than the Apple store downtown.  But when would I need to get in line?  By Tuesday I was reading reports that people had already started lining up at the Apple store in New York.   Luckily, when I did a drive-by on Union on Thursday after work, no one had camped out yet.  Same when I went by again later that night after the "5 Core Skills for Mentally Fit Athletes" program at Sports Basement.  Figured if no one was there by then, they probably weren't coming 'til the morning.  Did another drive-by at 6am; still no one.  Am I the only one in San Francisco who believes the hype?  Finally, when I returned at 9:15, there were two guys sitting in front of the store.  Woo hoo - I'm #3!

The next several hours weren't too bad.  It was a nice day, I had my reading material and the crowd was congenial.  Some were buying the phone for themselves; others were paid "sitters."  I couldn't imagine waiting nine hours and not even having the phone to show for it at the end, but who I am I to judge?  To each his own.   Every so often, someone would walk by and say, "What are you waiting for?"  At first it was fun and exciting to respond, "We're waiting for the iPhone!"  After about the thirtieth person, not so much.  Until we decided to have some fun with it.  One guy asked, "What are you waiting for," and we responded, "the Apocalypse."  Later, a woman asked, "Are you demonstrating against something here?"  I responded, "Yes.  Microsoft." (Just kidding, Bill.)

Periodically, we'd hear rumors and attempt to determine their validity.  I'd read somewhere that each AT&T store would have 40 phones each (still not sure if true and I didn't stick around to find out).  Someone else heard that when you went online to activate, you'd have to pay Apple $2,000 up front.  Of course, not true.  There were the stories of people on Craigslist offering to buy / sell iPhones for exorbitant amounts of money, and the nicer stories about those selling them on eBay and donating the proceeds to charity.  At one point we heard that there were over 150 people at the Apple store downtown.  Union Street was definitely the right move because by 3pm I don't think there were even 50 people there.

The AT&T guys (who were super-nice throughout the day, checking up on us, bringing bottles of water, but not giving up any info on how many phones they had) opened the doors at 6pm sharp.  They were letting a few people in at a time, and I was in the first group.  While others dilly-dallied over God knows what, I plunked down my plastic.  (No, I don't want to try it out first, I've just waited nine hours!  I want the phone!)   So I literally was first on my block to buy the iPhone today.

One reason it was so easy is that, as you may have heard, the activation process happens at home, via iTunes, rather than in the store.  What a godsend.  Once I got home, it took me no more than six minutes to get up and running, then a little longer to download my music.  The interface is as magical as I'd dreamed it would be, and I can't wait to play with my new toy this weekend!

Click on the thumbnail to see my iPhone Day 1 Album on Webshots:

by laurajf1

 

Dear Ketel One Drinker

Marketers are always looking for new and interesting ways to get people to interact with their brands.  The higher the "engagement" with the brand, the higher the likelihood that you'll consider purchasing it.  This morning I came across an excellent test case.

As I was eating my Saturday morning oatmeal and perusing Bon App, I came across an ad for Ketel One Vodka.  They've been running a campaign for some time that consists of a largely blank page.  The copy, which is usually only one or two brief sentences in the upper left-hand corner, always begins, "Dear Ketel One Drinker," in Bradley-esque typeface (for the font-o-philes in the crowd).   Seems folks either love these ads or hate them (just Google "Ketel One ads" and you'll see what I mean.)  They stop you in your tracks since the page is almost completely stark white, and I've always thought the copy was rather clever. Though nothing compares  to my cousin Julian Koenig's brilliant Volkswagen ads, the intent of conveying a message in one or two compelling sentences is there in the Ketel One's ads too.  (Although the blogosphere might debate my use of the word "compelling."  Some think "arrogant" or "annoying" is more like it.)

The Ketel One ad I came across today read, "Dear Ketel One Drinker.  Can you make one hundred words, of four letters or more, from the letters in Ketel One Vodka?" The rest of the page was dedicated to a blank, numbered list for the reader to fill out.  Well, if that's not going to get me to engage I don't know what would.  Not only am I always up for a challenge, I also consider myself an avid logophile.  Two main factors are responsible for this.  First, both my parents were English majors in college.  From a very young age they insisted that I read voraciously, spell correctly, use proper grammar and if I didn't know the meaning of a word, they'd never tell me.  "Look it up," they'd say, and I'd trot over to the humongous Webster's tome we kept on a stand in the living room.  (Some of you might wonder, as I just did, if "humongous" is actually a word in the dictionary.  Look it up.)  Second, I studied Latin for two years in elementary school.  If that doesn't make you love words, I don't know what will. 

So I stared at the words "Ketel One Vodka" for a minute or so and tried to form words.  They weren't coming.  Are they tricking me?  Are there no four letter words here?  (Obviously my coffee hadn't kicked in yet.)  But then I found tone and teal.  The third one I was able to put together was Dokken.  Are names of cheesy 80's rock bands OK?  The Ketel One folks didn't list any rules, so I told myself it was, and wrote down Devo.  I started finding homonyms: vent, as in air vent, and vent, as in "I can't believe they cancelled Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."  Or date, as in the dried fruit, and date, as in what my Mom wishes she could read about on this blog.  There were also homophones, such as lone and loan.

Wow, this is fun!  I was on a roll. 

It was interesting, given this week's events, to find vote and veto.  George W. Bush sure is a dolt.  He's also a tool.

It was also interesting that while it was Ketel One's intent for me to engage with their brand, I started finding other brand-names as well.  I found seven of them...can you? 

So after a slow start I was able to find 105 words (Mom and Dad also made me into an overachiever).  Noodle on it yourself and submit your comments below to let me know how it goes.  More important, tell me if it makes you want to drink Ketel One.

Remember: a) drink responsibly, dear readers, and b) this blog has nothing to do with my day job.

 

Marketing Idol

I gave up watching American Idol a few seasons ago.  There are only so many hours in a day, and I'd rather fill my reality TV quota with The Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars or anything on Bravo with the word Top in the title.

However, when my DVR told me that my old pal Anderson Cooper (he played Tom Sawyer to my Aunt Polly in the fourth grade) was going to be interviewing Simon Cowell on 60 Minutes tonight, I decided that was probably going to be "good TV."  I was not disappointed, either.  First of all, Anderson's giggling through most of the interview.  Second, he arranged to give Cowell a dose of his own medicine by having a panel of race car legends judge his driving performance at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

This was my favorite exchange:

Anderson Cooper: Some people have equated [your harsh criticism of Idol contestants] to a medieval stoning, that it's the same kind of motivation with which people watch.

Simon Cowell: It's an interesting thought for a show where we actually could do that, but... (Anderson giggles.)

AC: You'd consider that?

SC:  Why not?  I can see a similarity to a point, but, it's human nature, you know, we are fascinated with that.

AC: Do you think everything should be shown on TV?

SC: Yeah.

AC: Public executions -- should they be shown on TV?

SC: I think people should be given the choice to watch them, I guess.  Yeah, why not?

AC: With commercials?

SC: Sponsorship.  (Anderson giggles some more.  Simon smiles wryly.) Yeah, sponsorship.

The whole interview is worth watching on video on cbs.com.

The Onion Makes Me Cry...Laughing

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200 times the speed of a traditional media-fostered launch.

(Click headline to read the entire hilarious article.)

79th Academy Awards

Since the broadcast was so long, I'll keep this short.

Beauties:  Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Reese Witherspoon, Diane Keaton (she's never looked better).  The Dreamgirls onstage.  Cameron Diaz (dress was a very nice recovery from the Globes fiasco, though I'm still not lovin' the hair). Helen Mirren. Hugh Jackman.  George Clooney.

Blunders: Naomi Watts, Meryl Streep (she's never looked worse).  The Dreamgirls on the red carpet (Beyonce's dress - yikes - and Jennifer Hudson's jacket should also be a Glamour Don't). 

Best Couple: Mark Wahlberg & Rhea Durham

Botox Overdose: Nicole Kidman, Leo DiCaprio

Better-than-the-usual-award-show-fare:  the Pilobolus Dance Troupe and the Will Ferrell/Jack Black/John C. Reilly number

Best Ad: Apple iPhone -- clips of people saying "Hello" in famous movies and TV shows, with a final shot of that gorgeous phone.  See it here: http://www.apple.com/iphone/hello/

Best Line:  "If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars...or anyone named Oscar when you think about that." (Ellen)

UPDATE  Check out this hilarious play-by-play of the telecast from New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/02/fugging_the_oscars_1.html

Got Milk?

While you eagerly await my race report from today's P.F. Chang Arizona Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, let's take a commercial break.   (...and while you read, "Why not enjoy a nice glass of cold milk?" says my friend the cow whom I met at the Fitness Expo yesterday.)

As many of you know, marketing isn't just my job, it's an adventure!  I'm always on the lookout for things companies are doing right and wrong as they look to reach into buyers' psyches and wallets.

Take Apple, for example.  Some might argue that I'd buy anything my BFF Steve Jobs put out there.  They might also say that Apple gets a lot of press, and that's how I find out about products and then buy them.  However, I say it's the right messages in a variety of forms in concert that engage me and make me plunk my credit card down (or type in the digits online).  Yes, Apple's press is a factor.  But it's also their billboard ad outside my office that has a design aesthetic that appeals to me.  Or their TV ads with people donning and doffing clothing with that little Shuffle on each layer.  (That's what put me over the edge and I had to have one.)  Or the one-two punch of the Mac vs. PC ads that also ran online (Oh there's that funny ad again here on my favorite website!). 

Others say that ads are in jeopardy with the advent of DVRs.  I could be wrong, but I'm of the school that thinks great ads get noticed, period.  Those Apple ads, or the VW "Safe Happens" ads, or the terrific HP ad featuring Jay-Z...I didn't miss any of those, and I've talked about them with friends who have DVRs and didn't miss them either.  If the ads are good enough, people will want to see them and talk about them (and vice versa, btw...you don't want to be the one who hasn't seen the ad everyone's talking about).  Two ways to remedy this situation:  hire the best creatives you can find...and make sure your media plan includes the Web (natch).

Now let's look at CLIF Bar.  I'd been a huge fan of their Crunchy Peanut Butter bars for years when I went to the Danskin Tri in Austin in '05.  At the CLIF's Expo booth at that race, they were giving out samples of their new Builder's Bars.  After one sample I was hooked, and have bought HUNDREDS of those bars since (and not at the expense of Crunchy Peanut Butter either. Incremental purchases, people!).  I also recently read the founder's terrific book, Raising the Bar, in which he talks about how he took the company from a two-person operation to the multimillion dollar success it is today.  One of the keys to that success is innovation, and he cited the Mojo Bar as one of their latest.  So imagine my surprise that they were not offering samples of the Mojo at the Arizona Expo yesterday.  In fact, they were only giving out their original bars.  Seems like they missed a golden opportunity to get me (and thousands of others in their target market) hooked on yet another one of their products.

They would have been smart to do so, because Kellogg's is hot on their heels.  Only a few aisles away, they were sampling their new energy bars, in chocolate, strawberry and peanut butter flavors.  As I approach their booth, I'm remembering that their TV and print campaigns.  I'd also just had a bowl of their cereal earlier this week and really enjoyed it.  So now that I've tried their new bar and liked it, will I actually buy?  Only time will tell, but if I do, it can be attributed to all of these touchpoints.

What about you?  Think you're immune to marketing?  Or have you been hooked too?