Solving the financial crisis requires drastic measures. That’s why the Elevator Pitch is advocating the extreme and unthinkable: Giving Hawaii to China in exchange for reducing a large portion of the debt the United States owes to the world’s most populous country.
It’s a solution to the crisis that our team of editors and business professionals thinks likely to work. The benefit will be broad and multinational. Not only can the U.S. stop turning its currency into Monopoly money, it can react to the coming hyperinflation that’s sure to occur if it continues to print and dole out cash in a feverish attempt to stop the listing.
Quantum of Solace’s opening weekend brought many things to moviegoers but something that should not go unnoticed happens before the film begins. JJ Abrams has done it again by slipping a trailer for his latest movie, Star Trek, before Bond’s latest bash.
These days, simple movie posters and guest appearances on late night just won’t cut it. The public sticks tight to the web, seeking rumors leaked to magazines and small tidbits of information revealed in doses to the correct audiences. Hollywood has turned to massive online marketing techniques such as posting on Facebook and blogs and creating user-generated content on forums to help push the anticipation to Star Wars-type levels. This isn’t the first time Abrams has done so. He snuck up on audiences with Cloverfield.
When Bad Robot (Abrams’ production company) announced it would be making a Star Trek feature, there was barely a script and all anyone had seen of the plans were a few 3D renderings of the Enterprise shown in front of the Transformers movie. As meager as this preview was, it still generated enough excitement to get people interested. When Abrams was asked about the film he revealed Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto. would have the same role. Star Trek now had an Enterprise, a story, and two Spocks!
The slow-reveal technique seemed to work nicely, especially for comic-book and science-fiction audiences. With only three small bits of information, various blogs and online forums exploded with gossip from Trekkies (or Trekkers, for those sensitive fans). People made assumptions, asked questions and, above all, found interest in the prospect of a new Star Trek film.
The next big reveal didn’t come until the following year when Abrams and Co. announced the full cast; Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Quinto, Eric Bana, Winona Ryder and John Cho. Abrams didn’t cast any A-list actors, instead he went with young stars and successful character actors from franchises that could have potential crossover appeal. For example, Pegg came from Hot Fuzz, Cho from the acclaimed Harold and Kumar franchise and Quinto from Heroes. The cast not only offered Abrams a group of young and enthusiastic actors, it gave his film an instant audience. Suddenly Heroes, Harold and Kumar and Hot Fuzz fans were craving information about the film.
By now the cat is fully out of the bag and Star Trek is set for a May 8 release that will kick off the summer’s blockbuster movie season. So when you check out Quantum of Solace, make sure to get your popcorn, soft drink and Jr. Mints before the previews begin or you’ll miss what tons of people are talking about. Either that… Or you can watch it right here.
The number of NBA stars utilizing the likes of YouTube and other social media networks is constantly on the rise. This summer, more than a few perennial All-Stars stepped in front of the camera for reasons beyond basketball. With the NBA regular season well into its first month, The Elevator Pitch decided to let you in on how the likes of Steve Nash, Baron Davis and Chris Bosh spent their time away from the court.
Nash - a two-time NBA MVP, leader of the Phoenix Suns, pride of Victoria, British Columbia and now . . . Vitamin Water Poster Boy? According the following three clips, Kid Canada spent this summer grooming himself, signing Shaq’s shoes and sliding through grocery stores.
Steve Nash at the Vitamin Water photo shoot.
Nash visits Vitamin Water HQ.
Nash shares his off-season training regimen.
Davis, the newest face of the LA Clippers, was actually a film major during his brief tenure at UCLA so stepping behind and in front of the camera is nothing new. Baron’s summer saw him move from California to, well, a different part of California in hopes of bringing a new kind of love to Clipperland.
Baron Davis goes to dinner.
Bosh, the most talented basketball player not residing in the U.S., apparently trained for his gold-medal Olympic performance by using martial arts.
Chris Bosh shows off his Iron Claw.
By bringing their own personalities to the forefront, NBA stars like Nash, BD and CB4 are humanizing themselves, rather than promoting the lavish lifestyle associated with being a pro jock. From a marketing perspective, these tactics work brilliantly in not only promoting a product, but promoting a person. Not everyone can be a multi-talented cross-genre media monster (think Shaq - more specifically think Kazaam the Rapping Genie). So using them as Vitamin Water did, as humble, Everyman characters, is effective in creating a connection with the audience. Nice work, guys - now it’s back to business on the court.
The latest installment of the Double-Oh Seven franchise hits theaters in a few days, so it’s a good time to explore some of the creative marketing behind the film’s release. Sure, other blog posts will review the movie and give you a biased version of a thumb rating, but here at the Elevator Pitch we’ll let you in on a little secret…
It doesn’t matter what you read about the movie, you’ll probably watch it anyways.
Back to the subject at hand, Quantum of Solace doesn’t hit theaters until November 14th, but what can you do to stay “Bond”? Check out some of the great online marketing behind the film of course!
There are always the usual suspects with a big budget film release like James Bond - Check out the website! Watch the trailer! Tell your friends about it! But Quantum of Solace is going the extra mile. There are currently 3 MAJOR promotions happening right now all surrounding the release of the film.
The first, and I think the most interesting, is an online scavenger hunt sponsored by AOL and Moviefone. Framed around the concept of a typical Bond mission, users are tasked to scour various websites for clues. The purpose? To get more entries to win the grand prize of a 35 hundred dollar Sony Entertainment server! Contests and prizes aside, this campaign works brilliantly by putting people in a game everyone can play within the Bond environment - sans the European cars and Maxim cover girls.
Next up is a joint campaign between Spike and Orbitz. In their “Live the Life of Bond” contest one lucky bloke and a friend will be flown round trip to England to spend 6 days living in style. Sipping martinis “Shaken, not stirred,” of course, exploring the Grosvenor Hotel and the kicker - become immortalized in the Quantum of Solace video game by having your very own character!
The final promotion is quite standard - win a trip to Australia courtesy of the film. The difference? The Aussie vacation comes complete with Alicia Keyes tickets courtesy of BET.com.
So with the hundreds of millions of dollars expected to be raked in by Daniel Craig and the next flavour of the month, it looks like you could actually get something out of it as well!
With a Barack Obama victory an apparent given, the analysis of the U.S. presidential election will soon turn to how the 47-year-old junior senator from Illinois managed to become the most improbable leader of the nation. That is, of course, presuming he is victorious on Election Day this Tuesday.
The charge that the media is complicit in Obama’s victory is a fallacy. The truth is nothing has stuck to Obama because he and his campaign team have not let up on their astounding level of organization and diligence.
Down the stretch, there were no major screw-ups. Yes, Joe Biden opened his mouth before thinking carefully about what was going to come out of it and it’s true that Obama should have been less diplomatic and more assertive during his encounter with Joe the Plumber. But compared to the on-air gaffes of Sarah Palin, the “Meet the Press” debacle where John McCain couldn’t remember the name of George Schultz and the failure of Joe to show up for a campaign stop, Obama has looked impeccable.
Several weeks ago, we wrote that the candidate who wins the soundbite war will likely win the election. For all his eloquent speeches, Obama has not had a “free at last” or “ask what you can do for the country” moment. The phrase that defines him, it appears, is still to come. For now, we have the “Yes, we can” mantra, which doesn’t grow old simply because of the rising numbers that continue to utter it. And to prove he is a rock star he has managed to get his sychophants engaged in his speeches as if they were reciting the lyrics to a hit song. He says, “You don’t boo McCain, what do you do?” And they chant, “Vote.” (Who knew politics could be so cool?)
It’s always good to receive confirmation you’re following the right path. So it was an affirming moment for Elevation PR earlier this month when no less an authority than Philip Meyer wrote in the American Journalism Review that publishing is accessible to every individual and business.
“Anyone with a computer can become a publisher,” said Meyer, the esteemed University of North Carolina professor and author of “The Vanishing Newspaper”. “These cost advantages make it feasible to make a business out of highly specialized information.”
Elevation has advocated just that strategy to its clients and potential business partners, and those who have followed it have seen large increases in sales leads and bottom-line results. By using blogs and multimedia content to create websites for niche demographics, Elevation’s clients can build audiences, interact with communities, promote products, rise to the position of industry authority and deliver traffic to product pages, thereby increasing revenue.
As Meyer points out, publishing is going through an era of tumult and upheaval. Opportunities abound as the old rulers of that industry recede. The ones who profit are the ones strategically positioned to exploit the change of terrain.
Sarah Palin couldn’t use her charm against Katie Couric.
Two weeks ago, the race for the U.S. presidency appeared deadlocked. But after three events that proved calamitous for the John McCain ticket, Barack Obama has taken a clear lead.
First, vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin was flummoxed by Katie Couric’s stern questioning in an interview on CBS News. It’s not sexist or politically incorrect to make the observation that Palin is more confident when speaking to men. Facing Couric, Palin seemed to lack the confidence an attractive person gains in the presence of the opposite sex. Her looks and charm didn’t work, and her answers to questions never went beyond superficial blabbering.
Following that farce, the Republicans had to suffer through President Bush’s admission that the economy is, indeed, in dire straits. The Republicans wanted to get to Election Day on November 4 with the nation’s financial situation listing along, as it has all year. The announcement that a $700-billion bailout is necessary to prevent a collapse into a deep recession is a severe blow to McCain’s hopes.
Next came the first presidential debate, where McCain was supposed to exude leadership against Obama. Instead, the Arizona senator stuck to a script that made him look intransigent in a time when the country is desperate for change and new ideas. Not facing Obama and wearing a smug smile most of the night made McCain look old, boorish and unwilling to listen.
Early indications are Obama won the debate – or at the least made it a draw - in the minds of viewers.
So, how do the Republicans overcome a horrendous week as they aim to retain control of the White House? (more…)
What do you do when a century’s worth of success is threatened by one atrocious incident? If you’re Maple Leaf Foods, then you stand up and take responsibility and you do it with sincerity and humility.
The Canadian producer of meat products reacted swiftly during the weekend after its Toronto plant was blamed for the outbreak of listeriosis that health officials say caused the death of six people. Maple Leaf Foods produced a television commercial featuring CEO Michael McCain sitting on a couch, hands cupped, speaking straight into the camera and apologizing to Canadians whose consumer support made his company the nation’s largest meat processor.
The response was hailed by at least one analyst, who predicted the company will rebound. “I think that as they’ve acted extremely responsibly, after a short while the consumers will forget about it. … They’ve got a very short memory,” John Winter of John Winter and Associates told the Canadian Press on Monday.
Maple Leaf Foods saw its share price drop for five consecutive days following news of the outbreak and it’s sure to face a lawsuit from at least some of the more than 300 victims who have been stung by the case of severe food poisoning. The situation may not be over yet, although the company reports it has thoroughly sanitized the culprit facility. The families of the listeria victims who lost their lives have yet to speak out and when they do the public relations’ chore will intensify. But for now PR professionals and business analysts can evaluate the company’s response to its troubles and acknowledge the effectiveness of its response.
Crisis communications isn’t something to shy away from. It’s like life insurance: you may not want to think about the worst-case scenario but you better prepare for it nonetheless.
When people are unhappy they seek someone to blame. In a planet of 7 billion, the number of citizens willing to admit they are pleased with the cost of pumping oil into a vehicle is approximately the same as the amount of heterosexual men who would turn down a night out with Jayde Nicole. The cost of light sweet crude is increasingly bitter to swallow.
With Goldman Sachs predicting $200 a barrel in the next few years and profits for oil conglomerates at record highs, the ire of the public is squarely on the overlords of black gold. Barack Obama has called for a windfall tax on the “excess profits” raked in by the likes of Exxon and Shell. Critics less eloquent than the leading Democratic presidential candidate want the heads — and bank account numbers — of everyone from CEOs to rig supervisors.
The response from those under attack? As empty as the wallet of an SUV owner with a fresh tank.
Commercials and newspaper ads are one thing, but a fully conceived public relations campaign is much more powerful. Oil titans need to take this tack and not be afraid to stand up for themselves. If they allow themselves to receive the piñata treatment for long enough they will certainly see their profits raided by the likes of Obama.
Here are some suggestions by Elevation PR for the oil industry as it deals with a crisis in public image:
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Solving the financial crisis requires drastic measures. That’s why the Elevator Pitch is advocating the extreme and unthinkable: Giving Hawaii to China in exchange for reducing a large portion of the debt the United States owes to the world’s most populous country.
When people are unhappy they seek someone to blame. In a planet of 7 billion, the number of citizens willing to admit they are pleased with the cost of pumping oil into a vehicle is approximately the same as the amount of heterosexual men who would turn down a night out with