Thriller- Cebu Provincial Detention

Posted on June 2, 2008 by Sam

Today’s video is called: Thriller
They are performed and produced by 1,500 plus Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines. Enjoy the video and then I’ll discuss viral characteristics of it.

This video is already viral because: (15,622,475 views as of this post)

  1. Entertain- You want to see how they will be able to adapt the original video by Michael Jackson. That many guys in orange as zombies is scary.
  2. Controversial- At the beginning there is a scared “woman,” of course here it is a guy! This is a prison that uses positive reinforcement to create change in prisoners, most people think the opposite should happen in prison.
  3. Slick or nor- The video is simple and zooms in and out at needed times. Not Hollywood quality, but a well rehearsed production.
  4. Simple- They took the video and added some simple titles on top.

Some “take aways” from this video- Get it done and release it, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If people like it they will ask for more. They have produced more videos including songs- I Need A Hero, Hero, Do The Hustle and 24 videos total. And here’s a few words why they are doing this- “Some people really can’t believe that this prison dance actually is happening and it has proven to be an effective tool for transforming extremely negative people into positive individuals.”

This video I rate as Four Viral (out of five). This is a classic rework of the original that I watch every six months or so.
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Thriller,
Sam Carrara

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Threadless Lesson

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Sam

In the June issue of Inc. magazine I read a great article about Threadless. Simply they are a t-shirt company, but they are much more! They have t-shirt design contests, people vote on their favorites and only the good ones get produced.

This is Web 2.0, having your customers telling you what they will buy. You can win $2,500 for having your shirt design picked. Read the article in print (June 2008) or online while it’s still there at:
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20080601/the-customer-is-the-company.html

Then searching around I saw a great video interview with Jake Nickell and Jeffrey Kalmikoff from Threadless. Simple questions, simple answers but insightful. Watch the video at:
http://www.horsepigcow.com/2008/05/06/the-whuffie-factor-threadless-interview

What is the Marketing Lesson here?

  1. Ask your customer’s what they want, give it to them.
  2. Repeat!

Web 2.Shirt,
Sam Carrara

Posted in Marketing | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Remember Me- Memorial Day

Posted on May 27, 2008 by Sam

I post this in remembrance of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and other Servicemen and Women that have served in the United States Armed Forces both in the past, present and future. My wife and I have stood in your boots with service in the U.S. Army.

Yesterday was Memorial Day, but we should remember that they service not one day a year, but all year round. We may be sleeping, eating, driving to work, enjoying time with family and they are out there Serving.

The video below has over 24 million views because it is well done and reminds us to “Remember Me.”

Thank you,
Sam Carrara

p.s. Please thank a veteran or presently serving service member.

Posted in Viral | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Enjoying the Weekend with Family

Posted on May 25, 2008 by Sam

Did gas prices put a dent in your weekend travels? I figured we have the time let’s take a short trip and have fun as a family.

Before I get into what we did, here’s how to save a little money on your trip:

  • Traveling by Car- Use the more fuel efficient one for longer trips. Our Dodge Grand Caravan gets about 18 miles to the gallon and the Honda Civic gets around 34 to 35 miles to the gallon. The trunk space on the Civic is huge.
  • Hotel costs- You should get a AAA (Automobile Association of America) membership, or your local equivalent. Many hotels have special rates for AAA members that save you 10-15%. You can also get special rates as military, government (state and federal) and check the hotel websites for other online only specials
  • Museum and Zoo fees- Ask for a military or student discount if it applies to you. If you plan to go to the same place alot, some places have annual memberships which will also save you money.

Here’s what we did:
Friday night I looked at flying to Orlando for a short Disney trip. Just flights would be $317 per person each, let’s see what else. Busch Gardens Williamsburg looks good, but it is about five hours away, too long in the car for this short of a trip.

How about about a two day trip to Columbia, SC? It’s only one and a half hours away, sounds good. We slept in a little on Saturday and headed down to Columbia. We ate lunch and spent the afternoon at the Edventure Museum. (http://www.edventure.org)

Some of the exhibits at the Edventure Museum include:

  • A three story boy named Eddie, you can crawl inside him and see his spine, stomach with food inside, his brain, etc.
  • World of work- Be a farmer and milk a cow or pick peaches, put on a fireman’s jacket and ride in their truck, build at a construction site and more.
  • BodyWorks- Brush Eddie’s teeth, find out what food is good for you, play a large game of Operation, and see how your joints work.

There’s more, look at their website to see what else they have. On Sunday we went to the Riverbanks Zoo. (http://www.riverbanks.org/) It was a good Zoo for kids and had lots of animals. We were there about four hours and then headed for home. It was a good short trip and we have Monday to just relax around the house and at the community pool.

Take time with Family,
Sam Carrara

Posted in Advice | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Together We Can

Posted on May 19, 2008 by Sam

Mondays will be video clip day- specifically I’ll try to find one that could or may already be Viral. Today’s video is called: Together We Can
Enjoy the video and then I’ll discuss viral characteristics of it.

This video could become viral because:

  1. Entertain- The video shows lots of smiling faces and some you may recognize. Some of the people in the video include goalkeeper David James, supermodel Claudia Schiffer, London’s new Mayor, Boris Johnson and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
  2. Controversial- This video is about affecting climate change. Together they have one message – little actions can make a big difference on climate change and together we can. It has a good message and is trying to appeal to a broad audience.
  3. Slick or nor- This video uses classic cuts from one person to the next piecing together a message. It helps you see these are real people like you and me by towards the end people are laughing and showing clips that are almost like outtakes.
  4. Simple- Create a script, ask people to say some of the lines and piece it together. No special effects were necessary, just real people wanting to raise national awareness about a Global issue- Climate Change.

This video I rate as Three Viral (out of five). The video has a good message, but there are more viral ones to come.
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Together,
Sam Carrara

Posted in Viral | Tagged , | 1 Comment