Being a Local Celebrity

That's a cocky way to start my first 'real' post in over 2 weeks. Turns out at an event in Orlando this week I was chatting with someone I just met and he was telling me about all the things I was doing. It was quite awesome to say the least.

Then I went back into the room and maybe a dozen people asked about one of the launch parties I just threw. More still asked how my show went on Friday night. Boosts your ego and confidence for sure.

So this post is about becoming a local celebrity - or rather a leader in your community. The reason is because I think its important for young people to broaden their reach, expand their networks and get off the computer.

My 5 step plan to dominating your local ego

1. Starts online - You need to brand yourself online for what you want to be known for offline. The images, videos, text and layouts you portray online will go with you when you meet these people in real life. Your personality is expected to be an extension of your online brand.
2. Network with the right people - When I first started getting Rollett Marketing and later Endagon Innovations off the ground the goal wasn't to meet everyone, just the influentials in each market. I joined AD2, a local adverting association for young professionals and hung out with the president a few times. Showed up to an event and chatted with the speakers and the people who put the event on. Now I get invites and referrals from the former president whenever she needs to hand something off. Next I went outside my industry and met a major player from every angle that I can. It doesn't pay your bills to know 100 marketers all selling the same Kool Aid. I'd rather know one heavy hitter in hospitality, one in real estate, a few local business owners, some artists, musicians, media professionals, some developers to code all the crazy stuff I'd like to do and boom you have a diverse network of people who can fill your head with very exciting ideas and problems.
3. Become a leader - I serve on 2 Boards of Directors, for Rock For Hunger and doterati. Both have presented me with opportunities and introduced me to people that I never would have had. They are help me give back the community and see life in different ways than I have in my own life.
4. Give, give , give. These days I am working on the Tim Ferriss mantra of no, no, no (unsuccessfully), but for years I was always about give, give, give. I would play free shows, volunteer for numerous charities, interviewed countless bands, stayed late at work, picked up extra shifts, gave rides, built websites, spoke on panels, gave countless free presentations, wrote a blog with good free advice and all kinds of other stuff. You know what, it pays off. When I need a favor, an introduction or help in an area, I have a great network that is happy to help me out.
5. Love your city. Speaking at Ignite Orlando on the topic I did made me realize that I love my city, the people in it and the events that make it worthwhile. If I hated where I lived, the people didn't support each other and there was nothing fun to do - then it would be really hard to connect, grow and build your business.

This post was all in good fun and while I do have some Urban Outfitter tees that declare my Local Celebrity-ness, I am still eager to get on the town, get dirty and network my ass off, promote the hell out of my work and have a damn good time in my city.

What do you guys think? What makes you or someone you know a local celebrity or what makes them an egomaniacal (is that a word) asshole?

-Greg Rollett

Create Chaos + BarCamp + doterati + Magical Insanity

photo by: Not Quite a Photographr

This is going to be one hellacious week here in Orlando. But a fun one. Let's run it down.

The Minute Muse, aka the Storm Brewer, aka my good friend Katrina Priore has been working all year on the Creative Conference to end Creative Conferences, Create Chaos. It goes down this week, well its going down right now and runs till Friday at the Orlando World Center Marriott, out by Disney.

Some highlights include:
Lee Cockerell keynoting on Tuesday @ 9am
My presentation on Recruiting 2.0 on Tuesday @ 2:30
Anthony Richardson on "Have a Say in What's Being Said"
Blake Discher on "Is Your Website Making You Money?"

BarCamp Chaos Tonight (Monday!)
BarCamp is coming to Create Chaos 2008, a five-day creative industry destination event produced to inform, inspire, educate, and connect creative professionals across industries through an all-inclusive event. This ad-hoc session invites participants to control the programming by preparing a 20 minute talk on any creative topic and presenting it to other conference attendees. (from BarCamp Chaos Eventbrite site)

doterati
Behind the scenes at doterati has been crazy lately, getting the site ready, planning a few parties and ironing out leadership and site structure. When the dust settles, I think the Orlando community will be happy with what we have come up with. Not just online but in some kick ass presentations as well. On Wednesday night the doterati camp presents: "Juggling Creativity and Business," with a panel that features Ted Murphy, Sterling Raphael, Scott Allen and Chuck Southworth. It's free and well worth the cover charge!

Rock For Hunger
Last night I was a guest judge and makeshift host of the 1st iRock For Hunger Battle of the Bands. It was a great experience with the bands bringing in over 500 cans of food and helping to raise a very cool chunk of money! The winner of the battle was Black Ship Sky and they will get a chance to rock on the main stage November 15th with Kardinal Official, Kap Kallous and other greats. In a twist of fate, Chris hooked Johnny Plastic and the Rubberband up with a slot at the festival as well. I have a really cool video that I should be able to get up tonight or tomorrow so be on the lookout, it features everything from a crowd surfing blow up doll to outrageous interviews to kick ass generosity!

Creating Magic
Oh yea, Lee's book, Creating Magic drops tomorrow. It rose to the top of the Amazon charts and now we'll see if our hard work paid off! Go get a copy now, like right now and start learning what leadership skills from a life at Disney can teach you!

Whew! Its going to be a huge week and it already started with a bang!

-Greg
(p.s. if you are going to be at any of this madness and want to link up, feel free to give me a call or a text 321.438.4442 or find me on the Twitter)

What Seperates NYC from Orlando? Big Spenders

Are companies stingy down here in Orlando or are we (Social Media leaders, gurus, consultants, add your title here) afraid to ask for the bucks?

Orlando doesn't have the skyline, the billboards, the glitz and glamor of New York, but we do have some great companies and the potential to market and promote them in a New York way. They key to local Orlando marketing is finding your niche.

3 key niches in Orlando

1. The college crowd - 55,000+ at UCF and don't forget Rollins College, Valencia, Seminole, Full Sail and the bevy of career colleges in the area.
2. The out of towner's - The tourists, mostly from overseas who are spending more money than we can think about at this point, and they are doing it in our backyard.
3. The locals - Downtown O-Town is not NYC, but there are plenty of areas that we can improve in promotion, marketing and brand awareness.

How to get the money:

1. Ask for it. I had been shy in my first few client interactions and paid for it drastically. Up all night working on tedious client work for pennies. I woke up, analyzed my time and now ask for what I want from clients.
2. Prove it. I once heard that an SEO is only as good as his own sites perform. How can they get you to the top if they are stuck at the bottom? Now that I have established my brand, I can (unfortunately) neglect my own site in favor of my clients as long as I am producing for them and well, my dinner table is good to go.
3. Analyze - What are they spending their money on? Look for trends and ask about their ROI. If they are spending 6 figures a month on Times Square billboards, what will 4 or 5 figures put into Social Media or PR or recruiting do for their business.

This is not a complete list, but rather my list. It has worked so far. Getting companies involved in Social Media is not always an overnight task. It is a growth period, a time for trial and error, commitment to the project and an investment. If companies do not see the monetary investment of using your services, move on.

There are plenty of businesses here in Orlando and every city for that matter. The more we can teach them about Social Media, the more opportunities will arise for us to make money and feed our families with Social Media.

At Social Media Camp NYC, the speakers were talking about their clients that spend money. The courses they teach that make them money and the commitment of their clients to try this thing out and make it work.

We need to open up some eyes here and get them to open up their budget. The ones that do will be the big winners when the economy turns. Brand yourself as a leader now.

Why wait for things to get better, when you have the power to make them better now?

It's all about the Benjamin's baby!

-Greg Rollett

Help the Community from the Bottom Up

You are only as strong as your weakest link, right?

Well if that's the case, you need to look at your community and find the people on the bottom and gt them to be top performers.

This morning I had the privilege of attending the Community Service Center's Breakfast Club in Orlando. The event was great and I met a ton of motivated people all looking to make Orlando a better community by working from the bottom on up.

Orlando Blueprint Initiative
Orlando has some great, albeit controversial initiatives. Blueprint is one of them. Blueprint is essentially the project to make the new Orlando Magic arena, renovate the Citrus Bowl and build the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. Whether you like the idea of the $1.1 billion project is up to you. What I liked and wanted to share was how they were going about this construction. Through a partnership with Workforce Central Florida, they are looking to help the homeless and those below the poverty line get work in not just the construction, but in the longterm running of the facilities.

(FYI - this initiative is supposed to bring in 7,500 jobs annually to the Central Florida area)

How does this compare to online communities or network groups?
It gets the people involved and makes the community tighter, cleaner and friendlier to outsiders. By taking your bottom line users and giving them power in shaping your community, you are giving them a reason to believe in your product or service.

It took a lot of high powered people to make the Blueprint project go through legislation and that that government mombo-jambo. It has to start with the top and realizing that getting everyone involved is the key to future success. By allowing the less fortunate not only the dollars today to build the facilities, we can give them a better future by providing long term jobs and use.

The bottom line
We are all concerned with our bottom line in these economic times. We would be lying if we weren't. The companies that are going to come out ahead are the ones that are making the most of everyone in their community, promoting their strength and togetherness and looking to make everyone in their company better today.

How to lose
The companies that are failing are the ones that are looking for the quick dollar, the flashy headline and the current trend. They are looking to fatten their pockets at their users and clients expense. When the tide turns, other businesses will be leagues ahead and ready to catapult on the businesses falling into the toilet.

What to do

• Find your weakest link
• Find a way to get them involved at any level
• Create long term impact for all of your users - why should I come back tomorrow?
• Stay away from the quick buck if you are going to turn people off
• Start with your leaders and influential personnel and get them involved - it is their pockets that are going to suffer in the long run when the company flops
• Remember the word community and what it means - then make your community the definition

How do you get everyone in your community involved? What can you do to help the lower bracket of your community?

Please leave your feedback, so that we can begin to understand the needs of communities and build stronger relations with those that matter.

-Greg Rollett

(Here is a Guide to the Blueprint Project for people in the Orlando area looking for more information)

What Our Office Has Done For Business

We’ve been in our office for about 4 months now. Residing in Downtown Orlando has been the biggest blessing for all of my projects. It’s not so much that I spend 24/7 at the office, waking up at dusk at my desk and making things happen around the clock. I still work a 9-5, so my hours are always after the close of business. Even with lack of my physical presence there, it has been the single greatest investment for me and all my crazy endeavors, Rollett Marketing, Endagon, jamblr, SkatterBand and Rock For Hunger.

Why is this?

1. Creates a more professional appearance. Saying, stop by the office, or meet us in the conference room, is a great way to tell clients that you are very professional about your work. Imagine me telling some of my larger folks, yea stop by the town home, watch out for the dog and sorry we forgot to do dishes so stay out of the kitchen.
2. Makes you look and appear larger than you are. For all the clients that we do have (and I love you all), I still consider us to be a small start-up with major room to grow. Having an office in the center of commerce, makes companies think you have it going on, even in our early stages.
3. Gives me confidence. I feel like I am apart of something great and huge. I can shoot the shit with execs and CEO’s and feel like I am apart of their culture. I want to be at the level where my voice is strong both online and in the community and confidence is key!
4. Central location for all team members, volunteers, employees, etc. Having everyone meet at “our office” is a great way to get everyone organized and in the same place moving towards the same goal. We can have all our materials, training sessions and idea times together, in person, in “our home.”
5. Team building. Being in the office with my partners and employees has brought us closer together(not quite showering close like the Office Newb says). We are not only learning how to start and build companies, websites and start-ups, but we are learning to cultivate relationships that extend beyond working hours. Being in this situation, where they are right next to you all day, you find things that normally wouldn’t show up over a beer at a bar, or on a conference call. Plus the creativity level is at an all time high!

The added expense of being located downtown has been a sore subject and honestly, there were some tough decisions I had to make as a friend and a business leader. When the dust had settled, we are becoming stronger and more focused than ever.

Three months ago if you had asked me what I would be doing, I damn sure wouldn’t have said this. It’s crazy how things work out for the best and by taking chances and risks you open up closed doors to opportunities.

We are closing in on 2 months left in our initial lease and already thinking of the possibilities of moving into a warehouse setting where we can get everyone from all the ventures working and breathing in the same space. This would be ideal:


For now, I’ll just enjoy the view and atmosphere of being in one of the coolest buildings in Orlando! 118 E. Jefferson St.

-Greg Rollett

photos by: Jordi Gomara (itaca2000) and jonathanpoh

BarCampOrlando - One Week Away

So stoked for BarCamp Orlando! After partaking at BarCamp Miami during the FOWA weekend I can say that I am now BarCamp ready. I plan on presenting something to do with the stte of the music business and how we (bloggers/social media kids) can make an impact on the future of music discovery, distribution and sales.

Just got word that Orlando's own IZEA is hosting an afterparty. Here is the flyer. Oh, and in case you are having trouble reading, it does say Open Bar!

For those looking to help promote the event, here is the official BarCampOrlando flyer.



Oh and if IZEA gets a hold of this post, I would love to chat with you guys (possibly at the party) to learn about how you guys got in the door with Inflexion. They look like a great group and we would love to keep our business Florida based and funded!

Here's to BarCamp Orlando!

New Media vs. Old Media Advertising from My Gen-Y Mind

photo credits to Mickie Flick

Once again this blog post stems from a few conversations that I have had in the last few days. It's a talk that has a lot of advertising agencies worried and playing catch up. It's an unknown format to many even though it is everywhere from Newsweek covers to 60 Minutes segments.

New Media Advertising vs. Old Media Advertising.

My talks with fellow co-workers, prospective clients and even my boss at the ol' 9-5 have all resolved over the fact that old media types are still behind on the times and still very skeptical of advertising online, well maybe not everything online, but certainly with Social Media.

I am not one to say that old media is dead, I think it's fading. The Orlando Sentinel is getting smaller and smaller as the months go by and classified sections are becoming non-existent. I still pick up free magazines such as AXIS or the Orlando Weekly and they have a healthy readership and sometimes some good content (sometimes).

Most advertisers that I have encountered are skeptical of the web. They think that if they can't touch it, people can't see it. Yet my biggest rebuttal is when you place a print ad or tv commercial, the user / viewer must do at least these 4 things:
1. See the advertisement
2. Pay attention to it
3. Asses the call to action (if there is one)
4. Perform the call to action (like go to a website, call a number or go to a location)

Most old media has great tracking. They know how many issues they print, the pick up and return rate, number of viewers, etc. However, there is no way to tell how many of those that picked up the paper, looked at your ad.

New Media, however has that tracking and more. I can tell you how many impressions your ad has, how many page views, click through's, the IP address of the clicker/viewer, how they got to the ad and where they went after they saw the ad.

That's a lot of stats and knowledge to know if an ad campaign is working or not. If it's not, we can fix it immediately, no waiting until the next issue or run comes out. We can change graphics, text, landing pages instantly and track those results as well.

What's even better, if it is an ad campaign coupled with a search campaign, you are targeting users who are looking for you. They are trying to find a business that is doing what you are doing.

Now take the steps of a viewer online looking for you (or your competitor):
1. Searches for a topic of interest
2. See most relevant results thanks to the good folks at Google
3. Visit site
4. Signs up, orders or moves on to find what they are looking for

Same amount of steps, but the medium has changed.

Take an ad in the Orlando Sentinel. Great reach in the Central Florida region, no doubts about that. You have an ad for a major retail chain. It's placed in the local section. Page 2. Full page at that. Problem is that the person who bought the paper was looking for last night's box scores, not the local weather or police report. That eye ball has been lost.

Take that same campaign and blog about it. Start getting organic rankings for Orlando department and retail stores, or whatever key phrases you find to be effective. Now you might be getting less distribution, but the eyeballs are targeted and more likely to be buyers.

Back to an advertising campaign. Find websites that are in your niche. You sell baseball equipment in Orlando. Look into blogs, message boards, community sites and such that target local ball players. Look into guest blogging on the Orlando Sentinel sports blog or another community leader for local athletics.

You are geo-targeting your ads and will see better return on your investment.
This is New Media folks. It is very powerful when you play your cards rights and focus your efforts not on the whole, but on the parts that are going to make your business profitable.

Where do you see issues in the New Media vs. Old Media debate? Old Media, how can you adapt and make a comeback (or have you not even left the building yet?)? Looking forward to hearing from you and getting to the route of the problem and the possibilities of the future.

-Greg Rollett

(Missing) Your Local Scene Orlando

The origin of this post began from a comment on a YPulse thread called ‘Suburban Blues.’ Anastasia, the author, talked about growing up with a little bit of good ol’ boredom. The way kids interact with themselves, peers and adults have affected how they grow and mature and adapt to life in the city, suburb or place of their choosing. The comment in question came from Gareth. Here is what he had to say:

“I grew up in the UK in a town which was completely walkable and a 15 minute train ride would take me into a major city, so from a young age I've always been able to travel where I like, go to parks and the beach or just make my own way around.

I recently emigrated to the US and have ended up in the suburbs, about 20 miles South of Orlando in Florida. These places are soulless, there's nothing to do which doesn't involve driving somewhere.

Luckily I'm old enough to drive, and old enough to drink (past 8pm all there is open round here are chain restaurants and one bar). Without those two escapes I would go crazy here for lack of anything to do. I would not want to raise children in this unnatural environment. No wonder young people in this country are so highly medicated.”

I responded on the site but thought about the topic of “scenesterism,” and how local scenes emerge and evolve. Being a musician and in the ‘scene’ has been easy for me, I guess. I wanted to play my music for crowds; so I started to learn where these crowds were, who the important people are, how they dress, talk, act and the whole nine yards that follows.

Orlando is a tourist city. At least that’s what the media, the public and everyone with a hand in the multi-billion dollar business wants you to think. You might also like to note Orlando as a college city. UCF is the 6^th largest campus in the country. Add that to a growing student body at Valencia and Seminole Community Colleges, Full Sail and the countless tech and post secondary schools and there might just be half a million kids in the 17-25 age group running the streets trying to figure out their life.

Then you get to my scene, or so I thought, the music scene. Even in a city as small as Orlando (when compared to cities with ‘real scenes’) there is an emerging culture taking over the city. The problem is that Orlando doesn’t have a sound. It doesn’t have a theme. It doesn’t have one person who is cooler than the next. What is has is a diverse population that is creating voices, and people are listening.

Rock:
Big 10-4 was on Universal and had every college student singing and drinking at the Social till 2am on a frequent basis.
Florida Music Festival is going strong and takes over downtown Orlando in May.
Between the Trees just struck big.
Social Ghost. They got to tour with Alice in Chains, need I say more?
Cori Yarkin has been in Rolling Stone and featured on the Hills and continues to tour non stop.
Rock For Hunger continues to hold a music festival that continues to grow and attract more fans, better bands and help more people than any other rock music fest in Florida.
Anti-Pop continues to be a success despite its sometimes questionable motives.

Hip-Hop:
For a music and culture that is supposedly dying, a city that is not known for hip-hop is doing pretty big things.
Love them or hate em, Sol·illaquist of Sound has taken the country by storm. Expect a new Epitaph/Anti release this summer
Kap has emerged as a new threat and will be taking over Backbooth 2 nights a month to highlight the Orlando hip-hop scene.
The Unlikely’s and greyscalemusic show that live bands are alive in Orlando hip-hop
Madd Illz comtinues to throw the biggest festival and competition in the land with Lounge Battles 6 coming right around the corner March 7-9^th.

Funk:
Legendary JC's anyone?
Union Made and Sugarfree continue to push the envelope

Indie:
Try Band Marino if you want to go dance with 300 of your closest friends in Orlando.
Poverty Branch puts on a show that no one will soon forget.
There for Tomorrow is the next generation of pop-punk stars and they are right in your backyard.
Want to be amazed? Go see the kid in the lead of No Circus. If he doesn’t have soul, I do not know who does.

Venues not called the Social or Backbooth
Think everything goes down at one of these 2 venues, you are out of your mind.
Catch some culture, great art and inspiration at the City Arts Factory.
Listen to the next great band while browsing through some of Central Florida’s best canvas paintings at the AKA Lounge.
Like it loud, step out of the parking garage on Central and head into Central Station’s Rock Bar.
Get out of Downtown and see the greatest metal shows in Orlando at the Haven. Or grace their stage with full band open mic on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Coffehouses that offer more than just coffee: Austin’s Coffee and Film, Stardust, Dandelion Communitea, Java Dave’s Push Play Cafe and Natura are just the start
Sake bombs and the best DJ’s and indie hip-hop at Tatame.

Creative types:
Florida Creatives is a monthly happy hour designed to meet, network and learn with Orlando’s best internet geeks, musicians, artists, film guys and more.
Linkmind.Orl and LunchFu are great events to get in the spirit. I promise I will be making one of these soon.
BlogOrlando and BarCampOrlando
AD2 and Orlando Young Professionals

Here’s to showing Orlando some love. For the souls, the heads, the hippies, the dive bars who could use a few more patrons, to the local havens that local bands long to grace the stage, for the bands who are paving the way and for the bands who aren’t.

There is a scene here. It has a soul. If it’s not what you are looking for, well make your own scene. Start meeting like minded people. Stop complaining until you have made an effort to join our scene. The one we created. There was no Orlando scene just a few years back. Now we are gong strong, bringing in new friends, growing and learning along the way. This goes for anywhere worldwide, not just Orlando.

“And if ya don’t like it, just make somethin better, take ya hands out ya pockets and ya arms out ya sweaters.”

-G-Ro from ‘Not Hip-Hop’

If I neglected from adding your band, your venue, your event that makes Orlando tick, please insert it into the comments. The more love for Orlando the better. We are what we make it.

Record Store Day - April 19, 2008

(hat tip to Hypebot)
Record Store Day. Yes Record Store Day. April 19th, 2008 is the day where you, as a musician, consumer or fan needs to support your Local Mom and Pops Record Store. The stores that will be participating will be members of AIMS, CIMS, MMN,Newbury Comics, and the Value Music Group of Indie Stores.

Here in Orlando that means your favorite Orlando neighborhood record shop, Park Ave CD's. They are a member of THE COALITION OF INDEPENDENT MUSIC STORES.

From the official Record Store Day website:

On this day, all of these stores will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally.

In the meantime drop by Park Ave CD's in Orlando (2916 Corrine Drive) for tickets to shows at the Social, Backbooth, Firestone and more plus the largest selection of Local Music in Orlando. (While you are there, drop off the flyers to your latest show or get your CD in the Local Music section on consignment.)

-g-ro

Lunch With Joel

Today I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with online recruiting guru, Joel Cheesman, founder of Cheezhed. I reached out to grab a quick bite while he was in town for the Recruiting 2007 Conference and Expo. Lucky for me this meant an escape from the office for a few to rack the brain of someone who gets SEO in the recruitment field. Highlights form the talk included:

Use localized video-This will be a great addition to both RollettMarketing.com and the Orlando JobSpot. Thinking of doing a weekly show for both websites.

Leverage off the power of large domains like YouTube and Myspace. I always knew this but it makes a little more sense now.

Long tail is huge. If 2 people that need jobs are searching for “customer service part time near airport” and cannot find a job that suits them, I have failed as an SEO expert that is writing job descriptions. This is data that your webmaster needs to supply, even if you have to use a stick to beat it out of them.

Rethink Podcasting. I have been opposed to podcasting ever since I heard the word. Even with my recording background, the thought of someone listening to me talk on their iPod just didn’t sound enticing. What the hell, I can record the hell outta some music, so why not give it a shot.

Facebook Apps are useless for job seekers. There is still that wall up between job seekers and their social networks. All apps have failed and show no signs of innovation, viral capability and focus. Plus, no one markets them on their own sites. Imagine if Career Builder had links on their homepage? But they don’t and their app sunk to the bottom of the barrel.

Employers need to smarten up. Sell your positions. As a job poster I can only do so much to spruce up your crappy driving position. Make it sound enticing. If when you are posting a job online and think the job sucks, what will the job seekers think?

Their needs to be some responsibility on the part of the employer. If all you want is numbers in the door, so be it. But if you really want to grow your company, have a better bottom line and maybe get that Christmas bonus, start taking some pride in how and who you hire.

I’m done for the day. Joel it was awesome finally meeting you. I hope that we gave you some insight into the localization of job boards and the power that can be obtained from not having to always get the red tape from corporate. Anywho, its time to Rock For Hunger. Hunger Banquet tonight at UCF!!

-g-ro

Recap of AD2 Orlando's Future of Advertising Event

Just got home from AD2 Orlando's Future of Advertising at Citrus on Orange Ave in Downtown Orlando, pretty tired. But I want to get this out there and rehash some of the things I picked up and learned. Im going to go through this session by session. So here she goes.

Guerilla Marketing Session led by Forest Young of PUSH


-High respect + no love = brands (customers b/c we have to be)
-Low respect + high love = trends (newest movie, cd, etc)
-High respect + high love = lovemarks (Apple-brand ambassadors)

-Need disruption and cause a wow factor
-Hopscotch is the ultimate viral brand
-Have volunteers act as the promotion for the event (hand made signs and promo)
-Homemade grassroots signs and promo, hold rally, put campaign into action, celebrate the event that you are being a part of
-Thank you cards for volunteers. Make site with all the pictures of the volunteers, use internet to amplify th results
-Go to high visibility, trafficked and media driven sites
-Guerrilla works best with integrated forms of marketing and media
-Future is profits, profits, profits with minimal financial investments
-Sweat vs financial equity
-Do the right thing. Ethics vs intrusive
-Works best when amplified
-Future of advertising is now, what are people doing now?! Pay attention to current trends


Erik Hersmon from Zungu


-Social Web is who you are and what you do
-Unorganized and un-centralized, you have no control
-2 scenerios a) oh crap, what do we do? and b) how do I call attention to myself
-Story about Dell. Last year their customer service sucked and their customers let em know. 50% of conversations online about Dell were negative. They created 3 sites (blog, idea storm and forum). Now they are at about 23% negative, still not good but much improved!

5 TIPS TO THINK ABOUT
1. Have a blog strategy
2. Leverage customers
3. Start conversations and start listening
4. More real PR and less advertising
5. Internal Champions

B2B E-MAIL-MARCELLE TURNER (MINDCOMET.COM)


Challenges of deliver ability:
-Bounces on the rise
-Anti SPAM rules getting tougher
-Only send useful, relevant emails to people that ask for them

Stay current and competitive
-Test
-Double opt in and easy opt out
-Report SPAM link
-Send from dedicated IP address

Viral E-Mails
-Broadcast outlets multiplied
-Analytics are measurable
-Low cost
-Dynamic content
-List build

RYAN FRAZIER- FUTURE OF OUTDOOR –CLEAR CHANNEL


Problems with old billboards
-Turnaround times
-Production costs
-Limitations

LED TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS THEM TO:
-24 HR Turnaround
-No Production Costs
-Unlimited possibilities
-Unlimited color
-Basically a flat screen on the highway
-1250 Spotsper day per advertiser
-Target specific people at different times of the day
-Community dialog
-Only 13 markets now but they will be everywhere

WAGNER BUCCI DOS SANTOS-EXPERIMENTAL MARKETING


-Tell me I'll forget, show me I may remember, involve me and I will understand!
-Consumers market-how do we connect with them?
-Much more competitive and crowded today
-Consumers are in control

EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
-Bridges the disconnect between consumers and brands
-Persuades comsumers emotionally
-Every major brand has a experiential campaign
-Has become more than just impressions, we need to see ROI
-Impulse buying is based on emotion, this is where we try to hit them
-Creates a viral approach if done right

They wrapped the day up with some Q and A, a few beers and some great connections. Very excited for this event and it didn't disappoint. It's been a wild week already and shows no signs of slowing down. I'll post more thoughts on the event tomorrow. Till then, enjoy and feel free to steal my notes!

-G-Ro

Hip-Hop 4 Hunger Hits Orlando August 2nd at the AKA Lounge with The AB's, X-144 and SPS, Greyscalemusic, Caveman Theory and Minstrel's Company

Join Endagon Entertainment, Rock for Hunger and G-Ro as they present the biggest hip-hop event to hit Orlando this year! Hip-Hop 4 Hunger is a charity concert that will benefit the 2nd Harvest Food Bank and the Monday night feedings at the Post Office in Downtown Orlando. The goal of this event is to provide awareness and access to our community.

Hip-Hop4 Hunger will take place August 2nd at AkA Lounge on Pine Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida.

This event will draw upwards of 300 socially aware urban cultured individuals that want to play a part in our community. We interest these people with music and a message. If you would like to sponsor this event please contact Rock For Hunger.

The line-up for this event is as follows:

9pm Doors and Rock for Hunger Slide Show and Video
930 pm-Minstrels Company hits the stage
10:20-Caveman Theory
11:00-X-144 and SPS
12-Headliners the AB's (formerly known as Asamov) rock AKA Lounge
1:15-Greyscalemusic closes the night out

In between sets and bands you will be treated to the best in local and indie hip-hop with DJ's Dolo and SPS with your host G-Ro from Rollett Marketing and Rock For Hunger. There will be prizes, giveaways and live tapings for knowledge of our community, poverty and your awareness.

You can buy advance tickets by clicking the flyer below for only $7.00. All bands also have tickets available for you! Please help support a great cause and let's sell out the AKA Lounge for a great music and an even greater cause!

-g-ro

Exclusive Interview With Swamburger from Epitaph/Anti artists Sol.Illaquists of Sound

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Swamburger from Sol.Illaquists of Sound at his shop the Culture Mart of Magnolia Downtown Orlando, Florida. I also had the pleasure of being at their sold out concert at the Social in downtown Orlando Saturday night. Swam is a man of many words and has done great things for his band and this community. He has been a part of our skate, hip-hop and art scenes in Orlando and has been a big reason for our growth and development. We had a great discussion on our community, Rock For Hunger, the impact of his music and art and where he sees our community now and where he thinks its going and what it needs to survive and become the city we all know it can.

Musicians of all kinds should take notes of what he has to say. Sol.Illaquists of Sound has toured the country numerous times and continues to build and amazing reputation from their live show to their marketing to their message. Please take a watch and be sure to catch S.o.S. in a city near you real soon!

Be sure to hit up the Sol.Illaquists of Sound myspace page and say what up and keep up to date on what they are doing.

Also check out Rock For Hunger for updates on all of our shows, events and news on our 2nd Annual Rock For Hunger Festival November 9-11th at the Backbooth. Be ready for Hip-Hop 4 Hunger presented by G-RO next Thursday Aug. 2nd with the AB's (formerly Asamov) at the AKA Lounge. Get advance tix at the top of this page!