My intention with this article is to simply point out the three deadly email marketing practices that I’ve seen from countless people and organizations. Conducting business this way can lead to negative perception of the organization and the brand you’re trying to establish.

No one want’s that.

Follow your nation’s SPAM laws.

An email address is a permission asset, I never gave permission. I don’t ever recall opting into your organization’s email database. Worst of all, I don’t even see an option to unsubscribe.

If you’re a professional organization, you better be following your nation’s laws when it comes to unsolicited marketing.

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Yasminbubblegum from YouTube writes,

I’ll be making a video.

Audio is very effective and important in the portrayal of ideas. However, I want to refrain from using audio with actual musical instruments. I’m not sure what I should use that is still effective.

Your videos/trailers have given me direction, but I was wondering if you can give me some advice?

The objective and purpose of sound in video is like the objective of a carpet in a room.

Ask an interior decorator and they’ll probably tell you that the carpet is suppose to add warmth, pull you in and at the same time bring forth a specific emotion. The carpet enhances the room and increases the overall impact and impression it has on you many folds.

There is of course the potential to choose the wrong carpet for a room and at times putting a carpet in a room where there shouldn’t be one.

In this post I’ll be briefly outlining how and when one should be using different types of sound elements in video in order to achieve the maximum effect.

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In my earlier post, Kony 2012 Exposed: Facts, Fiction, and What You Should Do About It, I wrote about what I understood as the truth behind the campaign. How you morally feel about the campaign comes down to:

• regarding finances, whether you see Invisible Children as an advocacy group or humanitarian organization
• regarding their mission, whether you’re for or against military intervention

Advocacy Media had released a statement saying, “Despite Media Backlash, Invisible Children’s Popularity Remains High – 92% of Overall Mentions Are Positive.”

Regardless of how you feel about the Kony 2012 campaign or Invisible Children, there’s no denying that there was deliberate strategic brilliance in the deployment of the campaign which we can all learn from.

In this post, I’ll be first sharing my thoughts on the video and then adding my own comments on what professionals have said regarding the campaign.
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Last week I came home from work and my wife asks me, “Have you seen this Kony video?!”

I’m like, “What coney video?” I’m thinking Coney Island.

She answers, “Remember the two-hour special they had for 24 before season seven, where Dubaku from Sengala is kidnapping kids to make them into child soldiers and Jack Bauer is caught in the middle of it?”

“Yea, I remember that.” I tell her.

She responds, “Well, it’s a documentary about that, except this time it’s Uganda and it’s for real. Go on online and search k-o-n-y-2012.”

I started up my Xbox and watched the full video.

Being a marketing professional, I could totally appreciate the marketing and creative brilliance behind this video.

Immediately I wanted to get involved and was ready to purchase an action kit, but then I started seeing critics online talking about how this whole thing is a hoax. Some were calling it the new Nigerian prince scam, except this time it was in Uganda.

I decided to turn to those I trust and here’s what I found out.
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Yasminbubblegum from YouTube asks,

I was just wondering if you have any tips/advices/personal experiences or any useful links when it comes to building communication skills.

Drowning in a Wave Pool

When I was in 6th grade, I went to Disney World with my school’s science club (yes, I was a geek). There I had my first experience with a wave pool. I didn’t know how to swim at the time. After a few jumps, the waves sucked me into the deep end and I panicked.

I started to scream “Heeelp!” but my friend that was with me, with each wave instead of “help” heard me say, “Heeeelblubulblub…! Heeeelblubulblub…!” So he responds with – Haaallelujaaah! Haaallelujaaah!

Communication fail. How did I not drown?

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