Kudos to the Honda advertising team, not only for thinking of this *brilliant* commercial, but for also snagging Matthew Broderick to reprise his role as an adult-like Bueller, and for creating one helluva buzz on the internet to make sure that everyone, and their mother, father (mine included, who actually forwarded me the commercial, although I had already seen it), brother, and sister see this incredible mini-movie before millions of more people see it during the actual Super Bowl. How’d they do it? They simply sent out a newsletter to their entire opted-in email customer base saying “See our ad before 100 million people do” and embedded the extended version (a whopping 2 minutes, 25 seconds) of the commercial in the newsletter and invited people to “share with your friends and family too”.

What was the overall goal for releasing the commercial early and online? While I can’t speak on behalf of Honda, I can always speculate:

1. Possibly they were excited to show off the new CR-V.
2. Possibly they were thrilled with how the commercial turned out and just couldn’t wait to show it off.
3. Possibly they were testing out the effectiveness of internet marketing and wanted to see how fast the buzz about the commercial would spread.

Let’s go with option three because the whole point of making a commercial is to expose it to as many people as possible, right. (Note: no question mark needed in the previous sentence because I wasn’t asking a question, okay).  The beauty of internet marketing is the measurability of outreach. And this commercial certainly “outreached”. The commercial was emailed out 2 days ago. In about 48 hours, I see that the commercial (hosted on YouTube) has been viewed 6,518,483 times, garnering over 23,000 “likes”. Searching on Google for “Honda CRV Super Bowl Commercial” returns 5,880,000 results from the Christian Science Monitor to ABC News to people’s personal blogs and everything in between. The commercial posted on Honda’s Facebook page has 1,170 “likes” and 112 comments. Wow!

I would deem that Honda successfully used the power of the internet to leverage their commercial.  They reached over 6 million people in 2 days, some of whom may not necessarily have seen the commercial otherwise (me included: Super what?). The commercial has been talked about in countless online publications and the video will live forever on the web, available for viewing again and again. And for all the rest of the people that haven’t seen it, they will see it on Super Bowl Sunday. The combination of releasing the commercial early online and airing it on a day when 100 million people are expected to see it on TV, will insure that this commercial makes a lasting impact. Just as the original movie did. Well done, Honda!

If you wanna walk like a wild web woman, you gotta talk like a Wild Web Woman!  Hope this is a healthy dose of Friday comic relief (and fun insight to our behind-the-scenes marketing work lingo)

HAPPY FRIDAY! (All WMTers say that EVERY FRIDAY!!)

We would like to first start by giving a huge thanks to our loyal customers, students, website fans and readers. We are ever so grateful for your continued support of what we do here at Web Marketing Therapy and it is you who we strive to serve with our educational writings, humorous musings and our therapeutic approach to marketing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

On that note, it is a holiday tradition that Web Marketing Therapy’s team of Wild Web Women put together a list of things we are grateful for each year. As a team of She Geeks we constantly have fun playing with the latest and greatest tech toys. This year we asked our team, What tech gadgets are you thankful for in 2011? And while the team is definitely having a love affair with Apple right now (and forever it seems) we have room in our hearts for all types of gadgets, even if they aren’t all so high tech:

Lorrie Thomas:
For being a wild web woman who geeks out online for a living, I am a very slow adopter to technology. I still love to read books (you may remember them: the ones made out of paper where you can fold the edges and make notes in the margins?). As much as I rely on tech tools to run WMT and work, I do unplug from technology as much as I can to recharge so when I am “plugged in”, I am refreshed. Before I share my fave tech tools, I need to give a proper thanks to the two un-tech tools that inspired me so much this year: SUCCESS Magazine (success.com) and Inc. Magazine (inc.com). I learn something new every issue and feel inspired to keep our work at WMT rocking! (Plus, as a new mom with lots of infant time, these mags have been by my side educating me and keeping me company). We are the product of what we read and who we associate with, I love that there are still great reads out there that fuel my mind so I can use technology wisely!

Ok, ok: Gadgets I am grateful for:

Macbook Pro, headlamp and Box.net

My favorite gadget is my Macbook Pro. It holds a charge longer than my former PC, is intuitive, sleek and just WORKS. I’ll never go back to a PC. If Mac could just make a gold version to match my accessories, I’d be in heaven!

My second fave tech gadget is my headlamp. Great on hikes that end after sundown AND to walk about at night with baby so I can see and be hands free!

Lastly, Box.net allows me (and team WMT!) to store company docs on a cloud so our virtual Wild Web marketing team has access to docs no matter where we live. Love it!

Jennie Jacobs:
I am not one to hoard or collect amazing gadgets. In fact, I would say that my tech gadget collection is relatively thinned out compared to some people I know. And because I am not as enthusiastic about the tech gadget revolution, I tend to be a little behind the times. But in 2011 I made the switch to the best gadget I could ever have hoped for: my iPhone! My iPhone is my life companion. For work and play I can utilize the power of technology to make my life so much easier than before. Case in point; I recently went on an almost 2 week long road trip and not once was I even compelled to open a map while on the road. My iPhone gave me the ability to search the yummiest local food joints in Portland, while simultaneously giving us the quickest route to said restaurant. It was amazing! And so, I give thanks! Thank you to a gadget that has saved me time, shown me best pizza ever, let me photograph that pizza, and saved me from countless arguments with my directionally challenged boyfriend!

Kate McMillan:
Like many people, I spend lots of time online.  Most of it has to do with my job, but some of it has to do with things like keeping in touch with friends and family, or shopping, or learning, or the bevy of other non-work-related online activities.  I work from home, so until recently all my online activities took place from the same computers – work and play.  And then we got an iPad.  Now I can shut the door on my office when I’m finished working (!) and still use the internet for non-work-related activities.  It offers the kind of separation between work and play that I need to stay sane.  And when I travel for pleasure, I can easily bring it along to easily keep in touch or just watch Netflix at the end of the day without feeling like I’m bringing my work along with me.  Thank you, iPad!

Kelly Kohen:
I, like Jennie, don’t tend to be a tech gadget junkie, but I was anxious for the iPhone to come out on Verizon because my out-of-date smart phone was having WAAAYYY too many issues.  So, on the day that they became available, I stayed up late so that I could push the “purchase” button the second they were available.  To all of my friends and family that kept saying the iPhone was the best thing ever, but I continued to argue that it just couldn’t be that great, I apologize profusely!  It is by far the BEST thing ever!  It allows me to work from any location, catch up on the morning news even before I get out of bed and entertains my 4-year-old during really long drives or quick trips to the grocery store.  It allows me to easily keep in touch with my family via messaging and I have a wonderful photo album of my son’s wish list for Santa (to save the Jolly ol’ man any confusion on the MANY requests).  Thank you iPhone for making my life complete!

Nicki Gauthier
I am Thankful for my vinyl record player. Love, obsessed, can’t live without. The record player was invented in the late 1800’s which makes this sweet musical technology over 100 years-old HOWEVER it is WAY better than any new music tech gadget out there. I listen to music while I work because it helps get me in the “work zone” and the background noise is GREAT for my over cluttered brain. I listen to music while I clean, cook, and shower. I listen to music whilst relaxing with family and friends. I listen to music all day, every day.  SB Local Peeps: I recommend Warbler Records on De La Guerra in Santa Barbara for musical goodness. Catch Warbler on Facebook.

Please enjoy this beautiful picture of my record player with one of my favorite vinyl’s – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

Amy Dunn:
I agree with Kelly- the iPhone is amazing.  I too used to resent iPhone snobs- but I get it.  Then I got mine in May this year and use it for everything- photos, organizing, to do lists, email, texting, calls (of course), music, recipes- even sleeping (love the White Noise App).  There is an app for everything you could imagine.  I think the iPhone is the most innovative and important piece of technology of this decade.  I am so glad that I waited for it and did not settle for anything less.

Darla Bea Smith:
This Fall Season I’m giving thanks to my colleague Nicki Gauthier for encouraging me to purchase my MacBook Pro. I’ve been a Mac girl since the 1980’s when I used to play on my parents MacIntosh personal computer. By the mid-90’s I was excited to bring home a fruity colored iMac G3 (remember those?). What I like best about Apple computers in general is there is minimal maintenance; no sign of bugs and the design of the product is visually appealing. Now that I actually own a portable laptop I find I’m not chained to my desk and having the freedom to do work in any location is very convenient. As Wild Web Women we have a joke that we work in our PJ’s – well sometimes this is the case and with my MacBook Pro I can actually do Pajama Public Relations! The MacBook Pro is lightweight too – allowing me to trek it across town to visit the team at our virtual headquarters aka a local coffee shop. Portable, convenient, fast and a clean desktop — I’m loving yet another genius Mac product. Thank you Steve Jobs for helping us online marketers do our work and do it well

Anne Orfila:
I love gadget-y things, once I get the hang of them. One thing that I am ever-so-grateful for is the iPod Touch.  Why not the iPhone, you say?  Well, I am not there yet (it’s complicated and has to do with a family phone plan). Surprisingly I have had little time on the iTouch (as we call it in our family) because it actually belongs to my 8-year old son. He wanted it so badly for his birthday that he was willing to forego a huge birthday blowout for a scaled down family-only party as we gave him an ultimatum: expensive gadget or expensive party (can’t have everything in life!). The Touch has really honed his technical-proficiency of Apple products (which I believe currently rules the world – or at least the world that I exist in – and, I believe, will continue to reign into his adulthood), exposed him to the world wide web (within certain parent-approved parameters), and encouraged his creative juices to flow through self-made videos, recordings and pictures. He also loves to wikipedia everything and occasionally “window shop” to see what’s new in the world of Lego. And let’s face it, it’s a great companion for him, whether it be in the car on a long road trip or at home on a lazy afternoon. Some may say that I use it as a “babysitter” for him, but I would disagree with that. The Wii, now that’s a babysitter, whereas the iTouch opens the world to him – so to speak. And having my kid interested in the world wide web, to me (a “wild web woman”), is priceless.

Mary Sandor:
I wanted to tell you about the tech gadget that I am thankful for: Diamond computer speakers. They look like little mushrooms that belong in Munchkinland but I have grown to love them. A friend gave these to Mark a year or so back and I started using them over the summer and fell in LOVE! They are great music blasting/movie watching companions that are super mobile and just need a charge every now and then – the charging gets done via USB post/cable. Because they run on battery, they can pack into my computer bag easily and travel with me wherever I go. They’re not perfect Bose quality sound, but great for rocking out to Pandora while creating great copy!

Name: Anne Orfila, Psycho Web Analyst

Profession: Part of a Group of Superhero Women saving one Website at a time, 2012 calendar Compilation Director (don’t ask me what that is…just wait and see!)

Describe your Desk: My “ideal” desk is a booth in the sun at a favored downtown coffee shop where I can spread out the following: phone (always on vibrate to not disturb other patrons), Sunglasses (so i can leave on a moments notice to take a phone call outside), iPod (to drown out said patrons), Klean Kanteen (hydration is  key to staying awake when you don’t drink coffee, just tea for me!), a plate of half eaten pastry du jour (either donut with chocolate frosting, chocolate croissant or, of late, chocolate peanut butter bar) to share with Nicki Gauthier (fellow Wild Web Woman®) and Warren (Coffee Shop Pal). Less ideal, but still totally doable, is all the same stuff crammed on super small round table in same coffee shop.

Favorite part of Desk: The location of it! Meaning that I love being at the coffee shop in the midst of all sorts of people with all sorts of activity going on, instead of home, alone.

Least favorite part of Desk: Somedays I land up at a “desk” in the coffee shop that is not near an outlet….not good for me, or my laptop, as I know will end up having to move all my stuff to another table next to an outlet or just wrap it up and call it a day when my laptop dies.

Is Your SEO Apropos or a No?

How appropriate that the image I chose to enhance this post was named “ethical SEO”!  So this great semi-satirical article was posted on Slate on Tuesday, and I had to share! 

But first!  Before I link to the article, please read it knowing that there is a lesson or two in there:  Keyword stuffing is a big SEO “NO”.  This article also is a great example of how some web publications try to “outsmart” search engines.  Neither of these are on Web Marketing Therapy’s “Healthy Marketing” list.  And it also has interesting speculations about the future of Google’s algorithms . . . oh, and it discusses AOL’s acquisition of Huffington Post, but that’s just an aside. LOL! You’ll be laughing too after you read it.

With that said, enjoy the article!