I volunteered my time last Saturday to do a 3-hour educational session on Web Marketing for a local women’s organization in Santa Barbara.   I stayed up very late the night before (yes, that is what wild web women do on a Friday night!) to prepare Power Point slides that would help illustrate my points on the power of web marketing.  I customized my slides to be specific to women in business and the non-profit sector.  Yes, I was working for free, but as a diseased perfectionist, my slides had to rock.

I arrived Saturday morning, ready to rock and when I arrived, the “projector” that was confirmed for me looked like this:

New rules slides do not work with old-school projectors!

I politely smiled and said that that was not my projector, that my projector was to “project my slides” (Power Point!) and then it hit me….

I ASSUMED (ASS of U and ME…eek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I assumed that when I requested a projector, it wouldn’t be from 1982…I failed to communicate, which caused the failure to show my sexy Power Point slides.

But, in the name of education, it was my duty to teach and train, so my first lesson in web marketing that volunteer day was this:

Nothing Goes As Planned. 

In the wild, wild web, we have to be ready to expect the unexpected, communicate, re-communicate and clarify communications. 

The other lesson that day was Never Let Them See You Sweat.  I could have been a diva and said I couldn’t teach without my slides, but you know what?  When you know what you know, then you can focus on your craft and not the method of delivery.  It was really productive to make the workshop a discussion and talk web marketing strategy.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have been a-ok sans slides (to be clear, Power Point!! HA!)

In retrospect, it was really funny to open the projector box and see this old-school projector.  I asked for a projector, and by golly, I got one!

Be sure to communicate and clarify what your expectations are.  I assumed that we were talking about the same projector, so shame on me for not clarifying! 

I will save the story of how I was sitting on the table facilitating the Saturday workshop and how the table collapsed, sending me, my latte and laptop sliding away for another Friday funny….

Until next time,
-The Marketing Therapist

Lululemon Athletica's new web site is such a joke!

This morning, Lululemon Athletica tweeted out the announcement its new e-commerce site!

“What do you guys think of the site? We’re pretty thrilled it all made it up without a hitch!” said @lululemon.

Followers were taken to the new Lululemon web site page – an off-brand site complete with dancing logos and dummy text that simply screamed “a 12-year-old designed this!”

The control freak and web marketing therapist inside me immediately gathered the Wild Web Women together to save our Lululemon from web marketing suicide. The plan:

Stage a web marketing intervention on our beloved Lululemon’s web site.

Then the cartoony pop-ups explained it all: April Fools!

April Fools prank to promote the launch of Lululemon's new web site

LOL. Lululemon, you got us!

Great way to promote the launch of your new site April 15!

It shows that you are a company with personality and spunk. You take fitness, sustainaibility and athletic wear seriously – but you don’t take yourself too seriously.

And as pajama marketing and PR gals, we are addicted to your super comfy and stylish Y-tanks and yoga pants, so we’re definitely excited about the free shipping promocode “bamboozled”! Thanks!