In his recent interview with Media Logic, social media consultant Jason Falls noted the very cool and too often undervalued role social media tools like Zeitgeist & Coffee play in charging up client-side, client/agency and client/world creative interaction.

Jason latched onto our product as an easy way to step clients into social media.

And in true social media fashion, his feedback helped us refine our pitch.

Media Logic’s Zeitgeist & Coffee opens a fat pipe of information that flows without resistance between client, agency, influencer and customer. But raw information is not where the value lies. It’s the social interaction surrounding its contextualization and use – particularly when managed with a real live human at the hub – that modifies creative thinking, leading to more rapid development of innovative strategies, refined brand positionings and even new products.

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Vote in our latest Z&C Poll!

We’ve seen brands respond to the challenge of conversation-centric marketing in vastly different ways. Some have reacted by becoming even more cloistered; others are testing the outer boundaries of taboo. Charmin’s latest promotion shows that CPG, at least relative to this brand, has chosen the latter path.

John Jordan, a member of Media Logic’s xTeam, came across a CNET.com article this morning about Charmin’s promotion. It generated quite the conversation at Media Logic:

From: John Jordan
Odd story, but should be interesting: Charmin to pay 5 people $10k to blog, and share experience in a makeshift bathroom.

From: Patrick Boegel
It might be insane, but the methodology from P&G is likely spot on. This campaign will generate attention and receive coverage from bloggers and the media. Regardless of the tenor of the coverage, good or bad, people will be writing about this promotion for awhile.

From: Ron Ladouceur
Maybe it’s because I came of age in the earthier 70s, but to me this sounds like a fantastic Social Juice promo (though, in this case, “juice” might be an ugly word). Can you imagine how great a sell it took to get a bunch of P&G execs to sign off on “enjoy the go?” Hats off! Frankly, I think the author of this review sounds a bit constipated. She could use a Charmin break.

Time will tell if Charmin’s latest promotion will be a success or failure. But, at least around here, it’s got people talking.

What do you think? Does the latest Charmin Times Square bathroom campaign push past the boundaries of good taste or is it an effective exploitation of a taboo subject?

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Like any organization, we’ve got our own vocabulary for some of the things we do around here.

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Pepsi had a pretty bad Twitter morning on October 13. But Falcon Heene may have helped Pepsi escape major embarrassment. Just two days later, as the story about Pepsi’s “sexist” iPhone App, “AMP UP Before You Score,” began to gain some real traction, #balloonboy sucked up all the media oxygen and became the biggest trending topic in Twitter history.

So will there be any fallout?
Media Logic’s Z&C Poll, first posted on the 15th, shows there might not be much. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) said any controversy would soon be forgotten. And curiously, nearly as many people who said the story wouldn’t be forgotten thought it was as likely to help the brand as hurt it.

The breakdown by sex is somewhat more interesting.

Way fewer women than men thought the whole thing would blow over. 67% versus 79%. Yet within those groups, as many of the remaining voters thought the story would help the brand as hurt it.

What’s the bottom line? A week and a day or two in, #pepsifail is still popping up once every hour or so on Twitter. By comparison, #balloonboy is popping up once every second. Pepsi apologized but did not pull its app. Perhaps brands, aware of the cynicism and short attention spans of the online audience, are learning not to panic when faced with bad PR. Perhaps Pepsi escaped only because our attention was diverted.

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So why are a series of active older adults declaring “I have SilverSneakers^®” if they’re not actually wearing said sneakers? It’s the creative hook to a new TV spot that we developed for the nation’s premier senior fitness program, SilverSneakers, from Healthways. The spot is designed to build name recognition for the SilverSneakers program, while demonstrating the end benefit of lifelong fitness — the ability to stay active, and enjoy life.

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Pepsi sure has stirred up a storm with its ‘AMP UP Before You Score’ iPhone App. Bloggers are all over it, accusing the makers of a kind of casual sexism we haven’t seen in decades. Defenders suggest that since women were involved in the concept and development of the App, there’s nothing to see here.

Tell us what you think. See what others think.

Take the Z&C Poll.

And be sure and come back and give us a quick comment.

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