Night of the Comet . . . Branding

Wow, that was a lame title. Anyway, to the blog . . .

Comet Branding, as they say on their front page, "we help clients drive social media, public relations, and marketing initiatives to better connect with customers." The company was founded in 2009 by Wisconsin natives Al Krueger and Sara Meaney with the intentions, "to deliver comprehensive marketing and communications services to its clients.

Al and Sara are experts in social media, PR, marketing, and branding. From the long list of duties they perform for their clients, some choice jobs include social media research, competitive analysis, the development of strategic public relations plans, research of media and story trends, event promotion and development, creation of marketing collateral and copywriting, strategic brand development, and brand platform creation. This may seem like a lot for six people to take on (four others work for Comet besides the founders), but even this long list doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what Comet can do for businesses.

Comet's blog includes over two million entries and counting. They range from updates from Comet to commentary on branding, PR, an social media from across the nation. Mike Wisiewski posted the site's most recent blog (as of 10/27/20) centering on LeBron James and his latest Nike TV spot, "Rise".

Amy Sinclair

Amy Sinclair: a veritable guru of PR from the city of San Fransisco.

I want to say one thing first: I getting tired of the Social Media Revolution 2 video. I've watched it four times in the past week, and I have that song by Fatboy Slim stuck in my head.

Now, to the presentation…

I want to start out by saying that Mrs. Sinclair definitely knows what she’s talking about. As a speaker she’s very clam and speaks very clearly. Even when she got asked a question that she couldn’t answer, she maintained her composure and gave an intelligent response.

You don’t really get a sense of how far social media can reach unless you really look into it. I don’t remember the last time I watched TV on a regular basis; it had to have been before I got my laptop. Anyway, I still remember all the ads that I would watch all day for products I never would have considered buying, whether it be some piece of workshop equipment or the network trying to sell me on watching a show I’d never consider giving a minute of my time to.

Now, when I visit my Facebook page, the advertisements are all catered to my liking. It makes the ads feel more personal and makes me feel more comfortable in purchasing what they sell. Something like this wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for social media.

You say you want a revolution?

Ah, Facebook, ye olde social network.  I didn’t get a Facebook page until a little less than a year ago.  I was actually using Twitter before Facebook.   I still think that it’s something I could probably live without and still get along fine, but it sure makes some things a hell of a lot easier.  I’ve been able to keep up with some of my old high school friends better, as well as several of my roommates that have come and gone.  The combination of Twitter and Facebook have also made it easier for a movie buff like me to share my feelings on films, and recommend the good ones to many more people

Anyway, the video entitled Social Media Revolution 2, aside from having a kick-ass soundtrack, featured some facts that genuinely surprised me.  For one, I didn’t know that Wikipedia, the study tool so despised by educators the world over, was as accurate as it was, with studies calling the as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica.  I didn’t know that such a high percentage of Millenials were on social network sites; 96%, damn!  I didn’t know that e-mail was on such a decline, either.

I can’t remember the last time I saw my sister actually talk to someone on the phone, or when the list time I watched TV on a regular basis was.  She has become addicted to texting and Facebook, and I have relied on the internet, specifically YouTube, for the majority of my entertainment.  I try to keep my tweets as formal and grammatically correct as possible, but I do occasionally have to abbreviate what I’m trying to say.  I will say, this skill makes it easier to take notes in class.  Anyway, social media has increased our reach.  We are able to negate distances between us, both physically and socially, and put our ideas out there for all to see.

Mashable Mash!

http://mashable.com/2010/09/26/evolution-apple-mouse/

The first blog that caught my eye was The Evolution of the Apple Mouse.  It was pretty much a basic retrospective of Apple’s mice from 1983, when the mouse looked like a block of tan plastic with a button on top, to now, with Apple’s minimalist Magic Mouse.  I find technological evolution like this interesting to look at, and makes me wonder at what point the things we are using now will become hideously outdated.

http://mashable.com/2010/10/01/incredible-inventions-maker-faire/

I also checked out a list of inventions from the World Maker Faire.  Rubix cube solving robots, eye-operated drawing devices, and a propane-powered fireball gun were just a few of the featured inventions.  I wish I could see some of these things in action, because the blog only has stills of the creations.

http://mashable.com/2010/10/05/ie-50-percent-market-share/

The last blog I read was one about Internet Explorer, and how it now holds less than 50% market share.  The other 50% is composed of Firefox (my browser of choice), Chrome, Safari, and Opera.  I didn’t know that IE was in such decline, but with the amount of competition out there, I guess it shouldn’t be surprising.

Lastly, how has writing changed in the new world of social media? 

Well, let’s see.

Writing is no longer a one-way conversation.  Any blog you post online isn’t an article published in a newspaper where you can’t receive direct feedback to your work.  Blogging allows for direct communication with your audience.  It has narrowed the gap between the writer and their audience.