CBS Has To Play It Again -- Jason McElwain

The other night CBS featured the basketball story of Jason McElwain, a senior at Greece Athena High School near Rochester, N.Y. It initially caught my attention because former Syracuse University standout John Wallace went to high school there too.

The story CBS told was one of the most powerful that I've ever seen. McElwain is autistic and was the manager of the varsity basketball team. Because of his dedication and enthusiasm, the coach, Jim Johnson, let him suit up for the game. With four minutes left in the game, Johnson put him in. McElwain not only played, but connected on six three pointers and another basket to score 20 points! The packed high school gym grew in intensity with each basket and flooded the court when McElwain connected on a buzzer beater.

One of the best parts of the piece was McElwain's explanation. He said quite simply, "I was hotter than a pistol."

The story received so much follow-up attention that CBS ran it again a second time. The footage is inspiring, packed with emotion, and you have to see it in order to appreciate it.

The story, and its response, is a testament to the belief that people are truly interested in positive news too.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/23/earlyshow/main1339324.shtml

Happy to “Spread the Fire” for PyroMarketing

Greg Stielstra knows exactly how the book “A Purpose Driven Life” sold 28 million copies. He was the Marketing Director. Now he has a book, “PyroMarketing” that explains the four step strategy needed to create consumer evangelists that every marketer dreams of.

Visit www.PyroMarketing.com for more details.

Gillette Fails to Fuse Super Bowl Razor Pitch

"Gillette Fails to Fuse Super Bowl Razor Pitch" by Tom Nardacci

One memorable Super Bowl pitch was Gillette’s new Fusion ™ Power razor. While the ad sticks out, Gillette could have better spent their money with old-fashioned product sample marketing.

Gillette’s atomic ads and newly launched product web page fall very short on details. Having a wealth of information available right away is critical in early stages of product introduction. Consumers who you are counting on to virally market the product (via conversation and web) need to be provided the information to be experts. I sort of remember the Super Bowl ad and I looked at the website, but I still haven’t figured out why five blades are better then three or four.

I began using the Gillette Sensor when I was sent samples during my freshman year in college. I upgraded several years ago to the Mach 3 after a friend recommended it to me (he actually said "it changed his life"), and have felt no need to go beyond the three blades. Or, I simply haven’t been convinced that there is something better out there.

To be fair, the purported $5 million Super Bowl pitch is just a piece of the $100 million estimated that Gillette will spend on the launch campaign. Perhaps there are samples on their way?