An article released today in Ad Age announced the possibility that Michael Vick will become the next spokesman for PETA. He is in negogiations to do public-service ads for the organization in the near future.

For the complete story, visit Ad Age. For an excerpted version, read on:

Yes, you read that correctly. The disgraced one-time NFL superstar serving prison time for funding an illegal dog-fighting ring is primed to do public-service ads for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals upon his release later this month. According to three people with knowledge of the matter, the proposed endorsement is part of a comprehensive PR scheme aimed at rehabilitating the quarterback’s image and gaining him readmission to the league that banned him from playing.

“I’m familiar with [the plan],” said Dan Shannon, director of youth outreach and campaigns for PETA. “We have been in discussions with Michael Vick, with his management team, about the possibility of him putting out a public-service announcement with PETA when he’s out of jail. We want him to discourage people from taking part in dog-fighting. I can do it until I’m blue in the face and it might not convince anybody. Michael Vick sure can. He can say, ‘Look, I did it, I was wrong, and it ruined my career.’”

Other image-changing moves
That’s not all Mr. Vick will do to try to rehabilitate his image. People with knowledge of his comeback plan said it will also include mea culpa TV interviews, PSAs and charitable donations to other animal-rights organizations (or perhaps the formation of his own foundation), along with the possibility of working with PETA.

But this might be the mother of all PR jobs. Mr. Vick’s obstacles are many: a hard-line NFL commissioner who wants to see “genuine remorse” before reinstating Mr. Vick to the league; individual franchises who might be wary of the backlash and potential damage to their brands from signing Mr. Vick; and an incredulous public that remains shocked by the story.

And what a grisly tale it is. Mr. Vick, who in 2004 signed a seven-year, $130 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons, funded the Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia, which participated in the fighting of pit bulls and also admitted to participating in the sometimes torturous deaths of dogs that underperformed, including death by drowning, hanging and electrocution. Mr. Vick is due to be released from federal prison on May 20 and will serve the remaining two months of his 23-month sentence under home confinement near Hampton, Va., where he will be working a 40-hour-a-week construction job.

Mr. Vick’s camp includes a multitude of PR and legal handlers. His Atlanta-based attorney, Daniel Meachum, did not return several requests for an interview. Mr. Vick’s Washington-based lawyer, William “Billy” Martin, declined to comment. It is not known if Mr. Vick’s team has hired a strategic-communications or crisis-management firm to handle the PR efforts. But PETA confirmed it has talked with his handlers.

Before doing a deal, however, PETA wants Mr. Vick to undergo a psychological evaluation for antisocial personality disorder. “We’re suspicious this may come from a place of simply wanting to repair his public image, rather than genuine remorse,” Mr. Shannon said. “He was dishonest all the way up the line until he finally had to admit to what he did, which is a hallmark of [antisocial personality disorder]. If he can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, we can’t get in bed with this guy. At this point, he hasn’t chosen to submit to an evaluation. We hope the NFL will require that evaluation as a precondition of reinstatement. The bottom line is: Everybody knows he’s going to apologize, go on Oprah and Larry King and say he did wrong, that he learned his lesson. But there’s no reason for anybody to take his word for that based on the pattern of dishonesty and the severity of cruelty he took part in.”

PETA’s PR issues
Though PETA certainly has its own PR issues because of its extremist positions — the group is known for shocking advertising and stunts; it has been known to throw animal blood on people who wear fur and once sent a letter to the small town of Fishkill, N.Y., asking the community to change its name — the organization nonetheless could give Mr. Vick’s efforts a sense of legitimacy, experts said.

“It’s a smart thing. He should be doing some work with PETA or other animal-rights organizations,” said Richard Levick, president of the Washington public-relations consultancy Levick Strategic Communications. “What the American public looks for is recognition of error, contrition and fixing the problem. There was plenty of opportunity for Michael Vick early on to have admitted his errors without admitting his legal liability, to reach out to his sponsors, animal-rights communities, the football communities, but he didn’t. So now he has to. Americans are willing to forgive egregious acts but not arrogance.”

Despite the sometimes skeptical public reaction to such PR tours, those who shape public image said it has to be done. “Even if it is ’staged,’ rehabilitation has to start somewhere, as long as it’s sincere and consistent,” said Drew Kerr, president and lead public-relations counsel for Four Corners Communications, a PR firm based in New York. “The public has a long history of forgiving people and creating comeback stories under the right circumstances.”

Both Messrs. Levick and Kerr cited examples such as Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who overcame a four-year drug addiction to finally reach the major leagues and make the All-Star team last year, and Michael Milken, the one-time “junk bond king” who was charged with 98 counts of racketeering and securities fraud in 1989. He pleaded guilty to six securities charges and served less than two years in prison but today is a well-known and well-respected philanthropist whom Fortune magazine dubbed “The Man Who Changed Medicine” in 2004.

Up to the commissioner
Whether Mr. Vick can convince NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is another story. The league has taken no position on Mr. Vick’s status since he was suspended indefinitely in 2007. The Associated Press reported last month that at a panel discussion at Washington & Lee University, Mr. Goodell said he will meet with Mr. Vick after his legal issues have been addressed.

“At that point in time, I will want to meet with Michael, I will want to meet with his people, I will want to meet with other professionals to understand: Does he understand the mistakes he made and is he genuine and have remorse for those actions, and is he prepared to handle himself differently going forward? That will ultimately be my decision,” Mr. Goodell told the AP. “Our issue is trying to do the right thing and represent the NFL in the best possible way. Michael did an egregious thing. He has paid a very significant price for that.”

But he also indicated he would be open to the idea of letting Mr. Vick return. “If [Mr. Vick has] learned from that and is prepared to live a different life, I think the general public is forgiving on that when people are genuine and they show remorse and are prepared to live a different life. … That’s something he has to prove to myself and the general public.”

If Mr. Vick is suspended for the 2009 season, his options include the Canadian Football League and the upstart United Football League. But even if Mr. Goodell reinstates Mr. Vick for the 2009 NFL season — and at age 29 he does have several productive years left if he stayed in shape while in prison — it remains to be seen which team would take a chance on the quarterback. “There is a risk, yes, but professional sports has shown over and over that they are willing to take that chance even on the biggest risks, and they don’t seem to wait long, either,” Mr. Kerr said.

Your email marketing campaign becomes pretty useless if no one reads your emails. Constant Contact, an email marketing solutions company, has compiled some useful hints for being sure your emails don’t end up on the proverbial dead-letter floor.

1)    The “From” line needs to be recognizable: This answers the question a recipient asks when they check their emails: “Do I know you?” The answer here better be yes. Constant Contact says, “It’s important to use a ‘from’ name that your recipients recognize. If your brand is more memorable than your personal name, then use that.”  Other hints:
a.    Avoid generic addresses  (sales@xyz.com  or info@xyz.com)
b.    Use a consistent, recognizable name
c.    Use a real email address (CAN SPAM email law)

2)    The “Subject” line needs to be engaging: Which would you rather read: “Monthly Update” or “This Month’s 7 Sales Tips”? Once the reader decides they know you, they will ask themselves “Do I Care?”  Be creative in your subject line! Look in your own inbox. Which subject lines grab your attention? Constant Contact suggests your keep a list of your top 10 favorites, and refer back to it when you need it.  But keep it short enough that it can be seen in the reader’s inbox Subject column. Forty five characters or less usually does it.

These are just some of the many tips you can find on the Constant Contact email seminars they conduct around the country on a regular basis. Check ‘em out!

The Coke vs. Pepsi Cola Wars continue both on store shelves and in court rooms. On Monday, Pepsi sued Coca-Cola, claiming that Coke is running ads for Powerade ION4 sports drinks that misrepresent the effectiveness of Gatorade, a PepsiCo product.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the ads are currently running in print, on billboards, in-store displays and on a relaunched website. They say that Gatorade is missing two key electrolytes — calcium and magnesium. A Pepsi spokesperson was quoted in the Journal as saying, “The truth is, scientists say there is no evidence that Powerade ION4 is a more complete sports drink than Gatorade.”

Pepsi asked that the ads stop immediately, especially as “the biggest selling season for sports drinks is beginning.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Pepsi and Coke have routinely challenged each other in court. In 2006, Pepsi sued Coke over its televsion ads for Powerade Option, a low-calorie sports drink. Coke settled out of court. In 2007, a federal judge dismissed a Coke lawsuit that charged Pepsi with patent infringement on a collapsible bag that dispenses syrup for fountain sodas.

In 1876, a fantastic new invention was set to change the world forever: the telephone. Eighty-nine years later, the telephone hit 150 million users. Quite an accomplishment for something that is connected to a wire.

In 2004, a fantastic “social utility” was set to change the world forever: Facebook. Four years later, Facebook hit 150 million users, growing at about five million users a week. Quiet an accomplishment for a digital company started in a Harvard dorm room.

If you are a marketer, and you aren’t salivating by now, then you need to go get another cup of coffee. Or consider this: 24 year CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal for the company is for Facebook to connect the entire world by becoming the main tool people use to communicate with one another.

How it connects users:
The basic concept behind Facebook is generally well known by now. Users can set up a home page, search for their friends, and invite them to become a “friend.” As users post comments, tag each other, discuss things on each others’ walls – and become fans of businesses and products – you and your friends receive these bits of information as “feeds.” The potential for reaching a targeted audience becomes mind-boggling as the realization sets in that as you become a fan of a business, or comment on products, your friends know about it, and can choose to comment back. Then their friends get that comment as a feed.

How it uses ads now:
Facebook tracks users behavior, and can send you ads tailored to your interests. Unlike search engines, however, Facebook lets you manage your feeds through use of privacy settings and feedback to Facebook, so it’s not as intrusive. Also, the ads on Facebook aren’t as obnoxious as they are on other sites. Ads contain a small thumb symbol, so users can rate an ad with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. The thumbs down ads, typically irrelevant or obnoxious to the user, go away. So users end up with tailored ads.

Ideas for the future:
With this large community so close at hand, advertisers as well as Facebook are trying to figure out how to slide into this and make some money. One new approach is called Facebook Connects, which lets users log on to company websites using their Facebook logins, which in turn would then go to their friends’ feeds, and lets everyone know what companies you are doing business with. Some companies are finding they can make it easy for users to call up their list of Facebook friends and invite them to the business’s site or discussion groups. Translation: Free marketing.

Challenges:
The challenge comes in with the current status of decreasing online advertising funds, as well as the competition, which are the traditional (read “not-so-experimental”) websites. Banner ads on Facebook can sell for as little as15 cents per 1,000 clicks, a real bargain for marketers. But then, they know users usually ignore the banners. So how to improve its advertising abilities? There’s a pervasive feeling around Facebook that with user expansion will come advertising expansion. And expansion is the company’s focus right now. As a reminder, AOL’s Instant Messaging looms out there yet – popular, but not making lots of advertising money. At this writing, Facebook has 175 million users, and Microsoft as a competitor, an investor, and a partner. And Facebook has lots of potential. We’ll wait and see.

Here, very briefly, are some interesting statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

National Unemployment Rates:

• No high school diploma — 12.6%
• High school diploma — 8.3%
• College degree — 4.1%

Highest Unemployment by State:

• Michigan — 11.6%
• South Carolina –10.4%
• Rhode Island — 10.3%

Lowest Unemployment by State:

• Wyoming — 3.7%
• North Dakota — 4.2%
• Nebraska — 4.3%

A recent report published by Razorfish and CafeMom, has found an emerging marketing challenge: “digital moms.” The study indicates that this group of the population has begun to take hold of the offerings of Web 2.0. With more choices to manage, more information to balance, the moms of today are turning to digital communication.

The research shows moms are willing to research on line, and are connecting with friends, finding advice, and shopping more than ever using today’s new technologies. Initial awareness of products is coming more and more from digital channels, and not just TV. And the age of the mom and her kids corresponds to the mode and type of information moms access.

The researchers were able to draw some conclusions, both in how moms are using media, as well as for how marketers can use the data.

Finding 1:   Moms are using Web 2.0, beyond just search engines and email.
Channels used by more than 50% of the digital moms in the research include:
•    94% email
•    74% search engines
•    65% social networks
•    56% text messaging
•    55% instant messaging
•    52% gaming
•    51% news sites

How you can apply these findings: Marketers should embrace these channels as well as investigating online video, blogs, and DVR. RSS and podcasts are used passionately by those who use them, and mobile browsing is on the rise. Marketers should also start to understand how they work together.

Finding 2:   Age of both the mother and the child affect the media the mom is using.
The type of technology platform used by the digital moms show an age factor. Moms under 35 are using social networks and mobile browsing, while the over 35 crowd is using informational tools like online news or consumer reviews. Moms with kids over 12 are more likely to use online gaming.

How you can apply these findings: “Marketers have an opportunity to respond to these trends by acknowledging that a “one-size-fits-all” strategy against moms may not work. It will be important to segment by age and continue to follow these trends year over year to ensure that marketing programs are speaking to each set of moms in their technology comfort zones.”

Finding 3:   Moms of kids over 12 also use media to monitor their children.
Moms are using blogs and other media to not only get information on products, but to get information on their children. About half (47%) of moms who use social networks and have children 12-18 are monitoring their children’s behavior through technology.

How you can apply these findings: “Marketers have an opportunity to empower moms with content, experiences, and a community to tap into their dual motivations – staying connected for their own needs, as well as the needs of their children.”

Finding 4:   Moms are communicating with a different set of people.
Digital moms are using online communications to connect with more than their family and friends. Sixty-five percent are communicating with known and unknown friends using social media, 56% are text-messaging, and 52% are gaming. Thirty-five percent are connecting with online friends, compared with 83% who connect with friends. But gamers are more likely to play with strangers or online friends (47%) than with family. Digital moms, then, are creating communities of known and unknown friends that are held together by common interests rather than demographics.

How you can apply these findings: It will be critical to understand how moms are socializing, and who they are socializing with, and around which common interests they are socializing to determine how products and services meet the needs of these moms.

Finding 5:   Moms are moms, but with interests beyond parenting.
Lifestyle content interests such as Fashion/Clothing and Food/Clothing remain constant, no matter the age of the children. Life-stage content like Baby/Parenting or Computers/Electronics changes, as one would expect, as the children grow.

How you can apply these findings: “Marketers should consider marketing to mom as both an interconnected woman and a mom, as her interests extend beyond parenting.” Remember that interest levels change based on the age of the children in the household.

Finding 6:   Initial hearing about products still comes from TV, but researching and decision making is done online.
Moms are still hearing about products through the traditional methods, but when it comes to doing research and learning about products, 50% of the moms turn to searches and websites. Online consumer reviews are having an influence on how and from whom digital moms get their information. They also turn to websites, referrals, and search engines when it’s time to make a decision.

How you can apply these findings: “Since many social environments contain more than one social activity, it is important to consider the combined effect of social influence channels – online consumer reviews, RSS, social networks, blogs – and have a comprehensive strategy to leverage them.”

The research gives a comprehensive overview of how the age-old art of mothering is meeting the new art of Web 2.0. It’s a must-read for anyone who markets to the moms.

A Coca-Cola Facebook page created by a handful of enthusiasts in Los Angeles has attracted 3.3 million fans. The only Facebook page with more supporters is President Barack Obama’s page.

Dusty Sorg, a 29-year-old actor and creator of the page never knew the page would become such a big hit. All he wanted to do was to build a Facebook page worthy of his favorite beverage. He enlisted the help of a friend named Michael Jedrzejewski to build the page and within three or four weeks, the page had 750,000 fans.

Late last year, Michael Donnelly, Coca-Cola director of worldwide interactive marketing, sent an email to Sorg and Jedrzejewski explaining that Coca-Cola wanted to participate and get involved in the project. Coca-Cola wanted to support and enhance the page without the company intruding on fans.

The Sorg/Jedrzejewski team and the Coca-Cola team have taken a collaborative approach on the page. A team of Coca-Cola employees monitor the site in order to remove obscenities and inappropriate photos. They leave regular comments on the site. For example, every so often someone will leave a comment saying, “I love Pepsi.” Those comments stay.

There are three lessons marketers can learn about the Coca-Cola/Facebook experience:

1. Facebook is a particularly useful tool if your product or service has an emotional appeal to it. It would be hard to duplicate the Coca-Cola experience if you were a manufacturer of automobile air filters. If you do happen to manufacture air filters (or a similar commodity), you might want to start a fan page that’s focused on an ancillary community (e.g. antique cars or muscle cars). That way, you can (gently) tie in your product or service to the fan page and still draw in visitors.
2. The secret is to let the Facebook fans do the talking. The Coca-Cola Company didn’t come in and make this a corporate site. In fact, the main video they put on the site has a certain quirky, earthy feel to it. That helps keep the site real. If you’re a company with a Facebook page and it has fans on it, let the community carry on the conversation. Your job is to fuel the conversation, not be part of it.
3. Remember, Facebook isn’t a marketer’s Silver Bullet, it’s simply an accessory in the marketer’s toolbox. In other words, creating a Facebook page for your product or service is great — once you’ve got all your other ducks in a row. Get all your other important revenue-drivers in place before you start worrying about building a Facebook page. In most cases, a Facebook page is going to build a little awareness for you. It probably won’t drive much revenue, so build it after you’ve finished all your revenue-driving initiatives.

Are there any other lessons to be learned from the Coca-Cola Facebook page? What have we missed? What is your favorite Facebook page?

Does sex help sell products?  You may be surprised by the answer.

A recent study by MediaAnalyzer looked at whether sexy images in ads improved ad effectiveness or decreased it.  The finding was that sex is a great attention-grabber, but doesn’t necessarily help sell products. Why? Because men are so engrossed by the sexual imagery that it diverts their attention. (Figures, right?)  The end result is a less effective ad.

If you want to check out the entire article, click “Does Sex Sell?  7 Golden Rules of Print Ad Effectiveness” by Charles Boyar, Vice President at MediaAnalyzer who wrote the article for The 60 Second Marketer.

“Rather than let risks be inflicted on you by happenstance, today’s realities dictate that you learn to initiate them yourself.”

Bill Treasurer, a consultant in the Atlanta area, wrote a fascinating book, Right Risk. (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. 2003) It explores the art of taking risks for the right reason. He believes there are right and wrong reasons for taking risks, and the right reasons take some thoughtful insight to come to the surface.

Consider this as it applies to your marketing. “Lack of time, money, knowledge, and support are all practical realities that risk-takers need to respect. Yet the proper function of what is practical is to serve what is possible. Thinking through practical matter makes for a richer and more sober evaluation of the risk. But when then practical subjugates the possible, our dreams become hostage to rationality. Sometime practicality is just a plausible excuse for nor risking.” In other words, you can decide not to take risks because it’s not “practical.”

There are “Four Hallmarks of a Right Risk” per Bill Treasurer:
1) Passion: risks we care about intensely
2) Purpose: risks taken out of a deep sense of purpose; gives direction to our passion
3) Principle: risks governed by a set of values that are essential and virtuous
4) Prerogative: risks that involve the execution of choice

What companies have taken risks in their marketing strategies and survived? Inc. Magazine, in its February 2009 issue, follows the story of Might Leaf Tea, a premium whole-leaf tea. The company started in 2000 by Gary Shinner and Jill Portman. By 2007, with seven employees and a niche in the high-end hotels, restaurants and specialty-food shops, they were ready to expand to grocery store shelves. But they had built a strong image of being a  premium brand. Would they lose their upscale customers, like Ritz-Carlton and Nordstroms? They decided it was a risk worth taking. Overcoming a ramped up timescale due to competitors entering the market, the doubt of their respected east coast sales director, and a search for financing, Mighty Leaf Tea made it to grocery stores shelves, and is doing well. Although they lost a couple of existing upscale customers, they picked up a couple more. And sales went up 25% in the first year. There’s a success story that never would have happened had the risk not been taken.

Consider the risks you are or are not taking right now. Are you applying the Four Hallmarks as suggested by Treasurer?

Given the current challenges in marketing, we at 60 Second Marketer are curious how you are taking marketing risks these days.  Join the discussion on 60 Second Forum in LinkedIn.

– Ann Pruitt, 60 Second Communications

In 2003, after several decades of consistent and robust growth, the Atlanta Opera decided to move its performances away from the Fox Theatre to the Atlanta Civic Center.

The Fox Theatre is an amazingly beautiful theatre located in one of the most vibrant and exciting neighborhoods in Atlanta. It’s also located on Peachtree Street, arguably one of the most famous streets in the United States.

Atlanta's Fox Theatre is world-renown for its spectacular architecture.

But what made the Fox Theatre such an incredible venue for the Opera was the architecture. It was designed and built in the 1920s and, from the first day it opened, was considered a work of art. The interior gives the impression that you’re watching an event taking place under a desert sky in Morocco. There are parapets, tents, stars (shining through four-inch crystals) and veil-like clouds projected onto the ceiling.

The only problem with the Fox Theatre was that it had a limit on the number of evenings it was available for the Atlanta Opera. So what did the Opera do? They moved from the 4500-seat Fox Theatre to an old municipal theatre called the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center. (Side note to Ms. Boisfeuillet Jones, who is one of Atlanta’s most famous and most generous philanthropists — we’re sorry about the whole name thing.)

The Atlanta Civic Center had about the same number of seats as the Fox but it had more available nights for booking. The logic was that, because of the extra available nights, the Atlanta Opera would be able to sell more tickets.

But what did the patrons do when the Opera moved from the Fabulous Fox to the Atlanta Civic Center? They stayed home. In droves.

Why? Because the Atlanta Opera made a classic marketing mistake. They concluded that when people bought their tickets, they were buying tickets to see the Opera. But the truth is (and they found this out the hard way) people don’t buy tickets to the Opera, they buy tickets to an evening out on the town that happens to include an enjoyable evening at the Opera.

In research circles this is called a Hidden Value. A Hidden Value is the underlying reason why someone buys a product rather than the overt reason they buy a product.

So, for example, when a middle-aged man buys a Porsche, he may say he’s buying it for the German engineering and the high-performance characteristics. But everyone knows he’s buying it as a way to make up for his receding hairline and expanding waistline. (Not that we’re speaking from experience or anything.)

The good news in all this is that the Atlanta Opera quickly learned its lesson. The lesson was that people who purchase your product purchase it for a variety of spoken and unspoken reasons. Once the Opera realized that people were buying tickets to a night at the Fox Theatre as much as they were buying tickets to the Opera, they quickly got to work on a beautiful new venue called the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

(Another side note: To all the Opera patrons who are going to disagree with our premise that people don’t buy tickets to the Opera as much as they buy tickets to an evening out on the town, please feel free to disagree with us in comments section below.)

(Still another side note: Our premise is 100% correct and has been proven out time and time again. Just ask Coca-Cola when they changed their formula. They forgot to do research into the unspoken reasons why people buy Coca-Cola and got egg on their face as a result.)

The Cobb Energy Center is the new home of the Atlanta Opera.

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center is the modern equivalent of the Fox Theatre. Okay, no it’s not. There’s NOTHING like the Fox Theatre. But the Cobb Center is beautiful in its own post-modern way.

So what’s happened? The Atlanta Opera is thriving again. Ticket sales are up and a growing number of Atlantans are enjoying the Opera again.

The Bottom Line for Marketers: When you’re developing your marketing plans, remember that there are spoken reasons people buy your product and there are unspoken reasons people buy your product. The lesson the Atlanta Opera learned was that people don’t buy tickets to the Opera, they buy tickets to an evening out that includes (possibly) a nice dinner, an enjoyable Opera and a beautiful venue.