By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

You’re almost there. Friday’s in sight. Until then, soak in your Thursday Deal:

1. Superblogs can save the world

As a daily blogger, Jade Simms understands the power and might of social media. So she figured that if she could connect with thousands of “crafters” (i.e. people who love to make and create all different kinds of arts and crafts) on a regular basis, she could probably just as easily help some people. After kicking around a few ideas with her fellow crafting comrades, Simms created Craft Hope, a global blog that spreads its message of crafting to charities by linking to specific causes. What have these crafty ladies done for others? Well, after the earthquake in Haiti a few months ago, they created an online shop and had artists from all over the world donate handmade clothing. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to Doctors Without Borders in Haiti, and they didn’t just raise a few nickels and dimes. Craft Hope earned a whopping $33,000. Simms explains that it all happened because “we created a button for people to put on their websites.” Imagine what else could be done for your business, and for others, with just the click of one little button?

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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Here’s your Hump Day Deal:

1. No Means Yes

I believe there’s an innate tendency in all of us to disobey our moms. Though we know what she tells us is probably valid, there’s still that urge to do the opposite. Rather than walking, we run. Rather than stopping, we go. And rather than not jumping down an entire flight of stairs, we do and break our ankles (sorry Mom). But now that we’re all grown up and in the business world, it’s finally time to start listening to mom and really hearing what she has to say. Why? Well, there are 26 million moms in the blogosphere and they account for $2 trillion in purchases. Are you listening yet? I thought so.
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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Here’s your Tuesday Deal:

1. Get your marketing hands dirty

For a long time, marketers could “stay in the tower” and send strategic messages outward to specific target markets. Well, the party’s over. Now that times are a changin’, and marketing is no longer a one-way street, it’s time to adopt the practice of “Why.” What is “Why” exactly? According to Stephanie Miller of MarketingProfs, it’s about asking customers what they want and what they like rather than telling them what they want and what they like.

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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Here’s your Monday Deal:

1. Hey Obama, I need a freakin’ job!

To get President Obama’s attention as he makes his way through the country on his “Main Street economic tour,” the citizens of Buffalo, New York didn’t write harshly worded letters or picket in a rally, instead they took out a billboard. The 12 x 20 ft note reads, “Dear Mr. President, I need a freakin’ job. Period. Sincerely, INAFJ.org.” If that doesn’t get their point across, I’m not sure what will.

According to CBS News, the billboard was created and funded by the INAFJ (I Need A Freakin’ Job) Project, which was organized by Jeff Baker, a businessman who lost his job 15 months ago. Along with the billboard, INAFJ created a web video that expresses how important it is for U.S. citizens to voice their opinions and concerns to the leaders of this country. They emphasize how social networking and advanced technology (like web videos) can give a voice to the people. And now that citizens have the capabilities to tell policy makers exactly what they need, the next step it actually doing it.
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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

You probably had a rough start this morning after celebrating the Celtics’ victory last night. So take it easy, kick back, and immerse yourself in Friday’s Deal:

1. Nike’s Airmax! Green accent! Blue sole! 1990 addition! Again!

I’ve heard of some weird fetishes before. Entourage’s furries. A Bachelorette contestant obsessed with feet. But  Foot Locker’s new commercial for the European market takes it to a whole new level. To show just how loyal sneaker enthusiasts are, Foot Locker’s 30-second spot features a young couple that is about to engage in the horizontal mambo. But just before they start peeling off each other’s clothes in a frenzy of hormones, the girl pushes her man down on the bed and starts beating his butt senseless with various sneakers. It’s obvious that this is how this sneaker-loving dude gets his jollies because he calls out various brands and editions for her to use next. Though this commercial would probably never fly in the American market, it’s hilarious and probably hits right to the heart (or loins) of the target market. Way to think outside the shoebox, Foot Locker.

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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

You’re almost there. Friday is on the horizon. But until then, entertain yourself with The Daily Deal:

1. How to get to the top

Hey all you creative advertising hopefuls, before you start spamming every agency from here to kingdom come with your portfolio, why not try something different? After all, that’s the secret of how to get into this business anyway. For instance, take a page out of recent Y&R hire, Alec Brownstein’s book. To land his first job on Madison Avenue, he decided to create a Google Adwords campaign. The keywords? Names of the top creative directors in New York. The call to action? Hire Alec Brownstein. So while other desperate copywriters and art directors were getting blocked by loyal agency gatekeepers, Brownstein was getting creative directors to come to him. Not too shabby for a junior.

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By Ted Page, Captains of Industry

The mantra of the YouTube age is “tell a story.” Websites have become TV channels. People watch tons of video on their computers, from cats playing the piano, to corporate videos, testimonials and how-tos. You could have great production quality, and an amazing product or service, but without a good story people will get bored (in 2 seconds flat) and go snack on someone else’s video.

Fortunately, storytelling is an art that can be taught. Here’s part one of a series of tips from the Captains on how to tell a story on the web with video.

#1. Sometimes the story has to find you.

You go into any project thinking you have a pretty good sense of what the story should be. Most of the time, you’ll be wrong. Often times the story crystallizes only after you’ve started the research process, or when you’ve already done three drafts of the script, or you’re already in production. Here are a few real world examples of how this has happened in different media.
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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Here’s your Hump Day Deal:

1. Satellite in my eyes. Reeking havoc in the sky.

If you’ve had some flighty cell phone service or a mild panic attack when your cable started doing The Robot during “Lost,” it might be because of a satellite gone rogue. The satellite Galaxy 15 recently lost contact with both ground control and Major Tom after an unfortunate solar flare fried its circuits. But rather than drifting off to its final resting space (get it?), Galaxy 15 is still orbiting around Earth and it refuses to take instruction from Intelsat, the satellite’s owner. Why the heck is this piece of man-made machinery still running at full power with no one telling it what to do? Scientists don’t know. But the rebellious R2-D2-like satellite could potentially “steal a working sat signal and interrupt more cable programming.” Which means no more “Lost” and no more “Grey’s Anatomy.” In the words of a much more obedient droid, “We’re doomed.”
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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Here’s your Tuesday Deal:

1. Kick-start both sides of your brain

The line between creative rock star and business-minded executive is becoming more blurred everyday. Even the Captains use both their left and right brain on a daily basis–no one here is exempt from bringing their creative juices AND business sense to the table. And it’s not just us. According to David Meerman Scott’s recent post, Ryan Gielen, a NYC-based Indie film director and producer, explains that in the Indie film world, they don’t have access to major studios with bloated budgets to back their projects, so it’s the artists that have to hustle and find the funding they need.
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Our illustrious leader, Ted Page, has put together an eBook to help renewable energy companies do a better job of telling their stories to the world. Called “Branding and Marketing for Renewable Energy Companies,” the eBook is a compilation and expansion of articles that Ted wrote for Renewable Energy World. Find out how to develop a logo and tagline that really work, design a website that tells your story, and use the passion of your customers to create powerful video customer testimonials to serve as a sales tool. Featuring both real-world examples and step-by-step advice, the eBook has taken all of the experience that Captains has gathered over the past three years, and condensed it into an easy-to-digest story.

We hope you enjoy! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Download “Branding and Marketing for Renewable Energy Companies.”

By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Happy Monday. I hope this makes it better:

1. What it takes to be a (web video) star

Making a great web video is nothing like making a great pop song. According to Axis Of Awesome, an Australian comedy group, all you need for a Top 40 hit are four simple chords. And though Axis manages to use those same chords in their own viral video in an effort to make their point, they used a big idea as well and presented it in a new and exciting way—which is what makes their video so interesting to watch. Not to mention that it’s got 2,665,660 hits and counting. Check out Axis of Awesome’s Four Chord Song and learn just what it takes to be the next Pink!, Jason Mraz, Mika, Alex Lloyd, Elton John, U2, Maroon 5…

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By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ Readers,

Here’s your Friday Deal:

1. Tell your story with a web video. And that’s an order.

Atten-tion! O.K. troops, if we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times; people like to watch web videos that tell a story. Lieutenant David Meerman Scott knows what we’re talking about. In fact, Lt Scott’s most recent post ,“Citizen journalists love interesting experiences” showcases at least three web videos that tell a story, the most recent being his experience flying in a V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft during Boston’s Marine Week. So hup to. Go out and tell your stories to the world with web video, or you’ll be scrubbing toilets with your toothbrush for a week.

Dis-missed!

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