When the Workin’ Day is Done…

We at SE2 know there’s nothing wrong with donning a poufy sleeve or two to benefit a worthy cause. Due in part to SE2 Creative Director Amy Guttmann’s hard work and creativity on the planning committee, “Enchantment under the Sea,” an 80s prom-themed benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, raised $1000 at the Denver Aquarium on May 9th. The SE2 girls (sadly, minus Melisa and Olivia) were able to find enough taffeta and lace to help celebrate the fundraiser’s success, evidenced by the photo below:



Alas, SE2 partners Eric, Eric and Susan, for whom memories from their own authentic 80s proms are still vivid enough, were missed. But we’ll use any excuse to post this gem:

Video Killed the Radio/Newspaper/Magazine Star?

In the midst of the golden age of New Media, what's the best way to get your audience's attention? Make a video that has nothing to do with the thing you're trying to promote. This week's list of top-rated viral video ads proves that no matter what you're trying to sell, push or raise the profile of, all you need is a wacky idea, a thinly-stretched connection to your product, service or issue, and maybe a puppet or two:



(The above video is part of a recent online video ad campaign by UK/Asian telecommunications company Vodafone and is currently the #1 top-rated viral video on the web). You can also track how your video's doing and how it compares to other videos with this video tracking service called Visible Measures.

PBS Documentary Highlights Metro-area Urban Planning

Because SE2 has helped Golden explain the many reasons why the proposed Jefferson County toll road is a bad idea, I was pleased to see the issue highlighted last night in a national prime time PBS documentary called Blueprint America: Road to the Future (see Part 2 of the program here and a web-only extra here).

But, as Westword's Jared Jacang Maher explains, the program gives short shrift to efforts by the City and County of Denver and the larger metro area to plan its transportation system for the future. Denver's New Zoning Code, which SE2 is helping to roll out this summer, is an example of how local folks are thoughtfully approaching many of these issues.

FBI Does Social Media

Hat tip to Wendy Norris at ColoradoIndependent.com. Who would J. Edgar Hoover friend?

Starbucks Finds its Followers

Today’s New York Times includes an interesting article about a new advertising campaign by Starbucks that incorporates some creative uses of social networking.

Regardless of how you feel about Starbucks (I, for one, am a huge fan), it’s clear that they are facing increasing pressure from competitors like the new McCafé line from McDonald’s.

Representatives from Starbucks claim that their company already has a strong following of fans on Facebook and Twitter. So the new campaign is taking cues from these followers to spread the message of their high quality product and differentiate their brand.

At SE2 we’re not out selling mistos or cafés au lait, but we’re always eager to see new uses of social networking that captivate an audience and move the meter on public opinion.

NYT: Users Spend More Time on Social Networks than Email

New numbers quantify what already knew from looking across the computer screens in our office.

The Silent Crisis: TV News Suffers Along with Newspapers

Despite little public handwringing, TV news operations are facing the same kind of cuts as newspapers, the NYT reports. It's evident locally with experienced reporters and anchors getting the boot, often replaced by young staff who could easily be mistaken for interns. Shocking fact: four Chicago TV stations have pooled their crews.

Why isn't there more public angst about this? Because it hasn't been reported for the most part.