User generated advertising: Facebook stalker and Social Media consultants

I need an excuse to show you that very funny clip (hat tip: Lee Hopkins). So here goes: Penn Masala are an a capella group from University of Pennsylvania. I like the fact that they took a Brand (Facebook) and an associated Topical Point (stalking online) and wrote a song, scripted, acted, directed and edited a video and then became their own marketing channel (YouTube). 10-15 years ago, how would a University choir have done it? If they could’ve talked the creative arts department into helping out, how would the audio/video have been distributed? If a University Choir gets hold of your brand and your talking point, how do you manage that? I mean, before the lawyers get hold of it: you’ve got an emergency marketing action plan, right?

I find it intriguing that youth online are aware and manage their own reactions to stalkers. In fact Stalkeh! (sic) is a common saying – as a greeting i.e. “Hey Stalkeh! I didn’t expect to see you here too!” and a warning “Oi Stalkeh! don’t copy everything I do, my content, my thoughts“. They don’t diminish or devalue the issue of stalking but show they are aware of it, perhaps it’s in the back of their minds. Anyway, more than mine and the older generations, who can say we are scared of revealing stuff and then we do anyway the minute we feel comfortable and ‘protected’ online. Don’t believe me? Check out your adult friends who have young kids and see what the fotos reveal about the children online – Flickr’d the kids names lately?

Let’s send it out to all the big companies who want a presentation or a seminar FOR FREE! Yes, social media is fun, no, you can’t see the point of it yet, but please, don’t ask us to hand over our knowledge and hard work in a quick phone call, a quick email, a quick coffee. If you don’t value social media, we are cool with that. We figure you’ll change your mind. And we don’t mind doing some stuff gratis, to bring you up to speed on what you are missing. Just don’t ask us to give it over all for free, cos we do value what we do! Yep, even the “user generated crap” stuff.

NB NEWSFLASH User Generated Content is now Consumer Generated Media.

And no, this gripe doesn’t apply to you lot -anyone who reads my blog is clearly discerning, articulate, intelligent and worthy of a coffee – and any other genuinely interested folk. I LIKE coffee and some weeks I subsist on it. Heh. I just get grumpy with people who ask me to come into the boardroom and give presentations that took hours to prepare and assume it’s for free. What I need is a sugar daddy or mummy (as in “a company”, not some himbo) who’ll pay me to do this stuff for gratis. Hey that works!

Err end of rambling. By the way, that video is by the Bar and Grill Singers who are a bunch of lawyers that formed an a cappella group. Very funny too! I guess one day us Social Media nuts will be understood in the same way a lawyer or any other consultant is? Is that a good or a bad thing? 😛