Print media may be dying, but a splashy article in a high-profile magazine can still work wonders for obscure and semi-obscure brands. Delaware's Dogfish Head brewery learned that lesson in November, as it enjoyed the spotlight of a big feature in The New Yorker's annual food issue. The piece, focusing on brewery founder Sam Calagione's pursuit of "extreme beer," earned Dogfish more than 80 mentions on Nielsen-monitored blogs that week—the most since its introduction of a popular pumpkin ale the month before, and a generally woozy surge for a brand that tends to average around 40 mentions in a given week. Dogfish fans, and craft-beer drinkers in general, were responsible for most of the blog postings. "This week’s New Yorker features an unexpected treat by staff writer Burkhard Bilger," wrote Tastebud. "Call it the Barack Obama of beer articles: a ten-page analysis of the craft beer industry—and one of its provocateurs, Sam Calagione, of Dogfish Head Brewery—that sucker punches conventional wisdom." Added Draft News: "It’s an interesting—albeit dated—look into the world of craft beer. The article is a bear to read, but exhaustively reported and well worth any beer geek's time." The article, which also prompted a nice discussion over at Metafilter, even seemed to impress Dogfish's detractors, with one of the Burnside Writers admitting: "I've long held a West Coast-based bias against Dogfish Head, snootily accusing them of gimmickry. But the truth is, I can be a pretentious idiot. ... Dogfish Head loves to innovate. And if we've learned anything from American automakers, it's that we could use more innovation in this country." Mock Turtle, meanwhile, enjoyed the article but was feeling somewhat protective of his favorite brew: "My only concern is that this kind of publicity will catapult them from cult status to something like unavailability." It'll probably take more than 80 blog mentions for that to happen.
Wal-Mart reeling in wake of trampling death
2008-12-01
— Tim Nudd
Thanksgiving is always a good time for Wal-Mart. Well, almost always. This year, the big-box retailer saw its usual Thanksgiving-week spike of attention from Black Friday bloggers, earning more than 7,000 mentions on Nielsen-monitored blogs last week—the most in any single week so far this year. Unfortunately, a big chunk of those mentions concerned the tragic events of early Friday morning in Valley Stream, N.Y., where a Wal-Mart worker was trampled to death by a mob of bargain-seeking shoppers. There's plenty of blame to go around, and Wal-Mart's PR crisis is only one part of the story. Bloggers across the board seem to agree that a line has finally been crossed when it comes to Black Friday, and that some measures must be taken to rein in this potent mix of corporate and consumer greed. "What sales push could possibly be worth the death of a shopworker and the miscarriage of a woman’s baby?" asks Danny Brown. "What does it say about both humanity and the greed of retailers?" "As for the shoppers who ran amok in Valley Stream," adds Just a Random Thought, "they need to be taken to Pampaloma, Spain and replace the bulls because they are ANIMALS, plain and simple." The incident also casts a spotlight on the use of product scarcity as a sales strategy. As MarketingProfs' Daily Fix blog writes: "If retailers are going to wield it, and other big sales tactics, they need to do so responsibly. I'm not asking for retailers to forego profits, but to protect their employees and shoppers."
'SNL' enjoying record approval ratings
2008-10-06
— Tim Nudd
Barack Obama and John McCain continue to fight it out, but the election has already produced one clear winner: NBC's Saturday Night Live. Thanks to the most random of coincidences—Tina Fey's striking resemblance to Sarah Palin—SNL has suddenly become must-see-TV during this election cycle, as Fey, an ex-cast member and former head writer, impersonates the Republican vice-presidential candidate each weekend. In a way, it's the perfect storm: Palin, of course, is already the subject of intense, unprecedented fascination among the public, who follow her every word—and then tune into SNL to see it all deconstructed. Cultural commentary has rarely followed cultural history so closely. Anyway, you can't argue with the numbers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, SNL's Sept. 13 premiere, featuring a skit with Fey as Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton, averaged a 7.5 household rating/18 share in the metered market overnights—its highest-rated show since Dec. 14, 2002, when Al Gore and Phish appeared. And they're keeping the momentum going. This past weekend's show averaged a 7.4/18. You can see similarly strong numbers on this BuzzMetrics chart. The blogosphere has been on fire with SNL mentions in the past month, reaching levels well above the show's high points last season. (The program enjoyed a cluster of smaller spikes last March, when Mike Huckabee and Hillary Clinton appeared. The spike from June was due to the death of George Carlin, who was mentioned in many remembrances as the very first host of SNL.) At this point, if he's not already, Lorne Michaels should start giving to the McCain campaign. If McCain and Palin win, and Michaels can rope Tina Fey back in, he'll be able to keep the show on the air for at least four more years.
Yankee Stadium: a brand all its own
2008-09-22
— Tim Nudd
The New York Yankees have had an underwhelming season on the field, but their ballpark, the hallowed Yankee Stadium, has stood tall in its final season, enjoying a flurry of attention, from fans and foes alike, in the blogosphere. The stadium hosted its final Yankees game last night, barring some miracle. (The Yanks are still technically alive in the playoff race, but will be eliminated from contention shortly.) This BuzzMetrics chart shows the spike of attention from bloggers in the past 24 hours. "It still hasn't sunk in," writes MLB beat writer Bryan Hoch. "It's still very, very difficult to imagine that Sunday's game was the final one we'll ever see at Yankee Stadium. Personally, I'm still trying to sort out what I think and feel about what happened last night." LiveJournal's KrispyTin feels "it was such a relief that my Yankees won their last game in Yankee Stadium. ... I would have been so embarassed if they lost. ... and it was a good game too!!" Of the stadium, a 39-year-old named Chris writes on his MySpace page: "I'll miss you, old friend, but I'll still have the memories that the ESPN generation could never hope to have." Even Red Sox fans offered a few good wishes. "Despite being a lifelong Red Sox fan (my father's best friends were from Baaaahston and taught me well), I am terribly saddened by the passing of Yankee Stadium," writes Stepping on Cracks. And (transplanted) nation was moved to poetry: "Farewell Yankee Stadium, it's been fun/Some games we lost, some games we won/You've stood strong for many, many years/Your closing brings me to tears/Not because I root for the Yanks, believe me/But because of all the things you've stood to see." Of course, a milestone like this one has finite appeal outside of New York. As you can see from the chart, Yankee Stadium got even more buzz when it hosted the All Star Game back in July.
A new newsletter every Tuesday and Thursday focusing on the creative community: New campaigns, personnel moves, and much more.
SUBSCRIBE
Stay connected to what's happening in the advertising industry with delivery of the print edition and complete online access.
Advertising News Keeps You in the Know
Adweek takes aim at delivering the latest online marketing and advertising information through its Buzz Metrics section. It features a compelling list of brand-specific blogs designed to keep you informed on the latest buzz within the advertising industry including online marketing techniques and more.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADWEEK POLL
AdweekMedia Connect
Introducing AdweekMedia Connect , your insider community featuring live chats, discounts, contests and more!
