My worst fear as a marketer came true for an intern at HBO last week.
At various times in my career, I have managed social profiles with over a million fans, email lists of 100k+, and postal mailings to thousands at a time. And my worst fear is a mistake that hits thousands of people with no chance to correct it.
So, when “Integration Test Email #1" arrived in subscriber’s inboxes, recipients were surprised. And they took to Twitter.
It didn’t take long for Twitter to stand up for the intern and then HBO jumped in:
“We mistakenly sent out an empty test email to a portion of our HBO Max mailing list this evening. We apologize for the inconvenience, and as the jokes pile in, yes, it was the intern. No, really. And we’re helping them through it.”
Mistakes get made. Even to the best of us.
Onward.
One Stat: 732M
Sure, Facebook may have 2.7 billion monthly active users, but that only tells part of the story. Are they engaged? Are they happy when they are there?
I hear a ton of ads, but rarely watch them. I tweeted a few weeks back when a TikTok ad caught my attention; and I stopped and watched the full 60 second ad. What was it? Extra gum: An ad about returning to work.
Media and marketing is all about getting someone’s attention. It is not an easy task. But when you strike it, it is magic. Go where there is active and engaged attention.
Here is the stat for this week: Over two United States’. That’s the total number of active monthly users of TikTok: 732,000,000. (Source)
Case Study: Stories Inspire
Fuse must have missed the memo that 2021 was going to calm down from a crazy 2020.
Nope. This past week they launched their fourth (4th!) streaming service.
Latino-owned Fuse Media is a cross-platform entertainment media brand which aims to create empowering, music cultural-based content and experiences for a growing multicultural millennial and Gen Z audience. And they may be peaking at just the right moment.
Not only are people clamoring for original content, but they are seeking content that informs, inspires, and looks like the world they live in.
Someone You Should Follow / Something You Should Read / Something You Should Listen To
I firmly believe life is one long story of serendipity.
When I found myself unemployed in New York City back in 2012, the company my friend Patrick worked for happened to be hiring. I applied, and got the job.
I was 28 at the time and I had met Patrick when I was five. We lost touch (pre-social days) when my family moved, but Facebook re-connected us over a decade later.
And now he is Head of Digital at Fuse and they have been creating awesome waves of late. He’s always on the ball about trends and media. And if you like music, ask him about his stint on 1047. Check out Fuse and Patrick.
Thanks for being a member of the Analog family.
May I ask a favor? Please share this with your marketing tribe. Thank you!