Toy Marketing Archives - Beyond Social Media

Amazon Astro Robot

By David Erickson | October 17, 2021 |

BL and David discuss a study suggesting that jerks are jerks, online or off; Sleep Number’s content marketing campaign; five new Twitter features, including business profiles; A design firm’s brilliant mock condom ads; Amanda Gorman’s Estee Lauder sponsorship gig; Minnesota Vikings’ stadium experiential marketing; branding NFTs; BrightLocal’s marketing of their online reviews survey; Google embeds a guitar tuner in search; LEGO partners with Fender for a Stratocaster kit; seasonal Salted Nut Rolls; Amazon’s creepy Astro robot; Facebook’s whistleblowers; FTC to crack down on fake reviews; pathetic email pitches; Clubhouse shorts creators; top online review factors; and much, much more.

Live Audio With Spotify & Facebook

By David Erickson | June 27, 2021 |

Beyond Social Media - Spotify & Facebook Clone Clubhouse - Episode 354

BL and David discuss Spotify and Facebook’s Clubhouse clones; a Twitter thread that made it to the silver screen; Google’s breaking news warning; a clever list building tactic; digitally resurrecting murdered journalists; how to scare phone spammers; Twitter’s ticketed Spaces; a LEGO typewriter set; Hyundai acquires Boston Dynamics and cuts a strange video to celebrate; Apple is out to destroy your open rates; family and friends word of mouth;…and much, much more.

Disney’s Robotic Groot

By David Erickson | May 24, 2021 |

BL and David discuss Disney’s development of atonomous bi-pedal robots to play characters such as Groot at the theme parks; YouTube’s new audio ad format; Google’s LaMDA AI model; Hulu’s self-serve advertising; About This Site coming to a search near you; the brand texting trend; Mattel wants to recycle your old Barbies; Snap’s Spectacles are back in AR form; India wants to erase “Indian Variant” from social media; Google Analytics 4 readiness;…and much, much more.

Snapchat Millionaires

By David Erickson | January 17, 2021 |

BL and David discuss how Snapchat is shelling out one million dollars a day to get users to adopt its TikTok clone, Spotlight; Match.com’s match made in hell; Barbie’s new role as a digital influencer; Taco Bell’s potato CEO; Ben & Jerry’s new doggie desserts; NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rogers, Patrick Mahomes, and Baker Mayfield as spokesmen; Phishing’s Explosive Growth; the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer; Apple Siri; Voice Recognition; Calendly; and much, much more.

Mucinex Fashion Show

By David Erickson | October 25, 2020 |

Episode 328: BL and David discuss Mucinex’s influencer fashion show; Planet Word, the world’s first voice-activated museum; Lego’s drive to promote creative problem solving through play; AMC renting it’s cinemas for private movie showings; Google’s humming song-discovery app; racist-seeking Reddit bots; Google’s revamped analytics suite; Snopes faked for propaganda; Trump’s lax Twitter security; Facebook misinformation continues; the NFL’s fake patriotism; Instagram Stories reach;…and much, much more.

Careful With That Tweet

By David Erickson | June 13, 2020 |

Episode 311: BL and David discuss Twitter’s plans to prompt you to give a second thought to that link you’re about to share; Twitter spruces up its lists; Google’s financial commitment to help news organizations devastated by the pandemic; Campaign Monitor’s email engagement survey; adopting dogs via Zoom; insane LEGO contraptions; KSTP TV’s new long-form newscasts; Proctor & Gamble’s active anti-racism PSA; Jason Calacanis’ call to fund a Facebook alternative; Google scrolling your website; Twitter’s Fail on Trump tweets; Google’s cheapskate ad credits;..and much, much more.

New Prince Music

By David Erickson | October 20, 2019 |

Episode 285: BL and David discuss a surprise new release from the Prince estate’s vault; dead musicians on tour; Annie Leibovitz Pixel 4 project; the evolution of job descriptions; Facebook’s new oversight committee; LinkedIn launches Events; AMC streaming (sort of); free education; Amazon Top Toy List fails to mention the $2 million charge to rank; the Alpha generation; Nancy Pelosi vs Trump photo called a masterpiece; Elizabeth Warren trolls Facebook to make a point…and much, much more.

Stranger Things & New Coke

By David Erickson | May 27, 2019 |

Episode 269: BL and David discuss Coca-Cola bringing back New Coke for season three of Stranger Things and the new Stranger Things-themed Lego set; Vita Coco’s social media pissing match; Amazon’s plans for a voice-activated wearable for healthcare; Spotify’s new podcast production platform; podcasts finally showing up in Google search results; Burger King McDisses Ronald; Salvador Dali comes alive!; Facebook’s Actionable Insights; Apple Podcast’s questionable use of episode landing pages; Hershey’s desperate emoji bars;…and much, much more.

MillerCoors Battles Bud Light Over Corntroversy

By David Erickson | February 16, 2019 |

Beyond Social Media - MillerCoors Battles Bud Light - Episode 259

Episode 259: BL and David discuss discuss MillerCoors’ #ToastToFarmers response to Bud Light’s Super Bowl ad; Augmented Reality LEGOs; recruiting in virtual reality; Amazon dumps New York; Amazon Moments; LinkedIn Live; U-Haul’s data storytelling earned media; National Geographic’s Valley Of The Boom docuseries about the rise of Silicon Valley; the Bumble dating app; Jimmy Fallon on Amazon Alexa; Nvidia’s nonpeople; the Bratz Doll Challenge;…and much, much more.

LinkedIn Voicemail, Augmented Therapy & Ryan's Toy Line

By David Erickson | August 4, 2018 |

Episode 237: BL and David discuss LinkedIn’s new voicemail feature; autism therapy via Google Glass; the value of long-form content; government regulation of social media; Google’s new mobile search results for events; six-year-old toy reviewer Ryan’s new line of merch; illustrations of decaying social media; a gross chicken virtual reality experience; the social media backlash over an ISIS burger; and much, much more.