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Sunday morning – already reason enough to feel comfortable: The working week is mastered successfully and hopefully a bit of relaxation is on the agenda on this day. I know that work can be time consuming even at the weekends but let’s forget it for a bit. What’s the perfect pastime at the weekend for you? It’s hard to say, isn’t it? A thousand nice things come to my mind when thinking about it. Spending my time with my family and friends is only one of them. But apart from the perfect pastime at the weekend, which is hard to determine because of the variety of opportunities, I can tell you easily what the perfect start into the weekend is for me: A cup of freshly ground coffee! Of course, I drink my morning coffee every day within the week, too. But it’s a different as chalk and cheese to drink your coffee hastily before work or to enjoy it to the full, isn’t it? Do you know what completes a delicious cup of coffee? The smell of freshly ground coffee beans which emerges when you open a bag of coffee! I often asked myself: Why does coffee smell so good?

The chemical riddle behind coffee aroma

I found a very well developed answer to this question in the online media room of the international chemical company BASF (it’s portfolio comprises chemicals, plastics, performance products, functional solutions, agricultural solutions, and oil & gas). In the section ‘podcasts’Jeff, the company’s Chemical Reporter, answers questions of BASF’s Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life: Why is sugar sticky? What makes lipstick kiss-proof? How does a plasma monitor work? – as just to name a few of them.

Listen to the answer of my question about the coffee aroma yourself. Click here.

It’s interesting that until today, no one has been able to produce coffee aroma artificially, isn’t it? Do you think a perfume with coffee aroma would sell? Kidding aside: In the end, it was not the answer that aroused my enthusiasm but the well thought-out online media room of the company.  

The open secret of the beneficial effects of an online media room

According to David Meerman Scott* a company’s online media room is a great terrific opportunity for PR people to get content out into the marketplace. Just think about all the people who might visit it: I’m convinced that not only journalists take a closer look at the corporate online media room but also people like you and me; students, suppliers, customers, investors, employees etc.. In other words: all kinds of people visit a company’s online media room. It would be an utter disgrace to miss this chance to communicate effectively, wouldn’t it?

Let’s take a closer look at the online media room of BASF because for me it’s a very good example to demonstrate how a well developed online media room could attract people’s attention. First of all, the online press room’s space is well-arranged, navigation is easy and corporate colors underline the corporate design. The navigational design is clear. Moreover, BASF’s online media room is not simply a list with contact information for the organization’s PR person which I’ve unfortunately seen on other online media rooms. Information is available in German and English and in many different formats, e.g. news releases, publications, videos, podcasts and press photos.

As the advantages and reasons for this particular construction of a content-rich online media room are quite the same as of the content-rich website, I suggest you to read my recent blog post about this topic if you want to know more about the benefits of a good design or information in different formats.

A room not only for the media

I’d like to take up the good idea of BASF’s podcast ‘The Chemical Reporter’, which revalues the company’s online media room to me. This idea relates to David Meerman’s suggestion to design an online media room for the company’s buyers which will make it at the same time a better media site for journalists. I personally got useful information from the Chemical Reporter podcast. Moreover, BASF offers interesting background information as a support of the different topics. Concerning the riddle behind the coffee aroma the online media room provides additional material like The story’ September 29^th is coffee day’, The animation ‘See how the brewing unit puts the temperament of Italian espresso into the coffee’, prospects, an info box and downloads. To my mind this kills to birds with one stone: Not only the customer, who wants to learn something new but also the journalist, who searches for  interesting material for his article are offered interesting information on the BASF online media room.

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What remains to say? Did you know that a well organized online media room often has higher search results and drives more traffic than other parts of an organization’s website? Why? Because of the way the search engines work: “A news release dynamically builds out a new set of content in your online media room, with each news release generating its own indexable page, which the search engines all capture.” (Dee Rambeau, founder and managing partner of The Fuel Team quoted in David Meerman Scott’s book* )

*Book: The New Rules of Marketing & PR – How to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing & online media to reach buyers directly’

Golden seashore or muddy paths? Blue ocean made of sparkling breakwater or grey waterfalls made of gloomy raindrops? Warm sunbeams stroking your skin or cold wind biting your face? What would you choose?

If you ask me, I would definitely go for the first summer-like options of all these questions! But I’m afraid, that’s too good to be true! To be honest, I’m catched in the rainy present. I recently flow back to Germany for a short stay. Guess my state when I came here: soaked to the skin – as the wind teared my umbrella to pieces when I left the airport! Gone are the thoughts of summer (at the moment even the ones of spring).

£70,000 for blogging?

Nevertheless, the summer-like options that I’ve mentioned at the beginning of my post could become reality for a lucky blogger soon: Have you already heard about ‘The Best Job in the World, the ‘Island Reef Job’? I could imagine you have because it’s a current topic in the media (e.g. BBC, UK or Der Spiegel, Germany). For the ones how may have not I found this brief summary of what’s behind it on BBC. Or watch the YouTube video below. I think that moving pictures are worth a thousand words in this context (please, ignore the advertisement prior to the start of the footage. For the ones how prefer reading please check the following press releases published by Tourism Queensland: press release 1, press release 2).

£70,000 ($150,000) salary for weekly blogging about your experiences on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef/ Australia including a photo diary and video updates over six month? Additionally, living rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool on Hamilton Island, one of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef? It’s tempting, isn’t it? All interested candidates were required to create a video application among other things explaining why they are the best person for the job. Currently, the top-50-shortlist from over 34,000 applicants is announced on the website. Tourism Queensland will choose ten candidates for the final application-round. Additionally, a Wild Card candidate will be selected by the visitors of the website. Finally, the winner will be named on May 6^th 2009.

A striking campaign

I think the idea behind this campaign is striking: According to one of the press releases published by Tourism Queensland “The recruitment for the ‘Best Job in the World’ is part of Tourism Queensland’s Islands of the Great Barrier Reef Campaign (…) The cooperative marketing campaign aims to highlight the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and showcase Australia’s own unique Island experience, to the global market.”

For me some remarkable PR and marketing decisions lay the foundation of the  ‘Best Job in the World’ campaign. I just want to name the three that impress me most:

1. The ‘independent blogger’:

To my mind, it’s quite a clever strategy to choose a person like you and me for the job who gets the sympathy of the audience right from the start through the entertaining application-video. Later on, the winner will begin to shape the conversations about the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef by writing the blog. I could imagine this person will then be seen as a independent, trustworthy and authentic blogger with passion instead of an employee of Tourism Queensland by most of the audience.

2. Activating the audience:

I’m sure, the fact that people can vote for the potential candidates for the job even increases the sympathy they have for the candidates and stresses the willingness to follow the blog of the later winner. Moreover, the visitors of the website take a closer look to the content provided about the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’s tourism.

3. A content-rich website:

The website of the contest seems to be a first successful step to promote the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef’s tourism. Incidentally, the visitors get access to photos, videos and travelling suggestions. There is also a well-considered media-centre with additional information for journalists e.g. fact sheets, images and footage. Especially the story ideas in this section seem to be interesting. I could imagine that many journalists welcome stories like  “Some of the best island holiday ideas for backpackers”.

All in all, the campaign seems to trigger impressing viral-marketing-effects. If you want to learn more about the success of the campaign and it’s reasons it’s worth reading Chris Thomas’ blog post! What do you think about it?

Rain in front of the window but fun in front of the computer

In the end, I will remain blogging despite the rainy weather outside. Perhaps, it’s the same with you? Than we should at least have some fun and watch two of the top-50-application-videos. I’ve picket out one of a German and one of an UK applicant for you – but feel free to watch other application-videos, too! Let’s start enjoying our-selves!

Achim, Germany:

Sarah Louise, UK:

(later comment of the author: please note my epilog comment before cursing my post for its length, please – I’m just a novice in the blogging filed and I’ve already learned my lesson for the next  post)

I am addicted to mobile phones! Besides their indispensability in today’s world of constant communications – for professional as well as for private use – (just image you lost your mobile with all your contacts as my fellow student Vanessa did. Read more about that topic in her blog.) – I’m enthusiastic about the constant technological progress and the over and over changing designs. It might sound a bit crazy, but for me my mobile is more than just a communication tool – it’s some kind of lifestyle, too. While it is important to remain true to your partner you fell in love with in human life it’s the opposite with the mobiles I ‘fall in love’ with: It’s a frequent change of brands and designs. Consequently, I follow the development in the mobile phone industry with keen eyes. (By the way, as I don’t want to waste my money I only buy a new mobile if I could lucratively sell my old one e.g. on ebay – again: all over Web 2.0 activities).

The last mobile I ‘fell in love’ with was a Sony Ericsson (SE). And it has not been my first ‘liaison’ with this brand. How is this possible? Definitely because of the mobiles of SE in general – they are technological up to date, reliable and stylish. But there has to be something else… any idea? Right! The communication of the company with me as a potential customer – in my case their communication via the corporate website: Because if I want to buy a new mobile the internet is always my first stop on my shopping trip and almost ever the final stop, too. Let’s take a closer look at the website of SE together. Why? The answer is easy: I’m convinced that an informative and interesting corporate website is indispensable for winning new customers and selling products in the Web 2.0 environment.

Will the SE Website stand the test?

Has the company realized the potential of its website? Did it catch me directly? Did it enrich my time with content?  I’m sure you’ve already got an idea how the test will end, haven’t you (as I’ve just betrayed that I’ve bought the phone)? But keep it to yourself Here we go!*

*My reflections are based on the findings on content-rich websites by David
Meerman Scott in ‘The New Rules of Marketing & PR – How to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing & online media to reach buyers directly’.

First ‘brownie-point’: design

Let’s go to the UK SE website. Quickly the side opens, right? My first visual impression: Lively colors, well-arranged space, easy navigation. ‘Brownie-point’! But, I’m sure you share the following opinion with me: An appealing design does not make a good website at all! Never overlook the content aspect, please!

Second ‘brownie-point’: site organization

Let’s click a bit on the different icons – the content of the entire page is very well organized, isn’t it? From the front page which is broken into several main sections including products, fun & downloads up to useful categories within the several topic based subpages. ‘Brownie-point’!

Third and ‘fourth brownie-point’: content-richness and entertainment

Fifth ‘brownie-point’: cultivating relationships

The last brownie-point I’d like to give today is for the following: It seems as if SE especially makes an effort to keep its customers (e.g. me!) after they bought  a mobile as the website offers a lot of support and entertainment for SE mobile users. To my mind, not only winning new customers makes profit but also cultivating the reached relationship is an important step to company success.

What would be interesting but seems to be missing so far is a forum or wiki where customers can share their experiences and help each other. That’s why I fell back on the following useful websites as an alternative:

xonio.com: A reliable German website testing mobiles and computers. Offers a blog and a forum, too.

blog.se-nse.net: Unofficial SE blog.

se-world.info: Because of 240 000 members the provider calls this website the biggest German community discussing SE mobiles.

cellphonesail.net: By chance I found this wordpress blog. I like it because it discusses unusual or new variants of existing SE mobiles. In fact, I found the first picture of my current SE in this blog even before the German SE website published it.

Anyway, in conclusion the SE website provided all the information I needed and took me through my consideration process as a customer very well.

Epilogue: No ‘brownie-’ but minus point for the length of my post

In the end, I’m afraid I have to give a minus point to myself as my ‘never ending SE story’ is much too long for a blog post! Learning by doing!