Game Of Thrones Battles Frozen in "Let Them Come" Parody

Many have experienced the power of Disney's Frozen's song "Let It Go" by Idena Menzel... Played it over and over... Dreamed of living in that amazing ice castle she builds.. Watched the movie four times in 3 days.. Laughed at Olaph.... yada yada yada. Basically, it's an amazing film to say the very least and "Let It Go" alone has contributed to remarkable feedback and numerous song downloads. Since the film's release, many social media fans have been blowing up YouTube with uploads of covers, remixes, etc of Frozen's song, but none compare to a new twist written by male Auburn student, Caleb Hyles, titled "Let Them Come". Caleb's rendition is perfectly different from Idena Menzel's and could be just as incredible. He dramatizes the song so well and incorporates the overall messages that Menzel created simply in a different setting/context. It obviously helps that Caleb is a great male vocalist and clearly puts his heart into each lyric.. His original YouTube upload received over 4.8 million views. Very applause-worthy. Currently, the young performer has a new version of his song going viral.. After Caleb's "Let Them Come" received so much positive feedback, a director contacted the Auburn student to create a new song that synchronizes "Let Them Come" with a Game Of Thrones theme to create hype just weeks before the season 4 premiere of the popular TV series and it is so so good. Shout out to HBO for gaining relevant social media and using it to leverage their show. Here's the 'Frozen' meets 'Game Of Thrones' mashup:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqjVy94lnHE 

Scandal, Facebook, and Red Wine

Recently, I was rigorously studying for a Marketing Strategy test while catching up on the latest episode of Scandal.. Like many of my marketing classes, my notes included the various forms of media that are used for marketing communication, such as traditional media, digital media, and social media. Clearly, my Social Media class has created a new drive to analyze how well different companies are performing on social platforms because I unconsciously signed into my Facebook and searched for a "Scandal" page. I was pleasantly surprised to see that ABC's Scandal has a rocking Facebook presence. My favorite aspect is the way they had added apps to tie their page to the other social platforms they are utilizing, such as Twitter (@ScandalABC), Instagram, and even Pinterest. See image below:

Additionally, with over 2 million fans and 243,159 talking about this, one can see that the television series has a huge number of 'loyal watchers' and creates immense buzz. With the series finale nearing, it will be interesting to watch what ABC' Scandal posts and does with its cover photo--as it often changes to highlight dramatic hashtags and artistically inform users of upcoming events.. and by artistically I mean inserting dramatic pictures of Pope drowning herself in red wine.. Per usual. Good job ABC--keep up the good work. 

Taco Bell Launches Breakfast Menu: Will You Try The Waffle Taco?

It has recently come to my attention that T-Bell is in the midst of launching a breakfast menu.. Mixed emotions already? I'm spectacle too, but let's not overlook Taco Bell's potential for breakfast greatness. I mean.. Who doesn't love a breakfast taco? (Maybe a few people, but work with me here.) One of the best parts- the menu item that is catching the most attention isn't your typical breakfast taco, but.. wait for it... the "Waffle Taco"! Mmm sounds super messy. Regardless, I love the innovative spunk T-Bell is bringing to the table (no pun intended). Personally, I'm most excited about the "A.M. Crunchwrap" which consists of scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, shredded cheese, and hash browns... Pretty much a breakfast buffet wrapped up into a giant tortilla. Yes, please.

From a business standpoint, I think Taco Bell's menu launch could change the competitive landscape of the fast-food breakfast market. With only a few restaurants, such as McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts, serving on-go-breafasts, Taco Bell's decision to pursue the breakfast niche is a wise one. Seeing as there has already been immense buzz concerning the upcoming breakfast launch, I think Taco Bell will be pleased with their menu addition. Of course, the restaurant's menu must first 'pass' consumers' taste and social acceptability requirements before it can reach its full profit potential.. I know many are skeptical about the restaurant's meat products and overall cleanliness.. But considering anything is socially acceptable on the weekend in a college town, Athens, GA is a great place to try out Taco Bell's new menu. I will certainly be watching the drive-thru line in mornings to come to see if T-Bell's breakfast menu is driving new traffic to their location.

TED Talks: Ideas Worth Spreading

Has TED Talks taken over everyone else's YouTube and Netflix home pages? For weeks I've tried to ignore them because I didn't know what the shows were about.. Or who the heck Ted is... (Really though who is Ted?) To put my inquiries to rest, I finally gave in and watched one of the shows and I'm sure that I will be frequenting (his?) clips often.

Today, I watched the TED talk titled: "Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation" and it filled some sort of mind-void if you will.. It was as if I was in need of some mind expanding conversation and Dan Pink's 'puzzle' fulfilled it. Dan Pink's TED Talk centers around exploring 'the mismatch between what science knows and what business does' in regards to how they motivate people. He explains how we have scientifically proven that higher rewards/punishments do not necessarily yield higher performance and in fact often destroy creativity... yet that's how most business managers still choose to motivate their employees. Furthermore, he discusses how autonomy and an internal intrinsic drive are key components to achieve high motivation- and some of his examples prove this to be true. Overall I really enjoyed his 'case' and felt his 'ideas were worth spreading'. I encourage you all to watch the clip too and give it some thought.

Dan Pink: The Puzzle of Motivation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

Chick-fil-A's Mobile Order App

Like many others, I have always noticed and loved Chick-fil-A's witty marketing tactics. The restaurant's use of traditional billboard marketing with a twist is remarkably hysterical and eye-catching--especially in comparison to the numerous dull "Call such and such attorney" billboards that fill the roadways. Each road trip I've been on thus far, at least one of Chick-fil-A's billboards has caused me to do a double take and giggle. I mean.. Really... the billboards are filled with three-dimensional cows painting persuasive notes with the goal to get all people to "Eat More Chicken" in numerous different ways. If the idea of 3D cows wasn't enough, here are some good examples that will hopefully at least cause a silent laugh or smile... (imagine that you are on I-20 stuck in traffic in Alabama before looking-- that should help)

It is clear that the Chick-fil-A knows how to use traditional marketing strategies and is a very successful company. Chick-fil A has over 1,700 restaurant locations and the restaurant's annual sales were over $4.6 billion in 2012. (Jeez.. I wonder how much of the profit the cows get? Anyway... Back to the real discussion) Despite these statistics, I wondered how/if the company is using social to continue their success. Instead of researching the conventional social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, I chose to look at the iPhone App Store to see what I could find... And holy cow (no pun intended), I found something that could make me never miss Saturday morning breakfast ever again. Chick-fil-A has a few Apps such as location finders and so forth, but the one that caught my eye is the "Chick-fil-A Mobile Order" App. Let me show you how this thing works:

Note: This App does not work for the Alps Road location in Athens, but it will show you many options and hopefully expand in the near future. Stay tuned.

Your Remedy: SoulPancake

If you're suffering from the winter blues or simply need something to warm your heart and make you smile, SoulPancake is your remedy. 

SoulPancake, a popular publisher on YouTube, has created numerous shows which include: Metaphysical Milkshake, Kid President, The FlipSide, The Science of Happiness, Joy Bomb, Sidewalk Sessions, Life's Big Questions, and Man on the Street. The most well-known of the YouTube sensation's shows is Kid President... Who never fails to provide the best pep talks...

"A Pep Talk from Kid President to You": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

Recently, I expanded my "viewings" on the SoulPancake page and watched series 'The Science of Happiness'... Man.. This is great. They include experiments on how acts of kindness, gratitude, art therapy, cute aggression, the relationship between happiness and success, and perspectives or 'looking on the bright side' can incrementally effect one's happiness. I encourage everyone to at leastttt take the time to watch one. How could you not want to?! It's about happiness for Pete's sake!!! 
(Sidenote: Who's Pete? Where'd that come from??) 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Operation Kindness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ALRY5LyBM 

An Experiment in Gratitude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHv6vTKD6lg

If You're Happy and You Know It: (watch for the key to success) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkMHZ7mchVo


Sooo, now that I've spent hours on end watching The Science of Happiness.. What do I do with it?


Learn. Act. Repeat. 

***If none of these shows make your day a bit brighter.. Come find me- My roommate's walls are perfect for us to try out the Art Therapy episode.  

BuzzFeed's All the Buzz

It's evident that image-centric sites are becoming increasingly more popular. Plus, with the hustle and bustle of life's tasks, who can say it's not a tad more convenient to scroll through a site of pictures than a sea of words. This is not to say by any means that news articles and other word-heavy sites are headed to their 'death'. In fact, many image-based websites or business-run Instagram accounts attach links for users to go to if they want the 'whole story'. Basically, at times my brain needs a little fluff during the day for entertainment and pictures seem to be fulfilling that need. I mean I deleted my twitter account for awhile because I would get so stressed when I couldn't keep up with all the tweets that have a LIMITED letter-count per post... True story- blame it on my work load or detail-oriented personality. I don't know...

Anyway... So, who's getting the most hype right now in the eyes of society? I'd say BuzzFeed. The amount of shared links and screenshots from BuzzFeed articles I get on a normal basis is already high and only increasing. With sections such as News, Entertainment, Life (this is where you find the food articles), Video, and More, BuzzFeed has a massive amount of posts ready for any type of mood/interest. I predict BuzzFeed, and more sites similar to it, will continue to grow and gain more publicity.. And potentially some new competitors.

Here are a few popular ones:

BuzzFeed Tech: The 21 Most Triumphant of Facebook's 10 years

BuzzFeed Food: 31 Grilled Cheeses That Are Better Than A Boyfriend

BuzzFeed Olympics: Why Should You Watch Curling During The Winter Olympics? Because of These Amazing Pants.