Using Customized Social Media: The Celebrity Apprentice

It’s not often The Celebrity Apprentice gets credited with doing something hip and contemporary.

This weekend, the show partnered with an identify theft protection product called LifeLock. As part of the marketing, they came up with this social media campaign that is designed to be viral, shared and used for social media profiles.

Take a look at this Global Tribune news report I received from a friend today…it caught my attention:

It’s content designed to be shared. It’s easy to share. It’s customizable to include the viewer when emailed to friends. All good objectives.

The Action Test: This viral video actually got me interested in testing out their product…I’ve posted it on my Facebook to share with my friends…and I’ve now blogged on it. That’s good impact!

Trump that!

Celebrity-Branded Search Engines

There’s something new bubbling up online. From the D-List.

It’s probably only a fad and not a trend…but it is something unusual. Or, at least, another way for celebrities to lose dignity. Celebrity-branded search engines.

Now, through search services provided by prodege.com (powered by Yahoo! Search) and others, custom search engines are offered with celebrity tie-ins.

Search with Kevin (Federline)! Search with Meatloaf! Search with Wynonna! Search with Hinder! Search with Andrew Dice Clay!

The hook: everytime you search with a branded “celebrity” search engine, you get a chance to win a prize (“enter to win the chance to attend K-Fed’s birthday party!”). And, if you chose to be a site host setting up a customized celeb search engine site, you can also earn money from every search (they say).

Now, I’m not really buying that this idea will take off and overthrow Google. I don’t even see it topping Dogpile or AllTheWeb.

However, there is a nugget of an idea there. Local radio stations could create customized search engines on their own websites featuring their morning shows. Now that might prove more interesting.

Search with Howard Stern! Search with Opie & Anthony! Search with Johnny B! Search with Kevin & Bean! Search with Rush Limbaugh!

Hmmm, check that last radio celeb search idea. I’m not sure I’d want to know Rush’s online search preferences…

Custom Cellphone Wallpaper…Cool!

OK, anytime we bump into a claim for ‘world’s first’, our media trend watching radar perks up. If you’re looking for a cool idea, how about this…

Custom cell phone wallpaper.

San Francisco’s START MOBILE, a gallery selling art for cell phones. Part of the START SOMA gallery, the venture sells thousands of original works of new art from hundreds of established and underground artists, to be downloaded onto mobile phones. Wallpapers are billed $1.99 USD, with the artist receiving a small cut.

Cool Idea: If you are in media, why not contact Start Soma and have their artists put a pop culture spin on your logo integrated into art for your audience’s cellphone? Or, better yet, set up an affiliate marketing relationship to help sell the cellphone wallpaper artwork through your company’s website, where you pick up a small cut for each transaction driven through your website. Good for your NTR initiatives.