Marketing Events on the Internet

I got an email tonight from Seth Greenberg, Group Manager of Online Advertising & Internet Media with Intuit.  Seth just orchestrated the production of a slick microsite called TheTaxRap, a contest website which will award $25,000 to the Intuit user who uploads the best original 2-minute rap video about -- what else -- taxes!

The contest will be judged by none other than Vanilla Ice, and it has its very own YouTube channel.

As I checked out the site (which even has vinyl record scratches on the navigation mouse overs!), it occurred to me that an event planning mentality very similar to what can be seen on the Apprentice is coming to the Internet.

I'm not dissing Seth.  I'm just saying that if you understand marketing event planning, then that skill-set is going to become relevant in the online world.  Fa-shizzle.

Comments

[Marketing Recruiter]

It was a well put-together project, if not well conceived. I found myself watching the videos with the same morbid curiosity that one might view an auto accident.

But in that sense, it's actually a clutter-busting marketing idea. The contrast between rapping and accounting is striking, and it might get people's attention for that reason alone.

They were smart to parody rap as well as they did. Vanilla Ice was a smart choice because of his authenticity as both a celebrity and a rapper. The game show theme on the site was clever. And the prize money and the custom URL added legitimacy to it too.

Overall, I give it an "A-". Certainly it seems to have generated more than $25K + expenses in PR for TurboTax -- and it's still early in the season.

Separate comment: If you are a celebrity -- even a distant D-list celebrity, there has never been a better time to monetize your image. YouTube offers thousands of channels and unprecedented, targeted access to rapid niches and subcultures.

[Erica Forrette]

Hi Harry,

I heard about this on NPR Marketplace this morning. Call me crazy, but I do NOT see the synergy between V-Ice and TurboTax. They even had some audio clips of the submitted raps. Awful! But a pretty imaginative promotion I must admit.