Brains on Fire

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  Earshot Case Study – First in a Series

  Posted on July 29th, 2005 by Geno and currently 3 commenting.

  Here at Brains on Fire, we’ve decided to try something a little different with some of our blog posts. In the interest of “opening the kimono,” we’re going to have a live, evolving case study that we’ll post updates and pictures of on a regular basis. If you think it’s too self-serving, we want to hear your feedback. But it will give the outside world a look into how we work when it comes to creating an identity and using word of mouth tools to help launch it (and keep it going).

  We have a very cool client, Earshot Music, which is owned by brothers Jack and Jason Dennis. They came to us last November with an inspiration. To develop an identity for a new type of music buying experience. They came armed with a single photo of a then young Keith Richards relaxing in Morocco. The idea was to create an inspiring destination where you can have a cup of coffee (or a beer) and shop for some music or even “blend” your own CD. Needless to say, they had us hooked. We thought it would be a great match to share the process of designing the Earshot oasis and give the Dennis brothers some love. The creation is coming to life Thursday, August 3rd in a humble brick building in downtown Greenville, SC. Some of you that are reading this blog will be attending the first two days of the grand opening parties.

  (For the rest of you that can’t be there, you’ll have to live it virtually,
  so visit often we will post updates and photos from now to the grand opening parties.)

  Stay tuned for the back-story.

  Tags: Brains on Fire, Case Study, Earshot Music, Greenville, Identity, Jack Dennis, Jason Dennis, Keith Richards, Morocco, opening the kimono, Word of Mouth
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  WOM Evangelists – Practice what you preach (or you will get called on it)

  Posted on July 29th, 2005 by Spike and currently 0 commenting.

  Matt Galloway over at The Basement has a great post about how a surprising amount of the presenters at the latest WOMMA conference don’t have their own blogs. (Disclosure: Brains on Fire is a member of WOMMA.)

  Matt says it best: “I’m not sure that I’d be interested in taking, much less buying, WOM advice from anyone who doesn’t eat their own dog food.”

  Way to call them out on it.

  This “new” WOM movement is exciting. And there is a lot of great proprietary thinking out there. But Matt is right. If you’re going to go out and preach the good WOM message to potential clients, then you absolutely have to be actively practicing it within your own doors as well. What better way to get to know – intimately – what you’re talking about (and selling)?

  Tags: Matt Galloway, Movement, The Basement, WOM Evangelist, WOMMA
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  Guest ViralMentalist Blog

  Posted on July 28th, 2005 by Geno and currently 0 commenting.

  My name is Cris Ivan and I just graduated from Eastside High School and I will be attending Clemson University in the fall.

  I have been a member of Rage Against the Haze for about two and a half years now. Viralmentalist Camp 2005 was, in my opinion a success. It attracted a fairly large number of people. It was also nice to see the adults being trained themselves.
  I taught the 101 Viralmentalist curriculum to a bunch of kids younger than I expected to see there this year. Having a younger crowd made me more interested in trying to reach those kids and to share what I know with them. As I was checking people in, I remember noticing how many 13 and 14 year olds we had. This is awesome I remember thinking. It sure is. We need more young people to get involved and take charge, take ownership of their movement.
  This event was successful because of the people there and their participation. It was always a fear of ours, the Ragers, that South Carolina, our home, will not provide for us anymore. Our budget was cut, cut, and then they cut it some more. However, the spirit lived on. The power of Rage Against the Haze is evident when we, with less than one million dollars a year, compete with Big Tobacco, which has vast resources of billions upon billions of dollars. It is true though that it is easier to break than to fix. RAGE is trying to fix what years of deception by the tobacco companies and ignorance by the public have broken.
  It is always a thrill to be a part of what Rage Against the Haze has to offer, by being either on the receiving or on the giving end. As next year approaches for me, I get ready for college. Clemson will become my new home, but I’ll never forget Rage Against the Haze and the great times I had year after year.

  Cris S. I.

  Tags: Big Tobacco, Clemson University, Cris Ivan, Curriculum, Eastside High School, Movement, RAGE, Rage Against the Haze, South Carolina, ViralMentalist, Viralmentalist Camp
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  Get your fix

  Posted on July 28th, 2005 by Geno and currently 0 commenting.

  It’s always a nice surprise when you follow a web link that directs you to something inspiring. And that’s what happen the other day when I stumbled on a link to http://www.oralfix.com/.

  The site really sells you on the uniqueness of their product. The tins, the mints, the wax paper. Oral Fixation gets it, they have a blog and give you lots of ways to buy mints your way. Do yourself a favor and order some Mojito Mints or maybe some Sugar Free Tibet mints. Hell, I’m buying a 6 pack.

  Tags: Inspiring, Mojito Mints, Oral Fixation, Sugar Free Tibet mints, Web link
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  WOM goes international

  Posted on July 28th, 2005 by Spike and currently 0 commenting.

  Our friend at Northeastern University (and Advisory Board Member for WOMMA), Dr. Walter Carl, is speaking at the first international conference focused completely on word of mouth marketing. It’s being held in Hamburg, Germany on October 6th and 7th and is limited to 200 guests, so book those flights soon!

  Tags: Dr. Walter Carl, Germany, Hamburg, Northeastern University, WOMMA