CK's Blog

As it turns out, I did get coal for x-mas. Or, "Why companies should read blogs (as told for the zillionth time, even on x-mas day ;-)."

So I did get coal in my stocking this year. Actually, it's all I got in my stocking. (Because I got a new stocking along with it!)

Flash back a couple weeks ago and I was discussing an energy campaign I found effective. I mainly found it to be a "good example" because it didn't involve telling consumers that they needed to share in figuring out the energy crisis solution (Are we expecting consumers to build greenhouses while they're trying like mad just to keep their growing debt down? This is the wrong message, Chevron). Nor did they take Dow's approach that it takes hydrogen + oxygen to make water and, ergo, somehow they're very human now (to be sure, most everyone has lauded Dow's campaign so I'm the crazy there).

Nope, I appreciated this coal initiative because it's simple and fun, one could even rightly say 'campy' (spot is here) and so I wrote on it.

And in that post I also recommended a fun holiday campaign for them that aligned with their platform and the current holiday season, and... they took me up on it! Then they also overnighted this stocking and piece of coal to me right before x-mas (the "coal" is actually a big piece of chocolate, smart on their part, eh?).

My idea was this: "If I were working for this group, being it's the holidays, I would send the major media stockings full of coal--with "Made In America, Good and Clean for America!" labels on the coal lumps--and urge them to "look at clean coal technology differently," by regaling all of coal's benefits (maybe a lucky winner should get a diamond :-)."

While I would have gone the strictly media campaign route, I find it interesting and laudable to turn on a dime and actually give out stockings full of coal to consumers as it's much more work and logistical coordination in a tight timeframe (and I bet they sent to the media too, so they likely did both).

Plus, they did this in multiple cities: there's a shot of them at the Capitol, and they were at Obama's Nevada campaign headquarters along with giving out coal (chocolates) in South Carolina and Iowa. So I guess coal is actually a political issue, too. Who knew? Yes, I'm kidding ;-). Bravo to America's Power for listening.

net net: All America's Power had to do was a link search and then participate in the discussion. And they did just that. And good things happened...well, a lot of people got coal for Christmas but in this case that turned out to be a good thing ;-).

Disclaimer: CK's blog, nor CK, does not endorse or, consequently, not endorse this company. She does, however, thoroughly endorse that companies start listening to bloggers/the conversation (conversations centering on their products and competitive ones).

Why?

Because be those bloggers marketing experts with great ideas or be they customers with great ideas to innovate or improve, it's always valuable feedback. And it's unbiased. Oh, and it's free. So that's why.

That's also why I also can't understand why more companies don't listen. Do they think free feedback isn't valuable? Is it valuable only if based on a fundamentally skewed and pricey system like the focus group? Or do they think that no bloggers could possibly have such insight and ingenuity?

Since the majority still don't listen, I'm left with more questions than answers. But, maybe we'll see that change a lot in 2008 ;-).

PS: Oh geez, where are my manners? I also want to thank Mack, Tom, Lewis and Toby for taking part in that discussion, along with all you great readers. Sorry 'bout that.

Old Father Time. Or, "This is what I learned this year."

At the end of the year comes many lists dispelling a bunch of trends, forecasts and fortunes. This isn't at all one of those. I'd just prefer to take a post and reflect on what I learned this year what I learned to value much, much more this year.

It's not compelling. It's the simplest of simple. But it's among the most important being that it's "time".

Money comes and goes. We can even lose touch with friends (and meet new ones). But time is something that we only have so much of. We need to work, so there's only so much "free time". And what all we work on is pretty constricted since time dictates that we can only take on so many clients, tasks and otherwise.

The activities we partake in, the people we love and the places we put our focus is a function of how we choose to spend the time we have. So it's really the measure of our lives, since our life is, literally speaking, the time spanning from when you arrived here to the time you go to the next place, plane or otherwise. Like, if I were God, the first question I'd ask people entering heaven is "Well, how did you enjoy your time down there?" (but I'm a marketer so naturally I'd be curious in feedback from my audience).

Think about it, when people say "quality of life" what that really means is what you choose to do--and with whom you choose to do it with--given the time you have. And when you lose people, you go through all the things you did and shared in the precious times you had together. Naturally, you want more time with them and that can make you all sorts of sad. But it can also make you really happy when you look back on all the defining, amazing and just plain silly times you had together ;-).

Many have said "You're so lucky to work for yourself." But luck isn't at all what it's about. It's just a choice and a commitment. And I personally made the choice because it's very important to me to have freedom over how I spend my time. Because a heck of a lot of things, industries, technologies, companies and competencies interest me. And those interests can change or expand over time.

I look ahead to '08 and I can honestly say that I know better where, on what and with whom I want my time spent. That covers a lot of people, projects and other stuff. But I'll discuss that more in '08 and I ain't going anywhere...after all, the whole point of Blogger Social is to give this community TIME together. (For real, that's that event's entire objective. I looked at Drew and said, "This is what people need and don't get, they need time to just hang out together"...and he said, "Let's do it.")

So here's a great song on time. Please consider it a virtual gift for you. Unfortunately, it was a bit overplayed when it was popular. But, I think enough 'time' has passed that it's great to listen to again.

I find it to be moving and apt, but it's not meant in a sad way...as I find the song inspiring and a great reminder of how important, and what a precious gift, time is. Here's sending out a WHOLE LOTTA LOVE (!) to you fine people and friends, as my time is so well spent with you (RSS/email subs click here).

Reduced to a selling agent (er, uh, a "fan")

Look at my smart, fetching and long-time colleague David Berkowitz over there. This, a colleague friend whom I brainstorm with, value his opinions and ask him to review my articles before they publish.

Why?  Because of the trust I have in him, and his professional judgment.

(He is also the marketer who got me blogging folks.)

Now he's plastered above a DVD rental-joint banner (full story here). And at the same time--and for about five hours straight--my professional and personal principles just see red.

(No, of course he didn't "allow" this, nor was it intentional).

A very good convo is over at David's place. I suggest you check it out when you have time. Rest assured, I have hit the legal limit of comments allowed from one person over there, until 2009.

My hope?

That the future doesn't look like more of this. (but I do hope to see more of David).

My fear? That it will.

I just can't get out of my stubborn head that the responsibility is on us--yes, us as marketers--to better guide the other marketers. I see it as a precedent-setting time where we can, in fact, do a lot of good and make a lot of money.

But not this way.

PS: A day ago is the first I got wind of this tactic as I can't "see" over at FB anymore.

PPS: To any company reading this that does not understand what's "wrong with this picture," I will happily and free of charge have an insightful call with you about using these tools to create value and create a stronger medium (not a dollar-store bonanza). That is not a sales strategy on my part--let's face it, I'm NO "FAN" of such gimmicks as above--I'd just like to explain how to contribute instead of contaminate as we forge ahead. It's called long-term, customer-centric thinking...and it works like a charm ;-).

Going green for a good cause. Join in, won't you peas?

Full background and information here.

Full, really fun and heartening peapod slideshow here.

Seriously, check out the slideshow I just sent you to, it's so great and creative.

That's my dance partner Luc (Mindblob) and me. Now, we look like flies but, I assure you, we're dancin' peapods.

Why are we dancing and, more to the point, why are we dressed as peapods? The short answer is that we're dancin' fools for a good cause.

The longer answer is that there's a movement afoot and it's unlike any other cause...because it involves peas. And peas are a funny thing. In fact, a lot of people don't eat their peas (and carrots) but they sure like poking fun at this funny vegetable (legume? what are peas anyhow?). Personally, I've always liked peas and have no issue with them whatsoever.

And now I like them even more.

While a better explanation is right here, the 'gist of it is that we are creating these "pea-avatars" (pea-vatars?) in support of fundraising for breast cancer research and, specifically, in support of Susan Reynolds, a woman/blogger who is going through a tough battle currently, and bravely sharing this experience. Why peas? Because when she was going through discomfort due to biopsies, she used a bag of frozen peas for comfort in addition to ice and uploaded a pic of the peas. And then one of her friends suggested we all donate the cost of a bag of frozen peas to breast cancer research. And somehow, quite magically from there, "peaple" started running with it and now, a full fundraising site will go live on Friday...along with many people uploading pea pics to Flickr and to their twitter profiles.

And of course everyone is getting behind this--gender doesn't matter. Not only does breast cancer, in small percentage, affect men, let's face it, men make a far, far bigger deal about breasts than we women ever do. (That was my best shot at a pep talk, sorry if I offended anyone...I'm doing my best to get you to part with money at holiday time.)

What's the action point?

Please consider donating to this cause (the site will go live on Friday) and, do like so many of us are and make a pic of yourself with peas and send it to ringleader-and-cheerleader Connie Reece. And save a dance for me, wontcha?

Also, does anyone have any contacts over at Green Giant, Birdseye or another "pea" brand? I'd like for someone to ask them to donate to this worthy cause. I know in my holiday heart that they'd love to make a donation....they just need to know about it--and then it can be a Christmas Miracle. Alas, I know no one in the pea biz.

PS: Thank you to my dear friend and colleague Gavin Heaton for making my pea picture dance. I'm too much of a photoshop idiot to attach my head to a peapod and he was happy to do it at 3 in the morning (which is something like 2pm to him in Sydney, Australia). And thank you to Luc for dancing with me, I was feeling a little self-conscious dancing by myself at the holidays--and it was bringing back bad memories of my prom.

PPS: Thanks to my friends here that hopefully won't mind my using part of their logo. It's for a good cause.

Didn't buy the diamonds. Did buy the song.

While diamonds aren't a low-involvement/low-risk purchase, mp3s are. It's not at all odd for me to download a few songs each week, as a direct result of hearing them on television programs or commercials.

In fact I 'listen' to TV these days far more than I watch it.

Here's the latest great spot that was music to my ears (btw, the artist is Landon Pigg and the song is "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop"). So these marketers did in fact move me to buy. Spot is below, RSS/email subscribers, just click through to the blog to view listen to it.

 

Light. Wind. Genius.

Light: I wrote earlier this year about a story on light that inspired me.

Wind: And I wrote about a commercial on wind that gave me a chuckle.

Ingenuity: So here's a story on wind that enables light that just heartens me (it's worth taking 10 minutes out of your day to watch both videos at Kofi's place).

Photo/image: thanks to gamestooge.

Best holiday '07 spot

Some holiday cheer marketing style...I find this commercial ingenious (but, no, I won't be buying an ATT phone, I just find the smart comedy to be ingenious). It's a fun take on gingerbread with outstanding writing and character voice-overs by Steve Buscemi and Norm McDonald.

net net: it's clever. Me likes clever, a lot. (But long-time readers know that by now.)

Oh, if you don't think this is the best holiday spot this year, then challenge me by submitting your take on the best holiday spot this season--after all, advertising isn't my focus or forte (but clever is). RSS/email readers, click through to the blog to view it.

If celebs influence consumers, is influencing (um, bashing!) celebs a smart strategy?

So these twin toddlers got this gig on a show and they were cute--they were toddlers, after all. And then, some twenty years later--with approximately the exact same level of acting skill as when they were toddlers--they're now not only actresses but they've launched a fashion line.

And PETA is not happy.

In fact, due to the fury over how much fur they wear--and how much fur is featured in their fashion line--the animal rights activists have launched a full-on assault, 2.0 style. You can...

• dress up the "Trollsen Twins" (instead of the Olsen Twins) in all sorts of bloody garb. Like, everything you dress them in bleeds.
• watch a video that I couldn't spend the time sitting through but I guess some heads roll.
• You can attach bloody banners to your MySpace page, or blog, bashing the beauties (like the above example).
• Or, you can take part in an email assault on their publicist.

While I wish these types of celebs would just go away (and we'd have more healthy female stars like Kate Winslet), it does beg the question (which I've not yet answered for myself):

If celebs influence consumers--and their purchasing decisions--does influencing, by way of bashing, these celebs offer a good strategy to meet objectives? Said another way, does advocacy sometimes need to get ugly...in order to get it done?

In this case, "getting it done" for PETA would mean that the twins would take fur out of their clothing line--and, I gather, stop parading around in fur in public.

From the site: "Not only is killing animals in the name of fashion cruel, it's uuugly. Some say that Hairy-Kate and Trashley are guilty of offending their fans with some major fashion boo-boos, but here at peta2, we think that's the understatement of the year! The twins' heartless decision to wear fur and include it in their new fashion line, The Row (more like "Death Row"), is worse than a fashion no-no—it's cruelty to animals. The Trollsens have ignored our pleas to stop wearing fur—and have since added horribly ugly fur items to their new clothing line. It's obvious that we need your help to convince them that wearing fur is wrong and hideous!"

I will say this, the creative is excellent, engaging consumers is smart and I was engaged with the site for at least 10 minutes (and it's a far better use of funds than the Alicia Silverstone ads PETA just ran).

Oh, I'll also say this...I never want to be on PETA's bad side.

PS: And PETA keeps it coming! To customize a snow globe holiday e-card featuring Michael Vick, The Trollsens, Kate Moss and more just go here.

If I were a coal marketer, I'd likely go this (clean) route, too.

Note: Since this post aired, we've had participation from America's Power (thank you). This is a great example of a conversation that is better due to company involvement...and thusly, I'm generating some ideas on how they can better promote their cause and, perhaps, overcome some challenges. Any ideas are welcome (because coal is not necessarily my forte...but maybe I have a future in it ;-). Do join in!

Here's a spot (see below) from America's Power. And while the first couple shots of a lump of coal are pretty darn ugly, the campy "It's a celebration!" song works well towards their desired goals.

And I like the messaging of "America's Power" far, far better than "Human Energy" (or "Human Elements"). On their site, it's worth noticing their category of "clean coal technologies" and how much they've invested in them.

Does make me wonder, though, how vast the difference really is between "dirty coal" and "clean coal"?  Now if they can deliver on that, they should show it in a spot featuring another campy song. Be the campy song coal initiative. Believe me, there are enough weeping violins in the aforementioned oil and chemical spots.

Also, if I were working for this group, being it's the holidays, I would send the major media a stocking full of coal--with "Made In America, Good and Clean for America!" labels on the coal lumps--and urge them to "look at clean coal technology differently," by regaling all of coal's benefits (maybe a lucky winner should get a diamond :-).

Update: They took me up on this idea and Santas will be handing out coal (it will be chocolate) next week in various places. I'll get some pics to show you soon.

I'm not sure if this outfit classifies as an organization, special interest group or lobbying arm but they're obviously funded by the coal producers. They're doing a great job with wording, from America's Power about page:

"Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC) was formed in April 2000 to provide a voice to community leaders in the development of energy and environmental policies. To date, over 150,000 community leaders from all across the country have joined ABEC as a means of keeping informed on what is happening with energy and environmental policies at both the state and federal levels. Primary funding for ABEC’s outreach efforts come from America’s coal-based electricity providers.

As a group, we believe that America can continue to make great progress in improving environmental quality while at the same time enjoying the benefits of using domestic energy resources like coal to meet our growing demand for affordable, reliable and clean energy."

Btw, I spent a day a half-mile deep inside a coal mine in West Virginia--for a college course where we explored "a day in the life of" many situations (I also went to medium-security prison). The coal mine was a surreal experience, and one of the best of my life. There's not enough respect in the world for those who go into the mines everyday, and we lost far too many miners this year. I'd like to see more on the safety efforts and investing in those.

Here's the spot (RSS and email readers, click on through to the blog):

A really good example of really good WOM

Full story on the "Double O Show" right here.

Why is this a good example of great word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing?

Because you have a key influencer of America's hearts and minds, a trusted personality who has stood up and bolstered many causes...but NEVER political ones..standing up and bolstering Obama's cause--because she is authentically passionate about it.  

And it's spreading like wildfire (that's the WOMmy part).

Video clip is below (RSS readers and email subscribers, please click through to the blog). I chuckled at reading when the crowd cried "Oprah for Vice President!" Obama countered, "That would be a demotion."

And to Ms. O I say, if you're ever looking for a marketer who holds steadfast to her principles and is all about authenticity and value, I'd love a plug (and I promise to do great things with the platform).

If you have Obama fever, you can follow him on twitter here (disclaimer: I don't follow any politicos or celebs on Twitter. I go there to get away from them).

Taking the red pill

The Matrix just seems too apt a metaphor during this all-Facebook, all-the-time week. (And I'm not even a huge fan of The Matrix.) But, see in the clip below, how Morpheus is giving Neo the choice: take the red pill and see the truth...or take the blue pill and wake up in your happy bed again.

(For those who have not seen this movie, it's kinda complicated; but just know it centers on the majority of people being manipulated, with all but a small team of them that know the real deal.)

See, because Facebook opted to go full-tilt with Beacon--not just ad banners--it turned from a "social utility"--which is how they position themselves on their homepage---into a marketing channel. Overnight. And they went from a customer-centric player, to a company. Sure, they can say they're a social utility--but that will never be true again. The utility is truly for advertisers.

That's cool, a company needs to make money. And I've chosen not to use that company anymore. Plus, I don't even have that much data over there (and none of it is particularly interesting ;-).

But--for my readers and me--I'll be the first to admit both my brilliance and my ignorance on this blog and, I have to say: I don't know why it didn't hit me before that they'd use our data to make us selling agents to one another. Banner advertising, sure. But to invade privacy and manufacture WOM? Nope. I admit to feeling very ignorant on this front. I'm a marketer for cryin' aloud and I should have seen it.

So I guess at the time I was still taking the blue pill.

(or maybe I just didn't think a company would go so far, silly me.)

Enjoy the clip (under 1 minute, RSS/email readers: click thru to blog).

Moving along...

Thanks all for the great convos here, here, and  here yesterday. Having had a day to think about it... after thinking about it for several days... I've come to the decision that I made the right decision, for me.

Which is good.

Because it really bites when you come to the decision that you made the wrong decision--especially if you went and blogged about it. So I'm taking a note to say a few things and then I'm moving along to other topics.

Just to be really clear and fair: I think social networks have MUCH upside and huge potential. The kicker? The reason I think this has nothing to do with billion-dollar valuations or because, being a blogger, I have to say that. It's because social networks have been around since the dawn of time. They've just become far less localized, moved online, and cut across a much broader spectrum like professional interests, hobbies, parenting, music, marketing, Sci Fi, knitting, whatnot.

net net: People need to connect. Not want. Or desire even. They need to. It's core. Even on the collage a year ago, my primary value of blogging was "connection".  Still is.

I think Facebook groups are great and Facebook causes are ripe with potential. Most of all, what I like about Facebook is that they opened their platform to developers. It's not just the brilliant way; I think it's the only way for many of these ventures. (It is The Share Economy.) Thus, I will use both good and bad examples for Facebook with my clients when I'm teaching them the ropes, or explaining my take on things. Because that's fair and there's much to be learned, many practices to tap into--and many to outright avoid.

The concept of ad targeting? Love it. I think it's kind to prospects. I can't tell you how sick I am of car insurance banners. I haven't owned a car in a decade; I live in New York City. (Which begs the question...why can't the direct mail houses figure it out since they have my address and it's common knowledge that hardly anyone in NYC owns a car?)

Moreover, I buy "stuff" because of you good folks all the time--movies you've (authentically!) recommended, music, books, cameras, seminars and so on. So a lot of companies owe you thanks. And I've been very happy with those purchases; I genuinely thank you, too.

Alas, I just can't be over at Facebook with the manufactured WOM practices. That one is just TOO big with me and it was just too big a gamble with user trust. And yes, I do hope that advertisers stay weary of this model as then they're demonstrating responsible practices.

But ya know what? By not spending time over at Facebook, it frees that time. Hey, all of us can only allot a finite amount of time on social media. And for me, spending that time on blogs and twitter (and helping plan socials) is the perfect mix to enjoy this community--and still meet my work deadlines. Works for me and I hope it does for you. You all rock; thanks so much.

PS: Since the writing of my last post, I've bought the expensive kind of cat food, Claritin for my allergies (there's some link love for big pharma!) and a Coke. While I cannot be certain, I am thinking that "Wednesday night is taco night!", so there is a strong likelihood that salsa and other CPG purchases are in my near future. To my readers who have no idea why I'm divulging this, sorry, it's a "blogger joke" and will stop soon. Or until it discontinues amusing me.

PPS: And for Zuckerberg's blatantly manufactured response go here (sorry, I see the careful crafting but many will disagree. And hey, that's cool. Because it's an agree to disagree and even deactivate week ;-).

These petitions just aren't doing it for me. So I deleted my Facebook account. Actually, they won't let me delete (only "deactivate"). So they're probably still selling my data.

I'm just not OK with the new Facebook marketing practices, or their efforts to 'lighten' them. Or the way they've handled it. To me--and this is solely my own take--this business model doesn't qualify as "innovative". More like creepy, arrogant, annoying and nothing I would say any good things about.

And I would never, ever, not for all the money in the mint, advise my clients to follow such practices. It's socially irresponsible marketing and that bell is a bugger to un-ring. So instead of signing petitions and the like, I've deactivated. To be sure, I tried to delete.

But you can't do that.

So I guess you can never opt-out of Facebook? (Seems consistent at least.)

What's really telling? I went to delete and it gives me a whole host of "Why are you leaving?" options to choose from. Ten of them. Not a single one cites the privacy issue. And wouldn't you think that maybe, just maybe, Facebook might have seen even one of the millions of posts, articles and comments that are railing against them and add that as an option? Uh, nope.

Wait, we all know that, most of the time, people won't take time to comment--or explain why they're discontinuing their use of brands...so wouldn't they want to know the percentage of user attrition over these practices? Um, nope.

Rest-assured, I will continue to (actively!) participate in the marketing community through my blog, your blogs, community-oriented programs, contributing at The Daily Fix and, of course, my new home over at Twitter (which I'm thoroughly enjoying). I'm not "going" anywhere...it's just that I won't be on Facebook. Too bad as I was finally starting to get the swing of it and I liked leaving some silly messages on your walls.

Insofar as the "reason for leaving" submitted to Facebook, I wrote this under "other":

"My reason for leaving wasn't mentioned in the 10 options above...how can that be? So I'll give it here: you need to keep focusing on your users, instead of focusing on how to manufacture WOM (otherwise the WOM that is created becomes a lot of angst and jokes about you, see?). And making us opt-out is nearly as laughable as it is deplorable (opt-out was a 90s fad; it never will come back "in style"€).

But if you guys actually do read these, then here's my biggest tip: You did a really good job of creating value and innovating through opening the platform (bravo!). But trust is a high-ticket item to win back. Unfortunately most don't learn this...until after they've lost it. (tsk.tsk)"

Valeria wrote a well-researched piece (it's like a portal to all recent news on FBook, truly worth the read) and in it she hit on this:

"Let me spell it out for you: if you push a recommendation unknowingly (you are being broadcast), or are being compensated to give it, is not the same as sharing a review because you are passionate about a product or service and they exceeded your expectations. I think we can do better than that. The true holy grail is one that will manage to help market and sell products and services and at the same time respect that the people it seeks to engage can think for themselves."

I concur.

PS: And yes, I still feel the same way about loaner cameras. Some things just never change :-).

PPS: A great article--from last month's Fast Company--portending this intentional decision is here. It's actually a great article on the value of opening networks. The problem? Here's the info. right from the mouth of their newly hired marketer:

"It is only day 67 for Palihapitiya at his new job when we sit down to talk, but he already sounds like a true believer. While cagey about details, he isn't shy about the potential he sees for targeted ads to fill Facebook's coffers. He madly sketches on a notepad, drawing a fine distinction between demand fulfillment (I want a cheap ticket to Hawaii. Now!), which the Internet has become quite good at, and demand generation, the shape-shifting set of marketing messages that conspire to get a consumer to want something. That, he says, is where he sees serious money on the table. "Facebook users are more engaged with each other," he says. "Aren't you more likely to be interested in what your friends are doing?" Google, which focuses by and large on demand fulfillment, is a $160 billion company. "For every dollar that goes into fulfillment, there are hundreds that are spent on generation," he says, particularly by the big brands. So what could Facebook be worth? Five times Google? Ten times? "Could be," he smiles."

Sorry Facebook, you'll have to "conspire" without this marketer. I'm going to focus on creating value for customers--so that they authentically "buzz" about offerings--instead of treating them like commodities.

PPPS: Oops, almost forgot! In the last 24 hours my purchasing history entails: (2) MP3s from iTunes (one was an old Psychadelic Furs tune, the other was by the Pixies), (1) tube of Colgate toothpaste and (1) Kashi granola bar. Colgate and Granola bought offline, at a local NYC deli with the brand name "Deli".

I like Buffy a whole lot. And I love The Wizard of Oz. So odds are I'll like "Tin Man". (You might, too.)

This just looks very cool--and, since it's holiday time, I'm sharing it with readers. It's Sci Fi Channel's miniseries called "Tin Man" and, in the USA, it starts tonight (Sunday 12/2/07).

Tim Man is their rendition of The Wizard of Oz, circa 2007. So instead of OZ, it's "The O.Z." (for "outer zone")...and Dorothy is now "DG". Not sure what ToTo is but, from the pics, he looks like a puppy.

As long-time readers know, I'm a HUGE fan of the cowardly lion (and Buffy The Vampire Slayer). So nervous lions looking for courage PLUS girl who wants to save the world from the Big Bad work for me independently. We'll see how they do together.

See, a new take on an old classic can basically go either way...it can be very good or abysmal. There's usually not so much gray. So I'm DVRing it and will catch it either this week or closer to the holidays and I can promise nothing.

Oh, I've no idea if this miniseries is suitable for kids; I think so. But I'm just a big kid when it comes to so much that I'm not the best authority on such things.

Here's hoping you always find your courage, smarts, heart and plenty of roads (yellow or otherwise) that lead you to fame and emeralds--and, most importantly, home. Cuz there's no place like it.

Trailer is below (RSS and email readers, click through to the blog to see the trailer).
Site is here.
A review is here.

PS: BIG marketing props to Sci Fi Channel for a bang-up job in promoting this miniseries.