transmedia messaging--Santa's been doing it for years

Typical shoemaker's-kids-going-barefoot-problem: Haven't had time lately to update my own blog, but happily made time to update someone else's. Alan Wolk, creator of the new Hive Awards, kindly invited me to contribute to the show's excellent site. I wrote about how transmedia messaging (or deep media as some call it) may appear to be a new and complex marketing idea...but, really it's as old and simple as the selling of Santa. Read full article here.

crowdsourcing santa

A downside of being out of town this weekend--or upside, depending on your tolerance for Christmas spirit(s)-- was missing out on the sight of thousands of Santas who came out for the annual Santacon. Despite it's being billed as NOT A PUB CRAWL, it's a pub crawl taking place annually in cities around the world from New York to Chicago to Pasadena to Beijing. (In China, Christmas is a romantic holiday.)

If you're in next year, read the ground rules before going, which include "Not just a hat", "No making kids cry" and "Pay with cash."

Photo by Marc Whalen. The rest of his SantaCon series here.