Pop Secret's CGM Project Not So Secret

popsecretmountain.jpg

Whenever we receive an email that reads, "It appears that a group of users who love Pop Secret popcorn have launched their own website called http://www.PopSecretMountain.com, featuring short films for the product, wallpapers, ringtones, and even a character named Kaptain Kat. The web site says they aren't making a dime. It's a great example of the power of users to support a brand without any resources and make creative content," we immediately groan and say, "Yea, right" and proceed to publish the thing anyway.

by Steve Hall    Aug- 7-06   Click to Comment   
Topic: Consumer Created, Weblogs   

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Comments



Comments

Dear Adrants,

What's up with your cynicism? Making popcorn fan sites is exactly the kind of thing we Americans like to do with our free time. I mean, it's not like we're becoming politically active or figuring out ways to save the environment or anything.

Sincerely,

The Rhetorical Letter Writer

Posted by: The Rhetorical Letter Writer on August 7, 2006 2:03 PM

Just say NO to viral marketers.

Posted by: ariel on August 7, 2006 2:30 PM

The geniuses (?) behind this are at:

http://yourmediacoverage.com/

Posted by: Gregory Kohs on August 7, 2006 2:54 PM

This is overtly corporate and to pass it off as user generated content is insulting to our intelligence.

I'm sick of brands being dishonest in feeble attempts to create the almighty "buzz"

Posted by: Corporate Crap on August 7, 2006 3:49 PM

I actually buy that this is a fan-created site, or at least a site designed by an agency that wants to show off what they can do for bigger brands.

Check out the link below - the Your Media Coverage folks are looking to do a Viewer-Created Ad Message (V-CAM):

http://www.current.tv/studio/people/YourMediaCoverage

Posted by: David Berkowitz on August 7, 2006 4:06 PM

It's not fan-created... didn't any of you do a Whois lookup? It's registered to Your Media Coverage.

Posted by: ariel on August 7, 2006 4:11 PM

crap. crap. crap. crap. crap. crap. crap. crap. (craP)

Posted by: crap on August 7, 2006 4:12 PM

I believe them when they say that they aren't making a dime off this site. If i was pop secret, I wouldn't pay them for this crap either!
All kidding aside though, I'm sure this is just an attempt to get their attention(i.e. business).
Other than the ringtones/wallpaper, i don't really see anything wrong with trying this approach to get new business

Posted by: brent on August 7, 2006 4:19 PM

This is just bad, and for you to blog about it. It makes it worse.

Posted by: nl on August 8, 2006 12:34 AM

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Yep, I did.

Posted by: Brent on August 8, 2006 3:20 AM

This is the scariest m__r f___g s___t I've ever seen on the Internet. And I've been on the Internet for 300 years. That little "MEEEeeee-eee-ooowwwooo...." noise that that cat yelps out at the beginning... that aint' right. And when would a cat ever be a pirate? Dogs are pirates, man. Not cats. And what's up with a mountain of popcorn in the ocean. It would get soggy. The whole thing is just deeply wrong. I'm wondering if it's one of those messages from Al Quaeda or something. You know, like when the cat waves the sword in the *other* direction, or sings a dippy song about butter, that will be the code to STRIKE!

[PS: I don't think that's true. I just think it's really, really bad.]

[PPS: If it really is true, I so totally, TOTALLY ruled that prediction...]

Posted by: Andy Havens on August 8, 2006 10:54 PM

I have a new theory, what if this is just a little experiment to see whether people in the media world can actually tell the difference between true user generated media, and pseudo-user generated media produced by an agency or production house? Clearly, based on the comments, it's by no means unanimous.

So, i put it you, can anyone really tell the real from the made-to-look real in the user gen space?

Posted by: blunge on August 12, 2006 2:31 AM

Update: Your Media Coverage likes to stalk bloggers ;)

http://www.yourmediacoverage.com/press/index.php?id=8

"Hi! Still not making a penny, still not affilated with General Mills, still just some love for Pop Secret." - YMC

Hi, back! I still never cared if you're making money or not, you still need to learn a lot, and you still have comments turned off - wonder why. Perhaps if you were as 'transparent' as you are on your blog as you were in your 'CGM' site, you wouldn't have to be making multiple posts defending yourself.

Honey, it's not about the money, and size doesn't matter - your motion of the ocean makes me sea sick.

Posted by: ariel on August 12, 2006 3:08 AM

Woah, such hostility! What do you care anyway? No one's going to listen to a nobody know it all that can't prove him/herself.

Posted by: Tom on August 15, 2006 7:12 PM