What the Chicago Blackhawks want for Christmas

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Kilo Kai Presents Music Mondays at Betty’s Blue Star Lounge

News Release – November 30, 2007
Contact: Kevin Boyer, (312) 421-7672, Kevin.Boyer@allterrain.net

Kilo Kai Presents
Music Mondays at Betty’s Blue Star Lounge / Chicago
Scott Lucas of Local H headlines December live music series launch

Chicago, IL - Starting Monday, December 3, 2007, Kilo Kai spiced rum presents “Kilo Kai Music Mondays,” a new weekly live music performance night at Betty’s Blue Star Lounge, 1600 West Grand Avenue, in Chicago. Kicking off the series will be Scott Lucas of Local H who will also perform on Mondays December 10 and 17. The live performances will begin at 9:30 pm.

“We want to help Betty’s Blue Star Lounge cultivate a ‘pro-jam’ culture,” said Michael O’Connor, Kilo Kai VP of Sales, “with professional musicians – including those passing through on tour – stopping by the club to jam.” According to O’Connor, the idea has its roots in the “Pro-Jam” once hosted by BJ Murray in the Dragon Room at Chicago’s China Club.

Kilo Kai spiced rum has worked hard to establish a connection to the music industry. “Kilo Kai is the rum you will hear about mostly through bartenders, musicians, waiters and others connected to nightlife, culture and hospitality,” said Brad Trayser, President of Apostrophe Brands/Kilo Kai. Kilo Kai launched the brand at a concert at Chicago’s Double Door featuring the “Bouncing Souls,” sponsored last month’s Riot Fest, and is presenting the Wu-Tang Clan on December 15 at the Metro in Chicago.

Best-known for their unorthodox two-man lineup, hard rock act Local H has made a career out of straddling the fine line between indie and classic rock, cleverly framing their sardonic lyrics with a generous helping of power chords and feedback. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Local H is a two-man wrecking crew, a powerhouse invigorated by the mania of former Triple Fast Action drummer Brian St. Clair's punishing backbeat, and driven by the distinct lyric and melodic vision of guitarist/vocalist Scott Lucas.

“Scott Lucas was always our first choice to host this weekly event,” said Gene Stokes, General Manager and owner of Betty’s Blue Star Lounge. Lucas will perform acoustic sets on December 3, 10 and 17. Musicians interested in performing in ur Kilo Kai Music Mondays should contact the lounge at (312) 243-8778 or email Gene Stokes at gstokes69@aol.com.

About Kilo Kai
Created by three generations of master rum distillers in Curacao, Kilo Kai is a spiced rum blended with the unique flavors and scents of the Caribbean. The complexity arises in the flavors of anise, vanilla, banana, cherry, nutmeg and orange peels. Crafted with 1-year-old and 3-year-old rums, Kilo Kai is the perfect rum for aficionados and novices alike because its complexity and unique blend of flavors allows it to be mixed in a favorite cocktail or enjoyed straight. Kilo Kai is the rum you drink at that point in your life when you’ve decided taste is more important. The innovative package design features real skateboard tape on the bottle and is complete with the Kilo Kai skull-and-crossbones logo which incorporates two K’s to form the skull’s teeth and bones. To learn more about Kilo Kai’s “Take No Prisoners” attitude, visit www.KiloKai.com. Please enjoy Kilo Kai responsibly.

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All Terrain Retained by Chicago Blackhawks

News Release – November 26, 2007
Contact: Kevin G. Boyer, (312) 421-7672 x 41, Kevin.boyer@allterrain.net


All Terrain Retained by Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago-based firm to provide public relations and experiential marketing support


Chicago, IL – All Terrain, a Chicago-based experiential marketing company, announced today that it has been retained by the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team as public relations and experiential marketing counsel. All Terrain will provide marketing and public relations support to increase the visibility of Chicago Blackhawks players through non-sports media, and to increase attendance at Blackhawks games through non-traditional marketing strategies.

“The Chicago Blackhawks are a storied Chicago sports franchise,” said Brook Jay, All Terrain President. “This year’s team is winning more games and attracting more fans. We are excited to be working directly with management and the players to create even more fans of this great sport.”

“We are excited to engage All Terrain in helping us reach our marketing goal of attracting new Blackhawk fans,” said Jim Sofranko, Blackhawks Executive Director of Sales & Marketing. “Through the use of non-traditional marketing strategies we will look to increase interest in the team and raise the awareness of our players to the non-core hockey fan.”

About All Terrain
All Terrain is an agile, integrated marketing agency that activates, personalizes and connects major brands with relevant consumers. Brook Jay and Sarah Eck-Thompson co-founded All Terrain nine years ago and in the process helped define a whole new marketing category – Experiential Marketing. All Terrain is now a highly-recognized agency offering special event production, multi-site, multi-disciplinary promotional campaigns, strategic brand positioning, field teams, point-of-sale, events, e-marketing, mobile marketing, advertising, sampling, public relations, influencer advocacy and entertainment. They serve name-brand clients including GMC, Buick, Saturn, Pernod Ricard – one of the country’s largest spirits distributors, the Tribune Company, Anheuser-Busch, Sofitel Chicago, Underwriter Laboratories and more. For more information, visit: www.allterrain.net.

Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks play their home games at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago. For tickets and schedule, visit www.ChicagoBlackhawks.com or call (312) 455-7000. The Chicago Blackhawks and chicagoblackhawks.com are trademarks of the Chicago Blackhawk Hockey Team, Inc. NHL and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and the NHL Shield and NHL Conference logos are trademarks of the National Hockey League.

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Kilo Kai Rum Presents Wu-Tang Clan In Concert at Metro Dec. 15

News Release - November 21, 2007
Contact: Kevin Boyer, (312) 421-7672 x 41, Kevin.Boyer@allterrain.net

Kilo Kai Rum Presents
Wu-Tang Clan In Concert at Metro – December 15
Tickets Go on Sale Saturday, November 24, Noon

Chicago, IL – Kilo Kai Rum and Metro Chicago announced today that the Wu-Tang Clan will perform at a Kilo Kai sponsored concert at the Metro on Saturday, December 15. This is the third major music event sponsored by the newly launched spiced rum, following a concert at Chicago’s Double Door, featuring Bouncing Souls, and a headline sponsorship of November’s Riot Fest in Chicago. Tickets for the Wu-Tang Clan concert go on sale this Saturday, November 24th at noon at all Ticketmaster outlets. The Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street, just two blocks North of Wrigley Field.

Wu-Tang Clan’s rappers consist of multi-platinum producers and artists, TV and film stars, screenwriters, and Grammy winners. The ten members of the New York-based rap group include Method Man, RZA, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, and Mathematics. The Wu-Tang Clan is known for their raw, uncut rhymes, and their sampling from old Kung-Fu movies such as Master Killer and Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang. What makes the Wu-Tang Clan unique is that each MC has his own style, yet they often work and appear in concerts together. Method Man, GZA, Ghostface Killah, and RaeKwon have each launched successful solo albums, while as a group, the Wu-Tang Clan recently signed a record deal with SRC Records. Their album, 8 Diagrams, is scheduled for release on December 11, 2007.

Kilo Kai spiced rum has worked hard to establish a connection to the music industry. “Kilo Kai is the rum you will hear about mostly through bartenders, musicians, waiters and others connected to nightlife, culture and hospitality,” said Brad Trayser, President of Apostrophe Brands/Kilo Kai. “Supporting great venues like the Double Door and the Metro demonstrates that we’re not just about selling rum. We want to reward people who love good music with the better taste of Kilo Kai.”

The Metro will host the Kilo Kai sponsored Wu-Tang Clan Concert on Saturday, December 15, 2007. The Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street and tickets can be purchased on November 24th at TicketMaster.com and at any Ticketmaster location. DJ Intel will open the event at 10 pm and the Wu-Tang Clan performance will begin around 11 pm. The concert is an 18 and over show, but only those 21 and over will be allowed to enjoy Kilo Kai at the concert. Tickets are $42 in advance, $45 at the door.

About Kilo Kai
Created by three generations of master rum distillers in Curacao, Kilo Kai is a spiced rum blended with the unique flavors and scents of the Caribbean. The complexity arises in the flavors of anise, vanilla, banana, cherry, nutmeg and orange peels. Crafted with 1-year-old and 3-year-old rums, Kilo Kai is the perfect rum for aficionados and novices alike because its complexity and unique blend of flavors allows it to be mixed in a favorite cocktail or enjoyed straight. Kilo Kai is the rum you drink at that point in your life when you’ve decided taste is more important. The innovative package design features real skateboard tape on the bottle and is complete with the Kilo Kai skull-and-crossbones logo which incorporates two K’s to form the skull’s teeth and bones. To learn more about Kilo Kai’s “Take No Prisoners” attitude, visit www.KiloKai.com. Please enjoy Kilo Kai responsibly.

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Kilo Kai Rum. Take No Prisoners

News Release - October 25, 2007
Contact: Kevin Boyer, (312) 421-7672 x 41, Kevin.boyer@allterrain.net

Kilo Kai Rum. Take No Prisoners
Chicago Brand Masters Launch New Better Tasting Spiced Rum

Chicago, IL - How do you create the world’s best tasting spiced rum? Start with an island that was once home to pirates and American revolutionaries. Throw in three generations of master rum distillers who take the sugar cane and bring it to life with a special recipe that includes essences of vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. Let age for three years, gifting much to the angels through evaporation, and you’re left with Kilo Kai – the way spiced rum should taste.

Kilo Kai might still be sitting in Leáñez family barrels on Curaçao but for the palates and business savvy of Chicago brand masters Brad Trayser and Michael O’Connor. Trayser, part of the team that brought the world Effen Vodka, has once again captured lightning in a bottle. He is betting that the rum category – now the second most popular spirit behind vodka - is ready for better tasting brands that challenge market leaders.

Kilo Kai, launched in Chicago in October of 2007, is, according to Trayser, “real rum. The kind of rum you might just want to drink straight. In our blind taste tests 27 out of 28 bartenders preferred Kilo Kai rum straight when compared to four other brands, including the market leader.” KiloKai.com refers to the taste as “Layered. Complex. Aggressive - in all the right ways. If Kilo Kai were a woman, she'd make the first move, then leave you wanting more.”

Trayser believes that Kilo Kai is the brand you will hear about mostly through bartenders, musicians, waiters and others connected to nightlife, culture and hospitality. “You’ll drink Kilo Kai at that point in your life when you’ve decided taste is more important,” says Trayser. “Your bartender will recommend you switch to Kilo Kai when you mistakenly ask for something with a cartoon character on the bottle.”

The innovative package design features real skateboard tape on the bottle and was crafted by international brand design firm Turner Duckworth (San Francisco & London). The Kilo Kai skull-and-crossbones logo incorporates two K’s to form the skull’s teeth and bones. Order a “Kilo and Coke” and the irreverent cultural reference completes the no-cartoon-zone attitude of Kilo Kai.

Kilo Kai is available at more than 100 bars and clubs throughout the Chicago area and will soon be launched throughout the Midwest and on the West Coast.

November 11 Launch Party and Concert
In Chicago, Kilo Kai will be formally introduced on Sunday, November 11 at the legendary Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee, in Wicker Park. The Kilo Kai “Take No Prisoners” Chicago Launch Party will feature live performances by Bouncing Souls, PEGBOY and the Beer Nuts. Doors open at 7:30 pm for this invitation-only event. To get on the guest list, visit www.KiloKai.com for a list of pre-launch events where tickets will be given away.

About Apostrophe Brands
Apostrophe Brands is a small outfit in Chicago, Illinois. We have a big, soft spot for making the best spirits around, and we want to share that with the world: one person of legal drinking age at a time. We believe this, coupled with a ban on beach balls at sporting events, will make the world a much happier place. For more information, visit www.apostrophebrands.com.
Kilo Kai Rum. Take No Prisoners
Chicago Brand Masters Launch New Better Tasting Spiced Rum

Chicago, IL - How do you create the world’s best tasting spiced rum? Start with an island that was once home to pirates and American revolutionaries. Throw in three generations of master rum distillers who take the sugar cane and bring it to life with a special recipe that includes essences of vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. Let age for three years, gifting much to the angels through evaporation, and you’re left with Kilo Kai – the way spiced rum should taste.

Kilo Kai might still be sitting in Leáñez family barrels on Curaçao but for the palates and business savvy of Chicago brand masters Brad Trayser and Michael O’Connor. Trayser, part of the team that brought the world Effen Vodka, has once again captured lightning in a bottle. He is betting that the rum category – now the second most popular spirit behind vodka - is ready for better tasting brands that challenge market leaders.

Kilo Kai, launched in Chicago in October of 2007, is, according to Trayser, “real rum. The kind of rum you might just want to drink straight. In our blind taste tests 27 out of 28 bartenders preferred Kilo Kai rum straight when compared to four other brands, including the market leader.” KiloKai.com refers to the taste as “Layered. Complex. Aggressive - in all the right ways. If Kilo Kai were a woman, she'd make the first move, then leave you wanting more.”

Trayser believes that Kilo Kai is the brand you will hear about mostly through bartenders, musicians, waiters and others connected to nightlife, culture and hospitality. “You’ll drink Kilo Kai at that point in your life when you’ve decided taste is more important,” says Trayser. “Your bartender will recommend you switch to Kilo Kai when you mistakenly ask for something with a cartoon character on the bottle.”

The innovative package design features real skateboard tape on the bottle and was crafted by international brand design firm Turner Duckworth (San Francisco & London). The Kilo Kai skull-and-crossbones logo incorporates two K’s to form the skull’s teeth and bones. Order a “Kilo and Coke” and the irreverent cultural reference completes the no-cartoon-zone attitude of Kilo Kai.

Kilo Kai is available at more than 100 bars and clubs throughout the Chicago area and will soon be launched throughout the Midwest and on the West Coast.

November 11 Launch Party and Concert
In Chicago, Kilo Kai will be formally introduced on Sunday, November 11 at the legendary Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee, in Wicker Park. The Kilo Kai “Take No Prisoners” Chicago Launch Party will feature live performances by Bouncing Souls, PEGBOY and the Beer Nuts. Doors open at 7:30 pm for this invitation-only event. To get on the guest list, visit www.KiloKai.com for a list of pre-launch events where tickets will be given away.

About Apostrophe Brands
Apostrophe Brands is a small outfit in Chicago, Illinois. We have a big, soft spot for making the best spirits around, and we want to share that with the world: one person of legal drinking age at a time. We believe this, coupled with a ban on beach balls at sporting events, will make the world a much happier place. For more information, visit www.apostrophebrands.com.

Making Safety “Cool”

News Release – October 8, 2007
Contact: Kevin G. Boyer, (312) 421-7672 x 41, Kevin.boyer@allterrain.net

Making Safety “Cool”
Chicago Marketing Firm All Terrain tapped by
Underwriters Laboratories for Mobile Marketing Tour

Chicago, IL – All Terrain, a Chicago-based experiential marketing company, announced today that it has been retained by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to produce UL’s first ever mobile safety campaign. Launching in mid October and traveling the U.S. and Canada through 2008, the tour will emphasize the critical role UL plays in consumer safety through testing certification of more than 19,000 products, components and materials worldwide.

‘Cool’ cutting edge technologies such as holographic imaging, infrared gaming and touch-screen interactivity are being built into the specially designed tour vehicle. Stopping at schools and UL retail & manufacturing partners, the tour will also feature safety demonstrations and fun educational challenges for children, youth and adults. The tour will be supported in local markets by All Terrain’s new Public Relations Division, promoting UL’s safety messages to consumers through local media outreach and on-site grass roots efforts.

"All Terrain has a reputation as a highly innovative and uniquely creative marketing shop,” said Doug Bell, Director of Global Marketing at UL. “For the next year we will educate consumers across North America about UL’s public safety mission in ways that go beyond traditional marketing campaigns. All Terrain’s strategic guidance will help UL further its efforts to raise consumer awareness about product safety at a time when knowledge and preparedness are more important than ever.”

About All Terrain
All Terrain is an agile, integrated marketing agency that activates, personalizes and connects major brands with relevant consumers. Brook Jay and Sarah Eck-Thompson co-founded All Terrain nine years ago and in the process helped define a whole new marketing category – Experiential Marketing. All Terrain is now a highly-recognized agency offering special event production, multi-site, multi-disciplinary promotional campaigns, strategic brand positioning, field teams, point-of-sale, events, e-marketing, mobile marketing, advertising, sampling, public relations, influencer advocacy and entertainment. They serve name-brand clients including GMC, Buick, Saturn, Pernod Ricard – one of the country’s largest spirits distributors, the Tribune Company, Anheuser-Busch, Sofitel Chicago, Underwriter Laboratories and more. For more information, visit: www.allterrain.net.

About UL
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems annually with 21 billion UL Marks appearing on 71,000 manufacturers’ products each year. UL’s worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 66 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 104 countries. For more information, visit: www.UL.com.

New Le Passage to Debut October 2007

News Release – September 19, 2007

Contact: Kevin G. Boyer, (312) 421-7672 x 41, kevin.boyer@allterrain.net


New Le Passage to Debut October 2007
Legendary Gold Coast nightclub adds The Drawing Room, a culinary cocktail lounge

Chicago, IL – Three Headed Productions, new owners Le Passage, today announced their long-anticipated plans for the legendary Gold Coast nightclub. The club is undergoing a transformation and will re-open in late October 2007 as Le Passage Discothèque and The Drawing Room at Le Passage, a culinary cocktail lounge. All Terrain, the Chicago-based lifestyle and experiential marketing shop, is the lead partner on the redesign and re-branding of the space.

“The Drawing Room at Le Passage will be a sensual culinary cocktail lounge,” said Brook Jay, President of All Terrain, “evoking the spirit of a traditional drawing room where people share their lives and friendships over sumptuous small plate food, classic cocktails, set in an intoxicating environment of modern, organic luxury.” The new Drawing Room and Discothèque at Le Passage will be open late afternoons to late night.

The Drawing Room at Le Passage will be a 55-seat lounge dedicated to the art of bartending, top-flight wines and superb shared dining. A new door on Rush Street (937 N. Rush) will lead down to the redesigned space. A classic cocktail menu created by Master Mixologist Bridget Albert and an American contemporary menu designed by celebrity Chef Shawn McClain and executed by McClain protégé Nicholas Lacasse will be complemented by a premiere wine list designed by Master Sommeilier Serafin Alvarado.

“The Drawing Room will cement Le Passage’s reputation as the top Gold Coast nightclub destination,” said Matt Lindner, co-owner of Three Headed Productions. “This new nightlife experience marries Chef McClain’s menu with a classic cocktail service prepared tableside from custom bar carts if desired. After dinner and drinks, it will be hard to resist the beckoning beat of the music in Le Passage’s Discothèque.”

Le Passage Discothèque will keep its unique entrance down the cobblestone alley off Rush Street. The interior will be refreshed, maintaining its spectacular architectural elements. Music curators for both spaces will be DJs Matt Roan and Emilio Abadila.

The changes at Le Passage are presented by well-known innovators in the nightlife and restaurant industry Three Headed Productions. New proprietors of Le Passage, Three Headed Productions are also owners of Chicago nightspots Cans Bar and Canteen, Evil Olive, Salud Tequila Lounge and Junior’s Sports Lounge as well as leading bars in Milwaukee and Charlotte.

The Drawing Room at Le Passage will be open Wednesday to Sunday, 4 pm to 4 am, 5 am on Saturdays. Le Passage Discothèque will be open Thursday to Sunday, 9 pm to 4 am, 5 am on Saturdays. For more information visit www.lepassage.com.
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Le Passage
937 N. Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 255-0022

All Terrain is “Fashion Focused”

News Release – September 10, 2007
Contact: Kevin G. Boyer, (312) 421-7672 x 41, Kevin.Boyer@allterrain.net

All Terrain is “Fashion Focused”
Creative team behind City’s Fashion Focus marketing campaign

Chicago, IL - Chicago-based marketing agency All Terrain is the creative force behind the just-launched marketing campaign by the City of Chicago supporting Fashion Focus Chicago. The colorful design is already sprouting up downtown on City Information Panels and bus shelters and the campaign will extend to transit advertising, taxicab advertising and a collateral print campaign.

Design services were donated by All Terrain, the hot lifestyle and experiential marketing shop whose clients have included Saturn, Cirque du Soleil, Bio Elements, DKNY, Sofitel Hotels, Pontiac, Red Bull, Le Passage nightclub, Tribune Company and Pernod Ricard.

“Chicago’s fashion industry is diverse, dynamic and growing.” said All Terrain’s president, Brook Jay. “We are honored to have been asked to be part of the creative team for Fashion Focus Chicago, celebrating established and emerging Chicago designers. We are excited to be supporting the designers that are living and working in Chicago.”

Beginning Tuesday, October 9, and continuing through Sunday, October 14, Fashion Focus Chicago 2007 will feature five runway shows, shopping tours, student designer events, fashion installations and industry seminars. This celebration of the fashion industry in Chicago showcases more than 100 Chicago fashion designers and the evolution of Chicago’s diverse fashion community.

About All Terrain
All Terrain is an agile, integrated marketing agency that activates, personalizes and connects major brands with relevant consumers. Brook Jay and Sarah Eck-Thompson co-founded All Terrain nine years ago and in the process helped define a whole new marketing category – Experiential Marketing. All Terrain is now a highly-recognized agency offering special event production, multi-site, multi-disciplinary promotional campaigns, strategic brand positioning, field teams, point-of-sale, events, e-marketing, mobile marketing, advertising, sampling, public relations, influencer advocacy and entertainment. They serve name-brand clients including GMC, Buick, Saturn, Pernod Ricard – one of the country’s largest spirits distributors, the Tribune Company, Anheuser-Busch, Sofitel Chicago, Underwriter Laboratories and more. For more information, visit: www.allterrain.net.

Looking for the meaning...any meaning

According to http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2006/whatshot.html
the burning questions on the mind of net users this week includes the search for meaning...or a least a request for a definition ir two....

Define...

1. define promiscuous
2. define web 2.0
3. define ftw
4. define calidad
5. define ajax
6. define ensayo
7. define ciencia
8. define administracion
9. define harlequin
10. define filosofia

Social Media Advertising

Take the social media plunge: 6 pointers

By Rob Crumpler

If you use traditional media assessment formulas to plan an ad strategy in the new world of social media, you're making a big mistake. Here's why.

If you knew of a way to drive lower cost-per-conversion rates for your online advertising campaigns, while super-charging ad performance, wouldn't you tell your media buyers to adopt that method, pronto?

Advertising against social media (on blog sites or within social networks) promises far better returns than traditional online content, but many advertisers are struggling when it comes to tapping into the power of these user-generated content (UGC) networks.

Social media -- in which word-of-mouth communication reigns -- is unparalleled at building passionate networks of like-minded people, particularly in the blogosphere. Of course, the nebulous world of social media is also a thorn in advertisers' collective sides due to a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the unpredictable content it generates and the difficulty in accurately measuring its impact.

Why is social media so hard to corral and measure? One reason is that the people creating the kind of influential content that impacts consumer behavior aren't necessarily the people who claim the most eyeballs. An "influencer" may have a small audience from a numbers' standpoint but can also have a massive impact on your target customers' buying habits.

The recent Nielsen//NetRatings announcement about the new "time spent" metric underscores this issue. The industry shift away from the page view as the unrivaled metric king demonstrates that the number of hits on a website doesn't necessarily equal the most value for your advertising dollar.

Since the most influential blogs don't always have the biggest audiences, traditional online advertising models can be far off the mark when it comes to reaching the most qualified leads

.

For example, an ad buy targeted to a search result is unlikely to place you in front of networks of people with a passion for the product or service you're offering. However, a blog that draws together a community of like-minded readers -- who engage in discussions and share ideas and opinions -- has the loyal audience that can significantly drive up conversion rates.

Initial research bears this out: A recent study from BlueLithium Labs compared ads on sites with UGC, and sites without such content. The ads on non-UGC sites had a 32 percent higher conversion rate; however, due to the lower cost of advertising on UGC sites, the cost-per-conversion for non-UGC sites was 58 percent higher.

Advertisers are sensing this promise. The latest research from eMarketer shows that ad spending on websites that feature UGC (like photo and video sharing) is expected to rise to $4.3 billion by 2011.

The key is for advertisers to define the kind of social media (blogs, for example) that best fits their overall brands and specific campaigns, then design an effective way to surface the content that will truly deliver from an ad perspective.

Finding the people who influence consumer behavior

Locating influencers is a tough online challenge, especially in an internet landscape characterized by traditional media, UGC, social networks and 12 million blogs in the United States alone. Popularity ranking and subjective authority evaluations of a particular website or blog fall short when you take a closer look. A blogger who is considered an authority on a given topic might hold great influence when it comes to that subject but could have less or zero influence if a new topic is introduced. Likewise, a specific web page may be "popular" but ranks very low on the influence scale on a specific topic within a certain context.

A year or so ago, online marketers were advised to listen to online conversations in order to gauge what was being said about their products. Listening will always be critical, but as social media matures as a marketing channel, zeroing in on the content to actually engage with it is becoming increasingly important for brands.

Fortunately, new technologies are making it easier to find the influencers who matter more quickly. And some marketers are finding that, when it comes to social media, simply building relationships with online opinion leaders can create marketing events that deliver measurable business impact.

Screenlife Games, a Seattle-based maker of DVD games, recently used influence-targeting technology to build awareness of the 2007 edition of its "American Idol" game, based on the TV series of the same name.

Screenlife was able to hone in on blogs most likely to attract potential buyers of the game. This was accomplished by searching for conversational phrases specific to the 2007 season, such as "Melinda is the best," that would indicate the presence of a dedicated crowd of "American Idol" fans, or fans of Screenlife games, and not just a blog that mentioned the "Idol" show once or twice.

"We're able to catch general fans of the show and focus in on specific conversations about our game," explains Tony Roscelli, Screenlife's director of consumer research. "We can find out what they like and parlay it into marketing programs."

By monitoring conversations, and understanding who is interacting with the most passionate customers and to what effect, advertisers can generate lists of niche blogs and websites they may not have been aware of, and integrate this data into their online advertising strategy.

Another example of maximizing the power of social media can be seen with Protuo.com, a provider of web-based career portfolio management services. Protuo was in search of the elusive "influencer" audience when it decided to leverage social media technology to help uncover blogs focusing on career and human resources issues.

By monitoring online conversations about recruiting and hiring strategies, the company was able to identify the bloggers most likely to draw an audience that would use Protuo's services. Protuo then invited key bloggers to review its offerings, which spurred discussion and ultimately increased traffic and Protuo.com registrations. During its influence campaign, overall traffic to Protuo.com has risen 27 percent. What's more, Protuo found that traffic from influential websites converted to registration 40 percent better than online leads generated from other sites.

Before you set out to identify the online influencers that are most important to your advertising strategy, make sure you and your team understand how social media requires a different plan of action.

1. Know your marketing goals: Be careful not to get roped into helming a social media marketing or advertising effort simply because it's trendy. Before embarking on these initiatives, take the time to understand what you want from your ad spend. How do you want creators and consumers of social media to respond to your ad efforts? What is their ideal experience? Clicking on a text link off of a blog post, or reading blog coverage of your company from a source they trust and traveling to your site via an embedded link? Figure out the answers to these questions before jumping into a social media advertising program.

2. Rethink the definition of marketing communications: If you use traditional media assessment formulas to plan an ad strategy in the new world of social media, you're making a big mistake. Social media is much more than another way to communicate with your target market; it's a way for your customers to trade information that helps them make better decisions, given that they've become somewhat hardened about marketing spin. These days, they prefer to take their cues from other consumers whom they trust. For a social media-based ad campaign to be successful, it needs to be based on authentic interactions at every stage of the customer lifecycle, not just when you're pushing messages out to them.

3. Find the influencers: You can't plan an online advertising strategy until you know how to reach an audience that's primed to hear your messages. You need to identify where the conversations that connect to your marketing goals are taking place, and who is shaping those conversations. Since influence in the social media world isn't always determined by audience size, this can lead to some interesting surprises. The process of finding influencers turns some conventional ideas about marketing upside down. Rather than first searching for advertising targets and then deciding where and when to advertise, the process begins by determining what's being said, and figuring out who is saying it.

4. See beyond the assumed customer base: Marketers need to recognize that influencers are not always the current customers for their company's products and services. They can be former customers who have become dissatisfied, they may be fans of your competitors, or they may simply have strong opinions about your market. The ability to see beyond your own customer base is an important skill for social media engagement.

5. Redefine what "advertising" means: It's not just about placing an ad anymore. For instance, companies like Protuo can use a social media engagement strategy to generate online leads (which is the objective of many paid search ad campaigns). As a result, the company was able to generate traffic that converted to action better than incoming leads from typical online advertising methods. Marketers don't necessarily associate "influencer marketing" with hard metrics, but the dense network of links that power social media conversations enables consumers reading their favorite blogs to quickly jump to the kind of content that will trigger a purchase.

6. Take a multi-pronged approach: In social media, traditional online ad placement isn't enough to engage your potential customers. Participation is a key step. Comment on the blogs of key influencers. Write your own posts in order to challenge them on important topics. Join in the conversation instead of waiting for the conversation to come to you.

Finally, a key piece of advice for any marketer who wants to stick a toe in the social media waters: If this is your first foray into a social media advertising effort, don't invest too much in the first campaign. Do it quickly, do it cheaply and change strategies if needed. The good news is that social media -- with its low cost of entry and speed of access -- lends itself well to this kind of marketing journey.

Rob Crumpler is president and CEO of BuzzLogic.

All Terrain Marketing Launches PR Division

All Terrain Marketing Launches
Public Relations Division
Senior Chicago PR and Marketing Exec
Tapped to Lead New Department

Chicago, IL – Brook Jay and Sarah Eck-Thompson, founders of All Terrain, the fast-growing Chicago-based experiential and lifestyle marketing agency, announced today the creation of a new public relations division – All Terrain Public Relations. Leading the division as the new Director of Public Relations and Marketing is Kevin Boyer, former principal of Chicago-based Third Coast Marketing, and also chief marketing officer of the successful Chicago 2006 Gay Games.

“All Terrain has always offered high-quality public relations services to our clients, albeit through third party agencies,” said President/CMO Brook Jay. “Serving our clients with in-house PR professionals will yield greater client benefits due to synergies with the rest of our marketing team.”

All Terrain Public Relations will support existing All Terrain accounts requiring media relations services and will assist companies with corporate reputation; product, service or event visibility, crisis communication; and non-traditional public relations campaigns.

Leading All Terrain’s new Public Relations division will be Kevin Boyer, a marketing and communications professional with more than 15 years of experience. Boyer was the chief marketing officer of the 2006 Chicago Gay Games, a quadrennial sports and culture festival with more athletes than the Olympics.

As CMO and chief media representative, he created and managed a multi-million dollar public relations and marketing campaign with outreach in 100 countries and eight languages and represented the Chicago host organization in hundreds of TV, radio, print and online interviews. Boyer brings his successful marketing consulting practice at Third Coast Marketing with him to All Terrain where he assumes the title director of public relations and marketing.

“We are thrilled to have a professional of Kevin’s caliber and reputation joining our team at All Terrain,” said Jay. “His extensive background in media relations and strategic marketing will yield immediate results for our company and clients.” Boyer will also support All Terrain sales and marketing efforts, especially in the areas of sports, entertainment, travel, tourism, hospitality, food & beverage and gay/lesbian marketing.

To contact All Terrain Public Relations, call 312.421.7672 or email Kevin.Boyer@allterrain.net.

About All Terrain

All Terrain is an agile, integrated marketing agency that activates, personalizes and connects major brands with relevant consumers. Brook Jay and Sarah Eck-Thompson co-founded All Terrain nine years ago and in the process helped launch a whole new marketing category – Experiential Marketing. All Terrain is now a highly-recognized agency offering special event production, multi-site, multi-disciplinary promotional campaigns, strategic brand positioning, field teams, point-of-sale, events, e-marketing, mobile marketing, advertising, sampling, public relations, influencer advocacy and entertainment. They serve name-brand clients including GMC, Buick, Saturn, Diageo – the country’s largest spirits distributor, the Tribune Company, Anheuser-Busch, Sofitel Chicago, Underwriter Laboratories and more.

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All Terrain ~ 1438 West Kinzie, Suite 200 ~ Chicago IL 60622 ~ www.allterrain.net ~ t 312.421.7672 ~ f 312.421.7683

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