I’m a huge comic book fan. I read tonnes of them each year and like all comic book fans, I get my new from the internet these days, instead of the old comic magazines that used to be published.
So one of the Big Two, DC Comics (the other being Marvel), started a blog called The Source just about a week ago and has been publishing posts fast and furiously ever since. And I think while their industry, being one that sells new product on a weekly basis, certainly fits the speed and delivery of a blog very well, they’ve used it in some interesting ways that have made me sit up and take notice.
First of all, when you get to the blog, you can’t help but notice the “After Watchmen” banner right on top. Absolutely brilliant strategic move to tie in the blog to the hit movie, and let the larger audience know that Watchmen was indeed a product of DC, many many years ago.
The next and most obvious way for DC to utilise their blog, would be to tease upcoming content. And they’re doing just that, with lots of stuff on this summer’s big event, Blackest Night. So they do stuff like that, which certainly helps put their product front and center in people’s minds, but what I really like is the way they’ve used the blog to humanise the company. For example, the blog details a day in the life of a Batman group editor, as well as pictures of certain interiors of the office.
I talk to people about starting a blog all the time, and I’m always astounded when people say their stuff is boring, no one wants to read this, what’s there to blog, the usual excuses.
There’s lots of things that can be done with a company blog. And surprise surprise, it doesn’t always have to be about your product/service/cause/non-profit/school/whatever, and frankly, neither should it be.
On the 26th of March, I was invited to Supperclub at Odeon Towers to check out the new laptop from HP, the HP Pavilion dv2 entertainment notebook pc. If you’ve been reading this blog you probably know I don’t usually talk a lot about the gadget itself but more on the communications efforts behind it, but this time I’ll say this is one gadget I really do like.
In terms of what a laptop is, no biggie, it’s a regular laptop. Moderate processor, 12.1 screen, no cd drive. But the big plus points for me: It’s 1.6kg and its’ price starts at $1,299. I mean seriously, I bought my current laptop for double that. I think in the current day and age where mobility is a huge factor, the HP Pavilion dv2 stands out. Why would I buy a $800-$900 netbook and squint my eyes out at a 8 to 10 inch screen, when I could shell out a few more hundred bucks and get a proper laptop? It’s quite a no brainer.
The other thing that’s awesome is a width. Check out the picture below and you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s less than one inch thin. Oh, and it has a HDMI port too. Another thing my current laptop doesn’t have.
HP Pavilion dv2
The event itself was one of the more intimate ones, and that’s a good thing. I make it a point these days to try not to attend events that are shared with mainstream media, simply because it’s just too difficult to get someone’s attention and a demo of the product. With this event, no problem. Within three minutes (literally) of stepping into the room, I had a drink and a product manager letting me have a hands-on go at the Pavilion dv2, while he was there to handle any questions. I think the premise behind this is simple: The more the blogger plays with the product, the more he/she can talk about it.
One thing I will say (and I’m being cheeky here) with regards to the communication effort. I wanted to say that not having a cd drive isn’t a dealbreaker these days because seriously, how often does one use it anyway? Then I realised all the press materials they handed out were on a cd. It would’ve been nice to emphasise that cds are really not that important anymore with a small thumbdrive, sd card, or just a downloadable link!
All in all, if I were in the market for a second, backup laptop for school or travel, this would be it. Sure, it doesn’t have the gaming power that my current laptop does, but there are some days when I’m heading out for just a three hour class or I want to sit somewhere and just blog (like I’m doing now), and on those days, a lighter, slimmer laptop like the dv2 would just be awesome.
