"The Taste of Yellow Chocolate" spokesman, Josh Winger

Last year, New Zealand’s yellow pages, known as Yellow, created a publicity stunt that got people talking. The company built a tree house restaurant only using businesses found in its listings.   

Now, Yellow has launched a reality TV-inspired campaign with a similar premise. The campaign, called “The Taste of Yellow Chocolate,” stars 27-year-old spokesman Josh Winger. Winger, a former photocopier salesman, will have six months to create, manufacture, advertise, and distribute a chocolate bar that “tastes like yellow.”

Josh has no related experience, but was selected for his “Kiwi ‘can-do’ attitude.”

On the campaign’s website, he asks for feedback. Should his chocolate have more conventional “yellow” influences like honey or vanilla? Or, should it taste like a sunset or a VW Beetle? 

The website also features blog posts, pictures, and video updates. Videos show Josh behind the scenes touring his new office, contemplating how to fix the toilet, and buying a computer. He also posts updates on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

The campaign adds relevance to the phone book as a printed artifact. It also adds value to Yellow’s customers by listing every business Josh uses on the entertaining website.

“If your business isn’t in Yellow,” Josh says, “then people like me won’t be ringing you.” Clearly, the company is banking on its spokesman’s likability.

Like a TV show, the campaign draws people in with plot, character, and conflict. Will the public like his chocolate? Will he rise to the challenge? Will he complete the project in time? Stay tuned to find out.

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Social networking is everywhere. And everyday it seems like there is some new social networking site or platform.

So, in honor of the upcoming weekend, we’d like to get social and shed some light on how one of these new sites works.

To do so, we spoke with Josh Rachford, who works for a new(ish) contender in the social networking ring, Tumblr.

Tumblr, started in 2007, is a short-form blogging platform, which allows users to post photos, videos, audio, links, and text. Basically, it’s a way for users to share virtually anything they find (and like) on the internet.

Like Twitter, Tumblr allows its users to “follow” other site users.

When you follow someone, it brings their posts up on your dashboard page. Your dashboard page is the control panel for your blog.

So, if you like an article or picture someone posted, it shows up on your dashboard. Then, you can “reblog” it, which adds it to your personal blog.

Explains Rachford:

“For example, my friend Jacob posted a picture of both of us. I saw it on my dashboard and decided I wanted to post it too. So, I click the ‘reblog’ button, and then add a little text (’That sure was awesome.’) Now, the picture appears on my blog too, with a link to Jacob’s and the text I added.”

To us, the ease of “reblogging” on Tumblr demonstrates the potential power of these social networking sites.

With the click of a button, you can reblog something another user posted, and it is immediately accessible to everyone in your network. And everyone in their network. And everyone in their network. And everyone in their network…

You get the idea.

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