Fans can’t get enough of Fox’s hit show “American Idol.” And now Fox is turning to New Media to meet the demand and make millions more in profits. Good for them… and good for you!

Deb and I are still in San Antonio visiting with our friends Armando and Veronica Montelongo. Yesterday as Armando and I were developing his podcast strategy to leverage the popularity of their hit show on A&E “Flip This House” I came across this interesting tidbit of info.

This past Monday (02/18/08) Fox began their partnership with iTunes where American Idol fans can now purchase top 24 semifinalist performances exclusively on iTunes for 99¢ per song.

Why this is so cool is, just like Armando, YOU will be able to get a free boost to your New Media Marketing.

How?

Well… Fox is driving hundreds of thousands of people to iTunes who might never have heard of the service. That’s a lot of visitors. And even the people who are already familiar with iTunes will be returning there a lot more times than they would have without Fox’s push of American Idol.

It’s just like when a shopping mall has a great restaurant or high-end anchor store. That one larger store is usually marketing more aggressively. Many of the shoppers they attract explore the other stores in the mall while they’re there. They get the opportunity to get customers for free.

The same is true with American Idol promoting iTunes. You get the chance to attract more prospects and customers to your podcast as they “browse” around iTunes.

Just one more reason to get your New Media Marketing in full swing, and get your podcast going!

John Paul Micek is a co-founder of the international business coaching company RPM Success Group ® Inc. He and his partner Deborah are authors of the hit book Secrets Of Online Persuasion. They are creators of the ONLY Web site system to put New Media to work marketing FOR you — BLOG i360™. For media contacts or speaking requests & partnering inquires, contact J.P. at [krazycapitalist@gmail.com]. Or, share your thoughts & comments below.

You see it everywhere…. You Tube, Bright Cove, and MySpace. In-stream and overlay ads that marketers and advertising agencies count as New Media Marketing. Don’t give me that crap! That’s not New Media — especially when those overlays auto-open in the middle of a video. That’s the same old marketplace molestation on a new channel.

Christine Beardsell in a recent article The next Step in Online Video Marketing raises an interesting point, (and even more cutting question.)

“YouTube, Hulu, Joost, Brightcove, and endless other content providers are seeking fast, scalable advertising models. Now, with announcements from companies like FreeWheel, such interruptive models (in-stream video and overlay ads) will soon prevail.

The question: where do real conversations fit into these models? Sure, we can now market a car racing show within (or on top of) a video about cars, but what about the interactivity and conversations we keep hearing about?”

Now you guys and gals already know my thoughts on conversations. I feel like pulling a Bill Clinton circa 1992 whenever I here that word related to New Media and saying “It’s the CONNECTIONS stupid!” Conversations without connection are useless if your goal is to build a Tribe.

But that fine point aside, Christine hits the mark here in identifying the next freight train of pain to hit advertisers, marketers, and PR pros trying to use New Media Marketing.

Old school marketplace molester tactics will not do!

Online marketers better get the new rule book for the game. Or they should plan to get booted out of the game altogether, (at least the profitable end,) very soon.

Winning at the game of New Media Marketing has a new set of requirements. Whether you’re a mega marketing firm, PR agency pumping out promos for your clients, or an eager online entrepreneur fighting to build your business, expect to give extra:

- Attention to strategy
- Creativity in production
- Attention to emotional connection

These are the basic requirements. These are what will create, as Christine says so well, “experiences people want to seek out, rather than click away from.”

You do as your Tribe does

If you want to attract a Tribe, instead of trick the “herd” — then start to think about what YOU do online. Think about your natural actions and activities when it comes to developing your New Media Marketing strategy… instead of what “experts” write about in magazines or “gurus” tell you in emails that end up in your Spam filter.

Side note: In the last month or two we’ve been so busy with traveling, software and course development that I’ve admittedly (and quite obviously) neglected sharing insights and thoughts here at Tribal Seduction. But when I cam across Christine’s article and shared my thoughts with several clients I heard the same thing — “why don’t you share that type of stuff at Tribal Seduction?”

I will be doing my best to heed the advice of those wise men and women and open up my 3lbs. of gray matter in a more “free flow” format here from now on. It’s a long road to recovery, but I’m on my way.