‘The sip heard round the world’ flooded the Twitter-sphere last night when Florida Senator Marco Rubio sneaked in a quick taste of Poland Spring right in the middle of the official Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech.
Tweets that included the terms ‘Rubio’ and ‘water’ peaked at 57,466 mentions, far outpacing mentions for ‘Desiline Victor’, the endearing 102-year-old Miami voter Obama highlighted in his section on voting rights.
Comparative Twitter mentions of ‘Rubio’, ‘Water’ and ‘Rubio Water’ according to Topsy
Senator Rubio recognized the need for self-deprecation after a speech riddled with sweaty forehead swipes and ‘the sip’. Which is why he immediately posted this photo to his Twitter handle following his speech:
Marco Rubio’s Tweet following last night’s Republican response speech
These Oreo, “You can still dunk in the dark” Super Bowl moments are rare and Poland Spring was asleep at the wheel on Facebook and winter hibernating on Twitter (last Tweet was July 20th).
Jane Lazgin, Poland Spring’s media contact said by phone, “I had no idea we would get such a response to an impromptu sip of water“.
Lazgin is right, sometimes we don’t know what will cause ‘such a response’. But there’s something Senator Rubio and Oreo’s know very well: There’s an active, three-screen audience out there thirsty (no pun intended) for social content and unless your brand can identify, evolve and market in real-time then you’ve missed the boat. That’s my final water reference.
A new study from Nielsen, which surveyed kids between the ages of 6-12, indicates that their most desirable gadget in the next six months is an iPad (48 percent). That’s up from 44 percent who wanted Apple’s tablet last year.
Well, should I buy one for my kid?
I don’t know. I’m a mobile marketer from NYC and no parent should listen to me.
“Most Desired” devices by kids between the ages of 6-12. Image courtesy of Nielsen
However, for parents who do take the plunge this Christmas I recommend embracing the technology rather than dismissing it for your kid’s sake. This I do know.
The “tech-dismisser” parent defined
iPads are placed in the “waste of time” category but a necessary evil to keep peace in the home. Kids know these parents aren’t excited when iPads are used so theoretically they become tools of parent agitation like video games or television.
Kids know at any time they can be shut down so their hurried and private time is filled with Fruit Ninja and watching “flash mobs” partly b/c they’ve been given no direction on what else to do. In short, iPads or any technology becomes exactly what this parent labeled them, “time-sucks”. It is good they care, some parents don’t.
The “tech-embracer” parent defined
iPads are perceived as digital canvases or learning platforms. Regardless if their kid draws a picture with physical crayons or on their iPad with a stylus pen (which can be printed out), they frame and hang it in the family room. Their kids feel validation by being celebrated for both their digital and non-digital creativity.
Kids will always get out of hand with technology. They’ll sometimes forget to shut down, go outside and play. Because of this, parents each have their “house rules” for all toys. My recommendation isn’t to encourage more use of technology, its to encourage better content for our kids.
