Snapple Bids $10,000 to be a Bridesmaid

By Ginger Lennon

Wedding budget a little tight? Get corporate sponsorship on eBay!

Kelly Gray and her fiancé Karl Gau were set to be married in April of 2009, but the budget was tight and the couple hoped to have a bit more money to put toward the wedding. The solution to their money woes: creating the “Be My Bridesmaid” eBay auction.

The highest bidder wins a spot in the wedding party, a dress/tuxedo, shoes, and a “plus one” invitation to the reception. The auction created instant buzz, gaining the attention of media people waiting to see how far bidding would go.

When bidding closed on June 25, a member called “drpeppersnapple” had bid $5,700. To Kelly and Karl’s amazement, they had caught the attention of the people at The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group – who later raised their offer to $10,000. (Note: They will also be providing drinks for the wedding… Snapple iced teas all around! Wooo!)

The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group put out a press release yesterday saying “Weddings are about families, and we have a large one … more than 50 different brands from Dr. Pepper to Rose’s Mojitos,” said Greg Artkop, spokesperson for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. “In fact, you can find us behind the bar at most weddings, so we’re looking forward to being up at the altar for once.”

Snapple has had super-creative advertising campaigns in the past… but this one takes the [wedding] cake. Cheap publicity or not, Snapple sure knows how to leverage online buzz to its advantage.

Race you to the alter, Coke and Pepsi!

3 comments June 27th, 2008

Twitter Connects Politicians and Voters

By Ben Haber

By Ben

I’m relatively new to Twitter (follow me), and have had my fair share of frustrations with it so far. I think it’s generally pretty slow and doesn’t have a good way for new members to integrate into the network, but it does provide a great way for people to connect, who otherwise never would.

But when Twitter is working, users can now connect with politicians to share their thoughts and concerns with their representatives. While Barack Obama is on Twitter, I’ve only seen him (or someone else on his staff) update where he is or what he’s doing. However, Texas Congressman John Culberson has become an active on Twitter, engaging in back-and-forth conversation with his followers, and is actually following 732 people. This type of interaction is great, and is an example of how Twitter can help connect people.

Will more politicians turn to social networks like Twitter to help engage the public? The YouTube debates that were held last year seemed to be a big step forward in acknowledging what the elections really are about, and hats off Congressman Culberson for going a step further when he really didn’t have to.

Please Note: This post has nothing to do with supporting or not supporting Congressman Culberson. It’s simply a pat on the back for engaging citizens and listening to what they have to say.

2 comments June 27th, 2008