My spry and busy 62 year old Dad had a heart attack in October while playing tennis in the Senior’s Games in St George, Utah. Were it not for the decisive and immediate CRP he received  from another player in the tournament, I’d be writing this through a very different lens. That’s why I loved seeing Ken Jeong (of Hangover fame) pop up in my Facebook feed this week – he’s the face behind an awareness campaign from the American Heart Association. The campaign is nearly a year old – debuting in June 2011, which makes it not new, but new to me, okay? And a year on, are you familiar with the latest best practices in CPR? If not, please share this.

The message is simple: performing CPR is as easy as keeping the beat to Stayin’ Alive…it’s disco, baby. What makes this spot so effective is it’s inherent stickiness – Stayin’ Alive is a powerful earworm if ever there was one, and to link of the action of CPR to the song’s beat is really brilliant.  I probably won’t hear it again without performing involuntary chest compressions. So beware if you invite me over and plan on spinning some BeeGees.   The AHA have created something so memorable in it’s zaniness, familiarity, and sheer simpleness of message- something certainly worth sharing for it’s important content and entertainment factor.
It’s hard to get it right – but when it works, it really works.

Another great thing:

Facebook Timeline is like a star sign that keeps ascending….or something freaky like that. (!) I’ve come across a few examples of businesses using the new Pages structure in interesting ways – and Facebook links to some cool examples, like Modern Family and Red Bull.  My personal favourite-of-the-moment is EMI Music Canada.  Instead of just pumping out the latest and greatest in their Top 40 catalogue, or what would be “obvious” in terms of the “viral” factor,  EMI have used their Timeline to take us back. Waaaaay back to the company’s founding in 1949…. and to releases of years gone by.

This is a highly effective way of stretching their demographic past the tweens and teens. It’s also a great use of their huge content library, and associates the brand with their extensive catalogue. I was able to scroll back and place myself between David Bowie and Roxy Music.

Ziggy Stardust
Where were you in 1974? I was in a diaper. But I was rockin'.
It’s a sweet little social media archive, and one of the best early examples of effective brand pages that I’ve seen. EMI Canada have created an inclusive Facebook strategy – the contests are there, the polls, the pithy updates – but the depth lies just below the surface – or down the Timeline.

Business Pages will all incur the switch to Timeline this month, and it’s high time to think about what this platform now offers to clever punters. As usual, Facebook guru Mari Smith has developed an excellent guide.  But simply, strive to create a timeline that engages and encourages visitors to take a journey back – particularly if you’re a company with a history of content that people can relate to, remember, and associate with milestones in their own lives.