I’ve Got A Crush On…

There. I said it. It’s not really a secret. I’ve professed my man-crush on JT in the past. I love the dude.

Why I love JT

Justin Timberlake is the man. He’s talented (acting, singing, dancing). He’s funny (remember his “in a box” SNL skit?). And, yes, he’s good looking (I’m cool with admitting that).

But This Post Is Not Really About JT

JT is just the hook. Sort of like the title of this post. Come on. Admit it. You were sucked in by the word “crush.” You were hoping for the “Crush on Obama” video, right?

What This Post Is About

It is my belief that when you are passionate about something, you should shout it from the rooftops…share the love. Note: Remember, JT was just the hook. I’m not passionate about him. That excitement and energy is contagious. I had a brief, but interesting Twitter exchange with Olivier Blanchard (aka @thebrandbuilder):

@thebrandbuilder: I really value my rule about pimping my clients on Twitter, so all I can say is that some of my clients, I REALLY have a lot of respect for.

@djwaldow: curious abt this rule of yours. Why wouldn’t you pimp your clients? I mean…if they rock, they rock, right?

@thebrandbuilder: It’s kind of like sponsored tweets. Pimping a client on Twitter can seem… Self serving. So I don’t. 🙂

@djwaldow: hear you. think i’m hung up on word “pimp.” Would love to chat over (free) beers @sofresh http://idek.net/Oa3 Until then!

@thebrandbuilder: you bet

I really do plan on having a >140 character discussion with Olivier in a few weeks. However, this conversation got my wheels turning. Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but if I’m working with a client or an individual that is doing really good work I want to tell the world. What is the concern? Olivier mentions the self-serving nature of “client pimping.” But aren’t you really just celebrating their success? I believe that if you are truly excited (pumped!) it is the opposite of self-serving. It’s genuine.

At my day job, we talk about the great work of clients all the time. A few recent examples include:

• Why Your Email Newsletter Needs A Refresh – a post about how Chris Brogan’s newsletter rocked
• Showing The Love Through Your Email Marketing – a great example of a timely, targeted email.
• Blue Sky Spotlight: Verizon Thinkfinity – a detailed account of how Thinkfinity uses their email marketing campaigns to drive engaged prospects to different parts of their website.

Is this pimping? Again, maybe I misinterpreted Olivier’s comment. In person, over a (free) cold beer and the world should be back to right. Or maybe we’ll just agree to disagree. Either way, I’m very curious to understand what I am missing.

Your Turn

So, who do you have a crush on? What clients or individuals or groups do you love? What makes you so passionate about shouting out your love for them?

DJ Waldow
@djwaldow

P.S. I also have a crush on Matt Damon for similar reasons as JT