Metrotech BID: Getting Trendy With The Facebookz and Handy Shopping Guide

Shopping in Downtown Brooklyn is down and dirty (at least for now). One would never think that there would be enough to warrant a nice sheen when it comes to a little press and marketing; the charm is that it's a microcosm that isn't neatly packaged.

However, surprisingly the Metrotech BID, who is trying to champion the neighborhood that alternately is the hottest neighborhood in Brooklyn and one of those areas where nobody knows really where/what it is, has fashioned a sort of organized flow chart for the holiday season. So if you know you can get your family something at Macy's or Jimmy Jazz, or any sneakers to speak of, maybe you'll take a look and enter the Holidays in the Heart of Brooklyn sweepstakes. This includes 2 nights in the Sheraton awkwardly situated among scaffolding currently; dinner at Morton's (which is the kicker for me), and a nice discount at the TKTS.

So the microsite is nice and the Facebook page is really well done considering it just started and they invested into a little creative work and some decent messaging/copy even with only 92 likes. You enter the sweepstakes on Facebook (although Wildfire's application can be used on the microsite as well but they chose to funnel traffic I'm guessing) and take a look at their shopping guide.


Two things about this guide: one, it's nice that all the local businesses I see are getting holiday cheery with small discounts across the board, whether dining, apparel, etc.

The other thing is though; how do we ask for the discount? Do we just print out the section where they are listed? Do half of these businesses know they are doing discounts? It's not like Tanger outlets or Woodbury Commons where everything is name brand and part of a larger real estate structure. I know that's what this shopping guide is supposed to do, organize into a bigger marketing picture, but I'm just a little skeptical that I'm actually going to get "10%" at Jack's Barber Shop down the street. 10% of what? 10% of a haircut? 10% of the barber's mind?

Exciting stuff but not quite there yet. Although I did 'like' the Facebook page and would love to see it develop from a good digital strategy. Until then, there's always the scrappy Downtown Brooklyn Facebook page...



and Solange's pretty awesome cover:

Ludacris's "Fantasy" in Brooklyn classroom, Notes On A Scandal style

Talk about learning a new tongue (oh come on, that was from Tomorrow Never Dies). According to the Daily News, none to wise, two female high school teachers were caught naked with each other. Passions I guess were fervent a la Notes on a Scandal and the two teachers were immediately given the boot. And they were Romance language teachers. The jokes just sell themselves. Definitely wrong place wrong time sort of thing.

All of this went down (oh come on that's just an expression) at James Madison High in Midwood in our fair county. Famous alum include Joe Torre's brother Frank, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Loni Berman of Berman Bothers. Now social media is in on the case, as there is a Facebook fan page dedicated to all those rumors that have apparently come true: The Infamous Ms. Brito Rumor on Facebook. Not a lot of love for that janitor who initially caught them so far...

"The infamous Ms.Brito rumor. Excuse me, but for those of you that wants this page deleted that will not happen unless Facebook says to do so. For one thing, this page does not tell you anything that nobody doesnt know. It is here so we all can talk about a rumor. Second, we are not exploiting the teachers any more than the students already are."

It's like this, except they weren't angry, they were naked, and they were younger and in a classroom:

And of course, every male high school student is probably wondering if this was in the background: