Marketing Playbook: Giving-something-away-begets...permission marketing!

'Talked on here before about that 'Freeconomics' concept, or just 'giving it away,' as a Web 2.0 marketing tool.

And with the fundamentals of the economy shaky-at-best...

'We could all welcome Neil Gaiman's 'Graveyard Book,' (or what I call the give-it-away-tour) whereby he reads a -- chapter-a-day from the tour and you get to follow along at home;

firstly, this reviewer calls that new book -- 'the spookiest, coolest, most dream-like and smart young adult horror novel...' -- but, let's, for the moment, put that on the shelf, and peal back that marketing playbook.

The deal is this, as he tours, the author -- 'is reading the book aloud, a different chapter at every stop, and his publishers are putting the full readings online every day...(in the form of a) -- 'do-not-miss bit of free vid.'

Sooo that - 'By the end of the tour you get a free book.' -- or what I'd call a bedtime story, straight-from-the-horses-mouth. And Gaiman's gain is having alotta heads (like myself) -- talking up the Graveyard Book.

This type of 'street-smart marketing strategy that enlists' fans-as-promoters has been called -- 'permission marketing' -- and it's also being tested on marketing films to people.

I'd be so bold to suggest such marketing is at the heart of web 2.0 (and the future of all social networking sites), serving also as the Ultimate Equalizer for all media in the years to follow.

Allow me a moment to explain.

FACTS: We know that the big studio companies have embraced marketing films online: 'Last year alone, the major film studios pumped $754 million into web ads; experts suggest that figure to jump up to $2.4 billion by 2012.

But smaller companies have also jumped online with their own 'case studies in successful viral marketing' that gives a how-to nod for others to follow.

Embracing the ethos: 'Keep hustling, be lean and opportunistic, be constantly interactive and digital, be random, provoke, and offend. All along, make sure your audience feels personally invested in your brand. Writ large, this strategy evinces the new marketing order,' says Business Week.

'This is about permission marketing, people actually seeking you out and asking to be involved,' suggests Indie filmmaker Alfred Spellman (Rakontur Films).

Adding, that online stategy includes responding -- 'to every fan e-mail and Facebook message he receives—even if he has to wade through hundreds a day. They both also dutifully Twitter and Flickr their daily filmmaking adventures. It's a bit like The Truman Show.'

'When a Rakontur studio was burglarized last year, the filmmakers posted a video of the hilariously inept thieves. Fans blasted out the link, and megaportal gizmodo.com turned it into a national viral phenomenon. The burglar's father was so embarrassed that he turned in his daughter. The upshot: Free press for Rakontur—and a surge in fans visiting their Web site to preview their film and buy merchandise.'

Here in this cool clip, Sci-Fi Director Johnny Wu, adds his own three cents to wannabee filmmakers in terms of the marketing, sales and distribution of indie films: