I met Barbara Rogoski several years ago when I previously lived in The Netherlands and right from the beginning found her inspiring and energetic. I also had the pleasure of doing some brief work with her on The Adventures of Super Lorelei project recently and wanted to share this as both a book review and marketing/social media case study.
As you can see on Barbara’s LinkedIn profile, she is multi-talented. She’s an ordained minister, involved on the board of the great networking group I attend in The Hague (Connecting Women) and running her business Successful Speaker Now helping people build their business, speak their truth and make a difference. She lives these qualities herself and her new book, The Adventures of Super Lorelei is an excellent example.
Barbara has seen a need in the world for more heroes and has noted there are “…very few noble and courageous heroes in gay and lesbian literature or in the media.” With statistics showing that teenagers in particular are committing suicide after being bullied and with conflict, violence, hatred and bigotry directed towards gay communities around the world, Barbara uses this story to educate about acceptance, kindness and that it’s ok to be gay.
Beyond that though, her message really is more about human rights and she recognises that children need to hear stories about living with equality, acceptance and justice for everyone.
Super Lorelei is a fictional character from the planet Harmonia, created to draw attention to the increasing amount of violence, hatred and intolerance happening on Earth. Lorelei’s mission is to help the people of Earth learn to live in peace and harmony and be tolerant of each other.
I found this an easy read, colourfully illustrated by Jeanette Baker. My girls are aged 3 & 5 and I think it’s still a bit long and complex for them, but would certainly share it with them when they are a little older. Meanwhile, I enjoyed reading it myself to see how a serious issue in our society can be viewed in a positive way, with a focus on changing our attitudes to make the world a better place.
I can see it as an excellent resource and starting point for discussion on many social justice issues. The website has a section for teens, parents and teachers.
In terms as a case study, Barbara and I talked before the launch of the book and I like the way she has incorporated social media into her campaign. When I ordered the print copy of the book, I received these great pages inserted with various ways to engage with the campaign. Excellent idea for you to consider doing something similar with your products or services:
Super Loreli has a:
- Website (dual language English & Dutch)
- Facebook page
- Twitter account
- Enewsletter (Heros club, sign up on the website)
There are also a number of promotional products such as t-shirts, mugs, notepads and more to order on the website via http://www.zazzle.com (USD) and http://www.zazzle.nl (euros), also accessible though the website.
Wishing Super Lorelei every success on her mission of making the world a better place and congratulations to Barbara for tackling an important issue in a practical way.
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This blog focusses on social media, marketing & photography. You can read more about Zestee here.
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