09/06/2024 09:16:24 AM
Clive Thompson has written an excellent piece for the New York Times on the world of social networking, digging deeper under the surface to understand what it's all about.

One quote struck me as especially interesting and concerning for those of us in the branding/marketing business.

"Fritton joked to me that she no longer buys anything worth more than $50 without quickly checking it with her Twitter network.

“I outsource my entire life,” she said. “I can solve any problem on Twitter in six minutes.” (She also keeps a secondary Twitter account that is private and only for a much smaller circle of close friends and family — “My little secret,” she said. It is a strategy many people told me they used: one account for their weak ties, one for their deeper relationships.)"

Obviously, Twitter is not yet a mass market media, but it's getting there.

In his piece Thompson suggests that the power in the social networks lies in the weak ties and those loose affiliations. They have the volume and because of their diversity they can be useful to people; helping them find jobs, get tax advice, etc.

Where does marketing fit in this world?

It's tough to interrupt these "ties", but clearly marketing folks need to take these networks a little more seriously because they are the "canaries in the coal mine" of a very possible future.

Like any issue with masses of complexity, brands prefer to shy away because they are afraid, but in this case they need to experiment, learn, fail and explore.


Posted by Ed Cotton

09/06/2024 12:41:21 AM
Virgin America has teemed up with HBO's Entourage.

Smart move because the sensibility of both the show and the brand are a perfect fit with Virgin.

It's something you can't imagine another carrier doing and clearly sets Virgin apart from the rest of the carriers.



Clearly the airline industry is looking to re-coup as many $$$ as possible, so partnerships like this are its future.

United are doing it with Westin.

What about Jet Blue?

Surely it was the brand that should have been partnering with HBO, instead, they are giving away Bed Bath and Beyond vouchers, that's not right.

Virgin has been eating away at Jet Blue's image and this type of partnership is powerful enough for them to leap way ahead.






Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: hbo (1) virgin (2) entourage (1)

09/05/2024 11:50:00 AM
I have gone on about the Gorilla long enough, so perhaps this is the last post on the topic.

Cadbury just sent out a mass email blast encouraging people to tune in to watch the preview of remixes online which will be air tonight on TV.




This is interesting because one would assume the shelf life of this idea was pretty limited and that remixes had already been done by the agency and consumers months ago.



With all the media attention the campaign had in the UK, do people want to see remixes or are they more likely to be interested in something new Cadbury has to offer?

The only logically explanation for extending the life of the ads is to reach previously untouched audience, which could be smart.

More likely, this is just about squeezing the last drop of life out of a great idea while the agency spends time seeking out the next big thing.


Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: gorilla (4) cadbury (6)

09/04/2024 07:29:03 PM
A writer gets a cool opportunity to do a piece on legendary Hollywood screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and turns it into a chance for Wired to go transparent; blog, film it and invite people in.

I guess the idea is to take a Kaufman-like approach to Kaufman.

Here's the pitch video- it's a little low tech and tough to watch..



While this is all very 2.0 and "on trend" it creates some interesting problems and issues.

1. Does any one care enough to spend valuable time going through this stuff?

2. Who might these people be? How can you give them what they want?

3. Is it really transparent- what are we missing/not seeing?

4. Notes and process also need to be compelling. It's not enough to just post or shoot you need to do more- real creative skills are required

5. Does the telling of the backstory take away from the main effort?

It's a brave attempt to do something new and original and the goal of taking the reader into the process is nice. The challenge is making all this stuff compelling enough to make people want to check it out.

Perhaps thinking it of two distinct parts is the problem; the research and the story or the process and the story.

Does it need to be "a whole"; something we just explore  and navigate around with hyperlinks et al?

It's smart of Wired to try this and I think with more work they could be on to something interesting that could lead to a new type of more "game-like"media experience.

Clearly, not everyone wants to be taken on a ride down a "wormhole", but there will be a few who might appreciate the experience, if it was designed correctly.


Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: journalism (1) media (33) kaufman (1) transparency (1) wired (3) magazines (7)

09/04/2024 02:47:39 PM
Not content with being in everyone's pockets and in their ears, Apple's iPod is carving out a position of ubiquity by being "dockable" anywhere you might want it to be and the places you probably don't.

Does this ecosystem ensure societal permanence for iPod, or does its very ubiquity ultimately become a turn off?

Now available on freezers and dozens of other household devices.
podfreezer

Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: ipod (5) electronics (5)

09/03/2024 04:47:08 PM
Media and brand websites are collecting a ton of data.

Obviously, there’s the inbuilt desire to keep and own that data, instead of sharing and using it for something. Increasingly the aggregation of data on a community level is going to be a way in which brands can enhance their relationship with their consumer base.

Dopplr is a brand that’s building its reason for being out of the sharing of its data with its users, so much so that they are starting to predict travel trends for the coming season.



Google Insights is an example of a brand providing an additional service through the sharing of data.

Another organization playing with this concept is the BBC, who are sharing their radio audience data with its user base with its Radio Pop initiative. Here's how the Beeb describes it..

"Whenever you listen to live BBC radio through Radio Pop (either within the site or with a widget) it will store what and when you listened. We can then use this data in a number of ways. Firstly, you can see a history of what you listened to - maybe you'd like to go back to last week or even last year and see what you heard. Secondly, there are at-a-glance statistics and graphs on your Radio Pop profile page showing your favourite radio networks and programmes.

Radio Pop is social software. Just like the many social networking sites out there you can add your friends to Radio Pop - then you can see their listening, subscribe to their latest programmes feed or even see the aggregated favourite networks of all your friends."


In the BBC's case the habitual data becomes the "glue" that links the social network together; integrating the brand into the network. Obviously, there will be "experts" suggesting this needs to be a Facebook application, rather than a stand alone social network.





Clearly, there's an opportunity to make more use of data to build closer relationships to brands and between brand users. Before this happens, perhaps there first has to be a cultural shift that takes place inside organizations that makes the sharing and freeing up of data, something acceptable.
 

Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: googleinsights (1) dopplr (4) dataservice (1) bbc (7) radiopop (1)

09/03/2024 07:25:28 AM
Damien Hirst's art maybe an acquired taste and his talent might be questionable, but without a doubt, he is the art world's most audacious marketer.

He seems to know exactly how to manipulate the "wants" of his collectors to get just what he needs.

Last year, he created a diamond skull "For the Love of God". There were rumors that it would be sold for $100 million, but revealed that the cost of the diamonds were only 4 million sterling. It's now believed that the skull hasn't been sold to a buyer and that it remains in Hirst's hands, it's only purpose being to market Hirst and to make sure his name stays front and center of the art world.

On the 15th and 16th of September, Hirst, in collaboration with Sothebys is trying to sell over 200 of his works at one time. It's a sale that could net him 65 million sterling. and add to his current wealth which is estimated to lie somewhere between 100-500 million.

The auction even has a "brand name", "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever".

Interestingly for the art world, there's a 2.0 marketing campaign with Facebook pages and YouTube videos, not exactly the places you expect to find Hirst's multi-millionaire collectors, but interesting nevertheless.

Here's the Facebook page.

There are some of the relatively unwatched YouTube videos that look suspiciously like 30 second TV spots. It would be good to learn if they actually ran.

Here's one..

Another and another...

It's a tricky time to try and pull off a coup like this with the global economy in such turmoil and it remains to be seen if Hirst can sell this massive collection.

However, in an era classified by the complexity of gaining attention, surely an art form in its own right, Hirst stands alone as the one artist who has not only built awareness, he's amassed a massive fortune while doing it.


Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: sothebys (1) hirst (1)

09/02/2024 03:16:34 PM
Google has been playing around with its marketing communication.

Clearly not wanting to be anything like the typical brand, it's done some obscure billboards and a few YouTube videos created by its product development teams.

Increasingly, it appears to be looking to external creative expertise to add some cool and credibility to the brand. In the last few months the Google Maps group worked with an improv group to create more viral films and its latest effort employs the comic book talents of Scott McCloud.

The challenge here is to get the message across in a compelling way without ever looking for feeling like it could be something Microsoft would do.



Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: scottmccloud (1) comics (3) google (14)

08/29/2008 04:24:15 PM
A couple of quick searches on Google Insight show just how fast Obama has become a global meme.

The first image is for 2005 worldwide searches and the second for 2008.



Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: obama (3)

08/29/2008 11:53:13 AM
Keep this city in your minds over the next few days.

One of America's greatest cultural contributors is under threat.

I just got this email from the team at the Idea Village- they are getting ready.

Dear Friends of The Idea Village -

A quick update to let you know that The Idea Village team and network of partners are prepared to react if a Hurricane threatens the New Orleans region.  We are working with our partners and funders to anticipate the challenges that may face entrepreneurs.

In the event of a disaster, our website is updated to accept requests from entrepreneurs, and we are prepared to accept donations and resources for our community. You may reach us directly at innovation@ideavillage.org or theideavillage@gmail.com.

We have a committed and engaged team that is ready to execute for the entrepreneurial community in New Orleans.

Sincerely,
The Idea Village Team



Posted by Ed Cotton
Tags: neworleans (6)

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