When I Grow Up I Want to Work in Advertising
Anyone working in advertising or aspiring to work in advertising has got to check this out. Hysterical!
[I've since noticed everyone else under the sun has posted this clip ... but conisidering I work for TMP ... parent to Monster ... I don't feel so bad ;-)]
September 17, 2002
September 16, 2002
Inluminent
New marketing blog. Reading it purely for the articles ;-) You'll see what I mean.
New marketing blog. Reading it purely for the articles ;-) You'll see what I mean.
September 12, 2002
Feeling Renewed
Saltire:
Saltire:
I have been reminded over the past year of things that I have always known, but sometimes allowed to be clouded by the frantic pace of day's events. You get up each day and roll with the punches and jabs that the world throws your way. Some days the world is gonna knock you on your butt. At that moment you have the choice to stay down or to dust yourself off and get back on your feet. At that moment you decide what kind of person you are and what kind of world you want to live in.
September 11, 2002
Leap - By Brian Doyle
I thought I was done posting for today, until I came across this.
I thought I was done posting for today, until I came across this.
A couple leaped from the south tower, hand in hand. They reached for each other and their hands met and they jumped.
Many people jumped. Perhaps hundreds. No one knows....
But a man reached for a woman’s hand and she reached for his hand and they leaped out the window holding hands...
I try to whisper prayers for the sudden dead, and the harrowed families of the dead, and the screaming souls of the murderers, but I keep coming back to his hand and her hand nestled in each other with such extraordinary ordinary succinct ancient naked stunning perfect simple ferocious love.
It is the most powerful prayer I can imagine, the most eloquent, the most graceful. It is everything that we are capable of against horror and loss and death. It is what makes me believe that we are not craven fools and charlatans to believe in God, to believe that human beings have greatness and holiness within them like seeds that open only under great fires, to believe that some unimaginable essence of who we are persists past the dissolution of what we were, to believe against such evil evidence hourly that love is why we are here.
September 10, 2002
Communication Arts Annual Interactive Annual
Nice designs but some of these almost seem to slick for the web. I think next year they should add an amatuer publishing category. This year's categories include Advertising, Info Design, Business, Self Promotion and Entertainment.
Nice designs but some of these almost seem to slick for the web. I think next year they should add an amatuer publishing category. This year's categories include Advertising, Info Design, Business, Self Promotion and Entertainment.
September 04, 2002
Less is More
Tig just spent three weeks in Europe and writes about his pleasant experiences with the advertising environment across the pond in the latest ClickZ. I've always believed clutter is one of the biggest problems with the state of advertising in the U.S. I don't care how good an ad is, how is it supposed to work it's magic when it's surrounded by so much noise?
Tig also says something else which really made me think about the full potential of online advertising. Tig is talking about offline media, but think online:
Although I hate the "C" word when it comes to marketing, the internet is best for allowing tightly knit communities to exist without the physical boundaries of space. An advertiser who is truly engaged with a community can deliver a message to that community better than if he is an outsider.
Tig just spent three weeks in Europe and writes about his pleasant experiences with the advertising environment across the pond in the latest ClickZ. I've always believed clutter is one of the biggest problems with the state of advertising in the U.S. I don't care how good an ad is, how is it supposed to work it's magic when it's surrounded by so much noise?
Online news browsing was pleasantly free of pop-ups. TV news would run 10 minutes before a commercial break. The experience was like surfing PBS.com rather than ABC.com. By the time a sponsorship appears, the viewer's ready for a break. Creative receives a great deal more viewer attention as a result. European advertisers don't squander that attention. They run with it.
Tig also says something else which really made me think about the full potential of online advertising. Tig is talking about offline media, but think online:
Creative is more engaging, using humor, cleverness, and eye-stopping images. An American gets the impression Europeans trust their audiences to understand word play and subtle nuances of humor. Of course, Europe's smaller markets are much more ethnically and culturally unified compared to our vast melting pot. A more tightly knit community can be trusted to get the joke. [emphasis mine]
Although I hate the "C" word when it comes to marketing, the internet is best for allowing tightly knit communities to exist without the physical boundaries of space. An advertiser who is truly engaged with a community can deliver a message to that community better than if he is an outsider.
Blogging To My Own Clock
It's been 13 days since my last entry ... almost 2 full weeks. You ever get to the point where you're blogging because you feel the need to have an opinion on absolutley everything? You write about everything you find remotely interesting? While I know it's the blogger's mantra to write what you think and ask for forgiveness later, I am trying to instill a little dicipline now and then. Afterall "they" always say a good conversationalist is a good listener.
It's been 13 days since my last entry ... almost 2 full weeks. You ever get to the point where you're blogging because you feel the need to have an opinion on absolutley everything? You write about everything you find remotely interesting? While I know it's the blogger's mantra to write what you think and ask for forgiveness later, I am trying to instill a little dicipline now and then. Afterall "they" always say a good conversationalist is a good listener.
August 22, 2002
More Good Stuff
Stumbled across these on a "marketing" search on Daypop: Marketing Myopia is great: "Marketing Myopia is a place to vent, and call out the darkside of marketing and advertising.... ad campaigns, bullshit marketing ploys, evil corporate P.R. machines, etc." The have a poll going: "What will you do with your X10 camera?." We're calling you out, shameful marketers! Also, found ASAP, "A Stand Agains Pop-Under ads." Show your support. Sign up today.
Stumbled across these on a "marketing" search on Daypop: Marketing Myopia is great: "Marketing Myopia is a place to vent, and call out the darkside of marketing and advertising.... ad campaigns, bullshit marketing ploys, evil corporate P.R. machines, etc." The have a poll going: "What will you do with your X10 camera?." We're calling you out, shameful marketers! Also, found ASAP, "A Stand Agains Pop-Under ads." Show your support. Sign up today.
Sal-fire
So many times I find myself on the same wavelength as Steve MacLaughin on his blog, Saltire. Steve points us to some interesting stuff today. First, he points us to Andrew Hinton's review of David Weinberger's Small Pieces Loosely Joined. Great revew. Check it out.
Then he points us to Tara Grubb's blog. She's running for the House as NC's rep on the Libertarian ballot. Great idea. Every political candidate should be doing this. I'm sure at some point in the future all candidates will, and I think this could be a tremendous benefit to our democracy. I wonder who the first official who gets elected will be because he/she blogs.
Next, Steve chimes in on the Doc, Winer, Lessig debate on copyrights (for those of you who have been following, if you haven't start now). I don't know where I stand here. I guess somewhere in the middle. Yes, creative people should be paid for their work. But business' control of copyrights is really hampering creative, scientiffic, etc. progress. I really am ignorant on the facets of the debate. Listen to some people who aren't. This is a vitally important issue for our marketplace of ideas.
So many times I find myself on the same wavelength as Steve MacLaughin on his blog, Saltire. Steve points us to some interesting stuff today. First, he points us to Andrew Hinton's review of David Weinberger's Small Pieces Loosely Joined. Great revew. Check it out.
Then he points us to Tara Grubb's blog. She's running for the House as NC's rep on the Libertarian ballot. Great idea. Every political candidate should be doing this. I'm sure at some point in the future all candidates will, and I think this could be a tremendous benefit to our democracy. I wonder who the first official who gets elected will be because he/she blogs.
Next, Steve chimes in on the Doc, Winer, Lessig debate on copyrights (for those of you who have been following, if you haven't start now). I don't know where I stand here. I guess somewhere in the middle. Yes, creative people should be paid for their work. But business' control of copyrights is really hampering creative, scientiffic, etc. progress. I really am ignorant on the facets of the debate. Listen to some people who aren't. This is a vitally important issue for our marketplace of ideas.
August 20, 2002
Anne Holland chimes in with notes from her interview with Michael Zimbalist, Executive Director Online Publishers Association, on some of the blury issues revolving around the report (she also initially comments here).
August 19, 2002
New PR & Marketing blog: Mudd PR & Marketing. (via Glob of Blogs ... errr Globe of Blogs)
August 15, 2002
Happy Blogday to Me
I randomly checked out some of my archives and realized I made my first post a year ago today! Of course it took me until November to make it to my second post.
I randomly checked out some of my archives and realized I made my first post a year ago today! Of course it took me until November to make it to my second post.
Executive Summary Responds to Vin Crosbie
Rick responds to Vin Crosbie's ClickZ article on the OPA's report (which I blogged about here and here). Vin understandably is cautious of the over-hyped PR ... afterall that is partially to blame for the bubble burst. But I think the OPA's report was perfectly transparent and defined exactly what it identified as content. Bottom line, we need to define "content" on the web. Because this medium is interactive, conversational and transactional online content cannot be identified as we define content on TV, magazines, etc. If anyone is to blame, it's the news media for not clearly reporting how content was defined.
Rick responds to Vin Crosbie's ClickZ article on the OPA's report (which I blogged about here and here). Vin understandably is cautious of the over-hyped PR ... afterall that is partially to blame for the bubble burst. But I think the OPA's report was perfectly transparent and defined exactly what it identified as content. Bottom line, we need to define "content" on the web. Because this medium is interactive, conversational and transactional online content cannot be identified as we define content on TV, magazines, etc. If anyone is to blame, it's the news media for not clearly reporting how content was defined.
August 14, 2002
Why do Humans Speak?
Nature released a new study today show compelling evidence of why humans can speak and animals cannot. From the Washington Post:
The article goes on to say scientest may try to insert the mutated gene into mice, but doubt it will work. Animal Farm, anyone? ;-) At the very least we'll have a bunch of squeaky "cheeses" if it works. Sorry for being so cheesey .....okay I'll shut up.
Neat stuff, this is something I've always wondered about.
Nature released a new study today show compelling evidence of why humans can speak and animals cannot. From the Washington Post:
The findings, released online today and due for publication soon in the journal Nature, provide the most compelling evidence to date that the gene, which researchers described in detail only last year, may have played a central role in the development of modern humans' ability to speak. Researchers said that could have given them a critical advantage that allowed them to supplant more primitive rivals.
A mounting body of research suggests that the mutant gene conferred on human ancestors a finer degree of control over muscles of the mouth and throat, possibly giving those ancestors a rich new palette of sounds that could serve as the foundation of language.
The article goes on to say scientest may try to insert the mutated gene into mice, but doubt it will work. Animal Farm, anyone? ;-) At the very least we'll have a bunch of squeaky "cheeses" if it works. Sorry for being so cheesey .....okay I'll shut up.
Neat stuff, this is something I've always wondered about.
August 13, 2002
Economics or Lies?
Vin Crosbie isn't too keen on the new report issued by the Online Publishers Association and comScore (which I talk about here, and Rick Bruner talks about here). While I see the point Vin makes on blurring the line between product, service and content, it seems Vin ignores the point he made in a previous ClickZ article. Unique sells on the web -- if there's a need, economics says one can sell his/her content.
Vin Crosbie isn't too keen on the new report issued by the Online Publishers Association and comScore (which I talk about here, and Rick Bruner talks about here). While I see the point Vin makes on blurring the line between product, service and content, it seems Vin ignores the point he made in a previous ClickZ article. Unique sells on the web -- if there's a need, economics says one can sell his/her content.
August 12, 2002
Critical Flaws
With the advent of online publishing tools like Blogger, the web has become a whirling opinion-fest of amateur critics and professionals alike. This is great. But with this expanded marketplace of ideas comes a lot of drivel, unintelligent mud.
An article in Sunday's Washington Post caught my eye, by Philip Kennicott, who is the Post's classical music critic. Philip has also noticed this onslaught of critics (he names magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs, TV) ... who utilize some pretty lowly tactics. I am amazed at how many "professional" critics lower themselves to these tactics (like, ironically enough, the Post's David Futrelle review of David Weinberger's, Small Pieces Loosely Joined) ... and how many amateurs take the high road.
Kennicott lists 10 most abused tactics, which I think all of us in the blogosphere should take note of in both how to read critics and how to write critically:
After Googling Kennicott, I stumbled across a few other goodies here and here, and here.
With the advent of online publishing tools like Blogger, the web has become a whirling opinion-fest of amateur critics and professionals alike. This is great. But with this expanded marketplace of ideas comes a lot of drivel, unintelligent mud.
An article in Sunday's Washington Post caught my eye, by Philip Kennicott, who is the Post's classical music critic. Philip has also noticed this onslaught of critics (he names magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs, TV) ... who utilize some pretty lowly tactics. I am amazed at how many "professional" critics lower themselves to these tactics (like, ironically enough, the Post's David Futrelle review of David Weinberger's, Small Pieces Loosely Joined) ... and how many amateurs take the high road.
Kennicott lists 10 most abused tactics, which I think all of us in the blogosphere should take note of in both how to read critics and how to write critically:
(paraphrasing excerpts)
1. The High-Low Switch - Typical forms include the guy's guy, who announces at the beginning of the article that he knows nothing about opera or ballet, and then proceeds to lampoon the oddities and peculiarities of a world in which he remains an outsider. Or the opposite: the "sophisticated" critic who over-analyses, over-examines and over-emotes about sports, cars or barbecue.
2. How much for that Degas in the window? - The essential gambit is to reduce art to money and then marvel at the absurdity of a human nature that places extraordinary value on such inconsequential things.
3. There are people starving in Africa - There are nine coal miners trapped in Pennsylvania, but there are millions about to die of starvation in Africa. The critic is saying that you, the reader, are worried about the wrong thing; but that means the critic is worried about you being worried about the wrong thing, which, to be blunt, is rather a silly thing to worry about given that there are people starving in Africa.
4. The sinister extrapolation - Telltale signs of the form include evidence of spongy social science ("Some researchers see a connection between ...") and the nagging sense that the author hasn't, in fact, actually seen the movie, read the book or gone to the women's greased mud-wrestling exhibition that prompts the dire prediction of cultural collapse.
5. The rag and bone shop - A form that flourishes during crisis, when the "courageous" critic steps forth to voice the dark thought that no one else dares express.
6. Modest Proposal - The critic proposes the unthinkable to shine light on moral prejudice and hypocrisy. It is, unfortunately, much harder to carry off than its venerable status would suggest.
7. The straw man as whipping boy - The best sign of the straw man as whipping boy is an article that begins by vaguely imputing the false assumption to somebody else: "Some people think quilting is just for grandmothers, but don't tell that to the Men's Stitching Society of East Rutherford." The article then proceeds with a string of people contradicting the assumption that no one, in fact, really made in the first place.
8. Mozart was a talentless hack - Part of every critic's responsibility is to rethink and reevaluate the received wisdom. But for a sure-fire attention grabber, take an elephant gun to a sacred cow. Dredge up some momentary annoyance you may have felt when a concert ran on too long, or your mind wandered reading Shakespeare, or your feet ached at the van Gogh show.
9. The author was a scoundrel - Which doesn't, of course, mean that he wrote a bad book, but that has never stopped critics hoping to find that elusive philosopher's stone that connects personal misbehavior with bad art.
10. The Revival - The author, who generally leads a sheltered life, hewing to the same cultural habits for years, accidentally discovers that "swing dancing is back." Or "mah-jongg is sweeping the nation." Or "bowling is hot in the inner city." In fact, no actual trend may be discernible, but it sure seems that way if you dip into the cultural margins for 10 minutes and then report back to the mainstream on developments that are new only to you.
After Googling Kennicott, I stumbled across a few other goodies here and here, and here.
August 09, 2002
PR: Pitching Blogs
Rick Bruner (via Nick Denton) points us to an interesting article from the PRSA on how PR should "pitch" blogs. Cautiously, honestly and with smarts. I think they're on the right track.
Rick Bruner (via Nick Denton) points us to an interesting article from the PRSA on how PR should "pitch" blogs. Cautiously, honestly and with smarts. I think they're on the right track.
Marketing Profs: Design for Community: An Interview with Derek M. Powazek
Rob Poel highlights some of the highlights of this fantastic article by Derek Powazek. I though the article was so good I went to Derek's website. His website was so convincing that I needed to buy his book. And I just did. Check out Rob's site for more info.
This just reinforces what I already believe. The future of online marketing is enabling your customers to talk to one another and giving them voice-ownership in your web site.
Rob Poel highlights some of the highlights of this fantastic article by Derek Powazek. I though the article was so good I went to Derek's website. His website was so convincing that I needed to buy his book. And I just did. Check out Rob's site for more info.
This just reinforces what I already believe. The future of online marketing is enabling your customers to talk to one another and giving them voice-ownership in your web site.
August 08, 2002
Back to the Future -- VCR: Personal Video Recorders (i.e. TIVO) :: Salem Witch Trials: McCarthysim
Doc links us to this great testimony circa 1983 on all the damage VCR's are going to do to intellectual property rights and the effectiveness of advertising. Deja Vu anyone?
Doc quoting the testimony:
Doc links us to this great testimony circa 1983 on all the damage VCR's are going to do to intellectual property rights and the effectiveness of advertising. Deja Vu anyone?
Doc quoting the testimony:
Mr. VALENTI: "But now we are facing a very new and a very troubling assault on our fiscal security, on our very economic life and we are facing it from a thing called the video cassette recorder and its necessary companion called the blank tape. And it is like a great tidal wave just off the shore. This video cassette recorder and the blank tape threaten profoundly the life-sustaining protection, I guess you would call it, on which copyright owners depend, on which film people depend, on which television people depend and it is called copyright...
"Because unless the Congress recognizes the rights of creative property owners as owners of private property, that this property that we exhibit in theaters, once it leaves the post-theatrical markets, it is going to be so eroded in value by the use of these unlicensed machines, that the whole valuable asset is going to be blighted. In the opinion of many of the people in this room and outside of this room, blighted, beyond all recognition. It is a piece of sardonic irony that this asset, which unlike steel or silicon chips or motor cars or electronics of all kinds -- a piece of sardonic irony that while the Japanese are unable to duplicate the American films by a flank assault, they can destroy it by this video cassette recorder...
Now, let me tell you what Sony says about this thing. These are not my words. They are right straight from McCann Erickson, whom you will hear from tomorrow, who is the advertising agency for Sony and here is what they say. They advertise a variable beta scan feature that lets you adjust the speed at which you can view the tape from 5 times up to 20 times the normal speed.
Now, what does that mean, Mr. Chairman? It means that when you are playing back a recording, which you made 2 days or whenever -- you are playing it back. You are sitting in your home in your easy chair and here comes the commercial and it is right in the middle of a Clint Eastwood film and you don't want to be interrupted. So, what do you do? You pop this beta scan and a 1-minute commercial disappears in 2 seconds.
Mr. RAILSBACK. Is that all bad?
Good Stuff
I've been reading more and more of Robert Loch's Net Marketing Blog. Two interesting articles from today.
The first is by Joseph Jaffe. He discusses the Agency of the Future where two entities emerge: Generation (ideas) and Integration (execution). Very interesting concept once you give the article a read. My initial thoughts are that Generation and Integration are so closely tied together, can they be separated and still operate effectively?
The second article comes from Emerging Interest. Great piece on how to differentiate your pitch in today's environment. Some oldies but goodies and some solid newbies too.
I've been reading more and more of Robert Loch's Net Marketing Blog. Two interesting articles from today.
The first is by Joseph Jaffe. He discusses the Agency of the Future where two entities emerge: Generation (ideas) and Integration (execution). Very interesting concept once you give the article a read. My initial thoughts are that Generation and Integration are so closely tied together, can they be separated and still operate effectively?
The second article comes from Emerging Interest. Great piece on how to differentiate your pitch in today's environment. Some oldies but goodies and some solid newbies too.
August 04, 2002
Why We Should Never Falter on Our First Ammendment Rights
URLs Blocked in Saudi Arabia. (from Nick Denton). Some low-lights:
world.altavista.com - AltaVista provides the most comprehensive search experience on the Web!
Answering Islam, A Christian-Muslim Dialog and Apologetic - Yahoo: Society and Culture > Religion and Spirituality > Faiths and Practices > Islam > Opposing Views
Dictionary.com/Translator - Free online translations: English to French, English to German, English to Italian, English to Portuguese, English to Spanish, French to English, French to German, German to English, German to French, Italian to English, Portuguese to English ...
Women In American History - Google: Society > History > By Region > North America > United States > Women
Israel Defense Forces - The Israel Defense Forces Army Spokesperson's Office, Providing the latest objective, accurate and timely information from the Middle East.
the farting contest - Entertainment > Humor > Tasteless > Bathroom Humor > Farting (looks like Austin Powers is out of the question)
Israel.com - A Website 5,762 years in the Making!
iVillage.com - : iVillage.com offers busy women a community in which to share advice. Join other women like you to talk about, books, parenting, careers, computers, diet/fitness, food, money, pets, relationships, beauty, shopping, travel and working from home.
URLs Blocked in Saudi Arabia. (from Nick Denton). Some low-lights:
world.altavista.com - AltaVista provides the most comprehensive search experience on the Web!
Answering Islam, A Christian-Muslim Dialog and Apologetic - Yahoo: Society and Culture > Religion and Spirituality > Faiths and Practices > Islam > Opposing Views
Dictionary.com/Translator - Free online translations: English to French, English to German, English to Italian, English to Portuguese, English to Spanish, French to English, French to German, German to English, German to French, Italian to English, Portuguese to English ...
Women In American History - Google: Society > History > By Region > North America > United States > Women
Israel Defense Forces - The Israel Defense Forces Army Spokesperson's Office, Providing the latest objective, accurate and timely information from the Middle East.
the farting contest - Entertainment > Humor > Tasteless > Bathroom Humor > Farting (looks like Austin Powers is out of the question)
Israel.com - A Website 5,762 years in the Making!
iVillage.com - : iVillage.com offers busy women a community in which to share advice. Join other women like you to talk about, books, parenting, careers, computers, diet/fitness, food, money, pets, relationships, beauty, shopping, travel and working from home.
August 01, 2002
US Customers Spending $300 Million in Fee-Base Content in Q1 2002
The Online Publishers Association and comScore have release a report on the increase in customer spending for online content. Rick Bruner brings it to our attention as does the New York Times and this Press Release.
This is a great report and really validates the belief that fee-based content can be a substantial revenue-stream for some online publishers. Customer spending for Q1 2002 was $300 million, an increase of 155% over Q1 2001. Whereas the newspaper advertising to subscription ration is 3 to 1 the online ratio is 11 to 1. There is someways to go, but it shows that online revenue streams are diversifying.
One thing to keep in mind here is, not all content can make it as fee-based. In fact, I doubt very few content sites will. This report not only shows that people will pay for content, but it takes a special kind of content to make it. Fee-based content must either be highly unique and/or valuable or tied to a service.
Highly Unique and/or Valuable
The report breaks content into several categories: Business Content, General News, Entertainment, etc. Within each category you can start to see how and why these sites charge for content. Under Business, top performers are WSJ.com, eMarketer, iee.org. Here, the content is information. Valuable, unique information. Excite couldn't get away with charging for access to their news stories. But WSJ can because they are second to none. Playboy, which falls under Entertainment, also ranks up there. Their content is also second to none (so I've heard, of course ;-)). Consumer Reports delivers top-notch product research.
Content Tied to a Service
What gets me is most of the fee-based content isn't information based. The "content" fullfills a need and provides a service. Match.com sets you up on a date. Real.com provides a means to receive streamed content. Bluemountain.com enables you to send greeting cards. Online gaming sites replace your Nintendo and let you play against people online. These are really online services with an element of content.
So what does all this mean? Primarily nothing we already didn't know. You need to be unique and have value to sell your content online. What we may not have known, is people are willing to pay for content. 12.4 million people. $300 million worth in one quarter.
The Online Publishers Association and comScore have release a report on the increase in customer spending for online content. Rick Bruner brings it to our attention as does the New York Times and this Press Release.
This is a great report and really validates the belief that fee-based content can be a substantial revenue-stream for some online publishers. Customer spending for Q1 2002 was $300 million, an increase of 155% over Q1 2001. Whereas the newspaper advertising to subscription ration is 3 to 1 the online ratio is 11 to 1. There is someways to go, but it shows that online revenue streams are diversifying.
One thing to keep in mind here is, not all content can make it as fee-based. In fact, I doubt very few content sites will. This report not only shows that people will pay for content, but it takes a special kind of content to make it. Fee-based content must either be highly unique and/or valuable or tied to a service.
Highly Unique and/or Valuable
The report breaks content into several categories: Business Content, General News, Entertainment, etc. Within each category you can start to see how and why these sites charge for content. Under Business, top performers are WSJ.com, eMarketer, iee.org. Here, the content is information. Valuable, unique information. Excite couldn't get away with charging for access to their news stories. But WSJ can because they are second to none. Playboy, which falls under Entertainment, also ranks up there. Their content is also second to none (so I've heard, of course ;-)). Consumer Reports delivers top-notch product research.
Content Tied to a Service
What gets me is most of the fee-based content isn't information based. The "content" fullfills a need and provides a service. Match.com sets you up on a date. Real.com provides a means to receive streamed content. Bluemountain.com enables you to send greeting cards. Online gaming sites replace your Nintendo and let you play against people online. These are really online services with an element of content.
So what does all this mean? Primarily nothing we already didn't know. You need to be unique and have value to sell your content online. What we may not have known, is people are willing to pay for content. 12.4 million people. $300 million worth in one quarter.
July 31, 2002
Three C's of Interactive Marketing
Communication, Collaboration, and Context. This is a terrific article by Robert Manning an account director at Agency.com. Found it as I was looking around Digitrends.com, a site I haven't been to in a while.
Robert argues that P2P marketing will be the only truley effective means of marketing on the Web. "Collaberative P2P Space" will allow a company to "facilitate a forum of creative statement; establish a brand new collaborative space where the company sponsors creative statement" for members restricted by previous communications media. This reminds me a whole lot of Chris Locke's Gonzo Marketing. And I really do believe, in conjunction with weblogs, this is the futre of marketing.
Communication, Collaboration, and Context. This is a terrific article by Robert Manning an account director at Agency.com. Found it as I was looking around Digitrends.com, a site I haven't been to in a while.
The end game of interactive marketing should be fostering greater communication and collaboration; its real value has never been as a transactive medium. But to achieve status as a great communicator, you first have to develop listening skills.
Robert argues that P2P marketing will be the only truley effective means of marketing on the Web. "Collaberative P2P Space" will allow a company to "facilitate a forum of creative statement; establish a brand new collaborative space where the company sponsors creative statement" for members restricted by previous communications media. This reminds me a whole lot of Chris Locke's Gonzo Marketing. And I really do believe, in conjunction with weblogs, this is the futre of marketing.
Kodak's Sharper Focus
Being that I used to live in Rochester, Kodak has always had a place in my heart. You see, Kodak is Rochester. At least it's economy anyway. When we were going through the last recession (early 90's), Kodak was especially slammed, and never really recovered. Their main problem, from what I understand, is in the post their revenue came mostly from film sales. Then 2 things happened: film became a commodity because the competition matched Kodak's quality; Digital happened.
Kodak has never really grasped the potential of the Internet and the synergies with digital photos. Marketing strategy after marketing strategy, Kodak has failed. Kodak is starting yet another marketing initiative, "Project Next." But this one might work. Project Next will entail, "revamp[ing] its website to improve customer satisfaction and usability, more tightly integrate the company's many online businesses, and ultimately cut costs and put it in a better position to compete as photography moves from film to digital"
While that's a little vague and abstract, what I did like was the next sentence: "Kodak .... will launch a new, XML-based website in the first quarter of 2003." While XML alone doesn't say all that much, it really makes me think. For the non-techies out there (like me) blogging is based on XML coding. I'm taking this to mean, Kodak is giving web-voice ownership to its customers.
The possibilities are far-reaching. If I were running the Kodak marketing department, here's what I'd do. Allow customers to create Photo Blogs (or Photo Journals, not to scare the blogger-phobs away). Date-stamped, customers could keep photo blogs online, link to friends who have similar interests ... even create photo blogs around hobbies ... for example, a family who's kid swims competitively could post pictures (embarrassing as it may be to the poor kid) or their son's or daughter's achievements and link to other swimmers who have started similar blogs. .... thinking out loud now, but this is how Kodak could rebuild it's brand and start those high profit-margins again.
Being that I used to live in Rochester, Kodak has always had a place in my heart. You see, Kodak is Rochester. At least it's economy anyway. When we were going through the last recession (early 90's), Kodak was especially slammed, and never really recovered. Their main problem, from what I understand, is in the post their revenue came mostly from film sales. Then 2 things happened: film became a commodity because the competition matched Kodak's quality; Digital happened.
Kodak has never really grasped the potential of the Internet and the synergies with digital photos. Marketing strategy after marketing strategy, Kodak has failed. Kodak is starting yet another marketing initiative, "Project Next." But this one might work. Project Next will entail, "revamp[ing] its website to improve customer satisfaction and usability, more tightly integrate the company's many online businesses, and ultimately cut costs and put it in a better position to compete as photography moves from film to digital"
While that's a little vague and abstract, what I did like was the next sentence: "Kodak .... will launch a new, XML-based website in the first quarter of 2003." While XML alone doesn't say all that much, it really makes me think. For the non-techies out there (like me) blogging is based on XML coding. I'm taking this to mean, Kodak is giving web-voice ownership to its customers.
The possibilities are far-reaching. If I were running the Kodak marketing department, here's what I'd do. Allow customers to create Photo Blogs (or Photo Journals, not to scare the blogger-phobs away). Date-stamped, customers could keep photo blogs online, link to friends who have similar interests ... even create photo blogs around hobbies ... for example, a family who's kid swims competitively could post pictures (embarrassing as it may be to the poor kid) or their son's or daughter's achievements and link to other swimmers who have started similar blogs. .... thinking out loud now, but this is how Kodak could rebuild it's brand and start those high profit-margins again.
July 29, 2002
"Blog"
Even William Safire is writing about "blogs." (via Saltire).
Even William Safire is writing about "blogs." (via Saltire).
''Will the blogs kill old media?'' asked Newsweek, an old-media publication, perhaps a little worried about this disintermediation leading to an invasion of alien ad-snatchers. My answer is no; gossips like an old-fashioned party line, but most information seekers and opinion junkies will go for reliable old media in zingy new digital clothes. Be that as it may (a phrase to avoid the voguism that said), the noun blog is a useful addition to the lexicon.
July 22, 2002
The Microcontent News Blogging Software Roundup
John Hiler has finished his beast of an article outlining all the blogware that's fit to print. Save your appetite, this is a 7 course meal --- but I can't wait to dig in!
John Hiler has finished his beast of an article outlining all the blogware that's fit to print. Save your appetite, this is a 7 course meal --- but I can't wait to dig in!
Amazon Web Services in Use: Amazon Light
This is the first example of work using Amazon's new Web Services program which allows anyone to create their own Amazon store front and get commissions on sales. This design by Kokogiak is terrific. Originally modeled after Google's simplicity (the lawyers put that to a stop), the site is to the point and delivers what you want. I really think the opportunities are endless here. Anyone in ecommerse should roll something like this out. Combine it with blogging and imagine what you get.
This is the first example of work using Amazon's new Web Services program which allows anyone to create their own Amazon store front and get commissions on sales. This design by Kokogiak is terrific. Originally modeled after Google's simplicity (the lawyers put that to a stop), the site is to the point and delivers what you want. I really think the opportunities are endless here. Anyone in ecommerse should roll something like this out. Combine it with blogging and imagine what you get.
July 16, 2002
Tom Hespos - Content Revoluion is Just Beginning
Tom is one of my favorite writers covering online advertising -- the guy just makes sense. I started reading him on ClickZ and iMarketing news years ago.
Tom is a regular columnist for Media Post -- a newsletter and website dedicated to online advertising media. Tom, like me, always saw the Internet as a revolution in the Marketplace of Ideas. The problem, Tom points out, is it was very difficult to be a publisher without having a skill set in online publishing. Tom is psyched (me too). Because of tools like Blogger this new Marketplace of Ideas is becoming closer to reality.
Tom just started blogging over on his new company's (UnderscoreMarketing) website. Look for more to come -- Tom has a keen sense in how advertising will be reshaped on the Web.
Tom is one of my favorite writers covering online advertising -- the guy just makes sense. I started reading him on ClickZ and iMarketing news years ago.
Tom is a regular columnist for Media Post -- a newsletter and website dedicated to online advertising media. Tom, like me, always saw the Internet as a revolution in the Marketplace of Ideas. The problem, Tom points out, is it was very difficult to be a publisher without having a skill set in online publishing. Tom is psyched (me too). Because of tools like Blogger this new Marketplace of Ideas is becoming closer to reality.
Easy-to-use content management systems are a great first step toward truly leveling the playing field. But we still need further innovation in this area. It would be nice to see a company come along and make animation and graphics as simple as Blogger and LiveJournal have made content management. ....How long will it be before we see something that makes manipulating graphics and images so simple and intuitive that even the "technology-impaired" can easily construct photo essays and online newspaper-type layouts?
I'm betting that a lot of this technology is not very far off. And once it makes a splash, we could be looking at an explosion of new content sites. What could this do to online media planning five or ten years down the road? It might be wise to think about what the marketplace might look like if a wave of independent publishers suddenly started entering the game en masse.
Tom just started blogging over on his new company's (UnderscoreMarketing) website. Look for more to come -- Tom has a keen sense in how advertising will be reshaped on the Web.
Rick Bruner: Pop-Unders: Cockroaches
That's one way of putting it. I think the pop-under is the equivalent of a street peddler. They have no concern as to what you are in the middle of. They usually peddle some gimmicky product that has no legitimate value. They're persistent little buggers, who can't take a hint.
The web is my place -- "our" place. The argument that we'll "get used to" this scum of advertising is ridiculous -- and this is how most marketers legitimize this trade. We succumbed to TV advertising, 468X60's, Radio Spots, Billboards -- we'll succumb to pop-unders. This couldn't be further from the truth. Customers "own" a portion of the web. Pop-unders trespass on our property. There is absolutely no value to customers -- and businesses -- for that matter in pop-unders. Someone had the idea of posting a pop-unders not served here on sites that don't use them. I think that's a terrific idea. The pop-under is destroying online advertising's credibility and is minimizing it's potential to something simplistic and hated.
Kudos to Organic for refusing to buy them for their clients. Nice work.
That's one way of putting it. I think the pop-under is the equivalent of a street peddler. They have no concern as to what you are in the middle of. They usually peddle some gimmicky product that has no legitimate value. They're persistent little buggers, who can't take a hint.
The web is my place -- "our" place. The argument that we'll "get used to" this scum of advertising is ridiculous -- and this is how most marketers legitimize this trade. We succumbed to TV advertising, 468X60's, Radio Spots, Billboards -- we'll succumb to pop-unders. This couldn't be further from the truth. Customers "own" a portion of the web. Pop-unders trespass on our property. There is absolutely no value to customers -- and businesses -- for that matter in pop-unders. Someone had the idea of posting a pop-unders not served here on sites that don't use them. I think that's a terrific idea. The pop-under is destroying online advertising's credibility and is minimizing it's potential to something simplistic and hated.
Kudos to Organic for refusing to buy them for their clients. Nice work.
July 12, 2002
Why Most Internet Advertising Fails - The Meaning of a Link
In Small Pieces Loosely Joined, David Weinberger discusses how linking is a way of showing visitors what a site creator's passions are. For example, I really enjoyed most of David's book, so I linked to it. I enjoy reading those blogs over there on the left, so I link to them. There is an underlying understanding between site visitor and site creator that the links on a page show the site creator's passions (if not passions at least links to sites their visitors will find useful). And if the site visitor likes what the site creator has to say, he/she will probably like what the site creator links to.
Theoretically, this makes online media placements (e.g. paid-for links) the equivalent of a bribe in the eyes of the site visitor. "I'll give ya a hundred bucks for puttin my link on your page." What does that say about the integrity of the link to the site visitor? The only relationship between the site creator and the advertiser is a financial one. And that's what drives the decision to place an ad. And because this is apparent to the site visitor, the ad holds no true value in their eyes, unless if their one of the .03% lucky ones who actually see an ad that's is relevant to their needs.
One place this theory doesn't hold true is on search engines -- which may explain why keyword buys get a good response -- and really any kind of data driven site (i.e. Internet Yellow Pages). Here there is an understanding between site visitor and site creator that the site is going to provide reliable data, whether it be businesses in my area selling air conditioning repair service, or sites created by people who love to knit (trust me there's a bunch).
Where does this leave Internet advertising and marketing?
In Small Pieces Loosely Joined, David Weinberger discusses how linking is a way of showing visitors what a site creator's passions are. For example, I really enjoyed most of David's book, so I linked to it. I enjoy reading those blogs over there on the left, so I link to them. There is an underlying understanding between site visitor and site creator that the links on a page show the site creator's passions (if not passions at least links to sites their visitors will find useful). And if the site visitor likes what the site creator has to say, he/she will probably like what the site creator links to.
Theoretically, this makes online media placements (e.g. paid-for links) the equivalent of a bribe in the eyes of the site visitor. "I'll give ya a hundred bucks for puttin my link on your page." What does that say about the integrity of the link to the site visitor? The only relationship between the site creator and the advertiser is a financial one. And that's what drives the decision to place an ad. And because this is apparent to the site visitor, the ad holds no true value in their eyes, unless if their one of the .03% lucky ones who actually see an ad that's is relevant to their needs.
One place this theory doesn't hold true is on search engines -- which may explain why keyword buys get a good response -- and really any kind of data driven site (i.e. Internet Yellow Pages). Here there is an understanding between site visitor and site creator that the site is going to provide reliable data, whether it be businesses in my area selling air conditioning repair service, or sites created by people who love to knit (trust me there's a bunch).
Where does this leave Internet advertising and marketing?
July 09, 2002
AKMA Reviews Futrelle
AKMA has some more intelligent and "constructive" things to say about the Post review of SPLJ than my little rant below.
AKMA has some more intelligent and "constructive" things to say about the Post review of SPLJ than my little rant below.
July 08, 2002
Essential New Media Books
Saltire lists New Media books must haves. I haven't read one of them! D'oh! BTW, here's my "Advertising Brew" Amazon list on listmania.
Saltire lists New Media books must haves. I haven't read one of them! D'oh! BTW, here's my "Advertising Brew" Amazon list on listmania.
July 07, 2002
??? David Futrelle (Washington Post) Review: Small Pieces Loosely Joined
Cool! A review of David Weinberger's Small Pieces Loosely Joined!
And then the disappointment sets in .... some bitter (he admits this himself) has-been who told too many people to buy too many tech stocks and then got a taste of his own feet decides he needs to bait David Weinberger ....Did this guy even read the book??? And why is he reviewing it? I think he skimmed a couple chapters online, said, this shit is over my head, and slammed the book. Futrelle hated the book before he even pretended to read it. He starts bashing Cluetrain (is this a Cluetrain review or SPLJ review?) and then can't stay away from this obsession of David's (W.) use of the word "we." I guess Futrelle's lack of understanding of where this book is going reduces Futrelle's review to David's (W.) use of the first-person singular and the first-person plural. All Futrelle can say about the strengths of the web is that we're "simply sitting on our posteriors staring dully at a computer screen." (Note Futrelle's use fo the first-person plural).
This review was trite and awful. On to our regularly scheduled programming.
Cool! A review of David Weinberger's Small Pieces Loosely Joined!
And then the disappointment sets in .... some bitter (he admits this himself) has-been who told too many people to buy too many tech stocks and then got a taste of his own feet decides he needs to bait David Weinberger ....Did this guy even read the book??? And why is he reviewing it? I think he skimmed a couple chapters online, said, this shit is over my head, and slammed the book. Futrelle hated the book before he even pretended to read it. He starts bashing Cluetrain (is this a Cluetrain review or SPLJ review?) and then can't stay away from this obsession of David's (W.) use of the word "we." I guess Futrelle's lack of understanding of where this book is going reduces Futrelle's review to David's (W.) use of the first-person singular and the first-person plural. All Futrelle can say about the strengths of the web is that we're "simply sitting on our posteriors staring dully at a computer screen." (Note Futrelle's use fo the first-person plural).
This review was trite and awful. On to our regularly scheduled programming.
July 03, 2002
Meet Up
Stumbled accross this cool tool on Doc's blog. If anyone in the DC area wants to meet up (or if you want to meet other bloggers in your area) click below. I'm recommending Flannagans.
Stumbled accross this cool tool on Doc's blog. If anyone in the DC area wants to meet up (or if you want to meet other bloggers in your area) click below. I'm recommending Flannagans.
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