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What's the plural of Prius?

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:56:38 -0400

Toyota is letting the people decide. Webby People’s Voice Winner for Best Copywriting.

http://awards.saatchila.com/2012-webbys/prius-goes-plural-8/

Digging all the way to China?

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:41:03 -0400

From Mashable:

AntipodeMap.com, a Google-maps based site, allows you to see which location is exactly halfway around the world from where you are…In other words, where would you end up if you kept digging in your backyard (For most of the Contintental U.S., it’s somewhere in the Indian Ocean)

More Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Fun “A Father’s...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:34:00 -0400

More Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Fun

“A Father’s Lesson” spoofs a classic ’80s anti-drug PSA.

London 2012: "The first social Olympics"

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:42:38 -0400

Social media has changed the Summer Olympics experience. This week, the IOC launched an online hub that will connect athletes and their fans through Facebook and Twitter, and incorporate gaming and other exclusive content.

This infographic shows the evolution of olympic coverage, and the exponential growth of social media, even since just 2008:

Why the QR code is failing...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:43:23 -0400

…and a few suggestions to make them more creative, from iMediaConnection article.

Basically, most people still don’t know what they are. They’re not always making tasks easier. And they’re not being used in creative enough ways (“The vast majority of those I scanned landed me on a webpage that was the same URL as in the ad itself”).

10 Reasons Not to Buy an iPad for Students

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:57:00 -0400

From Yahoo Finance’s dealnews media editor Jeff Somogyi:

#1 It’s Expensive

#2 It’s Not the Best Solution for Note-Taking or Editing Documents

#3 It’s Too Distracting

#4 It’s Ultra-Portable and Ultra-Droppable

#5 What Makes it Desirable to your Kid is What Makes it Desirable to Criminals

#6 It’s Meant for the Enjoyment of One Person, Which Means Social Seclusion

#7 Digital Text Books are a Marvel, but There’s No Secondary Market

#8 It’s a Status Symbol, Plain and Simple

#9 It’ll Already be Old Technology by the Time You Buy It

#10 They’ll Also Want a Laptop, Too

Create Word Clouds With Wordle

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:50:40 -0400

Wordle lets you generate great looking “word clouds” from text that you provide, giving greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. Enter any text, or a URL from a blog, web page, etc.

Came here after seeing this Word Cloud of Boston.com comments about the arrest of “Whitey” Bulger:

Real Estate and Social Media Use Infographic

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:36:18 -0400

From Mashable’s “10 Beautiful Social Media Infographics”

This was created by a VP at Postling, a company that helps small businesses get more out of social media.

Fast Company: The Future of Advertising

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:40:30 -0500

Very interesting article from Fast Company about how digital is transforming the way agencies think and work.

“Advertising is on the cusp of its first creative revolution since the 1960s. But the ad industry might get left behind.”

Some choice quotes:

“The irony is that while there have never been more ways to reach consumers, it’s never been harder to connect with consumers” —Brad Jakeman, Chief Creative Officer, Activision

“Marketing in the future is like sex. Only the losers will have to pay for it.” —Jon Bond

“There’s never been a better time to be in advertising,” [referring to the unbound possibilities of digital] “and there’s never been a worse time.” —Aaron Reitkopf, North American CEO of digital agency Profero

Ladies and gentlemen...the Beatles!

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:35:00 -0500

From NYTimes:

After years of wrangling and negotiation, Apple finally secured the rights to the music of the Beatles and made it available through its iTunes store on Tuesday.

Ringo Starr, the Beatles’ drummer, alluded to fans’ frustration over the longstanding refusal by band members to make their music available for download.

“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” Mr. Starr said in a press release. “At last, if you want it — you can get it now — The Beatles from Liverpool to now!”

"Moustaches Make A Difference"

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:48:30 -0500

Can't find your phone?

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:42:40 -0400

Try this.

End of an era...

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:48:52 -0400

From CNN/Mashable: Sony retires the cassette Walkman after 30 years

“Somewhat ironically, the announcement was delivered just one day ahead of the iPod’s ninth anniversary on October 23, although the decline of the cassette Walkman is attributed primarily to the explosive popularity of CD players in the ’90s, not the iPod.”

New Gap Logo...Dead at One Week

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:25:06 -0400

The new Gap logo, which was unveiled last week to a chorus of caustic criticism, died yesterday at the age of one week. The logo passed after a brief and ignominious battle with stage IV banality.

Brought into the world on Gap.com on October 4, 2010, the logo was supposed to signify Gap’s transition from “classic, American design to modern, sexy, cool,” according to company spokesperson Louise Callagy. The gods of graphic design though, had other plans. “It looks like the emblem of some failed low-fare spinoff of a major airline,” wrote Slate’s Tom Scocca.

Read the full “Obituary” from Vanity Fair

12 Essential News Media Tumblrs You Should Follow

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:42:04 -0400

From Mashable:

With Tumblr growing rapidly, it’s attracted a number of media organizations both local and national that are looking to engage their audience in a new way and perhaps attract new readers. But it’s not just about promoting their own content.

Many of the media organizations jumping on the simple blogging platform are using the tool to curate content for their audience and start a dialogue with readers.

“They’re good conversationalists — they have interesting things to say, they’re courteous, and they’re interested in what others have to say,” Coatney said. “A great media Tumblr is one that does all that and has a great individual voice.”

Highlighted Tumblrs include Newsweek, Front Pages, The Today Show, The New Yorker, The Economist, and LIFE, which uses Tumblr to share and showcase its iconic photography.

Custom online video ads more effective at driving purchase than repurposed TV spots

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:26:59 -0400

According to new research from Dynamic Logic, repurposed TV spots result in higher brand awareness metrics; however, video content produced specifically for the online space is far more likely to influence purchase decisions. The trend is especially true among females and younger age groups. For instance, among 18-34 year olds who saw an ad with custom creative, 2.8 percent were influenced to make a purchase decision, compared to 1.1 percent for repurposed TV ads.

“As marketers continue to embrace the fact that the online environment is different from TV, it is more important than ever to copy test ads to determine which creative will generate the biggest impact online,” says Chris Bian from Dynamic Logic’s custom solutions team. “Whether the content is repurposed or original, online video is still the most effective online format when it comes to increasing consumers’ likelihood to purchase.”

Additional findings include:

Sites that typically contain video content (Entertainment, Movies/Video/TV, News & Info) have the potential to be leveraged as even stronger branding tools when customized video is produced for their online audiences.
In terms of persuasion, custom online video impacts a higher number of people after a single exposure, while repurposed TV ads are more effective after 4+ exposures. Due to the original nature of the content, custom Web video typically engages consumers the most upon first exposure.

—From a Dynamic Logic eBlast

Google’s Watch This Space campaign One of a series of...

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:07:14 -0400

Google’s Watch This Space campaign

One of a series of nicely-done videos for Google’s campaign about the future of display advertising.

See their youtube channel and microsite for more.

Catfish: The “other” Facebook movie The Social...

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:24:17 -0400

Catfish: The “other” Facebook movie

The Social Network has the budget and the buzz, but this documentary, which played at Sundance and opens tomorrow in select cities, offers another take on the subject. It’s being called everything from “mysterious” to “chilling”.

Nissan “Innovation For All” brand spot A lot of...

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:37:03 -0400

Nissan “Innovation For All” brand spot

A lot of companies want to talk about “innovation” in advertising these days. Nissan does a good job of showing how they do it in the first spot of their new “Innovation For All” campaign.

15 amazing Etch a Sketch creations

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:44:00 -0400

From Superbad to Starry Night

Courtesy of Huffington Post