Tipping Point Redux … we are all Connectors …
January 31, 2008
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Oh dear! Research shows that evidently your average slob is just as likely as a well-connected person to start a huge new trend.
Links for 2008-01-30 : Experiential, Obama, Brooklyn Letters, HOLZundEISEN, Starbucks Shutdown
January 30, 2008
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Experiential marketing’s unique ability to reach, engage and make relevant connections with audiences has contributed to its growth.
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Throwing his weight and talent behind the junior senator from Illinois, the illustrator has produced two striking posters with the man’s likeness and main slogans.
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Paul Shaw has studied the typography found on the buildings on Brooklyn and compiled a photo collection on the web
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HOLZundEISEN — German for wood and iron — sells equipment for a sport that’s taking off in cities around the world: urban golf. Thanks to the irreverent brand, urban golfers now have their own ge
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Facing slowing sales growth and increased competition nationwide, Starbuck’s CEO Howard Schultz is to roll out a revitalization plan today that will involve shutting down stores in the US.
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The idea behind the new Marlboro Intense - engineered for seven drags per cig rather than the usual eight - is to appeal to customers who, due to indoor smoking bans, want to dash outside for a quick nicotine hit but don’t always finish a full-size cigarette.
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Pepsi is launching its most ambitious foray into the branded-gaming space: a rich, MMORPG that supports an ever-expanding plan to let consumers choose the next flavor of Mountain Dew.
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In a study released this year, Ads with poor “cognitive scores” were often misattributed by consumers. Notably, beer ads were attributed to the huge Super Bowl presence that is Budweiser.
Links for 2008-01-28 : Virtual vs Reality, Mac Owners, Dunkin’ Video, Steve Jobs Says, Brand Experiences, Cyberwarfare
January 28, 2008
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Immersive online worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft attract populations that outnumber Sweden’s. And now, scientists are following players in hopes of learning more about the real world.
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Almost half of Britain’s youngsters are drinking in their pre-teen years, fuelling violence and anti-social behavior, a government-backed study said on Wednesday.
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So it’s not just that Mac guy in the “Get a Mac” ads who thinks he’s better than everyone else. Apparently so do many of the people who use Apple’s computers.
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To find out how its customers keep America running, Dunkin’ has launched a promotion that invites consumers to upload video shorts to its new YouTube channel, YouTube.com/dunkindonuts.
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“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is … the fact is people don’t read any more. 40% of people in the US read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top…”
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Another great post on Drew’s blog about creationg online communities.
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Republican Sen. John McCain is skipping President Bush’s State of the Union address on Monday night even though Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton plan to attend.
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Purchase intent–a customer’s stated interest in buying a product–rose 11% to 52% among consumers who attended brand-sponsored events.
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In an act of “modern cyberwarfare” and “a significant social event … people are going to be studying it for years to come,” a group called Anonymous has targeted the Church of Scientology…
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“… old, nervous and wired to the hilt”. (Says Greg Verdino). Modeled after Shanghai’s Underground System, this trend map explores key trends in Society, Politics, Demographics, Economy, and Technology.
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Junta 42 weighs in with its list of “must read” content marketing blogs.
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As marketing budgets are squeezed now is a good time to think about opportunities. David Armano offers thought starters for how digital can help your business or brand thrive in a recession.
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Very cool infographic from Wellington Grey.
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t will all go down during a press conference at “Lancia Village Island” in Second Life. The village is opening up for business today and will include a showroom, party room and more.
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On FFFFound: a ‘deleted’ billboard poster in the UK with the words ‘The Joy Of Not Being Sold Anything’ daubed upon it!
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Grant McCracken has a debate going on about Unilever and whether it can continue to own brands like Axe and Dove with such opposing brand values. Grant says that it’s not up to consumers.
Links for 2008-01-25 : Flashman, WalMart’s Electric Car Plans, Multichannel Marketing Woes
January 25, 2008
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I only just found out that one of my favorite boyhood novelists passed away. I think I have read every single one of his “Flashman” series. Fraser died Jan 2, 2008 aged 82.
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Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer H. Lee Scott discussed with automakers the possibility of selling gasoline-electric hybrid cars and plug-in automobiles at the retailer’s stores.
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Over half of senior-level marketers say they are only “somewhat confident” or “not confident at all” in their organization’s ability to track campaigns across multiple channels in real-time
Links for 2008-01-24 : Braun vs Apple, Virgin Galactic, AT&T WiFi, Free Music at Last (.fm), WalMart’s Social Manifesto, The Holy Bibel
January 24, 2008
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The technology site Gizmodo today points out striking similarities between Apple’s recent design aesthetic and that of Braun from the 1960s. Gizmodo writes…
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Entrepreneur Richard Branson Wednesday unveiled a model of the spaceship he hopes will be the first to take paying passengers into space on a regular basis next year.
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AT&T is giving its broadband subscribers free access to some 10,000 wireless locations.Its wi-fi network includes airports, McDonald’s restaurants, Barnes & Noble bookstores, coffee shops, and sporting venues nationwide, according to InformationWeek.
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On CBS-owned Last.fm, users can now play complete songs from the Big Four record labels and 150,000 indie labels at no cost up to three times, reports MediaBuyerPlanner.
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Wal-Mart pledged to cut energy used by many of its products 25%, to force its suppliers to meet stricter ethical standards and to use its cost-cutting skills to help companies deliver health care for employees.
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“The Holy Bibel,” is one of eight mini coffee-table books just out from the folks at Mother, in collaboration with Blue Q Books
Links for 2008-01-23 : Publicis and Google, Strawberry Frog and Frito Lay, Multitaking, Mac-Lovin’, Putin, $1 Starbucks
January 23, 2008
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Publicis Groupe and Google are collaborating to develop new products and tools and exchange talent by embedding executives in each others’ companies.
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Frito-Lay is hiring independent Strawberry Frog, New York, as its creative agency for its new nut-based line of healthy snacks, instead of using an agency from its AOR - Omnicom Group.
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The only way for people to keep up with the deluge of media options is to multitask - and that’s just what has happened, according to BIGresearch’s 11th Simultaneous Media Survey
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Says Steve Hall: “Oh for fuck’s sake! Shut the hell up you lemming-like, religious freaks! It’s just a fucking computer!”
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The official poster for Vladimir Putin’s fan club may well be the most compelling piece of pop art of the past ten years. The caption says “WE SHALL PERSEVERE” rendered in Cyrillic.
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Starbucks is experimenting with selling an eight-ounce short size cup of coffee for $1 in the Seattle market. It’s also testing free refills for traditional-brewed coffee in the area.
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Santa’s Helpers Nabbed 26.4 Million Visitors, Propelling OfficeMax’s Seasonal Site Into the Digital Record Books. Haven’t seen much else from Toy as of yet.
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For health information, women turn to the internet more than to friends, family or significant others - and second only to consulting physician
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User-generated video scored 22.4 bn views in 2007, up 70% over 2006’s 13.2 bn views, thanks in part to more semi-professional and professional content within UGV environments.
Links for 2008-01-21 : Virtual Worlds, Google’s Denial, Ogilvy’s Turnaround, Goodby’s Reinvention, Clickable TV, Decade of Data
January 21, 2008
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The National Retail Federation’s annual convention stressed new technologies that are fast becoming a part of the shopping experience.
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Last week Andy Berndt of Google’s Creative Lab, told audience members at the Argyle Executive CMO Leadership Forum that “Google is not starting an ad agency.
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Ogilvy will now be in “perpetual beta,” to retrofit the hulking beast of a company to compete in an increasingly media-neutral world, in which leaner shops are beating their bigger brethren. About time too! Always good to see more agencies coming round to a view I and others have been espousing for the past few years.
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A student at Working Tomorrow created this demo of clickable TV whereby a simple click of a product in an ad of product placement brings up information and ordering screens.
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Some visual eye-candy … would love to see some RoI results!
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For men 18 and older, TV advertising is no longer the main influencer in purchasing decisions - just 22% say it is, compared with 24% who now cite advertising inserts as the most influential medium(!)
