Archive for the 'Media' Category

25
May
11

where to next?

While it’s certainly getting easier to predict the weather in New York — rain, rain, and more rain — it’s proving more and more difficult to guess what will happen next with legendary dive bar Max Fish. Back in December, a rent dispute between owner and landlord threatened to close the establishment’s doors forever. But then in May, it seemed police allegations of underage drinking and operating after hours were a greater cause for concern. And now, there is word that Max Fish may survive in its current space even longer than the one year eventually agreed upon. So who’s to know what the future will bring?

In January, I shared with you some of the things I looked forward  to witnessing unfold in 2011. And now, almost six months later, I have a few more questions to add to the list:

- How will the cloud music war play out between Apple, Amazon (Cloud Drive), and Google (Music Beta)? And will consumers agree to pay for this storage/streaming service?

- Will Microsoft’s takeover of Skype really mean the end of free voice and video calls — that the only way to use Skype will be via Office, Windows Phone, and Xbox?

- How will AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile — if approved — affect AT&T and T-Mobile customers and the wireless industry as a whole? Higher fees? Better or worse service? Trouble for Google’s Android?

- Will the biggest news about Yahoo this year be its sale of social bookmarking web service Delicious, or will the company be able to debut a groundbreaking product or two before December rolls around?

- Will technological advancements in TV such as Sharp and NHK’s new Super Hi-Vision screen help to keep enough people interested in consuming media via television rather than via computer or tablet?

- And lastly, for the umpteenth time, when will it actually be the Year of Mobile?

What are your thoughts on these topics? Come on, share your insights.

Photo credit: Andy Roberts

04
May
11

actually, digital has not killed radio

Christopher Brosius is a New York perfumer who creates fragrances as art rather than fashion. And his olfactory creations, which include Burning Leaves, Just Breathe, and In the Library, are said — for better or worse — to smell very much as their names imply.

Now Brosius is believed to be working on developing a perfume that is “invisible” — has a scent that is noticeable to some and yet undetectable to others (kind of how things are argued to be under the asparagus smell theory).

If we were to categorize media in the same way as these perfumes, some would certainly put radio in the “invisible” category. But despite all the time and focus being directed to new media and technology nowadays, radio can’t fairly be regarded as dead. And when done right, radio advertising can still be a very effective and creative way to deliver a brand’s message to its target audience. Go on and click on the examples below:

1. Naturia dog food (Germany) — “Dog Radio” uses specific sounds to manipulate the behavior of listeners.

2. Senokot laxatives (South Africa) — “Captain’s Log” draws on well written copy to create a very vivid and humorous image for the listener.

3. Isuzu F-Series (South Africa) — “Flipping Fantastic Trucks” capitalizes on smart word play to ensure that the listener easily remembers the name of the product.

See what I mean?

Photo credit: Gabriel S. Delgado C.

23
Mar
11

online and in-person — a not-so-great divide

About 10 million parking tickets are issued in New York City each year, and of these around 1.2 million are contested. Now guess how many of these disputed tickets are subsequently dismissed. 48%. Yes, you read correctly — about one half!

Before, frustrated New Yorkers who were unwilling to pay their fines had no choice but to take entire days off work to attend long hearings in traffic court. But now with a new City Hall online program, drivers can not only contest their tickets, but also show supporting evidence via the Internet rather than face-to-face.

But while we as a society scramble around trying to limit our face-to-face interactions, new situations continue to remind us of how rewarding it can be to be physically present. The release of the iPad 2 in the U.S. earlier this month had people standing in line for days, so that 1) they could be one of the first proud owners of the new device but also 2) so they could enjoy being a part of the waiting-in-line experience.

It’s so easy for us as marketers — when we’re focused on completing a single project — to forget that digital marketing campaigns can not run independently, that consumers live and enjoy their lives through a variety of online and offline media. So we must continually remind ourselves of this and take it to heart when conceptualizing integrated campaigns.

Photo credit: Andrew Magill




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