After attending ad:tech and seeing a series on innovation, I was inspired to think outside the proverbial box. Many of the examples that were shown were interesting, but the ones I found most impactful were the ones that paired medias that you wouldn’t traditionally think would work together. The following are just a few examples of how advertisers who have produced innovative campaigns and tactics that were attention grabbing and buzz worthy.
Showtime’s “The Franchise” & Foursquare
To promote the July 15 premiere of reality series “The Franchise: A Season With the San Francisco Giants,” Showtime partnered with the Major League Baseball to create a billboard display that dispensed baseballs, some signed by Giants, when people checked in on Foursquare at the MLB Fan Cave storefront in Manhattan. For those who automatically shared their Foursquare posts to either Twitter or Facebook or both — roughly a quarter of people on Foursquare — a “Franchise” ad and tune-in message was automatically sent to those social-media accounts. I liked this execution for its simplicity – traditional OOH paired with Foursquare’s check-in.
Coca-Cola’s “Chok”
In Hong Kong, Coke was trying to target teens, which they learned were spending more time on their phones than watching TV. They created an app that allowed teens to play a game called “Chok” when a specific Coke commercial aired. Just 15 hours after the campaign launched, the “Chok” app had become the number 1 free app at the Apple store. It remained number 1 for another week and by the end of the third week, there were more than 300,000 unique downloads.
:15 Promo Spot:
:30 Interactive TV Spot:
Converse Domaination
Converse used a fairly common paid media, SEM, but in a very unique way allowing them to engage with their teenage audience in a manner that was personal to them.
Back in the beginning of January 2011, I made some predictions about things I thought would be important in that year.
Well, that year is over. Let’s see how it went.
I talked about the power of the personal brands. If you look at last year, the Personal Brand was in full force. From the Kardashians to Steve Jobs, to Zuckerberg to you. Yes, you. Due to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and blogs, you are out there as a brand whether you like it or not. Everything you do is being looked at and scrutinized, to a degree, by others. You are, in essence, forming a relationship with the world. Individuals are looked at as much as their companies are. Even with mass movements – individuals and their tweets and status updates stand out. YouTube has given millions the ability to become brands with nothing more than a video camera. And these brands are making money … lots of it. Take Randall and Honey Badger for instance. I happen to know he has an agent and a brand.
Another was the Power of the iPad. OK, so the iPad was an easy guess. But just how much of a game changer is it? Well, it’s now replacing airline flight manuals. It’s used in hospitals, restaurants and offices everywhere. It’s the new children’s book. It’s the new art gallery. It’s the new canvas. It’s every presentation. But more important, it’s what the next generation will grow up on and that is the real game changer. iPad kids will have a whole different perspective on what mobile is and will be in the future.
One of the things that will play this year as well is Real-time Interactive experiences that went past the computer and into the real world. Take a look at these wonderful examples of that. This year, the HYBRID of real and digital will continue to grow.
Then there was Crowdsourcing. It’s not just for advertising anymore. It is now helping us discover new products and help get them on the market. It’s also helping to publish books. But, best of all, it’s working toward discoveries in health care and science.
Digital hasn’t figured out how to showcase its great content. And, in many ways, still isn’t providing great content to showcase. Digital needs to look at TV and learn some things. TV spends the money on content. TV promotes content. TV makes content an event even with TIVO. And TV still has more resources. But most of all, too many digital agencies spend their time talking about usability, wireframes, click-through metrics and half a dozen other digital buzzwords. That’s all well and good, but I am going to spend two minutes on your Web page if you are lucky. Meanwhile, I will spend more than four hours watching TV. Stop bullshitting me and put more on the Web that I need to see as much as I need to see the season finale of Homeland.
We were all wrong about Foursquare. I don’t use Foursquare much anymore and I don’t do a lot of checking in. I have also tired of watching my friends check in from different dive bars. So, from my perspective, I have lost interest in Foursquare discounts and I don’t want to be an imaginary mayor. Plus, my coffee place went to a frequency card.
And since the economy is getting better, the companies decided they don’t care about Foursquare as much either.
The consolidation battle between Facebook and Google rages on and on and on. Who will win your soul? Google. No, Facebook. No, Google. It’s hard to decide. Consumers seem locked in to Facebook. However, Google keeps throwing stuff against the wall hoping it will stick. Maybe something that helps individuals stand out more will be the key for Google along with all the customizable friend and privacy settings.
But the best prediction of last year was the Power of the Disenfranchised. The Occupy Wall Street set and whole countries decided they didn’t like the way things were going for them and moved on it. Social media was a conduit for these movements. This has empowered a great many to think they can cause the CHANGE that politicians have been inept at bringing. And if these movements get more organized with stronger leaders and missions, the sky is the limit. This may be the new system in 10 years. It’s pretty obvious the current political party system DOES NOT WORK (see Herman Cain and a host of Republican contenders).
However, the banks will never change. Greed wins over common sense the majority of the time.
All in all, not a bad year. So, what about 2012? Here are some thoughts on what will be more important in the coming year. (Not in any particular order.)
1. The Need for Privacy
Simply put, we don’t have any. Facebook, Google, your iPhone and the nation’s security issues have taken most of it away. With Facebook’s suicide button, you can report a friend who seems too depressed. How far away is that from reporting a person who seems like they might commit a crime? With Facebook’s Timeline, you can look into the history of friends and coworkers. You can look at a relationship status. You can stalk. It’s a window that is always open. With Foursquare, everyone knows you are out while your valuables are home alone. Your iPhone is tracking your movements. Cameras are everywhere. Phones can take a picture and post it to numerous social networks in seconds, tagging you forever. What happens when local cameras are automatically linked to phones? Watch out, terrorists. And what about the social index that can map when large groups are happy, sad, hungry, etc., from their social interactions? Can’t the same be done searching the key words used by individuals? Maybe I want to be sad ALONE.
It seems nothing is sacred anymore. We recently put a campaign together within Vegas asking people to Protect their What Happens Here, Stays Here moments by tweeting and posting discretely when on vacation here. It’s just the beginning. In the next couple of years, the privacy issue will provide a host of apps and a ton of conversation.
2. Transcending YouTube
YouTube celebrities have been showing up in the mainstream for a long time. Someone gets a ton of hits and you see them on a talk show or they get a TV deal. This year, however, brands will hook on to them like fine cheese at the wine tasting. Because the sheer number of fans is so appetizing. From Randall for Emerald Nuts to DJ Dave for Hyundai, the brands are taking notice of the number of hits on their videos.
As well they should. The tie in to Web videos for the brand should be easier since that is the original home of the celebrities in the first place. And if you think there are only a few of them getting the really big numbers of viewers, think again. For instance, try Nice Peter’s Epic Rap Battles – millions and millions of views. Just one of the many.
3. Putting a Brand Worth on Friends/Followers
What are those 600,000 Facebook friends really worth? What kind of ROI can I put to them? How can I spur them into action? How can I turn then into Brand Ambassadors, Brand Evangelists and, eventually, Brand Instigators? Because, as we all know, the key is not those people, but the people they will eventually influence. As more companies start building these groups, they’ll want to know what they’re really getting for the money. They can look at sales, do surveys or follow an online promotion setup for that very measurement, but this is really a small part of the picture. A lot of this is on the “come” as they say. Your Brand Instigators could have already influenced someone to use your product or service – someone who will never become your brand’s friend or tell you how they were influenced on a survey. That’s the nature of social and why it is so successful. Social still feels like an authentic suggestion from a trusted friend. How often is that happening and converting to sales? It’s a big question that will be on more companies’ minds than ever before.
4. The Online Content vs. Risk Dilemma
As more companies get a digital knowledge base, they will take less risk online. The Web is becoming less new and ambitious and more usability and content-driven. This has been happening for the last few years. That isn’t to say there aren’t wonderful sites to see. There are. They just happen to look and feel like what already works. The new mentality is that we will work on original content instead of originality. This is not a bad thing as long as the content is great. If it isn’t, then you just have another site. What does this mean for next year and beyond? Two things: 1. Content is going to get more and more competitive. 2. True originality will stand out like a sore thumb for better or worse.
The bottom line is that originality moves things forward while content makes what is working watchable and engaging. Originality will take a back seat this year on the digital front.
5. Screen Integration
Putting the TV screen, iPad screen and smartphone screen together will be paramount this year. Apps like Yahoo’s IntoNow listen for the audio signature of the show you are watching on television and provide you a unique second-screen experience to go with it. Well, a somewhat unique experience. In other words, the experience could use more content. Content is the key again here.
First off, the app is 100 percent accurate when it listens to identify what you are watching. Better than Shazam by a mile. And if you like to watch TV in a social manner, nothing will beat this. You can discuss with others who are watching the show, watch tweets connected with the show, get information about the episode and season, even buy the show ION iTunes. It’s all on one screen. If you are watching a sporting event, the stats are right there along with a lot of other great information.
What the app lacks is extra original content from the network. However, this will come in the near future. Think of the extras that can be made available to someone watching a show like LOST.
And that’s just the beginning of shared-screen experience. There’s already an app where you can paint over what you’re seeing on your iPad’s camera screen. It’s called Composite.
Couple that with augmented reality and who knows what will happen when you hold your iPad up to a television someday. Hidden characters? Hidden clues? Where to buy the outfits they’re wearing? Alternate endings? What’s to the right of picture where the screen ends? Games? Think of the possibilities.
6. The End of Talking to Anyone But Siri
Talking is out. It is a lost art. Texting allows you to interrupt at any moment. You don’t have to stop what you’re doing to do it (well, driving, finally – you have to stop driving – or you should stop driving). It allows you to put something out there with less risk of rejection. It’s casual even when it’s serious. It’s immediate. There are no awkward silences. When you text, you can attribute those silences to anything. Maybe they got hit by a bus or their phone went dead or they’re in a meeting on a bus that hit someone. No one ever has to believe that they are the reason for the silence. And, most of all, it’s just easier than talking.
Siri is perfect for the texting age. Siri is also immediate. Now you don’t even have to type. You can teach Siri to text someone. You can teach Siri who your wife is or who your best friend is.
And Siri is easy to talk to. She basically just does what you say. The only awkward silences are attributed to Siri not working. Which has happened to me a couple of times.
As Siri learns more and more apps learn to work with Siri, the dream of never having to talk to anyone real may become a reality. I look forward to the day when Siri starts to want stuff from me. Then I will know she is really learning.
7. Backstories
For those on the constant search for authenticity, this will be the year of backstories. In the world of art, the backstory is everything. The “provenance,” as it is called, should be able to trace the past of any great painting or sculpture. Companies and their products will start telling these stories more and more to today’s untrusting consumer. You will see the Web filled with videos showing how boots are made by hand; inspiration that led to that craft-brewed beer you like; the history of your jacket, and the individuals behind it all. It’s the year of pulling back the curtain. Even bankers will give it a shot, but who will believe?
8. The Gospel of Jobs and the Spread of Apple Innovation
The Steve Jobs love affair is just beginning. Pretty much everyone has read the Steve Jobs book (not me yet, but I have it on my iPad at the ready). They have seen his rules for innovation. They have felt his world-changing power. Now they all want to be a part of it. They like spreading the gospel of Jobs. They want to be Steve Jobs. For all the people who say there will never be another Steve Jobs, there are millions of inspired people and companies that will be trying to become the next Steve Jobs. And that will lead to Apple innovation and simplicity in a host of new and exciting products that cover a wide spectrum of our lives. Like the one below.
It’s not new, but it will become a bigger story this year. With search engines, blogs and the ability to target consumers like never before, the ability to make your brand part of breaking stories is easier than ever. Ad campaigns will follow closer to trends and often be built around them. In a world where “there’s an app for that,” marketers will have to move fast. These days, consumers have a thought and they want it taken care of. They want things that make sense for the times because they live current and interconnected. The river of information is in constant flow. It can’t hurt to jump on one of the big logs so that someone might notice you before the falls.
10. The Clouds
Consumers will discover the cloud this year. If you asked most of them last year, they would say, “What is that?” or “You mean the fluffy thing in the sky?” Most consumers look at the cloud as one, main place. This year, they’ll understand the cloud is Amazon, Dropbox, Facebook, Evernote, iCloud, Google and many more. The cloud is about as fragmented as it can be. As more consumers start to understand the cloud and what it means, they will look for ways to consolidate their information. This is the big hope of Google. Google has a place for all your stuff in the cloud under one account. Right now, it may be the easiest, but Apple is close behind with iCloud. And then there’s the personal cloud where you own the memory and the location of your personal server and access your information from there (R&R client Western Digital plug here).
If you’re using the cloud, get ready. Because the cloud wars are just heating up.
I hope some of this has been interesting to you. I certainly don’t know everything, but I would like to. So if you want to tell me what I’ve missed, argue one of these points or just call me an idiot, feel free. I am @arnied on Twitter.
Projections have campaign spending estimated at $6 billion in the 2012 election cycle. According to Ken Goldstein, president of Campaign Media Analysis Group, combined television spending across candidates, party committees, and outside groups could reach $3.2 billion. For comparison purposes, about $2.1 billion was spent on television advertising in 2008.
Twitter has also started selling political ads in the form of its promoted tweets, accounts and trends. In September 2011 these placements launched with a campaign for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Political ads are differentiated with purple icons and when users mouse over the ads, Federal Election Commission compliant notification revealing the ad’s backer are viewable.
As of November 18, 2011, Pandora revealed its plan to sell targeted political ads during the 2012 election period. Targeting will be based on age, gender, and zip code.
In addition to candidate advertising, ballot or issue advertising also accounts for political spending and demands on inventory. As of November 15, 2011, there are 56 ballot questions certified for spots on 23 statewide ballots. Some of the ballots in key states include: California: Term Limits, Tobacco Tax, and Water Bond; Nevada: Harrah’s Sports Arena Initiative and Special Tax District Ban Measure. As we move into 2012, we expect additional ballot propositions to be certified.
As we enter 2012, we recommend planning ahead and buying as early as possible. Due to the demands of political advertising, CPPs and preemptions are expected to increase throughout the year.
Sources: Ad Age, LA Times, billboard.biz, ballotpedia.org
Social media, marketing, and creative advertising have come a long way since my first venture into the business world (and that wasn’t all that long ago). Likewise, I’ve seen decent companies bring revolutionary ideas to the table, only to disappear within months or a couple years after launch. In the frantic race to simultaneously prove return on investment and justify innovative direction, many existing marketing giants are feeling pressure to adapt and simply avoid becoming an industry laggard. These conflicting needs are a daily challenge for brands and businesses alike.
So, how can a company quickly and efficiently change its perspective on social media? The answer may be “enlightenment through creative and strategic risk.”
A majority of business professionals understand that communication pathways have changed, and so have the vehicles. Only a few years ago, brands were able to gain instant market share simply by creating a presence within a social network, throwing some funding behind seeding the network, and then reaping their successes through earned media and elevated community traffic. In the current state of social media, a brand is extremely lucky to break through all of the chatter armed only with an integrated social media presence. The new world of digital and social marketing requires brands to look at their business through a completely new perspective.
First, I’m a firm believer that business objectives should come first and should never be put at risk purely for the purpose of social buzz. Now, how can you compliment your business objectives through social media? I’m guessing GM doesn’t plan on selling a car because of a tweet, or a truck through a Facebook post. But I do believe that a tweet or a post can help solidify relationships with your existing customers, facilitate new relationships, and create brand loyalists. The value of these relationships and conversations is a variable as diverse as the audience and network they occur on.
Remember, social media is a platform for conversations and a vehicle for sharing new, personal, and unique content. The space was not meant to drive direct sales. With this in mind, you can now explore your tactics through a new lens; one that is dedicated to some basic guidelines of “new, personal, unique and social.” If you were to explore all of the strategic pathways that consumers communicate with online through this lens, you’re bound to discover campaign direction with social steam power. But what good is building steam without the potential to see explosive results? This is where many marketers find themselves stuck – with every entrepreneurial venture comes risk, and risk sometimes results in unconquerable challenges. If you’re able to predict accurate ROI then it’s probably already been done. However, this is precisely the point in social and digital campaigns where you reach innovative enlightenment. You are attempting to explore the path to become an “entrepreneur” of sorts, creating a whole new idea with the tools and unique offerings that your brand or business has to offer. This is your adventure into the unknown marriage of a new strategy, innovative tactics, and an audience that can talk back.
Social media can be the catalyst for a plethora of marketing ideas, and sometimes these ideas can generate explosive movements. In the end, a social media movement requires the right creative lens, a healthy dose of considered risk, and an enlightened organization to be supportive – win or lose.
If you’re interested in further investigation of some progressive social media brands— check out the short list below.
In the first quarter of 2011, Facebook delivered over 346 billion impressions, which accounted for almost one third of all display ad impressions delivered (31.2% marketshare). The increase in marketshare has gone up by 15% since last year (16.2% in Q1 2010). Yahoo followed Facebook, along with Microsoft in third and AOL in fourth positions.
BIG BROTHER FEAR
With the ever increasing discussion of privacy laws and requirements for display ads, what about all the apps out there?
Three-quarters of the most popular mobile apps lack even a basic privacy policy – 22 of the top 33 paid mobile apps across major platforms had no policy regarding personal data. With all the talk around town, a U.S. Senate hearing was held to discuss mobile privacy issues as reports have come out that popular mobile devices collected detailed information about users’ locations. But never fear all you Angry Birds lovers, of the apps tested only Angry Birds had a privacy policy link on their user interface.
Some other apps included in the study were Doodle God, Cut the Rope, WeatherBug Elite and Chat for Faecbook Pro.
A while back, 1984 seemed like it was so far in the future. Of course, that was 1949. America and its allies had won World War II, only to see a new and ominous threat arise and the commies threatened to fluoridate our water! And ice cream, children’s ice cream! Folks were tired of war and fearful of totalitarian regimes.
Technology had helped win the war, including radio communication, RADAR, and rocket & jet powered technologies. Anything was possible, and by golly, with a bit more tech who knew what Big Brother would be able to do. The Marlboro Man did not approve.
Then 1953 rolled around and brought a film version of H. G. Wells’ book to the masses. Many remembered the terrifying radio broadcast from pre-war ’38. As much as technology was finding its way into our post-war suburban living rooms, the collective American conscience loved how tech could help us live our lives as much as we feared what might come of it.
Above all, we feared our loss of privacy and individuality. The panopticon was no longer a prison to send people TO – it was a prison we ourselves lived in EVERYWHERE. Wiretaps, video surveillance equipment at work and on our streets, credit card transactions… Big Brother could find you, track you, watch you, control you.
“Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Orson Wells used that premise for 1984. Luckily, a few decades later, a fearless tech impresario by the name of Steve Jobs, with his crack team of marketers including Chiat/Day and Ridley Scott, were ready to save us all. Big Brother got his pixilated teeth knocked out courtesy of a track & field-inspired savior wielding Thor’s hammer:
Upstart Apple brought us the graphical user interface and a mouse. People loved it. And perhaps more than any other piece of technology, it inspired people to love and have a personal relationship (para-social relationship) with technology. Making the products in China hasn’t changed the love affair too much.
Bring on the World Wide Web, and today, many American’s are comfortable making purchases online, sharing intimate personal details and photos, and their most deeply held personal convictions.
Caveat emptor. You might have bought that Apple iPad, but you don’t own it. Same for PS3. And in the near future, maybe not even personal correspondence you have sent in assumed privacy.
In the past you might have bought a book and received the material object made of atoms, bought some software and got the disk with documentation… Pay in cash and the publisher was none the wiser. Now your every more can be tracked – and not just maliciously – as you pay for and receive goods & services electronically in 1’s and 0’s. We’ willingly check-in to Foursquare, post our upcoming vacation to Facebook, and freely share our Social Security number when we’re not being scammed by Nigerian phishermen. And all we get is a stinking electron – we don’t even get the whole atom anymore!
So I rant about privacy and control, but what does it mean for us as marketers? As much as we promoted products with perfect lighting and tightly edited television spots to put our clients’ best foot forward. In the digital age, we must acknowledge that Big Brother is here to stay and strive mold him into a generous and protecting image. Participate in the conversation, empower our consumers, and offer clearly understandable language that explicitly states what and how we use information and allow consumers to decide what we learn about them. Violate that trust and the rapidly swirling 1’s and 0’s will punish you. Ask dictators the world over how that’s working out.
The pen is mightier than the sword – and the online world is one giant pen. With teeth.
A lot has been written about the Snoozefest called the 83rd Annual Academy Awards telecast. Setting aside the wonderful annual gown competition (or so I’m told), snooze, it most certainly was. No pacing. No real humor, and other than Melissa Leo’s F-Bomb, no real surprises. When three snarky throwaway lines from Billy Crystal look like genius and a dead guy steals the show from its hosts, you know the show’s hit some kind of bottom.
The critics lay the blame squarely on James Franco. Here’s a sample from no less than industry booster, Hollywood Reporter, which titles its review, “127 Hours of Boredom.” And it got worse. A lot worse:
“Franco seemed distant, uninterested and content to keep his Cheshire-cat-meets-smug smile on display throughout.
“What was the point, Academy? What did Franco bring to the table? His appearance played more like one of his performance art pieces than an actual attempt to be host. At least Hathaway can sing and dance and be funny.”
Other than us pseudo-Hollywood types, why do we care? The answer might be in what Franco did off-camera:
“…Franco seemed a lot livelier backstage, tweeting videos and photos seemingly every time he was off camera and as engaged in his iPhone as he was totally uninterested in the audience a few feet away.”
James Franco did several live tweets and videos during the Oscars.
Not to make too much of it, but we just might have seen an inflection point, where digital/virtual is more engaging and compelling for some folks than human and live. It’s not the first time I’ve noticed it, only the first time it’s been so clearly revealed in a spectacularly public setting.
Franco is a “digital native,” part of a generation that has never known a time prior to the Web, fast computers and texting. And if you’ve had the sometimes strange experience interviewing some digital natives for a job, for example, you can find them aloof, seemingly inattentive, even lazy. That’s because when your point of contact is a keyboard and not another’s eyes, you tend miss that body language thing. Given that 70% of human communications is non-verbal, it’s easy for both sides to misread exactly what’s going on.
I’d argue that’s what happened with Franco. Unless, of course, he was totally baked. Billy Crystal dodged flying beer cans on his way up, so did Bob Hope, Eddie Murphy and the “old guys.” But they learned to connect, live. Franco is a wunderkind, but increasingly, his life is literally in the Cloud. Just like the emerging wave of Millennial consumers. They’re changing how we think about strategy and communications, big time. Nuance, metaphor, and art give way to the blunt force trauma of 140 characters, smack ya upside the head YouTube snippets and a subterranean Facebook culture that moves so fast, no one can keep up with it.
From a traditional advertising perspective, the world is backwards. It used to be that we’d develop the campaign, then see how it played out in the “other” channels. Now it probably makes sense to start with the virtual and see if out of the morass of feedback, a campaign is necessary or even feasible.
Which is what makes our Build the Brand, Protect the Brand approach so compelling. Dialogue is going to shape the experience no matter how cool our creative is or how much money our clients throw at the problem. Just ask Pepsi and the Gap. We know how to manage consumer dialogue, using our insights and creativity to set things in motion and our judgment to keep things on track. It’s a key skill–especially for consumers who’d rather Tweet about an experience than actually live it.
With the “Big Game” just a few days away, it’s hard to escape the hype of this year’s Super Bowl ads, no matter how hard you try. Ads have already been previewed on morning television, leaked to the web and radio hosts chatting. Most notably this year though, is how social media will impact these hefty spending advertisers.
Social media news source, Mashable.com, offers a great analysis as to how brands are taking a number of different approaches to their social strategy with the Super Bowl. Frito-Lay for instance has continued their “Crash the Super Bowl” contest while Mercedes is running a campaign called “The World’s First Twitter-Fueled Race.” Others are advertising their advertisements. E*Trade for instance is releasing outtakes on their YouTube channel from their iconic talking babies, all in an effort to generate buzz leading up to the new spot’s release during the game. In another positive sign for the economy, a record number of automotive advertisers purchased spots this year. However, Volkswagen on the flip-side seems to be taking a more standoffish approach – just putting it on their YouTube channel. Within just 48 hours, their “The Force” ad was a trending topic on Twitter and had 1.5 million views on YouTube.
During a segment on the Today Show this morning, Matt Miller reported that 15% of Super Bowl viewers will post something on Facebook during the game. Of those, most say they’re more likely to post about an ad versus the game itself! Knowing the vastness of Facebook and how quickly one person’s post gets released into a feed, which is then commented on, shared, liked, etc. suddenly one commercial has garnered exponentially more impressions online.
For that reason, Sally Hogshead, featured on the Today Show, says a three million dollar TV spot in the Super Bowl is the best bargain in advertising. I’m sure there are varying opinions on her statement but one thing is certain – your ad better amaze, inspire or illicit great laughter. With such emphasis put on Super Bowl commercials, it sure would be horrible if those billions of social media impressions were buzzing about a ‘let down’ of a spot.
The iPad has caused the rest of the world to make pads. Big pads, small pads, cheap copycat pads, pads with keyboards, pads that are also laptops, pads that work with other stuff and pads that defy description. From what I can tell, none of them are any better than the iPad, but a lot of them are just plain bad pads. This Dell spins the pad part around to become a laptop. That would be fine if it didn’t make it so fat. There were two Italian gentlemen looking at this Dell and I’m pretty sure they kept saying whatever “fat” is in Italian.
And the Galaxy tablet from Samsung is only slightly bigger than the iPhone. It’s amazing how many people say to me, “Isn’t the iPad just a bigger version of the iPhone?” And I guess I would answer back, “At least it’s bigger.” My advice to anyone looking to buy a tablet is to buy an iPad. And to anyone looking to get a keyboard for their iPad, buy a 15-inch Mac Air. Getting a keyboard for your iPad just makes you look like you can’t afford a real computer. (more…)
In the first quarter of 2011, Facebook delivered over 346 billion impressions, which accounted for almost one third of all display ad impressions delivered (31.2% marketshare). The increase in marketshare has gone up by 15% since last year (16.2% in Q1 2010). Yahoo followed Facebook, along with Microsoft in third and AOL in fourth positions. 
