A "poet of ideas" creates a company that captures the current between two metal currencies that mirror those being traded digitally.
Selected by agencyasia
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Most Topular Stories
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Experimental Art Project Generates Energy From World Currency Exchange
PSFK16 May 2012 | 12:01 pm -
David Cameron meets Dalai Lama, hurts feelings of the Chinese people
Danwei16 May 2012 | 12:32 amThe Beijing Morning Post is a commercial daily under the Beijing DailyPress Group, controlled by municipal authorities. Today’s front page features the following assortment of headlines: “China strongly condemns the British Prime Minister’s meeting the Dalai Lama”, “Subsidized housing that is being rented out or left idle must be reported” and “Electronic passports have arrived!” In the first article, the newspaper reports that China’s Vice-Foreign Minister, Song Tao, held an emergency meeting with the British Ambassador to express the nation’s opposition to Prime Minister… -
They Don’t Make Propaganda Posters Like This Anymore
Hao Hao Report - Published news13 May 2012 | 7:22 amSome bitterly ironic vintage propaganda posters circa 1958-61, around the time of the Great Leap Forward. -
Word of the Week: The Law is not a Shield
China Digital Times (CDT)16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmEditor’s Note: The Word of the Week comes from China Digital Space’s Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon, a glossary of terms created by Chinese netizens and frequently encountered in online political discussions. These are the words of China’s online “resistance discourse,” used to mock and subvert the official language around censorship and political correctness.If you are interested in participating in this project by submitting and/or translating terms, please contact the CDT editors at CDT [at] chinadigitaltimes [dot] net.法律不是挡箭牌 (fǎ lǜ bú shì dǎng jiàn pái): the… -
Miami Ad School ESPM: The Big Ideia Stencil Ruler
Ads of the World™16 May 2012 | 11:54 amAdvertising Agency: Y&R, Sao Paulo, Brazil Chief Creative Officer: Rui Branquinho Creative Directors: Rui Branquinho, Flavio Casarotti Art Director: Kleyton Mourao Copywriters: Roberto Kilciauskas, Pedro Guerra Print Agency Producers: Elaine Carvalho, Flavio Zamboni Art Buyer: Monica Beretta Account Manager: Flavia Fusco Published: March 2012 Check out the new StockLogos.com
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PSFK
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Experimental Art Project Generates Energy From World Currency Exchange
16 May 2012 | 12:01 pmA "poet of ideas" creates a company that captures the current between two metal currencies that mirror those being traded digitally. -
Man Implants iPad Nano Into His Arm
16 May 2012 | 11:36 amProfessional body piercer Dave Hurban causes controversy by inserting magnetic studs into his forearms that allow him to attach and detach gadgets. -
Wearable Exoskeleton Can Help Users Carry Heavy Items With Ease
16 May 2012 | 11:02 amSoon to be commercially available in Japan, the exoskeleton will help people to carry almost 90 pounds without strain. -
Steve Clayton: How To Design Technology So It Becomes Natural [Video]
16 May 2012 | 10:30 amMicrosoft expert presents a vision of the future where gesture, sound and artificial-intuition create a world that extends the possibilities of our creativity. -
Land Rover Edible Survival Guide Will Keep Drivers Alive In The Desert
16 May 2012 | 10:21 amCar company creates a book explorers can eat that also gives car owners tips about terrain, shelter, and wildlife.
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Danwei
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David Cameron meets Dalai Lama, hurts feelings of the Chinese people
16 May 2012 | 12:32 amThe Beijing Morning Post is a commercial daily under the Beijing DailyPress Group, controlled by municipal authorities. Today’s front page features the following assortment of headlines: “China strongly condemns the British Prime Minister’s meeting the Dalai Lama”, “Subsidized housing that is being rented out or left idle must be reported” and “Electronic passports have arrived!” In the first article, the newspaper reports that China’s Vice-Foreign Minister, Song Tao, held an emergency meeting with the British Ambassador to express the nation’s opposition to Prime Minister… -
Wang Yang: Look online for constructive feedback on governance
15 May 2012 | 2:05 amThe Dongguan Times is a commercial daily affiliated with the Party news group in the southern manufacturing city of Dongguan. Today the front page features a picture of Wang Yang, Provincial Party Secretary of Guangdong Province and CPC Central Committee member. The headline is: “Wang Yang says online criticisms can help us lead with more clarity.” Wang was recently reelected to the post of Guangdong Party Secretary, and yesterday was the first meeting of the new Provincial Standing Committee. In his opening speech, he told the new Standing Committee they must fulfill their… -
China’s hospitals up security in the face of rising patient-to-doctor violence
14 May 2012 | 2:23 amThe China Youth Daily is a commercial daily run by the Communist Youth League. On the right hand side of today’s front page is a tiny headline: “how to restore the harmonious doctor-patient relationship,” along with a thumbnail picture of a medical worker learning self-defense from a policeman at the Women and Children’s Hospital, Ningbo City. The article notes there have been several cases of patients killing doctors in the past few years. In response, the Ministry of Health has issued an emergency notice that requires health administrative departments at all levels to increase… -
China apprehends Waxy Kang, a prominent drug lord in the Mekong River
11 May 2012 | 3:15 amThe China Youth Daily is a commercial daily newspaper run by the Communist Youth League. Today the front page features a picture of Naw Kahn (sometimes known as ‘Waxy Kang’ or Nuo Kang, 糯康), a prominent drug lord in the notorious ‘Golden Triangle’ area of the Mekong River, being escorted off a plane to Beijing by Chinese authorities. The headline reads, “Waxy Kang, the main culprit behind the Mekong murder was escorted to Beijing.” The Mekong murder refers to an incident last October where a group of renegade Thai soldiers supposedly colluded with Khan’s group to… -
Wang Yang says its not the Party’s role to bestow happiness on the people
10 May 2012 | 2:52 amThe Southern Metropolis Daily is a Guangdong-based newspaper with a big print circulation in its home province, and a wide national audience online. The front page headline today is: “At the Party Congress, Wangyang said we must let go of the false idea that the party and government are responsible for providing people’s happiness.” This has been circulated all over the Chinese Internet since last night, when it first appeared. Wang Yang is the Provincial Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, and a member of the CPC Central Committee. He is the representative of what has been called…
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Hao Hao Report - Published news
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They Don’t Make Propaganda Posters Like This Anymore
13 May 2012 | 7:22 amSome bitterly ironic vintage propaganda posters circa 1958-61, around the time of the Great Leap Forward. -
'Goodbye to China, country of contradictions'
12 May 2012 | 3:32 amAl Jazeera's ex-Beijing correspondent Melissa Chan writes her farewell to China after her press credentials were revoked, without explanation, by the Chinese government. -
Chinese netizens, “Corruption is Mr. Locke’s only way to gain favor in China”
7 May 2012 | 10:48 pmThe case of China’s escaped blind human rights activist Chen Guangchen has brought Gary Locke, US ambassador to China, to the center of media bashing from Beijing. Chinese netizens come to Mr. Locke’s rescue and find him a solution – corruption. -
Netizens Sickened That Exported Capsules Contained Baby Flesh
7 May 2012 | 10:07 pmChinese netizens react to the horrifying news that intercepted Chinese pills bound for Korean markets contained the powdered flesh of human babies. -
US ambassador derided as 'banana' by Chinese TV reporter
7 May 2012 | 3:18 amGary Locke, the United States ambassador to China in Beijing, has been derided as a "banana" by Qin Feng, the niece of former Chiense foreign minister Li Zhaoxing.
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China Digital Times (CDT)
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Word of the Week: The Law is not a Shield
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmEditor’s Note: The Word of the Week comes from China Digital Space’s Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon, a glossary of terms created by Chinese netizens and frequently encountered in online political discussions. These are the words of China’s online “resistance discourse,” used to mock and subvert the official language around censorship and political correctness.If you are interested in participating in this project by submitting and/or translating terms, please contact the CDT editors at CDT [at] chinadigitaltimes [dot] net.法律不是挡箭牌 (fǎ lǜ bú shì dǎng jiàn pái): the… -
Is China Squandering its Soft Power Investments?
16 May 2012 | 1:10 amFollowing a series of damaging stories this year, notably the ousting of Bo Xilai and escape of Chen Guangcheng, The Atlantic’s Damien Ma argues that “for all the financial muscle thrown behind shaping its global image, Beijing may have squandered more soft power in the last few months than it has accrued in years“:… The collective global attention paid to the world’s number-two economy has increased drastically in the media and within policy circles. Call it the “post-Olympics effect.” The triumphalism of the 2008 Beijing Games and the ensuing collapse of the global… -
Beijing to “Clean Up” Illegal Foreigners
16 May 2012 | 1:07 amBeijing authorities have announced the start of a 100-day campaign to “clean up” foreigners who fall into the “3 Have-Not” categories: no valid visa, no valid residence permit, or (where applicable) no valid work permit. From China Daily, with CDT’s emphasis:Popular Beijing spots for foreigners, such as Sanlitun and university areas, will be targeted by police in a fresh drive against visitors who commit crimes, outstay their visas or gain illegal employment, authorities said on Monday ….Foreigners must carry passports and accommodation registration documents… -
Photo: A beach in Qingdao, by Christopher Cherry
15 May 2012 | 3:55 pmA beach in Qingdao© Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall -
China and the Philippines Both Impose Fishing Bans
15 May 2012 | 3:38 pmTensions between China and the Philippines are continuing to escalate over the Scarborough Shoal, a series of tiny islands in the South China Sea that is home to numerous minerals and oil reserves. The New York Times provides some background on the dispute: The recent bout of trouble began in April, when Philippine Navy personnel boarded Chinese fishing vessels at Scarborough Shoal, an area about 800 kilometers, or 500 miles, south of China and over 160 kilometers west of the Philippines that is claimed by both countries.The Philippines claimed to have found large quantities of illegal coral…
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Ads of the World™
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Miami Ad School ESPM: The Big Ideia Stencil Ruler
16 May 2012 | 11:54 amAdvertising Agency: Y&R, Sao Paulo, Brazil Chief Creative Officer: Rui Branquinho Creative Directors: Rui Branquinho, Flavio Casarotti Art Director: Kleyton Mourao Copywriters: Roberto Kilciauskas, Pedro Guerra Print Agency Producers: Elaine Carvalho, Flavio Zamboni Art Buyer: Monica Beretta Account Manager: Flavia Fusco Published: March 2012 Check out the new StockLogos.com -
Miami Ad School ESPM: The Big Ideias Brush Pack
16 May 2012 | 11:54 amAdvertising Agency: Y&R, Sao Paulo, Brazil Chief Creative Officer: Rui Branquinho Creative Directors: Rui Branquinho, Flavio Casarotti Art Director: Kleyton Mourao Copywriters: Roberto Kilciauskas, Pedro Guerra Print Agency Producers: Elaine Carvalho, Flavio Zamboni Art Buyer: Monica Beretta Account Manager: Flavia Fusco Published: March 2012 Check out the new StockLogos.com -
Aruba: God, 5
16 May 2012 | 11:40 amAdvertising Agency: Lew'Lara\TBWA, Sao Paulo, Brazil Creative Directors: Jaques Lewkowicz, Manir Fadel, Mariana Sá Art Director: Mariana Sá Copywriter: Manir Fadel Accounts: Marcio Oliveira, Valentina Ursini, Fernanda Silvado, Gabriela Marino Media: Luis Ritton, André Magalhães, Marina Campanatti Art Buyers: Ana Karina Mello, Giuliano Springhetti, Ale Sarilho Graphic Production: Marcos Pedra, Alexandro Coelho Check out the new StockLogos.com -
Aruba: God, 4
16 May 2012 | 11:40 amAdvertising Agency: Lew'Lara\TBWA, Sao Paulo, Brazil Creative Directors: Jaques Lewkowicz, Manir Fadel, Mariana Sá Art Director: Mariana Sá Copywriter: Manir Fadel Accounts: Marcio Oliveira, Valentina Ursini, Fernanda Silvado, Gabriela Marino Media: Luis Ritton, André Magalhães, Marina Campanatti Art Buyers: Ana Karina Mello, Giuliano Springhetti, Ale Sarilho Graphic Production: Marcos Pedra, Alexandro Coelho Check out the new StockLogos.com -
Aruba: God, 3
16 May 2012 | 11:40 amAdvertising Agency: Lew'Lara\TBWA, Sao Paulo, Brazil Creative Directors: Jaques Lewkowicz, Manir Fadel, Mariana Sá Art Director: Mariana Sá Copywriter: Manir Fadel Accounts: Marcio Oliveira, Valentina Ursini, Fernanda Silvado, Gabriela Marino Media: Luis Ritton, André Magalhães, Marina Campanatti Art Buyers: Ana Karina Mello, Giuliano Springhetti, Ale Sarilho Graphic Production: Marcos Pedra, Alexandro Coelho Check out the new StockLogos.com
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TechNodeTechNode | TechNode
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Baidu To Release a New Mobile OS and A New Phone With a Secret Partner
16 May 2012 | 8:36 amBaidu the leading Chinese search engine seems to be determined to enter the smartphone market. The company was said to release a new mobile operating system Baidu Yun next week with a hardware vendor to jointly announce a device based on the OS. Rumors said that the partner is ZTE (a leading Chinese telecom equipment provider), although Wang Jin, vice-president of Baidu only revealed that they are working with a “global manufacturer”. Earlier last year, Baidu released a mobile operating system called Baidu Yi, which is modeled on Google’s Android system and later cooperated… -
Beijing Start-up, CloudAcc Can Save Online Video Streaming Sites Like Youku and Hulu 50% on Bandwidth Costs
16 May 2012 | 8:00 amChina indeed has a fiercelycompetitiveonlinevideomarket. Last month it was reported that the number one video site, Youku acquired the number two video site Tudou. Shortly after, news broke out of the newly formed alliance between Tencent’s v.qq.com, tv.Sohu and Baidu’s iQiyi. A big reason for the flurry of M&A activity has been the difficulty to make profit due to rising operating costs, forcing some players to succumb to stronger players. To win in the long run, companies must achieve profitability and notjustburnmoneyformarketshare. To become profitable, these video sites must… -
Tencent Weixin’s Open Platform Launched
15 May 2012 | 12:06 pmOnce you built your brand and reached certain good amount of users, the next to-do might be to launch an open platform to integrate various services from third-parties. If you can manage this open platform well and make it the no.1 choice for third parties, you will see a brilliant future ahead. That’s what Facebook taught us. And Tencent’s Weixin, is following what Facebook has done in the mobile space. We reported that Weixin’s to launch its open API. About 1 hour ago, the official site for Weixin’s open platform has been launched. The introduction, the… -
Qihoo Phone to Continue the Same Profit-Making Story on Mobile Front
15 May 2012 | 4:44 amLike I said, don’t claim yourself to be a major Internet company in China now if you haven’t come up with your own brand smart phone. With Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu and so on all debuted their device for quite a while, Qihoo 360 the digital world‘s safeguard unexpectedly made public its smartphone scheme lately in the wake of a rumor asserting that gaming operator Shanda would announce a Shanda phone in next month. So either you have a smartphone in the plate or at least in the plan. Otherwise it’s not convincible enough that you’re a mainstream Chinese Internet company. Joke aside,… -
Baidu to Launch Cloud-Powered Photo Sharing Service: Baidu Xiangce
15 May 2012 | 1:10 amA new photo sharing service Baidu Xiangce (translates to Baidu Album) was launched secretly by Baidu lately. This is part of the broad strategy of the search giant to expand its business into cloud forefronts. According to Wang Jing, the vice president of its engineering division and head of mobile, “We have a few partnerships coming up and will announce it in a week.” Two months ago, Baidu just released its cloud storage service Baidu Netdisk. The new service is still in beta testing and looks similar to Baidu Netdisk for they both provide the service of storing files and…
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The China Observer
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Forecasting Growth of China’s Middle-Class Consumers
9 May 2012 | 2:48 pmCompanies like Yum! Brands are betting on the rise of middle-class consumers around the world. According to analysis conducted by Jana.com the size of the global middle-class could increase from 1.8 billion to 3.2 billion by 2020 and to 4.9 billion by 2030. Asia will account for nearly 85 percent of this growth, with China and India experiencing the most significant increase. The image above is from a recent infographic created by Jana which highlights key findings for marketers about opportunities for mobile advertising in emerging markets like China. -
Fanta: Interactive Gaming Drives Chinese Youth Engagement
2 May 2012 | 6:48 pmFanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks which is part of The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola started doing business in China shortly after the ‘reform and opening’ in 1978 and established its first bottling plant in Beijing three years later. By April 2012, Coca-Cola celebrated the grand opening of its 42nd bottling plant in the northeastern city of Yingkou. It is one of the most successful Western multinational companies operating in China with ambitious plans to invest four billion more dollars in China over the next three years. The Coca Cola Company markets a… -
DATA: Where do Chinese Luxury Consumers Live?
23 Apr 2012 | 5:24 pmThe Hurun Report, in conjunction with the Industrial Bank Co.(兴业银行), recently released a report on China’s luxury consumer market. In particular, the report examines High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) defined as individuals with an excess of 6 million renminbi (approximately 950,000 USD). Beijing is home to the most HNWIs with 460,000 people. There is also a high density of HNWIs located in China’s coastal provinces from Jiangsu down to Guangdong. The map above illustrates the distribution of HNWIs across China. -
Samsung: Product Placement in Custom Short Films Boosts Brand Recognition
18 Apr 2012 | 6:28 pmSamsung Electronics, based in South Korea, has been the world’s largest technology company by revenue since overtaking Hewlett-Packard in 2009. Samsung opened its first manufacturing facility in China in 1992 after China and South Korea normalized diplomatic relations in August of that year. Like many multinational companies, Samsung’s focus shifted quickly from leveraging China solely as a production base, to selling directly to Chinese consumers. Two decades later, Samsung has experienced a great deal of success in China, with its total sales there growing 32% year-over-year to 9.5… -
DATA: Foreign Clothing Retailers’ China Expansion
28 Mar 2012 | 2:14 pmRetail in China 2011 View more PowerPoint from TheChinaObserver
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Thomas Crampton
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Job Opportunities: Social@Ogilvy Asia
13 May 2012 | 12:39 amWe have a number of openings in our team, this one is fairly senior and quite urgent. We are also looking for people elsewhere in the region. Let us know if you are interested. To get an idea about our team dynamic, you can look at this YouTube video. Send a CV and cover letter to: jonathan.nguyen AT ogilvy.com. Organization: Social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific Title: Social@Ogilvy, Director of Operations, Asia Pacific Job Summary Do you want to help build a next-generation social media team in the heart of the largest marketing and communications agency in the Asia-Pacific… -
Updated: Facebook Asia Stats Infographic
10 May 2012 | 1:52 amAs part of the ongoing project I started on the growth of Facebook in Asia, here is the latest update. You can download high resolution versions of these images by clicking on them or via slideshare. Enjoy! -
China’s Online Dating Booms, To Reduce Choice
8 May 2012 | 2:35 amIn contrast to online dating in the United States and Europe – where people turn to the Internet to increase choice – Evan Osnos writes in The New Yorker this week about how Chinese netizens use dating sites to narrow their choices. “I once watched a twenty-three-year-old woman search for dates in Beijing, where there are four hundred thousand male users,” the chief engineer from Jiayuan told Osnos. “She narrowed it down by blood type and height and zodiac sign and everything else until, at last, she had a pool of eighty-three men.” Jiayuan asks people to define their… -
Standing up at work again
7 May 2012 | 1:55 amWhile a foreign correspondent, I often worked standing up. I find that you remain more alert while vertical, instead of slumping down in a chair. The French newspaper Le Monde famously holds its editorial meetings standing up, which keeps the meeting quicker. Now, I am standing up once again, thanks to a colleague who pointed me to these 138 RMB laptop platforms that you can get from the Chinese e-commerce website Taobao. It is working out really well and allows me to have both a sit-down and stand up desk. An article in The New York Times recently extolled the health benefits of a stand-up… -
Why the best WPP Fellows should work at Social@Ogilvy APAC
22 Mar 2012 | 12:02 pmI run the regional Social@Ogilvy team at Ogilvy & Mather Asia-Pacific. Our team is a highly dynamic, entrepreneurial and creative group specialized in helping companies understand, strategize and execute in social media. Team members include the 448th person to join Facebook, a YouTube music star, a former professional football (soccer to you) player and an iPhone hacker. This video is intended to lay out the case why this year’s WPP fellows should consider coming out to join us. The rapid growth and success of our team has been fueled by the dynamism, intelligence and sense of fun…
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China Internet Watch
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CHARTS: Credit Card Payment in China
14 May 2012 | 8:26 pmChina Banking Association recently released a study “Chinese Credit Card Industry Development Blue Book 2009-2011″ showing that total credit card transactions in 2011 totaled 7.56 trillion yuan (about USD 1.2 trillion). There were about 290 million credit cards issued last year, up 24.3% from 2010. Over three million merchants with over 4.8 million POS terminals accept payment by credit card last year. The number of transactions totaled 2.85 billion in 2011. Copyright © 2011 China Internet Watch Subscribe to CIW Whitepaper Newsletter here. (Digital Fingerprint:… -
Sina Weibo Launched Social Ads
8 May 2012 | 10:41 pmThe launch of social ads on Sina Weibo is definitely not a surprise to many people in China digital marketing industry considering the long existence of social ads on Facebook and eager “learning habit” of China Internet companies. Sina Weibo social ads have two types: top and bottom banner ads, and promotion ads of topics, events, videos and products. Sina social ads will utilize the demographic profile of Weibo users for more accurate targeting. Reports on ads performance will also be available on reach, CTR, engagement, earned reach and engagement as well as quality and growth… -
China Online Shopping Market in Q1 Reached 228.2 Billion Yuan
8 May 2012 | 7:26 pmChina’s first quarter online shopping transactions was 228.2 billion yuan, down 0.8% over the previous quarter but up 40.9% over the same period last year. Transactions on C2C sites totaled 166 billion yuan (72.8%) and B2C totaled 62.2 billion yuan (27.2%). Taobao continues to dominate the C2C market with over 95% revenue share and tmall (previously Taobao Mall) leads B2C platform trading with 51.5% market share. Copyright © 2011 China Internet Watch Subscribe to CIW Whitepaper Newsletter here. (Digital Fingerprint: ce3119404a5ce2598bdc0ba364f770c3)Original URL:China Online… -
China Mobile Market Update for Q1 2012
7 May 2012 | 7:09 pmThe first quarter China mobile market in 2012 totaled 15.87 billion yuan (USD 2.5 billion). Mobile marketing spend is also growing fast as some top advertisers gradually allocate more budget on mobile. Copyright © 2011 China Internet Watch Subscribe to CIW Whitepaper Newsletter here. (Digital Fingerprint: ce3119404a5ce2598bdc0ba364f770c3)Original URL:China Mobile Market Update for Q1 2012Also read:: China Mobile Internet Market Update Q1 2011 -
Social Media Usage for Recruitment in China
4 May 2012 | 8:14 pmWith the growth of China’s economy also comes the increase of connectivity. According to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), there are over 513 million internet users and 356 million mobile internet users in China. Almost half of the internet users (48.7%) spend about half of their time online on SNS and microblogs. The growing usage of social networks is generating business opportunities across many industries. As the country’s labor market is experiencing a fierce war on talent, we as an advertising agency specialized in employer branding and recruitment marketing,…
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Adweek : Advertising & Branding
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Ogilvy Names Head of Content Strategy
16 May 2012 | 11:03 amJonathan Sackett is taking his digital chops to Ogilvy & Mather. After 14 months as chief digital officer at DDB in Chicago, Sackett is assuming a North American role at Ogilvy: managing director of content strategy. The position is new and designed to help marketers develop new channels for building their brands. At his new agency, Sackett, 42, will report to North American chief creative officer Steve Simpson and regional chairman John Seifert. In a statement, Simpson said Sackett believes that “great creative ideas come from everyone. We think this point of view will help elevate… -
Six Questions: Dominic Proctor
16 May 2012 | 10:39 amSix Questions: Dominic Proctor -
The 20 Most-Viral Ads of 2012 (So Far)
16 May 2012 | 10:23 amIt's only the middle of May, but already we've had some runaway viral hits in advertising this year. Unruly Media, which runs the global Viral Video Chart, has just released a list of the most-shared ads of 2012 (so far). We've posted the top 20 below. It's a varied group of spots—with dancing and singing, cursing and fainting, running and good old-fashioned pitching. President Obama even makes an appearance. Check out the full list after the jump. And don't resist the urge to share. Finnair Snobby ad people largely despise flash mobs and/or spontaneous dancing as a… -
Skechers Settles Deceptive Ad Case With FTC for $40M
16 May 2012 | 9:38 amWhen it comes to cracking down on health and fitness claims in ads, the Federal trade Commission isn't sitting on its butt. Skechers' health and fitness advertising claims didn't go the distance with the FTC, which forced the fitness apparel manufacturer to fork over $40 million to settle claims that deceptive advertising was used to sell Skechers' toning shoes and apparel. The $40 million settlement fee is the the largest ever for the FTC, which has escalated its oversight of advertisers that use unsubstantiated health and fitness claims to lure unsuspecting consumers. Last… -
Siegel+Gale's Alan Siegel Moves On
16 May 2012 | 8:13 amAlan Siegel, the driving force behind the ‘plain English’ movement of communications simplification, is leaving his namesake branding firm after 43 years. The Siegel+Gale chairman, who co-founded the firm at age 28, now plans to devote his time to personal nonprofit marketing efforts, research and writing. “I’m very interested in working with nonprofits, people in education, medicine, people who are doing things to improve the world and who don’t have the money to come to Siegel+Gale for help,” he told Adweek. “I’m not retiring. I’m…
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AdPulp
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THE INTERNET HAS A REPUTATION PROBLEM
15 May 2012 | 3:49 pmWe’re both in the brand identity game. So, let’s put our heads together on this. The Internet needs an identity refresh. Please understand that this is #probono work, since there is no real client and no one to bill. We all own the Internet, right? It’s a community garden and thus our undertaking to improve it is a just cause. Plus, our investment of free labor in the future of the Internet’s brand will be noted by a Wikipedia editor. I won’t bore you by presenting the brief for the reinvented Internet brand, but I know you need a strategy statement of some kind. -
10 Easy Steps You Can Take Today To Achieve Social Media Stardom And Make Buckets of Money
12 May 2012 | 3:36 pmIf you’ve been paying attention these past few years, you know by now that the world is most definitely your oyster. Thanks to the game changing power of the Internet, you can disrupt markets, wear a sarong to work and never answer to a clueless boss again. Sure, it may sound too good to be true. But trust me when I say that doubt will get you nowhere. On the other hand, the more you believe in yourself, the more others will believe in you. So without further ado, here are TEN THINGS YOU MUST DO TODAY to UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR NETWORK and INSURE YOUR LONG TERM PROSPERITY… 10. Put… -
When You Replace Bad Habits, You Make Room For Better Ones
11 May 2012 | 9:59 amMy recent post where I discussed kicking my blogging habit lacked clarity. Ergo, I’ve got some explaining to do. I thought this line from the post would carry weight: “By blogging I refer to the light- to medium-weight updates that often refer to a primary source.” But it didn’t. I also thought this line would also make things clear: “To be clear, I’m not walking away from AdPulp, I’m changing my daily routine.” But it didn’t. If I simply followed the example set by other well read bloggers, I would have written a post titled, “Blogging Is… -
I Like Your Jacket. And I “Like” Your Jacket.
9 May 2012 | 9:19 amHere’s an interesting use of Facebook in the retail space. A Brazilian retailer lets you see exactly how many people “like” a particular item of clothing. According to Springwise, C&A’s new “Fashion Like” initiative uses special hooks on the racks in its bricks-and-mortar store to display Facebook “likes” in real time, giving in-store shoppers a clear indication of each item’s online popularity. Now, here’s my question to all you AdPulp fashion lovers: If many people like a piece of clothing, would you be more inclined or less inclined to… -
Next Week In Portland, Share Your Vision For The Web
9 May 2012 | 9:01 amWebVisions is on next week in Portland. I know you’re busy making commercials and stuff, but why not push back from the machine for a day or two? Entering its 12th year, the conference kicks off with studio tours, parties and networking events on Tuesday, followed by one day of workshops and two full day of sessions, panels and keynotes. This year’s keynotes will be delivered by Baratunde Thurston of The Onion, the authors of Make It So, Nathan Shedroff and Chris Noessel, and Laura Fitton of Hub Spot. Some of the other presentations that I will likely want to cover include:…
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Lies, damned lies and statistics
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The importance of the ‘visual web’ – some stats
8 May 2012 | 3:19 pmRecently, Read Write Web’s Richard McManus penned a series of articles around ‘The Visual Web’, “meaning that images and video are becoming an increasingly important part of what we consume online.” I couldn’t agree more. Speaking personally, Instagram started replacing Twitter as my social network of choice about a year ago. More to the point, there is now a wealth of statistics to underpin what Richard is talking about. This is specially when you consider that many of the biggest social media stories of the past year – Tumblr,… -
Stats that show why you need a mobile first approach now
2 May 2012 | 1:54 pmThe other week someone asked me what an agency such as Rabbit (where I work) should be focusing on going forward. My reply, was previously organisations have been talking about a digital first approach. In other words, concentrate on online channels and content 1st, which then filters into the offline world. However now the priority has to be mobile first, you cater in the 1st instance for people who may be consuming your content via their smartphones. Sounds obvious enough, but some recent stats demonstrate the need to move from theory to practice: In February 2012,… -
If Instagram will be like YouTube, which photo-network will be like Vimeo? Tadaa is one possibility
29 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pmIn the wake of Facebook’s $1billion Instagram buy earlier in the month, one comparison that did the rounds is that Instagram will be to Facebook like YouTube is to Google. A stand-alone (ish) network, that is the clear leader in what it does (so for YouTube online video, for Instagram mobile photography). However, while YouTube may be the 800lb gorilla of video sharing, a few networks have managed to carve out their own roles – on positioning as opposed to numbers. Vimeo for example, is a fraction the size of YouTube, but a lot of creative industry professionals prefer it… -
How technology has changed childhood – ten stats
26 Apr 2012 | 1:30 pmOver the past eighteen months Internet security company AVG (disclosure – Rabbit client) has been carrying out research to see how technology has changed childhood, beyond recognition from someone who grew up twenty or thirty years ago. With five waves looking at kids from birth across eleven countries, the end result is a fairly extensive piece of research. Ten key stats are as follows: 1 – 81% of children under two currently have some kind of digital dossier or footprint, with images of them posted online. In the US that rises to 92% 2 – Though the average… -
Less than half of European airports have customer focused social channels
26 Apr 2012 | 9:34 amAnyone who knows a bit about what we do at Rabbit (where I work), will know that a lot of it is in the aviation sector. As a result, I was interested to see this infographic that Shashank Nigham of SimpliFlying shared the other day. Accompanying a report by the Airports Council International (the airport trade body ), it shows that 77% of travellers pass through European airports that are active on social media. So far so good, but actually once you delve into the report a little bit further you find that European airports are less progressive than you might first think. First of all,…
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The Brand Chef
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#140Character Conference Hits Des Moines
3 May 2012 | 12:36 pmFor the last two years I have had the honor of speaking at the #140 Character Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s a tremendous, national series of events that originated with Jeff Pulver ( @JeffPulver ) as a call-to-action for the Twitter and social media community as a whole. With great PR and some passionate participants, the event has turned into one of the most prolific social media events in the nation (maybe the world). So, on April 23rd, a couple hundred of our close Des Moines social media friends as well as some connected through the wonders of technology, gathered to… -
Don’t Be A Brand Poser
13 Mar 2012 | 7:13 amToday, I’m speaking as your brand advocate. If I’m your brand advocate, we, in some significant way, have made a connection. Your unique message has fought through the din of chaos and clutter and found it’s way into my heart, my mind and even my soul. It’s now a part of me. So engage it with care. I’ve had the honor of hearing and seeing some very good keynote speakers throughout my career. Some have left me with tears in my eyes or a fire in my heart while others… have… well… just left me. On the positive, I’ve seen tremendous… -
OPEN INVITATION: Business Growth Summit Jan 31, 2012!
18 Jan 2012 | 4:02 pmThis is an OPEN INVITATION to ALL of my friends, colleagues and extended network! (please read all of this post… kinda long, but VERY important.) I wanted to make sure I invited all of you to this amazing event, the 2012 Business Growth Summit coming up on the 31st of January! It’s put on by a group started by some associates and myself about 2 months ago called Above The Line America. We’re a networking group like no other – (no fees, no forced referrals, no stupid clapping – unless you feel like clapping… ). Above The Line America is focused on… -
Create A Personal Annual Report
12 Jan 2012 | 9:05 amJonathan Fields is an author… That’s where it all started for me. I read his book, Uncertainty, Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel for Brilliance. And for those that know me, I NEEDED it. I can’t say it changed my life. I’ve personally understood what he wrote in the book for 20 years, but it revealed a path on which I could take the first step. Read it today, I highly encourage it… So, this morning, as I traveled on that path with meetings for a new venture, creating an outline for new campaigns, dreaming of the future and my plans for personal growth and… -
The Intrinsic Value Of Pants
23 Nov 2011 | 8:43 amI joined Kosama Downtown (check out their program here) a few weeks ago, and with my busy schedule, I “wisely” set the time for my workouts for 5 AM. Needless to say, 5 am comes pretty early these days, so forgetfulness is usually forgiven. For those that have done these kinds of wacko workout schedules, you know that forgetting something is a common occurrence. Sure, some times it’s shampoo or a razor – that you can most likely get on with your day and recover from. But today, I had the unique pleasure of FORGETTING MY PANTS! I packed them in my bag. I remember it.
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Connection Agent
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Words With Baggage
15 May 2012 | 5:11 amWhile facilitating a workshop on vendor/project management with a client yesterday, I felt compelled to emphasize that one of the keys to communication between two parties (say, client project manager –> vendor project manager) is realizing that words carry baggage. And I do not speak of “baggage” here pejoratively, as we often do, but simply descriptively. There is the dictionary definition of a word or phrase. Then, there is the meaning and significance embedded in our minds, which is attached to an (accurate or not) personal definition, past experiences, images,… -
LeadershipChat: Transitions
14 May 2012 | 3:12 amMarkets change. Companies change. Circumstances change. And leaders transition in and out of their roles. How is this handled? What are the upsides, the downsides, and the pitfalls of leadership transitions? That will be our topic of discussion for LeadershipChat this week. In and of themselves, transitions are neither inherently good nor evil. They’re simply a fact of life. The reasons for them, and the way they are handled, make the difference between a positive and negative experience. Sudden transitions due to scandal or sub-par performance can rock the boat temporarily, but may… -
Business Mist = Business Missed
11 May 2012 | 5:36 amWe’d fondly like to think that our potential clients – and even we ourselves – have a clear, 20/20 view of our professional offerings and message. However, the case is almost always more like this: The fog of information overload in the minds of customers, the greyness of unclear positioning, the vaguely familiar sounding competitive bullet points – all of it adds up to being easily forgotten when the opportunity is at hand. Business Mist means Business Missed. A lot of dollars and time can be spent marketing and advertising, but if the message is unclear, the… -
Be Narrow-Minded
10 May 2012 | 5:42 amWhen building a business, it’s healthy to take something often thought to be a deficit, and turn it into a strength. I’m talking about narrow-mindedness. Specifically, I mean that you should relentlessly optimize your market definition. Get a clear focus. Aim for the smallest of targets. To put it in the words of a very helpful article by Tom Searcy in Inc. magazine: Don’t define your competitive advantage by your competitors. Define your distinction by your customers. (go ahead – click the link and read the article. It’ll be your best read all day.) Or, #9 in… -
Chicago-style Leadership
8 May 2012 | 5:03 amLast week, with about 150 others, I attended the SOBCon conference in Chicago (this was my 3rd year). This gathering always provides thought-provoking gems, along with great opportunities to deepen relationships (here is my quick review of the 2012 gathering). I thought I’d list out three discussion points for this week’s LeadershipChat based on things said in the Windy City at SOBCon. 1. “Relationships always trump results.” (from Gary Goldstein). Overall, I agree with this perspective – even if projects go awry, the relationships built are the biggest benefit…
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Brian Solis
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The Fallacy of Information Overload
15 May 2012 | 6:50 amSome of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise. Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More… -
Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience
10 May 2012 | 7:56 amSocial media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media… -
The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design
7 May 2012 | 11:19 amThe future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the… -
The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business
2 May 2012 | 9:17 amI’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million… -
Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.
30 Apr 2012 | 8:21 amFrank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…
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Logo Design Blog
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Five Questions to Ask Before Overhauling Your Company Logo
9 May 2012 | 6:00 amRe-branding your company's logo should be one of the most carefully thought-out decisions you ever make for your business. Hastily adopting a new logo can be disastrous to your image and may literally cost you a significant percentage of your customers. On the other hand, a smart re-branding can generate new revenue and open markets you'd struggled to break into with your old concept. -
Windows 8 Logo Design – Simplicity that Makes Sense
26 Mar 2012 | 5:07 amThis year, Microsoft unveiled a brand new look of the Windows logo, which is designed for the most awaited operating system ‘Windows 8’. It has become one of the most talked about logos because of the dramatic change in its branding and styling, and one can also find some significant backlash around the Internet. But, everyone seems to overlook the fact that the new Windows 8 logo is a Microsoft’s smart move. -
2012 Web Design Trends – Gain your Competitive Edge
28 Feb 2012 | 2:31 amIf your website doesn't look as polished and professional as your competitors, visitors might not stick around long enough to appreciate your content or product. For your help, here are a few of the latest trends that you can incorporate into your website and improve its performance: -
Valentine’s Day Offer – 15% Discount
13 Feb 2012 | 1:01 amOur design services are reliable and of high quality. We’ve got all that you need for establishing a sound brand image, so don’t let go of this opportunity and use our services at a discount price. This 15% discount is applicable on every package you order, no matter how many you order in one go. Yes! You can really save 15% on every package. -
6 Reasons Why Your Business Should Not use Google Analytics Alone
7 Feb 2012 | 2:35 amA website without analytics and a website owner unaware of the intricacies involved in the traceability of websites using Google analytics are sure to lag behind in the competitive business world. Although, the God-Like image of Google has made organizations completely dependent on its tools for rankings, analytics and reputation management. But here are six beefy reasons to why you should not use Google Analytics alone.
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Simon Mainwaring
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How your brand wins over empowered customers to profit from social commerce
16 May 2012 | 10:20 amI recently had the pleasure of speaking at there First Data ‘Engaging Today’s Empowered Customer’ Summit in New Orleans where we discussed in detail the shifts that financial institutions, credit card associations, and merchants across all industries must make in order to command the attention of the social customer and earn the loyalty, trust, and goodwill that translates to profit. We discussed the new co-creative relationships between brands and customers, the importance of authentic purpose, and the ability of brands to architect communities that build their business… -
How social ads are winning over advertisers and consumers
14 May 2012 | 10:16 amOver the last two years we have seen a steady shift from Google Search to Social Search as consumers, faced with an overwhelming amount of choices and information, are turning to their peers within social networks for trusted recommendations as to what to buy. Now it seems advertisers are recognizing this trends and following suit. Over the past 12 months, the proportion of Facebook ad budgets allocated to “social ads” has increased fourfold, from 5% in March 2011, to 23% in March 2012, according to a report from Marin Software. What’s more social ads are expected to account for… -
Why you need more than good intentions to build a purposeful brand
10 May 2012 | 10:25 amImage: Hetemeel.com One of the most encouraging trends in today’s social business marketplace is the demonstration of greater social responsibility by brands. At one extreme you see large brands showing a greater commitment to their purpose, and at the other a growing number of in social enterprises and entrepreneurs are emerging with responsibility baked into their business models. That said, no amount of good intentions will suffice if you overlook three key drivers of business success: 1. Brand Singularity: Too often brands (and many non-profits) mistake the cause for their brand. -
What Facebook is worth to your business and brand
8 May 2012 | 1:11 pmImage: Nerd Reactor As the Facebook IPO Roadshow shifts into high gear, it seems relevant to consider exactly what value Facebook can offer your brand and business. While the addition of Instagram and Glancee has done much to sure up their mobile capacities (as yet only in perception), the core business opportunities cannot be underestimated. The roster of sales and marketing services can be broken out into the following categories: - F-Stores (E-commerce stores where customers buy real goods with real currency inside Facebook) - Facebook Credits (Currency for games and in-app virtual goods)… -
Biz Stone on the powerful role of social media in business and social change
2 May 2012 | 8:57 amSource: CXO Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking in New Orleans at the First Data conference. It was a fantastic event and the other speaker was Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, who said something that struck me deeply. He put a sentence up on screen, which said, “Change is not the triumph of technology, but the triumph of humanity.” I completely agree, and while I have talked and written a lot about this through the We First lens, when it comes from someone like Biz who has shaped the social media world, it is that much more persuasive. Too often, companies make the mistake of…
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Brandtelling
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Do you ever tear the roof off your brand story?
14 May 2012 | 1:03 pmfunk-o-mart (Photo credit: Digital Sextant) “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)” Tear the roof off, we’re gonna tear the roof off the mother, sucker Tear the roof off the sucker - Give Up the Funk, Parliment Funkadellic OK, now that you’ve got that beat running through your brain, let me ask you a question: Do you ever tear the roof off your brand story? No, I didn’t just climb out of a flying saucer (points if you get the reference); I am wondering whether you ever really rethink and reimagine your brand story by tearing it apart and putting it back… -
What is the rosin in your brand storytelling?
27 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amJohnny you rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard. ‘Cos hells broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards. And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold. But if you lose, the devil gets your soul. – The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels Band Rosin (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I’m going to assume you know the song (and now you can’t get it out of your head). It was the line about rosining up his bow that struck me as I listened to the song just last night. I think that the act of rosining is what prepared Johnny and helped him to beat the… -
What does your brand story look like through a telescope or a microscope?
16 Apr 2012 | 11:22 amNice Observatory - 50cm Refractor (Photo credit: Wikipedia) NOTE: From the Wayback Machine. A version of this post first appeared in 2007. I was playing with Google Earth and looking at my home (and realizing that some of my neighbors have awfully large pools) when it occurred to me that I was getting a drastically different view when I zoomed in versus when I zoomed out — even just a little bit. The closer I got, the image in the center became more detailed, but less connected to the outlying area. It’s true of brand stories as well. We’ve all heard the “can’t… -
How can you use content marketing to share your brand story? [infographic]
12 Apr 2012 | 12:54 pmThe buzz you’re hearing all around you is about Content Marketing. But what exactly is Content Marketing and how can you use it to promote and share your brand story? Glad you asked. The folks at Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and/or employers, have developed the fantastic infographic below. Take a look at how you can “Jump on the Content Marketing Bandwagon” to tell your brand story. See how many of these things you are doing today and how many you might be able to leverage. … -
What Easter eggs are inside your brand story?
9 Apr 2012 | 8:24 amEaster egg (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Don’t you love a good Easter Egg Hunt? Yesterday was Easter, and even though my daughters are older, they still wanted to hunt for Easter eggs. They’re competitive and they enjoy locating a well-hidden treat (and beating the other sister for who can locate more candy). “Easter eggs” is the term used for any hidden item inside computer programs and online services as well. These are often inside jokes or some unexpected trick – quick, try this to see what I mean: In Google, type: answer to life the universe and everything do…
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AgencySpy
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CP+B Brings Mason to LA
16 May 2012 | 6:56 amIn between all the EVP-promotion clusterfuck, perhaps one of the names got lost in the bunch. We’ve received word that the 10-year agency exec Mason Reed (maybe up there in greatest soap opera names ever), who’s now joining with CP+B’s L.A. office as EVP/managing director at said shop. During his decade-long stint, Reed worked on current and dead pieces of biz, Virgin Atlantic Airways,Hulu, Slim Jim, Method home cleaning products, Nike and Burger King. In his current role, Reed will turn his focus onto Old Navy and the MDC agency’s portion of the Microsoft biz. … -
Grey Absorbs More G2 Work
16 May 2012 | 5:37 amOk, here we go, sources familiar with the matter confirm that following the Eli Lilly account hullabaloo, Grey has soaked in another piece business in the form of Reliant, which we’ve been told was originally a conjoined operation within the Grey/G2. From what we’ve been told by sources familiar with the matter,” We had a shared relationship with Grey on the Reliant business, which has been service[d] out of the San Francisco Grey office.” From what we’ve been told, it was the Reliant direct marketing business that was at hand. You might asscociate Reliant with… -
The U…of Phoenix, That Is, Taps Arnold
16 May 2012 | 4:40 amAfter three months or so of reviewing, the University of Phoenix, which is an accredited college institution mind you, has tapped Arnold Worldwide as its new agency of record. If you remember, the Apollo Group-owned school previously worked with Pereira & O’Dell for nearly three years. Arnold’s Boston headquarters will oversee the work for University of Phoenix, which is set to debut this fall. In a statement, Arnold Boston president Pam Hamlin says, “Adult education is a fast-growing market and University of Phoenix is the largest in the category. We’re incredibly… -
Pergo Gives a Floor Durability Test Courtesy of Battlebots
16 May 2012 | 4:23 amBelieve it or not, 2012 marks a decade since Comedy Central canceled their robot fighting show, BattleBots. The show had it all, from destruction to hilarity to scantily-clad “correspondents” to cameos from Bill Nye the Science Guy. If you’re anything like me, and you consider these attributes the recipe for televised greatness, you were devastated when BattleBots went off the air. So, understand that I’m a little biased when I call the above spot for Atlanta-based agency Fitzgerald+Co a wonderfully creative way to demonstrate the durability of Pergo floors. Not only… -
Here’s Basically All You Need to Know About Last Night’s CLIOs
16 May 2012 | 3:25 amSomehow, yours truly was able to hit up three events last night (yeah, we know, it’s a hard knock life, but I’m getting old), the last being the CLIO Awards, which once again took place at the American Museum of Natural History way the hell uptown and under dreary skies in NYC. Regardless of the gloom, we felt rather uplifted from MC/plastic surgery advocate Joan Rivers and her self-deprecating humor. Despite what seemed to be laryngitis, the comedienne rallied on and made the requisite Kardashian jokes, showed off her starring spot in a BF Goodrich ad from the 1800′s and…
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HubSpot's Inbound Internet Marketing Blog
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7 Enlightening Infographics About Email Deliverability
16 May 2012 | 8:55 amI've said it before, and I'll say it again. It doesn't matter how great your email marketing is if nobody can see it. And getting hundreds of thousands of eyes on your amazing email marketing campaigns begins with email deliverability. There's actually quite a lot to take into account to ensure your emails actually get delivered to a recipient's inbox. Your list has to be healthy (if you're curious what makes up a healthy email list, take this 5-question test we developed); you need to develop and maintain a high Sender Score; you need to segment your email list like a pro; and the list goes… -
20 Clues Your Marketing Stinks, Straight From the Horse's Mouth
16 May 2012 | 6:00 amIf there's one thing that makes our toes tingle (other than inbound marketing, of course), it's seeing examples of marketing done right. Great marketing makes us excited to be working in a trailblazing industry where other marketers are doing seriously innovative things to make marketing people actually like. But to get so excited about awesome marketing means there's another end of the spectrum. A dark side where email spammers, poor segmenters, and keyword stuffers live trying to pass off their activities as marketing. Those guys give legitimate marketers a bad name, and the worst part of… -
Twitter Launches Weekly Email Digest to Aid Content Discovery
15 May 2012 | 1:30 pmLooks like Twitter is putting its January acquisition of social news startup Summify to good use! Yesterday, the official Twitter blog announced that it will start sending users a weekly email digest featuring relevant tweets and stories shared by the people they're connected with on Twitter. This just several days after news of Twitter's "acqui-hire" of personalized email marketing service RestEngine. Similar to the updated design of the Twitter Discover tab we covered earlier this month, the summary highlights which of the users you're connected to on Twitter shared the featured stories and… -
10 Simply Awesome Examples of Email Marketing
15 May 2012 | 8:48 amAs the Boston Globe highlighted eloquently on our behalf to announce today's launch of HubSpot's new email tools, email marketing is not dead! But over the years, some less than savory email marketing behaviors by brands -- whether they knew better or not -- have soured many recipients to the email messages filling up their inboxes. On the other hand, it has also made consumers jump for joy when they actually do get an email that is helpful, interesting, or innovative. And that's the kind of email marketing we like to celebrate! We've written about fantastic ecommerce retargeting campaigns,… -
Why List Segmentation Matters in Email Marketing
15 May 2012 | 5:50 amBy now, most marketers understand the importance of email to their overall marketing strategy and recognize that it's not dying in the wake of other emerging marketing tactics like social media. But while most marketers realize that email is here to stay, unfortunately, that doesn't exactly mean certain email marketing best practices have caught on. Segmentation is one such best practices. Segmenting your communications can improve your email marketing campaigns by leaps and bounds (read on -- we have the data to prove it!). Luckily, marketers are at least starting to realize the importance…
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Brian Solis
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The Fallacy of Information Overload
15 May 2012 | 6:50 amSome of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise. Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More… -
Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience
10 May 2012 | 7:56 amSocial media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media… -
The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design
7 May 2012 | 11:19 amThe future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the… -
The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business
2 May 2012 | 9:17 amI’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million… -
Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.
30 Apr 2012 | 8:21 amFrank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…
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Holy Kaw!
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Mammals may not get to cool climates in time
16 May 2012 | 12:09 pmNine percent of the Western Hemisphere’s mammals—and up to 40 percent in some regions—may not be able to outpace climate change. “I think it’s important to point out that in the past when climates have changed—between glacial and interglacial periods when species ranges contracted and expanded—the landscape wasn’t covered with agricultural fields, four-lane highways and parking lots, so species could move much more freely across the landscape,” says Joshua Lawler, associate professor of environmental and forest sciences at University of… -
Time of year matters for vitamin D risk
16 May 2012 | 12:08 pmWhen considering a patient’s blood vitamin D levels, it may be best to consider a lower threshold for concern, as well as the time of year. "In evaluating health risk," the University of Washington researchers conclude, "season-specific targets for Vitamin D blood concentration may be more appropriate than a static target when evaluating patients health risk." Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The (not so correct) anatomy of sea life
16 May 2012 | 11:52 amMarine biology, scharine schiology. Pleated Jeans skips scientific facts for its series of sea life diagrams. Via Pleated Jeans. (H/T @laughingsquid) Laughing is good for you. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The mechanics of eclipses [infographic]
16 May 2012 | 9:11 amWhen the moon passes in front of sun, as viewed from Earth, the eclipse that occurs is visible from a narrow path on Earth that corresponds to the location of the moon's shadow. During a total solar eclipse, this path is known as the path of totality. WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse with a telescope or your unaided eye. Severe eye damage can result and scientists use special filters to safely view the sun. Via Space. The view from space. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Clean air improves heart health, Olympics show
16 May 2012 | 8:39 amUsing the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a lab, researchers found evidence that even short-term reduction in air pollution exposure improves a person’s cardiovascular health. “Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the Chinese government had proposed to reduce pollution levels to be comparable to other Olympic host cities,” says USC Professor Junfeng (Jim) Zhang. “We wanted to take advantage of such a huge intervention and look at what happens to people biologically.” Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink |…
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PRNewser
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Beware of Pinterest Spam!
16 May 2012 | 8:26 amMcAfee is warning that hackers have created “toolkits” that allow people to quickly and easily create pins or images that actually facilitate malware distribution and the spread of other forms of spam. Requests to repin before content is delivered is usually a sign that something’s up. Bloomberg has gathered some cautionary tales. With the skyrocketing interest in Pinterest, it’s no surprise that some would try to capitalize on the popularity with a scam. This in-depth infographic offers up lots of info about who’s using Pinterest. Note that PR is number six on… -
Nasdaq OMX Launches Media Intelligence
16 May 2012 | 6:37 amNasdaq OMX Corporate Solutions has launched Media Intelligence, a software-as-a-service platform for media monitoring and analysis. The platform also allows users to contact consumers and social media followers directly. Media Intelligence brings Critical Mention’s broadcast monitoring capabilities into the fold. Monitoring and other data for tens of thousands of online, news, and broadcast outlets as well as three million social media sources are now available. Nasdaq OMX acquired London-based SaaS provider Glide Technologies in October. Since then Nasdaq has pumped up that offering as… -
GM’s Decision Not to Advertise On Facebook Not Such a Big Deal After All
16 May 2012 | 6:18 amEveryone is buzzing about the news that General Motors has pulled its $10 million in advertising from Facebook. The reason cited is the advertising is having “little impact on car purchases.” We’ve never noticed any GM advertising and, when taking into account that GM is the third largest advertiser in the U.S. ($1.8 billion) behind P&G and AT&T, it’s not that big of a spending cut for them. With $872 million in quarterly advertising revenue, its not too critical for Facebook either, though of course, the company would want to hang on to an advertiser. In the… -
Business4Better Conference Coming in 2013
16 May 2012 | 5:12 amUBM, parent company for PR Newswire, has partnered with the city of Anaheim, C.A. and other local organizations for the Business4Better Conference, an event focused on best practices, tools, and networking for corporate social responsibility programs. The conference will take place May 1 and May 2, 2013. Click here to learn more. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media. -
Affect Announces Internship Winner
16 May 2012 | 4:54 amAffect has announced the winner of this year’s New York Intern Project: Katey Kimpel, a senior at the University of Akron. She’ll receive $5,000, a $2,500 housing stipend, and a three-month internship in New York. Click here to check out her entry. She received 1,205 out of 15,953 votes cast for the program. Congrats to Katey! New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
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Adrants
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Affiliate Ball During Affiliate Summit to Feature Ice-T & Coco, Mix Master Mike
16 May 2012 | 12:21 pmGet ready! It's time for another Affiliate Ball. Taking place Monday night, August 13 during Affiliate Summit in New York, Affiliate Ball, organized by Darren Blatt, will feature Ice-T & Coco, Beastie Boy Mix Master Mike along with other surprise artists. -
Deepak Chopra, YouTube Stars And the Human Approach to Marketing
16 May 2012 | 11:11 amAnd now it's time to get deep at Internet Week. Breath deep. Relax. Close you eyes. Cross your legs. Ready? Good. It's time for Deepak Chopra! -
Joan Rivers to E*Trade Baby Creators: 'Go F%#k Yourselves'
16 May 2012 | 9:02 amWe knew who would win various CLIOs earlier this month but last night during Internet Week, the CLIOs held their award ceremony at New York City's American Museum of Natural History. -
Search and Social: A Love Affair During Internet Week
16 May 2012 | 7:48 amIn an Internet Week panel entitled Search & Social: A Love Story, Mashable Business Editor Todd Wasserman sat down with About.com Director of Research Laura Salant and Buddy Media VP of Analytics and Insights Tami Dalley to discuss the interplay between and the roles search and social currently play. -
Patton Oswalt to Host 16th Annual Webby Awards
15 May 2012 | 12:22 pmDon't miss it. Wait, miss what? The Webby Awards!
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ClickZ News
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J&J Exec Says Brands Need Social Marketing Goals
16 May 2012 | 10:35 amGlobal marketing executive discusses challenges and opportunities for $24 billion business. -
Centro Throws Down Gauntlet to Ad Exchange Arbitragers
16 May 2012 | 8:07 amFirm launches brand exchange, says other exchanges "failed on their promises to deliver" for publishers. -
Unlike GM, Ford Is Still Bullish on Facebook Ads
15 May 2012 | 3:28 pmAutomaker tells ClickZ it will continue advertising on the social site. -
Digital Co-op Ads Are Ignored by Some SMBs
15 May 2012 | 2:43 pm$450M in potential digital ads for SMBs from manufacturers will go unused. -
50K TV Viewers Shazam Ads for Pepsi, Cadbury in UK
15 May 2012 | 2:02 pmShazam TV impressions sell by flat fee or run $0.25 to $0.40 CPM plus TV buy.
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A Source Of Inspiration
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Just put together the usual media plan
4 May 2012 | 8:20 amYep. That’s about it. (via AdRants) -
Find me on Tumblr
11 Mar 2012 | 7:46 amI’ve been posting on Tumblr for a while. It fits the kind of quick content not worthy of a post itself, without personal commentary. Lots of quotes and videos. Hope you follow me at http://armandoalves.tumblr.com/. Thanks. -
We do it for the happiness
6 Mar 2012 | 3:01 pmLast August, Coke shared a glimpse of their creative agenda, toward content excellence. Have a look at part 1 and part 2, if not for the visual mapping. Besides the marketing lingo, there’s one part that interested me the most: Liquid Content, or how content can be apart but share the same molecular brand DNA. Liquid content assumes the brand acts as a catalyst for play and takes risks in a culture of creativity. On the same presentation, Coke shared their 70/20/10 principles of Liquid Content, where 70% of investiment is dedicated to low risk content, 20% to innovation and 10% to high… -
Spoken film
5 Mar 2012 | 2:30 pmThese are the words, these are the films. 1. The Division Of Gravity by Rob Chiu – Rob’s work always had this magnetic effect on me. How many things we held yesterday as articles of faith which today we tell as fables. 2. Nike Soccer Spot by Phillip Lopez – from a previous shoot, masterfully edited to create what could perfectly be a Nike ad (poem by Pablo Neruda) I like for you to be still. -
Love Letters to the End.
26 Feb 2012 | 3:35 pm“If the world were to end this year, what would you want to share with it?” That’s the premise of Love Letters to the End, a dramatic interactive web series about falling in love with the world before it ends. Love Letters to the End – Teaser from Love Letters to the End on Vimeo. Your anonymous love letter can be sent to the address below, after it might be part of the narrative or included on the website. Love Letters to the End P.O. Box 17693 Los Angeles, CA
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Seth's Blog
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Digital analogs are no longer sufficient
16 May 2012 | 2:00 amThe parking meter was rebooting. I guess we're supposed to walk to the other end of the garage and find one that's working. We're seeing digital awareness coming to just about everything. In this case, it was the parking meter near the library. Of course, it's not really a parking meter, it's a centralized fee collection system that saves the town a lot of money. It's easier to collect from, certainly, it doesn't waste the time of meter readers (who get alerted as to what spaces aren't paid for, as opposed to checking them all) plus it doesn't let a new parker enjoy a few minutes of the last… -
Hard work on the right things
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amI don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters. It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring the rest. Both parts are difficult, particularly when you are surrounded by people who insist on fretting about and working on the stuff that makes no… -
Worldliness
14 May 2012 | 2:41 amIntelligence is the combination of knowing a lot about a little while you also know a little about a lot. Deep domain understanding helps you create analyses. Your ability to understand how a particular system (no matter how small) works allows you apply a confident analysis to new systems you encounter. Once you know everything there is to know about nuclear physics, soccer or the praying mantis, it makes it easier to understand new systems. At the same time, it's impossible to be smart without also being aware of the wider world. That's because it's the random interactions and the… -
The reason the customer is always right...
14 May 2012 | 2:08 amIf you insist that they are wrong, they stop being your customer* (if given half a chance). People spend their time and attention and money in places that make them feel valued. *There's nothing wrong with asking customers who are wrong to leave. Just be sure you do it on purpose. -
Dedicating the merit
13 May 2012 | 2:02 amFor an author, one of the nicest parts of the traditional book is the dedication page. The dedication is far more than an acknowledgement to someone who helped you write the book, it's a permanent signpost, a capstone to the work of a year or more. Even if the person you've dedicated the book to can't read it, the writer benefits from the knowledge that a connection was made and that a memory was preserved. Here's the thing: you can dedicate just about anything. A project, a meeting, a tweet. You don't have to tell anyone but yourself. This blog post, like all the posts before it, has a…
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Ogilvy Blog Aggregator
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Yahoo's CEO And The Modern Believability Crisis
15 May 2012 | 4:02 pmI don't actually have a degree in Irish Poetry. I share this because recently at a few events I may have mistakenly mentioned that I did. See, I studied English literature at Emory University in the late 90s. While there, I took exactly two elective classes specifically on Irish literature and as most people who study that field already know - Emory has one of the best collections of Irish literature and poetry in the world. So I did focus on Irish Poetry, but the degree that I earned in 1997 was a BA in English Literature. Why am I telling you all this? Well, you can hardly blame me for… -
Google’s mobile minefield
15 May 2012 | 6:21 amWhen the media landscape changes, there are inevitably casualties. The once mighty print publishers have learnt that lesson to their cost as they struggle to manage the transition from print pounds to digital pennies. The media landscape is changing once more and the existing players are heading for a shake up. As we head from a digital landscape dominated by PCs to one controlled by mobile, the company with the most to lose is Google. Google may be massive in online search – excluding China it has around 90% of the market and in Europe (excluding Russia) the figure is closer to 98%– but… -
Game Change – How TV stole Film’s Spotlight
15 May 2012 | 2:14 amIn a belated – and very un-zeitgeisty – move, Zeitgeist only got around to seeing HBO’s Game Change this past weekend. The film, which first aired in the US in March, is based on the book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. While the film has attracted its fair share of controversy, it has been deemed “very accurate” by those on the campaign trail at the time. Zeitgeist thoroughly enjoyed it; HBO had done it again. HBO have had a remarkable run of success, producing some of the most daring, innovative and enjoyable TV shows of the past 20 years, from Curb Your Enthusiasm and Dexter… -
The Quality of the Conversation on Facebook Matters
14 May 2012 | 8:51 amLast September Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse, used data to reveal that “Engagement on the Facebook walls of leading brands is down 22%.” He plotted engagement metrics on the top 300 brand pages. His hypothesis is that brands are not delivering long term value in favor of quick bumps from overuse of coupons and offers. More recently the Facebook Timeline innovations seemed to improve overall engagement. According to Simply Measured, the change brought a 14% Increase in Fan Engagement. The format and the much industry-discussed launch called for lots more pictures and video… -
THIS IS ANALOGUE LONDON. CALLING AT ALL STATIONS TO NOTTING HILL.
14 May 2012 | 4:10 amIt’s nice to see that ambient media is back. I haven’t encountered a branded tube train for years. I applaud this return to retro, late ’90′s media innovation. Branded curry lids and urinal stickers will be this summer’s media planning must-haves. But then, your options are limited with these unconnected audiences. So, hop on board the DigitalUK train, currently traversing the Central Line, and ride along the future of 1010100011110 broadcasting, which hammered its final nail in the analogue coffin at the end of last month. However, the arrival of the train has…
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Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
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Find Your One Thing
15 May 2012 | 11:15 amCan you sum up your professional you in one or two words? I was very touched watching the documentary, Being Elmo, on PBS' Independent Lens. The movie is about Kevin Clash (the puppeteer behind Sesame Street's Elmo). From a very young age, Clash demonstrated a strong desire to be a puppeteer. While that seems quaint and points to someone who was focused on what they wanted to do in life from a very young age, you can imagine the struggles he faced growing up in Baltimore. While all of the other kids were out playing baseball or causing mischief, Clash was at home sewing puppets together and… -
Can Breastfeeding Save Time Magazine?
15 May 2012 | 10:01 amWhen was the last time you discussed Time Magazine around the dinner table? I found myself giving a dissertation on mass media at dinner the other night. It all started when one friend leaned into the table and spoke (in an almost embarrassed whisper), "Did any of you see the cover of Time Magazine? The one with the mother and her older child... breastfeeding?" I knew that they were talking about the issue dated May 21st, 2012 titled, Are You Mom Enough? by Kate Pickert. The article about Dr. Sears and the attachment parenting movement has created quite a stir, but I wanted to tease… -
Listen. Engage. Connect.
14 May 2012 | 11:10 amOne of the largest gatherings of professional marketers is about to take place. The Canadian Marketing Association's 2012 CMA Summit is happening next week (May 16th - 17th, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto, Ontario). I'm fortunate to be the chairman of the board of the directors of this association and prior to that role, I was co-chair of these national annual gatherings. Each and every year offered professional marketers from across the globe the opportunity to connect and share. This year will be no exception. All under one roof. During the two days, just some of the… -
The Virtual Self And The New Trend Of Self-Tracking
13 May 2012 | 8:09 amEpisode #305 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to. Now, with the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile connectedness, it has never been easier to share with the world our each and every move (look no further than Facebook's one billion dollar acquisition of Instagram). And we're publishing our lives. All of the time - in text, images, audio and video - for the world to see. In fact, it's happening more and more with each and every passing day. Why are we doing all of this self-tracking? It's a topic that has fascinated Nora Young for a… -
Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #99
12 May 2012 | 6:09 am93Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see? My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, PressBooks, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see". Check out these six links that we're…
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She-conomy
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Do Women Talk Themselves Out of a Job?
27 Apr 2012 | 9:03 amI talk a great deal about how few women there are in certain professional roles and how this affects marketing. For instance only 3% of creative directors at US ad agencies are women, resulting in advertising that does not communicate effectively with the female audience. And with only 25% of IT jobs being held by women we can only assume that the digital world is heading down the same path. But Tara Mohr, author of “10 Rules for Brilliant Women,” suggests that women could be partly responsible for the low numbers, simply due to the way we talk. Mohr recently appeared on two… -
Fewer Women in Tech Impacts Marketing to Women
5 Apr 2012 | 11:20 pmAs the world rapidly becomes more and more digital, the technology will continue to define products and services as well has how they are marketed. The low number of females being involved as leaders or during the conceptual and developmental processes will surely result in delivering less marketable products and services for women. And similar to the disproportionate number of female creative directors within the advertising industry, this will impair connecting effectively with the very powerful and viable female audience. Although 3 of the 10 best-paying jobs for women are in the tech… -
When Marketing to Women, Citibank® Climbs to the Top
23 Mar 2012 | 6:58 amI love this rock climbing Citibank commercial! But every time I watched it, I kept wondering: Is it REAL?, and WHO in the world is singing that song? So, I finally looked it up. Yes, it is real. It’s filmed on a rock called “Ancient Art.” Located just outside of Moab, Utah, the single rock formation is shaped from hundreds of years of wind blowing sand across and around the spire in the desert. The commercial features two real-life professional climbers: Katie Brown and Alex Honnold. They are not “actors” nor “stunt” people. They’re both accomplished in the sport of… -
Guys, When Marketing to the Female, Don’t Dumb it Down for Women, Man Up For Men
20 Mar 2012 | 9:13 amKathy Oneto, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Anthem Worldwide will be speaking at the M2W (Marketing to Women) Conference in Chicago in late April. You do not want to miss it. She will be presenting findings from a study recently conducted by Anthem about: Marketing to the True Motivations of 3 Genrations of Women Below is one of the thought provoking papers she has drafted from the findings, titled “Who’s ‘Manning’ the House: Bridging the Gender Divide,” that she was willing to share exclusivly with us. In it Kathy explores the possibility that to solve… -
Marketers, 80 Percent of Pinterest Users Are Female. Is Your Brand There?
15 Mar 2012 | 1:21 amPinterest, the incredibly popular online bulletin board/scrapbook/inspiration organizer now has more than 11 million unique monthly users. And according to recent numbers from Internet-monitoring firm comScore, it has more than doubled its audience over the past six months. So, who’s using it? You guessed it. WOMEN. Eighty percent of Pinterest users are female and they are spending more time on there than Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ combined. The rapid growth can certainly be attributed somewhat to a higher acceptance of social networks now. But keep in mind, there are thousands of…
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FUEL LINES Fueling Ad Agency New Business Through Social Media
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Ad Agencies: Independence does not mean having to go it alone
15 May 2012 | 1:56 pmAd Agency networks offer many benefits for small to midsize independent advertising agencies. This is a guest post written by my friend, Peter Gerritsen, president of Transworld Advertising Agency Network better known as TAAN, the oldest and among the largest ad agency networks in the world, with 52 member agencies operating in 32 different countries. Peter Gerritsen, president of TAAN Not a single person in this business can truly say they do it all by themselves. We all work with many different resources, vendors, staff, clients, media, consultants, friends, mentors,… -
Why ad agencies should learn about Springpad
14 May 2012 | 7:54 amIf you are a regular reader of Fuel Lines, you know that I am a big fan of Edward Boches, Chief Innovation Officer (formerly Chief Creative Officer and Chief Social Media Officer) at Mullen. Edward was among the few creatives to understand the importance of social media as an active practitioner. He has led his agency by example. I’m honored to have Edward share a new social media platform through this guest post that will help your agency and your clients. Over the last five plus years we’ve seen the emergence of numerous new social platforms change how we market, distribute… -
AMC’s The Pitch: Chemistry with the TV audience is different than with the potential client
13 May 2012 | 4:52 amProspective clients are looking for chemistry and likability in their ad agency partners and it doesn’t have to be a crap shoot. BooneOakley, a small 20 person ad agency in Charlotte, NC, showcased its unusual chemistry on “The Pitch” before a nationally televised audience. They were competing against a New York agency, Conversation, to be selected to develop an ad campaign for the popchips company. BooneOakley didn’t win the client, but evidently they won over the television audience. According to the initial results of AMC’s The Pitch Poll – “Who… -
Nobody Reads Ad Agency Blogs
8 May 2012 | 9:32 pmWhy most agencies may be ready to ditch their blog and why they shouldn’t. Jack Marshall, a staff writer for Digiday wrote an article that is creating lots of buzz entitled, “Agencies Ditch Blogs.” He points to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, that reveals that only 37% of Fortune 500 companies now maintain a blog. That is down from 50% that was reported in 2010. Jack makes an assumption that this is that this is probably true of advertising agencies: “It seems there’s a similar trend among agencies. Though many sporadically… -
Lessons from AMCs ‘The Pitch’ on How to Motivate Your Ad Agency After A Loss
7 May 2012 | 8:06 amTracy Wong, The Mirren New Business Conference How to lose a pitch in front of millions of television views and the entire ad industry and still come out as the winner. A good number of agencies depend upon the pitch as the primary way they win new business and grow. Some national attention and industry buzz has been brought upon the pitch process due to AMC’s new show simply called, ‘The Pitch,’ where two opposing ad agencies compete against each other for work for a nationally recognized brand. ‘The Pitch’ demonstrates the flaws in the pitch-for-business…
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The Marketing Journalist
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Quit Blogging And Go With…Facebook?
14 May 2012 | 10:25 pmBlog Post Originally Published in BtoB Magazine Wayne Usie (@waynejusie), SVP of Retail at JDA Software, recently shared a USA Today article with me titled, “More Companies Quite Blogging, Go With Facebook Instead,” by Roger Yu. According to the article, more companies are replacing blogs with nimbler tools requiring less time and resources, such as [...] -
All In! Betting On Your Content Marketing Strategy
26 Mar 2012 | 10:19 pmBlog originally posted in BtoB Magazine – BtoB Blog: Defining Your Content Strategy Where are you spending your marketing dollars? If it’s not in content marketing, then you should reconsider. Content marketing remains a top priority for marketers in 2012. This, according to a popular study published by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs [...] -
Real People Doing Real Work in Social Media
18 Mar 2012 | 10:49 amI was asked to do a podcast interview at 2012 South by Southwest by the uber-talented and witty Jason Baer (@JayBaer). He needs no introduction – he’s the co-author of Revolution Now with Amber Naslund (@AmberNaslund), a book about the impact social media and the real-time Web has on every company, and a recipe for changing business from [...] -
Social Business Readiness: Are You There Yet?
3 Sep 2011 | 12:19 amAre we there yet? According to Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) of Altimeter Group, while companies are quick to deploy the latest social media technology, most companies are not prepared for the threat of social media crises, or the long-term impacts to business. Jeremiah states: “We found that social media crises are on the rise, even though [...] -
Adapt or Vanish: 5 Ways to Integrate PR and Social Media
26 Jul 2011 | 1:01 amI recently gave a talk at a Businesswire seminar here in Phoenix on Adapt or Vanish: 5 Killer Tips to Integrate PR and Social Media. The introduction of social media has changed the playing field for PR professionals. PR is no longer relegated to drafting press releases and bylined articles. Today, PR pros support business [...]
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Imagethief
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Rectified.name: The Devil’s Air Conditioner and Other Tales of Woe
14 May 2012 | 7:50 pmSometimes life in Beijing is like one of those Japanese game shows where they see how much torture people are willing to endure for surprisingly mediocre prizes. Picture the following and you’ve more or less got it: “Mr. Ishihara, for a new desktop dumpling fridge you’ve been strapped naked to a hospital gurney in the burning sun for twelve hours. You’re pinking up nicely. Do you wish to continue?” “Yes!” “Then it’s time to raise the bar! Here comes a team of lingerie models to glue Gabonese fire ants to your testicles!” “I can take it! Must…have…tiny…fridge!”… -
Rectified.Name: Good News! The Press is Out to Get You!
10 May 2012 | 11:29 pmA couple of weeks ago I gave a talk about PR in China to a journalism class at Beijing Foreign Studies University. In any student talk the Q&A is always the most fun, and this group was no exception. Among the many good questions asked was whether it was easier to do PR in China because, as I had discussed in my talk, the Chinese media is generally cozier with businesses than their Western counterparts. Easier to get stories? Yes. Easier to achieve meaningful results with the public? No. I was reminded of this question by the recent expulsion of hard-charging Al Jazeera English… -
Rectified.name: In Defense of the Fuzz
1 May 2012 | 5:40 pmFor many years I lived in Singapore, which is right on the equator and has roughly two seasons: slightly more rainy, and slightly less rainy. Otherwise, it was pretty much hot and humid throughout, which always used to freak me out a bit at Christmas. To an American, encountering Santa Claus in 30C heat is unexpected, like finding a live rattlesnake in your refrigerator. It’s always struck me as somewhat unnatural that Australians see Christmas as a summer phenomenon. What else do they do backwards? Maybe on Christmas morning, they randomly steal things and slap people. One of the things I… -
Sinica: Muckraking with Chinese characteristics
13 Apr 2012 | 3:01 amAnother Sinica podcast this week, this time focusing mostly on a favorite topic of mine: Media corruption in China. We were lucky to have Caixin editor Li Xin as a guest. Caixin is one of the handful of Chinese publications that distinguishes itself by its ethics, but her perspective as an experienced Chinese journalist was great to have. Here’s the blurb: In one of the juicier quotes making the rounds on social networks this week a private equity investor in Shanghai savaged the Chinese media for its unblinking corruption, quipping to the New York Times that “if one of my… -
Rectified.Name: Facebook + Instagram + China = Take a Deep Breath
11 Apr 2012 | 2:51 amSo, Facebook bought Instagram for a billion bucks. Awesome for those guys. I, alas, did not get rich in either of the Internet startups I participated in. But you can’t put a price on experience, right? Deep sigh. Anyway, Instagram is freely accessible here in China, at least for the moment, and apparently has a small but growing user base. It’s been limited to a certain slice of the China market by being an iOS-only app until last week. It may get picked up more now that it’s on Android as well, especially given Android’s whomping share of the smartphone market in…
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ChinaTechNews.com
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China's Huawei Hires Consulting Company For Expansion In U.S.
16 May 2012 | 9:37 amHuawei has reportedly hired Jack Morton Worldwide, a global brand consulting company, aiming to promote its marketing activities in the U.S. market in the second half of 2012. According to reports in local media, Huawei has limited brand awareness among consumers outside of China. To change this situation, the company is planning a large marketing [...] -
UCWeb Plans Operating Platform In America In 2012
16 May 2012 | 12:37 amUCWeb, a leading provider of mobile Internet software technology and browser services in China, plans to establish its operating platform in America in 2012. Yu Yongfu, chief executive officer of UCWeb, claimed in a speech that UCWeb's browser product has gained over 50% market share in China, including 60 million active users from the Android [...] -
Wuhan Will Be Lenovo's New Industrial Base In China
14 May 2012 | 6:13 pmChinese technology company Lenovo has signed an agreement with the municipal government of Wuhan and announced the founding of its new industrial base in the city. Lenovo's new industrial base in Wuhan is reportedly a comprehensive base that integrates research, development, manufacturing, and sales of mobile Internet devices. Over the next five years, this base [...] -
NetQin To Acquire 55% Stake In Beijing NationSky
13 May 2012 | 10:09 amNetQin Mobile Inc., a mobile Internet services focusing on security, privacy and productivity, has announced plans to acquire a 55% stake in Beijing NationSky Network Technology, Inc., a provider of mobile services to enterprises in China. This transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012. NetQin Mobile reportedly has over 60% market [...] -
Lenovo Teams With VeriFone For POS Payment System
11 May 2012 | 12:06 amChina's Lenovo Group and America's VeriFone Systems have jointly announced that the two parties will provide ThinkPad Mobile POS mobile payment solution to retailers in the United States. Based on Lenovo's tablet computer, ThinkPad Mobile POS system is a customized version of PAYware, the enterprise mobile payment solution developed by VeriFone. Via this payment system, [...]
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NeonPunch: Hong Kong's Style & Shopping Guide for Men
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Gurus Presents the Exclusive IKEPOD Horizon by KAWS in Hong Kong #Watches
15 May 2012 | 8:44 pmOne of the coolest looking watch designs is now available in HK. Gurus is bringing yet another exclusive product to Hong Kong – following the worldwide launch at Colette, Paris, the limited edition IKEPOD Horizon by KAWS will be launched at Gurus tomorrow, making Gurus the first shop in the world following Colette to launch this unique timepiece. Swiss watchmaker IKEPOD has collaborated with Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS – to launch this new limited edition watch. KAWS personally designed the dial of this special Horizon, taking the artist’s signature cross… -
Diesel Noise Division Introduces Vektr Headphones in Hong Kong #Music
14 May 2012 | 8:29 pmWhy go round when you can go multifaceted. Fusing Monster’s audio savvy with Diesel’s design – we present you with the Vektr! Available as on-ear and in-ear, VEKTR was designed to give the listener a unique sound experience, with the feel of the materials ranging from soft leather to the heavy feel of metal and its smell reminds of Diesel new clothes and leather. RETAIL PRICE: HK$2,780 Diesel x Monster Headphones will be available in stores mid of May 2012 as below: DIESEL SHOP LIST:: 中環皇后大道中20號太平行地下 – 2525 0540 尖沙咀海港城2323-5號舖 –… -
Edwin Jeans 50th Anniversary Collection Now Available in Hong Kong #Jeans
13 May 2012 | 8:02 pmNew collection to commemorate 50 years of jeans from Japan. Definitely the oldest Japanese jean brand we know – Edwin is celebrating their 50th Anniversary with this new collection available at their 4 Hong Kong stores now. Founded in 1947 in Tsunemi Komehachi, with denim fabric imported from the U.S. the first batch of Japan-made Edwin Jeans was launched in 1961 and since 1983 Edwin has been the No.1 selling jeans brand in Japan with 706 outlets across over 20 countries. More styles on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/edwinhongkong Edwin Jeans Hong Kong Locations: D1, 120… -
You Are Invited to the Just Cavalli Summer Styling Session on 17 May #Fashion
10 May 2012 | 8:33 pmYou need a new Summer look, and here’s how you can get one. Just in time for Summer, Neonpunch is inviting you to join us for a summer styling session at Just Cavalli. Just Cavalli is the diffusion line of Italian designer Roberto Cavalli famous for his high-octane runway collection – and for 1-night only Kelly Chen 陳慧琳 and Eric Suen 孫耀威 stylist Celia Wong will be scheduling complimentary styling sessions at the Just Cavalli store for men (and women). Sign-up below: Just Cavalli Styling Night Date: Thursday, 17 May 2012 Venue: Just Cavalli at 431, 4/F Time… -
Style Icon: Johnny Depp #Style
9 May 2012 | 7:25 pmFrom scissorhands to pirates to vampires: all dressed in dapper style. We’ve been following Johnny Depp‘s career since 21 Jump Street – and what an amazing career its been, culminating in worldwide breakthrough success in the Pirates of the Carribbean films. Opening today in Hong Kong, Johnny Depp stars in the film version of classic TV-series Dark Shadows – it’s a fun film we saw last night; with equal parts humor, romance and classic dialogue – its not the best Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration but its still a fun time at the movies. We’ve…
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Beautiful bright red bags made of fishermen's rope
14 May 2012 | 11:44 pmIn Episode 2 of We Are All Radioactive, we introduce you to a fisherman who's weaving a hammock out of fishing net rope. The Japanese artist Shigeki Fujishiro used a similar type of rope to make these awesome (but perhaps not very practical) bags. Product page -
Mitsuru Koga's cool art using color pencils
10 May 2012 | 2:36 pmI got a taste of Mitsuru Koga's Inorganic exhibition at a little shop in Venice, CA yesterday. In the photo it kinda just looks like a pencil sticking out of a wooden block, but it's actually really beautiful in a display case! Link -
WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE: EPISODE 3
8 May 2012 | 11:19 amIn Chapter 3, we see how a hodge podge crew of volunteers has rallied to build a beer garden in a town devastated by the Japanese tsunami. Chapter 1 is here Chapter 2 is here And future chapters can be seen here -
The Salaryman Project, a collection of pretty photos of Japanese businessmen
27 Apr 2012 | 9:49 amSalaryman Project is a new collection of iconic beautiful fun photographs of Japanese businessmen. Tokyo-based French photographer Bruno Quinquet is currently fundraising for the completion of his self-published book here. -
WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE: EPISODE 2
25 Apr 2012 | 4:14 pmIn Chapter 2, a fisherman takes us on a journey around the world on his blue fin tuna boat, and a veteran surfer tells us how his uncle saved his entire family from being swept away by the tsunami. WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE is a brand new crowdfunded online documentary film project created by me and TED film director Jason Wishnow. It's about surfers rebuilding northern Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 3.11.2011. New episodes are released only as they are funded. Visit us online: WWW.WEAREALLRADIOACTIVE.COM Join the conversation on our Facebook fan page.
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The 99 Percent
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The Difference Between "Money Work" and "Busy Work"
14 May 2012 | 5:00 pmAre you doing everything you can to generate new income? The more effective you are with "money work," the more time you'll have for "creative work." -
The Illustrated 99% Conference 2012: An Epic Episode in Words & Pictures!
13 May 2012 | 5:00 pmWendy MacNaughton captures the nuances of this year's 99% Conference - from hairstyles to hand gestures - in an awesome illustration series. -
99% Conference 2012: Key Takeaways On Making Ideas Happen
9 May 2012 | 5:00 pmGet insights on creative epiphanies, finding your superpower, and celebrating small wins from this year's incredible 99% Conference. -
99% Conference 2012: Key Takeaways On Making Ideas Happen (Pt. II)
8 May 2012 | 5:00 pmA call for a new start-up paradigm, lessons on vulnerability, and why you can't iterate yourself into a business model from this year's 99% Conference. -
99% Conference 2012: Key Takeaways On Making Ideas Happen (Pt. III)
7 May 2012 | 5:00 pmLessons on embracing "gut churn," turning self-doubt into a strength, and embracing your work as a gift from this year's 99% Conference.
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Mashable!
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The Facebook IPO Timeline
16 May 2012 | 12:32 pmIf the Facebook IPO were a real person, we certainly wouldn’t blame it for posting braggy status updates. This infographic, created by our friends at mbaonline.com, imagines the road leading up to the decade’s most-anticipated initial public offering, as if it were documented on its own Facebook Timeline. As a Facebook user, give yourself a pat on the back for helping the company make it this far. You are one of 900 million, and you spend an average of 20 minutes per day surfing the network. That means Facebook’s usership logs 16,000 years of combined time on the platform… -
Facebook Fans Get to Pick Bonus Levels in ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD’
16 May 2012 | 12:06 pmActivision is polling fans via Facebook on which levels will be included as additional downloadable content on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a rebuilt version of the classic games. It features seven levels from the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, released in 1999, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, which came out in 2000. Players will be able to skate all over classic levels such as “Warehouse” and “Mall” that have been rebuilt using the old maps. Starting Wednesday afternoon, fans will be asked to pick which of their favorite Tony… -
Facebook IPO Gets a Boost: 84 Million More Shares For Sale
16 May 2012 | 11:15 amJust days away from launch, Facebook is continuing to make last-minute changes in its IPO plans. On Wednesday, Facebook announced that an extra 84 million shares will be added to its stock pool for sale. The extra shares will come entirely from insiders and early investors, according to the Associated Press. Facebook and its current stockholders will offer more than 421 million shares in the IPO. The company has raised the price range of its stocks to $34 to $38, up from $28 to $35. If the shares trade on the higher end, Facebook could raise $16 billion when it goes public. Some of the early… -
18 Mashable Family Photos
16 May 2012 | 10:47 amWhat does a family portrait look like when it represents a community of millions of people? For our photo challenge this week, Mashable readers sent us their photos, helping us to create a family portrait of our community. This past Sunday was Mother’s Day in the U.S. Sons and daughters found time to pick up the phone and call their moms, and many families enjoyed the day together. In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked you to show us a photo that represents family to you. At Mashable, we loved seeing your photos of family outings, newborn family members and canine best friends. -
Behind the Launch: A Promising, Yet Controversial Job Candidate
16 May 2012 | 10:31 amDiscuss the show on Twitter: #BehindTheLaunch In Mashable‘s new video series, Behind the Launch, we’re taking cameras behind the scenes at Vungle, an in-app video advertising startup. Last week, we met the the founders and saw them bring on Colin Behr to head up business development. This week, they courted big-name startup investors, such as 500 Startups‘ Dave McClure, DFJ Esprit‘s Krishna Visvanathan and AOL Ventures‘ Adam Smith. But Vungle needs to focus more on the core — developing the product instead of fleshing out press releases and a website…
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Twitterrati
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Frrole: What’s Happening on Twitter in Your City?
6 May 2012 | 4:21 amIdea: Looking to see what’s happening on Twitter in your city? Frrole delivers a “social newspaper” of 20 cities. My take: An interesting and easy way to get a snapshot of the local TwitterSphere. Utility Grade: 6/10 -
A Whois for Twitter Users
27 Dec 2011 | 7:00 amOne of Twitter’s shortcoming is how little information it provides about users, other than a short bio and a URL. So how do you quickly get more insight about particular users? The answer could be Twho is This, which offers up an extensive list of a person’s social/digital presence, along with their Twitter bio and a link to follow them. It’s not the prettiest service and it could benefit from offering more information but it’s better than what Twitter offers. An example below is Mathew Ingram (aka @mathewi). By doing a query on his username, it shows 14 different… -
$300 Million of Twitter, Please
19 Dec 2011 | 12:40 pmTwitter may not have a vibrant business model but it sure has no problem attracting heavyweight investors. The latest person to step up in a major way is Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, who bought a $300 million stake from an early Twitter investor as part a strategy “to invest in promising, high-growth businesses with a global impact.” (More details on the New York Times) You figure with so much interest, Twitter could do an IPO. Of course, an IPO means you have to disclose your financials, which Twitter may not want to do given it’s probably spend a lot more money than its… -
Postpost Streamlines Twitter
15 Dec 2011 | 9:00 pmA fact of life about Twitter is the more people you follow, the noisier your live stream becomes. As much as the live stream is a parade in which a new “float” comes along on a regular basis, there can be times when you want a way to have a more focused or narrow slice of what’s happening with our live stream. An interesting tool to take control of your live stream is Postpost, which drills down into it so that people can do searches for particular keywords. For example, if I was interested in tweets about “startups”, Postpost would generate the following results… -
So How is Twitter Making Money?
14 Dec 2011 | 10:05 amCurious about how Twitter makes money? Henry Blodget did an interview recently at the Insight conference with Adam Bain, Twitter’s chief revenue officer, which I suppose is the guy responsible for helping turn Twitter into a business big enough to support its sky-high valuation and growing workforce (800 and counting!)
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AdWeek: AdFreak
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The 20 Most-Viral Ads of 2012 (So Far)
16 May 2012 | 10:23 amIt's only the middle of May, but already we've had some runaway viral hits in advertising this year. Unruly Media, which runs the global Viral Video Chart, has just released a list of the most-shared ads of 2012 (so far). We've posted the top 20 below. It's a varied group of spots—with dancing and singing, cursing and fainting, running and good old-fashioned pitching. President Obama even makes an appearance. Check out the full list after the jump. And don't resist the urge to share. Finnair Snobby ad people largely despise flash mobs and/or spontaneous dancing as a… -
Man Proposes to Woman via Audio Ad on Pandora
16 May 2012 | 8:04 amNerdy couples are awesome. They do nerdy things for each other that cause both of them to squeal in delight. Recently this phenomenon has extended all the way up to nerdy marriage proposals. We've seen the infographic proposal, the crowdsourced Photoshop meme proposal and the Web banner-ad proposal. Now, a man with an apparent appreciation for radio commercials has proposed via Pandora ad—with the audio professionally recorded by a voice actress. The guy offers a play by play over on his Tumblr. He writes: "She heard her name, and then heard it again, and she started picking up… -
Google Shows You Where an Email Goes After You Hit Send
16 May 2012 | 6:48 amGoogle takes us backstage with The Story of Send, which explains what happens when you send an email. It's kind of like they're asking themselves why they're so awesome, and then answering that question, but it's still a clever way of both congratulating their renewable-energy efforts and explaining the inner workings of something people do every day without necessarily understanding the mechanics of it. I also think they're getting sick of all the remaining jokes about tubes, so they're trying to nip that mess in the bud once and for all. Either way, it's evidence… -
Guinness Turns a Submarine Into a Branded Underwater Bar
16 May 2012 | 6:23 amWhat shall we do with the drunken sailor? Sign him up for a tour of duty on the Guinness submarine! The vessel comes complete with a "deep-sea bar" and Austin Powers pop-art interior design with lots of rubber discs simulating bubbles. This is no dive bar! The groovy environs were built by architects at London's Jump Studios, working from concepts by Evelyne Gridelet, who won a "Sea Experience" competition celebrating the brand's 250th anniversary. Guinness's promotional line, "Alive inside," was the contest's theme, and it thankfully held true… -
Keep Your Kitten or Puppy From Becoming the Town Whore
31 Dec 1969 | 4:00 pmWith their fluffiness, big trusting eyes and adorable attempts to learn how to operate their oversized paws, kittens and puppies are the essence of the word squee. But take that fluffy kitty or puppy and multiply it by six. Now, you need to provide a load of living creatures with veterinary care, food and water, love and attention, space—and let's not even talk about the number of litter boxes or walks in the park necessary to corral the byproducts of six adorable poop machines. The solution, for many, is a pit stop at the local overcrowded animal shelter—or worse, alongside a…
