Is Mobile a Medium?

mobile_bootcamp_imedia

As I got on the plane heading to the iMedia Breakthrough Summit, I was greeted by none other The David Berkowitz himself! Of course the first thing I did when I got to my seat was Tweet about it (what else would I do?).

The night's dinner was sponsored by my friends over at Jumptap (sorry you could not make it, Julie) and after the formal presentation was given, Paran Johar graced the stage and proposed a "mobile economic bailout plan" (aka a sweepstakes, where the winner gets an entire mobile campaign. Not a bad idea!)

At the risk of being overly pedantic, and potentially forcing people to mince words in my presence, I want to underscore something that Paran said as he was presenting. He referred to mobile as a medium. Now, I don't know what Paran's philosophical views are on mobility, but this phrase struck me as something juicy that I could explore. Let's first define out terms.

Medium

  1. an intervening agency, means, or instrument by which something is conveyed or accomplished: Words are a medium of expression.

  2. one of the means or channels of general communication, information, or entertainment in society, as newspapers, radio, or television


It would be silly for me to add a definition of mobile; as I think we all know what I am referring to (in common parlance). The question remains,
Is the mobile phone a medium unto itself, and will it be treated as such in the marketing world in 5 five years?

I recognize the need for specialists in the mobile world today, and I love that iMedia is taking an entire day to focus on "mobile" (I would not have agreed to sit on the advisory board if I did not think this was a great initiative). Anyone who knows me, knows what my answers are to the following questions. I am not going to give my opinions at this time, rather I am looking to everyone at the iMedia summit to jump in and help out. Of course, I expect all the AMediaCirc.us/iMedia readers to jump in as well!

  1. What is the mobile web?

  2. Are there clear lines between the mobile web and what we commonly refer to as the web, necessitating dedicated, mobile web marketing teams?

  3. Where does the laptop fit into the mix, it is mobile?

    1. Along these lines, where does the netbook fit in (this is for my hardcore geeks)?






Help me turn this post into something of value by giving your answers and generating convesation. If you are not with us at the iMedia Summit and have some additional questions, please enter them in the comments. I will try to bring them up.
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Not All Ink Is Created Equal

newspaper-stands


Some subscribe to the idea that all press is good press or; "there is no such thing as bad press" (of course, some also say, "no news is good news" but that is out of context here).  I never fully understood this belief system, as I cannot think of a situation when it is good for people to speak poorly about you. Sure, you want people to talk, but negative press can put  companies out of business, as quickly as they got in business.


Perhaps it is a generational thing?


I recently turned 32 years old (old man, I know). The web has been around for the larger part of my existence (and all of my adult life). There is an element of permanence that is inherent in the web. This notion is something that moves me to operate in a certain manner, without thinking about it (even though sometimes I fail to proofread my blog posts).


The Web Does Not Forgive


Perhaps there was a time when the media was more merciful. When I think about it, the fact that newspapers are easily discarded, may have contributed to the belief that there is no such thing as bad press. In a world where newspapers play a decreasingly important role, this is no longer the case.


The permanence of the web makes it so, all news is eternal. Furthermore, all news can now be new to various individuals at any given time.



Forgive, but Never Forget


The web is a permanent repository of information. With this fact in mind, reputation management has become more crucial than ever. For every piece of bad press, you (or your brand) require an equal or greater piece of content. Whether it is an explanation of how the mishap occurred, or a promise that it will never happen again-when someone happens upon this negative event, there must be something adjacent that, at the very least, explains what happened.


I recently wrote an article for iMediaconnection which outlines a number of campaigns that I found offensive (I have gotten a lot of feedback that from people saying that some of the cases I presented or simply dumb and boring, not offensive. I will let you be the judge of that).


The article however is, in my opinion, just the beginning of the story. The real story will come a year from now and years after that; when the brands in question have had a chance to make reparations-positive actions greater than the ones that I shot them down for. At that time, I will write another article,


"Brands That Did Wrong, but Made Good"


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Doctor Zizmor Has the Munchies, Loses Ability to Have a Conversation

doctor-zizmor

My initial reaction to the new Snickers campaign that is gracing the sidewalks and subways of New York City was, "wow, this is REALLY corny!"

As I began to see more executions of the campaign on New York City Subways, the campaign began to grow on me a little bit (I realize that this is not actually the first time that this campaign has run, but it is the first time that it has caught my attention) after all, how many ways can you make people care about a candy bar on a NYC subway?

doctor-feedzmore

In thinking about this particular execution, the term culture jamming comes to mind. While this campaign does not fit the exact definition of culture jamming, it does poke fun at pop culture in an artful way (I guess "artful"  is open for debate). More than simply addressing pop culture, this campaign addresses a specific segment of pop culture that may only be fun for NYC subway riders. NYC subway riders have long seen silly, redundant ads from the infamous Dr. Zizmor; so in  looking more at this ad, as I was packed like a sardine in an NYC subway car, I had to smile.

This campaign may not exactly be brilliance in action (and it may not sell candy bars) but it did pass the time.

Upon entering my apartment, I transferred my photos from my iPhone to my computer and began to complete this post (which was almost complete on the subway ride--thank you iPhone). I did a search for, "doctor feedzmore" in order to find out who created this campaign and came up with one search result, one!!! No paid ads, nuthin!

feedzmore-results

This was the perfect opportunity to begin a dialog between a brand and a consumer. Sure, I am not your everyday consumer, as my interests were in the advertising campaign. Still, I wonder how many people went to Google to continue the conversation after seeing these ads. In my opinion, the nominal cost required to continue this conversation (via search) is nothing in comparison to the opportunity for a continuation of the overall engagement.

Unfortunately things of this nature continue to happen; the minute I begin to think that traditionally minded agencies are starting to understand, and leverage new media channels to create true integrated initiatives, I am let down. I realize that often times there is a bottleneck when it comes to budget and other practical matters, but it is the media strategists job to present a comprehensive strategy in the conception phase, and search/conversation can no longer be bolted on as an after thought.

If you are not versed in search marketing, allow me to show you the reason that the Snickers site is not showing up in the organic results. The first image is what a user sees (full flash goodness) and the second is what Google sees (hmmmm...what is that?!)



Looks a bit different, huh!? Looks a bit different, huh!?
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Do You Need to Pay to Play?


David Bowie bei Rock am Ring 1987
Image via Wikipedia


I cut my teeth in my media career on the paid media side of the media fence. It seemed that there was something inherently simple about the ability to pay to get placement in front of a brand's target audience.

I began my career at Digitas and then moved on to Morpheus Media. It was at Morpheus Media that I discovered that paid media was, in fact, an art; an art that, in the digital world, increasingly leveraged science. It was a this cross section of art and science that I found a new way to look at planning and buying media; and it was not simple at all. Creative media strategy became my M.O. and I preached the gospel of this ideology day in and day out.

As the world of paid digital media became more precise, and laser sharp targeting became the rule (as opposed to the exception), I began to notice something; many planners and buyers were becoming dependent on automated tools, and were fixated on creating consumer connections through science. The art seemed to be diminishing. While the science portion of targeting was compelling to me, I realized that the industry was beginning to weigh heavy on the side of science, and while I strongly believe (d) in the power of targeting--I felt that I needed to do my part in pushing the industry forward. I decided I would focus my time on the art of media+marketing.  I would spend more time on something that was being lost in the science of media; emotion.

Fast forward to 2009.

I know stand with one foot weighted more heavily on the marketing/PR side of the fence. I listen as the PR 2.0 zealots preach the gospel of earned media, conversation and community. I have drunk the Kool-Aid and truly believe that 10 relationships are more important than 5 million impressions.

Do I believe there is no place for paid media? Absolutely not!

Do I feel that paid media is inherently less effective than earned media? Again a resounding, no.

I have begun to draft a construct that I feel represents the interplay between paid media and earned media. This construct is, by no means complete, but I wanted to get it started in order to get feedback. Do you see things in here that make sense to you? Do you feel you can build on this construct?

This diagram was meant as a conversation starter, now I want to hear from you.

Paid Media Versus Earned Media and the Role of Targeting

Ultimately, I know that the truth lies somewhere in the middle; as the center is often where the truth is found. I will leave you with some words of wisdom from Mr. David Bowie himself:




I'm torn between the light and dark

Where others see the targets

Divine Symmetry

--David Bowie

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Disruption and The Battle for the Open Web



The speed at which new business systems grow is becoming exponentially faster. Lower barriers to entry for many business sectors have made Clayton Christensen's "Innovators Dilemma" more real than ever. It feels as if, every day we hear about young start-ups achieving things that established corporations could never achieve. I have noticed this in my own career, having worked for both small and large advertising agencies, and I can tell you first hand that the small shops are more nimble and adaptive than the larger ones (no shock there). Bigger agencies have certain advantages, but in the world of advertising, the pros of the small agency outweigh those of the large one (in my humble opinion).

Now that I have given my opinion about how disruptive business models have benefited the small advertising agency, I want to address how disruptive business models are currently effecting technology companies, and subsequently the way we socialize online.Disruption and The Open Web

At the current time there is a battle going on over the ability to port social data across the web.   The way in which the combat is unfolding seems to exemplify how newer, smaller technology companies are able to get to market faster, achieve critical mass sooner -establishing themselves as the industry leaders. For the duration of this post (and when I talk about this topic in the future) I will refer to this topic as The Battle for the Open Web.

It is inevitable that that the mashable, interoperable, read/write, mixable, distributed web will be the paradigm that will lead to the future growth and maturation of the internet. The companies that best capitalize on this new, distributed web will reign supreme. The question is; who will it be? Some may think this battle has already been won--it is my opinion that the battle has just begun.

Enter the warriors:

When the Battle for the Open Web first began, the only formidable competitors were Friend Connect and Facebook Connect. I had my money on Google, as I favored their approach to open standards. Yahoo has now thrown their hat in the ring; also employing open standards (you have to love Yahoo for their adoption of open standards). It has, however, become apparent that the employment of open standards is not enough to win this war.

There is little denying that Facebook is to the social web, what Google was/is to search engines. I cannot imagine Facebook building a search brand that could overtake the all-powerful Google, and I am beginning to think that it may be impossible for Google to build their brand into something synonymous with the social graph. As far as Yahoo is concerned--I love them, but have little hope that they can become a worthy opponent to the two category leaders.

Facebook is still young, nimble and best of all, privately held. The fact that they are not a public company plays a huge factor in their ability to innovate. They can roll out, and roll back products with ease, without the extra headache of answering to a public board. The ability to employ a test and learn mindset (something that Google was notorious for, and seems to be slowing down with) can be seen in Facebook's recent announcement about how they have changed the nature of the fan page. What I love most about Zuckerberg's post which announced the shift is the following statement:
"We'll begin rolling out the new home page next week, so please check out our home page tour to see the new design and let us know what you think about it."

This statement may not seem like a big deal, or may appear to be a farce, but we know that Facebook has actively listened to its users in the past.

Am I saying that it is impossible for companies to reinvent themselves and enter new markets? No. One only needs to look at the growth of IBM, from mainframes to desktops and Apple's growth from PC's to music devices to telecom, in order to see examples of the Innovators Dilemma being overcome. It is not impossible to constinuoulsy innovate over long periods of time, but it is very difficult. With that said, in The Battle for the Open Web, my money has moved from Google to Facebook (at least for now).

Are You Experienced?

The past 10 years have been challenging for many marketers. A whirlwind of new channels have blown into the world of marketing; creating confusion for some, opportunity for others and peril for even more.Those who have braved the new media storm and have successfully been able to bring winning strategies to their clients are marketers that remember the following adage; winning strategies are timeless at the core.

Tactics that employ new channels should merely feed the core strategic foundations of marketing--foundations that are tried and true:

  • Value Proposition

  • Surprise and Delight

  • Positive Experience


The third foundation that I have listed is something that is near and dear to my heart. I have been a champion of the notion that media planners are, in essence, experience planners (or at least this is what they should strive to be). I believe that the ability to create positive, holistic brand experiences is one of the most compelling benefits that new media vehicles have provided for marketers:

Social Media has provided brand marketers with news ways to listen and interact with consumers, creating the potential for an overall better consumer experience. Mobile Marketing has provided brands with the ability to extend their reach to wherever a consumer is, providing a consistent experience from store to online to in hand. Search Marketing has enhanced the experience of shopping, providing consumers with alternatives at each step of the buying process.

I recently provided insight for an article that Matt Kapko wrote for iMediaconnection on Digital In-Store Technology. I was able to get on the phone with Matt and a few of the technology providers mentioned in his article, and I have to say that the space is quite compelling. What I find most intriguing about the digital in-store space is that it is yet another way that brands can take advantage of technology in order to create a holistic experience for consumers. Do I think digital in-store is strategic in a standalone capacity; no. Does it have the ability to bring integrated marketing strategies to the next level; definitely!

We are at a time when all of us should be looking at how to use the platforms that have surfaced over the last ten years, as opposed to fixating on the platforms themselves. This notion has been forced upon us (to some degree) by the current economic climate, but in the end I feel that the interactive industry needed another period of self reflection and correction. If we are able to get back to the core strategic fundamentals that make for great marketing, while leveraging new channels when they make the most sense, we will come out of the current economic state as better marketers.
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Turning Marketing on it's Head

It is becoming increasingly difficult to shove marketing messages down people's throats; and quite honestly, why would you want to do that?

I realize this notion is nothing new for those of us that subscribe to the tenets of permission based marketing, but sometimes I get the feeling we are still the minority.

Why not listen to the wants and needs of consumers and use them to create marketing materials that are actually of value, and relevant to our core consumers' lives?

Marketers have been listening to some degree for a while, using small focus groups. Today, social media and search engines make it easier to mine consumer insight; garnering more consumer data than ever before. In a sense, these channels make up the worlds largest listening center (focus group 2.0--to use an annoying moniker). We have the ability to listen to consumers like never before; so why are so many marketers not adopting these new ways of creating consumer driven marketing product? Is it inability, lack of awareness or is it just good old fashioned laziness; who knows.

Anyhow, in these troubled times (take a drink) marketers need to focus more on relevance than ever before; and that is one of the focuses of the video series produced by Paul Chaney and crew entitled; Nine Ways to Maximize Your Marketing Dollars During the Recession. In the video below I (and others, of course) talk about what I refer to as consumer influenced content.

While there are nine videos available, I am only featuring the one that I am in, because I am an egomaniac :) (believe what you will).

I hope you enjoy this video. Go check out the rest of them; there is gold in dem der hills!


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Gmail is Down For an Hour, Sound the Alarms (c'mon, gimme a break)


Image representing Gmail as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase


As much as I hate latching onto a topic such as this, I had to put my $.02 in about this one. Yes, Gmail went down (although I never noticed--in fact, when I saw people saying it was down, it was still working fine for me) for a short period of time and true to form the Twitterverse went crazy (I am not pointing fingers, I love our ability to keep brands honest, but sometimes it is a bit much).









The one thing that people need to remember is that Google is providing a service, much like Con Ed. When was the last time one of the following happened?

  1. You had a power outtage

  2. Your cable stopped working

  3. You lost hot water


These things happen all the time; the difference is, we pay for the above services, Gmail is free (well, this statement is not entirely true, as they are monetizing the service through advertising, but we need to give Google credit for finding a way to bring us a great service at no cost to us. I challenge Time Warner cable to do the same; my cable bill is absolutely ridiculous). On top of the fact that Gmail does not cost consumers money, Google has gone out of their way to make sure that you are able to access your data offline, and frequently reminds you to back your stuff up.

Sure, it is annoying when Gmail goes down, but cut the big G some slack--they provide a great service for free, right?

They did a pretty good job of getting the service back up, right?

Maybe this is my morning crankiness speaking--if you disagree, speak up, please!


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Lessons For Marketers

A while back I spoke at the New Marketing Summit. I did a number of interviews and for some reason, they are are all surfacing now. Here is one of them, enjoy!


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The End of Social Networking as We Know It (and I feel...)


Several mobile phones
Image via Wikipedia


Furthering my series of posts about mobile social networks, I would like to present you with some statistics:

  • Users accessing Facebook on their mobile phones spent on average 24 minutes on the site compared with 27.5 minutes daily by computer users (link to story)

  • Mobile phone users accessed the site on average 3.3 times per day, compared with 2.3 times for computer users, with the most avid mobile fans 18-24 year old males who spent on average 27 minutes on the site

  • According to a survey by Nielsen Company on behalf of Tellabs, 71% of U.S. consumers plan to use some sort of mobile data service daily (the company did not have current daily usage information). Among current mobile Internet users, 55% planned to increase their usage of mobile data services in the next two years, and 48% planned to increase use over the next year. Among non-users, 29% planned to start during that same period (link)


What have we learned:

  • Mobile data access is on the rise, therefore mobile social networks will also be on the rise

  • The mobile device is perfect for social networking. While the average time spent on Facebook on a mobile phone is less than on a PC, people access it more frequently


It is my opinion that the mobile phone will be used more frequently as the device of choice for social networking; it just makes sense. Access to your social network when you are in social environments is key; these networks are becoming more utility than entertainment.

Your mobile phone is your Yellow Pages, your little black book and your compass to help navigate the seas of your social life.
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The Future: Open or Closed

The past has shown us that walled media gardens simply do not work in an age where consumers have virtually unfettered access to media. This, in my opinion, is part of the reason that the Dataportability movement was essential.  If you do not give people access to use their data the way that they want, they will find another service or media outlet; lowered barriers to entry into the media and technology sectors have made it so there are plenty of alternatives for virtually everything.


Open





The OpenID logo

Image via Wikipedia




Facebook is beginning to realize this, and it seems their realization is leading them down a glorious path; the path to OpenID. While we are not certain what it will mean, Facebook has pledged support for OpenID; the protocol that allows users single sign in access across any part of the web that has adopted it. Facebook has already created a successful product called Connect, but this product is not completely open; it does not adhere to web standards, and only sites that have implemented it, can take advantage of it.


Closed





The entrance of the Apple Store on Fifth Avenu...

Image via Wikipedia




On the flip side, I heard some news today that made me cringe. Apple (the king of the closet) is denying access to Facebook from many of their retail outlets--what!?


Pretty bad, huh.


I realize that people are probably abusing Apple stores; hanging out and loitering, checking Facebook etc., but denying access to Facebook is not the solution. Take a look at Starbucks,where people are invited to loiter, in hopes they will buy a cup of joe. Sure, this is a little different a, s iPods and laptops are not impulse buys, but the idea of, Apple Store as experiential marketing is not something that Apple should be messing with. Honestly, I thought that was the whole point of the retail outlet to begin with.


Will the future of media and technology be open or closed; what do you think?


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Searching For Your Brand Position



Let's face it; search engines can easily make a commodity of a brand. Even when a brand team has done a great job of positioning a product in it's category, the points of differentiation and emotional connections built for the brand are dissolved due to factors such as discount retailers, aftermarket resellers and endless parity. Smart search marketing can help with this dilemma; however there is still a gaping chasm between the search education of many brand marketers; and the opportunities available to effectively define your brand through search engines.

The above is the number one result on the SERP (search engine results page) for the term, "whirlpool". If you are a brand manager at Whirlpool, you are probably giving your SEO team a high five for helping secure the number one spot for your brand name (well, it is becoming easier to rank first for your own brand name as the search space matures-the high five may have happened a few years ago).  While it is essential to rank number one for your brand name; it is by no means a win. In fact, the above listing probably does not come close to the actual brands positioning statement outlined by Whirlpool; and I am sure it is not how Whirlpool executives want consumers to connect with the brand.

Why is it that many brand managers do not see search copy as an important touchpoint?



Can you imagine if Whirlpool's positioning statement read like the search result above;

"Whirlpool makes major appliances for your whole home. Current appliance owners can download appliance literature, contact customer..."

I can only imagine what type of advertising campaigns that would lead to :)

In stark contrast to the brand message that Whirlpool is conveying in the search result we see above (it is obvious that Whirlpool did not intentionally create the search copy to communicate their core brand message; but in a 15-second-of-fame-world--you are how you are found), they have created this following commercial;



Is it just me, or does this  TV spot communicate something wholly different than the search result above? TV does a better job of conjuring human emotion, but does that mean a brand marketer should simply ignore how they are communicating via text?

The question I have for all of you is, when is it most important for a brand to be effective in its communications?

  • When a consumer is actively seeking a brand (search)

  • When a consumer is focused on something entirely different (TV Spot)


This may seem like a leading question, and for those of us in digital marketing, the answer may seem obvious; but if the answer is so obvious, why are we still seeing the type of disconnect exemplified in the case above?

Weigh in; I would love to hear your thoughts.
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How Google is Controlling Your Memory (and potentially your brand's reputation)

Google recently launched a number of experiments; two of the more compelling experiments (in my opinion) are the timeline view and the map view. On first glance, these may just seem like cool features-to me they are much more than that. A few things are being accomplished here:

  • Preservation of our history in a way that no text book has ever been able to achieve

    • History is often subject to the will of its teller; now we can read history through the words of many tellers, in an organized fashion-getting a well rounded story



  • Organization of relevant data into linear stories

  • Creation of visual elements to help tell the story (e.g. maps)

  • The ability to bring associations between your query and other relevant information to the forefront

    • The number one result for "Thomas Jefferson" always contained the information that he is buried on his Monticello estate, in Charlottesville, Virginia








Now we get that information much quicker due to the fact that it is brought to the immediate forefront in the form of a map.

Obviously, the implications of these experiments are tremendous for students and educators. The question is what does this mean for your brand?

1.       If you are not paying attention to your Google results because you are not interested in site traffic (I cannot imagine why you would not be interested in site traffic, but the way some brands do search marketing leads me to believe they don't really care), you may want to start paying attention to your search rankings for reputation management

a.       The history of your brand is being written; whether or not you help tell it



2.       Make sure that all of the information you want known about your brand is published on a well optimized, HTML/CSS driven page

3.       If you have local information about your business (retail stores etc.) make sure that you list that information in Google's Local Business Center

4.       Write a knol about your brand (not sure where this is headed, but just do it-it is a Google product and Google rules the world)

5.       Create your own Google Maps (again, not sure if Google is using user generated maps, but one day they might)

6.       Submit online press releases (PR Web, PR Newsire etc.) for all quasi monumental items related to your brand-if for no other reason, Google seems to like these and they get ranked; which makes your news official

7.       Along the same lines as number six, start a news page about your brand, and base it on a blog platform (Wordpress would be my suggestion)

8.       Distribute your content across the web-create outposts on information portals like Zimbo, Squidoo etc. I am not sold on the inherent value of these from a user perspective, but they still seem to be ranking fairly well

Bottom Line:

1.       Feed Google as much data as possible

2.       Distribute your data

I am sure there is a whole lot more you can do-I am waiting for the community to weigh in.
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The Future of Marketing, Today.

A lot of us in the new media/social media space have been talking about the fact that, the future of marketing will centered around co-creation and collaboration. I, for one, have been talking about co-creation and collaboration as key drivers of the future of marketing for quite a while. It is these concepts that sparked my love for Second Life.

Recently, crayon worked with client Panasonic in order to devise a program that allow brand marketers to directly interface with influential consumers. The program was designed to give these influential consumers a first hand look at new products, and allow them to talk to top Panasonic executives.

A few things came as a result of this experience:

  • Panasonic got a chance to directly hear from consumers (markets are conversations)

  • Influential consumers got an inside look at new products, and were able to disseminate information to their communities, in language that they understand (as opposed to tech marketing speak)

  • Influential consumers got a chance to take products home and show their families and friends cutting edge technology

  • A mass of content was created documenting the entire experience (content is still king)


All in all, I am proud of Panasonic for jumping into dangerous waters and having faith in the tenets of new marketing; and I am proud of my team at crayon for pulling off something very special. This initiative is a reminder of why I love what I do, and why I wake up thinking; "wow, I have the coolest f-cking career".
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Does The Verizon/Microsoft Deal Hurt The End User?

Last week we heard that Verizon has selected Microsoft to be the sole provider of mobile search and advertising solutions on the Verizon portal.

Upon hearing this news, I asked myself, "wow--that is a great deal for Microsoft, but is it good for Verizon? "

After a few days of thinking about it, I have some additional thoughts and questions:

  • Will mobile portals be relevant in a few years (to me, they are not relevant today)?

    • With the proliferation of advanced mobile operating systems (iPhone, Android etc.)? The notion of the mobile portal is slowly becoming irrelevant to more and more people

    • Will Verizon be able to provide a valuable experience for those users who do not own a mobile device with a slick OS? After all, once a user open's a browser, they are out of the confines of the Verizon's portal?

      • Have we not learned that closed portals don't work?





  • Will this deal diminish the user experience for those that still use the Verizon portal?

    • Microsoft search is an inferior product to Google; that is why people choose to use Google online

    • The integrated ad platform introduced may be good for media buyers, but is it good for consumers?




MIcrosoft's press release states the following:
The rapid adoption of a wide variety of data services and the substantial change in the way wireless customers use their devices is driving the need for new ways to organize and deliver the content customers want on their mobile devices.

This is certainly a true statement, however, unless Verizon begins to change their user interface to be similar to the type of experience users have begun to expect on their PC's, the above statement may cause more trouble for Verizon, than anything else.

Verizon is a Media Company

Just like Google, Verizon has become a media company. Verizon, however is not doing a great job of realizing their potential as such. There are many ways Verizon can expand their offerings online and in other channels, and create a more seemless, wholistic media experience for its users. It seems that Verizon is still largely stuck in their old service model; and in this model, Verizon will not be able to survive as a media company.

It will be interesting to see how this deal effects Verizon's business model.
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Dear Hulu



Dear Hulu,

Our love affair started shortly after you launched into this world. You were everything I ever wanted in streaming video, and more;

  • An angelic player that caressed me as I leaned back to watch online video

    • All the others are so brash--making me lean forward all the time

    • Also, you knew exactly when to turn the lights low



  • Ample programming

  • Sexy and sleek interface

  • Reasonable commercial slots,  that clearly stated how long they were to run for

    • generally under 15 seconds if I remember correctly




It seemed that you really understood the my nature, and the nature of online video. You seemed to know exactly where we were headed.  You catered to the wants and needs of an online man; and baby, I was your online man (and one who was in the ever-so-lucrative, hard to reach demographic- 25-34 male)!

I hooked up my mac to my plasma for you. I even canceled my dates with premium cable services, as I knew you were the only one for me.

But, oh Hulu; times have changed!

Maybe it is your parents (NBC) that are trying to rip us apart by placing the same, gut wrenchingly annoying ads three times in 20 minutes (have you seen the one for Edge Gel--"Lube Moistricants"!!! I may kill myself if I ever see that thing again; and you can bet I will never buy that product). If only your parents knew that I am happy to trade my time for our love; but a man can only stand so much!

..and another thing Hulu; where is your sense of adventure. You and your friends (the advertisers) could learn to try news things. I have thought of a few:

  • Sequenced messaging

    • I don't need you to yell the same things at me all the time. I heard you the first time. I feel like you don't listen; and the more you shout the same thing, the less I hear it.



  • In ad experiences

    • hey it is interactive, don't just show me that car, take me for a ride and drop me back in my show when we are done



  • Choose your sponsor

    • hey, it is working for Weatherbug



  • Hulu currency

    • skip ads if you take a quick survey--there are a lot of people out there looking for lead gen opportunities

    • build up currency, trade with friends

    • use currency to buy product



  • Conversational ads

    • show me a few elements of a product, and ask me what I want to know more about



  • If all else fails, charge me! I may just be willing to pay money to skip the torture that ensues when you remind me of my 30 second spot childhood


I am not the only one who sees the rift in this relationship. I was talking with my girls about us, and they had this to say:
"I agree 1000% percent. How did they miss the ad model boat on such a great product?" -Erin Wilson

"the worst part is that the ads are usually 300% louder than the movies (especially if you are watching something that is old) and it's just not a great experience all in all. Luckily, my laptop comes with a remote so I just mute the stuff from the comfort of my bed, but still: annoying. I'd rather pay a little for the service than have those ads...you can say that I bought netflix to make it thru my knee surgery instead of using them too. Part of that is selection but part is the noise thing." -Kate Bessiere

Well Hulu, I cannot deny the fact that I still love you and I know it is wrong to ask a partner to change; but if anything I have said here makes sense to you, and you feel we are meant to be together--well, it would make me the happiest geek on the planet.

I LOVE YOU HULU

Love,

your lil' hunny bunny bear

Adam
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Social Lead Generation Meets Cause Marketing



Question:

Social Outreach, Email Lead Generation and Cause Marketing?

Answer:

A new experiment by The Emerging Communications Conference.

My new friend Lee S. Dryburgh first approached me about the idea by telling me he had an idea for an experiment. His idea would help garner registration for the conference he is organizing, while at the same time do some social good; what could be bad about that!

I told him I loved the idea and that I would rely his efforts on to my community--so I am.

Here is how it works:

The goal is to achieve 10,000 sign-ups to the conference updates. For everyone who signs up for conference updates, eComm Media will pay 0.50 cents to The Shelter Network (charity watchdog rating here).

And Here Are the Calls To Action:

Instructions


I need help from two groups of people, the "social media gurus" and the rest of us!


The social media gurus I request help from are: Adam Broitman, Ayelet Noff, Ben Grossman, Brian Reich, Brian Solis, Carlos Hernandez, Chris Brogan, Chris Heuer, David Berkowitz, Eric Weaver, Gradon Tripp, Greg Verdino, Howard Greenstein, Laura Fitton, Jeff Pulver, Jeffrey Sass, Jeremiah Owyang, Jeremy Vaught, Jim Benson, Justin Levy, Rebecca Bollwitt, Robert Scoble, Robin Good, Steve Rubel, Susan Etlinger and Tim O'Reilly.


(if you would like to be added to this list or know somebody who should be by virtue of being considered a leader in the social media sphere please email me: Lee*eCommMedia*com).


I'd like the rest of us to blog this, Twitter this, email this to friends, IM it, Facebook share it, Digg it, Reddit - anything and everything across the social media space that you think could be effective.



Let's see what we can do!



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