This is excellent stuff. I love W+K (actually found this on their blog so props to them for being so open) but this simply is funny funny funny and really creative
7/07/2009
7/05/2009
Singing the joy of online
This is brilliant. the problem seems to be
a) TV still works here
b) not even online people know algorithms that well
c) I am not sure who plays the original of this :P
(via)
a) TV still works here
b) not even online people know algorithms that well
c) I am not sure who plays the original of this :P
(via)
User Generated Advertising
Is not a myth anymore. Current TV, which is Al Gore's online TV channel, has a system called VCAM - Viewer Created Ad Messages - which enables users to create ads for their favourite brands and have them played on the television station if the advertisers approve them. You also make 2500 USD if they choose it and up to 60000 USD if the ad is played on another TV station.
I have watched some ads and they are interesting, well produced, if not mind blowing funny or smart. So, with a bit of practice users might put advertisiong agencies out of business also, after print is starting to give out :).
[PS: maybe this is a good time to restart that debate about users being unable to create useful or good content :)]
Search behaviour
I have been meaning to write something about this for a long time. The idea came to me a while back when I was watching Veronica Mars and in one episode the kids at school were tested in the IT lab for search competencies. The challenge was who could find the information pitched by the teacher the fastest. The information was the name of a local basketball player who has surprisingly saved the day in a match by scoring a final 4 pointer.
Eventually, Veronica Mars wins simply by looking up the names of the players and then cross referencing the lower scoring ones with the word 'surprising'.
This to me is a perfect example of how search actually works. I have previously said that the fastest way to find something on google is to simply "ask" like you were asking a normal person. The reason behind this is that most people do not take a scientific approach to searching. They behave naturally towards online and have no search strategies, like inputing keywords and tags or using punctuation. For them conversations online are much like conversations offline, they rely on simple speech patterns and simple thinking patterns and when they write they write like they were talking about it. So, the largest number of indexed information sounds like that. In the case above people would not mostly be interested in the scores of a game but rather in the human story of an underdog who suprises everyone.
So, search is always about the simplest and most human context. Find what is the key, common story around a term and search it just like that, like you were talking about it. Generally, it gives the best results.
Eventually, Veronica Mars wins simply by looking up the names of the players and then cross referencing the lower scoring ones with the word 'surprising'.
This to me is a perfect example of how search actually works. I have previously said that the fastest way to find something on google is to simply "ask" like you were asking a normal person. The reason behind this is that most people do not take a scientific approach to searching. They behave naturally towards online and have no search strategies, like inputing keywords and tags or using punctuation. For them conversations online are much like conversations offline, they rely on simple speech patterns and simple thinking patterns and when they write they write like they were talking about it. So, the largest number of indexed information sounds like that. In the case above people would not mostly be interested in the scores of a game but rather in the human story of an underdog who suprises everyone.
So, search is always about the simplest and most human context. Find what is the key, common story around a term and search it just like that, like you were talking about it. Generally, it gives the best results.
Three things not involving money
Ever since the crisis has been upon us I have sensed a change in the speech of the online community. If one year ago it was all about getting smart, showing the world what we can, making great things happen, today it's about one thing: MONEY.
There is more than one explanation for this: investment money is running out and people who used to live on that money, thus having plenty of time on their hands to generate ideas and projects, now need to make a living, advertisers are less inclined to spend money on long term commitments since they need short term results. The term branded utility, which I fell in love with at that time, has almost disappeared. Nobody thinks about making meaning anymore because we are down to the bottom of Maslow's pyramid - we need to fulfill basic needs.
However, this is depressing.
Online was the brave new world and now it's turned into the world-which-hates-itself (banners :)-and-makes-little-money and is frustrated. That's why I need to put on the table three things:
1. Optimism 2009 - made by Manafu, this conference is very much like Russell's Interesting (read this instead) only focusing on how to keep up spirits and remain creative in a time when all energies are focused on raw production. While I think that some of the initial thinking behind Optimism has been lost, with a bunch of speakers being the "inspirational" type, which I don't particularly like, I think it's a good thing to be in a conference where we don't speak about how to make money but how to make optimism.
2. A challenge: I run a digital agency and we do not spend a lot of time making anything that makes a difference but a lot of time making money. That's because we have shareholders who have expectations. I know a lot of people who are in the same position. I promise I will talk to each and every one of them and invite them to a challenge: each agency needs to make a project that is not for money but makes a case for innovation, good thinking, meaningful additions to the Internet. My deadline is end 2009 when all projects should be written up and completed.
3. Knowledge: the digital community here does not share too much and obviously with internet not monitored it's hard to keep up and learn and understand more in point of advertising online. There are no publications involved in analysing the online advertising evolution in Romania very much because, as said, it's hard to monitor. So, the thing that needs to happen is an online collectuion point for all the good projects from all players online (Much like bannerblog). This I plan to start and would like to enlist the support of as many people doing online advertising as possible. This will only be possible if everyone shares what they do and is great.
... so there, maybe this will help get over the money-making blues.
There is more than one explanation for this: investment money is running out and people who used to live on that money, thus having plenty of time on their hands to generate ideas and projects, now need to make a living, advertisers are less inclined to spend money on long term commitments since they need short term results. The term branded utility, which I fell in love with at that time, has almost disappeared. Nobody thinks about making meaning anymore because we are down to the bottom of Maslow's pyramid - we need to fulfill basic needs.
However, this is depressing.
Online was the brave new world and now it's turned into the world-which-hates-itself (banners :)-and-makes-little-money and is frustrated. That's why I need to put on the table three things:
1. Optimism 2009 - made by Manafu, this conference is very much like Russell's Interesting (read this instead) only focusing on how to keep up spirits and remain creative in a time when all energies are focused on raw production. While I think that some of the initial thinking behind Optimism has been lost, with a bunch of speakers being the "inspirational" type, which I don't particularly like, I think it's a good thing to be in a conference where we don't speak about how to make money but how to make optimism.
2. A challenge: I run a digital agency and we do not spend a lot of time making anything that makes a difference but a lot of time making money. That's because we have shareholders who have expectations. I know a lot of people who are in the same position. I promise I will talk to each and every one of them and invite them to a challenge: each agency needs to make a project that is not for money but makes a case for innovation, good thinking, meaningful additions to the Internet. My deadline is end 2009 when all projects should be written up and completed.
3. Knowledge: the digital community here does not share too much and obviously with internet not monitored it's hard to keep up and learn and understand more in point of advertising online. There are no publications involved in analysing the online advertising evolution in Romania very much because, as said, it's hard to monitor. So, the thing that needs to happen is an online collectuion point for all the good projects from all players online (Much like bannerblog). This I plan to start and would like to enlist the support of as many people doing online advertising as possible. This will only be possible if everyone shares what they do and is great.
... so there, maybe this will help get over the money-making blues.
7/04/2009
7/03/2009
7/01/2009
Wieden+Kennedy launch Platform
This is what makes W+K great (although this time I think it's Anomaly who've made the first move
when they launched)
all details here
"To handle these types of projects, Brookes and Collier have launched a recruitment site they're hoping will attract programmers, fashion designers, engineers, anthropologists, artists—basically all creative types outside of advertising. Brookes says that they're not looking for people who specifically want to get into advertising; they'll only consider applicants with ad backgrounds if they also have the right kind of ideas. Platform has been accepting applications online--and will be until July 10--in the form of social media projects. Applicants need to identify a problem or something that irks them, fix it, document the process through photography and upload the album to Flickr. And, to introduce themselves and answer a list of introductory questions, applicants must create a YouTube video."
when they launched)
all details here
"To handle these types of projects, Brookes and Collier have launched a recruitment site they're hoping will attract programmers, fashion designers, engineers, anthropologists, artists—basically all creative types outside of advertising. Brookes says that they're not looking for people who specifically want to get into advertising; they'll only consider applicants with ad backgrounds if they also have the right kind of ideas. Platform has been accepting applications online--and will be until July 10--in the form of social media projects. Applicants need to identify a problem or something that irks them, fix it, document the process through photography and upload the album to Flickr. And, to introduce themselves and answer a list of introductory questions, applicants must create a YouTube video."
Forums, communities or "you know what's funny about Internet?"
Yesterday I spent about 15 minutes listening to someone talking at RoTweetMeet (yes, only 15 minutes, because I am trying to get a life so I spend more time with friends and less with colleagues :) about forums. He had a good point, namely that, when we talk about social media, we hardly ever mention forums, although it seems that they tend to be a bit more active than the rest, and also handsomely improve the demographic pool. That is, they are not exclusively made of horny 15-y-olds or alternately 60-y-olds or cool, urban wannabes {please humor me and guess which SM I am talking about :)}.
The fact is that he was right. Forums are swarming with people who are devoted to the the topics, who really want to discuss what is being discussed, who go through the trouble of logging in etc etc. So fact is: forums give you that elusive and magical thing we all look for, engagement.
Now the problem is, and this is where the "you know what's funny about Internet?" part comes in, just like maaaany other successful stuff online, forums are hard to brand and use if you want to do advertising per se.
what can you do? well,
- forum branded takeovers - recolor the page
- banners - and we know how everyone feels about those
-sticky posts - basically you trick them people there into reading your message by pretending to be one of them
- floating banners - banners, only smarter
- logo interaction - veeery costly
...hmmmm, just your regular, run of the mill stuff.
The bad part about all of these is that they basically lack what forums have, engagement (unless made properly but this is another story). The solution is, again, part of the "funny about Internet" area: it is committment and relationship development. Forums should be treated very much like your group of friends should. You need to call them constantly, invite them over, get them presents for their bdays, talk to them and listen to what they have to say, etc.
Interestingly this is exactly what we have been telling clients Internet is NOT, namely fast, easy, cheap. This is slow, costly, takes committment, involvement... :-)
Also interestingly, the only things that are fast, easy, cheap online are the ones which are said not to work like, say, banners. Or something that a fat guy makes in his basement with a camera and a Darth Vader sword. The rest take work.
Funny, huh?
The fact is that he was right. Forums are swarming with people who are devoted to the the topics, who really want to discuss what is being discussed, who go through the trouble of logging in etc etc. So fact is: forums give you that elusive and magical thing we all look for, engagement.
Now the problem is, and this is where the "you know what's funny about Internet?" part comes in, just like maaaany other successful stuff online, forums are hard to brand and use if you want to do advertising per se.
what can you do? well,
- forum branded takeovers - recolor the page
- banners - and we know how everyone feels about those
-sticky posts - basically you trick them people there into reading your message by pretending to be one of them
- floating banners - banners, only smarter
- logo interaction - veeery costly
...hmmmm, just your regular, run of the mill stuff.
The bad part about all of these is that they basically lack what forums have, engagement (unless made properly but this is another story). The solution is, again, part of the "funny about Internet" area: it is committment and relationship development. Forums should be treated very much like your group of friends should. You need to call them constantly, invite them over, get them presents for their bdays, talk to them and listen to what they have to say, etc.
Interestingly this is exactly what we have been telling clients Internet is NOT, namely fast, easy, cheap. This is slow, costly, takes committment, involvement... :-)
Also interestingly, the only things that are fast, easy, cheap online are the ones which are said not to work like, say, banners. Or something that a fat guy makes in his basement with a camera and a Darth Vader sword. The rest take work.
Funny, huh?
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