I love my Moo
What do you get relatives for Christmas who have spent many years accumulating everything under the sun? Who want for nothing in particular? And who don’t fancy any of the new electronic gadgets or games that technology offers?
I stopped guessing and realized that what most grandparents (I am assuming ages 65+) want is time in a bottle: the luxury of capturing precious moments and recording them and keeping them forever. We have the luxury of having a close family so we spend a lot of time together. But there are so many recorded moments, but not enough picture frames, and little time to print and stuff them all in photo albums.
So this year I decided on something different: I have always loved Moo and their unique concept in business cards. They’ve always been a conversation piece when I’ve distributed mine, and consequently, I’ve been able to create Moo-converts in the process. So, when the Mosaic frame came out, I went to town and started going through all my digital photos and picking out the perfect pictures to fill up the frame. The grandparents just loved it because it captures all the important events that happened this year — all in one frame.
I saw a bunch of other ways people have used these Moo cards. Here’s another one I love: It’s from LUZIEyear. Just fab. Thanks Moo!
In the words of George Carlin…..
A friend recently sent this to me….another chain letter I assumed. And it was. I don’t really ascribe to this stuff and for the most part, they usually end up being deleted. But for some reason this one resonated with me. It was written when George Carlin’s wife passed away. That single event obviously had a profound affect on the man and the result is something worth reading and reflecting on:
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
If you don’t send this to at least 8 people….Who cares?
George Carlin
Web video monetization still unmastered
Fast Company’s article, “Who will be the Godfather of Web Video” got me thinking about some of the theories behind the monetization of video. A friend of mine insists that despite the evolution of social media, the consumer online behaviour hasn’t changed. It’s emotive, he says, and that has been and will continue to be the way online consumers respond to online advertising. Does that mean we negate the idea of predictability? If so then what is the use of applying retention initiatives? Does that mean that brands have greater pressure to create advocacy in this daunting arena? I’m not convinced of this theory because it assumes that the medium has no bearing on behaviour.
I believe the advent of social media has challenged advertisers to grapple with the issue of not only converting consumers, but also identifying with their needs in an environment that has been programmed to flee the almighty establishment. This rebellious medium understands that the sought-after millenials are not so quick to point-and-click. I’ve yet to find stats to validate this but at a recent conference I’ve attended for Understanding Youth, it was made abundantly clear when one of the young panel members said to a room full of marketers and advertisers, “We know when you’re trying to sell us something. We know all your tricks and we’re not gonna give in. We’ll just run somewhere else.”
Today’s youth understand the social web and it is a part of their being. Today’s social media is akin to the freedom revolution of the ’70’s — a way for people create an identity for themselves and carve out a path of existence online. The above notation clearly spells out the need to evolve advertising as the medium and audience evolve.
Web video is still a strong growth channel. According to the article, “it has grown in terms of content production, viewership, however significant revenue and especially profitability — even for YouTub with its massive audience of 69 million viewers — has been largely elusive. Advertisers still haven’t bought into web video advertising mainly because of the vast user-generated content that’s largely uncontrolled. But the premium content sites don’t seem to be faring any better. Super Deluxe’s shaft by Time Warner, NBC Universal’s DotComedy’s short online stint and Sony’s money-losing investment into the once-promising Crackle – are all examples of this quest for a solution.
Some sites that are doing really well: Tetes a claque, CollegeHumor –> have some things in common: video that’s spreadable; audiences that are sticky. Most importantly — Consistency. Time will tell whether these sites will pave the way and lead others including Google/Youtube through the black hole.
July 25, 2008: Today’s inspiration and hero, Dr. Randy Pausch dies
I realize I’m late with this post but I wanted to really collect my thoughts before I wrote it all down. Truth is that I wouldn’t have ventured into blogging or even charteried into unknown territory in this vast social media space had it not been for Randy Pausch. It was The Last Lecture that really made me think about my life from a few perspectives: family, passion and life in general. My earlier blog post indicates how significant he has changed me as a person. Since that day I have made significant changes in my life. Dr. Pausch has provided a window for me to explore my passions with unrelenting ambition. At the same time, I’ve been able to view this part of my life as it relates to everything else –> most importantly my husband and children. It’s so easy to convince yourself that you can manage everything in your life; that your busy lifestyle won’t impact your relationship with your kids or spouse; that your kids will continue to love you despite your constant absence; that eventually everything will be fine despite the challenges you face today. I was kidding myself for a long time and I needed to face reality and stop the bleeding. These past few months have been a blessing for me. I have spent the much-needed time with my family. I have rebuilt the relationship with my children and husband. I have learned to appreciate the moments: the before-bedtime books I read with Maddie and Nate and the prayers we say together each night; the hugs and kisses I receive when I pick up my kids; the smiles and laughter when we’re playing tag in the park; the comforting contentment as we watch TV together. My perspective has changed and so has my life. And I owe it to Randy Pausch who forced me to change before it was too late. Thank you.
Here Comes Another Bubble
This was sent to me by someone I just met today. Ain’t it the truth!! In search of the holy grail….and a wad of cash to boot! The video tells the story….enjoy!
The Secrets Behind Many Viral Videos…..Part II: An Apology
My previous post drew some interesting comments from other bloggers but it also profoundly affected the person about whom the article was written. This blog post is to apologize to Dan Ackerman-Greenberg and The Comotion Group. I guess when you don’t have all your facts straight and you declare something in this “delicate” online space it could really harm reputations and I’m here to try to make amends for any damage I’ve caused. I’m also here to represent Dan’s point of view on this subject and his intent when he followed-up to his initial post on TechCrunch in December 2007.
When I initially found the video, I assumed it was a synopsis of the strategies that Dan and The Comotion Group employed to their client base. When I met up with Dan later he was frustrated with what my post implied, specifically using the term, “anti-Christ within the Social Web”. My intent was not to draw further controversy but to allow marketers to see an alternative to traffic building and how to implement it effectively within this space. The problem with the web these days is that every blogger assumes he is a journalist but most do not own those “values” that include depicting the facts first before they publish. Most of the stuff posted these days, mine included, are opinions — the bigger the blog following –> the higher the potential impact (good or bad) it’ll have on the subject matter. So, Dan, I apologize for any negativity this has caused. I truly believe what you guys are doing is remarkable. From a marketer’s standpoint, there is true merit in how you guys achieve success and to set the record straight — without “fakery” or “manipulation”.
Here are excerpts of the communication I received from Dan. I’d much rather put it in his own words so he can clarify his position without interruption:
“With all of the followup posts to the TechCrunch post, the trickiest thing to clarify is the fact that neither I nor my company engages or has ever engaged in most of the “strategies” I talked about in the post almost a year ago. That post was intended to be me, someone with insider knowledge, pulling back the curtains on what companies are doing to promote video virality. Not me claiming that my company ever paid bloggers to fake posts, manipulated hundreds of comments, or tricked anyone into watching videos. Of course that’s not the company I’m building, because that is not a sustainable company.
It’s the same as the SEO industry and the same as companies who help get “MySpace friends” – there are standard practices in the industry that no one talks about or blogs about. The same goes for the video marketing industry – the rules have not yet been agreed upon, but there are clear strategies that people are using (for a few examples see youtube.com/athenewins and youtube.com/illumistream). I was naive enough to be the guy who explained these strategies to the public, which means now I get to be the fall guy (or Antichrist!) for an entire set of marketing practices that I don’t use.
Looking back, I think the reason I posted the article was just that I realized I had some really interesting information that no one else was talking about online yet, and I wanted to get it out there.
The short answer is that clearly, the key to success with viral video marketing (or any video marketing, on or offline), is to make a video that people enjoy and want to engage with. The “strategies” for marketing a video are still being explored, but I’d say that the single best (and most obvious) strategy is to create an awesome video, then send the link to all of your friends. If it’s truly “viral” (“viral” being the situation when on average, one person seeing a video results in that person sending it to an average of at least 1 person ), then sending it out to a few hundred people will be enough of a seed to get it started. If it’s not truly “viral”, then it’s never going to go viral. That doesn’t mean it’s not effective to use video as a marketing tool though. It just means you aren’t going to get marketing for free through peer to peer virality – you’re going to have to go through standard marketing channels to get people to watch your video, i.e. video ad networks. And if a video is compelling (even if not viral), it will engage people to explore your product further (even if they don’t share the video).
The Secrets behind many Viral Videos….the anti-Christ within the Social Web
I have seen many attempts to produce a formula for viral video to drive sales. A lot of the rules are similar but one would argue that “viral” is the result of the effort as opposed to the strategy. Anyone intending on creating viral video can absolutely expect to witness incremental growth in traffic or sales if done right but it can come at a cost. The video below summarizes one of those strategies from The Comotion Group.
I have had the pleasure of working with Dan Ackerman-Greenberg, founder of The Comotion Group. This was the infamous post that was featured in techcrunch titled “The Secret Strategies Behind Many Viral Videos” and the immense controversy it drew. The tactics used by Dan and Matt to successfully get videos to the number 1 position involved using staff to create comments to draw attention to the post and seeding the video in networks, and even faking headlines. Hmm…sounds like something any company would do to drive sales.
In the world of social networking, Rule No. 1 talks about authenticity ie being real. Authenticity has always been a difficult position to maintain where marketing is concerned. Let’s face it — you are selling a product. You have limited time and limited budget. To build authenticity follows a set of new rules. You need TIME — time to build a network…time to build credibility….time to build a legitimate following….Only then can you even hope to drive that traffic or start evangelizing your products. It’s not within the realm of possibility when you have to meet quarter-end goals. Dan has a proven formula that works. If you look at his website, it’s merely a webform. Both Dan and Matt have had such huge success as a result of the article they haven’t had time to even create a website. Yes, it’s controversial…but it can be a potential short-term gain for those who don’t have the luxury of time. The consequences can also be enormous. So…proceed with caution.
Transmedia…how will the next iteration of broadcast television survive?
I read this great article, Rebel Alliance by David Kushner, in the most recent issue of Fast Company. As a pseudo-Indiana Jones fannatic (ie. I was not an over-the-top psychotic fan –> I just loved the movie series), I know what it’s like to be all-consumed with anticipation about the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that debuted in theatres last week. I owned the series on VHS –> I got each one from McDonald’s years ago when they were promoting it back then. I watched each episode featured on TV in the weeks leading up to the premiere. I was also bombarded with TV trailers, not to mention those posted on Youtube. Unlike TV series, the infrequency of movie premieres lends itself to the advantage of developing the anticipation and hype prior to a debut. Television series cannot leverage that same potential. Or can they? The article speaks about the obsolescence of broadcast television and what can define success in the next iteration as the digital home becomes more of a reality. David speaks of this new buzzword, “transmedia” as defined by Wikipedia as “storytelling across multiple forms of media”. Its growth is driven by the explosion of new media including video gaming, mobile and web apps that allow new forms of content creation. These guys understand that like what itunes has done to music sales, the same environment will dictate a move towards creating an alternative revenue stream for TV/video programming. It’s already happening. On the heels of Hulu (NBC/Newscorp venture), ABC announced it was going to allow free video sharing for all its content, making most video content by both networks ubiquitous. While Hulu has allowed embedding without required sponsor ads, ABC still requires the user to view commercials in their entirety. It’s my guess that the online user may demand alternative forms of advertising as viewing programming online becomes more mainstay.
So, what does transmedia imply? For true fans this means access to new information through enhanced storylines or character development and also having the privilege to comment and contribute to new content. This involves development of a branded universe with increasingly more consumer interaction and creation. This plays into the eventual semantic web as initial mass appeal becomes more fragmented and true loyalty to a product will be borne by the few. So dependence on the die-hard “trekkies” or fantatics for sustainability may help build product longevity. Everything’s in test-mode right now. Today’s content generation now has the power to dictate where it all eventually leads…still to come…
Open ID…Data Portability… seamless integration or lack of control?
This week’s announcements from MySpace, Facebook, and Google about their respective launches of Data Availability, Facebook Connect and Google Friend Connect gives us a preview into the next evolution of web connectivity. To marketers it’s a amazing leap forward in being able to 1) tap into audiences behaviourally across mutliple social networking platforms 2) develop more efficient media strategies where previous fragmentation has been unable to capture user behaviour outside of individual walled sites 3) and, in essence, provide much richer data for targetting strategies.
It didn’t take long, however for today’s news to arise: Facebook rejecting Google’s Friend Connect. Already, concerns about privacy are arising. As great as it is from a business perspective, the idea of Open I.D. raises a lot of concerns about how my data, as a user will be used. Yeah, I love the fact that I can register and create my profile only once and allow my data to flow with me as I surf from one site to another but it begs the question of control. The reason that fragmentation exists is that the user has the option to maintain mutliple identities/personas across multiple sites. Friend lists will differ depending on the purpose of my presence on certain sites. Maybe my profile on scribd as a “health guru” does not necessarily want to integrate with my political profile on jibjab. My professional linkedin friends should have access to my blogspot and my twitter but not my facebook. The point is: only I should have control on who sees my stuff and which friends I want interacting with me wherever I go. Giving this control to Facebook, Google or MySpace, for that matter, gives up my right and my control over my data.
Facebook is already noticing the impacts of cross-pollinating users/friends from one platform to another. Privacy concerns must weigh in especially since each platform has its own policies for its users. It will be interesting how this will be architectured cross-platformed to give users full disclosure and opt-out control if they so choose.
Marketing Revolution: The Art of Conversation Laced within Authenticity
While I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked in multiple mediums as a marketer: television, OOH, guerilla, print, direct mail, database CRM, online media, radio, nothing has prepared me for this radical shift that has necessitated the move towards reinventing marketing from a model of selling to a model of listening.
The democratization of media has provided increasingly more tools at the hands of consumers and has given them more power than ever before. The consumers, in essence, have become the marketers and, in many ways, continue to elude their pursuers given the increasing media fragmentation. However, at the same time, these tools have allowed their very needs and behaviours to become more transparent –> an advantage that needs to be leveraged. The definition of conversational marketing in Wikipedia asserts a more complacent, acquiescing relationship that marketers should attempt to create with consumers if they are to succeed in turning consumers to advocates. The sweet spot is being able to effectively develop a relationship with the consumer who is an influencer. This can be a dangerous path if not dealt with care and caution. My scribd friend Tizio, who is part of a blogger network, puts it this way, “In my opinion, the great revolution in marketing isn’t the technology, the creativity or the WOM. The real revolution is to speak the truth. Engage discussions and don’t be misleading.”
Many marketers have yet to ascribe to this belief, let alone understand its true impact. The reality of digital media is that the shift of power to the consumer is not the only factor that companies must contend. Time, place and speed of information can seriously cripple a brand if a company does not enlist in strategies to respond, research and proactively manage the messages. A must-read is HD Marketing 2010:Sharpening the Conversation. Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO and founder of Denuo, said it this way: “time is compressed and often a victim of arbitrage. Place doesn’t matter. People can blog or access content from anywhere. Area has shifted to digital focus: content can be anything or come from anywhere. Speed of marketing, in process and execution, is critical.”
My recent experiences have brought to light the importance of integrating blogging strategies, interactive community sites, testing emerging mediums, and including flexibility for iteration; and most importantly incorporating data insights (ie behavioural and verbal) and measurement criteria to gain increased understanding of the market.
Engagement and Advocacy must supersede Awareness and Eyeballs from the onset. I’ve said this before: Deal with the consumer in their space and on their terms….and they will come.
About Me…
Who am I? I am an online marketer who has worked in the technology space for over a decade. I am currently at Isobar Digital creating experiential catalysts for word of mouth influence both online and offline. Previous experiences include Yahoo! Overlay.TV, Citibank, CIBC, Ogilvy and Rapp Collins. I have views on advertising, emerging technology including video, and social web applications. I’m living and breathing in the social web space and cannot consume as quickly as this space evolves. I follow politics, environmental initiatives, and music (mainly the old stuff pre 1990).
Some quick notes about me: Marketer… Cellist…US Politics watcher…Twitterer, Yoga-er??!… Fave coffee: Tall Non-fat Caramel Macchiato – Starbucks…Michael Jackson fan…Jeffery Deaver fanatic….sap for human interest stories..Rubik’s cubist…dabbled in pointillism… interest in caricatures and nude painting…can say the alphabet backwords…know most world capitals… hockey and soccer mom…
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Guy Kawasaki: How to Change the World- LinkedIn as an Advertising Medium GuyKawasaki
- Baby Steps to Success GuyKawasaki
- Google strikes back GuyKawasaki
- Being Peter Kim
- Kara Swisher: Boom Town
