Tennis Fever. Cause: Viral Videos

June 30th, 2009

Wimbledon is in full swing (pardon the extremely cheap play on words).  American hopefuls Andy Roddick and Serena and Venus Williams are steadily cruising through the tournament.  We have decided to feed our addiction to all things sports by sharing some of our favorite virals with you.

First things first: a video is just a video is just a video.  It’s only viral once people spread it.

Three drastically different videos highlight three drastically different products: a tour, a racquet, and a sports drink.

First up, Venus Williams, the fastest-serving woman in .  In this video for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Venus is pitted against a squad of rowdy football players.  She serves at them mercilessly.  The point?  Women’s tennis ain’t no joke.  The humor is purposely over-the-top, and Venus’ quiet candor makes it a success.

Next, Andy Roddick, who has the fastest serve in men’s tennis, having reached 155 MPH.  We still have people mention this video as though it were real.  “Did you see when Andy Roddick served so hard the ball got stuck?”

“Yeah, that was a fake,” we reply.

People are astounded.  The video is a success because people watch it.  It could have been a bigger success if people remembered that it was tied to Powerade.

And finally, a new favorite, Novak Djokovic’s brilliant new viral.  His prankster personality gained him shiploads of media attention and fan adoration.  Videos of his light-hearted imitations of other famous tennis stars’ serve techniques and oddities circulated.  HEAD smartly jumped on that momentum, producing this viral:

What do we learn from these videos?  One, there is no shortage of content online, but there is aways room for great content.  Andy Roddick’s video, for example, is several years old.  Yet still, it is receiving views (nearly 1,000,000).

Sometimes, videos become viral organically—something miraculous happens on television and it is recorded and uploaded.  Sometimes, it’s all part of the plan.  Novak’s impressions were uploaded and viewed well over a million times.  HEAD had nothing to do with this.  But, smartly, they capitalized on it.

Smart brands play well with their enthusiasts.  Smart marketers give their enthusiasts the tools and the venue to be heard.

If they are uploading content, embrace it.  If they are commenting, listen and respond in kind.

Give them a voice!

By the by: whilst Wimbledon continues, we are cheering for another HEAD representative, Andy Murray.  Of course, we want to support our countryman, but seeing the 73-year winless streak of Brits at Wimbledon come to a close is just too enticing.  Plus, we are really, really big fans of the HEAD brand.

Mobile Video & Consumer Connections: The New Era of Engagement

June 26th, 2009

iPhone 3GS

A few years ago, Simon Gladwell penned “The Tipping Point,” which, as a concept, became a Tipping Point. Mobile video has reached powerhouse status. Smartphone users have the ability to shoot and upload on the fly. And then came the Flip series of camcorders. HD for $200 and a no-hassle uplink to YouTube. Brilliant. Purists finally had an outlet for their creative whims.

And now, with the iPhone 3GS, the rest of us have an excuse to create beautiful content. Typically, mobile video has been thought of as a 15-fps, grainy exercise in frustration. Apple, in typical brilliant fashion, upped the ante, giving their newest incarnation of the annual iPhone hardware the ability to shoot and edit glorious 30-fps video on the fly.

There’s a number of apps that have already hit the market to capitalize on the video features, like Kyte, and uploading services like Posterous. These apps/sites instantly distribute content across multiple social media channels. Twitter and Facebook, being the front-runners in social media, can instantly let followers/friends know that the user is broadcasting new content.

Thanks to these new apps, plus iPhone’s built-in integration with MobileMe and YouTube, online video distribution has skyrocketed over the past few weeks. YouTube is reporting a 400% increase in mobile uploads since the day the iPhone released.

Keep in mind that more than 500,000 iPhone 3GS’ have been sold to date. 28% of the new buyers were leaving their old carrier. 12% were ditching a Blackberry device.

To the non-iPhone user, it might seem silly that the market is pandering to iPhone users! But, to marketers, it makes plenty of sense: iPhone users are evangelists just waiting for an opportunity to share their love for their favorite brands. And now, that opportunity is merely a few taps away.

The smart brand will allow consumers to broadcast. The brilliant brand will enable and empower the consumer to broadcast. Brands need to give their Buying Society the opportunities to get out their phones and begin creating content.

Want to engage with your customers? There’s an app for that!

Up, Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter, and Invincible Tiger

June 16th, 2009

Back in Scottsdale, and hot off the E3 floor, we wanted to show everybody some cool work that we have recently produced.  Production powerhouses THQ and Namco Bandai Games called upon Blind to build the creative behind the sites for Up, Drawn to Life, and Invincible Tiger.

THQ

THQ

Disney Pixar’s first 3D movie, Up.  Worldwide, it has netted a smooth $200M and counting.

THQ’s game extends the brand experience to the Wii, XBox 360, and PS3 consoles.

Up Video Game

The game lets players enter the world of Russell and Carl as they adventure through Paradise Falls.  Blind Society handled the creative behind the web development.  Users can experience the game with screen shots, videos, downloads, and even play a demo.

Some screenies:

Check out the site, now playing at www.upvideogame.com.

Next up: Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter.  Drawn to Life is THQ’s brilliant coloring-book platformer.  The first release, exclusively on the DS, dropped in 2007.  This time, the title is back and better than ever, coming for the first time to the Wii.

Point and click your way to www.drawntolife.com.

NAMCO BANDAI

NBGA

We are talking with Namco about collaborating on some huge launches.  And we are also supporting a huge launch: Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao.

Invincible Tiger Logo

Invincible Tiger is a fast-paced, over-the-top, hand-to-hand action brawler for XBox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.  What really makes the title incredible is that it’s fully 3D!  We watched people play the demo at E3.  Those donning 3D glasses were thrilled and amazed.  Those who didn’t were clamoring for a pair, hoping to experience this revolutionary title with their very own eyes.  It was quite a sight to behold (with our without the übernerdy/überchic 3D spectacles).

Links/screenies forthcoming.  Stay tuned!

Mojo Yogurt Online Experience is Awarded Site of The Day by Adobe

June 15th, 2009

We were informed today that the Mojo Yogurt Online Experience has been selected by Adobe Systems as the Site Of The Day for June 16th, 2006.  Along with honoring us with this award, Adobe has some very nice things to say about Mojo and their site.  When asked what stood out to them, Adobe stated “From the music to the message, this site spreads joy while ingeniously extending the Mojo retail brand online.” Thanks Adobe, we love you too!

Adobe Site Of The Day - Mojo Yogurt - 06.16.09

E3 2009: A Changing Industry’s Call for Change

June 9th, 2009

PlayStation @ E3

A few days before Kobe and Dwight took to the hardwood floors of the Staples Center, the biggest show in town was across the street at the Los Angeles Convention Center, home of the video game industry’s sparkling darling, E3.  Returning to its former glory, E3 featured the biggest, brightest, and boldest in the video game industry.  A huge PlayStation banner (above) greeted the lucky attendees.  The excitement was almost palpable.

NEW TITLES ON DISPLAY

New titles were put on display.  EA debuted their foray into the tennis genre with Grand Slam Tennis (which, when coupled with Nintendo’s brilliant new Wii Motion Plus, makes for some cardio-burning, living-room destroying fun).  Sony gave the public their first taste of The Last Guardian.

Familiar series were refreshed and renewed for the show.

Ubisoft demoed a level from the latest incarnation in their Splinter Cell series, titled Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Splinter Cell: Conviction - Ubisoft

Namco Bandai gave the public their first hands-on experience with the stylish Tekken 6.

Tekken 6 - NBGA

We were treated to Konami’s Metal Gear Solid reveal at their press-only event.  To make the sweet even sweeter, the news was delivered by none other than Hideo Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid Arcade - Konami

Master Chief is officially back for Halo Reach.

Halo Reach - Microsoft

Mario, perhaps the industry’s most famed character, is back for several titles, including Super Mario Bros. Wii, and in cohorts with his former console competitor, Sonic, for Mario & Sonic at the Winter Games.

Mario + Sonic - Nintendo & Sega

Capcom’s beyond-brilliant series, Lost Planet, was back with a vengence.

Lost Planet - Capcom

And, brilliantly, every form of nostalgia crept up on the collective mass of E3 show-goers with Atari (yes!) and Ghostbusters (yes!).  The Ecto1 and Stay Puff Marshmallow Man were popular mainstays at the event.

Ghostbuster (Ecto1) - Atari

SETS & LARGE-FORMAT PRINTING

Inside and out, the show featured beautiful sets (like MTV Games’ Rock Band) and amazing large-format printing.  The two most breath-taking examples were the 500′ x 60′ Assassin’s Creed 2 poster and the Final Fantasy XIII building wrap at the Hotel Figueroa (which, incidentally, was where IGN hosted a stellar soirée.

Our boys over @ bluemedia would have a field day at this event.

Rock Band - MTV Games

Assassin's Creed 2 - Ubisoft

Final Fantasy Building Wrap - Square Enix

HARDWARE & PERIPHERALS

The story of the show, however, was hardware.

Tony Hawk’s category-leading series found a new developer, and, with it, a new device: an actual skateboard.

Tony Hawk Ride - Activision

Activision seems at home with high priced title/device combos, continuing the success of the Guitar Hero series with Guitar Hero 5 and the spin-off (no pun intended) DJ Hero.

DJ Hero (DJ Z-Trip) - Activision

Nintendo’s long-awaited Wii Motion Plus took the already game-changing Wiimote to a whole new level.  People smacked drives as Tiger Woods and hit aces as Rafael Nadal using lifelike motions.  Nintendo even showcased weights that house the Wiimote for their new Wii Fit Plus title.  Microsoft and Sony, not to be outdone, both launched motion-sensitive additions to their units: Natal, a motion sensitive camera, for Xbox 360, and a yet-unnamed motion sensitive controller for the PS3.

Wii Motion Plus

From a marketing perspective, the video game industry is one rife with possibilities and frustrations.  It is arguably one of the most innovative industries on the planet, yet it is apparent that marketers are still looking for equally innovative creative.  A few brilliant examples were on display, but for the most part, print and television are still the driving forces.

2009 is a year of huge changes for the video game industry, as it is for Blind Society.  Publishers have to move smartly through these tumultuous times, launching some of their most expensive titles of all time, aimed squarely at people’s expendable cash.

As we moved from booth to booth, and meeting room to meeting room, we met with some of the hardest working, most dedicated and creative minds in the world.  Without exception, they are all calling for one thing: change.  From Namco Bandai to Electronic Arts, and SouthPeak to Capcom, the message was the same: we need $100,000 to work like it’s $1,000,000; we need to be relevant; we need to rise above the clatter and clutter; we need to connect with our buying society; we need to be top-of-mind when consumers are making their buying decisions.

If the industry is calling for change, then, dear readers, change we shall bring them.

We will see you all next year in LA, June 15-17, for E3 ’10!

PS: Ben has a standing offer to join the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Darren (with his 3D glasses for Invincible Tiger) is in negotiations to play Fred Savage’s best friend in The Wizard 2.

Check out some of the images that we snapped on our fancy phones.

//

A special thanks to the many participants who uploaded terrific pics on Flickr, including NKDBY, dropslash, pinguino, lauralollipop, and kekoax.

//

We didn’t shoot the Assassin’s Creed 2 image above, but you can download it here.

London Calling: Temporary Graffiti

May 12th, 2009

I love  seeing tactics, previously executed by Blind Society, used by other brands.  A while ago, I saw the smashed car tactic executed by K-Swiss at the French Open:

K-Swiss @ French Open

The very same tactic was used by Blind a few years ago for the Coyotes:

While I was poking around on the ‘net today, I saw this wonderful gem:

London Sea Life Aquarium -

And, once again, I had to smile.  A few months ago, Blind Society pulled off the sidewalk graffiti tactic for Mojo Yogurt:

The sidewalk chalkings were placed up and down Mill Avenue, one of the busiest foot-traffic streets in Arizona, and also the site of one of Mojo’s newest fro yo shops.  The stencils definitely turned some heads.

Kudos to the London Sea Life Aquarium.  Well done!  (And using saltwater, nonetheless…)

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iPhone Apps & Brand Engagement

May 8th, 2009

iPhone Coke App

When it comes to iPhone apps, the best brands are entertainment first, brand second. They are relaxed. They invite people to enjoy the app and engage with the brand to whatever degree they choose. Their apps simple. They focus on doing one thing extremely well. Apple’s brand is synonymous with simplicity. So, too are the best branded apps.  And, more than anything, the apps generate incredible word of mouth. People should want to talk about it—to blog, tweet, email, and show off your app. Here are some brands that did it right.

OAKLEY

Oakley teamed up with Surfline to create Surf Report. The app allows surfers to check surf height, swell, direction and tide, all from their iPhone. No longer were surfers tied to their computer. When they are stuck in a low tide, they can quickly launch the app and find better beaches. Surf Report also allows users to interact, connecting surfers from different communities, and it features news and bios about the Oakley Team Rider.

Oakley Surf Report Oakley Surf Report (Report)

NIKE

NikeWomen launched the Training Club app. The app allows women to access a personalized training program, create an avatar (known as a Mini), and invite friends into a bit of healthy competition. Recently, they added a workout timer and the ability to invite friends to join.

Nike Training Club Nike Training Club (Challenge)

COKE

Coke’s Magic Coke Bottle app is like a very, very new school Magic 8-Ball. You ask the bottle a question, shake it (gently or viciously—your choice), then flip the lid. The contents pour out and reveal your answer.

Coke (Pop) Coke (Answer)

COBRA BEER

The Indian brewer addressed an essential part of the bar scene: social interaction. Cobra’s iBanter app keeps users witty and ready with a punch line, no matter how tough the crowd may be. They gathered up-and-coming comedians from around the globe, recorded their best bits, and filled the app with wonderful content. New jokes are constantly being uploaded. The branded tie-in is simple: a bottle cap drops at the end of every video, and Cobra offers informational screens of their latest promotions.

Cobra iBanter Cobra iBanter (Comedian)

The app is best experienced, or at least viewed.

What is a brand to make of this?  One, the iPhone is a powerful tool.  And two, the real estate on each user’s screen is extremely valuable.  Look at these stats:

  • 17 million iPhones have been sold, and it owns 50%+ of the US smartphone market
  • Apps provide repeat and prolonged brand engagement
  • They are not perceived as advertising
  • 73% of iPhone users have more than 5 apps on their phone

Another tool in the never-ending quest for connecting with your buying society.

Twitter Is the New Conversation (Customer Service 2009)

April 21st, 2009

Twitter

Without a doubt, Twitter is pop culture’s sparkling darling right now. The all-too ballyhooed competition between Ashton Kutcher and CNN pushed Twitter into superstardom. The challenge gave people a reason to care—a reason to pick sides. Essentially, it pitted Ashton Kutcher against Larry King.

It should come as little shock, America’s class clown, Mr. Kutcher, @aplusk, won the bet.

From Mashable:

In case you missed it in People, Entertainment Weekly, or on ABC News, it all started when Kutcher (@aplusk) put out a video declaring that he wanted to beat CNN to one million followers. He upped the ante today by tweeting that he’d also donate 10,000 bed nets to help fight malaria if he was first.

CNN responded in the form of a Larry King video, in which the iconic TV host pulls a fairly classic “do you know who I am?” routine. Incidentally, it turns out CNN didn’t actually own the account (@cnnbrk) that is closing in on one million followers until recently reaching a deal with the person that started it.

Here are the videos:

Oddly enough, only about 6% of CNN’s viewers use Twitter. 64% do not, and 30% responded, “What’s Twitter?”

This feels a bit like MySpace circa 2006, does it not?

The importance of Twitter isn’t really put on display by this battle for attention. Twitter is about a real-life connection with the people and brands that influence our world.

Oprah, @oprah, made her first post (with the help of Twitter’s golden boy, Ashton) on live TV.

Shaq, @THE_REAL_SHAQ, has become one of the most colorful and influential celebrities to tweet.  He broadcasts live and unedited, misspelled words and all: “Sittn in a police management class, I will b a sheriff , put yo hands up”.

I recently read a very interesting article about seven ways to approach Twitter. One can be 1) themselves, 2) a personal brand, 3) a corporate brand, 4) a fictional character or dead historical person, 5) a literature, 6) a robot, or 7) a blend. I’ll spare a description of that—jump over here if you want to learn more.

From a marketing perspective, the brands that do it right give people a look behind the veil of the corporate machine. CEO’s who tweet humanize a brand. Brands who tweet create instant customer connections.

Two great examples of this are Sweet Leaf Tea in Austin, TX and Zappos in Henderson, NV.

Sweet Leaf Tea makes ready-to-drink organic teas and lemonades. Their founder, Clayton Christopher (@SweetLeafCEO), updates this Twitter page daily, commonly with TwitPics (a free service for attaching pics to a tweet). He recently posted about the MS150 bike ride from Houston to Austin, including a few tweets from his BlackBerry.

Zappos (@Zappos_Service) uses their account to keep customer service on the up-and-up. @BUKSHUN tweeted, less than an hour before this was written, “Just ordered 5 pairs of shoes from ZAPPOS, shhhhhh don’t tell the wife… At least not yet! Gotta love them Classics..” Within minutes, @Zappos_Service responded, “@BUKSHUN We’ll keep it on the low down for you. Enjoy the new shoes!”

What a great touch!

How are you connecting with your customers? Customer service is no longer answering calls from angry customers—it starts far, far earlier than that. Social media has empowered consumers like never before. It’s up to brands to be a part of that conversation.

For brands just learning how to tweet, check out this amazing article about the practice of retweeting, which, in essence, is how content becomes viral on Twitter.  Click and learn.

Go ahead and join our conversation.  Follow us @blindsociety.  And follow Mashable (@Mashable), our favorite social media newssource and the inspiration behind many of our posts, And, as always, subscribe to the RSS feed below.

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The Online Conversation Just Got More Conversational

April 9th, 2009

Facebook has been a busy group: making changes, apologizing for them, renigging them, making more changes, being met with adoration, being met with disdain, being met with adoration once again, and (in the midst of it all) being slapped over the face with Twitter’s sudden rise in pop-culture power.

The status updates on Facebook received a very welcome update over the past few weeks.  Before the updates, Facebook automatically inserted “is” after the user’s name, before the update.  Updates would read like a “what’s up” for the user.

“Micah Johnson is going to the premier of Watchmen.”

“Lisa Sorenson is hanging out with her BFFs @ Lake Calhoun.  What a nice day in MPLS!”

And, so updates were so bold as to be, “John Jacobs is.”

That was all fine and good, when people followed the rules of grammar and common sense.  However, people would ignore the “is” and begin their own personal dialog with the world of Facebook, making for some brutally awkward syntax: “Kevin Manning is Why do people act like such jerks?”

Or they would change voice from third to first: “Aaron Tague is happy to be home with his kids.  I love them so much.”

Facebook dropped the ubiquitous “is” from their updates, making the status box almost EXACTLY like, um, Twitter.  But here is the separating factor: Facebook has created a venue for people to discuss everything—everything—neatly.

Writes Mashable:

Some of my friends have been known to give me flack for not replying to posts to my “Wall” on Facebook (and in earlier times, MySpace). The main reason I usually don’t do this is because I think it’s a silly way to have a conversation – you end up with random comments on your wall that don’t make any sense to the other people viewing your profile. Facebook has finally fixed this problem in a sensible way by adding Comments to Wall postings. In the same way you can now comment on Status Updates (which, seems to have become the most popular means of communicating within my network), you can now comment on Wall Posts, both on your profile and on those of your friends.

Ah!  A place for everything and everything in its place!  Truly, an inspired move.  Now, users can comment on a status update, a note, a video…anything.  The conversation stays in one place.  Neat!

These changes have been implemented alongside this (even more brilliant) move: the “like” button.  Users can “like” anything on which they can comment.  It is the ultimate in information gathering.

What’s more, Facebook is beta testing a point system.

Reports VentureBeat:

Facebook is testing out a way for people to show how much they appreciate friends’ status updates, links and other items on the site — its a new feature called “credits.” The idea is a more advanced form of commenting or liking an item on the site — and if it works, it could spur people to share more information that they think their friends will enjoy (and give them credits for).

Hmm.  Interesting.  MySpace has become stunningly obsolete (outside of the music realm).  The complete mishmashtrash of information become entirely too overwhelming for most users.

Brands that grasp changes decisively will connect with consumers in a powerful manner.  With new features pouring out onto the ‘net constantly, there is always a great way for a brand to deliver its message effectively and powerfully, given the right media mix and messaging.

Speaking of media mix and messaging, our very own Arizona State Univeristy…ahhhh, it’s too soon.  I’ll get back to you on that one.

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Blind Society Wins 8 Addys; Creative Visionary Wins Copywriter of the Year

March 19th, 2009

2009 has been good to us.  After capturing the National Sports Forum’s coveted “Best Alternative” category, we snagged 8 Addys at this year’s event.  3x gold.  5x silver.  1x for your mind.

*** GOLD ***

ASU Pool Table Graphics

// ASU Pool Table Graphic

// ASU Parking Lot Pitch Fork Stripes

// ASU “Let Nothing” Wall Graphics

*** SILVER ***

// Phoenix Coyotes “Fastest Slap Shot”

// Phoenix Coyotes “Pierre ‘Nonsense Speech’”

// Phoenix Coyotes “Pierre ‘Pierreocratican’ Viral Video”

// Phoenix Coyotes “Pierre on Issues”

// Ape Index Web Site

And oh! how I would be remiss to fail to mention that our firm’s partner and Creative Visionary (the Blind Society equivalent of a creative director), Jim Clark, won Copywriter of the Year.

Want to wish him congrats?  Be a millennial-hipster: tweet it.

I am honored to be a part of the Blind Society squad.  Cheers to 2008’s work, and double cheers to 2009’s!

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Augmented Reality Is Intense

March 19th, 2009

At Blind, we are immersed in the unique and mind-blowing world of nontraditional day in and day out.  So it’s rare that I see a tactic that absolutely pwns me.  (Yes, pwns, n00bs.)  This crazy augmented reality technology is just insane, though.

I first saw it via MINI:

And then GE:

And here’s a glimpse at what could be the future of toys…

What can brands take from this? Pardon the cliché, but the line between the online and offline worlds is getting blurred.

It’s no longer about the one-way shouting match from a 30-second spot to a viewer who just wants, more than anything, to watch 30 Rock. TiVo FTW!

It’s no longer about the one-way shouting match between the radio and the driver who just wants, more than anything, to hear that catchy Kid Cudi tune. iPod FTW!

Brands must engage and delight their consumers. They must connect with them. They must take them in and let them explore and delight in their brand, be it MP3 players or running shoes or laundry detergent. Every brand has its believers. Find yours and start a conversation with them. And then surprise the heebie-jeebies out of ‘em with some cool augmented reality tactics. :)
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Cottonelle Scrubs Your ‘Twosie’

March 19th, 2009

The eager puppy runs. He is searching. For what, you ask? For a person who isn’t mistreating their bum by sitting on hot cars and falling off of skateboards.

What the what?

Zach Braff, the inescapably nerdy/cutesy lead from the television series, Scrubs, is the voiceover for Cottonelle’s potty puppy. He is very proud of this, even blogging about it:

I did it for free because I love toilet paper so much, I wanted to spread the word about how amazing Cottonelle is on your twosie region (no I didn’t do it for free, but I must admit, it is a damn fine product). My twosie region never chafes.

The commercials don’t make me want to scrub my “twosie”, they make me want to park my twosie on a couch and watch Scrubs.

This again points out the flaws in traditional thinking.

When presented with a problem of a similar fate, The Privy Council tried a different kind of bathroom talk:

Diggin’ in the crates, I found a Blind Society concept done a while back:

And, in staying with the bathroom talk…

Interesting, no?  :)

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March Madness: Coming to an iPhone Near You

March 12th, 2009

March Madness on the iPhone

I hate March Madness.  It’s my favorite time of year.  And I freakin’ hate it.

There are a sundry of options in which bracketeers can participate.  To the winner go the spoils and glorious bragging rights.

Each year, I consult the insights of Bracketologists, as well as my obsessive DirecTV-subscribing friends. I separate the good from the bad, dissecting each team’s AP rank and strength of schedule and daily calorie intake (okay, maybe not). I compare home versus away records.  I try to figure out why Tyler Hansbrough is so good despite the fact that he looks like the reincarnation of Christian Laettner.  I wonder, is Hansbrough’s career arch is going to follow the exact same NBA sputter-out?

I print five sets of brackets.  I fill them out, including one featuring nothing but improbable underdogs winning through the Final Four, so when the next George Mason University goes on a veritable tear, I can proudly announce, “I called that!”

After days of deliberation and agony, I chicken out and submit my most modest bracket, which puts mostly #1 seeds going deep.  (Yes, I did have all 4 #1 seeds in the Final Four last year.)

And then the madness—er, Madness—begins. In high school, I would skip class to watch the opening rounds, glued to the TV in the student lounge.  My teachers didn’t care—they would often skip class, too.  Educational system FTW!

But that was a crude time, the ’90s.  Technology was limited to brick-like cell phones and infuriatingly slow 28.8 baud modems.  Streaming audio was out of the question, let alone streaming video.

As I grew up, so did my technology.  Games were broadcast on specialty channels, and they were streamed online, in all of their pixilated, 320×320, lagging 10fps glory.

Then, in 2008, games were streamed beautifully on Joost.  How do you top that?  Enter MobiTV, with one of the most ambitious apps to date: March Madness on Demand.  Games will be streamed on the iPhone!  The only downfall is the need of a WiFi connection.  (3G, anybody?)

Cell phone video has been a nearly dormant platform at best, with about 5% of all users accessing video during a given month.  But, with 4.3 million iPhones roaming around, and the always entertaining office pool, this app could give mobile video a significant boost.

Via Brandweek: …The March Madness on Demand app will also provide users with a variety of tournament related content, include updated scores and brackets, along with game and team previews from CBSSports.com. During games viewers can also access live box scores and statistics through an overlay placement — without interrupting the live video feed.

What could be better?  The Onion News Network weighs in:


NCAA Expands March Madness To Include 4,096 Teams

“Look out for Eckert—they have a full roster and they’re having practices!”  LOL!

iPhone apps are a terrific way to connect a very on-demand generation with your brand.  MINI has their own app.  Nike has their own app.  Shoot, even Nintendo’s Zelda has its own app: the Ocarina.

That app is just silly. Back to the matter at hand.

So why do I hate March Madness?  Because, after I carefully craft my brackets, my mother beats me by 12 points because she picked the schools based on uniform color and whether or not I have a cousin who lives nearby.  Blërg.

What next?

  • Check out some more cool iPhone apps.
  • Mashable posted 19 great ways to get involved with March Madness, though the post is nearly a year old.
  • Fill out your brackets @ Yahoo! Pick ‘Em.  And play against your friendly neighborhood blogger: me.  Join the Sun Devils FTW! group.  (I’m reppin’ our home town heroes.)
  • Get excited for the iPhone 3.0 OS, set to drop on March 17.

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Social Networking > Email

March 10th, 2009

Blah, Blah, Blog!

Social networking is now more popular than email, says Nielson in a new study entitled “Global Faces and Networked Places.”

Here are some tasty morsels from the Brandweek article which posted the results of the study:

“For publishers, social networks are eating into time spent with other online activities…For advertisers, the phenomenon at this stage represents mostly unfulfilled promise for a deeper connection with consumers who are more difficult to reach in social environments.”

“…Two-thirds of the world’s Internet users visited a social networking site in 2008. All told, social media now accounts for almost 10 percent of Internet time. Facebook is leading the pack worldwide, with monthly visits by three out of 10 Internet users in nine global markets.”

And, in the biggest “No duh!” moment of the century:

“The larger challenge for advertising is to move from an interruptive role to joining conversations. That means advertisers need to find ways to add value to users’ experiences.”

Please, allow me to paraphrase and repeat that, because it is SO essential:

Advertisers need to 1) move from an interruptive role to joining conversations and 2) find ways to add value to the users’ experience.

Click-through rates are dismal.  One stat suggests a puny 0.04%.  Barack Obama, the pop culture validation of social networking’s effectiveness, has 5.9 million fans on Facebook.  Interruptive advertising on a Lifehacker banner or Hulu pre-roll are still met with resistance, much like television (thank God for TiVo) and radio spots (thank God for the iPod).  Obama joined the conversation—he gave it a place to happen.

One last thing before you go.  Check out this nifty lil’ chart, which shares just a few of the more popular social networking brands.  Never mind that new sites pop up daily (like iminlikewithyou.com!) and give us an even more exhausting choice of ways to spend our hours in front of the sickly glow of our laptop monitors.

Social Media Landscape

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STUFF WE LIKE: Kimya Dawson Sound-Alikes

March 6th, 2009

Comcast Town

I have spent the week in the whipping winds of the Midwest, staying at my grandparent’s house.  They have basic cable.  And no TiVo.  Choke me now.

The lack of “luxury” has given me a chance to consume countless commercials, however.  You would think, given that I am an advertising guy, I would be totally in to watching commercials.  I’m not.  And those who know the Blind Society mantra understand: DEATH TO TRADITIONAL!

Some of the worst culprits of überboring television spots are cable companies.  Most of their attempts to seem hip and cool leave me feeling unmoved at best; annoyed at worst.

And then there’s this gem:

Kimya, is that you?  Whoever penned this lil’ diddy must have watched Juno two- or three-thousand times.  (As did I.)

Apparently, I’m not the only one to realize this connection.  Writes AdFreak: [The new Comcast Town ads are] a groovy mix of live action and animation, with characters singing in a Moldy Peaches/”Juno”-esque hipster monotone.

Here’s Ms. Dawson singing “Tire Swing.”

Do we not grasp the obvious connection?

Great job, Comcast—you made me watch your commercial. I th—oh, wait, there’s more? You have a website? Okay, let’s check it out.

At first blush, it’s impressive…some real FWA-level work. Let’s dig! The site has content—honest-to-goodness content—on it. I can watch videos, read lyrics, create a Second Life-esque abode, connect with Comcast Town on Facebook, and download wallpapers and ringtones.

¿Qué en la tierra? This is actually engaging and unique!  I don’t know how to process this information!

On a blog post by Ari Herzog, replies are mixed.

Writes one person: I totally thought it was cute too. Who doesn’t love the guy in the hot tub, watching football with the giant finger? Love it. And how about the guitar playing squirrel?

Writes another: I honestly think the commercial is the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen. All the people are so monotone and sound like zombies. They could have at least had the people be more excited in their singing to bring it out of “awkwardville”. I’d really like to know who came up with the idea; they should see a psychiatrist.

There is no accounting for taste, is there?

What are your thoughts, roving readers?  Do these ads inspire you to connect, or, as one Twitterer put it, do these ads “blow“?

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