A couple months ago, I discovered the joy of LOLcats. The buzz generated by the LOLcats brand of humor is a case study on the power of the internet. The best way to attempt to explain it is that Lolcats is the internet version of an inside joke, a really really cute inside joke. You just need to see it for yourself. But I digress.
I have subscribed to 5 different mailing lists offered under the “I Can Has Cheezburger” brand, including “Engrish Funny,” “ROFLrazzi,” “FAIL Blog,” “Loldogs,” and “Lolcats.” This means that every day, I recieve emails containing hilarious captioned pictures and links directing me to the website for more silliness. The business model behind these emails is simple: Click the link, comment on the picture, and spend time on the main website … which enables the website to charge higher advertising fees justified through higher traffic.
In the interactive field, iPhone apps are a constant topic of discussion. And, of course, we are supposed to be defining the potential applications of emerging technologies. But at what point does “being on the edge of cool” stop justifying new ventures that don’t seem to contribute to the bottom line? This is where Lolcats comes in.
My daily emails began promoting the “I Can Has Cheezburger” iPhone app. As a consumer, I was all over that app. As a business-minded individual, I found myself wondering how the app contributes to the revenue model. In some cases, applications may send you to the website, encourage you to spend time/money elsewhere, or, of course, charge a fee. The LOLcats application really does none of the above. It simply provides entertainment to the users. In this case, an iPhone app is actually counterproductive. You see, as any logical person would do, I have unsubscribed from my daily Lolcats emails. No more inbox flooding. No more going to the website. All that remains is one click - I pull up my iPhone app, and I’m instantly entertained.
I am a big believer in the value of brand equity - usually, when a consumer is spending more time with your brand, it’s a good thing. But if they are spending more time with your brand, while driving less money to your brand…the math simply doesn’t add up. I would pay for this iPhone app. I might link to the website to comment. But please don’t tell the Lolcats. They’ll turn me into nomz
The next installment in my favorite movie series, Saw V, comes to theaters this Friday, October 24th. Let me tell you how a unique tool used in its promotion blows my mind - nasty pun intended
Here’s what engagement with movies used to look like:
The consumer sees a movie trailer a few months before the film’s release. In the weeks preceding the big release date, the consumer sees a few 30-second commercial spots on TV. Perhaps they catch a glimpse of the movie poster during a visit to the theater. Finally, the big night arrives, and it’s up to the producers to immerse the consumer in a 2-hour experience that will encourage them to speak positively about the film with their friends.
The quality of the movie is out of marketers’ hands, yes. But marketers have found a new way to ensure that consumers are spending more than 2 hours with their movie brands, thereby increasing the chances that they will share their engagement with others. Furthermore, marketers are transcending the concept of word-of-mouth, a crucial determinant in the movie-going process. In a 2006 Los Angeles Times poll on the moviegoing habits of teens and young adults, 38% of those surveyed said they share their opinions about a movie during or right after the film or on the same day. It is hardcore fans alone who hit up the message boards. So how can marketers gain and virally spread the interest of casual movie-goers, people who may have a slight interest in their films?
Mashups aren’t entirely new to the YouTube universe. People have been recreating trailers for a while now, posting “re-cut” versions on YouTube for pure entertainment purposes (sometimes, hilariously inappropriate entertainment purposes). Marketers found a way to turn these blatant copyright violations into promotional machines. The mashup has become an incredible marketing tool.
You want the proof?
In 3 days, I spent 10 hours creating mashup trailers from the Saw movie series. 10 hours of TRUE engagement. 10 hours of FREE engagement. And you better believe that I am creating buzz with my friends. Upon posting the mashup tool to my Facebook profile, I uncovered three more Saw fans, manifested in the form of public wall posts, status updates, and news-feed glory.
It’s a simple concept: incent me to chop up your movie by entering my work into a contest with a sweet prize. I am likely to spend hours perfecting my trailer, spread the word, and see your movie. Combined, DVR adoption and the internet have opened doors such that a 30-second commercial should serve as no more than a reminder. Make consumers feel your brand by finding ways they would like to interact.
It used to be a scary thing - giving control of your brand to your consumers. But isn’t marketing about giving the people what they want?
“…the separated process model is more stable and secure…”
“…the ‘incognito’ feature is a must have…”
I say Hogwash!
There are too many reasons I think they shouldn’t have done this.
If they get any market share it is just going to frustrate those developers that have to ensure their JavaScript libraries, Flash and Java plug-ins, and HTML/CSS render the same in yet another browser
They are most likely to cannibalize both plug-in developers and general platform developers from Mozilla, making both have to fight over the limited open source developer pool
Opera and Safari already provide innovation and competition to a crowded market and both are available on more platforms than Chrome
The energy would have been better spent on a partner they’ve already been working with… Mozilla. No doubt they would utilize the other building blocks Google already is providing by exposing the V8 engine and tons of code plug-ins.
Thwarting Firefox’s attempt to grow its market share will only give more credence to support IE just to achieve some sanity in the browser space
RIA please rescue us!
This eventual fragmentation of the market, may just give the extra oomph that RIA technologies need to win adoption. As the cost of cross-browser support escalates with so many variants, web development will undoubtedly look for an easier path. Flash/Flex/AIR, Silverlight and JavaFX all promise to relieve the cost of maintaining sites for different browsers. Solve the problem once and you are good to go.
Me thinks I think I need to brush up on some new skills.
I recently attended an AiMA event (Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association) in which Multi-Channel Marketing was the topic of discussion. “Multi-channel,” “integrated,” “multi-level,” “using different media channels” … same stuff, different terminology. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting to hear anything groundbreaking. I learned something, however, that shattered my perception of new media and its ability to actually capture genuine interest rather than brief attention.
When you hear the term “Mobile Marketing,” what do you think of? Text messaging, perhaps? Somehow, someway, the consumer opts in and they receive advertisements, sometimes in the form of “adver-tainment” on their phone (if they’re lucky). This leaves a huge opportunity gap for creative marketers to differentiate their brands.
One of the evening’s presenters shared their integrated campaign for Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser Select brand. It had all the elements of what has become a traditional nontraditional campaign. Mobile, events, website, etc. Any marketer can send out text messages, just as any marketer can deliver recorded celebrity voicemails. What distinguished this campaign was the innovative way his company used multiple stages in its mobile strategy to generate buzz and drive consumers to multiple Bud Select parties across the country.
First, website visitors who opted-in received recorded phone calls from Bud’s new brand ambassador, Jay-Z, informing them that they were on the exclusive guest list for a party happening in one of five states. They were then told that they would be receiving a follow-up phone call to let them know the date of the party. A third and final phone call from Jay-Z gave them the location of the event and a special text message that they would need to show at the door to get in.
What did this accomplish?
1) Promote the brand image - People actually felt like they were members of an exclusive in-crowd. They were invited to join a party where people would be turned away at the door for not being on the “list.” This furthers the image of the brand in ways that no advertisement can.
2) Generate buzz - The series of celebrity phone calls kept people eagerly anticipating the next one that was promised to come with more information. This prolonged the time people spent engaging with the brand. Additionally, people forwarded the secret text message to a) look super cool and b) to gather a group of friends to hit the club.
3) Influence trial - You can damn sure believe people were ready to drink some Bud Select by the time the parties rolled around. All the cool kids in the five selected markets drank Bud Select all night long, and once they were hooked, their tag-along friends were sure to follow.
The big takeaway from this marketing campaign is CREATIVITY. It is simply not good enough to shift some marketing dollars into the interactive arena. At this point, you really aren’t being that innovative. The key to unleashing the potential of your brand is to identify ways to keep consumers engaged and buzzed. A text message certainly won’t do this. But a website opt-in, which leads to a multi-staged celebrity phone call feature, which leads to an exclusive party, certainly will.
Don’t just use the same marketing communications that your competitors are using. New media needs to be more than a means by which we advertise the same message in the same way. Seek out ways to align your marketing tactics with your message. If your beer is exclusive, then dammit, your text message guest list better be exclusive. But it must not stop there - create a multi-level strategy which extends beyond grabbing eyeballs and actually immerses your target in your brand. Intertwine multiple communication elements to show the consumer just how exclusive your beer really is.
That’s right, Google is about to enter the world of web browsers. Announced in a very discreet (very Google) manner in a comic book by Scott McCloud, the browser isn’t live yet but should be in beta form fairly soon.
We shouldn’t be surprised that Google is coming out with a browser, only that it took this long for them to get here. Lots of good information on Mahalo, but here are the high points:
New tab system allowing users to create tabs that open on top of the browser, rather than within it (hard to visualize but check the comic book and you’ll see a good example)
Users can have an ‘incognito’ window if they prefer, in which nothing will be logged
It will include a new JavaScript Virtual Machine (V8)
There isn’t much more to know at this point and without seeing the browser its hard to know what to think about the success of this. However, the ease with which the Google search bar has been accepted into most people’s browsers already would suggest to me that people will quickly start picking it up.
Beating out IE will be a tough sell but I’d argue this is probably the closest thing Google has released (or will release soon) that will be close in service type to their bread and butter: search. It’s not surprising that the other services (Google Calendar, Google Docs, etc.) are slowing gaining traction but not really competing with Microsoft yet. But a browser would be something that would be much easier to switch to and would be a nice compliment to their superior search services.
As a parent, I’m well aware of this busy part of the year – it’s back to school time for our kids. Retailers are feeling it too since they’re trying to entice shoppers with their Back to School sales. For this year’s Back to School promotion, retailing giant Walmart is catering to our youngsters with virtual worlds and Miley Cyrus, a busy teen celebrity that’s a singer (well, you be the judge of that) and television actress in a show called Hannah Montana.
Miley is selling gear from her show Hannah Montana including a line of clothes and accessories, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. To promote the gear, Walmart has created a Hannah Montana virtual world where you can design an avatar, or a 3D representation of you, that can dress up in Hannah Montana clothes. Your avatar can also decorate that room with a Hannah Montana bedspread, posters, etc.
Walmart is driving people to the site via a print ad in their weekly circular — the ad contains a link to the virtual world site. They also created a micro-site where you can get Miley (aka Hannah) to call your child and remind them to go back-to-school shopping at Walmart.
So can this promotion be a success for Walmart?
There are indicators that virtual worlds are more than just a game. For starters, virtual world proponents have argued that these environments mimic real life. This argument is backed up by virtual world gamers reporting that they have real-world emotions or ties when they engage in virtual activities, such as a virtual marriage. And beyond emotions, the exposure to a virtual environment has influenced the purchasing decision of online shoppers. In the case of Land’s End, the integration of a virtual dressing room into their eCommerce engine demonstrated a 13% improvement in the shopping cart totals and a 26% increase in online purchases.
So while Walmart’s social media experiment two years ago never did more than generate buzz for the company, their foray into a virtual world with the backing of a teen celebrity has the makings of a successful marking campaign.
I happened across a seemingly ordinary slashdot.orgarticle talking about a conceptual Mozilla browser, codenamed Aurora. While this browser is a long way from reality and does build on some older concepts, I am noticing a pattern in how we are building our applications. I find it intriguing, novel, and fun… but I’m unsure about the problems to be exposed in this new paradigm.
Visual Organization and an Embrace of the Scroll Wheel
The first interesting piece of this demo is the use of more visual techniques in grouping and/or relating information. We’ve seen this technique in everything from Tag Clouds to the graphical flipping between iPhone music and Vista applications. Instead of simple text based categorization/reference of objects, everything is moving to graphical thumbnails of objects that can be scanned pictorially instead lexically. Tag Clouds are still a primarily lexical representation but they did bring in the notion of using size, color and transparency to emphasize strength and relevance. Pictorial representations typically use the same notions of size and transparency to convey the same information. What I am most excited and forlorn about is the relatively new introduction of depth into these efforts to help us relate complicated and disparate information. Demonstrated in spectacular ways by Microsoft’s Photosynth or even Google Maps and Earth, applications are developing with the notion of relevance and frame of context by a depth characteristic. Our two dimensional world of yesterday is quickly becoming and antiquated notion in lieu of a new third dimension to store and relate even more data.
Will this new way of thinking leave me cluttered in another dimension?
Kinetic Gestures and Wrist Weights for Exercise
The second big shift is coming from the advent of Wii and iPhone among others. Everything is becoming so much more energetically interactive as we make our Human Computer Interaction (HCI) devices momentum and gyro aware. We can shake our devices, sling them, and elicit different behavior based on the speed and direction of our actions. HP has release it’s new line of “TouchSmart” PC’s that offers scrolling ability and speed based on the swipe of your hand and the speed of your swipe. The above video as well as the others on Mozilla Labs demonstrate this new capability in all facets of Browser design.
Are we moving towards forced exercise in all of our computer interactions as we speedily try to navigate and pull detail information to the forefront of our screens? Maybe they should start making our Wiimotes and Gyro-Mice in 2lb, 5lb, and 10lb sizes.
Until recently, I didn’t understand the hype that surrounds virtual worlds. It was not until reading a recent article on virtual in-world therapy that I realized the incredible opportunities that virtual worlds have to offer.
People use in-world therapy sessions for a number of reasons. In-world therapy has become so popular thanks to the ease of finding someone who shares your concerns and/or issues. According to Second Life’s Health Support Coalition, there are more than 70 health support groups. Second Life offers islands that were created by medical institutions, such as Jokaydia II by the Online Therapy Institute. Other support group and therapeutic islands were created by peers looking for a cathartic outlet.
Coming from a small town, rare diseases were, well, rare. It’s safe to say that when my friend from high school was diagnosed with Lupus during our junior year, our friends had trouble relating. We all obviously cared for her, but we couldn’t come close to giving her the type of advice and support that her friends in a virtual world were. She met people who, like her, had just been diagnosed, as well as people who have been living with Lupus for years. The article that I read made me realize why, even after all these years she remains so committed to her in-world support groups.
Additionally, the anonymity factor is extremely important. Being from a small town, I understand that there is no such thing as a secret. Everyone knows everyone’s business. So when a mother of three children goes to group therapy for substance abuse, the rumor mill goes into overdrive. In order to avoid having her dirty laundry aired in front of the whole town, she keeps her mouth shut and a smile on her face. Now, thanks to virtual worlds, she has an anonymous outlet for her inner turmoil.
Unfortunately, many health care institutions still don’t recognize many psychological disorders. Even when health insurance companies recognize behavioral health issues, they limit the number of visits to a therapist and the client usually has high copayments. Yet people suffering from anxiety and depression may have found an outlet. Without the added stress of expensive doctors visits and medication, people can let out their frustrations and worries during their in-world therapy sessions. Most sessions are peer-based, so like my friend with Lupus, these patients are able to learn from others who are fighting the same battle. Other sessions are monitored by medical associations.
The cathartic relief found at in-world support groups rivals the same results patients get from spending hundreds of dollars with a therapist. Furthermore, the convenience factor is unbeatable. Need to talk at 1am? Chances are good that someone else is in the same boat. Can’t get away from work or the kids? A support group is just a few clicks away.
So what’s next for in-world therapy? Real-world therapists recognize the opportunities and have started to offer their direct services in virtual worlds…for a price, of course. So will in-world sessions with a therapist become more popular than traditional visits? Maybe not right away, but this will definitely be an interesting trend to watch.
Google finally has an answer to Second Life. Their virtual world, called Lively, is a browser based world that you can bet will integrate all the Googley things we love (search, gmail, documents, etc.).
There are three reasons I always thought Second Life was going to fail. First, the search functionality in Second Life is about as bad as it could be. No doubt Google will fix that problem. Another problem with Second Life is that it isn’t browser based which I think severely limits the amount of people that will be willing to try it. And in the end, Second Life has a pretty steep learning curve. You spend the first few hours trying to learn how to fly and navigate, all the while being propositioned by naked avatars to do things you aren’t even sure are possible. The great thing about Google is that they consistently produce products that are intuitive to the user.
Unfortunately Lively isn’t available for Mac yet so I can’t play with it, so if anyone out there is able to test it and try it out, I’d love to know how it compares to Second Life.
Do you ever wish that all of the things you desire could be found on a “one-stop shop” site? Lucky for virtual world enthusiasts, I think I might have found the one-stop jackpot of virtual worlds. Small Worlds is a 3D virtual environment that combines multiple virtual media forms into one cohesive online world. Small Worlds runs in your web browser, so there is no downloading of software onto your desktop. This will appeal to many people who do not want to clutter up their memory by downloading virtual world software.
Because Small Worlds is targeted towards preteens and up, it is likely that many of its users have had prior experience with Webkinz. Similar to Webkinz, users have the ability to design a living space for their avatar, adorn the living space with furniture and various décor, and invite friends to check out their virtual home. However, Small Worlds has differentiated itself from other virtual worlds by embracing the concept of integration and taken virtual living spaces one step further. Avatars may invite friends to watch YouTube on virtual televisions, view Flickr pictures on virtual picture frames and listen to last.fm on virtual radios that decorate your avatar’s living space.
While still in beta testing, content in the Small Worlds virtual environment is created by site administrators, though Small Worlds representatives have hinted that users will have the ability to create and modify content in the future. Just like in Second Life, users will be able to create places, clothing, vehicles….the possibilities are endless. Similar to other virtual worlds, users will be able to sell the virtually created content to other online avatars to make real world money.
As if those two worlds integrated weren’t enough, Small Worlds also plans on being a virtual world recognized for social interaction, casual gaming and media consumption. Like I said before, Small Worlds sounds like the “one-stop shop” for everything you might need from a virtual world. The only complaint I have about the Small Worlds Beta, is the navigation within the virtual world. All navigation is done by mouse click and is sometimes hard to see where you are going or to click the desired location within the virtual environment. However, the navigation is a small obstacle for the Small Worlds creators to overcome.
After spending a long day navigating through Small Worlds watching YouTube videos and chatting with friend avatars, there’s nothing I like more than relaxing in my virtual hot tub with my dog Patty Mayonnaise nearby.
At Spunlogic, we have a lot of great experience and unique ideas to share. From work with clients to new approaches and trends, in this award winning blog you'll find Spunlogic experts sharing their opinions and ideas on all aspects of interactive marketing.
ability to design a living space for their avatar, adorn the living space with furniture and various décor, and invite friends to check out their virtual home. However, Small Worlds has differentiated itself from other virtual worlds by embracing the concept of integration and taken virtual living spaces one step further. Avatars may invite friends to watch 
