Gen Wow

Wall Street Journal Developing Soc Net To Create a 'LinkedIn Killer'?

Is the Wall Street Journal taking aim on LinkedIn? The Net's abuzz today about News Corp's possible plans to create a social network to rival the popular professional social network - even going so far as to code-name the project "LinkedIn Killer."

I don't know. Visa's got its Visa Business Network on Facebook. Business Week's working that angle, too, though it doesn't seem to be on strong footing just now.

We'll see if old Murdoch can pull it off. Hell, even a modicum of success would beat the YouTube acquisition.

Read more here.

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50% of Fortune 100 Tweets; Other Half Focuses On Business

Just kidding. About that second part, anyway.

PR firm Burson-Marsteller and its digital media unit Proof are reporting that half of Fortune 100 companies are using Twitter, according to Reuters.

The companies primarily use the micro-blogging service to send news alerts, for customer service, and for things like online recruitment. Other insights:

• 32% have branded blogs

• 29% have Facebook pages

I'm not sure this signifies anything, really, except for Twitter's valuation. I could be wrong.

I personally wish more Fortune 100 websites offered compelling experiences and an easy way to access product and service info, news blasts and customer service and recruitment information. Maybe start there and move on to Facebook and Twitter.

I'm for fewer people Twittering, more people hopping on an issue when we call customer service, and more people making the website truly great.

I could be alone on that. But I'm just saying.

Read more, here.

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Beginning of Recession's End May Be Here, But Online Ad Downturn Just Getting Started

Just as news hits that we may be nearing the beginning of the recession's end, Tech Crunch points out the sobering news that Q1 2009 saw the first decline in online advertising spend - and that the second quarter numbers look even worse.

Is this a downturn, or the new normal?

Read more here.

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Microsoft's Vision For The Future Sounds Like 'Minority Report'

Your body becomes the controller for video games - and for interacting with the Web. Your computer screen is now the nearest wall. And you move files and other objects through hand movements, not mouse movements.

"There will be a successor to the desktop [computer]," Craig Mundie, head of Microsoft Research, tells The Seattle Times. "It's the room."

Given we are talking about Microsoft and its technology for enabling these kinds of things, one has to ask: Are we going to need to call a contractor when the room crashes?

Read more, here.

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Discovery's SHARK WEEK Gets Its Own Mobile TV Channel

The folks behind marketing for Discovery's SHARK WEEK block have long been digital innovators, from widgets to branded online games, and now its own mobile TV channel.

Working with FLO TV, Discovery is launching a dedicated SHARK WEEK channel featuring four full-length premiere programs from this year's television line-up, plus some SHARK WEEK programs featured during previous years. The SHARK WEEK channel will air on the FLO TV service August 1 through August 14.

As Rebecca Glashow, senior vice president of Discovery Communications, puts it: "The SHARK WEEK Mobile Channel on the FLO TV service is part of our ongoing strategy to provide consumers with the ability to satisfy their curiosity and engage with Discovery's award-winning content on any platform."

Read all about it, here.

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Southern Comfort Pours Entire Marketing Budget Into Digital: Single Malt Sensation or Too Much of A Good Thing?

On its face, the news that Southern Comfort is putting all its marketing budget into digital seems sound given the restrictions on alcoholic advertising in television, and the ever shrinking opportunities to reach the right folks through print publications.

As MediaPost reports, the digital plan sounds compelling - a sponsorship of Playboy's unCovered web series. Sponsorship of a "top 50 all-time" cover song feature at Spin's website. A new Facebook page to directly connect with consumers. A revamped SouthernComfort.com site. And video spots on web replays of shows like "30 Rock," "The Office," "SNL" and more.

Oh, and the brand isn't swearing off traditional. It's just negotiating it as a value-ad, in a reverse of standard procedure when digital is a value add to a print or television buy.

Still. While the digital plan sounds rock solid - even a digital mirror to what you can buy offline - even I, an avid digital marketer - am skeptical that the plan is as powerful as it would be with a substantive traditional buy. Traditional (TV, print, outdoor, radio) still garners the  awareness that can drive people to richer, more engaging experiences online. (As a side note, I am curious if there's some budget committed to things like location-aware social networking options to connect with hip young consumers when they're actually out on the town, but that's a different matter.)

If Southern Comfort can prove me wrong, I'll drink to that.

Well okay, I'll drink to it anyway.

But I'm convinced they'd be better off with a truly integrated plan v. a digital-only one.

Read more, here.

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Kmart's Mobile Campaign For 'Protege' Basketball Shoes: Slam Dunk, or Shooter's Roll?

Is it me, or is mobile in need of a jump ball to shake things up?

Watch the piece here with Phuc Truong, managing director of mobile solutions company Mobext, on a recent example of mobile integration in a campaign to promote NBA star Al Harrington's "Protege" basketball shoes for Kmart.

This is a solid example of making mobile a call-to-action within a broader, multimedia campaign spanning print, outdoor and more. And I think it's a good start. But the effort got me thinking about how getting that product information and those ringtones and videos just aren't that interesting anymore.

With Nike killing it with mobile, shoes in particular need to find astonishing new ways to make that mobile response pay off a bit more. For Protege, it could be a customized shoe. Could be a chance to interact or even meet Al Harrington. Could be the creation of some kind of social network built around basketball-specific activities (v. Nike, which is running and, more broadly, all sports). There looks to be a link to a baller community and a Protege block party here, so that be just right, though it's unclear how mobile is directly involved.

Not a criticism at all. This is a nice start. They got the integration element down. I can't wait to see where they take the actual mobile interaction next.

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Doritos Launches 'ID3' Interactive Video-Based Advergame In UK

First there was the Augmented Reality experience. Now there's the alternative reality game.

Doritos is launching a campaign to promote a new limited-edition "mystery" flavor, "ID3." And as you can see form the trailer, the idea is that you've got to guess the flavor by taking part in a highly-interactive video experience.

I hope it's not anything like The Quest mystery flavor contest (think Mountain Dew Flavored Doritos) from last year.

I can't tell if Goodby did this, as it's UK-based. But for a certain segment of Doritos' key demographic - mostly young, mostly male - this could make for some fun.

Check it all out, here.

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Oops: Dating Site Ad Targets Man With Image of His Own Wife

Sometimes all this targeted advertising goes a little too far.

"Hey Peter," The ad says: "Hot singles are waiting for you." Too bad the woman pictured in the ad was Peter's wife.

Oops. Read MSNBC's coverage, here.

VW recently ran an ad that displays the best ad for you, based on content from your Facebook profile page.

This dating one at least appears to take the images from your profile page to help sell its services to others, of the opposite sex, in your area. I wonder what she has listed under "relationship status."

It may have just gotten a lot more "complicated."

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Forbes: Location Aware Social Apps 'The Next Twitter' - But Let's Hope Not

I'm still waiting for Twitter to live up to the hype. Do we have to move on so fast?

Forbes has a piece on the coming wave of location aware mobile apps like Foursquare, which lets people see where their friends are in real-time, via mobile phones. You can use it to take part in - or even initiate - fun on the run through branded contests, adventures and so on.

Forbes seems to think it will be the next Twitter. But I hope not.

While I know Forbes meant the next craze, I think location aware apps will likely mean more to young people out on the go than Twitter means to anyone.

Nothing against Twitter, but let's face it. Over 60% of people who create a Twitter account stop using it within a month. And while it has its place, all those followers probably aren't following many Twitter posts as much as we'd all hope.

Foursquare (or other apps like it) could create a way for people to actually get a life - something Twitter doesn't do (well, to be fair, Tweetups help you do that, but Foursquare and other services probably do it better).

I interview Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley in my new book THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, where we discuss opportunities for brand marketers to use location aware apps to connect with a very hard to reach audience. (For more on the topic, also see my first book, BRANDING UNBOUND).

Who knows? Twitter might not know what hit it.

Read the Forbes piece here.

And get the 4-1-1 on THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, here.

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Is QR Code (Finally) Ready For Its Closeup?

The entertainment industry seems to always be at the forefront of new technologies, from talkies to TV.

Now, it may finally be the industry category that brings QR codes into the mainstream.

QR codes are symbols that can be placed on posters, packaging, advertising and whatnot. Instead of featuring a mobile short code, QR codes make it so you can point your camera phone at the image, press a button, and instantly access content - move trailers, movie times and maybe even ticket selling capabilities, for example.

Now, AD AGE Is reporting that several entertainment-oriented promotions plan to use QR codes in the months ahead. Among them:

• Tim Burton's new film "9" will use QR codes to access exclusive clips and commentary from the director

• Magazine ads, posters, stickers and other promotional items for Green Day's new album "22st Century Breakdown" feature QR codes that take you to a special mobile website where you can download exclusive videos and images

• A reader reminded me that Lauren Conrad's ("The HIlls") new book L.A. Candy features a QR code on the cover as well (see comments)

In my new book THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at QR codes and how brands like Coca-Cola, Ford, Doritos, Papa John's are using QR codes to engage young consumers, often to astonishing effect.

One thing's for sure. Short codes are good. But if the technology can be standardized to work with every phone, without a special download, QR codes could be great.

We'll see this fall if the QR code is truly ready for its closeup. 

Read the Ad Age piece, here. 

And find out more about THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, here.

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'Mad Men' Yourself Here

AMC's hit "Mad Men" returns to the small screen August 16, but you can jump start cocktail hour with "Mad Men Yourself," one of those customizable branded experiences that, in this case, lets you create a 1960's Madison Avenue type.

The bad news: This isn't one of those cool photo manipulation experiences; it's more of a cartoon that you customize based on a selection of attributes to best approximate your look (or anyone you want). You can judge for yourself if I got anywhere near that here.

The good news: The cartoon styling is based on the work of Dyna Moe, who does fantastic illustrations of Mad Men scenes during the regular season.

I actually had set up a project with Dyna and Mad Men producers a while back to create an animated experience - can you say award-winner?! - but at the last minute, our client had a course change.

Whoever did this one will get some kind of award for sure.

Mad Men yourself, here.

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Is There A 'Mommy Blogger' Bubble?

With the big BlogHer '09 Conference behind us, is it too early to ask if there's  Mommy Blogger bubble?

Brands like Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart, Pepsi and others have recognized the influence these bloggers can have. But with 1,500 such mommy bloggers attending the convention, with countless additional others not in attendance (the BlogHer network alone has over 1,200 members, and a reported 15 million unique visitors), you have to wonder if a shake out is coming.

And you have to wonder if whoever's left will slowly become inured to marketer pitches. As AD AGE reports, P&G had Tim Gunn of "Project Runway," and a luncheon topped off with an invitation-only shopping spree at Gymboree. Some brands even paid for bloggers travel expenses.

At some point, some of these mommy bloggers are going to feel like they're being bought rather than pitched - though most, no doubt, already see through the schwag and report objectively to their widespread audience. 

Some say this is all analogous to the kind of treatment afforded to beauty and women's magazines. And BlogHer guidelines require disclosure of swag, trips and other freebees, which I think is good.

But still, marketers had best be careful how far they go in courting these bloggers - many of whom may balk in the future, especially as consolidation increases competition for authentic bloggers who cast a critical eye on such marketing activities. 

Read the AD AGE piece on the convention, here.

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ChaCha's Hollywood Moment Just A Preview of Mobile Promotions To come

ChaCha may be emerging as Hollywood's mobile solution of choice.

ChaCha, of course, is a kind of free, ad-supported, human-powered search engine. Text in a question, and you'll get a response culled (using Google) from a human who finds the most appropriate answer for you. In truth, about 80% of responses are automated, but 20% get the direct human touch, and all are designed to seem like it's one person communicating with another.

Even the tagline presses the point: "ChaCha: UR Mobile BFF."

Now, MediaPost is reporting that ChaCha seems to be coming into its own in Hollywood.

During the is-he-dead moments around breaking news about Michael Jackson's demise, ChaCha received 100,000 questions; once the New York Times confirmed the death, those 100,000 users got confirmation instantly via the service.

Hollywood studios are taking notice not just of ChaCha, but it's mostly under 25-year-old crowd. Paramount used the service to deliver text ads promoting "Transformers 2." Whenever someone sent in a question, they'd get an acknowledgement with a short text message about the movie. Paramount says it's planning to leverage the service for next summer's "Iron Man 2."

Personally, I think ChaCha could be better utilized in other ways than unsolicited ads. (Longtime readers know I'm personally two thumbs down on such things, no matter how Hollywood feels about them.)

A promotion that gets you to interact with the brand - movie, running shoe, soft drink - could be more interesting and ongoing, perhaps with a game and/or sweepstakes tied to it. I know ChaCha has served as a response mechanism for in-venue Coca-Cola promotions in stadiums and such.

In a movie scenario, actually having an actor from the film respond to questions or engage interactions for a short promotion might make sense - and would certainly boost interest and more powerfully differentiate the movie and the service.

Maybe I could text ChaCha to see if that's of interest.

Read more, here.

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HP Launches 'You on You' User-Gen Contest For $300,000 in Prizes

I mentioned this the other day, and now it's live: HP has launched a YouTube-based user-generated video contest encouraging you to declare what makes you uniquely you to the world. 

I'm not sure how the "tell us who you are, but don't show your face" component will translate, but a.) it alleviates the need to get clearance on images, and b.) provides continuity with HP's longtime "The Computer is Personal Again" TV campaign.

At stake: Up to $300,000 in prizes, including some of the HP dv6 Artist Edition notebook PCs, which were part of the big HP/MTV Engine Room design contest.

Check it out here. (Full disclosure: Our agency has worked on elements of the You on You campaign.)

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Time Spent Online Is Leveling Off

There's only so much web surfing people can do.

With a proliferating number of media choices eating up every precious moment of the day, it appears time spent on the Internet is flattening out.

At least that's the word from Forrester, which says we're spending about 12 hours a week online. That's up dramatically from about six hours per week in 2004, but the growth rate is decelerating rapidly.

It's not all bad news for web-based companies, however, as this piece from AD AGE explains. Personally, as much as I view just about everything about the Internet to be over-hyped (Twitter being the most recent example), I think there are still explosions in online activities yet to come. Maybe not this year, the next, or even over the next few years.

Some of that will be in the form of increased connectivity across a wide array of devices and experiences (more and more television programming delivered across more and more devices, or augmented reality experiences via mobile device, as just one example). And others will be in forms we haven't even dreamed of yet.

Still, an important note. The (PC-based) Internet's not everything - and there's only so much time any of us will spend surfing it.

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'Ghost' of A Chance? Rolls-Royce Rolls Out Recession-Era Limo

I guess if you're buying a limo, you don't really have to care what the economy's like.

And if you're a limo marketer, it really doesn't matter what you call said limo.

How else to explain the new "toned" down limo, inexplicably and unironically christened "Ghost."

Apparently, that's because thanks to four-corner air suspension, it has such a smooth ride it seems to float on air. Which is not too much to expect for $245,000. And from a company that might want to build continuity with its $380,000 Phantom.

Still. The associations with a bygone era of excess and ostentatiousness - now seeming as dead as a doornail - it seems like "Ghost" could go by a better name.

I'm just saying.

Read more, here.

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See Rick at DTC Fall Conference

I'm amp'd about speaking at this year's DTC Fall Conference, October 14-15 on the East Coast.

For those out of the know, DTC stands for "Direct to Consumer" in the pharmaceutical industry.

It's the largest category of ad spending in the U.S., and has unique regulatory challenges - especially in light of today's NYT story on how Congress is attempting to add a whole new layer of regulations.

Rep James Moran of Virgina is sponsoring a bill to ban ads for prescription sexual ads (think Viagra and Levitra") from prime-time television, using the nipple defense - (or wardrobe malfunction) rationale - that it's indecent.

(Has he actually seen most - any - of the broadcast television shows networks put around the ads?)

And Rep. Jerrold Nadler has introduced a bill called the "Say No to Drug Ads Act," to amend the federal tax code to prevent pharmas from deducting the cost of DTC ads as a business expense.

I'm actually neither here nor there on either of these moves - as a consumer I want ads that might enlighten me about treatment options to any health issue I might face or want to ask my doctor about, though I think everyone could do with a whole lot fewer ads for things that seem like solutions in search of a problem - "Restless Leg Syndrome" anyone?

But if either gets passed, digital marketing may take on a whole new prominence as broadcast television options narrow.

We'll be talking a lot more about all that come October.

I'll post more details as I have them.

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Fight Alongside Your Favorite Heroes In 'DC Universe Online'

Comic book fans know that for all its good intentions, something sinister always happens at S.T.A.R Labs. Now they'll be able to get personally involved.

Wired is reporting that DC and Sony have teamed up to launch DC Universe Online, a massively multiplayer online game that will let players team up with their favorite DC heroes (it of the Superman-Batman-Green Lantern-Wonder Woman ilk) as things go haywire at Metropolis's S.T.A.R. Labs, set to hit the Net next year.

I've been wondering when DC was finally going to get its online act in gear. But I was hoping it would make a good non-Batman movie release first (is it too early to reboot "Superman Returns"?).

I guess a session at Comic Con tomorrow, called The Stories of DC Universe Online, featuring Jim Lee and Marv Wolfman (if you don't know, don't ask...though I will say Wolfman had something to do with giving the laboratory a high profile during his legendary run with "The New Teen Titans."

This is a great way for DC to extend the brand into the online space, and really quite true to the audience.

Still, about that "Superman" reboot....

Read all about the "Universe," here.

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See Rick At Digital Hollywood

Looks like I'll be part of a panel discussion on gaming as an advertising platform at Digital Hollywood this fall at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

The specific title for the discussion is "Advertising, Games and Game Networks - Mobile, Broadband and Console - Serving Individuals and Communities of Interest." 

As it happens, I devote a chapter on the subject in my new book THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (out in the spring, from AMACOM Books), and for mobile games specifically, I devote a fair amount of space on the topic in my book BRANDING UNBOUND.

Longtime readers know I'm more an advocate of branded games as part of integrated communications initiatives over in-game advertising, though you can bet there will be differing opinions on that in the discussion.

I'll post more details on the Digital Hollywood session as I have them.

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