Monday, 24 May 2010

Daily Links: (24.05.2010)

Considering the UX on some parts of Yahoo's Mail/Maps & IM , this really saddens me. I think Nokia has put out some of the more amazing things (outside of Apple) in terms of usability for the mobile market, but this can't bode well for continued success.
"Older masses are better than none at all" seems to be the sentiment about US broadcast TV within the article and I agree with the sentiment, but not the idea. Upfronts are a great idea of illustrating how a traditional media channel buying system is being shoe-horned into a new media world. Until a fleshed out, cross platform, buying system (and more importantly sales culture) is fully implemented, it seems that buying for reach without full efficiency will continue to be a fact of life.
It had to happen sooner or later, but I'm surprised that the ads won't still be hosted by Apple. Apple's 'Get a Mac' ads will go down as a brilliant entry to the recent history of advertising, but it seems like a combination of time, Microsoft's Windows 7 ad approach (actually the subject of my 1st post last year) & an orientation towards the iPad's promotion finally did them in. Good on Apple for not running a successful idea into the ground, but its also amazing how many were actually made and what they achieved.
I waited a few days after first hearing about this to post, as I believe my knee jerk reaction to Google TV may be wrong. In a world filled with Boxee's which can't access Hulu (meaning content still isn't as platform free as hardware is currently allowing) & Microsoft Xbox media extenders (who's implementation was bad enough that open soure X-box media center & a cracked Xbox destroyed them functionally), its easy to look at the Google TV idea and scoff. Perhaps this initial reaction will end up being true, but for the moment, I'm optimistic that Google may march through this particular elephant grave yard and place the flag where others have failed.

With 3rd party support, a true content across mult. platforms approach and a clear, non-dilluted value proposition, Google may actually succeed where others have failed miserably.
[See Above] If more 3rd party hardware makers like this can get on board, the risk can diffuse off Google a bit for the Google TV scheme. Integration across multiple platforms is key for this to work, since Web over TV is only one aspect of an all encompassing media solution. Selling anything less will begin to seem cheap and unappealing in the long run, regardless of short term benefits.

I don't normally include a ton of web design examples in the blog, but the way addition and subtraction of color was used in these was really inspiring. Its always useful to keep up on what people are doing in web design, even if one isn't directly related to it, and these serve as a reminder of what a good designer can do while still staying simple.
Posted by DuBose Cole at 16:05 0 comments
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Thursday, 20 May 2010

Daily Links: (20.05.2010)


I don't know if I agree with every KPI on list as being incredibly important (or moreso significant in measuring performance), but it is interesting of metrics to possibly consider. the idea of social media analytics being amorphous is pretty outdated and counterintuitive to the strengths of the channel.
BK has been moving into more premium products for quite some time, but this is still pretty surprising. The upside is that premium pricing makes a Whopper meal look pretty cheap, the downside is that you'll realize halfway through your meal that you paid 18 dollars for a meal for two at Burger King...
JetBlue, which heavily leverages social media in its campaigns, decided to test the search ability of agencies vying for the account on Twitter...It seems like a pretty straight forward addition to the existing pitch process and I'm definitely surprised by some of the negative comments mentioned. Granted, astuteness on Twitter isn't a dead on indicator of digital savvy, but this falls to the categories of interest and due diligence in pitching.
Posted by DuBose Cole at 14:10 2 comments
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Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Daily Links: (19.05.2010)

Really innovative way to utilize AR in outdoor, but its a shame we can't do the same without passing out paper place holders which limit the times it can be used. I know the webcam needs something to map against, but hopefully in the future.
Posted: 19 May 2010 02:34 AM PDT
Compared to WSJ's 64,000 downloads, its looking like free is the initial way into the iPad. I guess everyone needs to hold off on the 'saved publishing' tag for the device until the kinks are worked out.
The announcement that Twitter was dedicated to making its own external apps had to be a pretty worrying one to application developers. The services they've made helped Twitter expand its audience over the last two years, but with <45% of the users utilizing a 3rd party client (probably more, but thats the figure we had from UK research last year), it was only a matter of time before it turned its sights on development. Now, the strategy is coming to bear with Twitter rebranding 'Tweetie' for the iPhone and rumors of a URL shortener and other clients in the works. It looks like developers are facing a choice between acquisition (best case) or obsolescence
Facebook's 0.Facebook.com 'text-only' version of their network is intriguing, but puzzling at the same time. Limiting network content to status updates and text may allow you to offer a no carrier charge option, but it basically reduces the content offering to sub-Twitter levels. This may work in very developing markets, but I'm puzzled that its being pushed so hard in the UK and others.
I was going into reading this as pretty skeptical, given my normal position on automated sentiment analysis, but it seems that by skimming down the various emotional aspects that one would look for, it may be onto something. I'd love to see this expanded into a spectrum of sarcasm that could be applied to snippets of conversation like Twitter...or would I?
Posted by DuBose Cole at 14:17 0 comments
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Tuesday, 18 May 2010

Foursquare & Central London Transport [Infographic]



     Lately, I and others have been looking at Foursquare/Gowalla & the like to analyze geolocation data and wrap our heads around what its all about (hence the explosion of Foursquare data in the blog lately). More robust data is being developed, but while this doesn't promise to do any of that, I thought it would be worthwhile to try my hand at another infographic. With this in mind, I thought that the network's potential in generating transport insight might be worthwhile and without providing anything groundbreaking, the takeaways from comparing how people register their travel were pretty interesting.

     As mentioned in the graphic, people seem to be registering locations while on the go, as tube stations aren't nearly as popular as train & tube/train stations. I know that some locations are naturally busier, Charing Cross vs. Brixton for example), but the under performance of some tube stations in popular locations (Leicester Square), means that not nearly as many people are checking in after the fact as would be expected.

     Aside from this, the variety of places people checked in is quite amazing. From buses (shown in the graphic) to planes & a few boats (not shown), people are dynamically logging information when possible.

     Perhaps the most striking fact from the data however, was the lack of dual or superfluous locations. Being that most seek to be mayor of somewhere, you would assume to see more distinctions of tube vs. train stations (for instance, Charing Cross is only listed as one entity). The multitude of people who check in from platforms within a train station however (not shown in final version of graphic), may counteract some of this.

    Overall, I think as the service grows, we should see more people fleshing out London's transport network in line with what we would expect. From this sampling of transportation options, the network is already beginning to be represented well.

[Development Notes: I selected a subset of tube stations to represent due to the fact that I was drawing the map underneath it. TFL is rather touchy about the rights to their map, so I wanted to make sure that mine was divergent enough to not be derivative (hence noticeable differences I've made sure are present).

If this goes over well, I'm considering expanding it to a longer version (including everything that I noted was missing), so if you have any thoughts or ideas, just let me know.


.jpg Version (Click to Enlarge):
Posted by DuBose Cole at 15:06 5 comments
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Daily Links: (18.05.2010)


So this one is slightly confusing for me. A TV show which promotes team building through going to work naked utilized a PR stunt where people rode the tube naked (with strategically placed bags). Hmm....if you take out the mentions of PR & TV out of the previous statement and replace them with 'I' and the past tense, then how do you think this would end....Apologies for the Daily Mail link...
Posted: 18 May 2010 04:20 AM PDT
It was only a matter of time until travel brands (esp. alternatives to flights) started to cash in on the ash cloud. The risk in doing so though (esp. for train operators) is that overcrowding during a flight down time or routine delays/inefficiencies can not only quickly negate any benefit from the message, but also cause consumers to see them as inept, hypocritical or disingenuous. Glass houses and all that.....
Japanese Twitter Visualization....I don't what else I can say about it other than entertaining for a few moments and properly inspired.
Openbook is doing for privacy on Facebook what 'Please Rob Me' attempted to do (and pretty much failed) for privacy on Geo-location. The site shows what can be done when you start aggregating public status updates in a pretty brutal manner. The timing of the site's growth serves as yet another hit to users accepting Facebook's ubiquity.
Facebook integration into the Apple 4.0 OS? It seems like there isn't much that Facebook will be directly linked into soon. It seems that moving beyond basic member volumes to become even more indispensable through integration is the name of the game.
I know visual effect websites in German aren't really my normal fare, but I thought the visual effect that comes from painting the bars of this fence was incredibly creative. It really illustrates what can be done with a space.

Posted by DuBose Cole at 14:29 0 comments
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Monday, 17 May 2010

Daily Links: (17.05.2010)

Seems like seatback TVs were cool just a few years ago....
I like the idea that one of my favorite services is popular enough to have a 'killer rival' now, but I think the entire competition between the two may be a bit overblown. Mytown has pretty much never worked for me, but that aside, its purely a game. The utility vs. game adoption/lifecycle curve is quite different, meaning that whatever competition its providing against Foursquare (and vice versa) should change rapidly.
I've been thinking about this one for the last week and I'm still undecided on bits of it. Hands down, its an amazing idea which makes the normally ignored noticeable. However, I'm still curious if the target demographic for this will donate given any impetus.
Interesting piece on the actual implementation of the Super-sides, etc. that we all see everyday (if you happen to live within public transport range).
The 'conflict' between Facebook & the Open (i.e. almost all else of the) Web is an interesting one. The article sums up the different points pretty well, but I think the debate about Facebook's place is the most interesting part. Is Facebook just another layer set within the Web framework or, through its content distribution network and ease of use/user base, slowly displacing open/functional aspects of the web?
While we can all intuitively guess that WOM recommendation carries more validity to the consumer than advertising claims (deriving from the general strengths of PR), its really interesting that the efficacy of WOM in the modern age is so similar across cultures. The fact that individuals both utilize Social Media & WOM over ad claims in a traditionally individualist (US) and a collectivist culture is definitely noteworthy fact.
2 Billion Daily downloads is quite impressive no matter how you slice it, but I do wonder about comparing it with broadcast TV as they are different experiences. A Youtube video is a minute or two minute clip, while a broadcast TV show involves a more extended viewing experience. That said however, it is still an incredibly impressive feat that shows the direction media is moving in.
Posted by DuBose Cole at 16:33 0 comments
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When does creepy become interesting: The Bird's Eye Frozen Peas Ad


     Last year, I wrote about Method's 'Shiny Suds' advertisement, which sparked a decent amount of controversy based on its slightly creepy appraoch to illustrate the effect cleaner residue can have on a shower. I've embedded the ad above because I'd like to use it to quickly discuss another ad which caught my attention, the Bird's Eye frozen food campaign using Willem Dafoe as a stuffed polar bear.





      The inclusion of Willem Dafoe in a fish finger ad would have garnered some press coverage on its own due to the seeming mismatch between the actor and the brand. This is the man from Platoon (and a less gravitas bestowing Spiderman), so flogging frozen goods may create a bit of a gap of expectation in consumer's minds. Brilliantly however, Bird's Eye & AMV BBDO leveraged the gap in consumer expectation to make a memorable ad by playing to Dafoe's unique image and the strangeness of his presence in the commercial.

'Never underestimate how far dedicated brand spokesmen will go to sell fish sticks'....
Source: Dafoe in Boondock Saints 

        Every element of the commercial seems to lend itself to being slightly off-kilter and creepy. The polar bear seems to be designed as part hallucination/part ratty hand puppet. The lack of emotion conveyed by the puppet's minimalist face and its passive-aggressive tone means that its expected behaviour and intentions are slightly worrying & unclear. Dafoe's voice makes this part as his tone easily switches from paternally reassuring & humorous to slightly sociopathic, leading the viewer to wonder if the commercial will end with a laugh track or simulated animal puppet violence. Conclusions like this make it woth noting that compared to Bird's Eye's previous campaigns (example below), this is quite a departure in a new direction.





       Compared to the previous campaign, and in general, I really like the Bird's Eye ad. However, as I previously said in my post about the 'Shiny Suds' ad, I'm not exactly the target market. I'm certainly shower much more frequently than buying frozen fish sticks, but in both purchase decisions, I don't have much involvement. As a 20 something guy, I'm still surprised that the shower doesn't clean itself with everyone using so much soap in it; as for frozen fish sticks, if I purchased any, I can tell you they would live forgotten in my freezer until the next equivalent of the Pre-Cambrian extinction came around. This aside, its not a great time to be a housewife in advertising. From showering to food, it seems that placing the archetypal homemaker in creepy situations is the current de jour for challenging convention and gaining interest.
         So, if both ads bank on housewives in creepy situations, how can I like one and feel slightly apathetic to the other? Relative to each other, the 'Shiny Suds' ad just has more malice, which while aiming to be funny, leaves an odd aftertaste on the psyche. Simply put, 'Shiny Suds' gives off a creepy/edgy vibe by being mean and creepy. The elements brought to bear in 'Shiny Suds' seems useful if attempting to bring about behavioural response to a worthwhile need (i.e. London Cabwise Advertisements), but just seems somewhat offputting when used on a FMCG.
          Alternatively, the Bird's Eye advertisement also comes off as quite creepy, but by utilizing odd voice acting, unusual visual cues and a soundtrack that seems like Phillip Glass also came along to production. The creepiness generated by the combination of the advertisments odd elements isn't as visceral or threatening as with 'Shiny Suds'. Instead its more of a novel creepiness, an awkward feeling that plays out like something from a TV edited David Lynch movie.




    
        The comparison with elements of a David Lynch film reminds of another recent ad set in suburbia (shown above) for Gu Chocolate Pods. The unusual composition of the Gu ad is leveraged to suggest some manner of illicit suburban underbelly instead of a purely creepy encounter, but once again shows that suburban convention can be challenged for an interesting effect. The product matches with the elements of the advertisement in a way that the previous examples do not (chocolate pods and a conveyed feeling of relaxation & illicit sensousness do go together better than with fish sticks), however all three show how skewering suburbia's norms and feeling of routinized security can generate attention.

         Regardless of comparions, considering the Bird's Eye ad as a whole, one can definitely see that potential exists to generate interest for the product. Perhaps the most final measure of success for the campaign though, is how the chief food purchaser in the household reacts to it. A stereotypical housewife may not be positively swayed by the method campaign, however, Bird's Eye's ad may have successfully found a balance that leverages creepiness into prolonged recognition and consideration.

What do you think? Are you more or less likely to buy frozen fish sticks after this? Where would you place the ads presented on a scale of creepy & interesting to creepy & uncomfortable?
Posted by DuBose Cole at 10:08 1 comments
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