December 28th, 2006
If you haven’t been living in a hole in the ground, by now you’ve seen the evolution of dance…. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg[/youtube] Judson Laipply does a hilarious 5 minute sketch dance comedy of all the different types of dance out there. The video made me laugh out loud and almost pee my pants.
The reason I write about this year-old web video is because Judson Laipply is going to be launching his own Web TV show soon and I thought it was a great way to showcase a unique way to utilize New Marketing. The “93 Colors” consist of other forms of marketing besides blogs, podcasts, and wikis. Web TV is a great way to get your message out in an entertaining and consumer friendly way. I heard in Cnet’s Nov. 22nd podcast that this is the age of video advertising. The “experts” say there is a huge increase in the amount of video advertising out there and they warn that consumers only have a 10 second attention span for online video advertisement. I think that is just because they are too similar to current TV ads. I’m saying let’s make them more interesting and more consumer friendly. Let me know what you think.
December 27th, 2006
So Google keeps on keepin’ on. As usual, they are bringing it straight to the advertising world. After their recent purchase of YouTube they are now going to be testing in-stream video ads. Recent Allstate commercials have been reportedly sold at $15 per thousand views.
Marketing VOX says it is likely that Google uses this service with YouTube videos – which in my opinion may incite riots with YouTube purists who were not exactly thrilled with the buy out in the first place. In some ways it’s a shame because these dedicated viewers of YouTube are the lifeblood of the site. In many YouTube videos, fans are claiming the site has gone “corporate” and that it is no longer “You” focused, and becoming more corporation generated content than consumer generated content.
December 21st, 2006
here’s one thing you probably don’t need. More rewards points.
So the Christmas season is in full swing and you’re either online, at the mall or running from store to store buying presents for your family, friends, colleagues and significant others. If you’re like me, you put a lot of these holiday purchase on one of your credit cards.
An interesting new study from Harris Interactive reveals that over 50% of Americans have at least one or two rewards credit cards. Earning points for buying things that you were going to buy anyway sounds like a good deal, right? Buy stuff, get rewards. Sign me up for airline miles, points redeemable for great products, cash back, etc.! But here’s the most surprising fact – 41% of people with these cards never even bother to use these rewards. Why? It’s simple really. For most of these credit cards rewards programs it’s very difficult to redeem the points.
Great marketing on the part of credit card companies to make everyone think that earning rewards is worthwhile. Not so worthwhile if over 40% of consumers find it such a hassle that they never even bother to cash them in. Here’s another bit of worthwhile news for the credit card marketers – one of the key rewards of these programs is earning airline miles, but only 13% of all respondents in the survey ranked miles as being “valuable” to them. So what should the credit card companies do? Give consumers points they find useful and make the process of redeeming them a lot easier and maybe a lot more people will be inclined to use your cards.
December 20th, 2006
Bryan Person has just posted the audio from CaseCamp Second Life.
He is the host of the New Comm Road Podcast and writes at Bryper.com. He was one of the organizers of the event.
A huge thank you for posting the audio.
December 19th, 2006
It’s party time!! crayon would like to invite you to its holiday party. Please join us this Thursday (December 21st) in crayonville at 8pm EST (5pm LST). Everyone’s invited and it’s gonna be lots of fun. Come swing by for some drink, music, good peeps and holiday cheer.
Apparently I started early…
December 19th, 2006
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwYHAy1aFCU[/youtube]
Featuring the song “Every Color” from Matthew Ebel.
December 14th, 2006
We just finished hosting the CaseCamp Second Life in Crayonville
We didn’t have enough space for everyone so I ran the stream over into the U-Turn Cafe as well so that people could listen in.
I was VERY impressed with the diversity and excellence of all the presentations. That is what made the night and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and asked great questions.
I hope we can do another one of these soon!
December 14th, 2006
Sao Paulo, Brazil will be a lot less cluttered beginning on January 1, 2007. Amazingly, the city has passed a law that will ban all “visual pollution.” This means there will be no billboards, electronic signs or even fliers! Ad Age reports that “South America has no government regulation on its outdoor advertising, making a citywide ban in Sao Paulo all the easier to execute.” Although the article points to a number of communities in the United States that have strict advertising regulations (such as certain areas in Boston and the billboard-free highways of Vermont and Oregon), enacting laws to prevent the spread of outdoor advertising is easier said than done.
I read an article this week recently that made me think about all the advertising in New York City. Our crayon offices are located just a short walk up the avenue from Times Square where it seems to me there are more neon lights, advertising messages and visual stimulation per square inch than anywhere else in the world. There are so many flashing lights and visual messaging it’s hard to imagine that many of these billboards standout from one another. Who even really notices any of these messages?
Going to Times Square is like receiving a year’s supply of audio/visual junk mail in one day. It’s an incredible spectacle, but having been there thousands of times the only billboards that immediately come to mind are the Kodak sign and the Coca-Cola bottle. Certainly, I realize the major reason anyone goes to Times Square (especially the millions of tourists every year) besides the fine dining at Olive Garden or to visit the world’s largest T.G.I. Friday’s is to see all the lights and experience the frenzied advertising-filled atmosphere.
But would we really miss the advertisments if they were all outlawed?
December 12th, 2006
Just in time for C.C.’s panel discussion at WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association). I read an interesting article in the Washington Post this morning.
Turns out that the Federal Trade Commission is saying that any company who engages in WOM marketing (in which people receive compensation) must disclose their relationship. It’s interesting and I think they make a good point, but are we not giving enough credit to the consumer? I’m not sure if today’s smarter, more informed, professional and proactive consumer needs to be made privy to the relationship. Are these so called imposters that are paid by Sony Ericsson or the volunteer force constructed by P&G really selling? Is there an actual transaction taking place or are they merely giving the consumer the opportunity to experience a product away from the mundane everyday store experience?
I’m interested to hear C.C.’s take after he comes back from the WOMMA conference. I’ll keep you posted.
December 10th, 2006
Listen to crayonCast #4
You can never know for sure what we will talk about and it’s always something different. This week we discuss viral marketing, Microsoft FrontPage and JPG Magazine. Variety is the spice of life right?
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