The Legacy of the NASA Space Shuttle Program
by mkedave on July 23, 2011
Nature.com created this inspiring video as a tribute to the amazing legacy of the NASA Space Shuttle program. Over three decades, the Space Transportation System (STS) served 135 missions.
“The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.” – Ronald Reagan
The program ended on July 21st 2011.
I hope, like President Reagan said we were in 1986, we are still pioneers.
Google+ is not your social network do-over.
by mkedave on July 20, 2011
Google+ is not an opportunity to make a social networking restart.
It’s far from being a fresh start and (right now) it’s not even close to being an “alternative” to Facebook. We should promise ourselves, and to the future of whatever Google+ becomes, that we don’t go and make it a new place to collect and tally our friends.
Google+ will be what its users make it to be.
One thing is for sure, Google+ will better connect people with information in ways where and when other networks could not.
Consider the +1 button. Clicking +1 is like saying “yeah, I think this is cool.” For some, that might mean you found something “cool,” but for Google, it’s an algorithm for determining importance.
These +1′s will help your friends, contacts (and practically everyone else on the web) find better, more important, more organized information.
Will Google+ let you grow a farm or earn rewards with brands who are eager to market to your profile information? Maybe. For now, start a Hangout or share an interest in whatever Spark you find appealing. Create new connections with people you don’t yet know in Circles you don’t yet have.
When Google rethought real-life information sharing, they didn’t provide you with a blank slate or an opportunity to start everything over again – they gave you the opportunity to be who you are and to communicate what’s important with whomever you think is important.
Yes, Google’s mission is still to organize the world’s information. This time, it’s your turn to help.
Enhanced storytelling with 3D.
by mkedave on June 4, 2011
I love this video.
Not because it’s about a sport I love, a driver I admire or because its constantly building passion throughout the entirety of the spot, but because the video is as technologically innovative as the brand its about.
Audi took a chance on telling a story that could be enhanced in 3D. It’s not a novelty, but a certain respect for the technology.
Watch it on YouTube to toggle the 3D feature on and off. Watch it in color or watch it in greyscale. Brilliant.
Enhancing a viewers engagement with 3D might not be for everyone, and we shouldn’t expect our audience to have their set of 3D goggles readily available, but the opportunity is here. Audi is already taking advantage. Audi is taking a lead with this technology.
Vorsprung durch Technik: Lead due to technology.
In communicating the Audi brand message, they’ve also managed to describe the intensity and endurance required to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Teamwork. Precision. Visceral experience. Winning.
What do you think? Will 3D earn a spot in your creative storytelling spectrum?
Find the problem to solve or the solution to the problem.
by mkedave on May 26, 2011
As it turns out, it’s about finding the problem to solve, not about finding the solution to the problem.
The team at instagram, currently the hot photo sharing app, is crushing it. The problems:
1. mobile photos don’t look great
2. mobile uploads take a long time
3. mobile photos can’t go everywhere at once
The solutions:
The simple problem is hard at scaling. The team at Instagram figured that if they went about making something that people want, then it would spread.
Traveling by Tag
by mkedave on May 25, 2011
Mobile isn’t the future. Mobile is today.
Right here and right now. Are QR codes and Microsoft Tags already the hot trend in an attempt to make anything and everything more compelling?
From PSFK, this Slideshare presents some pretty extraordinary mobile tagging options.
It’s okay to look.
by mkedave on May 21, 2011
This is an intriguing concept.
Instead of developing another new social portal, Voyurl will let you see what your friends are clicking. Facebook tells you what your friends like, but Voyurl will tell you what they click.
Currently in beta, this app will share and compare what’s referred to as your “clickstream” in realtime. Ultimately, it will require controls and filters to keep people within their own personal security and privacy parameters, but the upside for both the users and online marketers is huge.
It appears as though the folks at Voyurl have already determined that most of the positions in the social landscape have been established. So, instead of competing head-on as just another new platform, they’re tapping into something that we already do.
Seeing friends’ clicks and travels through the digital landscape will be an interesting and powerful tool for both personal and behavioral discoveries.
UPDATE: It appears as though the company has pivoted and is offering a visual representation of your web browsing habits, but you can read more here from Fast Company Design.
Make media. Then make it social.
by mkedave on May 11, 2011
The social web has evolved.
You may have noticed. Or, maybe not. From web 2.0 to web-whatever-is-next, we’re already there. In fact, it’s no secret that the web has always been social, but it also became ubiquitous – and that’s what you may not have noticed.
For an entire generation, the web is as routine as was the daily newspaper. Simply, there’s a whole new generation of young adults who don’t know a world without the web.
But, what we have noticed is a massive shift in how brands market themselves on the web. Partly due to the sensationalistic news media that told us all about the huge number of people joining Myspace… then Facebook… then Twitter, it became too hard for these brands to resist the urge to keep jumping on trends. And, some brands seemed to care more about these platform-specific trends than earning true results from across rest of the web. The inherent problem is that tomorrow will always bring something new.
Tomorrow will ALWAYS be different.
My advice: Be indifferent.
Be indifferent to the next big platform.
Without a doubt, the ubiquitous web will present new opportunities to create, curate, consume and share content. Within the ubiquity of it all, the biggest opportunity for any brand is to be indifferent to the social platforms, but to stay part of the conversation wherever its happening. A marketer’s job is to tell that brand story, create that content and see that it gets shared wherever it’s relevant.
When that content gets shared, over and over again, we’re sending signals to the search engines. We can always trust that Google knows what’s popular, no matter how much we try to manipulate it.
What’s most beautiful about the web today is that it’s entirely linked together by people. Increasingly so, we’re individually helping to bring things closer together. The more we participate by creating, sharing and consuming content, the more we’re helping search engines provide us with the relevant content that matters to us. So, isn’t that where we should focus our efforts? Shouldn’t we be creating the content that matters the most? Not for a specific channel, but for people, regardless of the social platform.
Make media, and then make it social.
Stories make advertising interesting.
by mkedave on May 4, 2011
It’s hard to question Nike’s ability to motivate people with its advertising.
I won’t expound on the beauty of “Just Do It,” but there’s always been an element of passion from the brand that lives to create and deliver on its customers’ passion for sport. Using its remarkable and unwavering history of compelling and memorable advertising, Nike created a new spot using old ads.
Great advertising isn’t just one clever spot. It isn’t a series of spots, no matter how viral they went. Great advertising tells the story of a brand. Few can do that as authentically as Nike. And, to further prove that Nike delivers on its passion for its customers, Nike is installing and refurbishing 25 basketball courts throughout New York City to give 10,000 kids access to do what they love.
A great authentic true story can certainly make advertising interesting.
Credit to my colleague @MJWizzy for pointing me to the Nike Better World campaign.
The Suspension of Disbelief
by mkedave on April 24, 2011
We want to believe.
Desperate to see and experience something extraordinary, we’re often drawn to the events that entertain our curiosity.
In this Diet Pepsi advert, David Beckham Pepsi does a few things that have already been done. The trick shot is one thing, the sponsor exposure is another, but he’s also promoting a sport with that’s otherwise all-too-easily ignored.
Similar to Roger Federer’s Gillette trick shot that was “caught on camera,” it’s obvious that we’re entertained by the possibility of spectacular and rare occurrences.
Why are these things so popular?
Because we all want to experience something remarkable.
Because we’re curious by nature.
Because we like to debate.
In his video, Federer retold the famous story of William Tell. But, through his abilities (whether they be faked or not), he sparked an interest in the sport of tennis and his sponsor (Gillette). While he is well-known for his talent, more so for his international fame, Beckham has the power to attract audiences, which is entirely what the Diet Pepsi/Sofia Vergara/David Beckham commercial is all about.
Personally, I like the Alex Tanny trick shot piece. Weaved into his unbelievable tosses, you get a tour of the Monmouth College athletic facilities. This seems like a pretty good strategy for potential Monmouth students in search of something extraordinary. I like that.
From Likes to Actions
by mkedave on April 8, 2011
There’s one undeniable trend happening in social media environments today: Brands are obsessed with collecting friends and followers.
It’s become widely accepted that more is better.
I can’t disagree entirely, but I suppose I’m patiently waiting for someone else to say, “So, what’s next?”
We need to go from “likes” to “actions.” We owe it to ourselves to build a strategy for action and continually measure it to maintain accountability.
Inevitably, we’ll come to the realization that most followers will prefer to stay quietly on the sidelines, sitting on the bench. They may never raise a fuss nor ever share their opinion, whatever that might be. But, we need to focus on allowing our true brand advocates to play: which is to say, we allow them to be truly social.
Broadcasting to a million followers about soccer while they’re at home feels like a relationship.
Conversing with a hundred soccer fans at a soccer game is a relationship.
Playing with them while they’re on the field is social.
The social web is not entirely dependent on a massive audience of fans, but on a smaller community composed of these true social players. More may be better, but small can be powerful.
