In the past month as Microsoft dangles gobs of money in front of Yahoo!’s founder Jerry Yang, they seem to have forgotten all the little companies they’ve already acquired that could help there search efforts. One in particular is top of mind, Microsoft Seadragon.
Microsoft acquired Seadragon Software in March 2006 as part of its new Live Labs initiative was/is a research unit focused on Internet technologies — trying to speed up its product release cycles as it takes on Google and other rivals in the increasingly competitive online world. Seadragon could alter the way we use our screens. The size and speed of information is limited by the size of you screen today. The software aims to change that so from wall-sized displays to mobile devices visual information can be smoothly browsed regardless of the amount of data involved or the bandwidth of the network. It’s curious that Blaise Aguera y Arcas work is not being used to its full potential, but that’s the price you pay when Microsoft is at the helm (Jerry please take note).
The TED talks held in Monterey California have always been a trusted inspirational and motivational resource for me. To watch the luminaries of today speak on demand has certainly help stoke some creative thinking sessions.
One particular TED talk I have watched numerous times since it was posted two years ago: “Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you’ve ever seen” with Hans Rosling. The content of the presentation about current world trends is fairly interesting alone, but Hans sells this normally sleepy data with such energy that you can’t help but be drawn in. The video’s description says it best:
“You’ve never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called “developing world” using extraordinary animation software developed by his Gapminder Foundation(now owned by Google)”.
Q: Why do you keep watching this video?
In the field of Online Marketing (especially Search Marketing) large sums of data are “played” with everyday. The problem is few interpret this transparent data with the vigor of Mr. Rosling. Now I’m not implying every piece of data needs this level of Showmanship, but their a few lessons Hans can teach anyone presenting any large set of data:
1. Connect your Audience with the Numbers:
The saying “Know the audience” can’t be used enough. Find ways to make the numbers meaningful by relating the numbers to something more tangible. The classic (a bit overused today) is the Stadium analogy. “and in our campaign we drove the equivalent of 25 filled to capacity Fenway Park’s (It’s a small park but that’s 990,125) to..” Ideally you use something your audience will relate to.
2. Use the Narrative Arch
Yes, you do need to think about the pacing of your data. The data naturally lends itself to great story telling if you tell the full story. this can be a challenge at times as people just tend to care about Key Performance Indicators(KPI’s) with out seeing the full story, which is akin to seeing an average of a number without explaining the distribution that drives the average.
3. Demonstrate Enthusiasm
The substance and integrity of the data should be paramount, but by Mr. Rosling’s example it doesn’t need to be “Dry toast”. Rehearsal for any presentation is always necessary, but when presenting intricate data it’s best to over rehearse the specific data points so you can speak to them on a whim with confidence. Hans has become a mascot for enthusiastically presenting data, just find your internal Hans Rosling.
The Pats may have lost, but from the group of 40 I was watching the game with, these are the winning ads of tonight:
5. Pepsi - Magnetic Attraction Super Bowl Ad- Justin has added to his comedy routine with an ad you can’t help but laugh at.
4.Bud Light Wine & Cheese Party Commercial, DDB Chicago- An ad that speaks to man’s drive to innovate, especially when forced to go to a wine and cheese party when the game is on.
3.E*TRADE Trading Baby 2008, Grey Worldwide New York - A cute baby banker who needs a wipe.
2.Budweiser Clydesdale Team Commercial, DDB Chicago - A SuperBowl classic character that pays homage to Rocky.
1.Thrillicious: 2008 Sobe Life Water Super Bowl Ad, The Arnell Group - Clearly the winner with crazy Sobe lizards dancing the Michael Jackson Thriller dance led by Naomi Campbell . A commercial that anyone of any age can enjoy. Sobe also receives extra points for basing their campaign on a new keyword term: “Thrillicious”. When doing a search on “Thrillicious”, they own the top natural listing, and they even are hedging their bets with a Google AdWords CPC ad. Well done Thrillicious.
“The waiting part is so hard”- Jimmy Johnson, Fox sports. Getting ready for Game Time and thought I’d check out the SuperBowl ‘08 ads that have already been posted. Thanks to Spike TV a large majority of tonights ads are already online to critique. After watching a few ads I’m pleased that these top brands got the message to drive viewers to their branded site to continue the conversation.
In years past the lone marketers who understood the synergy between web and T.V. were Godaddy.com (last years Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” ads came in 2nd). As a web based business they of course must drive web traffic, yet they are a good model for any SuperBowl ad campaign. Godaddy.com ads are best known for highlighting hot woman who wear sultry branded white T’s that generates a high amount of buzz in there target demographic (geeks). The ads are not innovative and frankly a little crass, but the internet and sex have always been a profitable pair.
Last year Godaddy.com had a 46% increase in sales from there 2007 SuperBowl ad, although they did have a decrease in traffic over years past. 2007 sales success has Godaddy.com back to be sure you check out there site. This years ad has the message of “Danica Patrick exposed”. The ad is a teaser to the real ad which will only be on Godaddy.com (well at least for a few hours). As I’ve not seen the ads “second act” I’m unsure if the real ad differs from Godaddy.com’s normal formula of a 1980’s music video, yet I’m sure there ad will garner a high amount of Buzz and I’m almost certain an increase in web traffic from last year.
Overall I give the Godaddy.com ad team credit for their attempt in driving traffic by paying $2.7 million for a 30 second ad that essentially says “Come to our site and see Danica Patrick expose herself”.
As a news junkie there is a new website where I can put my predictive powers to good use,Hubdub.com. As the AP reported Tuesday this new site allows users to wager on real-time news event outcomes. Similar to the Hollywood exchange or Yahoo’s Buzz game ,users get points for predicting the correct outcome of a particular news story. These predictive market game sites are complete “popcorn”, but can earn you some serious bragging points to fellow news / tech junkies.
Carlton Screen Advertising in 2007 deployed an interactive advertising system that placed Sony’s eye toy into Movie Theaters. In the video below you can see that the application has it’s flaws (even with a marketing manager yelling out directions) nevertheless it sure look fun. As the home theater is slowly killing the Movie Theater, community interactivity could be a great way to bring people back.
Imagine this system being installed to all major theater chains as a way for movie goers to “choose their own adventure” during the movie. Much like the Web 2.0 movement of connecting communities it would be great if Movies tapped into consumers need to have unique experiences. In a previous life as a Walt Disney World Cast member I’d often wittiness families disembark “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin” with huge smiles on there faces. Why?, because they got to interact with what historically was a passive ride experience. For Kids/Adults to have control gave each a seemingly unique experience in a controlled linear plot line.
Mobile SMS Interactive Campaigns originally started with Huge Campaign Budgets for giant interactive billboards held in Times Square:
2003:
Coca-Cola unveiled one of the world’s first Mobile interactive billboards, switched on in Piccadilly Circus, London. The 99-foot billboard responded to the day’s weather and interacted with people looking at it from the ground via optical sensors. It was (to my knowledge) one of the first billboards to be able to respond to text messages from onlookers text messages.
2004:
Dove Campaign for Real Beauty employed an interactive billboard in Times Square that served as a public forum answering the question “What is beautiful? As people walked by they’d vote on the “beauty” of the billboards rotating images. As votes were cast via Mobile SMS a tally would appear in real-time aside the image.
Yahoo! Automotive utilized an interactive billboard in Times Square to promote itself. The billboard allowed people to play a car video game on a 23-stoires tall billboard via their Mobile phones.
In the years since the launch of these huge installations the technology has been made available to anyone for FREE. A company here in Cambridge called LocaModa has taken the spirit of these interactive displays and built a solid back end system that anyone can play with for free. LocaModa’s founding tenants:
“LocaModa was founded on the insight that out-of-home networks such as Wi-Fi hot-spots, narrowcast digital signage, and IP-based entertainment networks (jukeboxes to cinemas) can be leveraged to provide interactivity, presence and commerce for mobile consumers. With the disruptive force of the web already spreading to out-of-home media, it’s clear that “The Web Outside” will become a major platform for measuring, tracking and monetizing consumer intent.”
This small screen interactivity has some great applications dependent on the situation and space. Bars and restaurants have used their technology to entertain customers with community games and message boards as they wait for a table or sit/stand at the bar. The technology could also be used for various on-site promotions at a myriad of venues.
As it is Web-based it does allow users online and in-person to interact forming an interesting social talking point at any venue. Currently you can test several different application demos on there site:
A Maze game where you use your cellphone as a gamepad
A Word game where multiple players form words on the screen using sms
A City guide that uses voice guided telephone prompts to show you items on Google Maps.
Locamoda also offers a Free application called wiffiti, which allows mobile users to send text messages to any web-enabled display. In 10 minutes I created a michaelorlinski.com board and is currently live:
As a Fan of ABC’s show Lost I questioned when the show would return, with the Writers Guild strike it seemed very “up in the air”. After a quick Google search for the keyword “Lost” I got the following results page:
ABC is bidding on the term “Lost” which is not surprising, but the Ad text is splendid. As you can imagine a healthy portion of those querying “Lost” are looking for the air date and time. The Ad text delivers that message to Lost fans at zero cost to ABC. Even if a Lost fan did click the paid ad it’s likely a <$0.15 CPC.
“Yeah that’s nice, but my Campaign is B2B focused”
While ABC has it easy with show times and dates placed in Ad text at no cost*, any Paid Search campaign can benefit from answering a users question without clicking the Ad text. A clear cut example for a B2B campaign would be to bid on the conferences and events your sales staff will be at, and have Ad text saying “Meet us at CES” or “Find us at Booth 102″. While this tactic does limit an ability to track and measure success via a Search Engine report, you should have some directional success data from booth / sales staff.
As first reported on TechCrunch Google’s Marissa Mayer gave a great 10 minute update on Google’s mapping technology products (Earth, Maps, Streetview) at the Digital, Life, Design conference in Germany on Monday:
This weekend amidst the cold Boston weather I saw the trailer for Untraceable produced by Sony Pictures staring Diane Lane & Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks son) . The premise according to Sony Pictures website description tag (kudos to my SEO brethren at Sony for using Metatags on a 100% flash site) is:
“Within the FBI, there exists a division dedicated to investigating and prosecuting criminals on the internet. Welcome to the front lines of the war on cybercrime, where Special Agent Jennifer Marsh (Diane Lane) has seen it all……until now. A tech-savvy internet predator is displaying his graphic murders on his own website – and the fate of each of his tormented captives is left in the hands of the public: the more hits his site gets, the faster his victims die. When this game of cat and mouse becomes personal, Marsh and her team must race against the clock to track down this technical mastermind who is virtually untraceable.
Now UNTRACEABLE is a horror flick so I can understand if the films budget could not hire a copyeditor, but there are a few things that just bother me about the premise of this film:
1. The metric that the “killer” is using to kill his victims is Hits.
Anyone who has any involvement with web metrics knows that Hits are “so 8 years ago”. Hits are How Idiots Track Success. The killer in this film would clearly care about the correct measurement if he built a site getting millions of page views per hour. At minimum the killer would use Google Analytics.
2. Millions of people looking at Live Video and your not using akamai?
Akamai during the Live Earth worldwide concert help stream over 15 million live video streams. Now if the killer in this film was to have millions of page views perhour he would likely need some help from a Streaming Media Service. A single server just could not handle the load.
Now I understand this movie is a Horror film, but the plot seems to take place in reality. As such the killers device of murder should not be so inaccurate. People crave details, look at ER, CSI, and House they are only good because you believe the detailed jargon. It’s almost as if an exec at Sony Pictures dusted off an old script from the late 90’s and gave it a “green light” to fill the post-award movie season.
Well done Thrillicious.
A Maze game where you use your cellphone as a gamepad
A Word game where multiple players form words on the screen using sms
A City guide that uses voice guided telephone prompts to show you items on Google Maps.
