FeedJournal Basic
com
Text Is the New Multimedia
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 10:16:55 AM
Marketing & Strategy Innovation
Text Is the New Multimedia
by Jonathan Salem Baskin on 3
November, 2009 - 11:13
(NOTE: This essay draws on a
chapter in my new book, Bright
Lights & Dim Bulbs, which identifies
nine radical branding and marketing
insights for innovative business
leaders to watch as we roll into 2010)
If video killed the radio star, wasn't
video supposed to obliterate text?
It hasn't. Not even close. Who would
have thought that 2009 would witness
instead the continued resurgence of
the written word?
The language was sometimes
indeterminable, and the conversations
often unrepeatable without a blush
added to the shrug, but text has
proven amazingly resilient as a
communications medium. Words
"work" on printed pages and mobile
phone screens (i.e. cross-platform),
find utility for marketing strategies
old and new (you can use them to
declare, or to converse), and prove
convenient and adaptable for users
young and old.
Think back to a few good creative
communications ideas that had to be
translated into imagery, and then
required deconstruction by viewers.
The 2011 Lexus LFA |
flylyf
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 10:06:58 AM
via flylyf.com
Lexus finally announced the official
launch of the LFA, a two-seat
supercar scheduled to go into
production at the end of 2010 as the
pinnacle of the Lexus “F” premium
sports car series. Pre-sales start today.
Ultra-responsive and extremely stable
even when taken to the edge, the LFA
creates a sense of reassurance that
opens up a new world of driving
emotion, exhilarating the senses to
move the driver in more ways than
Nestlé Club: Stir something deep inside
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 9:44:34 AM
11/3/2009 - 11/6/2009
Seems like a long way to go to make
a statement, doesn't it? I'm all for a
funny clip, and it's very true that a
picture can tell a thousand words...but
most of the time, 99% of those words
get misused, misinterpreted, or
outright ignored.
For something so immediate and
compelling, you couldn't find a
medium better able to substitute the
simulacra of a connection for the
transfer of actual content or meaning.
As opposed to video, text is a "hot
medium," if you buy into Marshall
McLuhan's theories about media (and
I do, for the most part). Even when
viewed online, words engage a single
sense, and thereby establish a direct
connection that is richer in specific
information and meaning than more
participatory, or "cool" multimedia
experiences.
When we're blown away by a video,
we translate it into words to label our
reactions, code our memories, and
subsequently share our thoughts.
Even reduced to tweets and
abbreviations, text remains the most
facile communications engine
available to us, only you wouldn't
know it from all of the media
excitement and agency sales efforts to
tell us otherwise.
Worse, it's not just that companies
have been misled by the lure of the
moving image; 2009 has been a
one. The LFA combines high output,
superb chassis design and meticulous
aerodynamics to achieve
instantaneous total-vehicle response
characterized by high-rev, seamless
acceleration echoed by a self-defining
resonance from its 4.8-liter V10.
Only 500 units of the LFA are to be
produced and sold worldwide.
A prototype of the LFA is now on
display at the 41st Tokyo Motor
Show, which is open to the general
public from October 24 to November
4 at Makuhari Messe in Makuhari,
Chiba Prefecture.
Permalink| Leave a comment »
via pixelpastahome.blogspot.com
It looks beautiful, is it deep and
meaningful I don't know, its certainly
banner year for slogans and gibberish
in business communications, from
nonsense adjectives in press releases,
to incomprehensible statements about
branding. Companies spent time
orchestrating faux conversations
instead of contributing to real ones;
corporate strategies were described in
blatheriffic doublespeak; popular
phrases, like "innovation," were used
to obfuscate the purposes of new
management teams, as well as new
products.
Why do businesses use words so
poorly?
Maybe because words seem free
when compared with the cost of
producing a video or sound file.
Perhaps because social media
conversations are so fast and frequent
that specific word choices seem less
important. One of my pet peeves is
that we still use words to satisfy
ourselves; we talk to our aspirations
for our brands, and not to make those
direct connections to readers.
I think the year proved that what
companies say matters, whether as
the inputs into social media, or as the
tool by which they make those direct
connections with their consumers.
But it has to be accurate, honest, and
credible. It's harder to get away with a
lie when it's literally spelled out;
conversely, if we use words to state
truths (and avoid all of the nuances
Vodaphone Viral Video Magic:
Classical Music Rendition
Orchestrated By 1000 Cell Phones
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 10:08:44 AM
via flylyf.com
Viral videos are becoming more
heavily used as a means for
companies to reach a specific kind of
consumer: the 20 – 30 somethings
who are savvy and immersed in social
media. So, in order to promote their
cell service, Vodaphone hired a
production team to create cell phone
directed classical music magic. The
results?…… SHEER BRILLIANCE!
It took 1000 cell phones and 53
different ringtones synchronized in
classical harmony to create this piece.
Just thinking about the sheer trial and
different
feedjournal.
that distract or lessen them), then text
is a powerful tool that transports
across technology platforms, and
works with all age groups.
I believe that 2010 will give us great
and useful opportunities to use video
and other media to communicate with
our customers, but I suggest that
there’ll be even more, better, easier,
and more cost-effective chances to
wring more impact and value out of
the lowly, simple, written word.
The Bulb Asks:
• Do your press releases need so
many adjectives? Is your product
really “world class,” and what does
that mean, anyway?
• Are you telling your social
networks things that really matter, not
just what your brand lexicon might
dictate?
• Will your next communication tell
something meaningful, relevant and
useful, or will you expect your
customers to decipher something?
Think less secret code, and more
direct statement.
( Bright Lights & Dim Bulbs contains
10 tips on this topic and 8 others)
Image source:
O r i g i n a l P o s t :
http://dimbulb.typepad.com/my_webl
og/2009/11/text-is-the-new-
multimedia.html via futurelab.net
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error process that must have ensued
gives me a headache, but the efforts
certainly paid off. You can download
the symphony as well as all 53
ringtones used in the production to
your computer at the Vodaphone NZ
website.
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2 FeedJournal Basic
Six Social Media Trends For 2010 | Futurelab –
An international marketing strategy consultancy
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 5:07:30 AM
Marketing & Strategy Innovation Six
Social Media Trends For 2010
by David Armano on 3 November,
2009 - 21:54
Originally posted on The Harvard
Business Review blog
In 2009 we saw exponential growth
of social media. According to Nielson
Online, Twitter alone grew 1,382%
year-over-year in February,
registering a total of just more than 7
million unique visitors in the US for
the month. Meanwhile, Facebook
continued to outpace MySpace. So
what could social media look like in
2010? In 2010, social media will get
even more popular, more mobile, and
more exclusive — at least, that's my
guess. What are the near-term trends
we could see as soon as next year? In
no particular order:
1. Social media begins to look less
social
With groups, lists and niche
networks becoming more popular,
networks could begin to feel more
"exclusive." Not everyone can fit on
someone's newly created Twitter list
and as networks begin to fill with
noise, it's likely that user behavior
iBonsai
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 10:00:36 AM
via brainpowerlabs.com
Bonsai is the Japanese art of
miniaturizing trees by growing them
in small pots. Now you can create
your own miniature trees in 3D right
on your iPhone or iPod!
With a tap of your finger, iBonsai's
sophisticated generative algorithm
begins growing a unique digital tree.
brandflakesforbreakfast: if
UNICEF: The UNICEF you see this on the street
Landmine Stickers today, please pick it up
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 4:37:39 AM
via ibelieveinadv.com
“In many countries, landmines are
still an insidious danger to civilians.
That’s what we wanted to show to
anybody who walked pass the
UNICEF information booths. We
placed „invisible“ Landmine-stickers
on the floor: Their self-adhesive
topsides looked exactly like the floor.
Type for you ~ ANTREPO4.COM OUTPUT REPORT
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 9:58:43 AM
via a2591.com
It is little industrial, little vintage,
such as "hiding" the hyperactive
updaters that appear in your
Facebook news feed may become
more common. Perhaps it's not
actually less social, but it might seem
that way as we all come to terms with
getting value out of our networks —
while filtering out the clutter.
2. Corporations look to scale
There are relatively few big
companies that have scaled social
initiatives beyond one-off marketing
or communications initiatives. Best
Buy's Twelpforce leverages hundreds
of employees who provide customer
support on Twitter. The employees
are managed through a custom built
system that keeps track of who
participates. This is a sign of things to
come over the next year as more
companies look to uncover cost
savings or serve customers more
effectively through leveraging social
technology.
3. Social business becomes serious
play
Relatively new networks such as
Foursquare are touted for the focus on
making networked activity local and
mobile. However, it also has a game-
like quality to it which brings out the
competitor in the user. Participants
are incentivized and rewarded
No two bonsai trees are the same!
After about 30 seconds of growth,
your mature bonsai becomes a
beautifully rendered image in the
sumi-e style of Japanese brush
painting. The iBonsai algorithm
produces a wide variety of trees: you
might get simple, elegant shapes or
twisted, complex creations. The
randomness is the source of its
beauty.
Permalink| Leave a comment »
When people walked over them, they
stuck to their feet. While removing
the stickers, people discovered the
picture of a landmine on the bottom
side. They were also informed that in
many other countries, they would
have been the victim of a landmine
just at this moment. At the booths,
people could get further informations
and donate to UNICEF.”
Permalink| Leave a comment »
little condensed, little bold.
Public Gothic is a new font family
and beta release is free to use in all
your designs, commercial or non
commercial.
through higher participation levels.
And push technology is there to
remind you that your friends are one
step away from stealing your coveted
"mayorship." As businesses look to
incentivize activity within their
internal or external networks, they
may include carrots that encourage a
bit of friendly competition.
4. Your company will have a social
media policy (and it might actually be
enforced)
If the company you work for doesn't
already have a social media policy in
place with specific rules of
engagement across multiple
networks, it just might in the next
year. From how to conduct yourself
as an employee to what's considered
competition, it's likely that you'll see
something formalized about how the
company views social media and
your participation in it.
5. Mobile becomes a social media
lifeline
With approximately 70 percent of
organizations banning social
networks and, simultaneously, sales
of smartphones on the rise, it's likely
that employees will seek to feed their
social media addictions on their
mobile devices. What used to be
cigarette breaks could turn into
Eric Testroete’s
Papercraft Self Portrait
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 10:04:22 AM
via flylyf.com
Eric Testroete made this amazing
papercraft head for Halloween,
inspired by big-head mode seen in
video games. By using these
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 5:03:04 AM
via brandflakesforbreakfast.com
The Blu Dot store is placing sweet
designer chairs on the streets of NYC
today for people to discover, and take
home. What's even better is that many
PB family members are PB Square,
"social media breaks" as long as there
is a clear signal and IT isn't looking.
As a result, we may see more and/or
better mobile versions of our favorite
social drug of choice.
6. Sharing no longer means e-mail
The New York Times iPhone
application recently added sharing
functionality which allows a user to
easily broadcast an article across
networks such as Facebook and
Twitter. Many websites already
support this functionality, but it's
likely that we will see an increase in
user behavior as it becomes more
mainstream for people to share with
networks what they used to do with e-
mail lists. And content providers will
be all too happy to help them
distribute any way they choose.
These are a few emerging trends that
come to my mind — I'm interested to
hear what you think as well, so please
weigh in with your own thoughts.
Where do you see social media going
next?
Image source:
O r i g i n a l P o s t :
http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_em
otion/2009/11/social.html via
futurelab.net
Permalink| Leave a comment »
Applications, 3ds Max 2009, Mudbox
2010, Photoshop CS3 and Pepakura
he managed to create a 3 dimensional
pseudo realistic paper portrait. His
idea came from Bert Simons another
great paper Sculpture.
Permalink| Leave a comment »
of these chairs are equipped with GPS
devices that will trace their journey
and be chronicled in a documentary
to be released later in the year.
Excellent idea.
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PB Vintage, PB Circular, PB Federal.
It's compatible with any os system.
(Mac T1, Win OTF)
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FeedJournal Basic
Absolut Icebar
Stockholm: Factory
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 9:52:23 AM
via notcot.com
Absolut Icebar!!! I’ve always been
curious, i’m still dying to visit the Ice
Hotel some day ~ and ironically, this
little excursion wasn’t even part of
the official Absolut event/weekend.
Apparently the Icebar changes its
design twice a year, and it happened
brandflakesforbreakfast:
unilever sponsors street
musicians
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 4:43:17 AM
via brandflakesforbreakfast.com
Axe is sponsoring street musicians in
NYC and other places across the
stinky states. In exchange for a
promotional fee, they display an Axe
to be closed Oct 26 to Nov 1, so
today was the first day it reopened,
but, just barely! (Opening party is
tomorrow night!) Please can't I wake
up tomorrow and my fairy godmother
has magically posted me to heaven at
least I hope heaven will have lots of
Absolut
Permalink| Leave a comment »
sign, hand out samples to anyone who
wants them, and include an Axe
theme song in their repertoire. This
idea doesn't stink.
From JW Cannon. Photo: Librado
Romero/The New York Times
Permalink| Leave a comment »
McDonald's: Wi-Fries
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 5:14:28 AM
www.fubiz.net%2f2009%2f11%2f05
%2fmcdonalds-wi-fries%2f#more-
5 1 9 5 2 " > v i a
www.fubiz.net%2f2009%2f11%2f05
Time Switch | Fubiz™
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 5:12:16 AM
www.fubiz.net%2f2009%2f07%2f20
%2ftime-switch%2f"> via
www.fubiz.net%2f2009%2f07%2f20
%2ftime-switch%2f">66.196.80.202
Absolut
Black Cube
Party
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 9:56:34 AM
via notcot.com
If there is one brand that knows how
to do an experience and lay on a party
then it must be Absolut, another fab
do - their 30th Anniversary Party for
the Art Collection
Permalink| Leave a comment »
3
%2fmcdonalds-wi-fries%2f#more-
51952">66.196.80.202
A campaign for McDonald' s to
announce Wi-fi free in the chain of
restaurants. “Free wi-fi Coils”: an
idea by agency DDB Sydney.
Permalink| Leave a comment »
The designer Harc Lee has just
created this clock LED entitled
“Time Switch Wall Clock”. It is
appeared as a switch, with an On/off
function to extinguish the hour.
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14 Examples of
Literal Product
Design
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 3:30:04 AM
via toxel.com
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Guinness: April
Fool
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/6/2009 9:42:09 AM
via pixelpastahome.blogspot.com
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4 FeedJournal Basic

Volkswagen
Golf GTI: Bag
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/5/2009 12:17:18 PM

via ibelieveinadv.com

Smart: Balloon, Permalink| Leave a comment »

Marshmallow,
Egg
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/3/2009 10:11:53 AM

via ibelieveinadv.com
“Tougher than it looks. Smart.”
Permalink| Leave a comment »

McDonald’s:
Burrito
(ConnectED)
Submitted at 11/6/2009 9:47:12 AM

via ibelieveinadv.com
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