 October 29, 2008
 Life is back from the dead. And Marilyn is forever.Tagged as: O.P.E.N., digital millennials, engaging, networked, social webPosted by: Nita Rollins Life Magazine is a brand colossus, in many ways the quintessential Boomer brand. Defining photojournalism in the 20th century while also defining the 20th century, its portraits framed the ahistorical absolutes of courage, despair, charisma and power as much as the persons of a certain historical gravitas. The viewer’s pursuit of accidental revelations of character kept all those modernist literature-stoked latent/manifest dichotomies in productive tension. I know because I used to sit spellbound before the stacks of Life my cousin had collected in his post-Harvard hovel. With my two-page spread-sized memories intact, and an avowed deference for the tradition of the defining public image—in stark contrast to the people’s indefatigable showcasing of social networking candids—I am the perfect witness to a Boomer brand entering the ecosystem of the open web. It’s not Life’s digitization per se that makes this an interesting transition for a brand twice defibrillated in its 64-year history—we barely raise an eyebrow over Google’s all-in-a-day’s-work project to digitize the world’s books, for heaven’s sake. It’s the letting loose of Life’s curatorial authority, its single-photo storytelling precision, into the jungle of laissez-faire cut-and-paste social web content that begs for commentary. The ‘coming soon’ web site promises over 10 million photos will be made available for viewing, or, as parent company Time put it: "…the most important collection of imagery covering the events and people of the 20th century…[will be] available for free for personal use”—at least, for viewing and sharing. More than 97% of the collection has never been seen by the public. Such an inconceivable darkroom trove of “outtakes” (albeit by the likes of Alfred Eisenstaedt, Margaret Bourke-White and Gordon Parks)! What could be more appropriate for our era of flourishing amateur photography and citizen journalism than converting Life’s vault into an editorial roundtable, a photographic piñata? Unsettling, perhaps, for its Boomer devotees who remember when larger-than-Life was hard to come by? (Winston Churchill as a screensaver—really?) But probably, ultimately, exhilarating for all comers. That is, if Life truly adapts to the digital channel. And from what I’ve gathered, the revenue model is strictly 20th century—mainly advertising-based. (As Time also owns Getty, site visitors coming to look and learn will be exposed to the latter collection and might buy.) Based on the advance press, there is but one concession to the social web’s intensely OPEN relationship with images—you can create Flickr-style personal collections. There are ways to counter the constant battering of our journalistic institutions (hint: they’re digital), and, in this instance, to drive cross-generational traffic to Life.com. (Yes, this begs for a post on washingtonpost.com.) For Life, in my opinion, the most important of these is a social platform for storytelling, the kind that would enable community voting on the best photo/journalistic albums—those with stirring commentary that keeps history alive. Kodak has an employee blog that has done wonders for their place in the imaging community, as they like to call it. Limited edition downloads of Life covers for poster-size printing wouldn’t be a bad idea either, even if I did steal it from the current collaboration of Absolut and fashion designer Helmut Lang. For all those copyright-minded among you, there are always the Creative Commons alternatives. Quite simply, more exposure, more usage=more life for Life.com. To make sure I’m not blindly enthusiastic about this digital brand makeover of Life, particularly as an Engaging and Networked brand, I conducted some quick research of a certain person who has graced Life’s covers several times, and who is the very definition of iconic inexhaustibility (if you don’t believe me, read American Monroe: The Making of a Body Politic). Has the social web tired of Marilyn Monroe? Can icitizens find enough to do, interactively speaking, with the silver screen goddess? Does she make sense any longer to digital millennials, for whom continuous virtual self-presentation precedes self-knowledge? Are you kidding? 16,738 thought to upload some version of Marilyn Monroe on Flickr. Metacafe has 144 largely homemade Marilyn Monroe videos. iStockPhoto has several Marilyn impersonators doing their best to keep the subway breeze blowing up her white pleated dress, figuratively speaking. And Google says Marilyn Monroe matters to someone 13,400,000 ways. I found a particularly appropriate cultural artifact trolling around someone’s personal Picasa photo album: Marilyn Monroe coaxed once again into life through a collage of Life’s covers.
I also found a Marilyn Monroe image rarely seen (perhaps never before published?) on Flickr and will leave you to contemplate both its hold on the viewer and the icitizen comments that follow.
October 27, 2008
I do give serious kudos to brands that find new and innovative ways to expand and thrive -- especially when the economic outlook is grim. So finding new markets or selling more to existing customers is smart thinking, generally speaking. But tapas sets and wine bar accessories from the bookstore? Journals and desk accessories are one thing, but can Barnes & Noble really compete with Crate & Barrel for tabletop or Restoration Hardware for lighting? It's truly a romantic notion to decorate your living room around your favorite book--but I'm afraid BN.com is going to have to add a lot more wine and roses to pull this one off. October 23, 2008
Last night I was driving from Cleveland to Columbus and listening to the trusty iPod. I'm a huge fan of all types of music, but lately I find myself listening to podcasts (and watching vodcasts) almost exclusively. One of my favorite podcasts is BusinessWeek's Innovation of the Week. If you aren't already subscribed, I suggest you check it out. This week the host interviewed NASA's chief knowledge architect, Jeanne Holm. Jeanne described NASA's commitment to their constituency and the methods that they use to reach and interact with them. From Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter accounts and even weekly meetings in Second Life, NASA knows where their "customers" hang out and makes it easy for them to interact with the agency. They author and maintain many forums and blogs, even one entitled appropriately enough, Open NASA. From the blog's About Page: "We come from a perspective within NASA of transparency, accessibility, risk, honesty, merit, and participation. We have insight into what is and could be happening inside the U.S. space program– but so do you, and it is something to be shared and discussed." A lot of corporations could learn something from their O.P.E.N. approach. Come to think of it, so could the rest of our government. But, I'll wait a couple weeks to write that post. October 18, 2008
These days I am the road more frequently and realized how much the DVR (which I still refer to as Tivo even though it's a no frills Scientific something or other) has altered my television consumption. Even when I'm home, I very rarely watch TV "live." I rationalize how much TV I watch by getting in 2 or 3 shows in a time frame that would normally include 1 or 2. This past week, I realized a few things:
For me, the DVR is an empowering technology—it allows me to forget about what I want to see because when I press the list button, it will tell me what I want to watch. It also empowers me to avoid living my life around that must see show—whether it's the NBA finals, the Olympics, Gossip Girl or Mad Men. It empowers me to consume more television in the same amount of time—I don’t have to horse trade shows that are on at the same time. I may need to invest in the Slingbox PRO-HD.
Outside of my personal addiction to the DVR, see below for penetration statistics for US households from Forrester Research. I'm glad to see that I'm not alone. October 16, 2008
What a tremendous honor then to be named by The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces as one of the best places to work in the U.S. on its list of Top Small Workplaces. In Kramer's words, "We are passionate about the work we do for our clients and we have a great time doing it. Our values keep us working hard and smart, promoting an environment that supports innovation and creativity." After the last few weeks of stock market upheaval, this was a welcome surprise. We are grateful to our associates and, humbly, savor the honor. Check out The Wall Street Journal article. October 16, 2008
Like any data, value is derived from use. There’s a rich vein of opportunity, but it requires a shift in mindset and some creative thinking. Are you willing and able to spend the time to build the relationships – or do you just want more effective advertising? Influence Vendors Here’s an overview of the types of vendors in this space, though with the current speed of progress this post is certain to be obsolete by the time you read it. If you are a vendor, please send me your creds and I’ll add you to the list. 1. Method: Analyze & Rank Blogs What brands get: List of most influential blogs in your category and in the case of BuzzLogic, a solution for targeting blog readers via advertising Easy win: Increase advertising effectiveness Vendor example: BuzzLogic, Nielson BuzzMetrics Blogpulse
2. Method: Analyze & Rank Social Network Relationships What brands get: target social ads to friends of brand fans Easy win: increased advertising effectiveness Vendor Example: SocialMedia.com
3. Method: Analyze & Rank Email Database What brands get: Rich customer data based on social network influence and observed behaviors Easy win: More effective CRM programs Vendor Example: Popular Media
4. Method: Analyze and Report Names of Influentials, based on phone surveys of community What brands get: names of individuals cited most influential on buying decision within a community, for a given topic. Easy win: More effective direct sales program October 15, 2008
Take a look at the image above...it's a screenshot taken by Xbox Live gamer Dragunov765 while playing Burnout Paradise, a very popular driving game for the Xbox 360. Yes, that is a paid in-game advertisement displaying an Obama for President campaign message. From the New York Times: "Are political ads in video games a good idea? In terms of eyeballs, I’d have to say yes. Roughly one-third of American households own an Xbox 360, Sony PS3 or Nintendo Wii. In terms of effectiveness, Brandweek recently detailed a survey undertaken by its fellow Nielsen Games division in which 11 percent of gamers said they bought a brand after seeing it advertised in a game." The article goes on to say, "of course, buying a brand of shoes or soda is a totally different prospect than buying a politician’s brand in the polling booth." But you have to give the campaign credit for knowing their audience segments and reaching them where they spend their time. In case you are wondering, here is what the McCain camp is up to. October 7, 2008
Apparently someone's asking...In this playful online experience from Smart UK, all these doubtful questions (and more) are tossed right out there for consumers to see and answer--in a smart way that's quick, easy and fun. Mostly, it's a video, a total sales video trying to convince you to buy the car. But, they've made it interesting in part by putting consumers' doubts right in front. They even have mouse trails of other consumers throughout the experience--so, for example, as you're trying to guess the biggest item in the scene that could possibly fit in the smart fortwo, you see the items other viewers have thought about (read: moused over) guessing. Lately I've seen some creative and non-traditional approaches to selling cars (you have to try Saab's Turbo Gene Test), but I love what smart is doing to Engage consumers by hitting their concerns head-on (seriously, with a wrecking ball in the Safety section), and leaving them both fans and believers. October 3, 2008
Anthropologie's Pioneering Web Site for its Pre-Commercial WomenTagged as: O.P.E.N., creative, engaging, new consumer journey, retailPosted by: Nita Rollins Few apparel and accessory brands have created worlds so thoroughly inhabitable, so completely unto themselves, as Anthropologie. The world of Anthropologie is where women play dress up their whole lives and dream of men but don't really care if they ever show up. An asexual innocence pervades the rooms and visages of Anthrowomen, which is endowed with a nesting instinct that makes sartorial style an extension of one’s domicile. References are not to the catwalk but the artist's canvas, the cupboard's shelf liner, the arts and crafts potholder, the apron of your cookie-baking memories. The stores combine clothes and chest knobs with studied flea market intrigue—although I always thought they could take this premise further and thoroughly break up the categories. And navigating through the web site's current "Black and White" in "Points of View" shows you just how clothes make the room—as well as the woman. Laying on the bed, hanging on the curtain rod, slung over the shabby chic straight back chair are black and white garments sometimes absurdly hard to decipher (is that wool or silk? Is that a top?), but there is much pleasure in swirling around a room where backdrop enhances foreground and vice versa. Generally, the print and the products on the site are too small to see, particularly those on the dress forms, and too swallowed up by the white background (which blends with many of the garments' pre-washed quality) to actually make an informed buying decision about them. The zoom utility, you quickly realize, isn't a luxury. But you excuse a lot of dead ends and inscrutable nomenclature (Where, do you suppose, "Adorned" will take me?) because everything seems designed to be a little Lost & Found in Anthropologie's world. In particular, navigation of Anthropologie.com is increasingly off the beaten nav bar/drop-down menu path; it has a whimsicality that is near genius, except for a few oversights that cause excessive reliance on the back button. Throughout the entire "Adorned" section you find navigation redefined in Anthropological terms. In "Look Closer," pretty objects are made preternaturally detailed under the movable microscopic pane, and take on an archeological intensity. The "Masterpieces" section features pre-Raphaelite beauties painted with artful smudges of blush or eye shadow. They also blink, which is to say the models are live, more or less, as they are posing as mannequins—or impersonating portrait sitters. This section fascinates—and reminded me of the likewise blinking digital portraits adorning the walls of Ian Shrager's Clift Hotel Redwood Room. The "Spectra" section was a combination of Barneys' floating products and the scattering effect of Visual Thesaurus. "Wonderland" lays the product over fairytale (magical mushroom) graphics, and, indeed, the entire site reworks the pristine white space of ecommerce with a collage aesthetic, with remnants, notions, paper scraps, lyrical word lists of studied desultoriness, like the following: Zephyr mist vast leaden loam moss Molten moonless salted frigid earthen light Gloaming volatile magnificence cold calm Iceland. I'm a deep admirer of the Anthropologie brand, and think the navigation and collage aspects of the web site are important digital shopping innovations disguised as whimsy. But by way of postscript, and as a true confession, I have to say I'm not much of a consumer of the brand. Those Anthro models find themselves in places that generally don't show up on my fantasy map. (I'm more Manhattan rooftop restaurant than roadhouse. ) But I'm deeply intrigued by the pre-commercial Eden (all hand-me-downs and heirlooms) beckoning its targeted consumers. And given the prominent role the catalog plays in the found-object world of the web site, if I could ever find those Anthrowomen on the grid, I'd be tempted to send them their first Sears & Roebuck catalog. Before helping them log on to Anthropologie.com, of course. October 2, 2008
 Facebook – Delivering value to this Gen XerTagged as: O.P.E.N., networked, personal, social web, trendsPosted by: Mila Goodman I have two digital social profiles – my professional one and my personal one. In my professional world – I have an avatar, I twitter, I shop online and am an active member of several social networks. My personal circle – comprised mainly of my non-work friends – is mostly offline and connected by phone and face to face. They don’t twitter, post pictures online and rarely use email or IM. In the past 2 weeks, these worlds finally collided. My high school and college friends made their way onto Facebook and I am re-connected with them. Facebook now delivers the promise of being a social utility – not because of any updates or re-designs but simply because the people I want to stay connected to are finally there! I can keep tabs and update both of my worlds with single strokes on the keyboard (or more likely my Treo). The fact that it successfully juxtaposes my work self with my personal self is truly an awesome thing. In my experience, my generation—unlike the Digital Millenials—is either in the digital space or still trying to figure it out. For my Xer friends not in the business, the online channel is not part of their DNA or even seen as a useful way to communicate. Notwithstanding the social convenience Facebook has recently delivered for me, it is a part of mass culture. Consider some of these stats… - Facebook has over 110 mm active users - Facebook is the 4th most-trafficked website in the world - Facebook is the most-trafficked social media site in the world - More than half of Facebook users are outside of college - The fastest growing demographic is those 25 years old and older - Maintain 85 percent market share of 4-year U.S. universities - Over 24,000 applications have been built on Facebook Platform - 140 new applications added per day If you’re an Xer or Boomer looking for an easy entry into the social web, visit Facebook.com and re-connect with your family and friends or friend me and I’ll show you the ropes. |
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