After recently opening to the public, Google+ increased by 1,269 percent. With a recording of 50 million users, the social networking infant is on it's way to compete against established sites such as LinkedIn and MySpace.
Does this mean that Google+ will be the new Facebook within the future? This is all I hear from Google fanatics.
Even after three months of operation, no other social networking site has achieved 50 million users within such a short period. However, history has shown with other social products (like MySpace) that high levels of early growth do not always prove a global dominance within the future. Also, after spending weeks in a beta status, this growth spurt may have occurred from the site being released for the public.
Graph Developed by Leon Haland
During the week of September 24th, 2011; Facebook was recorded in having over 1.8 billion visits while Google+ only had 15 million. Also, in a blog posted by atelier-seo, Zuckerberg reported that 4 billion digital media content are shared on Facebook every day while 1 billion is shared on Google+. This shows Google+ only shares 25 percent of what Facebook shares.
When you do further number-crunching, Facebook and Google+ are nearly 7.5 years old and 3 months old, consecutively. If Google+ users share 25 percent of what Facebook users share within 1.11 percent of Facebook's lifespan then this new social site is a deep threat to Mark Zuckerberg.
Don't get me wrong, Google+ has an outstanding performance since its inception. But the future of the site is still complacent since it is a very young social network. The critical attribute is longevity and it will determine whether Google+ will sustain itself as a social network for the longhaul.
Having eleven records of the NBA Championship, the highest winning percentage of any Hall of Fame NBA Coach and being ranked as one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History says alot. And after retiring from coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, the legendary coach Phil Jackson still shows he has the wits to inspire greatness within the new Audi A8 commercial. It was aired during the 2011 NFL opening season only once, and although much buzz is not circulating from the advertisement, the commercial is surely unique in its communication.
The verbal irony of dealing with egos is what makes the commercial great since Jackson handled the self-admiration's of some of the NBA's top players like Micheal Jordan and Kobe Bryant who is known for carrying a big head. This is especially true since Mike Brown took over as head coach of the Lakers. The commercial plays upon this topic in a suddle yet savvy approach while also upholding Jackson's perception of being the "Zen Master".
His "Master Roshi" qualities helped persuade Michael Jordan to embrace the triangle offense for the Chicago Bulls which was briefly noted within the commercial. He also persuaded O'Neal and Bryant to temporarily put their issues aside for three consecutive title runs and recently helped a tear-jerkng Dennis Rodman compose himself through an emotional Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
In some ways, the Audi brand as a whole can be compared to Phil Jackson due to its historical reputation for achieving greatness making both a unique co-branding experience.
Being recognized as an innovative luxury car company, Audi is one of the oldest German-established automobile manufacturers that was started in 1910 in Zwickau, Germany. By 1931, Audi was the world's first volume-built car that incorporated front-wheel drive with 250,000 vehicles sold. And according to statistics from autospies.com, Audi's global sales as of May 2010 rose 14.6 percent with a total of 455,700 premium cars sold by the second quarter of 2010 outbeating Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
The Audi Type K 1921 Model
And as of May 2011, Audi still continues with progressing sales while maintaining a 19.5 percent lead (roughly 113,400 cars) ahead of Mercedes-Benz as stated by BMWblog. Audi also continues to be the leader within the Chinese market with a 44.6 percent market share followed by BMW.
With such history, high sales and large market share within Asia, Europe as well as the US; what better way to showcase these accomplishments then by teaming up with historical and well-accomplished figure Phil Jackson. As the commercial said, "True Greatness Should Never Go Unrecognized."
Society is changing socially and economically. An example of this drastic change are video games. Once seen as an escape from reality and a cause of lack in physical activities; video games are now used for work-outs, family get-togethers, house-parties and on-the-go thanks to smartphones. And with other drastic issues happening within society, such as education, healthcare and the economy; individuals are using video games to help make a better world.
One of these individuals is world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal. Famous for her alternate reality games and humanitarian efforts, McGonigal believes Four Ingredients will not only help create humanitarian causes but will make a happy and meaningful life for individuals and the world.
1. Satisfying Work
When a gamer is participating in a game they are intrigued with, they feel highly productive. "We have clear goals and a sense of heroic purpose. More important, we're constantly able to see and feel the impact of our efforts on the virtual world around us,"McGonigal mentioned within a Wall Street interview. She also exclaimed that as an outcome, the gamer feels a stronger sense of their own well-being and are more likely to set ambitious real-life goals.
2. Real Hope for Success
While playing a video game, a gamer has strong optimism in taking on new challenges. And when they fail, they consistently re-try until they win. This strong pursuit and optimism leads players in saving Princess Peach in a Mario game, reaching the most points within Guitar Hero and even beating Metal Gear Solid on difficult (which requires ALOT of pursuit from my experience).
3. Strong Social Connection When an individual finishes playing a game with another person, both are likely to trust eachother more. Gamers are also more likely to help someone in real life after they've played with that person through an online or video-game console.
4. Becoming Part of Something Bigger Than Ourselves
Storylines for video games have become more epic and compelling that massive multiplayer environments are invoking sensations of awe and wonder. Because of this, researchers have indicated that when a person is experiencing these feelings, there is a higher chance of that individual serving a large cause and collaborating with others selflessly. Feels like we need more people like this in the world, don't we?
These four factors are part of several alternate reality game projects that McGonigal has already applied. Two of her most popular a.r.g's are EVOKE and WORLD WITHOUT OIL.
EVOKE is best described as a ten-week crash course in changing the world. The goal is to empower people throughout the world to come up with solutions to our most urgent social problems (aka urgent evokes). As of January 2011, more than 19,000 players tackled real-world missions to improve food security, create more access to clean energy and end poverty in more than 130 countries.
The game also focused on players constructing and launching their own social enterprises. And after 10 weeks of the game debuting, more than 50 new companies were established. One of these enterprises is Libraries Across Africa which empowers entrepreneurs to set up free community libraries.
WWO is another alternate reality game that debuted in April 2007, when we experienced a substantial drop in the supply of oil. Individuals played through blog posts, videos, photo's, podcasts and even twitter. The key of the game is for players to visualize through these communication channels what would happen if the world ran it's last drop of oil. How would the lives of people change?
Players first read a news feed from other players on how a shortfall of oil was affecting their own lives and what they were doing to cope with the problem. And as the crisis continued, players updated eachother with further thoughts, reactions and solutions. As a result, the game had over 1900 players with more than 60,000 active observers with 1500 stories and solutions told.
With this kind of gaming content and collaboration, maybe video games can make a better world. Maybe we can discover the cure for cancer through a video game. But until then, hear what Jane herself has to say about this evolution of video gaming.
Everyone loves to be a hero. It symbolizes purity and goodness, because of this, no one likes to be a villain. A villain is perceived as evil and bad, however, it is reasonable to sympathize for them. And the more you sympathize for them, the more you see that villain's are not evil but advocates for change.
Drastic events or traumas happen within our lives that shape our perceptions and develop our morals we live by. Every person deemed good or bad go through this phase in life. It is a loss of innocence that individuals go through.
Two-Face and Ra's Al Ghul
Take for example Ra's Al Ghul and Harvey Dent, Batman's villains. Ra's Al Ghul lost his wife by the hands of a political figure who was not brought to justice. The loss of his wife and the injustice brought upon her death shaped his perception of how corrupt the justice system really is. In the case of Harvey Dent, he received his coined token from his abusive father who would use it as a "night game" that would always end with his father giving him severe beatings. Because of the trauma he suffered as a child, Dent struggled with the idea of free will and could not make choices on his own. This left choices to be decided on the flip of a coin with one side representing death and the other life.
Magneto
Within the X-Men comics, Magneto grew up in the Nazi camps during the dreadful years of WWII due to his Jewish ethnicity. During that time, his family was executed by the soldiers leaving him scarred for life. After surviving the Nazi camps due to his mutant powers, he later witnessed the same kind of inequality being pressed upon mutants by the human society. In a 2008 interview, Stan Lee mentions that "He (Magneto) just wanted to strike back at the people who were so bigoted and racist... he was trying to defend the mutants, and because society was not treating them fairly he was going to teach society a lesson."
Hugo Drax
Being a popular figure among the classic James Bond villains, Hugo Drax had a disturbing history of being tortured as a youth for being German and losing his father who was a German General fighting against the English during WWI. He grew a taste of vengeance and hatred towards the world for being tortured and losing his father. He perceived the world to be cruel and resulted in him becoming a Nazi bent on revenge within the classic action-thriller Moonraker.
These villains were once good people who were burdened with drastic events that changed their lives, a personal bildungsroman what you will. They are still people and like heroes, villains have sympathy.
Going back to Batman, Henri Ducard sympathizes with Bruce Wayne upon the loss of his parents. Due to this, he trains Bruce Wayne and nurtures him upon providing "true" justice. With Two-face/Harvey Dent, Dent struggles in doing what's right and wrong due to his multiple personality disorder. However, he sympathizes with Commissioner Gordon and Batman in helping to stop crime in Gotham City.
As for Magneto, he is depressed of losing his family as a child and is angered at the mistreatment of mutants. He therefore sympathizes with the mutants being treated unequal as he was during WWII. He vouches to be the protector of mutant-kind even if it requires deadly means. Within the movie Moonraker, Drax sympathizes with fellow Germans who lived in England and forms an alliance with them upon his quest for a new civilization in Space while taking revenge on the world who treated him and his country-men with disgust.
Sympathy is a positive characteristic and is shown in very different ways from these villains. As an end result, these villains are not evil but advocates of change.
Drax wanted to build a civilization in space within Moonraker and be superior to the world that treated him poorly. Ra's Al Ghul was an advocate for change in healing the world of corruption through any means necessary. Although Harvey Dent struggles with his alter ego, he attempts to change the system of justice by leaving it to fate. Magneto is determined to protect mutants as he believes them to be "Homo superior" and would set about creating a homeland on Earth where mutants could live peacefully.
From this analysis, all individuals can be seen as villains. All individuals aspire to some sort of change that is fueled by past events within ones life. Because of this, a villain is a subjective term to use. They are advocates of change who at times are brought down by an individual (hero) for the sake of sticking to the status quo. Sometimes, change can be a good thing.
The wars between Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola have been constant throughout the years. Especially now due to Pepsi's new campaign, "Summer Time is Pepsi Time."
As mentioned in Advertising Age, "It's the third effort from the company in the past year to attack a Coca-Cola brand."
Late last summer, Pepsi attacked Coca-Cola's Coke Zero with the Pepsi Max and this past March Pepsi's Sierra Mist took on Coke's Sprite.
However both companies benefit from the "Cola Wars."
Massimo d'Amore, CEO-PepsiCo Beverages America, exclaims that consumers love cola wars and that both companies SBU markets grow due to the battles. "Since we launched the Max campaign, Max is growing triple digits and Coke Zero is still growing, so everybody wins when we get into the cola wars."
However as a comeback, Diet Coke beat Pepsi as the country's No. 2 soda in 2010 which was just behind the full-calorie brand Coca-Cola. In response to this, PepsiCo said it will increase ad spending behind its beverage brand by 30%.
This is certainly a sign of a lot of work laid out for the newly restructured marketing teams of PepsiCo headquarters to tackle.
Both companies are alike in both financial, structural and taste (with Pepsi being just a little more sweeter than Coke).
Justin Dove from Investment U Research reports that some people theorize that both brand's labels have more to do with consumer's preferences than the actual soda. He further mentions how this is shown from each company's stock.
"Both Pepsi and Coke are favorites of super investor Warren Buffett. That's because both stocks have had strong growth and both are cash cows when it come to dividends."
- Justin Dove
Below are some other financial key findings Dove found:
Coke has increased annual dividends for 49 years running, Pepsi also has a streak of increasing their annual dividend for 39 straight years.
Coke's stock price has grown in value by over 50 percent since the beginning of 2009. Pepsi's stock has grown by about 40 percent in the same time.
In terms of market share, Coke owns the top two spots in the cola industry - Coke and Diet Coke - with Pepsi's flagship cola coming in at third.
As a competitive advantage for Pepsi, Coke lacks in diversification. Pepsi is tapped into the snack food market with brands such as Frito-Lay and Quaker while Coke relies on it's beverage diversification with Dasani bottled water, PowerAde and Minut Maid juices.
So at the end which one is better? The answer is neither.
In the end, it's all about preference. If you prefer your drink to be a little more sweeter with each sip, go with a Pepsi. But if you want to enjoy the whole can, then I'd recommend a Coke.
Both companies symbolize the bi-polar opposites and like The Joker and Batman, both complement each other well.
I read an interesting article from Forbes writer Gene Marks about reasons why some businesses should not invest or get involved with social media. I couldn't imagine why businesses would not use it. However, Gene Marks discussed some interesting reasons based off a recent survey from Webs. In the survey, the following statistics were found:
69 percent of business owners say they use social media at their companies.
Over 89 percent of businesses reported using Facebook.
However, 59.4 percent of those using social media feel that it has not met their expectations.
I found the last statistic shocking, so I conducted more research into this problem and discovered another interesting article by Stanford is Pushing Social called 4 Reasons Why Businesses Shouldn't Use Social Media.
Of the four reasons, the first one is the strongest: It's not where your customers and prospects are. This reason is relevant with Gene Marks business problem as he talks about his clients and their prospects.
“My clients sell things like two-sided polypropylene film, stainless steel coils and ridge ventilation solutions. Know anyone on Facebook looking for this stuff? Probably not.”
- Gene Marks
I surfed through Facebook communities and tweets in hopes of discovering stainless steel buyers and proving Marks wrong. However, he was right. Stainless steel customers and prospects are not on Facebook or Twitter. Which means they must be somewhere else, but where?
Businesses involved within the Oil, Steel and Construction industry find other ways to build their clients or customers such as referrals, trade associations and tradeshows like the Stainless Steel World Conference & Exhibition. For Marks, this is where his customers and prospects are.
It's easy to get caught up in the "social media bandwagon" since it is innovative, low-cost and is the new "sexy" trend in communication. But if your customers or prospects are not using it then social media is not for your business.
Protests in Greece are spreading due to the Greek Government imposing fiscal austerity in the country in order to receive European funding to lower the government costs that were caused by growing government deficits (overly borrowing) and the decrease in tourism and shipping that was caused by the late-2000s financial crisis.
According to Business Insider, an issue occurred in the beginning of 2010 where it was reported that Greece had paid Goldman Sachs and other banks hundreds of millions of dollars in fees since 2001 in order to hide the country's actual level of borrowing. The purpose was to give Greece the capabilities of spending beyond their means in order to hide their deficit from the European Union over-seers.
The Greek Government deficit is still a serious burden. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the Greek Government deficit was estimated to be 13.6% of the country's GDP which according to London's Daily Telegraph is one of the highest deficits in the world relative to GDP.
As a visual, below is a graph showing Greece as well as other European countries government surplus/deficit as a percentage of their GDP.
Provided by Wikimedia
As emergency measures, the EU has established a European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) which is meant to stabilize the european countries that are members of the EU and are experiencing substantial government deficits. As an affect of this vehicle, fiscal austerity have been occurring which have resulted in less public sector jobs provided contributing to the 17% unemployment rate Greece is experiencing.
Greek protestors believe the fiscal austerity, haven tightened the fiscal and monetary policies of the country, will as an end result diminish investment and economic growth for the country in the long term. This could lead to a lower employment and GDP rate in order to battle the huge government deficit.
On CNBC, John Taylor mentioned that Greece cannot take on any more borrowing and will most likely need to be given monetary funds from the EU as a gift in order to stabilize their economy. If Greece defaults then they will be excluded from the Euro Dollar and the country will be in a much worse situation then they currently are now.
Although this will not have a drastic affect upon the European Union, more Greek citizens will lose their jobs and even their homes if the government does not act right and exacerbate their debt in a smart and strategic manner.
Being a Texan you would expect me to go for a Texas-based NBA team to win the Finals. And although I support Texas teams, I instead was rooting for the Miami Heats.
If you have not yet closed out from this post or leave a harsh comment by now then I am surprised.
Many of my friends gave me a hard time for supporting the Heats and I do not blame them. Either way I am satisfied that the Dallas Mavericks won the title. Dirk Norwitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry brought the team together and proved that to win the game you don't need the best athletes, rather, good teamwork, sportsmanship, unstoppable drive and harwork in achieving an NBA title.
It is unfortunate that Lebron James "The King" built up much publicity of winnng the 2011 NBA Title and choked when push came to shove. I do not bash the man for this but I was disappointed in how his mind was not in the game during game five and six. However it is not just all on Lebron, the team as a whole including Wade and Bosch did not push it as much as the Mavericks did.
The Miami Heat are indeed the under-dogs which fuels more reason for why they would want to win the title next season. And with more competition brewing not just from the West but the East (Chicago and Memphis) the team has much to work on, including the "Batman" of the team; Dwyane Wade. He is the backbone and leader of the Heats and is a well-respected player due to his drive in wanting to win the title.
Rather than perfecting the team's defensive and offensive coordinations, specifically their rebounds, blocks, field goal shots and assists per game, Wade needs to instill persistence and most of all team work among all the players rather than just the big three. I do hope the Heat perfect on these flaws and come back stronger next season.
After looking back at the Mavericks play-by-play in game six, ALL the players were heavily used and involved both offensively and defensively and achieved high turnovers, rebounds and assists.
I admit I was wrong in believing in order to win the NBA finals you need the best athletes (the Big Three), rather you need good teamwork among your peers with strong leadership and drive. These are key characteristics needed to achieve any form of success.
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks and especially Dirk Norwitzki, after 13 years of playing the game, you earned it!
Thanks to fast broadband connections and other innovations in technology, love is now found through the digital world of online dating. In 2010, one in five singles have dated someone they met on a dating site or are currently in a committed relationship with someone they met online according to datingsitereviews.com. Topped with membership fee's and advertising, this makes the online dating industry valued between $3 billion - 4 billion a year according to the Economist.
Online dating has been driven by several trends in society. One of these is that people now move around more often for work, distancing themselves from friends and family members who would normally play matchmakers. Another is that people are living longer, making them more likely to look for new love later in life. Also, with the spread of fast broadband connectivity and innovation of technology in many countries, singles are being encouraged to dabble in online dating. Some of these innovations in technology are forms of electronic communication such as social networks, e-mail and instant messaging.
Mobile Dating
The next big bubble to happen in on-line dating is the adoption of it through mobile smartphones. According to mobile research group Ground Truth, mobile dating saw a 92% increase in users since the summer began with the average user of a mobile phone spending 12 minutes and 44 seconds on mobile dating sites per week.
Although this new form of soul-mate searching and intimacy have resulted in positive outcomes for people, there has also been some negative affects.
Cyber Affairs
An increase in what many call "Cyber Affairs," where married couples create single profiles on online dating sites and indulge extramarital affairs, have left many marriages and families ruined.
According to authorsden.com, "In the past 10 years, divorce attorneys have reported seeing an increase in divorces and separations resulting from cyber infidelity. According to the Fortino Group, one-third of divorce litigation is caused by online affairs."
The website also mentioned the following statistics about Cyber Affairs:
According to statistics, 50 percent of people who engage in internet chats have made phone contact with someone they chatted with online.
30 percent of cyber affairs escalate from e-mail to telephone calls to personal contact.
31 percent of people had an online conversation which eventually led to real-time sex.
This shows the likelihood of cyber affairs occurring and is one of many reasons why online daters to be cautious for whom they pursue.
Virtual Girlfriends
A new trend occurring, specifically in Japan, is the adoption of virtual girlfriends/boyfriends for busy and single men and women. One of these popular virtual dating games is the Nintendo DS Love Plus+.
Since the marriage rate among Japan's shrinking population is falling and with many of the country's remaining lovebirds heading for Hawai or Australia's Gold Coast, the resort town Atami attracted single men who play Love Plus+ for a romantic cavation with their virtual girlfriends.
In the frst month of the city's promotional campaign, more than 1,500 male fans of the Japanese dating-simulation game Love Plus+ travelled to Atami for a fomantic date with their videogame character girlfriends.
Love Plus+ re-creates the experience of an adolescent romance while the goal is not just to get the girl but to maintain a relationship with her.
"There isn't a lot of romance in my life and this helps me cope with some of the loneliness," said Love Plus+ video game player Mr. Fukazawa.
The city is still running a yearly promotion with Love Plus+. The Wall Street Journal conducted a special interview with the local businesses and resorts. To view the video, click here.
Virtual dating is also popular in other countries and a virtual boyfriend/girlfriend can be found as applications within the iPhone and Android.
In 2008, NYU Student Drew Burrows invented a 2-D virtual girlfriend from a software and infrared program. The virtual girlfriend curls and speaks to you once you lie in bed based upon movements of one's body. To read the full story, click here.
Although I am an advocate for technology and innovation, I find that romance is best experienced through face-to-face encounters. Romance and love finding isn't always best to find through a computer algorithm that correlates and distinghuishes one's compatbility with another. Nor is it ideal to make up your own girlfriend and have a romantic dinner with a portable game console or cuddle next to a 2-D girlfriend.
However, it does fulfill the gap of loneliness that many people are experiencing. Wonder what new ways of romance are in store for society within the near future.
On CNBC today there are talks of the US Economy hitting a "Soft Patch" due to published statistics and analysis from the US Labor Bureau of the unemployment rate increasing to 9.1 percent. Several arguments arose as to whether the Fed should look into the possibility of a QE3, or in other words, the possibility of more cash printed and pushed into the secondary market. All in all, the government is wanting to arouse or increase the consumer confidence in order to nurture and strengthen the US economy.
US Unemplyment Rate
Provided by US Labor Bureau
Although this may deem effective for the short-term, history has shown this to be ineffective. During QE1, big banks such as JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs held on to the cash provided by the government as excess reserves due to a complacent economic environment. The cash printed and given to the banks were meant to unfreeze the credit market so consumers can use the monetary funds as buying power to keep the economy afloat.
Although consumption of US goods is deemed necessary, it should be done through the proper causes of mediary channels. The main solution I believe in strenghening the US economy is by instilling a long-term perspective in creating more jobs and opportunities for consumers. Once this is done, consumer confidence will increase resulting in a multiplier effect of proper consumption and spending that are derived from consumer's discretionary income.
Although this theoretically sounds easy, it is very difficult to apply due to other external variables such as: increase in outsourced jobs for cheap labor, non-increase in wages or salaries to offset inflation, companies unwilling to spend to create jobs due to economic complacency and a substantial increase in US consumer and government debt due to stimulus packages from QE1 and QE2.
On a positive note; The Conference Board, a global, independent business membership and research association that works in the economic public interest of society, forecast the US economy's real GDP to increase throughout the third and fourth quarter. Which in some part may be due to the stimulus affects of QE2. However, they base their forecasts off the progression of technology and innovation.
Provided by the Conference Board
Technology and innovation are great, but will they spur more job opportunities? Hopefully our choppy economy will turn out progressively smooth by the beginning of the third quarter and the issue of consumer confidence will diminish. In the end, it will all be based upon US employment rising to surge the economic growth which should be of more importance in both a short-term and long-term perspective.
So I started off my weekday doing my normal routine of job-hunting, until I decided to take a break and watch a random episode of SouthPark.
While I sat at my desk with my cold Big Red in my hand with left-over Valentino Pizza, I ended up watching season 10 episode two aka Smug Alert.
Season 10, Episode 2: Smug Alert
The synopsis of this episode is how Kyle's dad, Gerald Broflovski, buys a hybrid car and showcases the vehicle throughout the town of SouthPark. Since he believes he is ahead of the curve in being more green and fuel efficient resulting in him thinking he is better than others (showcasing his smug), Kyle's Dad soon becomes alienated by the locals of the town. He decides to move his family to San Francisco where he aspires to live among the progressors of the new-age liberal city who also drive hybrids and think they are better than others. A marketer would surely conclude this DMA's social class as innovators.
The Broflovski's interacting with new neighbors in San Francisco
As Stan, Kyle's friend and confidante, finds out about his move he attempts to bring his friend back by getting the town into accepting and driving hybrids. In marketing words: he attempts to change the town's social norms through altering it's socio-cultural influences. He does this by making a song about buying hybrids and promoting it through the towns local radio station, a standard and traditional grassroot publicity tactic.
Random and weird for a person to see: YES. But is it strange for a marketer to see this: NO.
What triggered this thought process of mine was a particular scene where Randy Marsh drives around town with his new hybrid and comes across other locals who drive hybrids. I noticed their acknowledgement and acceptance of each other's vehicle and the fulfillment of being among a higher elite group/social class. Each person driving a hybrid felt accepted among their peers which is an effective marketing tactic if implemented well.
Implementation is the difficult part in this process since the message is extremely viral and vague to measure. What makes a message viral is that consumers can be very irrational and motivated more so by their family-cultural norms, consumer behavior patterns and their surroundings. This is also shown through the SouthPark episode.
Only in a crazy world like SouthPark would a little song work in changing the town's perception and acceptance of hybrid vehicles. However in the real world, multi-million dollars are spent doing this through a trickle effect of what most marketers call the Integrated Marketing Communications plan.
Deemed a curse at times, a marketer will always view their surroundings (even a cartoon show) from a marketing perspective.
Feel free to watch the full link episode: Smug Alert
I was recently on Facebook today and I noticed the new Captain Morgan USA video. After watching it, I was intrigued so much with the new brand positioning that Diageo, the world's leading premium drink business took with the real-life privateer that I had to make a blog about it.
Last month I remember posting a blog in regards to Ben Silverstein and his idea of advancing TV production companies into the undeveloped realm of advertainment. I barked down on the idea because their needs to be an underlying story of the brand. Also the brand needs to have a strong rememberance of the characteristics the brand encompasses among consumers in order to implement this. If not, then the content would not be effective in growing the market share of participating companies optimizing their brands and all their money wasted in producing, marketing and exploiting it through TV networks would all fall to pieces.
But in the case of Captain Henry Morgan, I find it to be possible. This is because Captain Henry Morgan, as mentioned earlier, was a real-life privateer!
According to the Captain Morgan website, "In 1654 a young Henry Morgan left his native Wales for the West Indies...A born leader, he quickly became Captain Henry Morgan and became famous as a legal pirate or Buccaneer, defending British interests and generally rocking the Caribbean...exploits on the high seas earned him a knighthood and by 1680 Sir Henry Morgan was a plantation owner and Governor of Jamaica. There he lived out his final days until his death in 1688."
Because there literally lived a Captain Henry Morgan, I can visually see a motion-pictured mini-series with what Academy-Award winning Director Tom Hooper, is in the mist of creating.
This works because you already have a story embedded within the brand. And not to even mention, rarely any consumer, especially those who drink Captain Morgan's Spice Rum, know about that story. So why not exploit it with the product to grasp more of the Rum Market?
PRNewswire ran a press release last month of the production of the new AD campaign Captain Morgan USA was taking with renowned director Tom Hooper. As mentioned verbatim in the press release by Tom Herbst, Brand Director of Captain Morgan USA, "For the first time, we're bringing to life the mystery and intrigue surrounding Henry Morgan...we are ecstatic to have Tom play an integral role in revealing an exciting new side of the brand."
PRNewswire also mentioned this is the first within a series the company will produce in broadcast televison later this month of May. I find this campaign to be much more effective than the other commercial broadcasts in penetrating a market.
I can see the company really going far with their new take of the brand, and while doing so, really grasp a new market share with the Spicy Rum.
Why, I can even see their new film content being cross-sold or product placed on Pirates of the Caribbean. (Makes me wonder who can outdrink the other: Captain Jack Sparrow or Captain Henry Morgan???)
Either way, I definitely see so much potential for the new positioning of this brand and I most certainly see advertainment being utilized within it.
According to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Microsoft will be acquistioning the world's most popular Internet calling service as well as its 663 million customers for $8.5 billion. The acquisition is the biggest Internet takeover since the age of the Internet bubble.
The reason for the purchase was for both companies to catch up in the online and mobile advertising realm. This takeover could help Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, tempt Skype users to try Microsoft's phones and software in order to limit Google Inc.'s market share in internet and mobile advertising. This will also help Skype in finally obtaining revenue.
According to Skype's financial statements, in 2010 it recorded a loss of $7m on revenues of $860m – $1.30 per registered user a year, or $5 per "connected" user a year. While revenue loss have been decreasing for the past year-on-years, it has been able to negotiate better call termination rates around the world with telephone companies.
Ballmer mentions, ""Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world. Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world." This will be implemented by Microsoft connecting Skype to Microsoft Outlook e-mail, Xbox and Kinect game consoles, Windows mobile phones and corporate-phone software.
Skype CEO Tony Bates will be president of the Microsoft Skype Division and will over-see the newly established Microsoft strategic business unit.
All of this is very great news and due to the high volume of "Skypers" out there, it also poses some trouble.
Due to Skype's partnerships with AT&T and Verizon Wireless, Microsoft may a have a difficult time in convincing wireless operators to support mobile phones with Windows mobile software, which is deemed a laggard within the mobile telecommunication world. The acquistion also poses a threat to AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless because it could cut into their voice revenues since Skype lets members make free voice and video calls to each other as well as to outsiders for on average 2.3 cents a minute.
It would probably be ideal for Microsoft and Skype to still maintain good relationships with cell-phone carriers in order to drive a possible adoption of Windows Mobile. But while pursuing this, I would strongly focus on effectively embedding Skype within the Xbox and Kinect game console in order to increase sales of the console and usage of its Xbox network. Imagine not just playing a controlless home video-game console while video chatting with a friend through Skype's premium VoIP, but through the Xbox network being able to view your buddy playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare! How cool could that be!!
Microsoft could make Xbox members become Skype users and enjoy all the services both the Xbox and Skype already offers.
Dut don't forget Tablet PC's.
Traditional PC's are being replaced with tablets and if you throw Skype into the mix Microsoft will have a unique edge compared to its competitors Apple and Google.
In the near future, I predict wireless operators such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless lowering their prices in order to compete in this dynamic market.
For those of my generation as well as generation X, Mortal Kombat was the ultimate rebellious game that pushed the limit of mature video game content and as a result opened the door for more brutal, violent and dark video games to exist.
I strongly believe that the Mortal Kombat franchise as a whole is underminded, while stating that, the franchise has the capabilities to come back around and prosper once again not just within the video gaming industry but also in motion pictures.
Before I get into that, I want to mention some historical highlights that occurred when Mortal Kombat was released.
Due to the franchises use of digitized sprite, blood and gore, Mortal Kombat caused the creation of the Electronics Software Ratings Board in 1994 after Mortal Kombat II was released.
Lets be honest traditional Mortal Kombat gamers, this was a bumber since it restricted the game against young video game enthusiasts, but from a marketing standpoint, the controversy of MK's strong violent gaming content helped construct the Mortal Kombat brand as the rebellious game for kids to play.
Much like the controversy with Charlie Sheen, I find this to be one of the underlying variables as to why the young franchise at the time recieved so much attention and publicity to where it was an advantage for it against other video games.
However, due to newer, more fun, interactive, and violent video games; the franchise lost its touch and is now a laggard within the gaming world. However, I believe one thing can be used to revitalize Mortal Kombat and bring back the good old days into the new and more technologically advanced world; an in-depth and integrated storyline.
Storylines are key when it comes to any form of entertainment. This is what made Metal Gear Solid a huge success. It is the lifeline of any form of entertainment/media. If you don't have an intriguing story, you lose the attention and interest of the audience. Another example of a video game franchise that utilized a compelling storyline to become almost a conglomerate within the gaming world is the legendary Halo series.
Like Halo, the MK franchise should develop better quality literary material that will strengthen MK whether it's through novels or the continuation of the Mortal Kombat comic book series.
The key is it needs to contain literary elements of deep characterization that will make audience relate to the characters. This is what moves and attracts an audience. The more they can relate to a character's situation or problem, the more intrigued they are. For instance, in the comic book series Battlewave, Liu Kang faces personal issues of wanting to live a normal life as he attempts to pursue his passion as an architect back home in Chicago instead of a champion fighter in Mortal Kombat. This is a personal struggle of a person unwilling to accept their own fate and responsibilities. It would be interesting to develop in literary material a more in-depth story of this as well as other personal challenges in a dark, realistic and gritty form.
What will help the franchise in making the necerray changes to do this is the current production of the third installment of the Mortal Kombat motion picture series Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.
What I think will be cool is if a literary novel was made that complemented the mini-tv web series (Mortal Kombat: Legacy), which is a prequel to the upcoming movie and another literary series that followed the outcome of the movie.
The novels can focus specifically on each character's past while being realistic, dark and gritty. I think traditional Mortal Kombat fans would actually take their time and read the novels because the personal lives of the popular Mortal Kombat characters have never before been told. This will increase its awareness and carry along a compelling story that can be applied to all the Mortal Kombat characters in the long-term. Imagine how successful MK would be.
This is what made Batman Begins such a huge success! Christopher Nolan took a dark, gritty and often realstic approach to the prequel and re-defined the Batman franchise by focusing upon Bruce Wayne's troubled past and presenting it in a form where the audience can relate to the character on a deeper level.
If the MK franchise implemented the approach of a deeper, darker, and empathic storyline within the characters and the tournament as a whole within literary novels and even newly developed video games (like the continuation of such games as Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero) then the franchise will be extremely successful and prosper with future MK projects.
Last Thursday, Bloomberg Businessweek posted an article about Ben Silverman; famous former NBC TV Dealmaker who developed popular shows such as The Biggest Loser, The Office and Ugly Betty; announced he plans to mix advertising and TV entertainment together to where they are "inextricably mixed." Silverman mentions he wants to make advertising inescapable by bringing major corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Subway, Pepsi and State Farm Insurace into the writer's room and put their brands directly into the shows they are sponsoring.
Theoretically, a very creative idea that Marketer's and Brand managers would love to be a part of. However, in reality, a very difficult idea to implement, especially if it's a TV show that only symbolizes the product itself.
For instance, in the fall of 2010, Centric, a spinoff channel of Black Entertainment Televison, aired a show titled Masters of the Mix, a DJ competition reality show that Electus co-produced with GTM, an Atlanta-based marketing agency. The show was integrated with Smirnoff with seven DJs who were competing to become the next Smirnoff-sponsored DJ, who will spin at company-promoted events around the world.
Unfortunately, Masters of the Mix only aired eight episodes because it failed to meet Centric's "minimum reporting standards" since not many people watched the show. Part of the reason for its failure was due to Smirnoff not blending into the show's narrative and due to plenty of commercial breaks, viewers mentioned Smirnoff just loaded the series down with additional advertising.
This shows you can not integrate pre-mature TV shows who's sole purpose is just to promote a product. Advertainment needs to penetrate a deeper meaning and message that viewers can sympathize with.
One company has been successful within Advertainment by searching for their core perceptive meaning and effectively communicating it to TV viewers.
According to Retail World, in 2010 Mars Petcare used an integration with the Network Ten TV program 'The Biggest Loser' to associate its Pedigree Light & Mature brand with weight-loss and healthy eating for dogs. Shown to be a great compliment to a show that advocates a healthy life-style that envokes eating healthy and maintaining a healthy body, Mars Petcare's sales of the Pedigree Light & Mature increased by nine percent within stores that carry the brand.
This shows that the key to successful advertainment is the correlation of each subject's content and a deeper meaning that goes beyond selling a product. This is something that can only be done after a TV show is successful. Like any product, it needs to first establish its desired perception among the audience and only then can it be co-branded with another product of similar perception or content. In essence, advertisers nowadays need to connect with consumers by supporting the message an already established TV show is sending.
Take for instance Sons of Anarchy, an FX television series that explores the dangerous lives of a biker gang involved with illegal arms-dealing. The gang rides around in low-ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles as they come across obstacles of survival from antagonsists such as the FBI, the IRA and other biker gangs.
If I were the CMO for Harley, I would make sure to place all the Harley-Davidson's that I could on that show just because of the brand image of both SOA and Harley. Both encompass the meaning of being a tough and rugged outlaw or rebel who finds their purpose by riding through the world as a loner, or one can say, a gang of independent loners who go against what they percieve to be a flawed governmental system and uphold their own sense of individual morals and codes.
This is the imagery that both SOA and Harley communicate to people.
Harley is such a well-established American brand that can be integrated extremely well with such a show as SOA. The key is to by-pass the direct sell of the product to pitching the meaning behind both the product and the show. Only then will one achieve a successful and effective Advertainment and increase consumer loyalty.
In regards to Ben Silverman, I think it is unwise to integrate advertising and content production of pre-mature TV series. It is best to co-brand already established TV shows and product brands that when put together communicates a deeper meaning that goes beyond the product.
It's not just about exposure and financial sponsorships from advertisers, it's about effectively exposing the brand through the right form of product placement.
Please post any comments. I'd love to hear others thoughts.
I love the effect nostalgia can have when you turn on the TV and Terminator 2: Judgment Day is playing. I remember being 10 years old and my big brother and I would be at my grandmother’s big house over the summer and we would go swimming in her humongous pool with our cousins and order pizza at night and watch movies like T2 back in the day. It ignites a sense of warming comfort like hot chocolate with the right mix of Baileys.
I feel like nowadays everything is becoming nostalgic. In the film industry, re-makes of famous movies and iconic symbols such as Wall Street, Rocky Balboa, Terminator, Batman, Superman and James Bond are reaching out to movie fanatics.
Much like how Advertising is utilizing historic celebrities to grasp older consumers who loved watching shows like the Golden Girls from back in the day (e.g. the 2009 Super Bowl Twix commercial with Betty White).
At first like many, I thought creators were lacking uniqueness and just wanted to revitalize these classic figures to give their own version of them. But then I kept thinking, what if these figures are being “re-branded” not for the creators personal pleasures to having them fit in with today’s modern perspectives but to having them reflect society’s perspectives of today .
This started to make sense when I realized that back in the fifties during the Cold War, comic book characters like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Captain America and even James Bond were introduced to the world. These characters were made to reflect the heroic Democratic societies of the West against the threatening Soviet Union’s of the East.
Now with the crisis in the Middle East that has been occurring since 2001, the Financial Crisis of 2008 and so on, we are seeing the return of these long-standing icons.
I predict within the future to feeling that same warming comfort. Maybe I should grab some Baileys, kickback and watch “the Governator” kick some T-1000 butt!
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