Monday, December 24, 2007
What do Obama, the Queen of England and Pepto-Bismol Have in Common?
YouTube. These guys, have joined hundreds of thousands of other groups, organizations, companies, and individuals competing for the attention of the elusive millennial.It’s true, marketing to millennials is getting harder and harder. Traditional mass communication is just not what it used to be – millennials (who are scheduled to be 85 million strong in the U.S. by 2015) are simply not watching commercials, reading newspapers, or listening to the radio. This is why U.S. presidential hopefuls, the Queen of England, and countless others are turning to YouTube to broadcast their messages.
Why YouTube? YouTube exploits some major characteristics that define millennials: customization, networking, community, authenticity, and “on my time.”
It will be interesting to see what happens to this medium as more marketers wise up and “take the leap” – will millennials get turned off due to lack of authenticity or uniqueness?
Who knows, but definitely check out “The Royal Channel” – the Queen’s 1957 Christmas message is quite good and appropriate.
Ok, who’s next? The Pope! Why not?
Labels: advertising, communication, millennials, Obama, YouTube
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posted by Andres Zapata @ 2:04 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Andres Zapata @ 2:04 PM 0 comments links to this post
Friday, December 14, 2007
Scary Robots
ASIMO, Honda’s Robot can now serve you coffee. While the collision detection and new decision making processes released with the latest version are way cool, artificial intelligence scares the crap out of me.
It always has, and it always will. Has anyone ever watched the Terminator I? What about Terminator II? Don’t even get me started about Terminator III! The Matrix? For God’s sake!
On the flip side, I do think it is rather poetic that the first job they picked to replace with a robot is a barista.
Labels: artificial intelligence, robots
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posted by Andres Zapata @ 4:46 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Andres Zapata @ 4:46 PM 0 comments links to this post
The Best of 2007 (according to Google)
While I was searching about global browser statistics for one of our clients, I ran across this section in Google called Google Zeitgeist. It takes the best of the Google Trends feature and publishes the top spikes in searches for the year.
As for the music of the year, I think Radiohead should have definitely beat out Pavarotti.
Happy New Year!
As for the music of the year, I think Radiohead should have definitely beat out Pavarotti.
Happy New Year!
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posted by Ted O'Meara @ 4:21 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Ted O'Meara @ 4:21 PM 0 comments links to this post
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Last minute gifts for CEO Boss manager-types
No one needs a gift more than your boss. The person in charge is in such dire need that they probably don't even KNOW they need a gift. But think about it, they have to put up with you, and people like you, all day. It can't be good and if anyone needs a holiday reminder that retirement is indeed possible it is your poor, eternally suffering boss.
Voice Link radio (in case the boss gets stuck in the middle of nowhere)
thirsty light
numbers clock.
While it is difficult to
ascertain HOW evil your boss really is, you can apply a not so subtle test by giving him holy water to drink. here is the warning on the site:
"If you are a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense heat, sweating, skin irritations, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot and watery eyes, pale skin color, and oral irritations."
Ok, well sometimes you just need a new toy. How about a wooden elephant?
Musical comb.
And so to wrap up a slightly odd suggestion. Ok, so I admit this is seriously odd - a super cool peeler. I mean, who peels? But if ANYONE should peel it should be CEO person, right? I mean it is so very "separating the wheat from the chaff" and pregnant with the "art of war" insight. Anyway, so I tried.
Labels: gifts
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posted by Sean Cohen @ 8:08 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Sean Cohen @ 8:08 PM 0 comments links to this post
Last minute gifts for Debutante Designers
Designers are all snooty about darn near everything, so it is difficult to find gifts that would genuinely please them.Here are some little things that tickle and will also quietly show them they need to be schooled when it when it comes to cool.
Tenori-on! Every designer thinks they are some sort of musical aficionado. Tell them to translate their images to music, and then you'll be impressed.
Made in Canada. A portable hockey rink is just what the dentist ordered.
Smushable pig toy from Japan. You really can't get this here in the states, but I think it would be perfectly therapeutic for the poor designer on her 12th revision.
Gearhead alarm clock. (they call it retro, I dunno about that.) I could imagine reaching over to try and find the "Sleep" button and getting a pinky chopped off.
Bulb table lamp. Sorta bewildering, but super slick.
Drop Glasses. Formed with a drop in the bottom, I honestly think these some of the nicest drinking glasses I have seen in a while.
To wrap up this giftlist, consider picking up the design emulation kit, a low-tech stocking stuffer that attampts to summon all that is nifty about some of the best lighting designers of the past and today.
Made in Canada. A portable hockey rink is just what the dentist ordered.
Smushable pig toy from Japan. You really can't get this here in the states, but I think it would be perfectly therapeutic for the poor designer on her 12th revision.
Gearhead alarm clock. (they call it retro, I dunno about that.) I could imagine reaching over to try and find the "Sleep" button and getting a pinky chopped off.
Bulb table lamp. Sorta bewildering, but super slick.
Drop Glasses. Formed with a drop in the bottom, I honestly think these some of the nicest drinking glasses I have seen in a while.
To wrap up this giftlist, consider picking up the design emulation kit, a low-tech stocking stuffer that attampts to summon all that is nifty about some of the best lighting designers of the past and today.
Labels: gifts
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posted by Sean Cohen @ 3:29 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Sean Cohen @ 3:29 PM 0 comments links to this post
Last minute gifts for Agonized Account Executives and Poor Project Managers
Account Executives and Project Managers seemingly have it all: the glamour, the glitz, the 5 martini lunch dates, client rage, paperwork a mile high, conflicting timelines and a todo list that is impossibly long.
What could you get such a person? What could ever sooth their furrowed brow?
Here are some ideas:
A peaceful diorama.
Heironymus Bosch action figures.
Ah yes, the kittywig. (don't tell me your project manager doesn't need a kitty wig.)
Glitter Graphics! You can just steal these, but EVERY Account Executive needs this for their blog.
Vibrating bracelet. Not Dirty! Exceptionally useful for those of us who have deep pockets or who keep their phone in their purse - and can't afford to be interrupted with a loud ring.
A tape measure timer.
A mug for their daily stimulant intake.
A hedgehog paper clip holder from Moma.
To wrap this gift list up, consider this belligerent wine opener gun, because after all, who doesn't want to mix their alcohol with some faux gunfighting?
What could you get such a person? What could ever sooth their furrowed brow?
Here are some ideas:
A peaceful diorama.
Heironymus Bosch action figures.
Ah yes, the kittywig. (don't tell me your project manager doesn't need a kitty wig.)
Glitter Graphics! You can just steal these, but EVERY Account Executive needs this for their blog.
Vibrating bracelet. Not Dirty! Exceptionally useful for those of us who have deep pockets or who keep their phone in their purse - and can't afford to be interrupted with a loud ring.
A tape measure timer.
A mug for their daily stimulant intake.
A hedgehog paper clip holder from Moma.
To wrap this gift list up, consider this belligerent wine opener gun, because after all, who doesn't want to mix their alcohol with some faux gunfighting?
Labels: gifts
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posted by Sean Cohen @ 3:05 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Sean Cohen @ 3:05 PM 0 comments links to this post
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Last Minute Gifts for Catatonic Coders
Walking through your office you may spy the elusive and hard to please programmer/coder/geek.This person (often male) is one of the more difficult people to purchase gifts for since they are aggresively weird and prone to liking the wrong things (world of warcraft) excessively and the right things (deodorant) not-so-much.
So here are some quick ideas:
The geek poster.
Mini solar powered Car.
Lamplamp
A moon in my room.
New York City in a bag. I anticipate this won't be used for much other than a landscape through which the occasionally enraged action figure will romp and smash - but it is an important element to every desk.
And finally, to wrap up this here gift guide, we have the "here" hook, which I think existentially isolates all that is whack with our coder friends - they simply aren't here. Of course, we are glad to have them, where ever they may be.
Mini solar powered Car.
Lamplamp
A moon in my room.
New York City in a bag. I anticipate this won't be used for much other than a landscape through which the occasionally enraged action figure will romp and smash - but it is an important element to every desk.
And finally, to wrap up this here gift guide, we have the "here" hook, which I think existentially isolates all that is whack with our coder friends - they simply aren't here. Of course, we are glad to have them, where ever they may be.Labels: gifts
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posted by Sean Cohen @ 3:41 PM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Sean Cohen @ 3:41 PM 0 comments links to this post
Friday, December 07, 2007
Emotional Information Architecture
It’s the holiday season, and spam is at an all time high. I normally delete most of the spam that makes it into my inbox, but for some reason, I decided to click on one of many J. Crew promo emails. And I was astonished by what I found.
We are all very familiar with Information Architecture and the different methods that can be used to organize information. We know all about alpha-numeric, chronological, category, audience, task-driven and even mystery-meat IAs. But have you ever heard of “emotional” IA?
In many ways, it’s no different than “category” – it’s simply grouping information, or in this case products, by a common thread or category, such as “Warmth” or “Comfort & Joy.” 
I haven’t seen this done too much before, much less successfully so. J. Crew did a nice job here. They almost suckered me into buying something I didn’t need. I think I will wait until after the holidays when everything gets a deep discount.
We are all very familiar with Information Architecture and the different methods that can be used to organize information. We know all about alpha-numeric, chronological, category, audience, task-driven and even mystery-meat IAs. But have you ever heard of “emotional” IA?
In many ways, it’s no different than “category” – it’s simply grouping information, or in this case products, by a common thread or category, such as “Warmth” or “Comfort & Joy.”
I haven’t seen this done too much before, much less successfully so. J. Crew did a nice job here. They almost suckered me into buying something I didn’t need. I think I will wait until after the holidays when everything gets a deep discount.
Labels: information architecture, marketing, spam, usability
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posted by Andres Zapata @ 9:47 AM 0 comments links to this post
posted by Andres Zapata @ 9:47 AM 0 comments links to this post
