Harmonic Aftershock

Convergence of Olympic Proportions

The most recent broadcast promos of NBC’s Summer Olympic coverage (which I cannot find online), depict media convergence and portability at its best. The 30-second spot shows different people in different situations enthusiastically consuming bits of the “unprecedented” 3,600 hours of coverage of the games.

NBC seems like it’s covered all bases in addition to TV including online, mobile, RSS, and even a bit of social media.  I’ll be interested to see, starting August 8^th, how this all comes together – but hats off to NBC for taking on such an ambitious effort and recognizing and leveraging the changes in media distribution and consumption.

Killer App? It gave me goose bumps…really.

How many times have you been out somewhere, heard a song, LOVED the song, wanted the song but didn’t know the name, album, or artist? Up until now, my tedious method to try and get a song like this would include:

1.       Listen intently to try and decipher any of the lyrics

2.       Text myself a part of the lyrics hoping it’s a unique enough string

3.       Get online at the next opportunity and Google the lyrics string

4.       Sift through the loads of crap that comes back and try to find the name of the song and artist

5.       Start up and log into iTunes and search for what I *think* is the name of the song and/or artist

6.       Browse and sample through the  iTunes results and try to match what I hopefully remembered

7.       Pray that I find it on iTunes for purchase

8.       Buy and download it

9.       Sync my iPod to finally enjoy the song

My life has changed forever:  Last night my colleagues Greg Winter and Mike Dyer were hanging out with me at Middlesex Lounge. The DJ blasted a song that I was kinda diggin’ when Mike said, “You’ve got to see this” as he whipped out his iPhone and pressed a button. Within seconds, the name of the song, artist, and picture of its album cover displayed on his iPhone screen – all thanks to a freakin’ amazing app called Shazam. It felt like magic – especially in the midst of a loud, crowded club.

And it got even better as Mike then showed me that if an identified song is available on iTunes, it can, in one click, be purchased and downloaded.  Talk about closing the gap between awareness and purchase – it’s literally instant gratification at its best.

There’s even a “share” feature so if I don’t have the app, but, as in this case, a friend does (Mike Dyer), after identifying the song, he can enter my email address and I get the song info I wanted. Here’s an example from last night:

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Dyer
To: mcproulx@aol.com <mcproulx@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:23 pm
Subject: I just used Shazam to identify Make Up Your Mind by Aurra.

Hi,

I've just used Shazam on my iPhone to identify Make Up Your Mind by Aurra. I thought you might like this track.

If you have Shazam on your iPhone click here to add this tag to your list. To get Shazam on your iPhone visit the App Store.

Shazam is currently free to download and use, so check it out.

Sent from my iPhone

----------------

I absolutely love this and here’s why:

§  Kick-Ass Solution: It’s hard not to get excited about this as it fills a real need.

§  Elegance: it’s solid, it works, and it’s beautifully simple.

§  Usefulness: It connects my wants to information and then to the ability to take action (buy).

§  Integration: it takes what I already use (a smart phone) and leverages its inherent functionality.

§  Convergence: it continues to crumble the old school walls of media access & distribution.

And most importantly, it’s a great business model as it empowers me to buy when I’m in the peak motivational mindset to do just that.

What else can I cay except, “Shazam!”

Is the world too flat?

Technology combined with the web and social media have handed over a platform that unconditionally gives “airtime” to anybody – even those on death row:

Has the world become too flat? Should everyone have an equal and level playing field when trying to get their voices heard? Whether you agree or not, it appears this is the case.

What does this mean to marketers? It continues to underscore that there really are no limits to the number (and kinds) of people world-wide who can potentially discuss your product, service, and/or brand. The key is to identify those who have loyal followings – these are your key influencers and you must find effective ways to engage them by showing, first, that you’ve listened. (Although I’d shy away from convicts as your brand advocates ;-).

Got my bread…Thanks George Weston (or rather your PR firm)

Samara Finn kept her promise and two loaves of Arnold Double Protein Multigrain Bread arrived at my doorstep today via FedEx -- And, indeed, the nutritional label no longer reads “high fructose corn syrup”. I had a toasted peanut butter sandwich with 2 slices of the bread (that’s 12 grams of protein just from the bread) and was totally digging it.

Major props to Marina Maher Communications (George Weston’s PR firm) for really listening to what’s being said about their client’s products (and by whom) and employing effective methods to engage those individuals. Not only have I become a fan Arnold Bread as a result of this experience, but I’ve been (and will be) sharing this story with my clients, colleagues, and friends over and over again.

1 point for Marina Maher + 1 point for Social Media = Many points for George Weston Bakeries.

Social Media and Dance

I don’t know much about dancing – and I’m a horrible dancer. But I often hear the judges of So You Think You can Dance (okay, so I watch it) talk about the dancers’ “cool tricks” – often they’ll harshly critique a given couple by saying they did a one or two great tricks but their overall routine and technique just wasn’t strong.

For me, in the social media marketing world, it’s the difference between tactics versus strategy. Too many times, I hear people lead their “pitch” with widgets, Facebook pages, or other social media “tricks”. Sure widgets can be cool but by themselves they’re just siloed, disjointed and out of context.

Companies need to define their overall marketing platform/strategy first. And then design integrated (and well choreographed) programs that support their strategic objectives. Then (and only then) do the tactics emerge to help captivate and keep the audience engaged.

Dance is about storytelling -- So is marketing. Take a look at your current marketing executions and ask yourself, “What story am I telling?”

Interactive CNN

CNN continues to impress me with its “go for it” attitude when it comes to convergence and social media. As Andersen Cooper 360 (which I’m still watching as I type this) went to a commercial break, Andersen said, “You can also join the conversation, as always, I’m blogging throughout the hour -- Go to our new website AC360.com. I’m about to log on myself.”

So I checked out the site’s live blog from the anchor desk and not only was digging seeing people from all over the country commenting as they were watching the show, but that Andersen Cooper and Erica Hill replied to a few posts (while simultaneously doing the broadcast).

It’s important to note that comments go through a screening before they’re posted to the AC360.com site in order to ensure that they adhere to CNN’s blog comments policy. Since this requires human intervention to quickly filter comments so that they’re posted as close to real-time as possible, this further demonstrates a real commitment by CNN to amplify its viewers voices and connect them to the show, its hosts, and each other.

I’d like to see an even tighter integration between CNN’s online and on-air programming. It’d be great to feature some of the more insightful comments directly on the show as they’re posted and have Andersen respond to them in real-time. It’d also be great if he and Erica had more participation within the live blog. But the fact they’re doing it at all says volumes.