Harmonic Aftershock

Top 20 Websites Ten Years ago and Today

These two lists say a lot about the development of the web, media consumption, and user behavior over the past decade. The world (wide web) has changed fast and there’s a lot more to come.

Most Visited Websites in January, 2000 (Nielsen Net Rankings)
1. AOL Websites
2. Yahoo!
3. MSN
4. Lycos Network
5. Excite {AT} Home
6. GO Network
7. Microsoft
8. NBCi
9. AltaVista
10. Amazon
11. eBay
12. Time Warner
13. About.com
14. The Go2Net Network
15. ZDNet
16. CBS
17. LookSmart
18. CNET
19. AT&T
20. Fortune City

Most Vistied Websites (US) in December, 2009 (Alexa)
1. Google
2. Facebook
3. Yahoo!
4. YouTube
5. Myspace
6. Amazon.com
7. Wikipedia
8. eBay
9. Windows Live
10. Blogger.com
11. Craigslist.org
12. Microsoft Network (MSN)
13. Twitter
14. AOL
15. Go.com
16. Bing
17. ESPN Sportszone
18. CNN - Cable News Network
19. LinkedIn
20. WordPress.com

Augmented Reality is actually a reality.

In addition to the year of the eReader, I’m betting that Augmented Reality is going to get a lot of “airtime” in 2010. In client presentations about emerging media, I’d been using the USPS priority mail box simulator as an example of augmented reality with utility (albeit early stages of). 

At one of the presentations, we discussed where this could lead for clothing retailers. The folks at Zugara created an alpha stage social shopping AR app that does a nice job of wetting our appetite of what’s to come (and I think very quickly). I’m totally diggin’ the motion capture selection buttons 1 minute into this demo:

Between what we’ll see in 2010 from Xbox 360’s Project Natal and advances in Augmented Reality apps, we’re in store for one heck of a new year. I can’t wait.

Hat tip to my colleague Neha Yellurkar for the Zugara find.

Online Video: It’s about the content

With YouTube now getting “well over 1 billion views per day”, there’s no question that online video has become a de facto part of our overall media consumption – and all signs indicate that it’ll only continue to increase and with it, the attempts of marketers to create videos that sweep the nation.

Those that know me also know that I cannot stand the term “viral video” especially when used to describe an online video concept before it’s even been produced.

 [Our goal as marketers should always be to create content that resonates with our audience and inspires pass-along.]

And, while I believe whole heartedly in the research that shows how using paid media to both kickstart and sustain a video campaign can substantially increase views, it HAS to start first with truly stand out content.

So what’s the kind of content that’s prone to spreading? Visible Measures does a terrific job with their leaderboards of online video campaigns.  Between this, YouTube stats, and being on the recipient end of a number of shared videos, I’ve taken a somewhat subjective stab at categorizing into four core groups:

Category 1: Unplanned/unexpected yet captured remarkable behavior

Other Examples:

• Sneezing Panda
• Battle at Kruger
• Miss Teen South Carolina

Category 2: Planned but surprising or inspiring acts

Other Examples:

• Susan Boyle
• T-Mobile Dance
• Danny MacAskill

Category 3: Extraordinary stunts, hoaxes, or pranks

Other Examples:

• Cell phone popcorn
• OfficeMax Pennies
• Kobe Bryant car jump
• Tiger Woods water walk

Category 4: So ridiculous you can’t help but watch/share

Other Examples:

• Evian Baby
• Etrade Baby
• Numa Numa

In the end, is there a formula that works? It’s tough to say but with 20 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute, those videos that do, indeed, get lots of attention and, dare I say, “go viral” are far and few in between. Marketers need to color outside of the lines if they’re to break through the video clutter.

The case to tag every TV spot with a URL

The next time you’re watching live TV, pay attention to the ending of commercials. What you’ll find are an increasing number of them tagged with a URL, or even better, a URL with voice-over to go online.

There’s a reason for this as smart marketers understand the natural human behavior to go online for more info in response to an offline ad. They also embrace the fact that many people are sitting on their couches watching TV with their laptops in front of them.

One of the most common reasons I’ve heard that brands do not include URLs on their TV spots is:

["We want to drive people in-store. We don’t want to confuse the message by driving them to the web." ]

But how will making it easy for someone with piqued interest to learn more about and engage with your message/brand confuse them? I don’t know of many people upon seeing a TV ad who’ll stop what they’re doing , get right up from their couch, and head into a store/restaurant/business to make a purchase on the spot.

[Instead, why not harness the momentum of their interest, reinforce and build upon your message online to help tip their consideration to act/purchase?]

If that’s not enough, then consider the fact that:

• You can only do so much within the constraints of a 30-second TV spot
• Neilsen recently reported that 28% of the time people are online at home they’re watching TV
• According to Forrester, initiating an online search is the most common response to an offline ad
• 64% of the 2008 Super Bowl spots had a URL; in 2009, 95% had some kind of online component
• There are hundreds of thousands of TV commercials on YouTube that are watched and shared

Driving to the web from TV can only help to reinforce your message and, if done well, marry TV and web in a way that’s greater than the sum of their individual parts. It’s the 1+1=3 effect in action. This is only the beginning as TV and web continue to converge. Just ask TiVo, Verizon Fios, IBM, and Cablevision.

As for the future? If the Vitamin Water TV spot featuring Kobe Bryant vs. Lebron James is any indication, brands will start to favor directing TV viewers to their social media properties over their corporate websites.

Cyberstalking made easy: Datecheck by Intelius

Several years ago, I became quite familiar with Intelius after taking matters into my own hands upon having my debit card stolen and used. I was floored at how much information I could get through this aggregation service of billions of public records by just entering a phone number or name.

What I love about Intelius' Datecheck which was just launced at DEMOfall 09 is that the iPhone app simply packages the data Intelius already aggregates into a very “consumer friendly” brand and user experience – and one that clearly targets women. 

Key features include:

• Sleaze Dectector: Searches criminal records (DUI, theft, drug possession, etc.)
• Networth: Reviews asset information (property ownership, sq footage, and assessed value)
• Living situation: Assesses who and in what capacity you live with
• Interests: Pulls in public profile information from social network sites
• Compatibility: Uses date-of-birth to serve up astrological records (horoscopes)

While still a bit freaky (and somewhat shallow), this is phenomenally smart marketing as I suspect it was based on consumer insights as to how people have been using the Intelius service for years – let’s face it, we’ve all been known to look people up - Intelius attracts over 1 million visotors per day. And by leveraging the iPhone app craze, the company has managed to make themselves “portable”.

So when you’re out tonight and think you’ve met that special someone, you now have on-the-spot guidance in determining your next move.

Using crowds to achieve 1+1=3

Every time I’m at the gym, without fail, I can’t help but ponder, “what if there was a way to capture, store, and then use the energy created by the output of everyone’s running, rowing, biking, pumping, etc.?” This would be an example of what I often cite (usually referring to media strategy) as the “1+1=3 effect”, where the right combination is much greater than its individual pieces. So in this case:  I’m still getting my work out + the gym is still getting membership fees = but now the gym’s electricity is partly self-powered for the greater good of the environment.

Google’s rationale in acquiring reCAPTCHA as reported by Mashable reminded me of this same concept. Since the challenge words used in “captchas” come from scans from old books or printed newspapers, the crowds actually end up helping to teach computers how to read this degraded type which then improves scanning technology. So to apply the concept to this example: I’m still authenticating/logging into a given website + the website still benefits from my visit = but now in the process I’ve also helped to improve scanning technology.

And in both cases, I didn’t have to do anything differently than I did before – only now my same actions are part of a greater good.

Six Pixels of Separation: Mitch Joel’s book…finally

It was October 27th 2007 when I became a Mitch Joel fan after hearing him speak at PodCamp Boston 2. I remember writing the guy’s name down on my event program so that I could appropriately “permission-based stalk” him to learn more about this particular digital marketing thought leader who really struck a chord with me. In addition to subscribing to his blog, I downloaded as many back episodes as I could of his podcast through iTunes – And for a couple of months, Mitch and Six Pixels of Separation were a daily part of my life during gym workouts and office/client commutes until I finally caught up to his weekly production schedule.

I relate to Mitch not only for the fact that he’s a fellow Canuck but because of his passion for digital marketing, contagious work ethic, entrepreneurial mind, and that he’s a constant student of leadership. It’s been a joy over the past two years following and being inspired by Mitch’s career growth as he expanded his business to Toronto, secured a column in the Montreal Gazette, and now (finally) released his first book, appropriately named after his blog and podcast: “Six Pixels of Separation”.

I anxiously picked up my copy last week at Boston’s Barnes & Nobel in the Pru and it was the last one on the shelf (see photo above). And I can understand why as the book is filled with rich (and timely) case studies and is positioned as the “prequel” to Mitch’s blog. The book is ripe for those who are just getting started understanding how social media has fundamentally impacted business, marketing, and personal branding as well as those of us within the industry that are always looking for more fodder for our clients and projects.

A few select sound bites from Six Pixels of Separation that jumped out at me – the book is filled with many more great one-liners as well as contextual and thought provoking anecdotes:

• Embrace your community as the new currency.
• Trust is earned by an overall great experience with a foundation of authenticity.
• Digital marketing is not a one night stand…tangible results take time.
• Instead of asking “what” [the channels/tactics], please ask “Why” [the strategy].
• Ripples grow wider and bigger until they become waves. Waves never stop.
• The new business game is not about control. It’s about the volume of voices.
• Google is like an elephant: it never forgets.
• Branding is not the logo… Branding is the heart and soul of a business.
• You can’t fake passion.
• Great content = great word of mouth.
• Transparency is easy. Credibility is hard…credibility is everything.
• We’re seeing a new era in which everyone has become a citizen journalist.
• Take time to develop your own niche. Be the Cirque du Soleil of your industry.
• Remember, I’m Googling you just like you’re Googling me.
• Your business life just became a high-speed game of virtual paintball.
• Content is media…all content will become more and more portable.
• Mobile goes where other media cannot.
• Think in terms of tribes, not mass.
• A new business model does not have to be complex.

I had recommended Six Pixels of Separation to clients when it was on pre-order and will continue to help evangelize Mitch Joel’s debut into book publishing – I not only believe in him and his credibility but have personally benefitted by Mitch openly sharing his experiences and thought leadership over the years. I already can’t wait for his next book. 
 

No more toasters…a sign of the times

I remember when Banks used to give out toasters when one opened a new checking account. This caught my eye as I was randomly roaming the streets of San Francisco while out west for a wedding this past weekend.

It looks like the modern toaster is now an iPod shuffle -- at least the Redwood Credit Union thinks so.

Bringing the dead back to life…sorta

For those of you who follow this blog, you know that my passion is in seeing how advances in technology harmonically enable “mediums” with interactivity. The latest episode of Marketing Over Coffee pointed me to how tombstones in Japan are leveraging 2-D barcode technology for mobile tagging. Go up to any equipped tombstone, snap a picture of the barcode with your mobile phone and get photos, videos, info about the respective deceased delivered to you on your phone.

Imagine if this technology had been around for hundreds of years – a walk through a cemetery would be like travelling through time.  While some might find this a bit morbid or even strange, I think it’s a great way that leverages technology to help us remember our loved ones for the life that they lived beyond the short, engraved message on their tombstone.

And if that’s not enough, check out Jeremiah Owyang’s latest post about the potential of your refrigerator (and other appliances/objects) alerting/tweeting :-) Talk about convergence.

Banner Ads: Not just for Direct Response

It was great to read Gian Fulgoni’s (chairman of Comscore) quote in a recent eMarketer article, “There is compelling evidence that an ad impression on the Internet works just like an ad impression in traditional media.”

He makes the point that just because clicks can be measured on the web doesn’t mean CTR (Click Through Rate)/direct response is the right (or only) measurement of digital media effectiveness. We’ve seen traditional media, like broadcast TV and print, work as successful brand building mediums and there’s no reason why the web can’t also act in a similar and effective capacity.

This Pringles display ad which recently won a Cannes Cyber Lion award is less about direct response than it is about brand building through engagement.  (You can be the judge on whether or not it’s effective in doing so):

Source: Chris Rawlinson

I’m often fascinated at the lengths we, in the interactive marketing field, have to go through to build the case for digital programs that cost a fraction of a broadcast media buy and production.  “We don’t hold traditional media to the same standard of accountability”, Fulgoni says.

Yet I expect that to change as our media channels continue to converge and become as measureable (and direct response-enabled) as the web is today and then some.  If anything, the justification and proof behind marketing programs, regardless of their medium, will only increase in demand. What Fulgoni’s interview underscored for me is that we must push complacent boundaries about what constitutes success in the first place.