Product
Google Quietly Invests Over $100 Million in Zynga, Readying Google Games
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5584118/google-quietly-invests-over-100-million-in-zynga-readying-google-games
Whoa. TechCrunch reports that Google has invested between $100 and $200 million in Zynga, the social gaming behemoth behind Farmville, Mafia Wars, and others, in preparation for the launch of Google Games later this year.
TechCrunch’s “multiple sources” say that Google itself, not its venture capital division Google Ventures, has invested between $100 and $200 million in Zynga, a huge power play presumably with the aim of eroding Facebook’s social media dominance.
It seems that Google sees Zynga as the best way to hit the ground running with Google Games, a social gaming service from the search company that’s set to launch later this year. TechCrunch points to this job opening for “Product Management Leader, Games” at their Mountain View campus as proof that we’ll be seeing a lot more about Google’s move into gaming in the near future.
With Google Me, the company’s purported Facebook killer, continuing to take shape, this major investment in Zynga is just further proof that Google is making a very serious effort to hit Facebook where it hurt, namely, the farms. [TechCrunch]
More Kin Dirt Surfaces
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5581704/more-kin-dirt-surfaces
If people had talked this much about Kin while it was still alive, it might have stood a chance. Oh well! The battle continues to rage over who gets the write the final chapter in Kin’s history.
Mini-Microsoft has been a prime staging ground for these kinds of comments, with accusations aplenty being flung back and forth by current and former Microsoft employees. A sampling from today’s batch shows that Andy Lees is again a popular target:
All I can say as a former Windows Mobile employee who is now working for a competitor in the phone space is that this is good news for the rest of us. [...] Personally I quit because of the frustrating management and autocratic decision style of Terry Myerson and Andrew Lees. The only exec in the team myself and other folks respcted was Tom Gibbons who is now sidelined. Lees and Myerson don’t know consumer products or phones. Gibbons at least knows consumer product development. We often talk about how Andrew Lees still has a job but Microsoft’s loss is a gain for the rest of us.
And that the folks at Danger, acquired by Microsoft to help bring Kin to life, were confounded by the sudden perceived incompetence around them:
You are correct, the remaining Danger team was not professional nor did we show off the amazing stuff we had that made Danger such a great place. But the reason for that was our collective disbelief that we were working in such a screwed up place. Yes, we took long lunches and we sat in conference rooms and went on coffee breaks and the conversations always went something like this…”Can you believe that want us to do this?” Or “Did you hear that IM was cut, YouTube was cut? The App store was cut?” “Can you believe how mismanaged this place is?” “Why is this place to dysfunctional??”
Please understand that we went from being a high functioning, extremely passionate and driven organization to a dysfunctional organization where decisions were made by politics rather than logic.
So: we get it. All is not right with Microsoft’s corporate culture, which may spell trouble for Windows Phone 7. But in the meantime, can’t we just let sleeping Kins lie? [Mini Microsoft]
Android App Tells You If Your Fruit Loops Are Safe To Eat
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5576191/android-app-tells-you-if-your-fruit-loops-are-safe-to-eat
Kellog’s [sic] Recalled Products is a new Android app. It lets you scan the barcodes on Kellogg’s items, with the results compared against a recalled products database—so you know what’s edible and what may contain traces of glass/metal/human skin.
It exists because Kellogg’s recently released a product recall for a wide range of its cereal products, thanks to buyers reporting an “uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell coming from the liner”—this app will help you avoid such instances of breakfast unease. App developers think of everything. [Android Pit]
When ads invade license plates, you know the end is near
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5568729/california-license-plates-to-become-electronic-billboards
You probably paid a bit too much for your car, but you know what would really be the cherry on top of that upgraded paint job? A mini electronic advertisement that’s completely out of your control!
The California Legislature is considering a bill that would begin the research process of digital license plates—license plates that would replace age-old stamped metals. From what we can tell, the system would display your normal license plate number whenever your car was in motion. But stop for four seconds, and the plate switches over to advertise a service or product.
Of course, politicians are quick to remind the public, the ad revenue for a state that’s $19 billion in debt is only a small reason for turning every citizen’s car into a cheesy mobile billboard. Drivers will also be able to further customize the plates with personalized messages and support for their favorite sports teams.
It’ll be a tragedy when California eventually falls into the ocean, but I’ll tell you, the state is really taking proactive steps in shortening the mandatory 3-week mourning period. [MercuryNews]
Made-Up Word Advertising — “Retina Display” — is how Apple Launches New Products
A made-up word “retina display” had every major blog and news outlet scrambling to help explain what it was. Nearly 1.1 Million search results in 19 hours. It was covered on every evening news; look closely at the thousands of related news articles, etc. And all the major, powerful sites like Gizmodo, MacRumors, Engadget, etc. covered the event. Similarly 1.2 million search results on the “one more thing” feature — video calling on the iPhone called FaceTime. All entirely free primetime coverage — talk about the tens of millions of impressions achieved with NO media cost — they can definitely used the money saved to ensure Steve Job’s next keynote will have sufficient WiFi bandwidth for all those live blogging the event.
Look at the following graph of relative search volume. The spike in search volume for All-You-Can-Jet (in red) is about 4X higher than the orange line (Footlongs). And the blue line for “retina display” is 8X. Consider the cost of the paid TV media campaign supporting Subway’s Footlongs compared to the cost savings of the social media launch of JetBlue’s All-You-Can-Jet Pass and the no cost media for Apple.
Of course, not all companies will achieve the same mass coverage, but the techniques for product launches can be the same. Footlongs is an expensive paid media campaign by Subway and note how low the orange line is compared to the TWO no-cost launches.
And one more graph that shows Drobo plus 2 social media success stories — Groupon and FourSquare that even blow away Apple’s retina display — all for FREE.
Other notable examples of using made-up word advertising include JetBlue’s All-you-Can-Jet Pass and Subway’s Footlongs. Further details about JetBlue’s launch of the All-You-Can-Jet Pass is here – http://go-digital.net/blog/2009/08/jetblue-all-you-can-jet-pass/
Earlier unfiltered results on Google within 10 hours of launch — there are 3.9 Million results which will be de-duped overnight.
Day 1 Stats – page 1 position 3 in 44.6 million results
Nielsen IAG Top Ten Most-Recalled In-Program Placements: Dramas/Comedies
Sex sells … well, sex .. but not much else. Victoria’s Secret was the most recalled product placement on TV — fortunately they sell products related to what was recalled. Not so sure about the mayo and cell phone.
Source: http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=143808
 |
||||
| Rank | Brand | In-Program Placement Description | Program Airing Info | Recall Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria’s Secret | Michael interrupts meeting to offer Donna a retail store’s catalog | The Office (NBC, Apr 29) | 214 |
| 2 | Ford | Cole Austin points to his Mustang and says he still owns it | Cold Case (CBS, May 2) | 190 |
| 3 | Skype | Joyce tells Benson and Stabler that she talks to Andrew online | Law and Order: SVU (NBC, Apr 7) | 183 |
| 4 | Yamaha | Susan explains to Mike that she has inherited a piano | Desperate Housewives (ABC, May 2) | 181 |
| 5 | Rolex | Provo tells Fin that Jack stole his watch; member of the cooking staff is wearing it | Law and Order: SVU (NBC, Apr 7) | 178 |
| 6 | MedTec | Name is visible on the ambulance doors | Trauma (NBC, Apr 5) | 176 |
| 7 | Toyota | Mitchell and Cameron park their car at Charlie’s house | Modern Family (ABC, Apr 14) | 161 |
| 8 | Chevrolet | Winston drives with Guerrero, who identifies the car as a Camaro | Human Target (FOX, Apr 7) | 155 |
| 9 | Porsche | Zack asks Nick where he got his car from | Accidentally On Purpose (CBS, Apr 21) | 152 |
| 10 | Chevrolet | Pres. Hasaan rides in a black SUV after turning himself over to terrorists | 24 (FOX, Apr 5) | 147 |
ClickZ articles by Augustine Fou, PhD
Dr. Augustine Fou is Group Chief Digital Officer of Omnicom’s Healthcare Consultancy Group. He has nearly 15 years of digital strategy consulting experience and is an expert in data mining, analytics, and consumer insights research, with specific knowledge in the consumer payments, packaged goods, food/beverage, retail/apparel, and healthcare sectors.
Dr. Fou has provided strategic counsel on the use and integration of online marketing to clients such as AT&T, IBM, Intel, ExxonMobil, MasterCard, Unilever, Pepsi, DrPepper, Frito Lay, Taco Bell. KFC. Atari, Conde Nast, Hachette Filipacchi, Victoria’s Secret, Liz Claiborne, and others. He has served as expert witness on online payments for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and advised government agencies such as the Norwegian Trade Counsel, the Gouvernement du Quebec, Invest in Sweden Agency, and the Canadian Consulate.
Dr. Fou is an Adjunct Professor at New York University in the Integrated Marketing Department of the School for Continuing and Professional Studies. He also writes a monthly column for ClickZ’s Experts Columns on Integrated Marketing and is a frequent speaker and panelist at online and advertising industry conferences.
He started his career with McKinsey & Company and recently served as SVP, Digital Lead at McCann/MRM Worldwide. Dr. Fou completed his PhD at MIT at the age of 23 in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering.
Recent articles by Augustine Fou
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply, Part 3
Debunking the laws of singularity, unpredictability, success, failure, hype, acceleration, and resources. Last in a three part (3 comments) Apr 1, 2010
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply, Part 2
Why the laws of duality, the opposite, and others no longer hold true. Second in a three-part (1 comments) Mar 4, 2010
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing No Longer Apply
The game has changed as the balance of power shifts away from advertisers to the very people they used to target. First in a three part (14 comments) Feb 4, 2010
10 Commandments of Modern Marketing
A list of the 10 rules every marketer should follow to meet consumer needs in (18 comments) Jan 7, 2010
Is Believing in Behavioral Targeting Like Believing in Santa?
Should we have grown out of our naïve belief in behavioral (25 comments) Dec 17, 2009
What’s Wrong With the Net Promoter Score
Three reasons why the Net Promoter score is a waste of (19 comments) Nov 19, 2009
How to Do Social Marketing in Heavily Regulated Industries
Financial services, pharmaceutical, and healthcare are ripe for social marketing. Here’s (11 comments) Oct 22, 2009
A New Definition of ‘Digital’
Defining ‘digital’ as the collection of habits and expectations of today’s consumers — and what that means to (7 comments) Sep 24, 2009
Metrics, Metrics Everywhere
Thanks to social networks and digital tools, metrics can provide relevant marketing research in real time and reveal new business (3 comments) Aug 27, 2009
Branding Today: Why It’s Ineffective, Irrelevant, Irritating, and Impotent
Brands must act on real-time consumer feedback to continuously develop awesome (51 comments) Jul 31, 2009
Advertising Does Not Create Demand, But…
It may help fulfill demand. Understand the (18 comments) Jul 2, 2009
Consumers Have Changed, So Should Advertisers
Five ways that consumers have irreversibly altered their expectations online and (7 comments) Jun 4, 2009
Social Media Benchmarks: Realities and Myths
Benchmarks to avoid and others to embrace. (5 comments) May 7, 2009
The ROI for Social Media Is Zero
If social marketing’s done right, the potential ROI could be infinite. Five tips to get you (51 comments) Apr 9, 2009
How to Use Search to Calculate the ROI of Awareness Advertising
Planning an awareness campaign in TV or other media? Advertisers can now correlate money spent on that campaign to a lift in sales — and estimate the return on (4 comments) Mar 12, 2009
Social Intensity: A New Measure for Campaign Success?
A look at two metrics that online marketers should pay attention to today. And they are not frequency and (4 comments) Feb 11, 2009
Beyond Targeting in the Age of the Modern Consumer
Three tips for using “missing link” marketing to solve targeting’s Jan 15, 2009
Experiential Marketing
Consumers are savvy and informed; they won’t just take your word on a product. Experiencing the product is more important than (1 comments) Dec 18, 2008
Search Improves All Marketing Aspects
Search is much more than just an opportunity for marketers to push out another Nov 20, 2008
Social Commerce: In Friends We Trust
How to integrate social networks into your marketing (1 comments) Nov 6, 2008
The iPad Is Not Expensive—for an Apple Product, Anyway [Ipad]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5504777/fact-the-ipad-is-not-expensivefor-an-apple-product-anyway
The iPad is not expensive. In fact, compared to other products through Apple’s history, it’s very cheap. It’s not opinion. It’s fact, as you can see in this comparative graphic, covering every major Apple device launch since the Apple I.
When you adjust the prices to 2010 dollars, the iPad is the second-cheapest major device ever sold by Apple. And when I say major I mean a device that was supposed to change the industry or create a new product category, like the Apple II, the Mac, the PowerBook 100, the Newton Message Pad, the iPhone, or the iPod, the only device cheaper than the iPad. [Vouchercodes]
Advertising Can Prevent Purchases
More than one-third of Americans will not purchase a brand because of distasteful advertising,according to a new Adweek Media/Harris Poll.
Advertising Can Prevent Purchases
Thirty-five percent of respondents said they have chosen not to purchase a certain brand because they found the advertisements distasteful. Another 22% said they have not done so but have thought about doing it, and 43% said they have never done so.
Gender, Age Make Varying Differences
The gender and age of a consumer can have a varying impact on whether they will choose not to buy a brand due to distaste for some part of its promotional strategy. Slightly more women (36%) have chosen not to purchase a brand due to its advertising than men (35%). However, more men have chosen not to purchase due to its spokesperson (32%) than women (25%). More men have also chosen not to purchase a product due to a program or event sponsored by it (29%) than women (22%).
College Grads, Wealthy More Easily Offended
College graduates and respondents earning more than $75,000 a year had the highest levels of choosing not to purchase a brand due to some part of its promotional strategy. Forty-three percent of college graduates have chosen not to purchase a brand due to distasteful advertising, compared to 37% of respondents with some college and 29% with a high school degree or less.
In addition, 33% of college graduates have chosen not to purchase a brand because of the spokesperson, compared to 31% of respondents with some college and 23% of respondents with a high school degree or less. And 33% of college graduates have chosen not to purchase a brand because of a sponsorship issue, compared to 27% of respondents with some college and 24% of respondents with a high school degree or less.
Viral videos that worked and ones that didn’t
1. Viral videos that worked – videos that made users aware of a product or drove interest in the product
Evian rollerbabies
Smirnoff Tea Partay – white guys rapping
Blendtec – will it blend?
2. Viral videos that didn’t work — videos were remembered for the video itself and not for the product it was meant to market.
Megawooosh
LED Sheep Art
Synchronized Dance in Train Station
Kids Moving Eyebrows to Music
Numa Numa Guy
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Recent Articles by Dr. Augustine Fou
- Augustine Fou | ClickZ
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- The ROI for Social Media Is Zero | ClickZ
- A New Definition of 'Digital' | ClickZ
- Social Commerce: In Friends We Trust | ClickZ
- 10 Commandments of Modern Marketing | ClickZ
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- Experiential Marketing | ClickZ
- Social Intensity: A New Measure for Campaign Success? | ClickZ
- Beyond Targeting in the Age of the Modern Consumer | ClickZ
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