Is Google’s Social Search the New Normal?

Posted by Jon Thomas, 23 Jan 2012

Additional reporting by Story's Director of Audience Generation Cyrus Karimi.

In early December, Google updated their search algorithm to provide each user with personalized results—the information Google deemed most relevant to the specific user. The news garnered little chatter in the social media realm. According to Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land, less than 50 news articles and blog posts were written about in its initial week (and only 290 to date).

Earlier this month Google made another important change, updating their search algorithm to include personalized search results specifically pulled from Google+ activity, naming the new results “Google Personalized Results.” Once again the news spread through social circles and landed on a few of blogs, but compared to the hoopla surrounding SOPA, Facebook Timeline, and emerging technologies like Pinterest, its effect was more of a ripple than a tidal wave and has many users and news outlets slamming the change.

However, love it or hate it, these changes may be the new "normal" for search, forever.

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How to Brand for Spotify, MOG and More

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 21 Nov 2011

This post originally appeared in our November issue of "Live Report from the Future of Marketing," our monthly Post-Advertising newsletter. Subscribe for free here.

Free music streaming services are here to stay. So when will brands really come out and play? Saviors like Spotify and MOG, plus the now-seasoned vets Pandora and Last.fm—which have dragged the music industry kicking and screaming into the 21st century—are now the best bets at monetizing and spreading music legally into the future. And now, via social platforms like Facebook and its Open Graph, they’re encouraging more sharing than ever before.

Top that off with the hundreds of ingenious apps and web sites taking shape through music’s newfound online freedom and you’ve got one hell of an opportunity—one that most brands have squandered. Turns out, there’s much brands can do, as both advertiser and Page admin, to utilize these valuable new tools.

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The Future of Content Is Not in Your Computer

Posted by Jon Thomas, 26 Oct 2011

There was once a day when a computer filled a room. Now it’s in your palm. That’s the story my dad tells me at least. Soon, when my future children are old enough to understand, I’ll tell them how I used to read books and magazines made out of paper and I couldn’t simply touch the screen of my computer to make things happen. Also, I used to walk to school uphill, both ways, in the snow.

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Converse Rubber Tracks - The ultimate brand story

Converse: Writing Their Story with Rubber and Vinyl

Posted by Jon Thomas, 26 Jul 2011

When we think about brand storytelling, we often imagine a brand as defined by its history. But how many brands pay homage to their histories? Especially those that have fluctuated as greatly as Converse’s?

Converse’s story began with great success. With a distinct American image and near stranglehold in athletics — particularly basketball — Converse ruled the feet of teenagers and young adults in the ’50s and ’60s. But new players like Nike, Puma, and Adidas appeared, slicing at its market share and innovating the field to the point that Converse lost its NBA sponsorship and ultimately was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2001.

Usually this would be the death knell for a shoe company — but not for Converse.

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Were the “Most Interactive Oscars” the Worst Oscars?

Posted by Karen Nagy, 28 Feb 2011
As expected, yesterday’s Academy Awards were about movies, celebrities, and red carpet style. But more than ever in its 83-year run, the annual ceremony put social media center stage. Behind-the-scenes websites, apps, and real-time commentary were designed to make these Oscars the most interactive yet. The big idea: Double your screens, double your fun. Great in theory, but with the apps and tools we used, we found our fun severely diminished.
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Congress Turns Down the Volume

Posted by Karen Nagy, 15 Dec 2010
Is your thumb sore and blistered from hitting the mute button? We have good news for you. After decades of complaints from TV viewers who are sick of obnoxious ads blaring in their living rooms, Congress has decided it's finally time to set “internationally accepted standards of television advertisement volumes.” So now the only button brutalizing your opposable digit will be the DVR fast forward!
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