I received a sobering yet enlightening Facebook message from my aunt two weeks ago. After getting over my shock that she even knew how to use Facebook Messenger (she is not a technophile), I read her message:
Aunt: Guess what I got today? Me: What? Aunt: The iPhone 5 [cue jaw dropping]
I was reading this on my iPhone 3Gs, yet I’m the one who works at a global post-advertising agency. That’s when I knew it: Mobile has reached significant penetration and can’t be ignored by brands.
It’s time to get your Twit on and fire up your Facebook! Social Media Week London is back and it promises to be bigger and more collaborative than ever.
For those of you who don’t know, Social Media Week returns to London for it’s fourth consecutive year from 24th – 28th September 2012. Hosted by Chinwag, this year’s theme is Empowering Change Through Collaboration. Digital dons and social-savvy client-siders will reflect on the global impact of social media and its role as a catalyst in driving cultural, political, economic and social change.
Arrested Development, which was cancelled in 2006, has cheated death. In a brilliant and telling move, Netflix, an on-demand and streaming media provider, has breathed new life in the show by signing it on for a new season to air exclusively on the company’s service. With a subscription, Arrested Development fans will be able to watch the entire new fourth season (ten episodes), which will be released all at once in 2013. Netflix also offers the first three seasons for those who can’t get enough of the Bluth family—a smart move to hook old fans again, by revisiting their favorite episodes.
This unprecedented move gives us a glimpse into what the future of television programming might hold. Are we at a place where consumers can escape the iron fist of cable and satellite TV providers and watch what they want, when they want, for a fraction of the cost? We’ve already peeked into the future of automobile advertising. What’s in store for our entertainment needs? Will on-demand and streaming services beat out the old guard of cable and satellite?
Comedians are inherently self-promoters. In fact we often refer to ourselves as whores. I should know, because I am one. Selling yourself is a tricky business, and even with the emerging technologies that the post-advertising age has afforded comedians—Twitter, YouTube, podcasting, and more—nearly all still follow the standard protocols of producing and selling their content and themselves to get ahead…except Louis C.K.
Pinching pennies and still don't think you can afford a burger from the Dollar Menu? Then head to Sweden! McDonald's continues the trend of interactive billboards in Stockholm, entertaining potential customers and rewarding them with free food.
Five years ago, I would never have considered renting my apartment out for a few nights to a complete stranger. And yet three months ago, I filled out a profile on AirBnB offering my "quaint" studio apartment on the Upper West Side for rent to travelers visiting the Big Apple. Without realizing it, I'd taken my first step into the world of microsharing.
As just about anyone with internet access is now painfully aware, this week the New York Times imposed a “paywall” on visitors who want to read more than 20 articles per month. In other words, the newspaper is trying to leap from “basic cable” to “premium cable,” apparently without making any changes to its content or even going commercial-free. The big question is: Will it work?
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.
The Grateful Dead often get a bad rap among pop-crazed youth for their insufferable guitar noodling, but the kids might be surprised to learn of the band's seminality with regards to a lot of things they actually like. According to author Brian Halligan, the Dead were one of the first bands to break down the barrier between artist and consumer and actually bring fans into their musical movement, simply by permitting the free recording and sharing of their shows. The ur-jam band was really onto something...
