August 16, 2006
Chase Turns To Facebook To Enroll Students
[via mediapost]
J.P. Morgan Chase is pairing up with Facebook to be the exclusive credit card sponsor on the college social networking site for a year.
Starting this week, Chase will run banner ads throughout Facebook that invite members to join a group page--on the site--of people who want to learn about, or sign up for, Chase's new "+ 1" credit card. The card promotion geared toward students carries the tag line: "A totally new way to hook up your friends, yourself and your community."
Through the Chase + 1 program, users will be able to earn rewards points by simply getting a card, referring a friend, and other actions. Earned points toward DVDs and other college-oriented merchandise can also be shared with others or donated to charitable causes or campus groups.
"For us, this is an opportunity to establish a life-long brand and business relationship," said Manning Field, senior vice president of branding and advertising for Chase Card Services. He said the partnership with Facebook allowed Chase to reach students considering their first credit card and tap into the social networking phenomenon.
Read more.
Posted by richard ting at August 16, 2006, 02:24 AM
July 14, 2006
Million Dollar Homepage .... Building
The web imitates life imitates the web. The milliondollarhomepage.com concept has apparently been adopted and adapted by the Netherlands-based Sandberg Institute, which is selling space on its building facade, imitating the pixel-based ads of the Million Dollar Homepage.
Read more.
Posted by richard ting at July 14, 2006, 05:30 AM
July 13, 2006
American Apparel in Second Life
Virtual Worlds: The Latest Fashion
By Gavin O'Malley from AdAdge.com
Before American Apparel launches its first denim line this fall, the offerings are getting a virtual debut and being bought and worn by virtual people. Just as other marketers-from Coca-Cola Co. to Wells Fargo-are creating their own virtual niches, the hip clothing company is letting members of the online game Second Life try the line on for size.
"Since we opened in May, we've sold over 2,000 items to people outfitting their avatars," said Raz Schionning, director of web services for American Apparel, which opened an elaborate retail store last month in Second Life with the help of ad agency Ad Option and web developer Aimee Weber. Virtual shoppers who buy virtual clothes get 15% off the same items in real life.
'Massively multiplayer' games
Second Life, created by San Francisco-based Linden Lab, is one of several virtual online worlds where trendsetters are flocking to exchange ideas, egos and virtual property using IM-equipped "avatars," or highly-customized 3D representations of themselves. With nearly 200,000 "residents," and its open-ended structure, Second Life has become something of a testing ground for marketers to explore this new genre known as "massively multiplayer" games.
Second Life currency, known as Linden, can actually be exchanged for U.S. dollars, but American Apparel didn't set up virtual shop to turn a profit. And, of course, the company has to pay Second Life in real dollars. Linden Lab charges $1,250 for an island like the one on which American Apparel's virtual store is located, plus another $195 a month.
Posted by richard ting at July 13, 2006, 07:51 AM
The Consumer: Application Nation
by Paul Parton, July 2006 issue of MEDIA
Is there anyone in media, advertising, or marketing who hasn't heard of Burger King's Subservient Chicken? Is there anyone who hasn't marveled both at the cojones of the client who approved the idea and the genius of the team who had the idea in the first place? A simple but deliciously entertaining little software application, it demanded to be sampled at least once. I know we've thought about it a lot down here at The Brooklyn Brothers, and it led us to wonder, in classic Carrie Bradshaw fashion: Are applications the new advertising?
They're certainly popular among consumers. Anything that lets people take part in their own entertainment seems to be hot at the moment.
This season of "American Idol" was a classic illustration. That chipper rascal Ryan Seacrest proudly boasted that with more than 63 million votes cast through a simple SMS-based voting application, "Idol" performed better than any president in history. The ratings were impressive enough, but 63 million votes is a big number.
Posted by richard ting at July 13, 2006, 07:45 AM
June 13, 2006
MTV To Start Up New Research Group
[from mediapost]
LOOKING FOR THE NEXT WAVE in advertising opportunities for the digital age, MTV Networks will start a consumer-research group called Viewser Labs. MTV says Viewser Labs will "examine and re-think every minute of viewers' and users' experiences across MTV's multiple screens, from pods to programming to promo spots to product integration to commercial time and more." The ultimate goal of Viewser Labs is to find new advertising opportunities, says MTV, beyond the 30-second spot and the banner ad. Viewser Labs will be a collaboration, says the company--between clients, advertising agencies, and numerous internal MTV departments including ad sales, integrated marketing, on-air promos, programming, consumer marketing, and research.
Posted by richard ting at June 13, 2006, 10:57 AM
Fader Mag To Distribute Issues On iTunes
[from mediapost]
Fader magazine announced Wednesday that it is partnering with Apple iTunes to distribute its "Summer Music Issue" as a free download--marking the first time that a magazine has been made available in its entirety on iTunes. As part of the promotion, iTunes will feature the Fader issue in its "New and Notable" podcast section.
The free Fader iTunes download will be sponsored exclusively by liquor brand Southern Comfort. This is the first exclusive sponsorship deal to distribute a magazine on iTunes, although it follows a previous print deal by Philips Electronics with Time Inc. publications Business 2.0, Fortune, People, and Time to move those magazines' tables of contents to the first page--a marketing stunt to illustrate Philips' theme "simplicity."
Posted by richard ting at June 13, 2006, 02:56 AM
March 08, 2006
Shock Absorber - Bounce-o-meter
This bounce-o-meter tool is designed to showcase the performance benefits of the shock absorber sports bra. It allows users to select their cup size, level of sporting activity, and then visually see the differences between, no bra, basic bra, and the shock absorber sports bra. The site experience is definitely a bit on the humourous side, but the performance benefits are quite clear and in your face.
Posted by richard ting at March 08, 2006, 11:29 AM
March 07, 2006
ROOT Markets
It's the first trading platform for the pricing and exchange of real-time consumer data. The /ROOT exchange is used for lead trading and /VAULTS is used for consumer storage which will bring the liquidity of a modern financial market to online advertising.
Founded on the premise that the consumer has the right to her data, ROOT Markets is the first financial exchange for consumer leads. Leads are personal data that express an individual’s intent to purchase. The quality of the leads at ROOT Markets is driven by their ability to qualify intentions through consumer focused applications. Root Markets is an active supporter of AttentionTrust.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping consumers keep track of and benefit from their online activity.
Posted by richard ting at March 07, 2006, 07:15 AM
November 01, 2005
Million Dollar Homepage
This site has been up for a few weeks now, but the last time I checked there were only about 200,000 pixels sold. It's now up to 534,900 pixels sold! It's such an impressive idea based on the level of
ingenuity and the sheer simplicity of it.
Posted by richard ting at November 01, 2005, 11:08 AM
April 25, 2005
Guess-the-Google
Check out this awesome game created by Grant Robinson.
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at April 25, 2005, 06:47 AM
April 14, 2005
Mail Order Chickens
Here's a nice little viral piece that educates users about Africa's plight similar to Lifeswitch.
The interaction is also a combo of flickrgraph + the Matthew Mahon site. Lots of z-depth action in effect! Overall, the site is well done. I invested at least 10 minutes on the site trying to figure out what the site was.
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at April 14, 2005, 07:21 AM
April 07, 2005
MTV Launches New TV Channel Via Web
Go to the MTV Overdrive Site and log in using this information:
Login: iwantmy
Password: overdrive
MTV ANNOUNCED ON WEDNESDAY ITS plan to debut a Web-based video content channel called MTV Overdrive by April 25. The service--offered to the press to test yesterday--gives users with high-speed Web connections the option to either pick and choose from a range of MTV's news and interviews, music and music videos, and reality shows, or sit back and let Overdrive pick for them.
The service is built around several genres: The Lineup, where MTV can display its choicest offerings; News; Music; On TV; and Movies, which offers a list of movie trailers. Jason Hirschhorn, senior vice president of digital music and media at MTV Networks, said he expected the service to offer at least 50 to 70 clips every 10 days for the news section alone. The average running time for each video clip is two to six minutes.
The service will be ad-supported, with 15-second video advertisements from the likes of Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Sony Pictures.
MTV Overdrive is delivered via Windows Media Video and Windows Media DRM (Digital Rights Management), Hirschhorn said it will soon release a version of Overdrive optimized for Microsoft Media Center Edition personal computer. Macintosh owners will not be able to access the offering.
Read more.
Posted by richard ting at April 07, 2005, 02:38 PM
December 22, 2004
Just Letters
Just Letters is a free browser based Flash game. Here is what BBC's Clickonline said about it:
We've all seen those fridge magnets that allow you to spell out words from a group of individual letters right? Well FlashcomGuru have made this work for the web. Just open the page and start moving the letters about to create whatever words you want. There is a catch though - you will be doing this with up to 74 other players all working from the same board - hence the title 'Someone keeps stealing my letters'.
It gets hectic with everyone going for the same key letters as they build a word from scratch. I found a better strategy was to hijack someone else's nearly completed word and change a few letters around to create a different one. I hope you have as much fun with that as I did, but do please bear in mind that the content is uncensored, so viewing alongside your little ones is probably advisable.
Check out the site.
Posted by richard ting at December 22, 2004, 07:42 AM
April 05, 2004
Yahoo! Revs Up Brand Campaign: 'Life Engine'
Yahoo! positions itself as a "Life Engine" in a new brand campaign debuting on April 8 on television and the Web. The company's search, mail, shopping, and music services are highlighted in the first four TV spots; the trademark yodel remains.
Posted by richard ting at April 05, 2004, 10:49 AM
March 18, 2004
New Social Site: AARP for GenY
By Janis Mara | March 18, 2004
A new invitation-only social networking site hopes to profit by letting marketers reach its young, professional members.
SmallPlanet.net, billed by its CEO as a sort of online AARP for the 18-to-35 set, snapped up more than 1,500 members and seven marketing partners since its soft launch Mar.10.
Social networking sites are one of the most talked-about current trends, with a flurry of deals taking place in early March. The issue remains as to how these sites are going to make money, with different models and plans being attempted. For example, Tribe.net, a networking site with a classifieds model, partnered with CareerBuilder.com to give consumers access to job listings earlier this month.
L.A.-based SmallPlanet.net plans to address this issue by letting marketers offer its members discounts on goods and services such as gym memberships, car insurance, health insurance and other such items, according to CEO Hunter Heaney.
"The providers get business at an extremely low acquisition cost, we get a percentage and our members get a great deal," sand Heaney.
The site caters to young professionals in the 18-to-35-year-old demographic, who find themselves faced with inordinately high car insurance rates and, often, difficulty finding health insurance, Heaney said. This follows the model of organizations such as the AARP or AAA, which offer group discounts to their members.
Members vote on the site as to what goods and services they want, and the company then finds marketers interested in reaching the group and posts the relevant information on the site. The invitation-only site is free to members, who were initially seeded by friends and associates of its three founders, all of whom fit the age demographic. Heaney's partners are Diego Reyes and Gabriel Weinert.
"The idea is that if everybody's invited in by someone else you have a better-quality network. We won't grow as quickly, but it's more important to have loyal members," Heaney said.
In its first week, SmallPlanet.net has negotiated discount contracts with six L.A. gyms, including the upscale Sports Club and Bodies in Motion, for its members. The L.A. office of Andreini Insurance Company also signed a contract.
The meat and potatoes income will come from national providers such as credit card companies, insurance companies and manufacturers of the high-end, cutting edge technologies such as camera phones and music delivery systems beloved by this demographic, Heaney said.
Though ads have a strong presence on many social networking sites, including Friendster and Myspace.com, Heaney said SmallPlanet would accept no advertising.
"We want to find providers who will offer fair and honest deals. We don't want to seem like we're influenced by what companies might spend in terms of advertising dollars," Heaney said.
Nate Elliott, associate analyst with Jupiter Research, which shares a parent with this publication, says it's a creative idea. "Most social networking sites are looking to create revenue through advertising, which would be a difficult way to build a business, or dating, which won't work," he said. "They're looking at a different idea of making money and that clearly is a first step."
