Techblogvertising

Dan Wieden on Advertising

brandonbutcher — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:55:44 +0000

Dan Wieden talks about sticking around for so many years in the advertising industry and the exciting period the industry is in now.

Dan Wieden, Wieden + Kennedy Video Interview

Dan Wieden talks about how he developed the “Just Do It” slogan. You might be surprised. Can I just say Dan Wieden is a unique character.

Dan Wieden on developing the Nike “Just Do It” tagline

Boone Oakley – Agency Website On YouTube

brandonbutcher — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:48:50 +0000

Check out Boone Oakley, a full-service ad agency, who has posted their entire agency site on YouTube.

XBox Live

brandonbutcher — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:32:46 +0000

Xbox may have the upper hand on Playstation Home at this point when it comes to the merging of social networking and gaming. Xbox Live is the largest social network on TV and has seamlessly integrated Facebook and Twitter within the platform. Users can post a tweet or a status update while directly from the in-game experience. Xbox Live has also begun the process of developing programming and creating unique spaces in which advertisers will be able to deliver content to an engaged audience. This is a exciting model that seems to have very little downside.

In comparison to Playstation Home, it seems that Xbox Live has been able to more effeciently integrate social media and create unique advertising opportunities. However, Playstation Home is distinct in its ability to immerse users in a 3-dimensionally interactive environment. Whereas Playstation Home seems like a more true to life, immersive experience, Xbox Live seems have taken the lead on creating opportunities for advertisers to have a presence.

Playstation Home

brandonbutcher — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:10:44 +0000

Gaming and social networks unite in Playstation Home. This will be an exciting space for brands to enter the conversation.

Augmented Reality: BMW taking the lead

brandonbutcher — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:32:45 +0000

In a recent campaign for its Z4 convertible, BMW incorporated a new form of digital technology called augmented reality. Check it out here What is augmented reality you ask? Augmented reality allows users to view three-dimensional, motion graphics on their computer screen when they hold a printed document embedded with an activation code up to their computer’s video camera. So let’s say you see an ad for a BMW mini in a magazine with the instructions “to experience MINI visit bmwmini.com and hold this ad up to your computer’s video camera.” You follow the instructions and when you hold up the ad to your camera a 360 degree, 3-D depiction of the BMW mini appears on your screen. As you move the ad, the image moves simultaneously. You are in control of what you see. (Mini actually did this by the way- see the video below).BMW has taken this to another level in their current Z4 campaign. Not only can users see a 360 degree, 3D depiction of the vehicle, but they can also drive the car around on their screen. But wait, there’s more. The augmented reality component is an extension of a broader Z4 campaign which features a tv commercial depicting a driver “painting” a giant canvas as he speeds around with wheels doused in different colors of paint. The augmented reality component allows you to do the same thing on your screen. You can literally drive the car around, peel out, take sharp corners and use your car as a paintbrush. This reinforces BMW’s message that Z4 is not just a car, but it is a way to express yourself, just as art is a way to express yourself. And of course, the emotion you feel most when you drive the high-performance Z4 is joy. Hence the campaign’s tagline “an expression of joy.”

Now. Let’s evaluate this technology on a strategic level. Sure it is cool but does it actually make sense for a brand? I think there are two questions to ask when evaluating whether augmented reality is appropriate.

1. Is it a natural extension of the campaign and does it reinforce the message in a relevant way?

It is important that brands incorporate augmented reality as an extension of an existing campaign. As a stand-alone tactic AR might not make much sense, but if it fits into a larger campaign it may be an opportunity to bring the message to life in a powerful way. A key question to ask is “does this technology reinforce the campaign’s central message?” Also, the AR should actually provide the user with some kind of experience of the brand that they can’t deliver using another medium.

2. Who is the audience?

Is it an audience that will respond to this form of communication? Is it a tech-savvy audience? Do they have a video camera on their computer? This technology is likely over the heads of some audiences. You have to ask whether it will reach the right people. It has to make sense for the audience.

It remains to be seen whether this technology will actually catch on or if it will fizzle out and join the long list of cool, but marginally impactful technology. Still, It will be exciting to see what happens next and how advertisers are able to leverage this new medium to reach audiences in powerful ways.

Technology Tuesday 2

brandonbutcher — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:40:38 +0000

Technology Tuesday’s back in action. This week: augmented reality. Check it out on the Click Here blog.

Flutter

brandonbutcher — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:01:27 +0000

Who has time to read 140 characters anymore? Flutter is the solution.

Technology Tuesday

brandonbutcher — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:58:46 +0000

So this is installment numero uno of what I hope will be an entertaining weekly look at the technology that is changing the face of the media and advertising industries. This week: Boxee. It is the manifestation of the abstract term that we’ve been stumbling over for years: convergence. Boxee is a downloadable software platform that organizes all the media you could ever want and allows you to view it or listen to it on your television. But it does more than organize. It also connects you to sites that allow you to stream television programs without paying anything to cable companies. The interface is the television equivalent to the desktop aggregators that feed in all of your social media endeavors. (Think Skimmer or NetVibes or iGoogle but times 10 and on your screen at home). The software also allows you to organize and download all of your music and movies and organize them in creative ways. And it doesn’t end there. You can also connect with others. You can figure out what they are watching or listening to and plug into their experience with the click of a remote. Couple all this functionality with the visual appeal mirroring Apple TV and Front Row or Delicious Library‘s media organization tool and you have a complete package that will change the way consumers use media.

quick intro to boxee from boxee on Vimeo.

The greatest threat of this technology is to the cable and broadcast networks that will inevitably lose viewers who no longer opt to pay for monthly subscriptions. These audiences will choose to stream their favorite shows and movies online and on-demand and the cable/broadcast model will become extinct. That means no more mass audiences for cable and broadcast networks to sell to advertisers. Networks will have to find a way to transition online and monetize their content in smart ways. It also means advertisers will have to adapt to an increasingly fragmented audience and find new and innovative ways to reach consumers.

Check out this article by Bob Garfield that touches on some of the issues of a changing media landscape.

The Evolution of Advertising

brandonbutcher — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:09:47 +0000

Check out this video about the evolution of advertising. It paints a great picture of the need for brands to engage audiences in non-traditional and memorable ways to cut through the cluttered landscape.

Technology scares me

brandonbutcher — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:24:00 +0000

What ever happened to the quiet, peaceful days of yesteryear- before all the hustle and bustle of life drowned out the simple truths of life. Those were the days, when all that was needed to say could be expressed through a face-to-face conversation, a letter and the occasional clip-art. This video will take those of you young 20-somethings back to the nostalgic days of elementary school/middle school computer class. Life was much more simple back then and brochures much easier to make. Oh how I miss clip art.