Best Buzz of the (Light)Year

Pixar has been at the forefront of animation technology for years, dominating the box office and raking in millions of dollars in revenue.

And anytime they crank out another movie, there's no shortage of expertly-produced commercials, merchandising opportunities and big name partnerships. The bottom line is Pixar doesn't need to be clever about their advertising...if they want you to know about their movie, they have the money to make it happen.

Maybe that's why I was pleasantly surprised by Pixar's viral effort to build some buzz for their upcoming Toy Story 3 movie.

The technologically-advanced studio went old school by creating a vintage, 1980's-style commercial for one of the new characters that will debut in the movie, complete with cheesy lines and (intentionally) poor video quality.

The viral video makes no reference to Pixar or Toy Story 3, simply focusing on the Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear toy, resulting in a string of comments on YouTube on whether the commercial was legitimate or not.

Therein lies the true genius of this viral video campaign, because it created a dialogue on the Internet and around the blogosphere.

Of course, we shouldn't expect fake, 80's-inspired viral videos to become a staple of movie advertising in the future, but Pixar's Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear commercial was definitely one of the more clever buzz-generating efforts I've seen in a while.

Online Audition Ends on a High Note

Two weeks ago, Sara wrote about the open casting call that Fox's "Glee" was holding on MySpace. She raised some good points about the potential reactions by both fans and professional actors alike.

And while her article ended on a note of uncertainty about the contest, the one thing that can't be argued is the success the online auditions have had since then.

The numbers don't lie, with over 85 million votes cast for the nearly 28,000 entries that were submitted throughout the month-long contest.

In fact, the online auditions were so popular that MySpace and "Glee" re-opened the auditions (which ended on Tuesday) for an additional 24 hours on Wednesday.

So even though fans of the show and professional performers will likely continue their debate about the validity of online open casting calls like this, the overwhelming reality is that more shows will probably try to emulate the huge success "Glee" was able to have.

Like at Your Own Risk

New York Senator Charles Schumer has started reaching out to the FTC to address the issues of privacy and social media.  As Facebook’s like feature seems to be plastered on any website worth reading, it might be time to rethink our love of the thumbs up.

Even though Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg stands by the changes he’s made on the megasite, questions still loom about how easy it is for the average user to understand the bottom line. In other words, do you really know what happens to your photo once it’s uploaded to Facebook? How about who all knows once you give a company the thumbs up?

As we continue to push the privacy boundaries with each new social media platform, when will users say enough is enough? Or do we need the government to step in and say it for us?

And most importantly, how far is too far?

Clash of the Titans

Having studied journalism in-depth throughout college, I've practically grown up reading articles from both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and both publications have become news media icons.

But for the last few months, the long-standing rivalry between these journalistic giants has really been heating up. And while some think that both newspapers should stop bickering and focus on surviving in an increasingly-paperless world, I believe this feud could actually help both sides stay afloat.

Back in late 2009, when the feud was simply a war of words, all newspapers (WSJ and NYT included) were sweating the massive industry-wide losses and questions about the future of newspapers as a viable business option.

This led to the WSJ and NYT to escalating their efforts to beat the other into submission, and the latest moves to expand social media integration could prove extremely valuable to both papers.

Both papers have taken big steps to one-up each other with their social media use, with competing Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. But the NYT upped the ante in February, when they partnered with Foursquare during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

And over the weekend, the WSJ retaliated with a Foursquare partnership of their own, allowing users to access restaurant reviews and earn 3 new badges through the popular location-based servce.

And although many critics say these social media developments are nothing more than a case of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better, they are also making both publications stronger in the long run.

So could these battling heavyweights knock each other out in their fight to be on top? Of course, but there's also the chance that this clash of newspaper titans could force both sides to continue to evolve and innovate.

Cashing in on 3-D Hype

Question: how has 3-D technology taken off the way it has over the past couple years?

If you've ever watched Jaws 3-D or Friday the 13th Part III, you'd understand my confusion. Those cinematic disasters should have been the end for 3-D technology.

But despite those cheesy flicks, 3-D technology has not only made a comeback, but has seen rapid expansion as well. Over the past year or two we've seen everything from 3-D TV's to the Jonas Bros. and Kenny Chesney hitting the silver screen in 3-D.

Now it seems that even the Federal Government is jumping on the 3-D bandwagon with their recent release of new $100 bills that have a 3-D security ribbon.

That's right...the U.S. Treasury has gone Avatar on us.

But they didn't stop there, creating a new website called NewMoney.gov and even made a high-quality release video to help spread the word and build publicity.

So while the days of red-and-blue-tinted glasses are a thing of the past, for now 3-D will continue to be a technology that both companies and the government will bank on.

Double Click to Content: Results

Last week, I took it upon myself to explore the Double Click to Content phenomenon sweeping the nation.  Okay, maybe it isn’t that intense, but I did a quick survey to explore just how many people were affected, and how they felt it.

• 73% of those surveyed have had a “Double Click to Content” experience
   
• The most common used words to describe feelings towards the experience are annoying (35%), hate (28%), obnoxious (7%) and irritating (7%).

• Ninety-two percent of those who have experienced double click to content were directed to Facebook, compared with 28% directed to blogs and 7% directed to Twitter.

• Thirty-five percent of those who have experienced double click to content would not click through, while 50% were less likely to click through and 14% were just as likely to click through, regardless of the extra click involved.

After the conclusion of the survey, I was approached on Twitter about some differing opinions, specifically from a survey participant who had decided he didn’t mind double clicking to content as much as he originally voiced. However, that did spark discussion from fellow survey participants about their continued dislike of the process.

It’s interesting to note that 28% of those who have experienced double click to content noted they’ve been sent to a blog as the intermediate landing page. Is there a misperception about what the end content is? Do you view a blog as the end result or is it the now-deemed annoying landing page where readers need to click through the blog to get to the content?

Facebook "Likes" Its Future

With all the talk over the past few weeks of iPad launches and Foursquare changes, Facebook was starting to fade a little bit from the public frenzy it usually enjoys.

Well on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg ended that dry spell with some major announcements about new Facebook developments at the F8 Developer Conference, including elaborating on Facebook doing away with becoming "fans" of things and simply going with a simplified "like" button.

At F8, Zuckerberg announced that this feature will apply to other sites as well, namely Pandora and IMDb. There will now be "Like" buttons on the pages for different bands and actors on the two sites, allowing people to "like" them directly from wherever they are at. Facebook is also using a simpler permission system to speed up this process.

This new "Like" system, coupled with their new Open Graph platform, means that more and more personal information will be available on Facebook, which will then in turn be available to businesses. This will allow for further tailoring of advertisements and offers to targeted consumers.

While huge changes like these will undoubtedly raise questions about privacy invasion, Facebook has got to "like" where the social networking giant is heading.

GM and Chrysler - Good News At Last

By: Michael Ferrara

The good news today is that GM has paid off ALL of their $6.7 billion in bailout loans, and that Chrysler has actually turned a small profit in the first quarter. Does that mean all that government bailout money was well spent?

Not necessarily. It might have just prolonged the agony, particularly for Chrysler and its parent Fiat. If things don't get better in a hurry for both automakers, they may be knocking on Uncle Sam's door yet again. But it's encouraging news for employees of both companies, not to mention their dealers, vendors and owners.

Most of the cars Chrysler has been selling have been going to fleet sales and rental car agencies. I had the misfortune to drive a Dodge Charger during a recent Florida trip and all I can remember about the car was that it was ugly and it was red. And the interior was so black (plastic) that everything disappeared inside of it. Here's hoping for better in the future. I also got a chance to drive a Chevy Malibu recently and was impressed by the overall quality feel of the car. Would I go out and actually buy one? Nope, but I would recommend that someone in the market for a nice 4-door should definitely check it out, as well as its Buick cousins.

Perhaps the upcoming Chevy Volt will 'spark' something at the GM dealerships. There's a new Jeep Grand Cherokee due out soon as well over at Chrysler. Stuff to ponder while I try to save up for a $500 brake job on my 8-year-old MINI, grateful that I have a good job and a set of wheels under 10 years old!

Even This Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Who would've thought one little ash cloud would cause so much trouble?

Okay, shrugging off one of the most far-reaching natural disasters the world have seen in years as "one little ash cloud" is a bit much.

And while last Wednesday's volcanic eruption in Iceland fortunately hasn't resulted in any reported casualties, it has caused enormous logistical problems for 20 European countries.

Those problems include a huge drop in visibility, airline flights, and traveler patience throughout Europe over the past 6 days.

However, the ash cloud did cause a major spike in something other than the number of frustrated vacationers, with revenues of several airport-adjacent hotels showing huge increases for the week, and occupancy levels increasing 90% in some areas.

With major airports like Heathrow, Frankfurt Rhein-Main and Amsterdam Schiphol having postponed all flights since the eruption (and most likely staying cancelled until at least Thursday), the thousands of people who are stranded will continue to keep the surrounding hotels busy.

Touchscreen Technology Well-Armed for the Future

I remember when Bluetooth headsets hit the market and thinking, who would want to look like they are babbling to themselves in public?

I also remember just a few months ago when tablet technology was gaining steam and thinking, who would want to carry around an over-sized iPod touch?

With millions of Bluetooth headsets in use and hundreds of thousands of iPads sold (with a surge of other companies ready to launch competing tablets), I can admit that my track record of predicting the future success of technology isn't the greatest.

But now that another emerging technology has caught my attention, it's time to get back on the proverbial horse and try to gauge the success of the latest potential game-changer.

Skinput basically turns your arm and hand into a touchscreen keyboard by utilizing an armband projector to display menu options and buttons on the user's arm that can then be used to control other devices.

While I think it's a neat idea, I wonder whether or not people would want to wear the armband that's required to project the touchscreen, because it is a bit bulky (at least according to the prototype models I've seen).

But my biggest concern is will Skinput will adapt to different skin tones and arm sizes, arm hair and wrinkles, as well as things like wearing watches or bracelets?

Also, will people who have forearm tattoos be able to use the device, or will their ink make the Skinput menu too hard to read?

I know it's a lot of unanswered questions about a technology that's still being developed, but Skinput does provide an interesting solution to alleviating the stress and hassle of tiny touchscreen keyboards, and could definitely give you hand when using your mobile devices.

Axiom Has A Spring In Its Step

Axiom traces its roots back to 1993; an absolute eternity in the media world. 10 years ago, putting up a website was a big deal, and we were excited when the first version of Axiomcom.com went up.

But now, we’ve gone through several iterations and we’re getting ready to launch the latest version in about six weeks.

In the new re-design, we’ve strived to make the site an immersive experience (translation: lots of video) that truly shows off our culture and ideas. A mobile version of the site is in the works as well.

But wait, there’s more. We’ve updated both our Twitter handle and our Facebook page, and we’re in the midst of giving our LinkedIn page a facelift as well.

Why all this activity? Well, we’re very proud of the fact that not only are we still kicking after all these years, but we’ve grown and matured, not to mention kept pace with the latest technologies. I’m also very proud of our team of twenty-somethings who truly understand all the new platforms and how they can benefit our clients.

Please give us your thoughts and suggestions as we roll out these new Axiom platforms. They are meant to be living, breathing tools that need to continually evolve to reflect the needs of our clients, and of course, to show off a little bit, too.

Ex-Gleek Critiques

As an ex-show choir member, Fox’s “Glee” holds a special place in my TV heart. However, “Glee” complicated our relationship on March 30 when it announced its MySpace open casting call to “fill new high school student roles.”

With an increasing number of contest talent shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” or “Next Top Model,” there is no denying these types of casting calls are popular. But what’s the value of these casting calls among professional performers? I spoke with two of my friends, who also happen to be professional actors, on the issue.

Minnesota-based actress Elizabeth Grullon recently appeared in Mixed Blood Theater’s “Somebody, Nobody” and performed with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Elizabeth mirrors my social media enthusiasm for the online auditions.

“I am not hesitant at all to do a video audition for something I am interested in being a part of. The heavy promotion makes me more likely to audition simply because I know about it and I know it is legit.”

Even though she sees the value in these auditions, she feels the her performance is skewed due to poor user-generated video production. The collective spirit of these types of auditions is exciting and you hope that people receive recognition that normally wouldn’t.

Sam Prince is a working Broadway actor who recently appeared in “Robin & the 7 Hoods” and “The Happy Elf.” Sam reflects the performer in me, and views the auditions with major skepticism, considering them part of the “quick fame propaganda.”

“You don’t really know who’s viewing these submissions and what level of professionalism they’re really looking for ... Since I am professional, I have a team of about six agents behind me, submitting me for jobs, dealing with contracts, etc. ... I view it more as viral marketing campaign if anything.”

Sam’s doubts are echoed by the Terms of Submission page for the contest, which never specifically defines the role or the pay, and includes a potentially dangerous promise that you will not have other contractual obligations. This will discourage many professional actors from even submitting.

Social media-based campaigns that include these open casting calls are exciting tactics, but it’s important to remember the experience and concerns of the participants. Social media has pushed public relations to be more transparent, the campaigns should reflect that trend. Be clear on what you are promising the lucky winner, and define the submission evaluation process in lemans terms, not only in legal speak.

“Glee,” it’s a speed bump in our relationship but I still love you, my heart will go on.

Double Click to Content

Since I spend the vast majority of my day connecting with people on social media sites, I wanted to take some time and discuss a new marketing trend I’m seeing as the competition to “show the numbers” gets more intense. 

Of course I’m talking about double click to content. Not sure what that is? We here at Axiom thought it was an appropriate name for what others are doing in attempts to create a cohesive online presence—even if that means being totally repetitive.

Sample Double Click to Content:

Garden Apps in Full Bloom

Now that spring is finally here, gardeners around the country are looking forward to spending their days planting, weeding and tending their favorite flowers, fruits or vegetables.

And instead of picking up shovels or spades, some gardeners will start by reaching for their smartphones.

That's because there are actually a ton of smartphone apps out there that are geared specifically for gardeners, including things like growing requirements, planting and bloom times.

For instance, the Garden Pilot app for the iPhone has over 14,000 plants in its directories, covering plant diseases, fertilizers and chemicals, organic gardening and eco-friendly ideas, and shows which plants are available for purchase at local app-participating retailers.

The iPhone also has the Gardens app, which is a collection of short, informative videos about different gardening topics. There's even a Bugs & Insects app that provides info on 900 different pests.

But Apple doesn't have the garden app market cornered, because there are several Android apps for green thumbs out there, including Botanica, which pairs plants with hardiness zones, provides space for photos and journal entries, and issues alerts telling you when it's time to water.

But what I'm wondering is, how many of you actually garden with your phones on you enough to take advantage of these apps? And would you actually consult apps like these?

Opening the Floodgates

Technologically speaking, we live in a copycat world. If a company has even a small amount of commercial success with a new device, you can be sure its competitors will follow suit and ride the wave of momentum.

And over the past few weeks, it's been a wave of iPad news soaking into almost every blog and media outlet.

But now that it's been a week since Apple's tablet has launched and the waters have settled slightly, it seems like the tide may start to turn in this budding tablet market over the coming months.

That's because there's a steady stream of new tablet releases expected to launch in the next year, and each one is looking to offer its own unique spin on the tablet device (The HP Slate with its 2 cameras and USB ports or the Microsoft Courier, which has 2 screens and folds in half).

The list of companies that have tablets in the works is long one, including Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Nokia, Asus, Compal, Notion Ink, MSI, Quanta and ICD.

The latest news is that Google is testing the tablet waters as well and confirmed it's partnering with HTC to develop an Android-based tablet device, but hasn't even released so much as name yet.

Regardless, what is abundantly clear is that companies across the board obviously feel that the tablet market is a strong one with a lot of potential, and that should lead to more innovation and design.

And whether you love the iPad or hate it, it's hard to argue that it hasn't opened the floodgates for more and more tablets in the future.

Facebook Gets the South Park Treatment

You know you've achieved iconic pop culture status when you've been mentioned, or ripped apart, by the foul-mouthed kids on South Park.

Well, this week the creators of South Park finally got around to aiming their satirical sights on Facebook in their newest episode "You Have 0 Friends" that aired on Wednesday.



The mocking of the Internet's most popular social network was hilariously perfect, covering everything from stressing over Farmville to "poking" family members. They even squeezed in some references to ChatRoulette (which has upwards of 1 million visitors now) and Tron (which has sequel coming to theaters later this year).

So did the episode raise any groundbreaking issues about Facebook? Not really, in fact the only question is why they waiting so long to slam the website that's dominated our lives for years now.

Regardless, it was well worth the wait, because sometimes it's nice just to sit back and laugh at ourselves for our social media obsessions.

End of the Line for Checkin Cheaters

If there was one social media tool that could really benefit from the "iPad fever" that's been sweeping the country over the past few weeks, it's Foursquare. An easily portable, internet-accessible tablet is perfect for a location-based app like this.

Not that Foursquare needs the help, with over 1.2 million site visitors and no sign that the momentum is slowing down.

Case in point: back in mid-March, I wrote about the big brand partnerships Foursquare made with companies like Starbucks and Bravo Network for different giveaways and contests.

And with more and more companies looking towards location-based apps for promotional work (and Foursquare being arguably the biggest of these apps right now), Foursquare recently took steps to fix the biggest problem the service has; cracking down on users who checkin to places they're not actually at.

The site is now using the GPS built into mobile phones to verify that cheating checkins are kept to a minimum. The reason this is so important is that because Foursquare is shoring up its biggest issue, current users who were frustrated with checkin cheating will remain loyal, while people who haven't tried Foursquare will be more likely to give it a shot.

More importantly, companies may be more willing to look into Foursquare as a viable promotional tool because these changes further legitimize it as the top of the location-based food chain.

Primetime Product Placement

Last week I wrote a post about how advertisers had to overcome TiVo and short attention spans through creative means. Well for years, the main weapon advertisers have used in their war against digital recording devices was product placement.

Usually, this tactic is limited to a well-placed (and name brand) beverage for our favorite TV characters to drink, or a casual off-the-cuff reference to certain restaurant or fast-food chain.

However, last week I watching the show Modern Family and the product placement went from deceptively subtle to overwhelmingly obvious.

That's because last week's episode was entirely devoted to the iPad...as if we hadn't already heard enough about the iPad, right?

The plot of the episode was basically that Phil, one of the main characters, gets an iPad for his birthday. After blowing out the digital candles on his birthday cake app, he and his family continued to gush over how great the iPad is.

And seeing as how it was indeed a real iPad and not a mock-up or a fake, I doubt it was a coincidence or the producers simply looking to capitalize on a trending topic.

Now I understand it's timely, what with the recent iPad launch and all (not to mention the flurry of media coverage that followed), but I'm not sure how I feel about being whacked over the head with the product placement.

Food for Thought: Top 2009 Launches

Since I'm still recovering from a huge Easter dinner and picking through the jellybeans and chocolate bunnies that I've been stockpiling for weeks now, I thought it'd be a good time to talk about food.

Specifically, IRI (Information Resources, Inc.) released their Top Launches of 2009 report last week. The report breaks down which new products netted the most sales, with breakdowns in different categories.

The top 5 food launches included products like Bud Light Lime, Arnold Select Sandwich Thins, Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers and Dreyer’s/Edy’s Fun Flavors Ice Cream.

But the king of the food mountain was Campbell's Select Harvest Soup, which aimed to take advantage of the increase in health awareness with natural ingredients and getting rid of the MSG.

With 7 out of the top 10 food launches based around healthier products, the trend seems to point towards a continued rise in lower calorie foods and natural products.

iPad Success or Computer Industry Failure?

I'm old enough to remember when Apple products were on the fringe of the industry; no one cared except a devoted few. The iMac, iPod and iPhone changed all that over the last 15 years.

Where are the rest of the computer industry's innovators? Why does everyone wait for the next big thing from Apple? Because there's no one else. Microsoft and HP and the others can't seem to do anything but copy each other.

The sad thing is that this pattern has repeated itself in the domestic car companies as well. We see a few glimmerings of hope with new models from GM and Ford, but my hopes for Chrysler are fading fast.

We know Japan and Korea are superb at copying existing technology, especially hardware, and making it better. But there's no originality there.

The good news is that the United States is still the world's supplier of most of the entertainment content. And without the content, devices like the iPad are just empty shells. Let's hope that other U.S. technology companies will join Apple in innovation and show the rest of the world we still have what it takes to be leaders.

Off-Field Issues

As a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan myself, I think it's great that fans can get that more casual and personal perspective on their favorite athletes through social networks like Twitter, but the unregulated nature of these networks has raised some issues.

In response, the NFL has passed regulations on many of these issues, from how soon players can tweet before or after a game to leaking inside information about their organizations.

But despite those regulations, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes has still been in hot water over his recent Twitter activity.

But to his credit, he isn't guilty of violating the league's policy on leaking info or pre-game tweeting...instead, he told a fan to commit suicide.

Specifically, he said the fan "shud try finding the worst thing that you could drink n kill urself."

Now I'm no expert on the legal gray areas that exist between social media use and sports, but I'm fairly certain that a professional athlete (with nearly 11,000 followers) should not be telling people to go kill themselves.

Holmes took it a step further a couple days later, when he tweeted Wednesday morning that it was "time to wake n bake," which is a common pot reference.

Let me be clear, this isn't a debate about the legality of marijuana or the liability of suicide incitement. But as bad as those issues are, what I'm dumbfounded by is that he said these things when thousands of people were watching and could hold him accountable.

Regardless, this should serve as a wake-up call to all of these Twitter athletes is that just because social networks exist outside of the league doesn't mean they are above scrutiny from both the leagues and the public at large.