A Source Of Inspiration

Interactive Advertising Bureau released the whitepaper “User-Generated Content and Social Media Advertising Overview” (PDF, 3.4 MB), a hands-on guide to social media, focusing on terminology, practices and standarts.

Interesting Snippet by lynetter

The document intends to clear some of the fears that brands and agencies might have on using this dynamic medium, framing the whole UGC movement and reminding brands that user reviews are just like personal recommendation, one of the most effective forms of advertising.

Source: eMarketeer

Blogs, wikis, UGC and Ad Networks are described, with several examples how to integrate advertising with social media. The myth that Social Networks is kids stuff was also debunked, by showing that “more than half of MySpace users were over 35 years old” and “LinkedIn, reports that its average user is 39 years-old and has an annual income of $139,000″.

With all the buzz surrounding social media, it’s easy for brands to jump into the bandwagon, and try to push their messages instead of engaging into conversations with their audience. Marketing author and blogger Seth Godin brilliantly states it on his latest book “Meatball Sundae”, reminding companies that just because they put money into new media that doesn’t necessarily translate into effective customers. Be ready to fail, experiment, optimize and most important, be ready to listen.

The document is a valuable first time reading for professionals that want to get acquainted with social media. For a 17 page paper, it manages to get a good overview that you can enrich with several web resources , such as Paul Isackson’s recent presentation, or from Fallon planer Aki Spicer:

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This entry was crossposted at Interact Congress Blog.

Tickets are sold out for a while, and the new site by José Carlos and Nuno Ribeiro, has released the schedule for OFFF Lisbon’08, so now i can plan my attendance at the meanest and biggest design/technology event ever to take place in Portugal.

With so much to see and so little time, here’s the current schedule:

Also available as a Google iCal for the 3 venues: ROOTS (iCal), OPENROOM (iCal) and LOOPITA (iCal).

See you in Alcantara, Lisbon in a few days.
(Drop a comment and we might arrange a meetup).

hCalendar event:

Swiss company Jaeger-LeCoultre showcases their 75 luxury watches limited edition on a new website for La Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2.

Nothing really outstanding, but it’s a first for me posting a website on luxury items (maybe i just can’t afford this kind of stuff !? ). They did however a really nice work on the video, with an almost documentary film on the second part of the site, with the watchmakers history since Anthony LeCoultre and the manufacturing process, directed by Thibault Castan. And they got the embeddable video right (via DailyMotion), which you know, i find ridiculously obvious. Check below:

A work by DDB Paris.

Great news: finally Interactive Advertising Bureau Portugal kicks off, with an ambitious installing committee .

Ricardo from Elemento Digital did most of the hard work (along with Alain Heureux, from IAB Europe) and got great feedback from the major Portuguese online media players, that are finally agreeing on the urgent need of a reliable institution heading the interactive marketing industry.

In the next few months, IAB Portugal intends to discuss the main goals and business plan, inviting all the players to the table (remember my comment?).
So, if you’re in Portugal and concerned about the future of advertising, have your say at IABPortugal.com.

I dreamed that one day advertising could move people the way ImprovEverywhere does. Another remarkable mission.

Just check one of the parent’s testimonials:

I believe you guys are behind the “Hermosa Beach Little League” taping that took place Saturday, March 10th, 2007. The parents will be talking about this for a long time… the kids even longer. My son was a pitcher on the Lugnuts. We had a long/tough season last year. Saturday made up for everything. I want to sincerely thank you for making Saturday so unbelievable. It was like a birthday, Christmas, and New Years Eve captured in a few amazing hours. Thanks a million for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Michael Lebowitz is back to microblogging, sharing BigSpaceship’s latest work with ad agency Cramer-Kasselt: The Corona Beach.

If you’re having one of those awful Mondays (aren’t they all?), then a quick stroll on the Corona Beach might turn your day a bit more pleasant. Head to Corona beach and feel the breeze while listening to waves breaking on the sea shore or get a glimpse right here by watching one of the campaign’s commercials:

You get to explore the landscape or blow on the beer bottles, but what really impressed me was when I got to draw in the sand, that felt almost like the real thing.

Once you check the website, you might start dreaming with paradisaical islands and buckets of iced Coronas.
Or you’ll realize that you’ve got already 10 more emails to answer and your phone keeps ringing.
Have a nice work week.

Or as Wired puts it, Pitchfork.tv Takes a Stab at Music Videos.

For long have i’ve been a regular reader of Pitchfork, along with last.fm, Hype machine,MetaCritic and ubber-cool Stereogum, that nurtured my musical tastes, while bypassing traditional music media moguls like MTV or NME.
Even in Portugal i’m a regular at remixtures, Palco Principal or Bodyspace, great web projects that help me keep up to date with Portugal’s music scene.

Pitchfork and other web based projects are taking a real dent in TV music channels, with loyal fans and delivering breaking news. Pitchfork has even achieved a successful spin-off, with their Chicago Pitchfork Music Festival.

Take for instance Stereogum, who has just released a tribute disk to download, honoring Post, the 10 year old record by Bjork, something possible thanks to the loyalty of both fans and artists to the music weblog. Not to mention other major online players like MySpace, that has just closed the circle with a deal to sell DRM-free music, further establishing the site as a social music destiny.

Even if Pitchfork got a bit too pretentious on their Wired interview, tomorrow we get the chance to review the video quality and the whole interactive experience, but if they keep faithful to their overall excellence, i bet this one will be one more nail in the coffin in traditional music business.

Images Credits: Pitchfork

A website that gets a band like Radiohead to premiere their video service, premieres exclusive demo tracks or shapes an album’s success with their review is surely a menace to MTV or VH1, companies that are increasingly more distant from music fans with their programming choices influenced by major record labels, and miss the huge long tail of music that MySpace, Pitchfork and thousands of music blogs have now filled.

Or quoting The Buggles:

In my mind and in my car, we can’t rewind we’ve gone too far.

MTV, take care.

How about some gaming as a Friday time waster? Well, there’s always the new site from 2Advanced for LucasArts: The Force Unleashed.

Most gamers are all excited by this Star Wars release, that promises some kick-ass physics engine and might even attract not-so-serious gamers, like me. As for the site, lots of video and i guess some Perlin Noise actionscript for the menu fx, something like Ricardo Cabello (mr. Doobs) is doing here.

One thing that always pisses me off is why game/movie websites don’t usually have social features (embed videos, social bookmarking, etc). It sucks seeing a great trailer (above) and then have to look it up on YouTube to embed. Besides, a great opportunity is lost to track their content and interact with their audience with a branded media player.