What's on Tap... A brew of marketing and advertising news for your insatiable knowledge palette

Measuring Success: Why your Relationships Matter

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ Whether you know this statement to be true or not you’ve probably heard it more times than you can count. But did you ever think you would be measuring your personal and professional success off the relationships you have made?

Typically, people measure business success based on what outcome is achieved rather than the relationships made along the way. Take a look at your or your businesses current accomplishments. Have you reached those based off experience and relationships or solely off your knowledge and resources? Ensitute is breaking the typical college mold and implementing a solution that allows individuals to learn and build professional relationships simultaneously. Ensitute is a two year program; the first year, participants fill basic administrative roles and interact with top-level executives. The second year, participants specialize in a certain business area at the same company. The desired end result is individuals will emerge with newly found relationships and marketable skills.

Should business success be measured on a relationship made? Of course it should. And the reason is you never know when that relationship will prove fruitful. It could be the next day, or it could be down the road when you need a reference, or maybe a job opportunity. Keith Ferrazzi, in his New York Times #1 Bestseller ‘Never Eat Alone,’ discusses the importance and value of creating, establishing and nurturing the relationships in your life. At Mediaspace we recently went through his book as a group and have put his practices into action.

Look for our blog next week that outlines how putting the idea of resourcefulness vs. resources, and fostering positive relationships as outlined by Ferrazzi is making an impact on our business. And learn some ways how it could impact yours.

How do you find yourself measuring your success? Let us know in the comments section below

How to determine the best advertising solutions for your company

Amy Xiong — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:28:00 GMT

What have you found to be the best advertising solutions for your company? How do you know these are the best? Are you testing and changing and testing again? Are you primarily focusing on just print media or digital? Are you trying to reach your ideal customers through a variety of mediums through an integrated approach?

We recently met with Marv Danielski of Frank N. Magid Associates who shared his knowledge and research on what they have found to be the best advertising solutions for their clients. It all starts with keeping the consumers in mind.

Your brand’s relationship with the consumer should be the driver of the media mix. Magid and Associates have found through research that audiences respond best to well executed ad campaigns. These campaigns have central themes that provide a sense of message continuum, familiarity and show the brand values. For example, Apple has been consistent in their approach in striking a “difference” and making emotional and visual style in their ads.

Be clear and concise with your writing and the messages that are directed to your clients. You should have a ‘positioning’ statement which defines the product value and the company’s value. This statement speaks to your consumer’s needs, desires and wants.

In addition to this, integrated marketing will help your company reach its consumers through all touch points. The changing technology allows consumers to interact with your products and brands in a variety of ways through television, radio, print and digital. This makes it more difficult for brands to handle their mediums and maintain their position, but those who are successful with this can gain and develop loyal customers. Having an integrated marketing campaign allows you to reach your customer through the best medium for them. Your brand will be on their mind and easily accessible to them effortlessly. They do not have to go out of their way to search for information about your company and the products/services you offer.

Don’t get lost in the mix of different mediums for reaching your consumers. Explore different marketing avenues to reach your consumers through the best means possible at the right time and track your measurable findings. Remember, the consumer is the driver of the media mix. If your ideal target group is senior citizens reaching them only through tablet advertising and mobile advertising is not the best solution. You don’t have to use all vehicles, but you do need to find the right mix for you and your company’s goals.

Comment below to share some the best advertising solutions that have worked for you.

Mediaspace Creates Blue Sky News Highlighting the Benefits and Changes in the Newspaper Industry

Amy Xiong — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

– Mediaspace Solutions deals with hundreds of newspapers every day, and what we read about the industry and what we have experienced are two different things. The Blue Sky News newsletter has been created to give a different perspective on the newspaper industry. Mediaspace Solutions is an advocate for publications and the newspaper industry.

Mediaspace Solutions is a leader in facilitating national, regional and local newspaper, magazine and digital buys throughout North America and Canada. For more than 11 years Mediaspace has delivered unmatched media placement services to advertisers and agencies willing to challenge their assumptions.

“In Blue Sky news, we focus on all the great things about newspapers, including interesting people, technology, and other special sections,” said Scott Jagodzinski, CEO at Mediaspace. “The word ‘Blue Sky’ is an internal term we use for innovation; it’s about possibilities.”

“The biggest challenge facing the newspaper industry today is all the speculation from people outside the industry,” said Jeff Griffing, Chief Revenue Office of StarTribune. Griffing was featured in the first edition of Blue Sky News and shared his insight on the newspaper industry. The Shatter the Status Quo Interview series features business leaders who go against the grain and push limits and boundaries every day. This interview series showcases how they do this in their personal and professional lives to arrive to where they are today and will be a regular feature in each quarterly edition of the newsletter.

To join the Blue Sky News mailing list send an email to Scott Olson at solson@mss-mail.com and indicate your preference for the hard copy or digital version.

CANI: Why you need to practice Constant And Never-ending Improvement

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Ever wonder how companies such as Apple can continuously be one of the most innovative companies and largely successful at the same time? The answer is not as complicated as you might think. It does not involve hiring the budget busting techie or purchasing the most up to date programs. The answer is simple: develop an imperfect product.

According to For Successful Innovation, Sell Imperfect Products, by Larry Popelka, many companies take the MVP, or minimum viable product approach, eliminating large upfront research and development costs towards new ideas. The thought behind MVP is to find the fastest, most cost-effective way to create a market-ready product that delivers on your general idea and provokes a reaction from potential buyers. Though many people may not buy the product, using this technique generates feedback on the product’s features and ultimately provides a blueprint for the final design. Creating the imperfect product and introducing it to the market allows you to test the water, get feedback, and build an even better product that is more likely to succeed because you have already collected research.

Masters of this practice include Starbucks, Nike, PowerBar and Coca-Cola. Starbucks, for example, uses this method for nearly every new product. The concept is tested in a few stores while the idea is still new. Timely testing leaves competition in the dark and gives Starbucks one up when they officially go-to-market.

Starbucks is a prime example of the CANI effort and results. You must constantly be improving your process, products, and overall customer experience. Is innovation an indication of your future? Absolutely. Without it, your company cannot grow, you will never beat out your competitor, and you will have extremely dissatisfied customers.

There’s a saying that if you’re not constantly creating new ideas, introducing new products, and improving what you currently offer, someone else will. In the video below, Simon Sinek gives us the perfect example of the Wright Brothers. They beat out their well funded and well supported competition because they worked for something they believed in rather than working for the sake of success. This mindset allowed them to be more innovative when producing model after model before developing a final product that worked and took flight.

How do you ensure you’re always improving your offerings and fostering an environment of innovation? Let us know in the comments section below.

5 Truths About Emails You Can Use to Cut Through the Clutter

Amy Xiong — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:49:00 GMT

The average user receives 147 emails a day
People spend about 2.5 hours checking their email
In less than three seconds 80% of emails are deleted
The average person writes about 40 emails a day
There are 12 messages we receive that will take more than 90 minutes of our day

There’s a lot of talk about email and its effectiveness. Some think the medium has lost all ability to communicate a message while others still rely heavily on its ability to send information to a targeted group. If you’re with us in the second group and still believe in email’s ability to communicate your message, the infographic below highlights ways you can be sure your email remains in the effective bucket.

For starters, the text in your email should NOT contain the following words: confirm, join, assistance, speaker, press, social or invite. Some words to include in your subject line to get a better response or to get the emails opened are: apply, opportunity, demo, connect, payments, conference and cancellation. Email users are also more likely to read your email between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. or around noon while most people are on their lunch.

Once you get someone to actually open your message, be sure the call to action is located on top. For example, if you’d like someone to click on a link put that link on the top line. You should also make your email message concise. Bullet points help get your point across and make it easier for the reader to scan your email message.

What tactics do you use to get your emails read or responded to? Are you still using email to reach your targets? Tell us about your experiences in the ‘Comments.’

Ring, Ring: Mobile Advertising on the Rise

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Move over desktop and web, mobile and apps are here and they aren’t leaving anytime soon. According to Mobile By The Number information in March of 2011, there was a whopping four billion mobile phones in use in the world. Of that four billion, just more than one billion are smartphones and more than three billion are SMS enabled. Moreover, on average, Americans spent 2.7 hours per day socializing on their mobile device.

What does this mean? The next large platform in internet marketing will be mobile. Here are some reasons why:

Demand is on the rise
Location-based marketing is increasing
Real-time bidding produces mutual value for buyers and sellers
Rich media is significantly increasing ad quality and consumer connection
Mobile private exchange is changing the way premium publishers and developers buy and sell

Should mobile be a part of your marketing budget? Yes. But is it the end and be all? No. Like any medium, especially an emerging one, it should be utilized in an integrated marketing plan. Don’t go putting all your eggs in one basket hoping to reach and engage your entire audience. Though mobile does reach consumers, you can never be sure if that individual will see your ad, act upon what you are offering or retain the information. If you want results, you need to be present in a variety of media.

Where does mobile fall in your integrated marketing plan? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information on 2012 being the year of mobile advertising, click here.

The importance of a strong organizational culture

Amy Xiong — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

What kind of culture does your company embrace? When an organization has a strong culture, it keeps their employees actively and passionately engaged. A strong culture impacts the values and norms of an organization. It creates and supports the mission, vision and values. The type of culture you have influences your financial growth, internal communication, level of risk-taking, and innovation. Your culture determines what your clients expect from you and if you are the type of company they could get along with. A successful company takes more than just great products and a big bank account, a strong culture is also essential.

A lot of companies talk about culture and as Fast Company blogger Shawn Parr puts it, ‘It's one thing to have beliefs and values spelled out in a frame in the conference room. It's another thing to have genuine and memorable beliefs that are directional, alive and modeled throughout the organization daily.’

Your culture has to be yours and you need to be loyal to it. One thing to recognize: it won’t fit everyone. Every person will not fit in every organization. Some organizations are built on plain jane’s and order takers happy to make their to-do list, check it off and go home at night. Others are built on rule breakers and risk-takers who get after it and do whatever it takes the get the job done right and done well. Can you guess which companies grow faster or are more successful long-term?

At Mediaspace Solutions, our culture is spelled out through the acronym AFIRE [Aggressiveness, Fun, Innovative, Results, Excellence]. But we didn’t just create it, frame it on the wall and forget about it. We live it daily. You can see it through our website and social media. We have a work hard and play hard mentality. When you walk into our office you can see a wall of employee photos that immediately gives you a feel for our individuality and personality. From there you’ll be invited into the pub room. This is where we create our success and then celebrate it while sipping beer from our three taps.

Your culture needs to be evident in everything you do. It starts with hiring great people who fit your culture and then setting them free to meet client needs, develop products and services and deal with the challenges they face, all while your culture emanates from everything they do. We use our culture to guide how we approach everything we do.

Whether they know it or not, our clients hire us because of our culture. They don’t always tell us that’s the reason; but because the way we do business is a reflection of our culture it delivers the results they desire.

It comes down to this: like the great philosopher Bill Cosby once said, ‘I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is to try to please everybody.’ Identify your core values (real, not imagined), and instill these in your employees. This will lead to your strategies being focused and ultimately, more effective.

What does the culture of your organization promise your clients? Tell us in the comments.

To learn more about the importance of building a strong culture, check out “Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch”

Cross off Your Entire To-Do List

Molly Carnicom — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 GMT

How many to-do lists have you made within the past week? A majority of us have made at least one if not multiple lists. Of these lists, how many tasks have been completed? You have most likely checked off the obvious, easy tasks that take no time to complete and have left the bigger, uglier tasks for another day.

To-Do Lists Don’t Work by Daniel Markovitz offers some reasons why our to-do lists become ineffective:

Too many choices
Varied difficulty
Varied priorities
Lack of framework
Lack of commitment tools

Instead of writing a useless to-do list, Markovitz suggests taking each individual task and putting them in your calendar allowing you to estimate how much time it will take to complete each task. Markovitz says deciding which task to tackle when allows you to overcome the five reasons mentioned above. In addition to overcoming these obstacles, putting tasks in your calendar allows you to better determine whether or not you have the capacity to take on a new project.

Do you find yourself more productive using calendar tasks versus to-do lists? Let us know how you stay organized and own your time in the comments section below.

What you need to know to take advantage of tablet advertising

Amy Xiong — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:57:00 GMT

Here are a few tips to effectively advertise on tablets:

Start with a strong strategy and concept
Content should be easy to read and accessible
Make it simple and quick
It should look like an app
Take advantage of the tablet’s multiple cameras, touch screen interfaces and GPS

Tablet ad should have strong context and be very targeted. Try to get your ads to be placed with articles that are relevant to your product. This helps the consumer's experience be consistent and strong from the beginning to the end. It should be easy for the consumers to be able to connect the dots as to how your products affect their life and what they can do to get your product.

iPads are the dominant player in the tablet category holding more than 70%. The iPad also has unique capabilities not available on other devices. Take a look at some tips to effectively advertise on iPads. And keep in mind as technology changes these tips will, if they don’t already, apply to other tablet devices:

Design for portrait and landscape
Be more engaging with video, photo galleries, hot spots and the accelerometer
Preload ads for offline viewing
Adhesion ads provide prominent, persistent placement above-the-fold

How are you taking advantage of the opportunities tablets present for advertising? Let us know in the comments.

Check out our other blogs about tablets such as: Industry Review: Tablets, Magazines and Newspapers. Oh my!

Blackout Wednesday: the Day the Internet Lashed back to Protest SOPA

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:52:00 GMT

Noticed anything different lately on the Internet? Chances are some of your most frequently visited websites had a ‘blackout’ last Wednesday to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

What does SOPA entail exactly? Great question. The new bill, introduced to the United States House of representatives in October 2011, will allow the U.S. Government to block Americans from visiting certain websites. In detail, it increases the ability of copyright holders and U.S. law enforcement to battle online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.

How this may affect you:

Sites you frequent daily could be blocked
Email providers may be required to censor certain links you send or receive
The links and content you share on social networks will be carefully observed and potentially censored

SOPA support and opposition is coming from several different industries and individuals. In fact, more than $2.5 million has been spent on SOPA support and opposition funding so far. To see a breakdown of who is for and who is against SOPA, click here.

For more information on SOPA and what you need to know, check out this infographic.

Which side are you on? Let us know in the comments section below.

Evolution of Newspapers Starting with Size Changes

Amy Xiong — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:25:00 GMT

The combination of newspapers being in both the print and digital realm has led to the continued evolution of print and digital subscriptions. Publications are doing their best to cater to both audiences. They know the print subscribers are looking for papers that are more accessible and easier to read. At the same time, publications are working to monetize the digital space through paywalls and tablet applications. Forward-thinking publications recognize the need for change and are embracing the new opportunities presented to them through their growing digital audience.

One of the ways that newspapers are evolving is by changing the newspaper size. It is not uncommon for newspapers to change their sizes, and there are a variety of reasons why publishers choose to do this. For example, in October 2011, “The Columbia County News-Times” started producing a thinner print model and combined that with a website that had more content. They chose to make this change for the very simple reason their printer was upgrading and only willing to produce the industry-standard narrower paper width. The smaller sizes also allowed them to save more money.

One of our newspaper partners, “Columbus Dispatch,” has plans to make a size change later this year. They did quite a bit of research through focus groups and have found their readers preferred papers which were easier to handle, more convenient for reading, had a better overall appearance, and used color and photos. Their new format will also allow for more sections than what is currently offered to readers.

Check back next week for our STSQ interview with Jeff Griffing, Chief Revenue Officer of the StarTribune and learn why that publication was ranked the #1 regional paper by Ad Age.

Mediaspace Solutions welcomes Catherine Dettloff as Director of Digital

Amy Xiong — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:10:00 GMT

Mediaspace Solutions is proud to welcome Catherine Dettloff as the company’s Director of Digital. Dettloff will be responsible for driving results, continuous innovation, and relationship management in digital advertising solutions.

Dettloff cut her teeth in the digital space during eight years at Internet Broadcasting. While there she led sales operations for multi-million dollar national advertising accounts, and provided account and project management for NBCOlympics.com, featuring the 2004 games in Athens and 2006 Torino games as well as NBCSports.com.

Dettloff brings 12 years of interactive and direct response marketing and advertising experience to Mediaspace. She held a senior project manager position at IRDETO. While there, she was influential in consolidating the company’s US data centers and worked with product development, sales and engineering departments to implement digital asset management systems for the company’s customers. Dettloff holds a BS in Scientific and Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota.

“I was looking for an opportunity to build a digital platform to bring value to clients looking to bring national messages and brands to local markets,” said Dettloff. “I found that at Mediaspace and am excited to be part of enhancing the digital offering. Our team has already begun demonstrating how the convergence of print and digital media can help advertisers reach their target.”

“We are very thrilled to have Catherine leading our digital team,” said Scott Jagodzinski, CEO of Mediaspace Solutions, “With her experience, tenacity and personality we know we have found the right person to lead us into the world of digital .”

Socially Responsibe Impacts you can make in 2012

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:00 GMT

New Year’s resolutions are extremely hard to keep as individuals, especially now that we are halfway through January, but have you ever considered making a New Year’s resolution for your company? How about the resolution to be more socially responsible as a company?

What does it mean to be socially responsible? It is the theory that businesses should actively give back to the wellbeing of civilization. Some examples of socially responsible actions include contributing time and money, providing environmental friendly goods and services, and the yearning to improve the lives of people everywhere to name a few.

There are several companies out there leading by example. Method, a cleaning product, was able to create several cleaning products originating from natural ingredients. Ben & Jerry’s donates a full 7.5% of pretax profits to charitable organizations. Finally, Toms Shoes donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased. To read more on these companies and others click here.

If you want more tips on how to become more socially responsible as an organization, be sure to read 5 Social Media Tips for Better Corporate Social Responsibility by Ann Charles.

Weigh in on your companies resolutions below in the comments section.

100 Things to Watch for in 2012 According to JWT Intelligence

Amy Xiong — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:41:00 GMT

JWT Intelligence recently put together a compilation of “100 Things to Watch in 2012.” It is based on their research focusing on economic, environmental, technology, and social developments. However it is not limited to this. They have also highlighted important events, people, as well as marketing, retail, travel, food and sustainability.

One of the many things of interest from JWT’s research is F-commerce, the concept of retailers such as ASOS and Express using Facebook to directly sell to their customers. More than 50% of visitors logged onto Facebook to access e-commerce sites. Additionally, P-to-P car sharing is becoming more prominent in today’s society with programs such as Spride and Getaround in San Francisco, and RelayRides in Boston and San Francisco. This trend has not quite hit the Midwest, but we can anticipate it to hit soon, as we have assimilated the NiceRide program here to start.

Here are some additional interesting trends to watch for in 2012:

Anywhere, Any-way shopping
Cloud Security
Curbing Food Waste
Electric Fleets
Fat Taxes
Healthy Vending Machines

Read the list of things to watch for and let us know in the 'Comments" what you think is missing.

Challenging Assumptions: Reader Retention in Print vs. Online Media

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Now that 2011 has ended, you can take a look at what mediums worked best for engage audiences and determine: What worked? What didn’t work? A recent study conducted by the University of Oregon answers an interesting question: Does reader engagement towards news stories vary by media type (print vs. online)? Here are some Top-Line Results:

Of the survey group, which averaged 22 years in age:

76.9% reported their main source of news is the Internet
19.2% primarily use printed newspapers for news
17.3% primarily use television
7.7% primarily use radio

The study concluded:

Readers of print newspapers recalled noticeably more news stories than online news readers

Readers of print newspapers remembered more news topics and article main points than online readers

Overall results show print readers remember more news stories than those who read online. This could be contributed to a few findings, such as the printed newspaper layout being less distracting. For more results, take-aways and access to the complete study, check out Medium Matters: Newsreaders’ Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers

Techrospective Reflection of 2011

Amy Xiong — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:26:00 GMT

Before jumping into 2012, it’s always a good idea to reflect back to the year before to see how we got where we are today. There were some memorable start-ups in 2011, that will lead to a better 2012. Competitive product flops and business acquisitions created better products for consumers and users.

Some of the most memorable start-ups and advances of 2011:

Apple launched the thinner and faster iPad 2
Radian6 was acquired by Salesforce for $326 million
TweetDeck was purchased by Twitter for $40 million

View some of the other memorable technrospective moments mentioned by udemy focusing on gadget releases, new startups, losing the greats, ipods, acquisitions, and gossip. Click here.

Mobile Social Marketing: the Business Booster

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:00:00 GMT

2011 has come to an end and that has left many wondering where 2012 will take us. One thing we do know is consumers will continue to use their mobile devices to access just about anything on the go. This will result in the continual growth of mobile social marketing.

How HUGE was mobile this year? Here are some 2011 stats from Mobile Marketer:

- 166 percent increase in Facebook Mobile users in the first half of 2011

- 103 million wireless tweets were posted each day

- One billion foursquare check-ins

- Mobile advertising will generate $1.23 billion in the United States in 2011

- Mobile advertising in the United States to reach $4.4 billion by 2015

- More smartphones bought in the United States than PCs

- More wireless subscriptions in the United States than people

- Two billion networked devices by 2015

- Six carriers rolled out 4G services in 2011

These stats should not be shocking. Great marketing today must mean your consumers can get what they want wherever they want. This includes anything from coupons to customer service. What does this mean to you? If you have not already jumped on the mobile social marketing bandwagon, you probably should. For tips on how to use mobile social marketing successfully, check out ‘What are the three keys to effective mobile social marketing?’ by Lauren Johnson

What are your plans for 2012 mobile marketing? Tell us in the comments.

Are personalized magazines going to be a new trend?

Amy Xiong — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:22:00 GMT

We’ve all heard about being able to customize ads online, but what about customizing print media? Is that being creepy or helpful?

Recently, Popular Mechanics subscribers received a customized issue. It demonstrated Hewlett Packard printers’ abilities at a far more reasonable price which could be compared to non-individualized print ads. To incorporate this type of customization into their print media campaign, advertisers could have their images and creatives differ based on geography. The website links and QR codes located on the print ads could also be personalized based on the subscriber’s location and interest.

This would be a great way to get consumers more engaged in print media. If the cost is affordable to customize print ads, more advertisers should be considering this for their marketing plan. Customized ads are working online and could be easily done through print as well.

To learn more about some potential snags and this process click here.

A ‘Pinteresting’ Way to Build Your Brand

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Need to find a recipe for the next family reunion? Looking for a new project to spice up your home? Many of us would flock to Pinterest to find the answers to these very serious questions but did you know it is great place to build your brand as well?

Pinterest, an online pinboard and invite only social network, was founded in 2010 and has grown 2000% since June 2011. Though it may take some time to pin, organize, and share things you love, it will be worth it because you will attract an audience. Here are some tips on how to build your brand with Pinterest by John Brandon from Inc. magazine:

Build relationships with people who typically have quality ‘pins’
Maintain its simplicity
Connect your cyber location and your physical location
Ensure your business is compatible with the Pinterest posse
Point your current followers to Pinterest
Pin daily
Pin products from other companies as well as your own
Follow the big shot pinners, they will probably return the favor
Weed out the good from bad pins

Want more ideas? Check out 3 Ways Brands Are Using Pinterest and 5 ways They Should Be

The Augmented Reality of Smartphone Apps

Molly Carnicom — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Games, Newsstand, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Finance and Weather. What do these all have in common? They are just some of the endless options of Smartphone apps available today. The latest and greatest apps can be a conversation starter in a crowded room, a way for you connect with someone or a means of being more productive.

The Smartphone App Market is literally taking the world by storm. Apps can range anywhere from FREE to upwards of $547.31 USD, a price you pay for the KGulf App that shows water level and tidal current prediction. What causes some of these apps to be so intriguing? Augmented reality is the answer.

Augmented reality, better known as AR in the mobile world, is used to describe a live direct or indirect view of a real-life environment whose basics are amplified (or augmented) by virtual sensory such as graphics, audio or GPS information overlay. How big will the AR applications get? Billions of downloads by 2016.

So whether you are looking for your bank’s nearest ATM or the address of businesses with no street numbers, augmented reality will be able to provide you with a step in the right direction.

Click on the link below for more information on Augmented Reality and how it is changing the Smartphone App Market:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1018-bf-augmented-reality-20111018,0,1258985.story

Is your desire to be distracted hindering your productivity?

Amy Xiong — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:00:00 GMT

We receive a shot of dopamine every time our mind is pulled into another direction. This is why we are easily distracted. However in order to make the most of your time and be productive, your skills of multi-tasking are disabling you from staying focused. Multi-tasking is another way for your brain to distract you.

Below are some ways you can stay productive suggested by Tony Wong, project management expert:

Break your goals into smaller tasks which are easier to accomplish.
Stop multitasking: Changing tasks more than 10 times a day makes you dumber. Multi-tasking this much drops men’s IQ an average of 10 to 15 points. For women, it drops by five points. This is worse than being stoned which drops your IQ by five points.
Be disciplined about getting rid of distractions.
Don’t reply more than twice to an email. Use the phone; you will get more accomplished while getting your message across to the other person.
Make your own schedule. You shouldn’t spend your entire day reacting to your email and other people’s projects.
Work in 60- to 90-minute intervals. Get up from your desk, have a snack, or do something different to recharge your brain.

You can also read 15 Ways to be More Productive for more ideas and suggestions.

The Changing Meaning of Luxury

Amy Xiong — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:00:00 GMT

The meaning of luxury has always been a relative term, but 65% of affluent people agree that this definition has changed for them compared to five years ago due to the economy. Luxury has changed by having a lower bar, and it has become smaller, more personal and purchased more frequently. Consumers are purchasing more “treats” for themselves more frequently but at a lower price.

Additionally, the traditional meaning of luxury cars has also changed. In regard to cars, luxury used to refer to size, space, comfort and presence. Today, luxury refers to the way a vehicle feels. Luxury is not related to price. The car, dealer, reputation of the brand, and the satisfaction of owning a car brand is what makes a car luxury.

There have also been new car companies that have entered the car industry. Telsa and Fisker have created expensive electric cars. It is believed that our typical luxury car producers will start to create electric plug-ins that sells for more than the V8s. The luxury end cars are also becoming more environmentally friendly.

Increase in Black Friday Sales offering false hope to retailers?

Amy Xiong — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:38:00 GMT

This year’s Black Friday sales increased by 6.6%, and consumers spent $11.4 billion. It hasn’t been this high since 2006 with an 8.3% increase. Many stores such as: Gap, Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Toys “R” US Inc. and more opened their doors earlier than usual which contributed to the increase in sales this year. Additionally, online sales grew 24.3%. Many consumers used their mobile devices to compare prices. The usage of mobile devices to purchase items totaled 9.8% compared to the 3.2% of last year. iPads and iPhones also contributed to the online sales by 10%.

Another reason why Black Friday sales were higher this year was because of the increase in consumers spending money this year. There were about 226 million consumers shopping in stores and online compared to last year’s 212 million. This year also attracted a younger crowd because of the earlier hours.

Although Black Friday sales increased from previous years, this does not mean consumers will continue to spend throughout the holiday shopping season. Many people do not plan to do any more shopping other than what they spent on Black Friday. Compared to last year, 42% of Americans are planning on spending less this holiday season.

To read more please check out: http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/29/pf/holiday_sales/index.htm

Comparing In-App Advertising and Tablet Optimized Website

Amy Xiong — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:06:00 GMT

Tablet Video Blog End of Series from Scott Olson on http://vimeo.com.

Tablet advertising opportunities seem similar to mobile, but the tablet medium is different. When incorporating the tablet advertising into your campaign you need to keep this in mind and differentiate between the two. Tablets are used when consumers are more relaxed; this means they are more inclined to interact with your ads. Don’t just take our word for it. You can watch a brief video of Sean Crawford, Adap.Tv, comments on tablet advertising: Adap.Tv on mobile and Tablet Ad Opportunity.

There are five different types of advertising for tablets through in-app advertising and tablet optimized websites.

Sponsorship: It can include integration and is 100% share of voice. This means there will be no other advertisers trying to attract the attention of your audience.

Full-screen ads: These ads are commonly found in magazine-style apps. It takes up the whole “page” between or within articles. It can be static or include video, animation, slideshows or use tablet features like the accelerometer, camera, etc.

IAB web standard ad units: These are IAB Medium rectangle and IAB Leaderboard. It is designed into the content of apps. Similar to full-screen ads, these allow you to create static ads or include video, animation, slideshows or use features like the accelerometer.

Custom or unique in-app ad units: These in-page units are designed to complement the overall design of a specific publisher’s app. It can be static or include video, animation, slideshows or use features like the accelerometer comparable to IAB web standard ad units.

Video ads: These ads feature video creative. It is found in video-centric apps. It can run as pre-, mid-, or post-roll and can also be found between different game levels.

In-app advertising includes all of the above five opportunities for advertising. However, some apps might only allow for one type of ad opportunity while others can have a combination of the five advertisements.

In regards to tablet browser opportunities, they are similar to that of in-app advertising. It is possible for you to advertise with sponsorship, in-page ad units, and full-page interstitials. However, it is more common to have IAB standard ad units for tablet browser ads. Also, tablet browser ads are less capable of using accelerometer, camera and other features compared to the in-app ads.

There are benefits and disadvantages to each type of advertising on the tablet. The best bet would be to use a combination of the in-app and tablet browser advertising opportunities. You should also be sure to measure your advertisement mediums as every company is different. This will help you implement the best advertising solutions for your company. Google AdWords has also played an important role in helping with the move to tablet advertisements.

You have the option of creating an app-like website and can try to achieve this through your advertisements as well. If you go this route, tablet users don’t have to download anything to get access to your website. However, the demographic of who will see your advertisement is less specific. A company called Shaw Media incorporated the features they like about apps into their website. They were able to achieve the best of both worlds.

The link below takes you to a story about how Shaw Media combined features from app development in to their tablet friendly site: http://www.inlandpress.org/articles/2011/04/26/knowledge/online/doc4d5d42937869a259962152.txt

Mediaspace Solutions Announces iPad Application Offering Enhanced Solution Set for Advertisers

Amy Xiong — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:43:00 GMT

Mediaspace Solutions has released its first application for the iPad and iPhone. The iPad and iPhone app provides convenient, mobile access for advertisers and allows them to get real-time updates on their campaigns. Mediaspace clients will be able to use their iPad to search, view and filter past, future and current newspaper and magazine advertising campaigns, and access a complete reporting suite.

“We are always looking for ways to improve the advertising process for our clients and agency partners,” said Scott Jagodzinski, CEO at Mediaspace. “Bringing on-demand updates of newspaper and magazine campaigns to the iPad is another example of Mediaspace taking traditional media to new levels.”

“To date, tablet apps have focused almost exclusively on business to consumer markets. However, the business to business tablet app market is a rapidly growing segment as users are showing extreme loyalty and desire to fully exploit their tablet’s capabilities,” said Rick Ehrman of Frank N. Magid & Associates. “Enterprise mobility is a big topic and we expect to see more apps in 2012 in customer relationship management (CRM), accounting, project management, and for people who need access to apps while on their feet, such as warehouse and retail staff.”

According to research compiled by Frank N. Magid & Associates, nearly 70% of tablet owners prefer their tablet compared to their PC and more than 20% are already using the limited number of business applications. These numbers are expected to grow as more business applications are developed and released.

“Our goal with the iPad application is to give clients full access to their advertisements and make it as easy as checking their email or getting on Facebook,” said Isaac Ferreira, Operations and Technology Director. “In addition to the reporting, the application will provide users direct access back to the Mediaspace website, which is already fully optimized for the iPad.”

Mediaspace Solutions is a leader in national, regional and local newspaper, magazine and tablet buys throughout North America. For more than 11 years Mediaspace has delivered unmatched media placement services to advertisers and agencies throughout the United States.

This announcement follows the recent introduction of the Mediaspace Tablet Network. The company is also in the midst of a multi-part blog series on tablets and how they are changing the way advertisers reach their target audiences. Mediaspace continues to expand its offering to meet the needs of the ever-changing advertising marketplace. For more information call Scott Olson at 612-253-2137, or e-mail solson@mss-mail.com.