The Evolving Blog

Media Day at Big Bear Mountain Resorts!

2012-02-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 28th, Bev, Kerri, and I made the short drive up to the beautiful town of Big Bear Lake for a scheduled Media Day at Big Bear Mountain Resorts. An early morning called for coffee and scones, along with cozy clothes and mittens. The drive was a breeze; clear roads, no chains, amazing sunrise. Upon arriving at Bear Mountain, our first destination, we had a warm welcome from the park staff and waded through the happy faces in the parking lot to arrive at guest services.

Once equipped with our rentals (skis for Kerri; snowboard for me), Director of Marketing, Rio Tanbara and Dan Neilson from Park Staff took us on a full tour of what Bear Mountain has to offer. Going straight to the front of the lift line was only one of the perks of hanging out with these guys. They showed us how Bear Mountain upholds it’s alias, “The People’s Park,” with the Red Bull Plaza, Skill Builder Park, and the Scene. The sky was blue and the snow conditions were beyond excellent. Each run added to the sundae of fun with Geronimo (Bear Mountain’s highest, steepest, and most-challenging run), being the cherry on top!

We worked up a full appetite and were treated to delicious hamburgers atop a sundeck at the Scene with a prime view of the terrain park. We were joined by media people from the surrounding areas, including Ruben Galvan from San Diego 6 and Jeff Barnes of the Mission Times Courier. One juicy hamburger and a plate of cajun fries later, it was time to catch a shuttle to Snow Summit for the next leg of the tour.

Aboard the shuttle, Bev and I were lucky to meet Channel 933‘s on-air personality and Music Director, Frankie V, who shared his fun and wacky experience on the hill, which he documented on YouTube.

Once at Snow Summit, we had an equally awesome experience, complete with mountain tour and happy hour. Our tour guides were Guest Communications Specialist, Suzie Jacques and Snow Summit Mountain Manager, Wade Reeser. While we covered most of the mountain, The Family Fun Park proved to be a popular spot for riders of any skill level, and the Terrain features were, without a doubt, far above par.

As three o’clock rolled around, we made a b-line to the Summit Inn, the original base-area lodge, for hors d’oeuvres and happy hour. We met tons of great people, including Matt Johnson and Erica Fox from Fox 5 San Diego, along with Heidi Hayes and Ted Pretty from Fox 5 Las Vegas. Kerri and I loved the vintage feel of the Inn, especially the retired double-seater chair lift hanging from the ceiling and the wooden skis strewn about with bindings that resembled bear traps. There was also a live band with feel-good music to accompany the friendly atmosphere.

It is safe to say that this Media Day was a huge success. It is crucial to have representatives from the media come out to encounter Big Bear Mountain Resorts in the flesh and be exposed to the wealth of fun that goes on up there, in such close proximity. Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are prime ski and snowboard destinations that should be talked about! We rely on the good time we show our Media Day attendees to create buzz in the media about the mountain. As an ode to the resort’s confidence, it’s not hard to create positive feedback when Big Bear Mountain Resorts offers such an exceptional experience.

Get Customers “Pinterested” in your Brand

2012-01-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

In the evolving world of social media, we see new and hyped social media platforms popping up each day. Some stick while others can barely make it off the ground. But the ones that do stick are spread far and wide until curiosity takes over and makes it a national phenomenon. Case in point: Pinterest. It’s hard to go a day without seeing Facebook status updates saying, “Pinterest is so addicting” or “Check out my latest pin.”

It’s safe to say that consumers have become obsessed with Pinterest, the site that allows users to create digital “pin boards,” which saves images and links of things they find interesting, inspiring or temping on the internet. These boards are then shared with friends whose followers also have the ability to re-pin posts to their own boards. Pinterest became one of the top 10 social networks in December 2011 with 11 million total visits per week. Largely attracting female users, popular topics include wedding ideas, decorating, gardening, cooking, fashion and lifestyle.

There are several ways for brands to get involved with Pinterest:

· Create “Pinteresting” content by using vivid photography and developing unique ideas

· Add a “Pin it!” button to your site, allowing users to easily post your content to their boards

· Create an account and board topics that match your brand

· Post your own content in addition to anything your followers might find inspiring or useful

Remember that Pinterest, just like any other social media network, is about building a community. Your followers don’t want a direct sales pitch. They want to learn and discover new things. For some companies, Pinterest can be the missing link in their social media plans that can really push their brands to the top. Think Pinterest makes sense for your brand? Email Oster and Associates and we’d be happy to assess your social media plan.

PIPA / SOPA: Potentially Dangerous Legislation

2012-01-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to Nirvana’s song, "Smells like Teen Spirit." I felt inspired to research information about the song on the internet. I opened my laptop and navigated to Wikipedia. I typed the word “Nirvana” into the search bar. As soon as I hit the enter key, the page content turned black and I was left with nothing but a brief, yet stern message prompting me to write my congressman about stopping legislation that could potentially destroy the internet as we know it.

If you haven’t seen the many website blackouts or protests occurring over the past few days, you may be wondering what legislation is threatening to censor the internet. There are two bills at the cause of all this commotion, SOPA and PIPA.

What These Bills Are:

PIPA is the first of the two anti-piracy bills. Its acronym stands for the Protect IP Act. This bill was introduced to the Senate in May of 2011. If PIPA is passed, it will give U.S. corporations, mainly the entertainment, gaming, and software industries and the Federal Government the right to seek legal action with any website they feel is enabling copyright infringement. If this bill is passed, it will:

Force U.S. internet providers to block access to websites deemed as enablers of copyright infringement
Seek legal action by suing search engines, blog sites, directories, or any site in general to have the black listed sites removed from their website
Will be able to force advertising agencies to remove websites from advertising accounts
Companies will also have the power to sue any new websites that get started after these bills are passed, if they believe that they are not doing a good job of preventing infringement

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act and is a bill that was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives in October of 2011. If SOPA is passed, it will work in conjunction with PIPA. Here are some highlights:

· The U.S. Attorney General will be able to force search engines, advertisers, DNS providers, servers, and payment processors from having any contact with alleged infringing websites

·SOPA will allow private corporations to create their own personal hit lists composed of websites they feel are breaking their copyright policies. These companies will be able to cut off all payments to the targeted website. The website of question will have five days to act before it is permanently taken down

How This Affects Internet Users:

Blogs can be blocked or shut down completely and the internet will become a witch-hunt for any possible copyright violation. These acts make it the blog owner’s responsibility for everything displayed on their site, including comments of visitors.

These acts are already stopping developers and start-up companies from innovating due to the bills causing a riskier legal climate. If these acts were around when the internet was first created, many websites we use today like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or SoundCloud would not exist. Basically any website that could be targeted as a place where online piracy might take place would not exist.

It is well known that the government has been under a lot of pressure to resolve the issues wrapped up in online piracy, and piracy has been a growing problem over the past ten years. But, this legislation has a high margin of error, mainly because it has been rushed. Google and Mozilla, two former supporters of the bill, have removed their sponsorship and are working hard to make sure the acts do not get passed.

One noted flaw involves lessened overall security for internet users. Also, it would cost the country $47 billion a year to uphold these bills, and sadly, they will not succeed in stopping piracy. That’s right. Instead of taking down piracy, the acts will take away freedom of speech, and forms of individualism. The illegal downloading of pirated content will still thrive. Posting a video of yourself singing a copyrighted song will get you sued, but illegally downloading that song by entering a websites IP address in lieu of its name, will still go unpunished.

These bills have sent a shock-wave through the nation. The best we can all do is stay informed. Check out this video describing some of the possible consequences of passing these bills. On that page, there is also information on how to vote against the acts.

Do you think these bills will censor internet users and stunt online innovation? Share your comments and feedback below.

Shazam! Super Bowl Advertising

2012-01-11T15:40:00.001-08:00

If you own a Smartphone, you are probably familiar with the app “Shazam.” For those of you who aren’t, Shazam is a mobile based music identification service. This service utilizes a mobile phone’s built-in microphone to gather a music sample. From that brief sample, song titles, artist, and lyric information is displayed for the user.

The standard money maker for apps is mobile ads. The London based Shazam group has decided to venture beyond that facet of advertising and is prepared to enter the realm of “big money,” namely the television market.

The Super Bowl is an event known as much for its ground breaking advertising as it is for the game itself. Last year, Shazam was featured in one Super Bowl ad for Dockers. After that addition lead to positive consumer-to-brand interaction, this year up to one third of Super Bowl ad spots will use Shazam. These brands will amplify their ads with unique mobile content and valuable offers delivered to audiences in real-time.

Keep an eye out for Budweiser, Sony Pictures, and Pillsbury commercials. There will also be surprise brands using Shazam, mainly automotive and clothing companies. Campaigns that have a social call to action (Liking on Facebook, Following on Twitter etc.) have a 350 percent increase in consumer-to-brand interaction. That means that in the not so distant future, Shazam will definitely be more prevalent in the advertising community.

Would you use Shazam during the Super Bowl to interact with brands you love? Share your comments and feedback below.

“Sponsored Ads” Coming to a Facebook Newsfeed Near You

2011-12-22T14:12:00.001-08:00

In the last ten years advancements in internet technology and social tools changed the way the world communicates. Social networking sites connect advertisers to large groups of like-minded people. Advertising on Facebook and the controversy surrounding personal privacy is not new. All users have been exposed to the “tailored” ads that conveniently appear on the right hand side of the home page.

Facebook’s 800 million active users are about to get a new dose of targeted advertising. Starting in 2012, Facebook will insert “Sponsored Story” ads in user newsfeeds in an attempt to boost interaction with marketers. The ads will appear in the newsfeed just as other posts do, with the exception of being labeled “sponsored” in the bottom right-hand corner.

These ads are created around a user “liking” a brand’s fan page, “checking in” to a venue, or using an app, among other types of status updates. This is Facebook’s attempt to turn you and your friends’ activities into advertisements. For those of you in theTwitterverse, Sponsored Stories will be similar to Promoted Tweets on Twitter which run in the stream of updates or stories a user sees, and has the same look and feel as other posts.

I know what you’re thinking. “My newsfeed is going to get bombarded with an onslaught of advertisements!” All you Facebookers can relax. You will see no more than one Sponsored Story in your feed per day. Facebook plans to incorporate these ads gradually so they don’t infuriate users.

What is your opinion about ads in your Facebook newsfeed? Do you think users will view this change negatively? Leave your comments and feedback below.

Twitter’s Brand New Brand Page

2011-12-09T11:55:00.001-08:00

Today, Twitter is set to unveil redesigned brand pages. These pages are geared toward strengthening Twitter’s relationship with the advertising community. Twitter has a version of brand pages at the moment, but they have been overshadowed by the overly-hyped Google+ brand pages which went live last month. Chief Revenue Officer Adam Bain states that "marketing officers across the country constantly request the addition of user-friendly brand pages." Those marketers are finally getting what they asked for.

With the current format, branded elements of the page design are usually covered by the tweet-timeline. With the redesign, there are customizable pages with large header images where advertisers can display their logos and taglines. Brands also have the option of keeping their most salient tweets at the top of the timeline. That top tweet can also auto-expand and reveal an embedded photo or video from Flikr or Youtube. Customer-service oriented brands such as JetBlue want a way to respond to multiple tweets without having their message diluted. This is achievable with the new layout because Twitter will separate out a brand’s @ replies and mentions.

Tweets are limited to 140 characters. It’s no surprise that a Twitter user is unable to learn the nuances of a company with that small of an interaction. Brand pages can be considered an extension of knowledge. If a particular tweet speaks to a user, they can satisfy their curiosity by clicking on the company’s brand page, and indulging themselves with more detailed information.

So far, 21 marketers are set to launch brand pages. Some examples are: American Express, Best Buy, Chevrolet, General Electric, Disney, Hewlett-Packard, Verizon, and Nike. These companies already actively distribute content on Twitter. Their goal with brand pages is to look for a way to make that content stand out better.

The launch of brand pages is a large step forward for Twitter. This venture could be viewed as an attempt to compete with Facebook as the secondary branding destination for a company, after its own website.

Do you think that Twitter’s new brand page has potential for widespread success? If the brand page was avail bile to all Twitter users, would you create one? Share your comments below.

Google Introduces Music Component

2011-11-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

Google strives to be much more than a standard search engine, and has achieved that on many levels by evolving and staying on top of trends. When they released Google+ this past July, the people at Google were hoping it would be a social media giant that would rival the likes of Facebook. However, it has failed to take off as hoped and many (including us) got bored with it after the initial hype. Google is hoping to make waves again by reaching into the music market and providing its users with an alternative to iTunes.

Google Music will be integrated into Android phones, which is the world’s number one operating smartphone system and powers roughly 200 million devices worldwide. Google Music already has over 13 million songs in their system that will be available through various internet-connected devices.

Google Music is hoping to distinguish itself from other music sites by utilizing Google+ and allowing users to share purchased music with friends. This doesn’t mean users can buy a song and friends can steal it to load on music devices. It basically means that Google+ users will get “free, full play” of songs purchased by friends. You can also access your music on any of your devices at anytime. You never have to worry about synching or being online.

I think it’s great that they’re adding the music component and working with Android phones. This will be the greatest competitive advantage over iTunes in my opinion. However, I’m not sure how Google Music will ultimately be able to compete with iTunes and other social music sites on non-mobile platforms. A differentiator they’re touting is the ability to share on Google+. Google+ seems to be having a tough time breaking into the every day social media world. If I wanted to hear a song in its entirety, I can go to YouTube, Pandora, Turntable, Spotify or Blip.

What are your thoughts on Google Music and how do you think they can make their mark in the online musical world? Leave your thoughts below!

Social Media Gets Rooms Booked

2011-11-16T13:21:00.001-08:00

The tourism industry needs some edge to help boost lagging quarterly sales. The solution to this problem is simple. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube - Social media! Research shows that nearly 25 million Americans will research travel information through social media mediums before making a trip. Close to 12 million will actually book their trip through that medium.

It’s no secret that the way consumers are planning for and booking vacations is changing. In order to keep up with emerging social trends, the tourism industry and more specifically the hotel industry need to utilize what is available to them. Customized social media experiences engage guests, and make it easier for both large brands and smaller independent hotels to book reservations, faster.

Le Concierge on Twitter?

Communicating with clients is more direct with social media. Instead of stopping at or calling the concierge desk at a hotel, guests can ask questions before they get to the hotel, from their rooms, or while they are out exploring. Guests can also get up-to-date recommendations, directions, and read past reviews. The Hyatt concierge desk joined the Twitterverse in 2009. Their approach was geared toward being informative. Premier Inn of the UK launched a trial run of the Twitter concierge service that focused on guest problem solving.

Problem Solving?

Interacting with guests through Facebook and Twitter means accelerating problem solving recovery and boosting satisfaction. That satisfaction leads to positive reviews, which means more bookings.

Last Minute Treasures?

As a self-professed impulsive buyer, I must admit that last minute deals hold a special place in my heart. One of the fastest ways to unload unbooked inventory is to promote last minute discounts via Facebook and Twitter.

These are just a few ways that social media can help hotels customize online communication, build brands, and book reservations. Consumers want to be connected to where they are, and want to communicate with others in the same place. Are you connected?

Oster and Associates connects the hospitality industry and social media technology to craft customized online communication campaigns.

Call us at (619) 906-5540 or email us at info@osterads.com

Altering Perceptions “Mexico Taxi Confessions”

2011-11-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

In the last ten years, travel to Mexico has been in a steep decline. With the recession and almost constant news coverage of violence, Mexico’s tourism industry has been hit hard. In an effort to change public opinion about their troubled tourism industry, the Mexico Tourism Board is taking its estimated $30 million budget and using it on a new ad campaign called the “Mexico Taxi Project.”

This new campaign will feature candid hidden-camera commercials shot in taxis as well as print and online advertising.

In these commercials, travelers returning from Mexico discuss their vacations with car service drivers on their way home. The drivers are a part of the campaign, and the town cars they drive are logistically situated in upscale urban areas around the U.S. Topics addressed in these cabs range from the quality of food and atmosphere, to more serious concerns about security.

In one commercial, a driver asks about safety and one man replies, “Oh yeah, we almost didn’t go.” The second man replies, “Totally safe. Everything you hear on the news is not what you experience down there.”

Geraldo Llanes, chief marketing officer at the Mexico Tourism Board in Mexico City, admits that this campaign is a gamble. But the logic behind it is that Americans will be talking to Americans about their experiences in Mexico, as opposed to the Board of Mexican Tourism talking. Alejandro Cardoso, president at Publicis Mexico and chief executive at Publicis Latin America claims that nine out of ten visitors return home satisfied.

Mexico’s Tourism may have gotten a bad rap over the years, but this campaign focuses on changing all that. Check out the campaign microsite, or special website at mexicotaxiproject.com.

What are your thoughts about this campaign? What about tourism in Mexico? Share your Mexico experiences below.

Are You Still Listening? Advertising on Internet Radio

2011-11-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

Many companies are looking for new and unique ways to reach their audience in 2012. With a landscape that is so inundated with advertising and continually changing technology, it is very hard to become part of the fabric of the consumer’s busy lifestyle and stand out from the competition. While traditional media is certainly still relevant, new mediums are emerging and staking claim in your customer’s time spent.

Advertising on the Internet has been well received by many companies because of its unrivaled measurability. Online radio sites such as Pandora, iHeartRadio, and Slacker can give the advertiser definitive audience numbers and exact dollars spent. Many guessing games of the past are gone with such measurable mediums.

Pandora currently has a listener base of over 100 million. In the San Diego market alone, they reach over 29% of the adult audience and are ranked with online sites such as Facebook, Google, and Yahoo. With 20% of adults now getting their radio from non-terrestrial stations, reaching your customer through an online radio platform seems impossible to leave out of a marketing plan. Pandora offers audio spots similar to what is heard on the terrestrial radio (:30s and :60s) but it is closely targeted demographically and geographically. Because it is an online-based system, the marketer is able to target known users instead of projections. The unique selling point of display ads on the Pandora site is that you are guaranteed user interaction rather than static banner ads that might go unnoticed. Users are constantly revisiting this platform on an average of 8 times per hour to give feedback on what they are listening to. And if you don’t reach the consumer on their computers, Pandora also captures their listeners on mobile platforms where 50% of users are listening these days.

Pandora radio and other similar online radio platforms are truly changing the scope of advertising on radio. This platform is holding media accountable and providing constant access to customers, whether they’re in their cars, at home or at work.

If you need help incorporating some of these ideas into your 2012 plans please give Oster and Associates a call at 619-906-5540 or email us at info@osterads.com.

Nightmare on Fifth Street-Revisted

2011-10-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

It's a yearly Oster tradition to create a spooky story to share with our friends and followers. There are lots of funny, random and ridiculous things that happen around our office throughout the year. We've compiled those stories and created "Nightmare on Fifth Street-Revisted. Enjoy!

It has been exactly one year since the horrifying and ghoulish deadline haunted the Oster office. Things have quieted down around here and most of the fright of the past year has been forgotten. Since that terrifying ordeal, the Oster team cleverly placed Matt at the front desk in an attempt to ward off any evil that may be nearby. But, on a particularly gloomy Wednesday morning, that same eerie feeling returned-this time even stronger than before....

As the Oster team sat at their desks working on a new project a strange sound was heard from the roof above. At first it was so faint they weren’t sure if it was just the trees brushing on the roof above or the creaks of the old building, but the sound continued and got more frequent. Everyone kept working and tried to ignore it but before long it got so excessive everyone in the office stopped and gave each other the look. There was no way this was a tree branch. The look of panic, frustration and fear came over the whole staff as it had become clear to everyone. They were back.

Suddenly, a loud scream was heard down the hall. Kerri and Karin rushed down the hall to see what was the matter. They entered and found Andres hiding under his desk looking white as a ghost. Commotion ensued outside his office window. They all peeked out to see the neighbors throwing chairs, screaming at each other and causing a riot. Could they be zombies? Karin grabbed Andres while reached for the phone to call the police. She tried to dial, but all she could hear is dead noise.

Bells heard in the distance signaled that someone – or something – had entered through the front door. Feeling brave, Rick looked at everyone and said, “I’ll handle it.” Off he went, only to return almost instantaneously with a look of fear and trepidation. It was beyond his worst imagination. Truly a zombie – having been seen wandering the neighborhood, and now in the office.

It had started to rain, and streaks of lightning could be seen through the open windows. What were those dark shadows that seemed to be climbing over the window sills? Why did this zombie smell so bad? Kerri peaked around the corner, but hoped she wouldn’t be seen. Kerri slowly backed into the hallway as the zombie began to creep around the corner in search for its next victim. As the zombie came out of the shadows and into the dim hallway light, everyone gasped as they saw the zombie was accompanied by a warewolf! Luckily Kerri is a trained dog whisperer and tamed the wild beast before it attacked!

Suddenly the Oster employees look around and realized the Intern had vanished! At the same time a terrible smell of rotten eggs and churizo began to hang in the air. Was it the Zombie? No, it seemed to be coming from the opposite direction near the bathroom. “Aye Dios Mio it’s a Chupacabra!” exclaims Andres as the bathroom door swings open. As the creature begins to lumber out of the bathroom, everyone exhales as they realize it is just the intern Matt. He had a Huepangos breakfast burrito earlier in the day and was the source of the indescribable smell in the office.

Everyone in the office retreats into the conference room as more zombies climb up the office stairs and towards the door. Their voices are slurred and harsh. “Brains! Brains!” they yell as they search for the Oster employees.

Andres, a skilled hunter and woodsman, decides to face the zombies and venture out of the office in search for help. Being the only person at the time with a cellphone, Andres tries to communicate for help on his iPhone. But he doesn’t know how to update his Facebook status, Tweet or send emails on cellphone! Rick quickly saves the day and uses Andres’ iPhone to Tweet “@SDPolice @Ghostbusters Help! Oster is under attack! #911 #Zombieproblems!”

Immediately Andres’ phone lights up! It was a response! Could someone have @replied already? Kerri, Bev, Karin, Andres and Matt try to read the message in Rick’s shaking and frightened hands. Bev translates the coded message from @SDpolice which read, “@Osterads don’t B alarmed! No Zombies outside your office, It’s just the #HillcrestHalloweenParade #drunkpeople.”

Karin slowly opens up the conference room door and peeks outside. She turns back inside with a smile the size of a Jack-o-Lantern. It was JUST the annual Halloween parade! The scary voices were not Zombies, but inebriated people across the street at the bar, NUNU’s. Cellphones lines were down due to the amount of party-goers and the landlines were shut down because Diane in accounting forgot to send out the telephone bill.

After realizing that their creative imaginations had got the better of them, the Oster team shook off their fears, put on their costumes and joined the Halloween Parade.

Click here to check out the Oster team in their scary Halloween costumes!

Big Changes for Facebook.

2011-10-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Over the years, Facebook updates have been a sad display of confusing page layouts and innovations in the hopes of making it easier to stalk acquaintances. A new round of layout changes are upon us, and this time, the change is huge. Facebook is retiring its iconic page and introducing the more streamlined “Facebook Timeline.” Essentially the Timeline is a visual account of your life experiences, starting with your birth.

The new Timeline is well-organized and surprisingly user friendly. Above your profile picture you now have the ability to choose a cover image which is geared toward building your personal brand. All of your public information is neatly displayed below your profile picture. The Timeline is structured in a linear fashion on the right hand side of the page. It starts with your current top stories and works its way toward the beginning of time.

Although positive improvements have been made, there are some notable disadvantages. At first, viewing my Timeline was like a pleasant stroll down memory lane. I casually glanced at forgotten conversations and re-watched amusing videos I once enjoyed with friends. But once the magic of nostalgia wore off, I watched my Facebook maturity gradually wither into that of an adolescent. This immediately made me realize that one's self-presentation on Facebook can definitely change over time.

I quickly found that the ghosts of Facebook past can and will haunt you. Every silly status update, unflattering college photo, and embarrassing wall post is available for instant retrieval by you, or any of your friends. Not only is this information readily available, it is also enlarged to comedic proportions. Luckily though, with ease and speed you can view, edit, and delete whatever your heart desires.

The Timeline is a unique feature, but the issue of privacy is a big concern. As a college student, current and prospective employers have access to my Facebook and could possibly use information on my Timeline against me. Most people do not realize the amount of personal information they are self-disclosing on social networking sites. When you delete something, that does not mean that it is erased forever. I stand by the motto, “once it’s posted, it’s permanent.” There are standard and custom privacy settings available that are similar to previous Facebook layouts. That being said, we should still be responsible with the information we provide.

The Timeline is a game-changer for Facebook. In the upcoming weeks the more than 750 million Facebook users will experience a journey into their pasts. Hopefully, they can edit faster than their bosses and relatives can scroll.

The Facebook Timeline can be considered controversial in regards to online privacy. What are your thoughts?

Steve Jobs on Advertising

2011-10-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

There is no question that the world has lost one of the greatest visionaries and entrepreneurs of the modern era. Ironic it is that the digital world that he helped create now stands as not only his legacy but also serves as an everlasting memorial in the “cloud.” Media platforms spread articles, pictures and videos of Steve Jobs’ life and career. One particularly popular piece of content caught my interest today-his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. His speech to the recent Stanford grads consisted of three personal stories of inspiration, optimism, pessimism and lessons given from personal strife and success.

In line with many commencement speeches, Jobs’ inspired the young grads to “reach for the stars,” ask questions, be passionate and contribute to humanity. However, subjective as commencement speeches are supposed to be, I felt that his speech touched on many lessons that could pertain to mine and others’ careers in the advertising industry. Although these lessons on how to live your life before you die could translate across all industries and careers, I think it resonates strongly within our industry.

His first story was about “connecting the dots,” and how the future is unknown and that you never know how the choices you made in the past are going to connect to the outcomes of the future. He explained that you must trust or have faith in something that allows you not to be scared of failure or the unknown. This may be far reaching and a complete degradation of the meaning this dialogue had and the lesson to be learned. However, I believe that much of advertising is selling a promise of the unknown or of ideas to advertisers and it is a fearless commitment to these creative ideas and strategies that we hold onto and validate only by the “dots” we have connected in the past.

His second story was about love and loss. Jobs’ spoke about how he was publically and embarrassingly fired from Apple, the company he helped create and build for 10 years. He went on to say that although it was tough medicine to swallow at the time, it ended up being a positive experience for him in the end. He explained that his passion for the industry and the love for what he did kept him inspired and focused on moving ahead when many would have given up. During the time after he was fired, Jobs notes it was the most creative period of his life in which he helped build Pixar and create Next, which was later bought by Apple and serves as the foundation for much of Apple’s innovations today.

As much of a “get back on the horse and try again” type of story this is, I think it holds very true to ad agency life. Although long-standing relationships with advertisers can be great for business and working relationships, it can also build agency complacency or conservancy among client thought processes. Losing clients is tough medicine, but can also make you hungry to become more creative, more innovative, and more passionate with other current and potential clients.

Steve Jobs’ final story was about the inevitability of death and the importance of having passion for your work and your significant other. I have seen from the little experience I have already, that people working within the marketing and advertising industry have an incredible amount of passion for what they do and the creative process. Personally, when I listened to this portion of the speech I took a moment to reflect and think-do I love what I do? And my answer is yes, and I think in a creative environment where you are selling your ideas and art, this is an important factor in developing the best product.

At the end of the speech, Jobs left the audience with one last quote which he wanted the students to take with them as they entered the “real world”- “Stay hungry and stay foolish.” And I don’t think any commentary is needed on how this can pertain to individuals in all branches of the marketing field.

Click here to view the Commencement Speech

Want to jump into the biz with both feet?

2011-09-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

An internship at Oster and Associates in the business development area might be just the thing for you. Here's what it's about.

Internship Description: Oster and Associates offers an internship in Business Development. Spanish speaking candidates is a plus. Descriptions of the internship is listed below. Interested? E-mail Karin Oster at Karino@osterads.com

Our business development intern works closely with the Senior Business Strategist and Account Managers to help research and coordinate new business opportunities. Interns have the opportunity to sit in on client and brainstorming meetings, weekly progress meetings for the company, contribute ideas and discover and hone in their talents.

Duties:

· Become completely familiar with industries, products, services and markets

· Research and analyze new business opportunities

· Research potential markets and competitors

· Assist in development of presentations for clients

· Develop proposals, correspondences and other materials relating to new business and account service

· Research client industries as needed for marketing plans, competitive analysis, account presentations, and creative work

· Maintain updated prospects and client lists

· Answer telephone calls as well as be a communication link for all departments

· Act as host/hostess for visiting clients

· Other possible duties include participating in new business meetings depending on intern’s initiative and skills.

Changes in Facebook

2011-09-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you've logged onto to Facebook within the last week, you've probably noticed some changes. Facebook recently debued a site overhaul which left many users scrambling to adjust to the design changes. Typical with sudden format changes, Facebookers were in an uproar, demanding that Facebook restore old settings and formats. While the changes did instill some temporary shock and disdain for some users, Facebook proves their commitment to the social media outlet and continues to evolve the concept.

Here are some notable changes:

A ticker has been added to the right hand side of the homepage which shows friends' activities, including pictures and statuses they "like" or comment on
Lists have been added that keep track of activities of customized groups
New Facebook algorithms decide what shows up on your main feed, posting only the stories that you may find interesting
Next to the "comment" and "like" buttons under each update, you will now find a "share" button, which will make it easier for users to share information with their friends

The changes will definitely give users more relevant information and make it easier than ever to share stories. However, the changes will make it harder for fan pages to reach all their followers. Notifications will no longer show up on home feeds when friends "like" a company page. This means companies who rely on "word of mouth" may have to work harder for their Facebook followers by providing share-worthy content (which you should be doing anyway!).

All in all, I love the new Facebook changes. Facebook continues to innovate and evolve with the fast-paced world of social media while continuing to stay on top. The changes make it easier to navigate information while competing with other social media platforms like Twitter and Foursquare. This will definitely not be the last time we see platform changes, and I look forward to keeping up with the ever-changing world of social media so that we can continue to provide our clients with the latest and most effective social media strategies!

Busy Times at Oster and Associates

2011-09-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

We are like the cobbler's children - no shoes because the cobbler's busy taking care of everyone else. So if you follow The Evolving Blog, you may be disappointed that we've been all too quiet lately. However, quiet is not where we have been in general.

These have been busy weeks in the agency, as we have looked at the return of some clients who have been away for a while.

Big Bear Mountain Resorts, better known to the skiing and snowboarding communities of Southern California as Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, will be in the news, on the air and looking for buzz online through our public relations and social media services. As an agency filled with winter sports enthusiasts, we are very excited about their return. This is one client we always love to service in person!

Miramar Wholesale Nurseries is bringing us a completely different challenge. After a hiatus with their marketing efforts over the past couple of years, they have a new owner. However, under the consulting direction of Tom and Jon Ewing, who founded the nursery in its San Diego location in 1993, they will be evolving into a strong local and regional presence. Our first order of business? Unfortunately it's closing the location in Orange County whose lease will end by January 1. That means selling lots of inventory in stock - great deals for anyone who wants to focus on their landscaping this fall. For us it means everything from newspaper ads and direct mail to online advertising and a special website just for the sale.

At Oster and Associates, we'll all enjoy Labor Day coming up this weekend with a focus on the antithesis of labor. It will help us to renew and refresh for a busy season ahead.

Recent Twitter Update

2011-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

When logging onto Twitter.com from your computer, you might notice a slight change on profile pages. Twitter just rolled out user image galleries which display thumbnails of photos that have been shared by the user. When you click on the image gallery, it will display up to 100 of the users most recent images. Previously, Twitter relied on third party services, such as TwitPic and yFrog, to handle all image sharing. Twitter is hoping that by putting the galleries up on the site, it will attract more users to the site. Considering Twitter's need to monetize, this could be key to Twitter's future business plans, according to business professionals.

I think this is a great move for Twitter. Twitter is always reinventing their site and keeping up with the quick-changing social media game. What do you think Twitter will come up with next?

Wondering How and Where to Buy that Advertising?

2011-08-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

We just finished writing a piece about media options, and when you start looking at where you can go with your messaging, it's a bit overwhelming today. So if it's overwhelming for us, I can't image what it would be like if you don't work in this arena continually.

This week's challenge at Oster and Associates? How do you find buyers for huge, high producing tomato plants in September and October? Figure they could be anywhere in the US where it's warm enough to plant fall tomatoes, and then what do we look at?

Who are they? Men or women, how old, how many people in the family, urban or rural, where do they live, and most of all, where can you capture their attention and motivate them to buy. Are they looking at a lot of things online, or do they just read their email and flee? Are they watching TV, or are they too busy to bother to turn it on. Do they read anything in print these days - newspapers, magazines? In the car, are they listening to radio, or is it just music on the iPods?

As Americans in 2011 we have a lot of options. That's the beauty of who we are and how we live, but it creates new challenges for marketers. Personally I'd rather have those fascinating challenges than lack the options in my own life. What about you?

What else can we say about QR codes?

2011-07-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

QR codes are popping up everywhere, but they’re not all the typical black and white graphics we’ve become used to seeing. Designers and artists are toying with graphics and improving the aesthetics. Here are 5 of our favorite visually entertaining alterations:

1. Arranging real items into a scannable QR code: The New York Times made a code from balloons and Sinap Company made a life size code out of sand!

2. Combining multiple codes: SET made this “Help Japan” message.

3. Art integration: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts created their own masterpiece and Illustrator, Yiying Lu used codes in her drawings.

4. A code within a code: made by Burtonwood & Holmes.

5. Cutouts that still scan: this QR cutout made Tom Wyatt’s business card stand out.

Have you seen any unique QR codes? Let us know; we would love to hear!

Social Media at Comic Con 2011

2011-07-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Comic Con International 2011 has taken over the convention center with thousands of collectible swag bags and elaborate costumes. In the Expo Hall, it is hard to ignore the social media decals displayed on every single booth. You can see the schedule on the official Comic Con app and find people connecting to trade souvenir bags through every social platform available. Here are 5 other ways Comic Con goers are experiencing social media at the convention:

1. Graphic.ly is an interactive, and social, digital comic book platform. At the convention they announced new features including interactive rich media extras.

2. The entire convention is being streamed live by Entertainment Weekly and NowLive here.

3. In a QR code, scavenger hunt participants match the Voltron Lion standees with the corresponding codes to win prizes from companies such as Mattel and Classic Media.

4. Attendees can preview Cut the Rope, an Android app turned graphic novel at Comic Con.

5. Showtime’s Dexter announced a new game on Facebook called Dexter Slice of Life, which includes group chat from inside the application.

Today is only the second day of Comic Con, and we can’t wait to see other ways social media is being incorporated! Have you seen anything else social media related at the convention?

Social Media and Activism

2011-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Social media platforms have been helping nonprofits and organizations encourage activism to gain online funding and advocacy. And they make it easy. The social media giants all have designated areas of their platform for nonprofits and ways they help out. Facebook has Causes, which allows nonprofits to integrate donation into their online activity, YouTube has a Nonprofit Program, and Twitter has Twitpay.

These platforms can be utilized to generate exposure to what events are going on, donation and to just talk about what they support. It doesn’t have to be standard either: Ben & Jerry's created an innovative Twitter campaign for social good called Fair Tweets. They aligned with Fair Trade, donating leftover characters into a message about Fair Trade as a way to utilize social media to raise awareness.

Social networks are just the tip of the iceberg for involvement. Mobile apps can help organizations create awareness and bring in more donations; the Extraordinaries app allows people to “micro-volunteer” by completing missions for causes like rating tweets or tagging photos. SnapImpact, another app, searches for volunteer opportunities by location allowing people to see how they participate locally.

While there are dozens of websites solely dedicated to donation and awareness like Change.org, Socialvibe and Razoo, many other types of websites are promoting social good. Freerice.com makes giving more interactive online. For every vocabulary word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice to the World Hunger Program. Meals on Wheels took their social media efforts to Groupon: for $15, people could provide air conditioning to low-income seniors during the hot summer months.

It’s all about getting people to take the first step, for many social media can be the starting point for further engagement.

Do you feel like social media creates “slacktivism” or do you believe it can help make real change?

QR Codes and Tombstones

2011-07-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

QR Codes seem to be popping up everywhere now days. It seems like you can’t go a day without seeing those little barcodes somewhere in your presence. Marketers and individuals alike are using QR codes in all sorts of uncommon applications, including gravesites and tombstones. As morbid as that may sound, it’s actually pretty genius. Smart Phone users can scan a code and link to sites memorializing the departed’s life with words and pictures.

Here are some other unique ways people are incorporating QR codes into their lives:

· A band in Boulder, Colorado hands out t-shirts with QR Codes that take Smart Phone users to free music downloads and band info sites

· A mobile marketing company in Kansas City, Missouri sends QR Code-printed frosted graham crackers to new clients

· A Wild Refuge Trail in Florida uses QR Codes for hikers to use on the trail. The codes lead to videos, tips and photos

· Chevrolet is linking up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children this fall. Competition cars for the Chevrolet Fireball Run will have QR Code decals which will lead people to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website

What are some unique ways you’ve used QR Codes? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Pandora: Another Social Network?

2011-07-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Pandora got a little more social. Think profiles and feeds, playbacks and speed. Pandora’s approach to social networking attempts to figure out how to make music more interactive.

Of course the first step of any social network is a profile. Pandora previously enabled profiles, but the new version allows much more engagement with friends and commenting.

Here are 3 other ways Pandora is becoming more social:

1. Music Feed: See what music your friends and similar-minded-music-listeners are rating and listening to.

2. Playback Bar: This tool allows you to skip, rewind, pause and rate songs with convenience, keeping the personalized radio station the center of attention even when playing around on the activity feed.

3. Sharing: Each station has its own URL so you can share it with other Pandora users or through other social networking sites.

Besides the new social additions Pandora is updating other aspects of the site. Improvements in metadata, automatic recommendations and loading time are a few of the improvements to look forward to in the HTML-5 version.

This new social expansion may help Pandora lead the pack in music related sites, giving them a competitive edge against rivals like turntable.fm. Do you give the new changes a thumbs up?

Experiencing GROW First Hand

2011-07-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

While we love all the companies we work with, one of the most rewarding accounts we work on is GROW by Organics Unlimited. The program is amazing and is making a huge difference in the lives of the workers and their families who grow bananas down in Mexico. Through funds raised by GROW branded bananas by Organics Unlimited, they are able to give many people of Colima, Mexico opportunities that they might not otherwise have. The funds raised go directly to the workers to provide educational and health services. One of the biggest uses of the funds is to provide scholarships to outstanding students in the area so they can earn a college education.

I work directly with the GROW program by relaying the stories of the people in Colima who are benefiting from the funds and by encouraging retailers, consumers and distributors to purchase GROW bananas. Last week, we had the pleasure of meeting one of the GROW students. Beto Rivera came to San Diego for two weeks and was hosted by Oster President, Bev Oster. It was the first time he'd ever been on a plane or out of his hometown. The 23 year old was so enamored with American culture. It was fun getting to know him, practicing my (very rough) Spanish, learning parts of his culture and introducing him to parts of ours. It was neat meeting such a genuine, hard working person who is so appreciative of every opportunity he is given. It really gave me a true connection to the GROW program and gives me a renewed spirit for helping great people like Beto achieve their dreams. Now that he has visited my hometown, I hope that one day, I'll be able to travel to Colima!

Is cereal advertising receiving the same treatment as the tobacco industry?

2011-07-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Conversation concerning advertising to children spiked this week with Congress opening the floor for public comments on their newest regulation recommendations. Currently the proposal is voluntary, but the controversy stems from whether or not it’s right for the government to enforce limitations on product advertising.

There has been research linking child obesity to food marketing. The World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association are hard at work trying to change the health of the nation and combat obesity in children. The WHO played a key role in restricting the tobacco companies and food manufacturers, and agency organizations such as the Association of National Advertisers are worried the same restrictions will come their way. They argue it is a violation of the first amendment.

So what does this mean for the advertising industry? Movements have already been made to protect children from advertising by self regulation. The National Advertising Review Council works to set standards for self regulation in the industry, along with the more specialized Children’s Advertising Review Unit. A few have corporations already voluntarily reduced marketing of their less nutritious foods, including giants like General Mills, Burger King, Cadbury, Pepsi and Coca Cola.

Advertisers are moving toward other methods to combat the looming restrictions of advertising on television. One popular route is making “advergames.” General mills created a game called Honey Defender, which is an advertisement to help sell Honey Nut Cheerios® to kids. These types of games are actually really popular with kids and parents because they are fun and safe. However, can the kids identify that it is advertising? There are banner ads that notify- but it’s questionable if they have full media literacy.

Online games are just one of the alternatives. Cell phone apps, social networking and online contests are also in full swing. Kids want these products they see in the fun games they’re playing and in the contests they’re entering.

If the restrictions pass it would mean that if 20% of the viewership of a show is 12-17 years old, it would be subjected to restrictions which would result in enormous drops in ad rates.

Do you think cereal advertising is moving in the same path that alcohol and cigarette advertising has come to? How do you think this will affect advertising industry?