Digital Marketing Agency Blog - Defining Insights | Definition 6

What Does the Future Hold for Communications?

Eleni Sardi — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:00 +0000

So what’s next? Working for a communications agency means you’re always itching for the next project, the next idea that’s going to challenge you to adapt and come up with something new and exciting to make your mark and perhaps go down a path that’s yet unexplored. But knowing what comes next is not always easy and assumptions don’t always lead to safe conclusions. Take into consideration how dramatically technology has changed our way of living, our viewing/consuming/driving, etc. habits and how often the technological advances throw us off track and bring something new into the mix. How can you stay on top of what’s coming up? And how do you manage it and tailor your offering as a business accordingly?

Image via shutterstock.com

"Steven was wondering why he couldn't get the Magic 8 Ball to work"

Maybe it is by coincidence that during the past few weeks a number of articles referencing the future caught our attention; be it the future of cars, the future of society, the future of media or the future of technology.

Trying to find some common threads in the above readings, one thing became clear:

There isn’t just one model for the future.

Matthew Ingram of paidContent seems to think so about the media landscape: “At least for the foreseeable future, the landscape of digital media is going to be a form of loosely organized chaos, with everyone trying whatever they can”. There are many predictions about the direction print media is going towards as well, the world of paywalls and monetization of content, online video streaming versus linear TV, the rise of mobile and so on. The main answer seems to be that there isn’t just one clear-cut path.

Sometimes predictions can be a tricky business. Take for example the Blackberry CEO who told Bloomberg this week, “In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore”. Apparently, there are plenty who think otherwise, including Gartner whose research sees tablets becoming the main computing device.

Can you afford to disregard any of the trends as they stand at the moment and completely write off a channel or a marketing strategy?

And what about the end consumer? What is he going to look like? What will he want? Designers Dunne and Raby have just unveiled a new exhibition at London’s Design Museum titled ‘United Micro Kingdoms: A Design Fiction’. The not-so-near societal future of England as they depict it is based on plenty of speculation but taking into consideration certain current lifestyle trends. The country is divided in 4 counties which hold a very different reality for their inhabitants: Digitarians’ life is technology-led, Bioliberals use technology as well but as an enabler of a clean and organic lifestyle. Anarcho-Evolutionists take advantage of science in order to adapt themselves to the needs of the planet instead of doing it the other way around. And finally the Communo-Nuclearists live in some sort of ‘Hunger Games’ existence, unwanted and closed off from the rest.

Dunne and Raby have also put thought into the mobility options of each group which will of course reflect their overall lifestyle – meaning that cars don’t just come in one shape or form. This notion fits in nicely with Economist’s actual predictions on the mixed character of future fleets. Cars are predicted to be increasingly automated, leaving all or some of the hard work to a computer. Depending on natural resources, some countries will favour CNG cars while others will build hydrogen refilling stations, so buying a car will be a choice for the best fit of powertrain to the need of the motorist.

In societies that become ever more fragmented, how do you adapt your marketing strategy to ensure you’re being smart and speaking to as many audiences as possible, without missing the nuances or leaving out the complexities of the individual choices that are resulting in very specific and tailored needs?

Consider these questions as food for thought. We are interested in hearing what you think. Being a unified marketing agency means that by default we focus on embracing change in an evolving environment to help you connect your brand with people in motion and build more meaningful, valuable relationships. There is a Malcolm X quote about the future belonging to those who prepare for it today; we are already on it.

Why Agencies Need to be Agnostic in Religion of MarTech

Neil Steinberg — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:30:00 +0000

I always look forward to any release of a Luma Partners’ LUMAscape as they do a great job of showing just how many players there are in the various segments (Search, Display, Video, etc.) and why choosing a partner can be such an arduous choice. Additionally, from a strategic perspective, LUMAscapes help lay out the industries by competency, providing insights into future consolidation, mergers & acquisitions, etc. A great example is their Commerce LUMAscape from 2011 which shows just how saturated the Daily Deals space had become and provided a harbinger for the difficulties many of these players have had over the last few years.

Yesterday Luma Partners introduced a new LUMAscape for Marketing Technology (above) breaking down the world into two key disciplines—Sales & Marketing and Website. Living deeply in both these worlds creating e-commerce platforms, robust social applications, traditional site builds and e-mail marketing solutions, we see this every day. While every one of our team members may have their own personal platform of choice and we as a company have worked more with some of these players than others-- the point is you can’t have just one solution and serve today’s brands.

Our brand buyer is becoming more and more astute surveying the start-up scene with as keen an eye as any Silicon Valley investor looking for any tool that can provide a competitive edge. Because of this, as an agency getting versed in all the tools that are out there and knowing their respective strengths, weaknesses and specific applications has become a categorical imperative.

At the end of the day, savvier clients mean we can push the limits more of what’s out there, collaborate, conceptualize and ultimately innovate. Have faith… but ultimately be flexible and you’ll see the possibilities are endless!

We Won Some Telly Awards!

Jenny Reineck — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:30:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that we are the proud receipients of 3 Telly Awards this year for our great post production and sound design work out of our New York City office! Our awarded work includes, in the category of TV Programs, Segments, or Promotional Pieces, our HBO True Blood Season 5 Promo (Silver Telly) and Birdwalk Empire Open (Silver Telly). In the category of Sound/Sound Design we were also awarded with a Bronze Telly for our Sound Design work on the show Superjail . Take a look at our award winning work below, and check out some of our other great videos at Def6Video.com.

HBO True Blood Season 5 Promo

brightcove.createExperiences();

Birdwalk Empire Open

brightcove.createExperiences();

Superjail! Sound Design Winner

brightcove.createExperiences();

Facebook Home: How Facebook got Mobile Right

Mark Emery — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:29:00 +0000

Way back when Apple was only awesome at personal computers, design software and portable music players, it faced a difficult decision in how to enter the mobile space. At the time the mobile landscape was murky, plagued by sluggish networks, device disparity and fragmented operating systems. Operators’ grip on the mobile consumer was unchallenged; they controlled the hardware, software and even mobile Internet. Apps? Psssh.

At the hardware level, while few challenged Apple’s chops for good design, many more thought the pecularities of mobile would handcuff the company. Devices were getting smaller, not bigger (remember the RAZR?), and the notion of a smartphone hadn’t really been fully baked at that point - the RIM Blackberry popular among email warriors notwithstanding. Would it have a full keyboard? Stylus? Mobile operators had spent billions of dollars on expensive infrastructure, complex hardware alliances and OS design. Superbly-crafted walled gardens protected their feifdoms. How would a new player in the space be able to navigate this tricky landscape?

In a word, brilliantly. So brilliantly, in fact, that in its clamor to sell the device, AT&T all but caved to some rigorous, unprecedented demands from Apple, including a $10 per month royalty for every iPhone customer. More importantly, the carrier yielded complete control over the design, manufacturing and marketing of the iPhone’s hardware and software.

Apple started with a clean slate, desigining a completely new mobile experience from the ground up with little, if any, regard for how mobile worked before.

Facebook is doing the same thing.

The same rumors that swirled around the debut of the iPhone ran rampant around Menlo Park as Facebook contemplated its next move in the mobile space. Would there be a Facebook phone? Who would make it? Will it compete with iPhone? What platform will support it? What carrier will ship it? How much will it cost?

In April, we got our answer in Facebook Home. It is an operating system. It is an app. It is the mobile web. It is all of those things. It is none of those things. It is, simply, mobile done right.

Here’s why

While the spending in mobile is on apps, video, mobile Internet and a dizzying array of mostly ineffectual advertising platforms, companies like Facebook are throwing away everything we thought we knew about how to do mobile.

First off, Facebook sought an experience that echoed the original intent of the phone as it was first imagined – to connect people. “Traditionally, phones and operating systems were designed with apps and tasks in mind. With this, we wanted to recreate the most social device you have around people,” said Facebook’s Justin Stahl. More tellingly, Facebook product director Adam Mosseri adds, “People and content should be first, and we thought that needed to happen at a really deep level. Apps get in the way. Having something meaningful show up the second I turn on my phone is by far my favorite part of the experience.”

The app (yes, it is software you download) immerses you in a world free of menus, widgets and rows and rows of apps. Acting as a sort of wallpaper for your phone, Facebook Home’s cover flow is an engaging presentation of the latest photos and posts from friends. It is gesture based - even more natural and intuitive than conventional touch screen UX design; Facebook describes it as “organic.” Chat Heads, Facebook’s innovative attempt at recreating the mobile chat paradigm, is a great example. You can touch a head or anywhere else on the screen to dismiss the chat, and then have fun flinging your friends’ heads around the screen at will. Blues Clues help Facebook Home users navigate around the app.

While the reviews for Home are decidedly mixed (there are nearly four times as many one star reviews as five star reviews), as a first pass I think this is a really strong effort from Facebook. For Facebook users more inclined to use phones as a way to connect with friends and family, rather than, say, play with apps or tinker with widgets, it is a solid choice. That Facebook took this route, rather than designing an entire operating system, or, worse, getting into the hardware game, is evidence the social giant is serious about addressing one of its most vexing challenges to date - how to monetize the mobile channel. Based on the amount of behavioral data Home can collect, the future looks pretty bright in Menlo Park.

5 Email Marketing Trends for 2013

Callie Heiser — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:18:50 +0000

Example: Email on Mobile - ExactTarget Blog 'Mobile Design Tips'

The second quarter of 2013 is well underway, and marketers have had the opportunity to observe the trends that are emerging and slowly defining marketing this year. With the sharp upward trend in mobile usage last year and the increasing popularity of content marketing, video, and social media, we know we are in for some big changes and exciting innovations in every marketing discipline. When it comes to email marketing, what are some of the major trends we should keep in mind as we attempt to stay current and connect and engage our customers? Let's explore...

1. Mobile Email Marketing

Number of users relying on mobile devices for email are higher than ever
Around 80% of people are now using their smartphone for email
Responsive Email Design is a great solution for mobile needs

2. Triggered Campaigns

Many marketers still have not instituted any sort of triggered campaign series, specifically a Welcome Email Series when their customers sign up for email
Welcome emails are important because that is when a customer is at their highest engagement level
Great examples for content in triggered campaigns: Welcome emails, Anniversary Reminders, Birthday Emails, Abandoned Cart Emails

3. Personalization/Dynamic Content

Many marketers now avoid sending generic sales emails
Connecting with your customers is critical
Most customers are no longer satisfied if they aren’t seeing personalized messages
Pros to this are higher click through rates as well as conversion rates

4. Social

Encourage interaction through your social media platforms
Send Social Media specific emails to bring your customers to your pages
A good example for Social Interaction is to run a giveaway that leads you to Facebook or Twitter and the only way to enter is to either Like the page, follow the Twitter account, retweet, etc.

5. Video

This has been an evolving trend over the years because until recently there wasn’t an easy way to embed video in email
HTML5 video has now been a way to present video in email and many marketers have started to slowly integrate this

What are some other email marketing trends you've noticed so far this year? What are your predictions? Share your ideas in the comments.

Up in the Air: Tips for Efficient Business Travel

Eleni Sardi — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:45:00 +0000

George Clooney’s Ryan Bingham character in the 2009 film "Up in the Air" inspired a generation of business travellers to pack efficiently and look super smart when swaying effortlessly through security control and boarding gates. When travelling across several territories, where different timezones, currencies and languages come in to play, organization is the only thing that can help you get through meeting after meeting without being late or wasting your time. Our international team knows this well – since the beginning of 2013 alone, our representatives have attended more than 140 meetings in 13 countries, including Switzerland, France, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, USA, Japan and Hong Kong. Managing several trips and meetings in different countries during the same week can be challenging. Our team shares their insight in how they make it work.

Stay inside the lines:

An obvious one but colour coding your entries will help you know straight away the type of activities you have planned for the day or week (client calls, internal meetings, external client meetings, travels, etc.). It’s the easiest way to get a quick snapshot of your day or week, and identify which entries are most/less important/flexible and see any gaps waiting to be filled.

Be smart about planning meetings:

Plan introductory client meetings 2 to 3 weeks in advance maximum. Earlier than that and it’s more likely that clients will cancel/postpone or forget about who you are or what the reasons for the meeting were. But don’t just leave it at that. Reconfirm meetings a couple of days before to avoid surprises or cancellations. That way you will have enough time to replace the gaps in the calendar.

Get in the zone:

If you do a lot of international travelling, always enter the meeting time in the local tim zone and add the local time (CET, ET, GMT etc.) of the meeting in the subject line to avoid confusion. Make sure you have selected the right time zone (obviously). Don't hesitate to check if you have it right - BST, CEST can be tricky business.

Don’t underestimate transit time:

Plan travelling time to and between meetings in advance. Don’t just assume it will take 15 or 30 mins to get from meeting A to meeting B. Find out how long it takes and include this in your diary.

Do some diligent housekeeping:

'A place for everything and everything in its place'. This proverb is unsurprisingly popular in naval circles given the space constraints on a boat. If you frequently travel to the same place, organize your documents, city maps, train maps and anything that is going to make your next trip easier to manage. Also don’t forget to check lists, pouches for cables, duplicate washing kits, pack adapters and so on—all to ensure a bag can be packed at short notice and with confidence nothing has been left behind. Especially your business cards.

Be ready to ‘fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run':

Quoting Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If’ borders on cliché but is still apt and relevant to the business traveller not wanting to lose productivity just because they're travelling. Load the iPad with documents to read, plan micro projects that can be worked on whilst on the plane or calls that can be made at departure gates. Do some more industry reading in transit – it might help you come up with last minute ideas just on your way to a meeting.

Be prepared to mingle:

Maximize your time by creating as many opportunities to meet as possible, in and out of the office. Aside from packing out your day with meetings, also check out the local scene for networking events in the evening or if there is nothing on, use your networking skills to bring people together. If you have a stopover there is nothing duller and more soul destroying than sitting in a hotel room by yourself.

And finally once you are there, open your eyes:

If you have the opportunity to travel around a city - don't forget to lift your gaze from the ground! You shouldn't be missing the plethora of valuable local insight. Be aware of your surroundings, people, buildings, advertising campaigns - everything! Challenge yourself to understand what makes the place really tick. It is amazing what you will see that will help your business and add further depth of colour to your trip.

It's a Wild Ride at Silver Dollar City!

Jenny Reineck — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:05:00 +0000

Definition 6 helped Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) launch a new website for Silver Dollar City Attractions. Based in Branson, Missouri, Silver Dollar City Attractions include an award-winning theme park, water park, paddle wheel dinner cruise boat and a campground.

With a variety of attractions and entertainment offerings that change regularly, Silver Dollar City required a new site that was easy to modify. At the same time, the site needed to feature the wholesome, family-focused brand. The new SilverDollarCity.com, designed and built by Definition 6, shares a common SiteCore CMS platform with four other HFE properties (Adventure Aquarium, Newport Aquarium, Stone Mountain Park and Dollywood) and also uses DotNetStorefront for ecommerce. This site is as complex as the previously launched (and AMY Award Finalist) Dollywood.com, but with a larger network of underlying websites, each with their own ticket/reservation capability. Overall, Herschend Family Entertainment is very proud of their new site:

“The new site showcases each attraction in a visually compelling way. We now have a powerful new tool in our toolbox to promote our beautiful properties, shows and events. And the ability to package and upsell options in the shopping cart should increase both our conversion rate and average order amount.”

Silver Dollar City features more than 30 rides and attractions, award-winning festivals and entertainment and an authentic crafts colony 100-strong. Beyond thrilling rides and family entertainment, shops, restaurants and home-style food are all a part of the 1880s-style theme park in Branson, Missouri. Proclaimed the Home of American Craftsmanship by the U.S. Congress, the park showcases talented craftsmen demonstrating daily. And no visit is complete without an underground tour of the natural wonder, Marvel Cave.

So You Want to Reach Millennials? We are Streaming Online Video

Jenny Reineck — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:33:52 +0000

Back in the day, families would gather around the TV in the living room and sit quiet for the show to start. Some people would even plan their schedules around when their favorite TV show aired. It was exciting, brought people together, and provided advertisers with a guaranteed outlet for mass communication.

But today, me and my peers ask ourselves, 'why do that now?' With the introduction of popular online viewing platforms like Hulu and Netflix, it's much easier for me to watch my favorite shows on my own time, without having to worry about when it will be on the air or whether I'll be available and near a television at that time. The convenience of being able to start and pause my favorite shows whenever I please is too convenient to pass up, and contrasts so much with basic cable that my viewing behaviors have changed drastically in the past 20 years.

Most popular cable companies have done their best to create "on demand" viewing options in an attempt to retain customers and offer convenience, but many millenials like me are already starting to "cut the cord" on cable television and rely on more cost-effective entertainment like Netflix and Hulu. While this isn't true for everyone, I can speak on behalf of the millenial generation and say that every single one of my peers watches TV, but we all stream video online. Netflix is especially popular among my generation, but just the instant streaming, not the DVDs by mail. We're also big fans of sites like Hulu (and Hulu Plus) and HBO Go. I am currently waiting patiently for my favorite TV show ever, Arrested Development, to return as a Netflix original this May. As we move into an era in which nearly everyone has a smartphone, we are also becoming used to the idea that we can find what we're looking for or get what we want almost immediately. As Tom Haverford from Parks & Recreation put it:

Instant streaming has changed my TV watching schedule, and gradually, different ways of consuming media are emerging into our lives. While these new platforms are affecting our viewing behavior, it doesn't necessarily mean they are direct competitors of cable. Though younger cable customers may be shifting to online streaming for now, it simply means that what consumers are expecting from their entertainment platform is changing--there's still time to adapt.

So what does this mean for marketers? It is important to recognize that television and digital media are integrated, and therefore reporting should be integrated as well. While Nielsen may report that an entire market segment (say, me and my fellow millenials) is not watching a certain TV show, the reality is that we are in fact watching that exact show -- we're just watching online instead. This means that marketers can still reach us millenials, but online is where they need to focus their efforts. Online streaming services are leading the way into a new era of television watching, and marketers must understand how it is affecting consumer behavior and expectations. Keeping up with trends like online streaming are especially important in digital marketing--a shift in cultural traditions like this one does not eliminate marketing opporunity, it creates a new one that requires a different approach. What do you think? Share your TV watching habits in the comments.

Keeping Tabs on the New Facebook Timeline

Greg Olotka — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:06:57 +0000

Way back in December of last year (an eternity in Social Media Network time) Facebook announced that a new timeline design was coming. Mashable broke the story here, and apparently New Zealand got to play guinea pig before the rest of us. Yeah, New Zealand always gets the good stuff first.

Facebook introduced the 'new and improved' version of timeline, coming soon to your profile. Mine just showed up today. I know several people who have had it for some time. But if you haven't yet been admitted through the velvet ropes to the new layout, I will detail some of the significant changes.

Now that you've seen my new timeline above, let's talk about the major changes. The 'tabs' are back and the tiles are out - see the toolbar right under your name with Timeline, About, Friends, Photos? Their behavior may remind you of the infamous 'tabs' from the previous layout. The two column layout holds everything that you post to Facebook on the right side with, you guessed it, bigger photos.

The left column now holds your About, Friends, Photos, Places, Music, TV shows, Books, Games etc. each in their own little modules. If you have connected Instagram and Pinterest to your Facebook account they will show up here too. Hook up your Pinterest account to Facebook and everything you pin will appear in that box and in your timeline. You can customize who sees what, so if you're a hard core Instagramer/Pinner, you can limit your distribution of sepia toned cat pictures to those who are interested.

The new "Edit sections" part is interesting because you can arrange the order in which the left column modules load. Would you prefer to show off your Instagram photos over your Pins? To access, just rollover the top right side of any of the modules to get a little edit button. Click and you'll get this box.

If you really hate the new layout (and of course, true to Facebook tradition, everyone will for a couple months and then adapt and forget) you can add a plugin to your browser and revert it to a single column layout. I'm sticking with the new one, it's lean and clean. Hard to gauge the zeitgeist on this one, but I've seen plenty of whining. Remember Facebook's philosophy- "Move fast and break things."

Final thought--I am pretty sure these changes foreshadow big News Feed changes that are afoot. Get your name on that waiting list here. Let's see if we can beat New Zealand this time.

Hot Cars Debut at the NY Auto Show #NYIAS

Rachel Conforti — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:05:00 +0000

The New York International Auto Show opened its doors this weekend to the public and we were on-site earlier in the week with the Synaptic Digital production crew to support General Motors during the press days. We conducted two satellite media tours for GM, with their spokesperson James Bell speaking to the media about the state of the auto industry and how the new GMC cars are equipped to handle safe pet travel.

The media relations team booked the interviews in advance for TV, radio and online media networks to get the scoop live from the floor of the show. The video packages of b-roll, sound bites and other assets were then published to the General Motors media center and the distribution portal for journalists TheNewsMarket.com.

It was at the show that we met pet expert Charlotte Reed, who we then invited to our Atlanta office to meet our office dogs at a special Canine & Human happy hour! Be sure to check out the photos on our Facebook page. GM's big reveal came around lunchtime when the press gathered at the North Pavillion to see what's new....and the Camaro Z/28 rolled onto the stage to a big round of cheers and applause. Other hot cars included the 2014 Corvette Stingray, the Cadillac CTS and the Buick Regal.

Kia brought the KIA Soul hamsters with them as well as the whole Marvel crew with a Green Lantern car, Batman car, and Wonder Woman car.

Other auto brands at the show included Bentley, Rolls Royce, VW, Lamborghini, Lexus, Toyota and BMW. You can see some more photos in the slideshow below.

Hundreds of Thousands Have Joined the Realm...What are You Waiting For?

Jenny Reineck — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:46:15 +0000

Since HBO's launch of www.jointherealm.com, a site that allows fans of the popular show Game of Thrones to create their own house sigil, hundreds of thousands of fans have generated their own coat of arms and shared them across social media channels, stirring up excitement for Season 3, which premiered last night. Check out what we created as well as some of our favorite brand and celebrity sigils below and be sure to Join the Realm and create your own family arms at www.jointherealm.com. What are some of your favorites that you've seen this week? What does your house sigil look like? Share it with us in the comments.

Dirt Devil Hartz Pets

Bryce Harper The Boston Bruins

Check out the house sigil of Brian Hernandez, Another great write-up about Join the Realm,

writer at Mashable, who also covered the story featured on FruitlessPursuits.com includes several

of www.jointherealm.com on Mashable. house sigils made for Marvel and Hunger Games.

and of course...here at Definition 6 we made a few sigils of our own.

How do you FedEx a Panda?

Eleni Sardi — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:43:00 +0000

How do you FedEx a Panda? No, it’s not one of those unusual Google suggestions and it is not the opening line of a joke. But FedEx does have the answer to the question – put them on a chartered and a panda-decaled aircraft and spread the panda fever around the world. For the latest 3 pairs of pandas that have been relocated from China to Edinburgh, Paris and now Toronto, our team has followed the trail and has captured some amazing footage along the way. The love of pandas has taken over the wires as well with media internationally putting the spotlight on panda conservation efforts (and how undeniably adorable they look).

The latest panda pair, Er Shun (female) and Da Mao (male), arrived in Toronto on March 25 – flying first class with plenty of bamboo to snack on during their 15 hour flight and all the attention of a group of vets and the FedEx team. They were chosen as an excellent genetic match for breeding and Toronto Zoo officials hope that they will be able to add the dwindling world population of pandas.

Watch our footage of the logistical feat of transporting the endangered animals on the Panda Express on thenewsmarket.com and learn more about the project behind it.

A Blog of Fire and Ice – #JoinTheRealm of Game of Thrones

Paul Hernacki — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:44:00 +0000

Fans of the wildly popular HBO show Game of Thrones are anxiously awaiting the premiere of Season 3 on March 31st, 2013 at 9PM in the United States. The show has become a worldwide phenomenon and in many ways re-defined what is possible for a television show.

As the fans know, core to the story are the different family Houses like the Starks, the Lannisters, and the Targaryens. Each House is represented by their coat of arms or Sigils that also bear their House Words like the infamous “Winter is Coming” words of the Stark family in the North.

At Definition 6 we are extremely excited to help launch Join the Realm, an experience that allows fans to create their own House Sigil and then download, share, and post it in a variety of formats for the leading social networks and other purposes.

Join the Realm, which can be used in 24 different languages, gives fans an interactive sigil editor to name your House, enter your House Words, and choose from a variety of backgrounds, patterns, borders, colors, and icons. It can then be downloaded immediately or saved while generating versions of it that include Facebook cover photos and profile pictures, Twitter backgrounds, Wallpapers, and Instagram versions. These can also easily be shared out to your social networks directly from the site. And if you don’t feel like taking the time to create one yourself you can always just use the automatic “Do It For Me” Sigil generator.

One very cool aspect of the experience is that HBO wanted it to be available on leading smartphone and tablet platforms as well as desktop browsers. So the interactive editor had to be designed and built in HTML5 and Canvas, allowing the full site to be used on an iPad and an optimized mobile web site version available to iPhone and Android users. This does mean older desktop browsers and older smartphone browsers aren’t supported, but in the Game of Thrones some browsers win and others must unfortunately die.

We hope you have fun creating and sharing your Sigils. We had a lot fun making the experience and working with our friends at HBO on this. It may be Spring now in the northern hemisphere, but Winter is still coming…

“It's the family name that lives on. That's all that lives on. Not your personal glory, not your honor, but family.”

- Tywin Lannister

I'm Just Sayin' "TV Everywhere, I'm So Over It!"

Frank Radice — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:09:19 +0000

I take exception to the term "TV Everywhere," and no more so than when it comes to news.

There is no doubt that television news is being consumed in new ways as people are finding and effectively utilizing multiple screens (2nd and even 3rd screen applications). But in the case of news it's just as important to distribute content everywhere in "every" way! Management will say that a news organization, to be truly global, must have a "TV everywhere" strategy to survive today, but as I say, a "content everywhere" strategy is essential for success. There is far more to it than just TV.

Radio (terrestrial and satellite), print (newspapers and magazines), online services like aggregators, point of purchase and out of home distribution outlets (airplanes and taxi cabs), PR, news releases and distribution; entrepreneurial techniques such as the Red Touch Media download stations, gaming, and most assuredly social media (from Twitter to Vine, Facebook and even FourSquare)--these are just some of the ways to accomplish extending the reach and frequency of message (in this case, the news). All of these tools can leverage content that will reach those consumers who have found new ways to view content on their many screens.

Expertly using all of these tools in the toolbox (and also the ones I haven't mentioned here) is the only effective way that information distribution can function in modern times.

And while this isn't a wholly new concept, it is one to ponder as everyone talks about "TV Everywhere." Millennials are moving faster and faster and using multiple new methods to consume far more content and data than their predecessors, if for no other reason than they are surrounded by more distribution devices than ever before. They all have televisions, sure, but they have their own smartphones and iPads. That's way more than "TV" Everywhere. Maybe "Screens Everywhere" is more accurate, but that still doesn't cover all the bases.

Additionally, all of this assumes that the news is being vetted by people who can vouch for the fairness, accuracy and context of the content. Oh yes, one very important final thought...if the content sucks, none if this matters.

I'm just sayin'

Frank J. Radice

@fradice

Tonight! The 2013 AMY Awards, #AMYS13

Jenny Reineck — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:11:36 +0000

Tonight we are excited to attend the 2013 Atlanta Marketer of the Year (AMY) Awards, put on by the American Marketing Association (AMA). We have a big group from Definition 6 set to attend the event. The evening's events will start off with a cocktail hour sponsored by Synaptic Digital.

The AMY awards honor the brands that have created innovative marketing strategies and unforgettable campaigns during the past year. Agencies and brands have been nominated in categories such as visual branding, integrated marketing, email, web & interactive, search, and general advertising. A full list of the finalists are on the AMY awards’ website.

Our client, Herschend Family Entertainment, will also be in attendance at the Fox Theatre tonight. The Herschend property website Dollywood.com has been nominated for an award in the category "Web & Interactive Marketing - Lead Generation/Ecommerce." We hope to see you at the awards ceremony tonight, but if you can't attend, be sure to follow the action on Twitter @Definition6. The hashtag for the event is #AMYS13.