drnoor's posterous

The Reader and The Smoker

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:01:23 -0800

Taken at Singapore Art Museum

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Aisha and The Self-Portrait

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:58:51 -0800

Taken at Singapore Art Museum

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Telling Someone Your Goals Make You Less Likely to Achieve Them

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:11:00 -0700

Interesting. Truth to what I have always subscribed to whether via nature (introvert personality) or nurture (learned over time).

via ted.com

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[Video] The Secret Truth About Executing Great Ideas

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:05:00 -0700

"If you're going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill

In this inspirational video, Frans Johansson talks about, and illustrates, the relentless trial-and-error of all great ideas. How it must all start from simple and small, and then going through the process of refining it over and over until it becomes great.

Refining through trial-and-error, the distinguishing character of greatest artists, scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators. This is a long video, but most definitely is worth the wait.

via the99percent.com

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Showcase of 39 Attractively Designed Corporate Websites (via @smashingapps)

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:19:41 -0700

Volkswagen

Microsoft Office

ThinkFree

10 24 Media

Sony

Tracking Time

Adobe

Geticeberg

Loreal Paris

Coca Cola

Blitzagency

Eeci2009

Panelfly

Antiquorum

Kupferwerk

Mail Chimp

TreeHouse

Krop

OneHub

Campaign Monitor

Officevp

HelpTeck

Reinvigorate

Light CMS

Quaffslabs

Checkout App

Nokia

Hewlett-Packard

760 Disc

TeaRoundApp

Breeze Legal Solutions

Redbrick Health

Real Macsoftware

CubeScripts

Direct Design

Fused Network

Tracking Time

Creative Logic Media

Paramoreredd

Embrace Water

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35 of the Best Facebook Fan Pages (via @webappstorm)

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:43:00 -0700

Love it or hate it, Facebook is one great social network for individuals and businesses alike. With more active members (recently reaching 500 million) than the population of some countries, it’s easily one of the best places for marketers and fans.

After taking a look through tons of great Facebook fan pages we compiled 35 of our favorite and most inspiring. Have a look and share yours!

Note: Many of these fan pages are longer than the screenshots show so be sure to take a peek at their full pages.

Skittles

Skittles

Porsche

Porsche

Victoria’s Secret

Victoria's Secret

Sony

Sony

Red Bull

RedBull

Twilight

Twilight

Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless

Adidas Originals

Adidas Originals

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

McDonald’s

McDonalds

REI

REI

Cheetos

Cheetos

iTunes

iTunes

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola

Starbucks

Starbucks

Chase Community Giving

Chase Community Giving

Zappos

Zappos

YouTube

YouTube

The Game – Team A

The Game - Team A

Threadless

Threadless

BlackBerry

BlackBerry

Cranium

Cranium

Revision Eyewear

Revision Eyewear

VW

VW

Jeff Dunham

Jeff Dunham

Livescribe

Livescribe

Burt’s Bees

Burt's Bees

Vizio

Vizio

Jones Soda

Jones Soda

Honda

Honda

NFL

NFL

On Your Own Adventures

On Your Own Adventures

Dell

Dell

Oxelo

Oxelo

The Hangover

The Hangover

Share Yours!

Know of a great Facebook fan page? We’d love to see it so let us know about it via comment below. Thanks!

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Guy Walks Across America. [VIRAL]

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:07:32 -0700

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How are Mobile Phones Changing Social Media? (via @flowtown)

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:47:54 -0700

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Guillaume Nery's Awesome Free Diving Video Filmed by Julie Gautier

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:32:00 -0700

I think the word awesome will be an understatement. Made more mesmerizing by the musical soundtrack.

via vimeo.com

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BBC's The Genius of Design

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:08:00 -0700

Putting perspectives to what designers do to the common folks. Watch below, episodes 1 and 2 of the BBC series. Out in DVDs July.

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Logorama by Marc Altshuler

Mon, 10 May 2010 07:45:54 -0700

via vimeo.com

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Green Is The New Black. How Too Many Green Labels Mean We're Actually Consuming More Than Less.

Wed, 05 May 2010 00:34:17 -0700

Infographic of the Day: We're Drowning in Green Label Glut | fastcompany.com

The Washington Post has an infographic on the incredible number of green labels flooding the marketplace in recent years. Fair Trade, Certified Naturally Grown, Energy Star, FSC, LEED, OTCO, EPEAT.... How do you keep it all straight?

You don't. Based on a survey by the World Resources Institute, Duke University and the green analyst Big Room Inc., 600 labels worldwide dispatch some sort of eco -benchmark; 80 of those are in the United States. As the chart shows, topping the list are food (90); retail (74); buildings (64); and miscellaneous industry (79), including things like pest control. This has spawned all sorts of turf wars between environmentalists about whose label reigns supreme.

More importantly, we no longer have any easy way to tell between honest intent and greenwashing. Most certification systems aren't regulated at all, so unless you have a lot of time on your hands, it's impossible to determine which are best. Coffee that's USDA Organic or Fair Trade? Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative? Even if something has a green cert, how do you know it actually meets the standard? And with so many different labels on the books, how could you possibly keep track? Systems that were supposed to make it easier for us to consume responsibly have actually made it harder. And while rating groups like the Good Guide cut through all the B.S., there's still no obvious solution for the store shelf, where decisions are actually being made.

More on green-rating problems here and here.

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The Most Popular Cameras Based Flickr Photos

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:15:11 -0700

via feedproxy.google.com

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Are We Different, Really?

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:22:55 -0800

via youtube.com

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Inspirational Animated Pieces from the Universal Everything 2010 Showreel

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:21:23 -0800

I've always been a fan of Universal Everything since introduced by my then art director Nic. Inspirational. From small sized videos to large scale installations. Mind you, some of the works are interactive animations too. Here it is some really cool works in their 2010 showreel.

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A Stop-Motion Treat from BBC Radio 1

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:06:23 -0800

As part of the project, Radio 1 launched the Meet The Listeners campaign, negotiating with all the mobile operators to drop charges for picture messages to Radio 1 and asking listeners to send in pictures of themselves in order to put put a face to the loyal audience that defines Radio 1.

In a single day, they received 42,000 photos, then used them to stitch together this lovely stop-motion film:

via brainpickings.org

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10 Popular Websites That Went Through Redesigns in 2009

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:01:07 -0800

In my opinion, not necessarily the top 10 designs of 2009. But groundbreaking in the way the approach to it was. Of note was CNN and Reuters with a considerable design approach with a big shift in their information architecture.

CNN

Twitter

Yahoo

WordPress

The White House

MSN

Reuters

XBOX

ESPN

via Smashing Apps

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Retailers Go Nuts for Social Media in Holiday Marketing

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:14:57 -0800

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Retailers are embracing social media like never before this holiday season. More than half are including it in their marketing strategies, up drastically from only 4% in 2007, according to a new survey out from BDO Seidman. Of those who reported plans to use social media, 76% are focusing on Facebook, 50% on Twitter, 14% on MySpace and 14% on YouTube. Ten percent said they expected to utilize each of those outlets...
We look at five social-media strategies that are getting it right and five that could use a little -- or a lot -- of improvement.

Social-media strategies we love ...

--> BEST BUY
Even its commercials have a social-media tie-in, featuring its Twelpforce Carolers offering gift advice. (Its YouTube channel offers behind-the-scenes footage of actual employees trying out for the Twelpforce Carolers.) The retailer also has a robust Facebook presence, featuring several exclusive applications such as Hint Helper, Secret Santa, Idea Giftr and, coming soon, Christmas Morning Simulator. The Hint Helper will drop personalized hints to friends and family via a cookie placed on their computers. While Best Buy's application section is robust, it could do a better job of leading the conversation on Facebook, as opposed to simply responding to customer complaints. Still, when it comes to customer interaction, Best Buy has it down on Twitter. Its handles @bestbuy and @twelpforce, not to mention CMO Barry Judge's own handle, @bestbuycmo, all do a stellar job.

--> EBAY
The online retailer kicked off the holidays with a free WiFi offering on Delta flights over Thanksgiving, which earned plenty of mid-air tweets of appreciation. Those following eBay on Facebook or Twitter have also been rewarded with up-to-date sales and promotions data (for example, a Zhu Zhu pet giveaway to the first 100 visitors at the eBay pop-up store). On Facebook, eBay leads the conversation with sales news or by posting content from popular sites such as Chow. And its Twitter handles @ebay and @ebaydailydeal are completely holiday themed. The former supports the retailer's mobile boutique, which is popping up in 12 cities this holiday, and the latter gives out hints about its "12 Days of Deals" program, which features a new item with limited availability at a deep discount each day. Both Twitter feeds are streamed onto ebayholiday.com. Also, there are streams of texts and tweets featuring holiday gift wishes.

--> JCPENNEY
JCPenney uses its Facebook page as much for customer service as for marketing. When customers post complaints or praise to Penney's wall, the retailer jumps in to address them , offering personal assistance and thanking customers for posting their love for the brand. It occasionally posts video content and links to buyer guide CheapToday.com. Another tab on its Facebook page links to a follow-up to "Beware of the Doghouse," the 2008 video from Saatchi & Saatchi that drew millions of views, as well as a new website from North Kingdom. (The new "Doghouse" site is in itself a user-generated fest and users can post that content back on Facebook.) Fans can also participate in an online giving tree, and view designer collections and sale items. On Twitter, the brand tapped blogger and tweeter @SavvyAuntie to disseminate sweepstakes and sale items on Cyber Monday to her nearly 12,000 followers.

--> TOYS 'R' US
With Shaquille O'Neal, Toys 'R' Us will donate $1 to a charity for every new Facebook fan. Shaq even tweeted about the promotion -- what he called the "Shaq-a-Claus" challenge -- to his more than 2.6 million followers. The brand also appeals to parental nostalgia on Facebook, providing audio and surveys on the old-school jingle "I don't want to grow up." Mixed in with callouts of discount products, polls have a substantial presence on the brand's wall, with queries on favorite board games or Disney characters. The page also contains coupons to use in the brick-and-mortar stores. On the customer-service front, Toys 'R' Us is an exemplar brand for responding to fans and managing customer reaction. On Twitter, the brand used tweets to drive traffic to Facebook with offers of online discounts for new fans. While the brand responded to a few customer tweets, next year they should Twitter more in this way.

--> WALMART
Since the last holidays, Walmart has gone from no holiday traffic from Twitter to being the most-visited retail site during Black Friday and Cyber Monday after Amazon. With nearly a dozen Twitter handles, the brand addresses topics from music to customer service and calls out deals online. The biggest retailer in the world dubbed the week following Thanksgiving "Cyber Week" and used social-media channels to drive traffic to its online specials. On Facebook, the brand features apps to support U.S. troops and generate wish lists, as well as sections that aggregate commercials and photos. While we can offer Walmart lots of advice for its social holiday next year -- get into the conversation on the comments wall; Facebook isn't a broadcast channel, it's a chance to foster conversation with customers. The brand does a good job with holiday-themed articles, such as "Using Leftovers," that offer advice and don't just shill.

... and those that could use some improvement
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH
It's hard to believe that a teen retailer has such a lack of involvement in the social-media space. The initial link on its Facebook page is for an A&F casting call looking for models for its back-to-school and holiday campaign -- in 2010. Its current holiday print ads are posted, though there are no other mentions of holiday products, gift ideas or promotions from the brand. There's also no response to customer comments, though admittedly the majority are positive. Still, with a following of more than 540,000 fans, many of whom are asking for a store in their area, it's clear that A&F is passing up a major opportunity to engage this group. Similarly, a Twitter account, @AbercrombieNY, boasts a respectable 7,591 followers even though it hasn't tweeted since July 11.
AMAZON
Twitter and Facebook drove more total traffic to Amazon than any other retailer on Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to data from Experian Hitwise. But even with all that traffic, the brand is pretty absent from social media with a holiday-specific effort, and seems to be resting on its laurels as an early adopter in the space. Amazingly, the e-tail giant does not manage an active Facebook page; its last updates are from September 2008. Amazon's traffic from Twitter actually dropped more than 30% this Black Friday, and on Cyber Monday it only saw a 1% bump. The brand maintained its steady clip of lightning deals and product call-outs on Twitter, but holiday-specific content was isolated to links to the retailer's many blogs and a smattering of Cyber Monday mentions.
KOHL'S
Admirably, Kohl's committed to increasing its investment in digital and social media by 25% this holiday season. On the social-media front, the retailer said it planned to seed consumer blogs with merchandise giveaways, leverage its Facebook page and maintain its partnership with Stardoll, an online community. Where Kohl's falls down is on Facebook and Twitter. The Facebook page is noticeably devoid of holiday content and deals, though it has posted its holiday commercials and a link to its homepage, which touts "25 deals of Christmas." But, with nearly 900,000 fans, the retailer is missing out on an opportunity to speak directly to consumers about its sales, promotions and exclusive products. Instead, the Kohl's page seems to be merely doing its best to address a portion of the hundreds of complaints posted by disgruntled holiday shoppers. And on Twitter @Kohls_Official there was an inexplicable gap in tweets lasting from 12:28 a.m. on Nov. 26 until 8:59 a.m. on Dec. 1, the entirety of the Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday shopping period.
OLD NAVY
The sparse holiday messaging and unanswered consumer complaints on Facebook are a far cry from the engaged fans that were breathlessly posting about how to find deals through the retailer's interactive circular just a few months ago. The week after Black Friday, an outdated tab on the page continued to promote GobblePalooza, which ran from Nov. 26-28, and the most recent video content, posted about five months ago, promotes tank tops. Similarly, the last videos posted on the brand's YouTube channel are from eight months ago. Third parties have also taken to piggybacking on Old Navy's nearly 350,000 fans, promoting their own products on the page. Old Navy's Twitter page, @OldNavyOfficial, is similarly sparse, with one-way communication about deals linking to the brand's home page. The brand's Supermodelquin Twitter pages were also eerily quiet through the biggest shopping weekend of the year."We currently have content up from prior campaigns as record of our overall campaign. We will update our holiday content shortly," said a spokesman.
TARGET
Target, a brand touted for its current, youthful appeal, is conspicuously quiet in the social-media space and serves as a prime example of the damage unchecked social-media pages can cause. While it's created a forum for Facebookers to comment and contribute their own photos and videos, the brand seems deaf to negative comments and fans' personal promotion. Target broadcasts videos and articles without ever responding to comments such as "extremely disappointed in Target's customer service. " Some customers use the fan photo and video section to promote their own agendas -- one fan posted a YouTube video and a link to his not-at-all-retail-or-holiday Facebook page. "Some customers have had enough with all the non-related content on the page. "Could you please remove/delete the trashy posts on your site?" asked one fan. The brand does maintain a daily deals Twitter handle, which also tweets to consumers without responding. The main Target Twitter account does a better job of addressing its followers, but only totaled three tweets during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

via adage.com

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Mashable's 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2009

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:12:15 -0800

Josh Warner is president and founder of Feed Company, which promotes and distributes brand videos, including campaigns such as Levi’s “Backflip,” Ray-Ban’s “Catch” and Activision’s “Bike Hero.” In three years, Feed has seeded more than 100 videos across the social web.
2009’s crop of top viral video advertisements show us that people are willing to embrace a host of creative approaches on the social video Web, from beguiling mini-films, to user-generated advocacy, to YouTube celebrity endorsers, to elaborate commercial-grade productions. That’s good news for creators.

Regardless of the approach, the key for marketers is a solid understanding of what a brand is, who is the brand’s audience, and what moves them. Strangely enough, this formula sounds like traditional advertising. This year’s Top 10 is certainly a glimpse of how the viral video ad business is evolving, and as marketers, what we can learn from that evolution.

1. Inspired Bicycles

Advertiser: Inspired Bicycles
Ad Agency: N/A

Why it works: Inspired Bicycles’ team rider Danny MacAskill scales fences in and around Edinburgh, Scotland. The video is as mesmerizing as its hypnotic soundtrack from music group Band of Horses. It’s a solid example of how a brand pursuing a niche market – mountain bike trailblazers – can reach the masses with a brilliant viral video execution.

2. SIGNS

Advertiser: Schweppes
Ad Agency: Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia

Why it works: A love story with few words, Signs compels you to watch until its poignant end. It conclusively dispels the myth that viral video executions must be short and gimmicky to grab your attention.

3. Piano Stairs

Advertiser: Volkswagen
Ad Agency: DDB Stockholm

Why it works: “Take the stairs instead of the escalator and feel better” is something we hear but didn’t often see until this sly video from Volkswagen appeared on the Web. It’s part of an inspiring campaign, The Fun Theory, that encourages people to come up with fun ways to “do good.” The video itself did well indeed, imbuing Volkswagen with a fun new ethos and racking up millions of views in the process.

4. BooneOakley.com

Advertiser: Boone Oakley
Ad Agency: Boone Oakley

Why it works: Boone Oakley, an ad agency from Charlotte, North Carolina, uses an interactive YouTube video to tell its story and showcase client work. Audacious and attention-getting, it puts the young company on the short list of ad agencies who get it.

5. Hosting Your Party

Advertiser: Microsoft
Ad Agency: N/A

Why it works: This is the ultimate anti-viral: a video that generates millions of views simply because of how profoundly it misses the mark. Comments have been disabled, but all you have to do is talk to someone you know who’s watched it to know why it was so generously passed around.

6. YouTube HD Camera Trick Challenge

Advertiser: Samsung
Ad Agency: Viral Factory

Why it works: One cunning way to get people talking about and sharing your video is to make them wonder how you shot it in the first place. Samsung went to great lengths to protect the “trick” in the video for their new HD camera phone, which got tech geeks riled up to try solving the puzzle. Geeks happen to be the audience most likely to buy the HD new camera phone, which is why this video makes our Top 10.

7. United Breaks Guitars

Advertiser: Dave Carroll
Ad Agency: N/A

Why it works: A traumatic experience for one flyer becomes a public relations disaster for United Airlines, when musician Dave Carroll uses a YouTube video to vent frustrations after his guitar is damaged at Chicago O’Hare airport. The takeaway: Viral video is a wonderful tool for consumer advocacy because chances are you’re not the only one who is upset. In this case, United was inundated with additional complaints after United Breaks Guitars.

8. All the Single Babies

Advertiser: singlebabies.com
Ad Agency: User Generated

Why it works: The huge popularity of this video, a baby dancing to a Beyonce (
) song, is channeling ad revenue and donations into his college fund. This quick reaction to a YouTube hit shows us the toddler’s dad has moves of his own — something sluggish advertisers can learn from.

9. Guy Catches Laptop with His Butt

Advertiser: MSI Computers
Ad Agency: N/A

Why it works: In much the way Airplane parodies disaster films, this cheeseball video spoofs last year’s viral video hit Ray-Ban’s Guy Catches Glasses with Face. The inside joke is why we picked the video for this year’s Top 10. If you’re not on the web, you don’t get it. But for the millions who saw Ray-Ban’s video, it’s a wink and a nod, and an ironic sign that the viral video medium is maturing (or not).

10. JK Wedding Dance

Advertiser: Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz
Ad Agency: N/A

Why it works: A couple’s wedding entourage dances down the aisle to Chris Brown’s (
) song “Forever,” springboarding this video into viral history (at least for ‘09). Instead of stripping the video of its music — something copyright owners are permitted to do on YouTube — Sony used its popularity to sell more Chris Brown albums

via mashable.com

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Ikea Turns Its Catalog Into an iPhone App

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:27:55 -0800

Ikea released a catalog in its U.K. iPhone app today withless-than-wowing content, a call for feedback and a curious threat to only hand down updates to users who download version 1.0.
While the app is little more than a portable, digital version of a paper catalog -- users can only flick through pages of the 2010 catalog and pinch to zoom -- the retailer and its "brand entertainment" agency, Cake, are asking for update suggestions via voicemail, Twitter and e-mail. But it looks like only people who download the app now will get to see new capabilities when they come through.

"There are plans to quickly improve and develop the app but only in conjunction with customers who choose to download it," says a note on Cake's YouTube channel, where the above demo video for the app is posted.
So far, tweeters appending the hashtag #ikeaappideas have suggested GPS navigation store maps, in-app commerce, info on new food menus at stores and augmented reality to put furniture in users' homes.

via adage.com

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