Unbound Edition

Journalistic Narcissism

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:48:52 -0400

At the Aspen Ideas Festival this week, Andrew Sullivan said, “Journalism has become too much about journalists.” True. It’s not just that newspapers are covering their own demise as thoroughly as Michael Jackson’s. This is about the mythology that news needs newspapers – that without them, it’s not news.

Amazon Applying for In-Book Advertisement Patent for Kindle

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:43:08 -0400

Before everyone gets in a huff, let’s consider Amazon’s intentions with these patent applications. Surely they would never allow advertisements to be placed in books which you have purchased legitimately at full price, so let’s put that out of our heads. But what if you could take a few bucks off the cover price at the cost of a few contextual ads relating (if possible) to the book’s content?

Remixed Messages

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:40:09 -0400

A blunt slogan and a simple image: these basic elements of persuasion, protest, propaganda or making a point have been used in tandem and to great effect for as long as anyone reading this has been alive. Presumably, these messages have always been received in a variety of ways. But these days, it seems, when a slogan and an image reach a significant audience, that’s not the end of the process. In fact it’s just the beginning.

Sarah Palin Shuns Press: Talks to Twitter, Facebook Instead

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:36:40 -0400

Sarah Palin yesterday announced her plans to resign from the role of Governor of Alaska, leaving the press clueless as to why. Does she plan to retire from politics completely, or is she preparing to make a 2012 presidential bid? Palin is talking to no one…except Twitter and Facebook. In fact, Palin used her Facebook page to criticize the mainstream media for their treatment of her.

Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:32:03 -0400

Gone are the days when snaring attention for start-ups in the Valley meant mentions in print and on television, or even spotlights on technology Web sites and blogs. Now P.R. gurus court influential voices on the social Web to endorse new companies, Web sites or gadgets — a transformation that analysts and practitioners say is likely to permanently change the role of P.R. in the business world, and particularly in Silicon Valley.

Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:50:05 -0400

It would be profoundly reassuring to view the current economic crisis as simply another rough spell that we need to get through. Unfortunately, though, today’s mix of urgency, high stakes, and uncertainty will continue as the norm even after the recession ends. Economies cannot erect a firewall against intensifying global competition, energy constraints, climate change, and political instability. The immediate crisis—which we will get through, with the help of policy makers’ expert technical adjustments—merely sets the stage for a sustained or even permanent crisis of serious and unfamiliar challenges.

Engaging Influentials: Twitter and Beyond

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:51:46 -0400

With the rapid adoption of social media, we have accelerated into a network economy. In a network economy, connectivity enables value to be created and shared by network members. The larger the network, the greater the potential benefits. In the digital world, network activities take place on an open platform that enables participation and cloud computing (think Wikipedia and widgets). In networks, some members are more connected and active, and therefore have more influence. These influentials are important members because they add significantly more value to the network. In the digital world, they blog, twitter, upload videos, experiment with new gadgets, and create widgets. As early adopters, they tend to be trendsetters that are followed by their friends and sometimes the masses.

Coke's Nestea Takes Plunge Into Webisodes

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:51:03 -0400

Coca-Cola’s Nestea is the latest brand to tap online-only programming. CTRL, which launches on sites like NBC.com, USANetwork.com and Hulu.com this month, stars Tony Hale of Arrested Development as an office worker with the ability to change everyday reality by drinking Nestea. The effort is an attempt to reach what Annis Lyles, vp of media and interactive for Coca-Cola, North America, calls the sweet spot for the brand—millennials—and augments Nestea’s “Liquid Awesomeness” campaign from Venables, Bell & Partners, which features a spokesperson, Steve, running Nestea experiments via a live Webcam in his home.

Amid Upfronts, Brands Experiment with Web

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:50:54 -0400

Meet Simon, a laid-back groom who’s in way over his head in the world of wedding planning. And meet Rochelle, a budding bridezilla prone to shrieking meltdowns over flower arrangements. Watch these two head toward the Big Day, mockumentary style, and wackiness will no doubt ensue. That’s the premise of a new series called Road to the Altar from MWG Entertainment, a Los Angeles digital production house that has gathered Pier 1 Imports, iRobot and Panda Express as brand integration partners and got semi well-known actors like Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters) and Leyna Weber (of Days of Our Lives) as stars. But don’t look for the show on any of the broadcast or cable networks. It’s available via YouTube, Joost, Sling and various mobile platforms.

Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label Is Questioned

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:49:35 -0400

Three years ago, U.S. Department of Agriculture employees determined that synthetic additives in organic baby formula violated federal standards and should be banned from a product carrying the federal organic label. Today the same additives, purported to boost brainpower and vision, can be found in 90 percent of organic baby formula. The government's turnaround, from prohibition to permission, came after a USDA program manager was lobbied by the formula makers and overruled her staff. That decision and others by a handful of USDA employees, along with an advisory board's approval of a growing list of non-organic ingredients, have helped numerous companies win a coveted green-and-white "USDA Organic" seal on an array of products.

Mind the Moonfruit! Company Hashtags Could Drown Twitter in Spam

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:48:57 -0400

The sly marketing folk at Moonfruit have been able to secure Twitter's number 1 trending topic just by offering 10 free MacBook Pros as prizes over the next 10 days, the prize being selected at random from all tweets containing #moonfruit.

Tweet This: Twitter Trademarks Tweets™

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:48:02 -0400

One of the more interesting, albeit not necessarily press-stopping, stories making the rounds in the blogosphere and Twitterverse currently is sure to make you scratch your head or raise your eyebrow in bewilderment. Twitter officially applied to trademark “Tweet” on April 16, 2009 according to Robin Wauters at TechCrunch.

You Can't Beat Habit

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:45:20 -0400

Let’s face it: Your regular customers are on autopilot. When a purchase is repeated enough times, it becomes habit. However, market shifts can disrupt even the most powerful habits, and the current financial meltdown is the single biggest market disruption we’ve ever lived through. Customers are altering their behavior because of uncertainty about the future: laying off employees (maybe even your contacts), hoarding cash and postponing routine purchases. All purchase decisions are now up for conscious review. This is a daunting challenge, but it also creates opportunities.

Magic Flute: Primal Find Sings of Music's Mystery

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:55:03 -0400

The discovery of the world's oldest musical instrument -- a 35,000-year-old flute made from a wing bone -- highlights a prehistoric moment when the mind learned to soar on flights of melody and rhythm.

Google's Eric Schmidt on the New World

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:36:54 -0400

Here’s video from the Aspen Ideas Festival responding to my question about what follows the industrial age. It’s much better than my limited report on it below:

Justice Probes Antitrust Issues In Google Deal With Publishers

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:31:30 -0400

The U.S. Justice Department said it is investigating a settlement between Google Inc. and authors and publishers, saying that antitrust issues raised by the deal warrant scrutiny by the agency.

Pay-for-Chat Plan Falls Flat at Washington Post

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:25:26 -0400

For generations, The Washington Post has been a scrupulous watchdog over the capital’s cozy world of power networking. For a short time, it almost became the network’s host.

Sci-Fi Channel Explains Why It's Changing Its Name to SyFy

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:21:24 -0400

"There's always a resistance to change," Sci-Fi Network president Dave Howe told the NY Daily News. "But in a few years, no one will notice the difference." And that is as good a reason as any for spending gazillions of dollars to change the station's name.

Does Anybody Still Use Second Life?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:16:03 -0400

Now that Linden Lab has been around for nearly 10 years, and with its product Second Life celebrating its sixth birthday since launching publicly in June 2003, we thought it would be a good idea to take a close look at the report and see how the company’s doing according to the analysts.

Days of the Logo Numbered

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:11:13 -0400

“Make it bigger,” the executive screamed from the corner of the room as I desperately sought a sign-off for an ad featuring a major fashion brand. This wasn’t the first time such a situation came up. In fact, every meeting I had always ended up in discussions about the placement and size of the logo – it was as if that one by one inch space, over time, had become the holy grail of branding – the rest was more a less an ad-on.

HAL Did It

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:03:58 -0400

Yesterday's report on the causes of the crash of Air France Flight 447 is incomplete, and the reliability of the investigation's findings will never be without question. But the broad conclusion is probably all-too true: the computer had something to do with it.

Recession Proof Spending

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:17:17 -0400

While the state of the economy is having a negative effect on most areas of the retail sector, more than a few industries are experiencing an uptick. Time examines recent trends in consumer spending, discovering that products and services that fulfill needs like escapism, inexpensive luxury and stress relief are reaping the most benefits.

Sears Introduces Buyer Protection

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:17:02 -0400

Offering some relief to recession-stricken consumers, Sears Holding Corp. this week announced a buyer protection plan that allows customers to keep their LG, GE or Kenmore appliance in the event of a job loss. Kevin Brown, vp and CMO for Sears Holding’s home appliance division, said the company will test out the offer (running through Aug. 1) on his department first, possibly extending it to other merchandise categories. Brown said the idea stemmed from consumer anxiety over making big-ticket purchases in a recession.

Role Reversal: Mr. Mom Goes Shopping

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:16:43 -0400

The past two decades has seen a role reversal of sorts taking place: the traditional roles of men and women are being redefined to better reflect today's social norms. Today's American households are looking less like Donna Reed -- the paradigm for the ideal 1950s family -- and more like Mr. Mom.

Thoughts on the Future of Journalism from the Purple List

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:15:20 -0400

PSFK recently asked our global network of experts, The Purple List for their thoughts on the future of journalism. We received answers that imagine a variety of possible scenarios, though a common theme emerged which points to a system that combines crowd-sourcing with some kind of editorial curation and professional reporting.