Influencer marketing has been around for a steady while now. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: all can offer brands many influencers. But no one actually knows how much a brand should pay an influencer.

Until now. IZEA, a social media marketing company that connects brands with influencers in multiple countries, has done a study on the current state of social media sponsorship.

The following results were found when marketers were asked how much they would pay an influencer:

According to the report by Social Media Today, there was quite a gap between the thoughts of influencers and the thoughts of marketers:

If you ask an influencer, how much is a sponsored blog post worth? Average answer = $223.31 (vs $112.99 according to marketers). If you ask an influencer, how much is a sponsored tweet worth? Average answer = $178.11 (vs.$55.36 according to marketers).

So how many marketers have actually leveraged influencers for their social media marketing? 55,5% of those surveyed! Which types of sponsorships have they used? Mostly blogposts (54%) and tweets (47,3%). These influencers were mostly compensated with cash (46,4%) or free products (45,9%).

What else was interesting about this report? Well, the things that are seen as most important by marketers when it comes to choosing influencers. Shares and amount of engagement, you say? Think again!

The quality of the content is seen as more important than traffic or followers, which is a good development. The ROI of social media sponsorship was measured mostly by looking at the quality of the uploaded content (50,9%). The amount of shares of the posting is the second most used measurement for ROI (39,5%).

For influencers, quality of the advertiser is most important when deciding who to work for, even more important than the value of the compensation they are receiving.

More results? According to Social Media Today:

This same study found that 61.8% of social media influencers have accepted compensation for sponsored content, while 31.7% would consider it, for an impressive 93% in total!

The issues with disclosures and FTC guidelines were also known and understood by most of the study participants. Only 16,7% of influencers did not apply any form of disclosure, and 38,3% of influencers know about the requirements of the FTC guidelines.

Want to read the whole study? Click the link.

My Opinion
I too have done some work as an influencer on Instagram. Reading about the average amount of money an influencer would receive from a marketer by posting a photo ($69,91) makes me happy to say that I’ve been paid much more!

But all joking aside, it is becoming obvious that influencer marketing keeps getting bigger, and both marketers and influencers are becoming more knowledgeable and professional when it comes to (form of) payment, influencer ROI, and disclosure policies/FTC guidelines.

I think it is important to be transparent to social media users when it comes to using influencers. The fact that according to this study only 16,7% of influencers did not apply any form of disclosure, is a good development.

All in all, this study is a great help for marketers when they start using influencers for their social media efforts.

What About You?What do you think of this study? Have you paid influencers to advertize for your brand?

About the author
Marion aan ‘t Goor is a Social Media Consultant at ICON&Co. You can connect with Marion via Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post How Much Is A Social Media Influencer Worth? appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

The celeb would endorse your product, lending his or her vibe, and everyone made money.

Today’s marketing strategies demand a bit more finesse.

Read along to get actionable insights.

Rock your Brand with Celebrity Endorsement

In the 1950s, Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix was endorsed by Ozzie and Harriet.

By the late 1970s, more than 10% of TV commercials featured a celebrity endorsement. Marketing has evolved.

Today, the relationship between celeb and product has to be deeper in order to gain street cred.

It’s no longer enough for a start to lend their voice and face to an ad like Ricardo Montalban did for Chrysler back in ‘75.

Today you see celebrities involved in the business side of the products they endorse. Drew Barrymore is a vintner at Barrymore Wines.

Beyonce is Pepsi’s brand ambassador, yes, but she’s also involved as a Creative Director. Gwen Stefani developed the L.A.M.B. clothing line to express her own mash-up style.

The Right Stuff

Celebrity endorsements are great as long as you have the budget and choose your star carefully.

Do you think the George Foreman Grill would have had such success if it had been the Mike Tyson Grill? If your endorsing celeb gets involved in a scandal it can damage your brand.

Think Chris Brown’s “Got Milk?” campaign, followed a year later by his 2009 assault conviction.

My fav? In 2008 Christian Dior dropped all Chinese advertisements featuring Sharon Stone after her comments regarding the disastrous earthquake.

Stone was quoted as saying; “They’re not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a friend of mine… And then all of this earthquake and all this happened and I thought, is that karma? When you’re not nice, that bad things happen to you?” You said it, baby.

On the other hand, the right celebrity whose image matches your product, can bring credibility, add PR value and enhance awareness of your brand.

Great examples include: William Shatner’s for Priceline, Bill Cosby for Jell-O, and Michael Jordan for Gatorade.

What made the success was that the celebrity made a connection between the product an consumer.

These days, if the celeb isn’t involved in your business in some meaningful way, or doesn’t truly believe in your product, it’s going to seem as real as discount veneers.

Can’t Afford Justin Bieber?

A celebrity doesn’t have to grace the cover of Us Weekly to be helpful in your business. If your pocket isn’t quite as deep as Proactiv’s, think in terms of local talent.

If you sell health foods, consider partnering with a local fitness guru or the chef of that hot vegan restaurant in town. If you sell furniture or home goods, can you partner with a Martha Stewart wannabe?

If you sell sporting goods, what about partnering with a local coach? Any of these individuals, even if they aren’t as big as Brad Pitt or Alicia Keys, will give you a measure of what national celebs offer large companies.

If the match is a smart one, you’ll also gain access to your local celebrity’s network, which is likely to be filled with folks in your target market.

Once you’ve found the right local celebrity, your association can be a great source of material for your content-based marketing.

Images of your celeb posing with your product are standard, but how about posting a short video testimonial out of the mouth of your local celeb about why he or she chose to associate with your brand?

Can you stage a video with your celeb demonstrating your product or offering a live workshop to teach something while using your product?

Offer exclusive access to interview your celeb and bloggers and reporters will help spread your message, providing you with even more content.

Whether you decide to partner with a national celebrity or a local expert, the most important consideration is how simpatico the star is with your brand. Find the right one, hammer out a meaningful role that rings true and you’ve got yourself a winning formula.

Hey, all these years later, I still wanna be like Mike.

What About You?
What celebrity endorsements do you like and why? Share your ideas in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS or get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content. The best 5 seconds you’ve ever had.

About the Author
Susie Brown is a FastUpFront Blog contributor and business author. Fastupfront offers a business loan financing alternative.

The post How To Rock Your Brand With Celebrity Endorsements? appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Call it sub commerce, connected TV or just smart CRM? Addressable and Social TV are leading the revolution of the medium television.

Now it is starting to look like some of the TV networks are not only broadcasting their content.

They are pulling their audiences gently through their funnels towards preference, loyalty and advocacy.

TV Series Suits & Birchbox

The men’s boxes will include GO247 shampoo and conditioner, Balla Powder and Lucky Tiger Lip Balm and other products. There will also be Suits boxes for women.

The boxes will arrive in July in connection with the return of my favorite TV show Suits; starring Patrick J. Adams as Mike Ross and Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter.

But the deal is also meant to help USA Network to promote Birchbox, which sends subscribers monthly boxes of beauty, grooming and lifestyle samples.

So USA Network will promote a Birchbox Man sweepstakes offering winners a year’s worth of products. Other elements will include other contests, social media and video content such as interviews with the cast of the show.

Birchbox and its smart TV integrations

This is the second TV integration already for subscription commerce firm for Birchbox. See this crisp but clear video about Birchbox:

Last year they sent out a box of beauty products meant to promote The CW’s Gossip Girl. It has also worked with Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health and Gwyneth Paltrow’s website Goop.

“We always had a vision Birchbox could work with media companies,” said Katia Beauchamp, co-founder of Birchbox. “TV shows are a great fit because it allows us to compile themed boxes people can relate to and characters they know. It also brings a tangible experience to TV, which typically doesn’t have one.”

For Birchbox, which was founded in 2010, it’s also part of an increased focus on boxes with entertainment themes.

Ms. Beauchamp said Birchbox would welcome other TV partnerships and is interested in expanding into other categories such as movies.

Birchbox is a smart, streamlined, and fun way to discover high-end beauty, grooming, and lifestyle products.

For $10 a month, members receive a box filled with high-end beauty and lifestyle samples that have been tailored to their beauty profile

Read all about the Power of Subscription Commerce here on ViralBlog.

Addressable TV & Subcom: Power of the Box?

Both addressable TV and sub commerce are fuelled by a box. Why TV and subcom are happily married? Check out the power of Tv 2.0 and T-commerce here:

One-way communication and TV ran the show for about 60 years. We welcome CMOs to the re-evolution of the medium Television.

Will Addressable TV finally make TV the accountable marketing medium?

My Opinion?
I am certainly getting the power of sub commerce. It makes companies almost as predictable as Amazon.com

What’s the economic value of one relationship? Well, Birchbox and other subcom companies can provide you the answer is a split second.

TV networks however cared about reach, not relations. But they finally seem to get that it’s about ecosystems, not egosystems.

Pandora’s Box was opened by out of the box thinking.

Well done, non-linear minds.

What About You?
How do you rate the approach of USA Network? Share your opinion in the comments below.

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About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

Source: AdAge and ViralBlog.

The post TV Series Suits Sends Birchbox Boxes To Subscribers appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Many of us think of the Internet as a global community. But two-thirds of the world’s population does not yet have Internet access.

How technology is enabling us to do more good?

Explore the stunning Project Loon.

What is Google Project Loon?

Google believes it’s possible to create a ring of balloons that fly around the globe on the stratospheric winds and provide Internet access to the earth below. The balloons present some really hard science.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A network of balloons designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill coverage gaps, and bring people back online after disasters.

Project Loon balloons float in the stratosphere, twice as high as airplanes and the weather.

They are carried around the Earth by winds and they can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds moving in the desired direction.

People connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building.

The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then to the global Internet back on Earth.

The Pilot Test

The Project Loon pilot test begins June 2013 on the 40th parallel south.

Thirty balloons, launched from New Zealand’s South Island, will beam Internet to a small group of pilot testers.

The experience of these pilot testers will be used to refine the technology and shape the next phase of Project Loon.

Stay tuned here at Project Loon.

My Opinion?
Singularity can change the world, and the lives of billions of people on our planet.

Why I love this project a lot? It shows the Google DNA: Collaborative ecosystems, not egosystems.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin clearly have a passion for technology and energy. And they are sharing their passion with the world.

Great mindset Google: Change the world.

What About You?
How do you rate Project Loon by Google? Share your ideas in the comments below.

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About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairman at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 3 digital agencies (sold to WPP) and global chief social officer at Mindshare. Now he is freejack consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post Google Project Loon: Balloon-Powered Internet For Everyone appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

In a fixed format we will explore singularity areas such as: biotechnology & bioinformatics, energy & environmental systems, networks & computing systems, AI & robotics, medicine & neuroscience, and nanotechnology.

We will also inspire you with singularity examples, videos, presentations, vision of futurists, books events and more.

Why singularity?

Because we believe that singularity can solve the world’s biggest challenges and change the lives of billions of people.

Now, that’s a mindset. Right?

What is Singularity?

Singularity might be best explained as the hypothetical future creation of super intelligent machines. Super intelligence is defined as a technologically-created cognitive capacity far beyond that possible for humans.

Should the singularity occur, technology will advance beyond our ability to foresee or control its outcomes and the world will be transformed beyond recognition by the application of super intelligence to humans and/or human problems, including poverty, disease and mortality.

Revolutions in genetics, nanotechnology and robotics (GNR) in the first half of the 21st century are expected to lay the foundation for the Singularity.

According to Singularity theory, super intelligence will be developed by self-directed computers and will increase exponentially rather than incrementally.

Proposed mechanisms for adding super intelligence to humans include brain-computer interfaces, biological alteration of the brain, artificial intelligence (AI) brain implants and genetic engineering.

Post-singularity, humanity and the world would be quite different. A human could potentially scan his consciousness into a computer and live eternally in virtual reality or as a sentient robot.

Futurist Ray Kurzweil On Singularity

Futurists such as Ray Kurzweil (author of The Singularity is Near) have predicted that in a post-Singularity world, humans would typically live much of the time in virtual reality — which would be virtually indistinguishable from normal reality.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kurzweil predicts, based on mathematical calculations of exponential technological development, that the Singularity will come to pass by 2045.

Watch the video, you will love it.

Ray’s book? Also very visionary.

Singularity: Science-Fiction or Reality?

Science-fiction writer Vernor Vinge first used the term the Singularity in this context in the 1980s.

He used it in reference to the British mathematician I.J. Good’s concept of an “intelligence explosion” brought about by the advent of super intelligent machines.

The term is borrowed from physics; in that context a singularity is a point where the known physical laws cease to apply.

The Six Million Dollar Man

To make it more tangible for you (and revealing my age), do you remember the Six Million Dollar Man?

The Six Million Dollar Man was an American TV series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for a fictional government office known as OSI.

The series is based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, and during pre-production, that was its proposed title.

Following three television movies aired in 1973, The Six Million Dollar Man aired on the ABC network as a regular series for five seasons from 1974 to 1978.

The title role of Steve Austin was played by Lee Majors, who subsequently became a pop culture icon of the 1970s.

That was my favorite TV series when I was a little boy. It might explain my passion for singularity?

But science-fiction has now become reality. So stay tuned!

Get more insights and events at the Singularity University.

What About You?
What do you hope and expect from singularity? What are great sources for you? Share your ideas in the comments.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Trends & Innovations, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairman at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 3 digital agencies (sold to WPP) and global chief social officer at Mindshare. Now he is freejack consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post Singularity: A Brand New Category On ViralBlog.com appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Trailer created by Michiel Zwart of EditieM

This week, we selected the following top 5 viral videos for you:

1. Photoshop Live – Street Retouch Prank

Click here to view the embedded video.

One Photoshop genius, one bus stop and lots of hidden cameras. The Street Retouch Prank is an initiative from Adobe, their events – called Creative Days – are for every designer, creative leader and developer out there. A great video with over 13 million views in seven days that showcases what Photoshop can do.

2. Official PlayStation Used Game Instructions

Click here to view the embedded video.

With this video Sony PlayStation mocks the new Xbox One, the reason for this simple video going viral is because the new Xbox One doesn’t have the simple option to share your games with friends. PlayStation is taking advantage of this by allowing the trade of second-hand games. We’re curious to see how Microsoft is going to react to this video, which has over 11 million views in just four days!

3. #PubLooShocker

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign has launched a quite disturbing video that illustrates the dangers of drunk driving. Three unsuspected men (actors L) are brought face-to-face with a bloody head of a person, as if it was hit by a car. The shocking video has over 6 million views in a week.

4. Evolution of Get Lucky

Click here to view the embedded video.

After the very successful and viral launch of the new Daft Punk album again something related spreads like a wildfire on the internet. This time it is not an own production, but a video made by the talented producer: PV Nova. In the video we see the evolution of the song “Get Lucky” through every decade from 1920 – 2020. we are very impressed like the other million people who’ve already seen it.

5. Underground Bicycle Parking Systems

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just like Holland in Japan the bicycle is a common way of transport. Because sometimes things get crowded a company called Giken came up with a solution called Eco Cycle to store bikes underground. Already more than a million people saw this useful solution in action. Amsterdam and many other cities could use it also!

viral

What About You?
What was the viral that made you wet your panty? We would love to hear your opinion in the comments below.

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The post Top 5 Videos In Viral Friday: Photoshop Live appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Every day, hundreds of millions of people use Facebook to share their thoughts on big moments happening all around them.

Whether it’s talking about a favorite television show, cheering on a hometown sports team or engaging with friends during a breaking news event—people on Facebook connect with their friends about what’s taking place all over the world.

Facebook says the move is an effort to promote more public conversations on the social network, after hashtags have become increasingly popular on Twitter.

With this new feature, Facebook is following in the footsteps of other social media sites like Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.

The adoption is already effective for some users. Soon, all users will be able to:

• Search for a specific hashtag from the search bar.
• Click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram.
• Compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results.

Facebook says it will be rolling out more features including trending hashtags.

My Opinion?
My first thought was: the hashtag belongs to Twitter, not to Facebook. But on the other hand, it’s not about which feature is owned by which network, it’s about what is most user friendly.

But now I’m imagining my Timeline filled with irrelevant, irritating and stupid hashtags. By brands that don’t understand how to properly use it.

Brrr! Time will learn us if we’ll like this…

What About You?
So what’s your first thought about Facebook’s hashtag feature? Would you use it? Let us know below.

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About the Author
Laurens Bianchi is an independent online marketing professional from the Netherlands and has been blogging on ViralBlog since 2008. Currently Laurens is also the Social Media Consultant for the Royal Dutch Football Association.

The post Facebook Launches #Hashtags appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

The groundbreaking noodle snack was produced in a brand new plant (with excellent working conditions), located just downstream from the Viagra factory in the Do Ping province in China.

Just on time for this summer’s major sports events, Energy Noodles promises to deliver totally legal competitive advantage with rock-hard side effects to sportsmen and businessmen alike.

Ready for explosive squirts and happy endings?

Energy Noodles: Hilarious Video With Happy Ending?

Energy Noodles launches with a testosterone-filled advertising film, with happy ending. The video features the Athletic Cycling Team who, have been competitively engineering their urine samples for participation in this years already legendary Tour de France.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Beating the super strict urine and blood tests around the world have been our nr.1 challenge and we feel confident that we will pass the test in at least 9 countries” says Italian team leader dr. Frederico Lamborghini.

To support the campaign a state of the art flash website EnergyNoodles.com was developed where you will find inspiration and innovation.

My Opinion?
Sometimes a brand goes fully overboard in its attempt to earn global attention.

Energy Noodles was in control enough to let go. Clever, witty and with guts.

The video could go viral and become a limitless long tail viral hit video.

Their ROI? Earning global attention, AIDA, NPS and “TOMA-ness”.

This campaign reminds me of old skool virals starring Terry Tate by Reebok, Trojan Games by Trojan Condoms or the 100 Meter Porn by Freeware.de

What About You?
How do you rate the Energy Noodles video? How about Terry, Trojan or Freeware? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post Energy Noodles: Testosterone Promo Video With Happy Ending appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Adobe launched a witty but clever promotion for Photoshop and its Adobe Creative Day.

The event will take place next week. The videos might have long tail power.

Adobe Photoshop Prank

Do great pranks ever get boring? Not when Adobe hijackes a bus stop in Sweden.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The fun was captured with hidden cameras and shared in above video.

Smart Guerrilla Marketing Stunts?

The guerrilla marketing stunt involved a mobile Photoshop command center; a white van parked nearby — and master Photoshop magician Erik Johansson.

Want to see more? Check out hashtag #creativedays.

Have you seen the smartest street sign or the smartest print ad in the world?

What About You?
How do you rate the Adobe prank? Share your opinion in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

Source: PetaPixel.

The post Adobe: The Funniest Photoshop Bus Stop In The World appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Having a great social marketing, content and distribution strategy in place and a social team behind the buttons?

Next you will have probably looked up the CMO.com Guide to the Social Media Landscape of 2012 and 2013?

Now you will probably ask your (social) media agency about the channel strategy?

The Social Media Marketing Explosion: Infographic

How your social media obsession can make or break your career? Find the insights in this infographic by the University of Florida:

Most CMOs and their media managers are asking their media agencies for a per-market-breakdown.

How many Facebook users are there in my core markets?

Can you break-down the number of Twitter, Foursquare and Pinterest users for i.e. the rising BRIC markets?

Some of them will be disappointed by the reach of Foursquare or Pinterest in your core markets. But big is only good when smart, right?

And hopefully most CMOs by now will think beyond reach when it comes to Foursquare. Because they know that it’s much more than a just a SoLoMo App.

Adaptive Social Planning & POE

I have been talking about adaptive social planning and POE Media here several times.

If you are a non-linear social marketing mind, you will also think beyond the reach of the social media channels.

You might be interested in POE Planning Beyond Reach?

Or why content marketing matters?

My Opinion?
You need to be obsessed. Very, very obsessed about social media and POE to do it right.

This infographic might help you to work towards adaptive social planning.

But all the integrated, NASA-alike big-data dashboards in the world, it still takes experienced and clever people to be adaptive.

A team of analysts that can identify data and look for actionable insights; a very rare combination of mad men and math men.

A strategist who can turn actionable insights into gold, and long term digital brand programming.

Some very smart community and content managers behind the buttons, mixed with social care.

But the journey starts top down; with a CMO that is open to learn and adapt.

POE media and adaptive planning can increase the ROI on your media investments.

And not only in social media.

So go for it.

What About You?
Are you planning your social activities based on the reach of the channels? What other ingredients have you blended into your adaptive planning strategy?

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

Source: University of Florida.

The post Adaptive Planning On Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Google+ appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

With their dedication to sustainability, it comes as no surprise that they would raise awareness and teach people about new forms of energy through a new, fun game called Power Matrix.

It’s free, it’s beautiful, and it requires a bit more brainpower than FarmVille.

Power Matrix: Siemens Energy Game

The game is not only for experts or gamers, but instead targets anyone who is interested in energy and sustinable resources.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Starting with a rural territory where your future city is about to develop, the goal is to provide it with a sustainable power supply through a mix of various energy technologies while keeping a budget.

The sheer amount of data used by Siemens to create this game is mind-boggling, as the game flows effortlessly through different energy sources and their effects on the community.

It makes me wonder exactly how many years of data and analytics were put into this one game that models a complex system so well.

Can you control an entire energy system?

Players can indulge in complex construction plans reminiscent of SimCity and Rollercoaster Tycoon, but Power Matrix has a few features that make it even more advanced.

You can trade excess energy, buy additional power generated by others, and even build an energy network to fund a energy research department that provides more efficient solutions and new technologies that are lower in emissions.

Although it is a game, Siemens wants us to realize that this could be reality all over the world. The technologies in the game are available now and waiting to be used.

Through the collaboration of experts in the fields of gaming, corporate strategy, economics and engineering, Power Matrix brings players a unique scenario in which they can learn about and control an entire energy system.

This is just one example of how a company can use data and analytics to spread knowledge in an entertaining yet socially conscious way.

Yes you can try this at home, play the Power Matrix.

What About You?
How do you rate the Power Matrix game and Siemens approach towards energy? We’d love to read your feedback in the comments below. Or browse our related stories for more insights.

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About the Author
Cindy Weng is the Digital Community Strategist at SmartData Collective and is also pursuing her Ph.D. in Media, Technology and Society at Northwestern University. Her interests and areas of expertise lay in the technology sector, particularly big data, predictive analytics, social media and network analysis.

Source: SmartDataCollective.

The post Power Matrix: Raising Awareness On New Energy Through Gaming appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Recently we wrote about Nivea Brazil that surprised us with the smartest print ad in the world, charging your iPhone with solar.

Now Breakfast New York connected objects and installations, creating Points: the smartest, high-tech street sign in the world.

Points: High Tech, Social Street Sign?

Points may look like an ordinary street sign at first. But we would not be writing about it, if it was not high-tech, social and stunning? Welcome to the future…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Points leverages content from Foursquare, Twitter, transportation APIs, RSS feeds and many other online sources.

But more importantly: it can be expanded to work with almost any online data source and adapt to any location where it’s installed.

Points is always aware of the best things going on nearby, and directing you towards them.

My Opinion?
Technology will keep amazing us. And technology will enable us to do more good.

If you doubted big-data, here’s the proof: Real-time big-data is now leading you the way!

Two thumbs up for the math men from Breakfast New York.

If you are an obessed freak too, check the background and tech-architecure at their site.

What About You?
How do you rate Points? We’d love to read your feedback in the comments below. Or browse our related stories for more amazing stuff.

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About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

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However, as I’ll explain in this article, the ramifications of a haphazardly designed and poorly implemented contest can be detrimental to the long-term success of your brand.

Before I begin, it’s important to note that section E. on Facebook’s Page Guidelines states (among other rules) that, “Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.”

Something as simple as asking people to “like” a post to be entered to win a free water bottle could get your page shut down–putting a knife into your business.

This article has two parts.

The first is a discussion of the psychology behind why users interact and spread information from professional Facebook pages.

I’ll follow taking a concept from behavioral economics to show you why a poorly designed contest doesn’t just have a null effect but can have a widespread negative effects on the perception of your page.

Afterwards, I’ll detail a system you can copy and use to develop a killer contest for your page gaining thousands of new “likes” and e-mail leads at the same time.

Facebook Contests: It’s the Idea, Not the Brand

Facebook is arguable the most powerful marketing medium available to brands today. Part of the reason for this is it’s huge reach; the other part is that users don’t recognize that they’re being marketed to.

All day a person is overwhelmed with marketing messages and they’ve put up a wall to ignore them. When they finally get home, grab a glass of water, take a deep breath, and relax where do you think they go to shut off their minds? Facebook.

At its base, Facebook is social, not economical and it’s power lies firmly in social norms. Because of this, a Facebook page cannot represent a brand or person but instead must represent the idea that a brand represents.

Engaged users on a page are there because the message speaks to their values. And values are conditioned by the culture that person lives in at a particular moment in their lives.

Sharing of information from a page largely stems from the desire to selectively self-represent by users of your page specific to their values.

In a now famous experiment by Gneezy and Rustichini a daycare that had the problem of parents picking up their children late was studied. The owners of the daycare decided to levy a fine anytime an adult was late picking up his or her child.

The result? More parents showed up late. The introduction of a fine introduced economic norms and made it socially acceptable to be late; the parents were now paying for the right to be tardy.

The most interesting part of the study was that when the fine was removed the damage had already been done. The social norm didn’t immediately come back. In fact, parents were actually tardier than in the other two cases.

What does this mean?

Giving your users extrinsic incentive to share your material changes the way your page is viewed. What should be a fun place to exchange ideas and learn snippets of information has now become a business only benefitting the owner of the page.

This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a decision to be made lightly. Asking people to “like” a post to win “X” prize cannot be measured in terms of success based off of how many shares and likes that one post gets but by the interaction and growth of that page moving forward.

Once you administer a contest, the image of your page changes; it better be a damn good contest that gives a lot of value.

What’s also important to note for brands is that a Facebook page should work independent of a webpage. It can link to direct sales on the webpage without tarnishing the view of the page as long as the majority of the updates are community building.

Now that that’s out of the way, here are the exact steps I’ve personally used to run an effective Facebook contest.

Want to do it? Here’s how

Valuation is everything and I suggest giving away at least $1,000 in products or services. I mentioned above that Facebook doesn’t allow contests run within your page, but they do allow contests run with outside apps.

The goal of your contest should be to get “likes” and email leads with your already built effective e-mail marketing system (you do have e-mail marketing right? If not, stop reading now. Facebook doesn’t matter if you don’t have an e-mail list to take the leads to).

Here’s a visual of a contest I ran:

Note: In the “here’s how to enter section” there was a “like” button, an area to enter an e-mail, and a share button.

Step 1. Gather cache of prizes

These may be internal prizes or you can reach out to related business and get donations in exchange for exposure. I had DVD’s, fitness equipment, clothing, and supplements donated.

You will be surprised at how open companies are to donate goods. It’s a cheap way for them to market. Here’s everything to consider when reaching out:

• You’re running a contest that will spread virally through Facebook and you’re asking them to donate a widget. Give them an idea of how many of their direct audience you will reach with the contest.
• Ask for a market valuation for the widget they are donating in addition to a picture of it and an image of their company logo.
• Tell them that their company logo will appear on all marketing material and you’ll send an email to your entire list afterwards with a 3-4 line blurb about their business that they provide in addition to a live link.
• Tell them that you will tag their business page in a Facebook post.
• When the winner is chosen, you will pass on the contact information of the winner to the company. At that point the company ships out the product directly (note: this saved me a lot of money. There’s no point in getting prizes shipped to you so you can ship them right back out. Just pass along the info directly to the company and they will ship).
• Reiterate that the contest will go viral throughout Facebook directly within their target market. Most brick and mortar companies want to market through Facebook but don’t know where to start; this is a solution for them.

2. Include your own prizes (optional)

I planned on including a bunch of copies of my books and a $100 towards development books on Amazon as a prize when I ran my first contest. I decided it wasn’t.

I had more than enough prizes from other companies and decided to simply act as the middle-man.

If you want to increase the valuation of your package you can offer your services as a prize.

A series of one-hour consultations for a month once a week valued at $150 each for example.

Up to you.

3. Get a custom app designed

I went through a company called GroSocial (now owned by InfusionSoft) and they did a fantastic job. It cost $200 for the design and implementation. Included was a month of hosting as well.

My contest ran for 10 days and I took the app down after that period. I supplied the text and all sponsor logos and they designed a beautiful app.

In order for somebody to enter the contest they had to like the page and enter their e-mail address.

They got an additional entry by sharing the contest and could so an unlimited amount of times before the contest was up.

I had people spamming my contest on their Facebook walls 100+ times over 10 days for additional entries.

4. Decide on a day to run the contest

The day of, e-mail your list and promote the app using Facebook’s advertising if you’re comfortable with it.

Also e-mail all the other companies involved and tell them to share it to spread the word. Not only will you collect a lot of page likes and emails but also people will be sharing your page for more entries into the contest.

In 10 days I gained over 2,700 emails, 1,563 page likes (a number of people were already fans on my page and this allowed me to gather their email), and had over 2,300 shares.

Not bad for a $200 investment. Also consider that I only had 4,000 fans on my page when this happened.

Why a Giveaway is Often Better Than a Contest

If you don’t have a ton of product to give away in a full-fledged contest, a giveaway is often better. This increases good will amongst your existing fans or followers and maintains the important social norm.

Don’t wait for a special event; just give something away to a random fan on your page one day. Put a picture up and announce that you’ve done it mentioning the name. Don’t give a reason other than, “we felt like it”.

There’s an unconscious trait that we all possess called reciprocity. If somebody does something nice for you, you will reciprocate because you think it’s the right thing to do.

In one study, holiday greeting cards were sent out to people at random. What was astounding was how many people sent back a greeting card to a complete stranger. It’s been ingrained in us to reciprocate and it’s powerful.

Do random nice stuff for people and they will want to do random nice stuff for you, like tell everybody about your awesome page or business.

What About You?
What are your experiences with Facebook contests? I would love to read your ideas in the comments below.

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About the Author
Jonathan Goodman is a 2x author. He spends his time digging deep into the psychology of social media and building strategies for implementation over at Viralnomics where he offers a free content and social media mastery course. He also dislikes speaking in third person. Oh, and he’s on Twitter too.

The post Why Facebook Contests Might Be Hurting Your Brand? appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Here’s a great selection of 5 motivational sport videos, that really inspire me.

If you have some of your own we’d love to see them. Simply leave a comment below with a link to some of your favorites.

How bad do you want it

Inspirational video featuring Giavanni Ruffin (running back for East Carolina). Speech by Eric Thomas (AKA The Hip Hop Preacher). Di you ever thought you had a rough day at work? Stop crying at check this guy out! Now that’s rough!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ray Lewis Inspirational Speech: Stanford Basketball @ NIT

This is one by Ray Lewis, a former American football linebacker who played in the NFL, is really one of my favorites. Lewis stops by to deliver a message to the Stanford Basketball team before their game in the NIT tournament.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ray Lewis | R I S E

Never seen Ray Lewis play before? Then this compilation shows perfect how he got his teammates and himself motivated, what an inspiration!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is How Winners Are Made

Did you ever had that feeling that others always get lucky, win and seem to be more happy than you? That’s BS! Not convinced yet? Check this video! Not into football? try another version here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Why Do We fall

Great compilation of footages and motivational speeches, such as from Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, Sylvester Stallone in the latest Rocky and Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happiness.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bonus: Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders “Call Me Maybe”

The Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders decided to have a little fun and make our own cover of Carly Rae’s “Call Me Maybe”. We hope you enjoy! (Official Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders Video)

Click here to view the embedded video.

My Opinion?
I use this kind of videos sometimes to get my team motivated, but I definitely also use it to get myself inspired.

In my opinion, companies can really learn from it, motivation comes from inside out, but sometimes people need a little wake-up call.

Using this kind of videos can really help with that.

What About You?
What kind of footages get you motivated? Which motivational video do you really like? We’d love to see them!  Simply leave a comment below with a link, we’ll update this posting with those videos, if we agree with you!

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About the Author
Laurens Bianchi is an independent online marketing professional from the Netherlands and has been blogging on ViralBlog since 2008. Currently Laurens is also the Social Media Consultant for the Royal Dutch Football Association.

The post 5 Amazing Sport Motivation Videos appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

A successful love campaign you might remember is the savvy project ”Yubari, no money but love” since 2007 by Beacon Communications. Faced with bankruptcy the city of Yubari needed to reinvent itself.

With the insight that Yubari boasted the lowest divorce rate in the whole of Japan, the idea arised to position the city as destination for happy couples.

Beacon produced official certificates of happily married couples, branded merchandise and Yubari music CDs. The effort worked: the annual number of “love” visitors to Yubari increased 10% year by year and it reduced the city’s debt by $31 million.

Another reason to help people realize love in Japan is because of the alarming fall in birth rates in the land of the rising sun.

The decline in Japan’s population set another record in 2012 with the number of deaths exceeding births for the sixth year in a row.

An unmanned train station, deep in Tottori Prefecture, hopes to copy Yubari’s success following its unusual renovation. Can this station become a national dating spot, increase tourism and the answer to Japan’s falling birthrate?

Since the station is called “Koiyamagata Station”, and the character for “koi” (恋) is the character for love, the station was redesigned in pink as a place for lovers to come and spend time together. Koiyamagata Station (Oouchi, Chizucho, Tottori Prefecture) on the Chizu Express Line is surrounded by trees and hidden away from national highways.

The number of incoming and outgoing passengers numbers is only two per day. The person in charge of the station: “This station is a place where couples can be alone together”.

Sources: The Inspiration Room, JapanCrush, Asahi and Remsy.

My Opinion?
Every little effort to realize love in Japan, is one to be cherished.

Japan is currently coping with difficult economic times and is still overcoming the devastating effects of natural disasters in the not so recent past. A combination not beneficial for love. Also in the long run predictions by researchers are not positive.

But one should never underestimate the power of the butterfly effect, where a small change at one place can result in large differences in a later state.

Japanese deep-rooted obsessions for technology and everything that is kawaii (cuteness) might be a step in the right direction.

Are the extremely popular neuro technologies Necomimi and Shippo (that help Japanese share their emotional mood) and the kawaii ”love” train station combined, a recipe for love?

Time will tell if this station will become the national dating spot, but it sure is a clever and cute move

What About You?
What original ideas do you have to help Japanese couples realize love? And what would you do to turn around Japan’s falling birthrates?

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About the Author
Paul van Veenendaal (35) is an all-round marketing professional from the Netherlands with 13+ years of online experience and co-founder of ViralBlog. Currently Paul is working at Starcom Amsterdam as Social Media & Communnity Consultant for Honda, Samsung, GSK, Redbull, Heineken and Nintendo.

You can connect with Paul via Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Weibo, Pinterest or send him an email at paul@yizmo.com.

The post Japanese Train Station Redesigned In The Name Of Love appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Scrabble identified parts of Paris where wi-fi connections were patchy and placed free wifi there.

Those who selected the Scrabble network when trying to get online were assigned seven randomly assigned letters, just like in the board game.

They then created a word from those letters and whatever score they received automatically converted into free wi-fi minutes.

Players who shared their words on Facebook could double their score and also their allocated wi-fi minutes.

In two weeks, people played more than 6,000 words and the brand gave away more than 110,000 minutes of wi-fi.

Scrabble Wi-Fi Case Study

If you want to get more insights and results, check the case study on video below:

Scrabble is an old game whose concept was created in 1931, then developed in 1948 as we know it today. The game had a massive comeback thanks to the popular app Wordfeud.

In 2007 an unofficial online version of the game on Facebook ith over 500,000 daily players called Scrabulous was taken down by Hasbro and Mattel for trademark and copyright infringement.

My Opinion?
The smart aspect of Scrabble’s Parisian effort is how it combines providing a service with having fun creating words: creativity + utility.

Again a great example of a brand that is not just hyping, but also helping their target audience.

What About You?
Would you download the app and play the game for free wi-fi minutes? Or are you that Wordfeud diehard, who ignores any other Scrabble kind of game?

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About the Author
Laurens Bianchi is an independent online marketing professional from the Netherlands and has been blogging on ViralBlog since 2008. Currently Laurens is also the Social Media Consultant for the Royal Dutch Football Association.

The post Play Scrabble In Paris For Free Wi-Fi-Minutes appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Trailer created by Michiel Zwart of EditieM

This week, we selected the following top 5 viral videos for you:

1. Cheerios – Just Checking

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just a sweet and cute video from Cheerios. The commercial received numerous racist comments on YouTube but Cheerios had a good response to the buzz. Nonetheless, the video shows us a sweet little kid caring for her father, the video has over 3 million views in over a week!

2. Sonic Elevator (Rémi Gaillard)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rémi Gaillard, the French prankster well known for his epic tour de france spoof is back with another viral hit. Personally I think this is not one of his best ones, but more than 800.000 views show that there are some people out there who liked it.

3. Introducing the Domino’s DomiCopter!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Domino’s DomiCopter takes pizza delivery airborne! It’s a helicopter drone, designed by T+ Biscuits, that transports a Domino’s pizza to your front door. An innovative idea that would be perfect for men if it was used in combination with the Beer Drone. The video has almost 800.000 in four days.

4. Let’s Talk About #2

Click here to view the embedded video.

We did not hear about the Dollar Shave Club for a while. After the great video which was published more than a year ago and got 10,5 million views, there was total YouTube silence. But behold, Mike is back and has a new product announcement in another absurd video that got more than 700.000 views in 4 days. So, let’s talk…

5. Samuel L. Jackson Monologue #2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Long story short – Prizeo and legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson cooperated for a good cause, to raise money for Alzheimer’s Association, already got more than $170,000 in a week and a half. In case you’re wondering what’s so special about this monologue that got more than 670.000 views in just two days, and here are the details: Samuel L. Jackson, Reddit And Alzheimer’s Disease

viral

What About You?
What was the viral that made you wet your panty? We would love to hear your opinion in the comments below.

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The post Top 5 Videos In Viral Friday: Just Checking appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

As the creator of the first and only video to exceed 1 billion views in the entire history of YouTube, PSY is regarded as the viral star of 2012.

Many have crowned him as the emperor of YouTube.

But how can you make money from viral and YouTube videos?

YouTube Videos: The Partner Program

Since the launch of YouTube by Google in 2006, over 1 million users in 30+ countries have earned money through advertising with YouTube’s Partner Program.

No, your video doesn’t always need to be a big-budget Hollywood production, in order to make your video go viral and make you rich.

Homemade comedy sketches and dances are also popular.

Along with beauty tutorials, cat videos, reviews / how-to videos and even un-boxing and shopping ‘haul’ videos.

Making Quids with Viral Vids: Infographic

All you really need is a decent video camera, a creative brain and a large fan base. And blend-in some of the insights from this infographic by MoneySupermarket:

Your ROI benchmark?

1,000,000 video views could make you $800 to $8,000.

Math Men will understand metrics, not myths.

My Opinion?
In the last 2 decades I have claimed and coined “viral” with several companies, and sold these companies to WPP.

And we have built the core of ViralBlog on the viral phenomenon. We’ve got viral inside.

In our flagship format Viral Friday, we are inspiring the global marketing community with over 300 episodes.

However, we know that out of the 100 hours of video that is being uploaded to YouTube every minute, only a few go viral.

Some viral videos are even supported by paid views, and the creators are not always telling you about that fact.

You will be lucky to make money from their homemade viral videos, but impossible is nothing!

Video monetization is certainly a great opportunity for the entertainment and music industry. They can also make money from in-video sponsorships and product placements.

So the infamous long tail? It could make a few of you very happy.

Why not create your own “pay-per-view” channel on YouTube?

What About You?
What other tips do you have on making money with viral and YouTube videos? Share your ideas in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

Source: MoneySupermarket.

The post How To Make Money From Viral & YouTube Videos? (Infographic) appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Gangs and gun violence have turned Chicago streets into a war zone where murders claim more lives than those that are lost by our armed forces in Iraq.

“Don’t nobody want to talk no more, its so easy to get a gun now.”

Then VICE heads to Nigeria to hunt oil pirates and gain a little insight into their motivation.

Take a look at this brand new video for episode 9 here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Are you watching the series?

Are you a VICE or HBO fan like me?

How well do you know VICE?

You will know HBO, but what do you know about VICE?

VICE founder Shane Smith

During my WPP period, WPP invested in VICE. In that period I had the pleasure to meet VICE co-founder Shane Smith several times during WPP events and at meetings around a couple of our global brands.

VICE is a North American platform that is focused on international arts, culture, and news topics. In April 2013, their YouTube channel displayed over 2,000,000 subscribers.

Founded by Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith, and Gavin McInnes, the VICE (print) magazine was launched in 1994 as the Voice of Montreal with government funding, and the intention of the founders was to provide work and a community service.

When the editors later sought to dissolve their commitments with the original publisher Alix Laurent, they bought him out and changed the name to VICE in 1996.

Apparently unhappy in Canada, and in search of more streetwear advertising income, the magazine’s personnel relocated to New York City, U.S. in 1999.

Smith has stated: “I grew up being a socialist and I have problems with it because I grew up in Canada [and] I’ve spent a lot of time in Scandinavia, where I believe countries legislate out creativity.

They cut off the tall trees. Everyone’s a C-minus. I came to America from Canada because Canada is stultifyingly boring and incredibly hypocritical. Thanks, Canada.”

In 2008, the magazine was read by over 900,000 people across twenty-two countries.

Now VICE is a powerful platform for compelling stories, videos and more.

We Live In Public?

Shane Smith reminds me of another unconventional, trendsetting and non-linear mind: Josh Harris.

Tip of the day? Buy the DVD documentary We Live In Public, starring Josh Harris.

Watch the trailer here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please tell me how you liked this documentary.

I have seen it a dozen of times.

The HBO & VICE Partnership

HBO is partnering with VICE on an innovative news magazine show that is hosted by VICE founder Shane Smith.

The weekly series are produced by Bill Maher, Shane Smith and Eddy Moretti

Watch more Vice on HBO here or join the close to 10 million HBO fans on Facebook.

What About You?
How do you like VICE content? What series do you watch on HBO? Share your feedback in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post HBO News Series VICE: Preview For Episode 9 appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Helping, not hyping. That’s what Nivea Brazil is doing with this clever print ad.

Advertising can certainly add pieces of meaningfulness to peoples’ lives!

What will be next in print ads? 3D printers to print your food or bikini?

Nivea Solar Ad Charger: Technology & Endurance?

Hard work and passion by Draft, FCB Brazil who created this ad.

It took 6 months to develop the solar panel as thin as a print ad. And 2 more months of testing to be able to print on the solar panel.

The ad was produced in China.

The result? Consumers loved it, see the video here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

How about the distribution of the ad?

The solar charger ad was placed VEJA Rio, and other leading print magazines.

And yes, other mobile phone (beyond Apple) could be charged too.

My Opinion?
I like the creative idea by the guys from Draft. It’s an ad that shows endurance and passion.

I like the way Nivea is helping its targets, not only hyping.

The non-linear minds from Brazil prove to the whole wide world: Print ads can be pretty sexy and tech too.

When will our mobile phones finally have solar panels? Hello Apple and other firms, it’s 2013!

Having a smartphone is a great experience, a charged one even greater.

What About You?
How do you rate the solar ad charger? What will be next in print ads? Share your ideas in the comments.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post Nivea Brazil: Smartest Print Ad In The World appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

On 20 April 2006, Marc Ecko, graffiti artist and founder of Ecko fashion apparel pulled off a stunt: a film of himself and his crew spray painting the Air Force One with the words: Still Free.

It was one big hoax.

How Marc Ecko hijacked The Air Force One?

On 9 May 2013 US news filtered that the Air Force One – the Presidential Aircraft for Barack Obama – was up for bid.

Marco Ecko seizes this rare opportunity and buys Air Force One.

Next Ecko and his team stripped the plane and used it to launch a satirical campaign with a hint of irony.

Is this the new deal retail pop-up store?

We hope you like video, created by the Miami Ad School.

What About You?
A hoax again or smart guerrilla marketing tactics that is earning a lot of attention for the Ecko brand? Our readers would love to see your opinion in the comments below.

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About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post Marc Ecko: Holy Sh*t, Air Force One Is Selling Out! appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

So when Vanity Fair contributor Nancy Jo Sales broke the story in 2010 about a troupe of teenagers who specialized in looting homes in the Hollywood Hills area, most of us — including filmmaker Sofia Coppola — stood at attention.

In just a year, the group (known as The Bling Ring) made away with nearly $3 million in cash and property from the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom.

It’s not always easy being rich and beautiful.

When it comes to heists of this caliber, you’d think these kids were part of some real-life network of young and savvy thieves like we see in movies like Ocean’s Eleven or Snatch. But they weren’t especially skilled.

And it’s not like they needed the money to pay off some terrifying British gangster (see photo above).

So, how did a handful of spoiled Valley-kids (who were essentially stealing out of boredom) get away with these high-profile robberies for so long?

Keep reading to find out how they went from the vogue world to the rogue world.

The Bling Ring: It wasn’t their first rodeo

The two alleged ringleaders (Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo) actually had a history of breaking and entering into homes that weren’t owned by famous people.

Prugo admitted to scoping out celebrities’ homes for the best way to break in, so they probably did this with their private citizen victims, too.

Those locks are there for a reason

For the most part, these kids entered their victims’ houses unarmed and unequipped, which means their only tools were the cover of night and the unlocked windows and doors their targets left open for them.

In fact, Paris Hilton left her house unlocked often enough for the members to rob her several times—they even took items from an unlocked safe.

Readymade reconnaissance

They weren’t masters of intrigue because they didn’t need to be. When your targets’ actions are being broadcasted on TMZ, half of the work is already done for you.

They knew when Orlando Bloom would be in New York and when Audrina Partridge would be at the Academy Awards just like anyone else with access to the internet would.

Combine that with the downright crooked nature of websites like celebrityaddressaerial.com and the frightening precision of Google Maps, and you’ve got yourself everything you need to burgle like a rock star.

Or rather, burgle rock stars.

So what does this mean for the rest of us?

Unless there are posters of you hanging on the walls of teenagers’ bedrooms across America, then you’re probably safe from bling-seeking brats like these.

These kids were in it for the thrill of robbing famous people.

But make no mistake—these events are a wake-up call for any homeowner who feels secure enough in their community to simply bypass basic security measures.

Remember, just because you live in a gated community doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who are willing to find a way around that gate and into your house.

In the end, it was the timeless security systems of guilt and ratting-out that landed these kids in the hot seat—though Orlando Bloom’s surveillance cameras certainly didn’t hurt.

If nothing else, this story has taught us to lock our doors more often than Paris Hilton.

Along with the safes behind those doors.

What About You?
How can technology fuel security systems? Google Glass or other iSpy stuff? Tell us your wildest Q dreams in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS or get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content. The best 5 seconds you’ve ever had.

About the Author
This guest story was written by Cara Giaimo. She writes for the SimpliSafe Blog. Cara covers issues related to home security, crime, safety, tech, and consumer issues. When she’s not writing she’s usually running, jamming with friends, or making some strange type of ice cream. SimpliSafe Wireless Home Security is making its way to the top of their industry.

The post The Bling Ring: Spoiled Teens Reteach Us Home Security appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Do you recognize the following questions:
1. Why do most social networks never take off?
2. Why are marketplaces such difficult businesses?
3. Why do start-ups with the best technology fail so often?

More on that in this story.

But first a few definitions.

Pipes

Pipes have been around us for the last 400 years. They’ve been the dominant model of business.

Firms create stuff, push them out and sell them to customers. Value is produced upstream and consumed downstream. There is a linear flow, much like water flowing through a pipe.

We see pipes everywhere. Every consumer good that we use essentially comes to us via a pipe. All of manufacturing runs on a pipe model.

Television and Radio are pipes spewing out content at us.

Our education system is a pipe where teachers push out their ‘knowledge’ to children.

Prior to the internet, much of the services industry ran on the pipe model as well.

This model was brought over to the internet as well. Blogs run on a pipe model. An ecommerce store like Zappos works as a pipe as well.

Single-user SAAS runs on pipe model where the software is created by the business and delivered on a pay-as-you-use model to the consumer.

Platforms

Had the internet not come up, we would never have seen the emergence of platform business models.

Unlike pipes, platforms do not just create and push stuff out. They allow users to create and consume value.

At the technology layer, external developers can extend platform functionality using APIs.

At the business layer, users (producers) can create value on the platform for other users (consumers) to consume. This is a massive shift from any form of business we have ever known in our industrial hangover.

TV Channels work on a Pipe model but YouTube works on a Platform model.

Encyclopaedia Britannica worked on a Pipe model but Wikipedia has flipped it and built value on a Platform model.

Our classrooms still work on a Pipe model but Udemy and Skillshare are turning on the Platform model for education.

Business Model Failure

So why is the distinction important? Platforms are a fundamentally different business model.

If you go about building a platform the way you would build a pipe, you are probably setting yourself up for failure.

We’ve been building pipes for the last few centuries and we often tend to bring over that execution model to building platforms.

The media industry is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the model has shifted.

Traditional retail, a pipe, is being disrupted by the rise of marketplaces and in-store technology, which work on the platform model.

Pipe Thinking vs. Platform Thinking

So how do you avoid this as an entrepreneur?

Here’s a quick summary of the ways that these two models of building businesses are different from each other.

User acquisition

User acquisition is fairly straightforward for pipes. You get users in and convert them to transact.

Much like driving footfalls into a retail store and converting them, online stores also focus on getting users in and converting them.

Many platforms launch and follow pipe-tactics like the above. Getting users in, and trying to convert them to certain actions.

However, platforms often have no value when the first few users come in. They suffer from a chicken and egg problem.

Users (as producers) typically produce value for other users (consumers). Producers upload photos on Flickr and product listings on eBay, which consumers consume.

Hence, without producers there is no value for consumers and without consumers, there is no value for producers.

Platforms have two key challenges:

1. Solving the chicken and egg problem to get both producers and consumers on board

2. Ensuring that producers produce, and create value

Without solving for these two challenges, driving site traffic or app downloads will not help with user acquisition.

Start-ups often fail when they are actually building platforms but use Pipe Thinking for user acquisition.

Pipe Thinking: Optimize conversion funnels to grow.

Platform Thinking: Build network effects before you optimize conversions.

Product Design and Management

Creating a pipe is very different from creating a platform.

Creating a pipe requires us to build with the consumer in mind.

An online travel agent like Kayak.com is a pipe that allows users to consume air lie tickets. All features are built with a view to enable consumers to find and consume airline tickets.

In contrast, a platform requires us to build with both producers and consumers in mind.

Building YouTube, Dribbble or AirBnB requires us to build tools for producers (e.g. video hosting on YouTube) as well as for consumers (e.g. video viewing, voting etc.).

Keeping two separate lenses helps us build out the right features.

The use cases for pipes are usually well established. The use cases for platforms, sometimes, emerge through usage. E.g. Twitter developed many use cases over time.

Twitter started off as something which allowed you to express yourself within the constraints of 140 characters (hardly useful?), moved to a platform for sharing and consuming news and content and ultimately created an entirely new model for consuming trending topics.

Users often take platforms in surprisingly new directions. There’s only so much that customer development helps your with.

Pipe Thinking: Our users interact with software we create. Our product is valuable of itself.

Platform Thinking: Our users interact with each other, using software we create. Our product has no value unless users use it.

Monetization

Monetization for a pipe, again, is straightforward.

You calculate all the costs of running a unit through a pipe all the way to the end consumer and you ensure that Price = Cost + Desired Margin.

This is an over-simplification of the intricate art of pricing, but it captures the fact that the customer is typically the one consuming value created by the business.

On a platform business, monetization isn’t quite as straightforward.

When producers and consumers transact (e.g. AirBnB, SitterCity, Etsy), one or both sides pays the platform a transaction cut.

When producers create content to engage consumers (YouTube), the platform may monetize consumer attention (through advertising). In some cases, platforms may license API usage.

Platform economics isn’t quite as straightforward either. At least one side is usually subsidized to participate on the platform.

Producers may even be incentivized to participate.

For pipes, a simple formula helps understand monetization:

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) < Life TIme Value (LTV)

This formula works extremely well for ecommerce shops or subscription plays.

On platforms, more of a systems view is needed to balance out subsidies and prices, and determine the traction needed on either side for the business model to work.

Pipe Thinking: We charge consumers for value we create.

Platform Thinking: We’ve got to figure who creates value and who we charge for that.

Platform Thinking applies to all internet businesses

If the internet hadn’t happened, we would still be in a world dominated by pipes.

The internet, being a participatory network, is a platform itself and allows any business, building on top of it, to leverage these platform properties.

Every business on the internet has some Platform properties.

I did mention earlier that blogs, ecommerce stores and single-user SAAS work on pipe models.

However, by virtue of the fact that they are internet-enabled, even they have elements that make them platform-like.

Blogs allow comments and discussions. The main interaction involves the blogger pushing content to the reader, but secondary interactions (like comments) lend a blog some of the characteristics of platforms. Readers co-create value.

Ecommerce sites have reviews created by users, again an ‘intelligent’ platform model.

The end of pipes

In the future, every company will be a tech company.

We already see this change around us as companies move to restructure their business models in a way that uses data to create value.

We are moving from linear to networked business models, from dumb pipes to intelligent platforms.

All businesses will need to move to this new model at some point, or risk being disrupted by platforms that do.

What About You?
What is your opinion on pipe and platform business models for companies or start-ups? I would love to read your ideas in the comments below.

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About the Author
Sangeet is a widely published expert in internet business models. As a former incubator and investor, he has had extensive experience leading early stage ventures. His work has been featured on the Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, GigaOm, TheNextWeb, Forbes, The Hindu and other media. He is a contributing author to the book “Managing Startups” (OReilly Media) and his blog Platform Thinking was ranked among the Top Startup Blogs by the Harvard Business School Centre for Entrepreneurship. Follow Sanguit on Twitter.

The post Why Business Models Fail: Pipes vs. Platforms appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Satellite TV giant DirecTV and 5 other bidders have each offered $1 billion (or more) for the video platform, Bloomberg News reported last Saturday.

So what’s the deal? And why is Hulu being sold?

Who’s dancing for video platform Hulu?

In addition to DirecTV, Hulu has received offers from the private equity firms KKR and Silver Lake, but also bids from Time Warner Cable and Guggenheim Digital were on the table.

In May 2013 ViralBlog already reported that Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer was ready to dance for the video platform.

About Hulu and its growing revenues

Hulu is owned by entertainment mogul Walt Disney and media companies News Corp and Comcast.

Hulu is offering audiences from the US the possibility to watch TV-series online.

Their revenues from advertising and subscriptions increased with 65% in 2012, to a staggering amount of $695 million already.

So their business model is not only depending on advertising, it is also powered by Hulu Plus: Spotify-alike monthly subscritptions.

If Hulu can push its CAGR towards 50% in 2013, they will be hitting $1 billion revenues by the end of 2013. This could be a simple metric, not myth.

Why would such a company be sold for $1 billion?

My Opinion?
In 2011 I also wrote here about the dance for Hulu, when the owners were willing to sell Hulu.

When looking at the infamous quote of Walt Disney, why would the owners be willing to sell their video platform?

Back the Hulu owners were worried about the rights (IPR) on the series, but decided not to sell in 2011 because the biddings were too low.

I have the following remarks and questions for Hulu’s owners Walt Disney, News Corp and Comcast:

Hulu successfully transformed its business model from pipe to platform.

Hulu is surfing on the biggest internet trend called online video.

Hulu is a non-linear platform, with great technology inside.

Hulu has solved the IPR “issues” very well.

Hulu is growing fast in revenues.

Why would they consider selling it?

Can’t the owners put their legacy aside, embracing non-linear and platform thinking?

Dear poeple at Walt Disney, what about the dream you are selling: the pursuit of dreams?

What About You?
If you were one of the mentioned Hulu owners, would you consider selling Hulu for $1 billion? And why or why not? Share your opinion in the comments below.

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Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Viral & Social Video, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.

About the Author
Igor Beuker was CMO at 3 listed companies, chairmain at the IAB, jury member at Webby, AMMA and Esprix awards, founder of 2 agencies (sold to WPP) and Global Chief Social Officer at Mindshare. Now he is ‘freejack’ consultant and still a sought after keynote speaker.

The post The 1 Billion Dollar Dance For Video Platform Hulu appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

Does Samuel L. Jackson have Alzheimer’s disease? And he announced it on Reddit?

No, he doesn’t, he did not announce it on Reddit, but there is a connection and even more. But first things first.

On Thursday Samuel L. Jackson posted on Reddit “I’m Samuel L Jackson and I’ll record a video of me saying any 300 word monologue you upvote the most by the end of tomorrow(Thursday night PST)”

And of course with an obligatory proof, bad muthaphukka way:

As written, he cooperates with a non-profit organization Prizeo, raising money for Alzheimer’s Association. How did this, kind of insane idea, go? Within a few hours people donated more than $70.000 and that was not the end yet.

Fuck it, we’re at $70k in donations now if we break $100k I’ll choose another random monologue to do…muthaphukkasprizeo.com/samuel

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) May 30, 2013

Not sure if people wanted the second monologue or highly appreciated Samuel L. Jackson’s effort to raise money, but soon they broke the $100.000 and currently it’s over $150.000

And what about the promised monologue? Samuel delivers:

The Winning Samuel L. Jackson Reddit Monologue Muthaphukkas!

The video was uploaded on 31st of May and got more than 1 million views in just 2 days! A second monologue should be added today, hopefully with the real monologue submitted by a Reddit user.

My Opinion?
I love this approach and as I wrote a few week’s before “there are only few weird and/or crazy enough brands that I can imagine doing a great campaign on Reddit“.

I couldn’t imagine Alzheimer’s Association doing this kind of fund raising.

It’s insane, unconventional and awesome at the same time.

And it works!

You can donate too and also win a lunch with Samuel L. Jackson and luxury weekend, still three days to go!

What About You?
What do you think about this campaign and Samuel L. Jackson’s involvement?

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The post Samuel L. Jackson, Reddit And Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.