May 2009

Sunday, 31 May 2009

Paul van Dyk PVD iPhone DJ app

Legendary trance DJ Paul van Dyk has released an iPhone app to coincide with the release of 'Volume' the Paul van Dyk Greatest Hits album. The PVD iPhone DJ app has a wide range of interesting features and is a great example of how advanced iPhone apps are becoming.

The PVD iPhone app aims to have everything a DJ could ever need, including:

- A BPM counter that displays the Beats Per Minute of the track being played (helping DJs to mix in the next track):

PVD iPhone DJ App - BPM Counter

- A frequency analyser that displays a frequency graph of the audio input in real time:

PVD iPhone DJ App - Frequency Analyser

- A noise level reader that shows sound intensity levels:

PVD iPhone DJ App - Noise level reader

- A Seismic reader that uses the accelerometer so that when placed on the decks the iPhone shows seismic interference levels

PVD iPhone DJ App - Seismic Reader

- The accelerometer is also used in the 'Torch' application (which also doubles as a strobe light) as well as a fun add-on, 'Glowstick' (!)

PVD iPhone DJ App - Glow Stick

Furthermore the PVD DJ iPhone App contains an itinerary manager that syncs with the calendar, Twitter integration so you can Twitter your playlists and links to the PVD website.

Paul van Dyk is also on YouTube explaining how the PVD DJ iPhone App works:

and here is the TV trailer for the Paul van Dyk 'Volume' Greatest Hits (out now!):

This is one of the most advanced apps I have seen and really makes the most of the iPhone's technical features. The PVD iPhone DJ App is available in localised languages across the globe - and for £1.19 I think this is a bargain!

Related posts
Gary Go iPhone performer as App downloads hit 1 billion

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Saturday, 30 May 2009

Augmented Reality - 5 more examples of this 3D virtual experience

I recently wrote about Augmented Reality and gave 5 examples of Augmented Reality being used in advertising. Even more advertisers are now using Augmented Reality in their campaigns, so here are 5 more examples!

1) Papa John's pizza add Augmented Reality to pizza boxes!

Papa John's are now allowing users to hold their pizza box up to their webcam for an Augmented Reality experience. Internet users have the chance to take a 'virtual road trip', using Augmented Reality to drive the Papa John's original Camaro and picking up exclusive offers along the way.

Papa John's Augmented Reality demo on YouTube

2) E.ON Augmented Reality FA Cup

Through the site www.familyfootball.co.uk FA Cup sponsor E.ON have created the opportunity for fans to use Augmented Reality to lift the FA Cup. There is also a demo to show how it works for the uninitiated!

E.ON - lift the Augmented Reality FA Cup!

3) Doritos Sweet Chilli launch Augmented Reality promotion in Brazil

The latest campaign for Doritos in Brazil offers internet users the chance to hold their Doritos packet up to their webcam and see the Doritos characters come to life.

Doritos Sweet Chilli Augmented Reality on YouTube

4) Eminem Augmented Reality 'Relapse' promotion

Eminem Augmented Reality Relapse promotion

To promote the launch of the Eminem 'Relapse' album, Augmented Reality has been used as the backbone to a win a trip to Detroit for 'a secret Eminem album launch event' competition. Internet users print off a logo, hold it up to their webcam, customise an on-screen 3D logo using virtual 'graffiti tools' and then enter their effort into the competition.

5) Nissan Canada Augmented Reality

Nissan Canada Augmented Reality

Nissan have personalised Augmented Reality through their Nissan Good Decision website. Visitors are asked 5 questions and given options on each one (colour, interest, type of car etc). At the end of the 'Good Decision' quiz, users print out their 'Good Decision certificate', hold it up to the webcam and then have a personalised Augmented Reality Nissan experience.

Augmented Reality has been covered by the Wall Street Journal and even though some like Ad Lab are arguing that 'Augmented Reality is the new Second Life', there is no doubting that Augmented Reality executions are becoming more popular - they seem to have exploded in number over the last few weeks.

It takes a fair amount of effort for users to participate (printing and using webcams) but the experience created is unique and engaging. Whilst the number of webcams is increasing, the ability for Augmented Reality to scale may be driven by the creative itself. As Augmented Reality executions become more prevalent, then the need to incentivise users to participate will increase. To this extent I really like the Papa John's execution where they are encouraging users to keep coming back by announcing that the experience will keep changing, whilst rewarding participation by offering exclusive coupons and discounts - a format for others to follow!

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Friday, 29 May 2009

Israeli football coverage shows live sponsorship ads for Optalgin pain killers

I wrote earlier about how ITV are doing some exciting things with the ITV.com coverage of the FA Cup Final by integrating Twitter feeds etc. I wonder if they could follow the lead of Channel 2 in Israel who ran some really interesting live sponsorship idents on their Champions League final TV coverage?

Optalgin Live Champions League sponsorship ads

Screengrab from the Optalgin Champions League Final ad idents

The Israeli TV Champions League final coverage featured inscreen ads for Optalgin painkillers - shown as players fell injured. As soon as a player hit the ground an ident appeared at the bottom of the TV screen with the message "Optalgin. Strong for strong pain" (!)

This obviously takes a fair deal of organisation and I think the end result is really effective - however, unfortunately (?) in the UK this sort of activity might not be possible due to the Ofcom regulations on editorial integration of sponsorship / restrictions on product placement.....

via Brand Republic

Related posts
ITV FA Cup Final Twitter integration

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

ITV FA Cup Final Twitter integration - social TV goes to another level

I have previously written about how TV broadcasters can use social channels to 'socialise' their content - allowing viewers to socially interact with a broadcast stream. When I wrote about the CNN / Facebook Obama inauguration integration I posed the question 'How long before this format is applied to events like the FA Cup final?' Well we now have the answer!

For the FA Cup Final this weekend, UK broadcaster ITV will try one of the biggest integrations to date - pulling various social tools into their online FA Cup Final coverage.

Demo example of the ITV FA Cup Final Twitter Buzz App

From around 1pm tomorrow (30th May) a special FA Cup Final Buzz page will be accessible from the main www.itv.com/football page. Twitterfall will be used to present a rolling stream of FA Cup Final related Twitter comments, AudioBoo will be integrated to allow fans to submit audio comments and a specially designed Twitter buzz app will show which Chelsea / Everton player names have been most featured in tweets (demo above.)

I think this is a great initiative as it will enhance the online FA Cup Final coverage by making it more social, whilst creating differentiation between the TV and online coverage. I hope it works well and I will update this post with real screengrabs from the event itself.

UPDATE: here's the actual buzz chart from the game:

FA Cup Final actual buzz chart

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Three Wolf Moon goes super viral and Susan Boyle gets wolf power.........

Last week I wrote about how the Three Wolf Moon t-shirt was becoming a viral hit after comedy reviews were left on the Three Wolf Moon Amazon.com listing - however the buzz has just kept on growing.

The Three Wolf Moon t-shirt image

There are now over 700 comments on the Three Wolf Moon Amazon listing, ABC News have featured the Three Wolf Moon t-shirt story and a YouTube video featuring a Three Wolf Moon song has been created (based on music from Pocahontas.) Sales of the Three Wolf Moon tshirt have jumped from one or two a day to over a hundred an hour - more than all the other t-shirts on Amazon combined!

Photos of celebrities and prominent figures wearing the Three Wolf Moon t-shirt are also now appearing all over the web and further driving the buzz. Digital Examples features a number of Three Wolf Moon photos from Amazon, but it is simple for anyone to super-impose the Three Wolf Moon image onto a photo - maybe this is the real Susan Boyle makeover!

Susan Boyle gets Three Wolf Moon power (click for larger image)

So how long before the Three Moon Wolf cool factor / irony factor wears off? And why can't we buy them in the UK yet????

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Thursday, 28 May 2009

'In My Prius' - unofficial gangster rap parody in praise of Toyota Prius

US comedy outfit Casual Mafia have produced a gansta rap parody based on the Toyota Prius.

Banner highlighting the release of the 'In My Prius' film

The rap highlights Prius selling points such as fuel economy ('never hit E with my MPG's'), the quiet engine ('I pull up behind and you never heard a sound'), the dashboard camera, the environmental benefits ('ozone layer back in effect') and the tax breaks - albeit in an ironic way.

Screengrab from 'In My Prius'

This is clearly unofficial, but it has over 15,000 YouTube views, is being picked up by motoring blogs (eg Autoblog here) and a Prius Fan has uploaded it to the Facebook Prius page. 'In My Prius' has all the hallmarks of going viral and whilst it might not be strictly on message for Prius brand communication, it could result in an uplift in buzz about the brand (though obviously depends on how many views the film generates.)

Here is the 'In My Prius' YouTube film:

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

IKEA 'Flatpack the Opera' - flash opera coming to IKEA Wembley!

On 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th June IKEA Wembley will host "Flatpack - an Opera in IKEA" (!)

Flatpack the Opera is an adaptation of the opera 'Abenteuer im Einrichtungshaus' (Adventures in a furniture store.) The original was written by the composer Tom Lane and received its premiere in a theatre in Berlin this March. Mammoth Music Theatre have now decided that they can take this production even further by performing the work in a working furniture store - an idea that IKEA have embraced!

Flatpack the Opera!

Flatpack the Opera is a promenade opera and each scene of the opera will take place in a different area of IKEA. Guides will lead the audience through each department to witness the action and music in every scene. Performers, audience members and shoppers will intermingle throughout the piece, blurring the boundaries between ‘reality’ and ‘performance. This creates an inclusive and entertaining experience for the audience, who become as much a part of the opera as the singers and instrumentalists. Furthermore, everything about Flatpack relates in some way to furniture, shopping and domesticity. Even the instruments in some of the scenes are reflections of this - pots and pans, cheese graters and wine glasses create harmonies with the piano, accordion and cello and in keeping with the IKEA surroundings, the opera also sets Swedish furniture names to music.

I spoke to Flatpack the Opera director, Rebecca Lea and she says "The opera will take place during official trading hours and so we hope to attract the attention, not only of those who have come specifically to see the opera, but also of actual shoppers. Our intention behind the work is to attract both avid opera-goers and those with little previous experience of opera, in order to break down the often misplaced associations of opera with elitism. However, we also hope to show that the operatic medium need not always focus on the grand issues and passions of life, but can just as easily adapt itself to the simple presentation of the everyday, such as cooking, cleaning one's teeth or bookcase building."

This is one of the more random events that I have seen advertised in recent years, but it sounds like it should be entertaining. On the first night there will also be a post-show talk with the cast and performers in the IKEA restaurant - all accompanied by an Opera Meal Deal!

See more at www.flatpacktheopera.com or go to Facebook and search for the group called 'Flatpack : An Opera in IKEA' - YouTube video preview will be available soon.

Dates and details for the IKEA Wembley Flatpack Opera:

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Lucozade blogger challenge - apply for a worldwide adventure!

'Lucozade Energy is looking for a creative journalist to take the challenge of a lifetime this summer (approx 3 months from June 2009.)

The role is to record the highs and lows, thrills and spills of several individuals and their mates, as they take on a set of skilful, physical challenges across the globe. There will be five challenges in total, taking place in locations as far flung as the Caribbean, Zambia and the Alps.'

Lucozade Energy blogger challenge (click for larger image)

Applicants need to be a 'talented writer' and 'up to speed with social networking sites, the blogosphere, YouTube and Flickr.' Applicants also need to be able to commit to a three month period, be a UK Citizen and have a valid UK passport - though 'you’ll be back in the UK regularly and all expenses will be paid.'

The challenges will apparently by announced shortly and then followed with video clips, images and live feeds – I’ll update this post when I get them. Contact Splendid Communications on 0207 324 7200 (emmag@splendidcomms.com) and leave a comment here with a link if you apply!

Related posts
'Best Job In The World' competition - shortlist announced after 34,000 entries
'A Really Goode Job' - a new best job in the world competition

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

#askDC - David Cameron's Open University live streamed speech and social questions

Yesterday, David Cameron, leader of the UK Conservative party, gave a speech to the Open University.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

David Cameron at the Open University (picture by @documentally)

This speech was streamed live on the internet and questions were then taken from the event audience, from Twitter and through CoverItLive. After the event David Cameron also recorded an AudioBoo for @documentally.

David Cameron Open University live stream

Live stream screengrab of David Camerons Open University speech

David Cameron Open University CoverItLive

Screengrab of the CoverItLive interactive questions for David Cameron at the Open University

The use of Twitter and other social tools by David Cameron yesterday attracted a lot of attention. There were 12 pages of tweets using the #askDC hash tag and #askDC became a global trending topic. A large number of the #askDC tweets were genuine questions along with people retweeting the event (though there were obviously a number of people trying to score political points as well as silly tweets about David Coulthard or asking 'what swan tastes like?')

The most interesting thing with the #askdc speech though, is that it is very hard to find any analysis of the points he made, all the noise online is about the fact that he was using Twitter and social tools. The speech theme was 'the need for change' with David Cameron continuing to position himself as the man to take the UK forward and, as we saw so prominently with the Obama campaign, adeptness with emerging social tools is an effective way to drive the association with 'future.'

Social is fast becoming an important part of the UK political scene (blogs forcing advisers to resign, policy being announced on YouTube etc) and it may well be that regardless of policy, David Cameron is in a better position than Gordon Brown to take advantage of it. Whilst social media will not win an election by itself, it will be interesting to see where this all ends up - especially as the UK electoral advertising restrictions (no ads on broadcast media) have not been amended to include YouTube, streaming and other online areas.

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Monday, 25 May 2009

Boston Police on Twitter - and they respond to zombie questions!

Twitter was founded on the principles of two way conversation. Whilst many users are now using it to broadcast, it is always interesting to see people responding, especially large organisations and government bodies.

The Boston Police use Twitter (@boston_police) to keep the public informed and also respond to questions and replies - though I'm not sure if the Boston Police Twitter account was designed with zombie discussion in mind.......

Twitter - Boston Police report human bite

Twitter - @Willcady asks Boston Police about zombies

Twitter - Boston Police respond to Zombie question

Will Cady reflects his Zombie tweet on the helphouse blog, here

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Threadless Twitter Tees - another example of how social can create value

Threadless and Twitter have launched 'Twitter Tees by Threadless.' This takes Threadless' existing crowdsourced t-shirt model fully into the realms of Twitter, with official endorsement from Biz Stone and the Twitter leadership. 'Twitter Tees by Threadless' is a great example of driving value from social thinking, rather than social media (something that Neil has been talking about here.) Yes, the idea is based on social platforms and amplified through social sites - but the starting point is the thought of 'community creation' not media / advertising.

Twitter Tees by Threadless

Threadless has always been based on community creation and the model allows quick turnarounds and innovative fashion. (Users submit ideas, the Threadless community votes over a 7 day period, winning designs get printed and the designers get rewarded with cash and community kudos.)

Twitter Tees by Threadless now applies a similar principle to Twitter - and with over 500,000 Twitter followers they have a good base as a starting point! Twitter users can submit or nominate tweets that they think should be featured on a Threadless T-shirt, the Threadless community votes, the winning tweets are designed onto shirts by the Threadless designers and then sold through the Threadless store. (Winning submissions get the submitter $500, winning nominations get the nominator $140.)

The whole business model for Threadless is based on an implicit understanding of how the social web works and gives a great demonstration of how communities can be built and harnessed across an organisation. Identifying online enthusiasts and passion groups and then using social platforms to bring them into the core of a business would appear to be a more powerful way of utilising social opportunities than just running ads on Facebook - but it requires a good deal more commitment. The media aspect of social offers some exciting opportunities for brands, but the potential of the social web can be significantly greater if the power of community is fully realised.

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Sunday, 24 May 2009

cOPENhagen - new branding stresses Open-ness

Copenhagen has just embarked on a new branding initiative, seeking to stress the 'OPEN' in cOPENhagen.

"Copenhagen Open For You"

A large number of private companies, cultural institutions and NGOs have come together to create the new brand image of 'cOPENhagen - Open for you' and they have even produced a 14 page brand manual to accompany it!

Excerpts from the brand story bring this concept of cOPENhagen to life:

- "Copenhagen’s intimate layout makes for a friendly, welcoming atmosphere: everybody has a voice and a role to play in the life of the city. The city welcomes all with open arms."

- "The city is always open to new ideas, new business and new arrivals."

- "Always open-minded and friendly, Copenhagen is much more than another capital city. It’s your city. Copenhagen is open for you."

However, the thing I really like is the fact that this is a brand for everyone - "the idea behind 'cOPENhagen – Open for you' is an open-source approach where companies and organisations have the possibility to personalise the brand. It is for instance possible to change the background colour and the subject and the pay off 'Open for …' can be customized in a way that is meaningful to the individual organisation in a certain context":

Examples of how the cOPENhagen logo can be customised to context

I think this is a really modern and fresh approach to city branding and tourism. Looking forward to seeing it brought to life over coming months!

More at http://opencopenhagen.com (with Engish version here.)
My Copenhagen Flickr stream is here

Related posts
Visit Denmark - make your own Lego film

Karen26, Danish single mother searching for the father of her baby on YouTube, is a fake, funded by Visit Denmark!

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Saturday, 23 May 2009

Ling Valentine seeds controversial quotes to drive traffic to LingsCars.com

This week I received an email from LingsCars.com with some controversial quotes from founder Ling Valentine. The email starts with "I would ignore anything Alistair Darling says" and finishes with “Businesses need to spread their risk, get more active and stop listening to useless politicians who can’t even manage their own expenses, never mind the economy. Turbulence is good – it creates opportunities.”

Part of the LingsCars.com crazy homepage!

A colleague drew LingsCars to my attention last year after Ling had a feisty appearance on Dragons Den and hit the news after turning down an investment offer:

However whilst Dragons Den is free publicity, you can't keep going back (though Ling claims the re-runs on 'Dave' continue to drive website visitors.) Ling has achieved some marketing / advertising coups in recent years (from being featured on TV to becoming a comic strip character in adult comic Viz), but simple blogger outreach, with some controversial quotes, can widen coverage and the number of linking sites - bringing the LingsCars site to an ever wider audience and boosting SEO rankings too.

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

MoFilm Spike Lee Cannes competition - get creative with some of the world's leading brands

MoFilm have launched a creative competition called “You to the Power of 12-U¹²” - details available at http://cannes.mofilm.com. The competition is based around the Cannes film festival and offers some great prizes, plus the chance to meet Spike Lee.

Spike Lee MoFilm competition announcement

Some of the world's leading brands have added creative briefs to the MoFilm website (AT&T, Best Buy, Doritos, HP, Kodak, Renaissance Hotels, Nokia, OMO, Philips, Telstra, Visa and Vodafone.) The MoFilm competition allows internet users to create their own video interpretations of these briefs and then submit them for judging by a panel that includes Spike Lee. There will be a winner for each brand, so 12 winners in all.

MoFilm competition participating brands

All the winning entries will be showcased at the Cannes Advertising Festival and the top 3 invited to Cannes on an all expenses paid trip. The winners will also get a share of a prize fund, a prize offered by the brand that they worked on and the chance to work with Spike Lee.

Prizes include:

- AT&T offering 2 tickets to the American Idol 2010 finale with $2000 expenses
- Kodak offering to show the winning creative on their Times Square billboard in New York
- Nokia offering to embed the winning creative on all 10 million Nokia handsets sold in the UK over the next 12 months
- Vodafone offering the winner the chance to drive around Goodwood racetrack with Lewis Hamilton

Deadline for entries is June 8th - good luck!

Related posts
Nokia and Spike Lee partner for UGC competition
Getty images launch 'The Ultimate Pitch' Cannes competition (2008)

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Friday, 22 May 2009

Three Wolf Moon Tshirt becomes an Amazon best-seller after joke reviews go viral

The 'Three Wolf Moon' T-shirt (below) has become a best seller on Amazon.com after Amazon users started leaving 'joke' reviews for it. The Three Wolf Moon t-shirt reviews then spread virally and according to the BBC, sales of the Three Wolf Moon t-shirt are up 2300% this week - the Three Moon Wolf t-shirt is currently the best selling clothing item on Amazon.com!

UPDATE: Susan Boyle gets wolf power!

Examples of some of the reviews are:

"This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women."

"Unfortunately I already had this exact picture tattooed on my chest, but this shirt is very useful in colder weather."

"Personally, i would have liked the T shirt more if the three wolves were fighting a powerful grizzly bear to the death, ON the moon. I would buy the T shirt if it portrayed that."

There are 471 other 'comedy' reviews that you can read for yourself on Amazon.com here

This shows how the ability to leave reviews and comments can add value to e-commerce sites. Not only does it help people decide and encourage to purchase, it also gives reason for people to visit. The viral traffic for the Three Moon Wolf t-shirt shows how powerful social can be for e-commerce business as impact of the viral distribution of the reviews can be seen directly on the increase in sales volume.

Related posts
Three Wolf Moon goes super viral and Susan Boyle gets wolf power!

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Thursday, 21 May 2009

DELL take over Nørreport station in Copenhagen / København

I've always thought that if you are going to make a statement by taking over a tube station, then bigger is probably better. I therefore appreciated the extent that Dell have gone to in taking over Nørreport station in Copenhagen / København!

No part of the Nørreport underground station has been left untouched with all walls and escalators covered in Dell branding for Dell Colour Match. There is also a central display unit containing 2 DELL laptops. I hate to think what the ROI equation is for this, but for impact it's difficult to beat........

Dell Colour Match Norreport station corridor

DELL Colour Match - Nørreport station corridor

Dell Colour Match Norreport station escalators

DELL Colour match - Nørreport escalator takeover

Dell Colour Match Norreport station entrance

DELL Colour Match - Nørreport entrance

Dell Colour Match Norreport station display

DELL Colour Match product display stand in Nørreport station

Another DELL Colour Match view from Nørreport station

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Wednesday, 20 May 2009

Iron Maiden 'Flight 666' - promotional game to support DVD release

Iron Maiden have launched a multi-level Flight 666 game to support the release of their 'Flight 666' DVD at http://www.ironmaiden.com/games/flight666.

Iron Maiden Flight 666 game

The Flight 666 game involves having to pilot the Iron Maiden plane through various landscapes whilst dropping speakers to convert game characters into Iron Maiden fans.

Iron Maiden Flight 666 game menu

All the locations in the Flight 666 game are places where Iron Maiden will tour and each week one of the top 10 scores will be selected to 'win an exclusive Iron Maiden stage robe, as worn by the band in Flight 666 The Film.'

Iron Maiden Flight 666 game - Mexico

Iron Maiden Flight 666 game - Canada

There is also a Flight 666 Clearspring widget with various functionality:

And if you want to buy Iron Maiden's Flight 666 DVD, it is available on Amazon here:

Think this is a nice way of promoting the Flight 666 DVD launch, though feel it would have been more engaging / have reached a wider range of people if the actual game could be embedded into social profiles as well as shared by email. Hope they publish the user statistics at some point!

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

The Missing Link on Google

Google today is showing the Missing Link - nothing to do with SEO though, it's 'Ida' the fossil discovery. Kudos to Google for changing the homepage logo so quickly - what an amazing find!

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

The Jesus Potato on Ebay

Swedish newspapers have been covering developments regarding the 'Jesus Potato' on Ebay.

The Jesus Potato on Ebay

The Jesus Potato was 'found by a chef at a restaurant in the South of Sweden.' The Jesus Potato was then added to Ebay and the chef writes on the Ebay entry, 'I was frying several kilos of potatoes but one of them somehow was dropped to the side. When I was picking it up, I immediately saw the face of Jesus Christ. This was very big news in Sweden during following days after the discovery.' (Coverage in the Trelleborgs Allehanda is here.)

A few years ago, Ebay went through a phase of hitting the headlines for hosting novelty auctions (and getting crazy prices) - listing something silly + being the purchaser at a ridiculous price drove buzz and guaranteed news coverage worth far more than the outlay. For example, the $28,000 paid by Goldenpalace.com for the Grilled Mary sandwich and $700 paid by Triviamania.com for the Illinois cornflake. (On top of this there was the Jesus on a Potato chip, Jesus in a potato, the Jesus Garage stain, the Divine Eggplant, the Holy pancake.)

But after 7 days of bidding (and significant Swedish press coverage) the Swedish Jesus Potato stubbornly remains at $10.50. Hard to know what this results from - is it that novelty items are no longer newsworthy or that the credit crunch is pushing down the price of holy foodstuffs too? Or, most likely, the advent of social media is creating far more opportunities to generate (long lasting) noise and brands now hope for more than creating a short term spike in buzz by buying something silly on Ebay?

Though if it stays below $12, I'll buy it as an experiment........

Ebay link to the Jesus Potato here

Related posts
Rocketboom Founder sells his Twitter account on Ebay
The country of Belgium for sale on Ebay!
Singapore Airlines use Ebay to sell first tickets for the A380

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Monday, 18 May 2009

Kings Place Twitter poster - socialising outdoor at London's Kings Cross station

This morning a 'Twitter poster' launched at London's Kings Cross station. The Kings Place development (near Kings Cross) are allowing Twitter users to broadcast Twitter haikus onto the main Kings Cross digital poster site, in full view of the 110,000 daily passengers who pass through.

Kings Place Twitter poems are submitted through Twitter by including @kingsplace in the tweet.

Kings Place Twitter poster at Kings Cross station

The Kings Place Twitter poems will run across this week and the Twitter poster will update every 20 minutes. At the end of this week Yoko Ono and poet Jackie Kay will then choose the best three entries.

I'm not sure about the creative execution, but the Kings Place Twitter poster is an interesting way of 'socialising' outdoor. Another demonstration that 'social media' is not a channel in itself nor about just doing something with Facebook - social thinking can be integrated into traditional media too and the @kingsplace Twitter poster is a good example of this.

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Sunday, 17 May 2009

Eurovision 2009 - Norway win, as predicted by Google

Update: Eurovision 2010 Google Predictor tool

Google's Eurovision Predictor tool aimed to pick the winner for Eurovision 2009. The Google Eurovision Predictor took Google search volumes for all the performers and translated these into Eurovision points.

The Google Predictor has consistently shown Norway to be the leader and the last version I saw showed a potential Norway points total of 388:

Google Eurovision predictor showing Norway

Last night after 42 countries had cast their scores, Norway did indeed win the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with a record score of 387 points (just one point away from the Google prediction:

Norway win Eurovision 2009

So Google were able to pick the winner - a good illustration of how there are clues in data and being able to interpret consumer internet behaviour can give an edge / be used for effective predictive modelling.

(The other point of note is that Google's model was effective at picking some of the popular Western European entries, but missed the leading lights from Eastern Europe / the former Soviet Republics. Azerbaijan, Armenia etc are not showing on the Google Predictor tool and I assume this is a combination of factors (everything from Google penetration to general internet usage.))

Related posts
Tracking the Eurovision Twitter noise

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Eurovision and Twitter - #Eurovision the ultimate in social TV?

Last night around 200 million people across Europe tuned in to the Eurovision Song Contest - but this year they tuned into Twitter too.

Eurovision dominating Twitter Trending Topics

Everyone has an opinion of Eurovision and last night Twitter was alive as people expressed them. By the end of the Eurovision contest eight of the ten trending topics on Twitter were Eurovision related!

To get a sense of the volumes of Eurovision related tweets, I opened Twitter Search at the beginning of the Eurovision show and then left it open throughout (Twitter Search shows you how many tweets have been made since your search and this number keeps updating in real time.) There were an amazing amount of Eurovision tweets being made - though it would appear that '118,346 more results since you started searching' is the limit as nothing updated after this:

Eurovision on Twitter Search

I have also used a free Twitter tool, Twist, to quantify the Twitter buzz around the word 'Eurovision':

'Eurovision' on Twist

According to Twist, on Sat May 16th at 2130 9.95% of every 100,000 tweets contained the word 'Eurovision'! And it was fun to use Twitter during the Eurovision show, allowing debate with friends and the ability to follow alternative commentators too:

Debating Eurovision on Twitter with friends

Wossy adds his Eurovision thoughts to Twitter

The rich stream of Twitter commentary more compelling than the 'text in your thoughts' stream that the BBC had running on screen and Twitter updated far more frequently.

We have seen events start to be socialised in real time through social media platforms with the CNN / Facebook integration around Obama being the best example of an official tie up to date. However, Eurovision did not promote a Twitter hashtag or encourage viewers to take to Twitter, the public worked this out for themselves. The Twitter noise around Eurovision shows that the that communities can self-organise and will use social tools, whether encouraged to or not.

This presents a huge opportunity (and a huge challenge) for broadcasters. An opportunity to make programming more inclusive (particularly around live events), but also the need to ensure that effective moderation procedures are in place to prevent issues (you can't just run an unmoderated Twitter feed around a family show - look at what happened to the unmoderated Telegraph Budget Twitter stream.......)

However, Eurovision dominated the trending topics on Twitter, and whilst the proportion of the 200m Eurovision audience who were Twittering was tiny, it does show the potential for TV broadcasts to become more interactive and engaging - social TV is arriving!

Like this post?
Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -
click here to use a Reader or click here to get email updates

Sunday, 31 May 2009

Saturday, 30 May 2009

Friday, 29 May 2009

Thursday, 28 May 2009

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Monday, 25 May 2009

Sunday, 24 May 2009

Saturday, 23 May 2009

Friday, 22 May 2009

Thursday, 21 May 2009

Wednesday, 20 May 2009

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

Monday, 18 May 2009

Sunday, 17 May 2009

Subscribe by email

Twitter

Search this site

Biog

Links