Flagged For Follow Up

iPhone Post Test

Just playing around ...

Obama Election Night Flickr Set

Yet more transparency and social-media savvy from President-elect Obama.  Here is the Obama Flickr set.

Flickr Color Search

I love Flickr - I use it to catalog my personal photos, and as a source of inspiration for work.  So I was thrilled when I came across this tool from idee labs [via Freshen Me Up].  It allows you to search from 10 million Creative Commons images on Flickr by color.  Very cool.  Just check it out here.

Hotel and Technology Roundup

From 2004-2007 I logged hundreds of thousands of air miles, countless nights on the road and roughly 30 international trips (and probably the same amount of domestic).  That's all to say, I know a thing or two about staying in hotels.  And while mercifully, I don't travel much any more, it's still with great interest that I notice articles and blog posts about hotel marketing/experiential innovations.  Thanks heavily to Springwise, here then are a few things I've Flagged For Follow Up recently:

Interactive Surface Technology at Sheraton:  Guests at Sheraton hotels in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle can use Microsoft's Surface technology to access entertainment content, local tourist information and information about other Sheraton properties worldwide.  Springwise recently documented the collaboration.

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Westin Chicago Designs Special Rooms to Fight Jet Lag:  Also from Springwise, Westin Hotels and Philips have partnered to design a concept room specially aimed at helping jet-lagged travelers combat sleep troubles.  Amenities include Philips' new blue-light ActiViva lamps, a light therapy box at the work desk station,  a eucalyptus shower fizzer in the room's "Heavenly Shower," a guided-meditation sleep TV program, a special room-service menu and specially designed running local running maps.

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New York City's Pod Hotel connects guests with each other before arrival:   Once guests have booked their reservations, they are sent a link to the hotel's PodCulture blog and a  user ID, which allows guests to connect and interact with others who will be there at the same time.

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Sheraton (again) Invites People to Experience Their Brand In An Unconventional Way:  As part of their Global Out of Office Day, Sheraton invited New Yorkers to work from Central Park, where it recreated its new Link@Sheraton lounges [a collaboration with Microsoft to infuse useful technology into its hotels].

 

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W Hotels Gives Guests a Quiet Place for a Cell Phone Call:  This is something I am particularly proud of since I was Nokia's point person on this project.  Simple concept - a modern take on the phone booth, combining Nokia Nseries technology and great looking design.  Visit PSFK to read a short interview with Carlos Gomez de Llarena [the designer from R/GA with whom we worked on the booth design and interaction].

Key Learnings:

1. Make sure it works
2. Make it simple
3. Make it additive
4. Work with the right partners to bring your vision to life
5. Help people fight the loneliness of business travel
6. Make it surprising and fun
7. Understand the context in which the technology exists
8. Experiment until you find something that really resonates with guests

Suddenly Takes On A Very Real Possibility

[Via PSFK & SuperTouch]

What's Inspiring Me Lately

A few things occupying a prominent place in my brain lately [in no particular order and not exhaustive]:

• The Mid-Century Modernist:  We are decorating our house, and while I don't love everything featured on the blog, some of the pieces are incredible [like this Cavour Writing Desk by Carl Mollino].
• Twitter:  Connecting with interesting people.  Engaging in interesting debates.  Finding interesting content.
• The Presidential election:  Not the candidates themselves, but how passionate everyday people are about this election.  I hope it lasts for many elections to come.
• H&M:  Just when I think I'm over that place, I find a great slim, black suit for $70.  Another $40 in alterations and I've got a winner.  While it may be true, as my colleague says, "it'll melt the first time you wear it in the rain," it was only $70!  I'm sucked back in.  Not sure if the Satorialist would cringe or approve.
• Henry:  My 22 month-old's verbal skills amaze and amuse me to no end ["Dis mac-eh-cheese delishus, dadddy"].  As any parent will tell you, watching a kid grow is fascinating.
• Lance Briggs:  The Bears linebacker - who often plays 2nd fiddle to Brian Urlacher - is not so quietly turning in an incredible season.  His hits are bone-crushing.
• Bruce Springsteen's The Rising: No particular reason, other than over the last year or so I've been very in to Springsteen.  
• My lovely and talented sister, Dana, starting her own event-planning business.  I would share a link, but site not yet live [will follow up with that later].

What's inspiring you?  Please share - always looking for interesting discoveries.

Consider The Value of UGC Contests

If you are a brand, and your agency suggests a UGC contest; or an agency considering recommending one ... you should check out The Social Path's post about professional contest winner, Joel Moss Levinson. 

Photo Detour

[Taken and sent from my Nokia N82]

Wario Land Shake It Video

Just click on the link - very cool. http://www.youtube.com/experiencewii

[Thanks AAC]

Lenovo Voices of the Olympic Games

A great digital influence campaign for Lenovo, conceived and executed by my Ogilvy PR 360 Digital Influence colleagues.  Check out all blog posts related to the Lenovo project here.  And check out a wrap-up video below.  Well done and congrats to Kaitlyn, Rohit and the entire team!

Clever Dig At Buzz Marketing

Not A Good Day [Photo Break]

[Taken with my Nokia N82 from my car this morning]

EA and Tiger Woods Are On A Roll

First he walks on water, now this.  EA is at the top of their marketing game right now ...

United Airlines Commercial

I hate being sappy, but this commercial just nails it.

Brand + Brand = Brand

Via Marc Schiller, Via Sam Ewen.  Artist= Nic Hess.

Soda or Pop

I've written about Strange Maps, one of my favorite blogs ever.  For anyone who has lived in different regions of the country, or has friends/colleagues from other states, this is a great conversation piece.  Full post here.

Barack As Rick Astley (Rickrolling)

If you haven't seen this yet ...

Someone has far too much time on their hands, and some mad editing skills.

EA Parlaying Favre Trade Into Madden '09 Hype

Oddly, many think EA's got egg on their face.  I totally disagree.  I think this whole episode has peaked even more interest for the 2009 version.  Upgrades, downloads and patches ... oh my.

 

RIP: Out Of Office Reply

John McCain: A Long Day's Journey into Vietnam

This is part one of a fantastic fictional NPR-like piece my friend Michael wrote, produced and voiced.  The story takes place a few days before McCain ships out to Vietnam.  The full 30-minute program should be coming soon.  I've heard the entire thing - it's great.  I will post the full steam when it's available. 

John McCain: A Long Day's Journey into Vietnam

Some language NSFW.

Breakfast Time at McDonalds (Across From Wrigley)

[Via PSFK]

Love This Video

[Via VSL]

Marketing's Wheel of Misfortune

Narrative to the graphic below - from David Armano - here. 

Found here.

Put Your Money Where Your (Word Of) Mouth Is

Word-of-mouth-marketing company BzzAgent Inc. says it will offer a money-back guarantee that word-of-mouth will outperform by 20 percent or more any other advertising medium when it comes to brand awareness, consumer opinion, purchase intent and actual sales.  Full article here.

Some folks wondered today if the guarantee is an act of desperation.  I definitely don't think so.  I've worked with BzzAgent - in fact I just finished an incredibly successful campaign for one of my clients.  I really believe in their model.

Any readers worked with them?  Please share your opinions/experiences via comments.

Where Do You Find the Time?

When talking to people about my participation in online social media, the question I’m most frequently asked is, “how do you have time to do all this?”  And while they might deny it, the questioner asks it with a tone that implies You are either a total social misfit or a slacker in other parts of your life. 

My initial reaction is usually defensive, as if have to prove I actually do real work and spend quality time with my family.

I then spend the next 20 minutes stewing over the question - regretting I didn't have a prepared answer.  So I never have to go through that process again, here is my response from now on.  Would love to hear your builds, and of course any other thoughts you would like to add.

• I have an 18 month old son.  I’ve become a time management ninja.  While the kid takes up a lot of time and energy, my new found discipline has given me more hours in the day.


• I get up at 5am on weekdays, 6am on weekends.  While I don't get up and start Tweeting at 5am, I do use that time to deal with administrative issues at home (bills, etc.) which gives me more free time in the evening.

• I don't watch a lot of TV.  When I do, it's almost always on DVR thus saving me around an hour a week on commercials.  When I watch sports (the only TV I don't DVR) I am usually multi-tasking.

• I enjoy it.  Just like you enjoy birdwatching or reading WWII novels.

• I use my mobile phone to participate in social media during otherwise wasted time.  I Tweet, upload photos to my Facebook page and text message friends during my morning and afternoon commutes - time that might otherwise be spent staring out the train window.

• Besides on airplanes, I never read the newspaper.  HOWEVER, I am better informed than I've ever been, with much less of a daily time commitment.  I must tell people this five times a week - if you're not using an RSS reader to get your news feeds, you are not consuming information in the most efficient and effective way available.  Sign up for a Google Reader account and spend the 30 minutes to figure out how it works.  It will change the way you think about news consumption.

• I view social media participation as a professional survival tool.  It keeps me current, connected and informed.

The net-net is that I make the time.  Just as a marathon runner makes the time to run; a celebrity junkie makes the time to read Us Weekly; an amateur photographer makes the time to take photos.  It's no different.  There I go again sounding defensive – I must break that habit!