Hasta La Creative!

Real housewives of intervention.

Okay, not really genetic modification.

James Jarvis put together a little film called “Onwards” on behalf of client Nike.

Here’s a brand we haven’t thought of in awhile: Miracle Whip. (That stuff still exists? YES! And the packaging ain’t changed a bit.)

Google, Google, Everywhere…

There’s probably not a day in our lives for the last five years that we have not come in to contact with Google in some way or another; a very charismatic and sticky brand, here is where we daily find Google:  from trade pubs (IT, Advertising, and Marketing) to our home and work computers, Google has become a brand that has become a staple of our day to day online interactions. There are, of course, purists out there that use other search engines simply because they are not Google…but they are few and far between.

Google excels in bringing brand extensions to the user…thus, they are able to capture non-search users with Google Reader (an RSS Feed plugin). They never stop innovating, which is most likely the reason for their success. Some of the company’s newer products include Google Health, Google Finance, Google Labs (very cool), Google Blogs, and even a program for purchasing TV advertising nationally using the AdWords utility. And recently released, there is Google Chrome.

Will Chrome Be The Gold Standard?

Google Chrome is the company’s answer to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Compared head-to-head with IE8, my choice would be Chrome. It’s super fast, does not use a ton of memory, “hangs” infrequently, and is extremely simple to use. It does have drawbacks: no zoom, no status bars, and managing bookmarks is a challenge. Other than that, I dig it. I also have IE8, which has a ton of features, but thus it’s never really worked correctly…

As Seen On TV

But the real reason that Google Chrome is in the headlines is for another reason entirely: Google Chrome has the honor of being the first Google product to be advertised on television (although search has made “appearances” in other advertiser’s spots).

Touted as an experiment, Google states that they will use the Google TV Ads system, which includes cable systems and networks that allow Google to sell some of their inventory. Echostar’s Dish Network and NBC Universal cable networks like CNBC, Sleuth and Chiller are some of their available networks. The entire endeavor will be low cost.

Google started a marketing campaign for Chrome last month in which it commissioned 11 videos from small creative firms that were initially posted and promoted on YouTube. Recently, Google started placing those videos on websites through ad buys, including an expandable ad on the front page of the New York Times’ website.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

We had Motrin Moms. Now we have Momicillin which, unlike the…um…vociferously vehement personality of the whole Motrin Mom thing, promises to be constructive and helpful.

We need to create a new category labeled “Overseen Internet,” expressly for stuff that we stumble upon by chance and haven’t got words for.

Remember that song, “I always feel like, somebody’s watching me, and I get no privacy…?” Well, stop inviting people to watch you, and maybe they will. George Orwell’s 1984 has gotten a little too close for comfort these days, except that big brother is not the government or the media, it’s “We, the People.”

Think before you write, do, or say anything in the public eye(s)…and that includes on your computer. You can be social, just not too sociable: What you say can and will be used against you in the courtroom of life.
In the latest incident of it’s not reality, its Virtual Reality (VR) a Swiss woman, complaining of a migraine, left work “sick” and was sacked when she showed up on Facebook later that day.

She said the company had created a fictitious Facebook persona which become “friends” with her, allowing the company to monitor her online activity. Her suspicions were raised when the “friend” suddenly disappeared after she was fired, the woman told 20 Minuten daily. But the company says it followed a simple logic: that those who are well enough to use Facebook with a migraine are well enough to work with a migraine.

If you think about it logically, it’s better to assume that you are being monitored… Every credit transaction, every search result, every phone call…it’s all tracked somewhere. The Man always triangulates off cell signals and pulls data off the hard drive.

This latest incident has generated online warnings from social bloggers regarding the protection of your account. The trick is to separate your real friends (the ones that would help you move a body) from your friends (those that might show up to help you move) from your acquaintances (those that wouldn’t move out of your way on the train). If you want to protect yourself from unwanted scrutiny, read Facebook Fail on Mashable.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

Did you get the RFP?

Did you receive Current’s RFP? The cable network is in search of an agency to “…formulate a brand/ad strategy that communicates who Current is through compelling, inspiring, and even controversial advertising.” Sounds like a client that would be great for your roster, right? One that would challenge the creative department’s expertise, and possibly land your agency on the front page of Creativity.

The RFP wasn’t selective…it went out to everyone. It’s understandable that you could have been missed…things have been crazy, especially with most of your effort being spent on cost reductions and reviewing financials. You’ve made difficult decisions lately; downsizing, reducing benefits, cutting pension plans, ending bonus payouts, maybe even dumping the “not-so-free” coffee service. Decisions affecting real people, a responsibility greater than many could bear. The only solace: you’re not alone.

However, it’s never good policy to miss out on new business opportunities. If you missed the RFP, read on.

History tells us…

Once upon a time, broadcast television experienced explosive growth; it began at the close of WW II and roughly ended around 1960, with eighty-five percent of U.S. households owning a television set (a 500% growth rate). Decades later, the Internet did the same thing, at a faster rate and in much higher revenues. In hindsight, we wonder, “how could anyone have missed these opportunities?” Yet, some did. The chart, below, compares the first fourteen years of ad revenue growth for TV (blue), Cable (red), and Online (green):

It’s happening again with Social Media (SM), a tsunami that grows daily…(let us pause to let the information sink in). Every day Social Media reinvents itself, converting commonplace consumers into informed users. Exponentially. It’s mashable, interlacing various user “platforms” (Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc.) together, allowing users to choose one platform and also access all of the others. If you’re so inclined, you can even download a new desktop that will integrate all SM for you. SM is not comprised of stand-alone applications, and if you consider SM as a media tactic, you’re on the wrong track.

What do you do?

Wake up! Your agency is out of alignment: your strategy’s obsolete if it doesn’t capitalize on Social Media opportunities. Scrap the current strategy–even if it’s working. Meet with your staff. You may not be “in the know,” but your employees use SM on a daily basis. Use these resources to determine your SM strategy. Start a Twitter profile. Add your company profile to LinkedIn and Facebook. Begin an agency blog. Ensure your website has an RSS feed. Become content-oriented. If your specialty is automobiles and healthcare, tell the world how to weather the storm. Show them how to succeed. Invite them to contact you. Become the “go-to” for information regarding your agency’s strengths. Connect with your current clients…it is your singular purpose. Once you’ve engaged them, reach out and captivate new ones. In a meeting last week concerning the fall of newspaper, Google CEO Last week, Google’s CEO told the newspaper industry: Innovate to survive.

Today, I’m telling you: Be bold. Do great things.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

Whether a casual user, raving addict, or total agnostic, you’ve come into contact with Social Media (SM) sites and are aware of their influence on our daily lives: We can be hired, fired, or even jailed as a result of Social Media use. We can find lost loves, ruin current relationships, and even fix relationships…all in the social media space. There are SM experts, gurus, and enthusiasts. And of course, there are even SM celebritites. Not to mention those few of us that use Social Media for business (imagine that!).

But, please realize this, oh SM narcissists: Even though you have 1500 Facebook “friends” and 40,000 followers on Twitter “being social ? having personality.” Luckily, for all of us, we can now rate your personality via HubSpot’s free Personality Grader, saving us the time of following you.

“People often forget that your personality itself is a powerful marketing tool. With our new free application, marketers can ask their personality, ‘How we doin’?’ and avoid devastating social interactions. A fully optimized personality is a key piece of any successful inbound marketing strategy.” -HubSpot

Want to see how you rate? Go to the Grader and enter your name or the name that you use as your alias…depending on which you use more, results may differ.

When you find your score, let me know if you exhibit personality or find yourself “…sorta social, demented and sad, but social.” (from the The Breakfast Club)

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: www.linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or on twitter @jlo0312.