i-boy :: postcards from the blogosphere

Google: The World's Most Powerful Brand

Reuters reports that Google is the world's most powerful brand, according to the Millward Brown Optimor/Financial Times annual Top 100 Most Powerful Brands report, taking top spot from rival Microsoft. Seventh-place last year, Google rose to the summit this year with a brand value worth $66.4 billion. The search king was followed by GE ($61.9 billion), Microsoft ($54.9 billion), Coca-Cola ($44.1 billion) and China Mobile ($41.2 billion). The MBO report assigns a financial value to a brand's "intangible earnings," attributable to their global awareness. That metric is derived using public data supplied by Bloomberg's Datamonitor.

Found via MediaPost.

Technorati Tags: research, brands, google

Gaia

If you haven't heard of it, you will soon. It is “The world’s fastest growing online world hangout for teens.”

“In a world where teens are constantly branding and packaging themselves” on sites like MySpace, Facebook, Habbo Hotel, Cyworld, and others, points out CEO Craig Sherman, “Gaia is where you get away from it all.”

That quote is from a nice interview/overview of Gaia from GigaOM's Wagner James Au, a blogger I am coming to enjoy reading more and more each week.

The Gaia Numbers: Demographics and Usage Patterns as of April 2007

300,000 log in daily, according to the company; average unique visit is two hours a day.
Average concurrency: 64,000 users. Maximum: 86,738.
85% of users are based in the US
10% are English-speaking but non-US (with 5% a nebulous Other)
Breakdown by gender: 55% Girls - 45% Boys
About 20% of subscribers put up their real life photo in their avatar profile.
Number of Gaia gold “millionaires”, as of last week: 1385

I think their approach to advertising and sponsorship makes a lot of sense:

The company’s other revenue source are ad campaigns created to run within the world of Gaia. Before launching these, Sherman says, they solicited subscriber feedback, to find out which potential advertisers they wanted to see in the world— and which they didn’t. (Cool fashion brands got the majority nod; big American auto companies, however, didn’t.)

Staffers work with advertisers to create, not passive billboards, but an extended immersive experience. Gaia’s campaign for New Line Cinema’s fantasy adventure The Last Mimzy, for example, challenged their users to accomplish a series of tasks in order to get their own special Gaian-only Mimzy (a super-intelligent bunny). Hundreds of thousands of these Mimzyies were given out—meaning some 10-20% of their total user base jumped through the hoops to win the advertiser’s prize. (By contrast, when Nissan began giving away virtual versions of their cars in Second Life, far less than 1% of Residents took them up on the offer.)

The site's anime look comes from Studio XD, the comic art firm behind the idea

Technorati Tags: social.networks, startups, gaia

Social media and VA Tech

I've been hesitant to post anything in relation to the VA Tech shootings, as it is just so awful. But the New York Times published something that has been on my mind ever since the incident last week:

The internet, and social media in particular, was the most important place for people from around the world to find information, opinion and conversation about the event.

Popular social networks Facebook and MySpace served a primary way for VA Tech students to communicate with the the outside world. When mobile service was down due to being overwhelmed by traffic, these networks were sometimes the only way. Message boards and forums from VA Tech as well as from rival neighboring schools like UVA were also key communication platforms.

Then, there is Wikipedia.

As was the case in the aftermath of the Southeast Asian tsunami in 2004 and the London bombings in 2005, Wikipedia was - and continues to be - *the* place to find comprehensive news and information about the event.

Here are a few quotes from the full NYT article:

From the contributions of 2,074 editors, at last count, the site created a polished, detailed article on the massacre, with more than 140 separate footnotes, as well as sidebars that profiled the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, and gave a timeline of the attacks.

According to the foundation that runs the various Wikipedias around the world, there were more than 750,000 visits to the main article on the shootings in its first two days, an average of four visits a second. Even The Roanoke Times, which is published near Blacksburg, Va., where the university is located, noted on Thursday that Wikipedia “has emerged as the clearinghouse for detailed information on the event.”

“Professional news is the place to get the facts on the ground — after all, that’s where Wikipedia contributors are getting their information, too,” said Michael Snow, a Wikipedia administrator. “Wikipedia distinguishes itself by the ability to bring all the facts, and useful background information, together in one place.”

BTW, Wikipedia also has a nice section on gun control.

Technorati Tags: social.media, wikipedia

Metaverses for the masses

Of all the things I am bullish about in terms of digital, I am certainly a bear when it comes to Second Life.

There are signs of where things are going in terms of 3D environments, virtual worlds and immersive experiences (PS3’s “Home” and the game “World of Warcraft” are good examples), but sites like Second Life (and many places like it) are still in their infancy.

Marketers, of course, are free to do what they will, and if you're one of them and want in, then so be it ...

All I can say is that you should proceed with caution and temper your enthusiasm when it comes to expectations of ROI from this type of activity.

Given that there are only around 30K people per day using Second Life as opposed to the well-hyped and oft-mentioned 5 million registered users, any expectation of “success” from within the Second Life community should be seriously challenged.

I feel that at present, the main/only benefit of doing stuff on Second Life is the PR and hype that is generated from mainstream media and blogs.

There is also a high percentage of Second Life “residents” vehemently opposed to brand/commercial involvement in “their” space. (There were some great stats from a recent study discussed By Ruth Mortimer at last week's UTI.)

The BusinessWeek article The Coming Virtual Web is a nice intro to the subject of the metaverse and/or follow-up to the sessions in the Progress Bar last week.

Some of what is said is valuable and will help get folks up to speed on the “metaverse” (ie: virtual worlds, gaming environments and other 3D networks). Some is complete rubbish (ie: "Virtual worlds will be bigger in five years for shopping than the Web").

In addition, here’s what Brand Week had to say last month: Are Marketers Dying on Second Life? Wagner James Au over on GigaOM also spelled it out quite well: 3 Reasons Why Marketing in Second Life Doesn’t Work.

Technorati Tags: marketing, second.life

Silverlight vs Flash

Looks like Microsoft is going to do battle with Adobe ... Here's the official Microsoft press release and Vista evangelist Tim Sneath's blog post about the release.

A few more links are below. One is from blogger Pete Cashmore (who also comments on Adobe Media Player vs Windows Media Player) and the other two are from the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. I'll bet you'll never guess which headline is from the blog and which are mainstream media headlines. ;-)

Microsoft Aims to Outshine Adobe's Flash
In a bid to capitalize on the burgeoning online video market, the tech titan is launching Silverlight, its new video-player software. The explosion of Web video has opened a new front in the battle between Adobe Systems (ADBE) and Microsoft (MSFT), each shooting for a bigger share of software that can create and serve up clips. For companies that publish online videos—and the advertisers who sponsor them—the result could be new technology that squelches piracy, cuts download times, and lets consumers watch programs even when they're offline.

Microsoft vs Adobe Smackdown
Both Adobe and Microsoft are launching products that step right on each others’ turf today. Microsoft is launching Silverlight, a direct competitor to Adobe’s Flash. Meanwhile, Adobe is launching Adobe Media Player, a rival to Windows Media Player. This could be the hardest fought battle in the rich media space…well, ever.

Microsoft, Adobe Set A Collision Course on Web
Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Inc. are on a collision course as they seek to dominate a new kind of software that will change how personal computers and the Web work together. The companies have been partners in the past, and Adobe is one of the largest makers of software for computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system. The companies have also tussled before, but they have generally stayed in their corners of the tech arena.

Technorati Tags: social.media. social.software, msft, adobe, silverlight, flash

Google buys DoubleClick for $3.1B

Remember that old ad for Recess Peanut Butter Cups? The one that started, "Hey, you've got chocolate in my peanut butter ..." Well, here is the latest digital combinational flavor for you to try: "Hey, you've got direct response in my branding and display." ... "Oh yeah, well you've got branding and display in my direct response."

Beating out several other suitors (including the rumored $2B bid from Microsoft), Google has aquired DoubleClick for $3.1B, almost double what they paid for YouTube just a short while ago.
There are many unanswered questions about the deal, but one thing is certain: This is an incredible purchase which will fundamentally change the way marketers approach online advertising.

In essence, Google can now manage the ad buy from start to finish. The benefits for advertisers are pretty clear: Google can now offer both direct response (text ads) and branding or experiential digital communications (banners) on a large scale.

It is the first time that one company can make such a powerful and combined offer, and as Fred says in a very informative post, "The banner is back."

Many marketers have reached the point that they can't easily buy more search. It's getting harder. Keyword markets are becoming efficient and supply and demand are coming into balance. Of course, that alone doesn't mean that all the other money will move into banners. Banners also need to produce measured returns.

But, banners carry branding value that text ads don't. The return on investment measure is not as cold and hard with banners. And the big branded advertisers that are leaving TV and print in search of better performance on the internet want to be able to brand with their ads. And they want to control where those ads are run. They'll pay more for those two features.

They've also bought themselves one hellofa network of contacts.

“Google really wants to get into the display advertising business in a big way, and they don’t have the relationships they need to make it happen,” said Dave Morgan, the chairman of Tacoda, an online advertising network. “But DoubleClick does. It gives them immediate access to those relationships.”

Add to that their probable intent to create an online auction system for ad space as well as their efforts to move into offline advertising as well, and you should begin to see the size of what is being created here.

In addition, The wealth of data that Google has aquired (10 years of click data, amongst others) should not be undervalued.

Amongst many others, here are a few folks worth checking out for some more insight and information about the deal: The New York Times, Official Google Blog, John Battell, Steve Rubel, Michael Arrington, Fred Wilson, and Business 2.0.

Technorati Tags: google, doubleclick, deals

Something for the dinosaurs to chew on

CBS is solidifying their position as a truly dominant distributed digital content provider. They know that their content isn’t necessarily about their brand. The two are not always associated. It is about the content itself, and they don’t care where, when, or how people want to find and view it. CBS just wants to be there when people make that decision, wherever they are. It transcends the idea of having only to build the be-all end-all hub and recognizes that people want (and are starting to expect) to control their experience with all forms of digital media.

Press Release: CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation Announces the Creation of the CBS Interactive Audience Network

CBS Corporation announced today the creation of the CBS Interactive Audience Network which will initially include new content deals with a host of online distributors including AOL, Microsoft, CNET Networks, Comcast, Joost, Bebo, Brightcove, Netvibes, Sling Media and Veoh. The agreements, building on the Company's existing arrangements, solidify CBS's position as the most widely distributed professional content provider on the Web.

All content will be advertiser supported and free to the consumer. CBS will begin selling the CBS Interactive Audience Network in the coming weeks, including the upcoming Upfront marketplace. Advertising revenue will be shared between CBS and its partners. All content will be available domestically with select clips and full-length sports programming distributed worldwide

That news should sound the same to old-school media practitioners as did the first comets to the dinosaurs. The only thing different this time around is that the dinosaurs have chance – albeit a fleeting chance – to evolve in time to survive.

Technorati Tags: cbs, content, dinosaurs

Construct and deconstruct

I've seen two sites in two days that both use the same navigational experience to take people from one area to another: Environments are being "constructed and destructed" using Flash. Is it just me, or is this a design trend? I'm not sure, but it is pretty cool.

The first site I saw doing this was This is Living - the new site supporting the launch of the PS3. (The little video ain't so bad, either.) The second site is Absolute Kravitz, which allows people to download 10 free remixes of Lenny's latest. (I like Lenny Kravitz, but sadly the song is complete shit.)

Not sure who did the PS3 work, but it looks like North Kingdom did the work for Absolute.

Technorati Tags: design, trend, flash

Is VisiblePath the next LinkedIn?

Business networking site LinkedIn may have new funding ($12.8M in January from Bessemer and EFF) and a solid base (10 million members, growing at 130K new members each week), but that does not mean there's no competition. On the contrary, here comes VisiblePath.

TechCrunch's Nick Gonzalez puts it this way:

Silicon Valley-based VisiblePath is a lot like LinkedIn, but it automatically determines who your real network is, and how strong each individual relationship is, based on your emails and calendar items that involve them. VisiblePath will officially launch next week at the Web 2.0 Expo.

VisiblePath is engaging and insanely useful. It’s far superior to LinkedIn in measuring personal relationships, and it’s actually quite interesting to see just how close some of the people in your life actually are to you.

Commenter Roger Morgan disagrees:

So it only works properly if you use Microsoft Outlook?

Personally, I think the whole idea of basing a networking tool on frequency of emails is complete crap. Most of my email traffic is with people in the same office (I work at a big bank and exchange a few emails every day with some people). Most of my useful contacts are from places I worked at previously. I don’t use my work email to keep in touch with these people, I use my private email address (which doesn’t change when I change jobs).

The reviewer says he’s polluted his LinkedIn account by including a lot of useless non-contacts. He concludes that LinkedIn is useless. The correct conclusion is that he’s made his LinkedIn account useless by his own actions. Tip to LinkedIn users: never add anyone to your LinkedIn contacts, if that person already has 100 or more contacts. You’ll just be adding a contact-collector like Mr Gonzalez. By leaving such people out, your network will grow much more slowly, but it will be useful.

The real killer, though, is that dependency on Microsoft Outlook. Not everyone wants to live their lives in the shadow of the Microsoft monopoly.

Whilst I will probably demo VisiblePath sometime soon, I'll probably stick to LinkedIn for now. I'd keep an eye on VP, however.

More here:

VisiblePath Is A Lot Like LinkedIn, Except It’s Useful
TechCrunch

Joined-up Thinking
The Economist

Cybernetworking: Making the digital connection
The Globe and Mail

When Outside the Loop, a Quicker Way to Get in
The New York Times

Technorati Tags: social.networks, startups, linkedin, visiblepath

Code of conduct for the blogosphere

Lot's of talk about Tim O'Reilly's call for a code of conduct. Mr. 2.0 thinks that the blogosphere needs better, standardized rules and regulations.

The New York Times, of course, loves this kind of debate since they can continue to paint the internet (and in particular the blogosphere) as the wild wild west. I love the NYT, but this is total crap.

Jarvis wants no part of twinkie badges and makes some good observations. Arrington is also leary of all the rules people are so quick to want to impose.

Personally, I think it is more of a simple comments policy rather than some grand code of conduct. There are a lot of people vying for attention on the issue.

Plenty more about it here.

Your comments are always welcome.

Technorati Tags: blogosphere

100 million

Here's the press release ...

Apple® today announced that the 100 millionth iPod® has been sold, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history. The first iPod was sold five and a half years ago, in November 2001, and since then Apple has introduced more than 10 new iPod models, including five generations of iPod, two generations of iPod mini, two generations of iPod nano and two generations of iPod shuffle. Along with iTunes® and the iTunes online music store, the iPod has transformed how tens of millions of music lovers acquire, manage and listen to their music.

Technorati Tags: music, stats, apple, ipod

Fluffernutter in New Yawk

I'm back in NYC for a few days to work on a massive pitch, and it feels great to be here. The iris office on Broadway reminds me of my days at Organic 10 years ago: hardwood floors, whitewash walls, lots of buzz, and loads to do.

Last night, I went to dinner at Blue Ribbon (an old hang-out) with our newbiz guru Zeyd, and we had a very nice time. Tonight, a group of us are going to L'Orange Blue. Tomorrow, Katja and I are off for a quiet Easter weekend in East Hampton. We're staying at The Mill House Inn, which should be nice. More on that later, I imagine.

I miss my friends the most, but some of the stuff in the city is really fun. The NoHo/SoHo area where iris New York is located is great, and I really miss it. For the tech and jeans shopping alone, it is insane. I also miss the random nature of NYC... For lunch, half the office went for udon soup and the other half were thinking about going over to The Peanut Butter Factory for take-out. Fluffernutter sandwiches for lunch in Manhatten. Gotta lovit.

Technorati Tags: travel, nyc, iris

Does Bud Bucks suck?

Bud Bucks is Budweiser's version of My Coke Rewards.

Sure, the site looks pretty cool. It has integrated video and all the latest geeky tricks. It is a well-made site into which they obviously sunk a bunch of cash, and it feels slick. In fact, it feels so slick that you know it is another big brand marketing gimmick from the second you see it.

Some parts work well. In other spots, the usability is pretty lame. I had a lot of trouble accessing the arcade, and when I finally did it did not really impress.

The music "store" offers a couple downloads by unknown bands and some washed up Bud ringtones. It looks like the other stuff (merchandise and such) will take quite a few Bud Bucks to redeem.

Must admit that I am very sceptical ...

That said, they "will be the first brand to appear on the UK homepage of YouTube" which should guarantee them more than a few eyeballs.

Here is Jacquie Bowser's story from Brand Republic:

Budweiser backs virtual money with biggest online push
by Jacquie Bowser Brand Republic 05-Apr-07, 09:20

LONDON - Lager brand Budweiser has unveiled what it calls the biggest online advertising campaign from an alcohol brand to date, with the launch of the Bud Bucks virtual currency.

From today, "Bud Bucks", Budweiser's virtual currency promotion, will be advertised on some of the biggest and most influential websites aimed at 18- to 24-year-old men, including YouTube and FHM.com, and national news, motoring and sports sites.

The Bud Bucks scheme, devised by marketing communications agency Inferno with creative by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y and Tango Zebra, allows participants to accumulate Bud Bucks by texting or emailing a code, found on bottles of Budweiser beer, to the brewer.

Participants then have a chance to bid on or buy items, such as holidays or football tickets, on the budbucks.co.uk website.

Budweiser will be the first brand to appear on the UK homepage of YouTube and also the first to appear as the "skin" on FHM.com

A large amount of content, such as creative virals, has been tailored to suit individual portals to ensure the campaign reaches the intended target audience. The brand will also be advertising on mobile networks and interactive television.

The company launched the online campaign after research suggested 18- to 24-year-olds spend in excess of 13 hours a week online and that students, a core section of Budweiser's potential audience, spend an average 20% of their time awake online.

Bud Bucks was soft-launched in March and is due to run until August.

Technorati Tags: loyalty, rewards, budweiser, coke

The end of DRM

A damn good sales Jobs, if you know what I mean ... From EMI's press release:

EMI Group CEO Eric Nicoli today hosted a press conference at EMI's headquarters in London where he announced that EMI Music is launching DRM-free superior quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire and that Apple's iTunes Store will be the first online music store to sell EMI's new downloads. Nicoli was joined by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Click here to listen to the audio webcast from today's announcement.
Click here to download the pdf presentation.
Click here for Apple's press release.

As you'd expect, TechCrunch is all over it, as is Engadget and just a few (hundred) others.

Technorati Tags: music, drm, apple, emi