Canuckflack

A simple article, “How to beat anyone at Rock Paper Scissors,” resulted in a Fark-led server crash at the World Rock Paper Scissors Society. Doug Walker discusses the social media experiment that led to the crash, and Lisa Walker compares the traffic crush created by online – as opposed to coverage on mainline news sites.

[tags] RPS, rock paper scissors [/tags]

For those people who just watched me on CJOH’s Tech Now segment, I can refer you to a new e-book from Spannerworks: What is Social Media? (It’s a .pdf file)

The opportunity to talk about blogging and social media came about as a result of the inaugural Third Monday session held this week, featuring Shel Israel. See Joe Thornley’s blog for more information.

I know the camera is supposed to add ten pounds, but by God, I’ve got to lose weight.

“Marmaduke is being cock-blocked.” ’nuff said.

A flashback to the 70s: a McDonald’s commercial promoting their line of breakfast foods, available in convenient styrofoam clamshell packaging. The premise is a father-son opportunity to bond, catered by McDonald’s. The payoff? With every breakfast, a free Gillette Good News twin blade disposable razor. (Youtube, of course)

Specially added po-mo irony: the father is played by Gordon Jump, who we all remember as Arthur Carlson from WKRP In Cincinnati. And Jump is wearing an outfit best described as Caddyshack Pro Shop Special.

[tags] McDonald’s, freebies, giveaways [/tags]

Public relations types are not the only communications professionals torqued up about demonstrating value in an increasingly segmented media environment. In-store media has similar feelings of inadequacy.� Yesterday, research was released on new techniques to measure the reach of in-store marketing efforts, aisle by aisle.

Backed by a consortium of companies (including Albertsons, Kroger, Walgreens and Wal-Mart and manufacturers 3M, Walt Disney, Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Miller Brewing and P&G), the research has developed a model based on carefully positioned infrared sensors and the statistical analysis of the data produced. The pilot program earlier this year

“… counted traffic in 63 product categories in 10 stores using infrared sensors positioned in aisles, perimeter locations and store entrance and exit zones.”

“… In-store marketing is a critical communications device and deserves a seat at the table,” said Laura Desmond, ceo of media planning agency Starcom/Mediavest USA. “Through this research, based on carefully tested methodology and rich with insights, we now have a powerful metric to build smarter, consumer-centric in-store programs for our clients.”

For example, a snack foods brand might find that it can reach the same number of consumers over a one-week period by running a certain number of 30-second spots on broadcast TV, print ads in 20 magazines, or aisle displays in three leading supermarket chains. Based on the campaign’s objectives, budgetary guidelines and return-on-investment goals, the brand could then determine which media options make the most sense. …” (In-Store Marketing Institute release)

I may be a cynic, but I have to wonder how their statistical analysis and algorithms will account for unusual traffic patterns – say, in the aisles on the way to the bathroom, free coffee machine or discount liquor shelves?

Oh – and what about pants that have been bedazzled? What will that do to the sensors?

“… Here’s a thought: Soccer moms could spark the future of wireless broadband video� and TV networks. …” (Reuters blog)

The link between next generation handsets, commonly available wi-fi and personalized content, as outlined by Martin Varsavsky, an executive for Spanish company FON, at a Nokia launch event:

“I’m surprised that YouTube has not gone live … Sports events could go live. Soccer moms shooting their kids and their parents watching in the office … You can see micro-TV going live with devices like the N95 … That’s coming for sure in the next two years.” (Reuters blog)

Funny – I can see the link. You can argue that technological leaps are often made by the gaming or porn industry. As Everclear sang: “I wonder where all the pornstars go … when the lights go down? … They all become� Volvo driving soccer moms …”

Interestingly, Martin Varsavsky just blogged about the ethical quandary he faced when looking to provide free equipment� for Ken Li, the Reuters reporter/blogger in question, to try out.

[tags] Soccer Moms, consumer generated media, CGM [/tags]

If you’re in Toronto and interested in social change, an upcoming book launch at the MaRS Discovery Centre may interest you.

“… Many of us have a deep desire to make the world around us a better place. But we tend to think that great social change is the province of heroes — an intimidating view of reality that keeps ordinary people on the couch. The trick in any great social project — from the global fight against AIDS to working to eradicate poverty in a single Canadian city — is to stop looking at the discrete elements and start trying to understand the complex relationships between them.

GETTING TO MAYBE applies the insights of complexity theory and harvests the experiences of a wide range of people and organizations — including the ministers behind the Boston Miracle; the Grameen Bank; the efforts of a Canadian clothing designer to help transform the lives of aboriginal women and children; and many more. In short, it is a practical, inspirational, revolutionary guide to making positive change in the world.”

That’s Tuesday, October 17th, 2006, between 11am and 12 noon.

Johnnie Moore and Rob Paterson have mentioned the book recently – and Rob provides a good discussion of the� concepts behind complexity.

For more information on complexity, there’s a discussion and a treasure trove of links on the Tamarack Institute’s site, including this definition:

“Complexity science is not a single theory. It is the study of complex adaptive systems – the patterns of relationships within them, how they are sustained, how they self-organize and how outcomes emerge. Within the science there are many theories and concepts. The science encompasses more than one theoretical framework. Complexity science is highly interdisciplinary including biologists, anthropologists, economists, sociologists, management theorists and many others in a quest to answer some fundamental questions about living, adaptable, changeable systems.” – A Complexity Science Primer

New research from Harvard on the applicability of the Long Tail to the video market – and some potentially disturbing results. If your product suffers from poor quality, poor buzz or a relative lack of public awareness, then you may be in trouble.

From Superstars and Underdogs: An Examination of the Long Tail Phenomenon in Video Sales by Anita Elberse and Felix Oberholzer-Gee (abstract, .pdf):

” … Clearly, the long tail is populated by a larger number of products. However, even more strikingly, there was also a dramatic increase in the number of titles that did not sell at all. Compared to 2000, the number of titles with zero weekly sales in 2005 almost doubled, suggesting there are significant business challenges for companies that attempt to benefit from the long tail.

Many underdogs, we conclude, are in fact losers. At the superstar end of things, the lower sales are achieved by a significantly smaller number of titles. While best-selling titles do not reach previous sales levels, there is a significant concentration of success on ever fewer titles.

In sum, the changes in the distribution of video sales are remarkably similar to what McPhee (1963) called the double jeopardy of niche� products in media markets. Increased variety not only fragments the market, with many titles reaching ever smaller audiences, these audiences are also less loyal. When a superstar comes along, they are happy to abandon the niche (Ehrenberg and Goodhardt 1990).

The lesson to be learned? The Long Tail is of no benefit to you if your product is still crap, unwanted by anyone.

A reminder for Ottawa-bound communicators: tonight’s the inaugural Third Monday social media meetup – featuring Shel Israel. And one of these days I’ll make it to the Throng get-together in Toronto.

Forget Peapod or Webvan: the real future of grocery shopping lies in the virtual experience available in Second Life. Or at least that’s the message� from a reader responding to the NYT’s “What features would you like to see in the supermarket of the� future?”:�

” … Virtual Reality at home shopping … program would allow you to walk the isles just as if you were in the store … highlite things onsale … also would note items you have purchased in the past (soo you dont forget something) … Then my items would be placed in easy to carry boxes … I would recieve an email that my order needed to be picked up within 48 hrs … There should be a drive thru pickup window were I show my online reciept and my boxes are placed in the trunk of my car.” (NYT blog comment)

Or maybe something even more fantastic:

” … I’d like to see gallon jugs of designer gasolines, nested neatly between the orange juice and Perrier. I’d like to see genetically engineered talking cows like the ones in Douglas Adams’ _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_ which walk up to you and point out their choices cuts, and wallow in despair if you forego the opportunity of lopping off an extremity today, thank you.

I’d like to see a whole separate supermarket section devoted to baby vegetables: baby carrots, baby corn, baby peas even more miniscule than regular peas. And you should have to trade you regular sized shopping cart for an itty bitty one when entering this section. I’d like to see a conveyor belt that ushers me through all sections and all aisles before shuttling me off toward the cashiers when I’ve gotten all my shopping done. Samples… I really love samples. I’d love for there to be little sample trays of everything in the supermarket… even the light-bulbs and cat litter.

I’d like for the e-coli infected vegetable of the day to be marked down 50% and clearly labelled as such. I’d like for dented cans to again be potential botulism sources… you know… to put a little sense of danger excitement back into buying the discounted stuff. I’d like the dying houseplants and wilted flowers to be a little more than 50 cents off the regular store price. I’d like there to be 42″ plasma screens inside specially maked boxes of Special K.

I’d like my shoppers card bonus points to pay off in the afterlife by affording me a better seating position vis. a vis. the Creator at the Heavenly banquet table. I’d like a shoppers bill of rights that recognizes and clarifies Common Article 3 of the Geneva conventions, because… well, it’s all ambiguous and stuff. …” (Dabid Flores, NYT Blog Comment)

Pointer from Marginal Revolution.

Speaking of synthesizing themes (see previous post), two new talks from TED 2004 are available for download as video and audio: Malcolm Gladwell and Steven Levitt.

From Russell Davies, a comment that touches upon the headlong and quickening rush to develop a rep as a “social media guru”:

” … Blogging is doing to planning what television did to variety/music-hall.

I’ve always thought that a planning career is very like a stand-up comedy career. You spend a couple of years getting a decent 40 minutes together (act/presentation). That means you can go on the circuit and do presentations, meetings, pitches. Then if you’re good/lucky you get a few more bits and stretch it out to an hour, maybe 90 minutes, and that means you can be a consultant, doing the same old schtick to a new audience every engagement.

Television killed variety because it quickly consumed everyone’s act and the jugglers and novelty seal-balancers couldn’t delight a new audience every night, because everyone had already seen it on TV. And blogging’s doing the same for planning. …” (Russell Davies)

I think there’s plenty of space on line for jugglers, balancers, and pitchmen as well as considered and thoughtful authors.

If anything, the blogosphere is short of authors who can synthesize thoughts and themes into a clear-headed and convincing argument. (Putting all conspiracy theorists and rabid political bloggers aside, of course)

How do today’s public relations and marketing students differ from those of the past? Let me rip off a format pioneered by a mid-western professor (can’t find a link, sorry) and compare the media environment public relations and marketing students face today, compared with when I was an undergradute:

PR and Marketing students born in 1988 don’t know� … :

• what [ALT] F4 + [CTRL] F4 does in WordPerfect (link)
• cable TV� used to be� 23 channels, and ten were soft porn or regional sports
• you could print in either Courier New or Arial
• authority was conferred by business titles
• USA Today was the vanguard of new media. Graphs! Colours!
• “send this over to the client for approval” meant an envelope and a cab ride
• American Media and Playboy were the media companies of the future
• business gurus usually had extensive work in their field before writing a book
• The “Pepsi Challenge” was the only form of experiential marketing outside of grocery store sampling – and the Playboy Club
• social media? You mean the martini recipes in Esquire?
• not only did digital media kill the radio star, it crippled the mysogynistic album art industry
• our measurement framework included AVE,� coupon redemption or direct reply postcards
• Kinkos was the gateway to the internet – and to $1 colour copies
• mailing lists were maintained in Dbase
• a clippings search involved your fingers, some index cards and a librarian

Marmite. You’ve seen it. And, as MarketingWeek reminds us, you either love it or hate it. The yeast extract is now available in a squeezy bottle, and is being supported by a marketing push encouraging British yeast afficionadoes to submit their pieces of “MarmArt” – art produced by squeezing Marmite onto a piece of toast – to a central gallery.

I’ll tell you one thing – the British submissions are a sorry lot when compared to the MarmArt that was submitted for the 95th anniversary celebrations in New Zealand.

” …Adrian Goldthorpe, vice-president of strategy and innovation at FutureBrand, says: …that the launch of Squeezy Marmite was a “no brainer” but believes the brand struggles with real innovation and new product development because of its distinctive flavour. He points out that other products with a strong flavour, such as Branston Pickle, have managed to develop into new areas such as baked beans because they can be added to foodstuffs.”(MarketingWeek)

You know my last post, about advertising jargon? I would certainly say that the statement that Marmite “struggles with real innovation and new product development” is an original interpretation of the brand’s natural limits. Other, more earthy, personalities might say it tastes like …

The marketing push, however, has some extremely relevant giveaways:

“… Dualit Marmite toasters and� 10 limited edition Marmart kits which include a Marmart lunch box, love and hate art stencils, an art spatula, and Squeezy Marmite.” (Daily Mirror)

Original MarMart by Kyle Stewart.

[tags] Marmite, yeast [/tags]