grenade fishing

This P Diddy commercial for the fragrance Unforgivable Woman was banned by MTV. It’s definitely sexy. However, that’s about it. I’m not sure why it would be classified as ban-worthy. No nudity. No violence. Our Puritan values getting out of control? I’m also surprised it was banned by MTV of all folks.

I actually really like this video. It was very well-executed. I actually, for a brief moment, thought Diddy was kinda sexy. I said “brief moment.” 

Also… She has got to be one of the hottest women I’ve seen in a long time!

…Oh wait a minute! I think I get it… It’s a viral marketing tactic. If it’s banned, people like me will post it! Ooooh. Wicked clever! 

_{via radarmagazine.com}
 

Reader Comments (1)

Recommend the things you love on ThisNext and tag it “crave” to automatically qualify for the iphone contest. The more things you love, the better your chances of winning.  Can it get easier than that? Check it out.

I want one! 

Reader Comments (1)

07.13.2007 | Doug Werby

This is the gadget we all dreamed about. It’s here, it works great and it’s intuitive just like most apple products. Camera is great, html web on the road, full e-mail and iTunes. It’s light years beyond any other device of it’s kind.

07.14.2007 | k. 

Of course you have one already, Doug! Please do not tell me you were one of those people in line. I doubt it. I am jealous. I do find it a bit intimidating actually, but I think I could get over the intimidation if I were handed one tomorrow. It has had great reviews, and most people comment on how surprisingly small it is. You do picture it the thickness of an ipod, but it’s much thinner.

I have no doubt the iPhone is great. My doubt is with AT&T. How is their wireless service? Where I live, I can only get clear reception from Verizon. Anybody out there in Dimond, Glenview, Oakland Hills (Oakland) uwilling to share their opinion about AT&T’s wireless serivce? Thanks.

Company: ThisNext, Inc
Location: Santa Monica
Job Title: Director of Distribution & Sales
Description: Director of Distribution & Sales

ThisNext is a market-leading social shopping network set to revolutionize how people shop online. ThisNext’s mission is to improve shoppers’ quality of life by helping them discover great new products and the people who recommend them.

ThisNext is venture-backed, growing rapidly, and based in the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica, CA. We have a can-do culture in an open loft space and abide by a work hard, play hard philosophy.

ThisNext is looking for a media distribution & sales/ecommerce samurai who

* is relentless in pursuit of deals
* is highly organized with excellent follow-thru & client management skills
* is comfortable building and managing their own pipeline
* plays well with others, including marketing, product, & tech departments
* understands the intricacies of online and traditional media distribution
* understands how to monetize traffic (cpm, cpa/cpc, sponsorships, etc)
* has worked w/agencies and directly w/clients
* has worked with ecommerce and/or affiliate partners
* has a deep rolodex in online media
* has a passion for and participates in the social web

3-5 years managing significant online distribution and/or ecommerce deals is a must. Start-up experience is a big plus, as well as flexibility of mind, strategic insight, a sense of humor, and love of adventure/desire to change the world.

Fantastic little prank, and even more fantastic viral marketing for Gucci (if you ask me).

True event in Switzerland. This fellow, Juan Isidro Casilla, takes a photo of himself, photoshops in the Gucci perfume bottle, sends the image to a newspaper, gets it published. Gucci is billed $50,000 for the ad.

Brilliant.

via adfreak

Quantcast [beta] is a new internet ratings service, similar to Alexa and Technorati, except they are “open source” (the very trendy and now passe web 2.0 jargon). It offers very detailed demographics information, which I find extremely interesting.
By reviewing some sites I’m familiar with, my amateur conclusion is their data is not accurate. I suppose that’s where the word “open” comes into play. You can update it the information so “advertisers can see correct data.”

Call me crazy girl, but why would I want to expose my competitors to so much details about my company? Maybe if I’m a large, public corporation it makes sense. But then again, if I’m a public company, my information is “public” and can be found via the annual report or Google. For a small competitive start-up, this would be equivalent to handing over your war tactics to the enemy.

I remember my high school teacher explain why Coca Cola was most expensive than Generic soda. Because, “The cost of advertising is passed to the customer and is reflected in the retail price.” I suppose that was my first lesson in P&L management.

Palm just announced they will spend $25 Million to promote the Treo 680. This is just the Treo 680, by the way, not any of their other products. Geez! No wonder why the thing costs $399. If you live in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York, watch out for their “new” ad implementation -  Treo Accost Agents….

From their campaign statement:

“Street teams touting the devices will show off the ability to use the Web while on the road by stopping people on the street and allowing them to perform interactions (such as making travel arrangements or dinner reservations) on the spot.”

 
On a personal note, I did like my Palm Pilot, so I’m glad they’re back with a better product. I miss talking into my “calculator” (as one of my friends put it).

_{via Brand Week}

 

UPDATED 11-15-06

After further investigation on Zune, I’ve decided I am not even curious anymore. Here are the positive vs. negative reviews about Zune:

Positive Points

• Larger screen makes video viewing more pleasant.
• Good user interface.
• Wireless music sharing.
• Point purchase system calculates out to .99 cents. Itunes just raised their price to $1.69.
• Unlimited download subscription for $15/month.
• There is not a copy limit on songs you purchase (Itunes has a 6 song limit).
  
  

Negative Points

• Twice the size of the Ipod.
• Larger screen a plus, but pixelated.
  
• Design looks incomplete and clunky (okay, ugly).
  
• 30 GB limitation.
• Short battery life (Zune’s 14 hour claim not correct).
• Limited accessories available.
• Website has 2 million songs, whereas Ipod has 3.5 million.
• Ridiculous points pricing structure (buy points instead of using real money. Why?).
• No podcast, tv shows, movies or audiobooks.
• Zune does not work on your existing ipod accessories.
• You Itune songs do not transfer without a bit of hacking.
• Microsoft is up to their “We Are the World” thing again. Zune only play Zune songs.
  

_{Read Walter Mossberg’s review at WSJ.com
Read James Stoup’s review at AppleMatters.com}

Zune is Microsoft’s competition for the ipod. I’m more curious than I’m wanting, just to check out the contender, you know? The wireless music sharing function sounds cool, though it does bring back that nostalgic memory of the old Palm Pilots. Oh, how 90’s!

This little gadget gives you exclusive access to Zune’s website, where you can socialize with other users, share music and listen to full-length songs before buying. Actually, you can listen to songs three times in three days. That may be worth the switch. The negative? Apparently some folks complain about the memory at 30 GB. (FYI, that is about 6,000 songs.)

Click image to view Zune at Amazon.com.

I wonder how Comcast’s HR department will ever defend themselves if they ever dismiss an employee go for lack of attention to details or writing skills.  What a classic. (A condensed version below with typo in bold.)

Title:  Sr. Internet Product Design & Development Engineer

Skills:  B.S. in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering or equivalent in work experience & self study.

Experience:

*At least 1 yr. experience supporting a high transaction, e-mail/web environment required.

*Most have excellent written and verbal communications skills, a professional image and must be able to comfortably interact with managers and executives at all levels in major corporations.

*Direct experience with ISP Messaging, IMAP, LDAP, Authentication and Address Book server products.

Original job post at Dice.com.

I love tags. Whether I’m using them productively or not is another matter. I’m not quite sure people know what tags do… Basically, and in very elementary language here, it is the same as keyword search. You enter keywords you want your content attached to when people use those words in their search programs (internal to that site and external on Google). 

Amazon recently launched tags capabilities for their products online. I think this could be useful, though I’m not sure how thousands of people with no interest in search relevancy would help me find my product any better. If anything, I think it may hinder my search process… Here is an example of how tags can be unproductive, though extremely humorous.

This is Kevin Federline’s CD…

These are the tags people have placed on his CD… (Maybe I should give people more credit than they deserve.)

See the whole list at Amazon.com.

One of my favorite commentaries writer, Rory Thompson, from Brandweek.com finally launched a blog, appropriately called “Short Takes.” If you are into brands + marketing + humor, then his blog is worth a web feed. He somehow succeeds in finding the oddest marketing tactics out there and pokes friendly fun at it. And when they say ‘short takes,’ they really mean it. Very short single paragraph short takes on what’s happening out there in the big, bad brand world.

My past mentions from Short Takes:

Update From the Department of “Duh”
A New Form of Torture

When I think of Cirque du Soleil, I think about four things and in in this order; the acrobatics, the music, the costumes and the hefty ticket cost. The costumes are fabulous. When they announce an apparel line, what do I imagine? I imagine wild translations of lizards and dragons and mutant beings of greens and reds and orange. I imagine influences of cultures old and new. Of China, of Russia, of places in fairy tales. I imagine the elements of earth and heaven and hell.

Well, you get the picture. Imagine my surprise when I see…

click here

ThisNext.com is a new social network site that allows you to recommend products, create a personalized list, tag them, trackback to your blog, get recommendations from others and even shopcast what you like. Not shabby. It’s kinda like a merchandising version of Reddit, but with more web functionality. Of course I already added a few favorites. My products would be under, guess what? GrenadeFishing.

We’ve gone through Nike, Adidas, Puma, and now Vans. I think Converse is the next ‘it’ shoe. Or should I say, I ‘want’ it to be. I love their new fall collection, in particular the ‘hard to find’ items on their site. These boots come in a lighter color (on their site), which is fabulous. You can buy with or without faux fur. But fur is the ‘in’ thing this fall, so of course, buy the ones with fur (But careful, try not to wear too much fur all over your body. You’ll end up looking like a fur trader.)

I also love their custom design section. You can design your own shoes. I know Nike has this, but Converse is so much more fun to design.

Their site is good-looking as well, except the flash thing. People, flash is not a good idea for a retail site. If you return to it more than once, unfortunately you have to go through the same flash experience over and over and over again. You get the idea.

 
My other picks:

If you ‘must have’ this, another ‘in’ thing for Fall, then I say go for something sporty. Don’t you just love these? Even I can be convinced to wear ballet slipper shoes. $45 at Zappos.com. 

Now for the boys. Love the application of the single star on these Converse One Star. And for you boys secured with your masculinity, I recommend the coppper/pink option. It is the better looking shoe. $50 at Zappos.com.

People often ask for an explanation of “Marketing”.

Well, here it is:

You’re a woman and you see a handsome guy at a party.
You go up to him and say, “I’m fantastic in bed.”
That’s Direct Marketing.

You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a handsome guy.
One of your friends goes up to him and pointing at you says, “She’s fantastic in bed.”
That’s Advertising.

You see a handsome guy at a party.
You go up to him and get his telephone number. The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m fantastic in bed.”
That’s Telemarketing.

You see a guy at a party, you straighten your dress.
You walk up to him and pour him a drink. You say, “May I,” and reach up to straighten his tie, brushing your breast lightly against his arm, and then say, “By the way, I’m fantastic in bed.”
That’s Public Relations.

You’re at a party and see a handsome guy.
He walks up to you and says, “I hear you’re fantastic in bed,”
That’s Brand Recognition.

You’re at a party and see a handsome guy.
He fancies you, but you talk him into going home with your friend.
That’s a Sales Rep.

Your friend can’t satisfy him so he calls you.
That’s Tech Support.

You’re on your way to a party when you realize that there could be handsome men in all these houses you’re passing.
So you climb onto the roof of one situated towards the centre and shout at the top of yourlungs, “I’m fantastic in bed!” That’s Junk Mail.

You are at a party, this well-built man walks up to you and gropes your breast and grabs your ass.
That’s Arnold Schwarzenegger.

You like it, but 20 years later your attorney decides you were offended and files suit.
That’s America.

This past year I’ve been quite vocal about the soon-to-be extinction of television. Although people do not disagree, they don’t really jump up and down in agreement either. I was asked yesterday my opinion on YouTube’s ability to make money. I feel they still have opportunity, if they can set up some type of fee-required programs. Well, looks like one company is going to jump on it.

Bix is a new start-up that is aiming to marry the likes of American Idol with YouTube. Although the article speaks more to the possible end of the record industry, I feel it applies more towards television, especially today’s television, where reality shows dominate the ratings. I also feel it will create a big shift in social behavior. One example is Karaoke. For some individuals, Karaoke is the main activity they participate in. Now one can perform to a camera and have lots of viewers without having to leave their room. Scary thought, actually.

As posted by Mark Frauenfelder on BoingBoing.net:

Monday, July 17, 2006

Will Bix kill the record industry? (I hope so)

Last month I had lunch with Epinions co-founder Mike Speiser, who showed me a preview of a product his team at his new company created. The company is called Bix (named after the early jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke).

The idea behind Bix is neat — a combination of American Idol and YouTube’s lip syncing madness. Basically, anyone can set up a contest — karaoke, lip-syncing, beauty, whatever (I suggested magic routines and Mike seemed to like that idea). People can enter that contest (sometimes paying a required entry fee, which will be split between the contest winner, the contest creator, and Bix) and use their webcam to record their performance. Bix has licensed the use of lyrics and music from the record companies, which I’m sure is costing quite a bit of money.

One thing I’m interested in is seeing what happens when bands perform original music on Bix. If Bix (or something like it) really takes off, then bands who win “best original song” contests will have a built-in audience to buy their music. And who needs the record industry to press CDs or make deals with iTunes then? Bix and the artists could simply sell the music as MP3s right from the site. Sure, parts of the music industry probably won’t ever go away, especially publishing. But the parts that involves making bands and making CDs are going to have to learn from these new experiments if they want to be around in the next five years.

Om Malik has more to say on the business of Bix. Link

Entitlement… A word that urks me. I see it everywhere. I refer to this as “Generation E”. Within the past five years, I’ve heard more, “I deserve this…” “I deserve that…” What happened to “earn your way?” And it permeates across all social circles. Patricia Dalton’s article is great. Since it’s from a Clinical Psychologist’s point of view, it’s not just another random rant…

Click to read more ...

From R. Thompson at Brandweek.com

UPDATE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF “DUH!” There are some things in life you’d think that people would just “know,” but every once in a while it helps to state the obvious. That appears to be the thinking today behind a study from the Society of American Florists that says women like to receive flowers. (Hence, the headline above.) In a survey meant to not only enlighten but also to (naturally) sell more flowers, researchers found that “92% of women can remember the last time they received flowers, and 89% say receiving flowers makes them feel special.” (Cue sarcastic Jim Carrey voice: “Oh,Rrrrrrrealllly!”) Further research found that “96% of women like to receive flowers when they’re not expecting them.” Wonder what the reaction of the remaining 4% is? (”Ew! Dead flowers! What am I supposed to do with THESE?”) Learn more than you ever wanted to know by visiting AboutFlowers.com.