Frontiering Talk

Pretty cool site called Springdoo that lets you record audio messaages and then blogpost or email the associated link.

Great for those unable to touchtype, or for Sales Directors that need to motivate 100 staff by sending a 5 min voice mail !

Here’s one I created earlier which after a 2 min registration, which took 20 seconds to record. Have a listen

Clever idea!

Rocketboom is a hugely successful daily VODCAST with about 130,000 downloads per day.

Today Rocketboom annouced that they would be auctioning Advertising using ebay. Here’s the ebay link.

For the highest bidder, we will create five original, fifteen second (minimum) - one minute (maximum) post-roll commercials that will span five days of programming, Monday-Friday, March 6 through March 10, 2006. Each day that week a different commercial that we create for your company will be played at the conclusion of the Rocketboom episode.

Rocketboom reaches innovators, technological leaders, futurists, trend-watchers, cutting edge internet users and media observers, including bloggers and journalists. Our viewers are international, informed, lifestyle conscious and are the first adopters of technology.

In addition, Rocketboom’s Amanda Congdon will be on the TV show CSI on Feb. 2 which will even further boast the Rocketboom popularity.

This is an example of the changing face of advertising, not just in the use of Ebay, but also because Rocketboom will have control over the ad itself. So that’s like your tv station producing your ad, which is kind of like how the first tv ads were produced. No doubt when the ad airs in March, it will get a lot of coverage on the Blog-s-sphere.

Great article from Micro Persuasion on ESPN’s failed attempt to sell it’s ads on Itunes.

Opt in advertising as opposed to Interuption advertising is different. For example, consumers are happy to watch a 1 hour show on the world’s funniest or best ads, because they see it as entertainment.

Long format advertising will gain more and more momentum as the cost of ad production continues to reduce, and as brands start to realise the engagement that to engage an “opted in” consumer is different to a 30 second interuption.

BMW is not only “frontiering” new car developments, but continues to embrace new media.

Already known for new media with their BMW films, BMW now offers a range of PODCASTS and also VODCASTS.

The VODCASTS are mostly PR videos but they will inspire and excite the avid BMW car enthusiast. No doubt soon, these will automatically be delivered to your new BMW.

BMW aren’t the only car marker embracing new media. Honda has placed their new Civic ad online, (nothing special there), but they also placed a very entertaining video / vodcast of how the ad was made!

Update: BMW have just released a new site which will distribute audio books by famous crime writers and will feature BMW cars. Here’s how the site describes the books ..

Put on your seatbelt and prepare for highs, lows and plenty of twists and turns. BMW, in conjunction with Random House, brings you BMW Audio Books, a unique series of specially-commissioned short stories showcasing the work of some of the finest contemporary writing talent. Each gripping tale is yours to download for free and a new book will be available to download every two weeks. Listen to them on your MP3 player, your laptop or ideally, in the car. So sit back, hit play and enjoy the ride.

Interesting technology ..

Imagine combining your love for bouncing balls and your obsession with taking pictures into one, now it has a name SatuGO. Simply throw SatuGO into the motive to catch the moment, where it hits you get a picture, or take air photos by activating the timer before throwing the SatuGO.

Of interest is how, under the Media and Download link, they provide a complete range of photos and information particularly to help bloggers “spread the word”.

Is Google about to start selling audio ads like it sells search ads with it’s Adwords program?
Google’s audio advertising?

When Google announced it’s acquisition of dMarc Broadcasting, a digital media solutions and services firm, analysts started to speculate.

Creating Audio ads for radio is an established industry, and auctioning radio ads to help with targeting makes sense for Google. Even more so is the ability to sell audio spots on the vast number of Podcasts that more and more people are consuming. However, just like Adwords helped create a whole new industry segment of Search Marketing, I think audio advertising will be re-invented. New technologies will be harnessed to help with executing audio “calls to action” which will be measured, reworked and re-executed.

“Google is committed to exploring new ways to extend targeted, measurable advertising to other forms of media,” Tim Armstrong, Google’s VP of ad sales, said in a statement. “We anticipate that this acquisition will bring new ad dollars and accountability to radio by combining Google’s expansive network of advertisers with dMarc’s talented team and innovative radio advertising technology.”

Why stop there? It’s not a stretch to assume that google will soon be auctioning video ads for Video on Demand or VODCASTS. Microsoft’s Adcenter is pursuing a similar concept, and there is no doubt Newscorp’s Myspace is likely to introduce a similar concept.

Advertising as we know it has changed, and those that embrace New Marketing are sure to benefit.

coBRANDiT attended the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association’s WOMBAT conference last week in Orlando as official videobloggers.

They interviewed many key players in the WOM and online marketing/advertising space asking questions about WOM vs. advertising, web video, consumer generated media etc.

Interviews with Pete Blackshaw (Intelliseek) Steve Rubel (Micropersuasion) Mark Kingdon (Organic) Bob Garfield (AdAge) David Fletcher (MediaLab UK) Jamie Tedford (Arnold) Steve Friedman (Weblogs) and a bunch of others.

Check it out

Tags: WOM

Download the January 2006 edition of Fresh Market, a collection of the last month alternative brand stunts from allover the world.

May give you some inspiration for trying something new for your brand in 2006.

HearThis.com has launched a podcasting service specifically for marketers and it will especially appeal to the non-technical savyness of many of them. They call it a “natural extension of your current communications efforts.” It works using a tool that every marketing person has .. the phone!.

Oh and while you are there, listen to some of these Podcasts dedicated to “word of mouth” marketing.

Tags: WOM

Andy Sernovitz who is WOMMA’s CEO, does a pretty good job here of explaining Word of Mouth.

He lists the 5 steps as

1. Talkers
Volunteers, customers, bloggers
Influencer, agent, evangelism programs
2. Topic
Special offer, great service, new product
Viral campaign, buzz stunt, new feature
3. Tools
Tell-A-Friend form, forwardable email, coupon
Message board, online communities, blogs
4. Take Part
Join blog & message board conversation
Outreach teams, campaigns by PR and customer service
5. Track
Blogpulse, Feedster, Technorati, Google
Advanced metrics program, trend analysis

Tags: WOM

As consumers are less and less likely to be influenced by the 30 second standard television advertising format, due to a combination of reasons such as DVR (digital video recorders) and TiVo devices, one thing that is likely to get stronger in 2006 is the Long Format Ad.

Ads such as the Honda Cog ad ran for a whole 2 mins, (although it also ran as a 30 second version).

As Branded Entertainment becomes more and more accessible and sharable, one wonders whether Brands will be like a Dog chasing a car .. “what do you do when you catch it?”

Hence, Brands should be thinking about what to do when they get a relevant audiences attention. For instance, the “Making of Honda Cog” or “Honda Cog - inventory of car parts” would appeal to certain audiences. Perhaps even selling smaller kits that would enable Honda fans to re-create a sequence themselves.

Do your agencies have a long story to tell?

According to a new study by Points North Group 62% of consumers would prefer free VOD (Video on Demand) with Ads, rather than pay $1.99 per episode Ad-free.

“Video downloads for $1.99 will have limited appeal. Consumers will grow tired of having their credit cards charged $1.99 every time they download a rerun of CSI,” said Craig Leddy, a Points North Group analyst.

Maybe, but I think the answer is “It Depends!”.

Leddy also added that “In time, consumers will see a mix of free, ad-supported, pay-on-demand and subscription options.”

Subscription models are also becoming evident, so for say $30/month you would have access to unlimited downloads from a library of content.
Or how about you get free access, as long as you fill in surveys about what you watch?
Or the price you pay could depend on how soon you want to watch it after initial release? Example here
Or to really stretch your thinking, how about VOD versions where product placements in each version are served up to match your behavioural dimensions?

I believe there is room for multiple business models to exist for Video on Demand, and . But however these models develop, advertising will need to adapt to the unique properties of Portable Media devices and enhance rather than impeed the viewing experience.

Pepsi’s Aquafina brand, has organised a New Years Resolution short film fest where it is showing 10 films based on consumers submitted resolutions.

It’s a clever website, the films are entertaining, and real consumers were the inspiration for the short films! But if I was the Aquafina brand manager, I would wonder why Tribal DDB in Dallas and production company Subliminal who created this micro-site, didn’t use Aquafina product placements in their films.