Monthly Archives: September 2010
So, if I am to believe everything I read on the internet – the only separating myself from a bot is the ability to recognize and mimic a simple string of nonsensical characters or phrases in the form a captcha. We’ve all used them at one time or another, the “prove you’re human test” when posting links on facebook, signing up for web services, leaving blog comments etc. They are nonsensical at best and blatantly unreadable and irritating at worst. But they are a decent line of defense against those who would attempt to spam your facebook profiles, saturate your blog with spam, and generally wreak e-havoc on the world. But a new breed of captchas is at hand, a new captcha that will be relatively easy to read, probably make sense and–most pertinent in our business, act as a bridge between utility and advertising–all while strengthening brand awareness.
“How can this be?” you might ask. Well, allow me to enlighten you.
Why did you take notes in school? There’s a good chance that somewhere along the way a teacher or a parent told you that writing things down helps you to remember them–especially the important things. Well, New York-based Solve Media and their clients are betting that their messages are important enough for you to remember. The plan is to combine captchas with ad revenue. Now, instead of typing out a string of nonsense you’ll write down a branded catch phrase from your favorite brands.
In the example below, random characters are replaced with the Microsoft altruism “Browse Safer.” Another example, an ad for the movie “The Town” might use something like “Turns out Ben Affleck can act, go figure.” McDonald’s, “Better than eating Cardboard.” And so on.
Internet Explorer branded Captcha
After 17 years of classes, homework, and all-nighters, it was finally time for us to be released into the real world. Not knowing what to expect, we, the CM Experience Distribution interns, were terrified about the prospect of not being able to find a job in this economy. Although our friendship only blossomed at the beginning of this internship, we both took similar paths to finding our dream internship here at CM. The path was social media. There have been a lot of great articles cropping up on just this topic, but we thought we’d share our firsthand experiences… and success!
As college students, social media quickly became a large part of our day-to-day lives. Whether it was posting pictures, chatting with friends, or updating tweets every hour; social media became an outlet we could not live without (and sometimes took precedent over homework and studying). After graduating last month, we were instantly faced with the overwhelming task of finding a job, not just any job, but one that would excite us and tie to our interests.
This was no easy task, but through websites like LinkedIn and Facebook, our opportunities became more apparent. We were able to connect with employees at CM and understand the culture of a digital marketing agency. While this may seem like a novel idea, many of our classmates and peers continue to search for jobs the same way. This method of finding jobs through social media is a growing trend at many colleges.
When I’m on social networking sites, I look for authenticity from the people I follow and the brands I interact with. Sure, that may be a given for many if not all users. However, when you think about the world we live in, filled with automation, filled with forms, filled with spam emails and the like, it’s essential to have a sense of realism coming from social accounts, especially when they are called “social” accounts.
What’s the point? Well, what I’m really talking about are brands online being authentic and transparent with the members. I am a Community Moderator. I am the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz if you will. The only thing that separates me from the community members is a thin veil of brand policy.
Communications is such an intrinsic function of what we do everyday in both our work and our personal lives that we often take it for granted. Underlying the conversations and campaigns we have and work on every day is tremendous potential in impact: the impact we have on others, conflicts, our lives, and ultimately, to results. To achieve impact, however, there are a number of simple principles to bear in mind that can make all the difference when communicating to an audience – regardless of the size.
1) Assume You Will Be Misunderstood
All too often, when we think of communicating to other people, we think of communications as being exactly that: communicating to rather than with other people. Our goal of communication is to get our message out. In interpersonal interactions, we are focused on telling the other person what we want to say. On a grander scale, as in marketing, the objective is to reach as many people as possible with our message. In both cases (and everything in between), it’s easy to get caught up in what we want to say, and we easily forget to consider a crucial point: the receiver, and the real goal of mutual understanding.
Miscommunication happens when an assumption is made that the person or audience we’re talking to is coming from the same perspective and understanding as we are. Usually, it’s an unconscious assumption, but it can also cause a great deal of misunderstanding and conflict. Consider that the opposite is true. Chances are, the people you’re talking to are coming from completely different places than you. They may be from another generation, culture, background, upbringing, value-system or even just mental state. Instead, what you can assume is that misunderstanding is the norm. To bridge that gap, it’s helpful to consider those differences as you communicate.
Obviously, this is less of an issue with simple messages but it really makes a difference in more complex issues — especially those that are sensitive and potentially controversial. Consider what those areas of misunderstanding may be, and let that guide your communication. For example, if it is technical knowledge your audience doesn’t have, explain it in simpler terms. If there are cultural differences, do a little research on what the differences are or explain the context of your perspective in more detail and ask questions to validate if they understand the same thing. Whatever the case, proactively anticipating misunderstanding and either simplifying or elaborating can make a big difference.
I recently attended the Social Media Masters Summit here in Chicago and was impressed with the overall knowledge and enthusiasm for social media from speakers and audience members alike. There were a handful of inspiring and energetic presentations, ranging from case studies, mommy bloggers and grass roots social efforts–but one keynote that stood out in my mind, was given by Betsy Owens, VP, General Manager at Kenmore.
For a brand that has existed for over 80 years, they have a great story to tell: Products that span across multiple generations, first to market with unique technologies and innovations and certainly a leader in the household appliance industry. But in recent years, they experienced lulls in the appliance industry, shares were down and brand equity was down because they lacked a sense of differentiation and modernism that their audience was seeking.
As any leader might do, they evaluated their strengths and weaknesses and worked to transform themselves in a way that resonated with their audience. Entirely revamping their brand, everything from products to advertising and digital programs were altered based on customer insight. Their social strategy was a major part of that transformation as well. One particularly inventive and successful initiative was their creation of the Kenmore Live Studio. The Studio is used for special live events such as guest-chef demos, competitions with fashion designers, concerts and even a comedic laundry series.
The Live Studio’s events always have 2 things in common: they use Kenmore appliances and are streamed live on Facebook. With a unique approach for bringing together the offline and online experience, Kenmore, has not only established itself as a “must consider” demand brand, but has launched itself into the social media space in a way that engages their audience on a deeper level than most.
Outlined below are 5 tips we can all use to become social media masters, based upon insights from Kenmore’s recent transformation.
Never have 9 years and yesterday collided so seamlessly as they do today- recalling the morning of September 11th, 2001. The story, first delivered publicly, was outlined by the words of news reporters, colored in by shaken witnesses and brought to life by cell phone, local surveillance, news, and citizen-owned camera footage. Live TV updates kept the nation on edge hour after consecutive hour, with replay after replay of the most obscene act of cruelty most of us had ever witnessed that close to home. We watched the stories cautiously retold and re-angled on the nightly news then again on morning shows and everything in between for months.
A year later, the memory of this day came vindicated in books, chronicled in documentaries, honored with memoirs and collectible debris, mail-order commemoratives, TV specials, cable network dramas, and internet exclusives. The destruction was cleared as we began to rebuild and the way we remembered 9/11 would dramatically change.
Taking shape on the same time line, the digital web began serving as an archive to all things 9/11. Web apps brought digital, broadcast, and social content together to retrace and relive attacks from the cockpits of hijacked planes, traffic control towers and inside of the towers themselves. Digital infographics and “Streaming Culture” gave victims, hijackers and Air Traffic Control a voice. The events of 9/11 were retold by conspiracy theorists on YouTube, digital tributes to victims and digitally animated 3D dissertations giving the quiet fall of Tower 7 a voice.
