well it's been about a week now since returning from sunny (and hot) california from the music festival that was coachella... i'll be posting an entry over the weekend with a more detailed account of the event along with some pictures and video. this morning however i saw this interesting concept online relating to festivals and wanted to post it while it was fresh in my head...
being a festival fan myself this is definitely a great option for people...especially those that travel by air where bringing your own tent is a challenge. some festivals in the US have begun to offer pre-built shelters (such as Coachella and newly former Rothbury) however those shelters have been geared toward more VIPs willing to shell out major dough. myhabs however are a cost-effective and environment-friendly method that enables any fan to have a shelter for a couple hundred bucks.
let's see if this trend jumps the pond and becomes a more mainstream option at US festivals...
first of all - if you haven't heard of or checked out the new website HULU then you need to click that link and get with the program...for those of you not in the know, HULU is the "YouTube Killer" that FOX and NBC, along with their networks, hashed together to offer their content through their own portal. ABC & the Disney family keep their content locked up behind ivory towers though making you visit their website to gain access to some of their content. HULU content includes full streaming episodes, movies, shorts, etc and includes some social networking features. With this and other media revolutions are changing the landscape of media and creating a seismic shift in how consumers are viewing their media these days. in a recent new york times article i was shocked to learn that the office premiere back from september had 1 in 5 viewers watching the episode on their home computer.
with the likes of video-on-demand, streaming content via the internet, DVR, TiVo and many more; the television program is becomming a different medium...tv is no longer tv, it's now just content with limitless boundaries for broadcast and few controls for advertisers. and with the rise of devices that allow consumers to control how and when they watch this content (PSP, iPods, iPhones, SlingBox, etc) people are not only able to determine how they'll watch it but also where and when. not to mention the media extenders that are coming about such as Apple's iTV and Microsoft backed Media Servers that already allow folks to setup a home media network so they can even stream video from sites like HULU, iTunes, Amazon Unbox and Joost directly to your TV...talk about true on-demand...not to mention ability to stream in HD!
what i find to be the most interesting of this whole media revolution is how it'll change the way brands advertise and leverage their marketing dollars. people are already beginning to see the decline in value for tv spots now that they can so easily be fast forward through. so what are brands to do? how can they still show up on TV and hit home with consumers to make the pitch? my answer, sports.
granted i work in the sports field so my answer may be a bit bias...but it is true. where else do you have a captive audience for multiple hours that you can take your brand and immerse it with a player, team, league or broadcast to provide fans with brand message points, consumer/brand interactions via promotions/sweepstakes and branding all in one programming segment...be it a game, season or playoffs? while some may argue the sports field is cluttered - that's partially true - but isn't TV just as cluttered? every category and brand is covered across television and multiple shows. no one really pays attention to know whether or not Car Maker X is the official car for commercials during the office...however fans will know that Car Maker X is the official partner of the NFL, or New York Yankees or the NCAA March Madness. not to mention you are connecting with a fan's passion during these times which has shown a correlation with stronger brand affinity and purchase intent.
anyhow the times article is an interesting take on the state of media consumption. with the recession at who knows what point of the cycle pending on the coverage you watch - brands are definitely going to be cutting back some dollars where they can over the next few years...in our trade journals people are expecting dips in our business given that sponsorship compared to tv metrics doesn't measure apples to apples but when those tv avenues are evaporating almost daily before our eyes i feel our industry will emerge to help brands bridge that gap that the new world of tv will be missing.
opinions? thoughts? sarcastic remarks? would welcome any and all.
richard florida is an american urban studies theorist with a primary focus on social and economic theory. if you aren't familiar with his name you may be familiar with his work about the "creative class" and the two books he wrote about them called The Rise of the Creative Class and The Flight of the Creative Class, both of which were national bestsellers. his overall theory from those books in the words of wikipedia are "that metropolitan regions with high concentrations of high-tech workers, artists, musicians and a group he describes as "high bohemians", correlate with a higher level of economic development. florida posits the theory that the creative class fosters an open, dynamic, personal and professional environment. this environment, in turn, attracts more creative people, as well as businesses and capital. he suggests that attracting and retaining high-quality talent, versus a singular focus on infrastructure projects such as sports stadiums, iconic buildings and shopping centers would be a better primary use of city's regeneration resources for long-term prosperity." some say that this is what is happening in pittsburgh currently, with a large push of high-tech companies into the city which will hopefully create some revival amongst a city with one of the higher age populations in the country. being a professor at carnegie mellon university's heinz school i wonder if his teaching started to rub off on those in city offices.
florida's new book about urban renewal and talent migration called Who's Your City? examines how and why people choose the places they live and how those selections affect things like real estate and their community. below is a map displaying where the "creative class" is centered in the US - if you follow the link to his website Who's Your City you can check out some of his other maps and findings.
scheduled to launch in october 2008 - check out the sneak preview of marion bataille's new pop-up book. pretty pretty sweet.
last october i wrote about the major disconnect with the toyota truck world of worldcraft commercial. not only did the commercial not make sense in terms of the game environment but it tried to hit an audience which i believe still isn't familiar with "wow."
well another automaker is trying their hand at blending in video games for the release of their new car. pontiac teamed up with the NES classic Spyhunter to promote the launch of their new pontiac g8 gt. the video can be seen below and i must say connects the two properties well. it gives the g8 gt a great environment in which to showcase the sexiness of the car while managing to stay true to the original game which was a huge hit amongst NES fans.
good job pontiac!
last year i wrote a letter, ahem...blog, to britney spears giving her my recommendation on making her way back to stardom. while i didn't specifically write it into the blog it has always been my feeling that she's basically following in the footsteps and a wanna-be madonna. however, in respect to madonna, i mean following in her footsteps by hitting it big early...then becoming scandalous...taking heat from the public...going into refuse...and then coming back to be a big star again. speaking of madonna, did anyone see her induction into the rock & roll hall of fame and the iggy pop ray of light tribute performance? i mean, REALLY?!?!?!
anyhow - on people today they discuss britney's new video for her upcoming single "break the ice" and the fact that it will be an animated version of britney (most likely because she's incapable of filming a solid video anymore given her mental state). they say it was britney's concept although i find that hard to believe. anyhow even if it was, and perhaps the fact that it may be supports my case further, but she's still biting off cues from madonna. check out the 2:24 mark of the below video:
i can't stand traffic! i'm sure many of you feel the same sentiment. luckily our friends over in Japan from several universities have been researching the cause as to why traffic jams happen because there is nothing worse than sitting in stand still traffic for over 20 minutes only to start moving again without reason. i'm not saying i want to see a seventy car pile-up like in orlando as i begin to move at 70 mph but seriously...what's the friggin' hold up!
check out the article and check out the video from their study below:
imagine taking clients out to this restaurant - dinner in the sky - while it may win over the likes of richard branson, i think others would be scared sh*tless!
i've always been a big fan of adidas. much more so than the nike and reebok's of the world. i have mad respect for nike though and love their commercials but the kicks aren't my bag. speaking of adidas, that reminds me i've been meaning to purchase and check out this new book called sneaker wars that just came out. anyhow...back to the reason i was writing this in the first place - i saw a cool video promoting adidas originals and thought i'd share it:
