By: Vinayak Ahuja
It seems that everyone wants to get in bed with Advertising Week, North America’s largest annual Advertising Convention. Though, I believe it would be more appropriate to call it a Communications Convention considering that panels are offered on all aspects of the industry along with Advertising, including Marketing, Branding, Online Media, New Media, and for the first time this year Mobile. Yes, I know, New Media includes Online and Mobile, but I’m thinking ahead – what’s new today might not be new in ‘09.
Speaking of New Media, one of my favorite features of this year’s convention was WADV Radio, Ad Weeks official live podcast made available for its second year. The service is designed to meet the needs of conflicted and/or geographically challenged attendants, providing both live streams and downloads of all the panels hosted at the convention. The site also offers some special guest interviews and gathers the thoughts of industry leaders together, giving you an opportunity for a deeper learning experience. WADV really helps democratize Advertising Week in various ways and bring focus to its core mission: to educate and provide resources for interested individuals of all ages on what’s happing in media today.
Of course, no digital service could ever truly replace face-to-face interaction, which is frankly the best aspect of attending panels and events. Almost every panel and event I attended was filled to capacity including the Facebook Wrap Party and the Yahoo/Billboard pre-concert Happy Hour, and those who chose to attend gained an opportunity to rub elbows with serious players within their field of communication. I personally had an amazing time matching wits with a Branding VP as we discussed the values of brand science and the important role branding plays in driving sales.
For those of you who missed Advertising Week this year, keep in mind you’ll have another week in September 2009 to make up for (September 21st to 25th, save the date). And if you can’t wait that long, you can always make time to attend Canada’s Advertising Week coming up in 2009, between January 26th – 30th. The good news is Canada's Ad Week will be held simultaneously in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, with events in all cities during that week. But the bad news is that their Ad Week is scheduled 2 days before one of America’s biggest advertising days, the Super Bowl. Guess you’ll only be able to make both events if you Jet, literally.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sex Sells – Go Daddy Girls Help Build Brand Recognition for Godaddy.com
By: Vinayak Ahuja
Candice Michelle, Danica Patrick, and Amanda Beard have all played their roles in establishing brand recognition for Godaddy.com, but is that necessarily right for your brand? Whenever you flash hot breasts and tight ass in front of your product without some foundation to your message, your product will look just as cheap as your ad: it'll get a hell of a lot of attention, but in the end, no body really respects it. It all depends on your goals, and in highly competitive markets, brand recognition is more valuable than brand sensibility (an image or appeal that compliments your product or service).
Here’s a sense of what I mean: I'm assuming many of you've heard of Go Daddy or at least remember their commercials, I want those people to think about what Go Daddy does, and don't cheat by Googling... K, so for those of you who know that they are a hosting site, ask your self why they're better than any other hosting site. What particularly about Godaddy.com makes you want to select their service? You might be drawing a blank around this time, that's probably because a lot of hosting sites are more about security and function rather than about being easy, so sex was a bit off topic (at least the way they portrayed it).
But after a full year of not seeing an ad, they came to mind when I thought about this topic as something to write about. Go Daddy ads were actually too explicit to be seen on TV, their last being a 2007 Super bowl Spot that quite frankly was one of their best ads…actually, it was their only good ad. The video received almost a million views; it was funny, tasteful, and promoted the simplicity of their service. What really caught my eye was the news I read regarding Go Daddy TV while investigating, which unfortunately was even further disappointment that overshadowed my hopes for their branding efforts. The entire site, much like their home page, is way too busy to enjoy as a visitor. On top of which, they lack any content of interest and seem to revolve around Danica Patrick without having any direction for her or the site. Simply a waste of time.
It’s a shame since Go Daddy was on their way of building a sense of charm to their product, similar to Ax Campaigns (it's there, really; you just have to look for it). If you caught the blog I most recently posted before this one were I mentioned building brands via the web, you could consider this an amazing opportunity that's treading water and on the verge of sinking. And, if you had a chance to read my first blog, you'll realize a significant portion of the heat has cooled off as well; this ship may have sunk by now. For Go Daddy's sake, I hope they can work out all the bugs in their marketing and advertising departments and bring stronger direction to this excellent brand building opportunity.
Candice Michelle, Danica Patrick, and Amanda Beard have all played their roles in establishing brand recognition for Godaddy.com, but is that necessarily right for your brand? Whenever you flash hot breasts and tight ass in front of your product without some foundation to your message, your product will look just as cheap as your ad: it'll get a hell of a lot of attention, but in the end, no body really respects it. It all depends on your goals, and in highly competitive markets, brand recognition is more valuable than brand sensibility (an image or appeal that compliments your product or service).
Here’s a sense of what I mean: I'm assuming many of you've heard of Go Daddy or at least remember their commercials, I want those people to think about what Go Daddy does, and don't cheat by Googling... K, so for those of you who know that they are a hosting site, ask your self why they're better than any other hosting site. What particularly about Godaddy.com makes you want to select their service? You might be drawing a blank around this time, that's probably because a lot of hosting sites are more about security and function rather than about being easy, so sex was a bit off topic (at least the way they portrayed it).
But after a full year of not seeing an ad, they came to mind when I thought about this topic as something to write about. Go Daddy ads were actually too explicit to be seen on TV, their last being a 2007 Super bowl Spot that quite frankly was one of their best ads…actually, it was their only good ad. The video received almost a million views; it was funny, tasteful, and promoted the simplicity of their service. What really caught my eye was the news I read regarding Go Daddy TV while investigating, which unfortunately was even further disappointment that overshadowed my hopes for their branding efforts. The entire site, much like their home page, is way too busy to enjoy as a visitor. On top of which, they lack any content of interest and seem to revolve around Danica Patrick without having any direction for her or the site. Simply a waste of time.
It’s a shame since Go Daddy was on their way of building a sense of charm to their product, similar to Ax Campaigns (it's there, really; you just have to look for it). If you caught the blog I most recently posted before this one were I mentioned building brands via the web, you could consider this an amazing opportunity that's treading water and on the verge of sinking. And, if you had a chance to read my first blog, you'll realize a significant portion of the heat has cooled off as well; this ship may have sunk by now. For Go Daddy's sake, I hope they can work out all the bugs in their marketing and advertising departments and bring stronger direction to this excellent brand building opportunity.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
TV or Internet TV, What’s the Question?
Most recently, I had an opportunity to attend the New York Television Festival, which in synopsis is a genuin who's-who and who-to-know of the New York Television Production Industry. The festival features a little something for everyone showcasing industry pilots, independent shorts, and even some student films. But this year, they added a “Digital Day” to take a look at how the web has not only influenced television, but impacted the lives of creatives’ trying to make it in the industry.
To get a strong understanding of what online video has done to American media consumption, we aught to take a quick look at what television was for Americans back in the day, a highly social medium that had the power to gather families, friends, and neighbors together. But as television has became a more affordable staple of American living, our consumption of the medium has grown. In fact, I remember reading as a kid in my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan club magazine, somewhere between the article about Komodo Dragons and Michelangelo’s favorite pizza toppings, that average daily American television had grown from 2-4 hours a day to about 6-8 hours a day in 1990, and was projected to grow to about 12-14 hours a day by the year 2010.
The web for many of us (on a web video perspective) makes media available at an even more personal level and comes equipped with socializing tools that give audiences a chance to express their sentiments. I can not only watch what I want, when I want, I can navigate through the media almost seamlessly and uninterrupted, I can play infinite libraries of content back to back for as long as I’d like, and after I’m done having my way with this digital concubine, I can tell all my friends what I thought of the experience with as much or as little compassion as I’d like. Of course, one does need to be careful in regards to where they find their videos, or one might catch a virus.
So what does this mean for Television today? With web video increasing in popularity, how has it impacted our society and the way we will watch TV in the future? There’s a lot to cover on that topic, so much so that it would take me an entire day to summarize and a few hours for you all to read. What I will say is that web TV has become and will continue to be a strong, promotional resource for any artist, studio, or network, and though it has been difficult to translate values gained from the web directly into dollars, internet TV is still infamous for growing and develop brands virally. This is primarily because it is slowly replacing television’s role as our personal media provider and has various socialization features and options (tagging, send-to-friend, commenting, instant messaging) that make the experience more interesting as a whole – you’re alone, but you’re not really alone.
For shows that foster interest and attachment to immerse story line like Lost or Battle Star Galactica, providing web access to old content is literally the least you can do. And if you’re worried about resale (DVD and syndication), just schedule cycled programming of series, focusing on particular aspects of the story arc; this way, you maintain high demand for DVD sales and interest in syndication while maintaining low bandwidth and storage costs. And for you artists trying to make it in the scene, I can think of no better alternative to low-attendance, off-broadway plays, highly competitive festivals, and representation that avoids you like you have leprosy than your own mini-series on the web. Do these shows have to be high budget and expensive? NO WAY!! Check out some of the content on Goodie Bag or Barats and Bereta – a lot of it is very simple in production costs, but the former has developed a pilot scheduled to air in Canada this Fall and the later are represented by CAA. Not too shabby for productions that probably ran them about a few hundred dollars at max.
Be sure that I will revisit this topic in later posts, sometime next week most likely. Until then, feel free to comment and ask me any particular questions you may have. Congrats to all the submissions at the NYTVF, you were all amazing and I hope to see some more of your work soon. Here's a link to some trailers (not included in that list for some reason is Hit Factor, Wired City, The Other Highschool, Red Hook High, and The Department) for you all you thesbians out there. And special thanks to the NYTVF for not only putting together an amazing festival, but giving these artists a chance to be seen by some players in the industry.
-Vinayak Ahuja
To get a strong understanding of what online video has done to American media consumption, we aught to take a quick look at what television was for Americans back in the day, a highly social medium that had the power to gather families, friends, and neighbors together. But as television has became a more affordable staple of American living, our consumption of the medium has grown. In fact, I remember reading as a kid in my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan club magazine, somewhere between the article about Komodo Dragons and Michelangelo’s favorite pizza toppings, that average daily American television had grown from 2-4 hours a day to about 6-8 hours a day in 1990, and was projected to grow to about 12-14 hours a day by the year 2010.
The web for many of us (on a web video perspective) makes media available at an even more personal level and comes equipped with socializing tools that give audiences a chance to express their sentiments. I can not only watch what I want, when I want, I can navigate through the media almost seamlessly and uninterrupted, I can play infinite libraries of content back to back for as long as I’d like, and after I’m done having my way with this digital concubine, I can tell all my friends what I thought of the experience with as much or as little compassion as I’d like. Of course, one does need to be careful in regards to where they find their videos, or one might catch a virus.
So what does this mean for Television today? With web video increasing in popularity, how has it impacted our society and the way we will watch TV in the future? There’s a lot to cover on that topic, so much so that it would take me an entire day to summarize and a few hours for you all to read. What I will say is that web TV has become and will continue to be a strong, promotional resource for any artist, studio, or network, and though it has been difficult to translate values gained from the web directly into dollars, internet TV is still infamous for growing and develop brands virally. This is primarily because it is slowly replacing television’s role as our personal media provider and has various socialization features and options (tagging, send-to-friend, commenting, instant messaging) that make the experience more interesting as a whole – you’re alone, but you’re not really alone.
For shows that foster interest and attachment to immerse story line like Lost or Battle Star Galactica, providing web access to old content is literally the least you can do. And if you’re worried about resale (DVD and syndication), just schedule cycled programming of series, focusing on particular aspects of the story arc; this way, you maintain high demand for DVD sales and interest in syndication while maintaining low bandwidth and storage costs. And for you artists trying to make it in the scene, I can think of no better alternative to low-attendance, off-broadway plays, highly competitive festivals, and representation that avoids you like you have leprosy than your own mini-series on the web. Do these shows have to be high budget and expensive? NO WAY!! Check out some of the content on Goodie Bag or Barats and Bereta – a lot of it is very simple in production costs, but the former has developed a pilot scheduled to air in Canada this Fall and the later are represented by CAA. Not too shabby for productions that probably ran them about a few hundred dollars at max.
Be sure that I will revisit this topic in later posts, sometime next week most likely. Until then, feel free to comment and ask me any particular questions you may have. Congrats to all the submissions at the NYTVF, you were all amazing and I hope to see some more of your work soon. Here's a link to some trailers (not included in that list for some reason is Hit Factor, Wired City, The Other Highschool, Red Hook High, and The Department) for you all you thesbians out there. And special thanks to the NYTVF for not only putting together an amazing festival, but giving these artists a chance to be seen by some players in the industry.
-Vinayak Ahuja
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
My First Blog and My First Mistake
Thanks for coming to check out my blog; it's my personal first and I'm very excited. I hate to admit it, but I've already made my first marketing fopa (perhaps two since I couldn't confirm a proper spelling): I had asked potential readers to look for my blog earlier than I had anticipated for it to be up.
Think about what powers viral: word of mouth, words are only as valuable as the mouths they are being spoken from, which is what essentially translates credibility into power. Now, it isn't necessarily MY credibility at the moment I'm worried about; I hadn't spread the word to too many people as of yet, and I was only about a day late from the launch date I gave. What I've lost is the opportunity to give my potential readers (and some new friends) an opportunity to work their credit for me.
Don't take it the wrong way, no one feels mislead and there's certainly no negative sentiment (I would think), but there was no opportunity for my new readers to share potential information, and if you want to spread like wild fire, you want push your product when it's hot. In this case, a day (rather, a delay), significantly cools down that fire and may have perhaps snuffed flames all together. I'm very sure that I'll have to make an effort to update my potential readers on the blog, meaning I have to do the same work that I had originally done all over again.
And if I may go back to the example of wild fire: has anyone ever tried to start a flame up again after it's already been snuffed out? Even if you manage to get the fire going, it just doesn't burn as bright as it did when it first started. But the moment has passed and the lesson is learned, so now all I can do is apologize to my readers and make it up to them by buying them a round. It'll most likely be during open bar, but the sentiment will be there :-)
Speaking of open bar, I am off to the NYTVF to attend a panel on Reaching Women on the web. I guess the truth is out, I got into the online marketing business for the women ;-)
Think about what powers viral: word of mouth, words are only as valuable as the mouths they are being spoken from, which is what essentially translates credibility into power. Now, it isn't necessarily MY credibility at the moment I'm worried about; I hadn't spread the word to too many people as of yet, and I was only about a day late from the launch date I gave. What I've lost is the opportunity to give my potential readers (and some new friends) an opportunity to work their credit for me.
Don't take it the wrong way, no one feels mislead and there's certainly no negative sentiment (I would think), but there was no opportunity for my new readers to share potential information, and if you want to spread like wild fire, you want push your product when it's hot. In this case, a day (rather, a delay), significantly cools down that fire and may have perhaps snuffed flames all together. I'm very sure that I'll have to make an effort to update my potential readers on the blog, meaning I have to do the same work that I had originally done all over again.
And if I may go back to the example of wild fire: has anyone ever tried to start a flame up again after it's already been snuffed out? Even if you manage to get the fire going, it just doesn't burn as bright as it did when it first started. But the moment has passed and the lesson is learned, so now all I can do is apologize to my readers and make it up to them by buying them a round. It'll most likely be during open bar, but the sentiment will be there :-)
Speaking of open bar, I am off to the NYTVF to attend a panel on Reaching Women on the web. I guess the truth is out, I got into the online marketing business for the women ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)