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As a follow-up to my previous post, I have just learned that there are still some spots open for this event and anyone in NY who would like to go can register for free here. If you work in media or simply have an interest, this event may well be worth your time.
Interesting interview by Mark Hurst on the Good Experience Blog with Andre Haddad, Vice President of eBay's Design Labs. Mr. Haddad is in charge of the user experience (which he calls UX) for eBay's 114 million registered users. Good read.
MSInteractive's Perception Analyzer® system will be used for interactive audience participation at Dynamic Logic's CrossMedia Forum 2004 - Night of the Media Heavyweights. This New York event on October 4, brings together media executives from cable, radio, outdoor, direct marketing, magazines, television, newspapers and Internet to discuss the value of their medium in front of advertisers and media buyers.
MSInteractive will use the Perception Analyzer to ask questions of the audience and gauge the audience's level of agreement with the opinions of the panel members. The discussion moderator will then use the real-time data to dig deeper into why audience and panel members feel the way they do.
Sponsors of the event, in addition to MSInteractive, are ADWEEK, DOWJONES Integrated Solutions, ESPN.com, MEDIAWEEK. More information on this year's event can be found here and a wrap-up of last year's event can be found here.
I'll be running the Perception Analyzer system at the event and if anyone reading this plans to be there, please stop by and say hello.
In honor of Advertising Week 2004, Yahoo! and USA Today conducted a survey of people's favorite advertising icons and slogans.
The winners are...
America's Favorite Icons, Top Five:America's Favorite Slogans, Top Five:
- M & M Characters®
- AFLAC Duck®
- Mr. Peanut®
- Pillsbury Doughboy®
- Tony the Tiger®
- Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (M&M's)
- Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. (Almond Joy/Mounds)
- Where's the beef? (Wendy's)
- A mind is a terrible thing to waste. (United Negro College Fund)
- Can you hear me now? (Verizon)
Proctor & Gamble reports that Crest's appearance on last week's episode of The Apprentice resulted in "the highest level of online interest in a single product launch in P&G history." With the offer of free samples and a contest for the best marketing idea submitted via the web site, "increased Web traffic started immediately after the show aired, with more than 800,000 hits in just two hours. In addition, more than 40,000 samples of the product were requested and more than 20,000 applicants submitted ideas on how they would have created buzz."
With the effectiveness of television advertising being questioned of late and advertisers moving more and more ad dollars to alternative outlets, this kind of paid placement is an example of creative marketing that may just pay off.
via [Lost Remote]
According to this article, teachers spend an annual average of $458 dollars out-of-pocket on school supplies for their students. We're talking basics like paper, printer cartridges and pencils. Some receive partial reimbursements and/or tax breaks, but those are getting harder to come by and many teachers say they will still do it because the kids need it. Contrast this to expense reports we are all surely used to submitting and approving that include every nickel and dime, from big ticket items to a box of paper clips purchased while on the road. I'm not saying that everyone shouldn't be reimbursed for every penny, because they could be, but the dedication shown by these teachers is amazing.
The article also plugs and web site that matches teachers in need of supplies with those in a position to donate. I'll do my part and plug it here as well. iLoveSchools.com
Internet Retailer reports on Nielsen/NetRatings' current findings of the 10 most and least connected U.S. cities via broadband. While nationwide broadband penetration is 51%:
The top 10 cities most connected via broadband are:
San Diego, 69.6%
Phoenix, 68.4%
Detroit, 67%
New York, 66.8%
Sacramento, 64.9%
Orlando, 64.7%
Seattle, 63%
San Francisco, 63%
Los Angeles, 61.6%
Boston, 61.4%The 10 least broadband connected cities are:
Baltimore, 50.1%
Miami, 49.6%
Chicago, 48.4%
Denver, 48.3%
Minneapolis, 46.9%
Milwaukee, 39.3%
Salt Lake City, 35.3%
Pittsburgh, 33.3%
Charlotte, 31.6%
Columbus, 26.9%
via [Lost Remote]
Some good thoughts over at Bold Approach blog about the impact DVR's are having on television advertising and how to make advertising better overall.
Dave also links to an interesting Forrester study that delves deeply into this topic.
For more info, I previously looked at this topic here, here and here.
Perception Analyzer Dial.Log is 100 posts-old today. While 100 posts in six months (this blog launched on March 11, 2004) may not be a lot by blog standards, I am pretty selective about what I post and feel a strange sense of accomplishment with this milestone. Yet, I have struggled of late with where this blog should go. At first, the idea was to have a business blog that combined industry info that would be of interest to my clients and prospects with info about my company's specific products and services. I quickly realized that the two didn't mesh very well in the same blog and this soon became a blog mostly about what I, and my company, know best - marketing, advertising, market research and customer experience. I figured if people liked what I had to offer here, some would click over to our corporate web site and see what we're all about. I try to post a good mix of stats, observations, links to interesting articles and real-life stories that are relevant to the aforementioned topics.
Over the past couple of days I have really enjoyed going back and reading over the last 100 posts. I forgot much of what I blogged about and actually found it fun to rediscover items I found interesting over the last six months. I find this blog is truly an extension of myself and of what my company has to offer. What I don't know is, what have my readers come to like most about this blog over the last 100 posts? Are there things of which I should do more or less? Do you like the mix and balance of this blog or would you prefer something different? If you enjoy reading this blog and would like to help me understand these points better (or just want to tell me what you think), please leave a comment. I appreciate your time and look forward to sharing the next 100 posts and beyond.
