Experience Manifesto

One Final Jab - AdJab

I was surprised to read that Adjab is shutting down today! I enjoyed reading them every day and will miss their POV. Sorry to see you go, guys!

Link: One Final Jab - AdJab.

Governor, mayor livid as Boston ad stunt spurs chaos - The Boston Globe

This story has been kicking up lots of press today -- apparently they were also in NY, we just didn't notice them at all! And this is with all of the extra security here in NYC because the President was in town. But as many of the stories point out, Turner Broadcasting, who was behind the promotional program, got lots more press for this then they could've ever expected. And they've even made an arrest, although if they were going to start arresting everyone who annoyed people by putting ads everywhere, well, let's just say our justice system couldn't handle that many people!

Now, this promotion was done in nine other cities, but apparently only Boston get freaked. It'd be interesting to try and explore what made it such an ordeal in one city, while in other cities, it was barely noticed. Was it a mob mentality, where one person getting upset or worried triggers so many other people to get upset? I’m guessing they’ll be lawsuits and cries for regulations (think Nipplegate) and Turner will see viewership of Adult Swim go up.

According to Adpulp, the promotion was done by Interference and they seem to have taken their web site down. I think that I’m speaking at a conference with Sam Ewen, CEO of the company, so it’ll be interesting to get his take on the whole thing. If he’s allowed to talk about it, that is! Will follow the story to see what happens next.

Enraged city and state officials today readied a legal assault against those responsible for an unconventional advertising campaign that dotted the city with small battery-powered light screens, setting off fears of terrorism and shutting down major roadways and subway lines for parts of the day.Article Tools

Authorities today were retrieving the 38 magnetic signs depicting cartoon characters under bridges, on storefronts, and outside Fenway Park, among other locations that were installed as part of a Turner Broadcasting System marketing blitz for a Cartoon Network television show.For hours, police treated the signs, about 1 by 1-1/2 feet with protruding wires and batteries, as potentially dangerous until they found one in a darker area, where the cartoon character pattern was clearly visible, triggered by an absence of sunlight. A Boston Police analyst later recognized the cartoon, and it was proclaimed a hoax -- drawing far more publicity than Turner Broadcasting System Inc. ever contemplated.

Link: Governor, mayor livid as Boston ad stunt spurs chaos - The Boston Globe.

Link: wbztv.com - Arrest Made In Boston's Hoax Device Incident.

Link: Ad scheme triggers bomb scare - Local & Regional - BostonHerald.com.

Link: TV Network Takes Responsibility For 'Hoax Devices' - News.

Link: Man arrested in Boston marketing ploy - Yahoo! News.

Link: Adrants -- Turner Broadcasting Marketing Stunt Causes Terrorism Scare In Boston.

Link: UPDATE: The Guy Who Installed Guerrilla Marketing Figures In Boston GETS ARRESTED - AdPulp.

Link: adfreak: A guerrilla campaign that really bombed .

Link: How bloggers worked the Boston 'bomb hoax' | csmonitor.com.

Cold Stone Creamery to Expand into Middle East

Can't wait to go back to the Middle East now!

Cold Stone Creamery, Scottsdale, Ariz., announced that it has reached an agreement with an international retail firm to open more than 40 stores in the Middle East over the next five years, according to The Business Journal of Phoenix.

Link: Cold Stone Creamery to Expand into Middle East.

BiZBash Event News: Response to Microsoft Launch Is Low on Wow

BiZBash has a great round-up of reports about the recent launch of Vista an most of the reports on now that good. Much like the product reviews, there seemed to be lots of flash, but not much else there. The only thing that got good reviews was the live billboard that they did in NYC. Of course, the product hasn't really gotten a good reviews either. Nothing bad, just nothing all that critical and most reviewers seem to think that it isn't a necessary purchase. Boy, compare it to the launch of the iPhone to see what a really cool launch looks like!

Some tidbits from BiZBash:

Tech blog Gizmodo compared the launch party to “a PowerPoint presentation in the flesh” and called it “a bit of a snoozer.”

“The theme of yesterday’s launch was ‘The Wow starts now.’ I just wish there had been a little more Wow.”

This Blog Sits at the: How Vince really feels about Jen (secrets revealed?)

Another take on authenticity from Grant McCracken. He’s got a number of really great essays on his blog, so take some time and and do some reading!

We can see why authentic is overtaking genuine in these circles. Genuine is too often merely nice. When we apply the term to something more than nice, we are usually giving praise for the extent to which the person so called has performed the social emotion in question in precisely the right way. (He told me he was sorry my dog Rickey had died. He seemed so genuine!) Genuine is about being true to your responsibility to saying and doing and of course feeling the right thing. Being genuine is distinctly not about being interesting, unexpected, spontaneous or unorthodox. That's authenticity's job.

Link: This Blog Sits at the: How Vince really feels about Jen (secrets revealed?).

Current Article from Marketing at Retail

Our latest article from Marketing at Retail is available and I posted a copy here. I had fun with this one, since it let me walk around Soho and go shopping! I've included a brief excerpt here and you can click on the link below to download the full pdf.

And give us a holler if you'd like to experience one of our famous walking tours first hand. You'd be surprised at the insight you can gain out on the streets, visiting large and small retailers and seeing what's really happening in the real world.

In many retailers today you'll have a hard time finding staff that can tell you where things are. But recently I've been visiting stores in our SoHo neighborhood where the employees can not only tell you where things are, but they can also tell you where they came from, how they were made. and anything else you could think to ask. Is this the new face of retail?

For years retail pundits have discussed the impact of online shopping on the physical retail space. And while many have debated the "will we shop online or in-store" issue, what they've often missed is how the online shopping experience impacts the offline shopping experience, not how it eliminates it. One thing that it really changes is the information available to us as consumers. The result: there's nothing worse then going into a store and knowing more about the products than the people working there. The online shopping experience impacts the retail experience by tipping the balance of what we know as shoppers vs. the sophistication of the retail sales staff.

So, take a look at the experiences you're delivering right now and ask yourself this. 25 years from now, will one of your employees see something that brings back those memories and feel elated and excited knowing that they were part of it? Or will they be thinking I can't believe I used to do that. What a waste. We spend so much time trying to figure out how to create great experiences for our guests, but many times we don't even think about the employees. And if they're not feeling the elated and excited first, your guests never will!

Download mar06.pdf

Link: Experience Manifesto: WDW Electric Light Parade.

BBC NEWS | Business | YouTubers to get ad money share

Not really news here, since we all knew that for $1.6+ billion, they had to figure out some way to make money on YouTube! Now the pressure's on us -- after all, we predicted that when youtube starts running advertising (either pre or post-roll ads or whatever format they come up with), their traffic will drop by at least 25% and people will move onto whatever's next -- and advertising free.

YouTube founder Chad Hurley confirmed to the BBC that his team was working on a revenue-sharing mechanism that would "reward creativity".

The system would be rolled out in a couple of months, he said, and use a mixture of adverts, including short clips shown ahead of the actual film.

YouTube has more than 70m users a month and was recently bought by Google.

The offer applies only to people who own the full copyright of the videos that they are uploading to the YouTube website.

Love what John Battelle had to say about the announcement and couldn't have said it better myself!

But the way it was spun really struck me as impressive. Instead of "YouTube to Run Ads," the headlines were "YouTube to Share Revenue With Creators." Well played, my man!

What's most amazing to me is that he made this announcement while speaking at the World Economic Forum! I mean seriously, does he deserve to be on such a stage with leaders involved in trying to change the world?

Link: BBC NEWS | Business | YouTubers to get ad money share.

Media.Summit.New.York

Victor Harwood brings the Media Summit back to NY on February 7th & 8th. With keynotes by Barry Diller & Rupert Murdoch and a speakers list that includes some of the best names in the industry, this is always a big event! Victor's been doing these conferences for lots of years and he was one of the few people who started doing these programs because he really believed in it, not just to jump on any bandwagon. You get an excellent range of views and this is a group that will be leading us somewhere in the future! Click on the link below for the full list of speakers and registration information.

Link: Media.Summit.New.York.

Maybe ad agencies don't get it, after all

Bob Jacobson has a great piece about the closing of the IPG Consumer Experience Practice. Having been in the experience conversation for 15+ years, I wish that I had been as articulate as Bob was here! Amen, brother!

Old line marketers and ad agencies still have a problem with developing new knowledge that can't be sold, unlike Google and other new-media leaders that correctly perceive in knowledge a currency more valuable than dollars. Knowledge can be exchanged for more knowledge, which in turn creates generative value (nearly infinite).

Link: Maybe ad agencies don't get it, after all. Total Experience.

Lunastage - 2006 - 2007 Season - Honor and the River

Just got a note from Dave Feldman, an old friend from college that he and another Oneonta alumni, Nancy Robillard, are doing a show right here in Montclair! So, if you're in the area, make sure you see the show!

Drawn to its “unabashed theatricality,” Nancy Robillard directs Anton Dudley’s new play Honor and the River at Luna Stage which will open on February 3, 2007. Set against the tempestuousness of the river and driven by the competition of spring rowing season, one young man confronts his father’s death while another grapples with his need to express his emotions in a world that discourages such vulnerabilities. A fragile friendship struggles to grow under the weight of expectations and as their parents forge an unexpected and intimate bond. Inspired by pastoral rowing paintings by Thomas Eakins, Dudley’s lyrical, wry drama is the third of Luna’s season and features Reathel Bean, David Michael Holmes, Andy Phelan, and Carolyn Popp. It previews February 1-2, opens February 3 and continues its run through February 25, 2007.

This witty, biting tale, set against the romantic backdrop of a New England river, deals with a teenage boy who confronts his fear of water, the ghost of his drowned father, and an enticing, yet demanding friendship as he gears up for the spring rowing season at his boarding school.

Link: Lunastage - 2006 - 2007 Season - Honor and the River.