portereport: 2010

Balls Were All the Buzz in 2010

In 2010, we were all socially buzzing about balls. More specifically, the balls shown in the Axe 'Clean Your Balls' commercial. According to Zeta Interactive, the ad beat out Nike's 'Lebron/Rise', Old Spice's 'Smells like a Man', and even Betty White's Snickers spot that topped the Super Bowl ad meter for the most-liked ad. To prove this out, Zeta claims to 'scour 200 million comments on social media, including blogs, tweets, message boards and other outlets, and then determines sentiment to arrive at its rankings'. Whatever, I'll buy it. That ad was hilarious. Even though Old Spice's 'Smells like a Man' crushed 'Clean Your Balls' on YouTube - 25 million views compared to 4.5 million. According to Zeta, it had better over all buzz. Check them out below.

Here is the complete list of top 10 socially buzzed ad campaigns. ~ p

Funny and Odd Google Search Results

So, remember, these Google search results are 'learned' from what the majority of other people look up. ~ p

Visa Gets into the App Game with New Trends Instead of New Technology

Visa has announced that its official iPhone App is available for free in the iTunes App Store. Essentially, it uses deals from a handful of partners and location-based technology.

If you're a Visa Cardholder and download this App, you will receive customized offers that can be redeemed online or in brick-and-mortar stores. The App will also give you a map and directions for locating retail outlets where you can redeem their offers, and it will also help you find nearby ATMs (nice experiential play, but does leading customers to ATMs make business sense? Maybe there are more cash advances on Visa cards than I think).

Visa is currently working with around 50 hand-picked retailers, including 24 Hour Fitness, Meineke, New York & Company, Holiday Inn, Hard Rock Café and Zales.

As for the customization, you will be able to select from a handful of categories to personalize the offers you receive, such as clothing, jewelry, travel, dining, entertainment, and other retail goods. And account holders with Visa Signature cards will get extra special offers in addition to the offers available to all Visa account holders (nice loyalty play for their best customers).

Frankly, this is cool, but I think it falls flat. It's nice to see Visa get into the Apps game, but this really feels like a combination of a mini-Groupon and Google Maps, with an added customization touch. Unfortunately, it seems like the customization is self-reported and not served up from learned behaviors.

If Visa could sign on all of their partners, enable me to make my purchases through my iPhone (a technology will be the next big thing, my guess, in 2011 and 2012), and customize offers based on the tracking of those other purchases...then I would be impressed. That would be an App that everyone would want and eventually think they needed.

I won't be downloading this App, but I'm sure some people will. Are you one of those people? Would you use this App? ~ p

To-Do List: 1) Get Whiteyboard, 2) Use it Everywhere, 3) Take Over the World

Somethings are so awesome it's tough to put them into words. Unless, of course, you have a Whiteyboard at your disposal, because anything you do write is just a wipe away from starting over.

So, yeah, this is a real company and they've made enough money to recently expand their product line to include WhiteyNotes, dry-erase sticky notes, and WhiteyPads, to-do list-type sheets.

As much as I like to affectionately poke fun at these products, I kind of want them all. I feel like I would be the most prepared man alive if I could take out one of these sheets or pads and congregate people around a to-do list whenever and wherever I was. I think it'd be like Survivor Man meets Robin Hood meets Martha Stewart. Speaking of which, Martha Stewart really would've benefited from a Whiteyboard or two in the clink. ~ p

Why Groupon Turned Down Google

If you didn’t hear, Google supposedly tried to buy Groupon for a reported $2.5 – 6+ billion. This story now sounds more and more real. When I heard it last week, my first reaction was, ‘Holy crap, that’s a lot of money! Is Google trying to buy their way into a hot trend again (see attempted Yelp acquisition last year) instead of building a true competitor? I mean, Groupon isn’t even making that much money, are they? Umm…are they?’ About 15-minutes of Google searching later, I answered my own question with a ‘Hell, yes, they’re making money!’ And it was a lot more than I thought.

This isn’t the next Twitter, this isn’t the next Foursquare, Groupon is a powerful business model with a two-way revenue stream from customers and businesses. They pull in about $20 million in revenues a month, and are projected to crush that in 2011 with $2 billion in revenues. With that in mind, my second reaction was, ‘Is Google getting cheap with their acquisitions? I mean, spending 10x to 20x or more on a proven Internet money-making machine wouldn’t have been given a second thought a few years ago.’ While multipliers aren’t what they use to be, I now think it’s more than that. Simply put, I think Groupon is choosing to not sell to Google because they see more potential and money in Facebook. As an example, their new service Deal Feed will be directly linked to Facebook. In their words, ‘We’ll be adding tons to the Deal Feed over time, beginning with making it more social: you will be able to connect your feed to Facebook and receive updates on what your friends are doing, such as when your friends buy deals, follow a new merchant or comment on an offer. This will be another fun way to find great offers – or just keep on top of what your friends are up to.’

Let’s take a quick step back. Two years ago, heck, one year ago, turning down this kind of money would have been crazy. A profitable Internet company choosing to not partner and align with Google, and instead strengthen services with Facebook, a social network that doesn’t really make much money, never would’ve happened. But this has been quite the year for Facebook, hasn’t it? They haven’t just changed the way we use the Internet, they’ve begun to truly redefine it from the World Wide Web to the Social Web. In doing so, they’ve also paved new Social Web highways for both Internet start-ups and big brands to make a lot more money than Google can offer.

Let me attempt to explain why this shift is happening. To start, the game has changed. We are no longer going to Google to search for everything from sports scores, movie reviews, weather, vacation spots, restaurants, keyboard cats, and so on. We are moving away from a search-based model and relying more on an influencer-based model. And the influencers that seem to have the most power are either real-life famous, or Facebook-friend famous, and to a lesser degree Twitter-follower famous. Basically, with so much crap on the Internet, and I say that affectionately, there is no way we can be served up relevant information and experiences without companies knowing a little bit about us. Facebook is that company. We have given them this information. This is why Facebook constantly fights to keep privacy laws less than private, and why Google wants to close the doors on personal data sharing, so they can even the playing field with Facebook and keep their stronghold on Internet advertising. And as much as Google and their lobbyists try to scare us into thinking the world will end if Facebook and their partner companies know that you have listed Justin Bieber as your fav singer…it won’t. If anything, your Internet experience will be more relevant and filled with less stuff you don’t care about by sharing that little piece of information. This realization is changing everything, and the people who are intimately involved with the construction of the Internet and all its utilities know that this is the future. Customers, however, are still a bit unsure. Luckily, Facebook’s model is working so well to constantly improve the customer experience, everyone will soon stop questioning the motives, and start connecting in more and more new ways.

Now don’t get me wrong. Google isn’t going away. They’ve been at the top of the Internet jungle for too long, and search still has its place. But when a company like Groupon turns down $6 billion because they truly think the Social Web has more money waiting…you gotta think that Google is increasingly becoming a fallback feature instead of the dominant Internet portal that it once was.

As Paul Smalera, Senior Editor of Fortune says, ‘Google is increasingly feeling like less of a value add. In its quest to be open, it's stopped feeling like a smart filter that brings the most relevant parts of the web to users of its search, and more like the actual wild, woolly, untameable raw web itself.’

Google once revolutionized the way companies connected to customers with their search-based advertising. But, when you think about it, were those companies ever profitable because of Google? Media organizations like the New York Times experienced huge search-based traffic but very little profitability. (Source: Fortune)

When you think about companies like Zynga and Groupon, however, that have leveraged Facebook’s social model, they are wickedly successful. Granted those companies are set up to monetize traffic in a way that most media companies are not, but they are still unarguably benefiting from a social, targeted, personalized data model that every company will need in order to get a piece of the potentially massive new wave of Internet money in the future. And, at the risk of sounding like a cliché…that future is now. ~ p

In Your Face™

The big news on the wire today is that Facebook has been given approval to trademark the word 'Face'.
While this makes sense...it is also kinda ridiculous. Unlike the greedy genius of people like Gene Simmons, who trademarked the Money Bag icon, this is a move to protect an already powerful brand. To me, I think it's overkill. If you've established your brand as a household name within a product category or across many, and someone tries to spring board their success by infringement on your name, it's a non-issue. You win.

Regardless, Facebook is just a payment away from trademarking the word “Face.” As of today the U.S. Patent And Trademark Office has sent the social networking site a Notice of Allowance, which means they have agreed to grant the “Face” trademark to Facebook.

All Facebook needs to do is pay the issue fee within three months of today and the “Face” trademark will be issued and be published in the official USPTO gazette and everything.

I wonder what will be next? Will Twitter trademark Twit? Foursquare trademark Four? Maybe I'll trademark Porter and make my fiancée sign her soon-to-be new last name with a TM above it. I think I'm onto something... ~ p

(Source: Techcrunch)

Funny Friday: Cat vs Gator. Bad ass.

Yet another cat starring in Funny Friday. I guess Ben Huh, CEO and founder of The Cheezburger Network, was right when he recently said that 'cats are always the centre of the Internet universe'. This is more bad ass than funny. But the idea is simply hilarious.

Facebook Email Will be More Than Email

I guessed this one right. Kind of. After I said, and many echoed, that Facebook was going to launch a Gmail killer, Facebook insists that was not their plan. But if that happens as a result of their re-invented message system, then I guess Facebook will have successfully changed email and messaging as we know it.

The system overhaul is still a bit of a secret. Facebook is currently rolling it out with an invite-only strategy right now, and will open it up for all to use slowly over the next few months. We're told that the revised system will better facilitate users needs and the 4 billion messages that are sent daily on Facebook by over 350 million people. Yeah, those numbers are crazy. It might be a while before you can test this system out for yourself, but in the meantime, check out this video to further peak your interest and hopefully answer some of your questions. ~ p

The Beatles on iTunes Was My Second Guess

Good for Yoko Ono for finally giving into the pressure of iTunes, and realizing that fans, including me, want to hear more, in the easiest way possible. Or maybe she's just running out of money. Either way, it's good for Beatles fans everywhere! ~ p

Miami, it's Time to Fan Up!

It saddens me that the Miami Heat bandwagon that I've jumped on has a lot more room than I would've thought. Especially at the beginning and end of games. It embarrasses me that they've had to put out a defense marketing strategy against their own city's fanship habits.

Really? I know it's nice out, and there are beautiful cars, and attractive people walking around all the time...but the rest of us who don't live in Miami would kill to see one of these games live and in person. Do you really need to be told to show up on time? The rest of the country, correction, the rest of the world sees all the empty seats every game until around the end of the 2nd quarter - just in time to hit the bar. Come on, Miami. Fan up. The world is watching. ~ p

Stickybits Could Make Your Brand Stick to Loyal Customers

Geo-targeting social services like Facebook Places and Foursquare are all the rage. And by rage, I mean obsessive behavior. Hey, I get it, I'm cool (sometimes), I 'checkin'. But when my friends start checkin-to their own living rooms, it makes me wonder...why didn't I think of that first?!

With so much attention on ourselves, a company called Stickybits has developed a platform that draws the focus away from us, and onto the products we like, and then gives us free stuff when we scan a unique bar code. It's essentially a product checkin app. And it could be the next big thing.

Why is this cool? If I'm a company, like Ben & Jerry's or Pepsi (both partners of Stickybits), I can incentivize you to engage, buy, interact, and share my product. This is an interactive way to generate brand loyalty and, if your product comes in a case that people need to buy before they touch, it can also drive sales. As a consumer, this is an easy, and possibly really fun way to get free stuff from brands and companies you already have an affinity for.

Each product has its own product wall (check out Pepsi's here) filled with all the comments, photos, and videos left by Stickybits users. The new app adds a leaderboard, rewards & challenges button, and suggests tags to add to each post (“review,” “tip,” “question,” “random”). And, for the benefit of brands and customers, you can share each scan with your friends on Facebook or Twitter. For brands, there are also analytics and campaign management tools.

The key to this equation is how good the promotions will be. If Stickybits can convince their brand partners to serve up exclusive deals, like, say, Groupon, this will be a surefire hit. If all I get is a XXXL white, see-through T-Shirt, the stickiness of this idea will fall flat. Check out (not in) stickybits.com for more details. ~ p

(Source: Techcrunch)

Apple Announcement will Change How You Listen to Music

Apple has an announcement coming tomorrow. Any guesses? Word on the street is that they are 'killing the MP3' file format by introducing a live streaming function. From the sounds of it, this would be cool and make a lot of sense. Basically, you and everyone else would access your music through a 'cloud' storage service, instantly streaming and playing music on your iTunes enabled device. This is a logic step moving forward. Why would we keep a catalogue of music, eating away our personal storage space, when we could simply access it in the same way from Apple's cloud? It would be even cooler if we could simply type in our user name and password and access our music from any iTunes-enabled device, mobile or not.

The only hurdle I currently see is people, including me, who do not have an iTouch, iPad, or iPhone and, therefore, do not have Internet or cloud capabilities on our iPods. I'm sure Steve Jobs simply sees that as an opportunity for me to upgrade my device and give him some more money. I can't blame him. I would buy a new device for this service. But first, let's see if tomorrow is indeed a day not worth forgetting. ~ p

Topguest 2.0: Will Virgin American Airlines Build Loyalty with Virtual Checkins? I Think Yes.

Topguest is a new platform that gives travelers loyalty points and rewards for checking in on geolocation applications. Since its launch earlier this year, you've been able to check in using Brightkite, Gowalla, Foursquare, Twitter, Google Latitude, Yelp and Loopt. Not only did you get the standard benefits, badges or promotions from the apps you used to check in, you also got rewards from Topguest when you checked in at a partner location.

You could see this app partnering with a loyalty company from miles away. Sure enough, with Topguest's 2.0 platform launching today, they are introducing some major changes, including a new partner in Virgin American. The new version also only supports Facebook Places and Foursquare, with a new mobile application for Android and iPhone.

Using the platform, Virgin will users frequent flyer points in exchange for their checkins — a first for any airline. As Mashable reported, 'Virgin America guests can now earn an additional 25 Elevate points per checkin to Facebook Places or Foursquare — at the airline’s airport terminals or baggage claims — for a total potential of 50 extra points per flight.'

Brett Billick, Director of CRM for the airline, expands on that point: “Our innovative in-flight amenities have attracted some very tech and social-savvy flyers, so it is only fitting that we are now the first airline to offer its guests frequent flyer points for virtual checkins. Given the rapid growth of location-based checkins, this is something our flyers have actually been asking for — and we think it will give guests a compelling way to earn real world rewards for virtual checkins,”

Virgin America is just one of many new partners. The startup has formed a strategic alliance with Hospitality Marketing Concepts, meaning Hilton HHonors, Doubletree Hotels, Wyndham Rewards, Choice Privileges, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Thompson Hotels, and Avis Car Rental are now participating as well.

This is big. Other virtual checkins from loyalty programs and companies will follow. As a quick aside, look for Facebook to make a splash of their own with Facebook Credits being used as loyalty points to reward checkins. This is just a hunch. Another prediction is that we will ultimately be able to use those earned Facebook Credits to buy real-world merchandise, online and off-line. But that's another story. ~ p

Funny Friday: Fart Blanket

You can't make this stuff up. How much money did this person sink into this stinkin' idea? When they are using 'the same type of fabric used by the military to protect against chemical weapons." you gotta think it's a lot. I hope this is real, because my Christmas shopping is now officially done.

Facebook to Launch Gmail Killer. Register Your Facebook Vanity URL Now.

Facebook has seemingly done it again. Speculation is rising about Facebook launching a full-email service that will integrate with and revamp the current Facebook inbox messages. It's code name has been called Titan, and it's said to be a 'Gmail killer'.

Facebook announced a special press-only event for this coming Monday, and it's strongly believed that they will use the event to launch their highly anticipated service.

As TechCrunch points out, 'Facebook has the world’s most popular photos product, the most popular events product, and soon will have a very popular local deals product as well. It can tweak the design of its webmail client to display content from each of these in a seamless fashion (and don’t forget messages from games, or payments via Facebook Credits). And there’s also the social element: Facebook knows who your friends are and how closely you’re connected to them; it can probably do a pretty good job figuring out which personal emails you want to read most and prioritize them accordingly.'

The word on the street is that your email account name will be the same as your vanity url. As an example, mine is facebook.com/portereport, so my email will be portereport@facebook.com.

If you don't have a vanity facebook url, you should really consider registering for it before Monday. With 500 million users, you might get stuck with YourName1223598952@facebook.com. And that will just be annoying for everyone.

Or, if you have a vanity url that is, well, not something you want everyone to see and type, like some friends of mine, you might want to change it up. To do so, simply go into your 'Account Settings' and edit your 'User Name'. ~ p

Protect Yourself from Drunken Social Media and Emailing. You Know Who You Are...

Back in the day, it was called 'drunk dialing'. Then it evolved into 'drunk texting'. Now it's 'drunken social media'. We've all been there. Had too much before or after the bar and sent an FB message to a co-worker, an ex, some random chick you saw tagged in a photo on your buddy's wall...umm...anyway...moving on. You wake up the next morning feeling kinda stupid. Well now you can protect your sober self from your drunken self.

This week, web security company Webroot released a new browser plugin called “The Social Media Sobriety Test” with the tagline, “Nothing good happens online after 1 a.m.”

I know. Where was this plugin last Saturday night? Now you can at least prepare for next weekend.

After you download, it'll ask you to set your hours of intoxication, and if you try to sign into Facebook, MySpace, or even Gmail or Hotmail during that time, you’ll be asked to pass a test. Be cautious that you don't get caught at an afternoon 'client lunch' and you play outside your set hours.

It also currently doesn't work on a mobile device, so your iPhone, Blackberry or Android could still be your enemy when you're out on the town.

Regardless, this is cool. I will definitely try it with my buddies the next time they're over. ~ p

Funny Friday: I've Got An iPhone

Let me speak frankly for a minute. True fact: cats and porn rule the Internet. There is one word I could use to sum those two things up...but this is a family-friendly blog. Seriously. It seems like all you need is a ridiculous song and a dancing cat and - BAM! - you have a YouTube sensation. Hey, works for me. Warning: You might not be able to get this song out of your head. Have a laugh. It's Friday! ~ p

Angry Birds Paper Cutout Movie

What's the difference between someone who has a job and someone who doesn't? The person with a job plays Angry Birds on the way to work. The person without a job makes a movie about Angry Birds using paper cutouts. Here's to unemployment! Enjoy. ~ p

Glasses-Free 3D Mobile Device from Sharp...the 3D HD Glasses-Free TV Can't Be Far Behind.

Boy. I'm glad I didn't just spend a few thousand bucks on a 3D HD TV. If you're one of the few who did, you might not want to continue reading. I did enough research to know that 'they' were working on a 3D HD TV that you could watch without wearing goofy glasses. Now it seems like it's going to become mainstream sooner than expected.

But this post isn't just about a 3D HD TV (I can't resist the ridiculousness of the three syllable acronym) coming to market, it's also about a 3D Mobile that's being developed by Sharp for Android...that will not require 3D glasses. I draw the quick correlation to 3D HD Glasses-Free TVs because I have a Sharp Aquos and it's amazing - still everything I need for the best HD experience after 4 years.

If Sharp has developed this technology for commercial use on a mobile phone...you know that their 3D HD Glasses-Free TV isn't far behind.

Regressing back to the 3D Mobile. The working names are Galapagos 003SH and 005SH, both handsets sport 1GHz Snapdragon CPUs, Android 2.2, and a 3.8-inch 3D-capable display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution. The main difference between the two phones is the full QWERTY keyboard on the 005SH, but 003SH makes up for it with a slightly better camera, a 9.6 megapixel model capable of recording 720p video, while 005SH sports a (still formidable) 8-megapixel camera.

If you're wondering about 3D content (or lack thereof) for the device, you have a good point. Not much will be supported off the start. But Capcom has announced the 3D versions of their games Mega Man, Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Gold Knights, and Resident Evil: Degeneration for Android, and the first smartphones to feature these games will be the 003SH and 005SH from Sharp.

The 003SH is coming to Japan’s Softbank this December, and the 005SH is due February next year. ~ p

(Source: Engadget)

Go to the Mall with Your Friends Without Leaving Your Living Room: eBay Group Gifts.

I go to the mall on my own. This is because I never to go the mall unless I absolutely have to for birthday or Christmas present reasons. If you ever see me in the mall with others, you can know that I've been dragged there against my will.

I am not the norm.

I realize that groups of people socially shop all the time. They always have and always will. But with online shopping getting more and more of our hard-earned money, the whole 'group shopping experience' has been dying.

Not any more.

Social Shopping has been gaining speed, I'm told. It even has an official term: Social Commerce. As far as I'm aware, this has been done through the means of Social Media users and separate, non-convergent technologies. I actually experienced this over the weekend as my Mom and Dad used their Blackberry to take a picture of a shirt that they thought I'd like as they were shopping and emailed it to me before buying it. I did not like it. That Social Shopping, er, Commerce exchange saved them money. And it saved me the guilt of letting it sit in my closet unworn. Win-win.

To capitalize on this insight, today eBay announced the launch of its Group Gifts service, enabling people to use the power of their social networks to collectively purchase gifts.

Andy Palmer, manager of buyer experience for Group Gifts, shared why they came up with this service. “The inspiration came from a couple of places. First, eBay saw that people were using social websites to buy virtual gifts for their friends at a very high frequency. We thought that it made sense to take that to the next level and help people come together to buy actual gifts. Perhaps more importantly, eBay recognized that the process of group gifting as it exists in the world today can be difficult and frustrating at times, which is a shame because giving as a group is a wonderful way to give people bigger, better gifts without spending too much during these tougher economic times."

Makes sense, Andy. Makes sense.

There are also other cool features, like 'Social search suggestions'. “Social search suggestions are gift suggestions eBay makes for your friend based on information we’ve pulled from their Facebook profile. These suggestions are what eBay considers ‘targeted inspiration.’ You’ll see a results set after clicking on one of the suggestions that will be relevant to your friend’s interest while delivering a broad spectrum of related items."

You can also, of course, ask friends to pitch in on a gift for someone. To do this, you can send email invites or Facebook invites privately; spread the word publicly by posting on Facebook or Twitter; or share the unique group gift URL, which directs users to the group gift page.

Cool. If I liked shopping I would do this. And as someone who does not like shopping, in fact, I would still join in on the fun. ~ p

(Source: Mashable)

Funny Friday: Dogs Attacking Leaves

If only attacking leaves would make me this happy. Then again, I've never really tried to attack a pile of leaves. I'll be right back. ~ p

Funny Friday: Cats Fake Getting Shot

Don't worry, PETA. No animals were hurt or shot in the making of this video. But Keanu Reeves should be worried that his next role might go to one of these cats. Play with sound. ~ p

Spooky Time-Traveling Cell Phone User...Real or Fake?

I don't get scared. I'm not bragging, I just literally don't get creeped out by Halloween movies or gory costumes or, well, anything. Heights can sometimes freak me out. And I'll sometimes 'jump' if you can startle me. But that's about it. Knowing this, to get my adrenaline going, I like unusual, interesting stuff that makes me ask questions, like magic tricks. This video falls into that category.

Irish filmmaker George Clarke created a YouTube video that has gone viral this week. It shows a cellphone-using “time traveler” attending the 1928 premiere of Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus.

I watched it, and it's very convincing. Who knows? It could even be 'real'. But, with that time traveler theory, as I often do, I started to ask questions, like 'Who is on the other end of the phone?', 'How does a cell phone work when cell phone towers haven't been invented yet?', and 'Does her cell phone company charge her for long distance minutes?'

Also interesting is the profession of the guy who 'found' this gem. He's a filmmaker. Is it possible this has been fixed? Likely.

Or maybe, in the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'

Take a look and judge for yourself. ~ p

Twitter Worth $1.1 Billion. Haven't We Learned Anything?

Twitter was recently evaluated at $1.1 billion. I'm a Tweeter, and I even claimed that one day, Twitter could surpass Facebook in terms of size and revenue. That's because their system is simple and single-focused in an increasingly mobile, short-attention-span world.

But $1.1 billion? THEY DON'T HAVE A REVENUE STREAM!!!!

Isn't this, in part, why Capitalism failed us in 2007-2008? People falsifying markets and companies that have no business (literally in this case) getting valuations as high as they did? Just because it's cool, doesn't make it valuable. It needs to make money first. Doesn't it?

I'm not an economist. There are things that I don't fully understand. But I also think that the complicated systems created by Wall Street got us into the mess we were in and still are fighting through in some parts of the country. This rang true in Michael Moore movie Capitalism: A Love Story, when he asked members of Congress and Wall Street bankers to 'define a dividend', and no one could.

Don't get me wrong. I like money, and I want more of it. I also understand that Capitalism is a great way to get me there. Real Estate investments won't always come through. I am, by definition, pro-Capitalism...but are there limits! Stock, even internally with employees and investors, should not be traded when they company hasn't made a dime. It sounds too close to a trick being performed at the circus. Only time will tell who are the clowns. ~ p

(Source: TechCrunch)

Lebronathon: Epic New Nike Ad for Opening Night

It's time. Opening night in the NBA. I've waited like a kid who, for the first time, fully understands what it means to wake up on Christmas morning.

Awesomeness.

It's been a rough off-season for Lebron fans, as some say. But I think this has been the best off-season since Grant Hill, Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady flirted with teaming up in Orlando. But, instead, it actually happened.

Lebron's Decision, and I feel like I might get stoned for saying this, was the most exciting moment in sports, outside an actually sporting event, that I've ever seen. Everyone I knew was on the edge of their seats watching him talk about who knows what with Jim Gray. No one knew with absolutely certainty what was going to happen. Sure, sucks to be a Cleveland fan, but how is it really different than when other free agents flee? Chris Bosh told Raptors fans over a streaming internet feed on ESPN with Wade at his side. It wasn't a one-hour special, but frankly, at least that was interesting.

Just by the numbers, most notably ESPN's Player Efficiency Rating, Lebron has been the most dynamic and talented player to ever put on a pair of shorts since Jordan. But when people say that he will be or not be the next Jordan...they're missing the point. He will not be. And that will truly define his greatness. Jordan wasn't the next Magic or Bird. He was the one and only Jordan. Every great person defines himself against no one but himself.

Okay, rant over. To cement the awesomeness I was talking about earlier, Nike has launched a new commercial that is an instant epic classic. Enjoy. ~ p

Xbox (Microsoft) Kinect launches $500 million campaign

The ads for Microsoft's new controller-less Xbox stystem, Kinect, have surfaced. AdAge reports that they are rolling it out with a $500 million budget. Yeah, wow. Luckily, I think they're great, so as much as they're bound to get annoying with that many impressions over the media, it will take a while. Plus, it looks like they've done numerous executions to keep interest high. The only suggestion I have for Agency215 (Xbox's AOR) is to end with a big Super of a Microsoft logo.

Yeah...I just suggested to end with a huge client logo. Here's why - these commercials are cool. Not overly hard to do when your product is wicked, but it's also easier than you might think to screw it up. Microsoft, as a brand, has suffered in the last few years. Their commercials and, well, marketing, has kinda stunk. So now, as customers, we don't associate with them as much as we once did. But this product is so good that it can remind us that, 'Hey, these guys were cool and relevant at some point. They were the ones who commercialized this whole personal computer thing. I should like them again.'

Sony has another opinion on Microsoft's new system. They've softly launched a defense campaign to counter with the benefits of their new Move controller, trying to convince anyone who will listen that it makes for a better gaming experience. I have a PS3 and I love it. But if I had both of these systems at my disposal, there is a good chance that the Kinect might soon become the Swifer to my PS3 mop.

What do you think? Is this something you would buy or want as a gift? ~ p

Starbucks Rolling Out Mobile Payment: Will this Slow Down Service?

Starbucks is brewing up some fresh thinking lately. I wrote about one of their Seattle stores offering craft beer and local wines last week, and I tweeted about their new Starbucks Digital Network, now they're rolling out their Starbucks Card Mobile Payment program into 300 stores in New York and Long Island.

Starbucks Card Mobile for iPhone and BlackBerry lets users pay for their coffee by holding up the 2-D barcode on their smartphone to the scanner at the counter. The application also allows customers to manage and reload their Starbucks Cards.

“We’re seeing more and more customers using their smartphones as their mobile wallets,” says Brady Brewer, vice president Starbucks Card and Loyalty. “We’ve heard from our customers on My Starbucks Idea that they want a faster, more convenient way to pay.”

A mobile payment device is faster? Interesting. In the Quick Service Retail industry, loyalty cards and alternative payment devices tend to fail and/or meet a lot of criticism both internally and externally. There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is that it slows down the line, and the experience. It doesn't traditional speed it up. I haven't tried this Card program yet, but from my 2-D interactions so far, it's not as fast as it often promises to be.

Regardless of the past, if anyone can figure this hurdle out, it's Starbucks. They recognize that mobile is an increasingly important avenue for them, and other should take note. The company reports that more than 50% of all logons to its free in-store WiFi are made via mobile phone, and that of its smartphone-carrying customer base, 71% have an iPhone or BlackBerry device.

The ultimate goal of the program is to get customers to trade in their physical Starbucks Cards for the digital variety — it’s a time saving exchange for the customer and a cost saving exchange for the company. Already, one in five of all in-store transactions are paid for via Starbucks Card (mobile or physical), and more than $1 billion will have been loaded on to cards by year’s end. ~ p

(Source: Mashable)

Getting Ready

I'm lucky. I don't have to deal with this every morning, or every time we go out for dinner. But I know a lot of men do, and I think it's hilarious. ~ p