In times like these, everyone’s cutting back, right? Not libraries. I caught a local radio show in CT that had on the director of a local library. She was going on about all the programs they offer and how they’re open Sundays, (their busiest day). They were doing things like movie and martini nights in warm weather, book readings, concerts and job assistance seminars. This is in addition to the regular things they did like loan CDs and DVDs, which, have seen a major increase in use. Damn.
This is a library we’re talking about, right?
Only thing missing are massage nights. While she went on to say they are feeling the pinch, it’s not from a lack of interest in the programs and definitely not a lack of customers. (Just what the hell do you call people who go to the library anyway, readers, patrons, etc.?) The pinch comes from projected budget cuts in local municipalities. While they get a lot of donations in terms of DVDs, CDs and books, they count on the regular budget for the usual suspects like new books, staff, internet service, etc.
I thought okay, maybe this was just an isolated case, so I searched for other examples and found more than a few. Then I thought, well, makes sense, when’s the last time you heard of a library being closed? Firehouses? Sure. Post Office has to raise rates? Sure. Libraries in trouble?
(*Crickets*)
While I’m sure there are exceptions, even in my neck of the woods none of the local libraries seem to be having troubles. Last time I was in one was maybe a year ago; I don’t really have much need to go. I just have not seen a drop-off in book use like you hear with other forms of entertainment. Print may be dying elsewhere, but not there. (Even then, the Kindle could come in and save the day. That’s another idea for another day though.)
Best thing about libraries? You don’t have someone giving away the plot of a book to their date sitting behind you.
Maybe libraries are doing well because reading is universal and touches all age groups? It’s typically split among children, adults, older adults and a new audience taking advantage of free DVDs and job search services. Free is a pretty good hook to grab people with too. (Yes, some people actually have to use the library’s free internet or don’t want to pay rental fees for Netflix, don’t judge.)
Just seems funny that in age of all things internet that the most basic of media, books, still does as well. Especially how they’re distributed. Yes, there are book services that send you titles, or readers like the Kindle. But more drastic changes have taken place in how we get other entertainment, (music streaming evolved from CD purchases, watching movies online evolving from actually going to a theatre, etc.). Is it only a matter of time before libraries undergo similar change? Dunno.
Not unless they get rid of movie and martini nights.
All the pre-game talk about the two teams and about which ads will run, or all the talk after they run and how they did, but nobody ever predicts how they ads will actually do ahead of time. Sokay, Sobe it, I’ll take a stab at it. I’ve seen only one or two spots if that, but that’s still not the same as seeing them in the context of the game with other spots around them or the public weighing in on YouTube. (Past performance not being an indicator of future Super Bowl advertising success and all, all the Monday morning QBs are free to come back and laugh at my predictions.)
My rating system is based on how it will do, not the quality of the spot: pos, neg or neutral, (neutral as in, didn't hurt the brand, but didn’t knock it out of the park.) I based it on every brand running on Ad Age’s preview list, so if you think I missed a brand, just throw it in the comments.
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Anheuser-Busch - Beer. Guys. Humor. Clydesdales. InBev new owner. Hard to mess that formula up. Rating: neutral-pos
Audi - More auto porn for guys. Rating: neutral
Bridgestone - Talking animals has to figure in here somewhere. Rating: neutral
CareerBuilder - I love W+K, but you had me at chimps. You lost me and America without them. Rating: neg-neutral
Cars.com - Brand strikes me as being full of itself after last year’s spots, dunno why. Rating: neg
Cash4Gold.com - I actually think these spots will be some of the most talked about. Rating: pos
Castrol Motor Oil - Motor oil. Sexy. Rating: neutral
Coca-Cola Co. - Will hit that shit out of the park. (Or win by four TDs since we’re talking football.) Rating: pos
Denny's - Eh, liked the first spot I saw yesterday. New direction for them. Almost does it. Rating: neutral to pos
DreamWorks Animation/PepsiCo's SoBe - Yawn. Will be very anti-climatic because of all the hype now. Rating: neg E-Trade Financial - Speaking of, Look Who’s Yawning. Rating: neg-neutral
PepsiCo's Frito-Lay: Cheetos - Will be odd and stand out. Rating: pos
General Electric - Awwww. Technology and people. Together for a better tomorrow. Same old, same old. Rating: neutral GoDaddy - They should just merge with Bud. Rating: neg H&R Block - Look at tax preparation services! All crazy! Not so much this year. Rating: neutral
Hulu - Wild card here. As a TV network online, how do you reach people off? By doing something out there on the Super Bowl—with CP+B. Rating: pos Hyundai - I’ve heard one of the themes from them in local radio spots, (paying for your car if you lose your job), and to me it's a solid way to go. Any automaker who thinks they’ll just swoop in and take advantage of the Big Three sitting out this year by running crazy spots will hurt their brands. Honest, direct messages that recognize the economy’s problems will resonate. Rating: pos
Kellogg - How do you mess up cereal? Rating: neutral-pos
Miller - Not listed but they’re running a series of 1-second spots. It’s something that’s been done in the past before by other brands like Netflix with leftover time, but Miller will get a little WTF? factor from it here by going after Bud. Rating: neutral
Monster - Using TV as way to drive people to a website. I’ve never heard of that before. Rating: neg-neutral
NFL - Hard to mess this brand up. Feel-good stories with legendary ad director. Rating: neutral - pos
Paramount Pictures - When’s the last time you went nuts over a movie trailer? Rating: neg Pedigree - Awwwwwww again. America loves cute puppies. Mess this up and you should be put in a cage naked with bacon and pit bulls. (Wait, sounds like a PETA spot actually). Wait again, get the bacon ready because they’ll be walking away from the tone established with Dog’s Rule in favor of live action gags and cgi animals breaking through walls. Rating: neutral
PepsiCo Beverages - Yawn. Although I should give them a pos just for not having Britney this year. Overall, the 3-D spot will be hit and miss. How can it not when everyone in the audience won’t be able to see the thing that is supposed to make it stand out? I don’t see people being so crazy for glasses that they fall over themselves to go get a pair. Rating: neutral
Sony Pictures - Seriously, again. Movie attendance is down and we’re watching trailers? Do something new, please. Rating: neg
Taco Bell - Hmm, yeah, lol, okay. Whatever. Next.
Teleflora - I’m not sure they have enough brandness to them to compete, but, before Valentine’s Day and millions of guys watching? A no-brainer as far as placement. Rating: pos
Toyota Motor Sales USA -They don’t need to do something amazing because they’re the only ones there. Like I said, all an automaker has to do this year is not fumble. Don’t be cute and keep it on the ground. So act like you’ve been there before. (Like the football metaphors? Layin’ them on pretty good for you people.) Rating: neutral
Universal Orlando Resort - An “unprecedented offer” awaits America. Well, it better be with a promise like that. Either a free vacation for everyone who calls a special number in the next five minutes, or significant reduction on one. Otherwise, Houston Florida, you have a problem. Rating: pos
NBC Universal's Universal Pictures - Again, movie trailers. Who cares. Rating: neg
First, there was Ukrainian women, and tonight, it’s firearms training. Wth? Watching blip grow, I’m starting to see more and more problems though. At times kinda slow, yes, but the problems they face plague most start-ups: having enough people to upgrade site features and deal with the demand, up to the bigger concern of how do we get major funding. All sites have to make money, but it seems Blip will need major advertisers beyond the ones they currently have to take it to the next level.
Except the part where the discomfort they say you might experience actually feels like someone is taking a chisel to your tooth. Other than that, it’s fine.
Here I thought the hidden camera was going to be the new black for 2009. Nope. It’s the economy stupid. Can we stop with all the headlines for ads and commercials that rely on dread like “Tough economic times that we find ourselves in,” or “In a market like this one.” Please? Yeah, we know, it’s tough out there; don’t really need to be reminded of it 24/7. My work here is done.
Canadians just know how to skew other Canadians. The band Hollerado + warehouse masquerading as American Apparel factory + hot chicks = Dave Foley as Dov Charney. (Via Spy Films. In case you need Dov in higher res, try this.)
Creepy series of images from a Russian site of life during wartime and now. (My Russian’s rusty but I believe it has to do with the blockade of Leningrad.) As for the shots, next big thing? Who knows, but I could see more stuff like this taking off along the same lines as YouTube mashups and record cover memes. Then and now photos, simple stuff that makes you go, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Well, first off, you need old pics. Second thing? You’re too lazy, so don’t even get any ideas. Only place this would never worK? High school prom pics. Background on those things never change. (Via Jason.)
David at AdFreak covered Virgin’s lawsuit involving AdRants. All I can say is that AdRants has been blogging for a long time, and as I found out first-hand, they get a TON of shit submitted to them daily. So at this point, after how many years of sorting through countless releases that are checked for accuracy, to then have one ad come under fire, is ree-dick-u-lous. Even after skeptiscism regarding its origins was voiced in the original post.
Forgetting the Flickr fun Virgin had last year, if they can attempt something like this, couldn’t you argue that adsoftheworld might also be sued for posting DDB Lego ads without saying if they’re real or not? Ads that appeared to be taken from a photographer’s portfolio site from what one person said. At the very least, if real, they would do far more harm to the Lego brand than Virgin might suffer.
Wait, wouldn’t US Airways be the one to sue since the ad makes them look far worse than Virgin?
Based on this twisted ad-lawsuit logic then, Lego should be pissed. Because what’s next, suing me for even mentioning it? When words like ‘appear to be’ and ‘might be’ are the same thing as libeling someone on purpose, things are messed up.
Of course, if the Lego ads are real and not spec? Then DDB sure ‘appears to’ have chosen a pretty disturbing way of promoting a brand, ‘possibly’ hurting Lego’s image in the process, far more than that Virgin ad. What’s real, what’s not anymore, and does it matter? (If the ad is real and I’m wrong? Then someone needs to prove it. Email me with credits and the pubs they actually ran in and I’ll shout it out here about how “edgy” Lego advertising has become.)
Finally, all blogs have disclaimers of some sort. (Mine is actually tucked away on the lower right in the sidebar.) Given what I said earlier about sorting through all the submissions, AdRants’ disclaimer is very clear about the times when something like this might happen. Realizing that anything is litigious now, it still makes you wonder what’s the point of having a disclaimer if lawyers decide they can sue over anything?
(Btw, if you can, send a note to Steve and Angela. Not to be preachy, but it would be a nice move from anyone who benefited from the link love they’ve thrown out over the years.)
NFL rules: The 10 best-selling sports jerseys in all of America come from one league:The NFL.
Twitter. The people who use !!!!!!!! 15 exclamation points when none will do? Unless you’re being a total wiseass like me or you’re pushing for major tippage? Don’t. Ever.
“Thanks for the follow!!!!!!!!!!!!! Write back!!!!!!!!! Do you like unicorns?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?”
Those people are not being a wiseass, nor are they waitressing—they are being... well, they. The multiple exclamation point is not only the equivalent of the heart over the “i,” but the car with all the stuffed animals in the rear window.
(Fun with taglines, part 1. Aka, this is me trying to come up with a multi-part series and actually finishing one.)
So the age of Hope is here, with optimistic sodas taking over everything. With a new generation comes new dreams, a new spirit, right? Obama wants to repair the image of America abroad, and well, why not break the mold and go with a tagline to help win hearts and minds. We’d do the same thing with a new ad campaign, which is essentially what this is, no? Besides, if states can have them, why can’t the country as a whole?
“Come for the freedom—stay for the fast food.”
“Keeping Canada safe for over two centuries.”
“We’ll grow on you.”
Of course, New Hampshire’s Live Free or Die would be perfect if it weren’t already taken, so barring that, I’ll just throw it out to the crowdsourcing masses. If America had a tagline, what would it be?
This is it. One spot. The extent of my pre-Super Bowl ad hype, so enjoy it. Why? Because commercials are better when you don’t preview them and look at outtakes before the real spot runs, (the pretentious equivalent of letterboxing stuff to make it feel more important.) Samsung’s That’s How I See It Contest picked Dallas Cowboys fan Reginald Castillato tell his Super Bowl story. Don’t worry, we’re almost purged of User Generated Content. (Hopefully, by next year.) Anyway, his tale gets made into a commercial. Touching moment ensues! After hearing him talk about how he once snuck out of church to go watch the Super Bowl, I actually like the story though and the way he tells it. Problem is, like any other time fish out of water regular Joe meets slick production, you can pretty much guarantee the final spot won’t have the same down to earth vibe his demo did, because, well, they never do. You have been teased.
Even in ‘times like these’ Super Bowl pre-game ad hype is in effect. Me, I’m just gonna show up and watch Sunday and be surprised—like Christmas morning! If you’re around and have no life, then follow me, (or the blog feed), Adrants, Agency Spy and AdFreak on and their respective Twitter streams. Pound for pound, there’s no finer Super Bowl ad snark available anywhere. (Add your own ad comments via Twitter using the hashtag #superads09.)
No doubt this new music video for VV Brown’s LEAVE. will be ripped off and used in a JC Penny spot inside six months, only with ‘Fashions for teens’ instead of the song lyrics. (*sigh*) From Bugsy and Ross at oneinthree.tv.
Arriving daily? Not for long. That was one sign I saw at a local Circuit City this weekend. Figured why not go out and try and see what kind of deals were to be had off the bones of another soon to be big box carcass. 10% off? Here we come. Not sure what I expected to find, maybe overturned displays, empty shelves save for a lone In the Army Now DVD?
While it wasn’t quite that bad, death by liquidation is still imminent. All we can do is apply Kübler-Rossian logic to get us through this terrible time.
1) Denial. This can’t be happening. Where will I get my vacuum cleaner, Ludacris CD or digital camera in one place? Where else will I be able to find someone from another department working a department they know nothing about?
2) Anger. Know how many hours of my life I spent going back and forth between Best Buy and Circuit City in an attempt to save $10? A game I played way too often. Four hours back and forth to save $10, which was then offset by the cost of gas to get there.
3) Bargaining. None to be had. See, here’s where they and all the chains like this get you: While you think you’re all badass, coming in with that smug look and your half.com price comparison printed out at home, assuming they just have to match it, well, look closer: “Yes sir, that one is $50 cheaper. But that’s the XRG-199347733DM-a. The one on sale is the XRG-199547733DM-a.” BASTARDS!
4) Depression. I’m going to miss the talking TV spots.
5) Acceptance. Walmart will eventually be the only place to shop. We’re hooked on buying stuff we don’t need—especially if we think we can get a bargain on it, and who provides better bargains than them? It’s too bad people will be losing their jobs, but it’s the circle of shopping life: The Whiz > Circuit City > Best Buy > Walmart. Sure the other chains might have the high-end Sony, but dude, that’s a 37” LCD HDTV from LG for $400!!!!! Acceptance now turning to logic as you start to rationalize yourself into a purchase. “Ya know, that pic ain’t bad. Sure it’s no Sony—but, it costs half.”
If you can spot mpg, anti-lockbrakes or handling anywhere in that ad, I’ll refund your money. Try using “140 mph” as a selling feature these days. Yep. Just what soccer moms want.
So goes the conventional wisdom of people who say, um, “Twitter sucks, Twitter’s useless.” Sometimes they’re right. When I first started on it, the only criteria I used to follow someone was if they wrote something funny, cool or informative; maybe they put up a link to something useful too. You eventually figure this out within 5-10 updates of what someone writes.
Lately though, the next big thing has turned into a lot of repetitious noise, making it hard to find something that stands out. Still, it’s because of Twitter that I came across two photographers worth mentioning, one of which is the subject of this post.
An update on Twitter caught my eye today because I saw the word ‘amazed.’ (Actual word was ‘speechless’ but amazed makes the point better.) Now, regular users know that when someone on Twitter says something like that, it’s usually in reference to a salad they just ate or a tip on optimizing office workflow or their servers. (Don’t geeks always think everything’s “amazing?”) Thing is, read that enough times from people you follow and you become immune. But from new followers or others, you notice.
After clicking the link and going through the images found there, I was reminded how one discovery can make up for a lot of the uselessness on Twitter. I can put up with SEO tips on a Saturday night at 1:00 AM just because links like that redeem the mundane.
Katia Roberts works with some of the many homeless street children and teens of Seattle, hanging among them, shooting as well as keeping tabs on them. Regardless of your views on the issue of homelessness, whether you blame them or the system for their circumstances, the stories accompanying these stunning images cut through any of that.
The image above for example, seems poignant enough, until you hear the story about life on the streets from Annie McQuade in reference to someone actually caring enough to give her free food:
“The moment before his mercy is so different from the moment after.”
I wish I could naturally write like that, but truth like this is born out of experiences I just haven’t had. According to Annie, she’s trying to pull her stories together for a future book. (Helluva way to research it.)
Last time I saw something this compelling was Phillip Toledano’s portrait of his dad. Katia’s work is no less dramatic. She has several blogs where she keeps images, all worth checking out. The story above is found here. Her regular blog is iamkatia, as well as another with more images.
Still, so much of Katia’s story seems compelling.
According to her profile, her regular job is in HR, but when I see that she had trouble raising even a few hundred dollars to help feed the people in the pics, I’m guessing HR doesn’t pay enough.
I then looked through all of the images and read her accompanying writings, things like shop owners wanting the “eyesores” removed from view, (eyesores in this case being a dysphemism for homeless teens), then wondered further why some agency out there hasn’t hired her to shoot and/or write, because her work, her stories, are good. (Maybe they have, I don’t know. If not, email her and give her some work.)
And if you’re on the fence about Twitter and haven’t signed up yet for whatever reason, all I can say is that today, it didn’t suck.
Saw this ad from BBH/China for Bose. Graphically cool, with a semblance of an actual concept, sure. But this is Bose. The same Bose that runs direct response in the back of Crutchfield magazines you read while waiting to have root canal. Yeah. I could see how they’d outsource the good stuff.
Yet another reason the internet beats watching Judge Judy. Look, these things find me when I least expect. A video for snow auger equipment takes you to the promised land: “Your style and personality clearly expressed. Your correspondence is translated by professional translators guaranteeing that the women understand your views and intentions.”
Translators, or, “outcall.” Yes please to help, I will be needing views and intentions for Friday night.
From the Michigan files comes the now-defunct Armstead Snow Motors and their version of the Tucker. But does it work? DOES IT! It slices, it dices, it does donuts! NO PROBLEM. Look at that stick again. It’s almost nearly practically at least four feet deep! Although there’s no sound in the clip, you can pretty much guess the whisper-quiet tractor motor was about as pleasant as an Everglades airboat. Has it got speed? You betcha! Check out the head-to-head race—against someone walking. AMAZING. Mark my words, like mobile phones next year, the Archimedean auger-screw propulsion drive thing is gonna be HUGE.
I’d give them props just for using University Roman for the Prayer Cross logo alone, but brilliant genuine crystals layered in fine sterling silver for two easy payments of only $19.99 plus shipping and handling? Genius! But wait, there’s more: The neat Da Vinci Code feature of the hidden prayer message!* *Real fake sincere smile not included.
Ad Age published their Agency A-List and I saw that W+K wasn’t on it. While I don’t cover employee firings or agency wins and losses, this one seemed like a no-brainer. That’s like passing over Kobe for Darko Milicic.
David L. Mackie decided to see if Capital One would let him try any pic on their custom card site. Turns out, they do—until they don’t. After they realized the mistake of printing a celebrity image, they asked for the card back and threw David a $50 credit. Me, I’m waiting for the Gary Busey Mastercard.
You mean Bono, The Edge and ME? Hanging after the show at the Garden, maybe hook up with Sting later, then jet out to the coast for a taping of the... wait. What? They sent these to everyone? Oh. Shit. Nevermind then.
Nothing wrong with Pepsi’s new optimism and the big traditional thinking behind it, just as long as you remember life’s moments aren’t all happy and they aren’t only shared by teens. The brand resentments I had are alive and well because Coke once again connects on a smaller one-to-one level in a way Pepsi hasn’t. Guess Pepsi isn’t tired of relying on the same my/the/next/our/your generation iterations every 10 years, not to mention the done to death borrowed interest of pop culture and history. (Not to mention Coke’s Table spot from last year connected the world better than the Pepsi’s always been here with you during only the good times theme.)
Again, lifelong Pepsi drinker here—trust me, I’ve drunk more Pepsi and Mt. Dew than anyone at the brand or their agencies combined, guaranteed—and when you connect with everyone in the demo on a smaller, more personal level, the message will resonate a lot more. A group vibe is different than an individual one, because well, you tend to succumb to groupthink no matter how optimistic it may be.
(I also think there’s an honesty, a directness to advertising that brands haven’t explored yet, but could help them connect more with consumers. I’m referring to something similar in look and feel to the current trick de jour of hidden-camera spots. When real people start having real conversations with product as incidental to the scene, a directness will emerge that slick productions are missing.)
(Update: Check out the clip here via Adrants as audio has been disabled thanks to the DRM movement.) Coke’s approach seems to own Pepsi when it comes to recent advertising. It’s maybe not as deep an emotional moment as I might like to see, but the awkward slash tender moment is there. (Minor nit really, but I don’t care for the creepy liquid effect between the two people as a I thought the cool animation by itself got the point across.)
Back to optimism, did the first guy through the wall really have a Pepsi in his hand? Doubt it. He had a six-pack and was about to practice his own brand of glasnost with a blonde on the other side, bet. (Really, talk about optimistic: Who wasn’t getting laid that night given the atmosphere.) Yeah, that comes off as being quite literal, but there’s another point there. That part of the country who voted for Obama may be in an optimistic mood right now, (as am I if you can believe it), but it wasn’t teens who got voted in, nor was it teens who tore down a wall.
Saw today how the internet is abuzz over itself, (new word, look it up), regarding how many different ways we all watched Obama’s inauguration. Except for me. Another unfortunate family emergency put me on the road during the historic events and I was forced to listen... via the dying medium that is AM radio.
Yes. The dying medium that Nielsen or anyone else can’t seem to measure accurately more than once a quarter. The dying medium that recently saw Rush Limbaugh get a new mega-millions contract to continue his political love nationwide. The dying medium that dominates American morning drive like no other. Sure, my iPhone knock-off with built-in Dick Tracey TV antenna could’ve picked up local coverage—maybe.
Sure, someone could’ve texted me updates—maybe.
Someone else might have even held the phone up to a TV so I could put it on speaker—maybe, (and a really desperate move in that case).
Sure I could’ve watched clips later on YouTube—maybe.
Instead of crappy workarounds like those, I just wanted to hear it live. So my only real choice was the car radio. (FM coverage was actually less thorough from the stations I scanned.) The pre-game coverage and subsequent play by play yesterday? Well, given my environment: Flawless.
The haunting and stunning Yo-Yo Ma/John Williams theme that has yet to be up on iTunes? As good as anything on FM. (Check out what YouTube did to the sound by comparison because it was not anywhere close to what I heard.) I could listen to all the subsequent guests and poets as well. If I missed something someone said, ironic, but I knew I could catch video or get transcripts online later.
I love these spots. Simple. Direct. No extra bullshit. Big box retailer J&R Music World, er, Computer World, or whatever they call themselves now are now running a series of understated :30 commercials, (similar to the long-running EPSN Sports Center series). Check out the others here, here, here and fighting Santas here.
Because the internet is cool, honest or sad: ___________________
“Clearly a cylon.”–Stoned Lightning ___________________
“You know what... anyone posting on youtube thats over 20 pretty much has no life and needs to get laid.” – captaincompost12 ___________________
“Can we please get rid of the word Microcelebrity? I'm not blaming Owen because many others use it here too. Being popular with a group that uses Twitter is just that. Popular. My girlfriend in high school was not a microcelebrity in South-East Michigan youth culture. She was just a whore. But I digress. Can we just get rid of the word, pretty please?” – saythatscool ___________________ “This is the stuff i hear when im in a world of my own after a few joints, you know when you think its the best thing you've ever heard & you think your falling off the planet, devin really is a genious. They should replace the statue of liberty with a statue of devin wearing a giant sombrero & holding his 7 string.”– longlivepantera ___________________
“ok i dont reli know bout him.” – 1leahlolly ___________________ “It’s really so simple, that most people miss it. The people who are drawn to candidates through social networking AREN’T the ones who spend the most money on the candidate; they are, however, the ones who make up the numbers that make a candidate appear popular and thereby worth spending money on. Also, the ones who are drawn to and support a candidate through social networking and the internet aren’t the ones who even understand the issues. They are the ones who vote purely on popularity.” – Todd Bush
Historical updates from historicaltweets.com. If, people back then had Twitter. Be nice if you could go back in time and find Tweet Zero, the profile of the very first marketing person on Twitter: “Patriot. Father. Curious and industrious practitioner of the telegraph and gramophone. I cn help you reach your Manifest Destiny of personal success!” (Via Catch Up Lady.)
Because Hope just walked into a shitstorm. I’m glad Springsteen, Bono, Hanks and the rest of Hollywood all got their wishes. But more than celebrations, costly security, even more costly inaugural balls or sodas brandjacking the emotion and historical significance of the moment, the country has a lot of problems that will still be there after the confetti is cleaned up. Your feelings about Bush notwithstanding, you can boil this down to the same elation you feel when your team fires the coach or quarterback you blamed for several seasons of losing. Well, new coach is here, hopeful for next season. So are we. Way things have been, I’ll take 8-8.
Nostrobamas? Considering tomorrow’s a pretty good tribute for today, and because I can never almost usually just post a straight pic, here’s a little something to show how far the country has come. (Scroll down for CIA letter.) While that one’s ironic, the F.B.I.’s is just, damn.
(UPDATE: Link now gone for CIA letter. Guess they read the blog.)
You love it. More me. This week, with Ben Kunz from Thought Gadgets, (a blog you should be reading already), and John Wall and the smart Marketing Over Coffee. Rants include the usefullness of Twitter when it comes to Steve Jobs’ health, and how Pepsi is pushing the promotional envelope (*yawn*). Download it directly here. Topics here. You can also follow us Twitter: TheBeanCast, mtlb, benkunz and John at themshow.
At first I was like, who is Wilberforce, and what’s he doing up there staring down at me in a woodcut kinda way. Wheels spin as I then ponder if you’re trying to recruit in large numbers using the bible, why not use someone with broader appeal to make people go, “Really, him? Okay, let me check this out.” Maybe someone more well-known like Ben Franklin who apparently had a connection to this particular movement. When I got home later I Googled to see who he was, and realized maybe they didn’t want to appeal to just anyone, so William got the call. See, targeted media with obscure historical figures DOES work because it made me go home check this out for myself, spending far more time than you would expect for an outdoor.
Consumerist found this sign in Philly. Guerilla work from PETA? Nah, too clever. Message for Twitter people looking for a hook-up? Probably not. Example of no BK employee left behind? Score!
“Wyeth had seen Christina Olson, crippled from the waist down, dragging herself across a Maine field, “like a crab on a New England shore,” he recalled. To him she was a model of dignity who refused to use a wheelchair and preferred to live in squalor rather than be beholden to anyone. It was dignity of a particularly dour, hardened, misanthropic sort, to which Wyeth throughout his career seemed to gravitate.”
You think my color theory teacher could’ve clued me into the meaning of this shot a little sooner. Instead, he would mention poker games he had with the likes of Pollock and de Kooning, (supposedly a cheating son of a bitch). Until I read earlier about his passing, I never knew the real story behind that image, instead thinking all this time that she was just looking in that direction because Wyeth wanted her positioned that way, as if she was contemplating the scene.
Now I know. I can’t say if he was a cheating son of a bitch or not, but here’s to you Andy.
“Do you possess exceptional creativity? Can you develop and execute concepts pushing the creativity dial? Do you have what it takes to be America's Top Graphic Designer?
Well, it was bound to happen. Via ALR comes word that a reality show for graphic designers is in the works. According to the background on the show, it will focus on “...graphic designers in a quality, professional manner concentrating on the art of design. The show will incorporate twists and turns that entertain and educate, spotlighting the designers' skills working as individuals and as teams....” Twists and turns. I bet. What, the AE comes in at the last second and demands changes to the artwork while she hits the hot tub with the client? Yeah. Can’t wait. Show details and tryout dates here.
‘Banned’ is the old black for them because this one got refused by the Super Bowl powers that be. No T&A, just lots of innuendo. You have to view it at YouTube because they disabled embedding. (Odd move for a brand that lives on manufactured controversy.)
A key to the city? A guy who just saved 155 people? Oh I don’t think so. Let’s upgrade that prize package with a few requests, hmm? How about...
- He gets to stay at the White house for the summer.
- A one week VIP package at The Bellagio.
- Not sure if he has any extra women friends who need to be made American citizens* but let’s leave that option open.
- Since he looks like a ragtop/8-track sorta guy, we’ll bring back 8-tracks and throw one in a 1968 Shelby GT 350 convertible. - A “I saved 155 people what the hell did you do?” discount card good for free gas and beer.
- Speaking of, he gets featured in the next Real Men of Genius spot.**
- Season tickets to any pro sports team for life. - He won’t have to pay any taxes again. Ever.
*No questions asked. **You ever land a commercial airliner in the Hudson in January without engines and nobody dying? Genius I say. (Image via.) Tags: Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger, III, Flight 1549
First off, thankfully nobody was seriously hurt let alone killed in yesterday’s emergency landing. This is the first time in U.S. history that this has happened involving a water landing. As the story unfolded, a few thoughts came to mind about how people covered this story vs. how traditional media approached it. Hopefully it makes sense because there are a lot things at play here, hence the long rant.
The main thing I noticed about yesterday was how Twitter and social media were upgraded to major media status by more than a few people. This sentiment will likely continue over the next few days even though I don’t really think that’s what’s going on here.
To briefly recap, go back to when it all started, around 3:30 or so. Subsequently, a person on one of the soon to be rescue ferries snapped a shot of the plane with the passengers waiting for help. From there, people spread that pic across Twitter while some of the major TV outlets picked up on it, and mass media ensued.
At first glance, you’d think, wow, Twitter broke a story that nobody else did, and you might be right—if you weren’t wrong. “But, but, the guy snapped a pic, he uploaded it first.” Yes and no. Lemmee explain. CBS in New York actually broke into regular programming to announce the story at the same time I saw it on Twitter, because I was watching both when it happened. (This has happened on Twitter before with news events as well.)
The authorities already knew about the event because the pilot had notified the tower and civilians had phoned it in. Twitter pic man was able to get that shot only because the ferry he was on went to go help the survivors, otherwise he ain’t getting that shot.
Basically, the captains of the respective ferries, (like Juan Rosario), knew something was wrong before any of the passengers did. As Juan pulled out of the dock, he noticed something in the distance and realized it was a plane. We don’t think about that though. All we see is the result of one commuter snapping a shot on his cell, and now that 15 minutes of fame image appears all over the world.
But I had it first!
One thing traditional media relies on is the exclusive. ‘Only on...’ ‘As we first reported...’ and so on. Social media and Twitter levels that self-promotional playing field—and even makes it worse in some ways. Is the person sitting in front of the TV yesterday seeing that story any less knowledgable than the person who was on Twitter and saw a link to that pic, or vice-versa? I saw it 10 minutes before you so I was first?
What about the guy on scene taking that picture before anyone online saw it. He didn’t know the why behind the crash, he just knew there was a plane in the water. Then there were all of us on Twitter getting reports of a bird that had caused it all. Who was more right?
Used to be that getting there first was king, but now, with how stories have a second life online, does that even matter as much? Over the next few days, people will start to find new images to post or links to animated timelines. Cell phone vids on YouTube will soon be popping up, bet.
So you heard about the crash before anyone? Cool. Guess what:
I have you beat because I have actual footage from my cell phone the moment the birds hit outside my window seat. The dynamic of what you thought was the actual moment of the ‘story’ at 3:30 yesterday and when you first ‘heard’ about it has changed. (UPDATE: Proving the point, video on YouTube and elsewhere of the entire water landing and subsequent rescue is now available.)
The wrong stuff.
That’s minor because the bigger thing is how the news was spread through Twitterville™ with the same inaccuracies that plaque major media at times like this. This is the problem with so-called Citizen Journalism. Until we get definitive, reliable, alternative conformation, we still go to CNN. (Far be it for me to quote the movie Armageddon, but if the paraphrase fits....)
For all it’s up to the minute glory, we’re not there yet. Yet. Letting the world know what you had for lunch while you listen to Bach in front of an ‘amazingly awesome’ sunset is one thing, but when it comes to news, Twitter is still unfiltered B-roll—without context. B-roll that news editors at the networks have almost always decided to show or not show depending on the nature of the content.
Not on Twitter.
When the terrorists attacked in Mumbai last month, there were amazingly awesome links on Twitter to Flicker images with blood and rubble. Things the major media didn’t have until much later. Problem is, while this almost up to the minute coverage brings you closer to what almost just nearly happened, it also serves a voyeuristic need we have to turn and stare at a car crash. Raise your hand if you keep looking straight ahead when you pass an accident on the highway, because there aren’t a lot who do.
Fear not traditional news junkies, the bastion of fair and balanced, Fox 5 in NYC had its anchors Ernie Anastas and Dari Alexander all over the case. When it became clear though that there weren’t going to be any body bags to tally, they appeared lost. Reporters near the scene resorted to the same tactics they always do, shouting questions at survivors and officials.
“Who was hurt? What was the smoke like? How bad was the fire? How was the experience, it must have been harrowing! How are you feeling right now?? What’s your name!?!! Coach, what do you have to do in the second half? OMG!!!!”
They report—I deride.
Ernie had several great moments as well, like the joke he cracked that to bring a plane down this smoothly and calmly, the caption must have been on autopilot. But my favorite WTF moment was when he later suggested it would’ve been better if the survivors jumped in the water that was in the mid-30s because it would’ve been warmer than standing around in 19°air. Hank Kingsley lives.
Later, they took us to the apartment of an upper West Side mom who caught all the action. AN ACTUAL MOMWITNESS! The eyewitness video? Um, there wasn’t any. Not of the crash anyway as you were lead to believe. Turns out she never caught the actual plane landing. She only recounted what she saw. (The only thing more inane would’ve been if she was a soccer mommy video blogger.)
Is that type of reporting really the best they can do?
When it was clear there was still no there there, the focus then shifted to how people heard about the news and how they still could be a part of it. Why, Dari even wanted you to do Fox’s job for them and submit your pics to their website.
Instead, people posted their own stuff anywhere they could. (You can go to one of the sites I regularly use for Flickr searches, compfight.com, search using the term flight1549 and you can see any and all pics someone posted on Flickr to this point.) Which leads me to another problem faced by Twitter and social media sites in general.
The information is not 100% reliable.
Aka, bloggers aren’t journalists, right? Maybe. In Twitter circles, people started spreading the story instantly, and subsequently, became part of the story. I’m guilty as charged. During yesterday’s Tweetfest, I would post info that came from Fox that turned out at times to not be accurate. Small thing, but something like the press conference that was scheduled with Mayor Bloomberg and one of the pilots. Fox announced it, I tweeted it.
Turns out, it was wrong, because the mayor said he only spoke to the pilot on the phone. Then there was one of the passengers who reported that he saw a woman’s leg cut off. Granted, he had just came through a hell of an ordeal and probably mistook blood from a cut for something much worse. Turns out, he was wrong too, but the news picked up on it.
Another problem is that, like CNN, etc., there is no standard for how people spread unreliable, alternative conformations yet. Basically, first person to the keyboard wins. When it came to those actual links on Twitter, people used different hashtags. (If you’re not familiar with them, hashtags make it easy to search through tons of online content for those diamonds in the rough.) There were #flight1549, #hudson, #hudsonriver, #USAir and #USAirways to name a few, but not everyone used the same one so it’s likely you would miss a valuable post.
Again, small examples, but they show that while the majors don’t get always get details right, well, neither does the Wild West World of Twitter. Compounding the free-for-all is that each wave of updates was then retweeted ad nauseum, and was no more accurate than the initial reports.
Your two followers told their two followers, and so on. Like they always do, retweets became a copy of a copy of a copy with a little bit of the original eroded each time out, but nobody seemed to care if the info was accurate.
Not to mention the three hours later crowd that always reposts what everyone else already knows. (Hmmm. Look stupid or out of touch. Your choice.) That’s okay though because this fills another need on SM sites like Twitter:
I need to be heard.
This sentiment says posting something will make me feel like I’ve actually contributed, and maybe even become part of the story. “CNN picked up my link!!!!!” was one tweet I saw last night. I also mentioned citizen journalism, (a term I hate more than any other), but really, let’s face it, citizen journalists are no different than storm chasers.
You know it’s true. The thrillseekers who try to capture footage that they hope will be picked up by CNN or another channel? Meanwhile, they high five each other as hail takes out their windshield. Or the dudes who monitor police scanners so they can be first on the scene to capture it on tape.
I’m not saying everyone does that, but, many do. Even one of the people who took a shot of the plane said he chased it down river because he knew it would end up at Battery Park. He wanted to get there first and take shots before the cops chased him and others away.
Lady Di crash scene images much?
I know there’s a push to give this type of SM reportage its due right alongside legit news sources, but instead of replacing or competing with them, I think it will just work within the context of major media at some point in some kind of symbiotic relationship. Isn’t that what happens now with that twister footage that gets sent in to weather.com, or the house on fire you see on the local news shot by your neighbor?
This will be no different.
Twitter will continue to fill the knowledge gaps that exist in major stories that are still developing. That pic of the plane taken from the ferry became the central visual for a lot of major outlets, so I’m not downplaying the significance of it. Far from it. That’s the money shot that most photographers look for. I just think Twitter is not going to replace major news outlets so much as morph into them. Why?
Major media provides content that SM needs to survive.
For the most part, the Wall Street Journal and and every other major news outlets do the heavy lifting and provide the fodder for bloggers to riff off of. Lines are blurring between the two factions, yes, but a lot of bloggers start their posts off with “I was reading the New York times the other day and....” Anyone saying citizen journalism will replace mass media first needs to stop relying on it for blog material, then we’ll talk.
What I see happening though is Twitterville will continue to capture so much B-roll that eventually the majors will work with them to sort through it all and make these people their affiliates. Just like Google sent out street teams to map and shoot locations, eventually there will be a Twitterer with an iPhone on every corner, sitting, latte in hand, waiting.
They need to. CNN’s Twitter feed was a joke yesterday.
In times like these, everyone’s cutting back, right? Not libraries. I caught a local radio show in CT that had on the director of a local library. She was going on about all the programs they offer and how they’re open Sundays, (their busiest day). They were doing things like movie and martini nights in warm weather, book readings, concerts and job assistance seminars. This is in addition to the regular things they did like loan CDs and DVDs, which, have seen a major increase in use. Damn.
