Popular newsreader app Flipboard today announced hitting 20 million users two years after launching as a way for people to aggregate content in a magazine-style format. In the last year, the app was extended from its original home on the iPad to the iPhone and Android and BlackBerry devices. Flipboard made a splash most recently when The New York Times in June agreed to distribute all of the newspaper's content through the app. But other publishers, most notably The New Yorker and Wired, have pulled back from offering articles via Flipboard because of doubts about the app's ability to help boost sales and subscriptions. An infographic the company posted today shows Flipboard now has 1.5 million daily users in 200 countries, generating 3 billion “flips” per month. Among other Flipboard factoids: -75% of iPad readers are connected to social networks -14.5 million social actions generated per month -86 minutes per user per month -Sunday is the peak day for tablet use; Thursday for iPhones -Peak time: 10-11 p.m.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's iconic works “32 Campbell’s Soup Cans,” Campbell Soup is releasing four limited-edition cans of its condensed tomato soup with labels featuring vibrant, Warhol-like color combinations. The cans, produced under license from The Andy Warhol Foundation, will be available exclusively at most U.S. Target locations, priced at $0.75, starting Sept. 2. Campbell is also offering a “15 minutes of fame” app, on ArtofSoup.com, which enables users to turn their photos into a Warhol-inspired “work of art” that can be shared with friends. Some fans' photos will be featured as the cover photos on the Campbell's Condensed Facebook page. In addition, Campbell is the “education sponsor” for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition “Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years,” opening Sept. 18. Warhol showed the original soup-can paintings -- 32 separate canvases, each depicting a variety of Campbell's soup, displayed side-by-side to mimic products on a grocery shelf -- at his first solo gallery exhibition in Los Angeles in 1962. The works helped launch Warhol's career and establish Pop Art as a major art movement in the United States. Asked why he painted Campbell's soup cans, Warhol said that he had eaten the soup every day for lunch for 20 years. After some initial concerns about Warhol's choice of subject matter, Campbell Soup became a supporter of the artist, sending him cases of its tomato soup, commissioning two paintings, and establishing the Andy Warhol Scholarship Fund with the New York Art Academy. The company currently displays an original Warhol painting at its Camden, N.J. headquarters.
Nestle Pure Life has launched a new online promotion designed to engage Latina mothers. The campaign, "Puro Orgullo de Mama" (Mom's Pure Pride), is an extension of the brand’s ongoing national initiative focused on this key consumer demographic. Hosted on the Nestle Pure Life en Espanol Facebook page, the promotion encourages Latina moms to share generational stories and personal experiences that “promote a healthy lifestyle and everyday hydration.” The Facebook page will feature a series of vignettes from the brand’s representative, TV personality Cristina Saralegui, offering hydration, nutrition and healthy habits tips within the context of family traditions. The Nestle Waters North America brand is also offering fans a coupon for $1 off Pure Life Purified Water, and a sweepstakes with a grand prize of a trip for four to Miami to meet Saralegui, plus Pure Life water for a year.
Popular newsreader app Flipboard today announced hitting 20 million users two years after launching as a way for people to aggregate content in a magazine-style format. In the last year, the app was extended from its original home on the iPad to the iPhone and Android and BlackBerry devices. Flipboard made a splash most recently when The New York Times in June agreed to distribute all of the newspaper's content through the app. But other publishers, most notably The New Yorker and Wired, have pulled back from offering articles via Flipboard because of doubts about the app's ability to help boost sales and subscriptions. An infographic the company posted today shows Flipboard now has 1.5 million daily users in 200 countries, generating 3 billion “flips” per month. Among other Flipboard factoids: -75% of iPad readers are connected to social networks -14.5 million social actions generated per month -86 minutes per user per month -Sunday is the peak day for tablet use; Thursday for iPhones -Peak time: 10-11 p.m.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's iconic works “32 Campbell’s Soup Cans,” Campbell Soup is releasing four limited-edition cans of its condensed tomato soup with labels featuring vibrant, Warhol-like color combinations. The cans, produced under license from The Andy Warhol Foundation, will be available exclusively at most U.S. Target locations, priced at $0.75, starting Sept. 2. Campbell is also offering a “15 minutes of fame” app, on ArtofSoup.com, which enables users to turn their photos into a Warhol-inspired “work of art” that can be shared with friends. Some fans' photos will be featured as the cover photos on the Campbell's Condensed Facebook page. In addition, Campbell is the “education sponsor” for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition “Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years,” opening Sept. 18. Warhol showed the original soup-can paintings -- 32 separate canvases, each depicting a variety of Campbell's soup, displayed side-by-side to mimic products on a grocery shelf -- at his first solo gallery exhibition in Los Angeles in 1962. The works helped launch Warhol's career and establish Pop Art as a major art movement in the United States. Asked why he painted Campbell's soup cans, Warhol said that he had eaten the soup every day for lunch for 20 years. After some initial concerns about Warhol's choice of subject matter, Campbell Soup became a supporter of the artist, sending him cases of its tomato soup, commissioning two paintings, and establishing the Andy Warhol Scholarship Fund with the New York Art Academy. The company currently displays an original Warhol painting at its Camden, N.J. headquarters.
Nestle Pure Life has launched a new online promotion designed to engage Latina mothers. The campaign, "Puro Orgullo de Mama" (Mom's Pure Pride), is an extension of the brand’s ongoing national initiative focused on this key consumer demographic. Hosted on the Nestle Pure Life en Espanol Facebook page, the promotion encourages Latina moms to share generational stories and personal experiences that “promote a healthy lifestyle and everyday hydration.” The Facebook page will feature a series of vignettes from the brand’s representative, TV personality Cristina Saralegui, offering hydration, nutrition and healthy habits tips within the context of family traditions. The Nestle Waters North America brand is also offering fans a coupon for $1 off Pure Life Purified Water, and a sweepstakes with a grand prize of a trip for four to Miami to meet Saralegui, plus Pure Life water for a year.
A young entrepreneur believes that so-called Super Pacs -- corporate-funded political action committees -- are disenfranchising less well-heeled citizens from the political debate as it plays out in the media. She is on a mission to make the airwaves more accessible to them via a new Web site designed to raise funds for political ads from smaller independent groups. Her name is Elaine Chang, and she has enlisted a media big-leaguer -- Aegis Group -- to help get her San Francisco-based start-up going. Chang's latest venture is an online platform called Social Teeth, billed as a sort of Kickstarter for political ads. The site is designed to showcase TV spots from independent advocacy groups and candidates that need funding for campaigns. There is a mechanism for supporters to donate funds via Stripe on the site. Chang has partnered with Aegis’ Jumptank and Carat to help plan and implement campaigns that gather a certain threshold of "likes" and gather enough funding via the Social Teeth site. Combined, the partners would take 5% of the total funds raised for each campaign. Social Teeth is the latest example of so-called “crowd-funding” sites that use online social communities as a way to raise awareness, interest and dollars for various causes. Chang said she was motivated to launch the site because of the impact that Super Pacs and other well-funded political groups have had on the airwaves. She also cites the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizen’s United decision loosening corporate restrictions on donating to PACs. Groups that have mega-cash can buy so much airtime that it’s virtually impossible for people with opposing viewpoints -- and few dollars -- to get their messages into mainstream media, Chang asserts. In effect, she says Social Teeth is an attempt to “democratize” the political ad process. She hopes Social Teeth will help right the imbalance -- if the concept catches on with enough consumers. “We see the current political season as a beta period” for the new site, she said. Prior to starting Social Teeth, Chang, a 2010 Stanford grad, worked at startup Better Place, a service provider to the electric car industry.Her latest effort is currently being funded “from my savings account,” she says, although potential financial backers in the San Francisco area have been approached.JumpTank partner Sam Huston says the company got involved because “we think this is one of the ways in which the media world is moving.” JumpTank’s role is to help shape and plan campaigns that are seeking funding on the site. Sibling agency Carat would implement the buys. Huston says most of JumpTank’s work will come after a group achieves its funding goal. “But we’ll also provide a loose framework for a campaign ahead of time,” he said.Currently, the Social Teeth site is showcasing campaigns supporting gay marriage, a family planning advocacy group, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson and a few others. Right now, Johnson is furthest along in raising money. Per the site, he has raised nearly $1,300.00 toward his goal of $50,000. Earlier this month, Interpublic Group digital shop Huge launched Togather, an online platform that helps authors connect with fans by arranging book readings and other speaking opportunities. It’s the first of several start-ups that Huge is incubating. This article intially appeared in OnlineMediaDaily on August 24.
On July 2, 2004, I penned a Search Insider column for MediaPost that quoted Dr. Seuss and Eminem, followed it up 18 days later with a biblical allegory about search engine optimization, and nearly every week since then, I contributed to an oeuvre here that ultimately numbered 400 editions. So as not to bury the lede, this is my final Insider edition – at least for now. Since I’ve had the honor to contribute an estimated 300,000 words here (my apologies to copy editors and readers for testing your patience), I hope you’ll indulge one final entry that goes behind the scenes of this 97-month journey. Here’s what I’ve learned: 1) Know your voice. When I started writing the Search Insider, I was daunted by other pundits who knew far more about search engine marketing than me, and all of them seemed to be named Kevin. Accepting my lack of experience, I put people (also known as consumers, and sometimes users) at the center, and then figured out where marketers fit in. That gave me enough time to learn more about marketing on the job (through three jobs in fact, though mostly at 360i) and hone that aspect later. 2) Big ideas matter, even if they don’t spread. When I’ve had what I thought was a great idea – such as The Motivation Bubble – hardly anyone seemed to respond. I’m still proud to have shared such columns. Perhaps they shaped the thinking of some people who never responded, and at the very least I felt some sense of achievement just going through the process of refining the idea. 3)Go off topic. When I feared I was heading too far off topic and wrote the story anyway, it would get the greatest response. Speaking of which, my grandmother featured in “Google vs. Grandmom” remains in good health, gave up on the Internet, and still has all the answers to everything – regardless of whether you seek her opinion. 4) Count on numbered lists. I resort to numbered lists a lot, for three reasons. First, they’re easier to read, and I have a short attention span. Second, numbers in headlines grab attention. Third, they’re a fun challenge – a creative dare. Often, I’ll have writer’s block, and then come up with one or two ideas around a similar theme. I’ll then jot those down and think about how many more I’d need for a decent list, whether it’s 5, 10, or occasionally 100. Then I’ll force myself to get near that number, adding or subtracting a few to keep the best ones in. If the piece works when it’s finished, it delivers the writer’s equivalent of a runner’s high. 5) Expect writing to take longer than expected. In writing 400 columns here, you’d think I could crank them out. It’s never the case though. Each column is a learning experience, starting with a thesis, or a hypothesis, or a half-decent idea for the middle of a non-existent story. The journey ventures from there, spanning links, images, old emails, LinkedIn profiles, and quotes (often later omitted) from sources such as the Bible, Baruch Spinoza, Sherry Turkle, “30 Rock,” and “Calvin and Hobbes.” Practice doesn’t make perfect; practice makes perfectionism. I know not every post is amazing, but I still put in the time. It takes just as long to write an average column as it does to write a great one. 6) Your time and attention are priceless. I don’t devour analytics to determine how many people read each column. All I know is that to keep writing this many, some people must be reading them. While it’s impossible to know exactly who is reading what, I am so moved that you and others have taken the time to read any of it. My goal with any column is simple: to respect your time. I can only hope I have remotely succeeded. 7) It’s time to eat the grapes. This Insider series will continue with other talented writers; keep reading them, and I’ll do the same. As for me, I’m hardly going silent; I’ll continue to cobble together thoughts on media and technology through my blog and potentially other endeavors. The process of transition stirs up a range of emotions that have been expressed better by others. A retiring college professor once told his students that he wished them “the humility required to feel truly appreciated, and the wisdom required to know when it is best to move on.” Quite a few years earlier, the Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote, “As it is with a play, so it is with life – what matters is not how long the acting lasts, but how good it is.” One can only pause and reflect for so long. As quoted in Roger Housden’s book “Saved by Beauty,” the 13th century Persian poet told his listeners, “Remember the proverb, ‘Eat the grapes.’ Do not keep talking about the garden. Eat the grapes.” With that, it’s time to move on. As Scotty famously warned in “Star Trek IV,” “Hold on tight, lassie! It gets bumpy from here.”
There is little doubt of the importance of location awareness in a world gone mobile. As digitally enabled customers walk around car dealerships, shopping malls and local retailers, they use their smartphones to check the latest info and make sure they’re getting the best deal, all in real-time. Many businesses have figured out that reaching customers based on proximity to their location can bring them more business. While there are still issues with point-of-sales systems integrating with loyalty programs and mobile shoppers, many business leaders at least have their heads pointed in the right direction. But in addition to shoppers proactively pulling information to them, how much information are they willing to share with the business? Will customers do more than share their location in trade for a special offer from a business near where they are? Over the past few years, Tasti D-Lite -- the dairy-based, soft-serve frozen dessert company that started in New York before spreading nationally -- found some answers. In 2009, the company was well-established with mobile couponing on Twitter, which caught the attention of Foursquare, then a young mobile check-in app company. Tasti D-Lite worked with Foursquare and pioneered the check-in specials, which offered businesses the ability to promote an offer to potential customers based on their location. The details of this early mobile venture and subsequent mobile learnings are detailed in The Tasti D-Lite Way, a new book being officially released in a week. The firsthand account is told by authors James Amos, Chairman and CEO of Tasti D-Lite, and BJ Emerson, vice president of technology at the company. The company found that user-generated content around its products naturally moved to mobile, so they attached surprises to locations, such as secret items not listed on the menu. One of the most significant lessons learned was the potential disconnect between the mobile or online experience and the local retail experience. An example noted in the book was a Foursquare user who became “mayor” of a Tasti D-Lite location, a designation bestowed on someone who checks in via the app at one location more than anyone else. The customer received the automatic $1 coupons via the Foursquare app, but was so excited she did a little dance at the store. When the woman told the cashier she had become mayor, he asked, ‘what does that mean?’ As the book relates, she replied: “It means I come here more than anyone else. It means I’m your most loyal customer, basically.” The expectations around the mobile offer were technically met (she received the auto-coupon), but the in-store associate did not capture the moment and take the experience to the next level. The chain learned from such experiences and educated employees about social and mobile. In the case of that woman, they recovered by inviting the customer to be part of a TV taping that appeared on Tokyo TV. While much of the focus of The Tasti D-Lite Way is on innovative use of social media, there are some significant mobile lessons, especially as the lines between mobile, social and advertising blur. The book recommends five ways to go beyond the mobile check-in:
Video chat from long tables in boardrooms and meeting rooms, where employees stared at a large screen on one side of the room, initially emerged as a way to reduce travel expenses -- but tech companies have figured out a way to make video conferencing a mobile and social tool, integrating it into a variety of business applications. Google took aim at Microsoft Wednesday when it rolled out a set of Google+ features designed for businesses. Apps customers can use these business features in the social site for free through 2013, as the Mountain View, Calif. company continues to add more features and administrative controls, to compete with Microsoft's Skype. The keyword here: Enterprise. Companies will support the growth of Google+ as a business tool as well as in relation to advertising. Web-based collaboration and tools that allow co-workers, or companies and clients, to share information in real-time have become the backbone of business. But agreements are not only made on good ideas, but also the ability to build relationships and communicate thoughts and strategies. Sometimes that requires a face-to-face meeting, even if the two are working at opposite ends of the world. Multi-video chat direct from Gmail has moved into Google Docs and Calendar Events. Up to 10 people can join from their laptop, phone or tablet. The group can restrict access to hangouts in video chat. If restrictions are on in the advance setup, users see a notice when starting a hangout. However, users can still override this and either invite only specific external participants, or open the hangout to the public. The Google Apps features for customers provides the ability to restrict posts and hangouts to a specific domain, schedule and join video calls from Calendar, set company defaults from the Admin Console, start multi-way video calls from Gmail, and edit docs live inside a hangout. Google+ will give Google a back door into serving businesses with Docs, strengthening the company's position in enterprise apps and cloud services.