The Future of Magazines

Being an avid Sports Illustrated reader and long time subscriber, I was recently asked to subscribe to SI's iPad application. Though I don't have an iPad, yet, I still wanted to check it out. After reading the consumer reports and viewing countless tutorials such as the one above, I am quite impressed at its potential, reader interactions and user friendly simplicities.

Now to be honest, I have owned enough video games and seen enough movie previews to know that preview will never match up to the real thing (if only I would have had this knowledge before seeing Kazaam) however, this presentation of Sport Illustrated's application on YouTube has to be the exception.

This tutorial was easy to follow.  It showed different features associated with its application very well and after viewing this tutorial, I viewed a few issues via the iPad and am a firm believer that future magazine applications like this will be huge hits with subscribers. Not only is there limitless potentials in mixing videos with text and countless other mediums but advertisements within magazines are multi-dimensional as well. For instance, Milk had an add with a basketball player, whom shall remain nameless, and on the iPad application you can click on the ad and view the actual shoot behind the scenes and interviews with producers.

What used to be a simple magazine with text and pictures has now become an interactive medium loaded with a digital library of photos and videos. Subscribers are able to organize the contents and pages of the magazine accordingly and can basically personalize the entire format.

Newspapers and magazines have been trying to transition to the Internet for years now but after seeing the applications on the iPad and their potential, it looks like advertising needs to make a sharp turn in this direction. Applications are the new thing and if I were the head of a magazine, I would be talking with my creative department and starting up its iPad application ASAP!

Importance of an Education

My next post is one of the most powerful messages I have read, seen or heard no matter what the vehicle of communication.  The subject and practice of education is one that hits home for me.  I come from a family of teachers as well as graduating from Ohio University with a degree in Integrated Language Arts. 

It just so happens that this post uses innovation and creativity to turn a great lecturer into a phenomenal visual aide that should be heard, seen and appreciated by all.  Below is the video by RSAnimate.



For those of you unfamiliar with Sir Ken Robinson, like I was until viewing this, he speaks to audiences throughout the world on the creative challenges facing businesses and education in the new global economies. 

I could go on for quite a bit upon his credentials and background however, for the purpose of this blog I will inform you all that he is someone that I have come to highly regard and recommend everyone learn for themselves.  Again, my blogs are meant to be educational, not preachy.  Everyone must find their own education.  Teaching is the hardest profession and one that requires sincere dedication and patience.  Whenever I can help spread the importance of education I will be most welcome to do so and this example is no exception. 

I also want to thank RSAnimate for their continued creativity and ingenuity.  This is not their only post to say the least.  They have many, many more along with a wealth of knowledge to be learned.  RSA Home
Until next time . . . .

Bobcat on the Prowl



For my next post I would like to give major credit to a fellow OU Bobcat, Brian Gainor. I have recently been researching potential concepts and advertising campaigns and was recommend this site, Partnership Activation. Brian is the creator and innovator for this site. As the site's quote states at its top, "it connects brands with fans." In my recent past, I worked for the Cleveland Indians where I helped brainstorm ideas and initiatives for new and exciting ways to help out ticket sales and experiences. If I would have been privy to this site during that time . . . it would have been a major help to say the least.

This site has a wealth of knowledge and insight into what other teams and venues are thinking up. For example, you can see the newest post from Oct. 30th which gives a synopsis from Boston College's Ice Jam event. Though it's not a professional sports team's promotion it is still an extremely exciting and "outside the box" approach to spreading Eagle pride throughout the campus.

Brian's site has everything from Burger King's Lebron James Welcome to South Beach billboard, the Dodger's Journey singer, the Converse Ambush promotion, to his informative and exciting newsletters that are a wealth of knowledge. A special kudos on Brian's piece on the St. Louis Rams Online Community Relations effort. Community relations and outreach is close to my heart and such recognition is always appreciated and never given its full due.

I can't begin to explain or try to convey the depth of knowledge one can receive from viewing this site. This is why I highly recommend this site for all those who are reading my blog right now. Brian's site is a must read for anyone who is in advertising, marketing, or sports field. Heck, if you simply enjoy new and fun ways to engage fans with brands READ HIS SITE! Since he first began, each post gets more detailed and relevant to its purpose and I look forward to reading it in the future. So join me in my own education as I learn more and more from such informative and rewarding sites as this one.

Gotta Go with Your Gut

Last week, David Goetzel of MediaDailyNews wrote an article pertaining to Yahoo web series. In a "gutsy" move, Yahoo will bypass its usual time consuming efforts of analyzing audience feedback, demographical analysis, audience tendencies, etc. and launch "Ready, Set, Dance!"

It will be a reality-competition series, where contestants break out into dance spontaneously when a camera arrives, will have 12 weekly episodes. It is sponsored by State Farm, which will be integrated into the content.

The reality series is a part of a deal with Electus, an outfit run by Ben Silverman, who spearheaded NBC's "The Office" and "The Biggest Loser." Yahoo said that it does not want to move into larger productions of popular web series.  These forms of medium typically have loyal followers, however the popularity is nothing like that of a TV series.

If you ask me, I believe that this is a step in the right direction for Yahoo. It may be a first step in a walk that leads nowhere but it is one that needs to be taken. Popular videos off of YouTube reach million of viewers within weeks, sometimes days. After months of deliberation and research by execs many of these "sequels" get the kibosh thrown down upon them. These deliberations by execs seem irrelevant though because by that time the decision is made, the buzz of the video has already died down.

I love watching "The Office" and "How I Met Your Mother" because they both are 30 minutes in length. The shows fly by and after each episode I am left wanting more. I don't get up, walk into my dining room table, ponder the significance of the episode with associates and wonder if I'm going to watch the next one (. . . though I may go to the dining room for a snack and repeat the jokes with my friends).  Instead, I enjoy what I just saw, wait until next week and repeat the funny lines from the show repeatedly.   

The point I'm trying to make is that every advertiser takes advantage of "market hype." When something is hot, when something is popular, when something is "it," good advertisers use whatever creative vehicle necessary to popularize it. "The Office" and "How I Met Your Mother" are popular shows and they don't end after one episode or take months to create new ones (don't bring up season finales either you smart allecks out there).  This effort keeps advertisers in business and puts food on their tables. Therefore it is only natural for Yahoo to go with its gut because in the end, your gut makes the majority of your most important decisions. 

Come on . . . you can't tell me what you want for lunch and dinner aren't some of the most important decisions of your day!

Here is Goetzel's full article Here is the Goetzel Article

Let the Education Begin . . .

My first official post will begin with my favorite ad of all-time, "Terry Tate - Office Linebacker."  For this post I will include some research upon Reebok's Terry Tate campaign and I will add my comments here and there.  Overall though, this campaign was brilliant in that it took an abstract concept of an "office linebacker," focused consumers in another direction and created a viral sensation that took on a life of its own. 

Following Super Bowl XXXVII, then CEO of Reebok, Paul Fireman, said that 800,000 people had visited the Reebok site curiously looking for Terry Tate. Of those coming to the site, 750,000 downloaded the ad, which required registration. To date, Reebok has had 20 million downloads.  Most of the viewers were also men aged 18 to 34, the most important target for Reebok. Of those 750,000 who registered, 69 percent said they were likely to buy a Reebok product.

Reebok.com saw a 308 percent traffic increase from a week earlier, despite the fact that Reebok did not feature its product or brand prominently in the Terry Tate ad.  Many wondered if this fact hurt Reebok's brand.  However, according to Mickey Pant of Reebok the campaign was a success. 

"After the Super Bowl, 60 percent thought the advertiser was Reebok. For some reason, 30 percent thought it was McDonalds. But because you have to go to Reebok.com to see the films, there’s 100 percent brand recognition now. The Web site is the backbone of the campaign."

The success of the Terry Tate ad campaign is revolutionary.  What started as a figure head good for a few laughs has turned into one of the most memorable ads of all-time.  It has crossed mediums and demographics and though the campaign is about 7 years old, its lessons and strategies are relevant today.