Hello and welcome to my blog. Here I will share with you my passion about design, the internet, communications, branding and what talented amazing people are creating everyday.

HSBC Bank - yourpointofview

HSBC Bank - yourpointofview


Very cool concept. This miro site displays interesting statistics worlwide on the oddest facts. Very cool and very 2.0
How long until someone repackages this concept?
Will post more when I figure out how HSBC planned this one out.

Paris acts to open up online sales of music - Technology - International Herald Tribune

Paris acts to open up online sales of music - Technology - International Herald Tribune

French lawmakers on Tuesday approved copyright legislation with a novel approach to the idea of digital freedom of choice by requiring online music vendors to make songs available for use on any digital player.
The measure, which also addresses penalties for digital music pirates, was passed by a 296-to-193 vote in the 577- member National Assembly. It will now move from the lower house to the Senate for debate and a vote.
Representatives in France of Apple Computer, which sells the market-leading iPod digital music player and operates the iTunes Music Store, declined to comment on the bill, despite speculation among some analysts that the company, based in Cupertino, California, might bolt from the French online music market rather than share the proprietary technology that is an elemental part of its popular business model.
While the iPod would be the device most prominently affected by the legislation, others, like Sony's Walkman digital music players, operate on a similar principle.
In a country where anti-piracy devices on DVDs have come under repeated attack in French courts, the bill seeks to require copyright protection software programs that can communicate in such a way that music downloads can be transferred to any device. The bill also introduces relatively lenient penalties for digital piracy by individuals, with proposed fines of €38 to €150, or $46 to $181.

Joga - Login

Joga -
I'm not sure where this is going but it sets an interesting precedent for Google and Nike collaboration.


Welcome to Joga - the community for soccer players dedicated to keeping the game beautiful.

Joga is a place to meet other soccer players, share your own soccer experiences and enjoy photos and videos from around the world.

Join us and help remind the world how the game was meant to be played.


"Post-Its for Passers-By"

Interesting concept.


Socialight lets you put virtual "sticky" notes called StickyShadows™ anywhere in the real world. Share pictures, notes and more using your cell phone.

StickyShadows™
You can create StickyShadows using your mobile phone or this web site. A StickyShadow is made up of media, such as text and a picture, and information about who can see it and when and where it's available.

http://socialight.com


The Dumpster: A Visualization of Romantic Breakups for 2005

The Dumpster: A Visualization of Romantic Breakups for 2005

The Dumpster is an interactive online visualization that attempts to depict a slice through the romantic lives of American teenagers. Created by Golan Levin et al.

comScore Study Reveals the Impact of Search Engine Usage on Consumer Buying

comScore Study Reveals the Impact of Search Engine Usage on Consumer Buying

Vast Majority of Search-Influenced Buying Occurs Either Offline or in Subsequent Internet User Sessions

RESTON, Va., Dec. 13, 2004 – comScore Networks today released the findings of a breakthrough study revealing the impact of search engine usage on the online and offline buying process. The study, which was sponsored by Overture, a division of Yahoo!, analyzed the timing of search engine usage and the role of different search term categories in the shopping process among consumers searching for electronics and computer products.

The comScore research studied the buying activity of Internet users who conducted a consumer electronics or computer (CE/C) search at one of the top 25 search engines in Q1 2004. Among the other findings, the study revealed that 25 percent of searchers ultimately purchased a CE/C product and that an estimated 92 percent of these purchases occurred offline. Among the 8 percent of post-search purchases that were made online, the vast majority occurred in subsequent user sessions (not directly after a search click-through).

Search Drives Offline Buying Decisions

Using a combination of online behavioral observation and consumer survey data, comScore estimated that 92 percent of all buying activity following a CE/C search occurred offline. Searches for consumer electronics, such as DVD players, TVs and cameras, were more likely to result in an offline purchase than were searches for desktop and laptop computers.

“Latent” Purchase Conversion Accounts for Majority of Online Buying Activity

The comScore study tracked online buying behavior for 90 days following a CE/C search. This longitudinal analysis of consumer behavior revealed that only 15 percent of online purchases following a CE/C search occurred in the same user session as the search itself, with 85 percent of conversions occurring in a latent (or non-search) session. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of all purchases occurred 5 to 12 weeks after the initial CE/C search was conducted.

“These findings reinforce the importance of considering the latent impact of search engine usage when evaluating search engine marketing investments,” said James Lamberti, vice president of comScore Networks. “Search cannot be thought of as solely a direct response marketing tool, especially in highly considered product categories where search activity can precede a purchase by as much as 60 to 90 days.”

AdWords: New demographic site selection

Inside AdWords

Looking to show your ads primarily to college age men? Or perhaps you want to focus your advertising budget on parents in their thirties who have a lot of disposable income? If so, you'll be happy to hear that the site tool now provides demographic site selection for advertisers who are targeting users in the United States.

How does this work? Google is using comScore Media Metrix panel data to help you find sites in the Google network that have a high audience-base composition of the demographic profile you would like to reach. You can select from 22 demographic options to create the profile of your ideal customer. Use this in conjunction with site URLs and site topics, in the newly updated site tool, to reach more of your target customers.

So, the next time you want to target your ads by gender, age, ethnicity, annual household income, or children in the house, look no further than the site tool for suggestions.

Marketing Online Live with Paul Colligan and Alex Mandossian

Marketing Online Live with Paul Colligan and Alex Mandossian

Interesting debate on email marketing and it's viability. In response to Steve Rubel's "Bye Bye Email Marketing" piece, Alex Mandossian and Paul Colligan discuss the question "is email marketing dead?"

Podcast Cover

iTunes - Yahoo! Podcasts - Subscribe to My Odeo Channel - XML Feed

RSS vs. RSS - A Tale of Two Icons » SOME RANDOM DUDE

RSS vs. RSS - A Tale of Two Icons

This article is somewhat belated and could be considered much ado about nothing, but nonetheless I think this is a relevant topic to discuss. Microsoft recently announced that they would be using the RSS icon introduced by the Firefox browser. This was considered a very wise choice by many, including myself at first as it was a victory (albeit small) for standardization. Soon afterward, Matt Brett started a micro-site to help propagate this icon for use by the public. I commend Matt’s efforts and fully back him on the notion that a standard icon needs to be established for syndication. My argument is that we are not backing the right icon…

Watch the Super Bowl Ads as a Video Podcast

Watch the Super Bowl Ads as a Video Podcast:

"Watch the Super Bowl Ads as a Video Podcast"

According to Podcasting News DevLib has created this feed for the ads that will air during Super Bowl XL. They plan to upload all of the commercials in iPod-friendly format and have them available for downloading as a video podcast.

Mac Subscribe Windows Subscribe Direct Link to XML Feed

PodGuide.tv: We pause now for a commercial break

VODCAST Nike Soccer!

200603081157 Nike Soccer, as one would expect, are actually doing it the right way at last.A great series of spots and viral films in this feed, including the new ones featuring Eric Cantona, and the mesmerizing (though obviously fake) video of Ronaldhino.

Mac Subscribe Windows Subscribe Direct Link to XML Feed

Podcasting News: American Express Plans to Expand Travel Podcasts

Podcasting News: American Express Plans to Expand Travel Podcasts

American Express Plans to Expand Travel Podcasts

March 02, 2006

American Express is planning to expand its podcasting services, based on success of a recent Winter Olympic podcast. The company said almost one in four visitors to its dedicated Winter Olympics microsite downloaded a podcast featuring a guide to the host city Turin.

The company said the success of the Turin podcast could lead to similar projects to link customers with shops, restaurants and other facilities.

The hour-long guided tour to the Italian city also included a list of restaurants and shops in which Amex customers could snap up bargains or obtain member discounts.

Marketing director Ellen Goodman said: “The American Express Travelcast is an innovative way to help tourists go beyond sightseeing, and the results reflect the growing passion for podcasts among our customers.

via Travolution

Search Engine Expo 2006 Sees Emphasis on the Value of Metrics

Search Engine Expo 2006 Sees Emphasis on the Value of Metrics: "Search Engine Expo 2006 Sees Emphasis on the Value of Metrics

MARCH 6, 2006

More than 5,500 attendees at the Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo 2006, which concluded in New York last Thursday, were told that the search marketing business is still young but that prospects for growth are phenomenal.

Geoff Ramsey, CEO of eMarketer, underscored the potential for growth when he noted that search marketing is only at 10% of its potential size. Mr. Ramsey devoted his speech to three key themes that he says will drive the future of search marketing: richer video, mobile devices, and smarter personalization. All told, Mr. Ramsey pointed out that $5 billion was spent on US search marketing in 2005 and predicted that $10 billion will be spent in 2009. (More detailed information on this spending will be provided in eMarketer's upcoming research report, Search Engine Marketing.)

Metrics, along with click fraud (discussed in the accompanying article published today), was one of the key points of discussion at the Expo. 'The information that comes out of search is transferable to other kinds of marketing. It has measurability and accountability, which are wide open in other areas,' noted Tim Armstrong of Google. 'Most agencies competitively aren't set up to manage their business from a spreadsheet the way search marketers do. They shouldn't be nervous, but they should be putting energy into understanding metrics.'

Gerry Campbell of AOL also underscored the importance of metrics. 'The value of metrics is transforming other marketing disciplines, which are placing more emphasis on using data to target consumer intent and deliver relevant messages in all forms of advertising,' he said.

n a survey by IntelliSurvey Inc. and Radar Research, published in December 2005, 80% of respondents said that increased traffic volume was among the metrics used to measure search advertising success. Also cited were conversion rates and click-through rates.

Barry Diller, CEO of IAC/Interactive Corp. and the keynote Expo speaker, had some possibly prescient comments on the future of search. Mr. Diller admits that with his revamped Ask.com (his once-faithful butler, Jeeves, was sent packing late last year) he has some way to go if he is going to seriously compete with the three leaders in search. Mr. Diller believes that vertical search is the way of the future and that traffic is directly related to the extent to which a search engine can provide local results.

Run London - RouteFinder


Run London - RouteFinder

Brilliant Mini site! Nike lets users browse jogging routes through London using the powerful Google Local maps. Users can search routes as well as suggest their own and preview them in the map and satellite mode. Good stuff!

SMB: 67% of the market is out there searching, but are they finding you?

67% of the market is out there searching, but are they finding you?

By Lili Asgar, Management Consultant

According to research conducted by Warrillow & Co. for the upcoming report, SMB Media: A Rapidly Shifting Landscape, entrepreneurs not only use search engines, but also click on sponsored sites. Two-thirds of the SMB market are casual users of sponsored links, and almost 1 out of 10 are self-identified regular users. Search engines are essentially an oligopoly dominated by Google, followed by Yahoo and MSN. These three control 90% of the market.

Google – Still the Search Choice of Small Business




Most suppliers have made sure that an online search targeting their key products, such as “business loans”, “shipping”, or “cell phones”, will return results with the company placed high in the result set. What isn’t as obvious is ensuring that pain points addressed by your products or services, such as “managing cash flow”, “importing and exporting”, or “managing mobile workers” also lead business owners and decision makers to your Web site. A quick online experiment conducted by Warrillow & Co revealed that the opportunity to “own” pain point search terms is pretty much wide open. For example, no banks or credit cards appear in the first page of a result set for “managing cash flow”. Conduct your own search to identify where you should be that you’re not, and move quickly to gain valuable search result “turf”.