Reutersreports that tech and healthcare companies such as Dell and Johnson & Johnson are turning to social media vs. advertising. Brands are realizing that print and broadcast ads aren’t necessarily the best way to reach the younger consumer, especially with the current economy causing budget cuts.
Office productivity is about to decline. According to TechCrunch, JibJab and OfficeMax’s uber-successful viral campaign, Elf Yourself, will team up this holiday season. With the help of JibJab, consumers can now “elf themselves” and perform three different dances - Disco Elves (as seen above), Jazz Elves and Country Elves. The new partnership could result in OfficeMax actually turning a profit on the campaign by selling digital downloads of the videos and images.
April Fools for The New York Times? NYC subway riders were greeted by thousands of free copies of a spoof NYT this morning. The paper declared that the Iraq War has ended and included a dozen liberal “dream headlines.” Word in the blogosphere is that progressive pranksters The Yes Men are the culprits. Stay tuned…
A new software program allows San Francisco-area drivers to view real-time traffic conditions on their cell phones. According to MediaPost, “as drivers pass certain locations marked with GPS coordinates, the phones will send speed and location information to computers, which will compute the data, determine speeds and travel times, and then send the aggregated information back to drivers’ phones.”
Just imagine how marketers will be able to leverage this technology!
Reutersreports that companies that allow their employees to use social networking sites could actually benefit from staff innovation and increased productivity.
LinkedIn has launched their new application platform - InApps. LinkedIn apps must be approved by the site and in line with the social network’s professional nature. Brands such as TripIt have already launched their apps.
Pewreports that the average American family is well-connected with cell phones and broadband, which supports AT&T’s recent survey findings that more than 3/4 of parents text message their children to stay on top of their activities.
Virgin Mobile’s online ad campaign Strip2Clothe, which encourages consumers to disrobe for charity, has become Blank2Clothe following complaints from homeless teen charities. Make sure to check out the website to see how they’ve completely redone their website and campaign.
