That 90's Look on Facebook

If Mark Zuckerberg were born 10 years earlier, would Facebook have been invented in the ’90s?
Maybe not, given the Web was still in version 1.0.

But thanks to technology and humorists, we can now picture a past where users crank up their dial-up connections to browse “The Facebook”...in Netscape...mailing in grainy pictures to slowly upload at “The Facebook Company.”

This intentionally hokey video underlines the light-speed evolution of the Internet age and how comfortable we’ve become living a far-more digital life.

Better yet?  Enjoy what Google might have looked like If it were invented in the ’80s

Of course, there’s also humor If Angry Birds were an ’80s home computer game.

So few pixels...such a simple time.

http://www.squirrel-monkey.com 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrYRH3PYYT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8vCEg5k_d4

Social Media, Mass Media, Me Media

As Twitter and other social media outlets continue to gain 140 character traction, it's worth noting how old media is leveraging it.

Yes, man on the street output on TV and consumer radio call ins have been feedback fodder for decades, but never before has individualized chatter been so readily rolled up to show opinion, buzz, and topic title trends with such speed.

Now Bluefin Labs, a social media measurement company, is working with ABC News to bring to life the aggregate of social media mumbling on the single talking head TV news reports.   

Together, they immediately ranked Super Bowl ads.  All hail the Doritos cat-snuffing dog.  And they showed real time reactions to GOP debates (not that the anachronistic talking head structure merits real time feedback, but still...)

An interesting 'mashable' of elements here -- social media showing up for partnership with old media.  And a one-voice, individual expression vehicle getting plugged back into a bigger megaphone by being rolled up into a mass voice once again.

Hmmmm -- maybe our #tinyURL linked blog writing on #social media, #Bluefin labs and #ABC, can be rolled up with others for #GeorgeStephanapolous' next script -- just remove the #tag.

 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/02/abc-news-and-bluefin-labs-will-collaborate-for-social-tv-analysis-of-major-events-in-the-2012-campaign/

http://www.lostremote.com/2011/12/19/abc-news-debuts-political-site-with-social-stock-market/

The Tao of Brand Naming

As Western brands become increasingly ubiquitous in China, the business of translating foreign product names into Chinese has been elevated to the level of science.

Corporations looking to introduce a new brand to the Chinese market must contend with business, linguistic, market, and cultural factors.  Big brands like Coca-Cola and Tide employ consultants, analysis, and complex computer programs to choose names that are not only pleasing to the Chinese ear, but also to the Chinese heart and mind as well.

For example, Coke’s Chinese moniker (Ke Ko Ke Le) is not only phonetically similar to the English name, it literally translates into “Tasty fun,” capturing the essence of the global brand in a way that’s appealing and understandable to Chinese consumers.

There’s no one size fits all formula for choosing an international brand name, but it’s key to note that:

• Naming can be crucial in defining the core brand for a new audience -- OR can be an opportunity to redefine it
• Simple name translation isn’t enough; like domestic needs, alliteration, conveying an emotional high-ground, and more than one meaning, all will help with the impact
• Cultural sensitivity can make or break a brand -- for example, Microsoft’s Bing engine was renamed in China since “bing” connotes disease and virus in their language

As Chinese consumers become increasingly brand savvy, a well chosen name is a strategic move in capturing market share and long-term loyalty.

In the global marketplace, a brand by any other name is... well, profitable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/world/asia/picking-brand-names-in-china-is-a-business-itself.html?ref=asia
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/12/world/asia/chinese-products-in-translation.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

There's No Business Like Ad Business

A couple of wise guys in the ad industry (there are so many of them, aren’t there?) have created a series of Internet memes poking fun at various ad agency types.

There’s the Junior Copywriter, the Junior Art Director, and of course, the high and mighty Creative Director:

If you can’t get enough of the tongue-in-cheek satire, there’s also Douchey Account Guy, a Tumblr documenting inane bits of account guy speak such as, “We need to make this as clear, and as nebulous, as possible.”

Whether you're in advertising or another industry, the ability to laugh at yourself proves that you still have a grip on reality and your own ego.

We're all Mad Men after all.

http://www.quickmeme.com/Junior-Copywriter/popular/1/?upcoming

http://www.quickmeme.com/Junior-Art-Director/?upcoming http://www.quickmeme.com/Creative-Director/?upcoming http://doucheyaccountguy.tumblr.com/

Cheese or Font, That is the Question

Here at Bandwidth Marketing, we pride ourselves on our esoteric knowledge of many things.  For instance, discerning the difference between the name of a type face and the name of a cheese.

When we stumbled across a site that let us put our expertise to the test, it was like Christmas all over again.

Cheese or Font is a quick little time-waster that presents you with a series of words and asks you to classify each as a type of cheese or type face/font. Sounds easy, but it gets tricky and addictive.

With every incorrect answer, you feel the frustrating need to prove you are an educated, sophisticated person who can smell a stilton or kern a cambrian!

Cheese or Font is proof that a small, clever idea, simply executed, can be highly effective. The site now has 500 followers on Twitter and almost 1.5 million plays, so try it out for yourself.

Now why do we suddenly have a hankering for crackers and MS Word?

http://cheeseorfont.com/

Stories Told Through Ira Glass

If you do anything creative, you know the battle between a flash of instant brilliance, and working, working, working to get to that inspiring idea.

In the clip above, Ira Glass, host of This American Life on NPR, talks about how practice makes perfect even when it comes to creative work (click for video).  Cue Gladwell’s Outlier’s pitch.

Just because you have taste and vision doesn’t mean the work you put out matches your ambition. You need to do a large volume of work before you hit upon something really compelling, and your output catches up to your good taste.  

In fact, the good taste that many creators have often stifles the ‘artist as a young man’, because one realizes that the early output...isn’t all that great.

That said, there are constructs to follow to possibly get to that successful spot more readily.

In an additional segment, Mr. Glass shares his experience of what makes a good story. Although he focuses on broadcasting, his nuggets of truth are applicable whether creating or presenting or...socializing.

As he says, a story is essentially a sequence of events told in a compelling way that carries the audience towards a destination, coupled with a moment of reflection on why the story matters.

The trick?  Figuring out the strong interplay between the two and editing down to content that isn’t crap.

Storytelling is powerful in any situation, creative or not, because our brains are wired to process in terms of narratives. With a lot of work, editing, and luck, you can create better communication in the form of a good story.

Maybe a pair of Ira Glass’s thick glasses would help as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loxJ3FtCJJA&feature=relmfu
http://vimeo.com/24715531

The Best Advice You'll Ever Hear

Having problems with your business? Why not call up Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker to talk it over. Think your significant other is hiding something? Just get ex-FBI Special Agent Joe Navarro’s take on the matter. 

A start-up website called Expert Insight is making it easier for us common-folk to get advice from the best of the best. Customers can browse the list of experts from various fields and their hourly rates, select a time slot from their schedule, pay online, and video chat their way to enlightenment.

Most of the rates are pretty steep, but paying $400 an hour for Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron is still far more democratic than having to be accepted into Harvard and paying the $50,000 tuition. 

Although Expert Insight is still in its beta phase, it is an interesting attempt to improve our inefficient and unequal access to expertise. It’s another example of how the Internet has blown the top off of information access, especially privileged information (we’re looking at you, WikiLeaks). 

If you think you’re qualified or know someone who is, Expert Insight is accepting world-class applicants. Otherwise, you can work on your swing with an ESPN coach or talk strategy with a poker pro. 

You can even hire former call girl turned best-selling author Tracy Quan. She charges $750 an hour, just to chat. 

http://www.slate.com/id/2296822

https://expertinsight.com