Mashable: Latest 9 News Updates - including “iPad 2 Now Available at Toys R Us Retail Stores” |
- iPad 2 Now Available at Toys R Us Retail Stores
- Samsung Plans to Release a 2GHz Dual-Core Smartphone by 2012 [REPORT]
- Propping Up Your iPad: 3 Stands for Watching Video in Bed [REVIEW]
- 4 Free Conference Calling Services
- How Small Businesses Can Use Social Media for Customer Service
- HOW TO: Give Your Digital Life a Spring Cleaning
- Dramatic New Video of Japan Tsunami [VIDEO]
- Web Design Evolution: Two Decades of Innovation [INFOGRAPHIC]
- 10 Fresh Tees to Geek Out Your Summer Wardrobe [PICS]
- 10 Hilarious Branded Entertainment Campaigns [VIDEOS]
| iPad 2 Now Available at Toys R Us Retail Stores Posted: 18 Apr 2011 04:41 AM PDT      Apple may not think of its tablet as (only) a toy, but the iPad 2 is now happily sharing the shelves of Toys R Us with all the other toys. The device is currently available at select locations in the U.S., and a list showing the availability of the device in individual stores became available on Toys R Us’ site on Sunday. This is another sign that Apple means to expand the availability of the iPad far beyond the constrains of Apple’s retail store, where the original iPad was available at launch. Besides Toys R Us, the iPad 2 is available in many other major retail chains, including Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Radio Shack. [Toys R Us via Apple Insider] More About: apple, iPad 2, Toys R Us For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
            |
| Samsung Plans to Release a 2GHz Dual-Core Smartphone by 2012 [REPORT] Posted: 18 Apr 2011 01:44 AM PDT   Two years have passed since the first 1GHz smartphones hit the market, and Samsung is already looking at the next big milestone in the smartphone gigahertz race: 2 GHz. Such processor speed, Samsung claims, will narrow the gap between a smartphone and a full-fledged desktop PC, at least when it comes to data processing power. “We are planning to release a 2Ghz dual core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year. This product will have the data processing capacities of a regular PC,” said a high-ranking official from Samsung according to South Korean search engine Daum. Samsung also plans to sell the CPUs (which will probably be launched under Samsung’s Exynos brand) separately to other phone makers. How do you feel about the prospect of a 2 GHz, dual-core smartphone? What impact will that kind of processing power have on battery life? Please, share your opinions in the comments. [via Daum] More About: 2GHz, CPU, dual-core, Mobile 2.0, processor, samsung, smartphone For more Mobile coverage:
      |
| Propping Up Your iPad: 3 Stands for Watching Video in Bed [REVIEW] Posted: 17 Apr 2011 04:52 PM PDT   The iPad is great for reading and browsing, but it’s even better for watching video in bed. We got our hands on three iPad accessories that can also act as stands, propping up your iPad so you can you watch video hands-free. Before you start snickering about the whole bed thing, think of how often you might want to stop holding your heavy iPad and just have it sitting next to you on a stable platform. For instance, imagine travelers, weary from their voyages and plopping down on a hotel room bed. What they need is a video, and not one chosen by the hotel, but one of their own choosing. What could be better than propping up your iPad on the bed next to you and settling in for a favorite movie? My significant other and I have discovered a good-enough portable home theater, where we listen to the iPad’s audio on a Bluetooth speaker, and prop up the iPad 2 on the bed between us. It’s great for watching movies, especially if you have a stand that’s up for the task, giving you the stability and the correct viewing angle you’ll need for such pursuits. Which stand is best? We chose three contenders that each bring their own separate goodness to watching video in bed: Apple’s iPad Smart Cover, the Element Case Chroma Joule iPad Stand, and the Targus Versavu 360° Rotating Stand Case. Come along into our gallery and we’ll show you each one in action, and in the captions, we’ll fill you in on all the important details: Apple iPad Smart Cover Apple's iPad Smart Cover is an elegant protective device, but it also functions as a stand if you fold up its cover into a triangular shape. Smart Cover Propping Up an iPad 2 But how good is it as a stand for watching video in bed? Not very good. It's not stable enough. Its angle leans too far forward. It's better at propping up the back of the iPad if you want to type on it, though. Smart Cover, Leather Version If you want to use this for bed video viewing, save your $69 (for the leather version or $39 for plastic). It will work, but it's not stable enough for our taste. Nor does it offer protection to the back of the iPad, leaving it vulnerable to scratches. Element Case Chroma Joule iPad Stand The Chroma Joule doesn't claim to protect your iPad at all, it simply stands it up at your choice of three useful angles, from near-vertical to near-horizontal. Chroma Joule Back Even though this 11.9-ounce stand costs about twice as much as it should, it's stable enough for even the most rambunctious video watching in bed. Joule Accommodating a Motorola Xoom Motorola Xoom users aren't left out -- the Xoom tablet also fits into this Chroma Joule stand, but only in portrait mode. No such luck with landscape mode -- the Xoom is a bit thick in the middle for that. Carrying Case Chroma Joule even comes with its own carrying case, where that stabilizing arm fits into the slot where the iPad goes, all fitting into this smart-looking zippered container. Targus Versavu 360° Rotating Stand Case Here's a more conventional leather case that offers complete protection for your iPad, while also acting as a stable platform. Stable Platform This is one solid place to put your iPad when you want to watch some video in the sack. Back of the Case Not that we care that much about the Apple logo, but fanboys will love the way they can still display that object of their desire even while the iPad is ensconced in leather. Versavu 360 You can turn the case around to its portrait orientation easily. However, we noticed that when the iPad is placed in portrait view like this, it's not as stable as its landscape orientation. More About: Chroma Joule, Element Case Joule, iPad 2, ipad case, iPad Cover, ipad stands, review, Smart Cover, Targus Versavu, trending For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
      |
| 4 Free Conference Calling Services Posted: 17 Apr 2011 03:33 PM PDT   This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Salesforce.com removed one free conferencing tool from the world when it acquired DimDim in January, leaving many startups without a free teleconferencing service. Fortunately there are many excellent free options for coordinating remote meetings. “Free,” in this instance, means a service that doesn’t charge extra call rates or add service subscription fees on top of call fees. Aside from the well-known FreeConferenceCall.com, here are four of our favorite services in this category, listed below, ranging from impromptu team conversation tools to meeting organization powerhouses. 1. Rondee Rondee is a champ at coordinating conference calls with minimal email exchange. Meeting coordinators simply select a start time and enter email addresses of participants (contacts can only be imported from Outlook). If scheduled in advance, participants RSVP to Rondee, which tallies an attendee list. At call time, each user enters a unique pin number to join the call. There’s also an option to host impromptu meetings, for which call participants receive the same code and can set up meetings using that number at any time. For no extra charge, Rondee will record the call and make it available for download. For toll-free calls, the service has a premium option that charges $.05 each minute per participant. 2. Wiggio Conference calling is just one feature of Wiggio’s free group-management service. The site also helps users plan meetings, send mass text messages, plan projects and take polls within groups. To set up a conference call, users can either invite a group they have set up within the system or enter individual email addresses. Unlike Rondee, Wiggio gives users the option to import their email contacts from non-Outlook email accounts, which makes this part a little easier. But Wiggio lacks Rondee’s RSVP feature — although the invite emails include calendar invites, it can be hard to determine who plans to dial in to the meeting. During the call, the moderator can switch between conversation mode (unmute all), Q&A mode, and presentation mode (mute all). Unlike most free services that don’t require a download, Wiggio calls aren’t necessarily restricted to voice. Moderators can also set up a virtual meeting that pairs a screen share, a shared whiteboard, file trading and video conferencing options with a conference call. 3. GroupMe The group messaging app that dominated conversation at SXSW this year is also an excellent conference call option. Each group a user creates is assigned a single phone number. Texting that number sends a message to all members of the group. Calling that number puts the entire group in an instant conference call. Since the app lacks scheduling options and meeting invites, it’s a better option for small teams that need to communicate with each other often than it is for client calls. 4. Google VoiceWith Google Voice, anyone can initiate a conference call by having the call participants dial his Google Voice number at the same time. As each participant calls in, the initiating user will be asked to approve the person on the line to join the call. Note that Google Voice does not currently offer services for inviting call participants or soliciting RSVPs. What free conference call services do you use? Let us know in the comments. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, KuznetsovDmitry More About: 3D teleconferencing, conference calls, dimdim, Google Voice, groupme, Rondee, wiggio For more Business & Marketing coverage:
      |
| How Small Businesses Can Use Social Media for Customer Service Posted: 17 Apr 2011 02:17 PM PDT This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.   Customer relationship management isn’t just the domain of big brands, and these days, more and more companies are offering free online tools to make it easier for SMBs to keep track of and reach out to their customers. For some SMBs — whether they’re brick-and-mortar shops or online businesses — being able to monitor customer feedback, respond to complaints and help answer questions across a wide variety of websites is incredibly valuable, and it establishes a rapport with customers, who are likely to spread the word and praise the SMB for its outreach. To get a better understanding of what the CRM tasks are and the best tools to accomplish them, Mashable spoke with Marsha Collier, who wrote the book on online customer service. Collier says that when it comes to reaching out to customers on the web, small businesses actually have an advantage over their corporate counterparts. “There is the opportunity for more communication within the company, more chance to build a customer-centric culture. They don't have the issues of having to pass new ideas through meetings and legal department. If the owner/president is involved and the lines of communication are fairly open, they can turn on a dime and beat the competition,” she says. Given the agility of a smaller company, Collier says that while there are lessons to be learned from larger corporations’ social media campaigns, the most important part of bringing your business online for customer interaction is that you’re creating a personality for your company and giving your business a face. “When you engage the community, you personalize your business. Your business is no longer a store or a website: It's a person.” And at that point, Collier says, it’s vital to communicate promptly and personally, which can be time-consuming. “I know of small business owners who continually monitor social media platforms for mention of their businesses. They get text messages and try to direct the issues immediately. I even heard of a brick-and-mortar restaurateur who got a text about cold French fries at his location. He texted the manager, who then showed up at the table within minutes to diffuse the situation.” Best Tools to Use When it comes to specific tools that SMBs should be using, Collier says, “Of course, the very basics would be Tweetdeck or Seesmic. You'd be surprised how many small businesses don't know about the basic tools.” She says HootSuite is a great choice for a slightly larger business. Anyone who runs an online business will tell you that customers are shopping 24/7. Collier says they can “smartly install a web-based help desk from Zendesk or chat products like Meebo Me or Skype on their websites to immediately answer customer service issues.” Collier says those who wish to monitor mentions of their brands or verticals can use sites such as Socialmention or Tweetbeep. “Small business again can jump the gun here,” she notes. “Using their knowledge of their own industry, they can comment topically on blogs. They can even help their competitors’ customers in public on Facebook, on blogs or boards. By helping people with good service they can turn those people into prospective customers.” Best Practices & Streams to StudyCollier says she’s spoken at length with scores of SMB owners while writing her book, The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide. She says some of the most diligent practitioners of online CRM are the tens of thousands of business owners who make their living selling only on eBay or Amazon. Collier says these people have to “stay on top of customer transactions” in a way that other SMB owners and managers don’t. For offline businesses, Collier says, “Keep in mind we are on the cusp of this new form of online customer service, and the tools and procedures are just now being perfected. The few businesses that actually ‘get it’ right now are doing it right.” A fine example that Collier recommends for further study is @UnitedLinen, a company that uses social media to connect with customers in its local area. “The company has a personalized stream where it engages customers,” she says, “yet it’s also used for product announcements and crowdsourcing” and promotion of its YouTube series on the art of folding napkins. Collier also points out that quite a few food trucks have mastered the art of social media CRM. She recommends checking out the efforts of street food companies such as Streetza Pizza and Kogi BBQ. At the end of the day, Collier says, “Good customer service in any form has a positive effect on ROI. The White House Office of Consumer Affairs is quoted as saying, ‘A dissatisfied customer will tell between 9 and 15 people about their experience.’ If that is a real world statistic, the online world must be ten times that.” She adds that people don't do business with those who have a reputation for mistreating their customers. And since more companies are shifting to social media as the platform for all customer service, “small businesses should grab the opportunity and begin to make their mark.” In other words, practice will make perfect, and Collier advises getting as much social media practice as you can. Damage ControlUnfortunately, not all customer interactions online are going to be positive, and there is little SMB owners can do to control that. “Negative feedback can appear anywhere,” Collier says. “New media has drawn an end to controlling the situation.” Rather than trying to shut down conversations that might cast your business or product in an unflattering light, Collier recommends approaching all such conversations with honesty and a willingness to make amends if needed. “The object is to be there, to monitor the various sites,” she says. “Claim your business' Facebook Page, sign up with Yelp, Angie's List, Trip Advisor and any review site you can find on a Google search for your industry. Be transparent. Own up to mistakes and let the audience know about how you made things right for the customer.” Being proactive with social media makes it easy to nip a negative situation in the bud — and everyone knows how quickly you responded, which can help you win even more customers. image courtesy of iStockphoto, caracterdesign More About: crm, customer service, small business, smb, social media, trending For more Business & Marketing coverage:
      |
| HOW TO: Give Your Digital Life a Spring Cleaning Posted: 17 Apr 2011 12:53 PM PDT   Mollie Vandor is the Associate Product Manager at Cooking.com. Prior to that, she helped launch Ranker.com, where she served as the Product Manager, amongst many other roles. You can reach her @mollierosev, on her blog, or on her latest addiction – Words With Friends, where she plays under the username “Mollierosev.” It's official: Spring has sprung. Time to start spring cleaning. And there is no better place to start than the place you spend most of your time anyway — the world wide web. There are plenty of tools you can use to tidy up, whether it's organizing your email, using the cloud to get your files in order, or making the most of your social media. This spring-cleaning regimen is all about getting you organized, optimized and ready to take on the digital world. Read on to find out how: Email The folks over at Google say it best: “Email is great, except when there's too much of it.” Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to cut the clutter out of your inbox, and even some ways that your inbox will cut it for you. Gmail has a feature called “priority inbox” that will organize your email into sections. It also learns which messages you open, delete and reply to, so it can actually start prioritizing your inbox for you. If you want to get really hardcore with the Gmail prioritization features, you can also follow this guide to turning your Gmail into the ultimate 'GTD' inbox, modeled on the aptly-named productivity philosophy of “Get Things Done.” Of course, most of us have more than one messy inbox to organize. Which is why you may want to start your spring e-cleaning by consolidating all of your email accounts into one manageable mailbox. By routing all of your accounts to the same place, you can check as many email addresses as you want, all from a single site. There's a great eHow guide to managing multiple email accounts on Hotmail and Yahoo Mail too, because Gmail users shouldn't be the only ones who get to have all the email organizing fun this Spring. Similarly, open-source software Zimbra Desktop will create a custom dashboard where you can also check all of your emails from a single place. Digsby not only allows you to check multiple emails from one place but also allows you to check them from within your instant messenger client, which makes for even more consolidation. And, speaking of consolidation, you might also want to look into NutshellMail — a service that consolidates all of your social networking notifications into a single email, which means you can significantly cut down on those social media notification emails once and for all. While you're getting rid of notification emails, it's also a good time to get rid of any mailing lists that you don't want to be on anymore, particularly in light of the big Epsilon security breach last week. Unsubscribe is a service that places a single “unsubscribe” button in your inbox, allowing you to easily remove yourself from mailing lists, spam lists, and the like. You can even forward them an email and the company will unsubscribe that way too. If you really want to be proactive about stopping those mailing list emails, you can create a second email address that you use solely for signing up on sites, purchasing products, etc. Before you get worried that this might seem counter-intuitive to the whole consolidation plan, rest assured that if you already have one Gmail address, then you automatically have a second one already created that you can easily start using from the same mailbox. Similarly, Hotmail recently started offering users “throwaway accounts” they could use for just this purpose. The Cloud “The cloud” is a term for using "a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server or personal computer", as Google puts it. While that may not sound like the safest place to put all your stuff, there's growing evidence that it's at least as safe as the Post-it covered computer on your desk, if not more so. The cloud can also help you organize your music, documents and schedule. Amazon's new music player lets you upload your music to the cloud, then play it from any computer or Android phone. The cloud can also free you from having to buy music altogether. Instead, try streaming music from Grooveshark or Pandora. Both services let you search for and play music on the web or on your phone, although Grooveshark lets you pick and save your own songs like a traditional iTunes library, whereas Pandora picks the songs for you in real time, based on your preferences. Once you've got your Pandora station all set up, use it as background music while you move all those disorganized documents from your desk to the — you guessed it — cloud. There’s a variety of services that let you backup to the cloud, including Amazon's own “cloud drive.” Similarly, Dropbox lets you upload files directly from your desktop to your very own password-protected piece of the cloud, as well as sync files between your computer and the cloud and access all of it from the web or your mobile phone. Docstoc also lets you upload files to the web, and allows you to easily share them with others, similar to how Google Docs works. There are also specific tools for storing receipts and creating easy expense reports, plus plenty of dedicated sites where you can store copies of your favorite photos too, including Flickr, Picasa and, of course,Facebook. The cloud isn't just great for storing tangible things, it can also store your schedule and help you stick to it. If you use Google Calendar, you'll be able to view and edit your calendar on your computer or mobile device and set email or text reminders. Mobile Me also lets you use the cloud to keep calendars and reminders in sync across devices, sans Post-its. And, if you just want the reminders without any of that pesky calendar stuff, Remember The Milk lets you set up tasks and to-dos on the web and on your phone. Social Networks The average American spends a lot of time on social networking sites. So, it stands to reason that your social networking presence deserves just as much of a spring cleaning as everything else in your life. Get started by using a service such as Evernote, Springpad, Instapaper or Catch.com to store articles, clippings, blog post ideas, messages and more of the fun stuff you find during your daily web surfing. Most of those services also let you access your stored files on the go from your mobile device, so you can start actually making a dent in that pile of posts you've been meaning to read. Similarly, you can sync your browser using Google Chrome's Browser Sync service or a Firefox add-on such as Foxmarks, which will help you keep links, bookmarks and other browsing behavior organized between different computers. Of course, one of the biggest organizational challenges when trying to clean up your social networking is the sheer amount of noise involved in managing multiple accounts with large numbers of friends and followers. The first way to cut down on that noise is to make Twitter and Facebook lists of the keywords and connections you want to keep a close eye on. If you're trying to keep track of multiple online profiles, try setting up an about.me page to showcase all your different accounts in a single place, and cut the clutter of trying to share ten different accounts with all your new contacts. While you're at it, set up a Google alert to track all the noise that features your profile, then set up a special folder in your email where incoming Google alerts can stay sequestered until you're ready to deal with them in bulk. Another easy way to get your social networking profiles organized is to start using a tool such as HootSuite or TweetDeck to monitor and update multiple profiles from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more all in one place. Before you set up one of those tools, take a tough look at which social media profiles are really giving you the best bang for your buck, and get rid of the rest. By targeting your social media accounts, you can cut a lot of the clutter out of your daily routine right away, and focus more of your efforts where they really matter. To figure out which accounts are worth keeping, try triangulating data from some of the many social media analytics tools out there — Klout, Crowdbooster, ViralHeat and Hootsuite Analytics are all great tools that, when put together, can give you a really detailed picture of the reach and response rate of your various accounts and their related trending topics. While you're on a spring social media cleaning spree, now is a great time to make sure your Facebook privacy settings are exactly what you want them to be, and that the profile pic, bio, and links on all your social media accounts are up to date. It's also a good time to Google yourself and delete any old sites, links, pages, and such that you no longer wish to be associated with. Google even has a handy guide to help you do this. ConclusionStudies have shown that organized people live longer. With its warm weather, blooming greenery and promise of summer to come, Spring is the perfect time of year to get organized both at home and on the world wide web. Now, stop reading and get cleaning!  Interested in more Social Media resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.Image courtesy of Flickr, velo_city More About: social media, Spring, spring cleaning, trending, web For more Social Media coverage:
      |
| Dramatic New Video of Japan Tsunami [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Apr 2011 11:41 AM PDT We’ve seen a lot of footage of the tragic Japan tsunami, but this clip is the most horrifying yet. Entitled “South Sanriku — Tsunami seen from Shizugawa High School,” it’s shot from high ground, but toward the end of the video you can see panicked residents running for their lives. Almost as dramatic as the video is its audio track, where even if you don’t speak Japanese, you can tell the people are expressing concern at the beginning, but by the end, their voices have reached a high level of panic and horror as they watch their homes washing away. Shortly after the tsunami, one survivor called the oncoming deluge “a gigantic pile of garbage coming down the street.” That’s an apt description, as you can see an entire town reduced to a huge pile of watery debris in a matter of minutes. Shocking. [Via YouTube] More About: japan, trending, tsunami, video, viral video, youtube For more Video coverage:
      |
| Web Design Evolution: Two Decades of Innovation [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 17 Apr 2011 10:32 AM PDT   The web has come a long way since Tim Berners-Lee created the first website way back in 1991. Here’s an infographic that takes you on a tour of web design, starting with those humble beginnings, and bringing you all the way up to the present day. It’s like getting into a time machine, where the tremendous progress design has made on the World Wide Web over the past two decades is all laid out in front of you. Follow along this extensively researched infographic from KISSmetrics, showing us exactly how far we’ve come from those early days where wide pages of text with hyperlinks in between ruled the roost. Do you remember when an animated .gif graphic of a letter folding up and flying into an envelope was seen as the highest of technology? We’re starting to feel nostalgic. Please note: This graphic is so huge, we had to shrink it to fit our format, but if you’re having a hard time reading it, click the graphic for an enlargement. Graphic courtesy KISSmetrics More About: infographic, kissmetrics, Tim Berners-Lee, trending, web design, Web Design evolution For more Dev & Design coverage:
      |
| 10 Fresh Tees to Geek Out Your Summer Wardrobe [PICS] Posted: 17 Apr 2011 09:50 AM PDT With warmer weather on the horizon and our last tshirt roundup a little way back, we thought it was high time we took another look at the casual clothing genre from a geeky perspective. We’ve found 10 top tees that will emblazon your geekiness across your chest like some kind of nerd badge of honor. We’ve got fresh options for Googlophiles, fanboys, net-lovers, followers of pop culture, Foursquare-lovers and more. Have a wander through the gallery and let us know in the comments below which garment-of-geek you’d consider donning this season, as well as any others you’ve seen of late that are worth a mention. 1. Digital Stream   This unisex designer tee offers a vintage vision of yesteryear's tech. Cost: $19 2. Google Voice The colorful circles adorning this official Google-shirt will be instantly recognizable to Google Voice fans. Cost: $21 3. Chop Shop's The Internets Chop Shop delivers another great montage of symbols, this time on the theme of "The Internets". Cost: $20 4. "Google" by Intelligent Design Showing the global financial crisis' effect on Google stock over a six-month period, this is a great garment for GOOG stock-watchers. Cost: $40 5. Nerdy Shirts' Charlie Sheen Range There's not one, not two, but three Charlie Sheen-themed tees on offer at Nerdy Shirts. #Winning! Cost: $23.99 each 6. Might Tees Steve-in-Sane Described as "one part 20-something hipster Steve Jobs, one part Bowie's Aladdin Sane, and one part Apple rainbow," this shirt is three parts awesome. Cost: $23.99 7. Google Android Restroom Sign There are three types of people in Google's world; Men, women and Androids. If you're a fan of 'droids, you might like this appropriately colored tee. Cost: $12.20 8. Foursquare Jetsetter This is part of Foursquare's range of official swag. Glam it up with the limited-edition "jetsetter" shirt. Cost: $20 9. Modern Pirates Modern pirates still mark their treasure with a cross, but they've stopped using parchment maps in favor of iPhones. Cost: $19.95 10. What Does it Mean? We'll leave you with a tee that encapsulates one of the most powerful questions of our time: What does it mean? Cost: $20 Interested in more Accessories resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.More About: fashion, galleries, gallery, geek, List, Lists, t-shirts, tees For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
      |
| 10 Hilarious Branded Entertainment Campaigns [VIDEOS] Posted: 17 Apr 2011 08:32 AM PDT   Actor Danny McBride, in character as Kenny Powers from the HBO show Eastbound and Down, walks in to a boardroom continuing a conversation on his cell phone, "…I don't expect to be standing in an [expletive] parking lot with my pants around my ankles with a tranny!" For the next four minutes, McBride/Powers goes on to berate executives from K-Swiss and make a list of demands including a "big-ass trailer" stocked with porn, a tattoo "of a naked Russian chick on my arm." Next, he floats some ideas for a K-Swiss commercial, including one scenario where he rips off a fighter's head and dropkicks it out of the ring. What is this? Is it advertising? A skit? Both? Actually, it's a hybrid often filed under the broad category of "branded entertainment," which has drawn top brands and A-list comedic talent together. In recent months, Ford, Denny's and Juicy Fruit, among others, have tapped well-known comedians and writers to create campaigns that sport a level of wit that is more sophisticated than most mass-market advertising. And, in some cases, the campaigns appear to hitting goals set by the marketers — to create social media chatter and skew the brands younger. A prime forum for this new type of advertising is Funny Or Die, the website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Chris Bruss, producer of branded entertainment for the site, says the site produces about 10 to 15 branded entertainment pieces per quarter. The model that the site is using — a sponsorship approach vs. straight-up advertising — is on the rise. According to Internet Advertising Bureau stats released last week, revenues for sponsorships grew 88% in 2010. "Obviously, everyone is gravitating towards doing things online and moving away from traditional media," Bruss says. "Marketers aren't just buying some ad units on the site, they're partnering with us to create content." Not surprisingly, others are looking to get in on the action. Earlier this year, actors Jason Bateman and Will Arnett launched DumbDumb, a production company that creates branded entertainment. DumbDumb's first such effort, Always Open for Denny's, launched in early March. According to research from YouGov, the series, which features Dave Koechner, Sarah Silverman, Bateman and Arnett, among others, has raised the brand's profile among 18-34 year-old consumers. YouGov based its findings on a daily online survey of 5,000 people. The scores average positive views of the brand (+100) with negative ones (-100). Likewise, Ford's online-only campaign around Doug, an orange puppet, may have contributed to skewing the brand younger, according to the chart below. But the effort, which features Paul Feig, a director for The Office and Freaks and Geeks, and The Simpsons writer Rob Cohen, among others, was primarily designed to get people talking in social media about Ford's 2012 Focus. Jon Beebe, digital marketing manager for Ford, says the campaign has met that goal. So far, Doug has racked up more than 700,000 views on YouTube and has gotten 19,000 fans on Facebook. "We call him a provocateur," Beebe says of Doug. "We wanted to get people talking about it and saying 'Did you see this puppet thing?'" In each instance, the branded entertainment campaigns are sharper than the TV campaigns you're likely see from the advertisers. On the other hand, K-Swiss has been so enamored with the foul-mouthed Kenny Powers character that it has featured him in a cleaned-up TV ad. Glenn Cole, co-founder and creative director at 72andSunny, the ad agency behind that campaign, says the brand knows that the character is polarizing. "But to the consumers that matter, Kenny is kind of worshiped." Thanks to the affiliation, the brand "is in the sports/cultural conversation for the first time since the ’80s," Cole says. As proof, K-Swiss vice president of marketing Chris Kyle points out that Footwear News recently listed K-Swiss as the brand with the biggest jump in buzz. “It’s led to a lot of reset thinking as to what K-Swiss is about,” Kyle says. “It gets them talking about a brand they thought they knew.” In this case, a tongue-lashing from the Powers character (given to actors standing in for K-Swiss execs) was a small price to pay. For a look at some of the other funniest branded entertainment efforts of late, see the video gallery below. Please let us know in the comments if you think this is a smart strategy for these brands and which videos you thought were the funniest. Note: Many of the videos use NSFW language. K-Swiss Meeting with Kenny PowersDanny McBride, in character as Kenny Powers of HBO's Eastbound and Down insults K-Swiss execs and demands porn for his trailer in a meeting hashing out his endorsement deal. This is possibly the most profanity-laden "commercial" ever. Snoop Dogg vs LL Cool J: The Ultimate Halo SmackdownThe two rap legends go mano a mano in a game of Halo and, for some reason, the guy from Chuck is playing too. So is a Las Vegas legend who makes a cameo at the end. Jeremy Piven for Hot WheelsJeremy Piven plays a nerdy guy who desperately wants to join the Hot Wheels team. Always Open with David Koechner for Denny'sDave Koechner and Jason Bateman discuss primal screams vs. sighs in a seemingly improvised dialog. The Prom Date with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett for Orbit GumOrbit Gum has a magical, mystical power in this 5-minute skit featuring Jason Bateman as a dad whose daughter is about to go on a date with a sleazy Will Arnett. Press Conference: Ford Taps Doug (the Orange Puppet) as 2012 Focus SpokespersonFord's new spokesman's affinity for the ladies is evident in this skit, which shows him being introduced in a disastrous press conference. Serenading Unicorn Serenades Sarah Silverman for Juicy FruitSarah Silverman's unicorn boyfriend seems to be two-timing her, but she doesn't care. Must be the animal magnetism. Epic Nerf Battle: Life in the TrenchesTwo dorks get caught up in a Nerf battle that has consumed all their energies for the last few days. Good thing there's plenty of pizza to go around. Piranha 3D: For Your ConsiderationPirahna 3D never really had a shot at winning an Oscar, but members of the cast make a case anyway. What Would Keith Stone Do? for KeystoneKeith Stone, spokesman for Keystone beer, has all the answers for a guy who's considering dumping his girlfriend via text. Disclosure: Ford is a Mashable sponsor. More About: advertising, branded entertainment, business, Dave Koechner, Denny's, ford, funny or die, Jason Bateman, Juicy Fruit, MARKETING, Sarah Silverman, trending, video, Will Arnett, youtube For more Business & Marketing coverage:
      |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Mashable! To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments to "Mashable: Latest 9 News Updates - including “iPad 2 Now Available at Toys R Us Retail Stores”"
Post a Comment