Proximity BBDO

Mmm personally I’m not quit convinced but I might be wrong (again). Anyway tikitag might as well be The Next Big Thing. It looks simple: you have stickers on which you can put info with the help of an USB-tikitag-reader-writer. Once programmed you can use the stickers to tag anything. Other users can ‘read’ the info from the tag. For example: I upload all my Facebook, Plaxo, Del.icio.us, Last.fm links on a tikitag and stick it on my business card. When you get my card, you read the tag and you have immediate access to all my online info.
Bottlenecks? The reader. I would have bought the thing yesterday if it used my webcam (as this monster does) or my mobile as a reader but who needs another piece of hardware to carry around?
Tikitag goes beta October 1st, meanwhile learn more here it you can take the accent. Good luck guys!

We [blink] is a system to design patterns on store front windows that react to people passing by and then transmits their graphical representation to other windows around the world. This is an interesting and futuristic idea that could add interactivity to store fronts

According to Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, keynote speaker at Microsoft’s Future of Digital Marketing Congress,
the future of digital marketing means 2 things to the advertising world  (at least the ones I found memorable enough ;-) :

1. All media going digital
2. Expanded Marketing choice

The first point means that creative people need to adapt. The 2nd point that also media people will need to adapt.

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Emma (an integrated email marketing agency, with clients like DHL en Harvard Business School) is handing out 10 quite obvious, but nice-to-have, “trends” for email marketing in 2008 (although the rules are quite 2007):

1. Getting serious about the subject line.
2. Striking the right balance between images and text
3. Branding more than just the *from* name.
4. Focusing above the fold. Think preview pane.
5. Designing for three display possibilities.
6. Personalizing beyond “Dear Bob.”
7. Writing in a warm, personal voice.
8. Sending timely, targeted follow-ups.
9. Making the most of landing pages.
10. Above all, experiment.

For more info: click here

Last year, Nowandnext and Future Exploration Network produced a trend map based on the London subway map. It showed some of the major trends into ten main categories, as well as the key intersections between the trends.

After the impressive trend blend 2007, they have produced a new version for 2008 based on Shanghai’s underground routes. Slimming down from 10 segments last time, this map shows the 5 subway lines explaining what they see as the 5 key trends across Society, Politics, Demographics, Economy and Technology. Again, an amazing visualtion of current issues and how they interrelate, especially the five ‘major interchanges’ of Globalisation, Digitalisation, Virtual worlds, Ageing and Anxiety.

Eerste spreker op het PIM seminarie ‘Trends en marketinginnovaties’ in Utrecht gisteren was Peter van Woensel Kooy (Marketing Tribune). Hij had het voor het tweede jaar op rij over jongereniconen, zijn stokpaardje. Volgende 12 jongerentrends – al dan niet lokaal geïnspireerd – zullen volgens hem 2008 kleuren met als rode draad: slordigheid troef! Net als vorig jaar zullen wel niet alle trends even fel doorbreken, maar zonder twijfel toch enkele. Al zijn sommige misschien eerder locaal en zullen we daar in België niet veel van merken. (more…)

Online video and social networking are two of the hottest measurable trends. (See also previous blog posts.) They are both projected to grow at double-digit rates this year. However, while important, these trends are superseded by three deeper, more fundamental transformations taking place in the media world, according to Geoff Ramsey, CEO of eMarketer:

- media fragmentation

- internet as the central hub of most media and marketing campaigns

- consumers are in control

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Die uitspraak komt uit een onderzoek rond virtuele werelden. Of dat dat klopt is veel te vroeg om daar uitspraak over te kunnen doen. Virtuele werelden zijn wel volop met hun opgang bezig. Waarschijnlijk denkt men bij “virtuele wereld” vooral aan Second Life, Second Life dat constant op negatieve wijze in het daglicht komt te staan wegens zijn complexiteit en het stagnerend ledenaantal. Mattel, Coca-Cola en Disney zijn echter ook reeds succesvol bezig.

Lees verder voor trends, uitdagingen, een figuur en meer uitleg (more…)

In his new book, “Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?”, Seth Godin dissects the 14 trends marketers need to embrace to avoid eating meatball sundaes, which Godin explains as such:

A meatball is a worthwhile commodity. They are things we need and sold to everyone. The sundae is the hot fudge and the peanuts, the tactics of social media and the MySpace profiles. These things work but they work best when they’re not on meatballs, but when they’re on an organization designed to work with them.

We’ll have to read the book for more on this. (more…)

There’s a new air of excitement behind the mobile web. Google’s Open Handset initiative, new wireless auctions, and the iPhone have energized Internet users. In turn, companies want marketers to develop possible marketing solutions for the new wireless environment. However, until now the new media form has not yet become the powerhouse industry evangelists have hoped for. So, for the intelligent marketer the question must be, “Is mobile the right medium to reach my target group?”

To make that decision, marketers have to be aware of three critical trends that focus on mobile data usage… (more…)