02.28.10
Posted in Facebook, Interactive, Marketing, Social Media, twitter at 8:48 am by Curtis J. Morley
About three or four years ago I was giving a presentation about technology at a large prestigious University to a group of Masters students soon to graduate. The presentation was going well and the crowd seemed to be engaged and enjoying what I had to say. I had made it through approximately half of my slides and had mentioned something about an email I had received when from the middle of this auditorium style room a kid shouted out, "Email is for old people."
This comment caught me off guard and I stopped the presentation. I asked, "Who just said that?" The setting was very formal and no-one volunteered themselves right away. The crowd was large enough that I couldn't pick the It seemed that whoever had made the disruption realized that maybe he shouldn't have blurted out the comment or else he thought that I might be upset about his actions. After some cajoling, a hand was raised and the once brazen student admitted to the outburst.
I asked him, "What do you mean, email is for old people?" He explained, to the agreement of the crowd, "No one uses email anymore! The only time we use email is when our professors make us check our grades." I was very interested in what he had to say and so instead of continuing on my topic I put away my clicker, abandoned my slides and just had a conversation with the group.
"So Who uses email on regular basis?"
Less than a fourth of the hands went up.
"How do you get a hold of one another?"
"We text, twitter, or Facebook."
"Email is so slow. We want to get ahold of our friends instantly."
"Yeah, it takes forever to get someone to answer an email."
"We can text during class and in meetings. You can't really do that with a phone call."
"How many of you will text first instead of calling on the phone?"
Almost all hands were raised.
"How do you communicate anything substantial, with only 160 characters?"
"U only need 160 chars 2 say what U need 2 say. FYI."
"Facebook is for bigger stuff - and pictures."
"If you really need to write something big you just post it to your blog. I have an RSS feed of all my friends blogs."
The conversation continued like this for the duration of my visit. The votes were in and email failed the test of GenY and the Millennials. The next generation weighed-in and without an instant response they are not interested.
A friend of mine, James Keddington, heard a similar story when he saw Gen. Colin Powell speak who shared an experience about his Grandson saying the same thing, "Email is for old people Grandpa!"
So, what does this mean for the world of Marketing? It means that those Masters students have been in the work force for several years now. It means that we can not ignore the power of new media, social networks, and social media. It means that 1f we adapt our products and marketing efforts to this group where they live, how they live and on the platforms they live on then we will span the generational gap and be a thriving company in the next five years.
Thanks,
Curtis J. Morley
P.S. Let's regain our youth and instigate a worldwide "Email Free Friday."
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02.18.10
Posted in Browser, Interactive, Marketing, quicktip at 10:21 pm by Curtis J. Morley
Do you need a lot of info fast? Do you need to be a maven in your industry? Do you want every piece of info that your favorite newspaper or blog has -
BUT you don't want irrelevant information that just gets in the way? Here is your solution. An RSS Filter tool. Everyone loves a good RSS feed but nobody wants the information overload that goes with it. Here are some of the tools that I suggest to get RSS feeds filtered just the way you like it.
Yahoo's tool for creating RSS feeds that fit your style. Everything from E-bay to business tools.
Yahoo Pipes RSS Feed Filter Tool
A nice tool that filters individual feeds. It is an inclusive RSS filter rather than an exclusive RSS filter.
Feedsifter RSS Filter Tool
FeedRinse RSS Filter Tool
Not a pretty site but it works well for RSS aggregation
Syndic8 RSS Filter Tool
This company has been around a while and has a suite of tools for RSS feeds and filtering
NewsIsFree RSS Filter Tool
An RSS company that has created fantastic business-oriented channels and tools.
MoreOver RSS Filter Tool
The perfect way to slice and dice all of your RSS.
xFruits RSS tools
I hope this helps you get a tremendous amount of info while simplifying your life.
Happy Filtering
Curtis J. Morley
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03.21.09
Posted in Adobe, Computers, Flash, Flex, Interactive, SEO, Search Engine, Speaking at 10:13 pm by Curtis J. Morley
I am excited to say that I will be speaking at the E-Learning DevCon. E-Learning DevCon is arguably the best Flash E-learning conference around. This is one of those hidden gems that people talk about long after they are gone. Some of the most respected E-learning and Interactive Instructional designers will be at this conference. Sign up quickly because it is filling up fast.
Presentation:
FLOOGLYTICS = Flash + Google Analytics
Flash and Google Analytics = FLOOGLYTICS
Flash has always been considered the ugly step sister in the world of SEO and Analytics. Well now Flash takes "Center Stage". Using Google Analytics data can be extracted from Flash that could never be pulled from HTML. This session will explore the ins-and-outs of how to setup Google Analytics to work most effectively with your Flash files and how to set up Flash to work most effectively with your Google Analytics account. Go beyond just seeing what users did. See what users meant to do or even wanted to do but didn't. The most important part of the equation is how to refine this gold that Flash and Google Analytics provide. Walk away from this session armed with the tools you need to implement Flooglytics and make your site effective.
Where:
E-Learning DevCon - University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
When:
June 17th-19th 3:30 P.M.
So sign up for E-Learning DevCon and I let's make learning exciting again.
Happy Flashing,
Curtis J. Morley
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04.12.07
Posted in Flash, Interactive, SEO, Speaking at 12:46 pm by Curtis J. Morley
Today I will be a guest speaker at BYU and will be talking about Google Analytics in Flash. I will be showing the students the power of using analytics and Flash. I will also be talking briefly about Omniture analytics and Flash. My talk will be centered around the capabilities of fine tuned tracking with Flash and what data should be tracked. I will also talk about the class that I am about to release that is built for Google Analytics and Flash.
Stay tuned and Happy Flashing.
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02.06.07
Posted in Interactive, Marketing at 2:18 am by Curtis J. Morley
"Good afternoon, Mr. Yakamoto," the interactive poster states loudly for Tom Cruise with newly implanted eyes and everyone else to hear. "How did you like that three-pack of tank tops you bought last time you were in?"
Earlier in the movie a sign in the subway senses the emotion of Tom Cruise in the subway and says "John Anderton, you could use a Guinness right now." Very similar to what Ogilivy did with interactive billboards in Belgium. Only they had a person in a control booth manipulating the action(see below). In Toronto they are doing a slightly different idea where you can opt in to receive a free ringtone via bluetooth.
Jeff Boortz the creative lead for the film and President of 3 Ring Circus had this to say about the content, "Originally, the whole idea, from a script point of view, was that the advertisements would recognize you -- not only recognize you, but recognize your state of mind..."
Ogilivy did a great job of creating interactive ads but added the human (or Wizard of Oz) effect in creating billboards that interact with the person in front of the sign. The face on the sign changes and interacts with the person standing in front of it. It is an actor that views the people through a video camera in the sign and reacts to them(and at times makes fun of them).
So how is Mini cooper doing this today? They have sent out approximately 4500 RFID key Fobs that are activated when the driver gets within 500 ft of the billboard. It is getting a ton of publicity and the drivers of the little speedsters are loving the personal attention that only comes by being part of "The Club."
This is obviously an opt-in style of personalized advertising. But how real is the possibility of "Minority Report Advertising?" In Minority Report "identification of consumers happens via retinal scans, which are presumably matched with names in a global database."
Will we need to wear sunglasses some day or specially designed contacts to prevent the advertising from
announcing personal or embarrassing items. The grocery stores already give you a coupon on the bottom of your reciept that allows you to buy milk at a discount if you bought cereal or salad dressing if you purchased lettuce. I would hate to hear the computer announce to myself and others as I walk into my local Albertsons, "Welcome Mr. Morley, your favorite brand of tampons are on sale." Just because the last time I went shopping I happened to pick up some things for my wife.
So how could they identify us currently?
- Cell phones - It has a unique number, it is with us constantly and the French are using cell phones to do location advertising currently.
- Key Fob - Most employees will carry around an electronic key card that allows them into a building these have personal identifiers on them such as name and company.
- PDA - My PDA has Bluetooth, IR, and Wifi and much personal information.
- Gaming Device - PSP among others have wireless capabilities. Why not send a simple signal out to the advertising terminal as a kid walks into target to display a companion game or upgrade for the game that is currently being played?
- Credit Cards - Newer cards are containing RFID and can be scan rathered than slid.
- Medical Devices - Medical devices are being tagged with personal identifiers in case of theft.
- Medical ID tags - A simple scan of a necklace or wrist bracelet with a small amount of OCR and the person is easily identified.
- Cars - GM and OnStar, Honda, Infiniti etc... all have a GPS device within the car. This data can be read and matched with DMV records at any time.
- GPS Devices
- Facial Recognition software - The creepy big brother devices that I saw at ComDEX. The camera took a picture of me and from that point on any time I was even close to booth the camera locked onto me and displayed my name and info.
- Retinal scanners -already at use in some airports
- Watches - Fossil, among others, are now carrying a bluetooth line of watches.
- Pets - Most pets are now carrying an identification chip inside of them that could easily be used to change an interactive poster into an advertisement of dog food or the latest in neutering.
How could they identify us in the future?
- Gene scans - This is a scary thought but some day could be a reality.
- Drivers License - Technology here continues to advance. Why not embed an RFID into the license so that officers have instant access to your info without putting themselves in danger by getting out of their car?
- mp3 Players - Go iPhone
So what are your thoughts?
Should we be looking out for "Big Brother" or is this just a natural progression of technology and advertising?
How will corporations and governments start advertising/tracking us in the future?
A great link to a blog by Steve Smith and Phil Leggiere about Behavioral Marketing and Behavioral Targeting
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