How much data will humans create in a year?

Have you ever wondered about the amount of data we create each year?  Those of us who have grown up in a world where computers, the internet and social media where a part of the norm, have probably never given it a second thought.  However, if you stop to think about it, it’s astonishing how much data we actually create.  In 2011 alone, we created 1.8 zettabytes of data, and that number is said to double every two years.

1.8 zettabytes is not an amount many of us deal with on a regular basis. So let’s look at it another way. 1.8 zettabytes would be the equivalent of every person in the United States tweeting three tweets per minute, every minute for 26,976 years! It is also the equivalent of 200 billion HD movies, each 120 minutes long. If someone watched all those movies without a break it would take them 47 million years. Still unsure how much 1.8 zettabytes is? If we stored 1.8 zettabytes in 32GB Apple iPads, we would need 57.5 billion iPads. You could build a mountain of iPads that would be 25 times higher than Mt. Fuji. That many iPads laid end to end would be the length of 151,736,111 football fields or enough to circle the earth over 346 times!

These numbers may seem a little hard to believe but are they really? Think about it. There are over 500 million Facebook users, 200 million Twitter users, and over 100 million YouTube users. Not to mention Flickr, MySpace, LinkedIn, Vimeo, and all of the other social media sites.  Some of us blog and some of us browse the web. We’re constantly creating data. How much data do you create each year?

The Fifth Marketing “P”

Remember the four marketing P’s? Product, price, promotion, and place. With all the social media sites, blogs, and interactive apps, we think it is necessary for a fifth marketing P- people.

Today, we have social media sites that mostly connect People with People – but more and more often, they are connecting people with brands, products and services. Word-of-mouth advertising, or what I like to call keyboard-to-screen advertising, is bigger than ever before. Bing actually has a campaign advertising their Social Search, which not only allows you to search for what you’re looking for, but you can see what your Facebook friends have to say about it.

How many times have you heard a friend talk about the horrible experience they had at a restaurant? Or how overpriced a certain store was? Did you ever visit these places after hearing the horror stories? When I mentioned this topic to Amber, one of my co-workers, she told me a story about how her grandfather emphatically told her family they were not allowed to go to Denny’s. He had a bad experience and now his six children and their families were not to set foot in another Denny’s. Period. Almost a decade later, when they were visiting Niagara Falls, Amber and her family had no other option but to go to Denny’s for a meal. They had a great experience and subsequently, Denny’s redeemed itself in her grandfather’s eyes.

Many people have similar stories… and we, as a social society, want to know what others have experienced at places we may want to go to. Why spend your hard earned money on an experience you may not enjoy? That’s why sites like Urban Spoon and Trip Advisor work so well. They give us insight to places we’ve never been before.

Whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, or any other site where people can share their thoughts, people will talk about brands, products, services and their experiences with them. The fifth “P” just may be the most important of all.

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

When Social Media IS Your Work

Recently we’ve added a tagline to our signature files for those we are corresponding with to “Like us on Facebook.” Regularly, I am engaged in Facebook, Twitter or iTunes each day developing apps for clients, etc. Why does it still feel as though I’m doing something wrong when I’m on Facebook at work, as though I have to look over my shoulder to see if my supervisor is coming down the hall? Does it still feel as though you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing?

Could that be the cool factor of social media? It’s fun. It’s cool. It feels as though you shouldn’t be surfing at work, but it IS work for some- especially advertising agencies. Those companies who are truly dedicated to social media see that it’s not easy. You have to have a strategy, stay on top of fan posts, and most importantly- socialize with your fans.

What about the companies who have to manage a social presence, but aren’t allowed to access any networks while at work? What are some of the roadblocks your company has faced while diving into social media?

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

Is “Want” the New “Like”?

I can think of many reasons why marketers, advertisers, product developers, etc. should hope it is! I’ve seen a few social services emerge lately revolving around people sharing things they want. Business Insider published an article describing a mobile app called “Want!” where you take pictures of things you want, label them, and can either store them for later reference or send them out to your social networks. Another sharing network I’ve noticed is Pinterest.com. It’s not strictly for “wants” but if you pay close attention to what people are posting, it’s photos of how they want to decorate, outfits they’d like to wear, food they’d like to make, etc. So essentially it boils down to the same thing. Interesting trends have emerged from the recession, and this seems like it could have sprouted from people not having the money, but still enjoying the process.

There are limitations as to why it can’t go as far as the “like” button- the “like” button can be applied to basically everything you can think of. The “want” button, on the other hand, can’t be used as easily for journalism and online written content unless it’s about a specific topic. I’m tempted to say it’s best suited for e-commerce, but it has potential to expand. Saying you “want” something also seems one step further than saying you “like” something, but this commitment may or may not make a difference. We have to keep in mind, one reason the “like” button has been so overwhelmingly popular is because of the simplicity and distance from users- all they have to do is click one button one time.

How do you think this can help marketers? Does it stand a chance against the “like” button?

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

Shrinking the Social Circle

A few months ago I was talking to my boss, David Allred, and he said he’d prefer to share links with a select group of people on Facebook rather than everyone he’s friends with. Not all of his friends are interested in the same topics. Social networks seem to be heading in that direction. Over the past few months I’ve read many articles about the emergence of niche social media groups, where people can share things more openly or in a very particular way with a specific group of friends. It would allow people to share more personal details that may only be appropriate for close friends, make detailed plans in one forum, etc. A few examples of this:

• Path - “The Personal Network” to share photos with 50 friends
• GroupMe and Beluga – Both are group messaging services
• Toyota Friend – Private network for new Toyota owners

Business Insider has posted a good article discussing a theory for this transition and insight into what will happen with the social giants, such as Facebook. The writer explains, “I’m not saying that people will stop sharing their every thought, photo, and link. People love this freedom of expression. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn will be fine because they form the foundation of the social web.” People want to go beyond broadcasting, however, so these specialized, more private social groups are the next step. As you can see above, they’re emerging in a variety of ways and aren’t always person-to-person. What do you think will happen? Will people start to use more than one kind to meet their different social needs?

Read more from The End Of The Social Network Era, The Rise Of The Social Circle Era.

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

Missing Posts

Please be aware- we’ve lost some of our posts and some of our recent links no longer work because entries have been reposted. Sorry for any issues!

Free Advertising with Facebook Picture Tagging?

The ability to tag Business Pages in photos was something I didn’t realize I wanted until last week, and then a few days later Facebook enabled just that. We’re currently featuring past CreateAthon clients on our Facebook wall in commemoration of 10 years of participation, and many of these clients have Facebook pages. It’s one thing to post photos of the work, but we wanted to link it to those organizations and start a conversation- sharing memories, getting updates from the organizations on what they’re doing now, etc. Tagging a brand or company in a photo will now place that photo in the photos tab of their page, granted it hasn’t been disabled. I’d rather it post to their wall, but this is a step in the right direction for what we were hoping to accomplish!

The article Mashable posted announcing the new feature made an interesting point: “Imagine if people started tagging themselves wearing, say, Levi’s jeans. All of those snaps would then go to the Levi’s Facebook Page and result in free advertising.” It’s kind of a step further from wearing clothing with the brand clearly distinguishable (like the little red tabs on Levi’s or a brand name t-shirt).  Another Mashable article says, “Coke had encouraged fans to [tag photos] within hours of Facebook’s announcement last week.” Social media is putting the brand in the hands of the consumer even more with this move. Do you like this organic form of advertising? Do you think you’ll start tagging your objects?

I could see this getting out of hand with large brands having to monitor their photos and delete any inappropriate ones. Do you see any other possible negatives to this new option?

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

How Did You Hear?

Social media has played an interesting role in big events lately, from efforts helping the tornado victims in Alabama to breaking the news to many of Osama Bin Laden’s death.

We really saw the power of social media during the storms in Alabama a few weeks ago. News organizations were tweeting to get live coverage from all over, and people put Facebook to use immediately to stay updated, set up recovery groups, and connect lost people and items. Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa took off with great success and is now a “nationwide grassroots network,” organizing relief efforts for the victims of the April storms. Another amazing Facebook page that really shows the worth of social media is very simply named, “Pictures and Documents found after the April 27, 2011 Tornadoes,” and already has over 100,000 likes. From this page’s “likes” there are numerous other pages related to relief efforts, such as “Animals Lost & Found from the Tornadoes in Alabama on 4/27/11.” It’s wonderful to see that both pages are full of success stories.

Social media was literally at the center of another breaking news story this past week, as well. From someone accidentally “reporting live from the raid” by tweeting from next door to Keith Urbahn’s tweet before it was officially announced, news of Osama Bin Laden’s death spread rapidly. Mashable conducted a poll to see how people found out about the death and Twitter is reigning on top:

These are the instances we get to see the real potential and immediacy of social media. Did Twitter or Facebook play a part in either of these events for you?

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

All In A Day’s Work

At LWT, employees can expect to be called upon at any time to help with a project. LWT prides itself on creating top notch work for its clients through original and, at times, elaborate marketing ideas. Sometimes, the journey through producing such projects can involve all manners of “extra” work, going far beyond simply lending a hand on a computer or piecing together a mock ad. This can range anywhere from being an extra in a photoshoot to assisting in rigging a device to capture just the perfect scene in a video.

A recent example is when web programmer, Brandon Johnston was called upon to don the prestigious attire of a United States serviceman. After making sure all the clothing was fitted and properly assembled, he spent some time researching the proper pose and techniques for saluting.

These types of tasks don’t stop with the production team. Even the partners dive into the thick of things when extra hands are needed. LWT Principal, Jim Leonard is no stranger to the camera, having taken center stage for photo shoots. Jim’s partner, David Allred, also has a reputation of devising all manners of gadgetry to aid in marketing packages and video/photo production.

But to call participation in such activities “work” would be lying. Each and every member of the LWT staff pours themselves, heart and soul, into their job. It’s a labor of love, and the final products always exhibit that sentiment. At the end of the day, dressing up as an elf; hanging precariously from a moving vehicle; and laying down some landscaping is all in a day’s work.

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL. Connect with us lwtconnect.com – facebook.com/lwtconnect

Is Your Data Safe in the Cloud?

According to Simon Crosby from Mashable, there is nowhere safer for your data than The Cloud. The part from his post that made the most sense to me was the last paragraph where he compares putting your data in the cloud to putting money in the bank. The security at the bank is going to be much better than the security you have at home. Mr. Crosby raises other great points, such as never having to save anything to removable media, you can set restrictions for which client-side devices can be used, and data remains encrypted in the desktop cache.

Find more technical details and more information in the article, Why the Cloud Is Actually the Safest Place for Your Data. Tell us what you think! Do you agree with this?

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

What’s Your Price Point for Digital Goods?

What are you willing to pay for your digital goods, like music, movies and news?

The New York Times’ new plan charges $35 a month for all-inclusive content, accessible from any of your devices. This doesn’t compare very well to its competition, or any other digital content sources, for that matter. Immediately people tried to find ways around the paywall, and there was even a Twitter account set up specifically to help people avoid paying. Online content tends to be valued a little less as it is- many feel less guilty about piracy and just generally aren’t willing to pay as much. Each category has a tipping point, as well, and it looks like the NYT might be well over that limit. What do you think about the price? Is it justifiable?

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

Major Media Ad Spending: Internet NOT on Top

TV trumps all categories for media spending in 2011 and is predicted to do so right through 2015. In fact, the media spending doubles that of the internet in 2011, shown in a study conducted by eMarketer in March of 2011. Many factors are contributing to this sustained dominance, one of which is media consumption habits.

While some were predicting a decline in tv consumption because of services like Hulu, Netflix, etc.,  according to eMarketer, we’re actually watching more tv per week than we were a year ago. It’s just that we’re consuming other media while watching, such as using our Smart Phones and laptops. This doesn’t mean everyone is distracted, though. The study notes, “It turns out that people aren’t watching Fox’s “Glee” while checking e-mail, but they are more likely commenting on the latest episode on Twitter and Facebook.” So rather than the two categories competing, they’re fueling each other.

Consumption habits aren’t the only things fueling growing media budgets, however. Some of the growth can possibly be attributed to a “recovering economy.” Companies are hiring a little more, spending a little more on advertising, and becoming a little more comfortable overall. eMarketer also points out that the growth in the TV media budget is probably at the expense of newspapers and magazines.

Do you think this trend will continue, or will online video services interfere? What else might shift these media budgets?

Read more from the eMarketer Study from AdAge’s Blog here: Among Media, TV Is Still on Top

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

Next in Location-Based Advertising: Geofencing

“If Foursquare and Groupon had a child, it would look a lot like geofencing,” says Ann Sherber in her DigiDay Blog.

Geofencing is essentially an invisible fence set up around a location where users who have already opted in can receive special deals and coupons via text message when they enter said location. A huge advantage to geofencing over other location-based services is that people don’t need to have Smartphones. The technology uses the network’s cell phone tower rather than a smartphone app. Marketers are getting ever-closer to reaching consumers at the point of sale and meeting needs with immediate content and information.

Some consumers are a little nervous, not liking the idea of feeling “watched” or “tracked” where they’re going. Companies who have started testing this technology are treading lightly because of these concerns. As I mentioned, this is an “opt-in” service so far, and most companies are limiting the number of texts a consumer can receive per month. Read the rest of this entry »

Facebook vs. Groupon

So who isn’t Facebook competing with?

In recent news it was announced that Facebook will start offering one-time discounted offers that people can share with their friends through the social network. The new program will be released in 5 major cities as a test run within the next few weeks. This seems like an appropriate integration (whether through Facebook itself or a partnership) with Facebook already having a Marketplace, F-Commerce, and a saturation of Business Pages. Read more about the deals from the article: Facebook Will Introduce New Service That Sells Discount Deals

Facebook is now also competing with movie rental companies. You can choose to rent a movie right from some Facebook Fan Pages, such as “The Dark Knight,” for $3. Warner Bros. felt this was a natural extension of their fan page. This puts Facebook in competition with just about every movie service out there. Most movie rental companies are offering some form of streaming video to stay afloat. Do you think Facebook has the power to enter this market? Read more from the article Warner Bros. Starts Movie Rental Service on Facebook

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

“Why make a St. James video?”

Why make a Saint James Video? – Anyone who is an art director knows the responsibility that comes with a question like this. Though this question is posed by a student after the fact, as a company are asked on a daily basis “why” to do one thing or another. Justification of the creative process- a mystery to most, it’s a hard thing to explain.

With the level of creativity and experience that we have as a team there are sure to be differences of opinion- but when it gets right down to it we are all working towards giving the client something they love and are proud of – independent from our own personal opinions. It takes a lot of guts to put your idea out there for the critical masses and one can only hope the end product will not only be well received but most importantly do the job that was intended. Read the rest of this entry »

Pepsi Throwback: Why Nostalgia Branding Works

Nostalgia branding works for two simple reasons.

1. Older generations love to “remember when.”

2. Younger generations think retro is cool.

The marketing team at PepsiCo only sees this trend increasing as people yearn for “the good ol’ days” when things were simpler. Pepsi recently introduced “Pepsi Throwback” and “Mountain Dew Throwback” with retro labeling and the replacement of high fructose corn syrup with real sugar. An article from US Today shares, “It’s a return to a simpler world,” says Shiv Singh, head of digital for PepsiCo. “There’s a massive teen trend around simplicity and authenticity.” Also, highly successful sales have convinced the company to add the line permanently.

Companies have been using nostalgia branding for years, (it works wonderfully for some cars!) but we’re seeing a recent surge. Some other brands included are Doritos, Nike, and Major League Baseball apparel.

With this in mind, there has been recent news that Pepsi has fallen to third place in the Beverage industry, behind both Coke and Diet Coke. Will this help revive Pepsi’s position?

Read more from the article Pepsi, Frito-Lay capitalize on fond thoughts of the good ol’ days.
LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

7 Social Media Best Practice Tips

1. Your photo should be a fairly recent picture of you.
2. Following and friending the competition is okay.
   Let them follow you as well.
3. Promote other people more than yourself. Don’t use your page as a platform to spit out ads.
4. Link to clients you’re mentioning, people who inspire your material, products you’re discussing, etc.
5. Be clear about endorsements.
6. The top reason people stop following a company is due to over-posting. Find the right balance for each network.
7. Share and comment to get others to do the same.

Read the rest of this entry »

New to Google Search: Less Content Farms, More Food

Google has made a few changes lately!

1. Lower rankings for Content Farms – Content Farms are those websites full of low quality, mostly useless text filled with keywords built to attract traffic from search engines. This will improve rankings for sites and information you’re actually trying to find. For more information, read Google Declares War on Content Farms from Mashable.
2. Google’s Recipe Tool- right along with images, video, and shopping, Google has made searching for recipes even easier. Choose from numerous variables such as ingredients, calories, and cook time to find the perfect recipe. Read more from Mashable’s article, Google Rolls Out New Search Tool for Recipes.
3. Social Search- Google is making a few changes when it comes to social search results, but it will only effect users who are signed in to their Google accounts while searching. Two examples: “if an article was shared by a person you are friends with on multiple services, Google will think it’s probably more important to you. Or if a video has been shared by a lot of people, including your friends, there’s a good chance it will turn up high in your results on that topic.” Read more about the changes in the article Google Elevates Social From the Search Results Ghetto.

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

New Logo Design for JCPenney: Is it Worth it?

Ad Age posted a blog entry the other day revealing JCPenney’s new logo, set to debut in commercials February 27th. The Gap felt a horrible backlash when it tried to freshen its logo and Starbucks faced minor criticism, but Natalie Zmuda at Ad Age believes no one is even going to notice the change in the JCPenney logo. The company had the new logo carefully designed to reflect the lively, modern direction the store has gone over the past 40 years. The collateral and sign replacements will happen in stages over the next 3 years.

What do you think consumer reactions will be? Do you agree that the logo redesign may go unnoticed?

Read more at Ad Age’s Blog: JCPenney’s Logo Is Changing, Bet You Won’t Notice

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

Youth Ditch Conventional Blogging for Social Media

“Former bloggers said they were too busy to write lengthy posts and were uninspired by a lack of readers. Others said they had no interest in creating a blog because social networking did a good enough job keeping them in touch with friends and family.” A recent article by the New York Times reports that conventional blogging has dropped by 50% over the past 4 years for people between the ages of 12 and 17. Ages 18-33 also saw a decrease, but not quite as dramatic. The NYT interviewed a filmmaker who’s a high school senior from San Fransisco. He used to post all of his videos on a blog, but discouraged from lack of viewers, now says, “I don’t use my blog anymore. All the people I’m trying to reach are on Facebook.”

Others challenge the assertion that the blog is dying, claiming that it is merely reshaping. While some blogging platforms have felt the shift in usage, others have managed to avoid any decline. One example is Tumblr. Rather than long written posts, many have started sharing photos and short posts, which they claim are much easier to manage.

Although youths may be ditching long-winded blog entries, older generations are gaining interest in “having a voice.” The percentage of those who blog between the ages of 34-45 rose from 10% to 16% from 2008 to 2010. The New York Times interviewed a retired Air Force officer who says, “I’d rather spend my time writing up a blog analysis than a whole bunch of short paragraphs and then send them to people,” he said. “I don’t need to tell people I’m going to the grocery store.”

Overall it seems, “The act of telling your story and sharing part of your life with somebody is alive and well — even more so than at the dawn of blogging,” Mr. Rainie said. “It’s just morphing onto other platforms.”

Read more from the New York Times article: Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter

Behind The Scenes: St. James Video

When you see a beautiful and compelling video like that of the St. James admissions video, you’re probably not thinking about what had to go on behind the scenes to make it happen (and really, you shouldn’t be). However, it was a pretty incredible “3 man operation” that the client was overwhelmingly pleased with, so we wanted to share a little bit about the techniques, planning involved, problems that came up, etc. Orchestrating a 2-3 minute video takes a lot of preparation, patience, and cooperation, not to mention passion and vision.

About the Project: The video for St. James is a descriptive video, showing the perfect blend of academics, cultural arts, and athletics. It shows the tradition and roots in Montgomery, the feeling of family and pride for having attended, and the preparation and success attained through their education system.

Planning: One thing many people don’t realize Read the rest of this entry »

Super Bowl Ad Round Up

Fox Sports Super Bowl Commercial Photo

Dogs Tied for Best: According to USA Today’s Ad Meter, there was a tie for the first time ever, and both ads featured personified dogs. Doritos achieved one of the top spots with an ad made by consumers, and the other top spot went to a Bud Light ad. See how the ads ranked and read more here.

Ad Age Says Beer Ads Losing Fizz: Ken Wheaton at Ad Age has some pretty strong opinions, shared in a comprehensive commercial list devised before the airing of the game. Opinions across the web show he’s not alone in a lot of these. Did Best Buy, Groupon, and Chrysler really do best? He gave Bud Light one of the lowest scores whereas USA Today’s Ad Meter gave it the highest. What do you think? Read more here.

Spend Money, says CNNMoney.com!: Today’s article on CNN Money says that ad experts deem this year’s overall Super Bowl ad theme as saying the recession is over and we should all spend lots of money, which is the opposite to last years message. Read the rest of this entry »

iPhone 4 Used for Cinema Quality Movie

Distinguished South Korean director Park Chan-Wook will debut his 30-minute film, “Night Fishing,” on January 27th in select theaters in South Korea. This is notable, as it is the first “cinema-standard” film shot using only the iPhone. He and a few others used iPhone 4s with various lenses, a budget of a little over $130,000 (US), and only 80 people. He says it was not much different than shooting a regular film, but he felt there were more options because all of the different smartphones could be used and the process was more “democratic.” There were plenty of shots to choose from, along with surprising angles and lighting that accompany using new tools. He says he preferred the lightweight, easy-to-use equipment.

Check out footage from the film on YouTube: Night Fishing

Read More: Breitbart, Ap News

LWT is a full-service Interactive // Advertising // Social // Media // Content agency located in Montgomery, AL and concentrating on destination marketing for tourism, real estate and retail clients. For more, visit lwtconnect.com

Minimalism is the New Black

Brand minimalism, especially when it comes to logo design, is popping up everywhere lately. First there was news of Starbucks stripping coffee from its logo and re-touching the mermaid. Now, Target has followed suit and remains only a bullseye. Refreshing the brand image is a true test, however. People go to get “Starbucks”…they don’t go to get “coffee.” It also allows for expansion beyond just coffee products, which works since consumers have built a relationship with the brand and not just the product. Read the rest of this entry »

Blending the Digital and Real Worlds

JWT, one of the largest and well known advertising agencies in the world, released its yearly “100 Things to Watch”  list for 2011. If you haven’t been keeping up, the first few slides of the presentation will show you just how spot-on this group is with trend forecasts and you’ll know it’s worth a look. Click on the link above to view the full slideshow.

Something that stood out to me as an overall trend was a return to human face-to-face interaction. This is appearing in two slightly different ways, however, and they may not blend well. It also begs the question of what happened in 2010 that made some people start backing away from the digital world in such a deliberate way. Not only is it mentioned here on slide #25, but “Digital Downtime” is catching on in many countries. There are alternative cafes and restaurants opening in Germany, for example, where you’re not allowed to be “plugged in.” Seemingly on the opposite end of the spectrum Read the rest of this entry »

Landlines Passé?

Although she has seen and interacted with it, my grandmother just thinks my cell phone is my landline, convinced I’m not home when I don’t answer.

A recent report on phone use by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that; “in a first for any age group, more than half of Americans age 25-29 live in households with cell phones but no traditional landline telephones.” My older sister, 28, hasn’t had a landline since moving on her own 6 years ago. A foreign concept to me at the time, I have since seen this becoming a norm among peers. Read the rest of this entry »

Advertising in 2010 – What’s Next?

Social media advertising really took off in 2010, along with a slew of other interactive advertising and commerce platforms. Here are a few other things we saw gaining popularity:

• Location based promotions, games, and advertising
  • Check-ins with Foursquare, Facebook (Check-in at Times Square on New Years!), Gowalla, etc.
  • Google Maps and Places being branded and detailed (they’re calling local small businesses to get their online advertising, too)
• Group buying deals
  • Groupon gained more power and investment than most would have ever expected
  • Even Google couldn’t buy them out! Read the rest of this entry »

Mobile App Privacy: You Have More Phone Contacts Than You Think

With the percentage of Smartphone users growing by the day (and not to mention with the holidays), this article from the Wall Street Journal is a very interesting read!

Your Apps Are Watching You

Takeaways:

-over 50% transmitted the phone’s unique device ID to other companies without users’ awareness or consent

-nearly 50% sent the location

-around 5% sent age, gender, and personal details

-Of the 101 apps tested, the paid apps generally sent less data to outsiders

-Some developers feel pressure to release more data about people. Max Binshtok, creator of the DailyHoroscope Android app, says ad-network executives encouraged him to transmit users’ locations

“In the world of mobile, there is no anonymity,” says Michael Becker of the Mobile Marketing Association, an industry trade group. A cellphone is “always with us. It’s always on.” Read the rest of this entry »

Dell Seriously Watching Conversations: The Rise of Social Media Command Centers

Dell is at the top of the game when it comes to innovative customer service. The company already takes its social media efforts seriously by trying to satisfy a global customer base in soon to be 11 different languages. Now Dell has created a “Social Media Listening Center” that will monitor all conversations of Dell with plans of internalizing the observations. Dell’s main goal is to make sure even the smallest of voices are heard. It wants to take notes on even the smallest of issues in case they should flourish later.

Gatorade was the first to debut a “Social Media Command Center” earlier this year, naming it the “Gatorade Mission Control Center.” Not only is the information accessed in this centralized location, but employees also have access at their individual workstations. The main goal for Gatorade is to be the most involved company- the most participatory brand with its consumers. The company believes this approach will provide more access to what Gatorade has access to, like athletes and scientists, as well as providing a way to keep an eye on the issues facing the brand.

Personally I was surprised to see Gatorade as the first company to do this! Any thoughts on which company will be next?

A Trophy from Brantwood Children’s Home

LWT recently launched a revamped website for Brantwood Children’s Home as part of CreateAthon 2010. The site was given a look and feel to reflect the true nature of Brantwood- warmth and happiness. Brantwood is home to children ages 10-21 who are “at-risk.” The stories from the children who have lived here are truly incredible. I recommend taking a look at the new site and getting to know the organization! brantwoodchildrenshome.org

To show their deep appreciation, Brantwood had a trophy made for LWT. The children holding hands in a circle is very representative of the Children’s Home. We’re very glad we had the opportunity to work on this project and thankful for amazing places in the community like Brantwood!