This week I’m in Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest Conference, a music, film and technology gathering of some of the world’s most innovative minds. I’m fortunate to be going for my second time, and my first as an official Chevrolet Blogger through their Chevy SXSW Roadtrip program. I spent three days before the conference driving in a souped up Chevrolet Tahoe more than 1,200 miles raising money for three classrooms along the way.
Today a number of websites are going black or blacking out their sites in protest of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). These bills, in theory aim to stop downloading of music, movies, and other rich media and would require your favorite social sites like Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia to police what their users share.
Considering that social media sites reach about 75% of the world’s internet users and thrive on sharing, they instantly become targets for infringement suits. For the every day user, it could fundamentally change the way you access information on the net.
Take a look through the SOPA and PIPA bills, and if you decide to join the cause you can learn more at BlackoutSOPA.org – let us know what you think about them in the comments.
2011 was an interesting year in social media. While the natural progression of technology is imminent in our society, there were significantly more newsworthy events that spawned across these mediums. We had the live tweeting of the raid (and eventual death) of Osama bin Laden, Weinergate, and the Occupy Wall St. movement that singlehandedly redefined a new news cycle. More brands got involved in the conversation, though a few (Kenneth Cole, Ragu) saw some serious snags.
So what’s in store for 2012? Here are just a few of my thoughts.
Companies will get more strategic
2011 was the year where we saw companies scrambling to establish social media sites (often times with no idea what to put on them) but in 2012 expect to see a lot more strategy to a company’s plan. It’s no longer about just getting on Twitter and Facebook (it never really was but CMO’s thought it was) but relative context and compelling content.
The Online Identity will become more secure
I’ve always said that Facebook would become the “white pages of the internet” and sure enough sites like Facebook, Google+ and Twitter have become our online “identity cards.” Whereas personalized web communities have existed long before Facebook and Myspace, the popular acceptance of these identity platforms will give new life to companies willing to build and grow with the social graph.
Niche social sites will thrive
Bringing the social interaction off of Twitter and Facebook will increase in 2012. The ability to create a larger and “deeper” experience is a lot easier when you have a larger canvas to work with, and right now Facebook is pretty limited when it comes to their site. With the larger cultural adoption of the “social identity” we will be able to have branded experiences based on our social graph, which then can be shared back through our mouthpieces of social media. Early adopters of this, like Pepsi’s Refresh Project, have created a large social web of participants both on their site and on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Also look for sites like Soundcloud, Turntable.FM, Pinterist, Instagram, HowAboutWe, and Path to emerge as places where people will start to share more focused content on each different platform.
What’s really interesting to me is that there have been a number of sites that build niche communities…it’s not a new thing. Garageband.com was launched in 1999 and offered a number of social components to help independent artists be found and discovered, and their company would eventually launch iLike. ReverbNation was around before Twitter, and is still thriving today. What we now have that we didn’t have 5-6 years ago though is the (affordable) technology that allows for a much larger user base and database to optimize that experience. (more…)
My name is Matt Baran. I’m a UNF student and have been interning here at On Ideas for the past six months. While working here I have gained great insight to how a full-service advertising agency successfully operates. In order to be successful in this fast-paced business, the agency and or team need to possess two key attributes: organizational skills and positive leaders. When an agency sustains a positive atmosphere jobs run smoother and creative ideas flow constantly.
As a client services intern, I have been working closely with the Account Executives and mainly provide assistance for the Winn-Dixie and First Federal Bank accounts. My daily tasks consist of sending new alert assignments and job orders over to the creative team. When alerts are completed I review the changes and send the job to the AE’s for further review. The coolest part about working on the account side is admiring the work designed by the creative team. They create some spectacular ads, they’re definitely worth checking out.
Without a doubt I would have to say the best part about working at On Ideas is the people. (no kidding) Everyone here is more than willing to help and don’t mind staying late to help me learn new things for my class. We also do some really fun events like football games (Khan You Dig It) and team building exercises that really test your coordination. At the last event It was a blast and competitive battles were fought, but in the end it all came down to the final game, when teams had to shake ping-pong balls out of a tissue box that was tied to their back. I don’t think any videos were leaked, which was good for the contestants. It looked like a mix between a touchdown dance and a Beyonce music video. Unfortunately I had to maneuver an Oreo from my forehead, down my face and then try to eat it. The games were a lot of fun and there were plenty of laughs. I would encourage all agencies to participate in team building type exercises. They really help the team bond and it’s good to get out of the office and have some fun.
I look forward to working and learning alongside my friends at On Ideas for a few more months to sink my teeth into some creative brainstorming sessions.
JR/MID LEVEL COPYWRITER
REPORTS TO: Associate Creative Director
SUMMARY
On Ideas is seeking a full-time writer who first and foremost exhibits great thinking in their work. Someone who doesn’t stop after a few ideas, but strives to find that nugget that will take them and our clients to the next level. Oh, and someone who can write imaginative and persuasive copy for every type of media.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Works with an Art Director to come up with giant honking ideas.
• Takes sound strategies and insights and turns them into actionable communications.
• Writes a great headline, and engaging long copy.
• Writes stellar headlines and copy for print, outdoor, websites, and banners. Also scripts for radio, television, and original content.
• Actively collaborates with social media strategists, planners, media, and developers.
• Can confidently present work to creative directors and clients.
QUALIFICATIONS
• An excellent portfolio with intentions of making it excellenter. (See what we did there?)
• Bachelor’s degree in Communications or a related field.
• One to four years of related work experience and/or portfolio school degree.
• Talented enough to warrant a giant ego, but nice enough to check it at the door.
• Hunger for career growth and understanding of current digital trends.
WHY JOIN US?
You will produce lots of work, with great opportunities to build your television reel. The layers to get your work produced are extremely minimal. We are open to new ideas and ways of doing things when they’re brought to the table. Our passion will rub off on you. You’ll work on a wide range of clients, spanning regionally, nationally, and worldwide.
SOUND GOOD?
SEND US YOUR PORTFOLIO & RESUME: gethired@onideas.com
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of North and Central Florida announced On Ideas as one of the top ten fundraisers in Jacksonville! As a team, we raised a whopping $3,985, making us the 7th highest contributor for the 2011 Light the Night event.
We had a few standout stars that made our fundraiser a success, but our biggest contributor was Chris Claxton who single-handedly raised $1,068! Chris considers her role in the efforts to find a cure a small one, but knows first-hand the impact that it can have on families. A close friend’s son was diagnosed at an early age, and has received family support from LLS. After a little over a year of battling Leukemia, he’s received one of the best Christmas presents this year – healthy blood tests and a new entrance into remission!
When asked what fundraiser she’ll be doing next, Chris said she supports several that are personal to her for different reasons – arthritis, diabetes, autism, heart and cancer. We’re proud of her contribution, our collective team efforts and our mission to help in any way possible.
Boasting a smoother user experience and design, welcome the New, New Twitter.
Twitter has been relatively unchanged since it’s been around, and by relatively I compare it only to the way it rolls our features. Whereas Facebook shoots first and asks questions later, Twitter seems to put together informative videos that really showcase the new experience through real life stories and adds excitement to the roll-out.
As you’ll see in the video below, the new Twitter experience puts emphasis on design and a more “interaction-centered” experience. Power tweeters and novices alike will notice a much more “social” feel with the uniform action tabs added to both the web and mobile sites. (The Mobile site looks awesome!)
They’ve also made the home screen more readable. Our mind naturally wants to read left to right, and the previous design forced right side emphasis to see what our stats were etc, with the profile page reading the logical right to left. Now, it’s there all the time. Thank you from our necks.
Beyond the design changes, a more experience-based change in the culture of Twitter can be felt in the copy that they’re using to describe this new phase on Twitter’s life.
“Home” “Connect” “Discover” and “Me”
As the world becomes more wholly aware of social media (really less aware and more active), we’re definitely going to see the emphasis of trends and connecting to each other about noteworthy topics in the world. Under the “Discover” heading, they invite users to: ‘Spot a #hashtag? Enter it here to discover all of its related stories, conversation and content.”
I personally love the #hashtag not only to connect with others around a particular topic, but the ability to have organized Twitter Chats with multiple users in realtime. The connections made through regular interaction around #hashtags has created new business, networking opportunities, and lifelong friends, all surrounded in conversation.
As we move forward and progress in this social space it’s clear that user interaction is the key to a great experience. Look at companies like foursquare and Flipboard, praised for their experiences. Design aesthetics on the web is no longer an option, but a mandate. It needs to look good and feel good to maintain a wide user base. I’m excited to see what changes Twitter continues to make, and more excited to see the new interesting use cases that will undoubtedly come out of the redesign.
What do you think about the new Twitter changes and about Twitter in general? Leave a comment below and let’s start a conversation.
Don’t have the new version yet? Download the latest version of Twitter for iPhone or Android or login to Twitter on your phone to see the new mobile site in action.
This holiday season, the On Ideas team had lots of fun creating an attention-grabbing campaign for Winn-Dixie that has garnered some great results so far this year!
Using catchy URLs as the headlines for the campaign, shoppers are directed to a website celebrating each holiday: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah & New Year’s. These custom-built sections of Winn-Dixie.com are full of helpful information for Winn-Dixie shoppers like delicious recipes, cooking tips and even some cool animated How-To videos for everything from how to roast and carve a turkey, to the perfect Prime Rib, and even homemade pie crust! There’s even a fun “Turkey Ticker” where customers can sign up for email alerts when it’s time to take their bird out of the freezer to thaw!
ImpressYourMother-In-LawForThanksgiving.com
OhMyWhatDeliciousPie.com
StressFreeTurkey.com
FeedingACrowdForChristmas.com
ImpressMyBubbieForChanukah.com
RelaxAndEnjoyYourOwnParty.com
These memorable URLs are being promoted on billboards, web banners, paid search, radio and print throughout the Winn-Dixie footprint in the Southeast.
Results
The Thanksgiving campaign launched on November 4th and we’re excited to report more than 51,000 page views to the Thanksgiving website and a 25.9% increase in traffic to the overall Winn-Dixie site over last month. AND we saw an amazing 41.3% increase in overall site traffic compared to this time last year!
Ad on HGTV.com
Online efforts for web banners on sites like foodnetwork.com, food.com, and rachaelray.com had an average CTR of .16%, more than double the current industry average for display ads! In the 3 week promotion for Thanksgiving alone, 5,279 visitors have transferred to the Winn Dixie Thanksgiving site, from these web banners.
Paid Search keywords showed a 4.69% CTR, one of the highest we’ve seen for similar campaigns! Our Paid Search advertising top 10 performing keywords had an average conversion rate of 2.971%. Keywords like “Thanksgiving menu” and “Thanksgiving recipes” had Winn-Dixie ranking in first positing on searches above campaigns sponsored by Food Network, Bon Appetit Magazine and even Betty Crocker!
Needless to say, we’re thrilled to see this kind of success with Thanksgiving and can’t wait to share what Christmas, Chanukah and New Year’s will bring!
With Thanksgiving tomorrow, our thoughts will be on food, with a little bit of NFL and Macy’s thrown in. But while the turkey marinates, roasts or fries (or explodes,) there will undoubtedly be talk of impending Black Friday deals and specials ready for the world to pounce on the next day (or even that evening).
So put that iPhone to good use and make your Thanksgiving and Black Friday a little easier with these nine apps.
Shopping List – $2.99
Wether you’re stocking up on the cranberry sauce, stuffing or hooch…nothing beats a good list. And while there are a number of different free and paid list apps (with Apple’s Notes app working well too) Shopping list is souped up (no pun intended) with some great features to make your grocery trips easier than ever.
Clock – Free
Yes I’m talking about the clock app from Apple. We all want to socialize with our families during the all-day cooking process. Do yourself a favor and set some alarms on the turkey, casseroles, pies or anything else for which you can set a timer and walk away. I never rely on my oven’s timer so it’s always good to have a backup.
NFL ’11 – Zilch
The amount of money given out in fines for social media faux pas in the NFL could probably dwarf a good app’s gross sales for a year. That being said, the good folks over at the NFL know that sports and social media go hand in hand for the fans.
Big Oven – Free, Free w/Membership, Pro $15.99
Big Oven is a totally immersive experience into social recipe sharing. This app boast more than 170,000 user-submitted recipes with multiple layers of interaction and a tiered member approach. Free non-registered users can download the app and simply view the recipes. Get a free BigOven membership and you can post your own recipes to the network, take and upload photos of your finished product for others to see and compare, bookmark other recipes, and even use their ingredient engine to figure out how to reuse those leftovers! Finally the paid membership is pretty much a complete cook’s toolbox, including shopping lists, meal planning calendar with drag and drop functionality, even scan and upload recipe cards (a la Cardmunch for your cookbook)
Instagram – Free
The popular photo-sharing social network is the perfect place to showcase all those sexy food shots. I expect to drool throughout the day tomorrow as a result of all the great cooking out there. Make sure to use hashtags to really immerse yourself in the social experience of the site #thanksgiving #turkey #nom all are acceptable. Work it Mr. Turkey! Show me that gobbler…
Dermander – Free for a limited time!
Dermander is hands down my absolute favorite app so far on the iPhone. Facetime is great for live video, but sometimes a photo can say a lot more…and there’s nothing like a good panoramic. What’s even cooler about Dermander is that you can take 360 degree photos, and if your friends have the Dermander app as well, they can look all around as if they were there standing where you are! I can’t say enough, it’s just cool. Download it now and take a great panoramic of the archetypal Thanksgiving Dinner table.
Black Friday (by FatWallet.com) – Free
The Fatwallet.com Black Friday app was suggested to me by someone on Twitter and while I haven’t used it extensively because I looked at the ad scans online, it is a great app if you’re out and about in the stores on Black Friday. All the deals from major retailers are loaded into the app, and it allows you to share deals via text or email…perfect for last minute bargain hunting shopping gangs.
foursquare – Free
Wherever you go this Thanksgiving, share it with the world with foursquare. A perfect way to get some deals along your travels, not to mention the badges you can pick up along the way! Just in time for Black Friday we have a Mall Rat Badge, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Badge, and of course everyone’s favorites Jet-Setter, and TSA Baggage Handler!
Winn-Dixie – Free (Disclosure: Agency Client)
Stay up to date on all the Thanksgiving Day sales with the Winn-Dixie App. Organize your shopping lists and sync with your winndixie.com account to create your own personalized shopping experience. Pricing is updated automatically every Wednesday, and with a simple UI, you can browse circular specials and view products to build a list quickly. Items are automatically put in aisle categories for easy in-store use and there’s offline list access – so you can shop in store with your list and check off items as you place them in your cart.
Are there any other apps you’ll be using this Thanksgiving season? Leave them in the comments below! I hope everyone has an enjoyable Thanksgiving with their friends, family and loved ones. Eat some Turkey, Watch some football, and enjoy life!
Led by a number of local social media professionals in the area, @SMCJAX aims to bring the social media community to life in the area on all levels. I recently signed on as a Board Member as a newcomer to the area, after having some amazing experiences with the Social Media Club of Orlando.
Jason Sadler of iwearyourshirt.com was the guest speaker, and if you’re not familiar with him, just check out his site! He wears T-shirts for a living, making videos and other content promoting a number of different companies. Companies buy a day or month, and get a ton of amazing content created to promote them for a whole day. While many of these companies have been small businesses, startups or have industries without strong avenues to create their own digital content, he’s also signed on with some pretty sizable advertisers (Jockey, Nissan, Gowalla, and Pizza Hut anyone?)
Jockey, for example, “is the only undershirt and underwear I wear” said Sadler.
There were a lot of great things we took away from Jason’s presentation but I think the most significant concepts focused on a few key themes.
I’ve always preached the philosophy of “content is king” but Jason truly brings it to life. It’s not just him but four other carefully screened and selected shirt wearers from all over the country who create this content like him.
Don’t rely on “Buzzworthy” Exposure
IWYS has had a pretty good deal of press in the blogosphere, mainly because groups of social media lovers and advertisers like myself are dumbfounded that he’s had such an innately simple idea with so much success. So you can imagine that when the “traditional” PR jackpots came along (New York Times and The Today Show) Jason was pumped. But for Sadler, those two opportunities proved a valuable lesson…they really didn’t work for him. The NY Times initially spelled his name and site wrong, and the Today Show resulted in a huge site lift, but not many new sales.
So while you may think that a TV Talk show appearance, or a Mashable mention is the end-all be-all for your product or startup, think again. Sure it might be a great lift for your social buzz, but if you’re not using that to engage, it’s a waste. As it was put last night, smart marketers know that “If you’re just spending money on eyeballs, what do you actually get out of that? No engagement or conversation. (modified quote from Jason Sadler tweeted by @musesfled)”
Online personas, Offline relationships
So if he doesn’t have a “midas touch,” and if the New York times spelled his name wrong, how does he get those numbers? It wasn’t easy he said. He treated his online community just as he would treat his next-door neighbor or family friend. People in the online space are just that, PEOPLE in the online space.
Authenticity and pure respect for others as individuals are the key to establishing such a following. Ask anyone who lives social media, they have friends all over the world who wouldn’t hesitate to offer up a couch when they’re in town.
Jason doesn’t just work at IWYS, he is IWYS. He lives his product, he lives his clients’ products, and that’s probably why he is so successful. Passion is one of the keys to success and it’s highly underrated in society today by both individuals and brands.
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It’s great to see so many people in the Jacksonville community who care about social media and come together to grow the ever-changing interpersonal communication that this new social web brings. Entrepreneurs like Jason only add to what this city can offer companies from all over the world. Look at his clients…they’re international. You no longer need to depend on New York or San Francisco agencies to give you the best social media or any advertising strategy. If you look hard enough, the talented people with experience you never dreamed of might just be closer (and more affordable) than you think.
P.S. – I Wear Your Shirt is Representing the Children’s Home Society of Florida today…a great organization. Make sure to support them in whatever way possible, even if you only send a tweet or share a video.
flow constantly.
