POST DIGITAL

on: spotify

If you have not seen me in the social media high school halls its because I have a new drug. Me and my peeps are sharing music on Spotify.  This is a service I had drooled over when I saw two of my brit friends with it about a year ago.  If you are a music lover, it's kinda like when the beatles just arrived. Yes - Spotify has come to the US!

 

Right now it's in an invite-only beta phase. They are offering three great services - from absolutely free to paid subscriptions. Here is how it breaks down:

• Spotify Free – the unsurpassed free music service. With an invite, enjoy on-demand, buffer-free access to over 15 million songs on your computer and great social features. Manage your own music files through Spotify, and sync with your cellphone or iPod. Features occasional advertising.
• Spotify Unlimited – all the special features of our free service, but with uninterrupted, ad-free access to Spotify on your computer. All for only $4.99 a month.
• Spotify Premium - the top-of-the-range Spotify experience. Premium gives you access to all the music, all the time. Listen online or offline, on your computer, your cellphone and a whole heap of other devices. Enjoy enhanced sound quality and access to exclusive content, competitions and special offers. Premium costs just $9.99 a month. (That’s the equivalent of a couple of fancy coffees.)

Right now my favorite part of this is being able to subscribe to my friends lists.  I have almost abandoned my iTunes Library.

The part that makes this super interesting is that they are launching in partnership with some of the biggest brands.  Coca-Cola and Sprite, Chevrolet, Motorola, Reebok, Sonos and The Daily are the few I know about. These brands will be launching innovative campaigns in partnership with Spotify in the coming weeks and months. Imagine the possibilites!

If your looking for an invite I have a few left.  Send me your email via this blog!

on: google+'s growing audience

20 Million and growing and it's only been a month.  This is a meteoric rise for Google+ [G+] when you compare it to their past social endevours or Facebook and Twitter’s early growth as illustrated by the graph below [via Leon Håland]:

It’s only fair to consider and note that Facebook and Twitter were startups when they launched – conversely, Google is a global company with an enormous user base. [ we already use google for search and email ]

Now that G+ has its iPhone app now live, the option to bring in address books from other services seems like an easy way for G+ to expand past the early adopters.  That feature combined with the ‘celebrity acquisition plan’ designed to entice global influencers in music and movies will continue to lead to more users.

As it's audience grows businesses, marketers in particular, want to know how use Google+. G+ has continued to push out updates about their plans for businesses within the service. They have ended up back-tracking on their offer to let brands test the service, but to be fair to them, they’ve been completely transparent, with regular updates about what’s going on.

In spite of a few hiccups, this is monumental growth from a service only a month old.

I think real sign of success is when you are able to inspire champions to publish independent videos touting the quality of the service.  That is something we should all applaud. [thanks tom anderson for sharing this on g+]

For those new to G+, there are a number of hacks to get started.  People are creating videos by the hudreds on how to use the platform.  My favorite recent use is the Hangout feature.  I think this feature could be used in some fun ways by brands.  What's your fav. part of G+?

Champion Videos:

• http://youtu.be/S5qppb4A7kg
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoR0lirqRWE

on: summer's eve's talking vagina controversy

Hey ladies - Summer's Eve is back!  After last years disastrous campaign that told woman to douche before asking for a raise, they have launched a series of talking hand-puppet vaginas, as part of its new "Hail to the V" campaign.

The campaign is meant to be about empowering women and rejuvenating the brand.  The three ads have created a new set of issues.  Listen to the voice work.  People claim that the African American and Latina versions promotes racial stereotypes. 

As a proud Latina, nothing about these videos offended me.  My initial reaction was to laugh.  They caught my attention and got me to consider the product.  (leaning in) Shhh - with out the bronxy accent that is what my inner voice sounds like - especially the spanish part.  Do you think the accent over the top? Is it racially inappropriate if you are not the intended latina audience?

According to AdWeek: The larger problem for Summer's Eve is that many women see douching products themselves, and any marketing of them, as anti-woman—i.e., creating a feeling of shame around the issue of cleanliness, then selling the antidote to the shame.

I would like to call BS! For years we have had to endure spots for guys with penis issues. they can endure a minute of clean vagina messaging.  Everyone from Consumerist to the Daily News has weighed in on the withering critiques.

What do you think?  Do the spots manage to hit that magical advertising sweet spot of being both sexist and racist?

on: american express and social commerce

In one of the boldest steps towards digital wallets, American Express' new social commerce products asks it's cardmembers to allow Amex to pull their data from Facebook, in exchange for offers and discounts. When a cardmember likes something on Facebook it will feedinto a secure cardmember profile that will spit out relvant offers that can be redeemed by using your american express card.  This is a great idea and superb use of the social graph.  Could this be the brand that gives facebook places life?

For many marketers, the big question is will cardmembers surrender their data for offers? Amex and their social platforms will be a brand to watch as they have alwaysed used data to enrich a cardmember's expereince through their closed network of merchants.

on: google+ brand pages

Like many of us who have had our hands on Google+ for the last few weeks - I have begun to wonder how I could take some of the brands I am working on and extend their function and audience to the now 10MM People on Google +.

In about a week, Google+ will gratify a few hundred brands by launching their test brands pages. Brands like Ford will be the first of thousands to have a shot at advertising via Google+. Although the set-up shares striking similarity to Facebook brand groups, Google+ is nothing to snuff at. These pages are open doors to a fresh consumer circle and a new social media marketing target.

Keep an eye open

It will be interesting to see how brands make their debut on Google+. Be sure to pencil in some time to look around and learn from the first-comers. Take a look at this concept for a Starbucks page done by Sean Percival.

Are you working on a brand's Google+ page?  If so what are you doing?  Why Google+ instead of FB?

[sources: womma & ad age]

 

on: the truth about youth

this is a great report on today's youth. It is a view of the first truly global generation, fuelled and empowered by technology and motivated by the same three fundamental needs: Commune (the need for connection, relationships, and community), Justice (the need for social or personal justice, to do what’s right, to be an activist), and Authenticity (the need to see things as they are). These motivations drive behaviours that transcend borders.

[via McCann Worldgroup’s global survey of 16-30 year-olds]

on: t-mobile's angry birds game

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play Angry Birds IRL?