Digital « Ideas for a Smarter, Faster World

Jul

16

by Steve Goodwin, Group Account Strategy Director

That the inexorable march of digital technologies has claimed yet another victim from the “traditional” communications world is, in and of itself, not particularly newsworthy. What is newsworthy in this case is the victim: one of the most trusted and recognized brand names in American broadcasting.

National Public Radio recently announced its decision to formally change its name to NPR, stating that dropping the word “radio” reflects the way in which many of today’s audience members tune in to the organization’s programming: increasingly through web sites and Internet-connected digital devices…in essence, “non-radios.” In fact, with so many web sites under their management, consuming NPR content is as likely to involve reading as it is listening.

npr_logo

For an organization that has been a leader in digital adoption – even going so far as to offer an iPhone app that skins digital delivery with a throw-back transistor radio-like user interface – the move is indeed smarter and faster. However, it’s not without controversy among the organization’s affiliate radio stations, many of whom fear that losing the word “radio” signals a seismic shift in NPR’s priorities and future funding allocations. The battle lines are forming as you read this post. Read all about it here:

http://bit.ly/b86B8S

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Mar

24

General, mobile

Mobile in the Sky: Wifi at 29,000 Feet

by Aaron Cacali, Interactive Creative Director

wifionboard1 As I write this blog post, I’m sitting in coach on an American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Pittsburgh. There’s nothing remarkable in that, really - I’ve written many things while flying. What is remarkable is that I also found the image that I used in the post online, did a little research on the subject matter via Google and then published it while in the air.

Though in-flight wifi has been around for at least a year-and-a-half at this point, this in my first time using it. And if you’ve browsed the web, checked email or transferred files while cruising through the sky, then maybe this doesn’t seem all that remarkable to you. But this is my first time using in-flight wifi, and I’m absolutely amazed by the fact that I’m surfing the web while simultaneously streaming Jay-Z over Grooveshark.com and checking email.

What’s so amazing about it for me, a heavy (and might I add quite savvy) user of technology? Two things. First, it works amazingly well. I connected in about 60 seconds from the point that I opened by my laptop, and that includes the time that it took to register with the GoGo service and enter my billing info. Granted, I am on a Macbook, but I’ve had a heck of a lot more troubles connecting to public networks while my feet have been on the ground. And it’s fast - really fast. I did an image search and it reacted as quickly as it would in my office. And I’m still streaming music over Grooveshark (Interpol now) and it has yet to pause to buffer. It’s MUCH faster than the wifi that I’ve used in the hotel that I’ve been staying at over the past few days. Or at the one Hyatt in Austin where I stayed last week. Or, well, any hotel wifi that I’ve experienced in recent memory.

But beyond the speed and ease-of-use, what I think is coolest about having access to the web while flying is the possibilities that it opens. Time in-flight used to be time spent somewhat in limbo. You had no contact with people on the ground, and if you had business that you needed to attend to it would just have to wait - you were out of touch for the duration. But with in-flight wifi, you can stay connected to what’s happening at work (if you want to). Traveling for fun? Check on updated weather conditions at your destination, or do some last minute research on things to do or how to get from the airport to your hotel. And forget about hitting the news stand to stock up on magazines before taking to the sky. Who needs magazines when you have the entire web at your fingertips to keep you informed and entertained as you while away the hours above the clouds? Or maybe buy yourself a new book for the Kindle Reader on your iPhone.

In-flight wifi is pretty cool, and it’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for travelers to connect with the world during a time and in a place when they are usually out of touch. One of the last remaining barriers to always-on, always connected mobile culture is being torn down. And once 3G service is available in the sky and we don’t need to pay $10 a flight for wifi you’ll see a lot more people taking advantage of the possibilities of internet access in the sky.

But as of right now, I’m still pretty impressed that I can do it today, Grooveshark is still streaming as I cruise along somewhere over the Midwest.

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Mar

19

South by Southwest 2010

SXSW 2010 - What did you learn?

by Ernie Mosteller, VP, Creative Director/Emerging Media

The Brunner Creatives weigh in on what they learned at SXSWi 2010.

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Mar

16

Integration, SXSW 2010

Converge

by Ernie Mosteller, VP, Creative Director/Emerging Media

Since SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive have overlapping schedules, and since there are a number of subjects that would be of equal interest to those who work in film as well as those who work in interactive, there is a whole series of panels under the heading: “Convergence.” Registrants to either festival can attend.

Given my 15 years as a director before returning to the agency side in an interactive role, it’s no wonder that these panels are consistently my favorite. But this year, something’s different in the Convergence rooms. Nothing has changed about my preference for the subjects discussed. What has changed, however, is the makeup of the other attendees.

Last year, when panelists or speakers would ask, “Who in the room is in film?” about half the room would raise their hands. “Who is in interactive?” would bring up the other half of the hands in the room. But this year, more people — a lot more — are simply keeping their hands up as an affirmative answer to both questions. Which says everything about the capabilities of online, the emergence of new production techniques, and the shift in the way people consume media.

Film didn’t get me into the web. I was into the web long before it had the capability to do film — or, well, much of anything that we take for granted now. But since I also was/am a filmmaker, film certainly has informed my view of the web, including some of my ideas about user experience, linear and nonlinear narrative in nonlinear space, the way things move — lots of things we consider all the time when we’re thinking about and designing things with pixels. Of course, once the web became capable of delivering video, the game changed for both film and interactive. The makeup of the convergence panels this year is evidence of that.

Not long ago, if you were a filmmaker, and you were on the web, it meant two things: One, you were really a video maker, which wasn’t seen quite as good as being a “filmmaker.” And, two, the things you made weren’t usually seen in “legitimate” distribution channels — like TV shows, commercials, and theaters.

All that’s out the window now. All of it.

HD Digital production changed the process and economics of telling a story with moving pictures. Bandwidth and quality compression changed the delivery mechanism. And now, no serious “filmmaker” — or “legitimate distribution channel, for that matter — can live without the web. And conversely, the web experience is becoming increasingly dependent on content that moves. Convergence isn’t complete. Yet. But it will be soon. The Convergence panels prove it by putting film and interactive where they belong: In the same room.

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Feb

17

1:1, General, Usability

Socialize Your Tradeshow

by Shaun Quigley, Interactive Practice Director, Washington D.C.

Digital ideas to help you sustain attendance (and look smart in the process)

It’s been an unpleasant year for the tradeshow marketer. No one is traveling (ouch) and attendance levels have dwindled as a result. Nice knowin’ ya, Vegas boondoggle.

In response, tradeshow marketers are scrambling to find new ways to reach members, buyers, prospects and exhibitors. Some have even have migrated their content entirely online (cool!). But let’s face it. There’s no replacement for the personal interaction that occurs on the tradeshow floor or at the hotel bar.

EDITORS NOTE: There’s one shining star in the virtual tradeshow world. TED does a wonderful job of making you feel like you’re really there. But don’t overlook that TED, at its core, is still an in-person show.

What follows is a quick reference guide on tradeshow tactics for the digital age. CAVEAT: Strategy comes before tactics (but that’s not the promise of this post). (more…)

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May

13

Creative, General

Commarts Interactive Annual 15: an analysis of the work.

by Aaron Cacali, Interactive Creative Director

The Communication Arts Interactive Design Annual 15 arrived this week, and as with past years, this issue continues to showcase some of the best, most innovative creative efforts in the digital world. But this year held a few surprises, and illuminated a number of trends that are worth discussing.

So here is my analysis of the highlights of this year’s showcased work:

One thing that really stands out to me this year is the seemingly smaller number of flash microsites. Long a staple of interactive competitions big and small, the flash microsite seems to be fading away in favor of sites that offer visitors a little bit more, that connect people, and that allow them to contribute to the site’s content. And that’s a good thing.

Social media plays a big role in this year’s work, to be sure – far more than in any other past interactive annual. The most obvious examples of this are the Burger King Whopper Sacrifice, a promotional campaign built around Facebook, and the Modernista! self-promotion, which eschews a traditional web site in exchange for a web presence formed from a collection of content spread across various socially-driven sites like Wikipedia and Flickr. In fact, of the 37 projects included in this year’s annual, at least twelve of them contain social components. Old Spice Swagger allows visitors to general fake blogs and articles about themselves that live on the real web. FontStruct allows visitors to collaborate on and critique font designs. Even the lone banner ad in the annual, created for IBM, includes a simple collaboration, in real time, directly inside of the ad.

Another major trend is the rise of functional applications among the recognized work. Much of the work goes well beyond pretty interfaces and interesting content to include true utility. The USA Today iPhone app is a great example – it’s an application delivering useful new content to your iPhone and iPod. TokBox is a web based peer-to-peer video-calling site that combines the utility of software with social interaction, all within your web browser. The Official NYC Information Center uses content-rich interactive installations feature maps and a Google Earth flythrough to help visitors make the most of their visit to the city. And even some of the more fun and frivolous pieces like the Auditorium game have an application-like feel to them.

Finally, one important thing to point out is the amount of original content found across the work. With few exceptions, sites showcased in the Commarts Interactive Annual are developed around a wealth of original content – either socially sourced, pulled in from other sources or developed specifically for the project. Live Hope Love is essentially an online documentary built from a week’s worth of photos, videos and audio files. The Frito Lay NOLAF site features a full-screen interface built from original HD video footage. And the Sprint Plug into Now site sources content from sources across the web, including YouTube, The New York Times and Newsvine, to name a very few. At least two-thirds of the showcased projects feature video, demonstrating the ever growing importance of the audio/video material to the web. These definitely are not sites built from existing content, brochure copy or re-purposed advertising. Content is king among the projects in the annual, which should serve as a good guideline for creatives and marketers who aspire to produce work worthy of inclusion in next year’s Commarts Interactive Annual: focus on delivering great content, and wrap it in a beautiful and innovative package.

So there you have it: Social interaction. Utility. Original content. And all-around innovative thinking. These are the hallmarks of great interactive design showcased within the Communication Arts Interactive Annual 15. And while the Commarts annual isn’t necessarily the only measuring stick for the interactive industry, it remains one of the best. And observing the trends within the annual’s showcased work sheds a lot of light on some of the brightest ideas within the digital world. So hopefully this brief analysis gets you thinking, and rethinking, about what defines the best creativity online. And I encourage everyone to go out a get your own copy of this year’s Communication Arts Interactive Annual and do your own analysis of the current state of the art as captured through one of the longest running and most respected showcases of great work for the interactive world.

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Mar

25

South by Southwest 2009

Gaming the Communication: Ten Good Takeaways

by Ernie Mosteller, VP, Creative Director/Emerging Media

At SXSW, there were a number of sessions that dealt with the blurring lines between the world of games and online communication. While some were more technical, others delved into user motivations, and the attraction of game play-like elements and actions built into websites. Most of the sessions centered around entertainment, rather than marketing. But it’s a short hop for a creative ad guy to extrapolate the marketing applications of some of the theories and trends that were discussed, and see how they can be applied, not just to sites, but to entire campaigns across multiple media. Here’s a list of 10 good takeaways, gleaned from several different sessions: (more…)

2

Mar

19

South by Southwest 2009

SXSW Impressions - Meg Mally

by Ernie Mosteller, VP, Creative Director/Emerging Media

A short, last-day summary of impressions from Meg Mally, Interactive Art Director.