Many Apologies

For those of you who do read our blog - we send our apologies for not having posted anything in a while. Things have been a bit crazy since the New Year. Promise to write soon.

-MC & HK

iTunes U

I'm probably way behind on this one but I just stumbled across a great feature on itunes called itunes U. At no cost, users can download podcasts of courses from a variety of universities and colleges around the country.

Learn more here: http://www.apple.com/education/itunesu/

Your Average Teenager

Interesting blog post from threebillion on marketers' perception of teenagers and their obsession with connecting with the cool kids. We spend a lot of time talking about how to reach the influencers within this segment when in reality, the majority of kids are just plain average.

"When you look at the facts, your average teenager goes to school, does their homework, spends more time with their parents than their friends, saves money, listens to pop music, doesn’t drink (that much), doesn’t take drugs and wears a limited supply of high street fashion…"

I think this post is interesting and yes, thought-provoking, but while most teenagers may be average, they've always aspired to be a cool kid. Is 20% dedication to the cool crowd enough to connect with teenage majority's deepest desires?

SEO in a Nutshell

Noah Brier posted this on his site yesterday and I think it's a pretty good overview on the world of SEO. Check it out if you have time (and want to learn something new today).

Through the Looking Glass

Image: HBO's Voyeur

I might be a little late on this one but there was a great article in the NY Times last week. It discusses how people are increasingly making their lives more transparent, not only through voyeuristic architecture but also through the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Researchers interviewed for the article have indicated concern for a society that never experiences time behind closed doors and suggest.

"There is a behavioral connection between the unconsciously 'for show' lives of those living in glass condos and the consciously “for show” lives of those spending more and more of their time online, where domestic activities are recorded in achingly specific detail. The result is a cultural confusion about private and public."

Check it out here.

Widget Wonderland

Check out Target's new Widget Wonderland. Not only does this widget count down the days ‘till Christmas, it’s also customizable and helps you search for gifts on target.com. While we hear widgets are “so hot right now”, it appears brands have had a tough time finding ways to pull it off.

Who knows – maybe Target’s combination of personal + useful will = success...

Branding With Powerlines

Spending a week in the land of Disney (Orlando, FL) has its ups and downs. The brand is EVERYWHERE. However, this simple yet creative form of Disney branding did catch my eye while cruising down the interstate.

P.S. I can't take credit for snapping this photo. My new camera phone just isn't that good. Thankfully Google images had the perfect shot that I could share.

More Fun With Flickr

I can't remember who posted about this - perhaps BoingBoing? Anyway, I thought it was yet another cool way to showcase the interesting on Flickr. I'm continually impressed with users and the content they're uploading to this community...

The Oldest of Traditions Come To Life Online

So confused as to how this isn't illegal - especially since the girls don't even have to be of age.

"Marry Our Daughter is an introduction service assisting those following the Biblical tradition of arranging marriages for their Daughters."

I guess the web really does function as the marketplace for anything and everything. No matter how polarizing.

I love Music

FYI:
Austin City Limits is being streamed online by AT&T. Thanks Cingular. Err. I mean AT&T

Shameless Plug

Check out the new Dairy Queen site. Kudos to the many talented space cadets who made this happen!

Mobile Progress

"Google Mobile applications have seen a spike this summer, with a 35% increase from May to June. The increase has lasted throughout the summer, completely reversing typical trends for web activity, including Google searches.

These trends indicate that users have become more comfortable with using Google’s mobile applications, and also that phone technology and browsing capabilities are improving. There’s also a noted correlation between the increased use of Google mobile applications and the launching of the iPhone, for which Google maps has a featured spot on the hand held device."

Thoughts: If Google can break into mobile apps, when is the mobile device coming?



Source

hk

Mindmeister

Check out this new mind mapping technology called mindmeister. I've only been using it a short time but so far it's pretty neato and it's FREE. Not only can you collaborate on mind maps with other users, you can also include web content from Google, Wikipedia and tags from del.icio.us. Could be a great tool for brainstorms or trend tracking...

Invasion of the Robo-Bus

Radical thinking applied to everyday problems...

The idea:
"Buses that practically drive themselves. Over the next three years, workers will carve a narrow lane down the shoulder of the increasingly congested Interstate 805, exclusively for buses and commercial trucks modded with lane-keeping sensors and adaptive cruise control. Neither technology is new, but most automakers tune adaptive cruise control to keep cars farther apart than normal, making traffic worse. In the robot lane, vehicles will be packed like train cars. They'll still have drivers — everyone has to leave the freeway sometime — but they'll be out of the main flow."

From Wired.

Rethink Your Skill-Set

A few of the speakers at last week's AAAA Planning conference spoke about rethinking our skill-sets as planners in order to fuel creativity and innovation.

This video offers a nice demonstration of this point...

Are you a good brand boyfriend?

Went to a session led by Hall & Partners at the planning conference. They talked a lot about reciprocity between the brand and the consumer. Is the relationship equal parts talking and equal parts listening? Just because you have a website with a comments section...it doesn't count.

The Break Up
Uploaded by geertdesager

Micro-blogging + Geotechnology = This World

I recently discovered ThisNext, a community of "real recommendations by real people." In the midst of my exploration they have launched a new feature, ThisWorld, that combines location, location, location with their hip and helpful services.

An early verdict: Tre' cool.

Planning Conference Themes

Insightful Insights:

1. Micro: Bite-sized entertainment, information, conversations. Consumer power to select length of engagement based on lifestyle. Think Wii microgames vs. Final Fantasy.

2. Consistent, continual change: Instead of viewing advertising and planning as being in transition period (moving from one static point to the next), we are really in a constant state of flux and will continue to move faster and change more quickly as time progresses.

3. Return to Gestalt: Embrace iterative, fluid, collaborative processes. Silos are irrelevant when the essence/elasticity of the idea is the end goal.

Semi/Non-Insightful Insights

1. Google=2007, Yahoo=2004: In case you didn't know yet, the 30 sec spot doesn't work online...

2. Contacts are out. 2007 is the year of glasses (a MC insight)

3. Sustainability and social consciousness are being talked about... but we are not yet acting on what we are all talking about (this conference is producing massive amounts of garbage, plastic bottles to recycle, printing out information that should be emailed out...)

More to come when we return to Mpls! -hk

See you there!

Mel and I are OFF! See you there! Exciting posts to come when we return next Thursday.

Our Bridge

An emotional day.