Leticia del Monte

How the Grammys Rocked the Twitterverse

2012-02-16T13:19:00.001-08:00

Twitter was on fire at Sunday's Grammys -- until Jennifer Hudson took the stage.
The velocity of tweets during the live broadcast peaked at 10,901 tweets per second, according to Twitter, just a few thousand below the Super Bowl's new record of 12,233 tweets per second during the big game. But the buzz was silenced during Ms. Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston.

Jennifer Hudson

-->

Related Stories

Grammys Gets Ratings Boost in Wake of Whitney Houston Death

CBS Broadcast Edges Out Last Year's Oscar Audience on ABC

After Totally Owning the Grammys and Social TV, Adele Is Not REALLY Taking a '5-Year Break'

Dumenco's Trendrr Chart of the Week

"Once Jennifer hit the stage, all traffic came to a complete stop. People stopped talking and they listened," said Beverly Jackson, director of marketing and social media for the Recording Academy, at a Social Media Week panel Wednesday in New York. Talk around the tribute, she added, while diverse, was mostly positive, with 81% favorable sentiment. Social-marketing company Mass Relevance helped tally the numbers.
Following Ms. Hudson's performance, engagement ramped back up and capped at 3.9 million explicit #Grammy mentions. The broadcast probably got a viewer boost because of Ms. Houston's untimely death, but the night belonged to Adele, who dominated Grammy wins (six) and the conversation with 2.5 million mentions -- 500% more than any other artist, said Ms. Jackson. (Rihanna, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and Ms. Houston round out the top five.)
A strong social-media presence leading up to the awards helped the Recording Academy pull off a success. Working with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr, Google and more, the Grammy team implemented a strategy that targeted viewers' favorite online destinations. "We wanted to be everywhere they were," said Ms. Jackson. This was the first year the Grammys worked with both Pandora and Shazam, which let viewers tag music from performances. Pandora noted that there have been 4 million Adele stations created since the singer's throat surgery last year to her return at the Grammys.
Grammy Live, an extension of Grammy.com, gave viewers videos of red-carpet and backstage footage and untelevised acceptance speeches. The Grammy iPad app became the top arts and entertainment app, proving viewers were more engaged with the show via their tablet this year, according to Ms. Jackson.
The Grammys doesn't pay for Facebook ads or promotional tweets; instead, several contests and promotional events help build excitement. Referring to the Grammys' online presence, Ms. Jackson likened it to "a brown egg in Whole Foods -- it's all organic."

via adage.com

Facebook to Release Timeline for Brands This Month

2012-02-16T05:36:00.001-08:00

Facebook will bring its Timeline profile pages to brands this month in the U.S., according to executives briefed on the company's plans.
At its F8 conference in September, Facebook introduced a dramatic transformation of profile pages for its more than 800 million users with the Timeline format, which generates picture-heavy, scrapbook-like collages spanning users' entire history on the social network. It has been rolled out slowly, and users still have the choice to opt in.
At the time of the announcement, the company said it would wait to roll out the new feature for brands. Facebook VP-Marketing and Business Partnerships David Fischer said Timeline for brands would be "consistent" with the Timeline look-and-feel, but not a carbon copy.

Related Stories

Will Facebook Let Its Users Buy IPO Shares?

Close Ties to Startup Loyal3 Could Power 'Social IPO'

Join Hulu, Facebook, Spotify, Sony and Verizon at Ad Age Digital 2012

Annual Conference Will Take Place April 17-18 at New York City's Metropolitan Pavilion

The new pages for brands will start in beta with a handful of partners and then be released to more marketers in stages, according to the sources. Facebook declined to comment on the product or the timing.
So what will Timeline for brands look like? For one, the tabs or apps marketers currently host on their Facebook pages to sell products or take polls may turn into boxes on the brand's Timeline, much like how apps for Spotify or Washington Post Social Reader live on users' Timelines.
The format change could put the onus on brands to develop their own apps using custom verbs other than "like," in the same vein as Pinterest, which has a Facebook app that tracks when its users have "pinned" something. Promoting the use and development of "Open Graph" apps, which can have their data tapped for ad targeting, is an area of increased focus for Facebook.
Timeline has significant implications for Facebook fan-page management. One top consideration is that a brand's Facebook presence no longer must date to when it joined the site but can be represented with content populating its Timeline from throughout its history. (Coca-Cola, for example, could hypothetically add an event for 1892, the year it was founded.)
Facebook is expected to go into detail about the new pages at its first-ever fMC event, a day-long conference in New York on Feb. 29 specifically for marketers.

Contributing: Cotton Delo

via adage.com

Facebook to Release Timeline for Brands This Month |

2012-02-16T05:25:00.001-08:00

Facebook will bring its Timeline profile pages to brands this month in the U.S., according to executives briefed on the company's plans.
At its F8 conference in September, Facebook introduced a dramatic transformation of profile pages for its more than 800 million users with the Timeline format, which generates picture-heavy, scrapbook-like collages spanning users' entire history on the social network. It has been rolled out slowly, and users still have the choice to opt in.
At the time of the announcement, the company said it would wait to roll out the new feature for brands. Facebook VP-Marketing and Business Partnerships David Fischer said Timeline for brands would be "consistent" with the Timeline look-and-feel, but not a carbon copy.

Related Stories

Will Facebook Let Its Users Buy IPO Shares?

Close Ties to Startup Loyal3 Could Power 'Social IPO'

Join Hulu, Facebook, Spotify, Sony and Verizon at Ad Age Digital 2012

Annual Conference Will Take Place April 17-18 at New York City's Metropolitan Pavilion

The new pages for brands will start in beta with a handful of partners and then be released to more marketers in stages, according to the sources. Facebook declined to comment on the product or the timing.
So what will Timeline for brands look like? For one, the tabs or apps marketers currently host on their Facebook pages to sell products or take polls may turn into boxes on the brand's Timeline, much like how apps for Spotify or Washington Post Social Reader live on users' Timelines.
The format change could put the onus on brands to develop their own apps using custom verbs other than "like," in the same vein as Pinterest, which has a Facebook app that tracks when its users have "pinned" something. Promoting the use and development of "Open Graph" apps, which can have their data tapped for ad targeting, is an area of increased focus for Facebook.
Timeline has significant implications for Facebook fan-page management. One top consideration is that a brand's Facebook presence no longer must date to when it joined the site but can be represented with content populating its Timeline from throughout its history. (Coca-Cola, for example, could hypothetically add an event for 1892, the year it was founded.)
Facebook is expected to go into detail about the new pages at its first-ever fMC event, a day-long conference in New York on Feb. 29 specifically for marketers.

Contributing: Cotton Delo

via adage.com

Miami International Boat Show is Back in Town

2012-02-15T09:51:00.001-08:00

via leticiadelmonte.com

App Store - Apple Store

2012-02-13T09:43:00.001-08:00

via itunes.apple.com

Apple Gets Consumer Petitions Over Worker Treatment in China | Digital - Advertising Age

2012-02-10T04:41:00.001-08:00

Thomas Pardee
Sarah Ryan of Change.org hands over a box of signatures to an Apple Store manager in Grand Central.

-->
A group of activists delivered some 250,000 signatures to Apple stores in Grand Central Station and elsewhere Thursday morning, calling for better treatment for workers in Apple suppliers' factories in China.
The petitions -- one from Change.org with about 199,000 signatures on the web and one from SumOfUs with 57,000 signatures -- comprise perhaps the most tangible showing of consumer outrage over labor conditions in the iPhone and iPad maker's supply chain overseas. They also went to Apple stores in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, London, Sydney and Bangalore.
In New York, the delivery saw about 10 activists and at least twice as many reporters climb the stone steps to the entrance to the recently opened Grand Central Apple Store, where stoic store managers accepted a large cardbox box of printed signatures.
The petitions call on Apple, which recently reported record earnings and an estimated $100 billion in assets, to develop a more stringent worker protection strategy to combat abuse and exploitation in Chinese supplier factories, including Foxconn.
"We're coming together as fans of Apple, who buy their products, to say, 'We want an ethical product,'" said Change.org's Shelby Knox, who helped deliver the petition wearing a giant iPhone sandwich board. "You are a leader in technology, and we want you to be a leader in bringing ethical products to the United States."

After a pair of New York Times articles on labor conditions in Apple supplier factories, Apple said last month that it is constantly inspecting its supply chain and improving conditions. "We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an email to company employees. "Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don't care is patently false and offensive to us."

Thomas Pardee
Monologist Mike Daisey, who visited consumer electronics factories in China in 2010

-->
The advocates in New York on Thursday also included Mike Daisey, a monologist who visited Foxconn's massive Shenzhen, China, factory in 2010, and spoke with workers and underground union leaders about their experiences on the assembly lines. His work was recently excerpted in public radio's "This American Life," helping to spark the petition.
Mr. Daisey called Apple "terribly arrogant" in its PR response to the growing concerns. "Its brand is in serious jeopardy now," Mr. Daisey said. "Apple's greatest asset is their brand, and it does not take very long for a brand to be tainted. When I think of Nike even today, the second or third thing I think of are sweatshops."

via adage.com

Google’s Motorola Mobility Bid Said Likely to Win U.S. Approval - Bloomberg

2012-02-09T06:41:00.003-08:00

via bloomberg.com

The U.S. Justice Department will probably give antitrust approval next week to Google Inc. (GOOG)’s bid for Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc (MMI)., said two people familiar with the matter.
If approved by regulators, the acquisition of Libertyville, Illinois-based Motorola Mobility will give Google more than 17,000 patents for mobile-phone technology.

Apple Infiltrates $3.8 Trillion Market With IPad: Tech - Bloomberg

2012-02-09T06:41:00.001-08:00

via bloomberg.com

Apple Inc. (AAPL), without much effort on its part, is making rapid headway in selling to corporations.
After years of being the also-ran to Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) in the workplace, Apple has seen its iPad become a standard business tool. According to an IDG Connect survey, 51 percent of managers with iPads say they “always” use the device at work, and another 40 percent sometimes do. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents use the iPad for business when outside the office.

Five Amazing Facts About Social Media and the Super Bowl | Special: Super Bowl - Advertising Age

2012-02-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

NBC
Madonna's halftime show generated major conversation in social media.

-->
Our editorial partner Bluefin Labs, the Cambridge, Mass.-based social-TV analytics company, spent last night monitoring social commentary about Super Bowl commercials. This morning the Bluefin data team is busy crunching the numbers. We'll post a top 10 list of the spots that blew up the biggest [UPDATE: here it is], but in the meantime, here's a quick big-picture look at social media and the Super Bowl:

1. Bluefin Labs has so far tracked more than 12.2 million social-media comments during and after Super Bowl XLVI, primarily on Twitter and Facebook. That's a 578% increase over the total Bluefin tracked last year (1.8 million).
2. Twitter, via its official @twitter account, said the final three minutes of the Super Bowl helped push total tweet volume up to an average of 10,000 tweets per second.
3. We have a new social-TV high-water mark. "Last night's Super Bowl is the biggest social-TV event we've ever recorded -- by a wide margin," Bluefin's Tom Thai tells me. "It surpassed the previous record of 3.1 million social-media comments, held by the MTV Video Music Awards last August."
4. Madonna's halftime show alone generated more than 862,000 social-media comments; by comparison, Bluefin recorded 966,000 social-media comments for the 2011 Academy Awards. "If the halftime show were its own standalone televised event," Thai said, "it would rank fourth in terms of all-time social-TV events for entertainment. It would trail only the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, the 2011 American Music Awards and the 2011 Academy Awards."
5. Bluefin Labs tracked more than 985,000 social-media comments specifically related to just Super Bowl commercials -- topping the total for the entire telecast of the 2011 Academy Awards.

Simon Dumenco is the "Media Guy" columnist for Advertising Age. You can follow him on Twitter @simondumenco. You can follow Bluefin Labs on Twitter @bluefinlabs.

via adage.com

Eat and Shop | Wolfsonian-FIU

2012-02-03T20:04:00.001-08:00

<="" p="">
The Wolfsonian Museum Shop and Lyon Frères & Compagnie – Café and Wine Bar share a space on the museum’s first floor and provide South Beach with a sophisticated venue that can complement your museum visit or serve as a stand-alone destination.

Lyon Frères & Compagnie – Café and Wine Bar @ The Wolfsonian
Visitors can enjoy a meal before, after, or between touring the galleries or relax with a glass of wine or a coffee and homemade pastry in the museum’s café. A true French café with a casual and welcoming ambience, the lunch and dinner menu, which changes frequently in the specific offerings but is constant in terms of its overall philosophy, features salads, sandwiches, and a selection of French cheeses and cured meats, along with a daily special soup and hot entrée. Miami Beach natives and long-time residents will remember the much-loved Lyon Frères market and café on Lincoln Road in the 1990s—its creator, Ken Lyon, partnered with The Wolfsonian in 2011 to bring it back to life, and back to the Beach. Lyon Frères uses only the best ingredients, working closely with trusted, high-quality vendors and emphasizing artisanal and heritage goods. The café produces everything from scratch—pastries, hors d’oeuvres, stocks, sauces, dressings, etc. Lyon Frères is open during regular museum hours. Groups touring the museum who wish to dine on site or arrange for boxed or plated lunches should contact the café at least two weeks in advance. For questions or further information about the café, please contact the Café or call 305.535.1457.

The Wolfsonian Museum Shop
Browse the shop’s thoughtful, provocative selection of design-oriented gifts, along with the museum’s exclusive line of merchandise relating to the themes and period of the collection. The shop carries innovative desktop, personal, and travel accessories, kitchenware and tabletop items, watches, jewelry, clocks, children’s gifts, and more, in a wide range of price points. The shelves are also stocked with an engaging selection of books on design and social history, banned literature, and design journals, along with exhibition catalogs and the museum’s award-winning Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts. Can’t make it to Miami Beach right at this moment? Explore The Wolfsonian Museum Shop’s robust online presence. The shop is open during regular museum hours (the online shop is, of course, always open). For questions or further information about the shop, please contact the Museum Shop or 305.535.2680.

via wolfsonian.org

Statistically Speaking: The Graphic Expression of Data | Wolfsonian-FIU

2012-02-03T20:02:00.001-08:00

August 25 2011 - January 24 2012

Third Floor, Rare Book and Special Collections Library Vestibule

The word “statistics” generally conjures up an image of columns of numbers that hold interest only for the expert or enthusiast. In the early twentieth century, however, states and political movements recognized that if statistics were presented in a visually compelling way, they could become powerful tools of mass persuasion. This exhibition highlights eye-catching statistical graphics from the first half of the twentieth century in The Wolfsonian’s rare book and special collections library. The items on display were vehicles for the ambitions of Portuguese imperialists, Soviet propagandists, and American New Dealers. Each of these groups deployed graphic design as a means of making quantitative information vivid, understandable, and endowed with meaning beyond the numbers themselves.

FROM THE EXHIBITION

via wolfsonian.org

Facebook Taps Former Levi's, Apple Exec to Lead Marketing

2012-02-03T17:55:00.001-08:00

As we saw in its IPO filing, Facebook does very little consumer marketing in a traditional sense. But that may change: It's bringing on former Levi's and Apple exec Rebecca Van Dyck to head global marketing, according to people familiar with the matter.

Rebecca Van Dyck

-->
Ms. Van Dyck spent the last 10 months as Levi's Global CMO, where she oversaw the company's global "Go Forth" campaign. Levi's confirmed her departure.

Prior to joining Levi's, Ms. Van Dyck served as senior director-worldwide marketing and communications at Apple, where she worked on the launches of the iPhone, iPad, iPod and iTunes.

She explained her approach and what it was like working with Steve Jobs at Ad Age's Digital Conference in San Francisco in September: "The iPhone] was something created from the outside in, by how it felt to the consumer and the user experience going through it," she said. "It was first and foremost about the user experience. And that's how I approach marketing, that theme of focusing on what's important to the customer."
Ms. Van Dyck could not be reached, and Facebook did not return calls for comment. Facebook reported spending $28 million on advertising in 2011, up from $8 million in 2010 and $5 million in 2009, in its IPO filing.

Ad Age named Ms. Van Dyck a Woman to Watch in 2011. Incidentally, so was Carolyn Everson, VP-global ad sales at Facebook. Both women attended Ad Age's Women to Watch luncheon in August.
Update: A Facebook spokeswoman has confirmed that Ms. Van Dyck is joining the company's marketing team.

via adage.com

Apple - iTunes U - Learn anything, anywhere, anytime.

2012-01-26T07:21:00.001-08:00

via apple.com

An entire course in one app.
The free iTunes U app gives students access to all the materials for your course in a single place. Right in the app, they can play video or audio lectures. Read books and view presentations. See a list of all the assignments for the course and check them off as they’re completed. And when you send a message or create a new assignment, students receive a push notification with the new information.1 Learn more about the new iTunes U app

Apple - iCloud stores your content and pushes it to your devices.

2012-01-26T07:17:00.001-08:00

via apple.com

Policies & Principles,

2012-01-26T05:52:00.001-08:00

One policy, one Google experience

We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google.
This stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service now. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.

Easy to work across Google

Our new policy reflects our desire to create a simple product experience that does what you need, when you want it to. Whether reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favorite video that you want to share, we want to ensure you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or whatever your life calls for with ease.

Tailored for you

If you’re signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries – or tailor your search results – based on the interests you’ve expressed in Google , Gmail, and YouTube. We’ll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you’re searching for and get you those results faster.

Easy to share and collaborate

When you post or create a document online, you often want others to see and contribute. By remembering the contact information of the people you want to share with, we make it easy for you to share in any Google product or service with minimal clicks and errors.

Protecting your privacy hasn’t changed

Our goal is to provide you with as much transparency and choice as possible, through products like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager alongside other tools. Our privacy principles remain unchanged. And we’ll never sell your personal information or share it without your permission (other than rare circumstances like valid legal requests).

Understand how Google uses your data

If you want to learn more about your data on Google and across the web, including tips and advice for staying safe online, check out Good to Know.

Got questions? We got answers

Visit our FAQ to read more about the changes. (We figured our users might have a question or twenty-two.)

Notice of change

March 1, 2012 is when the new Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service will come into effect. If you choose to keep using Google once the change occurs, you will be doing so under the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

via google.com

Apple - Education - iBooks Textbooks for iPad

2012-01-23T18:23:00.001-08:00

via images.apple.com

CBS Already Notching Sales for 2013 Super Bowl | Special: Super Bowl

2012-01-19T14:37:00.001-08:00

Weeks before the kickoff for Super Bowl XLVI even takes place on NBC, CBS said it has already sold a few spots in next year's Super Bowl.

The logo of the host committee for next year's Super Bowl

-->
"When you're the next guy up, the conversations start as early as possible with those you know are interested in the game and those you want to be interested in the game," said Tony Taranto, senior VP-NFL sales at CBS. "We've done that. We have concluded business already for next year's game with some advertisers."
When the Super Bowl comes 'round in the first quarter of every year, all eyes typically go to the game at hand. And yet, there's often a lot going on behind the scenes that has to do with events of the future. In the fall of 2010, seeing robust ad-sales activity from Fox for its telecast of Super Bowl XLV, NBC began working the phones for Super XLVI and quietly touted a record-setting price tag of $3.5 million for a Super Bowl ad package.
The strategy appears to have worked as sales continued throughout last year. NBC has said it secured an average $3.5 million from its sponsors for the 2012 Super Bowl, though some marketers no doubt paid less. In one instance, an advertiser in this year's game agreed to a $4 million price tag, according to Seth Winter, senior-VP, sales and marketing, NBC Sports Group.
"I'm still not quite sure that we have pushed the boundaries of what a Super Bowl ad is worth," Mr. Winter said in early January.
Indeed, CBS will seek a price increase over this year's sales, said Jo Ann Ross, president-network sales for the CBS Television Network. "We're not rolling back pricing in the Super Bowl," she said.
Lending some wind to the executives' outlook is an intense desire for the event by auto advertisers. NBC's Super Bowl telecast could include as many as 10 major car advertisers, who in aggregate have purchased at least 10 minutes of ad time -- nearly one-third of the 35 minutes of national commercial time in the game.
Automaker demand for the Super Bowl continues to be "strong and healthy" moving forward, said John Bogusz, exec-VP sports sales and marketing, CBS Television Network.
Considering that certain marketers, including Anheuser-Busch InBev and PepsiCo, appear in the Super Bowl annually, and that automakers may buy up as much as 25% to 30% of the available ad time, a network could notch significant inventory sales before serious pitching begins.
CBS is also anticipating the broadcast of Super Bowl L -- the 50th anniversary -- in 2016. Ms. Ross declined comment on what maneuvers may be in the offing for that occasion.

via adage.com

Cristina Radio launches tomorrow

2012-01-11T11:50:00.001-08:00

via mediamoves.com

NBC Says It Has Sold All Its Super Bowl TV Inventory | Special: Super Bowl - Advertising Age

2012-01-05T17:27:00.001-08:00

-->

Related Stories

In New-Media First, Super Bowl to Be Streamed Online

Ads For TV And Web To Be Sold Separately, Though Some May Buy Both

GoDaddy Taking a Less Bumpy Road to Super Bowl Ads

Scripts Avoid Early Rejection for First Time in Eight Big Games

Who's Buying What in Super Bowl 2012

From Anheuser-Busch to Century 21 and GoDaddy, How Ads Are Shaping Up for the Big Game

NBC Universal has sold out of commercial time during the upcoming Super Bowl and expects to sell out its online inventory for the digital stream, a testament to the power of one of media's oldest pieces of content at a time when new technology is undermining other traditional TV offerings.
NBC Universal sold its last ad berth for Super Bowl XLVI, to be broadcast Feb. 5 from Indianapolis, around Thanksgiving, said Seth Winter, senior VP-sales and marketing at NBC Sports Group.
But the media company is still in the market. Two sponsors that he declined to name are trying to back out of their Super Bowl plans, according to Mr. Winter, and NBC is attempting to resell their time to other ad hopefuls.
The digital stream -- the first time the Super Bowl will be shown in such fashion in the U.S. -- will contain fewer ads than the TV broadcast, including just a portion of the game's overall TV ad roster. "There are going to be fewer advertisements with less messaging, something that would be more conducive to how you would expect the digital experience to be," Mr. Winter said.
The digital stream will be available via NBC's website and Verizon's NFL Mobile application.
Ad sales for the 2011 Super Bowl, broadcast on News Corp.'s Fox, were largely complete by late October of 2010, but NBC's effort may have been more complex. Every advertiser for this year's Super Bowl has purchased a "package" of inventory, Mr. Winter said. Though that happens at other networks as well, NBC Universal could include the spot not just in the traditional broadcast but on the soon-to-launch NBC Sports Network, the coming Olympics broadcast, the digital stream of the Super Bowl or other NBC Sports inventory.
"Every package has a nuance that is different than another," Mr. Winter said.
The average price for a Super Bowl package was about $3.5 million, though one sponsor paid about $4 million, Mr. Winter said. The prices represent a significant increase over those for recent telecasts, when networks' ability to enact hikes was curtailed by the recession.
Super Bowl ad prices typically vary, depending on when a commercial airs during the game and the type of package a sponsor buys. Ad berths in NBC Universal's digital stream range between the high six figures and low seven figures, Mr. Winter estimated.
The continued demand for the Super Bowl puts a spotlight on perhaps the last truly sure thing on TV. As the web and other competitors siphon traditional viewers from boob-tube standbys like morning news and prime-time dramas, the NFL championship game has managed to increase its audience for the last several years.
In 2010, Super Bowl XLIV on CBS became the most-watched event in TV history with an audience of 106.5 million, breaking the previous record of 105.9 million viewers for the network's telecast of the "M*A*S*H" series finale in 1983. Perhaps more surprising: Fox's telecast of the 2011 Super Bowl passed both of those marks, reaching about 111 million.
NBC's broadcast of the 2012 Super Bowl will contain about 35 minutes of national advertising, with other time reserved for network promos and ads sold by local NBC affiliates. National sponsors include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Audi of America, Best Buy, CareerBuilder, Cars.com, Century 21, Coca-Cola, Dannon Yogurt, General Motors, GoDaddy.com, Hyundai, Mars Inc.'s M&Ms, PepsiCo, Toyota and Volkswagen.
If the event again posts outsize ratings, TV networks will remain aggressive.

"I'm still not quite sure that we have pushed the boundaries of what a Super Bowl ad is worth," said Mr. Winter.

via adage.com

What is Social CRM?

2012-01-04T08:36:00.001-08:00

Social CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is use of social media services, techniques and technology to enable organisations to engage with their customers. As an emerging discipline, interpretations of Social CRM vary, but the most frequently quoted definition is from Paul Greenberg^[1]:

Social CRM is a philosophy and a business strategy, supported by a technology platform, business rules, workflow, processes and social characteristics, designed to engage the customer in a collaborative conversation in order to provide mutually beneficial value in a trusted and transparent business environment. It's the company's response to the customer's ownership of the conversation.

Social CRM is often used as a synonym for Social Media Monitoring, where organisations watch services like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for relevant mentions of their product and brand and react accordingly. However, this is too narrow an interpretation, as Social CRM also includes customer communities managed by the organisation themselves.

[edit] Applications of Social CRM

Social CRM has applications in marketing, customer service and sales, including:

peer-to-peer customer support

idea management

market research

product launch

brand reputation management

Altimeter Group^[2] and Gartner^[3] have published research identifying common use cases for Social CRM.

[edit] References

^ http://the56group.typepad.com/pgreenblog/2009/07/time-to-put-a-stake-in-the-ground-on-social-crm.html

^ http://www.altimetergroup.com/2010/03/altimeter-report-the-18-use-cases-of-social-crm-the-new-rules-of-relationship-management.html

^ http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?id=1485114

via en.wikipedia.org

The Cuban Art Project "Putting a Giant Together"

2012-01-03T17:58:00.001-08:00

Leticia del Monte

The Cuban Art Project

"Putting a Giant Together'

www.thecubanartproject.com

www.leticiadelmonte.wordpress.com

www.thesmileystone.wordpress.com

www.leticiadelmonte.blogspot.com

Social Media: Five Facts to Bank On in 2012 | DigitalNext: A Blog on Emerging Media and Technology - Advertising Age

2012-01-03T09:41:00.001-08:00

A new year on the calendar means new hope, new opportunities, new products, new trends and, most important of all, new budgets for many marketers. And while you'll get served your share of predictions for the year ahead, here are five things you can bank on happening in social media.

The Face of Facebook Pages is Changing. Again.
The new Facebook Timeline began rolling out to individual user profiles last month and is designed to be the "journal of your life." Timeline is also coming to Pages, likely soon. While it's unclear exactly when it is coming or how similar it will be to what we've already seen, we should expect the rollout to begin early this year.
While brands' core strategy of creating content and messaging fans in their own newsfeed will not change, the content journey and user experience most certainly will. Facebook has already removed the restriction that prevents non-fans from interacting with Pages, and it would not be surprising to see them do away with "like gate" landing tabs as well. If that is the case, the approach to applications will change significantly and will be accessible only via paid media or engaging wall post messages.
In their place, expect to see the proliferation of open graph applications that aggregate on the Timeline. Spotify, Rdio, Yahoo! and The Wall Street Journal gave us a preview of how verbs and objects can take over a newsfeed meaning that the most important verb this year might just be "build" (as in "build an entirely new application to support our brand on Facebook").

Google+ Is Not Going Away
If Facebook accounts for 1 in every 7 minutes spent online (according to comScore), that means there are six other minutes still up for grabs! New platforms and technologies continue to pop up on a seemingly daily basis. Last year saw the emergence of Tumblr and Pinterest with millions of users, not to mention the long-awaited arrival of Google+. Despite the steadily growing importance of Facebook and Twitter, you cannot ignore the potential of Google+ to impact your SEO and media business. That is, if Google is something that is important to your target consumer (hint: It is). Google+ just passed the 65 million user mark, with a quarter of that coming in December.
Investing in building and maintaining a Google+ Profile for your business or brand won't require as much time to "do right" as, say, Twitter, but that doesn't mean it should be a carbon copy of your Facebook Page, either. With different features to try out, take advantage of the opportunity to reach new and existing consumers with unique content. We can also expect Google to roll out an enhanced, integrated Analytics offering that will help us better understand the user journey across and beyond their network. We've been saying all along that you cannot evaluate the impact of New Media tactics using Old Media metrics, and Google is poised to take a giant step forward in answering our ROI questions in 2012.

Paid and Earned Media Work Best Together
The days of building your Facebook fan count and Twitter following without paid media support are over, plain and simple. This isn't really news. However, if your media strategy is strictly focused on fan acquisition to "get X million fans by the end of the year," then you are still missing out on the potential of what brand-consumer relationships can do for your business. Sure, total fans and followers matter, but only in the context of having as many active fans as possible.
What if I told you that less than 5% of your fans, on average, actually see any of your content and engage with it in some way? Wouldn't a richer goal be to increase your number of active fans from 5% to 10%? Only a media strategy that combines fan acquisition and fan engagement tactics can make this happen. Thanks to Facebook's improved Insights tool, enhanced premium ad targeting and Sponsored Stories can drive fan growth AND participation in 2012.

Social is Mobile and Mobile is Finally Social
It feels like we've been waiting and waiting for the "mobile revolution" to hit social marketing, when in reality a mobile evolution has already reached a critical mass.
Twitter has become a go-to platform on the "second screen" while in the home as well as on the primary screen when outside the home. According to comScore, Twitter grew 59% last year and now reaches more than 10% of internet users worldwide. Location-based services like Foursquare, photo quick-hits like Instagr.am and many other mobile applications require either Facebook or Twitter for amplification and sharing. Android and iPhone sales are driving Google+ and Twitter sign-ups at an astonishing rate. No matter what trends emerge in mobile, from check-ins to search to money transfer and payments, social is already at the center. Good marketing these days means giving your consumers what they want -- information, customer service, coupons, access, coupons, a voice, personalized experiences or just to be heard -- wherever they are.

Move Fast, Or Move Out of the Way
Giving your consumers what they want no matter where they are is synonymous for giving it to them when they want it. Doing so will require a paradigm shift in how you plan, act and react. In the time that you've been reading this, anywhere between one and a thousand people mentioned your product or brand in a social context. And while you may have missed it, their friends and the people they influence certainly did not. That is the power of social.
The old media-planning model where budgets and allocations are set a year in advance just doesn't work anymore. Consumers don't care when your budgets are finalized or when you have to have creative locked down. Thanks to social media, we have access to insights and data almost instantaneously, meaning real-time marketing is the new imperative. We must be flexible, agile and responsive, able shift directions, change the message, move money around and operationalize it all not in months, but in minutes.
In 2012, the integration of linear and digital will continue to change the rules and blur the lines across your marketing department. Thinking about social media marketing is now the responsibility of every marketer at every level within every company. Separate groups, teams and agencies won't cut it anymore because if you expect to change how consumers think about or purchase your product, then you have to change the way you market that product.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Wurst is director of digital communities at 360i, a unit if Dentsu.

via adage.com

Why Marketer Love for QR Codes Is Not Shared by Consumers | Digital - Advertising Age

2012-01-03T09:33:00.001-08:00

Quick-response codes are everywhere these days, even the soccer field. This fall, a squad of London footballers shaved the back of their heads in the design as a promotional stunt. But consumers are not nearly as excited about QR codes as marketers are.
The codes are a great idea in theory. They let marketers make all sorts of media -- print, billboards, even packaging -- clickable and interactive. When scanned with a special app downloaded to a smartphone, QR codes can call up links, text messages or videos. They can spark e-commerce or generate a lead.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a QR code on its keyrings offering more information on the car.

--> But in practice, while QR codes are affixed to everything from rental cars to Bratz dolls, only 5% of Americans who own mobile phones actually used the 2-D barcodes in the three months ending July 2011, according to Forrester Research. And those 14 million early adopters tended to be young, affluent and male.
Experts cite three reasons that QR codes haven't caught on. First, people are confused about how to scan them. Two, there's little uniformity among the apps required to read them. Last, some who have tried the technology were dissuaded by codes that offer little useful information or simply redirect the user to the company's website.
None of this deters marketers, who seem to be slapping the codes on products for all age groups and demographics.
"QR codes are definitely everywhere," said Kelli Robertson, director-strategy for digital agency AKQA.
The QR phenomenon is "another instance of shiny-object syndrome," said Melissa Parrish, Forrester's senior analyst-social and mobile marketing. "Something becomes trendy or sexy, and marketers feel they have to jump onboard to position themselves as innovative and make sure they don't fall behind."
Car-rental outfit Enterprise pasted QR codes on the driver-side windows of 1 million of its North American vehicles so passersby can get more information about the automaker.
JC Penney put the codes on holiday tags so that gift-givers could include a recorded greeting on the box -- one of many QR-code programs from the retailer.

Codes should be accessible, and users should be rewarded for scanning them.

-->
QRblaster.com, which generates codes, published a list of the worst campaigns of the year. It included marketers and publishers with unreadable or obscured codes. Some were offered in areas with no internet access, which means a scan cannot load anything to the phone. Red Bull put QR codes on the subway, and United Airlines had them on in-flight magazines read primarily far outside cell-service range.
In a well-meaning misstep, MillerCoors partnered with Seattle bars and restaurants over the holidays so that patrons who had imbibed a bit too much could snap a QR code to get a cab. The effort assumed that revelers still had enough dexterity to aim a phone and get a clear shot.
"Marketers fall in love with tools and forget the reality of how they're used," said Ms. Robertson at AKQA.
The appeal to marketers is clear. Implementing the codes is far less expensive than developing a proprietary app. They offer the ability to measure consumer activity and can provide shoppers with information, freeing up salespeople and increasing productivity.
But what's the risk of the many QR codes that are unhelpful, don't work or are so complicated that it would be easier to enter a URL?
"If you are not paying off [the QR scan] with content that's rewarding or valuable, then the experience falls flat and consumers won't use it again," Ms. Robertson said.
Despite low usage, marketers are staying loyal to QR codes.
Home Depot, for example, put QR codes on plants this spring so that customers could learn more about the items and which go best together.
A spokeswoman for the home-improvement retailer acknowledged that adoption has been slow, but the company continued to test the technology on artificial Christmas trees and lights.
"I haven't found any brands that have totally scrapped the codes," said Ms. Parrish at Forrester.
Education may also be an answer. Last spring, Macy's did national TV ads on its QR codes, and shoppers who scanned them got informational videos from clothing designers. The initiative exceeded expectations and got positive customer feedback, according to a spokeswoman. Use of the codes tripled after Macy's tweaked the content and offered shorter videos in the fall.

via adage.com

Hermès 2012 - The Gift of Time

2012-01-02T17:56:00.001-08:00

via 2012.hermes.com

El Codice Cortigiani (Spanish Edition)

2011-12-22T08:19:00.001-08:00

Product Description

Desde inicios del siglo pasado se comenta que una familia de la aristocracia italiana de la región de Liguria, donde se ubica Vinci, es poseedora de varios pliegos u hojas que formaban parte de la documentación que Leonardo da Vinci dejó en herencia a Francesco Melzi o bien a Salai, dos de sus alumnos favoritos. En las diferentes versiones de esta historia se menciona la existencia de un total de treinta y tres hojas, todas dobladas a la mitad y escritas por ambas caras con la particular caligrafía especular de Leonardo, lo que da un total de ciento treinta y dos páginas.
Si este nuevo Códice saliera al mercado su valor seria incalculable. Por el formato y tamaño de las hojas y como están dobladas, según atestiguan aquellos que dicen estar mejor informados, el Manuscrito parece formar parte inseparable del Leicester, también llamado Códice Hammer. Tal vez por ello algunos lo han bautizado Códice Hammer II, aunque la mayoría prefiere denominarlo Códice Cortigiani.
La leyenda afirma que tanto el Vaticano como las altas esferas del Gobierno de Italia conocían de su existencia y que este último en varias ocasiones trató de comprarlo a fin de exhibirlo en la Biblioteca Ambrosiana de Milán junto al Códice Atlántico.

via astore.amazon.com

Spanish Broadcasting System’s PRESIDENT & CEO Raúl Alarcón Named One of the “Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics” by PODER Magazine « The Cuban Art Project

2011-12-21T13:13:00.001-08:00

via thecubanartproject.com

Miami, FL. (December 21st, 2011)--- Spanish Broadcasting System Inc., (SBS) (Nasdaq: SBSA) President and CEO Mr. Raúl Alarcón has been recognized by PODER Magazine as a Business Leader in the publication’s annual “Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics” list. The list includes the most notable figures from the political, business, science, education and entertainment sectors.
The December/January 2011 issue of PODER declares that “Mr. Alarcón has become a key player for Latinos in the business arena.”Among the accomplishments mentioned in the report are Mr. Alarcón’s contributions to the Hispanic market in the United States. The charismatic President, CEO, and Chairman of Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc., which owns and operates 21 Spanish-Language radio stations in the top Latin markets in the United States, has continued to expand the company’s reach with the growth of SBS Entertainment and MegaTV. The publication highlights Mr. Alarcón’s strategic vision of integrating radio, television, entertainment and online properties to seek out growth opportunities with a clear eye on capturing the U.S. Hispanic consumer.
The PODER Top 100 Influential Hispanics represent examples of the tremendous world-class talent that has emerged from the Hispanic community to serve in top leadership roles across all parts of America. Those in this year’s list come from almost every sector of society, including business, government and politics, media, sports, entertainment, and non-profits. They reflect the breadth and depth of U.S. Hispanic diversity.
“To be recognized by PODER Magazine is an honor which I would like to share with the millions of Hispanic entrepreneurs in America who are transforming our economy,” says Mr. Alarcón. “I am grateful and proud to represent the interests of the growing Hispanic business community around the nation.”

Visiting my friend Emilio Uribe in his beautiful store Haus Fashion

2011-12-20T17:59:00.000-08:00

Univision Promotes Luis Patino to Senior VP | People & Players - Advertising Age

2011-12-07T14:47:00.001-08:00

Luis Patino

-->
Luis Patino has been promoted to senior VP of the Univision Television Group. Mr. Patino joined Univision in 1997 and most recently served as VP and general manager for KWEX-TV and KNIC-TV in San Antonio and KAKW-TV and KTFO-TV in Austin, Texas. During his tenure, both stations became the No. 1 news stations at both 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., regardless of language. His new responsibilities include managing station operations, sales, news, marketing and promotions for Univision's owned and operated TV stations in San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Phoenix, Tucson, San Antonio and Austin. Before moving to Texas, Mr. Patino worked for the Univision flagship stations in Los Angeles in various capacities including national sales manager and local sales manager.
Fernando Romero has been named VP-advertising sales of DailyCandy, part of NBCUniversal's Entertainment and Digital Networks and Integrated Media division. He will also work across the portfolio of E&DN/IM digital businesses including iVillage, Fandango and Television Without Pity, as well as the group's online TV platforms. Most recently, Mr. Romero was managing director of National Partnerships at Gilt City. Prior to Gilt City, he was national sales director for InStyle.com, where he built the in-market sales and planning teams and led the company to growth via programs with brand marketers such as P&G, Unilever, Target, H&M, Starbucks and Sony Pictures.
Jonathan Lum has joined Olson to head the agency's brand anthropology, connection planning and media, and analytics teams as chief strategy officer, a new position. He makes the move from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco, where he was senior brand strategy director. Prior to GS&P, Mr. Lum was group planning director at BBDO, New York, and director of strategy for Faith Popcorn's New York-based BrainReserve. He has 16 years of experience as a brand strategist and quantitative research specialist and has been recognized by the industry with a Cannes Lion, Effies and the ARF David Ogilvy Award. He began his advertising career at Young & Rubicam in Sydney, Australia.
Michelle Myers, VP-publisher of Brides, has hired a new executive sales team. Heddy Pearson, formerly ad director at Every Day with Rachael Ray, will split associate publisher duties with longtime Associate Publisher Lori Silver. Serving as executive director of operations is Elise Wood, who previously held the same position at Lucky. Katie McKenna, formerly executive director of marketing at Lucky, enters the new role of executive director of marketing and brand development, and Marnie Braverman, formerly acting marketing director at De Beers Diamond Jewelers and associate publisher of marketing at W, will serve as associate publisher of creative services.
Kim Brink has joined Nascar as managing director-brand and consumer marketing. She was most recently at General Motors, where as executive director of advertising and sales promotion for Cadillac, she led a team responsible for reinvigorating the brand and increasing its retail sales by nearly 40% in the U.S. From 2003 to 2010, Ms. Brink was general director of advertising and sales promotion for Chevrolet. She first joined GM in 1989 as a market research analyst.
PromoWorks, an insights-driven shopper-marketing solutions and strategic shopper-engagement firm, has named Julie Beck exec VP-sales and marketing. Ms. Beck brings to the role more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience with companies including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and most recently KraftFoods, where she developed and led shopper-marketing strategies for Kraft's billion-dollar business at Supervalu. In the past year she led shopper marketing pilots for the Retail Commission on Shopper Marketing as part of her work with global strategic management consulting firm The Partnering Group.
Don Bartholomew has been tapped as senior VP-digital and social-media research for the Ketchum Global Research Network (KGRN). In his new role, he will manage operations in Ketchum South and Ketchum Midwest, and will work closely with the PR company's specialty groups and complementary businesses, including Ketchum Digital, word-of-mouth-marketing agency Zocalo Group, and consumer and high-tech PR agency Access Communications. Mr. Bartholomew joins from Fleishman-Hillard's Washington, D.C., office, where he was responsible for integrated digital research initiatives including social-media monitoring, measurement and return-on-investment analysis. In addition to his social-media analytics background, Mr. Bartholomew has a wide range of client experience that includes technology, B2B, consumer and health-care brands. He is also creator of PR measurement blog MetricsMan.

via adage.com

JACKIE NOSTI-CAMBÓ NAMED VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS ANALYTICS FOR ALL OF SPANISH BROADCASTING SYSTEM, INC. (SBS) | LETICIA DEL MONTE

2011-11-29T19:52:00.001-08:00

Miami, FL. (November 29th, 2011)—Spanish Broadcasting System Inc., (SBS) (Nasdaq: SBSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Nosti-Cambó to Vice President of Business Analytics for SBS. Mrs. Nosti-Cambó will focus on the business practices of SBS in all of its markets. She will also develop new insights and understanding to improve business performance in order to grow revenue in all of the company’s markets.

Jackie Nosti-Cambó has been with SBS since 1992. Prior to her appointment, she was VP/General Manager for WXDJ- El Zol 95.7FM, WRMA-Romance 106.7FM, WCMQ-Clasica 92.3FM and WRAZ-Cima 106.3FM in Miami. During her tenure as VP/General Manager for WXDJ-El Zol 95.7FM, the station was ranked #1 in billing with the highest annual revenue ever achieved by any South Florida radio station. All of SBS’s Miami Spanish radio stations were rated among the top ranked FM stations in South Florida.

“With extensive practice in the media and financial businesses, and significant prior experience with SBS, Jackie brings a wealth of industry knowledge and operating experience to this position,” said Albert Rodriguez, Chief Revenue Officer of SBS’s Consolidated Operations, Executive Vice President and General Manager of MegaTV. “I am confident that her talent, creativity and leadership skills will help her further our success by promoting growth and profitability for all of our consolidated operations.”

With over 21 years of experience in the radio broadcasting industry, Mrs. Nosti-Cambó started her career at what was once the Miami classical radio station WTMI 91.3FM as an Account Executive, and later transferred to Hispanic radio at Viva America Media Group. In 1992 she joined WXDJ El Zol 95.7FM as a National Sales Manager. During her years at SBS, Mrs. Nosti-Cambó also oversaw the administration of all 11 radio stations in SBS Puerto Rico for four years.

Mrs.Nosti-Cambó has been on the advisory board of Florida International University (FIU) Center for Diversity in Engineering and Computing (CDEC) Gear Up Homestead program and has partnered with many non-profit organizations in the community, such as the March of Dimes and AdFed. In addition, she advocates for better and more responsible animal welfare.

“It is an honor to continue being part of the SBS family in this new capacity,” said Jackie Nosti-Cambó. “SBS is poised for incredible growth and I look forward to helping the company achieve its potential.”

Jackie is an avid outdoors woman, but her true passion is her love for animals.

Share this:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
More
Like this:
Like
Be the first to like this post.

via leticiadelmonte.wordpress.com

Hackean Facebook

2011-11-18T14:38:00.001-08:00

Facebook fue hackeado y publicaron imágenes pornográficas y con escenas de extrema violencia en el timeline de la página, según denunciaron miles de usuarios a través de Twitter.

El ataque comenzó hace 48 horas pero se intensificó en las últimas horas, por lo que miles de usuarios expresaron su queja a través de Twitter.

Los piratas introdujeron imágenes impactantes y tremendamente duras sobre actos de terror, automutilación y sexo. Si bien no se pudo determinar la autoría del ataque, se apunta al sitio 4Chan, un gran foro involucrado en caso de activismo enla Red.

Este es el ataque más grande que recibió la red social, y responde a un tipo de spam que se expandió a gran escala. Aunque no se determinó la magnitud del mismo, los atacantes aprovecharon algún tipo de vulnerabilidad en el código del servicio, para realizar su acción.

La mayoría de los usuarios explican que desde el muro de las noticias se muestran todo tipo de imágenes de brutalidad sin su consentimiento. Otros señalaron que cuando ponen "me gusta" a estas fotografías desde sus cuentas, son redireccionados a enlaces de vídeos, mensajes falsos de chat o fotos etiquetadas con sus nombres.

Además de 4Chan, se cree que este ataque puede estar relacionado con Anonymous, que ya amenazó en varias ocasiones con atacar la red social. Desde Facebook por ahora no hubo ningún tipo de declaración oficial.

via infobae.com

DailyTech - New Porn Hack Embarrasses Facebook Users

2011-11-18T14:37:00.001-08:00

via dailytech.com

Univision Reveals Dynamic Cast Of Stars For “El Talismán” | Univision

2011-11-17T07:19:00.001-08:00

Univision Reveals Dynamic Cast Of Stars For “El Talismán”

11.16.11 • Univision PR

0 0 ShareThisNew Print

UNIVISION REVEALS DYNAMIC CAST OF STARS FOR “EL TALISMÁN”

Blanca Soto, Rafael Novoa, Aarón Díaz, Lola Ponce, Sergio Reynoso, Marcela Mar

and Julieta Rosen to Star in this Original Novela Production

Also Featuring Actress Karyme Lozano

in Her Highly Anticipated Return to the Small Screen

MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 16, 2011- Univision announced the cast to star in the highly anticipated new novela production, “El Talismán” (The Talisman). Produced by Venevision Productions in collaboration with Univision Studios, “El Talimán” is headlined by Blanca Soto (“Eva Luna”), Aarón Díaz (“Teresa”) and Rafael Novoa (“Pura Sangre”), along with first-class actors Lola Ponce, Sergio Reynoso (“Fuego en la Sangre”), Marcela Mar (“El Capo”) and Julieta Rosen (“Cuando Me Enamoro”). This new production also features Mexican actress and novela sweetheart Karyme Lozano (“Mujeres Asesinas 2) in her long-awaited return to television.

“We are excited to present our viewers with this passionate story interpreted by a cast of A-list stars,” said Luis Fernández, President of Univision Entertainment and Univision Studios. “After the unprecedented success of our first original novela ‘Eva Luna,’ it was only natural to once again join forces with Venevision Productions for this new mega production starring some of the most talented actors in Spanish-language television, resulting in a winning combination to create entertainment that is best-in-its-class.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

After captivating worldwide audiences with her lead role in Univision’s hit novela “Eva Luna,” Blanca Soto returns to the network in the mega production, “El Talismán.” Prior to her work with Univision, the actress, model and former Miss Mexico had starred in several movies, including the award-winning short film “La Vida Blanca” and the 2010 blockbuster “Dinner for Schmucks” with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Soto also starred with famed Mexican actor Jaime Camil in the romantic comedy “Regresa.”

Mexican actor Aarón Díaz also returns to the small screen after making his indelible mark on Univision’s highly popular novela “Teresa.” Starring as Mariano, one of Angelique Boyer’s (“Teresa’s”) main love interests, Díaz won the hearts of millions with his irresistible looks and charming personality. In addition to being a talented actor, Díaz is also a singer/songwriter, having composed several songs for the novela, including the single “Teresa.” Díaz made his acting debut in the popular teen drama “Clase 406,” followed by another teen drama titled “Corazones al Límite,” co-starring Sherlyn and Sara Maldonado. He also starred in the novela “Barrera de Amor” with Yahdira Carrillo and had a role in Mexico’s production of the theater and film hit “Grease.”

The charismatic Rafael Novoa is one of Colombia’s most renowned actors. As the main character of Colombia’s hit novela “Pura Sangre,” he broke international barriers becoming a household name in the entertainment industry. Novoa also made a guest appearance in Televisa’s “Mañana es Para Siempre,” along Mexican novela star Fernando Colunga. With more than 15 years of experience in Spanish-language television and an extensive career in novelas both in Colombia and Mexico, Novoa will play a strong role in this story of entangled love in “El Talismán.”

Lola Ponce, Argentinean actress and singer will make her U.S. debut as the bombshell temptress “Lucrecia” in “El Talismán.” Ponce began her acting career starring in teenybopper novelas in her native Argentina in the late 90s. Since relocating to Italy to begin her music career with a role in the modern opera “Notre Dame de Paris” more than 10 years ago, she has starred in six novelas between Argentina and Italy, has released several music albums and has participated in international music festivals around the world. Most recently, she was a contestant on Argentina’s version of the reality dance competition “Bailando Por Un Sueño” and launched her own T-shirt line “Girls Speak” with fellow model Clizia Incorvaia.

Sergio Reynoso is a 30-year veteran of Spanish-language television. Better known as el “Chakain,” Reynoso began his on-screen career in Mexican films, including Luis Alcoriza’s “Las Fuerzas Vivas,” “El Angel Negro,” and “Viajero,” among others. The legendary actor also starred in popular novelas such as “Mi Pecado,” “Fuego en la Sangre,” “Manantial,” and “Rosalinda,” among many others.

Marcela Mar is a well-known Colombian actress who began acting at an early age and attended Bogota’s prestigious National Theater. Since then, Mar has participated in theater productions, film and television, characterizing various genres with the innate talent and passion she is known for. In addition to winning audiences’ hearts with her role in some of Colombia’s most popular novelas and series, including TeleFutura’s hit novela “El Capo,” “Sin Límites,” and “Todos Quieren con Marilyn,” Mar has also made a name for herself in Spanish-language film. She made her cinematic debut with the movie “Satanás,” produced by the award-winning Rodrigo Guerrero, and most recently shared the screen with Oscar winner Javier Bardem in Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez’s timeless novel “El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera.”

Julieta Rosen is a Mexican actress with an extensive career in Spanish-language television. She began her career at the tender age of 16 in theater productions in her native Mexico, including the famous play “Don Juan Tenorio.” Since then, Rosen has acted in several novelas such as “Mi Vida Eres Tú,” “Madres Egoístas” and “Infierno en el Paraíso.” Most recently, she co-starred as “Regina Sotomayor” on the U.S. Spanish-language adaptation of “Desperate Housewives.” Rosen also played Diego de la Vega’s (El Zorro) wife in Steven Spielberg’s “The Mask of Zorro” with Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Novela sweetheart Karyme Lozano, known for her role in some of Spanish-language television’s leading novelas, including “Amar Sin Límites,” “El Manantial,” “Niña Amada Mía” and “Soñar No Cuesta Nada,” makes her much-anticipated return to the small screen in “El Talismán.” Most recently, Lozano participated in Mexico’s highly rated series “Mujeres Asesinas”; interpreting the program’s theme song, as well.

Exclusive cast and character profiles, videos and photos are available online and on mobile at www.NovelasySeries.com. Plus, users can submit their audition videos to the Talisman virtual casting for the chance to play a special role in the novela. The final winner will be determined by users’ vote. Once Talisman premieres, full episodes will be available online at www.NovelasySeries.com, and on mobile via the Univision Video App.

For a preview of “El Talismán” click here

CONTACT:

Priscilla Senior

Univision

305-640-3592

psenior@univision.net

Todd Michael Jamison

Venevision International

305- 507- 6821

TJamison@cisneros.com

About Univision Communications Inc.

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Its assets include Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network reaching 88% of U.S. Hispanic households; Univision Cable Networks, including Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network, and a suite of six cable offerings – De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit and Clásico TV; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for the Company’s platforms; Univision Local Media, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations and 70 radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive Media, a network of national and local online and mobile sites including Univision.com, which continues to be the #1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics, Univision Móvil, a longstanding industry-leader with unique, relevant mobile products and services, and Univision Partner Group, a specialized advertising and publisher network. Headquartered in New York City, UCI has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States. For more information, please visit www.univision.net.

###

UNIVISION REVELA EL DINAMICO ELENCO DE ESTRELLAS DE “EL TALISMÁN”

Blanca Soto, Rafael Novoa, Aarón Díaz, Lola Ponce,

Sergio Reynoso, Marcela Mar y Julieta Rosen Protagonizan esta Nueva Producción Original

La novela también contará con la actuación de la actriz Karyme Lozano

en su esperado regreso a la pantalla chica

MIAMI, FL – 16 DE NOVIEMBRE, 2011- Univision dio a conocer el elenco completo de la muy esperada producción original, la novela “El Talismán”. Producida por Venevision Productions en colaboración con Univision Studios, “El Talismán” estará protagonizada por Blanca Soto (“Eva Luna”), Aarón Díaz (“Teresa”) y Rafael Novoa (“Pura Sangre”), junto a los primeros actores Lola Ponce, Sergio Reynoso (“Fuego en la Sangre”), Marcela Mar (“El Capo”) y Julieta Rosen (“Cuando Me Enamoro”). El reparto también incluirá a la popular actriz de novelas mexicana, Karyme Lozano (“Mujeres Asesinas 2”), quien regresa a la televisión.

“Nos complace enormemente llevarle a nuestra audiencia esta historia apasionante con un elenco de primera”, dijo Luis Fernández, Presidente de Univision Entertainment y de Univision Studios. “Después del éxito sin precedentes de nuestra primera novela original, ‘Eva Luna’, era natural que nos volviéramos a unir con Venevision Productions para realizar una nueva superproducción, protagonizada por algunos de los actores de mayor talento de la televisión en español, logrando otro gran producto que representa lo mejor en entretenimiento de su género”.

INFORMACIÓN ADICIONAL

Tras cautivar al público con su papel estelar en la exitosa novela de Univision, “Eva Luna”, Blanca Soto regresa a la cadena para protagonizar esta nueva mega-producción, “El Talismán”. Antes de su trabajo con Univision, la actriz, modelo y ex Miss México actuó en varias películas, entre ellas el premiado corto titulado “La Vida Blanca” y el éxito de taquilla de 2010, “Dinner for Schmucks”, con Steve Carell y Paul Rudd. Soto también protagonizó la comedia romántica “Regresa”, junto al actor mexicano Jaime Camil.

El actor mexicano Aarón Díaz también vuelve a la pantalla de Univision después de dejar una huella inolvidable con su actuación en la muy popular novela “Teresa”. En su papel de Mariano, uno de los enamorados de Teresa (Angelique Boyer), Díaz se ganó el corazón de millones de televidentes con su atractivo físico y personalidad encantadora. Además de ser un actor de gran talento, Díaz es también cantautor y compuso varias canciones para la novela, incluyendo el tema principal, “Teresa”. Díaz debutó como actor en la serie juvenil “Clase 406”, seguida por otra novela juvenil titulada “Corazones al Límite”, con Sherlyn y Sara Maldonado. También protagonizó la novela “Barrera de Amor” junto a Yahdira Carrillo, y luego participó en la producción mexicana de la obra teatral “Grease”.

El carismático Rafael Novoa es uno de los actores más renombrados de Colombia. Con su interpretación del personaje principal de la exitosa novela colombiana “Pura Sangre”, traspasó las fronteras internacionales y se convirtió en una figura ampliamente reconocida en el mundo del espectáculo. Novoa también fue actor invitado en la producción de Televisa “Mañana es Para Siempre”, con el astro mexicano Fernando Colunga. Aportando más de 15 años de experiencia en la televisión y una carrera de éxito en novelas en Colombia y México, Novoa será una figura de peso en la compleja historia de amor de “El Talismán”.

Lola Ponce actriz y cantante Argentina hará su debut en Estados Unidos en el papel de la seductora villana “Lucrecia” en “El Talismán”. Ponce inició su carrera artística como actriz de novelas juveniles en su país natal, Argentina, a finales de los años ’90s. Desde que se mudó a Italia para trabajar en la ópera moderna “Notre Dame de Paris” hace más de diez años, Ponce ha participado en seis novelas entre Argentina e Italia, además de haber grabado varios discos y se ha presentado en festivales internacionales de música por todo el mundo. Más recientemente concursó en la versión argentina de la competencia de baile/reality show “Bailando Por Un Sueño”, y lanzó su propia línea de camisetas, “Girls Speak”, con la modelo Clizia Incorvaia.

Sergio Reynoso es un veterano de la televisión con 30 años de carrera artística. Mejor conocido como “el Chakain”, Reynoso hizo su debut en el cine mexicano, actuando en diversas películas como “Las Fuerzas Vivas” de Luis Alcoriza, “El Ángel Negro” y “Viajero”, entre otras. El legendario actor también ha participado en exitosas novelas, entre ellas “Mi Pecado”, “Fuego en la Sangre”, “Manantial” y “Rosalinda”.

Marcela Mar es una famosa actriz colombiana que empezó a actuar a muy temprana edad y cursó estudios en el Teatro Nacional de Bogotá. Durante su carrera ha participado en numerosas producciones teatrales, fílmicas y televisivas, interpretando papeles muy variados con la pasión y el talento innatos que la caracterizan. Además de ganarse la admiración del público con sus personajes en algunas de las novelas de mayor éxito en Colombia, entre ellas “El Capo”, “Sin Límites” y “Todos Quieren con Marilyn”, Mar también se ha dado a conocer en el cine de habla hispana. Su debut cinematográfico fue en la película “Satanás”, del mismo productor del galardonado filme “María Full of Grace”, Rodrigo Guerrero; más recientemente, compartió la pantalla con el ganador del Oscar, Javier Bardem, en la versión fílmica de la gran novela “El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera” del autor colombiano Gabriel García Márquez, premio Nobel de literatura.

Julieta Rosen es una actriz mexicana con larga experiencia en la televisión hispana. Inició su carrera artística a los 16 años en el teatro en México, apareciendo en obras tan conocidas como “Don Juan Tenorio”. Desde entonces, Rosen ha actuado en numerosas novelas, entre ellas “Mi Vida Eres Tú”, “Madres Egoístas” e “Infierno en el Paraíso”. Más recientemente, interpretó el personaje de “Regina Sotomayor” en la versión en español, para Estados Unidos, de la famosa serie “Desperate Housewives” (“Amas de Casa Desesperadas”). Rosen también hizo el papel de la esposa de Diego de la Vega (El Zorro) en la película de Steven Spielberg, “The Mask of Zorro”, con Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins y Catherine Zeta-Jones.

La consentida de las novelas, Karyme Lozano, es famosa por sus personajes en algunas de las producciones más exitosas de la televisión en español (“Amar Sin Límites”, “El Manantial”, “Niña Amada Mía”, “Soñar No Cuesta Nada”). Su participación en la nueva telenovela, “El Talismán”, marca su esperado retorno a la pantalla chica. Recientemente apareció en la serie mexicana “Mujeres Asesinas” e interpretó el tema musical del programa.

Perfiles exclusivos del elenco y los personajes, videos y fotos estarán disponibles en Internet y dispositivos móviles en www.NovelasySeries.com. Además, los usuarios podrán subir sus videos de audiciones al casting virtual de El Talismán para la oportunidad de ganar un rol especial en la novela. El ganador será escogido por el voto de los usuarios. Tras el estreno de “El Talismán”, los episodios completos estarán disponibles en Internet en www.NovelasySeries.com, y en los dispositivos móviles vía Univision Video App.

Para un vistazo de “El Talismán” haga clic aquí

CONTACTO:

Priscilla Senior

Univision

305-640-3592

psenior@univision.net

Todd Michael Jamison

Venevision International

305- 507- 6821

TJamison@cisneros.com

Acerca de Univision Communications Inc.

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI por sus siglas en inglés) es la principal empresa de medios de comunicación al servicio de la comunidad hispana en los Estados Unidos. Sus activos incluyen: la Cadena Univision, una de las cinco principales cadenas televisivas de Estados Unidos, independientemente del idioma, y la cadena de televisión de habla hispana de mayor sintonía en el país, que llega al 97% de los hogares hispanos en EE.UU.; TeleFutura, una cadena de televisión en español de interés general, que llega al 88% de los hogares hispanos en EE.UU.; y Univision Cable Networks, que incluye a Galavisión, cadena líder de televisión por cable en español en el país, y al conjunto de seis señales de cable compuesto por De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson, Telehit y Clásico TV; Univision Studios, productor y coproductor de “reality shows”, series dramáticas y otros formatos de programación para las plataformas de la compañía; Univision Local Media, división que es propietaria u operadora de 62 estaciones de televisión y 70 emisoras de radio en los principales mercados de Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico; Univision Interactive Media, una red de sitios nacionales y locales de Internet y telefonía móvil, incluyendo a Univision.com, el portal de Internet en español más visitado por los hispanos en Estados Unidos, Univision Móvil, líder en la industria de la telefonía móvil desde hace años, que ofrece servicios y productos móviles únicos y relevantes, y Univision Partner Group, una red especializada en anunciantes y editores. Con sede corporativa en la ciudad de Nueva York, UCI opera sus cadenas de televisión desde Miami y tiene estaciones de televisión y radio, además de oficinas de ventas, en las principales ciudades de Estados Unidos. Para más información, por favor visite www.univision.net.

0 0 ShareThisNew Print

via corporate.univision.com

PepsiCo Is Looking at Startups in a Whole New Way | Special: Media Evolved - Advertising Age

2011-11-16T09:12:00.001-08:00

If you're a startup, sorry, but PepsiCo is not your monetization strategy. Your partner? Sure. Your adviser? Absolutely.
Shiv Singh, the global head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages, delivered that message loud and clear during Ad Age's Media Evolved conference in New York today. It's a message that Mr. Singh has been preaching of late, as he tries to inform the industry of PepsiCo's evolving approach. The company's strategy, he explained, is to get in on the ground level with companies that could become the next Twitter via its Digital Labs program. In the case of Foursquare, for example, PepsiCo first teamed up with the company when the service had just 400,000 users. Today, Foursquare has more than 10 million members worldwide.

Patrick Butler
Shiv Singh speaks at Ad Age's Media Evolved conference Nov. 15

-->
"The fact that we're there through the journey, young consumers appreciate that," Mr. Singh said. "It's authentic."
That Digital Labs program, which has been in existence for about a year, gives startups such as Foursquare or Bluefin, a social-TV measurement company, the ability to work with a large brand to develop and test products. In the case of Bluefin, PepsiCo began working with the startup before it even had a product out, integrating its technology into the Pepsi Music program.
Mr. Singh said that those startups participating in the Digital Labs initiative are often discovered through the company's relationships with venture capitalists or by speaking at industry conferences. It also supports the tech community, hosting and attending social-networking events. Ultimately, PepsiCo Beverages pours roughly 10% of its digital spend into startups, Mr. Singh said, though he was clear that's not an "experimentation" fund.
"We get great ROI off that," Mr. Singh said. "It's held to the same rigor as [other media spend]."
This new way of thinking is part of a move by PepsiCo to own and build its own platforms and experiences. For example, the company leveraged Gigya's social technology in creating Pepsi Sound Off. Modeled after Twitter, Pepsi Sound Off is a place for "X Factor" fans to connect during the show and incorporates a gaming mechanism. Viewers can post comments in a stream, as well as organize streams by popular hashtags. Mr. Singh said that Pepsi Sound Off could also be leveraged during the Super Bowl, Grammys or Video Music Awards.
"The more successful it gets, the more valuable it is to us, vs. the more successful it gets, the more expensive it gets for us," Mr. Singh said. "We want to create and own experiences that we can leverage again and again throughout the year."

via adage.com

Graciela Mori regresa a MegaTV en Paparazzi Magazine con una exclusiva serie especial “La historia Oculta en la familia de Luis Miguel”

2011-11-15T19:28:00.001-08:00

---La serie especial revelará la historia detrás de lahistoria del éxito del ídolo mexicano---

Miami, FL.(15 de noviembre de 2011)--- Spanish Broadcasting System Inc.anuncia que su cadena de televisión MegaTV secomplace en presentar a partir del miércoles16 de noviembre, hasta el miércoles23 de noviembre de 2011, a las 7p.m. (ET)- 6 p.m. (CT) una serie especial de Graciela Mori en Paparazzi Magazine, en seis entregas sobre la vida y losorígenes en España del cantante mexicano LuisMiguel.

Comenzando este miércoles 16 de noviembre se emitirá elprimer capítulo de “La historia ocultaen la familia de Luis Miguel” en el programa Paparazzi Magazine, que incluirádeclaraciones de personas que conocieron a sus hermanos, abuelos y padres. Paranarrar la vida del conocido como el “Solde México”, de padre español y madre italiana, el programacuenta con testimonios de familiares y amigos de Luis Miguel en San Fernando (Cádiz, España) y en Puerto Rico,la isla donde nació.

“Me sientoen casa, Paparazzi es lo que siempre he sido, es volver a lo que nunca hedejado de hacer. Junto con Fernando Castells realizamos esta producciónindependiente al enterarnos de que a Luis Miguel no le están llegando losmensajes de sus apoderados en España, es triste que pueda perder una serie depropiedades que tienen un gran valor sentimental para el, mucho más quemonetario.” Afirmó GracielaMori.

Un total de cuatro meses deconversaciones, y 19 horas de viaje le tardo a Graciela Mori en llegar al pueblo de San Fernando, Cádiz enEspaña con el fin de conocer más sobre la historia oculta del pasado de Luis Miguel y durante la investigacióndescubrió documentos reveladores que los televidentes podrán tener acceso enprimicia durante la serie especial. Además durante la serie conocerándiferentes testimonios de personas que conocieron al Sol de México, a sushermanos, abuelos y padres.

Durante la serie especial, Graciela le dará una panorámicaactualización de lo que esta pasando con los bienes del cantante en España ylos invitamos a recorrer, en exclusiva, el apartamento donde vivió Luis Miguel y su hermano menor Sergio Gallego Basteri cuando eranpequeños.

Es una historia conmovedora,polémica, impactante y triste dado que la familia del cantante, nacido enGuaynabo, Puerto Rico, el 19 de abril de 1970 y nacionalizado mexicano, siguedando de que hablar.

La serie especial serápresentada en Paparazzi Magazinecomenzando el miércoles 16 de noviembrehasta el miércoles 23 de noviembrede 2011, con Graciela Mori, en el programa conducido porJavier Ceriani y Orietta De Luque a las 7 p.m. (ET)- 6 p.m. (CT) por MegaTV.

Dónde: MegaTV: canal 22 enMiami, canal 57 West Palm Beach, canal 13, Chicago, Illinois, canal 33.2 Fresno, CA, canal 55 Houston, TX, canal 23 en SaltLake City, UT, canal 169 de DIRECTV en Puerto Rico. Canal 405 de DIRECTV en lasprincipales ciudades de los Estados Unidos, Dish Network en Puerto Rico, ycanal 3008 de AT&T U-verse en las principales ciudades de los EstadosUnidos.

Bacardi Limited. Founded in Santiago de Cuba. Producers and marketers of a variety of internationally recognized premium spirit brands including Bacardi rum.

2011-11-11T12:11:00.001-08:00

via bacardilimited.com

Marketer of the Year: Coca-Cola | Special: Marketer A-List - Advertising Age

2011-11-07T13:42:00.001-08:00

In its 125 years, Coca-Cola has been one of the world's most dependably good marketers. But there have been rougher times, as Joe Tripodi isn't afraid to admit.
"We honestly believe that the company, probably 10 years ago, lost its way through arrogance, hubris," said the chief marketing and commercial officer at Coca-Cola.
In mid-2007, as Mr. Tripodi was leaving a successful run at Allstate for the beverage giant, his challenges as outlined by Ad Age at the time included: reverse Coke's perception as a sluggish, hidebound marketer; find some consistency with its advertising -- and agencies; and reduce its dependence on its flagship drink.

--> Today, with a team of both relative newcomers and company veterans, including lieutenant Wendy Clark, senior VP-integrated marketing communications and capabilities, Coca-Cola is it again. It's a marketing model not just for mega multinationals looking to share best practices from around the world but also a case study for how upstart and mid-size brands, of which Coca-Cola has amassed many, can use creative stunts and strategic partnerships to get a lot done on a smaller budget.
And 2011 was a year for the record books.
Diet Coke bypassed Pepsi to become the country's No. 2 soda brand, under the leadership of Katie Bayne, president-general manager sparkling beverages, and Beatriz Perez, former CMO-Coca-Cola North America and the company's current chief sustainability officer. The company added not one, but two billion-dollar brands with Del Valle and Minute Maid Pulpy -- the latter, born in China, is the company's first billion-dollar brand to have launched in an emerging market. Coca-Cola topped Interbrand's most-valuable global brands list for the 12th year. And the company's flagship brand demonstrated that it only gets better with age: Coke is leading the company's growth, with volume up 3% worldwide year-to-date.
"Because of the scale and size of Coca-Cola, we have to have a culture that encourages us to share the learnings and failures, the good, the bad and the ugly," said Mr. Tripodi. "We've got a team of people around the world that is less concerned with getting credit and more concerned with getting behind a great idea."
There have been plenty of those this year. Fanta's volume is up 3% year-to-date on the heels of "Less Serious," a global campaign steered by Jonathan Mildenhall, VP-global advertising strategy and content, that runs in 190 countries. Minute Maid's quirky "Wake Up Your MMOJO" campaign from Doner took orange juice beyond the breakfast table, attracting men and young adults. Diet Coke teamed with StyleCaster, introduced a fashionable limited-edition can and launched new 15-second spots -- all part of a beefed-up marketing calendar, as Alison Lewis, senior-VP North America marketing, looks to keep the soda in its No. 2 slot.
And a new global teen-focused campaign, Coca-Cola Music, kicked off with "24hr Session," which saw Maroon 5 hole up in a London studio to create a new original song. Shay Drohan, senior-VP sparkling brands, has taken that campaign to more than 130 markets.
But that doesn't mean smaller brands have been forgotten. A tongue-in-cheek online video, from agency Zambezi, featured Jennifer Aniston promoting Smartwater and went viral, grabbing nearly 10 million views on YouTube. Fuze got a nod with its first TV campaign, handled by Amalgamated.
Coca-Cola's agencies include Wieden & Kennedy, which handles Coke and Diet Coke; Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which works on Coke Zero and Vitaminwater; and Ogilvy & Mather, which is working on the first ad push for Coca-Cola Freestyle and also handles Fanta.
Mr. Tripodi said the company has gotten sharper about how it thinks about its portfolio and portfolio management, a necessity given there's more than a dozen ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverage categories it can play in. "We don't try to apply the same mass-marketing, big-brand model against [smaller brands]. Our whole thinking there is around doing things in an innovative and different way that takes a smaller budget and amplifies it," he said. "We're training our marketers and our community -- don't just say "I can't be successful with this small brand, because I don't have a big budget.' That's nonsense."
Coca-Cola is also innovating in food service, with the introduction of Coca-Cola Freestyle, which snagged its first major national accounts this year. Using micro-dosing technology, the next-generation soda fountain serves up 125 different flavors of soft drinks, flavored waters, sports drinks and lemonades and sends usage data, such as what flavors are most popular at what times of the day, to Coca-Cola headquarters.
The futuristic Freestyle is just one example of how Coca-Cola continues to set the agenda. The company attracted attention with its competitive review for a social-media listening agency. And it turned heads by taking a minority interest in Music Dealers to help it discover and license music from popular bands around the globe.
Most recently, the company teamed up with Leo Burnett to turn more than 1.4 billion Coke cans white to raise awareness and funding for the World Wildlife Fund's polar-bear conservation efforts. Pio Schunker, senior VP-integrated marketing platforms, is ensuring it's one of the company's most-integrated efforts ever.
All of these efforts are examples of the way the company is coalescing around management's 2020 Vision, which involves doubling system revenue and more than doubling servings to some 3 billion per day. It's a daunting goal, considering the company wants to do in just over 10 years what it took nearly 125 years to accomplish.
Mr. Tripodi says the company's ability to innovate the product, the packaging and consumer engagement are what will get Coca-Cola there. "It gives you some air cover, when you're doing well, to try things, be bold, be disruptive," he said. "It all ladders up to a thought process that says [our 2020 Vision] is very achievable, if we stay disciplined and focused."

via adage.com

FloRida I Got a Good Feeling!!!!

2011-11-04T05:33:00.001-07:00

Consumers Willing To Share Data, But At A Price

2011-11-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

According to a new study by McCan Truth Central, consumers are concerned about "Privacy", but "privacy" is a complex, multi-dimensional issue that encompasses everything from personal, real-world snooping to sharing data online. When it comes to data sharing, though, one must unpack the issue even further, says the report.
Consumers categorize data into different categories, (e.g. shopping, location, personal, medical, and financial,) and have varying degrees of concern with sharing each type.

71% of consumers indicate they are willing to share shopping data with a brand online
86% of consumers see that there are major benefits associated with sharing data with businesses online
65% see one of the top two benefits as better access to discounts and promotions

Laura Simpson, Global Director of McCann Truth Central, said, "... the study... lays out the hierarchy of privacy concerns... consumers are in favor of sharing shopping data with businesses in exchange for certain benefits, but are more cautious about sharing financial and medical data... foremost concern must be to protect... privacy of customers... (but) smart strategy encourages responsible sharing of relevant data... “
69% of consumers globally trust banks to look after their personal data and use it wisely. 57% hold credit card companies in the same regard. Consumers feel that financial services brands, as a group, are doing the most to protect the privacy of their data. Globally, the top three most trusted brands included MasterCard, Visa and Microsoft.
Banks and other financial services brands have set themselves apart from other categories because they have consistently demonstrated a commitment to data protection. 44% of consumers in the US say that banks' security controls are one of the top three reasons why banks have earned their trust, with the other two reasons being a history of dealing responsibly with data and trust that the banks will protect them in case of fraud.
For all types of companies and brands, there are four key dynamics to privacy when it comes to maintaining a proactive, productive and share-worthy relationship with consumers. The key to assurance and trust, says the report, is:

Control: People want to be in command of which pieces of data they share. 49% (55% US) think it is very important to have this control, reflecting their sensitivity level for different types of data
Choice: They also want a choice about how their data will be used. 51% (57% US) say it is important to know exactly how their data is going to be used
Commitment: People want a commitment from companies that their personal data (i.e., email address, phone number) won't be passed on to third parties. 55% (56% US) of people select this as one of their top 3 most important criteria when deciding to trust a brand
Compensation: Consumers also want compensation. They want a reason to share data, and an understanding of how they will benefit.

Amazon is the most trusted brand in the US since, more than any other brand, consumers can see how they use data to make relevant suggestions. 72% of US consumers trust Amazon to look after their data and use it wisely.
Looking at the spectrum of consumer attitudes toward privacy, McCann Truth Central identified 5 distinct segments:

Eager Extroverts (15%)
Sunny Sharers (20%)
Savvy Shoppers (37%)
Cautious Communicators (9%)
Walled Worriers (19%)

The largest group, the Savvy Shoppers, best embody a nuanced approach to this brave new world of sharing. They are willing to engage with businesses in exchange for commitment to security and compensation in the form of discounts or preferred status.

86% of all consumers globally understand that there are major benefits associated with sharing data with businesses online and shopping data is the type of data they are most willing to share (71% of consumers globally are willing to share shopping data with a brand online). For the majority (65%) one of the top two benefits is better access to discounts and promotions, a very "Savvy Shopper" mentality.

Increasingly, governments and businesses will need to recognize that privacy is a two-way street. Consumers may be willing to share more of their personal information (in order to gain benefits) but they expect a greater degree of transparency in return.

While 84% of consumers believe they have a total or some right to privacy, only 51% believe the same applies to the government. The government, it seems, must trade privacy for power.
Similarly, only 57% of consumers believe a brand or business has a right to privacy.
65% of consumers say a reality TV star has a right to privacy; the other 35% might believe that star has traded his private life for fame, and maybe cash

Looking at the hierarchy of privacy concerns for consumers, anything to do with financial data tops the list. Beyond that, consumer fears are far more personal, often related to snooping or oversights by friends, families and colleagues.
Technology has created a more fluid and borderless world with less distinction between "public" and "private." McCann's Truth Central found that while people have an expectation of privacy with regard to their own life, they confess to snooping in other people's business. 42% of people admit to snooping the online personal photographs of someone they hardly knew and 25% had read a friend or partner's email or text messages without them knowing. http://www.mediapost.com/

New Univision.com Homepage will Provide Users with Enhanced Content and Navigation Experience

2011-11-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 3, 2011 – Univision Interactive Media, Inc., the digital division of the leading media company serving Hispanic America, Univision Communications Inc., continues enhancing its interactive offerings with the newly revamped Univision.com homepage. As the country’s leading Spanish-language online publisher and the No. 1 most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. online Hispanics every year for the last decade,1 the launch reinforces Univision’s commitment to provide U.S. Hispanics with top quality entertainment, sports and news content across platforms.

“The launch of our redesigned Univision.com homepage is the culmination of a year-long effort to rebuild and enhance our entire network of national and local online and mobile sites,” said Kevin Conroy, president of Univision Interactive Media and Enterprise Development. “Our efforts to continuously improve our products reflect our commitment to deliver the most relevant and compelling content and services to U.S. Hispanics on a daily basis, both online and on mobile. Today, this important audience influences the digital landscape like never before and the launch of this new homepage will further strengthen our leadership position among U.S. Hispanics in the interactive space.”

The revamped online and mobile homepages are the result of months of experimenting, usability testing and direct feedback from users. Users receive enhanced content and video, and a heightened navigation experience. Univision’s marketing partners are able to leverage fully integrated promotions across leading Spanish-language properties to extend their reach to the nation’s fastest growing segment. Key features of the Univision.com homepage include:

•Access to more video from the country’s leading Spanish-language shows, novelas, sports and news;
•Geo-targeted information and news from local city or country of origin;
•Redesigned mobile site features search capabilities and video.

Univision is leveraging its leading properties and Hispanic America’s favorite personalities to support the launch. See here for a reel of Univision personalities showcasing the new homepage. For over a decade, Univision.com has been serving online Hispanics with premier Spanish-language sites, products and programming not found anywhere else. Univision.com’s online and mobile offerings generated 412 million visits with over 3.2 billion page impressions in the U.S./PR so far this year.2 In addition, Univision.com offers a unique and loyal audience – the vast majority of users do not visit other Spanish-language sites and 55 percent of them have not visited the closest Spanish-language competitor in the last 30 days.

Sources:
1 Simmons NCS/NHCS, Fall 2003-2010 Full Year and Spring 2004-2011 Full Year, Population A18+; Nielsen Custom Study, 2002
2 Online Traffic: Univision.com U.S./Puerto Rico Traffic Analytics, MRC Accredited / Mobile Traffic: Mobile Analytics by July Systems, MIA Systems, Univision.com, Sitecatalyst, Hola Doctor, GoTV and Kargo
3 Simmons NCS/NHCS, Spring 2011 Full Year, Population A18+

How Much Does an NBC Turnaround Even Matter Any More? | Mediaworks: Tuning In - Advertising Age

2011-11-02T13:51:00.001-07:00

via adage.com

"Marketing" Is the Wrong Term, It's "Branding" That We Do | Al Ries - Advertising Age

2011-11-02T13:42:00.001-07:00

Al Ries
When I started to work at General Electric, marketing had the cachet of social media. It was new; it was different; it was going to revolutionize business. Every advertising agency wanted to be its clients' "marketing partner."
Advertising people would talk about the future of marketing and how lucky we were that advertising had the inside track. For decades, Advertising Age called itself the "International newspaper of marketing."
What is marketing?
In those days, marketing was an omnibus concept that gathered all of a company's exterior activities under one umbrella. As General Electric's 1952 annual report put it, "The marketing department will establish for the engineer, the designer, and the manufacturing man what the consumer wants in a given product, what price he is willing to pay, and where and when it will be wanted. Marketing will have the authority in product planning, product scheduling, and inventory control, as well as sales, distribution and servicing the products."
Facing internal resistance, few companies actually put product planning, sales and distribution in the hands of the marketing department. Chief marketing officers might control massive marketing budgets, but lacked control over other corporate functions that deliver the financial results to justify those budgets. If the marketing department controls the "investment" but not the "return," how can a company holds its CMO responsible for ROI -- Return on Investment?
I'm not advocating corporate reorganizations to put more functions under control of chief marketing officers. It's too late for that. Furthermore, there has been a huge change in top management's attitude about the role and function of marketing.
I remember the head of the transformer department at General Electric telling a group of advertising people as he pulled out a pencil: "I can get more business with this pencil than you guys can get with all of your advertising."
That might have been true years ago. But today, marketing is the No.1 concern of most corporations. Unfortunately that doesn't necessarily include marketing people. As Georges Clemenceau once said, "War is too important to be left to the generals." Top management has taken over many of the strategic elements of marketing.
Among management types, the most admired chief executive today is not Bill Gates or Jack Welch, it's Steve Jobs. As Ad Age reported, "Mr. Jobs was involved in every aspect of the marketing, down to the copy on TV ads." Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told the BBC, "I would say marketing was his greatest strength."
We have entered a golden era of marketing, but it might not be the golden age of marketing people. According to the editors of Advertising Age, "Today's marketing shops want to be known as brand consultancies or idea companies."
Why is that? Because "marketing" is too broad a concept for a service business. Marketing is the essence of what a company is all about, the essence of what a company is trying to do. If you hire a marketing company to handle your marketing, then what is left for your company to do?
The better word.
Over the past few decades, it's become apparent that there's a better word to describe what today is called the "marketing" function -- "branding." I expect that in the future a CMO will become a CBO, chief branding officer.
Why not? Branding has become his or her most important role. In addition, there's a new approach many companies are using that dramatizes the importance of the brand. I call it: Branding first, sales and profits second. If you can build a brand, then you should be able to figure out a way to turn that brand into a profitable enterprise.
That ties in with one of the biggest problems in business today: Distribution. A lot of products could be successful if they could get on the shelves of supermarkets, drugstores, convenience stores and other outlets. But how do you get on the shelf?
"Put my wonderful new product on your shelves," says the entrepreneur, "and it will become famous."
"Make your product famous," says the distribution, "and we'll put it on our shelves." Distribution has a valid point.
Amazon.com is a good example.
Today on the stock market, Amazon.com, Inc. is worth $103.6 billion. Sales last year were $34.2 billion and net profits were $1.2 billion.
But that's not the way the company started. Founded in 1994, Amazon lost money for nine years in a row. On an overall basis, Amazon didn't break even until the company was in its 15th year.
Compare Barnes & Noble with Amazon. In the late 1990s, Barnes & Noble introduced an e-reader and in 2001, followed with an e-bookstore. But early sales were discouraging and the company discontinued its e-reader in 2003. Big mistake. Branding first, sales and profits second. It wasn't until November 2007 that Amazon launched the Kindle, which rapidly became the leading e-reader brand. Barnes & Noble was forced to play catch up with the Nook, launched two years later in November 2009.
That's not the way you build a brand. If there's an iron-clad rule in marketing, it is this: Brands are built by being first in a new category. Not just first in the marketplace, but first in the mind. That's why a new brand pioneering a new category has to stick around long enough to penetrate the minds of potential customers.
Groupon is another good example.
In its first three years, Groupon, Inc. had sales of $745 million and managed to lose $416 million. But the company built a brand and this year Groupon is planning an initial public offering valuing the company at something like $11 billion or so. Imagine that. A money-losing company that's less than four years old is going to be worth as much on the stock market as Omnicom ($11.1 billion) and a lot more than Pubicis ($6.1 billion) and Interpublic ($3.8 billion.)
That's the value of building a brand.
What's next for marketing?
Maybe nothing. It's time for the powers-that-be in the marketing community to shift gears and focus on the essence of what the current marketing function is all about. Not just an abstract name for a wide range of activities involving consumers in some fashion, but a simple, single concept that top management can instantly understand. A simple, single concept that is certain to get more important as the years roll by. Branding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Al Ries is chairman of Ries & Ries, an Atlanta-based marketing strategy firm he runs with his daughter Laura.

via adage.com

AVON - Products

2011-11-02T12:33:00.001-07:00

via shop.avon.com

AVON - Home

2011-11-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

via shop.avon.com

AVON Representative LETICIA DEL MONTE serving the Miami Beach, FL area

2011-11-02T12:28:00.001-07:00

Tips & How Tos

Get the latest beauty advice from our articles, tips, and how-tos. You'll be sure to have a fresh, healthy look all season long!

Go to Tips

Contact me for even more personal advice and tips.

via leticiadelmonte.avonrepresentative.com

Celebrity People by Antonio Guerrero: Marilyn Monroe

2011-10-30T16:32:00.001-07:00

via celebritypeoplebyantonioguerrero.blogspot.com

Celebrity People by Antonio Guerrero: Celebrity People

2011-10-30T16:29:00.001-07:00

via celebritypeoplebyantonioguerrero.blogspot.com

Introducing the Subscribe Button

2011-10-20T19:12:00.001-07:00

Until now, it hasn't been easy to choose exactly what you see in your News Feed. Maybe you don't want to see every time your brother plays a game on Facebook, for example. Or maybe you'd like to see more stories from your best friends, and fewer from your coworkers.

You also couldn't hear directly from people you're interested in but don't know personally—like journalists, artists and political figures.

With the Subscribe button, we're making it easier to do both. In the next few days, you'll start seeing this button on friends' and others' profiles. You can use it to:

Choose what you see from people in News Feed
Hear from people, even if you're not friends
Let people hear from you, even if you're not friends

Choose What You See in News Feed
You're already getting your friends' posts in News Feed. With the Subscribed button, you can choose how much you see from them:

All updates: Everything your friend posts
Most updates: The amount you'd normally see
Important updates only: Just highlights, like a new job or move

You can also decide what types of updates you see. For example, you could see just photos from one friend, no stories about games from another, and nothing at all from someone else.

Choosing what you see is optional. If you don't want to change what you see from someone, just ignore the button.

Subscribe to Interesting People
The Subscribe button also lets you hear from interesting people you're not friends with—like journalists, artists and political figures.

If you see a Subscribe button on your favorite blogger's profile, this means you can subscribe. Just click the button to get their public updates right in your News Feed.

Just like with friends, you can choose how many and what types of updates you see after you've subscribed.

Get Your Own Subscribers
If you'd like to share your public updates with more than just friends, you can get a Subscribe button on your profile, too. People who subscribe to you will get posts you set as "Public" in their News Feeds. This is an entirely optional feature – you need to opt in.

To let people subscribe, go to the Subscribe Page and click Allow Subscribers.

Once you allow subscribers, you can decide who can comment and what notifications you get. You'll also see a Subscribers tab on your profile, where you can see who subscribes to you.

Let Us Know What You Think
We'd love to know how you feel about the Subscribe button. Contact us to give feedback!

Learn More
To learn more about the Subscribe button or allow subscribers, visit the Help Center.

via blog.facebook.com

Tell Your Story with Timeline

2011-10-20T19:02:00.001-07:00

Since the beginning of Facebook, your profile has been the place where you tell your story. People use it to share everything from the small stuff, like their thoughts on an article, to the most important events of their lives, like the photos of their wedding or the birth of their child.

The evolution of your profile

Back in the early days of Facebook, your profile was pretty basic – just your name, a photo, where you went to school…stuff you'd cover in the first five minutes you met someone.

Over time, your profile evolved to better reflect how you actually communicate with your friends. Now you can can share photos of what you did last weekend, and updates about how you feel today.

But since the focus is on the most recent things you posted, more important stuff slips off the page. The photos of your graduation get replaced by updates about what you had for breakfast.

Say you're catching up with an old friend – would you rather find out that they had eggs this morning, or hear about their new dream job?

The way your profile works today, 99% of the stories you share vanish. The only way to find the posts that matter is to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page. Again. And again.

Imagine if there was an easy way to rediscover the things you shared, and collect all your best moments in a single place.

Introducing timeline – a new kind of profile

With timeline, now you have a home for all the great stories you've already shared. They don't just vanish as you add new stuff.

Timeline is wider than your old profile, and it's a lot more visual. The first thing you'll notice is the giant photo right at the top. This is your cover, and it's completely up to you which of your photos you put here.

As you scroll down past your cover, you'll see your posts, photos and life events as they happened in time. You choose what's featured on your timeline. You can star your favorites to double their size or hide things altogether.

Filling in the blanks

If important parts of your story aren't included on your timeline, you can go back to when they happened and add them.

Or go to your private activity log. This is where you'll find everything you shared since you joined Facebook. Click on any post to feature it on your timeline so your friends can see it, too.

Add apps to your timeline

Introducing a new kind of social app that lets you show the things you like to do on your timeline – the music you listen to, the recipes you try, the runs you take and more.

These apps also help you discover what your friends are up to. You can even join in if you want: play the song they're listening to, or watch the same TV show.

You can start adding some of these new apps today, but timeline won't be available for a few weeks.

When you get your timeline, you can choose to publish it immediately or take a few days to review what's there and add anything that's missing.

Now, you and your friends will finally be able to tell all the different parts of your story – from the small things you do each day to your biggest moments. What will you create? We can't wait to find out.

Sam Lessin, a product manager at Facebook, is looking forward to adding the photo of his elephant-powered wedding to his timeline.

via blog.facebook.com

Your name and Google+ Profiles - Google+ Help

2011-10-20T15:03:00.001-07:00

Google+ makes connecting with people on the web more like connecting with people in the real world. Because of this, it’s important to use your common name so that the people you want to connect with can find you. Your common name is the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. For example, if your legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, any of these would be acceptable.

If you are unable to complete the Google+ sign-up flow, or your profile was suspended for a name-related issue, review our guidelines below.

Use your full first and last name in a single language.
If you use your full name, you'll be able to connect with people you know and help them find you. Names that consist primarily of initials or those that include indications of membership in professional, educational, societal or religious entities, such as "Dr.", "Rev." or “JD” are not allowed in the first or last name fields. Names that include more than one language script aren’t allowed either.

Violation examples: Doctor Stan Livingston, Bill Smithwick DDS, Rev. Jim Copley, 蔡玉娴 Archer, S. P.

Put nicknames or pseudonyms in the Other Names field.
If you’re referred to by more than one name, only use the one that commonly identifies you, and place the rest in the “Other names” or “Nickname” section of your profile.

Violation examples: Timothy “TK” King, Jonathan Richards (JonnyBoy), PunkRockerSF

Avoid unusual characters in your name.
When you create your profile, our system will check the name you submitted for unusual characters. For example, numbers, symbols, and obscure punctuation are not supported.

Violation Example: John246 , ★★Shelley★★, J@SON W@T$ON, ‘Rachel Smith/

Your profile and name must represent one individual.
Google+ does not support profiles for couples or groups of people. Additionally, you cannot create a profile for a non-person entity such as a pet or business.

Violation examples: Jones Family, Jeremy & Mel Mason, Vegas the Dog, Brooklyn Bagels, Northern California Conservation Society

Don't use the name of another individual.
Impersonation is a serious issue. Pretending to be someone else could cause your profile to be deleted. If someone is pretending to be you, go to their profile and click Report this profile.

Name Changes
Please note that if you change your name, you won’t be able to change it again for 30 days.

Names Appeals
If you've followed these guidelines but your name still isn’t being accepted by our system, please follow the on-screen instructions to submit your name for review. The typical review process takes a few days. You may also want to review our Content Policy.

Submission of certain corroborating information such as trademark or DBA ("doing business as") designations may be supportive (but not sufficient) information to perform the review.

Google+ Profile Suspension and Other Google Services
If your profile is suspended, you will not be able to make full use of Google services that require an active profile such as Google+, Buzz, Reader and Picasa. This will not prevent you from using other Google services, like Gmail. Your profile can be restored by editing your name and submitting an appeal that will be reviewed by our team, as directed by on-screen instructions.

We understand that your identity on Google+ is important to you, and our Name Policy may not be for everyone at this time. We’d hate to see you go, but if you choose to leave, make a copy of your Google+ data first. Then click here to leave Google+.

via google.com

Forty Million Mobile Users Access Social Nets Daily -- comScore

2011-10-20T14:41:00.001-07:00

Forty Million Mobile Users Access Social Nets Daily — comScore

Oct 20, 2011 at 12:59pm ET by Greg Sterling

inShare69

In the US roughly 40 million mobile users access social networks (broadly defined to include blogs) on their handsets on a daily basis, according to comScore. The large number of mobile-social users comes as no surprise. Facebook previously announced it had 350 million active mobile users globally.

Google also sees mobile as a strategic front for social networking growth. The new version of Android (“Ice Cream Sandwich”) prominently features Google+.

The chart below shows comScore traffic estimates for mobile usage of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Facebook has many more mobile users than the other services, although I assume comScore underestimates the number of actual mobile users across the board.

For example, Twitter recently said it had 100 million active mobile users. It also said, “46 percent of active users make mobile a regular part of their Twitter experience.” That would mean 46 million mobile users at least for Twitter. If 60 percent of Twitter users come from outside the US we can crudely estimate that there are just under 20 million mobile Twitter users in the US.

Overall comScore says the mobile-social networking audience in the US is just over 70 million people. The total mobile internet audience is now over 100 million people in the US according to data from Nielsen.

Related Entries
Taylor: "The Majority Of People On Facebook Have Modified Their Privacy Settings"
Facebook "Frictionless Sharing" Creating Friction With Privacy Advocates, Regulators
Larry Page: Google+ Now Has 40 Million Users
Twitter Hits 100 Million 'Active' Users
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo's "State Of The Union" Address
Nearly 90% Of Twitter Users Follow Brands & Just 10.9% Of Users Find Promoted Tweets To Be Annoying

Related Topics: Facebook | Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines | Stats: comScore | Twitter

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling

via searchengineland.com

Are You Ready For One of the Biggest Changes on the Internet in a Decade? | DigitalNext: A Blog on Emerging Media and Technology - Advertising Age

2011-10-19T11:05:00.001-07:00

Tic Toc …

ICANN's New Generic Top-Level Domain Program is just about to kick off and I bet most of you are wondering what the heck those are anyway (don't feel bad if you don't know – neither did I until recently). Then, you are also probably wondering why you should care.

First, the basics. A "generic top-level domain" is the part of the domain name to the right of the dot, e.g. in "http://www.ICANN.org" - the "org" is the top-level domain (TLD). There are 22 generic TLDs (gTLDs) such as .COM, .ORG and .NET, and around 250 country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) that are specific to certain countries, like .JP for Japan and .MX for Mexico.

With ICANNs New gTLD Program to commence January 2012, the doors will be thrown wide open and virtually any word can become a gTLD if the company or organization meets certain criteria:

They can pony up the hefty application fee ($185,000)

They can prove they can afford to run a gTLD year after year

They can justify why they should own a particular word as a gTLD – e.g. a travel company is unlikely to be successful at justifying buying ".Apple" as a gTLD but they can justify buying ".travel"

If a company can meet these criteria - then congratulations – they've just become a registry. Amazon can buy ".books" and JetBlue can buy ".fly". And if two companies want the same word and can't reach an agreement on their own, an auction commences with the word going to the highest bidder.

The application process itself also has significant impacts because, by default or design, it seems optimized to drive a gTLD land grab within a very short, four month time frame. All applications are closed and not publically disclosed until after the brief application period is over (on April 12, 2012). With no assurances of another application period, many companies will feel compelled to take advantage of this possible 1x only event.

As to the "so what" of all this - well - there's a long list:

From an industry perspective: The leading marketing trade organizations like the ANA and IAB have been vocal and consistent critics of this initiative. Other critics have questioned the motives of former ICANN members who voted this initiative through and who subsequently left ICANN to start or join companies that sold gTLDs.

From a marketer's perspective (and their agencies): Here's the bad news. If you're at a Fortune 300 company, it is likely your IT/ legal department will advise you to purchase multiple (possibly a dozen) gTLDs.

Now even if you manage to avoid getting hit directly with that cost (for now), you will still have to spend a hefty chuck trying to figure out what to do with these new "marketing assets." Unquestionably, there will be many [expensive] experiments to explore useful applications of gTLDs - from SEO optimization to new types of customization programs, e.g. personalized "judyconsumer.books" URLs for a highly customized experience.

In the end, it's likely you may have to redirect active program dollars into this experimental space. This adds yet another layer of complication to an increasingly complicated marketing environment.

From a consumer's perspective: Just when we thought it was kinda safe to go into Internet waters because we had a basic understanding of what a safe URL should look like … now anything's possible. With hundreds of new gTLDs likely to be introduced starting next year, consumer confusion is virtually guaranteed. There's little doubt fraudsters intend to exploit this new window of vulnerability.

From an emerging country or company perspective: The stakes get even grimmer for an emerging company or country. If you don't/ can't qualify today – chances are you are locked out for a very long time – maybe forever.

Now you can see why there is a lot at stake. Yet, when I spoke to my IT and marketing peers at the largest companies, there was a near universal lack of information on this topic! So somewhat spontaneously (driven by timing urgency) and with the help of CADNA (the not-for-profit Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse), I helped create an industry conference called "What's At Stake" for November 1 in NYC that is open (free) to ANY brand marketer needing to understand this space. The conference was created as an industry service and includes keynote speaker Esther Dyson, founding Chairman of ICANN, HUM News, FairWinds Partners and Friends of the U.N. among others.

The goal for this discovery conference is to drive a productive change to the current process by presenting a balanced view of the new gTLD Program with an emphasis on exploring the impacts, and proposing to ICANN alternate processes we believe are not too late to implement (read full recommendation to ICANN here).

There's a lot at stake for marketers and consumers. Let's stand up and make our voices heard. Join us for this invite-only event (a.k.a. no fee to attend if you are working at a company or agency). For more information and to submit for an invitation, please visit: www.whatsatstake.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judy Shapiro is chief brand strategist at CloudLinux and has held senior marketing positions at Paltalk, Comodo, Computer Associates, Lucent Technologies, AT&T and Bell Labs. Her blog, Trench Wars, provides insights on how to create business value on the internet.

via adage.com

Pandora Hires First CMO | CMO Strategy

2011-10-19T11:00:00.001-07:00

Pandora on Monday announced the hiring of Simon Fleming-Wood as the company's first ever chief marketing officer. Mr. Fleming-Wood enters the fray at a time when the company's growth has been steady, even in the face of increasing competition from iHeartRadio, Spotify and others. Pandora hit 100 million users in July, with listening hours also on the rise. And The Pandora app is one of the most downloaded of all time for both iOS and Android devices, making it the undisputed leader amongst free music providers.

Pandora CMO Simon Fleming-Wood

-->
The difficulty, all too familiar for mobile marketers, has been monetizing that growth. The company's own SEC filing states that advertising revenue is still not offsetting royalty expenses. It expects losses through "at least" 2012, while analysts don't expect annual profits until 2014.

Nonetheless, Pandora isn't biding its time while waiting for profits. If recent months' developments are any indication -- a revamped website, Pandora gift cards, and new partnerships with automobile and phone manufacturers -- Mr. Fleming-Wood will have his work cut out for him. Pandora also has international expansion on its radar.

This summer's IPO was fairly successful, though company stock has fluctuated in the months since, suggesting market confidence is somewhat shaky.

Last month's announcement that users would no longer have to pay $0.99 to exceed 40 listening hours a month signifies an all-in bet on an advertising-based model (presenting a stark contrast to Spotify's $10 monthly membership fee). Pandora was already earning well over 80% of its revenue from advertising at the time.

Mr. Fleming-Wood had been vice president of marketing for Pure Digital Technologies since 2002 and maintained the same title for Cisco Consumer Products group after its acquisition of PDT in 2009. He is credited with playing a key role in the development of the Flip Video camera and brand.

"Simon's entrepreneurial spirit, history of driving business growth and experience in creating beloved brands and products are all attributes we're delighted to have him apply in his new role at Pandora, as we grow the business," said president and CEO Joe Kennedy, in a statement.

Mr. Fleming-Wood added: "Pandora has built a large and passionate following based entirely on the quality of its service and people. Very few brands are invited into so many people's lives in such a personal way, every day."

via adage.com

SEO Content Marketing and Google+

2011-10-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

SEO, Content Marketing and Google+ by Derek Gordon

Monday, Oct. 17, 2011

I love the debate around Google+: “It’s dead!” “It’s a force to be reckoned with!” “Google’s reading my mind!!”
There’s something about simple, declarative statements that the punditocracy just can’t resist. The truth is, Google+ is a slow-moving train that’s gaining steam and will become increasingly important to search marketing folks and audiences everywhere.
Why? Google’s doing an increasingly better job of stitching together its various assets, including YouTube, Picasa, and Search -- each of which is formidable in its own right -- with Google+. People are still signing up in droves -- 40 million as of last week. And Google’s only just begun to put its full might behind the project.
The company has done some pretty ingenious things that should be very helpful to content marketers working to improve SEO and their own efficiency. Combined with the +1 features spreading all over the Web, Google is finding new ways to change the SEO and online marketing game. And it’s not just a consumer strategy. B2B brand marketers should also be paying close attention, as Google+ / +1 presents the opportunity to speak to a growing and influential group of people.
As I’ve written before, the key to content marketing and efficient SEO is to “produce once, repurpose many.” Google+ has a built-in way to make production and reuse very efficient.
You can use Google+ to post all sorts of content, lead discussions and, of course, follow the posts of those in your various circles. At the end of the day or week, you can “liberate” all this content using the “Data Liberation” tool in Google+. This enables you to download the content into, say, a Word document that you can then edit and reuse in blog posts on your website, in company newsletters, with your Tumblr account and on your Facebook Pages.
Another great tactic is the use of Hangouts. These are sort of like Webinars, in which you can set up a broadcast of any sort and invite people to the live Hangout – which could include an audience of thousands. You can record the session for your YouTube channel, to which you can direct more traffic, and, of course, you can repost that video on your website or blog, and in any other marketing channel you’d like.
List segmenting also becomes super-easy by using Circles. While Circles won’t replace Salesforce in your technology arsenal, it will help you with targeting specific content and messages to just the right audience in online venues, so you have the opportunity to ignite or join conversations appropriate to that Circle.
For those who were hoping Google+ would go the way of Buzz: I know you’re busy and are basically horrified at the idea of managing yet one more network. But the truth is, Google+ is gaining steam, and could actually help with efficiency rather than be a new drag on it. Give it a chance.

Post your response to the public Search Insider blog.

See what others are saying on the Search Insider blog.

Derek Gordon is an independent consultant & partner, Re:Imagine Group. He recently co-authored the eBook "The Link Economy and Why It Matters to Small and Growing Businesses." Contact him here.

Mi nuevo show de radio "Coming Soon"

2011-10-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

Be Relevant or Die, Social Display Media and Trending Content - InfiniGraph - The Blog

2011-10-15T11:57:00.001-07:00

Facebook’s recent change to the News Feed has put greater pressure on Brands to feed more relevant content than ever before. Due to Facebook's distribution algorithm, Edge Rank, which is based on engagement; the majority of pages reach less than 10% of their fan base. Big Problem! In our recent post Social Ménage à Trois in Paid, Earned and Owned Media we addressed the fact that social is making a major impact in the way media is being integrated. Now page owners have access to a very powerful insight that makes it easier to optimize on engagement, which means they'll have to publish even more relevant content, but this is still not enough. Beyond the editorial calendar, content curation is a critical part of any content marketing strategy.

Download full size (78 KB)
NBC Universal uses paid media to drive traffic back to their content and Facebook page. These trending content units are seeing between 0.5 CTR to 1+% CTR.
Content that’s very relevant and trends for a brand’s target audience is a green light to cross feed and the brands that GET IT will dominate. The brands that can’t get their trending content act together will suffer as their post impressions decrease and engagement falters because the overall Edge Rank is low compared to the brands that master engagement.

Download full size (69 KB)
Lexus post on Steve Jobs off Mashable and Horizon Organic post on Power Breakfast off      Parent.com.

Major brands such as Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Red Bull and Burberry are now leading based on how they organize where and how they distribute content over social-media channels. As brands harness intelligent content marketing, the ability to keep their audience engaged and the melding of branded media within display, brands are steadily becoming publishers, like it or not. Content intelligence / curation is a key factor in understanding what content is resonating in, and around, your community and no longer can brands just post and pray for engagement.

   Comscore’s recent study shows how serious brands are using paid media to drive engagement on Facebook. Marketers Spending Big on 'Social Ads' That Drive Traffic to Facebook

A shift in content marketing is now making its way to display advertising from a direct-response form of advertising to branding media. The major challenge is how brands can expand beyond their social channels currently showing more linear growth. A recent quote by Bob Lord CEO of Razorfish is telling; "Go get me a million fans on my Facebook page' to "Oh my God, I have a fanbase, and how do I keep them interested and engaged with content?' An editorial calendar is a blueprint that's an expression of the brand's social voice,"
Focusing On Engagement
Facebook has made it easy to pull as a single number "People talking about this page" for any fan page on Facebook. Both the amount of engagement and number of fans is now available even from your competitors.

The “talking about” number comes from of all types of engagement such as interacting with posts, consumption (plays, views, comments, hovering over objects and expanding details ) and custom app actions. Facebook is clearly focusing more on fan engagement and going past fan acquisition. Marketing teams optimizing their social campaigns must focus on content relevance; this has huge implications because it now puts the focus on engagement. This is great news for consumers because it pushes brands to focus on content quality that the audience, based on behavior, is saying is relevant.
    Scaling Engagement
The need to expand content interaction beyond just Facebook and Twitter is more important than ever. Content discovery in a cacophony of continuous bombardment will be more of a challenge, and brands must increase their content engagement if they are going to drive more Organic and Viral interaction.

To fulfill this challenge InfiniGraph became a premier partner on the FliteHub launch .
Download full size (40 KB)
Flite provides the cloud advertising platform where InfiniGraph is the intelligence around relevant content curation and management. The combination brings brand advertisers closer to real-time marketing and scale to reach target audiences for more social action points.

Brands are still focused on Clicks and Conversion even though that conflicts with true engagement and makes it hard to justify spend. As ROI expands beyond the Cost Per Fan (CPF) to Cost Per Engagement (CPE) marketers will demand more accountability on what all these engagements are doing to drive sales. Facebook has made it easier to create connections between people and content by lowering the barrier from affinity to action. Brands with budgets will need to be decisive on what spend will drive the most engagement and content discovery with proper curation. It is becoming a major factor in content marketing planning. How are you driving more engagement and what other channels are working?
Join InfiniGraph at Social Media Marketing & Monitoring New York 2011 Oct 12th presenting NBC Universal case study,    PivotCon Oct 17-18th,   Socialize West Oct 21-22nd Guest Speaker on Real Time Marketing and OMMASocial Oct 27th panel.

@chasemcmichael

@InfiniGraph

Our Facebook page welcomes you. Yes, please LIKE it if you're into great content curation strategies and increasing conversions.

STUMBLE | DIGG

via blog.infinigraph.com

Web Design

2011-10-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Leticia Del Monte Great Websites Starting @ $500

Publishing Services

2011-10-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Publising:

Profile Page (Business/Personal) with Links to your Webpage (5 Images )
Business $150, Personal $100
Publications of Press Releases ( 2 Images): $50
Slideshows: Up to 30 Images $50
Keynote Video Presentations: Up to 50 Images $200
Links: $25 (For ever)

Front Page Banners:

200X200 Picture Banner linked to your website $100 for one month.
400X200 Picture Banner linked to your website $100 One Week

Banners on 10 News Posts:

Any Size Image $100

Event Coverage:

Opening Nights: One Post with 20 Images linked to your website. $200

Build your Wordpress Site

10 pages website with 30 Images $ 500

For more information send me an email.

Living as Promised

2011-10-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

Leticia del Monte is a recognized and respected leader in Spanish-language information and entertainment industry. She began her media career at Telemundo Network the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, as an assistant producer at the Telemundo’s Network Bureau in New York in 1993. From that start, she has spent the last 17 plus years dedicated to helping define the US Hispanic Marketplace and has produced a variety of popular television and radio broadcasts.

Today she is the Director of The Smiley Stone Entertainment Group a Market Communication firm and the Founder of The Cuban Art Project, a non profit organization that promotes Cuban artists around the world using the latest innovations in technology

The Smiley Stone Entertainment Group is her latest project, there she provides a broad range of high quality web based solutions, which include design and build Apps, web site design, logo design, graphic and traffic. TSSEG runs campaigns that deliver real results, employing a wide range of creative tactics, including: Online editorial, profile management, digital partnerships, viral activity, social media activity, traffic driving and audiovisual content creation.

Leticia worked as a Producer and on air personality for El Zol 95.7 FM, Spanish Broadcasting Systems and Assistant Program Director for Clasica 92.3Fm. In the past served as Director of Advertising, Promotions and Public Relations for CaribeVisión Station Group and CaribeVisión Networks. Also served as the General Producer and Managing Editor of Zona Cero-Clasica 92.3 FM for Spanish Broadcasting System. She was the general producer for 25 Mitos y 25 Realidades, a series of Spanish-language PSAs to increase AIDS awareness and the promotion of HIV prevention.

For the Telemundo Network, Ms. del Monte executive produced Cotorreando, a news entertainment show. She also was the senior producer for the network’s Al rojo vivo – facilitating the news gathering process and ensuring comprehensive coverage of all news stories. Earlier in her career, she was the show producer for Telemundo’s Ocurrió Así.

Ms. del Monte worked on production of programming that airs on the Univisión Network including such shows as Show de Cristina (show producer), Noticias 23 (general producer of both the 6pm and 10pm newscasts), and Primer Impacto Edición Nocturna and Primer Impacto (line producer).

Her media experience also includes online content. As Editor-in-Chief for Beauty & Fashion, Ms. del Monte was responsible for launching the niche market Internet site Divina.com. While there she oversaw the development of all editorial content, as well as the style and design of the site. Ms. del Monte also served as the content manager for entre-nos.com, supervising all content for the six channels of the website and directing public relations for the site.

Text of Steve Jobs’ Commencement address (2005) at Stanford University « Another Day in Paradise

2011-10-06T18:36:00.001-07:00

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

via stevejobstheapplegenius.wordpress.com

Apple's Visionary Redefined Digital Age

2011-10-06T07:59:00.001-07:00

The death was announced by Apple, the company Mr. Jobs and his high school friend Stephen Wozniak started in 1976 in a suburban California garage.
A friend of the family said that Mr. Jobs died of complications from pancreatic cancer, with which he waged a long and public struggle, remaining the face of the company even as he underwent treatment. He continued to introduce new products for a global market in his trademark blue jeans even as he grew gaunt and frail.
He underwent surgery in 2004, received a liver transplant in 2009 and took three medical leaves of absence as Apple’s chief executive before stepping down in August and turning over the helm to Timothy D. Cook, the chief operating officer. When he left, he was still engaged in the company’s affairs, negotiating with another Silicon Valley executive only weeks earlier.
“I have always said that if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s C.E.O., I would be the first to let you know,” Mr. Jobs said in a letter released by the company. “Unfortunately, that day has come.”
By then, having mastered digital technology and capitalized on his intuitive marketing sense, Mr. Jobs had largely come to define the personal computer industry and an array of digital consumer and entertainment businesses centered on the Internet. He had also become a very rich man, worth an estimated $8.3 billion.
Tributes to Mr. Jobs flowed quickly on Wednesday evening, in formal statements and in the flow of social networks, with President Obama, technology industry leaders and legions of Apple fans weighing in.
A Twitter user named Matt Galligan wrote: “R.I.P. Steve Jobs. You touched an ugly world of technology and made it beautiful.”
Eight years after founding Apple, Mr. Jobs led the team that designed the Macintosh computer, a breakthrough in making personal computers easier to use. After a 12-year separation from the company, prompted by a bitter falling-out with his chief executive, John Sculley, he returned in 1997 to oversee the creation of one innovative digital device after another — the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. These transformed not only product categories like music players and cellphones but also entire industries, like music and mobile communications.
During his years outside Apple, he bought a tiny computer graphics spinoff from the director George Lucas and built a team of computer scientists, artists and animators that became Pixar Animation Studios.
Starting with “Toy Story” in 1995, Pixar produced a string of hit movies, won several Academy Awards for artistic and technological excellence, and made the full-length computer-animated film a mainstream art form enjoyed by children and adults worldwide.
Mr. Jobs was neither a hardware engineer nor a software programmer, nor did he think of himself as a manager. He considered himself a technology leader, choosing the best people possible, encouraging and prodding them, and making the final call on product design.
It was an executive style that had evolved. In his early years at Apple, his meddling in tiny details maddened colleagues, and his criticism could be caustic and even humiliating. But he grew to elicit extraordinary loyalty.
“He was the most passionate leader one could hope for, a motivating force without parallel,” wrote Steven Levy, author of the 1994 book “Insanely Great,” which chronicles the creation of the Mac. “Tom Sawyer could have picked up tricks from Steve Jobs.”
“Toy Story,” for example, took four years to make while Pixar struggled, yet Mr. Jobs never let up on his colleagues. “‘You need a lot more than vision — you need a stubbornness, tenacity, belief and patience to stay the course,” said Edwin Catmull, a computer scientist and a co-founder of Pixar. “In Steve’s case, he pushes right to the edge, to try to make the next big step forward.”
Mr. Jobs was the ultimate arbiter of Apple products, and his standards were exacting. Over the course of a year he tossed out two iPhone prototypes, for example, before approving the third, and began shipping it in June 2007.
1
2
3
4
5
Next Page »

Steve Lohr contributed reporting.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: October 5, 2011
An earlier version of this obituary incorrectly identified the city where Mr. Jobs graduated from high school. It was Cupertino, not Los Altos. It also misstated the year in which NeXT shifted its focus from the education to the business market as 1986. The change occurred in 1993.

via nytimes.com

Statement by Apple’s Board of Directors

2011-10-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

October 5, 2011

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.

Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that
enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.

His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.

Letter from Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T06:12:00.001-07:00

August 24, 2011

Letter from Steve Jobs

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Apple's Steve Jobs Dies at 56 | News - Advertising Age

2011-10-06T06:04:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs, who built the world's most-valuable technology company by creating devices that changed how people use electronics and revolutionized the computer, music and mobile-phone industries, died. He was 56.
Mr. Jobs, who resigned as Apple Inc. chief executive officer on Aug. 24, 2011, passed away today, the Cupertino, California-based company said. He was diagnosed in 2003 with a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of pancreatic cancer, and had a liver transplant in 2009. Apple disclosed Mr. Jobs's passing in a statement.

Apple.com
Steve Jobs

-->
Mr. Jobs embodied the Silicon Valley entrepreneur. He was a long-haired counterculture technophile who dropped out of college and started a computer company in his parents' garage on April Fools' Day, 1976. He had no formal technical training and no real business experience.
What he had instead was an appreciation of technology's elegance and a notion that computers could be more than a hobbyist's toy or a corporation's workhorse. These machines could be indispensable tools. A computer could be, he often said, "a bicycle for our minds." He was right -- owing largely to a revolution he started.

Related Stories

How Steve Jobs' Apple Married Mass Marketing With Unabashed Creativity

Will Tim Cook Subscribe to Same Principles That Drove Record Revenue, Profit?

'1984' Writer Steve Hayden on Working with Jobs

Steve Jobs' Legacy: 10 of the Best Apple Ads

On his watch, Apple came to dominate the digital age, first through the creation of the Macintosh computer and later through the iPod digital music player, the iPhone wireless handset and more recently, the iPad tablet.
With each product, Mr. Jobs confronted new adversaries -- from International Business Machines Corp. in computers to Microsoft Corp. in operating systems, to Sony Corp. in music players and Google Inc. in mobile software.
Mr. Jobs said in 2004 that he had been diagnosed and treated for a neuroendocrine tumor in his pancreas. After surgery to remove an islet cell tumor, he took a month off to recuperate and declared himself healthy and cancer free.
For a few years, he looked that way. He was thinner, which was no surprise after what he'd been through. One person who knew him well said that the cancer scare didn't slow him down, convince him to spend more time with family or reconnect with friends. If anything, Mr. Jobs seemed to get even more engaged with work, said this person, who wished to remain anonymous because the matter was private.
During his 2005 Stanford commencement address, Mr. Jobs described how the inevitability of death was a motivating force in his life.
"Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked; there is no reason not to follow your heart," he said.
Mr. Jobs's appearance changed noticeably by early 2008. He started looking gaunt. Tech blogs bubbled with discussion about what was going on. Typical headlines: "The Incredible Shrinking Apple CEO," and "Why "Why Does Steve Jobs Look So Thin?"
When he took the stage at Apple events, Mr. Jobs joked about his health. In August of that year, Bloomberg News erroneously published an obituary; at a product launch a month later he recited the Mark Twain line that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. At another event that year, he projected a slide of his blood pressure.
In January 2009, Mr. Jobs said that his weight loss was caused by a "hormone imbalance"; nine days later, he began a five-month medical leave, handing control of the company to his chief operating officer, Tim Cook. Later that year, he underwent a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis.
Mr. Jobs announced his resignation from Apple Aug. 24. "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know," Mr. Jobs said in a statement. "Unfortunately, that day has come."
In the weeks preceding his resignation, Mr. Jobs was largely housebound, according to a person familiar with the matter.
"Under Steve's leadership Apple has not only revolutionized the computer industry but also transformed how the world communicates, plays, shops and works," Frank Quattrone, CEO of Qatalyst Partners LLP, a Silicon Valley investment bank, said at the time. "In the entrepreneur hall of fame, he is the charter member. He is, and will remain, an inspiration to the world."

~Bloomberg News~

via adage.com

Electronic publishing software | Adobe Digital Publishing Suite

2011-10-03T17:05:00.001-07:00

via adobe.com

JESP RELEASES NEW EP: STEP INTO THE DARK « The Cuban Art Project

2011-10-03T14:58:00.001-07:00

via thecubanartproject.com

Jesp Releases New EP: Step into the Dark

2011-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

- New sounds from local artist featured on iTunes -

MIAMI, FL – Oct 3, 2011 – Miami musician, Jesp, has released his sophomore musical endeavor, entitled Step Into the Dark, which is currently available for sale on all iTunes markets worldwide, as well as Amazon, Spotify, and many more . The six tracks featured on the EP showcase Jesp’s innovativeness and progression as an artist. “The record is a profound look into my current music production tastes and trends. The title 'Step Into the Dark' references nightlife, desire, and themes of apocalypse,” states Jesp, born Joseph Espinoza.

This next stop in Jesp’s musical journey gives his steady stream of followers and new listeners alike a deeper insight into exactly what inspires him. “It is important to add that the city of Miami, its tropical setting, its nightlife and its one-of-a-kind inhabitants play a big role in this sound,” says Jesp.

Positive reviews from fans and peers in the music industry continue to pour in for tracks such as “Just Believe It,” an uplifting, momentous track with classic Jesp synth pop elements, and “Vapor,” the steamy, sticky new single for the EP. “It's About Time” is a track Jesp made while living in Brooklyn, and is the darkest of all tracks on the EP. “This song captures my vision of the direction I see modern pop music going.” The EP ends with a bang as '11:11' melts faces with its slamming 808's, searing electric piano riffs, and alien 'morse code' arpeggios.

Joseph’s passion for music began at the young age of 13, after which he went on to form local cult band Outereach. After spending time playing countless shows with the group in Gainesville, Fl, Joseph went on to pursue his craft at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he formed ‘a powerful, complex, Rush-inpired prog rock trio’, entitled Kronrider.

Upon graduating from Berklee, he returned to his hometown and began his transformation into Jesp, a moniker which came from a default abbreviation of his name assigned to him while using music sequencing software. Jesp released his first album, Heart Rhythm, in 2009, and then began production on Step Into the Dark in 2010.

For more information on Jesp and his latest release, Step Into the Dark, please contact Pablo Reyes at Pablo@victoriousmanagement.com.

To preview or purchase the EP, visit iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/step-into-the-dark-ep/id465665335

###

Social Media Minute: Sticky Facebook, Quora Revamps

2011-09-29T17:49:00.001-07:00

Social media moves so fast, it's hard to keep up. Here are the week's top stories in scan-friendly format:

Facebook Brings Users In, Keeps Them Hooked

Google+ Goes Public, Users Flock In

Quora Revamps Site, Adds New Features

Facebook Tracks Deep Usage History

Facebook Brings Users In, Keeps Them Hooked
According to new figures released by Citigroup, Facebook has jumped a milestone that the service has been inching toward for the last few years. People are spending more time on Facebook than on Google, with more than 41.4 billion minutes being spent conferring and talking to colleagues and friends on the social service.
These figures are interesting on two fronts. First, with Facebook's new features launched last week, including Spotify integration and social news reading, users will be spending even more time in Facebook as the service accommodates more types of Internet use inside Facebook.com. Also, with Google+ now open to the public, can Google fight back and achieve more time on its social service?
Facebook is indeed a sticky service as it encompasses the social and professional lives of your colleagues, friends and family. Raw search, as provided by Google, is less important nowadays in some contexts. Do you search less these days, opting to spend more time inside Facebook or another social service?
Google+ Goes Public, Users Flock In
Google+, the latest social networking utility from the search giant, went public last week, as reported here in the Social Media Minute. Now that anyone can get on the service without an invitation, Google+ has seen dramatic growth in just the last week, according to Ancestry.com co-founder Paul Allen, who's been tracking statistics on the service.
In the two days following Google+ going public, the service has witnessed a 30% jump in users. And in those two days, the growth rate is now as high as it was when the service was launched in late June. As of September 9, Allen's model gave a user population of 28.7 million. As of last Thursday, the number had swelled to 43.4 million users, meaning the service has picked up an amazing amount of users in a short time.
Services such as Twitter and Facebook aren't looking into the numbers too glaringly right now, but it should be noted that Google+ is the fastest-growing social network of the type that we've seen so far. Are you a new or established Google+ user? What is your experience thus far?
Quora Revamps Site, Adds New Features
Quora is a question-and-answer site that builds community around the exchange of, well, questions posed and answers given. The site has instituted a new version and now adds threaded comments, comment voting, editing and images. With the changes recently brought about, Quora is much more useful and usable.
Now, comments can be threaded, meaning answers to questions are layered in a tabbed way, making them easier to read. Also, answers can be voted upon, raising the most useful answers to the top. In another usability move, Quora now allows images to be embedded in comments and makes it possible for comments to be edited after a submission.
Quora is a popular site largely in the tech-geek world, but has yet to break out into general awareness among Internet users. The platform has promise, as Q-and-A is a general topic among everyone online.

inShare1 0 Comments and 38 Reactions

Continue reading this article:
1 2 Next Page >

Useful article?

Email It

Related Articles:

A Week in Google: Mobile Multiple Sign-in, Plus for All & Chrome 14

Is Your Company Lost 'Socially'? Here's a Guide to Navigating the Social Ecosystem

Let's Get Back to Real Business

Tags: customer experience, facebook, google, google+, quora, social business, social media, social media minute, spotify, twitter

via cmswire.com

Google+ Changes the Game with Hangouts... Is Your Business Ready? | Social Media Today

2011-09-29T17:29:00.001-07:00

I’m not a prognosticator. I resist invitations to predict technology trends. I never write blog posts on the top 10 ways social or digital media will impact business in the new year. It’s just too volatile a space where a single innovation (e.g., Twitter) or misstep can upend the apple cart. (Go back and read the prediction posts from 2006. Nobody predicted Twitter.)

Similarly, I resisted the temptation to predict the impact Google+ would have. Despite the flood of posts claiming it was a Facebook killer, a Twitter killer, a blog killer (wasn’t Twitter supposed to be a blog killer?) or a killer of anything else—along with those that predicted its swift demise or its relegation to niche status—my inclination was to join, experience and watch.

Today’s announcement from Google, though, has me violating my own rule. The enhancements to Google+ Hangouts make it a genuine, bona fide game-changer.

I’ve already suggested that Hangouts—the social channel’s video chat feature—is the only real point of differentiation on Google+. Everything else is already available elsewhere and, except for a minority of disgrunted Twitter/Facebook users, it doesn’t solve a problem. (There are group video services, too, but none so drop-dead easy as Hangouts, and few deliver the goods with such stellar performance.)

Hangouts inspire innovation

As I noted in the August 22 edition of For Immediate Release, Hangouts have inspired all manner of innovation, from cooking classes to concerts, from meetings to interviews. Armed with the knowledge that Google+ field trial members were using Hangouts in ways Google never imagined, the company got to work enhancing the service. Those enhancements were announced today and make Hangouts an even more compelling resource, one that businesses just can’t ignore.

Some of these improvements are available right away; others are in limited test. All of them are knockouts. Hangouts will be the most compelling reason for people to use Google+. Whether that prompts people to also use the Facebook and Twitter-like features instead of Facebook and Twitter remains to be seen.

The ability to participate in Hangouts from your phone—currently available on a just-released Android app (for phones running Android 2.3) and coming soon for the iPhone will make it easy (and free) for departments to hold meetings wherever people are. And who would use Facetime—Apple’s rather lame iPhone video chat system that requires a WiFi connection—when Hangouts run like a charm over a 3G network?

Broadcast a Hangout; Share Your Screen

But Hangouts On Air and Screensharing are the two advances that business will find too tempting to pass. Hangouts on Air let you broadcast a Hangout to as many people as you like (while the limit for participation is still 10.) My podcast, FIR, includes an occasional FIR Live that’s like a call-in show. With Hangouts, though, we could have up to 10 panelists in real time while anybody interested in the discussion could watch live. Since you can record a Hangout on Air, it would also be available asynchronously to those who couldn’t participate in real time. (This is one of the features being tested by a slect few for now.)

With Screensharing, Google is clearly gunning for Citrix and its GoToMeeting product. While I’m sure Citrix will have a response, I’m sure a lot of companies would prefer to host a hangout for employees and share the screen at no cost than pay for a GoToMeeting subscription. Here’s the screenshot Google shared of a Hangout using Screenshare:

And then there’s the APIs which, according to the Google Developers blog, allow you ” to develop collaborative apps that run inside of a Google+ Hangout. Hangout apps behave much like normal web apps, but with the addition of the rich, real-time functionality.” Google has built some examples, like a voting app and one that lets you change your avatar to “the talking android of your choice.”

(There are other enhancements, too. Read the Google announcement to get the lowdown on all of them.)

As more and more people are drawn to Hangouts, they will, of course, be exposed to the other elements of Google+. Some research has reported severe declines in publicly shared content; others have pointed to a slowdown in visits to the site. But now that Google+ is open to anyone without an invitation, and with innovation driving the uses to which Hangouts are put, it’s safe to say that Google+ has staying power. Whether it will be viewed as Hangouts and some other features we don’t need is open to speculation, but Hangouts are going to be huge.

Does your organization have plans to tap into Hangouts?

via socialmediatoday.com

Torre de la Libertad del Miami Dade College será iluminada de color rosa por segundo año consecutivo en campaña de concientización sobre cáncer de seno

2011-09-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Monumento icónico se suma a otros lugares prominentes que serán iluminados en todo el mundo como parte de la Iniciativa de Iluminación de Sitios Históricos como Concientización acerca del Cáncer de Seno organizada por Estée Lauder Companies

Miami, FL, Septiembre 29, 2011 – Funcionarios del Miami Dade College (MDC) participarán con Estée Lauder Companies en una ceremonia especial el viernes 30 de septiembre a las 7:30 p.m. para iluminar de color rosa la Torre de la Libertad del MDC por segundo año consecutivo como forma de concientización acerca del cáncer de seno. La torre permanecerá bañada en luz rosa por espacio de cinco noches. Madeline Pumariega, presidenta del Campus Wolfson del MDC, así como Vivian Calvo, gerente principal de comunicaciones de The Estée Lauder Companies y sobreviviente del cáncer de seno, harán uso de la palabra y accionarán el interruptor de iluminación especial con varios estudiantes.

En 1992, Evelyn Lauder, vicepresidenta corporativa principal de The Estée Lauder Companies, inauguró la Campaña de Concientización sobre el Cáncer de Seno de The Estée Lauder Companies (The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, BCA) para transmitir el mensaje Salvador acerca de la importancia de la detección precoz en todo el mundo, y recaudar fondos para investigación. En octubre de este año, 2011, la Campaña BCA llegará a millones de personas del planeta en más de setenta naciones.

En el 2000, la Campaña BCA amplió sus iniciativas y creó la Iniciativa Global de Iluminación de Sitios Históricos con el propósito de enfocar la atención en la salud de los senos con la iluminación de sitios notables de todo el mundo en el octubre, Mes de Concientización del Cáncer de Seno. Estos monumentos se han convertido en símbolos internacionales de esperanza, y siguen empoderando e iluminando a miles de hombres y mujeres de todas las edades. En el 2010, la Campaña BCA estableció un nuevo Récord Mundial Guinness de “Más sitios históricos iluminados por una causa en 24 horas”, que incluyó a la Torre de la Libertad.

QUIENES: Madeline Pumariega, presidenta del Campus Wolfson del MDC; Vivian Calvo, gerente principal de comunicaciones de The Estée Lauder Companies y sobreviviente del cáncer de seno

QUE: Ceremonia de iluminación de la Torre de la Libertad

CUANDO: 30 de septiembre del 2011, a las 7:30 p.m.

DONDE: Escalinata de la Torre de la Libertad del Miami Dade College

600 Biscayne Boulevard

Search Insider: Facebook: A Platform Built for Disruption

2011-09-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Facebook: A Platform Built for Disruption

by Ryan DeShazer , Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Facebook had a big week last week -- potentially the biggest of its seven year existence. At the F8 Developer Conference on Thursday, a completely overhauled layout and user experience were unveiled. Developers were also introduced to a slew of new features that will enable deeper user engagement and more meaningful social experiences.

As you might imagine, these announcements were met with mixed reviews. Many have written about the conference, and what the new experiences will mean for both users and marketers. I've had the benefit of five full days to reflect on these changes; I've even upgraded my own Facebook page to the new layout thanks to a handy little hack that's been circulating across the Web.

My thoughts?

Facebook is profound. It has become ubiquitous with an online presence. It has evolved into the ultimate communications platform; a platform built for innovation and disruption across the Web as we know it today.

Facebook as a disruptor to user experience

Innovations in user experience were central themes at F8. The most recent enhancements include timeline, ticker, and the evolution of the "Like" button -- all tools that help foster the creation and maintenance of an online autobiography that users can share in real time with the people who matter most to them.

These features will help facilitate greater openness and transparency among Facebook's users.

Seeing these features in action immediately reminded me of David Kirkpatrick's 2010 non-fiction work, "The Facebook Effect." In that book, Kirkpatrick very deliberately explores the evolution of Facebook's stances on user privacy. One of Mark Zuckerberg's central beliefs is that people today care less about privacy online, provided sufficient controls are made available to restrict access to certain pieces of content.

In fact, one of Facebook's fundamental beliefs is that an open and transparent online life will help facilitate a world that better understands itself, helping to break down stereotypes and misconceptions.

Within Facebook, they refer to this online openness as "radical transparency."

Facebook as a disruptive application to innovation

An emerging theory about Facebook is that its ultimate ambition is to create an "alternate web," providing an end-to-end experience completely housed within its sleek blue walls. Search Insider Derek Gordon discussed this specifically in his Monday column, "The Parallel Internets."

While the idea of an alternate Internet may sound a bit far-fetched, think about what is already possible within Facebook. As a user I have access to email, IM, forums, applications, even e-commerce. With the F8 enhancements, additional services like music and movies are possible (Spotify and Netflix demos were shown at the conference).

These new enhancements are significant for two key reasons:

1) Most everyone I care about is on Facebook. So this evolution isn't a mere replication of web services and functionality; it facilitates a deeper shared experience that isn't possible anywhere else because of Facebook's ubiquity.

This is exciting to me as a user.

2) These applications will allow for new types of social graph connections, which in turn promise to strengthen existing offline relationships. For example, I will now know that Bob down the street is also a Killers fan because of his Spotify streaming activity.

Being able to instill an enhanced sense of community will be exciting for developers.

What we'll likely continue to see is a snowballing effect in the application development space. Applications will be built with native Facebook Open Graph capability, if not built entirely within the larger Facebook platform. And as a result of this innovation and enhanced functionality, more users will be drawn to Facebook.

Facebook's Impact on Search

What does all of this have to do with search? Truthfully, I'm not certain... yet.

I've voiced my opinion in the past that search will continue to evolve into more contextually relevant verticals, and that Facebook in particular seems ripe to benefit from that evolution.

With Facebook aiming to facilitate a more open society through a platform that may one day parallel the Web in its entirety, we should anticipate that finding (and now sharing) information will be easier than ever.

Search Insider for Wednesday, September 28, 2011:http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=159559

Science of Mobile Google Webinar

2011-09-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 3pm BST Google will be holding a Live Webinar! 'Science of Mobile 1: Introduction to Mobile Advertising' This live webinar discusses the explosive growth in ownership andusage of high end mobile phones and the implications this has forbusinesses and marketers. We will highlight the main mobile trendswhich businesses should be aware of and outline effective mobilestrategies and mobile advertising solutions for companies andadvertising agencies to adopt. This webinar will outline theimportance of having a mobile advertising strategy. A Google MobileSpecialist will be presenting this webinar and will be on hard toanswer any questions you may have. Interested? Sign up now:
http://goo.gl/MH6K3

Engagement Advertising

2011-09-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

Unleash the Power of Social Media/Social Engagement Advertising

Strategy. Engagement. Interactive. Analytics. In every arena, I push the envelope of what's possible in social media. Taken individually, each of my services delivers big returns, but when you combine them? The results are exponential.

Facebook has become an epicenter of campaigns to engage audiences. I find Facebook to be an effective tool to understanding your audience and controlling their view of your services. There are many ways to utilize Facebook to engage users including having a Facebook Business page as well as developing Facebook campaigns to focus on a particular service or initiative.

In addition to that, I work with Flite a cloud-based ad platform that allows marketers to create cross-platform ads that function across Web, mobile and Facebook and can be easily updated in real-time.

I just love the internet. I can do your ads, your website and many more. Get in contact.

Social Media Marketing

2011-09-26T09:54:00.001-07:00

Social media marketing (SMM) is one of the biggest growth markets in Internet marketing today. With 800 million members (as of September 2011) Facebook is a tremendously popular social networking site. Its massive reach provides compelling opportunities to connect with customers, both current and future, through fan pages, news feeds, groups, and throughout the site. That’s a huge potential market for any business. So, is social media marketing a must-have for you and your business, and which social media marketing services do you need?As your social media consultant I will take time to examine exactly what social media marketing services are right for you and your business. I will guide you through what social media marketing services are right for your target markets, your customers, and your potential audience.

SMM: How Social Media Works

Social media is a phrase that cover many different types of web 2.0 websites which allow interaction and contributions, such as:
Blogs
Special interest forums
Social networking sites such as Facebook and myspace
Micro blogging sites such as Twitter
Virtual communitiesQ&A and ‘ask an expert a question’ sites such as Yahoo Answers!
Video and images posting sites such as YouTube and FlickrReview sites
Social bookmarking sites, such as Posterous, Digg, Stumble Upon, Google Reader.

Social Media Marketing: It’s All About YouIn social media and network marketing, it really is all about you – your motivation and commitment, who you are, whether you’re trustworthy, and whether you have something of value to say or offer that will help others.

Social Media Profiles: Get InvolvedSuccessful social media campaigns succeed because they are pro-active.Outsource your social media activity and I'll help you choose the right social media marketing services (SMM services) to boost your business profile.

Blog Management Services « LETICIA DEL MONTE

2011-09-24T19:05:00.001-07:00

1. Blog Launch Service

I offer the most effective way to not only start a blog from scratch but also make it effective quickly. You will receive a custom blog design and a full month of professional maintenance. In addition, you will receive one free social media marketing campaign. My goal with this service is to rapidly create a great-looking, high-traffic blog that successfully engages your audience and captures their attention.

Price: $2000

via leticiadelmonte.wordpress.com

How To: Get Started with the Open Graph - Facebook Developers

2011-09-24T14:58:00.001-07:00

At Facebook's core is the social graph; people and the connections they have to everything they care about. Historically, Facebook has managed this graph and has expanded it over time as we launch new products (photos, places, etc.). In 2010, we extended the social graph, via the Open Graph protocol, to include websites and pages that people liked throughout the web. We are now extending the Open Graph to include other actions and objects created by apps and enabling these apps to integrate deeply into the Facebook experience.
This “How-To” video walks you through our tutorial showing you step-by-step how to build an Open Graph app that allows users to publish stories about cooking recipes.
We are really excited about the new class of apps that are now made possible. The Open Graph Beta is available for you to try out and get started.

Open Graph Tutorial from Cat Lee on Vimeo.

via developers.facebook.com

Social Design Guidelines to help you build great social experiences - Facebook Developers

2011-09-23T18:48:00.001-07:00

via developers.facebook.com

F8 2011 Keynoteon f8 | Live - live streaming video powered by Livestream

2011-09-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

via livestream.com

Developer Blog - Facebook Developers

2011-09-22T18:30:00.001-07:00

We are hosting our fourth f8 conference today in San Francisco, where we’re introducing the the next evolution of Facebook Platform and the Open Graph. The Open Graph is the most significant update to Platform since it launched in 2007, expanding the capabilities and opportunities for social apps, from music to TV to news to lifestyle apps such as cooking, fitness, and travel.

We launched the Like button at last year's f8, and it quickly became one of the most popular tools on the Internet. As we have continued to introduce more features on Facebook Platform, now more than 500 million people engage with Facebook across more than 7 million apps and websites every month. Compared to f8 last year, this is close to double the number of people and triple the apps and websites.

Introducing Timeline

As part of f8, today we announced Timeline. Timeline is a page on which you can put the events and activity that matter most to you. We provide some of the most important stuff that you'd want to put there, like photos and major life events -- but those types of content are really just the start. With the Open Graph, you, as Facebook developers, can enable people to truly make their Timelines their own.

All developers will have access to a pre-release version of Timeline for testing after your app is configured to use Open Graph actions and objects. We encourage you to take a tour and learn more about Timeline.

Timeline will launch to users in the coming weeks. People will be able to add apps to their Timeline to show friends what they love, seamlessly update Timeline with their activity as they go, and have an easy way to reengage with the app.

For example, I love to cook. I want an app that lets me add the recipes I cook on my profile, and at the same time, discover my friends' recipes. The opportunities are endless, such as building an app for runners to share their routes and achievements, photographers to feature the photos they take, and music lovers to share their playlists and top albums with friends. Develop Open Graph apps that will make Timeline the personal, expressive page we believe it can be.

App Discovery through friends

App discovery is an important part of the Open Graph philosophy. The structure of the Open Graph enables apps to grow more quickly based on usage. The more engaging your app is, the more people will discover it on Facebook.

As people add apps to their Timeline, friends will be able to easily discover and connect to your app in just a few clicks, as they see it on not only each other’s Timelines, but in News Feed, or the newly launched Ticker.

Distribution based on user activity and engagement

Distribution through News Feed, Ticker, and Timeline will be based on Graph Rank, the underlying system that manages discovery of Open Graph activity around Facebook. Graph Rank is designed to give more prominence to engaging activity. The transparency of the system should enable you to predictably measure your app’s performance.

Graph Rank is also personalized. We know people are friends with both their college roommates and their colleagues at work, and those relationships are different. Just because my mom is interested in the movies I am watching doesn't mean she is interested in my Github checkins. Graph Rank isn't a global score, but a personalized view of you and your friends' tastes.

New analytics

From the Dev App, you will be able to see analytics for all the Open Graph activity published by your app. You will be able to optimize your app’s Graph Rank based on this information.

Any app can be social

As the Open Graph opens up Platform to more categories and verticals, many more types of apps will be successful on Facebook because Open Graph isn't just about sharing - it's about self-expression and serendipity. Whether you have a Website, App on Facebook or Mobile app, you can make it Open Graph-enabled so users can see their activity on Timeline.

New Opportunities

We are excited about the sites launching later today with Open Graph apps. Learn more about these sites on the Platform Showcase.

The Open Graph Beta is now available to all Facebook developers. This beta gives you access to the docs and tools you need to add Open Graph actions and objects to your app. Stay tuned for more information later today on f8 Live and on the Developer Blog on how to get started with the new Open Graph features.

via developers.facebook.com

F8 Developers Conference 2011

2011-09-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

Google Analytics | Official Website

2011-09-22T08:42:00.001-07:00

HOME

PRODUCT

Google Analytics Products

Features

Product Tour

Analytics Apps Gallery

Our Customers

SUPPORT

Google Analytics Support

Setup Checklist

Help Center

User Forum

Google Code

EDUCATION

Google Analytics Education

Google Analytics IQ

Seminars for Success

Google Analytics Videos

PARTNERS

Find a Partner

Become a Partner

BLOG

Google Analytics Blog

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Follow us on Twitter

Access Analytics

New to Google Analytics?
Sign Up Now

Enterprise-class web analytics made smarter, friendlier and free.

Google Analytics is the enterprise-class web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you're more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites.

ANALYTICS INTELLIGENCE
Google Analytics monitors your reports and automatically alerts you of significant changes in data patterns.

ADVANCED SEGMENTATION
Isolate and analyze subsets of your traffic with a fast interactive segment builder.

FLEXIBLE CUSTOMIZATION
Get the data you need, organized in the way you want to see it with custom reports, custom variables, and a flexible tracking API.

ECOMMERCE TRACKING
Trace transactions to campaigns and keywords, get loyalty and latency metrics, and identify your revenue sources.

GOALS
Track sales and conversions. Measure your site engagement goals against threshhold levels that you define.

MOBILE TRACKING
Track web-enabled phones, mobile websites and mobile apps.

DATA EXPORT API
Integrate business information and develop applications that access Google Analytics data.

ADVANCED ANALYSIS TOOLS
Perform advanced data analysis with pivot tables, filtering and multiple dimensions. Discover new trends and insights with motion chart visualizations.

PRODUCT TOUR

Watch this brief tour to learn how Google Analytics can help you buy the right keywords, target your best markets, and engage and convert more customers.

NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS

Google Analytics Blog Feed

Web Analytics TV #21 - Short, Sweet, Delicious Welcome to another delightful episode of Web Analytics TV! Web Analytics TV, as you well know by now, is powered by your ... (9/20/2011)

Appraising Your Investment in Enterprise Web Analytics, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Research, Inc.

STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS

Extend the power of Google Analytics with these third party solutions in our Analytics Application Gallery.

Get more out of Google Analytics with strategic consulting services and customized support packages from Google Analytics Certified Partners

Radically increase your conversion rate. Google Website Optimizer is a free A/B and multivariate testing tool. Start testing and improve your site now.

New Analytics Intelligence reports automatically identifies significant changes in your site traffic to help you discover data insights you might otherwise miss.

1

2

3

4

OUR CUSTOMERS

'; } document.getElementById("ga-news-story").innerHTML = linkList; } } } ); } google.setOnLoadCallback(initialize);

©2011 Google - Analytics Home - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy - Contact Us

via google.com

Twitter Unveils 2012 Political Ads, Romney Promoted Tweets | Digital - Advertising Age

2011-09-22T06:45:00.001-07:00

Looking to profit from the projected $6 billion in campaign spending in the 2012 election cycle, Twitter announced that it will start selling political ads in the form of its promoted tweets, accounts and trends, launching today with placement for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
The pilot group for political advertising consists of five presidential candidates and national political party committees, including Mr. Romney, a Twitter spokesman said. Political ads will be differentiated from Twitter's other promoted products with purple icons instead of the regular orange, and campaigns can enable a Federal Election Commission-compliant notification revealing the ad's backer, viewable when users mouse over the ads.
Political ads will be priced just like the rest of Twitter's promoted product suite, with advertisers paying for keyword-targeted promoted tweets based on user engagement like retweets, replies or click-throughs on a link. Tweets backed by campaigns won't surface in users' timelines, though Twitter last week launched a functionality where promoted tweets from a test group of brands like Pepsi, Disney and American Express can show up in any timeline based on a user's public signals.
In the political ad context, a Twitter user could see a promoted tweet from Mr. Romney's handle (@MittRomney) at the top of their results by doing a search with his name, for example.
Branching out into political ads is an obvious move for Twitter, as having a handle on the platform has become almost automatic for elected officials and candidates. To lead its effort, Twitter announced the hiring of Google veteran Peter Greenberger as political sales director in charge of a Washington-based team he'll be tasked with hiring. Mr. Greenberger built and managed Google's first political sales team in his four years at the company.

via adage.com

MediaPost Event -The Future of Media

2011-09-15T06:21:00.001-07:00

THE FUTURE OF MEDIA BLOG

In the coming weeks we'd like to hear your takes on the future on media and share with you some of our thoughts and ideas as well.

Taking Your Digital Assets to the Cloud
by David MacLaren, Yesterday, 2:57 PM

The digital age is rapidly transforming marketers' day-to-day working lives as an avalanche of media assets overtakes them. Under pressure to constantly deliver fresh, timely and audience-specific content to print, online and mobile channels, marketers need tools to help them access, manipulate and deliver their content.
The marketing departments of brand companies and advertising agencies are increasingly seeing the value in systems that help them centralize, index and archive their digital assets, while also enabling all necessary parties to easily access their assets and preventing them from being lost or misplaced. Digital asset management systems can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of creative teams, saving companies and agencies time, money and frustration.
There is another side to this coin: the delivery mechanism. This is where digital asset management systems have traditionally fallen short. Theses systems are not entirely efficient unless all internal and external teams involved in the production and delivery process have direct access to the necessary digital assets.
Recognizing that the delivery of digital assets should be part of the core asset management solution is one thing, ensuring that external vendors, such as printers, have access to the final digital files through the same system as those that created and approved the files, is another.
With digital file sizes ballooning and the complexity of the marketing and advertising worlds exploding, simple FTP services no longer suffice.
Luckily, by combining the advantages of the cloud with those of traditional digital asset management systems, marketing and advertising teams spread across various offices, departments and vendors can access, share and collaborate on the necessary files. The benefits of cloud-based digital asset management systems doesn't stop here -- although having access to those assets from anywhere, through any browser, is enough to make most marketing and advertising executives take note.
Cloud-based digital asset management systems are not limited by traditional IT infrastructures. These systems are massively scalable and infinitely flexible -- conforming to the needs of any size company or agency, no matter the industry, the number of users, amount of content or location.
Primarily delivered under a SaaS model, cloud-based systems don't require heavy upfront investments and tend to be quite cost effective. Due to the low cost of cloud-based systems, companies and agencies can provide access to large numbers of users and allow them to upload and download files as needed - without worrying about their budgets.
Rest assured that the cloud-platforms that these cloud-based digital asset management systems are built on, those by Amazon, Google and Microsoft, are managed and maintained by the industry's leading IT experts, ensuring that those who use the systems require little to no technical expertise.

via mediapost.com

Google Buys Zagat: It's All About Local | Digital - Advertising Age

2011-09-08T11:11:00.001-07:00

Google has acquired Zagat, a high-end restaurant and shopping reviews publisher, to bolster its local business content.
"Moving forward, Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering," wrote Marissa Mayer, Google VP-local, maps and location services, in a blog post announcing the deal.
Until now, the search giant has populated its Google Places pages with aggregated content from outside sources, which until recently included Yelp reviews. However, Yelp, a user-generated reviews site for local businesses, found Google Places to be in direct competition to its business. With Zagat publishing arguably some of the most respected restaurant reviews and ratings, Google now has its own store of highly respected local content. The restaurant and shopping reviews publisher has been in the business more than 30 years and covers 13 categories in more than 100 cities.
Local has proven to be a tough nut for Google to crack because its search products are sometimes too expensive for small businesses. But Google has been steadily rolling out new products to address the large market. Total local U.S. online ad spending for 2011 is projected to hit $13.5 billion with paid search accounting for only $4.8 billion, according to research firm Borrell Associates. Overall local online spending is projected to balloon to $25.4 billion by 2016 with paid search decreasing to $4.3 billion. Part of that is attributed to shifts in spending to targeted display ads on social networks such as Facebook.
To build on local ad products outside of search, Google revamped its local business directory into what is now called Google Places last spring and later moved star search exec Marissa Mayer to helm local services. It has also launched its own daily deals product, Google Offers.
"When [Zagat content] is integrated into search and its daily deals service, [Google is] going to have a larger ad base to look at," said Peter Conti, exec-VP and partner for Borrell Associates.
This deal comes nearly two years after Google tried to buy Yelp for a reported $500 million. The deal fell apart and the consensus was that Yelp ultimately balked; however, another report claimed Google pulled back because Yelp was thought to have leaked details of the negotiations to drive up its purchase price.
An innovator in consumer-written reviews, Zagat erected a paywall to its website in the late '90s and soon saw its niche swamped with a host of competitors that got better distribution through Google search results. In 2008, Zagat hired Goldman Sachs to seek a buyer for the company, but the asking price of $200 million proved steep and no deal came of it.
Now the company is owned by the dominant force in search and, increasingly, local advertising.
"Google understands that partnering is the business model for internet and mobile success," Mr. Conti said. "This really puts traditional and local media in a tough position, too -- newspapers and TV stations don't typically partner up and Google properly exploits the network capabilities of the internet."

~ ~ ~
Contributing: Cotton Delo.

via adage.com

Social TV: Broadcast Networks in Trouble | Social Media Today

2011-09-05T17:18:00.001-07:00

Now that I’m keeping an eye on the Social TV world (see my previous How Soon is Now? posts on Social TV), I’m finding more intriguing information on the subject all the time. Today I came across this little nugget on MediaPost: Must Tweet TV: Yahoo! and EW Gauge Multi-Screen Fever.While the larger story highlighted Fall TV viewing in general (full story from Yahoo! here), there was some very interesting numbers as it related to Social TV:
47% of those surveyed check their email while in front of the tube, while 34% post on Facebook and 28% text or call their friends. A mere 12% of respondents said they “just watch the show.” (What, are their laptops charging?)
A trio of bloodthirsty series tops the list of shows during which viewers post to Facebook or tweet the most: HBO’s “True Blood” (29%), Showtime’s “Dexter” (29%), and The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” (24%). But some shows are worth switching off all our gadgets for: “True Blood” (58%), along with HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (57%) and AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (57%), were the shows most often cited as ones viewers need to focus on, without doing anything else. Isn’t it nice to know that there’s still some TV out there that demands our full attention?
The most social of shows?:
1.      True Blood (29%)
2.      Dexter (29%)
3.      Vampire Diaries (24%)
4.      Game of Thrones (23%)
5.      The Walking Dead (23%)
6.      Sons of Anarchy (22%)
7.      Mad Men (22%)
8.      The Bachelor (21%)
9.      Survivor (21%)
10.    Glee 21%)
So, what do we have here? Couple of things to note – first, only two of the Top 10 are reality shows (The Bachelor and Survivor). Hmm, that would seem to be at odds with my intuitive conclusions as well as those ofAlan Wolk, who felt reality shows were a natural for Social TV. If, like me, you think Social TV is the future, what does this mean for Reality TV? Will Social TV be like the meteor that brought and end to the dinosaurs, or will Reality Shows adapt like the birds, mammals and fish that survived the Ice Age?
Second, and here’s where I’d really be sweating it if I was the program chief for ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox, only three shows (and the bottom three) from this list are major network shows. The unique exception being the Vampire Diaries for the CW netlet (which caters to a younger – more desirable – audience). The rest of the top seven are all cable (basic or premium). In fact three of the top four are premium cable. And here’s another problem for the networks. As they continue to make lowest common denominator content, the cable channels have been making quality programming that appeals to people with money. People who buy smartphones and iPads and nice laptops (and fancy cars and high end fashion, etc.).
Which brings us back to the old adage – content is king. Quality content (the programming) combined with compelling content (the Social TV integration) brings in desirable viewers.

via socialmediatoday.com

Social Media Marketing

2011-09-05T09:12:00.001-07:00

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing (SMM) is one of the biggest growth markets in Internet marketing today. With 750 million members (as of August 2011) Facebook is a tremendously popular social networking site. Its massive reach provides compelling opportunities to connect with customers, both current and future, through fan pages, news feeds, groups, and throughout the site. That’s a huge potential market for any business. So, is social media marketing a must-have for you and your business, and which social media marketing services do you need?

As your social media consultant I will take time to examine exactly what social media marketing services are right for you and your business. I will guide you through what social media marketing services are right for your target markets, your customers, and your potential audience.

SMM: How Social Media Works

Social media is a phrase that cover many different types of web 2.0 websites which allow interaction and contributions, such as:

Blogs

Special interest forums

Social networking sites such as Facebook and myspace

Micro blogging sites such as Twitter

Virtual communities

Q&A and ‘ask an expert a question’ sites such as Yahoo Answers!

Video and images posting sites such as YouTube and Flickr

Review sites

Social bookmarking sites, such as Posterous, Digg, Stumble Upon, Google Reader.

Social Media Marketing: It’s All About You

In social media and network marketing, it really is all about you – your motivation and commitment, who you are, whether you’re trustworthy, and whether you have something of value to say or offer that will help others.

Social Media Profiles: Get Involved

Successful social media campaigns succeed because they are pro-active.

Outsource your social media activity and I'll help you choose the right social media marketing services (SMM services) to boost your business profile.

Interning at Facebook: Answering Your Questions on Quora

2011-09-03T09:39:00.001-07:00

Our engineering interns have been building and shipping code all across the site since the beginning of the summer. Since many are heading back to school this month, they wanted to answer some questions about their experiences before they leave. Last week we asked you to post questions about Facebook Internships on Quora. Here are some highlights:

Q: Does Facebook often make undergraduate summer internships immediate full-time offers (so they start right away instead of finishing school)?

A: Cullen Walsh, Current Facebook Intern, Summer 2010 Facebook Intern

I think that finishing school helps students discover new fields that interest them and round out some skills that will benefit them at Facebook (or any technology company). For example, I had never done much security or hardware coursework until last year, and in doing so I found that I really enjoyed security class, but the hardware one wasn't for me. That knowledge will certainly help guide my career, and acted as an extended boot camp (boot camp is the 6 week process of finding your team when you join Facebook). For Facebook, it means that I know more, can find the project that fits me best quickly, can move faster with that project as I understand it better, and can be more productive. That is not to say people who skip the remainder of school aren't (as I'm sure they found a good project fit for themselves), they just didn't have as much exploration and skill development in the school environment.

Q: How much creative freedom does Facebook give its interns?

A: Mary Pimenova, Facebook Intern, Summer '11

This depends on exactly what you mean by “creative freedom”, as well as the sort of role the intern is in. I can speak from a back-end engineering perspective (I work on site efficiency, so I rarely deal with changing a UI).
In my day-to-day work, I feel like I’ve been given a lot of control over design decisions related to my project. My mentor had some idea of what I was going to do, but I was ultimately able to define what I wanted to build and how I wanted to build it. My code is reviewed before I commit it, but these reviews are very reasonable and I’m happy to get feedback. After I finished the project I was asked for ideas about what else I wanted to do with my internship, so they are really trying to match me with work that I’m interested in.
As part of my team, I also make performance improvements to other pieces of the site. I can pick what I want to investigate, make changes and send them to whoever wrote the code initially to approve.
Additionally, there are semi-regular hackathon events when employees, interns included, can take up projects that are totally unrelated to their daily work. So an intern can build whatever he or she wants. At the end we demo what we made and, if it gets enough momentum, it will probably ship.
A: Cullen Walsh, Current Facebook Intern, Summer 2010 Facebook Intern

Overall, interns have freedom to make changes anywhere in the codebase. Smaller commits are generally approved after style and sanity feedback from one reviewer. More impactful changes usually result in a discussion and need collective consensus to be shipped, so our freedom is limited in this sense. There are commits that get rejected, but probably with good reason.

I think it depends to some degree on your project/team, but I've had quite a bit of creative freedom on the projects I've worked on.

This summer, I was given a project that had a document with the goals and a screenshot of a prototype home page. From the beginning of summer, I've flushed out what features were(n't) making the v1 release, tore apart the prototype that had already been created, iterated on some ideas, getting feedback from my mentors along the way, and just today started demoing it internally, with the intention of releasing it in the next few weeks. While I received a lot of guidance along the way, I've definitely owned the project and made nearly all the critical decisions. (I know that is really generic answer, but it isn't released yet. I hope you understand)

While not directly part of your question, I think it is not enough to have the freedom to make decisions on your project, but to have a meaningful project that will make an impact to users. Facebook seems to be really good about doing so; rather than being given "refactor this code" or "fix these annoyances" type of projects, interns are given core responsibilities. http://www.quora.com/What-live-Facebook-features-were-started-and-finished-by-interns has some good examples.

A: Ashoat Tevosyan, currently interning at Facebook

In general, I agree with what Mary and Cullen said earlier. As an intern, you are provided with a lot of flexibility in engineering decisions. Beyond that, I've definitely felt that I have the freedom to pursue my own convictions in the work that I've done.

However, it's worth noting that product and design decisions are often made by product managers and designers, and those sort of decisions tend to involve the higher-ups more often than engineering ones. That's not to say that you don't have input in those sort of decisions; only that you're less likely to have the final say.

I don't think that this is too unusual for a medium-sized tech company.

Q: How does the Facebook internship experience compare to that at Microsoft?

A: Kellen Donohue , Interned at Facebook Summer 2010

Overall they are pretty similar work-wise. There are some notable philosophical/cultural differences between the two companies through.

Same:
At both companies you'll work on a team with developers at the company on a specific project.
You'll contribute to the product just like the rest of the developers, and you'll be expected to meet their code standards, follow their code review process, etc.
You'll get to mostly set your own hours, as long as you do your work, and you'll get free drinks.
Different:
At Facebook you can check out the entire code base, at Microsoft you'll probably just get to see the code of the product you're working on. This philosophy extends beyond just the code though. Microsoft is much more siloed, as a Windows intern you probably won't see the latest edition of Office, whereas at Facebook you'll see many of the features in development.
At Facebook you're more likely to be placed on a team with other interns, because FB hires a lot more interns relative their number of engineers than MS.
FB has free food and snacks, at MS you have to pay. This matters to me more for culture than money reasons. At FB everyone that works there eats there, you're more likely to interact more with your coworkers.
These last two are specific to software developer interns:
At FB you will see your code ship during your internship, many times. At MS you are unlikely to see your code ship during your internship, if at all (After my first of two Microsoft internships my team disbanded).
You will have more responsibility for your code at FB than MS. MS has much larger test and PM teams than FB. You will have more responsibility for specing and testing your code at FB.

A: Ashoat Tevosyan, currently interning at Facebook

I've done two high school internships and one (non-Explorer) college internship at Microsoft, and am currently interning at Facebook. To answer your last question first, Facebook does offer product manager (PM) internships, though it tends to have a smaller concentration of PMs than Microsoft does.

The first thing that's worth noting is that Microsoft internships vary depending on the team you're with. There are teams at Microsoft that are more like Facebook and there are teams that are less like Facebook, and that will impact the difference in experience. With that said, here's a list of differences I've noticed:
At Facebook, it's more likely that you're going to be assigned to work on critical portions of projects than at Microsoft. I'd say that that's mostly because Facebook is a smaller company. Smaller companies tend to be more constrained with their resources, and consequently the interns are utilized for higher-priority projects. A larger company might already have all the high-priority projects covered.
Facebook interns tend to be more independent. Interns are encouraged to implement features wherever they think features ought to be implemented. Each intern has full access to the Facebook codebase, and every week interns hold a "Hackathon" where they work on their side projects. As an example, the friendship page on Facebook was born as an intern side project.
Facebook interns tend to be more involved with Facebook than Microsoft interns are with Microsoft. What I mean by that is that your intern friends will be more likely to be working late nights. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it's often because they're at a Hackathon or because they're having fun, but take it as you will.

Check out more questions about interning at Facebook and ask your own here.

via facebook.com