Arrayent
The Internet of Things took a major step toward becoming a more widely distributed reality this year when Arrayent introduced its Internet-Connect System at CES in January. This complete end-to-end communication system enables companies to connect their products to Internet-based applications at very low cost, with high reliability. The technology enables customers to monitor and control products from a smartphone or web browser. The company sees three markets that are particularly interested in integrating this kind of connectivity into their products: home automation suppliers looking for ways to connect customers’ home LANs to remoter diagnosis and repair suppliers; companies in the health monitoring field who want to connect their products to web apps such as Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault; and companies making toy and entertainment devices such as ebook readers, personalized radio and connected physical toys. Mattel selected Arrayent’s technology for its IM-ME, wireless messaging system designed for girls ages 8 and up. Over 100,000 units have already shipped in the U.S.
Features
- Rapid time to market
- Low-cost alternative method of connecting to Internet
- Small memory footprint
- Data rates from 250kps to 2Mbps, ideal for telemetry ad light media applications
- Low-power consumption; 12-month battery life on 3 AAA batteries
Learn more about the features that Arrayent technology brings to Mattel’s IM-ME.
Blitz
- Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
- Number of Employees: 50
- Notable Clients: ESPN, Google, NBC
- URL: www.blitzagency.com
Founded in 1997, BLITZ is a privately owned digital marketing agency focused on interactive solutions that enable brands to connect with their target audience. The company helps its clients establish unique brand identities through rich Internet applications and user interfaces that engage their customers across all major platforms and devices. Dedicated to delivering personalized consumer experiences, BLITZ’s innovative approach to digital advertising allows brands to realize their true potential while enjoying the maximum return on their investment.
Contel Bradford of DMB recently spoke with Ivan Todorov, co-founder and CEO of BLITZ, to learn more about this award winning agency and get his thoughts on the fast moving digital marketing segment.
You guys stand out from other ad agencies on first glance. What makes BLITZ different?
A few years back we spent a ton of time talking about how BLITZ is different, only to find another agency using the same 5 keywords to describe themselves. Instead, we focused on being really, really good at what we do and showing our clients the value we create for them.
Today, we pride ourselves in having evolved beyond a “digital shop,” and into an integrated agency with digital DNA. We believe digital should be in the center - leading, connecting and measuring all other channels, be it print, TV, on-line or mobile. We invest in great creative, R&D and polished execution. I believe this is why our work stands out.
We are also very resourceful. Not only do we get more done within a budget, but because our staff is multi-disciplinary, we also have more effective and practical solutions to both business and creative problems.
Can you provide insight into some of the unique challenges your clients are facing today and how BLITZ is helping resolve them?
Some reoccurring questions from our clients center on how they can actively participate in social media and harness its full potential. We help our clients by guiding them through why they should be there and what they can accomplish, in the most appropriate or disruptive manner. There isn’t a magic bullet for all clients — every brand has its own voice and appropriate conversation threshold that needs to be part of the strategy when planning its participation to become “social.”
For example, we’ve seen evidence that consumers crave and rely on peer reviews, input, opinions, more than solely brand destinations. As a result, BLITZ has developed digital platforms that connect consumers to relevant social conversations - from Twitter, Digg, Facebook, YouTube — directly into the brand’s homepage and individual product pages. We have seen phenomenal results with this type of implementation with gamers on GuitarHero.com.
After all the awards and triumphs, what are some of the most important things you’ve taken from the business?
We learned how to hug our clients. Over the past 2 years, we really focused on providing our clients with the best possible service with a deeper view into the client’s strategic plans. What we’ve received in return has been invaluable. Healthy relationships that are true partnerships, loyalty during uncertain economic times and trust which allows for engagement to be completed smoother and on strategy. Thus our commitment and investment in quality and service has resulted in more long-term accounts. It has truly been a win-win.
2009 was an interesting year for the digital marketing industry. What do you think 2010 has in store?
We will see more digital agencies taking the lead with bigger brands. I believe this because social media is playing a larger role. We’ll also see mobile marketing pick up significant momentum, and augmented reality is still exciting for brands to adopt. These 3 big digital channels, along with the need for an integrated multi-channel campaigns, will push digital agencies to the front; not only because we have the creative and strategy, but also the much needed technology know-how.
Looking at your impressive portfolio, it’s clear to see that you guys stay pretty busy. Any interesting projects we should keep an eye on?
We are incredibly busy this first quarter of 2010, many of our new work will launch March/April. Our site and blog are constantly updated with our work, successes, events and news so stay-tuned to www.blitzagency.com for updates.
Are Twitter’s Trending Topics All Talk, No Substance?
Image courtesy of Twitter
By Rebecca Henely
As 2009 drew to a close, Twitter showcased one of its most recent site features – trending topics – by releasing the top 10 list of trending topics for the year on its blog.
Much buzz has circulated about the marketing and journalistic potential of trending topics, a service by the social networking website that began in April and tracks the most common phrases of its users’ tweets at any given time, but Pete Spande, SVP of sales and marketing at Federated Media, states he did not find the list, or trending topics themselves, very useful. “For me, the trending topic is a mixed bag. Often times, the trending topics don’t lead to much discovery,” says Spande, whose company connects marketers to online publishers.
The list, released by Abdur Chowhury, chief scientist at Twitter, gave the top 10 news events, people, movies, TV shows, sports teams, technology and hash tags (Internet memes circulating on Twitter that are marked by a “#” symbol before a word or a phrase mashed together). Overall, the most popular trending topic and news event was the June 2009 contested Iranian presidential election.
“In 2009, Twitter’s Trending Topics helped us understand what was happening around the world showing us that people everywhere can be united in concern around important events; excited about a new movie; or geek-out about a major new technology,” states Chowdhury in the posted blog on Twitter.
Yet Spande says most of the information about trending topics could be found from other sources. “Apple is the most talked about company. Michael Jackson was a popular celebrity topic this year…. All very straightforward,” he says.
Spande adds that while he believes Twitter is shaping the culture of the Internet, he is unsure of the role the trending topics themselves have in the conversation. “Much has been made about how Twitter influences the opening week for a movie and breaks news. In both of these cases, and many other cases, there are two distinct groups participating in a trending topic. There is the group of people adding to the conversation and the group that is sharing that conversation through retweets, @replies, etc. When Iran protests were dominating the Twitter trending topics, there were many more people sharing than influencing the conversation. In other cases, like Avatar’s release, there were hundreds of thousands 140-word movie reviews contributing to the conversation,” Spande says.
Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media, an Internet marketing and Web design company, also expressed skepticism of the idea of trending topics being useful, especially in marketing.
“I think it was a very cool thing that has mostly been overrun by spammers and irreverent and usually irrelevant memes,” Brooks says. “Occasionally I’ll find a breaking news story that way.”
When asked if he would recommend trying to get a business to use trending topics as a means of advertising, he says he would not. “There may have been a time that this was effective, but for most small businesses trying to ‘catch the wave’ of a trending topic [that] has very little import, and trying to start your own, can be insanely difficult,” Brooks says, adding that trending topics could be an indicator of customer satisfaction, but it should be treated as one of many.
“I wouldn’t bet my business on trending topics,” Brooks says. “Twitter, like the blogosphere before it, tends to be a bit of an echo chamber. It’s a very slim, technologically savvy audience, and not always representative of the nation, or the world, as a whole.”
Rebecca Henely is a freelance writer and journalist based in New Jersey.
Comscore’s Gift to Web Publishers: (Almost) Free Traffic
By: mediamemo.allthingsd.com
Hey Web publishers! Want to boost your traffic overnight? Talk to Comscore, which is handing out millions of unique visitors
Integration and Analytics: The Online Shopper’s Best Friends
By: ecommercetimes.com
Are your company’s technology investments paying off? If you’re not sure, now is the time to consider how well your applications are integrated and whether you’re taking full advantage of your analytics capabilities.
The Five Biggest Mistakes in Measuring Social Media
By: clickz.com
I know: You feel like you’re already taking social media seriously. You’re Tweeting and posting, blogging and following. You’ve got accounts on every site that allows you to share and you’ve got them all linked together. You’re out there and you’re social. Big deal.
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