Marketing guru Johnny Vulkan gives Business Week the view from the US.
1. Radiohead “Name your own price” download. Although only a few bands can replicate this model, Radiohead’s experiment suggests there are other viable ways to promote and distribute music.
2. Open application development on Facebook. A bold move that allowed others to develop applications for Facebook and take the advertising revenue linked to their application.
3. Community calls the shots on Facebook. Not all advertising is welcome on Facebook – particularly when it comes to sharing information. The recently announced Beacon advertising model was quickly modified after negative feedback from the community.
4. Halo 3. The biggest entertainment blockbuster in the world is not a movie but a video game. On its first day it grossed $170 million, reaching $300 million by the end of the first week.
5. Hulu, Joost and what comes next. Still in beta, Hulu.com is the latest experiment in gaining access to content. With high quality video and very limited commercial interruption, we’ll quickly discover 24 is actually more like 16 hours.
4. Monocle. Tyler Brûlé continues to prove there is new life in traditional media such as magazines. It’s not only aesthetically different but Brûlé and his team have managed to create compelling new ways to integrate advertisers – such as with their anime comic.
5. Ebbsfleet United FC. A soccer team owned and managed by more than 50,000 fans who signed up and paid $70 each to take part. Grassroots activism that has attracted sponsorship from the likes of EA Sports and Eurostar.
6. Blendtec. The in-house marketing team started posting videos of their blenders shredding household objects in late 2006. The launch of the iPhone – and its obliteration in a blender – then turned a viral campaign into a money maker.
7. Twitter. A service that delivers bite-sized chunks of daily life from anyone who cares to post. You can follow your friends, peek at what Darth Vader is up to, or find out when airline tickets are going for a discount.
8. São Paulo stops advertising. After a unanimous vote in December 2006, a law that banned all outdoor advertising in São Paulo came into effect in 2007. Citing billboards and buses emblazoned with ads as a “blight” on the city, the action has certainly sparked debate.
9. Dove and Dove vs Axe. Another insightful new film from Dove repeated last year’s result of getting people to see Dove as campaigning for a more genuine and empathetic portrayal of women. However, work that is described by many as objectifying women from sibling brand Axe has critics calling out Unilever for trying to play both sides of a game.
10. Samsung charging stations. For anyone who has ever needed to recharge their laptop or phone at an airport comes this “branded utility” from Samsung. Taking advertising and making it into something useful may be a trend for the future.
Smart Company is a sister publication to The Mandarin, catering to Australia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers.
