According to this article, the idea for Clerk Dogs started at Empire Video where Skorman asked customers one question “Name a movie you’ve seen in the past that you’re in the mood for something similar tonight.” This question is not only the foundation for the business, but it is also the key to Clerk Dogs competitive advantage. According to Skorman “We knew more about them [customers] than Netflix could ever know, because we knew exactly what they were in the mood for at that moment.” This knowledge was then translated onto the Web but the recommendations have been created by video store clerks, not by a computer algorithm.

Using screen shots, I’ve shown how the Clerk Dogs system solves the question of what movie to rent:

1. Think of the genre that you are interested in and type in a movie that you enjoyed from the same genre. For instance I am in the mood for a suspense film so I type in “The Departed,” a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson.

2. The system then populates a list of movies about movies that match your original pick based on “Movie DNA.” In the case of “The Departed” the criteria used to evaluate the recommendations were: Suspense, Character Depth, Violence, Action and Fast Pace. The “Clerks’ Pick” is the movie that best matches this criteria. Using my example, “Eastern Promises” was the best recommendation. This movie-matching software also lets users adjust the criteria. If I want another suspense movie along the same lines as “The Departed” but something more fast-paced, Clerk Dogs recommended the movie “Stander” with Thomas Jane, Dexter Fletcher.

Skorman’s revenue is streaming from advertising, commission when people rent a movie based on Clerk Dogs’ recommendation and licensing the technology to other websites. Clerk Dogs has already struck up a partnership with Amazon so perhaps a similar book-matching tool is in the works. This site is currently in its beta phase so I will be interested to see if this human knowledge transfer from behind the cash register to online will start to change the way we structure subjective rating systems. Will the computer algorithm model be abandoned?

Soliciting comments or reviews to rate products or services is not a novel idea. What makes Clerk Dogs different is the fact that it has the ability to take an experience that you (the customer) enjoyed and make recommendations, some of which you may not have come across on your own. Not only that, but these recommendations are coming from a source that is knowledgeable about the content and uses relevant decision criteria. Aside from books and movies, this matching-system could be applied to the food or restaurant industry where a group of food critics are the human knowledge pool or the travel industry using globe-trotting gurus as the knowledge base.

I think this part of the progression for customer recommendation websites. Web 1.0 consisted of sites that published a list based on one or two expert recommendations, the first half Web 2.0 saw websites open the forum and allow users to rate and review hotels, movies, books etc… and finally the second half of Web 2.0 is marrying user participation with a pool of expert knowledge in the field. This is essentially customizing customer recommendations. Instead of customers sifting through reviews and ratings trying to find people who are similar to themselves, this system builds off of a previous, positive experience. Granted there are many more variables to consider when choosing a hotel half-way around the world than a movie to rent on Friday night, but Clerk Dogs is building the foundation for other systems to take this idea and apply it to their own business. What is your take on this matching model? Is it a blockbuster or box-office flop?

Shopping on your computer while watching television not long ago thought to be at the cutting edge of the cultural and technological movement is now passé. To satisfy the demands of the Net Gen we must now be able to instantaneously purchase the products placed in our favorite shows right through the television, all the while having the ability to control and view our home TV in real time through our smartphones and laptops. Making all of this possible are two new technology heavy-hitters; Backchannel Media and the increasingly popular SlingBox by SlingMedia, two companies that are helping to blur the lines between television and the Internet.

If you haven’t heard of Backchannel Media you’re not alone, but my bet is that you’re going to start to hear a lot more about it. Currently the company offers its service for free, and suggests that it can be set up, in “about as long as it takes to register for an e-newsletter”. The way it works is that by registering your digital cable box via the serial number, the service can then interact freely with your digital television. What exactly does it do you ask, well essentially what the service does is create an online portal that corresponds with your television viewing profile, and allows you to interact with effects within the televised programming that may be of interest to you. For instance, a viewer watching their favorite sitcom may be interested in a Dell computer shown on-screen, if there is an online sale at Dell’s website, the service will display a small icon with the computer. If the icon is selected the sale’s homepage will be saved to the viewer’s corresponding portal so that they can shop for laptops at their earliest convenience. Similarly, while watching a newscast, a viewer could choose to select an information icon to have articles pertaining to that news story saved directly to their portal for more information on the topic (see image below).

Where once we could rely on television as a brainless, pacifying form of entertainment, the cries of the Net Gen for better, faster, more interactive have created an entire secondary market of products that have turned a traditional medium into an all encompassing entertainment superpower. Companies like Backchannel Media and SlingMedia have turned the once modest television into an interactive, mobile, and multi-tasking medium, giving it new life among an increasingly demanding generation of consumers.

The following is my analysis on why “Lost in America” didn’t achieve the desired YouTube fanfare that AT&T was hoping for.

1. These videos seemed too much like an infomercial. Within the first 90 seconds the cell phones are introduced in such a way that makes it appear like a blatant attempt at product placement. If people skip commercials on TV, why would they watch a 7 minute commercial on their computer? “Meet the Beckers” was intelligent because it let the story and the characters sell the brand, they didn’t include obnoxious scenes of the car driving down a country lane. Not only does the obvious use of product placement seem forced and out of context, but the premise of the story is as thin as floss; how many people do you know get lost in a major city with an entire camera crew following them?
2. The characters are almost impossible to relate to, but even worse than that, you don’t even want to relate to them. Part of what made “Meet the Beckers” so successful was the fact that you wanted to be like the brother who drove the Audi. He was young, successful and respectable. These girls come across as ignorant and unintelligent at one point exclaiming “I don’t even know what a caribou is!” Aside from a small niche market of 15-year old girls, Justine and Karen don’t appeal to many demographics. Who wants to be associated with a girl yelling “Here moose-ey, moos-ey, moose-ey” into a bush located in urban Alaska?
3. AT&T contradicts themselves. One of the challenges for Justine and Karen was to find a place in Anchorage, Alaska where they got “full-bar service.” Now, I’m not a geography major but I happen to know that Anchorage, Alaska is not exactly in the middle of nowhere. Shouldn’t AT&T be promoting the fact that they get full-bar service in any location?
4. It’s not engaging. After watching Episode 1 “The Drop Off” I had no desire to tune into episodes 2-11. I wasn’t compelled to research for more information about the phone and I certainly wasn’t interested in buying one. Is it because I am not in AT&T’s target market? Perhaps, but after receiving a mere 31,000 views across YouTube, MySpace and four other websites I would be inclined to suggest that others may feel the same way. It is also important to note, that Justine posted six of the eleven episodes on her site (iJustine) which accounted for 20,000 of those views. I think one of the main problems for AT&T was that they tried to dress up a traditional telephone commercial (albeit a very long commercial) in viral clothing by incorporating two Internet stars. This differs from “Meet the Beckers” where Audi clearly deviated from the traditional car commercial, going as far as showing competitors vehicles for the same length of time as the Audi. A better idea might have been to give one girl the new AT&T phone and give the other girl a phone from a competing company and show which one has more accurate GPS service, easier keyboard to type on, takes better pictures, drops less calls etc.. Or even take a page from Audi’s book and use characters to represent competing brands and make the phone a secondary focus.

There are multiple avenues that companies can use to help create effective Internet campaigns but inserting two web-stars into a poorly written and executed Internet video series does not make for a successful viral campaign.

• Highlighting a social agenda and reinforcing the idea “we do meaningful work”
• Give Net Geners the opportunity to drive the business
• Connect generations across the company: Boomers to Xers to Net Geners
• Recognition; highlight employee achievements (not necessarily with monetary awards)

Always on the lookout for businesses that illustrate ideas in action I came across 504ward. Their mission is to keep the young talent in New Orleans (504 is the city area code). If companies in healthy, balanced economic regions are experiencing difficulties in retaining their Net Gen talent, these challenges are amplified in regions where a great disparity between the socio-economic classes exists. The following is an excerpt from how 504ward came into existence and their social-based mission statement:

In early 2008, following an independent consulting firm’s assessment of the unique challenges and opportunities facing New Orleans, Leslie Jacobs, a local venture philanthropist, spearheaded the 504ward movement to engage the young movers and shakers who are arriving in New Orleans with dual aspirations of sparking social change and advancing their careers.

Representatives from a broad spectrum of New Orleans organizations have united to address the issues pertinent to this 23-35 year-old dynamic: career prospects, social engagement, and opportunity for community impact.

An initiative of The Idea Village, 504ward was developed in collaboration with our partner organizations to retain the New Orleans “Vanguards,” those brave enough to see an opportunity and crazy enough to lunge for it. It is our belief that this generation is capable of delivering social and economic change, and we are committed to making New Orleans the hub of opportunity.

Join the Movement. Our mission is to engage and retain New Orleans’ best and brightest: the talented and ambitious young people like you, people committed to working hard, playing harder, and giving back to a community with so much to offer.

Clearly highlighted by the ambitious mission statement, 504ward encourages young people to embrace a social agenda by re-building a community that has been devastated by both natural and economic disasters. Another initiative undertaken by 504ward in conjunction with businesses in the New Orleans area is the $100,000 Business Competition for entrepreneurs with “business ideas that retain and engage the 23-35 year old demographic in New Orleans.” The competition closes on December 4, and the winning entrepreneur will be selected from a group of 5 finalists to be determined, in part, by an audience of 23-35 year olds in New Orleans region. Certainly a way to let Net Geners drive the business process, wouldn’t you say?

Geared towards retaining and engaging the Net Geners, the 504connect program emphasizes the importance of fostering connectivity across generational lines. The idea is to connect “seasoned pros” with young, ambitious professionals in New Orleans and create a learning environment where the veterans share experiences, knowledge and provide career guidance to the up-and-coming leaders. The ultimate goal of this program is to turn six degrees of separation into two and help erase the generational divide which can hinder business improvement or limit business success.

504ward’s Talent Profiles is a place that recognizes one “young New Orleans cultural rock star” each week. This Talent Profile shines the spotlight on a member of the New Orleans vanguard community and the contributions that he/she made in order to make a difference in New Orleans. Take for instance this week’s cultural rock star, Will Donaldson. He is president of the Tulane Entrepreneurs Association which hosts business workshops and sponsors business competitions that award $20,000 grants for workable social and business enterprises.

Born of necessity, New Orleans has pioneered an initiative to retain and develop young talent in a community that has faced considerable adversity. With an ever increasing level of global mobility among business people, and a giant chasm separating generations in the workforce I believe the value of such an initiative will continue to grow. Developing a talented group of emerging young people requires not only commitment on their part, but on the part of established generations as well. Bridging this generational gap is vital to preserving existing skill-sets and knowledge, while such collaboration also augments the business community with fresh thinking and new ideas. Adversity or not, it’s easy to see how such an endeavor would benefit any community, and I believe it’s only a matter of time before others stand up and take notice of what is going on in the 504.

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“The sound is converted into a digital file and sent to Google’s services, which try to determine the words spoken and pass them along to the Google search engine. The search results, which may be displayed in just seconds on a fast wireless network, will at times include local information, taking advantage of iPhone features that let it determine its location… The service can be used to get restaurant recommendations and driving directions, look up contacts in the iPhone’s address book or just settle arguments in bars.”

Drawing from their vast experience as the leading Internet search-engine, Google’s voice application provides greater accuracy and depth then fellow competitors – Microsoft Tellme service which is limited to specific categories and Yahoo’s oneSearch which lacks accuracy.

Now what kind of dominant force would Google be if they only offered it as an iPhone application? Fear not Blackberry users, because even before the voice search application hits the iStore, they are already developing ways to make this technology free for a number of different devices.

Not only does this search function make answering questions easier and somewhat surreal (seems like Snow White’s Mirror on the Wall became reality in the form of an iPhone) but it also has some major implications for advertisers as well. Let’s say there is Bettello’s Pizzeria on one side of Main Street and Da Silva’s Pizza on the other. They both target the same customers and sell their pizza for the same price. Using this new iPhone application, location-based queries become the battle-field for competing businesses. If a hungry group of teenagers are strolling down the street and one member of the group uses their iPhone to search for the closest pizzeria obviously I have a vested interest (read I would pay Google money) to ensure that Bettello’s Pizzeria will be listed first for Pizza in the Main Street location. Fielding over 240 million search queries per day Google can turn almost any location-based question into an advertising opportunity. The question isn’t when will Google start selling these ads, it is how much will businesses be willing to pay for that number one spot?

The Prince’s Youth Business International (YBI) is an international network of programs that help disadvantaged young people to become entrepreneurs by providing business mentoring and funds. Our network comprises 38 locally based, independent initiatives that adopt the YBI model to meet national needs and conditions. Each local program operates on three common principles: they support young people, typically aged between 18-30, who have a good business idea but who cannot obtain help elsewhere; they provide access to start-up funds in the form of a loan without the need for guarantees or collateral; and they provide the young entrepreneur with a volunteer business mentor and access to business networks. Our goal is to build the size and the capabilities of the network to enable the program to help more young entrepreneurs start their own business. The YBI network has helped to start over 90,000 successful new businesses which in turn have provided employment to hundreds of thousands of others. In 2007 the YBI network helped over 6,300 new entrepreneurs, achieving a three-year annual growth rate of 37%. YBI is part of a group of 20 not-for-profit organizations of which The Prince of Wales is President. YBI was founded in 1999 and became an independent organization in 2008.

For those that hold the view that the Net Generation is comprised of video-game addicts that mooch off their parents, the stories of these young entrepreneurs is truly inspiring. Take for instance the story of winner Ramu Uyyala, a manufacturer from India. His business (M.R. Plastics) uses recyclable plastic bags to make new bags. From an initial start-up loan of $1,000.00 (USD) in 2005, Ramu’s business produced a net profit of almost $8,000 in 2007 and has grown so quickly that he now provides employment for 40 staff, some of whom are marginalized women. To read more about Ramu and other youth entrepreneurs from around the world, click here.

Although this strays from my usual discussions about marketing in a Web 2.0 world, these young entrepreneurs and the YBI program that supports them, definitely deserve recognition for the positive impact they are making. With the potential for such economically uncertain times ahead, knowing that bright young minds such as these are receiving the help they need in order to create sustainable and beneficial enterprises for themselves and their communities is a comforting thought. If you or anyone you know is aware of someone who may be eligible for such an award, I encourage you to visit the site for further information.

After watching the clip there are two quotes that stick out as having provided some great insight into HP’s future direction:

“Brands are not defined today by campaigns but by the consumer ecosystems we nurture to support them”

“When you look at your customer service, the digital strategy can play an incredible role and in fact what I think and what we have seen is that it can actually be much more effective….We know of communities that have existed on their own as a social community around HP are actually solving customer service issues for HP customers better than at times some of our own service department people. So you can have more accuracy within this community, bring efficiency into the process of the operation and actually be more effective….I do believe it is a digital strategy that should exist across the operations of a company and not just in marketing and communications.”

It is evident that HP not only promotes consumer feedback and the creation of social networks around its product lines but it actually listens to what consumers are saying, which in turn creates a win-win situation for the both consumers and the company. As outlined by Mendenhall, it creates an entire process that becomes more efficient and effective –by using the information gleaned from these social communities to help correct consumer problems the first time they occur. This results happy HP users and a customer service department that isn’t laden with call-backs and complaints about the same problem. The positive customer experience that follows translates into positive word-of-mouth and ultimately creates a stronger brand. As HP has learned, it doesn’t necessarily matter what HP’s marketing campaign says about their brand, it matters what a trusted and influential source (friends, neighbours, digital communities) has to say about the brand. It is the old marketing rule dressed up in digital clothing; listen to your customers, apply the information they provide, create a satisfied consumer base. This may seem simple or straightforward but more often than not companies fail to see the value provided. Some companies aren’t aware that social networks about their brand even exist let alone use the information to improve their service and even worse some companies create social networks around their brand as if to say “we’re doing something digital” and then ignore any consumer-generated ideas. Companies like this invariably believe that they better understand their brand than does the customer. In other instances, customer suggestions make it inside the company boardroom but they either get lost in translation or because they don’t fit with the current strategy they are cast aside.

Hats off to HP for making the effort to actually listen to their customers, perhaps other companies can take a (digital) page from HP’s playbook, or else risk alienating clients and eroding brand value. In an era when existing and potential clients can connect with one another in ways never seen before, ignoring these influential, digital communities is a risky business practice for firms seeking to remain at the forefront of their industry.

In late September Audi released a three minute video clip introducing us to the eclectic Becker family as they prepare for their annual Thanksgiving festivities. The idea behind this Internet video campaign was for Audi to portray the stereotypical driver of each of their competitors as a dysfunctional family member.

Let’s meet the family:

Marcus Becker is the old, wealthy father who drives the Mercedes. His favorite pastimes are “scotch followed by golf, followed by more scotch”

Louis Becker is the socially awkward older brother who chauffeurs his family around in a Lexus SUV. “Risks are just something Louis never takes”

Billy Becker is the rude, immature brother who weaves in and out of traffic in his BMW. “Billy’s days begin with Redbull, Advil and closing deals on his Bluetooth”

Jason Becker is the youngest brother of the Becker kin who drives the Audi and “he’s always been the closest resemblance to normalcy”

Why I think this works: Instead of showing me a standard car commercial and telling me that Audi Model XYZ has more cup holders than its competitors it has given me a character to associate with each brand. The first time I watched the video I was surprised at how Audi allotted roughly the same amount of time to showing me their car as they did to showing me the cars of their competitors. It seems somewhat counterintuitive – free publicity for competing brands is generally something an advertiser would want to avoid rather than encourage. But when you put a little more thought into it you begin realize they didn’t want you to necessarily remember what the car looked like but they wanted you to remember what character drives what car. For many, image is a significant factor in determining what vehicle to purchase, especially in the luxury car market. Do you want your car to say that you are stogy and outdated or obnoxious and reckless? Of course not, you want to be seen as young, successful and responsible, meaning you want to be like Jason driving the Audi. It is also important to look at the target market for this ad campaign. Jason is part of the Net Generation, by releasing Internet video advertisements, Audi is capturing a large portion of its intended audience for an extended period of time, a rare feat in the world of the impatient, click through, fast forward Net Gener.

My questions: If Audi is strictly targeting the Net Geners are they mistakenly ostracizing Gen X and the Boomers? If you exclude these generations from your market you are also excluding their deep pockets and financial stability. Or is this to be seen as a ‘hats off’ to the successful Net Generation, telling us that Audi thinks we should be invited to the world of luxury cars that was previously dominated by Gen X and Boomers? Although I can’t be sure I’d be inclined to suggest that they are staking their claim in a generation that will soon have the most spending power and influence in the market.

Audi recently released the second episode in the “Meet the Beckers” series which is a continuation of the story about Thanksgiving at the Becker household. This ad campaign definitely quirky but I can’t contest its ability to make me remember the brand. Even after watching the video the first time I was able to recall image associated with Audi and each of its competitors. The idea of making a commercial into a series of viral videos is also a unique way to capture the attention of your audience because it creates a story-like setting where the viewer (such as myself) wants to know what will happen with Jason and his crazy family.

But what do you think? Is Audi’s new way of advertising going to change car commercials targeted at the Net Gen or is it something that is just too weird to catch on?

“The Obama campaign has released an application for the iPhone that cleverly sorts your address book, prioritizing which friends you should call to convince them to vote Obama.  (“Call Friends” sorts your friends by how close the race is in that state. So you can call your Ohio friends or Missouri friends and not bother with your California or NY friends.)  It’s a smart marrying of the fact that friends are much more likely to convince friends politically, coupled with the technology that helps you to easily see where your social networks may make the most political difference given battleground states and the electoral map.  The ‘Get Involved’ Button uses GPS to help you find the closest Obama campaign headquarters.

Another interesting part of the application is that it shows how many calls you have made using this application and how many have been made nation-wide, enabling one to feel a growing sense of momentum and part of a larger national cause.  (The software doesn’t transmit who you called, but records the number of calls made with the application so they can centrally keep track.)”

Apart from being a brilliant campaign tactic I can see this application being used outside of the political arena. I agree with the blog posting in that your friends are some of the most influential people in your social network. It is a relationship founded on the basis of trust and as such their opinions, recommendations or warnings carry a lot of weight. Would you eat at a restaurant where a friend said the food was terrible? Probably not, but you might be willing to try a product or rent a movie that came with a positive recommendation from the same individual. Marketers are constantly searching for new ways to convince people to test their products or switch from a competing brand and I think teamed with the right business this iPhone application could make a powerful impact. For instance, if this application could sync with my iTunes it would know who my favorite bands or musicians are based on the music I’ve purchased. Using this information it could notify me when a certain band or artist is performing in my area. That way if Coldplay was coming to town the application would inform me of the concert date and where I could purchase tickets. It could also prioritize my friends using the band’s concert schedule so I could call my friend Lauren in Boston and my cousin Murray in Seattle to let them know Coldplay would be performing in their town and encourage them to purchase tickets. It isn’t difficult to see why bands would want to support this application and have fans contacting fans from coast to coast sharing information and encouraging faster ticket sales. Prioritizing your contact list using geographic locations could also be an application that travel websites could use to entice users with discounted airfare. If this application was sponsored by Expedia or Travelocity it could tell me when there is a cheap flight to visit Kyle who goes to school in Madrid or Iris who lives in Paris. This Smartphone application has created the ultimate ripple effect in the sense that you aren’t just telling me about a concert, you are also using my relationships to notify my circle of friends. I’ve merely scratched the surface of how this application could provide some great word-of-mouth advertising or promote information-sharing across the globe but I’d love to hear some suggestions or ideas on where you think the iPhone could take this application.

I stumbled across a site called xtimelines, which is basically a place where people can create their own timelines (about almost any topic) and open them up to the public so more points along the line can be added or false information can be altered or removed (in true wiki style). The timeline can belong to different groups (e.g. Starbucks belongs to the fast food and multinational corporations groups) and under each timeline there is space set up like a Facebook wall for people to comment about the topic. Each point along the line is linked to another window which provides people with additional information about the event, for instance, on the McDonalds timeline if you click on the point that reads “Big Mac comes out in a big way” a new window opens and explains all you ever needed to know about the Big Mac (as seen below).

Topics range from biographies, “The Life of Barack Obama” and “The Life of John McCain” are some of the most popular timelines, to historical achievements, “History of the Airplane”, to organizations including the “Timeline of Facebook.com”. The fact that the information is presented in such a concise manner makes it appealing to even the most time sensitive reader. It is at times like this (no pun intended, of course) that I wish xtimelines had been around for me when all those high school projects required me to write a biography or report on a key historical event. Whether you are interested in the history of the Internet, Britney’s latest breakup or Google’s rise to the top, xtimelines is definitely a site worth taking the time (I’m sorry I couldn’t resist) to check out.

So how does it work, you ask? The site allows would be site developers to post a link to their website as well as a slogan up to 120 words and a 300 word description of the sites functionality. Also required are an explanation of why you think the site is the next “big thing”, as well as information about the creator, any funding received, the number of employees currently working on the site, whether the site has generated any revenues to date, and whether or not the developer is seeking investors. The administrators of KillerStartups.com will then select up to 15 sites per day which will be posted on the site and open for review. Reviewing the site is left up to internet users who give the site a numerical score as well as listing commentary and criticism.

Though the premise behind KillerStartups.com is quite clever, I find it wanting in terms of the actual commentary being put forth by users, which to this point seems overly simple and often lacking constructive information. Typical is feedback along the lines of, “I loved it”, or “A cool networking site”, which is important in that it relays that the site is being well received, however it provides the developer little with which they can use to improve the design or usability of their site. However, having your site posted on KillerStartups.com is a win no matter what the rated feedback, as any manner of exposure for a fledgling site can be beneficial, simply put, the more hits received, the better.

So were I to encounter the site posted on itself my rating would have to be as follows, “An excellent concept that fosters a collaborative online community, and seeks to create an environment where parties come together to shape the online landscape today and tomorrow. However, more rigid standards for online rating would ensure that feedback received is both relevant and constructive and not simply an all encompassing statement like, ‘way cool’ or ‘needs work’”. The idea behind the site is for developers to find out exactly what needs work, or what makes the site way cool, but the simple fact that KillerStartups.com exists is a positive step toward the increasingly collaborative vision of Web 2.0.

As a competitive person I was intrigued by the idea that you could play against other viewers for points and prizes by answering questions about a live television show. Throughout the week I thought about testing tvClickr on a show that I was already familiar with (such as Greys Anatomy) but I decided that my review might be a little biased because I was already engaged by the show and not necessarily by the application. Instead, I opted for a show that I don’t normally watch to see if my attention waivered or if I stayed focused on the show. Enter the test subject: The Amazing Race.

The application is straight forward and easy to use. First, you log into Facebook and add the tvClickr application. Next, you choose the television show that you want to participate in, and finally, you tune into the program on TV. Before the show even starts you get to answer Prediction Questions about what you think will happen during the episode. As soon as the show started questions began to pop up on the top of my screen. For a typical multiple-choice Trivia Question such as “How old is Bill?” you are given a minute to answer. For each extra second that you take to answer the question the maximum point-value you can be awarded decreases by one. For me, the first few questions were a way to feel out the game but as the episode progressed I was really trying to beat the clock in order to get the most points.

As you can see from the screen shot below there is a leader board that shows the individuals who have the top-ten scores and a discussion board, set up like a chat room, where viewers can make comments throughout the show about the contestants or other viewers that you are playing against. Each time the system uploads the correct answer to a question, your score automatically changes to reflect your answer and the leader board is updated. Since I was a newcomer I didn’t expect to do very well but at one point I was in second place and I found myself trying to catch as much detail from the show as I could in order to answer the questions correctly.

Using tvClickr I found that I was more engaged in the program than I would have been had I just tuned in on television. It appealed to my sense of competition and I enjoyed multi-tasking- focusing on both the television and the computer at the same time. By the end of the show I knew most of the contestant’s names and some additional information such as their hometown, age, or the name of the university they attend. Playing along also let me learn more about the show itself, such as how many Emmy nominations it had, its terminology/jargon, and when certain rules apply. I should also point out that I didn’t reach for the remote once during the broadcast. The hour long show passed very quickly and I think this can be attributed to interaction that NanoGaming provides during commercial breaks. Instead of flipping through channels or getting a snack, you are participating by making predictions, answering polling questions or chatting with the other viewers on the discussion board. As a form of advertisement I think tvClickr/NanoGaming would be a great alternative to explore as opposed to traditional, non-interactive media. I was so engrossed in the application I found that I could recall some of the advertisements I saw, even a day later. For instance, I could tell you that Apple sponsored this show and there was a chance to win a free iPod Nano. How many people can remember the advertisements they saw last night while watching regular television?

Moving forward, I would expect that tvClickr will continue to grow in popularity amongst the Net Generation as a way to enhance the traditional television experience. However, given the wide variety of program offerings (including Presidential debates) there is the opportunity to capture a much broader Facebook audience such as Generation X, or perhaps even the Boomers.

Overall, I think tvClickr is a great way to participate in your favorite television programs. Since my last blog post, over 2000 new members have joined, bringing the total member base of tvClickr to over 10,000 users. After using this application my recommendation would be to choose a show that you are familiar with because some of the questions are related to past seasons which can be difficult to answer if you are a new viewer. Secondly, I would urge people to throw down the proverbial gauntlet to their Facebook friends in the spirit of competition to prove once and for all who the resident House expert is.

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This system is based on LiveHive’s idea of NanoGaming; fear not because prior to writing this blog I was not familiar with the details of NanoGaming either, so I have included a brief summary taken from LiveHive’s website to explain the basic process:

How NanoGaming™ Works

Behind the rich NanoGaming experience is a very sophisticated combination of technology, people and processes. All players need to experience NanoGaming is a TV, computer and an Internet connection. When their favorite show is about start, players go to their NanoGaming site of choice and select “Play Now”. Players choose their show from the “Events” list, and when the event begins, so does NanoGaming.

• The Control Center translates game-state information into relevant prediction propositions and automatically generates context-sensitive odds for each event or “NanoEvent”.  This information is sent to the Fantasy Site and available outcome possibilities are then broadcasted to all NanoGaming players. Players make their predictions on the presented outcome possibilities. Some examples of possible questions include: Predictions, which ask fans to predict the outcome of future television events during an episode, such as “How many yards will the next pass be?” or “What will Simon say about Jordin’s Performance?” Trivia questions, which test fans’ knowledge of a show and its contestants, such as “What is this contestant’s home town?” or “Who was last year’s winner?” Instant recall challenges, which require fans to recall specific events that occurred in the current episode, such as “What did the judges say about the last contestant’s performance?” or “What color were the contestant’s shoes in the last scene?”
• The outcome of the event is determined by operators at the Control Center and then broadcasted directly to the player.
• All player points are updated and players are notified of their win/loss in a matter of seconds.
• NanoGaming also provides the opportunity for social interaction between viewers. This can take the form of chatting or polling during a live episode. Here, the viewers create content and conversations relevant to the show they are currently watching on TV.

Using NanoGaming, LiveHive is essentially creating a new environment for the television viewer. The shift from traditional one-way communication is underway as this Waterloo based firm promises to take viewers (and advertisers) to a place where the viewer can now actively engage with the program, ultimately creating a stronger connection. NanoGaming is more than just a fun way for the viewer to become involved, it also introduces opportunities to create a more effective advertising campaign than traditional television commercials offer. By sponsoring NanoGaming sites, firms can access audiences from some of the highest rated TV shows (such as the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards) and because TV and Internet are combined, consumers’ levels of attention, association and recall are increased. Consider the following statistic pulled from LiveHive’s website:

80 percent of NanoGamers reveal that NanoGaming would decrease the amount of channel surfing that they would do while watching an NFL game.

So not only are viewers actively engaging with programs, but with the help of NanoGaming are also less likely to stray during commercials, while also cultivating greater levels of advertising recall. Increased loyalty, greater recall, and voluntary engagement in advertising; clearly broadcasting stations and advertisers alike recognize the potential of this technology in capturing an increasingly fickle audience.

NanoGaming is also a useful tool for collecting market research. It gives advertisers access to individual player demographics, behavior, playing habits and preferences. This valuable information can then be used to correctly match the marketing message, approach, ad placement, and products featured with the most responsive market segment(s).

Last week LiveHive Systems announced a major update to its Facebook application tvClickr. This application is built on the NanoGaming platform which lets viewers interact with each other as they watch a program live on television, and is available exclusively to the Facebook community. This application is developing a strong following, with over 8,000 monthly users and was recently featured in a Tech Crunch article

New to the world of NanoGaming, I have decided to add the tvClickr application to my Facebook profile and test it over the next week while I tune into my favorite TV shows. I look forward to writing a follow-up blog next week to review my tvClickr experience. For anyone who has tried NanoGaming or tvClickr I encourage you to post your thoughts and comments about this new way of watching television and the state of “Advertising 2.0”.

In search of an anthem, CBC looked to the best possible source….hockey fans themselves, launching “Canada’s Hockey Anthem Challenge.” Just to prove that Canada is the hockey nation, even in the middle of the summer, hockey fans from across the country rose to the challenge, with more than 14,000 submissions received by the August 31 deadline. 

The anthem challenge website (http://anthemchallenge.cbc.ca/home) has a video gallery where visitors can browse through the songs and post comments. As a traditionalist it is hard to envision another song playing when the puck drops, but I have to admit that some of the submissions could really give Hockey Night in Canada a fresh, new image.  From a marketing standpoint, the comments people post are just as interesting as the songs themselves. It is evident that the musical talent of the song is not the only criteria people use to judge each entry. For instance people judge how it fits the Canadian hockey spirit, and its ability to evoke feelings of patriotism and enthusiasm. Here are some of the comments I read while browsing through the submissions:

This is Canada’s next “second national anthem.” 5 stars!

…Actually sounds like an epic battle is about to take place. Go Leafs Go!

WOW!!! What a great tune. This should 100% absolutely be the new anthem for Hockey Night in Canada. It has all of the necessary ingredients for an energy bursting, over the top adrenaline thrill ride for not only the players, but all of the fans who will be listening to this catchy tune each and every game. Finely tuned, upbeat, rhythmic and a beat that carries the anthem from the first measure to the end, this song is defenitely, positively red line adrenaline. Hockey Night in Canada, let’s play.

…I will admit I liked the original Hockey Night in Canada theme, and really didn’t like the idea of it changing, but this I could definitly see as the new theme. well done

This isn’t the first time that a company has engaged the public in order to create attention around a product or brand. Last year Smarties asked Canadian candy-eaters to help them design a new package, and in the same year Heinz Ketchup challenged Americans to “make the next great Heinz Ketchup commercial.” By leveraging the creative talent of the public, companies are able to build excitement around their brand while receiving a great advertisement in the end…essentially creating a win-win situation. Given the success of these contests, and the strong response generated by the anthem challenge, I think that companies will continue to use this type strategy in the future as a way to foster brand loyalty.

For those that want to be a part of hockey history but didn’t get the opportunity to enter a jingle, I encourage you to vote online for your favourite anthem. The winner will be revealed on October 11, which is the official start to the 2008-2009 NHL season. This contest has encouraged participation from hockey fans across the league, and as a result, I think CBC has scored a winning goal with the Canadian public.