Friday's Video Views

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Trend Search

If search is your thing, you'd be hard-pressed to find two more in-the-know folks than Danny Sullivan and Matt Cutts. Here's a clip of the two of them talking trends in search. (Hey, where's my pal Lee Odden?) HT @kevinokeefe via Search Engine Land.




Dreams of BMW

We all know how great advertising creative can give a campaign added PR and social media legs. Apparently the folks handling ad chores for BMW have taken the German automaker's latest creative to a new level -- inside your head. Watch the ad, close your eyes, and see a BMW logo...on the inside of your eyelids. HT to Ad Age for pointing it out.




Dueling Videos: Ad Age vs. AdWeek

PR peeps have certainly endured their share of abuse over the years. The following two videos use animation to amusingly expose the hackneyed hyperbole many PR types continue to foist upon those they hope to engage. The first is from Ad Age's David Teicher (aka @aerocles), the second from AdWeek's Ed Mundlee. I gather those two leading trade publications have endured an inordinate share of inane PR pitches?

How to Make a Viral Video...Not



Perils to Reporter, Perils of Covering Digital Media




iPhone Aria

AllThingsD's Peter Kafka tweeted our attention to this fun video of a guy singing about his iPhone. Via AllThingsD




Blackberry Blues

And while we're on the subject of mobile devices, here's a fun clip that made the rounds of the Twittersphere this week.

Yuletide Crisis Containment

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Late yesterday, a buddy in the PR biz who's worked with many accounting firms over his career drew my attention to the Wall Street Journal story on the civil suit against Ernst & Young, Lehman Bros' auditor.

The Journal piece posted on the site late yesterday afternoon, but the news leaked into the public domain at least a day earlier.

My friend thought it most unusual that E&Y had yet to publicly respond to these charges. (It since has.) I mean given all the scrutiny and scorn directed at the financial services industry these last two years, could these companies still be mired in bureaucracy, or worse, complacency when faced with a fast-developing story? (And aren't they all fast-developing nowadays?)

The idea prompted me to pop out this tweet:

@peterhimler Will Ernst & Young's silence help or hurt the accounting firm in the court of public opinion?
19 hours ago

I started thinking that perhaps Christmas Week combined with the news media's fragmentation and its ephemeral nature let Ernst & Young off the hook. Maybe this story would simply disappear as quickly as it arrived?

The company, and its astute communications chief Charlie Perkins (whom I know and like), had no such thoughts. E&Y had too many stakeholders and too high profile a former client to remain silent. The company's position ultimately appeared in The Journal's rewrite of the story:

"Ernst & Young said in a statement that there was "no factual or legal basis" to bring a claim against the firm, and that it would vigorously defend against the claims in Mr. Cuomo's lawsuit. Lehman's accounting was in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, Ernst said, and Lehman's bankruptcy "was not caused by any accounting issues."

Separately in the same news cycle, we learned of Deutsche Bank's half-billion dollar+ legal settlement for some questionable tax shelters it foisted on its customers.

A visit to the both companies' websites, however, found not a mention of these page-one stories on their respective home pages. One had to drill down to their Newsroom's news release sections to learn something from the company. Here's what we found at E&Y and at Deutsche.

Still, the question intrigues: how prominent of a position should a company take in response to a negative story when the nature of today's news media allows a story to more quickly dissipate than ever before -- even without a prominent public retort. In fact, couldn't a high profile response give these stories undesired media legs they might not have had otherwise?

The 2011 Predictions Wiki

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Every year, I attempt to aggregate some of the more noteworthy predictions for the media, PR, tech, marketing, mobile and social spheres.

Here's are my posts from 2008 "Notable 2009 Predictions" and 2009 "Desperately Seeking Social in 2010." Also, I've done my share of prognosticating. Here were my predictions from each of the last two years.

As the year of Facebook, Twitter and Wikileaks comes to a close, I thought it would be easier to set up a wiki to allow anyone to post original or curated predictions for what lies ahead. The new wiki, titled "2011 Predictions," is open to all. Simply hit Edit, enter the author's name, web or blog name, title of the post, date and link, then hit Save. Here are a few notable predictions already posted:

Peter Kim
Being Peter Kim
"Social Business Predictions 2011" (Dec. 20, 2010)

Vadim Lavrusik
Mashable
"10 Predictions for the News Media in 2011" (Dec. 20, 2011)

Nancy Weil
CIO
"10 IT-Related Predictions for 2011" (Dec. 20, 2011)

Jamie Hall
The Business Insider/Moco Space
"Five Unexpected Mobile Predictions for 2011" (Dec. 17, 2010)

Add yours here, (and thanks, in advance, for contributing).

Friday's Video Views

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Mining Twitter's Secrets

When one thinks of search, Google, Bing and Yahoo! come first to mind. In fact, whole industries have arisen for helping individuals and enterprises mine and make sense of search data, let alone the troika of popular social channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, among others. While much of one's data on Facebook remains cloistered, Twitter is an open book waiting to be read.

Our friends at Mashable offer up this useful tutorial on how to mine Twitter's rapidly growing body of real-time user-generated data. (Try to ignore the robotic voice-over.) I've used the Twitter Search function to find everything from holiday gifts to hotel deals. For other cool, useful Twitter tools, be sure to check out OneForty. (HT @jimmacmillan)




#Hashable

Using Twitter Search, we see lots of buzz around #Hashable nowadays. Good to see the always plugged-in team at AllThingsD take a peek under the hood.




Chocolate-Covered Grasshopper Spam




Resonate!

A couple of months back, I posted a round-up of books every communications professional should consider reading. On it was Nancy Duarte's "Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences." I recently had the good fortune to attend the TEDxEast conference and hear Nancy relay first-hand her POV on good story(speech)-telling. As PR pros look to distinguish themselves from other marketing professionals, the art of storytelling will be prominent among our USP. Take a look at how Nancy has cleverly dissected this vital communications art.




Translation...Evolved

Lots of late week buzz on the debut of Quest Visual's Word Lens, an app that recognizes and translates language printed anywhere (i.e., not just from a word processing app.) Interestingly, two big tech influencer media -- ReadWriteWeb and TechCrunch ballyhooed the app within hours of one another.




Nativity 2010

Out favorite gadget guy David Pogue draws our attention to a modern version of the Nativity -- one that uses the tools and channels to which every digital wayfarer has grown accustomed.




Rudolph, Put on Your Red Light

From the nativity to Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer. Yes. it's that time of year.

A Cultural Quagmire

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My wife and I took a private tour of the theaters at New York's Lincoln Center yesterday. Who knew that Rockefeller purchased all that land for just $5 million in 1956?

Today, this magnificent complex plays host to the likes of the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Vivian Beaumont Theatre and a half-dozen other esteemed cultural institutions, including the New York City Ballet where we caught a glimpse of the second act of "The Nutcracker Suite."

Nearly all are supported by private donations, and of all the funding sources, few exceed that of the second richest New Yorker (behind Mayor Mike). David Koch is the scion of Koch Industries and a major mover & shaker in New York's social circles. His name is peppered throughout the complex, but most prominently on the facade of the David H. Koch Theatre on the south side of Lincoln Center Plaza opposite the fountain.

Peter Martins, Julie Koch, David Koch (2008)

Ironically, Mr. Koch (pronounced coke) also happens to play a starring role in elevating the Tea Party and supporting many of the stealth organizations that question the science behind global warming. After all, the profits of his energy company will suffer significantly should stricter environmental regulations come to pass.

On Friday, many climate watchers thought Mr. Koch had finally come to his societal senses after a news release was issued declaring Koch Industries' intention to sever financial ties to the climate change denier organizations. Tom Zeller writes today in The New York Times "Green" blog:

"In the announcement, the company, which has is based in Wichita and has interests in everything from oil refining to carpeting to Dixie paper cups, appears to commit itself to cutting off its financing of groups like Americans for Prosperity, the Fraser Institute, the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, among others."

One problem: it was a cleverly orchestrated spoof. Koch Industries had this to say:

“This is not a Koch Industries release,” the spokeswoman, Katie Stavinoha, said in an e-mail. “We remain committed to the principled positions we have taken on a wide variety of issues.”

Talking about principles, wouldn't you think that Lincoln Center board chair Katherine Farley would consider disassociating this treasured cultural institution's good name  from a man whose extreme political leanings run counter to all it and its patrons represent and believe?

Sugar plum fairies, don't bet on it.

Koch-Martins Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Friday's Video Views

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Mason Stonewalls

On the elliptical this morning, I unplugged my iPod to watch Matt Lauer interview Groupon founder/CEO Andrew Mason "exclusively." Who knew that Chicago could produce such a d-bag! Couldn't Mr. Mason have been better prepared to answer the single most anticipated question: "Did you turn down Google's $6B offer???" It's a bit reminiscent of Mark Zuckerberg's now redeemed sweatfest on the stage with Kara and Walt, but there's a difference. Zuckerberg seemed genuinely nervous. Mason, on the other hand, seemed positively cocky, if not arrogant. This interview did not advance his company's interests, but I'll let you decide.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Denton Ignites

If you read my post from Monday, you will have seen that I missed a good chunk of BusinsInider's inaugural Ignition Conference in New York last week. I;m told that Gawker founder Nick Denton was on his game. Take a look.




A Day in the Life of Social Media

H/T to @PRsarahevans via @thenextweb (video from DBA Worldwide)

A Day in the Life of Social Media from DBA Worldwide on Vimeo.


Please Stop Using Social Media, Mom

@giorodriguez drew my attention to Social Media Addiction: Are You At Risk?




Marissa Meilleur

All the cool kids went to Loic (Seesmic) Le Meur's 2nd annual (or is it 3rd?) LeWeb conference in Paris this week. Glad to see Buddy Media' Joe Ciarallo tweet from there. (Unlikely MediaBistro was sending him.) Anyway, here's a clip featuring Google's top marketing executive de Paris. More LeWeb videos here. #




BIG DATA

@digiphile Wow. The @OReillyMedia @YouTube channel now has 4 million+ views: @EricSchmidt & @finkd at #W2S = 500k alone.

This a clip features O'Reilly research director talking about "big data." It's appearance coincides with news of O'Reilly's Strata Conference in February, the org's first looking at big data.




See Spot Die

PETA is one organization that has never shied away from controversy to make "news." From splashing blood on fur-wearing fashionistas (Didn't Harold Burson get splattered once?) to less than tasteful TV spots featuring women and vegetables. The latest comes by way of our friends at AdWeek's AdFreak blog.




Google's Zeitgeist 2010

Armed with a catchy tune, the video-minded folks at Google turned to their fave channel to post their take on the year in review. (H/T to my #2 son)

PRSA Refreshed

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I had a chance to catch up with the leadership of PRSA this week over a noisy, but superb Italian meal overlooking New York's Columbus Circle. Joining me were the organization's incoming chairperson and CEO Rosanna Fiske, president and COO Bill Murray and PR associate director Keith Trivitt whom I know from his former life toiling for my PR pal Richard Laermer.

PRSA's leaders Murray and Fiske

Here are some of the areas we covered (amidst the din of an apparently very popular New York eatery).

• What are Ms. Fiske's priorities as she prepares to take the helm as PRSA's chair and CEO?

• Is the APR designation still valid, and what value does it offer professionals?

• What does PRSA do to protect the integrity and ethics of the profession?

• What's driving the profession's robust popularity as a career choice?

• What is the organization doing to help those adversely affected by the economic downturn?

• Does PRSA condone the use of stealth advocacy groups?

• Has PR's portrayal in pop culture (reality TV series, etc.) helped or hurt the industry's reputation?

I know. The audio is not the best -- hey this was a bustling restaurant in New York's Time Warner Center -- but the conversation was a good one, and hit on some key issues affecting today's PR professional. (RT: 25 minutes)

Tech/Media Travels in NYC

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IGNITION at New York's Time-Warner Center

A flurry of client activity kept me from this space last week, and this week looks like much of the same. I did manage to slip away from my office on Friday to attend two conferences: Ketchum's Respect the Internet and Business Insider's IGNITION. The first was held on Lafayette Street off Canal, while the second, at the Time Warner Center (pictured). So glad I have Plancast.

For the Ketchum event, the agency's digital chief Jonathan Kopp and his forward-thinking colleagues pulled together a notable array of speakers by asking the question: "Is marketing ruining the Internet?" The subsequent conversations mostly revolved around "the role companies can (and should or should not) play in shaping online culture."

Smart theme given that commercial pollution of the Internet may be second only to digital privacy when it comes to compromising the safety, neutrality and utility of the Internet for years to come.

I did sit through two sessions featuring, respectively, Boing Boing founder Mark Frauenfelder, and a panel with Lilit Marcus, editor of TheGloss.com, Irin Carmon, blogger for Jezebel (who broke the Duke sexcapades story), and our old friend from Newsweek N'Gai ("en-gay") Croal, now toggling over at Edge Magazine for the gaming set.

Boing Boing founder/Make Magazine's Mark Frauenfelder

I did grab some sound with Boing Boing Mark Frauenfelder who took the stage to talk about do-it-yourselfers and his Make magazine. It was fascinating to hear how the DIY community has truly flourished due to the Internet.

What used to be the exclusive domain of the large-circ monthlies PopSci and Pop Mechanics, now has myriad new online resources to empower tinkerers to their collective hearts' delight. What's more, the Web can help take their inventions to market. (Think Etsy, and then verticalize from there.) Take a listen to Mark here. (RT 2:30 +/-)

Jezebel's Irin Carmon, Gloss.com's Lilit Marcus, Edge's N'Gai Croal

The next panel with Ms. Marcus, Ms Carmon and Mr. Croal set out to explore "gender, age and race bias in marketing, particularly around the gap between demographic perception and reality when it comes to some of the most important communities on the Web today."

I was especially enamored with Irin Carmon who talked about the editorial freedom she has at the Gawker-owned Jezebel, at least compared to the mainstream magazines of monolithic publishers Time Inc., Conde Nast etc.

She said these latter publishers "have a lot more [ad] money at stake," and therefore can't push the envelope. Of course, Time-Warmer owned TMZ.com probably is an exception to that notion. As for stories and trends, Ms. Carmon pays considerable attention to Facebook. Mr. Croal expressed some surprise that Ms. Carmon was not a gamer, while Ms. Marcus let on that she has gotten to know the online resources for the hearing impaired community given that she grew up with parents who were deaf.

I had to make a quick exit to get uptown to catch the last few sessions of Business Insider's two-day inaugural IGNITION event. Of course when I arrived, my two buddies, Beet.TV's Andy Plesser and AOL's Money & Finance's mediawatcher Jeff Bercovici, were on their way out. They told me I missed all the good stuff. Oh well. Better late than never.

Kirk McDonald, Tom Phillips, Pete Stein and Jim Spanefeller

I was able to catch some digital advertising poo-bahs reach consensus on the notion that click-throughs, as a means for measuring advertising's effectiveness, are a relic. On the panel were: Pete Stein, President, Razorfish, Tom Phillips, President & CEO, Media6Degrees and Kirk McDonald, President, Time Inc. Digital. Jim Spanfeller, Founder, Spanfeller Media Group, moderated.

I found Mr. Phillips especially tweetable, i.e., "The move toward programmatic buying of media is inexorable with the advent of better analytics." I soon realized that I met Mr. Phillips several weeks earlier. We were seated together at a breakfast at Michaels hosted by AlwaysOn's Tony Perkins.

What a career Phillips has had. I totally forgot that he was publisher of pioneering Spy Magazine alongside co-editors Graydon Carter and Kurt Anderson. We reminisced about Spy's especially sardonic editorial send-off of my first boss Bobby Zarem who actually loved the piece and merchandised it to all his friends. Before taking the helm at Media6Degrees in 2009, Phillips worked at Google.

Ogilvy's Carla Hendra

I then sat through DeepFocus's Ian Schafer's talk about his agency's work for Bing on Zynga's Farmville for which he exclaimed "Acquiring engagement through game play is work!" Ogilvy's global strategy and innovation chair Carla Hendra followed Schafer with case studies of the WPP-owned agency's work for IBM and TD Waterhouse. For those seeking how social media offers ROI in the B-to-B and financial services realms, these are excellent examples.

Bo Peabody, David Pakman, Larry Kramer, Drew Lipsher

The next panel, and last for me, featured a group of VCs talking about the next big thing. On the panel were Drew Lipsher, Principal, Greycroft Partners; David Pakman, Partner, Venrock; Bo Peabody, Co-founder and Managing General Partner, Village Ventures. The inimitable Larry Kramer, author, C-Scape; former partner, Polaris Ventures, moderated.

So glad to hear them talk about local ad tech and mobile as the hot areas right now given that two of my firm's clients happen to be squarely immersed in these spaces.



Conference Photos: Peter Himler, Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Friday's Video Views

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Meet Yammer's, I Mean Geni's David Sacks

When I saw last year that David Sacks would present at Steve Itzler's BDI Conference in New York, I signed on just to say hello. It wasn't so much for the attention Sacks has received for inventing Yammer, i.e., "Twitter for Business" (behind the firewall, as much as it was for Geni. For those not familiar with Sacks's other successful social platform, in essence it's a crowd-sourced family tree, with your family crowd members uploading all the content. Think of all those photos and VHS tapes gathering dust in drawers and boxes. So glad to see Tech Crunch TV interviewed him recently during which he said "Yammer Wasn't a Pivot and I Still Love Geni." I do too! (via Sarah Lacy)




Read Write Enterprise Tools

Not to discount Yammer, the folks at Read Write Enterprise (RWW for Business) conducted an MOS in which they asked: What Can You Do With Enterprise 2.0 Tools Today That You Couldn't Do A Year Ago?




Gawker Ups the Ante

No longer content with being just a blog, Gawker founder Nick Denton decided to reinvent the flagship site on which his blog network has been built. Lots of attention to this one including a thoughtful piece by New York Times "Bits" editor Nick Bilton who captured some quotes from Denton via IM: "Mr. Denton said over instant messaging that his primary motivation is “reader satisfaction and making the most [of] our best stories.” He believes that more important stories, which otherwise can quickly disappear into a chronological ether with the older blog format, will instead be highlighted for the duration of the news cycle."

I told Nick (via email) his piece reminded me of my work helping The New York Times announce the newspaper's foray into color...but not exactly. Here's a video clip from Lifehacker that lays out the new Gawker.




Foursquare's Gift to You

Without Dennis Crowley and his Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai, what would those of us chronicling and curating the digital, local, mobile, PR, social and marketing revolutions write about? Here's a clip via WSJ in which Mr. Selvadurai discusses Foursquare's holiday strategy (i.e., Gap) and why 4sq's singular mobile focus may give it a leg up on others. Anecdotally, I have yet to find a cultural or commercial establishment in the NY metro area that is not already on Foursquare's radar.




TWIG

Head of Google's (anti) spam team Matt Cutts visits with the always upbeat Leo Laporte, Gina Trapani and Jeff Jarvis of "This Week in Google." One topic: that much buzzed-about New York Times piece featuring that sleezy e-tailer who elicited so many negative online reviews, it actually augmented his Google juice (and SEO).




Skateistan

As Pres. Obama makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan today, master curator Guy Kawasaki and his Alltop site surprised me with this video of skateboarders in that war-ravaged country. (via Good.is)


SKATEISTAN: TO LIVE AND SKATE KABUL from Diesel New Voices on Vimeo.