“Breaking Vegas” The History Channel’s Advertgame

With the popularity of a Ben Mezrich’s 2003 book, “Bringing Down the House”, which chronicled the rise and fall of MIT’s card counting Blackjack team, and a new general interest in playing (real and virtual) card games like poker and blackjack, The History Channel developed a 14 documentary series called “Breaking Vegas”. In support of the 2006 documentary premier, The History Channel hired the India based company, GameWok to produce an advergame to help create interest for the documentary series.

“Breaking Vegas” Advergame (http://www.gamewok.com)

The “Breaking Vegas” game theme is built around a rudimentary virtual casino setting, which allows the advergame player to move from game to game and make bets. At the outset of the game, a female casino character asks that advergame players must be at least 21 years of age to enter the site; however the site doesn’t ask to submit any proof of age, and is easy to proceed with playing the game.

As the game player moves from gaming table to gaming table, information about the TV series interjects graphically within the playing field. An example of this is when a player is playing at the virtual blackjack table, before the dealer lays out the final cards, a small field to the right bottom of screen pops up and gives factual Las Vegas gambling tidbits of “Breaking Vegas” documentary.

Overall the “Breaking Vegas” game does a good job at reinforcing the theme and general setting behind the documentary series, and does a good job of supporting the documentary’s TV premier with time, date, and network details at the opening sequences of the game.

Though the game-play and the visual graphics of The History Channel’s “Breaking Vegas” advergame are simple and lacking, it still allows the player to enjoy a casual distraction. With the game being programmed to give factoids about the documentary’s content, it allows the game player to become involved in the series in a less passive manner. Also this type of distraction could be enticing for a worker(s) within the confinement of an office environment, being used as a time killer and passed around virally via office emails hyper linking the game and documentary’s website. This type of involvement goes well beyond any other type of traditional passive media currently available.

LIVESTRONG.org and Twitter

As of September 20th 2009, Lance Armstrong has nearly 2 million people around the world following his Twitter posts. To many this amount of Twitter followers is quite a incredible feat, but just another day at the Lance Armstrong Foundation for Mr. Armstrong and their quest for cancer awareness.

LAF and LIVESTRONG.org

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) was started 1997, initially as grassroots fundraising organization, post Armstrong’s fight with testicular cancer from October to December of 1996. During the cancer treatment process Armstrong developed the LAF idea based on what he felt was a need to create a information and support organization for both the cancer patients and the their families. In 2003, the LAF launched Livestrong.org, a online support and counseling website for cancer survivors. In support of the LAF cancer cause and website launch, Nike Corporation create a soft yellow rubber wristband which if purchased by consumers, the company would donate $1.00 for to the foundation. By the end of 2005, the foundation sold 55 million wristbands. The yellow LIVESTRONG wristband has become so well recognized that the image is used in a majority the Livestrong.org brand elements.

Since the 2005 wristband introduction, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has had a meteoric rise of the from a small grassroots organization to a national recognized organization. In 2008, Lance Armstrong felt there was a need for the LAF message of awareness to go beyond the Continental borders. Armstrong felt that cancer patients and families in developed and non-developed countries should have the same access to the LIVESTRONG.org infrastructure already developed but not known or recognized. In order to launch this initiative Lance Armstrong came out of retirement, in support of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer campaign.

LIVESTRONG.org, Lance, and Twitter

Noted in Daniel Coyle’s book “Lance Armstrong’s War”, Armstrong is a big technophile, always using the latest and greatest electronic gadget and software to keep aware of the happenings his LAF organization, his competition (on and off the bike), his good and bad press, and businesses efforts. So it was only a matter of time before Armstrong adapted and implemented the web mini-Blog application known as Twitter.

The Twitter.com program’s single point of communication makes perfect sense to such a dynamic personality like Mr. Armstrong, who some consider a lighting rod of attention in his sports, entertainer and philanthropy efforts. The Twitter program allows Armstrong to control how this public and media attention is being delivered by giving small bits information and images about his activities and his thoughts.

With the attention the Lance Armstrong generates, the Lance Armstrong Foundation can ride along in Armstrong’s public relations wave; all while sprinkling posts of foundation news and events.

Armstrong uses the media in offering person support by sending messages; “Ran into and rode a bit with Thomas and Nicole from Telluride. Nicole’s mom is a survivor. Go Mrs. Greene.” Armstrong inserts a photo with the post of Armstrong with the riders from the encounter, and 75,000 people viewed the photo. (Szabo, 2009)

Armstrong also used his Twitter account when he  was at the beginning of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer campaign in Glasgow, Scotland. Before his arrival Armstrong posted a single post on Twitter “Hey, Glasgow, Scotland! I’m coming your way tomorrow. Who wants to go for a bike ride?” Which lead to “hundreds (of riders) showed up, despite heavy rain, and brought traffic in the Scottish town of Paisley to a halt.” (Szabo, 2009)

The attention from his one Twitter posts call to action brought plenty of free media to the launch of his foundation’s event.

Possible Pot Holes for the LIVESTRONG.org and Twitter

One of the most concerning thoughts of Lance Armstrong using Twitter to push the LAF effort is that he is the brand, ambassador, and it’s only active communication feed for the foundation. It is concerning because, Lance is under constant scrutiny by the press for his love life, his business exploits, and sporting performances.

Though it has not happened, Lance Armstrong could become tangled in his own public relations machine if he were to make an off color post through Twitter that may be construed badly by the media. There is a lot at lose for the Lance Armstrong Foundation if he were to slip up. That is a scary place for any organization.

References:

LIVESTRONG.org, Official website for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, 2005, Retrieved September 20, 2009 from LIVESTRONG.org Web site: http://www.livestrong.org

LIVESTRONG.com, Demand Media, 2008, Retrieved September 20, 2009 from LIVESTRONG.com Web site: http://www.livestrong.com

Szabo, L., “Armstrong uses technology to lift cancer survivors, end stigma” USA Today Online, July 28, 2009, Retrieved September 20, 2009 from USA Today Website: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-23-lance_N.htm?csp=34

Coyle, D. “Lance Armstrong’s War”, Harper Collins 2005

Mobile Augmented Reality

Recently WVU Professor, Rachael Post, published a web article concerning the developing technology of “Augment Reality”, which the convergence of video and computer programing which allows the human eye to see digital images only apparent using a digital viewfinder.

Though I had seen early demonstrations of “Augmented Reality”, by artist using the technology in simple fashion as a “virtual graffiti”, I had no real concept of what the technology could actual do.

Per Professor Post’s, post I started scouring the Web for any new “Augment Reality” applications. In and and around my general search, I  randomly decided the look look on the Google Android Market. Much to my amazement, as of Oct 13, 2009, there were 29 Augmented Reality programs. Each with a variance styles relaying information via the Google Android OS and the phones viewfinder.

Some of the programs offered information in and around large metropolitan cities, others offered insight to traffic patterns via the DOT’s online traffic cameras.

The one program offered in the Android Market, that really stood out the most as being the most useful is the Layar Reality Browser 2.1. This programs versatility and embedded vendor applications set it apart from anything out there.

Being that I am someone who is always on the move and currently in a unfamiliar area the best application I have used with the Layar program is it’s Yellowpages.com  application.

If I am looking for a pizza place in my area, the Yellowpages.com program ask for a key service search term like; “Pizza”. Within a second I can instant I can pan my viewfinder in 360 degree direction and tell what pizza restaurants are near me (in miles or less), the restaurants description, and contact information.

The Digital Crack Pipe

CrackBerry (BlackBerry)
FaceCrack (Facebook)
TwitterCrack (I made that one up).

These are terms that I hear a lot of from friends and people in industry. Terms of endearment for the digital hardware and applications that consumers become so attached to and now are apart of our everyday lives. Motorola has now release (September 9th) with a new smart phone called the Cliq, that will try to meet all your digital crack using needs.

Motorola’s new phone is based around the Google Android OS, that has been modified to a hyper-connected social media platform called MOTOBLUR. MOTOBLUR offers the smart phone’s owner to have up to the minute updates from social websites and applications like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, Instant Message, Email and Text all on one screen.

Maybe Motorola should have called this phone CATATONIC, because this thing is going to ring, tweet, ping, pop, and vibrate to a point that someone is going to pass out from sensory over load.

I understand that the CLIQ is Motorola’s much anticipated foray into Android programmed phone category, but I am not sure that it is the right direction. The amount of digital information generated by this unit is hard to contemplate.

Imagine that you are running late for a meeting and your phone rings and you look to take the call, you notice that is 10:31 am, 70 degrees in New York, GPS says go left, you have 15 Tweets to read, 3 Text Messages, 21 work emails to answer, 6 personal emails, 1 Instant Message, and Facebook friend confirmation.

So how much this hyper-connected emerging media gets lost or discarded. How much of it will become noise.

Maybe it this product is targeted to a younger audience. You be the judge.

Reference:

http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/Motorola-CLIQ-US-EN

Two Realities?

Cognitive: : of, relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity

I was recently in a great discussion about the use of avatars for children visiting the Build-A-Bearvillle website (www.buildabearville.com). A classmate asked me a good question, “Do you think that the avatar and it’s virtual world is a good environment for developing a child’s creative skills.

That question brought up a even more fundamental question as a professional communicator. Is a avatar and its virtual world good for the development of a child or anyone else’s personal communication skills? Does this type of closed communication environment already complicate the texting, instant messaging, and tweeting which is becoming more and more prevalent with us. Is the avatar world just one more step to the crafted pseudo identities managed in our MySpace and Facebook accounts, void from real personal interaction and it communal realities (i.e. Posting only happy thoughts, when you are depressed. Post only the photos that make them look thin, when they are really over weight).

I think the avatar, tweeting, texting, and instant messaging technology is farther removing children, teens and adults from personal day to day interaction. One could even say that voice mail, Email, and Caller ID have the same human interactiveness also. I love the technology, but I find it troubling.

When I interact with someone one on one, face to face or on the phone, there are subtle difference of emotional content (i.e eye and body movements or pauses in speech), that is all collected cognitively. This cognitive reflection is lost with the stripped down response via a text, Instant message, or pixel generated animate character.

Or is this communication technology in only in it’s infancy? Are we moving to a place in the human existence where we will manage two personalities, our digital personalities and our common reality? Will there come a time where someone will say, “Have your avatar email, my avatar contact information and we’ll have lunch.”

Connecting the dots…or Tweets…or Texts…

When I speak with others in the field of web development about adding a New Media applications to a website I’m developing, most start salivating. The developers love to start rambling off additions like; Twitter Feeds, Twitter Hunts, text campaigning, opt-in fields, Flicker galleries, and many other New Media applications.

The question that always comes up in my thinking is, “Who is going to use this?”, “Why?”, and “Does this application(s) contribute to the visitor or is it a exercise to the delight of developer programming it?”

That last question, “Does this application(s) contribute to the visitor, (and the general campaign or product experience)” it is something that I dedicate most of my time to. Simple because if a visitor doesn’t have a Twitter account, or is not privy to how to text, then the website visitor will just pass the application by. If the visitor is New Media tech savvy and does have the a Twitter account and is text capable, then what would motivate that visitor to take action and opt-in?

So what does it take to make a New Media application a value to campaign visitor? It needs has to have that, “What’s in it for me?”,type initiative. Will a Twitter Hunt move the opt-in visitors in a fashion that they feel is heighten experience? Will texting in, offer a prize, a code, or exclusive information? Would a embedded Flicker Gallery be a positive motivation to revisit your website over and over, or could it non-conducive if a image is posted in bad taste?

It all really comes down to who is your audience is and what you think is their ability to consume, process and execute the New Media with ease and confidence.

Burping

In my home there are two young children that I am constantly reinforcing good manners; “Yes Sir”, “No Sir”, “Yes Mama”, “No Mama”, “Please”, “Thank You”,  so on and so forth. It can be demanding at times to disciplining yourself to be consistent in this reinforcement of manners and also in own personal  practice.

So during all this “Good Manners Reinforcement”, I have been thinking about digital manners in the “Social Media” landscape, in particularly when it comes to Blogging,Twitter (mini-blogging), and Facebook updating.

My concern is that at times persons doing the Blogging, Twitting, and Facebook updating abuse those communication channels. Almost as if they are burping out information that is not pertinent to any party except themselves.

I currently have a Twitter application (Twidroid.com) on my G1 smart-phone that updates my account with friends, school mates, industry colleagues, and a couple of professional athletes. No sooner had I installed the program I knew I was going to have a problem managing the communication channel abusers and their digital burpings.

Here are a couple of examples of post digital burbs to my account:

“Had a hard day”
“Thanks for the great cup of coffee guys…”
“Huh”
“Dinner” (Insert photo TV dinner)
“I love my wife”
“Off to work!”, then 30 minutes later… “At Work”

I guess the real problem is that these type of posts happen at a uncapped frequency, which are  pretty petty and meaningless. Therefore the digital burpers are being inconsiderate of their followers and in general practicing bad manners.

Maybe Twitter and Facebook should start limiting the number of post you can generate in one hour or day. That way people that post at great volumes will have to think a little more before they do.

OPEMM

I am not completely convenienced that “Social Marketing” has all the elements of being social. The term social is just a little too broad, and at times going on Facebook or MySpace is more like snooping around the person’s psyche than going to a cocktail party.

So bear with me as I try to give a revised new name to the “New Media” term “Social Marketing“.

How about:

OPEMM: Operator Perpetuated Electronic Mass Medium

With the consumer dictating how electronic mediums and communication channels are used, and with these channels adapted and/or being scuttled based on their relative convenience and frequency, I have coined the “Operator Perpetuated Electronic
OPEMM “Operator Perpetuated Electronic Mass Mediums”: Defined

The Operator: The electronic devices (physical and Internet based) developer, and/or consumer

Perpetuated: Based on the operator’s (mainly the consumer) perceived convenience, offering and frequency dictates the survival of the devices

Electronic: The convergence of electronic equipment (i.e. Mobile Phone, Computer, Apple’s iPod), it’s operation system (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messenger), and it use of the communication channel (i.e. Bluetooth, Mobile Signal, Internet)

Mass Medium: Communicating to a group

My reasoning to this term OPEMM is that the consumer controls the use of the mediums that the market can produce. Mediums can and will become outdated or re-invited. The invention of the online chat room later produces the advent of the instant messenger. The creation of the blog produces the mini-blog (Twitter) etc.

Wikipedia is not a social avenue, but is is driven by operator input.

Market applications developed for Apple iPhones and Google’s G1, live and die based on operators programming output and consumer’s final trial and error input. Neither the output or the input is social, it is a response driven for a collected effort to do good programs.

Am I wrong?

Welcome

Welcome to Electric Kites: Floating on the Electric Buzz

Here at Electric Kites I plan to examine, reflect, and curse at the trends of electronic “New Media”. Along the way I plan on exercising my opinion on the trends, buzz and false hopes of “New Media” realm, while also sharing industry data and commentary.

I will try to keep it professional, however I will be forced to tease, joke and mix true and false terminology (also known as showmanship) in order to you the readers happy and wanting more.

Also keep in mind that I will be writing about technology, current and past “New Media” campaigns, along with “Traditional Media” and about how, when, and where it will converge with “New Media”.

So still back and float along with me as stare up in wonder.

Thanks for reading.