Nike Free Run the City

What would it look like if you took all the data in NYC from Nike+ and mapped the runs over a year...what would that look like?

Lots of running round in circles through Central Park? Lots of Westside Highway runs? Bridge runs? Yeah...all of the above

Nike+ City Runs from yesyesno on Vimeo.

YesYesNo do an amazing job with these dynamic paintings....watch it, then realise that speed and run consistency are part of these paintings so watch it again

Nike are doing so many good things with data these days, how long before they use data like this to build a breakthrough social commerce strategy?

Bike Fixation

This comes straight from Autoblog Green - great idea!

Bicycles are incredibly efficient transportation tools, right? They're also a blast to ride. Well, they're a blast unless you get a flat tire and realize you've forgotten your repair kit. That's where Bike Fixtation comes in. If you happen to "break down" close to one of these, you'll be all set no matter what time it is.



Bike Fixtation offers self-service kiosks on an extended-hours basis. The vending machines offer tubes, patch kits, use of adjustment tools and even access to a pump to fill up your tires. Each self-service Bike Fixtation kiosk features:

Universal bike mounting system for on-site repairs
Aircraft cable tethered bicycle repair tools
Self-contained tire-inflation system compatible with presta and schrader valves
Snacks and beverages

Bike Fixtation kiosks are rare. In fact, they're so rare that only one (located in the Uptown Transit Station in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN metropolitan area) exists in the U.S. However, Bike Fixtation inventors Chad De Baker and Alex Anderson are trying to pitch the cyclists' dream vending machine to cities, organizations and individuals across the nation. Pair these up with some carsharing and public transportation offerings, and you've got yourself quite the non-traditional mobility options.

RoboPool

I sincerely hope this is not a sign of the future. Specifically for @MrStevePayne




There is a lot of work to be done before the robot starts putting a break together and stops fouling (check out 2.14) but given that this robot can pot balls at a success rate of 80% its not too long before we will all have to graduate to darts

Angry Birds Live

The people in this are too attractive and having too much fun for this to be the real deal - but then again, it's an ad and i love it!

Move over Big Data

Yeah I have got to say it, I am over 'Big Data' - Over. It.

I've heard the stories of 1 zetabyte of data being created every nanosecond at the intersection of business, social and location-based services. Still, aren't we missing the point?

'Big Data' and the second and third comings of IBM hadooping everything (yes it is now officially a verb) is being hailed as the next opportunity for business advantage but we still need to redux that data to identify the critical insight that will generate business value from it. Most analytic players today are living in a world of Analytics 1.0, its now remiss of us if we don't invent Analytics 2.0

Analytics 2.0 is the ability to spot patterns or outliers in transactional, behavioural and contextual data at lightning speed with high agility to make a change in your business and out-smart the competition.

The critical thing about this, in my mind, is that the window of opportunity to act on this information is short and decreases in value the longer it takes to capitalize on it. If you go to St Louis or Boston you can find High Frequency Trading companies that buy and sell large quantities of stock on the NYSE. The average time they hold that stock is seven seconds! At that frequency it's not about predicting outcomes its about jumping on outliers and gaining advantage from them

The way we are looking at this today is by capturing and analyzing data from potentially an unlimited number of sources. Some of that is highly structured from old-school databases like sales and customer profiles but augmented with live click-streams from websites and also Facebook feeds which are completely unstructured.

The trick and the opportunity is to conduct the analysis iteratively and act on it immediately rather than at predefined points in time. That phenomenon will kill the traditional ways of working and the legions of smart people who work in boutique agency shops unless they get with the 2.0 program

First the sex tape…

This is so simple yet so perfect, the best street art makes you look, then look again. It also helps to selflessly steal from popular culture and make you think. I love the way they documented this

First the sex tape…

GagaVille

I don't care for Gaga and I have never gone near Farmville but you still have to admire the lady - she is bigger and better than marketing



Unless you live under a rock or a huge compound in Pakistan Born This Way is Lady Gaga's new album and she is making this launch bigger than ever.

Not only does she own Facebook and Twitter (10 million followers baby), Zynga has 250 million players a month. Imagine the effort it would take to reach that many people in the 'real world'

It's also so consistent with her brand, she takes risks, viral and her whole set up is the idea of being different, a loner...she unites loners like bored Farmville players

That got me thinking about the money: When you look at Zynga, they make money out of transactions...think about the revenue stream of spiked leather jackets for your sheep and limited edition artwork for your barn

Pure genius

Your dreams on a business card

Our friends at Ogilvy Brasil recently worked with English school Red Balloon to develop these business cards

RedBalloon Kids Business Cards from digous machado on Vimeo.

Uplifting and insightful - love the work

Pepsi social vending

Aren't PepsiCo just good at innovation? I really love this "social vending" concept.

Interactive and touchscreen, enter a friends mobile phone number and a message and send them the gift of thirst quenchment! Is that a word? Who cares? It's way cool!



It's true that drinking soda is a social thing by nature however there are lots of companies bolting on social aspects to their brands and make it profitable undertaking - Pepsi engages customers, bags more sales and doesn't make it awkward. Surely the Facebook integration is next?

Super Mario Propaganda

Before Angry Birds there was Mario; in fact before everyone there was Mario. Mario is still the man; the story is simple and compelling but you spend hours and hours immersing yourself in it

This set of posters give you a sense of nostalgia but will still recruit new people into the franchise - when there's a touchscreen version...









At $80 for the set they are perfect for the games bunker

Google's biggest spenders

Good stuff from the Kantar Media family here giving us insight on Google's largest search customer. No real surprises here....



What is amazing though is that Google rakes in c$25bn in search revenue so the whole of the top 10 make up 1% of the total revenue.....that's a loooooooooooong tail!

Facebook vs Twitter

Seems I missed this one but just because I slipped it doesn't mean it isn't useful!

This infographic from DigitalSurgeons.com compares demographic data between Facebook and Twitter in a really nice style



It's the similarities around these two platforms that surprise me, rather than the differences. Facebook is 5 times the size of Twitter but their demographic profiles are similar

Unsurprisingly, Twitter skews a little older than Facebook. Facebook connects you to people who you used to know, Twitter to those you want to know. More people follow a brand on Facebook but less convert to actually buying anything.

Lots to take in from this - could look at it for hours!

Everything begins and ends in media

I am sitting opposite one of the WPP digital strategists today, holding court (in a GOOD way) with all the agency partners talking about an idea that incorporates communities and social and custom built technology that can fit into the product. Of course he is using words like 'experience' and '360'

Nothing new here, however it got me thinking that most clients buy services from agencies but we are urging ourselves to provide ideas for them. Problem is we don't get paid for the ideas themselves, we get paid for the time we spend thinking about and doing stuff on behalf of them

The traditional advertising agency is now facing competition on all fronts. Look up and you see the marketing consultancies, brand consultancies, media agencies and research firms—all claiming to provide the strategic thinking offered by agencies. Downstairs are media agencies again and production houses, some of which are now getting into the business of concept development.

It's a bad idea to call yourself an 'advertising agency' these days. Advertising is paid for media and agency tends to bring out a feeling that its some sort of short-term contract.

When we talk about 'Partnership' or 'Trusted Advisor' relationships agencies really need to get out of helping these clients create and place messages and get into strengthening the relationship clients brands have with their customers at all points of contact. That's a broader scope and in today's world increasingly has little to do with actual advertising

What is interesting about this thought for me is the unique position media agencies inhabit in both of 'Thinking' (what clients need) and 'Doing' (what clients pay for). It's all very well for a brand consultancy to come up with a 'marketing experience plan' but delivering on that in a consistent fashion is a challenge.

Any organisation that can put itself in the shoes of the customer and drive insights on how they process and use information about brands will be in line for agency of the future status. Those that can them deliver that information in the way those customers want it, without the associated spam will win the race.

Media is pervasive and that thinking begins and ends in media

Conversation is King

Social TV is big news, getting bigger as you are watching, reading and tweeting

If the UK is a barometer of the anything, by the time the X-Factor hits the US (irrespective of who is judging it) half the viewers will be 'chatting' about the performances, good and bad, via a second screen, such as a laptop or mobile.

However, before we start thinking about split screens on your 42" LED we need to understand behaviour. Engaging in social networks is still a personal thing, never shared....particularly not with your parents!

Here at WPP, Kantar Media's futurePROOF study found that awareness of IPTV had still not reached mainstream levels, with less than half the population understanding the connected TV proposition.

So what does that actually mean? It feels like the incarnations of social TV we are discussing now might be big on technology and thinking (now you can 'checkin to your favourite TV programme) but may be a little over engineered?

How about creating a seamless experience around that so-called 'virtual sofa' where the two screens co-exist but creating mobile-based app content that enables discussion 'likes', 'slates', comments, broadcasts or communities to re-live, act out or share experiences?

The Modern Media Agency

This is really good - what a simple business we work in!

Not really 'The Modern Media Agency' more 'Today's Media Agency' - this stuff is definitive



My favourite is OUT - Recession Cutbacks - advertising spend will increase. If you start to triangulate or Octognulate these insights the key take away would be that despite the dead cat bounce there are structural implications. As media agencies we need to change ahead of our clients to help them embrace this landscape but not to the detriment of dropping the ball in traditional marketing approaches

Never been a more exciting time to work in media

Stat - Dunk

I really like basketball.....and analytics. Last week in Boston MIT hosted their Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. How cool is that?

In basketball a few of the stadia have installed 3D cameras that capture 25 images a second to capture everything (I mean everything) that happens on court

Sandy Weil explains that San Antonio players shoot 60 percent after receiving passes from Tim Duncan. That's high! And purely a function of the fact that many teams double team Duncan.

A major finding of the report is also that catch-and-shoot attempts are much more efficient than other types of shots when you control for distance and the presence of a defender. A player’s shooting percentage jumps significantly when the last thing he does before the a shot is the act of catching a pass — and not the act of dribbling. He usually has more space when he catches.

But if you catch a pass and hold the ball for about 2.25 seconds, whatever advantage you gained from catching the pass disappears. This makes sense, since holding the ball gives your defender a chance to catch up to you and prepare to defend your next move.

Thia sort of Optical Tracking Data has the potential to revolutionalize basketball. Looking at the minutia of on court movement, to explain how Ray Allen finds himself so open. If great screeners create great catch and shoot opportunities for guys like Allen, and those are the best field goal opportunities, then what player screens most often? Who are the superstars of screening? And how do you find one in the draft to complement your dead-eye shooting roster?

Fascinating stuff

Transparency

Transparency and simplicity. Time to get with the program.

If we don't start today someone else will. As analytics guys we tend to bask in the glory of the complexity of our work. But that world has changed and will never return again.

More and more marketing is now digital, and as that happens more marketing plans have better measures of activity. At that point they get analysed, drivers get quantified and everything becomes understood. That's what is called transparency

So how do we, as analysts create a large scale change in how marketing gets done? This is my starter - not exhaustive and I would really like to hear your views:

1. Demand that every activity has a commercially focussed success measure.

No more eyeballs, footfall or visits - We need to hear revenue uplift and cost-per measures.

You might start by making these up, but if you commit to them you can adjust your forecast; the finance guys do every day, and they are being listened to

2. Create measurement partnership programs

Many of digital partners (GOOG, MSFT, YHOO, FB, OMTR etc) are collecting and storing data on behavioral activity and, in turn, creating better mousetraps that help us crack the ROI code. They also want to increase their share of client spend and are looking for proof points. Work with them, it's not a lose of face to accept we don't know everything

3. Do something different

Transparency kills the dark art of measurement somewhat and much about measurement in this new world is now around observation. Follow trends and explore new opportunities, set some expectations around effect and get on with it.

The concepts of 'Business' and 'Brand' used to be disconnected, however, in board rooms all around the world marketing is still undertaken to build business. We used to come up with a multitude of excuses as to why we could only measure what we could.

That time is over - this is the time of transparency

Everything you learned in Math class is wrong

Here's proof that 2=1

a = b

So...

a^2 = b^2

and

a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2

and if we unpack that....

(a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

a + b = b

Which means that

b + b = b

2b = b

2 = 1

Back to the Tech Valuation Future

There was a great piece in this weekends Observer talking about the second Dot-Com bubble a lot of money around driving the 'next' tech company valuation up. You can read it here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/feb/20/is-this-the-start-of-the-second-dotcom-bubble

What is interesting about this is the basic principle of valuations that are based on future, or even wishful, earnings. Groupon turned down $6n, Twitter doesn't make any money but is valued at $10bn and Facebook was recently valued at $67bn. This is all in the hope that the information that Facebook users or Groupon buyers provide the platform will provide relevant consumer information for targeted advertising messages

So if we do the basic maths Facebook is worth $67bn so revenues would be around $17bn...with 550m users it means that each 'fan' is potentially worth $31 to a marketer.

A good CTR on a targeted Facebook ad is 0.5%.....looks like a bubble

Who'd have thought it?

Let's get this straight, I have never been a fan of Victoria Beckham, or the Beckham brand. I always had Victoria down as a very driven but ultimately limited on talent.

How wrong I was.

What I have always admired about VB is she always looks polished; sure there have been some disasters - his and hers matching leather suits and high heeled baseball boots to pitch at Dodger statium. However that said there aren't many people who can rock the whole pencil skirt thing the way she can.

When she started the fashion designing I thought 'here we go, can't do music, can't do TV, try fashion...' and of course I don't think I was the only person who wondered whether her first collection was a too closely 'influenced' by Roland Mouret

However, as her fifth collection went down the catwalk last night at NY fashion week it really feels like she has grown as a designer and is stretching her creativity. There is a Japanese sensitivity that I love and that hooded dress is an instant classic.




Over the time Victoria has designed it seemed as though she wouldnt break out of the tight fitting corsety style thing, but this collection is loose and has structure. I am no expert but it feels difficult to pull off sleek without being harsh and this softer side of Mrs Beckham looks like a winner.