Living product placement?

June 29th, 2006 • 6 comments Marketing/ Advertising

A few months back, Sprint sent me a phone to use free for 6 months. Sprint encouraged me to experiment with all features (downloading ringtones, watching movie trailers, downloading music, texting, etc) and asked that I fill in a survey although it wasn’t mandatory.

I am enjoying the service very much. I recently switched from Verizon to T-Mobile. And I only did it because I prefer SIM cards to CDMA systems. If Sprint was SIM card enabled network — I would have no qualms switching again. (Sprint sent phones to other bloggers as well)

That aside, I just read about Jaguar’s new attempt at marketing/ product placement. Sprint approached the bloggers and Jaguar approached 27 year old Nico Bossi, one of NY’s most beautiful (and wealthy, I suppose) people. Bossi dines at NY’s A-list restaurants, even the ones that have a secret phone number and those that require reservations months in advance. He dons expensive clothes and shops at Bergdorf and the likes.

Jaguar gave Bossi a XK model to use for free, obviously, hoping that Bossi would wave his magic wand and his friends, colleagues and others that come in close contact with him, buy the same car or a different model from Jaguar. As Bossi controls the NY empire, 30-year old Reese Forbes plays his toy in the LA scene.

Both agents have the right lifestyles to fit into this campaign. They mingle with the glamorous, fabulous, people of NY and LA, effectively planting the right words at the right places.

If you think about it, it’s a brillaint idea: reality TV meets billboard campaign. It is innovative and authentic, because although Bossi and Forbes snagged the car, they aren’t paid anything. They even have to pay for their parking tickets from their own pockets.

If you are anything like Bossi and Forbes, maybe Jaguar will pick you next. Otherwise, there are always the Sprints!

Birthday Strategies and ML Clinic- Week 2.5

June 29th, 2006 • 1 comment Culture Briefings

I turned 23 recently and instead of a deluge of phone-calls, I was inudated by a deluge of alerts in my mailbox from facebook and orkut. Long lost friends, recent friends, blogger friends and old friends walled my facebook or scrapped me in orkut wishing me. Ofcourse, I recieved a few phone calls. But no paper cards and a few e-cards.

Oh Baskin Robbins sent me a coupon for a free icecream. Victoria’s Secret sent me another for $10 off and Mexx sent me another for $15 off a purchase of $50. A couple others too that I can’t recall.
I will admit, I kinda liked it I recieved these birthday offers/ even though I knew I was their commerical whore for the day.

It was fantastic though. The thing is — growing old is fun but birthday’s aren’t always remembered that often and gifts are almost inexistent once you hit 21+. (I think!) So what if it’s the retailers who remember to send you a little something? It’s still super cool.

I rather liked being celebrated on orkut and facebook. What the hell– I even had a little MSN Chat party for my birthday complete with cake and balloon symbols.

***
I’m into week 3 of avoiding social networking and keeping my interaction with the internet to a minimum and honestly– it’s really not working. I’m questioning the point behind this silly exercise? It doesn’t help if I don’t network online; because my friends are still leading blindingly fast lives online. Besides, I make atleast one new virtual friend every week. Either I’m emailing people or they are emailing me. Essentially by cutting off my internet time, I also cut off my opportunity to meet cool new people. So once again, someone remind me why I’m doing this?

I’m hestiant to continue further. As you see, I don’t have many insights about what I *did* outdoors and *how* I’m enjoying the summer. My updates and insight instead reflect on how it feels to be virtually cut off and why I miss it.

Point to ponder?

Moving-Life Clinic- Week 1

June 19th, 2006 • 7 comments Culture Briefings

Disastrous. Week 1 was a disaster.

So I didn’t buy the Blackberry but end up subscribing to the montlhy service to surf the internet/email  on my cell phone. And peer pressure pushed me into joining orkut, but I’m not sure how long I will last there. I’ve been thinking about this — most friends I went to college with are very active online on facebook, myspace and now orkut. But my group of close friends fall in the age group of 24 – 29 and this demographic is not incredibly active when it comes to social networks.

Mainly because Web 2.0 rose to it’s current pedestal only in the last couple of years — and most of these sites were launched after the 24 – 29 crop graduated college and post-college degrees in some cases. Inadvertantly, they were left out of this wave. Although they don’t particularly feel left out. They are definitely active bloggers, podcasters and vloggers. 

My goal was to cut down my online networking and indulge in physical, non-virtual networking. Instead, I cut down on blogging, desipunditing and other postings expected of me. Not a good move. I did however, find time to walk the streets and take in the vitality of life. I spent my time smelling the various fragrances of organic soap at Whole Foods, reading in the park, and walking instead of taking the bus/cabs.

I’m heading onto Week 2. Let’s see what I discover now. Did any of you try ? How was it like for you?

Join me at the moving-life clinic

June 12th, 2006 • 7 comments Culture Briefings

I am linked in, facebooked, tagged, tubed, digg-ed, myspaced and more. I’m on networks to make friends, meet like minded business professionals, share photographs and videos and even my blogcrawls. It takes me atleast two hours to comb through my email each morning and then another few hours to check new messages, comments, photographs and events on all my networks. And I am a mere 22 year old just doing her thing, working hard, playing harder… being young, socially connected and just, happy. Just trying to be plugged in. Even if it requires several hours of my time every day.

But these days, (unfortunately, after my Dad pointed out how I was always glued to my computer) I’ve been examining my online behaviour a tad too closely. I could be ashamed to admit that I enjoy looking at random strangers photographs and sometimes (although I kinda gave up reading personal blogs a few months ago) I even enjoy eveasdropping on incredibly intimate details laid out on personal blogs. But I’m not really ashamed because we are all sailing in the same boat.

But what amazes me is how do we find time to stay tuned into our virtual life and still be vitally alive in our non-virtual lives? I refrain the use of word, ‘real’ because our non-virtual lives have become just as real for us. I recently switched my mobile carriers and was tempted to the point of surrendering into buying a BlackBerry service. But I’ve seen friends that own Blackberries/Treo’s get addicted to the device, so much so that dinner conversations are accompanied by a scary dosage of messagaing back and forth with a potential love interest or a client or the boss! Eyes darting constantly towards the Blackberry to spot any new emails, shifty eyed conversations… and the worst, "talk talk, I’m listening. just have to check this email."

You’ve got to draw the line somewhere, no? I drew the line with declining the free Blackberry. (ok maybe I do regret it a little!)

Web 2.0 has given young entrepreneurs and rich investment bankers an opportunity to start a easy web-based startup with little funds. There are about a hundred sites out there cashing in on the idea of social networking- with a tweak here and a tweak there, the premise always a constant. Innovation is great– but I’m afraid multi-tasking and compartmentalized brains only go so far. If we roughly spend 3-4 hours a day being "plugged in," how do we find time for other stuff? Y’know, throwing frisbees in the park, cycling, or just reading at the bookstore. (Not the library. Libraries are eew.) And somewhere in there we squeeze in about 9-10 hours of work and 6-7 hours of sleep.

Damn, we are busy people!

I don’t know if its good or bad– but summer’s almost here and I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to do other stuff that’s doesn’t have anything to do with the internet. Its an experiment of sorts- think of it as checking yourself into themoving-life clinic where you force yourself to spend atleast weekends without any access to the internet. Maybe that’s stretching it a little to far- but you know just exerting self-restrain with your virtual escapades.

(Moving life because I’m tired of sitting on my ass with the computer on my lap. And I just like the idea of bringing some actual movement in my life without the aid of any virtual networks/blogs/)

I am going to try it and will document the experience here every Monday. Join me if you will and share in your experiences. (Ironic no? we talk about self-restrain and gather online to discuss it!)

I think a saturation point is drawing closer when it comes to social networks– I may have already hit it, but the lusty exclusivity of being ‘plugged in’ is far too heady for me to give up. And I dont think I can ever give it up– but I think it needs moderation and I want to check in.

I’m putting this thought out there. Do you feel like I do? Do you think you have just as many virtual obligations as your non-virtual obligations?

More so, have you hit your saturation level?

Join me in my real-life clinic. Just fun.. no rules, no laws. You know your online/virtual behaviour better, check yourself in. Find other ways to stay plugged in….and lets share our stories, yeah?

I’ll post all your comments here into the post.

Welcome aboard!

Mobile Fashion

June 8th, 2006 • 2 comments To be filed

Call it the inevitable.

I remember reading in Vogue about Melania Trump’s wedding. A photograph that made a lasting impact on me about the extent of rarified lives and luxury that exists in the upper echeleons of the society was the photograph with Melania seated majestically on a luxe leather chair and jewelers from Fred Leighton, Harry Winston, Chopard, Vivid, Van Cleef, Bulgari…. and the rest standing around her wooing her to choose their jewels over anothers. As though the lioness couldn’t be bothered with running on the field preying on her meat– her minions gladly bought her the meat on a silver plate.

With Caravan, it’s changing. Soon the middle classes in America will be fed tiny morsels of the high end luxury.  Caravan expects to reach $700,000 in sales this year. The concept? Peddle designer clothes to the customers instead of having them come to you. This mobile facility offers them the advantage over other stores: if business is not so well in a particular area, all they have to do is drive to another. That Caravan peddles high-quality designer clothes is not rich– whats rich is that it brings them to their customers. Who wouldn’t kill for that kinda service.

piff.

So

Evolution

June 6th, 2006 • 1 comment To be filed

i visited the Hershey Park sometime last year and watched the 3D Screening about the history of Hershey. I don’t remember the film but I remember wearing funky glasses that made the objects appear closer than they wear. I remember the seats spurting water and I remember a swish-swash sensation near my foot that emulated how you’d feel if a mouse just skimmed by your leg.

The film was perhaps the least memorable, but the added experiences made the entire experience fun. I wondered when tradtional movies and movie theaters would offer a more sensory experience.

Lo behold- Japanese theaters are on the forefront of the future, extracting the consumer’s invisible wants and converting them into multi-sensory experiences. The New World, a Pochahontos story will be screened in Japanese theaters with scene-synchronized scents.

Theater owners will download different scent sequences for different films. Home entertainment junkies and aromatherapy fans can sniff for themselves with the tech’s at-home edition. (Via Iconoculture)

Will this increase the price of watching a movie at the theater? Maybe. But I believe  we will always have the option to watch movies without the added experential bonuses. Infact, we will be able to watch movies, the way we want to: in any language, with any number of added experiences. Any commerical experience that does not satisfy us emotionally will die on its own or will be replaced by a modified and highly specialized version. So when we balk at our parents tallking about growing up with black and white TV sets, our children will incredelously realize that we grew up watching movies in theaters with subtitles and without scents and other special effects.

Cool Findings

June 6th, 2006 • 4 comments Marketing/ Advertising

Apologies for the long silence. In other news, I’ve tons of new coolspots to share with you and get your creative juices flowing. 

Stumbled on this cool site while on a recent web-crawl and am very pleased with the service. PicoStation allows you to directly post photographs, vidoes and audio files from your cell phones on the internet. It’s still a growing community but I like the concept. There will always be concerns: mobile porn? privacy? spam? But for now, let’s wait and watch where this goes.

***

Babies are a multi-million dollar business.A recent WSJ article suggested-  Very soon- your inbox is going to contain video files of your friend’s fetus and her ultra-sound. So instead of looking at photos of the new borns in the family/ friend circle – you’ll witness all the stages of the baby’s development  on your screen. Companies like Womb’s Window offer pregnant ladies ultra-sound  photo-packages of her fetus that includes videos in different formats and still shots of the baby-in-progress. I really don’t know how I’d feel about recieving the video to a friends fetus, but it’s no more a possiblity- it is an eventuality.

***

Now this isn’t a really *new* finding. I was watching Will Smith’s Hitch a few days ago and noticed the scene where Eva Mendes and her friend are snacking on amazing rice delicacies at a hip bar in NY. I remember passing the place once — Rice to Riches is a cutesy rice pudding store located in Nolita, New York. It offers inventive rice pudding conctions : rice pudding with oven roasted fresh fruits, with jelly… with nuts.. with toasted coconut.. are only a handful of the sampling. Rice pudding on a wholly wholesome level- can’t beat that now, can you?

***