New Body Paint Conducts Electricity, Powers LEDs

Thanks PSKF for this update on electro-paint.... think of the applications!

Talk about the body electric! Students at the Royal College of Art in England have created a new type of paint which can conduct electricity and be applied directly to the skin. The paint is carbon-based, water-soluble, and can create electronic circuits when activated. The ink itself is able to produce enough electricity to power small devices like LEDs, and it’s creators hope it will one day be used to help with the dance and music performances, computer interfaces, and medical devices.

The team says: “As our lives are increasingly regulated by electronics and there is a drive towards the miniaturisation and portability of electronics on and around the body it seems only logical to place electronic circuits on the surface of body.”

10 Tips for Social Media Marketers

Great post from the (now ex-market head at H&R Block). Thanks for this and the great work at H&R.

There have been many chapters in the book of my life, some sad but most really happy. I’m now at the end of another chapter and it is bittersweet. I’m leaving H&R Block to become the General Manager of a new online shopping site that will be launching this fall. I’m excited to start this new chapter as it is fulfilling one of my dreams, but, sad to leave behind a great brand and wonderful colleagues.

Over the last three years, the H&R Block brand has embraced the opportunity to communicate with consumers differently. We have been on the forefront of social media and been honored by positive mentions from thought leaders such as Shel Israel, Francois Gossieaux, Jeremiah Owyang, Jake McKee, Andy Sernovitz, and Chris Heuer. Traditional media has also taken note of the “tax company that could” with mentions in the Wall Street Journal, PC World, Advertising Age, ClickZ, and Marketing Sherpa among others. But most importantly, consumers have engaged with us in new and different ways through YouTube, Twitter, Second Life, FaceBook, Myspace and our own community site at hrblock.com.

This has been an incredible journey for me personally. The accomplishments we have achieved are the result of a team effort. I’m happy to know that I’ve had a positive influence on that team and overjoyed knowing that the team will be carrying the torch and continue to make a difference with our customers. There are some key learnings about social media that every corporate social media marketer should know:

• Every brand can be and should be “social” - Conversations about your brand and products are happening everywhere. You need to be part of the conversation and if H&R Block can make taxes social, your product can be social too.
  

• Just get started – It doesn’t take a big budget to get started in social media marketing. In fact, much of social media marketing is human capital. Start by listening. Set up Google alerts to look for conversations about your brand or product. Use TweetDeck and set up a brand search to monitor what is going on about your brand or product in the Twitterverse. Then participate in the conversation, just remember to be authentic, honest and transparent and you will be fine. If you take the first steps to engage in the conversation you will learn more about how your brand or product fits into the social media space and it will help guide any future programs.

• Integrated marketing vs. social media - There is a difference between an integrated marketing campaign that includes viral components or online/offline coordination and a social media program. A marketing campaign has a short life; it is singular in desired action and is usually focused on demand generation. A social media program is a commitment to engage and communicate with consumers where the consumer wants to communicate. If you are going to start a marketing campaign with social elements versus a social media program, you must start with the end in mind. The worse thing a marketer could do is build a group of fans, friends or followers without a clear exit strategy after the campaign is completed.
  

• Find your brand’s own path – What works for one brand in social media does not mean it is right for another. For example, the path of engagement with a movie franchise is very different than engaging consumers about taxes. Remaining true to your brand promise is the best way to approach social media. Utilize your brand promise as a guiding principle across all your social media efforts. Reflect it in the content that you create, the tone that you use, and the programs that you develop.
  

• Media $ versus human capital – I mentioned human capital earlier. Companies can spend a lot of money trying to launch a social media program. For the most part, I would really classify those efforts as an integrated marketing campaign. Your approach and funding of an integrated marketing campaign needs to be in line with the size and scope of your overall marketing budget. Social media programs can be a lot more cost efficient from a media budget standpoint, but, you still need human capital to run them. In many cases you may be trading media $ for the human capital needed to run a program. For example if you are taking the first step of listening and engaging in the conversation, there is no media buy necessary. However, you do need to have some person dedicated to scanning and responding. Ideally, that person is an employee of the company. Why this should be an employee leads to the next tip.
  

• Agencies play a great role, but the voice needs to be the company’s -There have been many company backlashes by having your agency respond in the social media space. Remember that the consumer wants to connect with you, not your agency. Your agencies can monitor and identify opportunities, but it is the company that needs to respond – authenticity is key.

• Your agency needs to walk the walk – I hate paying an agency to learn on my dime. When we started three years ago, social media was so new and changing so rapidly that we were all learning together. Today there are many different agencies that are building expertise in social media including public relations firms, interactive agencies and newly formed agencies focusing on social media. As you select an agency partner make sure that they don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk. Are they active in social media? Does the agency blog or twitter? Judge the agency not solely on their pitch, but also on their actions.
  

• Get legal involved early – Your legal department can be an ally or a roadblock. What you need to understand is that in the area of social media there is not a lot of legal precedence to draw on. This makes your legal department nervous because it is more difficult to know the best way to protect the company. Involve your legal department early and help them understand your goals so you can build a partnership and not hit as many roadblocks. Ask your legal department to help you solve for the risks versus just state that you cannot proceed with a program. There are always solutions to mitigate risk. You and your legal department can find solutions together.
  

• Have a crisis management plan – The recent Dominoes episode clearly identifies the need of a crisis management plan. In a world of 24x7 communications, the brands that can respond quickly to a crisis will be the brands that weather the storm. A good crisis management plan must begin with active monitoring. Judgment will need to be exercised to distinguish a customer service issue from a true crisis management situation. Once a crisis has been detected, the brand will need to respond in a matter of hours not days. Early action will help nip a crisis in the bud before it explodes into something larger. No action or ignoring it will only exacerbate the issue. A brand that is already active in social media will also carry more credibility and rally more supporters to come to the brand’s defense.

• Selling the C-Suite or ROI – One of the most popular questions that I get asked is how to build support at the C-level. Having a clearly defined objective is critically important to gain support of any initiative. However, everyone is always focused on the ROI or return on the investment. I have defined ROI a little differently in this new and emerging space as Risk Of Ignoring. There is an absolute change occurring in how we communicate and seek information as a society. The millennial generation is the first digital native generation with very different expectations of companies and marketing. In the not so distant future the millennials will be a larger purchasing demographic than the boomers. Not understanding this segment will be detrimental for future marketers. Watch Shift Happens and share it with your senior leadership team. It is a great example of how we are living in exponential times.
  

The last topic is not really a tip but a reality of the brave new world we operate in – personal brands. The lines between all the roles we play as an individual are becoming blurred. Books like Me 2.0 are promoting self-branding. In the social media space there are divided camps and murkiness all around. Scott Monty has been accused of using his profession at Ford to drive his personal brand, when the reality is that Scott Monty has been using his personal brand in the social media space to promote Ford. On the flip side, individuals who participate in social media are experiencing the impacts of their personal communications being equated to corporate communications even when there are clear disclosures that the views expressed are their own. And we hear a news report every few weeks about how content that is shared publicly via FaceBook or Myspace is being used in employment screening.

There is not a guidebook on how to best proceed in the new age of communication. I play many roles. I’m a wife, mother, friend and employee. My communications take on elements of all the roles that I play. I know I’m not perfect and I’m making mistakes as I learn. The best advice I have in this area is for you to realize that the sum of all your activity through social networks does become your personal brand. Understand your goals for your personal brand. Are you going to use it specifically as a friendship connection, to maintain professional connections, or are you trying to build a personal brand to promote yourself? These are three distinct paths that will drive different types of communications. Understanding your end goal is the first step to navigating a space filled with landmines.

I know that H&R Block will continue to be a leader in the social media space because they truly care about engaging in customer dialog. I leave behind a great team of talented professionals who are as passionate about social media as I am. A bright future lies ahead for H&R Block and I will be cheering them on from the sidelines.

As sad as I am to leave H&R Block, I’m excited to start my new chapter. I’m also thrilled to start actively engaging and sharing in the conversation. Due to competitive considerations I have been limited in my ability blog openly, as I start my new adventure expect to hear from me more frequently. Stay tuned for more…

Twishitter. The name says it all...

Twittering whilst on the can? Yes its true that people do it and now you're even encouraged to by this site.

If you ask me, I think it's all bullshit. Microblogging in general that is. But I'm a hater so you don't have to listen to me which is why I shared this site originally posted on Adrants.

To support my sentiment is this below stat recorded on their site of which the source is particularly questionable.... Fartner? For a toilet site? C'mon people!

"25% of all tweets are twooted via twitter whilst the twitterer is on the twoilet... ~ Fartner Independent Research"

Hmmmmm

Augmented Reality: Can the 'Stars Wars' Effect Sustain Engagement?

Thanks Adage for this level headed look at the latest wagon on the hype train

Despite Intriguing Trials, the Technology Remains Is Still Niche

Posted by Garrick Schmitt on 05.01.09 @ 07:44 AM

We are obsessed with the next new thing. As an industry we eagerly anticipate new software releases, tirelessly champion new services (MySpace to Facebook to Twitter) and new eras (Web 3.0 anyone?). We also have no fear of eating our young -- how many times have you heard the phrase "Google-killer"?

For digital marketers the eagerness to find the next new thing is both a blessing and a curse. Steve Rubel, Edelman's digital czar, summed up the paradox best recently when he said, "Second Life was digital marketing's Vietnam." There is a price to be paid for being too quick to embrace a new, untested technology after all. You can both overshoot the market and look foolish at the same time.

Augmented reality, also known as AR, sits at that precarious nexus today. It could transform the digital landscape, merging online and offline in wild new creative ways, as Hashem Bajwa points out in an earlier DigitalNext post. Or it could forever be the stuff of freaks and geeks. Will the hype around augmented reality crush the technology before it can really take off?

First, a bit of background: today augmented reality enables consumers to physically manipulate 3-D objects as displayed on a monitor. The technology is based on using markers that are basically printed patterns on paper that when viewed through a video stream and recognized by software create a type of hologram-effect.

Think Star Wars' Princess Leia's hologram communication with Obi-wan and you are pretty close.

Brand marketers have spared no time in utilizing augmented reality to inspire consumers' imaginations -- here's a look at some of the best early work:

Lego and K'Nnex:
The toy company, with its "digital box," has one of the more arresting uses of augmented reality today. Simply hold up the Lego box to an in-store kiosk with a web cam and watch a rendering of the toy assemble itself. Metaio, one of the leaders in AR, designed the experience for Lego. Total Immersion, another leader in AR, created a similar experience for K'nex toys which also allows you to control and even pilot the AR rendering of the toy.

Topps:
Topps is leading the way with augmented reality today and trying to ignite new consumer interest in sports trading cards for the digital era. The company enlisted Total Immersion to create a full AR experience that brings Major League Baseball favorites like Ryan Howard to life. At Toppstown fans get the full 3-D experience, can make the tiny players bat and pitch, plus explore stats and game info.

"Coraline":
The marketing for "Coraline," the first stop-motion animation feature shot in stereoscopic 3-D, was top notch. One of the highlights was the creation of a digital out-of-home campaign that literally placed consumers in the story by allowing them to see themselves as a part of the film through augmented reality. These "Storescapes" used AR to superimpose images onto pedestrians, so onlookers could see their reflections in a screen with animations including button eyes covering their real eyes.

Toyota IQ and Mini:
Car companies such as Toyota and BMW have been quick to use augmented reality technology to create a 3-D interactive experience for new cars. Toyota employed the technology to show off its new small car, Toyota IQ, which allows consumers to interact with the car and discover its agility and interior space. MINI employed the same strategy for the release of its Cabrio convertible.

Fanta Virtual Tennis:
Fanta uses augmented reality to bring a bit of whimsy and play to its Play On Virtual Tennis offering. The game enables consumers to play in either single or double mode, facing off with a friend any conceivable location. It's promises the closest thing to an out of home Wii experience that we've seen yet.

As novel and fun as these examples are (and there are many, many more -- even GE is in on it), we are still years away from realizing the true potential of augmented reality. The next wave, which is just starting to emerge from the labs, promises a full melding of virtual and physical without markers. Imagine walking down the street and seeing digital overlays on physical locations (bars, restaurants, movies) with adverts, video clips and even avatars.

The primary way to experience this today (albeit with bugs) is with a mobile device, such as T-Mobile's G1, which runs Google's Android software. For example, Wikitude from Mobilizy is a mobile travel guide that provides overlays of locale information for more than 350,000 world-wide points of interest. Similarly, Enkin wants to "reinvent navigation, by combining GPS, orientation sensors, 3-D graphics, live video, and several web services into something wholly new. More practically, SPRXmobile and ING deliver a mobile ATM finder for the Netherlands that allows you to locate ING ATMs simply by holding the phone in front of you.

At this moment, augmented reality for marketers is a novel, nifty new technology -- but one that will probably grow gimmicky quickly. I've personally played with seven or eight demos at this point (many mentioned above) and after the "gee whiz" factor is exhausted, there's not really much there to sustain any real engagement. Besides, there's a vague whiff of "Dungeons & Dragons" around this stuff that's will be hard for most to get over.

Today, the biggest potential is for both geeks and gamers. It's not hard to imagine how a video-game company could use the technology to literally place consumers into the game. Or how companies like Topps and Legos will further use augmented reality to enable a more enhanced game play experience. Check out WiiSpray for a taste.

Augmented reality has huge promise, but in the short term it's a niche technology for a niche audience. But, of course, gaining a foothold in the multibillion-dollar gaming industry is not a bad place from which to start. Let's just hope our desire to hype it AR as the next big thing won't harm it.

~ ~ ~
Garrick Schmitt is Group Vice President of Experience Planning at Razorfish and the agency's global lead for User Experience. He publishes FEED, Razorfish's annual consumer experience report, and writes and edits the Razorfish Digital Design Blog. In his spare time he flails about on Twitter @gschmitt.