TODAY: Reflection ARCHIVES
The (Ad) Pendulum Swings Again
With the current economic climate, it isn't surprising to see some doom-and-gloom from non-traditional publishers like Gawker Media's Nick Denton or non-traditional ad networks like BlogAds' Henry Copeland (both of whom are exceptionally clever thinkers.) Rather than waiting for the government bailout train to make it to bloggers and advertisers, the prior collapse in online media spending earlier in the decade shows us that an occasional forest fire is actually good for the trees (the healthy ones, at least.)
On either side of the media equation, the core essentials haven't changed: the desire to exchange attention for revenue (or vice versa) remains, and both publishers and media buyers can adapt to the changes. Two quick tips:
- Who takes on how much risk is what will change the most: media buyers and their clients will begin to expect publishers to take on more of the risk of their campaigns being successful. CPM deals will give way to CPC deals, CPC deals will give way to cost-per-lead deals, and CPL deals will give way to commissions on sales. This isn't new territory: we've been writing about this sliding scale of risk since 1999. Both sides can benefit by anticipating those changes exploring "performance marketing" hybrids to their traditional RFPs and rate cards -- just remember that reducing your risk as a buyer also means reducing your control over how the publisher presents it.
- Despite that obvious shift to performance, many publishers will respond to softer demand from buyers by slashing their rates in desperation. That, combined with fewer ads per page competing for the same attention, is a buyer's best scenario. If you're already buying media, you should be able to increase the ROI for any of your clients ... and if you aren't buying media, the climate will ripe for you start experimenting with it. Take the advice of a bear market stock trader and apply it to media buying.
Remember, only brands in pain innovate: think of the pain of the marketplace as a chance to innovate you'll see opportunity where others might see only ruin.
Ford Docs Wrap
Early in the year, Team Detroit asked us to help document the initiatives in quality, safety, technology and the environment underway at Ford Motor Company. The resulting web documentary shorts, part of the Ford Drive One effort, showcase some of the scientists, engineers and product developers working on those solutions. That initial run of shorts are now all available on the Web, so a tip of the hat to the amazing production team involved:
Team Detroit
Executive Creative Director: Toby Barlow
Executive Producer: Sam Walsh
Creative Director: Matthew Jacobson
GMD Studios Production
Creative Direction: Brian Clark
Production Direction: J.D. Ashcraft
Story Producer: Jonny Leahan
Producer: Darren Himebrook
Assistant Producers: Robert Wood, Mike Ferraro
DP/Editors: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Aion Velie
Camera/Editors: Leigh Jacobson, Jeff Carlson (The Park)
Supervising Editor: Chris Bremer (Element 113)
Editors: Johnna Turiano (Slice Edit), Andres Acosta, Leighanna Rockey (The Park), Diana Gawet (The Park)
Camera Operators: Linda Peters, Steve Witham (Rare Medium)
Sound: Ed Chick (Rare Medium), Burr Huntington (Rare Medium)
Location Support: Doug Netzloff (Rare Medium)
Logistics & Finance: Tammy Kearns, Sue Witham (Rare Medium)
Art Director: Keira Alexandra
Design & Illustration: Jim Rhoades, Chris Campbell
March of the ARGs
A lot of media has been floating around of some of the panels that kept me on the road in March, digging deep into the topic of alternate reality gaming. Microphones, video cameras and sharp minds make for almost as if you were there coverage of some of these. I'd start with ARG! The Attack of the Alternate Reality Games at SXSW via audio podcast, meant as a moderately advanced overview with savvy set of audience questions. Then dive into the deeper end of the pool with ARGFest 2007 panels like Defining ARGs and the Future of ARG, Developing an ARG, and I'm a WHATmaster? in text and video from ARGN. I met so many interesting and wonderful people on that extended junket, but a special thanks goes out to the brilliant panelists you end up seeing, including Dan Hon, Evan Jones, Brooke Thompson, Alice Taylor, Adrian Hon, Jane McGonigal, Sean Stacey, Adam Brackin, Jan Libby, Dave Szulborski, Miles Beckett, Greg Goodfried and Glenn Rubenstein.
indieWIRE B&W Plus Critic's Picks
A few weeks back, our friends at Kodak helped us in throwing a 10th birthday party for indieWIRE on the night of the Gotham's awards in New York City. The theme was black and white: Chris here at GMD Studios put together a silent movie featuring black and white shots from indieWIRE over the last decade that looped on the wall upstairs, black and white film was being projected in the basement where DJ Mark Rabinowitz held court, and now you can also see the results of handing out hundreds of Kodak black and white cameras (trust me, it's almost like having been there.) Look for some of the best photos to start showing up in iPop. Recognize someone or think you took that picture? Pop up a comment on the photo in Flickr!
Meanwhile, on Thursday indieWIRE will release their most comprehensive critics' poll ever -- so look for our salvo in the best picture, best director and best performance debates.
We're Not THAT Lonely
If you get called out in both MeFi and ARGN, you can imagine what the emails behind the scenes look like. People seem to keep pointing their fingers in direction of some previous co-horts and us, looking for someone to pin the Lonelygirl15 phenomenon on (this was part of that cause, most likely.) Strange that people didn't sense Lonelygirl15 was fiction sooner, but even stranger to be accused of someone else's work.
indieWIRE Turns Ten
Eugene reminds us that today is indieWIRE's tenth birthday (we're as old as MSNBC!) He's got a great article up about the last decade in independent film that indieWIRE has witnessed. We'll make a bigger deal of our milestone later, but ten years as self-reliant web news outlet is something to be proud of.
indieWIRE's 9th Anniversary
Seems like you can't throw a rock around here and not hit another anniversary, this time the 9th birthday of indieWIRE (which by Eugene's estimate means today's issue of indieWIRE:Daily is #2,340.)
A year ago, Eugene rediscovered Issue #1 of indieWIRE:Daily from 1996, and the headlines then were:
- "Trainspotting" Rumors About Dubbing and Re-Cutting Put to Rest by Its Director
- "Antonia's Line" Banned in The Philippines
- Angelika Film Center to be Sold to The Reading Investment Company
- 5 Questions for Lori Silverbush & Michael Skolnik, Directors of "On The Outs"
- indieWIRE SHORTS: SXSW Click, Media That Matters, Duke City Shootout and More
- indieWIRE's Weekly Guide for July 15-21
Happy birthday, guys!
ReveNews Relaunch Anniversary
A year ago, we were explaining to people how the relaunch of a 6-year-old-brand as a blogging community would be explosive. Now it's a year later, and ReveNews has shown spectacular growth and a new high in influence among marketers by thinking of itself as a community instead of a publication. Happy kinda sorta relaunch anniversary, ReveNews!
"The Art of the Gam3"
Evil genius Dave Szulborski has been one of our secret weapons in "The Art of the Heist" on the puzzle front. At ARGFest NYC (the conference I'm most looking forward to this year) he'll also be moderating a panel of some of the key people behind the experience. Hearing similar panels (and hopefully lots of informal chatter) from 4orty2wo Entertainment and Mind Candy is even more exciting.
Audiences & The Heist
Using my little platform at ReveNews where marketers and brand managers lurk to talk more about the theory and measurement of conversational marketing. It will take me a couple of weeks to spool out all the thinking, but should make an interesting case study on the theories (and how they come into practice on "The Art of the Heist". It will also give me a chance to write about how some interesting friends play into the process.
Tin Anniversary
Amazing to think about, but today is the 10th anniversary of our incorporation of GMD Studios (which was a little ways into our work, but who's counting.) We're putting the finishing touches on the new Tin section of the site to celebrate, where we'll be presenting tributes to ten of our most favorite projects in the first ten years.
And this year we'd like gifts! The appropriate traditional gift for 10th anniversaries is tin or aluminum (which should appeal to our friends' sense of cheapness spunky independence.) Since this is all a game anyway, I promise we'll take photos of the gifts we receive to share here on the site -- so impress us with your creativity and sense of humor.
Flight 80 Doesn't Go To Cannes
I'm becoming way too familiar with Jet Blue Flight 80 from Orlando to New York. At least I haven't had the travel problems the indieWIRE guys had getting to France, where they are hanging working at the Cannes Film Festival. Even there, you cannot escape George Lucas:
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Extending the Experience @ DIY Days
Transparency, Ethics and the Future of Brand Communications
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NOTICED
A few interesting things we've come across:
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