For a while now media companies have been pointing to third-party ad networks (such as 24/7 Real Media) as contributors to the devaluation of online content. The alternative has been to bring ad sales in house (or partner with other media companies to start their own networks). In the short-term this is a costly approach, but all are betting that the creation of a trusted, high-quality environment will change perceptions and ultimately bolster the value of content.
AOL’s previous strategy to utilize third-party ad networks performed poorly for them - ad revenue dropped 18% year over year. And considering the size of AOL it’s highly likely that this move played a role in the devaluation of online content.
AOL has since changed their strategy. And in this video from Ad Age Walker Jacobs, SVP of Digital Ad Sales for Turner talks about what drove them to do the same.
Great presentation here from Bill Buxton, Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research. This was from Mix 09 a few weeks back. Silverlight is needed to view.
Bill does a great job articulating the value of experience in the context of design. Like myself, he’s also really big on the value and role of sketching during the design process. He’s even written a book about it.
Allegedly, he’s been brought on to Microsoft to elevate the role of design in the company culture. I have yet to ping a few of my old Microsoft clients to hear their take on this.
The presentation is 20 minutes, but well worth it.
I checked out a few minutes of Scott Guthrie’s presentation which immediately follows. There was a demo of Microsoft’s Expression Web SuperPreview - which had some cool features for cross-browser programming.
As an aside, I love how Bill’s site is completely, and I’m sure intentionally, stripped-down.
With cruises being the low-cost vacation alternative, Carnival Cruises is among those not dialing back their marketing spend. This street-side interactive digital aquarium campaign caught my attention. The execution seems a bit rudimentary—but points are given on the concept. My gut reaction was that this tech-focused campaign didn’t speak to their core demographic. I always envisioned the cruise-goers to be my 60 year old accountant. But I was surprised to find out that 25-39 year olds represent a significant group for them - and one that I’d expect holds some growth opportunities in this economy.
I’m going to try to run out and check out the one here in New York.
My brother-in-law, an aspiring chef, recently gave us A Day at eBulli as a gift. The book is photo journal day in the life of this famous restaurant. To be honest it took me a while to pick it up. It quite literally weighs a ton, and the cover wrap that proclaimed “Best chef in the world” and “Best restaurant in the world” had me put off a bit.
What I expected to see what narcissistic food porn, but was surprised to find a story of authenticity, innovation and creativity disguised as a coffee table book.
EBulli is a restaurant nestled in the hills just outside Barcelona. They received about two million reservation requests per year for only eight thousand available places. For such an exclusive list the price is relatively affordable: €250 per guest including drinks.
My brother-in-law, an aspiring chef, recently gave us