Marketing blah blah

As the ad says, there are at least 90,000 applications for the iPhone! Like what. you ask? A wide range of things, ranging from basic essentials (such as the app that lists all the world’s cat breeds) to more esoteric ones – like the one that connects you with the King (Elvis Presley), or the one that lets you use your iPhone to blow out your birthday candles!

Logo of Citizen Connect

Looking beyond such lighthearted uses for the technology, the mayor of Boston, MA has launched “Citizens Connect,” an app that lets Bostonians report city infrastructure issues (potholes, broken lighting, and a variety of other problems, depending on the neighborhood). The app can even send photos and GPS coordinates to accompany complaints. The app was developed at a cost of $25,000 U.S. Asked why it was created, mayor Thomas Menino explains that the goal is to get more citizens involved in keeping Boston running smoothly.

To launch its “life for sharing” campaign, t-mobile chose to put its slogan into music, a build through decades and genres: 350 dancers at London’s Liverpool Street Station have been performing for more than 2 minutes in front of amused travelers. The spot have been captured by hidden cameras in the station. Result : More than 3 million videos seen in YouTube within 3 weeks.

You can watch the video here:

France Telecom’s Orange has teamed up with the famous disposable consumer goods firm BIC to launch a branded mobile phone: the BIC®phone.

The concept and the distribution channel are original. The prepaid phone is sold with 60-minutes worth of credit in tabacs, convenience stores, and supermarkets. It is designed to have basic features with just voice calls and text messaging. Consumers can just open the pack and make a immediate call. Available at 49 Euros, including tax, the phone remains operable for 2 months from the time the phone is activated, although purchasers need to register with Orange to claim the full time allowance.
In a few more months we’ll see how it will be welcomed by consumers.

For the launch of the it’s new phone (7610), Nokia created a TV campaign with 3 videos where we can share the very active life of 3 young persons (Anna, Jade and Luca) who are addicted to their phones.

The main idea in this is “It’s not just a phone”. These 3 persons are using their phone for various purposes all day long.

The campaign also includes a website where you can see all the content of their phones: contact lists, photos, videos, SMS,…).

You can also register and you will receive messages from them like if you were one of their friends.

For example:

Hey everyone,

So…I have a huge decision to make. Lennon’s offered me the chance to study in Paris. It’s a great opportunity but I feel like I’m just starting to make a go of things here in London… plus there’s a really cute clown who I’d like to stick around and see more of

For the first time in I don’t know how long, I’m going to call my Dad tomorrow morning at 11am and get some advice. He’ll know what to do. My Dad = the guru. Always strangely helpful in times of crisis even if he comes out with some wacky stuff!

Wish me luck!

Anna

X x x

A group of former Google employees has set up a new search engine called Cuil. Even though this new search engine promises better results by scouring a larger index of web pages than Google, experts are cautious about its prospects. Cuil has compiled an index three times as large as Google’s as it searches for results across 120 billion web pages, compared with Google’s index of 40 billion pages. Rather than displaying results in a list, like Google, Cuil shows them on a page which has a magazine-like feel. Each result has a greater amount of text alongside it, and sometimes an image as well.

Its success will be determined by how quickly Cuil can get fresh content and breaking news into the search results; and how it deals with spam, where websites try to trick search engines into thinking they are more relevant than a competitor site. The site was launched on July 28th; however, its usability has been sporadic.

Orange French mobile phone, internet provider. TV Adverts.

Sweet, poetic, and tender. It is the new ad slogan for Orange TV on demand. This system allows you to choose the best time to watch your favorite TV show and the ability to rewatch the programs for one month. To convey this idea, the actors in the ad perform in a surprizing reverse mode.

Nokia has adopted a different approach to launch and promote the new N82 (in New York).
To do so, the Nokia media shop Mediacom made deals with several news outlets, such as CNN, Wallpaper, Lonely Planet,and National Geographic.
For example, on CNN.com’s “In the Field” blog section, Nokia is running a widget showing photos snapped by London-based Richard Quest plotted on a Google map. Reporters use the N82 to tell stories.

http://www.thefieldtv.com/index.html

This initiative is the second phase of a campaign launched earlier this year where the Nokia digital agency R/GA recruited 4 bloggers to travel to different parts of the world and document their experiences with the N82. This “phone” has a camera that can wirelessly upload high-quality pictures online and uses satellite positioning to plot locations.
A microsite, was created to follow the progress of the 4 bloggers on their trips, which began in New York, and ended in London (covering 24 cities on three continents).

http://locmedia.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/urbanista-diaries-n82-promotion/

The notion of putting the product in the hands of both bloggers and journalists arose from the N82′s unique characteristics. Its five-megapixel camera and GPS capabilities make it more of a mini-computer. Rather than just telling consumers about its features and differences, they are showing these while the N82 is in use.

This same digital marketing interactive technique–launching a product online, enriching content, creating associations and putting it/f testing it in the hands of the users and reporters –has numerous benefits and can be leveraged by other companies including some of our clients.

www.mediapart.fr – A new French online newspaper is born.
Discover this new information site from March 16th until March 23th.
After this period, you’ll have to register and pay a monthly fee to have access to this newspaper (3 updates each day, 5 to 15 Euros depending on your situation/will to support this action). About 25 journalists are participating in this business venture, lead by old Libération and Le Monde executives. Their challenge: face the crisis of semination of information and giving good quality information, investigative journalism, and creative freedom thanks to its strong financial structure. The site is funded by its creators and monthly fees.

PagesJaunes used «clean-tags» to promote the launch of their new phone books in Paris. Probably inspired by British artist Moose method, the «clean-tags» technique creates graffiti by cleaning dirt from sidewalks, tunnels, walls, etc. The tags have been drawn around metro stations and lasted one month.
The unseen-before communication means allowed PagesJaunes to appear in the very heart of the urban environment and to break free with the traditional advertising supports.