Mobile Phone Usage During the Super Bowl

February, 2012

According to a study, about half of the individuals watching the Super Bowl XLVI will check their mobile phone up to 10 times during the game. It was also proven, that almost one-third of viewers under the age of 45 will be watching with their mobile phone in their hand. People are using their phones to reach beyond the individuals that they are watching the game with through social media. A lot of the commentary will be about the anticipated commercials happening throughout the game. To learn more visit Mashable.

Google+ Launches Brand Pages

November, 2011

Google+ just rolled out its brand pages and companies can now connect to the Google social network.  Brand pages appear similar to Google+ profile pages with the exception of an icon indicating that it’s a brand page.  Several different brands partnered with Google for the launch including the Muppets, Pepsi, Fox News, CNN, the Dallas Cowboys, X-Games, Macy’s, Toyota, WWE, Train, Save the Children, Angry Birds and Barcelona Football Club.  For more information, please visit: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/google-pages-connect-with-all-things.html

LocalResponse Targets Tweets With Ads

September, 2011

Start-up company “LocalResponse” targets local advertisements to consumers by monitoring Tweets and check-ins. The site checks for users that have recently checked-in or tweeted about a local business establishment and provides them with offers that are tailored to that particular place. At this time, LocalResponse has been linked to GM and Verizon. To learn more about this start-up, please visit AdAge.com.

AMEX Mobile Aims to Help Traveling Customers

August, 2011

AMEX is hoping to aid those who frequently travel by allowing them to change travel plans quickly during instances of storms or unforeseen disruptions. The application lets companies track their employees as they travel, and is updated if delays are anticipated. Through the app, companies can track changes in itineraries and connect with their employees. “Our goal is to provide both travelers and their companies support in day-to-day traveler management as well as in emergencies and travel disruptions,” said Michel La Bianca, vice president of technology strategy at American Express Global Business Travel, New York. To learn more, visit MobileCommerceDaily.com.

Gogo Enables WiFi Streaming During Flight

August 2011

Gogo, an in-flight Wi-Fi provider, launched Gogo Vision for American Airlines. Gogo Vision will bring wireless streaming of TV shows and videos to 15 of its Boeing 767-200 Aircraft for the first time in the U.S.. Users will be able to stream from their laptops during flight, and their selections will be available to them for up to 72 hours after they have landed. For more information, please see Mashable.

Reach.ly Quickens Consumer Conversations

August, 2011

Reach.ly is launching its Twitter stream service today, which allows hotels to speak with potential customers in real time. The service scans recent tweets, gathering posts about users that are traveling to the city that the hotel is located in, and then reports the information to the hotels. Reach.ly enables hotels to interact directly with the Twitter users, which helps businesses cater to the individual’s specific needs. For more information, please visit Tech Crunch.

On Voicefeed iOS Enables Voicemail Groups

July, 2011

On Voicefeed iOS contains a new feature that allows users to create different voicemails and assign them to segmented groups of contacts. Categories (such as family, friends and coworkers) can each have a distinct message play when a contact calls, making it easy to separate your professional minded voicemail from a funny voicemail for when your friends call. For more information, please visit Tech Crunch.

StumbleUpon launches widget for bloggers

June, 2011

Blog writers can now display the information that they find on the web on their own sites through a new widget maker released by StumbleUpon. Users are able to create boxes for each of their interests and then filter relevant websites into them. Bloggers enter the elements that they want into the widget maker and it then in turn gives them a line of code to place in their personal site. This code creates a box that the user can choose the content and size of and then add onto as they find more information like it. This tool will be very useful for people with multiple domains that wish to combine them in one space. For more information, please see Mashable.

Microsoft’s New Filmstrip Ad for Dodge

May, 2011

Microsoft recently developed a new type of online ad called a filmstrip ad.  Filmstrip ads are longer versions of banner ads that allow consumers to scroll through to view more information.  The ad functions as a way to get consumers to move through the purchase funnel, ideally from awareness to loyalty.  Dodge is the first to use the new filmstrip banner, which consists of five banner ads combined, to showcase the Dodge Caravan.

Facebook Offers Credits To Watch Ads

May, 2011

Facebook started a program Thursday that gives users an incentive to watch ads.  The program will give users Facebook Credits when they view certain ads.  The credits are worth about 10 cents and can be used in conjunction with the new Feacebook Deals feature to purchase real-world goods.  Previously, credits only allowed for purchase of virtual goods.  Most of the ads will appear in various games, which will be more branded entertainment as opposed to traditional advertising.

Verizon Sponsors Tweets During March Madness

April, 2011

Verizon Wireless sponsored tweets during the last three days of the 2011 March Madness tournament to increase their Twitter presence on Twitter. Following the purchase of the “Promoted Trends”, Verizon saw an increase in followers from 25,400 to 103,200. When Twitter users clicked on the promoted tweets, they were directed to an ESPN and Verizon co-sponsored page, “Tournament of Tweets”, where users were encouraged to tweet their favorite teams in a hashtag.

Denmark Offers New Postage Stamp System

March, 2011

In an effort to make sending mail easier in Denmark, the country has introduced mobile stamps. Users can text in “PORTO” to a 1900 number to receive a code that is to be written where a stamp is traditionally placed. The code will only be active for seven days following the request, and works only on standard sized letters. The new system is aimed to help those who need to quickly send mail without access to stamps.

Google Talks Location At SXSW

March, 2011 Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice president of consumer services, talked about the importance of location with mobile at SXSW during her keynote.  Speaking about Google Maps specifically, Mayer noted that  “forty percent of all Maps usage is mobile.”  Some of Maps new features were shared, including Route Around, which provides alternate routes based on traffic conditions.  To read more, please visit: <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381880,00.asp>

Google Updates Profile Pages

March, 2011

Google has updates its Google Profile pages with a new layout and added functionality that closely resembles Facebook.  Users can update their profile image, upload photos, add information on interests, education, and employment.  The new profile also has an app which links to googlemaps to update all locations that you have lived.  The layout has the profile image in the upper lefthand corner with information flowed in the middle of the page, very similar to a Facebook profile page.  Google says that the new profile design “helps highlight the information that’s most important to you, making it easier for people who visit your profile to get to know you”.  For more information, see the blog post and press release issues by Google today.

AT&T’s “Shout Your Love” Campaign

February, 2011 Have you ever wanted to profess your love for someone on top of a mountain?  AT&T’s latest Valentine’s Day promotion aims to do just that.  Users can visit the company’s Facebook page and post their declarations of love.  Those declarations that are selected will be “shouted” by mountain men (or paid actors) with HTC Inspire 4G phones in hand on Mount Baldy in Southern California today.  All of the “shouts” can also be seen streaming live on the AT&T Facebook page.

Newest Google Translate Available on iPhone

February, 2011

The iPhone is now offering the enhanced Google Translate app to make language translations quick and easy. The application can take in voice dialogue from 15 languages, and translate them into one of 50 languages. Users can note which languages they will likely use in the future for quick reference. The application is free and a great resource for frequent travelers.

Most-Followed Magazines on Twitter

February, 2011

In addition to the growth of magazines on the iPad and online in general, a majority of popular magazines have a growing number of Twitter followers. People, Time, InStyle, Women’s Wear Daily and Entertainment are the top five magazines with over 1.5 million followers each. “We have a whole team of people working on our Twitter feed,” Time executive editor Jim Frederick.

Class Held On Facebook Due To Snow

February, 2011

An International Public Relations/Communications class at American University was moved to Facebook due to the recent snow storm that has left many americans stranded in their homes across the nation.  The class was cancelled due to the snow but the teacher reached out to her students via their class Facebook page and notified them that she would post an assignment on the site.  The students posted their assignments as the teacher lead discussion and posted comments to responses on the Facebook page. Students were able to continue engaging in the conversation hours and days after the original assignment was posted.  For more information visit The Washington Post.

Kenneth Cole Tweet Spurs Backlash

February 2011

A recent controversial tweet by clothing designer Kenneth Cole has spurred backlash in the twitter world in the form of a fake twitter account. The original tweet by Kenneth Cole himself stated “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online… – KC”.  After many negative tweets in response, Kenneth Cole posted an apology for the tweet.  A fake Kenneth Cole twitter account, KennethColePR, has been created and has been posting controversial fake ‘advertisements’ for the brand today in response. The original KC tweet has now been deleted, but hundred of tweeters are still responding in criticism to the statement.

“Foursquare for Universities” Goes Global

February, 2011

Foursquare has announced a world wide rollout of it’s “Foursquare for Universities” program, making special university badges available through relevant check-ins at every college or university around the world. The program began last year with Harvard University and aimed to help students connect with friends and professors on their campus, and help visitors find out more about the campus. Before the program went global, more than 25,000 university badges were unlocked and Foursquare received requests from 1,200 non-partner schools to bring the app to their campus. Standard badges available for conquering include Bookworm Bender, Smells Like School Spirit, Quad Squatter, Munchies and College Explorer.

Super Bowl XLV Reaches Out To Social Media

February, 2011

With around 700 million people on Facebook or Twitter, the NFL and other major brands are hoping to gain more viewers via social media efforts. The NFL currently has 2.4 million fans, and the league and teams will use their pages to send out promotions, offer game updates and engage fans in conversations. The NFL has a Twitter page for game updates, which is sponsored by Visa. In addition to the NFL, other companies are cashing in on the big game to reach consumers. Please view our previous post to see how Mercedes Benz is using social media to promote its new vehicles. To read more about this story, visit Dallas News.

Google, Twitter, SayNow: Voice-To-Twitter

February, 2011

Google, Twitter and SayNot have released Voice-To-Twitter in hopes of helping Egyptian protestors. The service will allow Twitter users to call in and have their messages tweeted. “Anyone can tweet by leaving a voicemail on one of three international phone numbers: +16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855. Tweets sent using the service will automatically include the hashtag #egypt,” said Lauren Indvik of Mashable.com. Ujjwal Singh, co-founder of SayNow, said, “We hope that this will go some way to helping people in Egypt stay connected at this very difficult time. Our thoughts are with everyone there.”

Real Time Social Media Use Grew 20% in 2010

January 2011

Social media use in real time increased by 20% in 2010.  Users are beginning to shift away from using social media as a static online identity and more towards a way to interact and share information.  Consumer participation in static discussions and blog writing decreased by 10% overall during 2010 while use of microblogs, such as Twitter, increase dramatically.  Content posted to social media sites reflected this shift towards real-time interaction as users started to more frequently update their statuses with value added content such as news articles and web links.  Posting of static personal content such as personal photos decreased by 5%. This trend of real time social media interaction follows the increase of use of social media applications on mobile sources rather than computers.

Updated Skype App Adds Video Calling

December, 2010

Skype 3.0 for the iPhone has added a video calling feature for on-the-go users. PCMag.com initial tests of the updated app showed clear audio and mostly good video quality. The app was compared with FaceTime, another video calling app, and while FaceTime had smoother video, the Skype app performed better on a variety of mobile networks. Visit PCMag.com to view a video of the app comparisons.

Mark Zuckerberg is Time’s 2010 Person of the Year

December 30, 2010

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been named Time Magazine’s 2010 person of the year.  The magazine stated that they chose Zuckerberg for the honor “for connecting more than half a billion people and mapping the social relations among them; for creating a new system of exchanging information; and for changing how we all live our lives.”  This year Zuckerberg grew Facebook to its current status of the largest online social networking site with its membership passing 500 million. Facebook’s revenue was estimated at between $1.1 and $2 billion year. He has also become one of the world’s youngest billionaires and recently signed a pledge to give a majority of his wealth to charity. His story also inspired a major motion picture feature, “The Social Network”. For more information see Times Magazine.

Consumers to Post Reviews on AT&T Facebook

December, 2010. AT&T has added a new feature to its Facebook page. It now allows for consumer to view different products, rate them and share their reviews with other Facebook users. AT&T is the first telecom company to allow consumers to review via Facebook.

Make Free Calls Through Gmail

December, 2010 Google announced that it’s offering free phone calls to Gmail users through 2011.  Gmail users will be able to make free calls anywhere in the U.S. and Canada with the newly added feature that debuted in August.

Verizon Purchased #CyberMonday Hashtag

November, 2010

Verizon Wireless purchased the #CyberMonday hashtag on Monday, November 29 in hopes that consumers who searched for deals on Twitter would land on their posts. The purchase of the tag was also to promote the brand’s 24-days of deals program. Deals can be revealed by posting about the promotion on Facebook or Twitter.

Facebook Friendship Pages

November, 2010

Facebook releases a new page feature called “Friendship Pages” which offers a summary of your friendship with someone as it exists on Facebook. Using public wall posts, comments, photos and mutually attended events, Friendship Pages is a refreshing organization of the information that’s already on Facebook.

Unsocial Helps Support Business Networking

October, 2010

Unsocial is a new social site for business men and women t0 help them find networking connections nearby. Users can sign up and log in via LinkedIn. Once they sign in, they can add in pertinent business information to help them find connections within their industry. Currently, the site is only active in San Francisco, but Unsocial is aiming to launch in additional cities in the near future.