BRANDING UNBOUND

Branding Unbound Has Moved

Branding Unbound has officially been absorbed into my blog GENERATION WOW.

Over the last year, I've been replicating all the cool initiatives covered here at Branding Unbound on my digital marketing blog, GEN WOW.

Now, you get the same great coverage of mobile. But it's all as part of a larger context spanning the multiple platforms we as marketers use to connect with today's iPhone-toting, Facebook-hopping, videogame-fragging, Twitter-tapping, I-want-what-I-want, when-where-and-how-I-want-it generation.

So if you subscribe to Branding Unbound, you'll want to subscribe to GEN WOW right away. You'll want to check out our new iTunes channel, too. And, of course, you'll want to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

THANK YOU to all the readers of my first book and this blog over the last six years. Now it's on to go bigger. Bolder. And far more bodacious.

See you over at Generation Wow.

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>> AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD <<<

  "... EXCELLENT ..."

 

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 

>>> IN STORES NOW: ORDER YOUR COPY HERE <<<

 

 

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Branding Unbound Is Moving

Branding  Unbound is going bye-bye.

Well, sort of.

Over the last year, I've been replicating all the cool initiatives covered here at Branding Unbound on my digital marketing blog, GEN WOW.

Now, after nearly four years, I'm putting Branding Unbound to rest, so I can have one blog to rule them all.

Why? Because instead of having a different blog for each of my books, I've decided GEN WOW is the official blog for both Branding Unbound and my new book The On-Demand Brand - as well as books I write in the future. And also because mobile isn't a stand-alone channel anymore. It's an integral part of the communications mix.

So if you subscribe to Branding Unbound, you'll want to subscribe to GEN WOW right away. You'll want to check out our new iTunes channel, too. And of course you'll want to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Same great coverage of mobile. But now as part of a larger context spanning the multiple platforms we as marketers use to connect with today's iPhone-toting, Facebook-hopping, videogame-fragging, Twitter-tapping, I-want-what-I-want, when-where-and-how-I-want-it generation.

In other words, Generation Wow.

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>> AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD <<<

  "... EXCELLENT ..."

 

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 

>>> IN STORES NOW: ORDER YOUR COPY HERE <<<

 

 

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Omelet Co-Founder Steven Amato (Concl): Mobile Augmented Reality Movies

Ready for feature-length augmented reality movies and games?

In the conclusion of this follow-up to a source interview for the new book THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, Omelet co-founder Steven Amato talks about how AR will impact the film industry, and, of all things, the surprising and the unexpected cross-platform power of Fox-TV's megahit "Glee."

Along the way, we'll get some sound advice for marketers hoping to capitalize on branded entertainment in the digital age. 

STEVEN AMATO, CO-FOUNDER OF OMELET (CONCL): AR MOVIES & THE FUTURE OF BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT

(Approx 3:15)

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>> AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD <<<

  "... EXCELLENT ..."

 

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 

>>> IN STORES NOW: ORDER YOUR COPY HERE <<<

 

 

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Omelet Co-Founder Steven Amato (Pt 2): How Augmented Reality & Location Are Shaping Social Branded Entertainment

Social branded entertainment may be, quite literally, where it's at.

In part one of my conversation with Omelet co-founder Steven Amato, we learned about a new mobile "micro-series" his team is developing for Post Cereal, and a feature film project for Harley Davidson.

Omelet, of course, has been a leader in branded entertainment for some time, having spearheaded initiatives like the online serial "Brainstorm," which spoofs the world of advertising, for Altoids and Fox.

In part two of our conversation - a follow-up to a source interview for the new book THE ON-DEMAND BRAND - we talk about how location and augmented reality are shaping the emerging world of social branded entertainment experiences.

STEVEN AMATO, CO-FOUNDER OF OMELET: BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT 2011 (Pt 2)

(Approx 3:18)

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>> AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD <<<

  "... EXCELLENT ..."

 

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 

>>> IN STORES NOW: ORDER YOUR COPY HERE <<<

 

 

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Interview: Steven Amato, Co-Founder of Omelet: Branded Mobile Entertainment for Post Cereal & More

As former MTV COO Michael J. Wolf once put it to me so well, "There is no business without show business."

It's a dictum, of course, that has always been true for all forms of advertising, which live at the intersection of art and commerce, that mythical crossroad at Madison & Vine. Advertisers have long sought to capitalize on, and hope to embed themselves within, popular culture - using celebrity pitch people, memorable jingles, and indelible images tied to what's hip, hot and happening.

In the age of the DVR, that mandate is taking on new importance, as marketers work to engage consumers who fast-forward through commercial breaks.

Obviously, those efforts are increasingly digital - and go far beyond just product placement - to entertainment experiences where brands play the starring role - in games, online "TV" shows, viral videos and more.

"'Branded content' is an extension of a brand, speaking a language that its consumers know and love, and actively seek out in a non-passive way," Steven Amato, co-founder of Los Angeles-based advertising-and-content studio Omelet, tells me in the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND.

Amato should know. Omelet has been a major player in branded entertainment for the better part of a decade, helping craft captivating experiences for Samsung, NBC, USA networks and numerous gaming companies.

I recently caught up with Amato to get his view on the state of branded entertainment in 2011 - and some exciting new projects Omelet's serving up for clients these days, including a mobile "micro-series" for Fox and Post Cereal, and a feature film project from Harley Davidson. 

We'll also hear about the evolution of branded entertainment into social branded entertainment experiences.

STEVEN AMATO, CO-FOUNDER OF OMELET: BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT 2011 (Pt 1)

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>> AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

 

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 

>>> IN STORES NOW: ORDER YOUR COPY HERE <<<

 

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Honda iPhone App Enables Viewers to Interact with TV Spot

 The Jazz just might be all that.

In its "This Unpredictable Life" campaign, whose very structure reflects a musical riff, Honda brings us a psychedelic, animated TV spot voiced over by, of all people, Garrison Keillor. There's even an iPhone app that enables viewers to swipe characters right off the TV using "screen hopping" technology and then interact with the characters by doing things like singing into the phone's microphone to get the monkey character to dance.

 According to Creativity, this screen hopping technology uses audio recognition to sync the app to the spots soundtrack, identifying which character to "catch."

I'm not yet sure if I would download an app in the hopes of seeing a TV commercial, and then whipping out the phone in time to catch a character. But it is an innovative idea, and it does point to new possibilities in activating traditional through the power of mobile. I didn't learn much about the Jazz, but at least I might be open to doing so.

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>>> AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD <<<

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Hyperfactory SVP Jeff Arbour (Concl): Getting Real About Augmented Reality

 For 2011, it's out with the gimmicks and in with the good stuff when it comes to mobile augmented reality.

At least that's the word from Jeff Arbour, SVP of The Hyperfactory, in a follow up conversation to a source interview we did for the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND.

In this conclusion of our conversation, we talk about how QR codes and other forms of 2D barcodes msut overcome some considerable challenges, and about how mobile augmented reality will take off as marketers get past the silly stuff and start getting more purposeful. Along the way, we'll hear about some of his favorite existing AR apps - including IKEA's (shown here) - and what it will take for AR to really take off;

INTERVIEW: JEFF ARBOUR, SVP, THE HYPERFACTORY (Concl) - GETTING REAL WITH MOBILE AR

(Approx. 4:13)

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

Publisher's Weekly

 

"... A MUST-READ ..."

Russell Weiner, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's Pizza, Inc.

 

"... WITTY, INSIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC AND HIGHLY INSPIRING ..."

Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms, HBO

 

"... TRULY A MUST-READ FOR MARKETERS WHO NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE CLUTTER ..."

Connor Brady, Chief Creative Officer, Organic, Inc.

 

"... REQUIRED READING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE ..."

Peter Cole, Technology Director, RGA

 

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Hyperfactory SVP Jeff Arbour (Pt 2): Supercharging Traditional Through The Power of Mobile

The future of traditional advertising may lay in mobile.

In the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, and also in my first book, BRANDING UNBOUND, I argue that the real power of mobile lies in supercharging the effectiveness of traditional advertising.

 

Simply put, mobile makes everything interactive. Our television ads become interactive. Our radio ads become interactive. Our print ads become interactive. Our direct mail becomes interactive. Our outdoor signage becomes interactive. Our storefronts become interactive. Our point of purchase becomes interactive. Even our products themselves become an opportunity to have an interactions with consumers that is really quite unprecedented.

 The other day, I was talking to Hyperfactory SVP Jeff Arbour about some of the conversation he and I have in THE ON-DEMAND BRAND about this dynamic, and we continue it here. In part two: How mobile can supercharge traditional advertising - a proposition that has been much more prevalent in other markets around the world, and is only now catching on the US in a very big way. 

Along the way, we discuss some of the promise - and peril - of location-based services and how to keep them relevant for the long term.

INTERVIEW: JEFF ARBOUR, SVP, THE HYPERFACTORY (PT 2) - THE TRADITIONAL/MOBILE CONNECTION

(Approx. 5:57)

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

Publisher's Weekly

 

"... A MUST-READ ..."

Russell Weiner, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's Pizza, Inc.

 

"... WITTY, INSIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC AND HIGHLY INSPIRING ..."

Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms, HBO

 

"... TRULY A MUST-READ FOR MARKETERS WHO NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE CLUTTER ..."

Connor Brady, Chief Creative Officer, Organic, Inc.

 

"... REQUIRED READING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE ..."

Peter Cole, Technology Director, RGA

 

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Interview: Hyperfactory SVP Jeff Arbour (Pt 1): Creating iPad Apps That Rock

 As the saying goes, there's always an app for that - whatever "that" is.

But what makes an app successful?

I was recently in New York City to moderate a panel on trends in mobile marketing that featured, among other luminaries, Derek Handley, the kinetic co-founder of The Hyperfactory.

For those out of the know, The Hyperfactory has been the force behind a number of the world's most innovative mobile initiatives, several of which are featured in the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND (available everywhere books are sold). Among its recent hits: The "Big Fork, Little Fork" iPad app for Kraft, shown here.

What may further distinguish The Hyperfactory is the fact that it was recently acquired by publishing giant Meredith - pointing to potent synergies bridging content, database marketing and mobile.

The other day, I touched bases with another friend from Hyperfactory, North America SVP Jeff Arbour (a mobile marketing dynamo in his own right) to talk about these synergies - and how they might come into play in branded apps to come.

INTERVIEW: JEFF ARBOUR, SVP NORTH AMERICA, THE HYPERFACTORY (PT 1) IPAD APPS THAT ROCK

(Approx. 5:35)

 

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

Publisher's Weekly

 

"... A MUST-READ ..."

Russell Weiner, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's Pizza, Inc.

 

"... WITTY, INSIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC AND HIGHLY INSPIRING ..."

Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms, HBO

 

"... TRULY A MUST-READ FOR MARKETERS WHO NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE CLUTTER ..."

Connor Brady, Chief Creative Officer, Organic, Inc.

 

"... REQUIRED READING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE ..."

Peter Cole, Technology Director, RGA

 

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Interview: Matthew Rosenberg, Co-Founder, Fast Society - Mobile App 'Built to Party'

Finally, a mobile app for your real social network.

There's an interesting article in this morning's New York Times that validates some of the prognostications I recently made to the AMA (and in my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, available everywhere books are sold) that the next year will see social media recalibrate to de-emphasize the quantity of "friends," "followers" and "likes" and emphasize the quality of real connections.

It got me thinking about a conversation I had the other day with Matthew Rosenberg, the co-founder of Fast Society, a hip new start-up that enables you to instantly connect with specific friends for nights out on the town, via group text messaging, calling and location.

So instead of texting or calling each member of the posse with details, locations and so forth, you use Fast Society to get everyone in one place at one time - and to share images and moments from the good times. None of which will live on to embarrass you on your Facebook page, which, let's face it, has pretty much morphed into a public, rather than intimately social, platform.

As for the opportunity for brands? Already MTV is using Fast Society to promote its new show "Skins." And as you're about to hear, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

INTERVIEW: MATTHEW ROSENBERG, CO-FOUNDER, FAST SOCIETY

(Approx. 11:58)

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

Publisher's Weekly

 

"... A MUST-READ ..."

Russell Weiner, Chief Marketing Officer, Domino's Pizza, Inc.

 

"... WITTY, INSIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC AND HIGHLY INSPIRING ..."

Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms, HBO

 

"... TRULY A MUST-READ FOR MARKETERS WHO NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE CLUTTER ..."

Connor Brady, Chief Creative Officer, Organic, Inc.

 

"... REQUIRED READING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE ..."

Peter Cole, Technology Director, RGA

 

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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