The PrimeSense Booth at CES

Every January, the Consumer Electronics Show becomes the center of the tech universe, and geeks and gadget lovers from all over the globe flock to Las Vegas for four days of sensory overload.

This year, Pravda Media Group was at CES, too.

Sort of.

One of our clients, PrimeSense revolutionized the living room experience at CES,  and we had to be there too.  Right there, in the PrimeSense “living room.” At CES. In Las Vegas.  On the other side of the world.

But since we haven’t yet figured out a way around the whole space/time continuum thing we did the next best thing:

We created a Live Room,  a real-time marketing operation that allowed us to engage with our target audience as if we were directly on the floor at CES.

The War Room from Dr. Strangelove ain't got NOTHING on Pravda Media Group

We used Tra.cx and TweetDeck to search the internet for relevant people and discussions related to the event.  Then, we were able to engage with them on various social media platforms in real-time.   In addition to this, we also had a camera at the PrimeSense booth rigged to send images directly to us so we could post the photos and videos online on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, as well as add them to the Live Site we created to feature real-time PrimeSense and CES coverage.

Our Live Site offered real-time updates, photos and videos of PrimeSense and CES.  We combined live  news, video, Twitter, and Instagram feeds to create a virtual experience for anyone who wished they could be at CES and couldn’t, or who were at CES and wanted an effective way to see everything that was happening at the event in real-time.

@GoPrimeSense is at #CES 2012!

And so it went, on into the night: While folks in Las Vegas drank their coffee and traipsed the halls of one of the biggest tech shows in the world, all of us at Pravda Media Group pounded our keyboards and scoured the internet for interesting material to share about our client and provide value for our target audience.

(And we drank coffee, too. After all, it was after midnight in Israel.)

In Yiddish, there’s a saying “you’re tuchus can’t dance in two weddings at the same time.” Well,  it turns out, you can.   Through solid team-work both internally at Pravda Media Group, and with PrimeSense, we made it happen.  And the numbers also reflect the success of this operation: PrimeSense was mentioned over 1600 times on Twitter, and using our various monitoring platforms along with our rapid response time, we were able to increase engagement on Twitter by almost 300%.

And, at the end of the day, (well, um, the beginning of the day, because of the time difference!), we all enjoyed the challenge of being in two places at once.

We've been reading some great stuff at Pravda Media Group that you might enjoy as well.  So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit down, and get your read on -- you'll feel more productive than if you're just trawling Facebook.

Startup Branding: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs

http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/76648/Startup-Branding-A-Practical-Guide-for-Entrepreneurs.aspx

This is a fantastic post by  Mike Troiano about branding, and why startups should invest more time and clarify  the emotional value of their brand.

Apple, America and a Squeezed Middle Class

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html

New York Times offers a fascinating look at the changes in economics and manufacturing which have caused America to lose almost all its manufacturing labor and have severely damaged America's middle class.

Killing Hollywood Will Require Learning Hollywood’s Game

http://pandodaily.com/2012/01/20/killing-hollywood-will-require-learning-hollywoods-game/

With the SOPA fiasco, Y Combinator's Paul Graham wrote an interesting piece  Just kill Hollywood. The point of his post is that it's not piracy that will kill the movie business, instead it’s different forms of entertainment that will emerge in the upcoming years and gobble up the old paradigm.   Lacy claims that in order to actually “kill” or compete with Hollywood, start-ups need to learn their game and let go of the mindset that eyeballs equal quality.

Why textbooks of the future are not books

http://gigaom.com/apple/why-textbooks-of-the-future-are-not-books

Erica Ogg wrote a post about Apple's new foray into education with textbooks. (rightfully!) claims that these new textbooks are not books at all, but are instead interactive learning experiences: You have text, of course, but you can drag in image galleries, embed videos, 3D models, presentations and slideshows. You can touch and swipe and watch instead of just reading and taking notes.

There are things that no matter how old they are, people should know about it.  Especially as a reference to understand how we got here. It happens with movies, music, pictures and also with advertising campaigns.

This week I selected two incredible campaigns in this style. Old (for Internet time) but a must when the theme is promoting movies. Why specifically movies’ campaigns? Well, because unlike most products, no one needs to create a story for the product, since the product itself is already a story.

It makes everything more interesting when you have a whole world to explore.  So without further ado, on with the show(s):

Batman - Why So Serious

There are no other words to describe this campaign other then “the best campaign ever made."  Really. People can say that it’s easy to promote something that millions already love.  And while this is certainly true,  they went beyond this, and involved people in an amazing game for a one year campaign (from 2007 to 2008.) The cherry on top of the cake, for me, was to see how every step of the campaign was in a way synchronized to the movie. Winner of the Cyber Grand Prix Cannes Lion in 2009:

Those are some of the websites that were part of the campaign:

http://whysoserious.com/
http://www.ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com/
http://www.gothamcityrail.com/
http://www.thegothamtimes.com/

(I assume everyone saw this movie already, but if you made a terrible mistake of not seeing it, now is the time! Go.  See.  It.)

Coraline

This movie had a completely different scenario. Both the character and the movie itself were less-known. So incase you missed it, here's the trailer:

This creepy animation initially makes you think it's a kids movie.  But it’s not, believe me.  The movie had such a terrific campaign that it nailed a Titanium and Integrated Silver Cannes Lion in 2009. Here is why:

What you can’t properly see in the video case but you should are the banners made featuring a supporting character. Pure entertainment, something rare when talking about banners:

For more, check out Coraline’s official website: http://www.coraline.com/

Our client, PrimeSense is getting ready for CES 2012 which begins Tuesday, January 10th.

For real-time coverage of the world's largest Consumer Electronics Show, we hope you'll visit PrimeSense LIVE at CES 2012.

We've been reading some great stuff at Pravda Media Group that you might enjoy as well.  So, pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit down, and get your read on -- you'll feel more productive than if you're just trawling Facebook.

Eight Ways To Go Viral

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/26/eight-ways-go-viral/

Uzi Shmilovici, CEO and founder of Future Simple, explains virality and demonstrates some great tools companies use to boost theirviral factor.

*

Why Android updates are a mess: it's the business model

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/why-android-updates-are-a-mess-its-the-business-model/4300

Ed Bott explains why The Android business model practically guarantees that updates will be a mess.

*

The Amazing Power of Deflationary Economics for Startups

http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2011/12/22/the-amazing-power-of-deflationary-economics-for-startups/

Mark Suster argues that the most succesfull internet companies are the ones that offer amazing value  at high volumes which  makes it nearly impossible for high-cost incumbents to compete.

*

The year in mobile apps: Where we’ve been, where we’re going

http://gigaom.com/2011/12/25/the-year-in-mobile-apps-where-weve-been-where-were-going/

Erica Ogg gives a nice overlook at the year we've had of mobile apps and has some great predictions for what's ahead.

*

And we're curious:  What have YOU been reading?

There are some exciting things happening for our clients that we want to share with you:

PrimeSense is gearing up for CES 2012 – a huge consumer electronics tradeshow, located this year in Las Vegas.  PrimeSense has some really exciting things planned, and they promise to revolutionize the way you see your living room.

For more information – including some great tips if you’re attending CES 2012 this year -- check out their new blog:

We are also thrilled to be working with Babylon on their new My Life in Translation series.  These posts are written by well-known bloggers as well as Babylon users, and they offer poignant insights into the peaks and pitfalls of navigating new linguistic and cultural terrain.  These posts are humorous and touching, and we hope you’ll get a chance to check some of them out.

Let's face it. We love to hear the sound of our own voices.

When I was single, one of the best pieces of dating advice I ever got was to let the other person speak through the whole date because she will adore you by the end of it. The reason is simple: It is much easier to talk than to listen to others.

But the reality that just like in any relationship, one must listen to the other side in order to better understand them. Brands are facing the same situation on a daily basis. The holy grail of modern marketing is creating and cultivating relationships between brands and their target audience.  Therefore, listening is a key to reaching this goal

Thankfully, several companies are offering listening and monitoring platforms that makes this task easy. We've chosen Tra.cx due to their great team, technology, and customer service.

Conversation Distribution by Platforms via Tra.cx

But technology is not enough. It is all about what you do with it. So, with no further ado, here are some of the key ways to use listening as a strategic tool in your digital marketing toolbox:

Tweak your product and pitch - by listening to target audience conversations, we have been able to gain insight about general topics of interest. For example, when listening to online discussions of IT managers, we were able to ascertain their key concerns and challenges. This provided  valuable input to our client, as they could fine-tune their pitch and online presence.

Evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing - one of our clients invested a lot of money in extending the warranty of their products. They saw it as a key way to differentiate themselves from their competition. A month after they launched their program we analyzed online discussions of potential buyers of their equipment, and saw that warranty was not mentioned as a key decision factor. Not only that, but we also saw that the amount of online conversations about their offering didn't change at all after launching their extended warranty.. These findings helped our client reach a decision regarding the efficacy and value of their new marketing program.

Prioritize your marketing efforts - the digital landscape is becoming more and more fragmented. Multiple social networks, the need to combine inbound and outbound marketing methods, the ever growing pressure to reach results, and the shrinking marketing budgets pose a challenge to every decision maker. The value of Inbound marketing increases based on corporate investment. This investment grows based on the amount of platforms and campaigns a company is managing at any given time. Therefore, prioritizing and choosing which platform to focus on is extremely important. By effectively  listening to online conversations  about your market, you can easily identify the hotspots that require attention. For some, LinkedIn is the key to success. Others  prefer Facebook, and others still – heaven forbid --continue to use good old fashioned forums to discuss their buying decisions. We are using a cool Tra.cx report to quickly plan and prioritize our marketing efforts, and make sure we are handling the most important platforms for our clients.

Listening in love -- and in marketing -- is a key to success. It is not a one time thing, but should be part of an  ongoing process interwoven in the world of digital marketing. We gave here only a couple of examples on how to use it strategically. Stay tuned for future posts with additional case studies. And in the meantime, we would love to hear your insights.

Dear Parental Unit –

Uh, welcome to Facebook.  I guess.

I accepted your Facebook friend request on good faith but we’ve reached a point where I think we need to lay out a few ground rules because I am seriously thisclose to defriending you.

Ready?

1. First of all, the poking has got to stop.  Seriously.  It’s just weird.   Please don’t make me explain why.  (Not since we talked about where babies come from have I been this uncomfortable.)
2. Why are you commenting on every status update? And do you even know what LMFAO means?
3. Please take down any and all family pictures where I am wearing headgear, have a mullet, and/or am in the buff. If you ever want me to get married and give you grandchildren, you will comply with this request immediately.
4. And on that note, please stop playing matchmaker. Just because it says “doctor” or “lawyer” in someone’s profile does not mean you need to send me a friend suggestion.  It’s especially weird when you don’t even know the person you’re suggesting I friend in the first place.
5. Um, hey guys? Everyone can read what you write on my wall.  Everyone. So please stop publicly reminding me to “get that rash checked.”  Again, if you ever want me to get married and give you grandchildren, you will stop doing this right now.
6. And finally, if I delete a wall post (see above) do not repost it just in case I didn’t see it. Believe me:  I saw it.

Look.  I think it’s great that you’ve gotten all cyber-savvy and whatnot.  No, really, I do.  Especially the online banking thing – Please keep those cash infusions coming twice a month.

That way, I can beat you in Mafia Wars and Farmville.

Love,

Me.

We at Pravda Media Group wish all of you who celebrate Christmas a joyful holiday.  We hope that you find yourselves engulfed in the light and laughter that comes from spending time with friends and family.

And for the love of Santa, can someone please tell us whats the deal with Figgy Pudding?