TDG BlogStream

It Pays to Do Photo Research

Lazy graphic designers and cheap clients, beware: copyright infringement isn’t the worst thing that can happen when you source photos from the internet. An article on the BBC website this morning illustrates that the consequences can be much worse in some cases - for example, when you use a photo from one of the most well-known child disappearance cases in recent history. Oops. Paying for real stock photo research and usage can be a pain, but a cease-and-desist letter definitely isn’t the worst possible outcome.

Does Your Klout Score Matter?

In general, I think people pay a bit too much attention to Klout scores. They’re a useful metric, but they’re certainly not a window into anyone’s soul. Still, people in the marketing universe are more commonly using them as a hiring tool, and companies are starting to use them as a way to evaluate their customers. According to an article in Wired, if you have a high Klout score, you might just get an unexpected hotel room upgrade or extra online shopping discounts.

“Driving It Is Better Than Your Last 4 Romantic Encounters”

Spotted over on Regretsy, what may be the best used car ad ever posted on Craigslist:

There’s been a lot of hyperbole in ads lately - particularly ads targeted to men (*cough*Old Spice*cough) - but this ad seems to pull it off without seeming derivative or tired. In fact, it’s a great example of how awesome an ad can be when the seller isn’t afraid to take some risks. I hope this guy is a copywriter somewhere.

Marketers + Mathematicians = Your Secrets

Marketers call it “predictive analytics.” Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov called it “psychohistory” and wrote his Foundation series around the idea. The end result is pretty much the same: using historical statistics, psychology and mathematical algorithms, it’s possible to predict a person’s behavior and life events.

Take, for instance, the marketers at Target who were able to predict a teenage girl’s pregnancy before her father. Not surprisingly, the Target marketing team wasn’t happy that particular story made it into the New York Times.

PBS, NFL, DIY Viewers Most Likely to Buy

Want people most likely to buy your product? Try ads on the NFL and DIY Networks. PBS Kids Sprout wouldn’t hurt you, either. A story over on Media Daily News reports that a new study from Beta Research ranks cable networks according to which viewers are “most likely to buy products advertised.” Other networks that do well include Food Network, Disney XD and Nick Jr. I don’t know about you, but I detect some young mommies in that audience profile…

The Internet Hammers SOPA/PIPA

The blackout action on the Internet today (ranging from mostly complete blackouts on sites like Wikipedia and certain Tumblr blogs to conspicuous messages on Google and Wired) seem to have made a dent in the anti-piracy legislation currently working through Congress. The Washington Post reports that at least six lawmakers have withdrawn their support for the House (SOPA) and Senate (PIPA) versions of the bill.

Among other things, it’s been a fascinating study in public relations. As Sharon Waxman puts it in an article over at Reuters, the technology industry found a simple message that resonated with the general public, and they pressed it - hard. They were late to the game (the RIAA, MPAA and the rest of the content industry were quietly moving on this back in the early fall), but when the Internet community finally decided to move, it shifted the tide quickly and decisively. And while their legislation burned in the streets of public opinion, Hollywood fiddled with a press release. 

Waxman’s article is dead-on. Regardless of which side you think is right, Hollywood and the broader content industry demonstrated today that it has no idea how to communicate with the public in the 21st century.

Speaking of which side is right or wrong - and in the interests of full disclosure - this ad guy sides with Silicon Valley. Yes, the ad biz is a creative industry, and our agency definitely makes our living on intellectual property. Piracy is a problem. However, as one of my favorite web cartoonists puts it, the current legislation is a lot like trying to deal with an escaped lion from the zoo by blasting a basket of kittens with a flamethrower. I’m pretty sure there are more efficient ways of addressing the problem (and avoid kitty barbeques, too).