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Read Hearst's interview with me about iCrossing's Live Media Studio & the need for brands to act more like publishers
August 8, 2011
iCrossing's Live Media Studio to Turn Brands into Storytellers@Hearst: What's your view on the trend of brands acting more like publishers?
Tarah Feinberg: For a long time, we’ve lived in a world where brands engaged in marketing that was very one-way—it was, “This is our message. This is our product. This is what you should believe.” We now live in a world where we have much savvier consumers who have access to a wider range of information. Now CMOs know that they have to be content publishers in order to provide a higher value to their audiences other than information about their products. But the dilemma is that they’re having a really hard time building and managing a publishing operation because they’ve never done it before.
@Hearst: Given today’s digital media landscape, what role does real-time play in crafting content for a brand?
Feinberg: Real-time marketing boils down to understanding the needs of a brand and its audience at any given moment. We might broadcast different content in the morning than in the evening, on a Monday than we do on a Saturday. It’s about making sure that our client’s communications are always as relevant as possible. We can measure how the content is performing and take immediate feedback from the communities, which means that we are constantly improving the experiences on an ongoing basis.
@Hearst: What are clients hoping to achieve?
Feinberg: As a baseline, we know that we’re talking about products or services and selling something. But what brands are now looking to accomplish with the Live Media Studio is to build advocacy around their offerings in the marketplace so that they’re not just talking about themselves—they want the world talking about them. If a brand can compel someone to sing its praises, it’s been proven by research that that person’s social network is more likely to buy that product than if they just hear a message from the brand.
Tarah Feinberg@Hearst: How will iCrossing’s partnership with Hearst influence the Live Media Studio?
Feinberg: We are very fortunate to be a part of Hearst because it allows us to leverage its state-of-the-art creative resources, including all of the in-house production capabilities and a network of freelance writers. Hearst has some amazing thought leaders in so many different categories, including fashion, automotive, and finance, which overlap with our client roster. When working with a publication, we can use archived content or co-create it with our clients.
iCrossing is disproportionately competitive compared to other agencies because of our partnership with Hearst. Virtually no one else in this space has the amazing mix of incredible content creation, editorial capabilities and marketing acumen. All of these aspects that Hearst specializes in have amplified our studio operations.
@Hearst: Tell me about your role as senior director of the Live Media Studio.
Feinberg: My outward-facing role is to convey the vision and the offerings that we are bringing to other departments at iCrossing, to Hearst properties, and to our clients so there’s a unified voice about the Live Media Studio. The other part of my role is to offer operational guidance, drive the creative product and help the studio continue to evolve its mission and value of content and communities.
@Hearst: What does the addition of the Live Media Studio suggest about iCrossing’s future?
Feinberg: It’s a natural evolution for the agency. The Live Media Studio shows how iCrossing has always been at the forefront of digital marketing. When the company was founded, we were really ahead of the curve for search—we were doing search marketing before Google was “Google.” We innovated in that area, but since then the digital space has progressed to more than that. And while our search and paid media offerings are still very strong, we’ve identified that the future of marketing is about using real-time and rich content that is rooted in a brand.###Watch a video of iCrossing leaders talking about the significance of their Live Media Studio.Creative Process of Digital - DigitalFlash NYC panel, including me [VIDEO]
Back in April, DigitalFlash NYC asked me to participate in their monthly panel series and exclusive networking events. I was honored to share my perspectives on the creative process of digital media, drawing from my experiences as a filmmaker and producer, founding member of the NBCU Digital Studio leading creative development, creative director at various advertising and marketing agencies, and digital strategist (read my full story here). It was a lively conversation, covering both the vast innovation that is happening in video, design and interactivity across digital platforms, as well as the formidable challenges that we face, both from business and technical perspectives.
The video quality is not spectacular, but it's valuable content, so I thought it was worth sharing. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
The Best 50 iPad Apps for Productivity & Living Better
Inspired by my mom getting an iPad, I put together this list of my top apps for the beloved device. It doesn't include all my apps and doesn't include any games (a whole separate project) or location-based services (Mom's not really into that), but I think this is a useful foundation for anyone looking to boost productivity and general life improvement via the iPad.
Also, check out my previous post: Top 48 iPhone App Recommendations (by category) and see all my app posts here.
What great apps did I miss? Let me know in the comments.
The first section are the Must-Have apps. I've also inserted *** before the Must-Have apps (first on lists), then others below, by category. All links go to the iTunes App Store webpage for the app.
Must-Have Apps
- Flipboard - #1 must-have app, which organizes all the content that you want in a clean, brilliant layout, like a magazine - watch videos in place, read articles without leaving, respond to Facebook posts right there, etc. You can pull in any feed from news sites (e.g. NY Times), blogs, etc. The easiest way to do this is to add them to Google Reader and add your Google Reader account to Flipboard. I also HIGHLY encourage you to add your Facebook account here, as it's a beautiful, enjoyable way to look at what your connections are posting. http://bit.ly/kfShGU
- Evernote - 1 of my absolute favorite apps, which I keep in my iPad's dock so I always have it at my fingertips. Save notes, clip parts/all of webpages, make text in photos searchable, record audio notes, etc. You can email them all out to yourself or others. It's a digital notebook that is accessible through your browser, an app you can install on your computer and mobile devices, like the iPad. I couldn't live without it. http://bit.ly/l5XjoN
- TripIt - forward your confirmation emails for flights, hotels, car rentals, etc. and this app organizes everything into a wonderful itinerary with weather, maps, reminders, etc. It also adds each part of your itinerary to your Google Calendar, if you let it. It has social features, too, if you want, so you can see when/where your friends are traveling and let them know about yours, but you can turn that off if you want. http://bit.ly/krc1rZ
- HBO Go - watch the entire HBO library on your iPad. Oh yeah! http://bit.ly/mMjOSf
- Netflix: http://bit.ly/lA2ziZ
- Friendly for Facebook - best way to view Facebook on the iPad (other than Flipboard, of course!) http://bit.ly/lkZmU1
- GetGlue - It's a fun social network, completely centered around entertainment (film, TV, music, books, topics, etc.). You can "check-in" to, "like" and review the content that you're consuming, chat with other people passionate about it, earn virtual rewards (stickers), real world rewards (discounts) and get recommendations for other related content. There's also a browser plugin for Firefox and Chrome, which allows you to perform all these actions around the web and see what your friends from Facebook and GetGlue have liked. You can also post your activity to Facebook and Twitter, which does the work of including information about the TV show/film/etc. for you. http://bit.ly/j1YW2j
- PerfectBrowser - full-featured browser, like you would have on your computer. The default, Safari, is fine for most things, but this is well worth the price when you want a deeper browsing experience. http://bit.ly/kvVSmG
- Yelp - has never failed me when searching for restaurants, even when in strange cities. http://bit.ly/iH3HN2
- Epicurious - find recipes and create shopping lists http://bit.ly/ldARux
- Pandora - stream music that learns your preferences from the brilliant Music Genome Project. http://bit.ly/k0DEny
- Dropbox - it's a hard drive on a server, meaning you can access your files from any computer or mobile device that you authorize. You can share folders with people also, if you wish. It's a lifesaver. http://bit.ly/ldHGrC
- Fring - allows you to chat with AIM, Google Chat, etc. friends all in one place. You can also video and audio chat if you have wifi. http://bit.ly/ihLYre
- Skype - excellent way to chat and video chat with people around the world, for free. You can also get unlimited domestic voice calling for about $30/year through your computer and it's amazing. I use it almost every day to make phone calls. http://bit.ly/ma5j8
- TripAdvisor - best reviews on anything travel-related. http://bit.ly/mC091d
- DragonSearch - amazing. Just speak into it and it'll search Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter and your iTunes library, all at once. It's so good. http://bit.ly/jjOrvF
- Dragon Dictation - who wants to type? This app does an incredible job of transcribing your voice to text. You can them email, post to social networks, etc. http://bit.ly/kmhvLM
- FlightCaster - predicts flight delays 6 hours before the airlines, based on historical data and monitoring of traffic info. Pulls your flight info in from TripIt. (They're going to start charging soon, so just download it, even if you're not sure you want it.) http://bit.ly/ifE8vd
- GateGuru - info on which gate flights are leaving/arriving, security wait times, services, food, maps, reviews and more. Pulls in info from TripIt. http://bit.ly/jmMd4c
- Appzilla - every other function you might need on your iPad. http://bit.ly/iHla0W
- Instagram - simple, lovely app that lets you apply filters to photos and post to social networks. http://bit.ly/jSX5E9
- Pano - helps you take several photos to stitch into a panoramic shot. Works really well - created some beautiful ones in Thailand. http://bit.ly/jK9Tza
- Photofeed for Facebook - pulls in photos from Facebook. http://bit.ly/jMu9hq
- Adobe Photoshop Express - Photoshop's app, which lets you easily make edits and improve your photos. http://bit.ly/lQnH3b
- Goodreader - great way to view and organize PDF, Word and other docs. http://bit.ly/jXzPE5
- Simplenote - basic text app that syncs with a server so you can access them anywhere. http://bit.ly/j3CxX8
News
- ***Flipboard - #1 must-have app, which organizes all the content that you want in a clean, brilliant layout, like a magazine - watch videos in place, read articles without leaving, respond to Facebook posts right there, etc. You can pull in any feed from news sites (e.g. NY Times), blogs, etc. The easiest way to do this is to add them to Google Reader and add your Google Reader account to Flipboard. I also HIGHLY encourage you to add your Facebook account here, as it's a beautiful, enjoyable way to look at what your connections are posting. http://bit.ly/kfShGU
- *Guardian Eyewitness - gorgeous, daily, visual representation of the news from the Guardian (UK). http://bit.ly/loXE1h
- *NPR - read news, watch videos, listen to podcasts or any of their stations, etc. http://bit.ly/mB8tRP
- NYTimes: http://bit.ly/lbZxuY
- Slate - read, watch, listen to news from the great, liberal & culturally rich news service, Slate.com. http://bit.ly/mhrOSO
- This American Life - one of my favorite radio shows of all time, hosted by Ira Glass, which I think you'd love. It's a paid app, but has every episode ever. Otherwise, you can always go to iTunes and download the episodes they have available there for free. http://bit.ly/kful0N
- CNN: http://bit.ly/jToSGs
- BBC News: http://bit.ly/k6ciNC
- The Weather Channel: http://bit.ly/jWWEu0
- Pulse - visual way to look at news headlines before digging deeper: http://bit.ly/kD7eA9
- Blancspot - visual way to look at news headlines before digging deeper: http://bit.ly/lwSq1b
Social Media & Chat
- ***Friendly for Facebook - best way to view Facebook on the iPad (other than Flipboard, of course!). http://bit.ly/lkZmU1
- **GetGlue - It's a fun social network, completely centered around entertainment (film, TV, music, books, topics, etc.). You can "check-in" to, "like" and review the content that you're consuming, chat with other people passionate about it, earn virtual rewards (stickers), real world rewards (discounts) and get recommendations for other related content. There's also a browser plugin for Firefox and Chrome, which allows you to perform all these actions around the web and see what your friends from Facebook and GetGlue have liked. You can also post your activity to Facebook and Twitter, which does the work of including information about the TV show/film/etc. for you. http://bit.ly/j1YW2j
- **Fring - allows you to chat with AIM, Google Chat, etc. friends all in one place. You can also video and audio chat if you have wifi. http://bit.ly/ihLYre
- *Skype - excellent way to chat and video chat with people around the world, for free. You can also get unlimited domestic voice calling for about $30/year through your computer and it's amazing. I use it almost every day to make phone calls. http://bit.ly/ma5j8f
- Twitter - dive in, it's very useful if you learn how to filter all the noise. http://bit.ly/kceQlP
Search/Browsing
- ***PerfectBrowser - full-featured browser, like you would have on your computer. The default, Safari, is fine for most things, but this is well worth the price when you want a deeper browsing experience. http://bit.ly/kvVSmG
- ***DragonSearch - amazing. Just speak into it and it'll search Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter and your iTunes library, all at once. It's so good. http://bit.ly/jjOrvF
- Discover - beautiful, visual way to browse Wikipedia like a magazine. http://bit.ly/lT6KFE
Entertainment, Music & Video
- ***HBO Go - watch the entire HBO library on your iPad (must be a subscriber). Oh yeah! http://bit.ly/mMjOSf
- ***Netflix: http://bit.ly/lA2ziZ
- ***Pandora - stream music that learns your preferences from the brilliant Music Genome Project. http://bit.ly/k0DEny
- PBS - beautiful app with lots of streaming video. http://bit.ly/mxII4N
- TED - watch TEDTalks. http://bit.ly/jXVTkC
- IMDB: http://bit.ly/iuv3wM
- Fandango - movie times, reviews & buy tickets. http://bit.ly/lcNwt1
- Movies by Flixster - another great movie app, which pulls in reviews from Rotten Tomatoes (my favorite) and your Facebook friends. http://bit.ly/m3UiMX
Going Out, Food, Reviews
- ***Yelp - has never failed me when searching for restaurants, even when in strange cities. http://bit.ly/iH3HN2
- **Epicurious - find recipes and create shopping lists. http://bit.ly/ldARux
- MenuPages - view restaurant menus in major cities. http://bit.ly/jFnl4w
- OpenTable - make reservations at restaurants. http://bit.ly/l7s8Yz
- SeamlessWeb - order food for delivery. http://bit.ly/jeU8DA
- GrubHub - another way to order food for delivery. http://bit.ly/jOKdZb
- Seafood Watch - info on ocean-friendly seafood at restaurants. http://bit.ly/ipFCS4
Travel
- ***TripIt - forward your confirmation emails for flights, hotels, car rentals, etc. and this app organizes everything into a wonderful itinerary with weather, maps, reminders, etc. It also adds each part of your itinerary to your Google Calendar, if you let it. It has social features, too, if you want, so you can see when/where your friends are traveling and let them know about yours, but you can turn that off if you want. http://bit.ly/krc1rZ
- **TripAdvisor - best reviews on anything travel-related. http://bit.ly/mC091d
- *FlighCaster - predicts flight delays 6 hours before the airlines, based on historical data and monitoring of traffic info. Pulls your flight info in from TripIt. (They're going to start charging soon, so just download it, even if you're not sure you want it.) http://bit.ly/ifE8vd
- *GateGuru - info on which gate flights are leaving/arriving, security wait times, services, food, maps, reviews and more. Pulls in info from TripIt. http://bit.ly/jmMd4c
Photos
- *Instagram - simple, lovely app that lets you apply filters to photos and post to social networks http://bit.ly/jSX5E9
- *Pano - helps you take several photos to stitch into a panoramic shot. Works really well - created some beautiful ones in Thailand. http://bit.ly/jK9Tza
- *Photofeed for Facebook - pulls in photos from Facebook http://bit.ly/jMu9hq
- *Adobe Photoshop Express - Photoshop's app, which lets you easily make edits and improve your photos. http://bit.ly/lQnH3b
- Precorder - starts recording video a few seconds before you press the record button, so you don't miss what you actually wanted. http://bit.ly/jwXINc
Documents & Utilities
- ***Evernote - 1 of my absolute favorite apps, which I keep in my iPad's dock so I always have it at my fingertips. Save notes, clip parts/all of webpages, make text in photos searchable, record audio notes, etc. You can email them all out to yourself or others. It's a digital notebook that is accessible through your browser, an app you can install on your computer and mobile devices, like the iPad. I couldn't live without it. http://bit.ly/l5XjoN
- ***Dropbox - it's a hard drive on a server, meaning you can access your files from any computer or mobile device that you authorize. You can share folders with people also, if you wish. It's a lifesaver. http://bit.ly/ldHGrC
- ***Dragon Dictation - who wants to type? This app does an incredible job of transcribing your voice to text. You can them email, post to social networks, etc. http://bit.ly/kmhvLM
- **Appzilla - every other function you might need on your iPad. http://bit.ly/iHla0W
- *Goodreader - great way to view and organize PDF, Word and other docs. http://bit.ly/jXzPE5
- *Simplenote - basic text app that syncs with a server so you can access them anywhere. http://bit.ly/j3CxX8
- GeniusScan - use your camera as a scanner. http://bit.ly/kScbLu
- Kindle - download and read eBooks from Amazon's Kindle store. http://bit.ly/jNGl0l
What is innovation? Great response from fellow Brandeis graduate Ari Teman (@AriTeman)
When my company (Anthem) and I decided to start calling me their Digital Innovation Specialist, there was a lot of discussion about what that means. Innovation is a tricky word, because it simultaneously means a whole lot of different things and absolutely nothing, depending on your perspective. For me, it's inextricably bound to creativity, but not necessarily in the making of stuff; more in the way we think about things that are and things that can/will be.
Today, I was impressed by fellow Brandeis graduate Ari Teman's response below, in an interview with DesignBuzz.com back in 2007 (thanks to my wife for sending this to me). "Innovation is making people’s lives easier by thinking differently." That's pretty much what I try to do every day. Well done, sir.
4. What is innovation to you - design, technology or the creative processes itself?
Teman: Innovation is making people’s lives easier by thinking differently. I don’t think you can separate design from technology. Is great design the coolest abacus you can draw? No, I think it’s the latest computer nobody has even considered yet. Design is about advancing society. Throughout history people have thought they could make the world better just by making it prettier - that doesn’t work (and most of those people are considered dictators and war criminals now!). There’s a place for pretty things, but real beauty is one with function - and the creative process becomes obvious if the product is elegant.
via designbuzz.com
Reviews, thoughts, images, articles and other content about digital media, real-time content, apps, advertising & technology that resonate with me.
