Re-think Video for the web

Online video needs to be thought and re-crafted for the web, if transferring it from other mediums like TV. The web experience is very different. Video for the web needs to be edited in a way that feels natural and not interruptive, this will help boost the experience.Video editing should be done in such a way that consumers can create their levels of experience. I can have a brand experience that is very high level or I can dive in deeper and have an immersive experience. In a way, the consumers are in control and the content is there as much as they want it.

Web Monitor Resolution Debate

Although a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 is predominant in the US, Europe, and Japan, in some areas, such as South East Asia, smaller screen sizes such as 800 x 600 may still be common. Flexible design approaches help significantly in addressing such differences these days. On the other hand, there are also a lot of other devices (PDAs, cellphones,...) with much more restrictive screens. Although not all Web pages may need to work on cellphones, try to design with as few limitations as possible.
Straight From From World Wide Web Consortium

As brand awareness shifts, we must shift

Let's compare :
Brand awareness in 2005 online ads drove a 3 percent lift in brand awareness. That boost fell to 2.2 percent over the course of the following two years.

One factor in the sagging brand impact of digital ads might simply be competition among large brands for share of mind. A few years ago there were less big brands online than there are now. Now everybody's online. Every brand you can think of has a a reasonable amount of spend online

Marketers : What do you about the declines.

1. place more emphasis on non-traditional ad formats and venues, such as viral marketing and social marketing campaigns. Viral media and social marketing campaigns can really accelerate a brand, but of course,consumers need to choose to engage with them.

From the point of view of marketing research companies:
Measuring brand lift for original branded content and social marketing campaigns has it's challenges. Working with all the new things coming out can help, this includes establishing relationships with the new widget ad networks and tracking original branded content.

HD DVD VS. Blu-Ray DIsc

HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, the latter of which is backed primarily by Sony (NYSE: SNE) , are competing to be the high-definition format that replaces today's current DVDs. Both are designed to offer better quality than traditional DVDs, and each has won support from different camps in recent months.

Among the major movie studios, Blu-ray has a tremendous lead, as it is supported by Columbia, Disney (NYSE: DIS), Fox, Lions Gate, Miramax, New Line and, most recently, Warner, which had previously supported both standards. Paramount (along with sister studio DreamWorks) and Universal are now the only remaining major-studio supporters of HD DVD.

Recent reports, however, suggests that Paramount is considering switching to Blu-ray, taking yet more wind out of HD DVD's sails. "Paramount's decision last summer to support HD DVD gave the format some momentum, but what I'm hearing is that there's a loophole in Paramount's 18-month contract with the HD DVD format so that it can get out of it," Chris Roden, research analyst with Parks Associates , told TechNewsWorld.

Learn More at TECHNEWSWORLD

APPLE 2008 MacWorld Highlights

All Hot News From APPLE

Apple introduces MacBook Air—the world’s thinnest notebook

Introducing Time Capsule—wireless backup for all your Macs

New software update enhances revolutionary iPhone

Major software upgrade available for iPod touch

Introducing iTunes Movie Rentals

Apple announces new software for Apple TV; lowers price to $229

Introducing iTunes Digital Copy

Apple Introduces the new Mac Pro

Introducing the new Xserve—the most powerful Apple server ever

District doubles its computing power with iMac

Mechanics of Modular Experience

Modular architecture offers two advantages. Firstly, expansion, modules need to be easily expanded in case the site gets modified or extended over time. Secondly, it's straight forward to build and integrate specific modules in case the website should have specific update-able functionality.

Mechanics of modules should all utilize the same logic, the look and feel for all modules should be similar as well, which is a huge benefit regarding usability. Once you've understood one module, you've understood them all.

The Approach remains simple: to make complex actions possible via a simple interface. This allows consumers to focus on the content, and the experience without questioning the technology behind it. Engaging viewers to not just visit the website once but to keep coming back to explore, and inviting friende or colleagues to experience the site as well!

Setting the DIGIAL bar

Digital creative is still new for most people in Marketing and Advertising.
Here are some ideas which may help better prepare for the present future.

1. The Creative Idea in Interactive Form
Digital creative ideas aren't as easy to express in a simple single-minded proposition. Online campaigns and programs can follow similar constructs as offline campaign ideas and hold true to the same " big idea " . Technology isn't an idea unto itself. Websites should be informed by an insight that drives their purpose and role in the mix. Of course, the expression of the idea does not have to be derivative of an advertising tagline, but it must map to the brand or business platform.

2. See the Idea in it's true form
Digital is detailed and experiential and a lot of the magic is still expressed in its execution. The good news is you're talking to the director and the concept creator at once. So it often helps to have something more than a storyboard or key style frames, called an interactive prototype. With Print design and concepts, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET, WITH DIGITAL YOU GET SO MUCH MORE. It may take us an extra day or so to put it together, or a few extra dollars to build you a quick prototype to illustrate some nuance, but MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, that is what you need to absorb it and decide whether it works clients.

3. Be clear about your priorities.
Most digital work, especially online advertising, is inherently direct response but if attention-grabbing awareness is a huge priority, this needs to be expressed because the work may come out quite differently.

5. Believe in brand expression.
Brands now are more than identity assets created 10 years ago. If you're seeking integration across channels and across multiple agencies, brand expression -- how a brand behaves -- is a crucial ingredient to add to the mix. Most brand guidelines need an update; in addition to classic topics such as logo, color, grid, type and imagery, brand guidelines now need tone, motion, principles and media usage. Plus, even classic identity elements need to be expanded; we need an extended color palette on the web, and we need more flexible guidelines that still differentiate a brand but are updated to the modern media environment.

6. Don't assume advertising equals brand.There's big competition right now for who stewards the brand. In many cases, and rightly so, it's the advertising agency whose legacy includes brand planning and whose retainers and rigor puts them in the driver's seat. But it's also true that digital agencies -- whose work crosses lines, who understand collaboration and who are closer to the consumer and all the marketing touch points -- can help steer a brand. Because things change fast we just may find ourselves changing our minds fairly quickly about who's leading.

New Google Tracking Code Helps FLASH-Based Web Sites

With the upgrade to ga.js you will have access to several new features including Event Tracking, and Outbound Link Tracking.

Source: Read More

Event Tracking will be especially useful for those who have Flash based sites, or for those who use multimedia on their site. An "event" is an action that a user takes on a web page that doesn't necessarily involve a new pageview. Examples include clicks on buttons or images, navigation in embedded Flash, or Ajax events, like moving a map in Google Maps, or applying a label in Gmail.

In mid-October Google announced the beta release of the new tracking code: ga.js. Then, in December, they released the new code to all Google Analytics users. So you might have noticed, within Google Analytics, that there is now a tab labeled 'New Tracking Code' within the Profile Settings > Tracking Code section.

You may be thinking, "Why should I care?" Well, here are a few reasons why the migration to ga.js is practically inevitable for those of you who want to remain on the cutting edge of the latest and greatest technology. And why, for those of you who don't want to rock the boat, it may not be necessary to switch over... yet.

Google's Technology That Recognises Text in Images

Google may have plans to expand its search engine beyond static text.

The search giant in June filed a patent application for technology that can recognise text in images. It could be used to retrieve text from video or from photographs that may show up as part of a street scene. The application was published on last week.

The company is seeking the patent for methods, systems and computer programs that can extract image text. For example, the application noted, the technology could search a collection of keywords extracted from text and retrieve an image associated with the extracted text.

The digital images that the technology aims to scout for text include illustrations of landscapes, people, urban scenes and other objects, according to the application.

"Image text typically includes text of varying size orientation and typeface," the application noted. "Text in a digital image derived, for example, from an urban scene (a city street scene) often proves information about the displayed scene or location. A typical street scene includes, for example, text as part of street signs, building names, address numbers and window signs."

Duncan Riley, a blogger at TechCrunch, noted that if Google really has found a way to index text in static images and video, "this is a great leap forward in the progression of search technology. This will make every book in the Google Books database really searchable, with the next step being YouTube, Flickr and more."

Adam Ostrow, a blogger at social networking site Mashable, said that potential applications of text recognition technology go beyond Google's existing products.

"Google could start photographing the aisles of stores to create product indexes with vast amounts of data," he wrote in a blog post. "For example, if Google were to photograph a box of Lucky Charms, it might be able to tell you not only its price, but nutritional information and ingredients."

However, Ostrow noted that the amount of manpower needed to capture this type of data would be hefty.

"Google Street View provides a fair amount of photos for major metropolitan areas, but it would seem that creating meaningful search products that utilise text recognition technology would require far deeper and more precise imagery," he said. "It sounds challenging, but perhaps not impossible with 15,000-plus employees at the company's disposal."

Source: www.computerworld.co.nz