What Ever Happened to the New MySpace?

Remember eight months ago when MySpace relaunched with a brand new look, user experience and TV campaign? The commercial featured a hipster party that included Erin Wasson, Pharrell, Mac Miller, Ciara and other "it" celebrities trapped in what looks like an American Apparel explosion. A spray painted "Welcome to the neighborhood" tagline ends the TV spot, but how many people actually joined? Is the neighborhood barren or hopping like a Saturday night in Williamsburg?

To be honest, I'm not sure. I have not seen one headline in the last eight months about MySpace or the usage of the new MySpace. What happened? To answer this question fairly, I'm tasking myself to use the platform for the next week. Will keep you posted...

In the meantime, find me on MySpace here.

No Joke, This Presidential Election Was The Most Entertaining By Far

Here's a few reasons why:
Gum Election - http://gumelection.com/

Smack a Candidate - http://smackacandidate.com/ 

CNN's Empire State Building Results - http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/06/politics/empire-state-building-images/index.html

New York Times Instagramming The Election - http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/06/us/politics/instagramming-the-election.html

NBC's Rockefeller Rink Map - http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/11/06/election-2012-favorite-coverage-gimmick/

Facebook Stories Vote - http://www.facebookstories.com/vote

And the many election memes like this one (from @HeyVeronica):

And this one (from Hawaiian Memes BRAH)! Because President Obama has been reelected!

Type Pop & GIF CTRL, Two More GIF Sites to Kill Time

TypePop.com
Instantly make pretty GIFs of all the things you think are "supercute"or "so wrong"

gifctrl.com
You just have to try this site to see why it is so awesome

 Thanks to my coworkers Kaity and Richard for sharing these links!

Two Student Shows You Need To Check Out in NYC This Week

Need a dose of inspiration? Check out these end of the year student shows from NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Both are free and are only open this week.

ITP Spring Show 

May 14 (5-9pm) and May 15 (4-8pm)

NYU Tisch School of the Arts

721 Broadway, 4th Floor South 

GSAPP 2012 End of Year Show

May 14-18 (10am - 5pm)

Columbia University Avery Hall

1172 Amsterdam Avenue

I went to the GSAPP reception this Saturday to support some friends who completed their first year in the program.

Google 8-bit NES Map for April Fools, So Racist

But so good! I like it!

Best Digital Idea Ever: A Britney Spears Music Video Bracket

MTV's Britney Spears: 30 Videos for 30 Years music video bracket is probably the most time I have ever spent on a bracket (even more that last season's SYTYCD bracket that I made) and maybe even the most time I've spent on a branded digital idea/site. The bracket is simply brilliant. You click on a box that pairs up two Britney videos which you can then watch the videos and vote for your favorite to move onto the next round. After you submit your vote, you can see what the results are thus far.

As an avid Britney fan, having to choose the number one Britney Spears video is like asking your dad what his favorite Nicholas Cage movie is... there's just too many favorites. Britney has so many iconic videos and hits but if I had to choose I would go with her old stuff that had lots of choreographed dance. My favorites are Crazy, Stronger, I'm a Slave 4 You, Toxic and Piece of Me.

Sad to see "Born to Make You Happy" wasn't on the bracket but I guess the video did kind of suck.
Click here for the bracket

Word of Photo--How Digital Pictures are Changing the Way We Consume

Here's a mobile pic of my La Shrimp Curry Crepe at Pates et Traditions that I ate this weekend

What is "Word of Photo"? Word of Photo is a phrase I created to describe how we pass information from one to many through pictures, and how what we buy, eat, attend, etc. is influenced by digital pictures. In the last year, I've noticed a huge influx of people documenting everything they eat or cook through pictures and posting them on Facebook or Twitter. While this may be detrimental for dieters, I find it highly useful in figuring out where and what to eat. Plus, posting pictures of mouth watering food is a huge advertising advantage for food and beverage businesses. Gone are the days where we verbally ask: "What's a good restaurant?", when we can now Facebook status update, tweet, Google or yelp that question and get just as good or even better of an answer instantly.

In the battle between Word of Mouth and Word of Photo, the latter wins. As the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" goes--a picture can communicate a thousand times quicker than text and often times more powerfully. Especially today with smartphone cameras, pictures play a much bigger part in the way we communicate daily. Living life through photos can be seen in the popularity of photo-based blog Tumblr, Twitter picture-sharing sites like TwitPic and mobile picture apps like Instagram. Word of Mouth is person to person communication, while Word of Photo is one to many... you tell me which one spreads faster.

As an emerging media enthusiast/integrated marketing nerd, the opportunity in "word of photo" communication or real-time mobile pic sharing excites me!!! Can't wait to see how Entertainment, Food/Beverage and Retail Brands incorporate picture sharing into their marketing strategies. However, I do have qualms about "digital over sharing"and the effect it has on real-life experiences (here's a NY Mag article with a strong argument against about taking photos at restaurants), but I'll save that rant for a future blog post.

Learning To Love NYC

In a month marks my two years of living in New York City, and I can finally say that I'm comfortable calling this crazy place home at least for the next few years of my life. I can navigate the local and express trains without using a map, I have seen my share of celebrities (bumped into Chuck Bass smoking a cigarette in the LES, NBD, and ate lunch next to a real housewife of New York, you know the one that lives in Brooklyn) and I can't imagine living somewhere that didn't have a beer garden in the neighborhood. Am I a New Yorker now?

It's easy for tourists to quickly fall under NYC's enchantment and sport their "I HEART NY" shirts with pride, but it took me about two years and a lot of beers to come to terms with the chaos (overworking job, hobos on the subway, $6 boxes of cereal). New York City is a place that can destroy and save you at the very same time--and in this process I have learned to love New York.

Below are some interwebs stuff that capture what makes this city so great:

Mindrelic - Manhattan in motion from Mindrelic on Vimeo

Tiffany & Co. - Love Is Everywhere Map (especially in NYC)

Dear NYC - An interesting collection of personal notes to NYC, you can make your own as well

Ottavia Bourdain (Anthony Bourdain's wife) served me ice cream from a truck called the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck--only in NYC!

Polyvore x Hudson Jeans x NYLON = The Online Contest Revamped

Nowadays, branded online contests is an overused and uninspired marketing tactic that struggles to scale; however, this week Hudson Jeans in partnership with publisher Nylon Mag and fashion trend tool Polyvore proves that simplifying the entry process in digital touchpoints that reach your audience can produce crazy high engagement levels. Polyvore's trend collage-building concept lends itself well to retail and its innovative Mini Editor unit lends itself perfectly to reaching audiences across the web. This week on NylonMag.com, Polyvore's mini editor replaced the typical 300x250 homepage spot so fashionistas can instantly create and submit their collages (sets) directly in the unit without leaving the page. In addition, you can browse and "like" entrees within the gallery tab of the unit. What amazes me is how dead-on the NYLON, Polyvore and Hudson Jeans audience fits right into each other, and in combination with the high interactivity and versatility of Polyvore's Mini Editor unit--the Hudson & Georgia May Jagger Style Inspiration contest is a sure winner.

Nylon tweeted to its 336K+ followers:

Polyvore's Mini Editor is also integrated on Hudson's Facebook page:

Impressive submissions like Denim Daybreak's below show that the contest reaches a very interested and passionate audience:

Polyvore has worked with other brands like Coach, Tommy Hilfiger and YSL in similar contest formats. What is really interesting is the engagement numbers are available on Polyvore for everyone to see:

Practice Safe Posting People

I find the recent Gilbert Gottfried and UCLA girl news somewhat alarming as to how easily "freedom of speech" can turn into a VERY poor life decision. It's a good thing President Obama and First Lady Michelle recently held a summit at the White House about educating the youth on the proper use of the internet because obviously some of the first generation of vloggers, tweeters and content creators are not practicing common sense. I have bigger issues to worry about than some girl's racists rants, but as an Asian American and human being, I think there's a lot everyone can learn from the lack of looting in Japan and how the Japanese have been "true to their moral code" even in a very dark time in their country. The internet allows us to share our perspectives and connect with people with the same passions, but we need to be more sensitive to the "public" visibility of content online. And I'm not talking about comedy because most people can tell the difference between an insensitive comment and a joke--and I don't think Gottfried or the UCLA girl was joking.

When Digital Does Good Good--WWF, Chrome For A Cause, NogPong

In the past few years, I have seen many corporate-sponsored, large scale digital charity campaigns like American Express' Members Project and Pepsi Refresh--all which follow a submission, vote and select format which may feel like it's months before any positive change occurs; however, recently, WWF, Google Chrome and Saatchi & Saatchi LA have created some unique and simple ways to digitally "do good" (seemingly) very quickly.  These ideas are a response to people's need to feel like they ACTUALLY can make a difference in the world INSTANTLY.  No registering, voting, submitting or writing, simply with a save, ctrl+T or click--we can all feel like we've made the world a better place.

I really recommend checking out Chrome For A Cause and NogPong since those will end soon.

1) Save as a WWF, a neat way to actually save trees by not allowing people to print their docs

2) Chrome For A Cause, With every tab you open in your Google Chrome browser from today until December 19th you could donate water, books, shelter, vaccinations or trees.  I've already gone psycho on the apple+Ts and currently have 15 tabs open, but guess what?  I just helped provide 6 persons' worth of clean water.  I am hoping Google will share the results of this project in a colorful trend graph and YouTube videos of the donations.

3) NogPong, this one is actually fun which makes it even more awesome.  Saatchi & Saatchi LA created a site that streams live video of Saatchi workers responding to real-time pong throws into cups of eggnog.  Anyone with an internet connection can take a shot simply by clicking (you're able to adjust the aim and strength of the throw).  The charity portion is that with every cup made they will donate to selected charities.  NogPong was definitely made with the user experience in mind--engagement rates must be out the roof.  Good job @SaatchiLA!

What I love best about all three of these ideas is that it started with a natural consumer action e.g. saving a file, opening a tab, throwing a pong ball and tailored it to be relevant to the organization, company or agency i.e. file type = "WWF", tabs <3 browsers and Chrome is a browser, and agency holiday office parties are just fun!  Plus all sites were fully equipped with Facebook and Twitter sharing functionality.

Stuff like this makes me very happy because it reassures me that humanity and this industry is still very clever and that digital is progressing in a positive direction.

Sad Lost for Surfing & Hawaii, R.I.P. Andy Irons

It didn't fully occur to me when Michael Jackson died or when any other major news event trended through social networks like Twitter and Facebook, what the internet means to the way humans connect during a major event--until today when I saw a vague Facebook status "andy irons" and googled his name to discover that Professional Surfer Andy Irons had passed.  

It was late afternoon in NYC and I was sitting in my window-less cube when I found out.  I was in disbelief that a Surfer so young (only 32) could pass unexpectedly, and my doubts soon turned into sadness when I saw "Andy Irons" trending on Twitter and the outpour of tweets, "RIP Andy Irons".  

At this moment of sadness for the surfing community and sadness for the life Andy could have continued to live, I realized the positive impact social networks and the internet can have on society.  Today, anyone in the world with an internet connection can share their emotions of sadness, joy, anger--whatever it is, someone else in the world can experience it with them in real-time, regardless of their location or time of day.  While in many ways, the internet is constantly being segmented into groups, communities, networks, etc., we somehow always find each other when it matters.  

Although I am from Hawaii, I would not call myself a surfer or an expert at the sport, but I hugely admire Andy's passion for surfing and the magic he creates on the waves.  Andy Irons is a surfing legend, and may he rest in peace, I imagine, atop his board in the ocean.

Google's Watch This Space Campaign Is Stalking Me

I can't help but think Google is stalking me with its recent 'Watch This Space' campaign promoting the Google Display Network.  I personally find the campaign refreshingly simple, game-changing (by changing perceptions about the power of a typical 300x250 placement) and a great example of how Google has mastered the art of streamlining.  Google is known for dominating the search space (65% of market share) and now it looks like Google wants to dominate (the world) the display ad space too.  

Learn more out Google's Watch This Space here.

Recent MediaWeek Magazine cover wrap

NYC Advertising Week Guide double-page spread 

300x250 on LinkedIn Profile

Pilot Handwriting, The Coolest Thing On the Web For Now

Digital advertising has been on a roll lately with Old Spice Man's hilarious twitter response videos and now, Pilot Handwriting--the most digitally savvy, brand-aligned interactive website I have ever seen.  Created by GREY Group Spain, Pilot Handwriting allows users to upload their very own handwritten typeface through a webcam and then send email messages in your handwriting.

Finally, a brand has created a website that is not just another user-generated content contest or an attempt to gain Facebook fans.  Pilot is absolute genius for recreating the personalization and sentiment of a handwritten note onto the computer.  It makes me all tingly inside just to think about it, not to mention the simplicity of the site design, easy-to-follow video demo and webcam functionality is just plain beautiful.  My only complaint about this site and possibly the reason why this site has not grown as big as Isaiah Mustafa is that you can only email one person at a time and the email message (sent as a jpeg) has a VERY UGLY PEN at the bottom.

I recommend that everyone check out PilotHandwriting.com and create your own typeface.  Then email me your best joke so I can steal your jokes and then judge you by your handwriting.  

Internet Week Means No Sleep

Enjoying some pop-tails at Buzz Media's Pop Burger Event

Craziness has been happening lately in the digital world, especially since it's internet week in NYC!  I started off the week welcoming interns to the City at the MAIP kick-off party in JWT's super swanky bar, met my MAIP mentee Anjali from UT (Go Longhorns!) and caught up with old friends--one, which I am very excited to see--NATALIE!!  Natalie and I worked together for three years at the BU gym, explains the unbreakable bond.

Last night was Buzz Media's Pop Party at Pop Burger with Pop-tails (drinks named after celebrities like 'Snooki', 'Ashton Kutcher'... the 'Betty White Old Fashion' was DaBomb.com), Ring Pops, Pop Rocks, Pop Trivia... oh and not to mention, Kelly Bensimon (the one that posed for Playboy) and Deena Manzo (the one with the ugly cat) from the Real Housewives was there.  I guess they're Pop Wives?... OR Pop Tarts!  After several Betty Whites and sliders, my colleagues and I headed to the Zemoga's Never Mind the Lyrics Karaoke Party at Fontana's in the Lower East Side.  I hate singing, but Katie and I tore up the stage with a terrible rendition of NSYNC's 'Tearin' Up My Heart'.  Never again.

This has been quite an eventful (iPhone 4, Digital Content New Front) and tiring week.  I am ready for it to be over, so I can sleep.

Where To Watch Every Sports Game In NYC

I was looking for a bar to watch UFC 112 tonight (BJ PENN!) and stumbled upon Where We Watch, a site dedicated to sports bars in NYC and where to watch all your favorite teams.  To all non-New York sports fans, there is a bar for you and no more calling random bars until you find your game.  Cheers.

Xtranormal Is Genius For Making Genius Videos Easy

Xtranormal, a site that lets you quickly create videos by simply providing text dialogue and plugging it into a set scene, has made me jump in my seat with excitement (a feeling I have not felt since that US/Canada game (the one we won)).  THIS SITE IS AWESOME.  I don't want to ruin it with words, so check it out for your self and if you work in digital display media, watch this video and you'll know why Xtranormal may be the new You Tube.