“Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the  things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project.”

Later in the day, Marka Hansen, President of Gap Brand North America, submitted a blog post on The Huffington Post, explaining the company’s decision. (Read her blog post here.)

The takeaway from Hansen’s post…

Ah yes, we stand by our decision, but we’re willing to see what you can come up with to pacify you.

This immediacy is only a recent phenomenon, but one that needs to be watched. People are talking about your brand, but are you listening? The message is: Don’t like something? Speak up, you have the power to change it.

This resonates with people, who often feel disenchanted by politicians, corporations, even parents who don’t seem to be listening: You mean I can make a difference?

My Gap logo submission

And so they did. Hundreds of designers, myself included (see inset), submitted their ideas in what has collectively become known as crowd sourcing (Submissions can be viewed here). In design lingo, “crowd sourcing” means that hundreds of designers submit logos that are equally as bad as the logo they are intended to replace. The company looks for a home run, knows it won’t get one, but hopes that being inclusive makes everyone shut up. But of course, they were still left with a bad logo.

And so, Gap distributed a press release announcing its decision to keep the pre-existing logo along with the following Facebook message:

“Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback. We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. So instead of crowd sourcing, we’re bringing back the Blue Box tonight.”

And there you have it, back to the old logo. The people win! Gap wins! Hell, I just mentioned Gap over 10 times in this blog post alone, and sent messages to my other design friends, bringing Gap to their attention.

Score one for the viral nature of the Internet. Gap may have just spent a few hundred thousand on an awful logo that got panned by the masses, but they were quick. They played it well and created a ton of buzz and positive public relations along the way. I’m still not shopping at Gap though…

What was your favorite viral video of 2009?
Take a look some of the top viral videos of 2009, posted recently by WGN-TV a local Chicago TV news station.

Top word of 2009: Twitter
Yup, that’s right, “Twitter” was the top word in 2009, according to global survey of the English language conducted by Global Language Monitor.

News Corp Sites May Be Removed From Google
News Corp Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, claims readers who randomly reach a page via an Internet search hold little value to advertisers.

Aol. rebrands
As of December 10, AOL, now referred to as “Aol.,” once again became its own publicly-traded company. Check out some of its new logos.

Making social media a tool and not a distraction
Social media may be affecting the level of production of employees at some companies. Check out some points on how to make social media a powerful tool rather than a useless distraction.

Read the full article

How to spam Facebook like a pro
Spammers are like Internet porn, they are the clever ones leading the way for advertisers to figure out how to make money off of the Internet. Have a look at this insider confession to find out how they do it:

Read the full article

Scam Alert! How Popular Facebook applications like Mafia Wars and Farmville cheat cash from users
Again, the Internet porn pioneers blaze the trails for other scammers to make a quick buck. It has taken on many forms. “Text 3264 to X to get your free ringtone.” Then when you check your phone bill, you find out that you’ve been signed up for a recurring charge. Here’s how it typically works on Social Media Apps — you’re offered in-game currency in exchange for filling in a survey. At the end, you are told that they will text you the results. When you give them your number, BAM, you’re signed up for a $9.99/month recurring charge.

Don’t be fooled, read more…

Social Economy
In an aside to the previous article in this post on scams, let’s take a look at some  companies that thrive on scams. Facebook analytics site Adonomics gives us a peek at the valuation and daily active users of the top 100 app developers. There are 4.6 million daily active users and a valuation of $122 million for Farmville and Mafia Wars developer Zynga. Who said you can’t make money off of social networking?

See the numbers yourself.

Fun with comments: Walmart Caskets
Walmart recently announced that it would be selling caskets online. Funny enough in itself, but the hilarity ensues when people decided to leave funny product reviews and comments on the Walmart Web site. It should be a lesson to those just starting to brave the social media waters. You have to protect your brand. Don’t just watch the numbers, you have to listen to what people are saying.

See what happened

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/10/domo-invades-7-eleven-stores/

Real Contextual Advertising - Billboards
We’re starting to see more of these digital billboards pop up. The key for advertisers is learning how to use them effectively.

http://www.trackchanges.net/2009/10/06/real-contextual-advertising—billboards/

Ralph Lauren Photoshop FAIL
So much bad photoshopping going on these days. Check this out. Read on for more background on this editing no-no.

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/06/the-criticism-that-r.html

Estee Lauder Gets Women Ready for Their Social-Media Close-ups
From Glamour Shots to profile pics. Marketers begin to use social media to target their core audience. Estee Lauder cosmetics brand is offering free makeovers and photo shoots at its department-store cosmetics counters coast-to-coast to produce shots women can use for their online profiles.

http://adage.com/article?article_id=139524

Volkswagen comes up with piano stairs and other fun diversions
Not sure what this has to do with VW, but hey, awesome experiment nonetheless. You KNOW you want to try it!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JJu4l8h_nU

As an experienced Photoshop veteran, I know how easy it can be to clone out imperfections and otherwise enhance a photo. But don’t you feel kind of tricked? New proposals in both the United Kingdom and France try to curb some of the more misleading photo-trickery.

http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/08/03/uk-mps-want-ban-on-digitally-enhanced-images-in-teen-magazines-21639/

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Online advertising ‘overtakes TV’

It was only a matter of time, but it looks like the writing is on the wall. The Internet is catching on…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8280557.stm
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Insurance PSA closing in on 2 million hits this week

Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” Web site put together a great fake PSA last week, and it’s been making the rounds. Click on the image below to watch the fake PSA.

__________________________________________

Google Wave offers users a new way to communicate and collaborate

Google unleashed the beta version of Google Wave this week. It allows users to interact with data in a more collaborative way — adding and editing a single instance of a document, rather than passing around countless versions and iterations. Read on to find out more about the other features that will soon be as familiar as e-mail.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/08/google-wave-internet-technology-cio-network-google.html
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Who’s clicking?

Measuring a click is easy — no wonder why it’s been the go-to measure of online success. But with so few people actually clicking, we should look at some of the other intangibles that affect the success of online marketing.

http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=139367
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Looking back at old Web sites can be like looking back at old haircuts. What were you thinking?

Hulu Claims Larger Viewership than Time Warner Cable

Is Internet TV going to replace standard television? Hulu thinks so. (Via FastCompany via Silicon Alley Insider)

YouTube may offer online movie rentals, following in footsteps of iTunes, Amazon

In other media convergence news, YouTube is trying to jump on the movie rental bandwagon.

Can they compete?

Winkers™: Let’s hope this doesn’t catch on.

Move over cankles, the “thass” is now the it body part, at least according to Winkers™.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyYhdY-A_Hs

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Literal Video

Here’s an Internet meme that’s been getting passed around a lot at the moment. The idea is to take an existing music video and rewrite the lyrics to describe what’s actually going on. What’s your favorite?

Literal Video YouTube search results.

IKEA dumps Futura for…Verdana?

That’s right. People are taking note of IKEA’s new font. In an effort to use a font that is used worldwide, IKEA switches to Verdana after about 50 years of Futura and Century Schoolbook, reported Typofile, an online space dedicated to the love of fonts and typefaces.

Megawoosh

This marketing stunt by Microsoft® pushed the Evian® babies off the #1 spot for this week’s best viral videos. Part of its success lies in the great Internet debate that follows all amazing stunts and viral absurdities. Is it real or fake? By building off of this question, you manage to intrigue the viewer to pass it along and see what the next person thinks. Once it’s been debunked, it loses momentum, but by that time, it doesn’t matter, you can’t stop it. Also note, it never says anything about Microsoft.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkwh4ZaxHIA

2010 Mustang Community Customizer

Ford and the Wunderman team Detroit just released a new site that lets you fully customize a new Mustang as well as the scene around it. Create your own or browse some of the other submissions.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Augmented Reality takes off. Mobile phones get cyborg vision. Finally…

As mobile-application developers start to take advantage of some of the iPhone’s new features, a world of hidden information begins to emerge around us. Check out this cool new app that utilizes GPS and the internal compass to show you the location of the nearest subway stations. (Click image for video.)

Penny Pranks

OfficeMax does a good job of hitting their target audience with their Penny Pranks viral campaign. They manage to tie in a funny premise with their back to school penny sale. $.01 notebooks ya’ll! (Click image to watch.)

What the F is Social Media?

There’s still a big disconnect that surrounds social media. Watch this slideshow so that next time you have to explain it to your boss, you’ll have some ammo.

Squirrel Pops Up in Picture!

This little guy was intrigued by the auto focus on this couple’s camera. Now he’s probably the most viewed squirrel in the history of the internet. I must have seen this guy 5 times this week. Just shows you how powerful the internet is at spreading information.

IE6 No More! Popular Web Companies Start Project to Kill IE6

Dear Madam or Sir: Your browser is almost as old as the Internet. Web developers start a movement to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6, a cursed browser that accounts for 75% of all expletives used by QA testers and Web developers the world around. (Read more.)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

]]> http://blog.gkv.com/disciplines/social-media/web-week-in-review-2/feed/ http://blog.gkv.com/disciplines/social-media/web-week-in-review/ http://blog.gkv.com/disciplines/social-media/web-week-in-review/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:52:44 +0000 Brent http://blog.gkv.com/?p=930 With billions of Web sites to choose from, finding the good stuff can be a chore. That’s why we’re bringing you the Web Week in Review.

World Record for Mattress Dominoes:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndYxBQXhNjI

And the new fast-food sexual innuendo champion is…Hardee’s! Their new commercial has the internet a’buzz and franchises rejecting the ad.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmpisOn4FmE

Snickers’ Patrick Chewing commercial. Short, bizarre and memorable. A perfect ad to run after midnight…which is when I saw it…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBF1lsZUlUI

Rappers Delight + Babies = 5 million views this week

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs

Apple unveils new iPhone that’s visible to only its most loyal customers. Have you seen it?

In an interesting show of the power of social media, Tropicana has been inundated with complaints from people using Facebook and Twitter to register their displeasure. Hearing the collective gasp of the people, Tropicana has decided to scrap the new packages and reinstate its old packaging. This shows that social media is slowly finding its voice as an instant focus group and barometer of how people feel about brands.

• Tropicana Discovers Some Buyers Are Passionate About Packaging, The New York Times 2/22/09
• In Blow To Arnell, Tropicana Drops Package Redesign, BNET 2/23/09

Oddly enough, the firm responsible for the redesign flop was mega-agency Arnell, who also headed up the multi-million dollar Pepsi redesign. Design is subjective of course, but I haven’t heard from many people that like the new Pepsi logo and package design either. It’s equally generic looking and takes an existing product that has enormous brand recognition and unnecessarily strips it of any coolness just for the sake of it. While we’re on Arnell, I just took a gander at their Web site, and it was “under construction.”

Are they for real? Can’t they just leave their existing Web site up until the new one is complete? Was it that bad? We all know that these things take longer than anticipated, so what’s the reasoning here? An agency that has clients such as McDonald’s, Dodge, Jeep, Guggenheim, and Fendi shouldn’t be “under construction…”