The modern college campus is evolving. Quickly. Smartphones, tablets, apps, wireless and cloud connectivity are continuing to play larger roles in classrooms and dorms, and in some cases, are powering entirely virtual campuses. As a result, students are receiving, interpreting, sharing and creating information via mediums and methodologies that simply did not exist ten years ago. Technology is shifting the definition of how we learn, and in doing so, opening up the door to many new and exciting opportunities within the world of education. On a macro level, two great examples of the shift in education are Kahn Academy and edX. Khan Academy What started in 2004 as a Doodle based online tutoring session in mathematics, Khan Academy blossomed into a YouTube hosted, comprehensive collection of online video tutorials across a range of academic subjects. 'I passionately believe that the Khan Academy is a tool that can empower at least an approximate model of what the future of education should look like'a way of combining the art of teaching with the science of presenting information and analyzing data, of delivering the clearest, most comprehensive, and most relevant curriculum at the lowest possible cost." ' Salman Khan edX With a goal of educating 1,000,000,000 people worldwide, MIT, Harvard and UC Berkley have all committed resources to offer up their Ivy-league caliber curriculum for free online. Described as "the single biggest change in education since the printing press,'? by Anant Agarwal, President of edX, the program is redefining the college classroom and potentially shepherding in the next phase of higher education. Ok, it may work in education, but what about for brands? What models like Khan Academy and edX are underscoring is that technology, and the ever-increasing access that it is providing to consumers, is the ultimate enabler. Advances in streaming video, the ubiquity of social media and the ease of access to video on demand have accelerated the speed at which traditional 'offline'? experiences are becoming available as virtual experiences. Examine how advances in technology can create or duplicate experiences that were formally an in-person only engagement point for your brand. Who is doing it well? State Farm's sponsorship of Coachella in partnership with YouTube this past April was a shining example of leveraging technology to offer consumers an online experience that was formerly available only " in-person." Main stages were broadcast live via streaming concert footage and Statefarm integrated a real-time Instagram stream into their Facebook page to provide a glimpse of what it all looked like from an insider's perspective. Another great example is the Obama campaign's recent use of Google+ to host an online hangout with American voters. The virtual town hall connected the Obama brand directly with his audience and in doing so, generated a lot of publicity coverage - much more than a traditional town hall forum would have gathered.

I'm excited about Myspace. Yes, you read that correctly. I'll be the first to acknowledge that I never expected to start a blog post with those four words, but after watching the preview video (embedded below), I have to admit that I'm disappointed I deleted my account back in 2009. JT has successfully checked "bringing sexy back" off of his lifetime to-do list. Can he do the same for MySpace? He's definitely not alone in the venture. The redesign is being led by the team at Specific Media and agency partner JosephMark. Via the new.myspace.com site, "We're hard at work building the new Myspace, entirely from scratch. But we're staying true to our roots in one important way'empowering people to express themselves however they want. So whether you're a musician, photographer, filmmaker, designer or just a dedicated fan, we'd love for you to be a part of our brand new community." The teaser video begins with a simple "this is Myspace" introduction, and the video is wonderfully scored with the JJAMZ song "Heartbeat" which begins with the self-deprecating line "Who am I to say I want you back?" Based on functionality shown in the video, the team at Myspace is clearly trying to compliment existing social networking behemoths Facebook and Twitter rather than replace them. This is illustrated by the ability for users to sign in via their existing profiles on either network. And the one area where Myspace had been able to stay relevant - music - still appears to be core to the experience. With a dedicated main navigation tab for "Mixes" and the ability to play/discover music via streaming videos and radio, Myspace will likely remain a place where musicians can connect directly with fans. An interesting build to that relationship appears to be an artist's ability to identify and connect with their top fans based on their influence in sharing content. Which could be a big motivator for fans to join the network and follow their favorite artists. One personal highlight - it appears the "top 8" functionality will still exist allowing us all to once again publicly identify our best BFFs. Overall, the design aesthetic is beautiful. The designers have applied a Pinterest-like treatment to photos and have seemingly designed with content exploration/discovery at the forefront of the UX. I've requested an invite and am excited to explore. Are you excited for the new Myspace? Share your thoughts in the comments below. http://vimeo.com/50071857

This post first appeared on MITX's blog as part of the September blog series, in which they asked writers to this question: "what is it going to take for marketers to catch up to consumers?" This post is by Matt Jacobs, Director, Channel Planning, AMP Agency. Matt will be speaking at FutureM on a session entitled, 'How Will the Class of 2016 Change the World of Marketing?'? that will explore how advertisers and marketers can navigate the ever changing marketing terrain of Digital Natives. The session will explore the mindsets and dorms rooms of the Class of 2016 to uncover how these students (and their evolving media consumption habits) will force marketers to adapt. At this point, if you're in the marketing industry, someone has likely mentioned the stat from the recent "A Biometric Day in the Life" research study conducted by Time Inc. and Innerscope Research that states that Digital Natives are jumping between media platforms 27 times per hour. At first read, it's a rather startling observation, but after a few minutes of consideration, minutes that included me opening and closing three web tabs, receiving a text message, scanning my Twitter feed and walking by the TV in the lobby of AMP's offices, I quickly reminded myself - continuous partial attention* is the new norm. So as marketers, what can we do to catch up to consumers' new way of consuming (or at least partially consuming) media messages? In short, we have to work harder. At AMP, we believe that the function of marketing has evolved. The reality of ubiquitous device presence, 24/7 connectivity and an ever present social layer of constant peer-to-peer sharing / commenting / referring, has revolutionized the way consumers engage with brands. Brands, and subsequently agencies, need to adapt to keep up. Here are a few key considerations/thoughts on how: The worlds of marketing, technology, media, and application development have merged. Agencies that integrate paid, owned, and earned media offerings will benefit because they will be able to reach customers in the most effective and efficient manner. Building on the convergence of paid, owned and earned, consumers don't consciously differentiate between these channels when receiving brand messages. To survive, agencies must adopt a model that reflects this convergence. That starts by truly integrating departments and processes to develop channel neutral strategies that prioritize reaching the consumer at the right time in the right place. It's not enough to simply offer 'integrated services'? to your clients ' they must truly work harmoniously together. It's no longer just about what a brand has to say, or where it says it, but how a brand behaves (and adapts) as it is saying it. Real-time conversation monitoring, channel/budget optimizations and ongoing strategy sessions are needed to keep up with ever-changing conversations and innovations in the marketplace. Content is still king - and perhaps has even more of a throne to sit upon these days - but a large consideration must be paid to the fact that consumers are now publishing more content each day than publishers. Agencies must work with their clients to provide tools, guidance and gentle prodding to cialis order help consumers become advocates for our brands. AMP Agency's recent Psychology of Social study showed that age-old human desires ' connection, attachment and identity establishment ' are now enhanced by the technological capacity to connect via new channels/technologies. When building marketing strategies, remember that basic consumer needs haven't really shifted; however, the mediums and the resultant opportunities to deliver on those needs have greatly widened. Ensure you listen to your consumers wants and needs or risk being left behind. Footnotes / Sources: *A term coined by Linda Stone over a decade ago

In this week's Insights Lab video, Matt Jacobs, Director of Integrated Marketing, discusses the evolving mobile commerce landscape. He highlights the latest m-commerce technologies redefining the term pay phone: - PayPal's acquisition of card.io - PayPal Here - PayPal's acquisition of Zong - Square - Google Wallet Tweet us @AMP_Agency to let us know what topics you want to hear about!

Based on the nature of today's 0-60 news cycle, I'm assuming that most people reading this post have already seen the headline ' Bus Monitor Bullied by Middle Schoolers ' and the correlating YouTube video which features 10+ minutes of truly ugly, vile behavior as a group of young teenagers verbally taunt and bully 68 year-old bus monitor Karen Klein. If you haven't already seen it, you can find the video here, but be forewarned'?¦ it's incredibly hard to watch. The controversy/buzz surrounding the video has been meteoric. But so has the outpouring of support. And in conjunction, Karen is quickly becoming a household name ' appearing on the Today show this morning and being featured as a lead story across many news outlets including the headline story on CNN.com at the time of this posting. What promises to follow is another (and most definitely a necessary) look at the growing trend of bullying and a slew of perspectives and questions around how to counter the rise of this type of behavior among teens. But what may or may not occur is a broader look at what role the internet played in this story. The internet you ask? Yes. Although the incident occurred on the most non-digital place in the world, a school bus, I believe it was heavily influenced by internet culture and the post-event hysteria has been driven primarily via the web. Here's how: The trajectory of the story ' from online video upload to national news ' occurred because of the shift in how we access news. Rarely do we see major headlines that are the driven by long-term investigative reporting. Instead, we seek immediate, reactive coverage of headlines that are made prominent based solely on the viral nature of the story being passed along. Karen Klein was made a celebrity (for lack of a better term) by the internet. And major news outlets in turn are now telling her story. As cruel as the internet can be, it is also uniquely inspiring. Having been exposed to the YouTube video via Reddit, a gentlemen in Canada decided to setup a group funding site to try to raise $5,000 to send Karen on vacation. He was bothered by the video and wanted to do something nice for her. A pretty simple proposition, but one that likely could not have occurred without web-based donation platforms and simple e-commerce functionality. 24 hours later, more than $300,000 has been pledged to Karen by over 14,000 people. Her vacation is likely to take the form of retirement. The Internet is a wonderfully complex thing. As a digital marketer, it's my life blood. And personally, it's how I consume most content, maintain many relationships and find daily entertainment. Yesterday, I had two drastically contradictory moments with the internet ' one extremely depressing interaction when I watched all 10 minutes of the school bus video, and one ' which I'll hold on to for much longer ' where my faith in humanity was restored when I stumbled upon the inidiegogo fundraising page created for Karen. Have you had any moments with the Internet lately? Was it positive or negative? Leave a comment below and share.

Sonny Kim, SVP of Digital Media and Matt Jacobs, Director of Integrated Marketing chat about the familiar buzz words, paid, owned and earned media, and the intersection of the three. Sonny shares insights into the following: 1) How to strategically plan across the three channels? 2) How to approach measurement across the diverse channels? 3) How to determine the most relevant channels from the sea of new and existing technologies?

Last weekend I joined hundreds of internet nerds* at MIT for ROFLCon III, a two-day convention celebrating internet culture and all things meme**. Now a few days out from the numerous panels, lectures and social-outings, I'm left pondering the following key theme and associated takeaways from the event. The Evolution of ROFLCon / The Mainstreaming of the Web Having attended the previous two ROFLCons (2008 and 2010), I've noticed a not-so-subtle shift in the underlying theme/sentiment of each event. Described as the first ever Internet culture conference, ROFLCon was a true celebration of web culture when it occurred in 2008 as iconic content creators, editors and fans gathered together for the first time IRL (in real life). It was a who's who of popular internet stars running the gamut from individuals who had achieved 'internet fame'? via YouTube (Gem Sweater girl), influential content creators (XKCD) and venerable web icons (Tron Guy). At the time, I vividly recall all of my friends giving me blank stares when I rattled off the attendee list and giddily shared highlights of the two days at MIT. In 2010, I returned to Cambridge with high hopes for a repeat event ' two more days of celebrating the joys of the web filled with lots and lots of lolz ' but the tone of the event had clearly shifted. While still celebratory in nature, the main theme of ROFLCon II was the encroachment of the 'mainstream'? upon the formerly more exclusive corners of meme-culture on the web. What was particularly interesting is this 'mainstreaming'? was both embraced ' David and his father from David after the Dentist and Christian Lander of Stuff White People Like were both popular additions to the conference ' and strongly attacked ' Ben Huh of the (I Can Haz) Cheezburger network was grilled (no pun intended) for his monetization of lolcats. Additionally, a common topic of conversation discussed among many panelists was the growing presence of brands and marketers entering the space and the fear around potential implications tied to their entry. This past weekend, rumored to be the last ever ROFLCon, the conference centered around the general sentiment (in the form of passive resignation) that the internet has 'gone mainstream'? and now we must as a community ensure that it is protected. Many panelists from this year have snowballed their 15 minutes of Internet fame into sponsorships and appearances (Nyan Cat was in a Sprint Nexus commercial; Antoine Dodson had a chart-topping iTunes song and an appearance on Tosh.0; Paul 'Double Rainbow Guy'? Vasquez was in a Windows Live Photo Gallery spot) and with that commercial success (albeit likely only momentary), many at ROFLCon questioned if the web is beginning to lose its authenticity and creative spirit. moot, the originator of 4chan and a demi-god within the ROFLcon subculture, shared a somewhat bleak vision for the future of the web: "The web is being stripped of its richness. Memes are the instruments by which we make music. The way things are going, we're going to lose our song.'? I personally disagree with this sentiment. I believe that as more people continue to gain access to high-speed internet and content creation tools, we will come to see even more niche communities sprout on the web. Yes, Facebook and Reddit have arguably replaced forums and AOL chat rooms, but advances in technology and connectivity have provided new outlets for many more creative minds. One of the more interesting panels at ROFLcon examined international 'internet revolutions'? in Brazil, China and Syria and the impact that meme culture has had in providing a voice to the people in each country. And the best part, what's funny in Brazil or edgy in Syria is not necessarily funny or edgy in the US. The web is wonderful because it can offer content and utilities that are designed for mass consumption, but it can just as easily provide a voice to a solitary cause or community, or it can simply be a place where you upload your really awkward prom pictures or that video you made when trying to complete the cinnamon challenge. There were still very many lolz at this year's ROFLCon. And as an advertising guy, it was selfishly rewarding to see Craig Allen of Weiden and Kennedy (he wrote the Old Spice Guy ads) and Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice Guy) so warmly embraced during their Q&A. But in addition to the laughs, there were also many serious, important conversations around the future of the web ' mostly re: intellectual property and the remixing of content. It was inspiring to see via a show of hands that almost all of the attendees had taken action in the recent SOPA debacle. And it was great to hear passionate debate around the broader theme of the 'mainstreaming of the web'?. I for one am excited for the next chapter of the web. And as we enter that next chapter, my advice for marketers is don't aim to create memes, and don't simply cut and paste a meme into your advertising efforts in an attempt to be relevant or edgy. As a marketer, I'm incredibly aware of the lines between authenticity and blatant commercialization, and consumers can very quickly identify the differences between the two. As a brand, aim to create smart, engaging content, and then open the doors for your consumers to make it their own. Author Notes: *I use "nerd" in a loving context - I consider myself part of the collective. ** From Wikipedia, an internet 'meme'? is used to describe any 'concept that spreads via the Internet'?

Music festivals aren't a new venue for brands to market to consumers, but State Farm's partnership with Coachella has taken it to a new level with the live streaming via YouTube (#coachellalive) and the Instagram, Facebook and Twitter integration. While the live streaming was big news, Tupac's resurrection performance stole the headlines. AMP's Director of Integrated Marketing, Matt Jacobs, discusses what this technologically advanced hologram means for marketers in this week's Insights Lab episode.

The interwebs are abuzz with Facebook's recent purchase of photo sharing app Instagram for $1 BILLION. AMP's Director of Integrated Marketing, Matt Jacobs, discusses this massive acquisition and what it means for marketers.

Google recently announced its plans to give search a refresh via semantic search technology. What does this drastic announcement mean for search marketers? Find out in this week's Insights Lab episode, featuring Matt Jacobs, AMP's Director of Integrated Marketing and Joel Breen, Director of Digital Media.