Matt Rainone, Senior Manager in the Integrated Marketing Group at AMP Agency, shares an overview of the new media and technologies the candidates are using in the 2012 presidential election. Rainone discusses three strategies Romney and Obama are leveraging: Big Data Shareable Content Mobile Which tactic do you think will be most influential and effective in disseminating their message and getting the votes? Tell us in the comments section below.
Last week I visited the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and there were by my count 25,000 tablets being displayed (that number might be slight hyperbole). To be honest, I really only checked out a few of them ' one or two Androids and this Windows tablet being featured by Intel. The hardware wasn't really what caught my attention with the 2012 tablets, especially since tablets at this point aren't really differentiating themselves all that much. What caught my attention was how people were using them, talking about them, the overall capabilities that tablets offer and how they're shaping our media experience. So that led to this interesting question for you tablet owners out there. What's your favorite experience on your tablet? Is it reading, playing apps, or watching movies? What if I said that some day in the not too distant future, you'll have a hard time differentiating those experiences because you'll be doing all three at the same time? And this isn't a post about some new tablet that allows for multitasking. I'm talking about tablets redefining our media experience and storytelling as a whole. Take a look at the 'CIA: Operation Ajax'? application that's available for the iPad. It tells the story of a real-life CIA operation in Iran that took place in the 50's. It is currently classified as an 'app'? in the iTunes App Store, but is that REALLY what it is? To me, that seems to be much more than an app. On the surface, it's a graphic novel ' not exactly something that you would expect to find in the App Store. But once you look deeper into how you interact with it, it becomes something that is almost indefinable. It takes the passive pieces of literature and cinema and mixes them with the active experience of an application. You become fully-immersed in the story because you're not only reading it, but touching it, listening to a full score and pulling up interactive content that a traditional media experience doesn't allow. If you think about it, the concept isn't even that new. Many book publishers have had cross-device experiences where you can get additional information on a website, and DVD extra features have been around for years. Being able to have the entire experience on one device is just so much more immersive. And while Marvel Comics has an app that has minor animations and the iBookstore has enhanced books, this is the most in-depth experience I've seen to date. So what does this mean? In a nutshell, the opportunity for enhanced content exists. Think about reading a novel with its own soundtrack, with character back-story and short movie clips. Imagine watching a movie on your tablet and instead of playing the 'where have I seen this guy before'? game, a simple tap of the screen on the actor's face will bring up an actor bio with IMDB integration. Just think about what this will do for the textbook industry where you'll someday be able to not only read about dissecting a frog, but also dissect one on your tablet without having to smell the formaldehyde. Kermit rejoice! The capabilities are there to one day ditch the passive media experience and embrace a much richer, fully-immersive media experience. At this point, the only question that remains is whether or not content providers are going to make the investment into this enhanced content. So what do you think? Would you pay a premium price for the enhanced media experience?
First of all, for those of you who don't understand the title of this post, you need to pay YouTube a visit. It's worth it, I promise you. Sadly though, I'm not going to write about David after he visited the dentist (as funny as he is). While caring for my now wisdom-toothless boyfriend after his trip to the dentist, we ended up seeing 'Easy A'? (pretty good if you're looking for a few laughs). What really struck me were the previews before the movie, since half of them were advertising upcoming films that are being released in 3D! It's going to be hard for anything to beat Avatar in IMAX but either way, this new trend is pretty cool if you ask me! Not quite 'real-life'? but it's a close second. Due to many emerging technologies, we as consumers are developing heightened brand expectations and look for more of a shock value in advertising from the brands that we know and love. 3D consumer experiences are certainly doing the trick, and leaving lasting impressions. Recently, brands such as SoBe, Armani Exchange and even Maxim, are taking the 3D route and are drawing quite a bit of attention by doing so. I can recall the hype and excitement around the Super Bowl in 2009, as everyone had to prepare for the new 3D SoBe commercial by picking up a pair of 3D glasses. It's not every day you that you can witness masculine football players taking up ballet in 3D! Furthermore, the 3D trend has continued to spread as Armani Exchange has captured the 'hard-edged style and proactive thrill of the future unknown'? through their '2020/Speed Style'? campaign. A|X is a leader in trendy fashions, and will take a lead on the cutting edge of advertising as they invade trendy magazines with their two page 3D spread. Not only is the 3D campaign featured in printed magazines, but it directs readers to special 2D and 3D music videos on their webpage for a well-rounded consumer experience. Similarly, Maxim recently showcased a 3D spread which featured Anna Kournikova in their October issue, equipped with 3D glasses for your viewing pleasure. Yes guys, dreams do in fact come true! Given the experience of seeing a movie or some form of advertisement in 3D, how are we ever going to appreciate anything less than this new 3D norm? It will be interesting to see what the future holds because who would have ever thought during the days of black and white TV that 3D would exist? Technologies are developing even more rapidly now. So, what's next!?
