A few months ago, Wildfire conducted an ROI survey of over 700 marketers across different industries all around the world to see how social media is used in their businesses and why. The below infographic shows how social media is used to grow brand awareness, increase communication with consumers, and how marketers use this information to determine the impact of social media on their business.
A great new book out entitled “Pantone, The 20th Century in Color” incorporates beautiful color plates with accompanying narrative by authors Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker that describe the last 100 years in the evolution of the color spectrum through the lens of the groundbreaking 1963 Pantone color system developed by Lawrence Hebert of Pantone.
The system codified the color spectrum, so that a certain shade of a color can be uniformly agreed upon and unknowingly revolutionized the world of graphic design. One can think back to any decade of the past century and certain colors and hues are easily associated with each time period. Serving as more than a mere color index, the book succeeds in describing the evolution of colors’ social imprint on culture, illustrated through advertisments, product design, fashion and general day-to-day life across generations.
Just close your eyes and visualize the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s–it’s easy. That’s what’s so great about this book. From a historical perspective, filtered through the nuance of aesthetics, we have each period literally ‘colored in’ for us. Beautiful and simple.
If you haven’t heard, AMC’s Mad Men will be returning in March. And with that triumphant and highly anticipated return will come many marketing opportunities for media outlets and consumer brands. Before it’s extended hiatus, the series had sparked a new wave of midcentury interior design trends and a specialty clothing line at a national outfitter. These retro fads grew to a crescendo just as the series dropped off the TV screen and out of fans and consumers lives. But never fear, Newsweek is aiming to get audiences revved up for the new season. The news magazine will celebrate the season 5 premiere with a Mad Men-inspired issue.
According to Tina Brown, editor of Newsweek and The Daily Beast, the magazine’s structure and design will pay homage to 1960s America but its content will remain culturally relevant, including a cover story on the series and a feature on the role of advertising in America’s culture. In addition, Newsweek has issued a call to clients and creative agencies for ’60s-inspired creative that has the look and feel of a vintage print ad but contains modern products and messages.
We’ll have to wait ’til March to see the final print product and for the season premiere of the show but until then we can dream about the output. What type of products or creative would you like to see in the Mad Men-inspired issue of <i.Newsweek? Which agencies or clients do you think will or should contribute to the issue?
Alex, founder of Jellyfish Art, was studying marine biology at Duke when he couldn’t help but notice how hypnotized people were by jellyfish. Turns out jellyfish can’t go in a regular tank because they’ll be shredded by the filtration system. So, thanks to Kickstarter, Alex obtained funds to design a tank that uses a laminar-flow system to circulate the water in a controlled swirl, nudging the jellies to the middle of the tank and away from danger.
As featured in this months issue of WIRED, Desktop Jellyfish Tank pros: “Most hypnotic office/dorm room/studio decoration ever. Brainlessly simple setup and care.” The cons: “Stoned friends will never leave now. Air pump motor is about as loud as a refrigerator. Life expectancy of a moon jelly is only a year; new ones cost $50 each.”
The words“geek” and “nerd” are often used interchangeably, despite the clear differences between them. Finally, a comprehensive infographic that explains the distinctions, both broad and subtle, between the two. Click the above image for the entire infographic, as this is just an excerpted portion. Enjoy.
Slate offers up some funny, albeit biting, commentary on a recent report of increased parity in gender assignment to household grocery shopping.
Whether or not you agree with author Amanda Marcotte’s interpretation of bias in the Chicago Tribune article, there’s a cautionary tale in her reaction to the Tribune’s reporting that’s worth paying attention to. Marcotte discredits its findings because there isn’t enough data presented to back them up. In looking at the case presented, she saw contradictory and inconsistent application of information, and figured that a gender bias was the culprit.
While this may or may not be the case, it’s a good reminder to reporters and researchers alike: go ahead and use context, use that background knowledge. But don’t let these things define your work – research needs to be based in what the data says, not what you want it to mean.
It’s 2012 and the Iraq war is officially over. The cost? High in human toll, money spent and energy expended. Worth the effort? Arguably, yet to be determined. The net effect, other than a new government, well…
Iraqi youth have gone “punky” it seems, the direct effect of their socialization with American troops. A quarter of Iraquis have been born since the U.S. first invaded Iraq in March 2003, with almost half the total population under the age of twenty. A near majority of the population have spent their highly impressionable years in the presence of an occupying force. Though I haven’t personally walked the streets of Baghdad, I’m sure the troops cut a wide and colorful path in the day-to-day life of humble neighborhoods.
“Punky” youth are those that take on the persona of American hip-hop kids from a few years back, replete with baggy hoodies, closely croppped hair fading under back-turned baseball caps, and large fake gold chains. Kind of the fashion cue many an American GI took during their civilian youth in the years leading up to their military life, before being dropped into the ancient lands of the Fertile Crescent.
Punky Iraqis see rapping as a ticket to New York, while they woof down greasy ersatz cheeseburgers and breakdance in city squares. These “hustlers,” another term they claim as their own, realize that to speak like a “gangsta” they need to learn English before they can develop their own rap banter. So, the children of Sadr City wait for months for a place in English classes, in hopes to one day board a plane to the U.S. to visit the home of Lil’ Wayne or at least eat a slice of real New York pizza.
And so, after nearly a decade, young people’s minds in Iraq open to a world beyond, even though the price of admission may be a poorly inked Ghostface Killah tattoo.
This is Twine.
It doesn’t look like much, but it was the hottest item on Kickstarter this Christmas season, shattering its fundraising goal and acquiring nearly 4,000 donors.
This unassuming little box uses various sensors to capture information about a space or object and send it to the owner through the channel they choose. For example, with Twine attached to your front door, the built-in accelerometer can detect when someone is knocking and send you a text or Tweet while you’re away.
More sensors are in development, as is a breakout board that will allow users to gather other types of information by connecting their own sensors.
Check out the short video.
