In 2007, South by Southwest was primarily known as a film and music festival. But in the same time SXSW Interactive was attracting greater attendance and media coverage. It was there that innovators such as Twitter, laid the groundwork for what the festival would turn into. Today, the innovators of tomorrow scramble together the next ground-breaking technologies, apps, and sites that would consume our media driven lives. All in all,  thanks to Twitter, these digital media heads spend all year making predictions about what technology will break through at the following SXSW.

AdAge Digital has released an article outlining 7 Social Startups, which are debuting at this year's SXSW that marketers are paying attention to. Although each are well-hyped, reading through the list is startling at most. I found myself wondering how some of these applications are even legal. With social media running rampant throughout our lives, drawing the line between personal and private appears to be  becoming increasingly more blurred. Here is a run-down of four of the start-ups that I found most interesting. Are they crossing the line? or well within the boundaries of a useful daily phone app or tool.

SONAR.
A recent beta for Android, Sonar is similar to the appraised Foursquare with a 'facebook-like' twist. Checking into locations gives you the ability to filter those around you who have also been checking in. In detail, you can analyze common interests, mutual friends, and other factors through syncing with other networks. Then you can list your friends and rank the rest according to who's most relevant or who you should probably meet.

So, let me get this straight: in the future our phones are going to tell us who we are suppose to be friends with? Talk about living media consumed lives. When I read this I thought it insane and a bit frightening. WTF!? What this just means is that our generation and those after us are going to end up totally antisocial zombies staring at their phones for contact to the outside world.

On the other hand, this will prove rather useful for marketers and advertisers in gaining insights as well as seeking out target customers. In that sense, Sonar is an useful yet still invasive tool in my opinion. The article also highlights it's benefits towards networking, perhaps at a conference, in which yes this is a great tool. Still creepy.

BAN.JO.
Ban.jo will be updating their app for SXSW in a similar fashion. The upgrade will allow location data from other networks to be presented to users with a map of people nearby. Yet, unlike Sonar, these people will be ranked by proximity, not relevance. Thus, emphasizing the other side of social discovery.

-_____________- So basically the use of Sonar and Ban.jo together will enhance the efficiency and specialization of Rapists and Serial Killers everywhere. WIN for social media. Thanks.

HIGHLIGHT.
An IPhone specific app that has garnered the most interest for those at SXSW. Highlight tracks your location and notifies you when people are nearby. "Techcrunch believed it's moving toward becoming 'a personal, social CRM system that helps you remember people's names and when you met them." (thank fucking you for taking away all my responsibilities as a human being)

Now now, this can prove to be a useful networking tool for the corporate or business professional. A social CRM system also proves helpful for many businesses and marketers.

ROAMZ.
Here is the reverse of Foursquare. It knows where you are, and curates content from social web, and suggests events, shindigs and general places nearby that are aligned with your personal interests. Roamz analyzes content from all of the major silos that contain location data (FB, Foursquare, Instagram and Twitter), but the duration process shows users interesting and relevant nearby posts from all users rather than only friends or those in your social graph.

Thank you. I love it. This sounds like a great tool to filter out everything around you and provide you with what you want. WE are bombarded with TONS of information everyday and it would be nice to have a filter or a direction of where to go, for instance in a new city or on vacation. If integrated in the right way with the locations that surrounds you this app will be likely to provide you with great finds that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. HIPSTER PARADISE.


All in all, Social and digital media is really taking over our personal lives. Yes, these apps prove to facilitate business operations and marketing but what about your day-to-day living experience. These few apps really show how social discovery is turning from a humanly, person-to-person experience to a mobilize digitized application process much like crunching numbers into a calculator. Are we looking at the onset of a Matrix type world where our technological innovations take control, EEKK? What will our phones be able to do for us next?

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With all the hype of Kony 2012 you have to wonder what affect this 30minute video truly has on usurping the Uganda warlord. Simply stated "The Kony2012 campaign will primarily succeed in making Invisible Children, not Joseph Kony, more famous."

It's true! I know I know we all say how POWERFUL social media has gotten, but seriously....

IT IS NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO OVERTHROW A WARLORD.

and Invisible Children knows that. Ever think it was just a ploy to get more funding? It all comes down to the money...always. Also, this cause is not new it has been around for ages, and just now people decide to step up due to a YouTube video, have some dignity and don't let SOCIAL MEDIA CONTROL YOUR LIFE.

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't be made aware or that at least some of Invisible Children's intentions were in the right place. But all the hype is annoying. People have to remember that everything is a business and YES for all of those people that get super annoyed at watching commercials and people trying to sell you stuff..... YOU FELL FOR THIS ONE...

Your are not above marketing.... It will get you...and this is a perfect example of how.

Seriously how many of us are now gong to get up and go to Africa to help, or even donate money. No were just gunna walk away knowing "oh yeah that crazy video Invisible Children posted was so intense."

HERE is more publication on the matter, revealing that historic and at times irrelevant information provided within the video. PLEASE read.

I'm not one for PSAs but this hit the spot.

This UK PSA shows British Boys What Rape Looks Like. This spot was based on the shocking research that revealed that a majority of British teenagers have no idea what constitutes rape and more generally don't understand the limits of aggressive sexual behavior. On the other hand, women need the self-confidence to say no to unwanted sexual pressure. According to the Telegraph, research suggests that "33 per cent of teenage girls and 16 per cent of boys … have experienced some form of sexual violence from a boyfriend or girlfriend," so the concern is more than warranted.

I believe this ad. to be effective. It is short and too the point and doesn't bog the viewer down with too much information. Just the plain fact here. On a different note, it has been known that advertisements are less restricted within the EU. This poses a concern, when considering how this spot would be altered for the U.S. audience? and if so would be be more or less effective.

I would believe a similar number of sex and relationship violence occurs in the states, if not more. But, is this ad. transferable? (there's just too many sissy uptight parents here in my opinion.)

Blogger Copyranter states "Place it in the 'commercials that would probably never air in the USA' folder." It really is a shame. Because instead we get ads like these. 

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Nobody like controversy over their brand, or do they? Today controversy over advertisements is getting brands more play then there otherwise would be. And not in a bad way.

Take for instance Liquid Plumr. Now the 18-24 generation would not be searching through the internet in hopes of watching the newest drain cleaning ad. But, the Plumr snagged us with their Sexy Vid. Because this ad. led to so much controversy in the form of protesting moms, the advertisement had a million view this week.

I just saw the video and thought it was hilarious. It shows a woman's grocery-aisle fantasy about a pair of muscular plumbers that really get her flustered. Other brands have utilized such a tactic to grab attention; as M&M, Volkswagen, and Old Spice.

So controversy may not be such a bad thing after all.

See the rest of the top rated commercials at the source.
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This won't come as a surprise but there has been increasing Buzz around social media and the new attributes of our digital age. These create significant implications for many firms in moving forward. Notably many are left in the dust due to 40+ CMOs and marketing teams that simply do not know how to adapt their company to a new era.

Take for instance the good old accounting firm. Now an organization filled with number crunching, 'mindless,' geeks, how is that suppose to develop into a hip, trendy and up-to-date establishment utilizing all this 'techy' know-how. Can accounting firms truly leverage today's technology? I'm not talking just about social media here, because a strategy most certainly can be developed for that, but most importantly mobile advertising, apps, IPad, flipbooks. How do these firm's transition?

This is the issue I am experiencing. As the sole proprietor and manager of three social media campaigns for the accounting firm I work at, I seek to do more to bring this firm to being more up-to-date. It is a problem, and with technology changing at such a rapid pace how do we keep up? An important issue to note, is the viral nature of the trending media that advertisers are now using. Consumers looking for accounting and financial consulting DO NOT want the information they disclose to be viral or available through an app. So how do we compensate?

So as marketers and advertiser fawn over the new digital word, one must remember that a few firms are left in the dust.
At times not by choice. Could it be that some business environments are not conducive to this change, yet are needed by society?

it is interesting.

The insanity of Cousins keeps on coming. Cousins, the directors who did the unauthorized scandalous 'Newlywed Skittles' spot last year have come back with a sequel. This same couple that were seen having Skittles sex in the last spot are back--- and expecting!

Awkward part about it is that Daddy is expecting a Skittle....but what arises is not short of an issue. See for yourself!

A bit graphic and a nice Jersey reference in the end. Very nice.

BIZARRE and HILARIOUS
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Facebook Facebook Facebook, we can't seem to get away. With nearly 800 million users, 75% of which are outside of the United States, Facebook, which only had its start in 2004 is HUGE. Now, as we all know, is filing for IPO, but it has not been a smooth process. Controversy and criticism surroundsboth  the site and Zuckerberg's intentions behind going public.

Nevertheless, close monitoring has been put on the process. But, this is nothing new, a popular company is 'graciously' offering the investing public a piece of itself....it's been done before FB. In detail, as advertised Fabeook's offering will be about $5 billion (the largest internet initial public offering on record), which forshadows a stock market valuation of $75 billion to $100 billion. Sounds good? BUT, this means that only 5%-7% of the company's shares will be available to public investors. This comperatively is a small public offering relative to the company's size.

The reason for this is to create an initial shortage of the stock so that the price goes up when the public trading starts. Money hungry shark Zuckerberg. The higher the price the higher the return, the more Facebook can brag (well till it changes its layout and everybody hates it for a week...) OH and Zuckerberg's stake is worth $28.4 billion. That makes him richer then Google's co-founders and almost on par with Oracle Corp.'s founder. Now thats just arrogant....

Personally, clearly I'm not a huge fan of the IPO and would not choose to invest in Facebook stock. Also, there are alot of people out there that are simply not very knowledgable on the subject and assume that Facebook's stock is the end all be all  and the most valuable stock on the market.  I feel as though stocks such as Google, Apple, and Wal-Mart, companys that Facebook, once public would be on the same level as, are wholly more diverse and offer more security to your investment. In the end, Fabook is a social media site and just that. Yes, it gets funding from advertisements, company's want to be seen on it, and it has revolutionized the way we communicate. But, consider Apple or Google who have thier neck in everything from internet services, computers, email, TV, cell phones, AND social media (google+). For those companies when one aspect falls another can pick up the value. Facebook, when your communication tactis are outrun by some new innovation, what do you have left? Google+ is not far behind....

In their filing Facebook outlined potential risks as hacker attacks, regulatory scrutiny, a shift to mobile technology, and rivals such as Google+ as well as the social media sites of different countries. Forbes also recently published an article entitled The Resons Not to Invest in Facebook, which offers key insights to how Facebook is trending.

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--> As the Advertising's Chirstmas is nearing Joe Pytka named "the father of Super Bowl spots" by Advertising Age, reveals his tips and secrets on the art. (see it here)

--> TSK TSK TSK! a CSR no no for a BIG CSR brand, check out what big-time agency Ogilvy has on its' plate! (see it here)

--> Hey Hey TBWA! Making me wanna dance in my cubicle! and CHECK Elton John's sweet kicks!!
    --  Special SHOUT to Edouard of The Edouard Alert ! a great friend and currenty intern for TBWS/Chiat/Day
         in New York. Hisblog is great and filled with the latest on advertising news and alerts! Check it out.