NEWS: US Army's computer game recruiting plan takes fire

News/Web Culture/Youth Trends
Found news.yahoo.com

The United States Army has invested an estimated 2 million dollars sponsoring an online gaming channel on the popular GGL website. The channel is centered around a first-person shooter based on the Army's training manual; groups opposing the war are calling this sponsorship as a blatent attempt to find new recruits among young online gamers in the prized recruiting age range of 17 to 24.

Yahoo News post:

Anti-recruitment groups are slamming a US Army deal to sponsor a computer war game channel, charging that real war is no game.

In June, the Army is set to sponsor a channel at the Global Gaming League website, a popular spot for Internet computer game lovers.

"It is part of this campaign for the last 20 years to invade youth culture with militarism," Project on Youth and Non-military Opportunities co-founder Rick Jahnkow told AFP.

"It affects the way young people think. It affects their world view. That is a very dangerous thing."

NEWS: Ex-Disney chief launches Web video company

News/Web Culture/Video
Found on: news.com

Ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner launched a new web video company called Vuruga this week - it's mission: deliver "high-quality, story-driven content" on par with all the other crap on television.

Vuruga's first series will be a mystery drama called "Prom Queen," the first of 80 (90 second long) episodes will begin airing next month.

Cnet post:

Vuguru, officially a project of Eisner's investment firm Tornante, debuted Monday along with its first production and set of sponsors. According to a statement from the new company, Vuguru aims to focus on "high-quality, story-driven content for the Internet" on a par with professional television and cinema productions.

The inaugural Vuguru series, a mystery drama called Prom Queen, will release the first of its 80 episodes on April 2. The 90-second clips, aimed at a tech-savvy teen audience, have been produced in conjunction with Web video company Big Fantastic--best known as the team behind the video podcast Sam Has 7 Friends. Among Prom Queen's sponsors is the magazine-turned-webzine Elle Girl, which stopped print publication last year to focus on online and mobile distribution.

Do They Still Want Their MTV?

News/Web Culture/MTV/David Carr
Found on:nytimes.cm

Last week, MTV Networks laid off 250 people, cutting and trimming their television rank and file to make room for web savvy interactive hires at the same time bulking up their internet business - sounds like Viacom, which owns MTV, doesn't want to be caught with their pants down when the next generation of viewers will be spending more time on the internet then on the couch watching TV.

NYTIMES post:

MTV prospered for decades because it looked like what a network might look like if a 16-year-old were doing the programming. But now the music channel is trying to make its way in a multidevice, multiplatform, multichannel world, most of which is being programmed by a
16-year-old.

The velocity of change has left MTV occasionally looking as if were being programmed by an 83-year-old — namely Sumner M. Redstone, the chairman of Viacom, which owns MTV. The network, itself a stately 25 years old, has suffered a decline in ratings and cultural cachet.

NEWS: Why Google and Gaming Isn't a Killer Combination

News/Web Culture/Google/Abbey Klaassen
Found on: adage.com

With more and more gaming consoles taking advantage of gamers "always on the web connections," it makes since that Google wants to Adsense and Adword their way on to my video games -- I can see it now, me and my friends rocking out to GNR's "Sweet Child O' Mine" on "Guitar Hero 2" and BAM! some pop up comes up with a link to Amazon offering me a deal to purchase GNR's "Best of Album" - hmm, it is a good album.


Advertising Age post:

Google getting into video games seems at first blush like a natural evolution -- after all, gaming is hugely popular and growing, console games are increasingly web-connected, and the search giant certainly hasn't been shy about trying to apply its selling efficiency and contextual tools to other media. But digital-media buyers have a hard time seeing how Google's simplified, automated buying processes could result in effective in-game ads.

NEWS: Ford To Use Video, Music To Snare Buyers

News/Web Culture/Youth Trends/Steve Miller
Found on: brandweek.com

In an attempt to entertain and educate potential new customers, Ford just launched a new video podcast based on their urban-centric SUV "The Edge," entitled "The Edge Music Videocast" (which is slatted to be a year-long series), will have free downloadable videos and music files from other popular pod and vod cast sites.

BrandWeek post:

Ford on Wednesday will kick off a year-long series of monthly video podcasts, or vodcasts, that will include music videos and content promoting the Edge crossover, which hit the market late last year.

Called “The Edge Music Videocast,” the free video broadcasts can be downloaded to portable media players from a number of popular pod and vodcast Web sites. The first installment will include videos with A-list hipster cache: Cat Power, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother and Gomez.

NEWS: Social Retailing- Combining Social Networking and Shopping

News/Social Networking/Youth Trends/Amanda Gore
Found on: fashion.psfk.com

Could this be the "killer app" retailers have been waiting for? The technology that will bridge the gap between popular social network websites (e.g. Myspace, Bebo, Facebook) and real world profits aka - cha-ching!

Amanda Gore reports in her article how Social Retailing technology uses an in-store three-paneled "magic mirror" that can send photos or videos of shoppers in outfit options to their MySpace page or to friend's emails and mobiles for instant opinions.

Fashion PSFK post:

Interactive services firm IconNicholson has created a new type of in-store experience that combines social networking and shopping, known as Social Retailing.

Demonstrated at the National Retail Federation conference earlier this week, the Social Retailing technology uses a three-paneled "magic mirror" in-store that can send photos or videos of shoppers in outfit options to their MySpace page or to friend's emails and mobiles for instant opinions. Friends 'yes' or 'no' votes are then visible on the mirror itself. The interactive technology also allows customers to see what others have purchased, view similar options that are not in stock in the store, check out using MasterCard SecureCode and have their orders delivered to their home.

NBWS: Interactive campaigns build buzz with fun

News/Web Culture/Youth Trends/Laura Petrecca
Found on: usatoday.com

Here are two examples of great buzz branding websites that advertisers are using to reach out to their client's customers online.

1) OfficeMax did it with their holiday promotion ElfYourself.com

2) M&M's the "character creator" on its new BecomeAnMM.com which was promoted during Tuesday night's season premier of American Idol.

Viral marketing is key these days to get the consumer to pass along the product message -- believe the hype!

USA TODAY post:

Some marketers are getting personal in their viral marketing as they continue to invent ways to interact with consumers online and try to get them to pass along the product message.

Today, job site CareerBuilder.com will announce the launch of Age-O-Matic.com, a site where consumers can upload a photo of a themselves or someone else, alter the image in a way that ages the person about 50 years and pass the result on to others via e-mail. The underlying message: The stresses of a bad job will age you.

NEWS: Boost Mobile and RETNA Team up to Present an Exclusive Mobile Art Content Collaboration

News/Youth Trends/Mobile/Artist
Found on: businesswire.com



Renowned graffiti and street artist, RETNA has partnered with urban niche - mobile service provider, Boost Mobile to offer exclusive content to their wireless customers.

Business Wire post:

Boost Mobile today announced an exclusive content deal with Los Angeles-based artist RETNA offering its youth wireless customers an opportunity to own and experience a piece of artwork from the renowned artist on their Boost Mobile phone, for a fraction of the high gallery fees.

“We are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with talented artists such as RETNA, and are pioneering in our efforts to differentiate this high quality content,” said Jeff Park, director of business development for Boost Mobile. “We are developing an intense and immersive experience on the web that is consistent with the quality of the artist’s work and enables Boost customers to experience their art in a meaningful way.”

On display at Boost Mobile’s Street Culture Lounge and Gold Box Mission during the MAGIC and ASR tradeshows, the partnership with RETNA expanded beyond wireless content. Boost Mobile also plans to collaborate with the artist to design limited edition mobile accessory collections, as well as other products that are relevant to mobile communication and pop culture. Boost Mobile’s support of a creative lifestyle, culture and attitude is represented by this exclusive deal as an extension of the brand’s commitment to enhancing the youth wireless experience.

NEWS: Teen Website Uses Social Networking to Boost Email List

News/Social Networks/Emails
Found on: mediabuyerplanner.com



Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the increased traffic in the amount of "Friend" spam (emails, bulletins and/or comments left by a website, brands or marketers posing as a "Friend") on Myspace? I noticed a lot on all the Social Networks I belong to and from the looks of it, it's just the beginning.

I found this interesting article on mediabuyerplanner.com, basically explaining how a website geared for teenage girls that are into surfing, skating and snowboarding called GLTR (girls learn to ride) is using social network sites like Myspace and Facebook to increase it's email list -- check it out.

Mediabuyerplanner post:

Girls Learn to Ride, a website for young women who like to snowboard and do other extreme sports, is reaching out to social networks in order to increase its email list, writes DM News.

The site currently has 10,000 names in its email database, but has a combined 50,000 friends in social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Sponsorhouse. It sends out daily bulletins to its social networking "friends," encouraging them to sign up for the email list.

NEWS: Scion Launches Broadband Site, Joins Second Life

News/Social Networks/Youth Trends/Betsy Spethmann
Found on: promomagazine.com

Back in 1999, Toyota Motor Corp launched a marketing plan called "Project Genesis", the plan was intended to attract more youthful buyers to the company's products.

To this day, it is still considered to be one of Toyota's worst flops.

Who would have ever guessed that this failed attempt to attract the gen x demo would become the catalyst to one of today's edgiest and innovating brands - the Scion.



Promo Magazine post:

Toyota's edgy Scion brand is launching two online ventures that extend its strategy of marketing through entertainment.

Scion has formed its own online network, Scion Broadband, with five "channels" of content. And, separately, Scion has cut a deal to place its cars in the virtual world of Second Life, an online society.

Scion is well known for using online, event and entertainment marketing in lieu of traditional media advertising. The four-year-old brand has a reputation for sponsoring emerging artists, especially in music, fine arts and animation.

NEWS: CBS, Comcast to Televise Videogames

News/Youth Trends/Video games/Ryan Olson
Found on: redherring.com

Don't tell my wife, but both CBS and Comcast just announced they will televise pro gaming events, making it the first time the coverage will air on network TV.

Redherring post:

With gamers and the media in a frenzy over the launch of the latest consoles from Nintendo and Sony during the thick of what looks to be a busy holiday season, network television is coming out to grab a piece of the gaming action.

On Tuesday Comcast became the second major player in the U.S. television industry in as many days to unveil an agreement with a professional gaming league designed to bring game-centric content to TV viewers.