advertisingatitsbest

How do you feel about online dating?  Does it work? Did you meet your partner through an online service?  How did you hear about the service you used?  Are the typical TV commercials effective enough for you to try a new site?

Trendhunter recently gave a synopsis of a micro site developed to promote an online dating service called Mingle.  It was nice for me to see something beyond the perfect compatibility, blah, blah, blah, we match you up with your soul mate, blah, blah, blah television commercials.

The microsite to promote the new dating service, and of course to bring some humor to the whole online dating situation Check out the site: Ten Reasons Why it is Cool to Date a Unicorn here.

What do you think?

Source: Trendhunter

What better way to promote your online auctioning capabilities than in a casino? eBay can’t think of anything better and the online auction house has entered the gambling business or at least the world of promotion within the gambling business.

Believe it or not, slot machines featuring a selection of eBay’s items as jackpot winnings can now be found in Winds Casino in New Buffalo, MI.

The Trendhunter article quotes Technabob in saying, “The machines have icons for popular auction categories such as electronics, motors, collectibles and fashion, but they only take (and occasionally dole out) cold hard cash. And while there won’t be any money showing up in your PayPal account, all of the players on the system can win a free spin at the same time, so I guess that’s better than nothing.”

What do you think of this idea?  Is it product placement of eBay products within casinos?  Is it an advertising technique?  Or is it just straight up creative and a great way to get eBay’s name out there?  Do you see the fit for eBay within casinos?

Source: Trendhunter 

To launch Big Brother TEN in Australia, Bluetooth technology was used to reach their target of tech savvy young individuals via their cell phones.

Bluetooth transmitters were installed in bus stops in high traffic areas. The transmitters installed in the space sent two anonymous text messages to anyone who was in a specified range.

The first message sent to the user was tailored to their location.

The second one came 30-40 seconds later with the reveal that the anonymous text message was from Big Brother and gave the new show time.

What do you think? Do you like receiving advertising messaging on your cell phone or is too invasive?

Source: Frederik Samuel

In a recent article from AdAge, the magazine reads, “The most reputable company in America: Google, which toppled Microsoft from the top perch in the 2007 Harris Interactive Reputation Quotient study released today — and sent it tumbling all the way down to No. 10. “

The most interesting part about this, to me is that having Google up this high on the list just goes to show and even a company that spends very little on advertising can still be the most positively perceived by consumers.

The Harris study, who published the above results, measured the reputations of the most visible companies in the U.S., in a two phase study. The first consisted of phone and online interviews of more than 7,000 people to identify the 60 most visible companies.

The second phase, the AdAge article continues to explain, was conducted six months later, and included 20,000 online interviews with U.S. consumers asking them to rate those companies’ reputations on 20 attributes in six categories: emotional appeal, products and services, social responsibility, vision and leadership, workplace environment, and financial performance.

Being from Michigan, another interesting statistic that caught my eye in the study was the US automakers place on the list. Toyota was No. 15 on the list, while Detroit’s Big Three -Chrysler (No. 51), GM (No. 52) and Ford (No. 54) were near the bottom.

Read the full article by Michael Bush here .

What are your thoughts? Do you agree with the study? How do you feel about Google as opposed to GM?

HP recently launched its’ new touch screen desktop computers. The touch screen computer comes after the revolutionary touch screen of the iPhone.

Do you think this touch screen innovation will continue to be successful in the market and with consumers?

Last week Hewlett Packard, leading the touch screen computer revolution, unveiled two touch screen desktop computers that will hit stores in July. “HP had last year introduced its first TouchSmart computer, but most agree it was a first generation market test,” according to AdAge.

The new touch screen models come with designer icons with bigger, yet flatter screens, much improved software and a better overall consumer experience. John Cook, of HP added, “The HP TouchSmart PC is all about reinventing the personal computer experience.”

Will these large interactive computer screens make an individual’s experience with their desktops better?

The cost of the new touch screens are $1,299, and $1,499 for one with a TV tuner. Do you think this price is appropriate for the new computers?

“If a product can bring people together to work or play in a collaborative way … it creates an added social value, and that’s where it gets interesting,” Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder, who used the original TouchSmart and lauds the vast improvements in the second-generation computer, said. “The Wii radically changed the relationship people have with gaming. Similarly, touch screen has the ability to do the same in the PC market.”

What do you think of touch screen computers? Is this the wave of the future?

Would you purchase one? Will consumers openly accept the idea of touch screen computers?

How do you think HP will market the new systems?

Source: AdAge 

Calling all bubble poppers!

That’s right! This is for all of you who simply cannot resist popping all of the bubbles in the bubble wrap the minute a package comes in the mail!

According to Gush Magazine, the toy company, Bandai, has invented a toy called PutiPuti, which emulates the sensation you get from popping bubble wrap along with the sound.

The toy was designed by the toy company by working with the real maker of bubble wrap, so it should be the most realistic bubble wrap simulator on the market.

But that’s not all the toy includes. In addition to the bubble popping noise, for every 100 pops they throw in a ridiculous noise such as a door bell or barking dog.

The one thing this toy is missing is the sense of accomplishment you feel when you have popped the entire sheet of bubble wrap!

The PutiPuti toy comes in five different colors and is attached to a keychain to meet your bubble popping needs at anytime!

What do you think of this “toy?” If you have the habit of popping all of the bubble wrap, would you purchase this product?

Source: Gush