Media Bites-June 25 2010

For all of you Media Man fans that poke fun at all the gym and Starbucks check ins, here's a little update on location based marketing ( or as a friend of mine lovingly calls it: pleaserobmyhouse.com)

Startups and other less than visible brands are moving from useless games that take up space to a practical app that is actually a lot of fun.

As an example, take the newest geotargeted app on the scene-http://www.goby.com/. Say you want to look for hiking trails in Appalachia on a specific date. Your search will deliver a list of places to visit and a map of where they are. But it doesn't stop there. Click on a pin to a new location (the Adirondack Park) it will magically give you the same search results, different location. Looking for a the hottest wings in Memphis? Search and discover the price and location, move the pin to Austin and bingo-same search, different city.

Tasti D-Lite recently launched TastiRewards (http://www.tastidlite.com/). Mashable explains that customers can use their Treat Cards to gather points for purchases and those that opt in to social media bonuses are atuomatically entered to additional points.

And lets not forget my personal favorite Foursquare. I checked in at a NYC hotel for a conference and immediatley received a text that noted ( and I'm paraphrasing) 'Luann from the Real Housewives of NYC says that three blocks from here is the best Asian restaurant on the Upper East Side' Now, most people would find that annoying and obtrusive. However, I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Get on the grid and give one of these a try.

Media Bites-June 14 2010

$50 million for BP television advertising while the economy in the Southeast is stagnating due in part to the oil spill? While I'm in support of advertising, marketing and press to raise awareness of this disaster, does it really make sense to spend it on TV ads?

Results from a recent Ace Metrix study:

41% of those surveyed think BP is doing all it can

71% think BP is entirely responsible for the spill

40% of respondents feel the government response was slow and inadequate.

Media Bites June 2 2010

The discussion on my radio show today was about reality TV and the blurred lines between being a clinician and being an entertainer. Think Dr Drew Pinsky, Dr Laura, Dr Ruth, Dr Phil ( all first names, isn't that interesting). We all know that at one point they all had thriving practices that were truly helping people. As Benita pointed out today; what was the tipping point? What made them go from an appointment book full of addicted and abused patients to TV/radio personalities and does that jeopardize their credibility?