I noticed in iTunes this morning a little graphic promoting the StarTribune’s gardening podcast. It got me wondering. Seems as though Apple is geo-targeting with iTunes now. I doubt somebody in Atlanta would be shown a promo for a Minneapolis paper’s podcast for green thumbs. This should be really easy for Apple to do since they know where I live, right? Does it mean Apple is selling that placement to the Strib? If so, what’d they pay for it? What’s a reasonable amount to charge for preferred placement in the largest podcast directory in the world? Or is Apple doing this to 1) make my experience better and/or 2) prepare themselves for eventually selling the spot?

So many questions. Apple’s position as the largest directory of podcasts and the nascent nature of the developing podcast business model makes the answers to them fairly interesting.

At Saturday’s Minnebar, we caught up with David Heinemeier Hansson of 37Signals. David is the creator of the web-application framework Ruby on Rails. Leonardo da Vinci once stated “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This is what David has developed with the Rails framework. David talked about his passion for developing aesthetically pleasing code that inspires web developers to do great work. Although most marketers wouldn’t need to know (nor necessarily need to care) about Ruby on Rails, for us it is an instrumental tool to ensure our clients’ marketing message and metrics are achieved on the web.

David’s technology foundation – although not visible to the customers – is the major strand of the DNA for the 37Signals brand. It comes across in their no nonsense approach. It shows in their passion for delivery solutions that customers need, not what they want.

David’s company develops phenomenal products that we use daily at ideapark to foster collaboration and creativity. From left-to-right: Chris Henslin (ideapark) David Heinemeier Hansson (37signals) Brian Brown (ideapark)

Btw, this meeting in the Twin Cities was the largest BarCamp outside of India. (What is BarCamp?) Even though it’s the un-conference, great job to the organizers. Noted blogger, Graeme Thickens, gives a great overview. Photo credit to Graeme with yours truly captured looking back from the throngs of attendees.

We also strive to deliver what our customers need, not necessarily what they want. David, thanks for making the trip up.

UPDATE: Leslie Brooks Suzukamo’s article in the Pioneer Press

These new animated BP ads are awesome. Fresh, engaging, different. Plus, they crack my kid up every time they come on.

• Lighthouse (my favorite)
• Fuels
• Babies (outtakes, even)

Too bad the site they send you to is so mundane. After the visual feast of the ads themselves, the site seems like an afterthought.

At long last, alternatives to streaming media on the web. Microsoft unveiled Silverlight and associated screens shots at NAB. Check out the new streaming media from Move Networks, Inc. that www.abc.com is using to broadcast shows like Ugly Betty, Lost and Desperate Housewives. The claim:

“Okay, quite possibly the sharpest video you’ve ever seen on the web.”

With a claim like that, we had to test it for ourselves. So we tested it out – over WiFi on the 52 inch HD system in the back of the office. We were blown away. Buffering issues? None. Pixelated? After the first 10 seconds or so, it was eliminated. Yes, we were running it in full screen mode as well.

Speaking of recent acquisitions, for those of you following the TellMe voice recognition technology acquisition (also by the folks in Redmond), a new release came out today. I’ve been following TellMe for some time. If you’ve ever used 1-800-555-1212, you’re using TellMe and I’ve found it to be quite useful. I’m usually in a noisy airport when I access the *free* service and it’s performed remarkably well. Microsot may have missed out on DoubleClick, but they got this one right. Also, look for aQuantive to be in play by the big players in the market.

… I’m still chuckling at the Greatest. Website. Ever. VVVVV

We’ve always believed in the Twin Cities (and Minnesota in general) as an exception place for entrepreneurs. The diversity in talent that Minnesota attracts means innovation becomes part of the local DNA. This has been going on for decades, but not necessarily getting the recognition. For example, everyone that uses the internet might want to pay a special homage to the Twin Cities. (Anyone remember the significance of local innovations like gopher?)

Check out the launch of www.GetGoMN.org site that connects Minnesota based entrepreneurs, companies, and supporters together. Similar to the sites like Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, GetGoMN is a great resource that showcases the talent and breadth of companies that get their start in the Twin Cities. We applaud this and it’s about time we started being more vocal and organized about sharing our collective experience. (Yes, we can still do it in our “Minnesota nice” way.)

By the way, we did a quick count here at ideapark on the number of organizations that we have started up ourselves. The tally: 19.

Lessons learned? Priceless.

Last fall, I spoke to analysts about the impact of user generated content (UGC) and the effect it will have on brands and marketers as organizations look to non-traditional media to reach their audiences. The theme: companies are actively striving for new ways to extend their brand.

Back in July of 2005, News Corporation paid USD$580MM (in cash) for MySpace. Given the headline above as reported by Ad Age, this looks to be a bargain and the industry is taking notice. In addition to the ad revenue, News Corp has specific insight and trends into their vast online audiences; information that isn’t available to anyone outside of New Corp. The real value is the aggregated, authentic information that is collected by UGC sites. In essence, content is currency. Or more specifically, content around focused audiences is currency. Afterall, isn’t YouTube just “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on the web?

Being an advocate for driving online communities to promote brands (specifically through wikis) for years, I can attest that there are potential risks in regards to brand dilution. However, done correctly with the right strategy and focus, the rewards can be extremely high as MySpace is proving out on a daily basis.It is also interesting to note some that measurable CPM for UGC sites is on the rise:

“Speaking at the 17th annual Citigroup Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference in Las Vegas, Chernin said online ad rates have started to become significant at CPMs of $25-$30.”

It’s all about focused content to reach specific audiences.

As a side note, it’s good to be here at ideapark!

From the NYTimes:

It turns out that a lot of people with digital video recorders are not fast-forwarding and time-shifting as much as advertisers feared. According to new data released today by the Nielsen Company, people who own digital video recorders, or DVRs, still watch, on average, two-thirds of the ads.

At my house, we just forget we’re watching a recording until two-thirds of the way through the commercial break…

Keep reading

Recently seen on the web. An article about a “DRM-free world” with an ad to the single largest seller of DRMed music smack-dab in the middle of it:

For an interesting example of the decline of old media, take a look at this list of the top grossing movies of all time after adjusting their revenue for inflation. In the top five, none of the movies was made in the past 30 years and in the top ten, the youngest is ten years old. The average age of the top 20 films is 37.

Something very rare indeed happened last night. Superbowl XVI was actually more entertaining than its ads (at least in the first half). My favorite: the 10-second Letterman/Oprah spot (though the Blockbuster pet store ad was cute in an Over the Hedge kind of way and the Garmin GPS Giant Robot spoof was awesome).

Only ten days until pitchers and catchers report…