One Hit Wonders on the increase

Lately I have been hearing and noticing a lot more one-hit wonders. Many 'music' people will say that this is because the quality of music is going down faster than a groupie on a roofie, but I believe it is because of the Internet and the wonderful marketing tools available to every indi-band in the world.

Myspace, flickr, facebook, websites and mp3 sharing sites has made every band able to offer their music to the world. For this reason the OK bands that stumble on that one hit get noticed, get big quick and disappear. Little does my friends band Empire Alley know but I have been watching their marketing tactics and seeing how they spread the word of their good music.

Empire Alley is a Vancouver based indi-band that in my opinion has a few pretty good tracks. Hopefully they will make it big and not be a "one-hit wonder" but at this moment they have quite a marketing plan in the mix.

A flickr site where fans can upload pictures from shows.

A myspace page with 8000 friends, songs with 1000's of plays, banners you can post on your own site and an eventful link to request tour stops in your town.

A facebook group with 543 friends.

And all of this exposure cost them only a little bit of time. To have this same level of awareness would have taken a lot more work back in the 80's. The thought leadership shown by big dreams and small budgets will never cease to amaze me.

Drop by myspace and have a listen and look.

The First Advergame?

I can't believe that this is the first I have heard of this. Advergames on vinyl records played on a spectrum.

"In the case of these programs on vinyl, the user would have to play back the proper portion of the record, record the resultant chatter to tape, and load the tape into the spectrum. Some users have mentioned playing certain games so much that they could recognize the loading sounds.A gigantic step up from encoded text files were actual games included in the grooves of records. In 1984, The Thompson Twins released 'The Thompson Twins Adventure Game' in both regular vinyl and flexi disc formats. The game is a bizarre text-based adventure in which you guide the Thompson Twins around a land of beaches and caves."

Similarly encoded games were also added to the tape releases.

Unbelievably cool.

Found on Adverlab.

"LIVE" concerts in Second Life

This U2inSL concert from last year had me thinkign lately about if and when an animated Second Life concert will become apart of a bands tour schedule.

There is a lot that could be done here such as the first 100,000 CD's have a code that you can use to go online and recieve free SL concert tickets. Or what about setting up a create your own concert selection on SL. Literally create a playlist then watch the concert. Labels could let you pick from a selection of bands and make your own Personal Lollapaloza.

Lately I have read the SL is on the decline so this may not be that close but I imagine it is coming.

Why Blog?

A lot of people (and by "a lot" I mean about 3) have asked me in the last couple of weeks why I blog.

"What's the point?" is probably the most common question for those who haven't read blogs before.
For the 106 million bloggers out there, the answer is always unique. Some do it for money (or the hopes of making money), others do it to help connect with a specific niche of people - like Vampire lovers or Sailboat enthusiasts.

Whatever the reason might be, something about blogging as struck a chord in millions of people across the world. It could be the desire to be heard. To have a simple forum to communicate your passions, thoughts and interests.

Or it could be the need to continually update people on where you've been and what you're doing. Many of the blogs out there are immensely personal. An online diary about your real life for anyone to read.

I started blogging as an experiment to see what it was like and why so many people did it. "Why would I need to blog if I'm already am addicted to Facebook and Google Reader?" I thought.

More importantly, don't I have something better to do?

After 8 weeks of solid blogging, the answer is a resounding no.

Is that a bad thing? Depends on who you are, I suppose. But the fact remains that blogging, for those who have the stomach for it, can be highly addictive, frustrating and personal. That being said, if you enjoy your topic(s) and can find your voice (and audience) it's quite rewarding.

We Love Kids...

A fun European spot that's recieved some great coverage around the web.

Defining Innovation

If you haven't seen this old spot from BMW, it's well worth checking out.

"The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds"

Understanding Facebook

We’ve blogged about Facebook before but wanted to post this comprehensive overview from Adverblog. It’s important to think about why you’re advertising on Facebook. Are you simply checking off a box on your marketing budget, or are you actually trying to add value to the users? To give people a chance to connect with your brand?

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China's Summer Olympic Print - Sort Of...

Some great executions from Amnesty International in regards to China's human rights record, laws and history. Developed by Saatchi & Saatchi in Slovakia, this series of print ads is in your face and interesting. The copy on one of the executions reads:

"In the name of ensuring stability and harmony in the country during the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese Government continues to detain and harass political activists, journalists, lawyers and human rights workers. Get involved: http://www.amnesty.sk/"

We've seen a number of executions like this before (see our MTV 9/11 post), however these executions take the message to an off-beat level. They don't agressively hammer down the atroticities of the Chinese government, they combine them with a brand that is completely opposite - the Olympics.

Can't imagine that the IOC is to happy about these comparrisons but think that this print could resonate. Link from Copyranter.

Student Work

Some intereting work from some Miami Ad School Europe students. Although they've taken a successful Axe campaign and slightly tweaked it, I like the simplicity in the executions.

That being said, it's interesting to read some of the reactions of those in the industry.

Thanks to Rebecca for the link!

The Heineken Beer Brick

Stumbled on this great article about the Heineken beer brick.

The idea comes from turning wasteful into useful products. Afred Heineken and designer John Habraken coined 'the brick that holds beer' after Heinken took a trip to the Caribbean. After walking on the beach and seeing hundreds of empty bottles but hundreds of locals without homes, he invented the beer brick.

Although it has not exactily taken off, the idea to turn waste into useful products is something we could certainly strive to see more of in the future.

Great Quote - Social Networks

A social networking tool becomes a publicity tool when "I speak, you speak, I reply, you reply" becomes "I speak, you listen".

From CenterNetworks.

Prep Unit

A couple years old but still classic – I always love a good Tea Party. And with over 4 million views on YouTube, I'm not the only one.

Check out the West Coast response previously posted by PJC.