Did You Know 4.0

XPLANE is happy to present Did You Know 4.0 — another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist.

As Garr Reynolds mentions over at Presentation Zen this morning, yes, this project was created with “off-the-shelf slideware” (Keynote and GarageBand, actually, along with Photoshop and Illustrator). Content by XPLANE, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. Design and development by XPLANE.

For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit The Economist’s Media Convergence conference site at mediaconvergence.economist.com, or stop by shifthappens.wikispaces.com for all things Did You Know.

Is Your Agency an Adhocracy?

Not just relevant to ad agencies:

The bureaucratic organizational model thrived during the 20th Century. But is it the right model for advertising agencies in the 21st Century? Could an adhocratic model be better suited for these challenging times? …adhocracy, according to academics, is an organization which is the opposite of a bureaucracy. One that cuts across bureaucratic lines to capture opportunities, solve problems, and get results

Are Big Ad Agencies So Clueless That Corporations Should Avoid Them?

“I’ve been spending much time with ad agencies and focus groups lately and can only conclude that–with some exceptions–they are mostly clueless. Three years ago they had a traditional knowledge about consumers but didn’t know much about social networking and web 2.0 technology. Today, most of them don’t know about consumers and don’t know much about social networking and web 2.0 technology either. Mainstream ad agencies have one refrain–one message to their corporate clients–do social networking, do social networking, do social networking.”

The Hottest Ad Agency in the Country And Why I Sort of Hate It.

“For some time now, Crispin Porter & Bogusky has been the hottest ad agency in the country. It’s won massive accounts like Burger King and Volkswagen. It’s been “Agency of the Year” at the Clio Awards for two years running. And I sort of hate it.”

Don’t quit your day job

“An interesting tidbit from Guy Kawasaki’s wrap-up of his first full year blogging. The key part is bolded. Note that his blog has been consistently between the 35th and 45th most popular in the world, according to Technorati … 2,436,117 page views for an average of approximately 6,200/day … Total advertising revenue: approximately $3,350 = $1.39 cpm.”

My Fight Against Inappropriate Ads

“I’ve used advertising at this site since its inception. The income keeps me motivated to provide quality content. I experiment with different ad formats from time-to-time, but I try to keep them as innocuous as possible. My greater concern is screening inappropriate advertisers. Because the words ‘get rich’ are in the name of the site, Google Adsense frequently sticks ‘get rich quick’ ads in my articles. I hate this.”

Advertising in Lost Wallets

“How to make sure people will pick up your ad? Put it inside a lost wallet. This one from Sao Paolo is for their version of Wall Street Journal (I think). Wallets were scattered around the city and contained a sticker that said something along the lines ‘You found the wallet. Now find out how to fill it up’.”

Better ROI From YouTube Video Than Super Bowl Spot

“Think dove’s ‘campaign for Real Beauty’ generated a ton of buzz for relatively little expense? You haven’t seen anything yet… With not a penny of paid media and in less than a month, ‘Dove Evolution,’ a 75-second viral film created by Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto, for the Unilever brand has reaped more than 1.7 million views on YouTube and has gotten significant play on TV talk shows ‘Ellen’ and ‘The View’ as well as on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ It’s also brought the biggest-ever traffic spike to CampaignForRealBeauty.com, three times more than Dove’s Super Bowl ad and resulting publicity last year, according to Alexa.com.”

Chevy’s exploitative new ad

“The spot: Singer John Mellencamp leans on the fender of a Chevy pickup, strumming an acoustic guitar. He sings, among other things, ‘This is our country.’ Meanwhile, a montage of American moments flies by: Rosa Parks on a bus. Martin Luther King preaching…”

Amigo

“Amigo is a service that matches advertisers with online newsletters, and vice versa.”