Category Archives: Media Convergence

Anderson Cooper Launches New Show with Social Media

Posted on August 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Time for some fun facts! Fact: Anderson Cooper is a huge pop culture junkie. Also fact: Anderson Cooper’s new daytime talk show is leveraging social media for promotion and connecting viewers before it airs on Sept. 12. I can’t afford cable, but when I can I will probably have to DVR this new one. Here’s the promo:

I have not been this pumped about a new daytime talk show in a long time, if ever. Oprah set a sort of golden standard or formula (which by the way, disclaimer – I’m on the fence with Oprah and was pretty impressed with this blog & fascinating life experience of “Living Oprah”). Everything else on daytime tv, at least for me, has not seemed quite as captivating. I think this show’s biggest challenge is going to be marrying style and substance. Yes, content is king, even on the small screen. Will the masses be more engaged to current events and real issues, if discussed with Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber? Will the show be coereced into blatant self promotion of its guest stars? Who will be the “average Anderson viewer”? Continue reading →

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Posted in Media Convergence, Television and Film

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Hyundai nails tv and web integration by merging pr and advertising with latest tv ad

Posted on October 7, 2009 | Leave a comment

TV ads showed Hyundai’s new Momentum site, which displays uncontrolled media. Brilliant ROI!

Tonight I saw a Hyundai commercial that caught my eye. It wasn’t the sleek design of a new model or a shockingly attractive MSRP or financing options, but the simple invitation to visit HyundaiMomentum.com.

The commercial revealed a glimpse of the site’s sexy Cooliris/Apple-like interface, so I instantly checked it out. I’m not yet in the market for a new car (sorry Hyundai, that whole getting-a-job-thing is holding me down!), but this is definitely the way to entice consumers that are searching for new wheels.

Basically, Hyundai stretched its TV ad dollars by encouraging viewers to visit a straight-forward site featuring “everything you need to know about Hyandai, as told by everyone, except Hyundai”.  You’ll find articles about Hyundai product from mainstream sites like MSNBC.com, Time.com, and even Vimeo.com, along with car-niche sites including Edmunds.com, Autoblog.com, and NorthAmericanCarOfTheYear.org.

Although US auto manufacturers may be waddling along the road to recovery, Hyundai has shifted into 5th gear.  Throughout the downturn economy, the Korean car maker viewed the glass half-full and has aggressively found opportunity in the bleakest of times. (Remember Hyundai Assurance?) Continue reading →

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Posted in Media Convergence

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Amazon redesigns online retail with Windowshop

Posted on September 24, 2009 | 19 Comments
Amazon Windowshop creates a fun new way to browse items; click for source.

Windowshop's innovative shopping experience gives consumers a new way to browse Amazon.com; click for source.

Looks like I missed out on Amazon.com’s Fall 2008 launch of “Windowshop,” a sexy, sleek new way to browse the site’s bread and butter product of literary and visual entertainment.  If you did too, check it out right now.

As its name suggests, Windowshop puts a visual storefront on Amazon’s traditional text-laden site.  Browse music titles and you’ll instantly hear samples; scroll through a visual medium (movies/tv/video games) and you’ll see the item’s trailer.  Click on a book to see the title’s front cover and and listen to a description.  Bestsellers are the only content supported now, but I imagine users will be able to sign-in and see personalized recommendations in the future.

Windowshop is fun and feels iPhone-ish.  If you’ve ever used Cooliris, you’ll feel right at home.  The site is in beta mode currently and I’ve subscribed to the official updates so I don’t miss out on Windowshop news again.

This is a breakthrough in the otherwise clunky task of browsing Amazon page-by-page.  Amazon pages are littered with text and often too much information for the casual  window shopper.  I’ve found that browsing Amazon for extended periods of time can become monotonous, and the experience can even feel like a chore as my eyes tire from scanning so much text to find what I’m interested in.

My dream Windowshop experience would include the ability to see one’s personalized recommendations, a search feature, and the freedom of viewers to cherry-pick information from the traditional Amazon page, such as product reviews and customer discussions (neatly tucked away and easily expandable of course).  If Amazon adds 1-click to Windowshop, I can foresee users engaged in a wave of radically-addicting impulse purchasing.  (Maybe Windowshop could be the economy’s answer to frugal consumer spending!)

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Posted in Media Convergence, Web 2.0

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