And the winner is – digital! | Advantage Social

Well, pioneers will say we are late in the gainsaying. No we were not the naysayers. No it is not a holy jehad. No, Pope Benedict has no request to bless this revolution. No it is not the Book of Judas. No selling religion hasn’t gone digital. Phew, that’s another billion. Close. As April draws to a close, statistics say Twitter would have added 1 more billion to its 16 billion kitty from SMS alone.

Yes. And that news on the twitter blog is a good one, a great one and one that makes me wish I was a Cloudhopper. Twitter has finally started using the cash in the vain hope that it is ahead of the monetization of internet curve and thus people wil eventuually pay it in enough premium to cover now the third year of back breaking costs. The Cloudhopper purchase closely follows Tweetie and makes its Third party developers an integral part of Twitter.

We have said it before and we will say it again. It is time that all the tweeting , now available in the Library of Congress archives are a blessed source of will and wisdom that are sure to turn the world of digital media, social media and advertising in a tizzy.

Online advertising has also scored a neat $23 billion in advertising in 2009 according to a hat tip from the New York Times. 47% growth in Display ads, 38% in Video ads and search is still around. Well next year hopefully it will be Twitter’s promoted tweets there with a meaningful percentage and from our personal predictions, the search category would have mrphed into other pieces., incl the Apple iPad platform and maybe once Tweets count someone would have a percentage for Facebook as well.

Why am I rambling about that? Because a lot of people incl Accenture and Mckinsey have employed pioneers, our valley has gone down hooking them up and they all wanted to see a little more digital in our life. And that’s all Marketing, right! All those solo moments without advertising would also be sponsored by your refrigerator maybe. But the point is that magazine advertising scored less than $20 billion in the same year in the US. And that is where we plan to use everyone’s common decision. We think Marketing Budgets will be at least 30% Digital in a few years. And for the World’s Top 100 brands, more of that would be social and of course meaningful sponsorships would be most of the other stuff. See?

Making that brand and making it socially | Advantage social

As an urban professional who likes his lunch, his outings at the mall, movies and even video games outside of his time with NFL, IPL and Unscrewing scams and jams, it becomes hard for me to pen down every conclusion I reach after new developments are announced, results are tabled or new deals are announced, and it becomes tough to follow mental threads with millions of followers, colleagues, public transport bullies and fellow drivers on the super highway we have repeatedly greased (pun intended!). So even the brand Advantage zyaada would love your support to the cause in generous terms with time, reports and points of view that can be published under your own/alleged pseudonym and I would allow leeches to plead the fifth and go on their way. Do write in. We do not have 4G specimens that you can leave behind anywhere, our genetics totally match..

As we carve a niche for ourselves, in a social carve-out from the Banks, Brands, Bigger Brands, McDonalds, Coke Pepsi and Pizza, Capital Markets, Transformation agents, Media and Financial information, Technology, Non Banks, investment bankers, authors, investment banker turned authors, people managers, equity research professionals, CEOs, Managing Directors, COOs, cooks, salesmen, vendors and pre sales professionals, Marketing Pros, Franchise Owners, Extraordinary Leagues, Key Account Managers, Market Development stars, visionaries, philosophers, thinkers and start-ups, middle managers, senior management without agenda and other rats in the corporate world, we look to find that elusive responsibility center which comes with its salaries and perks (not including private jets irrespective of perks available to lawmakers).

Some pied piper has to again find us for our choice cabin in a choice multi national corporation, a bank that can find value in India, China or some deeper market territory that we can develop for them and till then our management thinking has to objectively find a logical place for results that bombard us every three months from markets in Us, India, China and Europe..China still has a season sale when we can do with only one or two results announcements in a year from each shortlisted corp/bank..(FOR our primary venture at ADVANTAGES.US)

As a purveyor of a fledgling brand that has concomitantly created and strengthened his personal brand, of his education brand and his country’s , thus implying the Advantage zyaada is a valid brand, that I have created and strengthened the brand of IIT Delhi, India, IIMs, Bangalore, ITC, DB and maybe even Europe, New York, Spokane, Seattle and Chicago among others by virtue of being in leadership and the public eye for 15-20 years, I have the perfect tools in Facebook and Twitter but as I go on, this new front also creates more geeks and development challenged individuals who cannot see the wood for the trees and increasingly create last stands for conventional channels like Obama for the Republicans and Tharoor for Prannoy Roy and Pranab Da and Paris Hilton and Ms Johnson for rich kids coming out of the can.

We have measured and delivered trends, more visibly on the web in the last 2 years and before that on the ground and we do not deserve to be this penniless, suffering less, isolated existence without the company of Green river , in Dollars, Renminbi or Indian Rupees; in Mutual Funds, Accounts or Insurance and in Bailouts, Bail bonds or Baileys’ Irish.

Our judgments stand the test of time in all fields, so you’d do well to make contact.

Wow – The Apple on Main Street

Well, Steve Jobs had his work cut out for him with the iPad launch and announcements taking his toll apart from health concerns during most of 2009. And one might even add, analysts linked to Apple and people like us had a harrowing roller coaster ride whether Apple would do 1 million iPads or 10 million, whether his $9 billion quarter would improve to $12 billion or another number and despite being in marketing, we looked on with eager interest, trying to open the envelope which would tell us how rosy our future is.

The iconic Coca cola has given way to the bitten Apple without as much as a nod to Indra Nooyi’s Pepsi or the citi that never sleeps. In the brand sweepstakes, the Apple which spent a good three years battling the clutter on your desktop with usuriusly priced Macs has probably reached a turn where it will now define America, at the same time earning almost $1000 for every iPad it sells with an almost $250 in profits. And the way they are picking up the candy, the customer almost wills himself to think he is buying a soda with his sandwich.

The P&G mothers and the Walmart workers have given way to this commercial marvel, the iPad that sold 500,000 without 3G in the US in month 1, the iPod that still sells 10.9 million in 3 months, and  the iMacs that crown desktops giving Apple a head start into replacing all that has been America since Vietnam into an older version of the iMac to put away in the cobwebs. Made in America is now signed on screen n the iPad as you swipe your card for that loved one or give yourself a treat.

Did you miss the iPhone there? Well it is also doubling in sales , with $30 and more for AT&T as dividend but calling out the iPhone and the iPad starts to look like duplicity in mind and spirit now ( Did you check out the gizmodo scoop!) BTW, on the retail lifestyle front, the Big Mac is also back with double digit growth and $1 B in Quarterly profit, but already a third of what Apple can do..

A sign(board) of the times :D | The new ‘edge’ of Retail Lifestyle

There are always a number of unusual items for sale on eBay, but it’s not every day that you see an entire town go up for auction. The fetching price for tiny Wauconda, Washington was a mere $360,000, which sounds like a veritable bargain if one of your dreams in life is to own your own zip code.

Wauconda consists of only a restaurant, a small store, a gas pump, a four-bedroom house and that exclusive zip code. Nevertheless, seller Daphne Fletcher claims to take in about $300,000 per year mostly thanks to the summer travel season with tourists passing through. The new owners, Maddie and Neal Love, came in and sealed the deal after a protracted month-long bidding war, including a hopeful bid from a young boy who tried to “surprise his parents by buying a town.”

Via Mash in Town

Some interesting April developments from around the web | Advantage Brands

You guessed it. Fatigue. Advantage zyaada has penned a dozen articles today on the Finance and Economy subjects with a lot of Goldman Sachs and some other Banks popping up. (and the volcanic Ash) do check out the depth and field of vision at ADVANTAGES.US

Also Twitter Chirp kind of boxed forward movement with a lot of developer stuff going around including new developer agreements for using Twitter marks and user data.

Facebook is going the other way on F8, a lot of developer stuff about bringing back the toolbar swing for lulling users and adding a like button to every site you care about. Next you know we would be going Giga Om discussing proprietary standards, integrating internet in LED Televisions and all that gizmodo stuff about a tablet for the competitor.

Coming back to marketing and social media, I am also wary of posting more about Social media usage..most of the stuff is unscientific and definitely counterproductive to using th great examples that cannot arise daily.

There has also been a lot of discussion about Twitter’s 100 million users and Facebook’s 400 million active users. I don’t wabnt to discuss it for my brand. What I know is irrespective my social media effectiveness thru Twitter is in 1000s of clicks/other digital actions of Web 1.0. Facebook’s business effectiveness for my brand is zilch. It is some sort of a hygeine factor now to be on visually appealing Facebook pages. It is much more personal for the user and he does not like to be disturbed, though he can be targeted much more incisively right now on Facebook. Maybe for selling Tag Heuer watches and Bugatti Sports Cars or Armani and Kim Kardarshian fashion accessories..

In the meantime, the web’s other social acquisition account aggregator and advisor Mint has extended its offering to almost all American banks as according to the site an average American uses 11 different banking institutions and unless he can get them all in one place…

The other social revolution on the town square Foursquare recently celebrated Foursquare Day with near million members

Of course last but not the least it’s fashionable in Twitter universe also to hate “Promoted Tweets” and to call/not call them advertising based on whether you are User or Twitter

I would recommend however, that all the developments be not taken in isolation but as a whole picture serious thought be given to being brand leaders in shifting the marketing budget emphasis from print and TV to social media and not “online advertising”

Do your part | The American way of life

You wouldn’t believe the kind of Green this planet is getting nowadays. And we think there is an Axis behind it with Starbucks getting together with NY Times. In fact NY times charges a whole lotta premium if you want ot get social with it on the web with exclusive white spaces for your campaigns. And in keeping with its All American, no football image at sophisticated $5 a cuop Starbucks..Starbucks has gone wild with a viral campaign entirely concentrated at missing You tube, click ads, hits and even avoiding any of the usual Google tricks to run the campaign. Wow, so the dream America is now chasing is al l American, all local, green, reusuable economics and Starbucks is hoping to ride that to come back to profit and not to mention top of America’s mind. I don’t know if Starbucks can get the’American’ tag back but Burger King des not have it and NY times has survived 6 months with its standalone digital media offering for the big brands. Starbucks would also be joining Promoted Tweets ( If you have seen them tweets please RT)

It’s a refreshing change, we cannot reproduce the video here and 1262 fresh pledges have been signed this morning as Starbucks tries a mushy “Do your part” version of the mentos experiment on the streets of New York on video to turn people in to green sponsors of a Starbucks tomorrow.. Of course you are good for a free cup of coffee if you want..

Do your part

Promoted Tweets | Advantage social

Sorry Twitter, we’ll be a little hard nosed when we’re on the button

Well, just this weekend everything was fine with the @anywhere announcement on your dinner table and everyone was going to Chirp. But then one of the VC blogs exploded with Twitter criticism over the weekend and @ anywhere is suddenly not the topic, Chirp is looking not too friendly on the blogs and the Atebits acquisition ( yes dear, we were just watching and the great first priced Tweetie got gobbled up as bird seed.) was not even given a round of applause, let alone the kind of standing ovation Facebook got for eating up Friendfeed!!

A lot of shocking drama without the tweets and Twitter defense probably continues when Chirp convenes tomorrow and into next week as well when a lot of these pre Chirp tweet seminars will come useful for @ev and @biz. Tweetie will now be the official Twitter Twitter app for iPhone. Twitter Twitter for Blackberry was also rolled out this week. What a rush..but we need something bigger you little bird..

What is ‘Promoted Tweets’?

Well for one, I am giving you a sample of some quality campaigns with the Magpie network on @zyakaira with Heineken pushing its iPhone apps apart from a lot of Freelance wunderkind promoting their ware on Twitter..But Promoted Tweets is now an offering from the birdhouse directly. Twitter is rolling it out tonight marrying search results from their earlier acquisition for the Twitter ecosystem with an Ad engine that pushes intelligent ads on to the search page. Atebits may also be used later for marrying new elements of their API and Twitter continues to marry its own offering with that of its ecosystem, while good for us, confounding a lot of its developers ahead of Chirp whence it can do the soft sell. Wow Twitter! Your business model is sounding like a loud episode/pilot of a Saturday Night Live/Showbiz with lot of shallow screaming ( tweeting) and very less substance.

Search advertising on Twitter today will probably some of the left-over, hungover, Google crowd, but we think the party is moving on. We need something richer like Twitter with Sports or Twitter being used to oracle Hollywood successes at the box office and @anywhere, fast.

The Tweet ad would be something like the Sponsored Tweets on Tweetmeme or those from Heineken in our @zyakaira feed, making their debut as the Top tweet on the search page and making their way everywhere in the Tweet apps, lists, tweet feeds and timelines.

An Asian urban center in development – Bangalore

Despite the metro and highways forever under construction along arterial roads, Bangalore keeps growing fangs and retail hotspots..

Passing the Lifestyle store with the Escada beach babe poster #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

What exactly am i supposed to say to my daughter #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

And the Salwar suits and HDFC emi outdoor adverts #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

imagine keeping bluefi open on the road to recieve bus day ads #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

The destitutes at Destimoney are up for sale at no consideration #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

And the ones at Arthamoney are merged for re 1 #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

The festering mass plague hot spot from Richmond Circle to Vithal Mallya Road is preserved by the ASI? #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

I know, they are just recreating Bombay’s Airport district in front of ITC royale #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

Probably enhances Madhu’s cooking #bangalore about 3 hours ago via txt

You know the namma metro near majestic has hit oil reserves while digging? the whole place smells of gas #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

New Inox with Taco bell inside the Mantri SQUARE mall. a big kemp clone #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

Much better inside. But Mantri Square can’t beat the forum on location. #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

Good lobby and ’causeways’ Mantri SQUARE #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

This has a zero less on the tab than Select Citywalk and Emporio but lesser interest. Bangalore North is poor town about 2 hours ago via txt

BANKING Living a Crisis http://ow.ly/1uYu6 http://fb.me/vtnNhGWl about 1 hour ago via Facebook

Start up of the month: Mastering Web Consumer Lifestyles without spam http://ow.ly/1uYxS about 1 hour ago via HootSuite

Ooh screens for in mall adverts. Did not see any content #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

Tv Networks get all pervasive and then make a comeback after losing it in 2009 http://ow.ly/1uYt5 about 2 hours ago via HootSuite

inox seems to carry its own food court everywhere. The food court is the same as Garuda Mall in South Parade District.#bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

The sky dome is a sexy catch |Mantri SQUARE #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

Coconut grave yard, Taj Biryani and Beijing bites Mantri SQUARE #bangalore about 2 hours ago via txt

Bangalore has lost its cool factor. weather, pubs, traffic 19 minutes ago via txt
New ‘mall’ on Mg road looks like a railway station inspired construction #bangalore Gk Vale 21 minutes ago via txt

My friends should feel jilted and discharged without free recourse to me. I still have work to do #bangalore 24 minutes ago via txt

Carrying rolls home for lunch after missing my workout #bangalore 44 minutes ago via txt

As usual they got so casual that it took 4 people to pack 3 rolls but the rolls are good 36 minutes ago via txt

A rice painted Buddhist math will not look out of place on Mg Road either #bangalore about 1 hour ago via txt

Out of home has failed at Kaati Zone as well #bangalore about 1 hour ago via txt

The old man at the corner still sells FT like proper smuggled goods. bet you’d feel like a criminal for buying #bangalore about 1 hour ago via txt

‘Ayesha on TV is not the one Shoaib chatted with’ – http://bit.ly/biIMvT about 1 hour ago via NewzFor.me

The Jay Leno Show and Nielsen

Tv is back. Where did it go, you ask me? Well ask their accountants and they’ve had some sordid tales to tell these last few years. Not to mention the confusion over network signing up cable channels and disowning them even when big days like Oscars were around. Takeovers of NBC by a Cable Company. Fraud at another. superbowl sales being watched like a hawk for tell tale signs of recession. GM not signing some of its sports sponsorships again. Banks out of their favorite sports sponsorships. They all dealt a huge blow to Tv even as the side show on Pay walls continues to fuel the game of ad revenues versus content sponsorship..the latter being a concept we all want but with no way to monetize it. From the days of Buddy Holly when Cadillac Records showed the World how to mint money from music, everything else and music have been on show on Tv, on the networks. You reach audiences of 40 million across runs, re-runs and DVR recordings for time shifted viewing.

Jay Leno got ahead of Conan simply because the audiences wanted to call it a day earlier and now by September Conan will be back…$30 million a year for another Saturday Night Live..Viewers outside the US fall for Soap and Sports but also more business news content thant Stand up comedy, but that just shows they haven’t seen enough Tv yet..And then there is a dozen of those reality TV shows like American Idol and $6 billion from CBS to broadcast NCAA Basket ball for 11 years for ..behold.. 96 teams.

Here’s the amazing takeaway from a piece of Nielsen History

When Arthur Nielsen introduced the Audimeter (his first metering device) in 1936, there were only about 200 television sets in use worldwide. When the Nielsen national TV measuring service was established in 1950, the average American household that owned a television had only one set and received three network telecasts.

Also these American only contnet or Indian only Content all spliced by one You Tube and one google.com..enough ofr a lifetime of internecine fighting and back biting..with Jay Leno at 10 p.m. Content will win, not advertising.

Start ups..why would we need start ups

A note from ..well.. Friedman | nytimes.com

Tom Friedman quotes a real fun fact in his pad in the New York Times this weekend..

Here’s my fun fact for the day, provided courtesy of Robert Litan, who directs research at the Kauffman Foundation, which specializes in promoting innovation in America: “Between 1980 and 2005, virtually all net new jobs created in the U.S. were created by firms that were 5 years old or less,” said Litan. “That is about 40 million jobs. That means the established firms created no new net jobs during that period.”

Message: If we want to bring down unemployment in a sustainable way, neither rescuing General Motors nor funding more road construction will do it. We need to create a big bushel of new companies — fast.

Of course, now I count as Old school sand this fact more or less ties in with the way an old favourite of ours would have lived it! Dick Feynman.. He is one mind who would have probably schemed to start a start up , weak decay and half derivatives aside ( for links to get the jab, catch Feynman on wiki, and as much everyweher else. Phew that’s one point driven home. I’m seriously out of work and it’s because I think Apple isn’t shipping that many iPads :lol

Also to note changes in marketing strategy at banks, they hardly did anything campaigns from 2009 highlighted in NY times including ads procliming AIG slogans with “AIU” written underneath, GMAC cpopy with “Ally” Bank written in Pink and the Personal finance pieces from Citi which now compete with mint.com on the blog at citi.com and also compete with solutions from Bank of America.com , doesn’t really look encouraging for any new start ups either..but then thtat analysis wil come 6 months later when despite higher PE disbursals in 2010, most would have gone to 5-10 year old ventures with a profit record and proportion  of cash with Limited Partners would continue to show positive “Can’t Say” percentages..It’s a big muddle and even the muddle is a prety social one now, thanks to FB and Twitter. Also PE would fund really giant projects this time, belying the term “start ups” again and again. We need a new social variety of Micro Finance right now like Ycombinator..

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