RADDWORLDDigital @itsaraddworld-blog - Tumblr Blog

Comedy Awards: We can give each other prizes!

We have the Oscars for esteemed movies, the Grammy's for groundbreaking music, and the Emmy's for the best in the television - each of these categories represents a culturally embraced medium that expresses common history, dramas, stories, tensions and social conversations. For the first time ever, Comedy Central and comedians, actors/actresses, writers and performers came together with the newly created American Comedy Fund to create the first annual Comedy Awards. What makes this such a remarkable step is from the publication of satires to Charlie Chaplin's performance comedy to Chris Rock's stand up - comedy has represented an emotional and intellectual outlet for expression, not just a genre in medium based awards. It carries a social significance that, as of late, is making a comeback (take a look at the satirical Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert duo or the cast of SNL in wildly popular online shorts, TV shows and movies).

Some would argue that the upsurge in serious world changing events since 2001 has caused a even greater need on behalf of the public to laugh - but I would go further by saying that the crutch that comedy provided for some very sensitive years is slowly re-creating a grounds for intellectual, sharp public discourse that toes the line between casually offensive, blatantly obvious and the everyday absurdities of our reality (check out this well briefed GE bit). That may seem like heavy accolades, but in a time when we’re forced to navigate world news on a scale of Megan Kelly coverage, Wolf Blitzer's hologrammed ‘Situation Room’ also while spamming our local television providers to negotiate with Al Jazeera - we may need a break from the frustration, but not the information. I hope this new coalition to legitimize comedy and new-age satire on a national stage will do more than pull in good ratings. The Comedy Awards are the ultimate nod for the mode of expression that makes our culturally bankrupt American youth a little more connected, balanced and even informed.

International Women's Day: virtual empowerment

For the 100th anniversary of International Woman's Day, the call to action (and even some action itself) is on the webs.

The Huffington Post laid out "5 ways to help empower women", with direct avenues for action hyperlinked right in. Google, in addition to facilitating easy donation options for a women's organization that you care about, is hosting 3 bridge events as part of Women for Women International's "Join me on the Bridge" campaign, in the U.S., Poland, and Ghana. In addition to being able to physically go to the events to show support for women's achievements and causes (Golden Gate, anyone?), you can also check in online to show your support remotely -- and Google makes it all seamless.

Virtual empowerment.

#international women's day 2011 #women's empowerment #online activism

Hey China - ready for some sweet deals? Groupon (aka GaoPeng) opens up shop in Beijing. http://bit.ly/dGeqyK

Japan has cancelled its annual whale hunt - #horrah! http://bbc.in/g7rBYX

Me thinks the Groupon campaign is a #fail; http://bit.ly/hnmrzv Exploiting global inequalities is hard to make funny, even with the discount

The only way to get ahead is to innovate

Manual Castells

The music industry's model is tanking, but I think Radiohead is gonna pull off making good music and profit once again: http://bit.ly/gTT9jn

Getting sappy for Valentines day: http://missedconnectionsny.blogspot.com/

Gwyneth in the cat suit, #hot. Cee Lo in a peacock suit, #fierce. Performing with and on top of a piano, #grammywin

Pretty sure Bob Dylan & Mumford and Sons are performing at the #grammys together tonight... brace yourself - #epic #legendary #icantwait

Strategic Planning: A Party Perspective

#Strategy #Pink Pony #Branding #Planning #Advertising #Campaign

RT @abumuqawama: http://ismubarakstillpresident.com/ #Egypt

I am by no means an expert on the National Broadband Plan, but I am certainly a stakeholder in its progression and execution. But is it progressing? President Obama just outlined the administration's commitment to funding and implementing the plan within 10 years, so there's been coverage of that. But why aren't education activists having their say? Where are the environmentalists? Or the people who think we need a change in our health care system? (Or am I just looking in the wrong places?) Because if all of the incentives and regulations of the NBP are implemented at the "correct" levels, everything will be affected. Customized and comprehensive education through e-textbooks; lower energy usage and bills with a national smart grid; simpler and more consistent care with electronic health records. All of this -- and more -- in addition to the fundamental benefit of providing broadband access so all citizens have access to the information that makes this great democracy run, not just the economically blessed. We all know how much resistance powerful interest groups can muster, and telecommunications providers are both powerful and with strong incentive to maintain current levels of competition (if even). But in order to realize all that is possible with the NBP, stakeholders need to speak up and demand progress. Is it possible for stakeholders with such different backgrounds and sub-goals to promote the NBP so that competition levels benefit the consumer-citizen instead of the corporate-citizen?

#National Broadband Plan #Education #Internet Access #Digital divide #Smart grid #Technology

Super Bowl 2011 - or to many of us, #sbads

For most Americans the Super Bowl isn't just a day of football, but the day where the nuisance of advertising inundation takes a brief hiatus and we gather round the tele to be pitched at, to be sold to and to be entertained. As a new tradition we are categorizing the most memorable Super Bowl 2011 Advertisements on a very critical scale: our own general attitudes, the semi arbitrary USA Today Ad Meter and recent Twitter updates. Yes, we are diligent. So here you have it, the top performers are:

Best Overall:

VW Beetle "Black Beetle" (http://www.youtube.com/blackbeetle)

Most Unexpected Tug O' the Heart Strings:

Budweiser "Wild West" (http://www.youtube.com/user/budweiser#p/u/0/9EZx5kFPB60)

Most Cringe-worthy (literally):

HomeAway "Ministry of Detourism" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlIwdut0Xww)

Most Uncomfortably Relatable:

Bridgestone "Reply All" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjy9loIpeU8)

Fame Whore of the Game:

Eminem - Lipton Brisk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x9KqivLnrA) AND Chrysler "Imported From Detroit" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVu5f8IBeIc)

What do you think?

#Super Bowl 2011 #Advertisements #VW #Reply All #Eminem

Some top design shops took up a project to recreate some of the biggest, most recognized logos from influential 21st century companies. Don't worry, you won't be losing the little bird from Twitter anytime soon - it's just a hypothetical exercise for creatives; but in a larger scope, could point to a new wave of brand recognition. On the heels of talking about logo change as strategy play, here is an example with a different set of considerations. Do fast evolving companies (mostly web based, I would say) need to re-represent themselves more often to keep up with internal progress?

I posted earlier about the deep feelings that logos and symbols can help manifest within consumers and how big change can be hard, even risky - but to back track a bit, it can (sometimes) be very beneficial. I make my case by looking at revolutionary technology and communications companies, mainly ones whose key attribute (among many others) is speed. Speed of innovation, speed up change, speed of updating. Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter have changed the world drastically in different ways in a mater of years. What would have taken traditional businesses decades of brand building and reputation establishment, these digital companies took off, conquered their niche and pushed technological boundaries they didn't even see coming.

With the high speed of development that makes these companies so exciting, maybe they shouldn't adhere to the traditional notion of logo branding. The resistance to change that Gap and NBC met may not hold true for these web based firms. With ongoing growth of brand personality, having a logo that reflects the nature of the company seems synergistic and forward thinking. Google does seem to be ahead of the curve here (surprised?) as they have long played with their online, multi-colored GOOGLE search logo to fit certain occasions or even just for fun (having kids from around the world invent a new way to represent google and display the art on the search page for a day or two).

I'm not suggesting this for very many brands - but in the boom of interent start-up companies it could be a trend to watch out for. In the meantime, enjoy these designs; you could be seeing something like this in the future.

#Rebranding #New Design #Web based companies #Innovation

Walmart has the value market cornered. But it's also been faced with some big problems: product recalls, domestic labor disputes and concerns with overseas suppliers, to name a few. Given these problems, it's no surprise that we've been seeing an effort to change from Walmart. Instead of focusing just on price (think: Always Low Prices, Always.), it's digging a little deeper (Save Money, Live Better.). They're buying more produce locally, they've made their health care benefits better, taken a lot of the packaging out of their food products, and made their fleet 60% more energy efficient.

In Walmart VP Leslie Dach's February 1st interview on The Colbert Report, we meet a Walmart that cares about us. An attentive friend who has knowledge of our wants (in this case, healthier food) and is making it easier for us to fulfill those wants. All while still cornering the value market. In addition to communicating a new brand identity, this assertion of Walmart as the accommodating friend also contains a political maneuver: Walmart's buying power is so great that it can affect incentives in the agricultural market in ways that rival the power of government policy. So even though Congress has been slow with the creation of legislature that provides healthy food to Americans at low prices, Walmart has taken responsibility to provide the change itself.

Colbert mentions one possible motive behind Walmart's liberalized rebranding strategy: entering new markets in New York. Might be true. The question is: does a selfish motive really matter if the end result is healthier food for more people at lower prices (as well as a more responsible company in general because of better health care for employees, etc.)? Or is Walmart's new focus genuine? Do you care?

Watch Dach's interview here (around the 11:20 minute mark): http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/tue-february-1-2011-michael-lewis

The Digital Divide: As Seen on Facebook

As some people may already know, we here at RADDWORLD have a certain affinity for maps and geography, especially those that illustrate some kind of predicament or global phenomena. Here we have a beautiful (albeit a little astonishing) map of the world through the lens of active facebook users on a global scale.

Facebook is everywhere! It connects us! You can share and see and witness what is going on in parts of the world you never could have had access to before! (except of course for those poor African countries, but hey, Facebook probably isn't on the top of their list anyway) Ah, it's a beautiful thing..

...But wait, why is Brazil so dark? Russia, where are you on this map? India looks quite strong in the south and China - don't you have, like, a zillion people? The four strongest emerging economies in the world right now (and incidentally all with some of the highest populations) seem to be somewhat disconnected. Looking at Internet world statistics on Facebook and broadband (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats25.htm), internet penetration has grown in all of these places (the BRIC, if you will) in the last year, but the gap between the total population and Internet users is still pretty vast.

From that point, Facebook, or all social media for that matter, becomes an innocent bystander. The digitalization of information isn't slowing down, and with normal literacy rates still not up to UN standards, how can we convince the rule making titans of the world (WB, WTO, IMF and UN) that countries need to seriously consider their global communication infrastructure and digital literacy for the young? Open communication networks have become faster, more efficient and more user-friendly which allows people with the most basic of education to make some kind of credible contribution to the global conversation - wirelessly. Even better, research shows that once people start getting the hang of basic information networks, it isn't long until they become connected via social media (surprise?).

It's some food for thought - especially for those of us interested in the spread of information and digital technologies. The National Broadband Plan seems to be a kind of best foot forward domestically as we head into 2011.. now what about the world?

#global communication #global communication network #facebook #map #digital divide

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

RADDWORLDDigital