[sedayanr]

SXS 2017 Sound Bites and Learnings

Compilation of the sessions I attended in SXSW 2017. Including the topics: marketing neuroscience, consumer behavior and workplace.

Another great year at SXSW. This one I focused on social media and attended great sessions on neuroscience and consumer behavior. The Facebook/Instagram sessions were especially interesting.

[sedayanr]

The reveal of the new chapter: I am now T-Mobile’s Sr. Social Media Manager

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my departure from Lopez Negrete Communications http://bit.ly/2e6wSqH. Now, a few days into the position, I’m super excited to announce my new role.

I now work for T-Mobile as a Sr. Social Media Manager!

In this new part, I’ll have the opportunity to drive the strategy and social media executions for the forward-thinking MetroPCS brand.

T-Mobile US/MetroPCS is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through cutting-edge products and communication services innovation. 

All of you who’ve met me know how passionate I am about the telecom industry and social media, so this, for me, is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the success of an awesome company.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the years and brought me to this new chapter in my professional life.

[sedayanr]

New chapter of my life

After 4 years, tomorrow Friday 11/04 is my last day at Lopez Negrete Communications. Although, I’m excited to start this new venture (you will know more soon), I’m looking back at the last few years of my professional career in this great place.

I enjoyed the brainstorms, the collaboration, the debates and disagreements, but no matter what at the end of the day, we were able create great (award-winning J ) campaigns. I’m proud to have been part of the team that exceeded the digital acquisition goals on the Verizon account every single year by double digits. Also, the many awards that we won on digital and social media such as WebAwards, Mobile Marketing Association awards, and Billboard Latin Grammy Marketing Awards, among others.

I’m leaving tomorrow but I have great memories and successes that I’m taking with me. I’m proud that I was part of this amazing team of individuals. I’d like to specially thank Cathy and Alex for opening the doors of their agency to me, for providing an environment that fostered success, and making me feel like part of the “familia”.  Also, to all the team members, clients and partners I have served alongside, I’ll be forever grateful for the experiences and I thank you deeply.

[sedayanr]

SXSW Interactive 2016

The following post is a summary of my experience in search of knowledge, insights, gathering unique experiences in order to track what is disruptive

 From President Obama to J.J. Abrams, this year’s sessions and keynotes saw a twist from apps to a wider theme on digital culture and the way that technology is changing marketing, politics, business and just about everything else around us.

  Therefore, I’m sharing with you the most relevant trends I saw. I hope you enjoy it.

 KEY TRENDS:

1.       Human Experience

2.       Content Overload: Algorithms and Curation

3.       Connected Everything

  1.       HUMAN EXPERIENCE

 Designing meaningful experiences

Great products are no longer good enough to win over consumers. Neither is just providing good customer service, or merely launching a creative campaign.

 What wins customers is providing exceptional and meaningful experiences.  The technology must be an amplification platform to produce emotions and drive behaviors.

 How can a marketer create extraordinary moments from ordinary moments?

 HUMAN EXPERIENCE DESIGN TIPS

 Airbnb, Lyft and Facebook tips to create Human Experiences:

1. Zoom Out: Look at the big picture. Airbnb uses storyboards to illustrate the customer journey and to identify the moments where they can intervene and help the customer

2. Look Ahead: Identify potential for hiccups or moments to delight users. Lyft gathers data about the user through the app and communicates this info to the driver. E.g., the driver knows the user’s favorite music through the app and plays this music during the ride.

3. Set the Stage: Although MySpace was first in the social media arena, by providing simplified design and allowing users to upload content, Facebook was able to take over the market.

4. Keep it Real: E.g., Airbnb’s site/app design exposes guests to the individuality of the host by highlighting their home’s unique features, but makes sure to paint a realistic picture of what their user can expect.

5. Open Up to Your Community: Be open to receive feedback and provide support and tips to optimize the experience for all stakeholders, e.g., Airbnb hosts live and online events to receive and provide feedback from hosts.

  HUMAN EXPERIENCE: MOMENTS THAT MATTER

 According to Facebook, brands can build extraordinary moments by:

·         Being personal: Understand the moments that matter to people and provide relevant experiences related to that moment

·         Being precise: Use location, demographics and behavior to reach the right people at the right moment

·         Being persistent: Make sure that your brand is persistent with its mobile strategies

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oev4A7oT7sY

  EXPERIENCE AS INTERCEPTION OF DISCIPLINES

 Most of the brand strategy sessions defined Human Experience as the sum of User Experience + Customer Experience + Brand Experience.

 User Experience (UX) Related to device or system

Customer Experience (CX) Related to product or service

Brand Experience (BX) Related to values, ethos, & culture

 Companies like Airbnb have seen bottom-line benefits with the integration of these three disciplines and, as a result are able to provide a customer experience that isn’t just about the what, but also about the how.

 Brian Solis, What is experience?

 Integrate the what and the how:

Not only Airbnb, but Forrester and Deloitte, among others, recommended using Customer Experience Journey Maps to identify the relevant Human Experiences. The map needs to include:

·         Who: Description of the type of customer, persona or use case you are mapping.

·         What: Identify the touchpoints along with the needs, the thinking and the feelings of the customer at each point.

·         Where/When: Identify all the places where the customer is engaged; think in terms of time of day the interaction happens and how these places and times influence the experience.

·         Why: Assess what the customers say, think, feel and do in order to make conclusions at each stage of the journey.

    Once the Customer Journey Map is created and insights have been gathered, it is time to develop the user experience that will bring to life the desired customer experience.

 Google and Deloitte emphasized the need of prototyping, as this allows testing of findings and assumptions before going into full production. The following were the recommended considerations:

·         Identify the questions that the prototype needs to answer.

·         Determine the type of tool to use based on the complexity of the prototype (e.g., from simple drag-and-drop template tools with limited functionality to high complexity/interaction coded prototypes); be as tool agnostic as necessary

·         Test the prototype with users and identify: what worked, what new ideas came up, what changes were suggested, and gather any new questions that surfaced; make as many iterations as possible.

 https://youtu.be/xwlCt_eM8BM

  THOUGHT STARTERS: Human Experience

•       Leverage the agency’s Strategic Planning Unit to develop Customer Journey Maps to identify and improve existing interactions

•       Use the agency’s creative capabilities to generate transformative human experiences that deliver value

•       Employ the agency’s UX and development resources to create prototypes

  2.       CONTENT OVERLOAD: CURATION AND ALGORITHMS

 Lessen mental exhaustion (to win customers)

 It’s often quoted that humans make an average of 35,000 decisions each day.

 However, as humans, we try to lessen our mental exhaustion by reducing the number of decisions we are required to make in our everyday life.

 Therefore, it was a recurring theme during SXSW how algorithms and content curation can support customer decisions and how brands can leverage them.

 So what can we do if all decisions are going to be supported by computers?

 Well-known technologist and TED Talk speaker Jared Ficklin was one of the many discussing the evolution of computing and the role of brands.

 Brands that are leveraging technology by amplifying the reach and impact of human curation are:

 Twitter Moments has editors who create “moments” of connected tweets, to make it easier to explore major events.

https://youtu.be/ygGzeCvXTRs

 Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station has DJs to help people discover the best new music, rather than relying on algorithms like Spotify does.

 https://youtu.be/IdE4kZXkpfg

  Other brands are using computer algorithms to interact with customers.

 This interaction doesn’t have to be limited to high-complexity algorithms but rather it can exist within micro-interactions to delight customers.

 One example of these types of interactions is conversational algorithms. An example of a conversational algorithm is “Hello Barbie”.

 Mattel launched the interactive doll that can have simple conversations with people.

 https://youtu.be/zVaVaf8QqWc  

 Nevertheless, conversational algorithms can exist without the use of voice. This type of algorithm could be applied to Customer Chats, Messenger Apps or other text-based systems

  THOUGHT STARTERS: Content Overload: Curation and Algorithms

•       Leverage customer data to identify highly relevant customer’s interaction moments

•       Review the customer’s journey and identify the consumer’s needs at each of the relevant moments previously identified

•       Consider algorithmic assistance to help customers

  3.       CONNECTED EVERYTHING

 From panels discussing connected hardware to events showcasing connected cars and the countless wearables on the conference floor, connectivity, streamlining and the customer’s ability to interact with technology was on full display.

 As my friend Kim A. identified, the promises of connected devices for brands are:

·         Personalization: Customized experiences can be referenced across channels. Preferences identified in the physical world can be mapped to digital and vice versa.

·         Quantifiable: Measure and monitor your day-to-day life like no time ever before.

·         For retail, it minimizes competition. It looks to find the intersection of simplicity and immediate gratification. The zero moment of truth occurs at the exact moment of need. When reached at this moment, convenience trumps cost and competitive offers don’t matter.

Amazon’s initiatives were widely discussed, specifically the Dash button. This device looks like a USB drive and has a wireless-enabled button tied to a specific product, like Tide detergent. Then, when you run low on Tide, press the button and it is ordered automatically via Amazon Prime.

 https://youtu.be/EHMXXOB6qPA

 As manufacturers create more and more home products and appliances that connect to the Internet, consumers require fast and trusted connections that ensure all home devices are optimally connected at all times (e.g., set-top box, fire alarms, refrigerators, locks).

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58anpSNvTg  

 THOUGHT STARTERS: CONNECTED EVERYTHING

•       Review the customer journey and identify the moments where personalized or simplified interaction provides competitive advantage

•       Define your approach. Do you want to lead by building smart products and ecosystems or partner with someone who currently leads or is a pioneer in that space?

  CUSTOMER JOURNEY, PROTOTYPING AND INNOVATION WORKSHOPS

 I’ve attended few workshops that provided great learning experiences and the speakers shared they slides. Links below:

 Bridging the Gap Between CX + UX:

http://www.slideshare.net/BarkleyUS/sxsw-2016-bridging-the-gap-between-cx-ux

 Animating the User Interface: Designing for Motion

http://www.slideshare.net/aterrell/animating-the-ui-angie-terrellslideshare

  So this is the end, hope you enjoyed it

  For the daily summary [in tweets] you can see more here:

 https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw16-1st-day-summary-sxlnc

 https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw16-2nd-day-summary-sxlnc

 https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw16-3rd-day-summary-sxlnc

 https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw16-4rd-day-summary-sxlnc

  0ر�X

[sedayanr]

How was LNC experience at SXSW 2015?

Mar 13 – 22, 2015

Austin, TX

 Keep Austin weird!!!

It was one more year of a great gathering in Austin for the 2015 editionof South by Southwest (SXSW), a unique experience that combines networking, training and innovation.

  This year, 11 LNCers attended the festival, so we asked four of them to provide their thoughts on the experience. They shared their experiences as well as important tips to take into account when attending SXSW.

  1. How many times have you been in SXSW?

 Julie Grayum (Social Media Account Director)

This was the first year I’ve attended SXSWi.

  Carla Gomez (Sr. Community Manager)

I’d never been to SXSW. This was my first time attending, despite having lived in Austin for two years!

 Kim Adams (Mobile Solutions Director)

I’ve been to SXSW in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

  Rafa Juárez (Associate Creative Director)

This is my second time.

  2. What was the thing that interested you the most/major themes you saw?

 Julie

I have attended SXSW Music Festival for many years. The festivals are completely different from one another. My attendance to SXSWi was a mixed bag of learning and experiencing. I attended numerous workshops where digital thought leaders expounded on where the market is headed, what is working, what is not, who is doing what and doing it right and wrong, etc. I also visited numerous exhibits and experienced firsthand what brands are doing in regard to social and experiential. Understanding the strategy behind a brand’s intentions through its exhibits was truly fascinating. Observing consumers as they interacted was equally fascinating.

 Carla Panel-wise, the topics that resonated most with me were the following:

·         Humanizing digital and social media strategy

·         Pinpointing trends before they happen

·         Ensuring that your company’s communication efforts are in line with the times

 Also extremely interesting to me were all of the brand activations I observed throughout my whole SXSWinteractive experience. From brand giveaways on the street to branded photo opportunities and brand-sponsored parties, it was neat to see how the different companies tried to lure attention their way. Oddly, many brands delivered really cool experiences but fell short in terms of self-promotion opportunities. For instance, most parties did not feature prominent branding elements or include visible signage listing their social channels – the perfect way to get buzz going about their product or organization.  

 Kim

I really enjoy learning how to craft better experiences and how to communicate/sell ideas. My favorite session was “Ten Inventions that will Revolutionize Retail.” The session started with everyone standing and remembering the dearly departed retailers who bit the dust, like Blockbuster, Circuit City, and Radio Shack. The session presented ten killer inventions that retailers need to embrace to avoid the graveyard. Every invention improved customer experience and merged digital into the physical world. The truth is that retailers have an opportunity to blossom in this IoT/Digital age. Some will and some won’t.

 Rafa

Social media best practices

Exhibit: There you can     see the latest technology applications, brave entrepreneurs showing     prototypes of never-before-seen gadgets, worldwide firms offering design     and development services almost as a utility, and you can get tons of cool     goodies!

Short-form storytelling

UI and UX – Design and development

Video practices for high traffic

  3. Any tips?

 Julie

I would recommend anyone who plans to attend to do both the workshops and experiential so that you truly benefit from all SXSWi has to offer.

One item to note: A badge is not necessarily needed to experience SXSWi. A guest pass is sufficient to participate in almost everything, with the exception of the workshops.

 Carla

My number-one tip for SXSWi attendees is to establish a purpose for their conference visit and participation. There are so many things to see and do, that going without an established goal in mind can result in a trip with little return on investment. Now, you will have a grand, enriching time even if you don’t plan ahead, but you’ll come out richer if you establish a purpose for your visit, such as:

·         Learning about the newest social media channels and technology

·         Networking with professionals in specific sectors (e.g., app developers, start-up investors, social media leaders, reporters, etc.)

·         Hearing panels about one specific subject to learn as much as possible (e.g., wearable technology, social media engagement, working with influencers, etc.)

Once you set your purpose, map out a way to accomplish it. Then, ensure that you leave time for general “sight-seeing” and fun.

 Kim

My SXSWi tips:

Register early for workshops and attend as many as you can. 

Keep your eye on changing sessions as some of the best sessions may be added after your build your schedule. 

Get a good night’s sleep every night so you can take full advantage of the learning opportunity! 

Buy your hoodie(s) on the first day; they sell out fast.

Book your hotel a year in advance.

 Rafa

Plan ahead and plan to change the plan – Get ready for long lines, and have Plans B and C

Improvise activities without getting frustrated for not following your plan

Show up early

Study the venues/locations and plan your activities within realistic distances

Try not to use the shuttle. They wait until they are full, then they get into the messy traffic and by the time you get to your destination, the event has either started, or the line is impossibly long, or it's over

Use the App for scheduling and follow up, RSVP, etc. Then, use the little booklet to see day by day, and venue by venue, while navigating

Party with the people, meet new people, follow up with your new "community"

Buy something (a magazine, a battery charger or speakers, or whatever) – you will get into a database and receive the latest information on SXSWi activity

If you register for a workshop but can't go, cancel your registration as soon as you know that you won't be able to make it to the workshop

Tweet your events; as soon as you get in, let the world know you ARE there

Recap when you come back, and do a WHAT'S NEXT plan – share your learnings with those who are willing to listen and to know more

 Thank you again Julie, Carla, Kim and Rafa for sharing your experiences and tips.

For more on LNC at SXSW 2015, here some Storifies:

[In Tweets] SXSW15 1st Day Summary #SXLNC https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw15-1st-day-summary-sxlnc

[In Tweets] SXSW15 2nd Day Summary #SXLNC https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw15-2nd-day-summary-sxlnc

[In Tweets] SXSW15 3rd Day Summary #SXLNC https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw15-3rd-day-summary-sxlnc

[In Tweets] SXSW15 4rd Day Summary #SXLNC https://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw15-4rd-day-summary-sxlnc

[sedayanr]

My 7 favorite Gym Memes

These are the #Instagram account I followed that I found these awesome memes...

Real Life situations

1.- Me in the office...

2.- Why does that happen sooo often?

3.- No comments for obvious reasons

4.- (≧◡≦)  

5.- I may do legs as well

6.- Another obvious reason...

7.- .....

[sedayanr]

[View the story "[In Tweets] AAF-Houston February 2015 Luncheon - How to Think Digital First " on Storify]

[sedayanr]

Do you want to learn about Hispanic Millennials? As we know, Hispanics and Asians are the fastest growing ethnic groups in the US and Houston respectively. 

With Hispanics comprising 62% of Houston ISD and Asians as the fastest growing ethnic group with a significant purchasing power, companies in Houston are paying close attention to these groups. 

Therefore, on May 2014, the American Marketing Association Houston Chapter (AMA Houston) held an event to its members in order to help them to address these very important demographics; it was titled: 

Hispanic and Asian Millennials: Best Practices to Engage Houston's Fastest Growing Demographics LNC gave me the opportunity to represent the agency on this AMA event. I presented a deck in which you would learn about: 1.- The importance of the Hispanic Millennial Influence Power 2.- Key best practices to leverage the Influence Power to influence older generations’ purchase decisions http://bit.ly/HispanicMillennialsAMAHouston If you are interested in the voice over/further explanation you can also read: http://slidesha.re/1jERqRH Hope it is useful for you Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Jorge Zapien for the slide design. Also, Leonardo Basterra, Gustavo Foldvari, Henry Cadena and Alex Lopez Negrete for their contribution in the content

Here an article from REDNews that reported the event:

http://www.rednews.com/2014/05/engaging-hispanic-asian-millenials/ 

[sedayanr]

Web Analytics Houston, “Effective Digital Analytic Practices.” 1st event of 2015

Last Wednesday, January 28, I enjoyed attending the first “Web Analytics Houston” event of 2015.

 If you don’t know “Web Analytics Houston,”it is basically a series of events that look to harness local Web Analytics experts and create a support system that each of the professionals can leverage and grow their expertise with. In addition, they also want to be a place for keeping up with growing technology and a central repository of local job listings.

 Therefore, the event allows for networking, discussing new technology, addressing current challenges, conferences and learnings in general.

  This first event of 2015 focused on “Effective Digital Analytic Practices.” The two speakers—Ravi Singh, UX Director at PROS (www.linkedin.com/in/ravijsingh), and Sunny Taj, Digital Marketing Analyst at BrandExtract (www.linkedin.com/pub/sunny-taj-omcp/11/5a2/833)—went through best practices, suggested recommendations and learnings they have had.

 As for me, it was interesting to see that the key items and the challenges they highlighted were pretty similar to the ones we discuss daily at LNC (https://twitter.com/lopeznegrete). Among them, I can point out:

 1.       KPI:

Sometimes it is hard to choose what the really “key” performance indicators are; different stakeholders may ask you for different things, while the vast array of things that can be measured adds to the mix.

 This is when hard conversations need to happen and the business objectives need to be clear in order to identify what is truly important to become a KPI, what can just be a benchmark to keep an eye on, or even what isn’t relevant at all and doesn’t have to be reported.

 Sunny Taj presented a good slide that helps with defining the objectives, D.U.M.B objectives:

   2.       Your audience is important:

January is the month when our client receives our annual recaps. It is when the digital account team and the analytic team meet for days to bring the insights and learnings of the previous year to the client. This is always with the objective that these learnings are really actionable.

 However, our analysis goes through different levels of the organization and decks need to be adapted to the need of the audience. During the event, Ravi Singh showed an interesting slide that describes this very well:

  One important thing that we emphasize in LNC is actually being a storyteller. Once you identify your audience and know their wants, you must tailor your story to them, making it not only relevant but also interesting.

3.       A/B testing:

It was good to see how both speakers emphasized the importance of A/B testing. Although I’ve been lucky enough to be working with Fortune 500 companies, I can say that A/B testing may not receive as much attention as it should.

 Sometimes budgets for these tests are being cut (too easily, in my opinion). However, when we have a savvy marketer as client, we can see how effective and helpful these tests are.

 4.       Getting excellent analytics is a team game:

Strictly speaking, web analytics is the measurement, collection and reporting of web data. However, it shouldn’t just be a tool for measuring web data, but rather, its purpose must be to take action and improve the effectiveness of the site, banner or campaign.

 In order to achieve this, Web Analytics must be an inter-departmental process in which strategists and planners define clear goals, digital producers deliver strong charters and briefs, designers share their comps with developers, and then producers, designers, developers and analysts all meet together to develop an actionable, analytic implementation.

 If you are more interested in Web Analytics, Avinash Kaushik is one of the best (if not THE best) bloggers to follow:

http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/.

 Great thanks to Kashif Khurshid (https://twitter.com/kashifkhurshid) for being the engine that runs the Web Analytics Houston events.

 More information about Web Analytics Houston:

http://www.webanalyticsinhouston.com/

[sedayanr]

My 2014 year in review at LNC

The things that made this year spectacular:

  2014 was my third year at Lopez Negrete … in the “LNC Familia” as we say here. It was a great year, a year that included a fútbol (or soccer – depends on what you prefer to call it) World Cup tournament and some awards to celebrate.

  This is how the story goes:

Soccer hype:

Finally, and after 4 years … the 2014 Soccer World Cup arrived. From several months earlier, we were discussing how to approach the strategy; but now the moment had arrived, so we had to deliver.

  Verizon FiOS engaged one of the most integrated and exciting campaigns we had ever done:

Estadio Verizon.

  This 360 campaign was a huge umbrella idea that included: grassroots (thanks again to Colombian soccer star Carlos Valderrama), desktop, mobile web and mobile app advertising, social media and video content.

  Our Sponsored partner, Univision, had a great quarter as well. Univision's Spanish-language broadcast of the Germany-Argentina game drew 9.2 million viewers, establishing a record for a Spanish-language broadcast of a men's World Cup final in the U.S.

  Not only that, but they got another 450,000 people to watch on Univision's sports app. It definitely showed that this was the first truly multi-screen soccer World Cup.

  In fact, multi-screen was one of the consumer behaviors where we saw a great increase throughout the year, and it certainly has been sports driven. According to FiOS, some of the most watched Spanish-language content on the Mobile App were: Fútbol Español Primera División, Fútbol Mexicano Primera División, and Fútbol UEFA Liga de Campeones.

  Moreover, 37% of Spanish-language programming viewers on the FiOS Mobile App are watching their favorite shows outside the home, as compared to only 20% of non-Spanish-language viewers.

  So, Hispanic continues to lead the technology edge. Then certainly, the success of our Verizon FiOS Estadio Verizon campaign is a true testimonial to this.

  Special thanks to Chad, Jason, Ralph, Holly, Brenda, Maria A., Yuji, Alvaro, Diana, Julie and Dionella (and anybody else from the digital team that I may have missed) for their constant contribution for the success of this initiative.

  To see more of the soccer campaign, you can access (for a limited time, though):

http://hispanicstage.verizon.com/estadioverizon/casestudy/

    LNC Internal Social Site: Que Onda

LNC has been growing; now, in addition to our headquarters in Houston, we have offices in New York, Burbank, California, and Mexico City. So, now more than ever, our internal communication and relationships are paramount, and our leadership took it seriously. Therefore, the company launched Que Onda.

  Que Onda is a social-network-like intranet that has been fun and extremely useful. It has become the primary communication forum for all things not directly related to client projects.

  This network is available to anyone within our company. Once you complete a 10-second sign-up process, you can use the portal to:

  Share photos, videos, links and other items, and “follow” the status of other members. Personal and professional posts are welcome, and you can like, comment and share, as on Facebook.

Post anything you want or need to purchase or sell. Restaurants?  Tips on cooking a steak?  Good movies?  Selling your car? Buying an item?

Blog. There is a mini-blogging feature that allows us to share ideas in a format that doesn’t require ongoing domain maintenance or commitment.

Share events. Create an event in the portal, and it will be shared with others.

Access company information. The site includes convenient links and a robust employee resources page with commonly used forms and documents.

Create pages for your department or team. This is a great way to share topics of interest.

    Now, most of the team members use it daily, so all the offices are connected in a human and meaningful way.

  #1 Verizon FiOS agency:

Q3 arrived along with some of the greatest news of 2014. We had become the #1 agency for Verizon FiOS across all 46 agencies. That’s right, 46.

  And in the words of our executive director, Leonardo Basterra:

  “Great results come from great teamwork and great leadership. Two things to learn and apply in our lives:

Even when your work seems small or insignificant in the magnitude of things, it isn't. Everything counts, and it takes a small stone to derail the train. Make no mistake, all of your daily work has contributed to this win. ALL. The calls, the long nights, the details, the creative concepts, the fights, the laughs, the code, the meetings, all. Everything counts, every day.

One is only as strong as the people around him/her. There is no one person that could have done this alone, and success of a leader relies in being surrounded [by] great people. This is a winning team from top to bottom and from left to right.

Thank you again to all these people who made it happen.”

  I’d like to thanks Sylvia Maldonado, Diana Garcia, Caroline Werstak and Sylvia Klimicek for their awesome day-to-day work and for being my right hand and support on the FiOS account (special note to Marcus).

      RBFF Awards:

The end of the year didn’t bring an end to the success and celebration, and here’s why:

  Although working on mobile platforms for a couple of years, around midyear, LNC opened the doors of the Mobile Solutions unit.

  This was a clear commitment from the company to think, collaborate and implement mobile-first initiatives across all tactics. The LNC digital team joined forces with the creative and account teams to deliver our first awarded mobile project: VamosAPescar.org (http://vamosapescar.org/)

  In its 2014 3rd Annual Mobile Web Awards competition, the Web Marketing Association recognized the project for outstanding achievement in mobile development worldwide (http://www.mobile-webaward.org/mwa/winner.asp?eid=8621)

2014 Best of Industry: Family Mobile Website

2014 Best of Industry: Leisure Mobile Website

  In addition, the 2014 W3 Awards competition honored the creative excellence of the RBFF site with two more awards (http://www.W3award.com)

2014 Silver Award Winner: General Website Categories – Lifestyle

2014 Silver Award Winner: Mobile Websites – Education

  Once again, kudos to the awesome RBFF team (Valerie, Chad, Adrian, Accounts, Creatives) for working together and bringing such success to our company.

      And here is my own list of things to remember from 2014: all my coworkers, clients and partners, who made it such a great year – thank you!

  Wishing us all a very happy and successful 2015!

          Q2 sources:

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/Verizon-at-Home/Estadio-Verizon-Showcases-Importance-of-Latino-Segment-In/ba-p/696734

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/Verizon-at-Home/Talking-Futbol-y-FiOS-in-Football-Country-With-an-International/ba-p/699154

http://www.produ.com/diario/hispanicEnglish.html?RID=5437#Pub11

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-world-cup-final-ratings-abc-univision-20140714-story.html

http://www.verizon.com/about/news/hispanic-viewers-ahead-tv-everywhere-curve/

http://www.verizon.com/about/news/fios-mobile-app-numbers/

[sedayanr]

Sound Bites of Fast Company Innovation Uncensored Conference #IUSF14

Innovation Uncensored brings the best of Fast Company’s magazine and websites to life on-stage

  Between 11/10 and 11/11 of 2014, more than 500 executives, inventors, strategists, designers, marketers, visionaries, and creatives from the world of technology, business and design gathered for a conversation on the power of innovation and disruption in business. Main speakers go from Google to Pixar with the objective of sharing ideas to transform businesses and brands.

Day 1 took place at various sites around San Francisco

Day 2 took place at the City View at Metreon

Figure 1 - FastCompany.com

  Session 1 - "The Business of Altruism"

Frictionless philanthropy @katgordon

  The first panel started strong with a very inspiring story about Vivienne Harr, a 10-year-old who has made an STAND against slavery. She created a mission for herself: to operate a  lemonade stand every day until she raises $150,000

  Her headline was simple: “pay $2 or what’s in your heart.”

  Then Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wanted to make supporting social causes easier through the power of technology, and in an unlikely partnership they launched a mobile platform designed to spur social change: “Make a Stand” app

  What I learned:

Big things start small (@jonathanpwylie)

True passion is contagious, and if you truly believe in something you can change the world

Social media allows a “moment” to become a “movement” in minutes

Her big idea: close the gap between empathy and action, making compassion fun

  Figure 2 - Source: @celiajones

  Session 2 - "Successfully Sustainable: Inside Patagonia’s Mission-Driven Business"

  Patagonia is an outdoor clothing company. However, it has become the poster child for doing business to save the planet. We learned not only what they do from venture fund to developing and producing feature-length environmental documentaries, but also how this disruptive attitude has worked for them, as they have tripled their profit since CEO Rosa Macario debuted this vision.

  Figure 3 - Source: @alicetruong

  What I learned:

Patagonia’s success was about true meaning, transparency and taking risk, not about short-term ROI

“Any fight we can take, if it is worth taking, is more important than ROI. We care about the impact.” Patagonia’s CEO, Rosa Macario (source: @GusRazetti)

To be successful in today’s market, companies must balance “Profit, Environment and Community.” Rosa Macario

The strategy not only works for consumers but also for talent retention. According to Macario, “People come to work and they feel good about the work they are doing.”

Businesses can be agents of change

    Figure 4 - @baratunde @phlu

  Session 4 - "Lessons for Leading Creatively"

Ed Catmull, President of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, shared with us what he has learned through the years on how to manage creatives, develop the best creative ideas, and build an office environment where every voice is heard.

  What I learned:

Failure isn’t a necessary evil

People are more important than ideas

Prepare for the unknown

Do not fall for the illusion that by preventing errors, you won’t have errors to fix; the truth is, the cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them

It is not the manager’s job to prevent risks; it is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them

The people ultimately responsible for implementing a plan must be empowered to make decisions when things go wrong, even before getting approval; finding and fixing problems is everybody’s job; anyone should be able to stop the production line

Steve Jobs never went to Pixar’s brainstorming, since “he was too strong [personality] and would mess up the dynamics.” Ed Catmull

    Figure 5 - @AliceTruong @Browness

  Session 6 - "Diversity Matters: How Tristan Walker is Changing the Valley"

  Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker & Co. Brands, was one of the first employees at Foursquare. He put the startup on the map by landing hundreds of partnerships with merchants and brands such as American Express and BravoTV.

  Walker is one of a kind; an African-American who wants to transform the paradigms of who works in Silicon Valley.

  Earlier this year “Google revealed that out of its 46,000 employees, just 2%—and just 1% of its technology workforce—are black. Next up was Yahoo: 12,300 employees, 1% of its tech workforce, are black. Facebook? You guessed it: 1%. Apple's total workforce is 7% black—but, of course, Apple has 425 retail locations. In case you were wondering, blacks make up 13% of the U.S. population.” (FastCompany.com)

  His argument was based on the “implicit bias” that Silicon Valley has, and he is on a very inspiring journey to show the world that diversity increases productivity, and it should be part of our DNA.

  Session 10 - "Creating New Mobile Categories"

  Dennis Miloseski, VP and head of Design at Samsung, discussed the future of wearable technology.

  Miloseski focused on how Samsung is innovating in new categories that have given birth to devices such as the Samsung’s Gear Fit (a smartwatch focused on fitness, with a curved screen), Gear S (a smartwatch with built-in cellular connectivity), and Gear Circle (wireless headphones that can be worn like a necklace)

  What I learned:

The wearable design focuses on “glance-ability”

Platform and usability should push for “automatic” updates so as to help glance-ability

Companies [of all sizes] must take risk; he quotes Henry Ford, who famously said that if he’d asked his customers what they wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse

  Figure 6 - http://instagram.com/ashleyszwec/

  Session 11 - "Our Phones in 2020"

Interestingly enough, Matias Duarte, VP of design for Android, and Gentry Underwood, head of design at Dropbox, talked very little about just “phone,” but instead they challenged the industry to “think about how you will have one product across all screens.”

  Matias Duarte even told a story about his Hawaiian vacations with his family: "It was terrible. It was way worse than when all I had was the phone. Crossing the boundary between those screens was so painful."

  What I learned:

“All innovation comes from solving problems” rather than falling into the “very common trap” of “looking for bright, shiny things.”

The future of the smartphone is less about an industrial design shift than it is about connecting the phone's experience to every other screen that exists in your life (the TV, car, and the watch)

“One of the things I try to be aware of in the design work my team does is think about attention, and some of the recent problems we worked on, we thought a lot about attention, attention management, what can we do to give the users more control.”

  Full talk here: http://bit.ly/1qLvh4P

Session 15 - "The Salon Renaissance"

Jane Park, CEO of the beauty brand Julep, talked about how the company has leveraged grassroots outreach and social media marketing to create this new consumer experience, with great success.

  The startup tapped consultancy IDEO to redesign the nail polish bottle. One of the traditional marketing practices that she knew was scrapped from the beginning. "The focus group is dead," Park said. "If any of you guys are doing focus groups, you should stop." Instead, Julep looks to develop products that women would buy over and over again. "Don't just tell me in a focus group you love it. Prove to me by buying it."

  "The guys from @IDEO with the best ideas had never picked up a bottle of nail polish before!" Jane Parker

  Figure 7 - FastCompany.com

  What I learned:

IDEO has created an environment for collaboration, and the best ideas come from that collaboration

"If you love a challenge, it takes away the fear of failure." Jane Park

    Session 17 - "The Secrets of Generation Flux: Find Your Mission"

This final panel was represented by business leaders who are driven by not only money, but also by the pursuit of societal purpose and achieving business and personal success.

  The panel included: Padmasree Warrior, CTO and Strategy Officer, Cisco; Casey Gerald, Co-founder and CEO, MBAs Across America; DJ Patil, VP of Product, RelateIQ; Aaron Levie, Co-founder and CEO, Box; Raina Kumra, Co-founder, Mavin and CEO, Juggernaut.

  “My personal mission is: make, connect, and simplify.” @padmasree, CTO & CSO of Cisco

“The lure of the talent is the "mission" of the company, not the money @padmasree not short-term view for Cisco #IUSF14”

"Mission and purpose are the new competitive advantage." Casey Gerald

"Out of chaos comes opportunity." DJ Patil

    This summary compiles my notes and the great twitter stream that you can also find here:  http://bit.ly/11dG94S

      Supporting Sources:

https://storify.com/sedayanr/soundbites-of-fast-company-innovation-uncensored-c

http://www.fastcompany.com/section/innovation-uncensored-sf-2014#iusf2014-post-3032338

http://www.fastcompany.com/3037933/the-visible-man

http://live.fastcompany.com/Event/Innovation_Uncensored_San_Francisco_2014?Page=2

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3038509/designers-of-android-and-dropbox-on-the-smartphone-of-2020

[sedayanr]

The Best of the Houston Interactive Marketing Association’s conference: The Pros of Con

Houston’s interactive marketing community converged on the UH campus on 10/17/14 for the

7th Annual Interactive Strategies Conference.

  This educational summit is the biggest and most important interactive event that happens in Houston. Now in its seventh year, it explores current trends in design, social media, innovation and much more.

  I had an early 6 a.m. start as I volunteered for the event signage, but a couple of hours later I joined Rodrigo Alonso (https://twitter.com/rod_alonso), Sylvia Maldonado (https://twitter.com/zylvitah), and Valerie Puentes (https://twitter.com/valerie_puentes) from the Lopez Negrete Digital team to discuss and learn about the latest in interactive marketing in a great day of ideas and inspiration.

  This year’s theme centered around content, and the event was organized into three tracks:

  Content: developing your overall content strategy plan

Context: content development and distribution

Concept: the role of user experience and visual design in the content marketing life cycle

  8:30 – Keynote by Jason Stirman:

  Stirman (https://twitter.com/stirman) is a Texas-born and -raised entrepreneur who made himself into a graphic designer. He owned a car repair shop, was one of the first employees at Twitter, and now holds a leadership position at Medium in San Francisco.

  He caught the audience’s attention from the get-go with the first thing he said: that he knows nothing about marketing. However, we were drawn into his very inspiring session.

  Stirman centered his speech on how to succeed in the product development industry. And his secret, he says, is empathy.

  He pointed out that empathy is a skill, not a personality trait. So it can be trained, and there are four things you can do today to develop this skill:

  Be curious

Listen

Find what you are feeling

Understand your audience

      9:30 – The Future of the Web will be Responsive to More than Your Screen Size by Ryan Plesko:

  Dallas-based Plesko (https://twitter.com/plesko) led an interesting discussion about how tech will be less and less focused on how people interact with it, and more about how it will help people and add value to their lives.

  He pointed out that in his conversations with CMOs, something that always stands out is the fact that they have all this data, but they don’t know what to do with it. The more devices, clouds and networks that appear, the more data from consumers is available. It is a challenge, and good marketers will take advantage of a simple axiom: measure what you can act upon.

  A great key point was this: Data, at its best, connects, simplifies and empowers our lives.

  10:30 – Breaking Destructive Habits in Online Marketing by Michelle LeBlanc:

  This was actually my second time attending a session with LeBlanc (https://twitter.com/michellebluesky). She is always good to see, and her enthusiasm and passion for what she does is inspiring.

LeBlanc provided great examples of Dos and Don’ts when she went through five bad habits that marketers have:

  Avoid shiny object syndrome

Stop oversharing on social

Jumping on bandwagons

Relying too much on automation

Pointless content marketing

  LeBlanc has already shared her presentation; get all the examples here: http://slidesha.re/1zgw72F.

  Also, a shout-out to Kate (Wiggins) Nilsen (https://twitter.com/kwiggi1), who also worked as a volunteer, and whom I came across in this session.

  1:00 – Personas: Understanding the User Behind the Visit by Mike King:

  This was probably the most pragmatic session of all the ones I attended.

  King (https://twitter.com/ipullrank), a current tech consultant and former Director of Marketing & Strategy at iAcquire and SEO at Razorfish and Publicis Modem, provided an interesting session in which he discussed effective measurement of users and their activities, as well as how to understand those users to plan campaigns and distribute marketing dollars efficiently.

  King took a very creative approach, using Smurfs to talk about personas and market segmentation.

  In his session he discussed:

Personas

Affinity segments and mapping

Data sources

Research methods

Market segmentation tools

Layering data

  He also provided five steps to building a persona:

State your goal

Use demographic to frame

Collect user needs

Observe psychographics

Bring it all together (in a single sheet)

  And from there, he went through the different steps and tools to:

Measure personas (with GA)

Quantify user journeys

Use cases

  I strongly recommend getting your pen and paper ready and going through Mike’s presentation and taking notes on all the great tools he shared: http://slidesha.re/1Dj2r3q.

  2:00 – Three Steps to a Better Go-To-Market Strategy by Shade Wilson:

  This session focused on how to make product launches more successful by using a content strategy based on the product adoption curve.

  Wilson (https://twitter.com/ShadeWilson) introduced his session by describing how companies once went to market: cold calls, controlled information, always closing, and reluctance to share (sharing as enemy). But since the digital evolution created by Google, all the information is accessible and people are much more informed.  

  Three things to consider are:

Buyers are different: Treat them that way (actually he presented a very interesting model to do so: P.P.V.V.C. by Sales Performance International)

Segment your content and message

Leverage this segmented content to reach prospects who are ready to listen

  And the three steps to the go-to-market content strategy are based on using the adoption curve wisely and balancing out content and tactics to address each stage:

  Here is Wilson’s presentation: http://scalabil.it/1uhvxcO.  

  3:00 – Context, Chance and Complexity by Javier Fadul:

  Fadul (https://twitter.com/inspired12) is an old acquaintance and a very inspiring Houstonian on the tech scene.

  The very ingenious and informative session discussed the evolution of digital technologies. We went back to the I Ching (Book of Changes) for a glimpse of the latest in augmented reality and algorithms.

    All in all, it was a great day for education, inspiration and networking. For more details, visit my Storify tweet feed at http://bit.ly/1wqhNkq or #ProsOfCons and #IS14.  

[sedayanr]

What is this trendy “native advertising” and does it really work?

This article tells you what they are and what to consider when creating them and it gives you a real-life example.

  Something that I love about digital is that we always have a new thing to test; we haven’t got full proficiency with one thing when a new one comes along.

  One of the latest is how trendy the so called Native Advertising is becoming.  Big Publishers like The Washington Post have been very vocal about their Native Advertising strategies, and Facebook is investing more and more on their News Feed ads features, and Twitter Sponsored Stream Ad now includes video.

  Let us start from the beginning. Advertorials have been around since the early publications, so to make this thing easy to understand, just think about native advertising like the advertorial of the digital age. These ads appear within the content of the page and their look and feel blends well with the page design. Certainly, giving the revenue they provide to the company, Google Search Results Sponsored Ad units are the most well-know digital native ads around, and we all have seen how well they blend with the page design.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the most important institution in online advertising in the US, has published their Native Advertising Playbook (http://bit.ly/XQYm7i), in which it defines 6 types of native ads:

  In-feed units: Facebook News Feed ads are the most well-know of this type.

Paid Search units: Once again, Google Sponsored Search Result ads come to mind.

Promoted listings: If you have visited Etsy, Amazon or Walmart you have seen the “sponsored recommendations”.

In-Ad, with native elements units: These ads are next to the page content, and their message is contextually relevant to it.

Custom Units: like Branded Pandora playlist.

Recommendation widgets: These are technically more complex units, as they select related content based on the topic or keywords and then display the list on the page.

  Each of these ad types have specific pros and cons, but all of them allow the marketer to seamlessly insert the ad within the content.

  You can find thousands of articles, white papers and webinars dedicated to maximizing native ads, but for the sake of simplicity, what you already know about advertorial creative still applies:

  Storytelling

Non-deceiving contextually relevant information

  However, the tricky part is that to accomplish the points above, we still need to do our homework and ensure that before starting we have:

  Clear understanding of the native unit features and context

Deep knowledge of our audience’s interests

Proper media targeting

  So we return to the very important question: Do native ads actually work? As always, the best thing to do is to actually go and test; so we did just that.

  The test consisted of running the same umbrella creative concept with the same partners but on different tactics. So we evaluated the performance between non-native Display Flash and In-Stream Native and Facebook Dynamic (in feed native).

  The chart below shows the results of the test in which we were able to see how the native advertising compared to regular display ads. Also, interestingly enough, the Facebook dynamic ads were extremely successful and certainly show how good Facebook has become in the advertising ecosystem.

Conclusion:

We strictly followed the recommendations above and adhered to the target profile for messaging and targeting. We also ran a couple of meetings with the publishers to ensure we had full understanding of the units’ context. I truly think the result would have varied if we had not done our homework.

  The results strongly suggest we need to continue exploring native ads, while keeping an eye out for new engaging formats that drive business results.

[sedayanr]

SXSW 2014 Summary of the Workshop - Pimp your pitch learn visual storytelling

One of the first learnings I wrote on my first SXSW 2014 post (Sound bites of SXSW Interactive 2014 - http://bit.ly/1k9LfaQ) was:

“Marketers come eager to [SXSW to] learn and identify partners that they think are most likely to impact their business.”

There is an underlying challenge to this learning; these partners need to show the marketer that they have the best idea to solve the marketer’s problem (whatever it is).

SXSW 2014 gave me the opportunity to attend with my co-worker Miguel (@sansegocreative) a 2.5-hour workshop session with Nancy Duarte.

Nancy Duarte is the author of 3 bestselling books on persuasive presentations.

So I decided to make a presentation of the presentation’s workshop … well, actually a SlideDoc (another new term that I learned in the workshop) a visual document that is intended to be read and referenced instead of projected.

Hope you learn and enjoy

[sedayanr]

Sound bites of SXSW Interactive 2014

“Once upon a time there was a tech startup-focused festival in central Texas. And every day, it felt like an indie entrepreneurship hub, until one day Twitter and Foursquare were born there

And because of that, the marketing industry did notice it, and because of that Austin was flooded with more logos than Nascar. And because of that, more diverse conversations have emerged around content, interface design, collaborative economy and two of this year favorites: privacy and wearables

And since then, brand marketers are flocking there every year in an eager hunt for new ideas that (hopefully) transform their organizations for the digital age

[Moral of the story] And now, SXSW is more about innovation in marketing, and not a dreamy geek-only spring break anymore”

So using the technique above from a UX storytelling workshop I attended, I can summarize the atmosphere in SXSW Interactive 2014

Apart from this general summary, expect more posts to come on the specific workshops and sessions when the speakers make presentations available in the new few days   

Geeks Spring Break? Not anymore …

Regarding the “geek-only” statement, don’t take me wrong; there were more than a dozen panels that mentioned Google Glass and probably SXSW is the only place (outside Mountain View) where seeing people hanging around “wearing” Google Glasses doesn’t seem … well, weird. Also, robotics, drones and 3D printing had their space there

Actually 3D printing is a clear example of how some of the most interesting technologies weren’t deployed by a-week-ago-born startup but by a large brand instead. Oreo was one of the most tweeted brand as it used 3D printers to create cookies on demand based on real-time trending topics in Twitter (watch demo here: http://bit.ly/1riOSMc)

Creme 3D printing oreo cookies. #sxlnc #sxswlnc http://instagram.com/p/lQz0gULbuu/ by @alfredojledesma

The big brands that sponsored the event tapped into usually startup-associated techniques and technologies such as agile prototyping, recommendation engines and robotics. Certainly they were using SXSW as a test ground to move them beyond the TV, print, traditional online advertising and 2-dimensional social media

    Networking and new business opportunities atmosphere

Among the attendees, there is an underlying feeling that, as an industry, marketing is struggling to really innovate; and all of us know that innovation is a big differentiator (right Mr. Jobs?)

For that reason this year the presence of Mad Men has created another big opportunity: connections. Agencies like Barbarian Group and JWT all-expenses-paid parties featuring music acts. Social media firms hosting "unofficial" panels, personal cards and “go-for-a-drink” invitations with a vendor were flying around

SXSW continues to be a creativity, innovation and technology melting pot and the “connections” that can provide marketers ways to leverage these and impact their businesses would be the new selected partners

  Privacy, SXSW? Why here? I’m a marketer, so what?

On the conference side, the biggest headlines didn’t go to the hottest startup or the “next big thing” in products or communications (although Samsung was… literally everywhere). One of the main topics was: privacy. SXSW hosted 3 landmark sessions with none other than: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald and Julian Assange

That definitely shows that how the enterprises and brands behave is more visible than ever (even if you try to hide). Snowden said, “Whether you are Google or Facebook, you can do these things in a responsible way, where you can still get the value out of these that you need to run your business”

So there is … the given responsibility to support, advise and prepare the industry and our brands to protect their reputation. Whether online, social or experiential advertising

  A Conversation with Edward Snowden #sxswinteractive https://twitter.com/turboricua/status/443055003935064065/photo/1 by @turboricua 

    Are you thinking about Collaborative Economy?

If there was one startup that was mentioned at SXSW14, it was Airbnb … not because of a revolutionary technology but because it was likely to be the most-used “hospitality” service

Airbnb, Etsy, Kickstarter and Uber (make notes now) actually leverage one of the potentially most disruptive social trends for corporate America. The collaborative economy – peer2peer transactions. However, as Jeremiah Owyang (https://twitter.com/jowyang) pointed out, this is the "2nd phase of sharing: collaborative economy ... people are sharing the physical world"

However, in the past year, some smart and visionary companies took notice of the risk and opportunities that this fast-growing trend opens up to their businesses and companies, such as Staples starts selling products developed on Quirky, Avis acquiring Zipcar, and Walgreens using TaskRabbit to deliver its products

@jowyang recommendation to enterprises was look at the "collaborative value chain" - a framework that helps them to find the opportunities in this new trend (more here: http://slidesha.re/1leNKIg)

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2013/06/04/report-corporations-must-join-the-collaborative-economy/

  And what about other social media trends?

There were 2 other topics when discussing Social:

Accountability

Social TV

Andy Markowitz, from GE and also chairman of the board of the Social Media Advertising Consortium (SMAC), was interviewed on the hot topic of Social media accountability. Here: http://bit.ly/1ppEVJe

On Social TV, I’ve attended interesting sessions with Colby Flint, Consumer Insight Strategist, Discovery Communications; Alexandra Samuel, VP, Social Media Vision Critical; ESPN President, John Skipper Univision President, Kevin Conroy; and PBS President, Paula Kerger

Vision Critical and Discovery collaborated in a Social TV study that included these highlights:

77% of millennial have used #socialmedia triggered by #SocialTV CTA

More than 40% of regular Internet users like to see what other people are thinking when watching a TV program #SocialTV

50% of moderate users enjoy seeing what other people watching the show are thinking

To see all the slides, click here: http://slidesha.re/1gfQuC9

On the other session, ESPN proudly pointed out that they are willing to experiment and they’re a leader in second screen programming and native content apps (according to them)

Without hesitation, ESPN’s Skipper launched a line that became the tweet of the hour. “TV is a dirty word,” he said. “That’s the T-word. We use the S-word. Screens”

On his side, Univision’s Conroy refers to creativity a single, unified digital platform where everyone can sort through and easily experience television

  Ok, and Hispanic?

SXSW Interactive organizers agreed to launch the first-ever Latinos in Technology Track

The 3-day free-to-attend event featured a range of panel discussions, from tech to social media and startup entrepreneurship

Probably the most tweeted session included a celebrity, a hot mass topic and certainly the Hispanic sauce

In the session “Star Power: Innovative Ways to Engage Millennials”  Rosario Dawson, celebrity and also co-founder of  a non-partisan political organization called Voto Latino, and Alex Wagner, MSNBC anchor, received good a amount of buzz as they addressed the importance of marketing to Hispanic Millennials 

More here: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SXSWLatino&src=typd

    Learnings (from the relevant to the mundane):

  SXSW continues to attract a mass of creative, interesting, innovative and curious technologists

Marketers come eager to learn and identify partners that they think are most likely to impact their business

SXSW is also about making new connections and strengthening those you already have

There's still not enough diversity. Hispanic has still big bandwidth to grow in the SXSW speaker line-up and overall topics

SXSW is a great place to meet the technologies and marketers who want to stand out; however a better matchmaking service would be useful

Digital, strategy and creativity are the agency-related pillars to SXSW

Register early and book workshop sessions as soon as possible as they get booked fast

Choose sessions that are either close to each other or allow plenty of time get there. Time > 60 mins when in different locations

Book early as accommodation prices go through the roof

Don’t ride a bike; Austin is too hilly

  Acknowledgement:

Thank you amigos: Cecy @CecyA, Alfredo @alfredojledesma, Arturo @helloimr2ro, Mandred @gma_kruger, Miguel @sansegocreative, Rafa @rjccomm, for sharing the knowledge in this excellent experience

And we cannot miss the “selfie”

#sxlnc #sxswlnc http://instagram.com/p/lQWSMRlfx0/ by Manfred Kruger @gma_kruger

  More info in:

  [InTweets] SXSW14 1st Day Summary #SXLNC

http://storify.com/sedayanr/intweets-sxsw14-1st-day-summary-sxlnc

  [In Tweets] SXSW14 2nd Day Summary #SXLNC

http://storify.com/sedayanr/intweets-sxsw14-2nd-day-summary-sxlnc

  [In Tweets] SXSW14 3rd Day Summary #SXLNC

http://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw14-3rd-day-summary-sxlnc

  [In Tweets] SXSW14 4rd Day Summary #SXLNC

http://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw14-4rd-day-summary-sxlnc

  [In Tweets] SXSW14 5rd Day Summary #SXLNC

http://storify.com/sedayanr/in-tweets-sxsw14-5rd-day-summary-sxlnc

  Instagram #SXLNC

http://web.stagram.com/tag/sxlnc/?vm=grid

Twitter #SXLNC

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23sxlnc&src=typd

Sources:

http://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/sxsw-logo.jpeg

http://mashable.com/2014/03/14/mobile-tech-sxsw/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

http://www.352media.com/blog/best-of-sxsw14-the-future-of-social-media-and-content-marketing/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow

http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/sxsw-innovation-marketing-tech/292078/

http://readwrite.com/2014/03/14/marketing-excess-sxsw-2014?utm_source=ReadWrite+Newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=c22cbd1a30-RWWDailyNewsletter&utm_term=0_9fbeb5d667-c22cbd1a30-201303865#awesm=~ozitpBRyOcz264

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/221173/sxswi-postmortem.html?edition=70705

http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2014/03/11/sxsw-startup-energy-shifts-from-social-to-content-and-wearables/?imcid=nl

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/221246/hey-naysayers-dont-hate-on-sxsw.html?edition=70734

http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2014/03/13/reflections-on-sxsw-2014/?imcid=nl

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/220918/is-sxswi-actually-more-relevant-than-ever-now.html

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/221701/top-10-trends-to-emerge-from-sxsw.html?edition=71055

http://socialmediatoday.com/dannywhatmough/2267811/five-digital-communication-trends-sxsw

http://sxsw.com/interactive/news/2014/latinos-tech-join-sxsw-interactive-program

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/36151.asp

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/36149.asp?imcid=nl

https://www.ncta.com/platform/cable-programming/sxsw-asks-tv-or-not-tv-panelists-answer-tv/?utm_source=2nd+Screen+Authority&utm_campaign=87ab4f49b0-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_41ed43776d-87ab4f49b0-87261229

[sedayanr]

Sound bites of Microsoft Xbox One Reveal - 06/20/13

The following post is my rough summary and link sources of the Xbox One event that took place on May 20th.

During a special event at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, the company unveiled her latest "Entertainment" System called: XBox One

  The big takeaway: Xbox One moves Microsoft closer to a living room hub

Xbox continues his strategy to provide a device for full home entertainment: “Games, music, movies, web, and now, Skype and live TV.”, not only games console. 

Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business group indicates that "Team Xbox is on a new mission," and the console is the "ultimate all-in-one-home entertainment system."

Why This Matters: The emphasis on improving the living room experience and TV comes at a time when console gaming industry is facing increased competition from smart phones and tablets. Microsoft is positioning its new video game console as an all-in-one system that will give users access to voice- and gesture-controlled video games, OTT video services like Netflix and live television through one interface.

The Challenge:

Positioning the product as a all-in-one entertainment system is a high statement to fulfill. Live TV integration was a major part of the Xbox One's announcement, but it faces a lot of hurdles where others have failed.

It is clearer when watching the demos of Live TV as they were, well, demos only. By including an HDMI input, The Xbox One can integrate cable TV content right into the Xbox Dashboard. So instead of actually integrating with your TV service, the Xbox One sits on top of it: plug your cable box's HDMI cable into the Xbox, which overlays the signal with its own interface (HDMI connection, IR blaster)

It's exactly the same way Google's flailing Google TV platform works. If you're a little older it should be even more familiar: it's exactly how Microsoft's own doomed webTV platform worked. Technology companies have been overlaying interfaces on top of cable signals and praying for IR blasters to adequately control the boxes for years now, and it's never worked — the content and information on your cable box is too valuable to relegate it to second place, and jumping back and forth between interfaces is irritating for consumers

What's more, these systems only really work for live television. Want to watch a show recorded on your DVR? There's no way for the Xbox One to know about it, so you have to use the DVR interface. Found a great show using the One's search and discovery tools and want to record the season? Time to switch to the DVR interface again

    Highlighted Features:

Watching TV

Microsoft brings live TV to Xbox One with voice navigation. To turn the console on, all you have to say is "Xbox, on.". Want to watch TV? Say "Xbox, watch TV,". Want to listen to music or even watch movies? Say "play music" or "Xbox, go to movies."

OneGuide

Microsoft created a completely new, interactive guide for Xbox One that has full Kinect voice controls

Original Content

Microsoft also jump on the Original Content trends with a live-action, premium Halo TV series created in partnership with Steven Speilberg, 343 Industries, and Xbox Studios

Snap Mode

Watching something while you browse for something else? No problem. Snap Mode lets you run two apps at the same time. One app can be snapped to the side of the screen to run while you're watching a show or playing a game.

Snap Mode will also take you to Skype chat say (continue reading), while you're examining Netflix.

Skype for Xbox with group video calling

Microsoft debuted Skype for Xbox One, a new version of the communications service that lets you conduct HD video chat with friends using the Kinect camera. You can engage in group video chats, as well as use the new Xbox's Snap feature to do picture-in-picture calls while playing a game or watching TV. You can use your voice to start a call, end a call, or shut off your mic.

NFL interactive broadcasts and Fantasy football 

Microsoft has also teamed up with the NFL to let you play fantasy football right while you're watching the game live on television. 

Microsoft also just announced a partnership to blend live NFL games with interactive fantasy stats and leveraging Microsoft products like Skype (in Snap Mode) and its SmartGlass companion apps.

Social Gaming

While there was not many details on the new Xbox Live features announced on the Xbox One launch, it’s clear that Microsoft is going all-in when it comes to social and multiplayer gaming.

The service will also allow you to take in-game video and photos and share them over social media services.

The Specs

The Xbox One includes an 8-core CPU, 8GB of system memory, and a 500GB hard disc drive. There's also the much-requested Blu-ray drive, 802.11 wireless with Wi-Fi Direct, HDMI in/out, and USB 3.0.

In Summary:

Microsoft is launching the Xbox One in the United States, where the hyper-fragmented television market will keep that IR Out port firmly in play. The challenge for Xbox One will be working with cable and satellite providers to get the "hooks" needed to interact with their set-top boxes in a meaningful way

Noted that Comcast got a shout out during the press event, but otherwise Microsoft hasn't gotten specific about what cable and satellite providers are supported with the Xbox One's TV functionality

The promised Xbox One experience would only be truly achieved when cable companies build solid streaming services, when broadband TV services like Aereo take off or MSOs continue developing apps that permit greater integration; currently many cable, satellite providers and Verizon FiOS already offer TV apps for better TV experiences.

YouTube Official Video: http://bit.ly/13LeJ45

Sources:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57585543-75/six-challenges-for-integrated-tv-on-the-xbox-one/

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-9020_7-57579656-222/how-the-next-xbox-can-win-the-cable-tv-war/

http://news.xbox.com/2013/05/qa

http://gizmodo.com/xbox-one-can-switch-to-live-tv-with-a-simple-voice-comm-509063759

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352238/microsoft-xbox-one-everything-you-need-to-know

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352710/live-tv-on-the-xbox-one-microsoft-didnt-learn-from-google-tv/in/4116279

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4350656/microsoft-national-football-league-partnership-nfl-on-xbox/in/4116279

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4351376/microsoft-debuts-skype-for-xbox-with-group-video-calling/in/4116279

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4349710/microsoft-announces-xbox-live-tv/in/4116279

http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-social/

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4350918/xbox-one-microsoft-unveils-its-next-generation-console/in/4116279

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57585583-75/xbox-one-moves-microsoft-closer-to-living-room-hub/

http://allthingsd.com/20130521/and-microsofts-new-console-is-called-xbox-one/?mod=atdtweet

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/xbox-one/

http://reviews.cnet.com/microsoft-xbox-one/

http://youtu.be/NCtBFOh1aoQ 

http://lostremote.com/microsofts-xbox-one-adds-live-tv-teams-with-spielberg-and-nfl-for-interactive-tv_b37707

[sedayanr]

Sound bites of Google I/O Developer's Conference in San Francisco – 05/15/13

The following post is my rough summary and link sources of the Google I/O event that took place yesterday

The event audience of 6,000 in-person attendees and some 1 million via livestream were eager to listen to the +3 hours keynote that was packed with announcements of enhancements to Google services. 

  The big takeaways: “Google better organizes our world –and sells us back the experience”

Google is trying to let consumers experience as much of the brand before they buy it, for examples a search user can experience the inside of stores, the reviews, the photos and find the fastest way there –before ever leaving their chair…. Therefore, influence the purchase decision.

In mobile, It’s about the services, not the devices; the penetration of Android opens more and more opportunities for services as announced.

In social the story focused on rich media differentiating the Google+ network and it became clear that social-first products like Hangouts and Google+ sign-in will make a broader play across more Google and non-Google products.

Google+ Redesign, Hangout App and Photo Features:

Google+ added 41 new features to its social network:

Multi-column layout for bigger pictures. The image-focused design looks a lot like Pinterest and Facebook.

Google’s “Related Hashtags” in Google+ analyze the contents of any post and add the hashtags it thinks you need

Auto Backup automatically backs up mobile pictures

Auto Enhance acts like a filter to correct color and saturation of pictures

Auto Awesome uses a set of photos in your library to create an animated GIF

Also, Hangouts, a new standalone, unified messaging app for Android, iOS, and Chrome. Hangouts is organized by conversations, not contacts, and is designed to feel like everyone in a given hangout is in the same room.

VIDEO: http://youtu.be/PmQ-d71GdPc

  Google Maps

Google said it rebuilt Maps from "the ground up."

The new Google Maps has Google Earth and Street View baked into it. With stunning Google imagery, as well as user-generated photos that can be uploaded and submitted to Google Maps, the platform has never looked better.

You can create a tailored map for each search and click you make, and it incorporates Zagat badges and restaurant reviews.

Offers from retailers such as Starbucks can also be integrated directly into the site, and it makes smart recommendations specifically for you. The more you use it, the better it gauges your interests.

VIDEO: http://youtu.be/THxJHcR1D2c

  A Spotify Killer?

Google announced the Google Play Music All Access, which "blends your music collection with ours" across multiple devices.

  The streaming platform is strategically priced at $9.99 — the same as Spotify's monthly subscription service. For those who sign up by June 1, Music All Access Plus will go for $7.99. It comes with a 30-day free trial and is now available in the U.S. It will eventually roll out to more countries soon.

So not only you can access millions of songs from your phone, tablet and PC, but that Google instantly delivered custom “radio stations” based on your interests.

      Smart Talk

Voice search, which already exists on Android phones is making the leap to the desktop (via Google Chrome).

  The Google I/O demonstration was flawless, but the real power is, once again, Google’s data backend and what it knows about you. In one search example, the demonstrator asked Voice Search a question that only identified location with “here” (as in “near here"). She also identified one of the search components with “it.” Google Voice search instantly brought up the perfect answer.

You can get public transit information, as well as details on your favorite TV shows, books and video games. Knowledge Graph, which fires in little snippets of information when you perform a search, added some new languages and statistics.

  Google Cloud Improvements

Last year, Google Cloud Messaging was announced, and now 60% of the top 100 apps in the Google Play store use it. The company is expanding this service by supporting connections between persistent connections from servers to many devices.

  This means you can upstream messages to send data in both directions, from servers to apps and then from apps to servers.

It also is launching a new API that syncs notifications across devices.

  Android and Chrome:

The day started out with Android, with the news that more than 48 billion apps have been installed from the Google Play store, thanks to 900 million activations of Android devices.

Chrome Browser has become the No 1 browser position in the world with 750 million active users.

Google can coordinate across all of your screens, making multi-screen easier showing its ability to tie together all of your experiences across the Google-system.

   The Rest:

Google cofounder and CEO Larry Page hosted an even more surprising Q&A with the members of the 6,000-person audience at the close of I/O.

Page answers a question about the potential of a Web-based operating system for mobile

About fiber, Page says increasing capacity increases the potential for doing interesting things. Beyond gigabits, the next step is low-latency connections.

  Sources:

http://mashable.com/2013/05/15/google-io-announcements-2013/

http://mashable.com/2013/05/15/google-io-keynote/

http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/15/googles-three-hour-io-keynote-boils-down-to-these-highlights-and-one-theme-foundation/

http://allthingsd.com/20130515/live-at-google-io/?mod=atd_homepage_carousel

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2013/05/15/google-better-organizes-our-world-and-sells-us-back-the-experience/

http://www.fastcompany.com/3009770/most-innovative-companies-2013/the-most-important-details-from-google-i-o-so-far?utm_source=twitter