Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve undoubtedly heard about the launch of Apple’s new ipad. Apple (and everyone else) is touting the new device a cross between the laptop and the iphone. I’m not going to go into the details of the ipad and it’s features and capabilities, however I do want you to think of the advertising capabilities that will be viewable now on the ipad’s large screen and smart interface.

Since the development of the smart phone, app developers have come out of the woodwork to capitalize on these phones’ capabilities. Now, with the larger display size of the ipad, a screen size of 9.7 inches (similar to Amazon’s Kindle), but with 1024X768 Pixel resolution, app developers and rich media moguls are going to be salivating at the potential opportunities that await them. Imagine your ad on someone’s ipad, growing to a size not seen before on a device that has such mobility since the laptop. Imagine your ad animating, growing, moving, talking – persuading the reader In (technological) ways not even devised yet. The ipad doesn’t (yet) have flash capabilities so if you try to view something built in flash you’re going to get the annoying little icon that you’ve seen before on your iphone, however, I’m sure web developers and app makers are going to devise ways around this downfall by deploying messaging in ways that nobody has even imagined yet. I’m imagining that when an ad is viewed on an ipad, the ad will “know” that it’s being viewed on that device and display appropriately. (versus if it’s displayed on a smart phone) That opens up a lot of opportunities to ad builders like myself, and advertisers like you.

I don’t think that the ipad will ever replace the mobility and usability of a smart phone nor replace the effectiveness of mobile marketing. Also the fact that ads on the ipad can be geotargeted will be a huge differentiator from ads served on laptop computers. As an art director I can see many benefits to this new frontier of viewing ads, although the jury is still out whether this device will be a hit or not. Do you see any new opportunities here? Shoot me a quick comment.

 Web Resizer

Why is my photo so big? And I only need to crop a little edge off! I need to use it on my profile, but it won’t accept it. Where’s that Art Director? Well, in case you don’t have an Art Director laying around or the time and money to invest in using Photoshop, here are some free and easy to use photo editing tools. Thanks for the source Hongkiat!

1. FlauntR
flauntR is rolling out a unique online imaging service that combines photo editing, printing, sharing and storage in a single seamless service.

2. Picture2Life
Picture2Life is a powerful, but simple and easy-to-use online image editor which also allows you to create collages and animated gif’s (or animations). It works great with your pictures that you already have online!

3. Improve Your Image
Improve your images free online tool.

4. LookWow
The LookWow service is a feature-rich offering that includes basic editing functions, such as Crop Photo, Resize, Clarify, Remove Red-Eye and Sharpen Photo.

5. MakeAGif
Create animated gifs the free and easy way!

6. Photoshop.com
Photoshop.com is your online photo sharing, editing and hosting resource. Upload, organize, edit, store (up to 2GB free) and share your photos.

7. Online Photo Tool
On Onlinephototool.com you can edit and save your images, screenshots and photos online.

8. PicMagick
PicMagick is an online photo editor that enables you to make ordinary photos look wonderful within a few clicks.

9. 72Photos
72photos lets you do amazing things with your photos and store them in a safe space online where you can access them from anywhere.

10. Dr.Pic
Crop, Resize, Add Text, Special Effects, and Host your pictures online for free at DrPic.com.

11. EasyCropper
EasyCropper is a simple way for you to crop any image for use on the web. It’s a free tool, so use it at your own risk.

12. FotoFlexer
FotoFlexer is the world’s most advanced online digital photo editor. It performs advanced effects previously only available to professionals using expensive software.

13. Picnik
Picnik makes your photos fabulous with easy to use yet powerful editing tools. Tweak to your heart’s content, then get creative with oodles of effects, fonts, shapes, and frames.

14. rSizr
rsizr is a Flash application that lets you resize JPG, PNG, and GIF images online intelligently.

15. Splashup
Splashup, formerly Fauxto, is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. It’s easy to use, works in real-time and allows you to edit many images at once.

16. Sumo Paint
Sumo Paint is a full featured photo editing / painting application, which works right in your favorite web browser!

17. Web Resizer
Web Resizer helps you optimize photos for web or email. Easy to use. Amazing results!

18. Aviary
Aviary – Phoenix Image Editor is a powerful creative application for image editing that you can use right in your web browser.

Enjoy! And if you really do need an Art Director, contact me:)

This seemed appropriate for the holiday season, because as we all know, online scams become much more prevalent this time of year. 

We’ve all received bogus emails that lead to fake websites, where thieves try to phish for your credit card number, social security number, or log-in information to other websites.  Well this year you could be scammed just by searching for a reputable company in your favorite search engine.

A recent experiment by a security researcher proved that he could fool the search engines into believing that his bogus bank website was legit and was even able to outrank the real banks website.  His fake website was creditunionofsc.org, and the real bank’s url is cusocal.org.  Within a year and a half, his website ranked #1 in Bing, #2 in Yahoo, and while Google wasn’t as easily deceived they still ranked it on page 6.  His fake website is no longer live and now redirects to the official bank’s website.

While this was done to prove a point, it raises some interesting issues:

1. First of all, make sure that you are visiting the correct website.  Especially when it requires you to log in, make an online purchase, enter your social security number or other personal information.  If you are not sure, you can visit http://www.whois.com to verify the owner of the domain name.
2. It’s possible that any website that uses proper SEO techniques can top the search engine rankings.
3. If I were a customer of this bank, I would feel safer if they had considered a more strategic response.  They vowed to purchase more domain names similar to their own to protect themselves. Shouldn’t they instead be monitoring search engines and implementing safeguards to prevent this from happening again?  Or perhaps working to improve the search engine ranking of their own website?

   They could learn lessons from eBay and PayPal, who have been plagued by this problem for years.  Reporting mechanisms have been added to their own sites to identify deceptive websites.  Email campaigns have been launched to raise awareness of the issue, in addition to information put online to educate customers. 

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Recently, there has been talk that General Motors is going to change the background color on its logo from blue (would the legions of art directors who were tortured over the years to not offend trade dress in any way like to honk now? Or sing out the PMS number?) to green to signify the new company focus on greener vehicles.

Hmmm. That’s something one could argue for either way.
 
Con: Why? It’s an obvious, cosmetic and superficial signal that you’re now “green”. It seems pandering to the public and government “partners” who want the old GM gone. It’s kind of laughable. Ha! You think turning the logo green will convince people you’re green? Please. Build a bunch of green cars. Then we’ll talk.

Pro: Why? It’s an obvious and cosmetic symbol that it isn’t business as usual for this former lumbering giant who had logo police patrolling the corridors of ad agencies worldwide. And if they did it fast, GM would demonstrate they’re not lumbering anymore—no, now nimble and flexible where there had been rigidity and tired thinking.  Cool.

This kind of flexibility could open the door to showing corporate support for breast cancer, heart health, gay rights. That’s kind of human and fun for a corporation not known for a culture of either. An automotive writer recently put forth another notion. Blue? Green? Please. You need to concentrate on getting from red to black.

I have read that “blue” is the new “green” because most of the world’s population lives next to water and it’s a critical resource to attend to. So, in fact, good old GM with it’s old blue background may be the right color for right now. Irony abounds.

What do you think about trade dress? Hard and fast rules about corporate ID? Branding?

On Monday a neat new site launched for those among us with, well, some wishey-washiness in the decision making arena. Got a big decision to make - hope you’ll opt NOT to use this site, but if your choice comes down to something you can trust to a Magic 8 Ball, this is the site for you! Hunch is a site that collects some information about your value system and preferences, then uses that data to help you make the decision of the day - need to decide where to go on vacation? Hunch has an answer. Need to know what to cook for dinner - bet it can help with that too. Personally, I’ll still go to Mom with the life-changing stuff, and my Magic 8 Ball for the rest.

No, I’m not talking about Microsoft’s new entry into the search game, Bing. I’m talking about Koogle, a tasty new search option for Orthodox Jews!

The site is a welcomed addition in Israel. Now ultra-Orthodox Israelis can search the web for the latest news with the approval of local rabbis because the site blocks objectionable material and doesn’t post new info on the Jewish Sabbath.

No word yet on traffic volumes, the Koogle rank algorithm, the availability of keywords for purchase, or the rumor that each result comes with a savory side dish, but this kosher search solution is another example of technology opening up the web to a segment of the world otherwise unable to surf.

There are many examples.

Text messages brought down the corrupt mayor of Detroit and his Chief of Staff/girl friend.

Cell phone photos of Michael Phelps with a bong tarnished his medals.

Today, the Iranian elections won’t be stolen. At least, not without a fight. Cell phones, texting, twitter, facebook are recording events  showing us the multitude of Iranian citizens who won’t be ignored and won’t settle for a revised version of voting results. They know what they’re doing, the protesters with cellphone cameras. They’re using technology to show the world. The foreign media are doing it too because it’s safer for them than a camera crew. Here. Look. This is what’s really going on. It’s history making. World changing. It’s hope.

Government Bans Rally in Iran

Technology is all over the place now. It’s in countries and corners of the world that don’t have a decent sewer system and never got the hang of the old telephone systems. The outside is getting in. The bad news is getting out. People are getting involved, paying attention, seeing what’s what, sharing what they learn.

To the tyrants, thieves, cheats, rats—watch it.
You never know who may be recording you now. And when you could be starring on the evening news or YouTube. Ready. Or not. Let’s see. Do you have a best side?

Who’s your favorite scumbag? Who would you like to see ‘caught’? Hmm?

So my tween-age daughters and I were watching a show on our DVR and they wanted to rewind and play over and over one of the new Sprint spots. You know the one with the facts and figures about how many people are doing what with their phones and from where. They find the spots fascinating. And so do I. So I started thinking about why that is. Sure, we are a voyeuristic, tabloid, reality TV society, so knowing other people’s business is fascinating. But it makes me feel a little behind too. Like I’m ahead of the cyber curve when it comes to most forty-something moms in my neighborhood, yet I don’t have a Kindle or stream Pandora from a bus. The spots really made me want to ditch my old tiny Blackberry and trade up to something where internet is seamless. Sprint’s campaign is a kick in the pants and is redefining keeping up with the Jones. The Cyber Jones have moved in. What do you think? Are you keeping up with the Cyber Jones? Are you behind? Or do you even care?

I previously discussed whether or not iPhone applications should be considered a new form of advertising. This blog post focused on the many positive qualities of iPhone apps as advertisements, but it overlooked one issue that affects the amount of people that are exposed to them. If a consumer does not have an iPhone or an iTouch, they do not have access to applications at all.

Kraft Food realized this limitation within their mobile strategy and decided to focus on extending its reach towards any mobile phone with an Internet connection. With the help of Phonevalley they are now offering Kraft recipes on the go via a mobile destination. This site has the same features as the iFood Assistant App [access to over 7000 recipes, interactive shopping lists and recipe e-mail capabilities] but has a much broader potential consumer range.

The question that has begun to arise is whether or not a simple website on your phone can prove to be just as appealing as a hip application. Considering that a mobile destination is free for consumers, one would think traffic would be more likely to flow in that direction, but it isn’t going to flow there on its own. In my opinion, the reason iPhone apps are so successful is because of the mainstream advertising push. If mobile destinations received just as much airtime and publicity, the branding really could be more successful.

Are mobile destinations a more effective form of marketing than iPhone apps of the same capabilities? Well that depends on who’s doing the campaign.

We read about smartphones and all of the capabilities that they have now-adays, but the newest use for the smartphone that I just read about blew me away…. 

Apple is now looking at launching applications and morphing the iPhone into a diagnostic device for taking blood pressure, etc.  Some medical apps would even offer a feature that would allow patients to check what procedures are covered under their insurance provider. 

Talk about an untapped market. 

I’m interested to see how this pans out.  Not sure how I feel about taking my cholesterol with a phone.  What do you think?

Every now and then you see a tv commercial that just makes you smile and sometimes even participate in the commercial. In Europe, T-Mobile took the line “Life’s for sharing” and translated that into a commercial that takes thousands of people, a very famous song and joins them together in one memorable moment which I’m sure these people will remember for the rest of their lives. T-Mobile put up a hefty amount of money with the hopes that you remember them when picking a wireless carrier.

What other commericals can you think of that probably cost an arm and a few legs to produce? Can you remember who the commercial was for?

Brogan and Partners is in the business of producing award-winning, memorable and even affordable tv commercials for over 20 years. If you have a message you want people to remember – but don’t have the budget for 2000 extras and the rights to a Beatles song, give us a call at 248-341-8200 or visit our web site. I’m sure we can accommodate you.

Check out this Simpsonize Me website. It turns you into a Simpsons character. Cool man!

There are many sites that can create cool pictures of you for your social media profiles. Here’s 12 of them:

1. South Park Studio
2. Yahoo! Avatars
3. Simpsonize Me
4. Meez
5. WeeWorld
6. BeFunky
7. Buscar Messenger
8. Cartoon Me
9. Joystiq Mii Characters
10. MyPlay
11. Portrait Illustration Maker
12. Moonjee

Enjoy and let me know what you think!