so I used ‘porn’ in the title…the point is that if you want to see innovation in digital you can usually look towards the XXX sites (I only read the articles)…they’re typically 2 to 3 years ahead of the curve…

But, with the American Presidential elections just around the corner…politicians are leveraging digital to the hilt…Take Hillary Clinton (Please!)…She has her requisite My Space, Facebook, etc…she has mobile options, areas to raise money, and of course the Clinton/Sopranos spoof…

…And she’s let voters decide on her theme song (The winner: Celine Dion…uh…America…She’s a Canadian…I’m not sure all Americans can even find Canada on a map)

Now, I’m not sure all of these initiatives will soften her image and get here elected President…but, she’s using the brand of ‘Hillary Clinton’ to generate digital conversation…and this should be applauded…

In the interest of fair media, I have posted a link to the Facebook Anything But Clinton (ABC) page…

Remember to Vote…if you’re in America. FYI…The Hillary sites number in the tens of hundreds of thousands…the ABC site has about 1,500….

I’ve been mentioning Twitter during conversations lately…(these are face to face conversations…not digital)…anyway…people keep on asking, what is this twitter thing anyway???

In simplest form, twitter are mini blogs…in more complex thinking, they are a tool to facilitate instant conversation via web, mobile, IM…conversation with friends or ‘strangers’….

There’s no correct way to use twitter….you can share updates to your blog…you can chat…you can just watch others chat…And you can use it online or mobile easily…this twitter’s charm and appeal…

Right now, twitter is hot…almost facebook hot…it’s definitely a tool that should be considered in any communication campaign.

The content created by Scott Gavin is great…The storytelling around the character of ‘Charlie’ takes a complicated concept and simplifies easily…And shows the power of today’s browser software…Charlie is very organized too…

Cool Stuff…

So the2012 logo looks like a cross between keith haring and Electric Boogaloo…it cost 400K…generated a huge amount of (negative) viral news…and causes epileptic fits (Pokemon did this too)…and this is clearly not a good thing…and that’s an understatement…

The worse thing about the logo is it undersells Seb Coe’s promise… ”to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world….It is an invitation to take part and be involved.”…Instead of saying it…why not just do it…

It would have been simple to do the first Olympic logo contest online…make it eligible to anyone under 21 and the winner would get the first ‘gold’ medal of the games and a financial prize…Then you would REALLY be getting people INVOLVED in the games (instead of just saying it and then create the logo from hell)…

And what makes it even worse….The 2012 site has been set up with a link to “Create your own logo”….A blown opportunity for the 2012 committee to put their money where there mouth is…

iPhone will launch in the States at the end of June (No official date for UK/Europe). This will be the most important launch ever in mobile…mobile marketing…mobile content.

Currently, handset manufacturers and mobile operators sell ‘functionality’…Your phone can call, sms, take photos, mms, play games, get news, get directions, get on the internet, get music, get games, get horoscopes…etc…etc…The only problem is that unless you work in the industry or a power user you likely have no idea how to access the functions (or even worse…do not understand the price).

Apple and the iPhone sell the promise of ‘usability.’ Now you can REALLY use a phone…The iPhone can revolutionize mobile communication/usage the way iPod revolutionized music.

The question becomes will the iPhone be a success like iPod or a failure like Newton (remember those?). The iPhone will have a good head start withApple’s rabid fans…

Here’s hoping to success for the iPhone…This is a big, big deal…If the iPhone is successful then it will lead to manufacturers having to build more usable handsets and breaking down mobile operators ‘walled gardens’…

This will accelearte mobile marketing and content at warp speed and turn buzz into reality….

I’m going to check out the phone on Friday when in San Francisco

BTW. I use to live across the street (when I lived in SF) from the restaurant mentioned…if you watched the ad..You can see more ads here…..

Now, you can just ask consumers to build it for you.

Netflix, the online movie rental company, has challenged consumers to build a better recommendation for them via Netflixprize.com. The contest can build viral interest in Netflix as it gets consumers actively involved in improving the service (and winning a cool $1 Million (£495K). And…if… someone does win the million then Netflix will have an improved service/product.

A win-win for Netflix…and a great example of getting consumers to work for you…

It’s simple…It’s viral…It communicates the message…It has a user generated component…OK…I’m not too pleased with the music, especially after the 3rd view (You can’t have everything)
Carmex has come up with a very nice viral kiss…Go send one….  

Also compare the above Carmex site with the UK site… Same product but big difference in execution…

Cottonelle has accomplished the tricky task…they’ve made toilet paper digital …not exactly, of course, because the day toilet paper is digital…well, I haven’t even heard of digital TP in Sci-Fi novels…

Nonetheless, Cottonelle has developed the ‘puppy’ to represent soft….since soft is what people want when it comes with toilet paper…And now, they’ve taken the puppy to the desktop by developing a Branded Desktop Application (BDA)…Now you can download the puppy onto your desktop for screen savers, wallpaper, ringtones…and puppy contests that your kid’s will love (and you know they’ll want the puppy paper when you go to the market)…

 Moreover, the BDA allows you to change the puppy promotion on the fly. The ability of push technology (instantaneous communication) and seamless versioning (changing content without interrupting the user experience) will allow consumer brands to realize the true potential of their work on the desktop.

Now you have a regular audience for your promotional messages. BDAs deliver a customized experience, bringing brands into a more tangible, easily accessible position in the daily lives and habits of the core audience the websites were intended for.

All our brand partners should consider this easy win….

Of course, if they want a real viral experience…you can never go wrong with a funny hat on a bulldog…

Taking a page out of the Truman Show and EdTV….you can now get a glimpse of Justin Kan and his “lifecast” Justin.TV    …You can follow around Justin 24/7/365 days a year…if you really want to…

 Justin’s page consist of live streaming video,a chat room, calendar, clip voting system and Twitter module to update the page via mobile phone. And…of course…an area for a sponsor clip.

It has taken off like gangbusters as reported by TechCrunch….TechCrunch is highly influential in the digital/Silicon Valley community…”You’ve made it” when you’re getting constant coverage from the leading digital blog…Of course, if TechCrunch wasn’t reporting on JustinTV would anybody care…

…and now you can go from voyeur to “lifecaster” since JustinTV and another service ustream.tv that are allowing people to broadcast their lives (or as they now call it…”lifecast”)

We’re getting to the point that everyone can have their individual life channel…Who’s lives will be the most interesting….the Truman show….EdTV….Justin….me (well…probably not me since I don’t want to show off my sleeping patterns)….you…your best friend…it can be anyone and everyone…

 ….and don’t forget….you can have Kellogg’s sponsor you….you just have to eat Special K every morning as people watch.

The Oreo Doctrine stipulates that media agencies are going to split into two just like an Oreo. And when an Oreo splits one side gets the cream…

 One side of the cookie (i.e., agencies) will be transactional players providing quantitative analysis. The other side will be creative and flexible solution provider. One side will operate at a line-level. The other side will consult at a C-level…Hmmm….this all sounds a bit familiar…What side will the agency you work for be on???? Take a read…