ZenithOptimedia

The challenge of coming off of a digital information high is a funny one.  I’ve been living in a digital bubble for so long that the Kool Aid really had started to taste better.  However as my new broader strategic role dictates I am slowly redistributing myself (or my attention more accurately) across the entire media smorgasbord, and this has definitely meant I have less time to immerse myself in the ongoing, minute to minute digital evolution/revolution/iteration or whatever you like to call it.

A digital ‘has been’ at 35 years of age?  I did not exactly grow up with digital media, but I sure took to it, and I’ve spent the better part of the last 10 or more years glued to its every move and utterance thanks to blogs, twitter and my trusty Google reader.  

It’s probably not really cool to call being on the internet a hobby although it’s technically not far from the truth for me; I really just find the whole thing (culture, people, business, entertainment, and Gif parade) fascinating.

Yeah yeah, so what’s new?  Well over the past few months and with a new job, and some personal matters of importance I’ve found I’ve simply had less time to dedicate to my ‘hobby‘…and to be honest it has actually been quite a tough transition.

As I sit here typing on my Netbook (I know, so 2009) and thinking about what to write, I have realised just how hard it is to keep up to date with the online media; the technology is frighteningly quick, consumer behaviors (my stock and trade), are adapting and changing almost annually, brands are falling behind or getting ahead, agencies are struggling to keep pace, specialists and experts peel off into sub-segments and cottage industries emerge weekly…woe to the professionals who are in turn sacrificing their tennis nights, kite surfing or family time hours with ‘flipboard’ for iPad to keep up with all this.
Expertise and knowledge especially in agency is essential the quest for it I guess is what I’m stipulating has a drug-like grip on its pupils.

For me the moment of realisation that my cravings were being left unchecked came when I was teaching Ad School this year. Fortunately 12 weeks of hardcore reading and immersion, plus some inspiring students and guest lecturers tunes ones senses back in no time, but it was not easy. A few months out and you start to feel isolated, and scared to share your latest example of tech-wizardry in a meeting for fear of humiliation.

So despite my ad school cramming, a few weeks on and I am already getting that creeping sense of FOMO again…but then I think, surely everything is actually now contributing to a grander design, and all media and communications are now slowly merging into a broader digital landscape. So even if I didn’t read the top 10,563 or so mashable articles published this week, I am still getting a fix, it’s just that the Kool Aid I’m drinking is now more likely some kind of crazy flavoured Slurpee, and my hobby has in fact changed, and despite the sacrifice of some immersion I’m actually better off for expanding my horizons.

Google's new Christmas Wrap

I really like this app idea. Tiny Review

Its not a hundred miles away from the wonderful world of meme creators and alike, but these have tended to cater more for the web geeks, design community than the mass user.  

This app simply combines your user profile a location, with an image and your best witty captioning together to form a single share-able asset. http://venturebeat.com/2011/12/16/tiny-review-iphone-app

& just like this post, it's simply succinct

*does not appear to be available in the AU app store ... boo

Lego has recently unveiled their Giant Lego Christmas Tree at London St. Pancras International trail station. There will be a lot of shoppers passing through the station in the lead up to Christmas from the UK and from other international destinations linked up to the Eurostar Network.

The building is massive and the tree still looks huge at 12 metres high. A very nice product stunt with shops in the immediate vicinity. Any parent strapped for gift ideas would certainly notice this.

The picture here was taken by our very own Nick Burcher and you can find more info and videos here:

http://www.nickburcher.com/2011/11/giant-lego-christmas-tree-at-st-pancras.html

If you want to make something that might be perceived as stuffy or pretentious like say your Art gallery cool, modern and interesting. Then why not enlist the help of an old school rap legend.  

One of the more interesting, amusing well produced collaborations I've seen in a while.
http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/ 

In this piece Ice Cube presents an architectural perspective on Los Angles and talks about Eames in only a way Ice Cube could.

love it.

Credit to http://www.psfk.com/2011/12/rapper-ice-cube-professes-his-love-for-architecture-video.html 

Recently I have been questioning the role and importance of the traditional portal in the media landscape, and I suppose its not to say the portal is dead or dying, so much as it has shifted. The starting point, and arguably sticking point for many online these days is facebook, facebook, facebook.  So where does that leave your Ninemsn and Yahoo7's? They still have the mail users don't they, and they have generalist home-pages with social features.  But still there is nothing really like the personal stream of stuff from our networks to entertain and distract.

The example walks you through the an evolved Staples (sic ozzie Office Works) iPhone application. This app is really great offering everything from bar code scanning, to locations to rewards and even check-ins.

The PSFK article goes on to talk about the success of the app in terms of return customer and improved conversion rates. To be honest its not surprising they really make everything to easy.

Amazing what a bit of good consumer research is able to do in terms of shaping a utility.

Reading a post by Matt Baxter in Ad News last week regarding the ad industry brats has got me thinking.  I've been attending a lot of awards recently, and they have been great fun. To be honest I have not really seen or experienced any of what Matt expressed at these events. In fact everyone has been super nice, professional and courteous.  I do however certainly appreciate his points about the rudeness of talking during speeches, that is bad form, it annoys me moreso at weddings than award shows though. But given the article and my reflections I actually think the industry has really changed and much of that so called 'brattery' has declined in the past few years.

If I throw back my mind to my younger media days the industry seemed to be much more geared toward the big nights, rowdy bar hugging crowds, and of course hangovers from hell. Of course this could be a sign of my, errr experience and not necessarily a reflection of the industry, but I see and talk to the younger members of the team and I simply don't see the same recklessness that used to be rife in the industry.

What I can say about brattery though is that I now look forward to the somewhat less boisterous but often interesting twitter back channel at these events, this is where the battle of "twits" is taking place...  Cries of "robbed" from the back row of the bus from the under 15's ski trip echo out across the smartphones of the attendees... and it's great fun....but even these comments are alas mostly polite and courteous.

Seems awards shows aren't the only ones recognising this ether - as I picked up this from PSFK this week - Tweet seatshttp://www.psfk.com/2011/12/us-theaters-start-reserving-tweet-seats-for-twitter-users.html

All in all, a bit of battery, comradery and banter is not all bad.