I’ve heard a lot of people talking about the massive impact Steve Jobs has had on the computing world since the news spread over Twitter and Facebook about his passing. I haven’t heard many talk about the quantum impact he’s had on our world as a whole. I’ll explain.

Steve Jobs is a rare individual — rare on a Jeffersonian scale. His push to make computers simpler, cleaner and more efficient began with a design that included a monitor and CPU all-in-one. The stout little original Macintosh Classic, with it’s unique graphical user interface (GUI), was a completely different way of looking at how we interacted with computers and how they fit into our lives. I learned design on a Mac Classic before there was anyone who could teach me about it.

Of course Jobs has had an impact on how computers function. I believe his impact extends beyond that into how we function. He’s impacted how we interact with each other. How we access information. How we learn. And that’s where his impact begins to compound on itself and grow exponentially — in a word, his impact becomes quantum.

Jobs heads up Apple, a company which creates tools that creative people use to create other things. Most creatives design, build, educate and inspire others from the the drawing table that is our Apple computers. From writers to designers to architects to chemists — so many of us start on a common platform which for so long seemed a little rogue — like an outsider’s alternative choice and even a physical identity (are you a Mac or a PC?).

It may sounds obvious, but to me it’s quite profound. For a creative, a computer is like a violin. It can be an object of beauty by itself, but in the right hands becomes a tool to create something amazing. A feeling. A desire. Something that can last a moment (like a website) or something that can last forever (a concept that takes hold of our collective imagination).

Many of us are remembering Steve Jobs today. For me, the best way I can remember Steve Jobs is to keep creating and inspiring others. That’s quantum.

Here at Demi & Cooper we’ve been using QR codes in our campaigns for quite some time, but there’s still a bit of mystery attached to them. Marketing and advertising firms have jumped at the chance to utilize these codes for their work, but many fail to be successful. Here are six tips for creating a quick response code that will appeal to customers and gain traffic more efficiently.

1. Make it Readable - A QR code should be at least 3/4 inch squared for a print advertisement. Make sure to test the code for readability with your own devices before mass production.
2. Make it Mobile - According to Mashable.com 99.9% of QR codes are scanned by a mobile device. If the landing page is not a mobile site, you are wasting your consumers time as well as your own.
3. Choose Placement Wisely – Make sure that wherever your QR code is going to be seen is located near a mobile hot spot with Wi-Fi or your code will be rendered useless.
4. Give Instructions - It may seem silly, but telling your target audience to scan the code and how will help rule out any technical difficulties. Telling them what they are going to gain from scanning the code will also give added value to the customer.  
5. Make it Unique - If the code is going to take the consumer to a landing page they have seen before or can easily google, don’t bother. The best codes offer something unique to the consumer such as a coupon, time-sensitive or secret information, high definition content, free stuff and more.
6. Utilize Analytics – Be sure to link the landing page of your QR code to a reporting program such as Google Analytics, so you can decipher why a conversion was or was not made after the code has been scanned.

If you have great video content, I’ll wait while you give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. You’re way ahead of the game. Whether you have 10, 25, 50, or 100+ videos, it sure feels great to have such a wide variety of content online, doesn’t it?

Now, take a step back for a moment. Approach your channel and your library of videos from the perspective of a new visitor. Chances are that the plethora of videos you have on display is overwhelming for this newcomer, so much so that he or she will gladly exit to more familiar territory.

In a striking Catch-22, YouTube channels are where this is most prevalent. YT made it possible for you to upload video after video for public consumption, but your library soon became so daunting that visitors didn’t know where to begin. So they never did.

What’s the solution here? Step away from YouTube and try categorizing the videos on your web page. Take our client, Wet & Forget, for example. Their multitude of videos ranged from application how-tos to interviews about the product. Their library had grown steadily, and having every video on the same page was simply too overwhelming. Pictured below is the new look to the Wet & Forget Videos page.

If you feel that you have great video content that should be getting more attention, take a look at your videos from a new visitor’s perspective. Is it overwhelming? If so, it may be time to re-think the aesthetics of your page. An overwhelmed visitor is a lost visitor, so better categorizing of your material could work wonders.

Your sad devotion to that ancient Jedi religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, but now it may give you the clairvoyance to update your Facebook status. Or perhaps you’d like to boot up the old the W.O.P.R. or tap it out on your brand new iPhone 5.

Well now you can! With Status Via (inspired by a redit post) you can choose your method of Facebook status delivery.

But come on, really folks — let’s back up a minute. It’s cute. But how can we really use this to our advantage? Well, why are there those little tags declaring that that post was delivered from your Droid anyway? Advertising, of course. This is could be a clever little opportunity for marketers to allow customers to post status updates directly from their organizations or products.

Status updates from a product you sell or manufacture? How about from patients at your hospital? How can you do this? You’d have to use Facebook’s Status Message API to label updates with whatever source you want. Go forth and have some fun with your next marketing campaign. And may the force be with you.

Example:

The University of Iowa Tippie MBA program has gotten bored with the 800 word essays. Last year they had 307 applicants to their program. Imagine being in charge of admissions—how boring to read 245,600 words from people using big words to sound smart! (As I learned in college, never use a big word when a diminutive one will do.)

So they’ve decided to have a scholarship contest, and they will award one full-tuition scholarship to the applicant who most cleverly and creatively answers the following in 140 characters or less: “What makes you an exceptional Tippie Full-time MBA candidate and future MBA hire? Creativity encouraged!“ Applicants can also include a link in their tweet to a video, blog, or whatever they’d like.

While they say they they are doing this because “This would give us a lot more depth and show us more about a candidate than an essay would show,” it’s clearly a gimmick for marketing attention, and a brilliant one at that. Applicants still have to apply and be admitted to the program in order to take advantage of the scholarship. All other applicants are still filling out the standard application, which includes a personal essay and additional essays, so the formal application and essays still stand. It’s said that “Twitter is the Snuggie of social marketing,” because every news magazine wants to talk about it, regardless of its irrelevance. And this is a story news sites will pick up on. (As they have, including USA Today, Huffington Post, and even overseas at The Telegraph.)

Last year the MBA program only had 307 applicants, according to one such buzz article in Bloomberg Businessweek. I’m sure this contest will draw a larger pool of people interested in seeing whether they can compose a $37,000 tweet. Plus, I didn’t know the University of Iowa had an MBA program. Now, because of this contest, it’s on my radar.

So this post is my buzz article. And here is my Tweet for the scholarship, complete with kisses and hugs. Here’s to hoping I win!:

Pick me. I won’t use it, I just want to win for the publicity. So you don’t have to pay, and we both get the social media buzz. xoxoxoxo

With Google+ being launched on a field trial basis this past month, much commotion has been made among internet consumers and marketers alike. The Google+ project is said to take on the Facebook dynasty in new and innovative ways. The network is similar to Facebook but has many of its own unique qualities. Google+, already being labeled as a social network, will essentially utilize all Google products into its navigation bar for a more complete experience.

For marketers, Google+ should provide enormous opportunities. While Facebook marketers can gain some insight into their consumers based on likes and their history on the Facebook website, Google+ may have the ability to do much more than that…

Imagine a consumer searching the Google homepage, researching a new electronics product they wish to purchase. After clicking on an ad from Google Adwords they are transported to your website promoting and selling that product. They come close to purchase but never convert. This would be the end of tracking for a marketer without Google+. What if you could then follow the consumer to their Google+ account where they go to ask for recommendations from the people they trust? This is the place for “remarketing”, where you could utilize hyper-targeted ads for these on the fence buyers to offer them free shipping with their purchase of the electronic item. Boom – Conversion.

Google+ has yet to launch to the public, nor has it made any announcement about its plans for Google+ advertisement, however the potential is there. Personally, I believe that privacy issues will be the biggest concern for Google+ when ad and marketing development comes into play. It will be interesting to see in the future how Google+ pans out for marketers, consumers and just plain internet users in the future.

I just came across this article about amassing huge amounts of Google traffic that really stands out from other search engine optimization tips on the web. Viperchill explains in depth why to use current events as tags to increase traffic to your site.

There is a percentage that SEO geeks like me should be keeping in the back of their heads. 20-25% of search terms on Google are completely unique–as in, they have not been searched in the history of the web browser. When the right time approaches, these unique items will have front-page results for whichever website is being promoted. The key to taking advantage of these facts is knowing when people will begin searching for the terms, and knowing exactly which tags should be used in order for a site to pop up to the top of the Google popularity contest. The trick, as explained on Viperchill, is using “current event” tags.

A satisfactory current event is not necessarily something pre-determined, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas. These terms have been searched to death in previous years. Instead, one should get creative and pay attention to what truly seems to matter to the masses. I’m going to use a blanket excuse of “I am the only male in a family of three sisters and a mom” to let the following suggestion slip out. The upcoming Bachelorette season finale. If you are catering a website or selling a product catering specifically to the 18-45 age group of females, consider including “2011 bachelorette finale results” (or some variation) as a tag. As much as it pains me to say it, reality TV is all the rage. A great deal of the female demographic is going to search something related to the show, whether it be a particular contestant choice or a nasty catchphrase uttered by a macho dude in the confession room. Other past examples of event tags include “michael jackson death” and “ufc 101 streaming for free.” The next goldmine will probably be the World Cup results. Google Trends and Twitter trending topics for any past date can easily be accessed. Videos are even being posted for upcoming events that have not happened yet, such as this premature “release” of the new Red Hot Chili Peppers single. The advantage of these posts means that the content can be quickly updated when the event actually occurs.

This SEO tip really got me thinking about the direction web marketing is heading. It is not as easy to change consumer perceptions or brand a product with exaggerated claims on TV, and I think that these enhanced perceptions of what honest advertising is will carry over to the internet. Pop-up ads that are difficult to exit out of or ads that are disguised as legitimate site content are already frustrating enough for the average user. The frustration that will come from users trying to generate relevant results on Google search is guaranteed to increase if sites are appearing without the relevant information that is needed. While Google’s constant search algorithms make it hard to master SEO, I believe that it is a beneficial safeguard for users at the moment.

If you plan on taking advantage of the current events tags, just be sure to include relevant content that provides web searchers the information that they are looking for. Content can be a blog article, a product demonstration video, or even a Flickr gallery. High traffic on the internet is a source of great power and potential revenue. As with anything though, traffic can be generated tastefully or barbarically. It is ultimately up to the SEO geek what guidelines to follow.

I would also like to point out that I tagged this blog entry with “Shia Lebeouf.”  He’s numero uno on Google Trends today.  We’ll see if that gets me more readers or if it just further reinforces my inner geek.

My husband and I recently took a trip to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Scottsdale which was incredible. A seven day break, seeing one of the seven wonders of the world, hiking in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, and then relaxing in a posh hotel in Scottsdale.

With all of the hiking involved in the trip, we wanted to be sure we had great hotels in which to relax and rest up in each evening. So I turned to Trip Advisor reviews to find comfortable, clean, affordable, and quality hotels in each location. If a hotel had a low overall rating, I skipped it. If the rating was above average, I’d check out the first page of reviews.

I noticed that there are several Complainy Complainersons out there, especially online, who will take their negative attitude and subject it on the world wide web from the soapbox that review sites provide. (People complained about the high desk in the lobby of one hotel, since it wasn’t friendly enough for them to look over a desk that was chest height. I don’t know about you, but that certainly wouldn’t make or break my stay. We ended up staying there, and yes, the desk was high. Offensive? No. But high.)

But I also could tell the legitimate complaints that might may be problems I’d worry about. Mostly, if I read a lot of rational complaints, I’d move on. But some hotels had a secret weapon—a response each time a reviewer complained. It always included a simple apology followed by the hotel’s explanation for the situation—the issue was resolved with a credit at checkout, security was dispatched and the fighting couple was sent away, someone came and chopped the high desk in half to bring it to a more reasonable level, etc.

And this followup worked for me. I was able to read both sides of the story and assess if I thought the hotel was reasonable, and if I was dealing with a Complainy Complainerson.

It’s even possible the followup was able to bring the miffed reviewers back to the hotel—according to The Retail Consumer Report, which surveyed people who shopped online during the 2010 holiday season. Of those who posted a complaint, 68% received a response from the retailer. Of those people:

• 18% turned into loyal customers and bought more
• 33% posted a positive review
• 34% deleted their original negative review

The rest, we’ll guess, were Complainy Complainersons. They probably went on to examine desk heights at other shops.

What’s more, 61% of consumers interviewed said they would be shocked if a retailer responded to their negative reviews. So what do you say, why not go check out your company’s negative reviews and jolt some people a bit?

We recently helped a client, American Guardian Warranty Services Inc., bring their online reputation to par with their BBB rating. They have an  A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, but a lot of Complainy Complainersons were at work against them online. AGW didn’t have much online content and did not have the time to address the negative reviews they received on consumer forums. That’s where we came in.

We found negative reviews posted on forums. We then addressed complaints with AGW’s side of the story, and provided additional information about AGW to future viewers on the forum. We provided trackable links to direct readers to pages with more specific information such as the BBB report. Check out one such example below.

If you’d like us to help you take charge of your online reputation, contact us.

This morning the British tabloid The Sun reported that Apple is developing technology that will allow for an external transmitter to deactivate your iPhone camera at concert venues. Obviously, it could be a terrible marketing move — but not just for Apple.

First, let’s learn about the technology, which isn’t entirely evil. Apple filed a patent on June 2, 2011 to include infrared technology in their cameras. Infrared sensors, like the inexpensive ones included in your TV remote, transmit data via invisible light within line-of-sight. Infrared sensors are inexpensive, tiny and the idea to combine them with cameras is brilliantly simple. There could be thousands of uses for this.

As an example of this technology being used for good, Apple envisions museums could use this to lead tours or provide extra information. When a visitor points a camera at an object or display, a small transmitter hidden next to the object will send a data signal to the iPhone to play videos, display text or other information. It doesn’t take too much effort for me to envision the wonderful things this technology could bring. I could come up with about a dozen robust advertising and marketing uses right now.

Now for the evil part. Apple is also including the ability for an external transmitter to disable the iPhone’s camera. The example they use is theaters and concert venues. Some venues already employ wireless phone signal jammers to prohibit texting and phone calls. Now they could place small transmitters around the stage to render iPhone cameras useless. As well, virtual and invisible “watermarks” could also be applied to objects, printed images — or anything — rendering them un-photographable. Again, it doesn’t take too much effort for me to envision the worrisome things this technology could bring — like police officers and TSA agents buttoning the tiny watch-battery-powered transmitters to their uniforms to prohibit recording (something Rodney King would probably take issue with).

Civil rights issues aside, we’re both here to talk about marketing. You and I know that record labels and movie executives will be the two most enthusiastic supporters of this cell phone camera-disabling technology. But in my opinion, they’re some of the people who should dread it the most.

I recently saw the innovative cellist Zoe Keating in concert at the Evanston SPACE, a small urban venue, north of Chicago. Recording was officially prohibited, but around me sat several individuals holding up their iPhones and Android phones, quietly recording bits of the performance. The Evanston SPACE ignored them, as did Zoe Keating. [Please see the update below from Zoe Keating] Where did those videos and images wind up? YouTube. Facebook. Twitter. Their personal blogs. They will be seen by others and hopefully new people will become introduced to Zoe Keating, and the beautiful and intimate Evanston SPACE. Will those people feel satisfied that they no longer need to see Zoe Keating live, or see another live performance at Evanston SPACE because they saw a shaky video with poor audio? Of course not.

As an advertising and marketing agency, we’re constantly looking for opportunities to promote things. Social media is one of several powerful mediums to share information, and fresh content is always needed. Record labels, movie executives, theaters, concert halls, venues and the artists themselves should be embracing amateur photography and recordings (as long as they’re not distracting to others watching the performance) instead of fighting them and creating enemies out of those that support them the most. They should empower everyone in the audience to be what they already really want to be: motivated and happy advocates and ambassadors who want to share their experience with others — and help promote you for free.

Apple files patents all the time for things that they never make it into production, and there’s no word on whether or not this new technology will ever see the light (or infrared light) of day. Hopefully this camera-disabling feature will remain on paper in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and not in your pocket.

For now, look for ways you can empower your clients and customers to help spread the word about you. It’s the best kind of marketing move you can make.

UPDATE Zoe Keating isn’t just savvy about combining music and technology, she’s also pretty adept at social media. She actively engages with her fans on her Facebook page and Twitter. She wanted to clarify her stand on this and emailed the following note:

“In your story last week about Apple potentially blocking video recording, you mentioned a concert of mine where video was not allowed. The implication is that I didn’t allow the video. I want to set the record straight so that no one is confused: I allow and actively encourage video and photos at my shows. The only thing I ask is that mediatakers be aware of other members of the audience and not impede their experience of the concert (i.e. by holding a camera over your head and blocking other’s view.). At my concerts where video is not allowed, it is because it is venue’s policy that I cannot change.”
Thanks very much, Zoe

Almost two years ago, Microsoft unveiled its premier search engine – Bing, where users can perform “educated” searches on the web. While Bing has been no match for Google in market share, their recently introduced rewards program has potential for expansion.

In September 2010, Microsoft emerged with a loyalty rewards program to “engage” casual users of the Bing search engine. Bing Rewards works much like a frequent flyer program or credit card point system. Upon signing up, users can simultaneously surf the net and rack up valuable points. Participants can later redeem these points for products such as games, gift cards and even charitable donations.

You earn yourself 250 points just for signing up for the service, with a limit of up to eight additional points you can gain per day (one for every five Bing searches performed). Further points can be earned through the use of the “discovery engine” or through participation in Bing sponsored activities.

If the gigantic presence of Google has you leaning toward other places to get stuff done on the Web, Bing could be worth your time.