#DigitalDip
Taking a Quick Dip Into Digital with Sarah Frohman
Skip to the beat
AOL is playing around with different interactive ad formats. What is likely to be the most popular format is the “branded skip.” This format will ensure that consumers still partake in conversation with the advertiser by saying, “Hey consumer! Skip this ad, but take a quick poll first.”
Pandora is implementing “Sponsored Lightning” on mobile, which lets users opt to watch a video ad in exchange for a commercial-free hour. Go Pandora, because these changes are working and the company is performing better than forecasted.
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/nl5fkve , http://tinyurl.com/nbqm573 , http://tinyurl.com/prac599
Now hiring
Publishers to Snapchat’s Discover feature (like CNN, Daily Mail, and Nat Geo to name a few) are hiring teams to navigate all things Snapchat. Companies wouldn’t hire these Snap-experts if they thought the platform would vanish as quickly as Snapchat’s time-sensitive photos. Snap is here to stay.
To read more, visit: http://digiday.com/publishers/snapchat-ninjas-in-the-newsroom/
What’s up with you, NBCU?
A lot is up, actually. One, NBCU has informally sealed the deal to buy Buzzfeed. Two, NBCU is in talks with Vox Media to buy them, too. Both acquisitions are part of NBCU’s drive to appeal to the #digitally-dipping Millennials. Last but not least, NBCU is already pushing the Olympics (over a year in advance) using all of its properties, digital and linear alike. We were all taught as kids to think before we act, and NBCU is doing just that: starting the Olympics buzz early will give the company’s ad sales teams a jumpstart on garnering Olympic interest.
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/pa2dx69 , http://tinyurl.com/nevzjj5
Woohoo for Yahoo
The infamous “we need to talk” text message: don’t you wish you could see the sender’s facial expression so you could know if you are about to get yelled at? Previously, the solution might have been Facetime, but that is not always convenient. Well, Yahoo has figured out a better way…
Yahoo Livetext allows users to videochat—without sound—while texting. The goal is to make texting into a more realistic, face-to-face conversation, minus the intrusive audio (that prevents you from Facetiming in an elevator or in class…). Ya-who wants to Livetext with me?!
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/oefffug
Toilet paper in a flash with the Dash
Amazon has created the “Dash,” a little button that can be stuck to various household surfaces and pressed when more of that item is needed. Stick the Charmin Ultra Strong Dash to the wall in the bathroom, put the Dash for Tide Detergent on your laundry machine, or get the Trojan Condom Dash and… you get the point.
The button links to the Amazon mobile app, allowing you to keep track of your purchases and to be sure that your toddler isn’t ordering 100 rolls of paper towels by accident. The Dash bridges the gap between the brand and the internet, making it exceedingly convenient for consumers to get what they want, when they want.
I wonder if Amazon will make a Dash that will mail me answers to my homework?
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/ntn8bmd
Siri-ously, Apple? It’s about time!
Apple is experimenting with making Siri into, essentially, a digital secretary. Siri will answer your phone calls if you cannot pick up, tell the caller the reason that you are unavailable, and then leave you a notification with details about the call.
You might be thinking, “Wow, Apple has done it again!” But, no, they haven’t. Google technology has had these capabilities for years on Android devices…it’s about time Apple has caught up!
The Apple-Google face-off teaches us that as the digital world gets more and more competitive, the quality of its products will improve, too!
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/omaw93t
Star Spangled Data
Members of Congress (including New York’s Rep. Jerrold Nadler) as well as representatives from different technology councils (like the Consumer Electronics Association) have been chatting it up regarding data privacy in the 50 states. The consensus? “Innovators should be free to innovate without the threat of overreaching privacy legislation getting in the way.”
The bottom line: the sky is the limit in the digital world and to preemptively control it with debilitating legislation would be a mistake. As long as digital firms are transparent, then lawmakers can react with regulations that will keep Americans safe and secure.
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/oqbkx2e
Digital gettin’ dirty
This goes against everything I learned in Health class, but Calvin Klein has launched a “sexting” campaign. I guess they want to get into their digital consumers’ pants. #Inappropriate? By advertising using racy text conversations, they hope to inspire their consumers and, you know, set the mood to make them want to buy new underwear…
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/olmqr63
Where in the world is digital?
Let’s take a trip across the border and see what the deal is with digital, internationally…
1. According to AdAge, France excels with ad technology, while the US is better at marketing. These two red, white, and blues should collaborate in order to raise the advertising bar.
2. China will stop exporting drones and supercomputers to countries that they deem “threatening,” like Nigeria, Pakistan, and Egypt. Is China’s decision a smart and safe one, or are they just flexing their digital muscle?
3. Facebook, on the other hand, is using their digital prowess in a different way. They will send Internet drones to underdeveloped nations in order to provide them the opportunity for technological advancement (and expand their social network, of course).
Ok, now it’s time to return home. Have a safe flight!
To read more, visit: http://tinyurl.com/pdsxayk , http://tinyurl.com/omvacbj , http://tinyurl.com/nwjkvaq , http://tinyurl.com/pmx4dzf
Interested in reading previous #DigitalDips?
A take on the team
SPOTLIGHT ON: Nicole Scholtyssek
Bio: Very well… Where do I begin. Growing up, I lived in several places – including PA, NJ and Germany. I grew up bi-lingual and bi-cultural, which is why I have a very interesting perspective on things and don’t always understand some slang, sayings or jokes… :)
Before college, I was big into swimming, sailing and ceramics, but also began working at a very early age kicking off my career making sandwiches at a local deli and eventually Wawa (yes, the convenience store you see most often at the Jersey Shore or near Philly). That’s where I found my passion for managing a team, running an operationally efficient business and fixing up an amazing hoagie!
I studied Digital Media (think a mix of Pixar/Web Design/Coding/Video Games/Fine Art) at Drexel University in Philly and interned at Comcast where my role evolved from web designer to a one-woman digital ops team to… Blast forward 11 years and I’m still here! I have really seen digital take off and have loved every minute.
Now, I live in LIC with a loving boyfriend, little cavalier pup we call “Pooh” and a 14 lb. cat named Ollie. We are loving life and can’t wait to see what’s next!
What song would you say best sums you up, and why?: Not that I am a huge fan of hers… but, the song “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson. The song is inspired by a Friedrich Nietzsche quotation: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” My philosophy is that every tough moment will prepare you for the next challenge.
Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or other? Explain!: There is the right time and place for each... If I'm in New England, Dunkin wins hands down, if I'm in the burbs - I'll go for Starbucks, if I'm traveling internationally - I go for their local brew and if I'm rushing to work in the morning, anything that's quick and with caffeine! The only thing I won’t drink is the sludge they offer in the Delta terminals at LGA!
Would you rather read the book or watch the movie? Why?: Movie. I studied special effects and computer animation in college and have a true appreciation for the art of cinema!
Describe the best vacation you have ever had: Trips to the British Virgin Islands... Island hopping, sailing, swimming, snorkeling and sunsets. Can’t beat that!
SPOTLIGHT ON: Robert Peralta
Bio: Born in Howard Beach (Queens), New York on a cold day in November a long time ago. Enjoyed being the baby in the family until another sister arrived seven years later. I am the perfect middle child having an older brother, an older sister, a younger brother, and a younger sister. Left Long Island for the “big city” when I was 17 years old to study at New York University. College was fun! Graduated four years later with a double major in Marketing and Computer Applications. BTW, tuition at NYU the year I started was $5,770/yr. Imagine that…
Worked at Citibank for 13 years! Moved to LA in 1989 after getting robbed at gunpoint in Jersey City. Travelled all over Europe with Citibank before moving to London in 1995. Forced to move to Chicago in 1995, and in 1997 said, forget this, and moved back to LA.
Dabbled in movie production for about two years. Look me up on IMDB and find the movies I worked on, most of which you’ve probably never heard of. Starting working at a .com just before the .com bubble burst, but luckily ended up at a very successful one: Fandango.com, where my digital career started. Comcast bought Fandango in 2007, and then Comcast bought NBC in 2011. I moved back to NYC in 2014 (after 25 away), and now I run Digital Sales Ops for one of the biggest (and best) media companies in the world!
What song would you say best sums you up, and why?: There’s a French song made famous by Edith Piaf called, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”. Roughly translated, it means “No, I regret nothing.” It pretty much sums up my philosophy about life: You have to take advantage of opportunities when they come your way. If you do, you’ll not have any regrets!
Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or other? Explain!: I would much rather have a café latte and my all-time favorite desert, an Italian Cannoli.
Would you rather read the book or watch the movie? Why?: Although I like reading books, I think, the movie. There is nothing like sitting in a darkened cinema watching a story unfold in front of your eyes. It’s a completely immersive experience that enables you to put aside your worries for two hours. Unless of course, some idiot is texting in front of you and then it’s mostly annoying.
Describe the best vacation you have ever had: This is a hard one. I love to travel and have been very fortunate to have had many fun vacation experiences over the years. A few highlights include: flying Concorde JFK to London in under 3 hrs, and the other extreme… crossing the Atlantic on the QE2 over 6 days. Spending a lazy week at Le Sirenuse in Positano, Italy. Freezing my ass off in Red Square (Moscow) one New Year’s Eve. Sailing the Queen Mary 2 on her maiden voyage. Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.