On the internet today, asking for feedback is in. The media already are onboard. Virtually all journalists solicit feedback by listing their e-mail addresses next to their bylines. Some go even further by overtly asking for help with their stories.

Companies, too, are slowly transitioning their communication strategies toward more open, collaborative programs. They are actively trolling social networks and forums in search of insights. Some, but not yet many, are engaging stakeholders directly through venues such as blogs. Soure: Ad Age Read more

Why oh why does this keep popping up in media plans today. I understand that the Irish market lags behind some better developed digital markets but we’re not that much behind, are we? Streaming of TVCs may have been the thing several years ago but brands and media planners need to realise that consumers don’t interact with the web the same way they do with TV. Consumers are much more active online and are ready to click off to another more enticing offering as soon as they feel like it. They may not want to sit through a 30-second video ad, and definitely not a 60-second one. Think of an online video ad as a sort of teaser – make it enticing, but don’t make it any longer than it has to be.

Well in advance of the Summer Olympics, Johnson & Johnson has teamed with NBC to present online video stories of the road several U.S. Olympic athletes have taken to get to the Beijing games. The documentary-style shorts of the eight athletes and their families, produced by NBC Sports, are available on iVillage at www.ivillage.com/familyroom. The subjects include Tina Ellertson (soccer); twin brothers Paul and Morgan Hamm (gymnastics); Reese Hoffa (track & field); Chellsie Memmel (gymnastics); siblings Steve and Katie Mocco (wrestling and judo) and Lauryn Williams (track & field). Read more

eighty:twenty is delighted to have our guest blogger Neil Leydon onboard to give his views on the future of TV. Neil is a Director of Calico media and Chairman of the Digital Media Forum, a network of digital media companies based in and around The Digital Hub in Dublin. He is currently working on a number of live action and animation drama scripts, both feature and TV serial. His feature length animation script, Alphabet City, was optioned and is currently in development with Fiddler’s Screen and A Film in Denmark. Read more

Employing the Tarantino/Rodriguez approach from the underrated double feature Grindhouse, Swedish agency North Kingdom has officially launched its international advergame for Coke Zero, which also ties into the UEFA EURO 2008 soccer championship. Featuring fast cars, gorgeous girls and a series of daredevil challenges, the game’s rock n’ roll approach puts visitors to the test and plants them in shoes of a forlorn chap named Tim. Read more

They’ve caught your attention, made eye contact and now they want your phone number. Outdoor advertisers have had enough of just turning heads – they’re seeking a long-lasting relationship with the modern consumer. The rise of interactivity in outdoor arguably marks a revolution in the medium of greater significance than the arrival of the digital poster. The opening of channels of dialogue through mobile marketing potentially allows the outdoor industry to introduce direct engagement with the consumer. Source: Campaign Magazine. Read more

Always up for a party, the team at eighty:twenty is scrambling to dust off the ball gowns and drop the tuxes into the dry cleaners after receiving the news that we have been nominated for this years APMC awards for Nokia Trends Lab (Best Use of Digital Media), Lynx Vice (Best Use of Digital Media), Pot Noodle (Best Integrated Campaign) in addition to best e-crm campaign for My Nokia for the All Ireland Marketing Awards (AIM). Hopefully we can control some of the team members this year after a slight issue with squeezy pigs heads at last year’s APMC Award ceremony. If you’re not already a client of ours and are feeling left out don’t worry. Just give us a call and we will creative an award winning interactive campaign so you can party with us at the 2009 ceremonies…

Microsoft is to begin testing a new way to measure the effectiveness of online advertising. Engagement Mapping is a departure from traditional ‘last ad clicked’ metrics. Instead, it takes into account all web interactions which lead a consumer to making a purchase, thereby offering marketers a more accurate assessment of how to plan an ad campaign. Keep tuned to our advertisingforthedigitalage.com blog to find out about the results expected in the second quarter of the year. Read more