Just a spent nutty, yet lovely days in Sitges, Spain with Josh Mortensen, the hip-hop non executive board member of GlibHippo, a new kind of ad network that pimps out and optimizes ad campaigns with…wait for it… human intelligence. And in these two days of required mingling with goofsticks and chitchat, Josh was dispensing all sorts of insight from irony of intelligent advertising to plausible deniability. So we asked the former Foot, Cone & Belding advertising executive to talk to us about his thoughts on the Tweeter and here is what he gave us. (this is a re-run from the HippoFiles). You can also follow him on the Tweeter @razzmuzzen.
– JLH
Josh Mortensen: It’s only a matter of time before an innocent Twitter mistake is harnessed for evil.
Twitter is lousy with fakery and pranks, but also rife with satire. The @fakeMichaelbay, @BPGlobalPR, Cala Boca Galvao spring to mind. Comedy, comedic justice and, well comedic justice.
In August, Washington Post sportswriter Mike Wise sent out a fake tweet about the Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. The tweet was made-up. Wise wanted to see if he could get the media to run with the story without verifying it. And guess what – The ruse was successful. The Miami Herald, The Baltimore Sun and the NBC sports blog ProFootballTalk ran with the story. They reported a ‘tweet’ as news.
Wise was vilified.
But what made this prank fail was its lack of plausible deniability. It was way too overt. A more skilled practitioner, with more malign intentions, would have used an unintentional Twitter-feature with exquisite dis-information potential. The DM FAIL.
The twitter direct message feature is notoriously sketchy. Even founder Evan Williams apparently has trouble with it. It’s gone now but a site called DMfail used to track it. Plenty of embarrassment has been documented.
It’s inherent dangers established, DM is perfect cover for perpetrating deniable rumor generation. It would be way better than, say, getting a story placed without sources because it looks like a mistake and does not need to be explicit.
No information is more delicious than the private inadvertently made public. And no microcosm of our accelerated culture is a better echo chamber than twitter.
The right person, crafting the correct ‘error’ could create a veritable tsunami of twiddle. Imagine something like:
‘DM @sergeybrinn Hey. Sourced where Z-berg is getting chips for the phones he isn’t making. Call me.’
It’s prank potential is awesome. It’s potential as a powerful tool in the dirty tricks bag of stock manipulators, unscrupulous PR hacks and lobbyists is more awesomer.
First one to spot a deliberate Twitter DM FAIL gets a Euro.
Tags: Baltimore Sun, Communications, GlibHippo, Mike Wise, Satire, social media, Twitter, Washington Post
We got lucky and had a chance to talk to Vanessa Vigar, a 20-year marketing and communications veteran from the technology media & telecommunications sector and new partner at ink Communications. She gave us the low-down on her vision of what public relations should be about in the tech world we live in today and tomorrow. — JLH
Vigar: I’m into day 17 at ink now and after putting on a pair of high heels to fit in with those ladies and joining this virtual team, I had a chance to think about how the role of a PR agency has changed and continues to change. Here are some of my observations.
- It’s even more about the journalist than ever. As papers and magazines battle to reinvent and survive, those creating the content are becoming media channels in their own right and carry the weight (or not) rather than just the editor.
- Your business network is as big an asset as is your media relationships. If you boast to be “in” the industry, companies are increasingly turning to their PR folks to match-make and make new connections. How good is your LinkedIn profile?
- It’s going 360 and virtual. Small to medium organistations, would rather have one commnications agency then several. It’s rare to find one strong in the multiple deciplines of PR, marketing and promotion, but in a shameless plug for ink, some of us get it! Companies are (thank goodness) growing wearty of bloated expenses, mark-ups and covering the overhead costs of their ageny in their fees. Welcome the virutal agency. Pay for what you get is our mantra!
- Video is becoming increasingly prominent across all media. From reading to watching WIRED on your iPad, understanding what works on camera is a valuable PR asset.
- Location really does not matter. Tap into the skills where they are, rather than where you are… you have Skype right?
- Of course, somethings never change. Bad PR still gives the industry a bad reputation, whereas bad journalism is commonplace. Liquid lunches still sell stories and (some) big companeis still seek comfort in the big agency network. Come on, prove me wrong!
Tags: 360 Communications, Business, Global Communications, ink Communications, LinkedIn, Marketing, PR 2.0, Public relations, Social media marketing, Vanessa Vigar
Today, a new kind of ad network came out of the closet. GlibHippo. They have been in proverbial stealth mode for the past year or so quietly accumulating customers and serving up more than five billion impressions to more than 60 million unique users per month.
They offer up something that you just don’t hear much about anymore – human intelligence combined with technology, with human intelligence doing the heavy lifting. They believe that there is more to an impression. That the real value over time is in fact a customer, and they believe this comes from what happens after the users clicks on that ad.
The company’s founders are long time industry veterans of the internet age, digital media and online movie revolution including the CEO, Arican Wegter who was one of the co-founders of LOVEFilm. They aren’t all high tech addicts basing their success for their clients on some fancy optimization machine that coughs up the magic matrix for your ad … they massage, learn and perfect your campaigns to get you the clicks you need. I know its hard to believe, but nothing beats the human brain. Follow them on Twitter.com/glibhippo
– JLH
Tags: acquisition marketing, Ad network, Advertising, Arican Wegter, brands, Europe, GlibHippo, Maik Brodowski, online advertising
It’s time! The 5th Hot Men of IBC comes to you in living color. Ok, it’s a telco show/conference/event. And this year the show was dull, dull, dull – everyone was saying the same things, even the guys that spent the big bucks on ads said stuff that was the same, but with a bit more pizazz. One thing for sure, the content might have been dull, but the stands were really pretty and way classier and stylish than previous years and tangentially, this brings me to my next point – the 11 Hot Men of IBC.
As you know, these are not in any order. We have to preface that because apparently, among the men, it causes some sort of an uproar. The next time we run into these fellas, they always want to know which number they are, so we list them alphabetically. Remember, it takes more than a pretty face to make this list. Charm, cheek, wit, manners, fetching cocktails, good dance moves and the ability to just make us laugh.
We present – the 2010 list!
Juan Aguirre, Acentic
We have known him for years – through the acquisition off iMagic by Alcatel-Lucent to present day and he never ceases to amaze us. This French-Spanish charmer grew up in Oxford but resides in Nice and exudes every element of what a Frenchman is known for with women. Says the most charming things with an even-handed ascerbic wit which keeps us on our toes plus the man can order a wine like no other.
Andreas Bergenwall, Maxisat
The only Finnish man on the list but we think pretty much represents, since we like the dark haired types, Andreas just pretty much stops you in your cocktail tracks. He’s quiet and commanding at the same time and knows how to order a cocktail. What more do you need?
Samuel Blombäck, Dreampark
We might have gotten off on the wrong foot with Samuel, it might have been because we find it so hard to look him directly in those pools of blue he calls eyes or maybe because he played it so cool that we didn’t feel worthy. But as time marched on, we found the courage to stand close enough to him to snap a photo. He gave us this. Why? Cause that’s how he rolls.
Bob Chalker, Concurrent
You know the guy that was always the class clown and made you laugh at everything no matter what was going on in your life? That’s Bob. The only man that truly can lift up your spirits no matter what is swirling on around you. The man makes you feel like you are the only woman left in the entire galaxy, that’s a super hero‘s skill set, can’t beat that.
Adam Foskett, ANT Plc
Here is what you DON’T normally get in the Telco industry – Adam. Extremely tall, tattoos, ear piercings, outstanding and random taste in music and a disarming sense of humor that is alluring and a little bit dangerous. On top of that he is one of the most creative user experience designers out there. He looks like he should be out on the beach with a surfboard or a skateboard under his arm. We’ll take it. Livens up the place.
Henrik Lindmark, Dreampark (yes another Swedish man) You know those men that are just so subtle about everything they do and say? This is Henrik, sure he is tall. Sure he is Swedish. Sure, he loves to throw cocktail parties and he’s one of the best dancers in the galaxy, but the best thing about Henrik is that he just Henrik.
Chen Loewy, Siano Mobile Silicon. We have known him for years and always loved his tough guy demeanor, but this year he seemed to be off the grid in magnetism and charm. Sparking eyes, confident gaze and a personality that makes you want to just run off into the sunset, Chen reminds us that a smile goes a long way.
Valia Merino, OptivaMedia
Last year, his colleague Ignacio Garcia-Lopez hit our list like a firestorm – a true Javier Bardem look-alike and thankfully no Penelope on his arm. So this year, we see another man hailing from Madrid that makes us lose the power of speech. We just don’t know what to say other than Valia swept us off our feet – that smile, those dimples, that suave old world charm – there was a lot of flushing and blushing. The way life used to be. We hope we have a trip to Madrid – soon!
Nico Pauli, Verimatrix. He’s Swiss, multi-lingual and pretty much the tall, dark and handsome you always refer to. Those six languages? English, Swiss, German, French and Spanish, he claims he can understand Dutch, but unless he is saying “stoopwaffle” we don’t even mind. Nico was the life of ink’s IBC Go Underground party and proved that he looks good draped in red.
Graham Pomphrey, DigitalTV Europe
Before you say anything, being the first man to ever be in the Hot Man list as the ONLY person on the list is pretty huge. That was for IPTV 2010 and frankly, he just deserves to be here on this list. So many reasons, where do we start? New Order junkie, wears cool low tops, those eyes, that smile, his post Scouse accent, how he actually listens to you when you talk, his writing style, his clever investigative questions – we call him the savior of the industry.
Duncan Potter, Edgeware – Duncan charmed us with his outrageous jokes and complete disinterest in anything we said or did. Not to mention that he looks like a young Bryan Brown, did we mention that? I mean when you really get down to it, Duncan is living proof that sex appeal knows no age. He and Clooney know how to keep a woman’s attention with a flash of a smile, sparkling eyes and a good joke, ok maybe a Nespresso doesn’t hurt.
– ink girls IBC 2010
Tags: Acentic, Ant Plc, Dreampark, Edgeware, International Broadcasting Convention, IPTV, Maxisat, Optiva Media, Siano Mobile Silicon, Verimatrix
Posted by Tattletech on Sep 1, 2010 in
Conferences,
Entrepreneurs,
M & A,
New things In the great circus world of start ups and entrepreneurs, there are rituals that they all go through — VC conferences times 100, getting to know the glorified bankers VCs that dole out the cash and getting into Techcrunch as a watermark of long
term success (although my unknowing secret boyfriend Hugh MacLeod @gapingvoid would beg to differ and we agree with him says this about that.) Maybe there are a few more, but this is about something good in this crazy world — WhiteBull Summits.
We like this conference cause they are the perfect hybrid of old school VIP networking with that new car smell – which is Money. Yup, they wanna focus on the Exits – in fact, this 1st conference is about the Pathways to Exit, a topic that most of these other events don’t even touch on. They are not about 3 minutes elevator soundbytes or frat boy type networking, they are about sit down, talk, discuss, debate and learn. I know — learning, it’s so scandalous today, but in the end WhiteBull wants to create an environment that fosters conversation.
The speakers are varied – corporate, entrepreneurs with successful track records, venture guys that want to talk about the Exit and who are not focused on puffing up themselves with war stories of how they got “pitched”. Attendees are across the board from the same group above plus tech start ups starting out or have revenue and are on the path to the exit.
Plus its sunny and warm in Barcelona where the conference is being held and who doesn’t want to head that way in September. The conference organizers are also offering FOR FREE for start ups if you register to attend, a workshop called BullPen10 for start ups to sharpen their presentation skills that is mentored by some super savvy industry folks. BullPen10 is described as an intense Texas-style session, how much fun is that?
The media attending the event is also top-shelf — from TheNextWoman to Reuters and the European correspondents from some leading business newspapers including WSJ. Follow them on Twitter @whitebullsummit and the hashtag is #Whitebull10
Get smart, sign up, spend the money and go.
Tags: venture capital, White Bull Summits
Posted by Tattletech on Sep 1, 2010 in
IBC 2010,
IPTV 
It’s that time of year again right before IBC – the telco industry’s big annual party, conference, September 10-15 in Amsterdam, the city where people think there are no rules. Anyway, I digress. The point is that more and more companies in this telco industry are trying to be more like their cooler cousins in high tech by adopting social media and marketing tactics into their communications programs.
But in fact it has just turned into a junk fest full of HTML emails that are packed with so much information that you can’t possibly even know where to look first or what they want you to focus on.. All I focus on is look how adorable they think they are by doing a fancy HTML email with everything they have done all year. Oh and yea follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Listen up people …. one fancy HTML email + Facebook + Twitter does not give you the right to vomit up every shred of mundane crap that happened to you in the last 6 months. Social media is a strategy, not about taking what you did before and just laying it into a new communications vessel. Please stop. That is all. - JH
Tags: Amsterdam, Facebook, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation, Marketing, Online Communities, social media, Social Networking, Twitter
Posted by Tattletech on Sep 1, 2010 in
Mobile,
Mobile VoIP,
mobile social networking Recently, Nimbuzz decided to run a blog series called “Demand more from your mobile”. And you know what? We actually didn’t realize how much you could do with your mobile phone with Nimbuzz. Sure, yea we knew you could chat and call – but then it struck us – that is just the tip of the iceberg. The fact is that today your mobile device is THE thing you use to connect to your network. We used to walk around with our ears to our mobiles, now we walk around with our precious thumbs or fingers glued to our mobiles. To us, this is why we believe that universal communications – now and in the future – will be via your mobile and via companies like Nimbuzz. In their kingdom, you have all of your “contacts” in one place and by “contacts” I mean those people you talk to, chat with across all the communications channels we use today – social communities, online communities, your mobile’s address book – yup that’s right – everything all together. I want everything all together. I want it all in one place, I want to be able to communicate with whoever I want, when I want, across any platform where my posse resides. Can your operator do that? I don’t think so. — JH
Tags: Address book, Business and Economy, Mobile, Mobile phone, Nimbuzz, Skype, Telecommunications, Virtual community
