vinyarb

like, what is legit anymore?

All the Google search ads you’ve clicked

Jul
03

Google remembers everything. Even the search ads you’ve clicked on in the past.

Sometimes, it’s interesting to look back on the ads you’ve clicked, and see the kind of story it paints your life, as you search for your answers through Google. Here’s my ad click history over the past year.

I started the year planning a trip to Margaret River, hence the rental car. Post the awesome trip, I started wondering what a home would cost me there. I then became interested in COE prices, as I started taking note of car prices and insurance costs.

What’s your ad-click history?

To see yours, simply go here, and sign in.

search history

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Fuck Yeah! Chuck Norris!

Dec
20

Because doing an epic split between 2 airplane wingtips in mid-air, is not enough.

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WestJet springs Christmas surprise

Dec
11

WestJet delivered an early surprise Christmas present for some very lucky passengers.

Using technology, a team of merry westjetters, and plenty of heart, they set out to fulfill the wishes of the passengers on a particular flight.

Feeling a little sorry for the dude who wished for socks and underwear.

Wonder what would have happened if some dude had said “I wish for 3 more wishes”.

 

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Virgin makes airline safety videos cool again

Oct
31

When it comes to flying, watching the airline safety video is similar to taking a poop mid-flight; we try not to.

Because it’s boring, it tells you the same thing every time in that same monotone, and doesn’t tell us anything new that we don’t already know.

Still, it’s airline regulation, and so, it has to be shown to us on every flight before take-off.

This one though, is different. Watch.

If you think the production value is extremely high, well, it is directed by Jon M Chu, the director behind Step Up 2, Step Up 3, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Plus, there’s that robot dance guy Madd Chadd as well, complete with a mid-song rap.

Virgin America fans like me choose this airline because it has a really unique and fun flying experience, so I wanted to make sure this video lived up to that promise and pushed the envelope.- Jon M. Chu

Wait a second, is that Jon Chu himself on the extreme left in the robot segment?

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How big is big data: Target figured a teen girl was pregnant before her father did

Sep
27

Don’t be frightened by the title of this post.

Everyday, we inherently drop bits of information about ourselves, whether we want to or not. Things we buy at supermarkets informs them of our consumption choices. Each time we pay by credit card, the financial industry knows how often we dine out, or go for fine dining. Every site we surf, our cookie dutifully records and watches. Wherever we go, our mobile phone submits that information in real time to the telcos. Every TV channel we watch informs the service provider of our lifestyle leanings.

OK, now you should be frightened.

So what, you think. These are all disparate silos of information. But put together, they can work to piece a very intricate profile of you. We’re mostly creatures of habits, and so our consumption patterns are just that. A pattern. Patterns can be deciphered, and insights drawn from it.

As of today, it is already possible, and entire industries are coming alive, with the sole purpose of bringing in all that disparate data, making sense of it, building profiles, with the ultimate aim of giving marketers a better view of who their consumers really are, what they’re like, and when they’re likely to buy from you.

Atalaia Target on target

Pregnant

Target, for example, has figured out a way to work their data, and find out when a lady is likely to be pregnant, and start sending them coupons for baby items when they were only in their second trimester. In fact, they got so good at it, they sent a 16 year old girl their pregnancy coupons, and got her father all riled up.

Turned out she really was pregnant, and they probably ended up using the coupons anyway.

This could be a scary prospect, when you think about it. So today, Target disguises their coupons with other random stuff thrown in, so the unsuspecting mother-to-be will not feel like Target knows.

Dominica Break through the clutter

Throughout the course of a day, adding up online ads, billboards, bus ads, posters, TVCs, radio and outdoor ads, we’re inundated by between 3,000 to 20,000 marketing mesages per day. Yeap, try counting the next time. You’ll give up before lunch.

What ads need to do, is to add in that missing layer of data, that allows you to know, in real time, what this person needs, or is in the market for. You can then craft messages or visuals that appeal to them and provide them with the right message, or at least something they can consider.

Lotame

I’m currently working with Lotame, a Data Management Platform with the ability to collect data from multiple different sources, organise and interpret those data, and give you detailed insights into who your customers are, what they like, and how you can tailor your messages to your different groups of customers.

I’m @vinyarb on twitter, if you’d like to connect and find out more.

You’re not going to be doing anyone any good showing me a banner on your latest, super fragrant, deep cleansing fabric softener.

My wife makes the decisions on that front.

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LG’s end of the world prank

Sep
11

You appear for an interview. The interviewer’s room is decked out with a minimal fuss, but you notice a nice window right behind him, with an awesome view of the city.

You make some small talk. You start getting into your work history and giving him the lay of the land.

Suddenly, you notice the sky turn a dark maroon.

Wait, what’s that thing careening toward the city. Is it… can it be? A freaking huge meteor?

You’re paralyzed with fear, but can’t help watching that thing of high definition beauty flying relentlessly to what must be your last few living moments.

You see it impact the city. The plume of dust rises. The ripple of devastation spreading out to your very building tower. You scream and think of your family, and hope it ends fast for you and your loved ones.

Boom! You’ve just been Punk’d! LG, promoting their 84″ ultra HD TV, decided the best way to show off their tv, is to give you an end of the world scare.

A little cruel prank on these interviewees, but I guess they got their point across. And then some.

The next time I see a meteor crashing to Earth, I guess I’ll just laugh and ask where the camera is.

Watch.

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It’s KitKat, not Key Lime Pie

Sep
04

The newest android operating system has been named, and it’s not Key Lime Pie as the rumours have been floated.

It’s… KitKat, keeping in tradition of naming their OS after desserts.

Kit Kat also has a joint promotion in the US where if you buy a pack, you could stand a chance to win a Nexus phone.

But apparently, no monetary exchange was involved.

Any guesses for ‘L’?

Image: Google via Mashable

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Moto X

Jul
11

In May of 2012, Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. This gave Google an official entry into the hardware play and puts them in direct competition with Apple.

Their first showing post acquisition? The mysterious Moto X.

Rumoured to launch in either September or October 2013, they’ve recently started a sign-up page to register interest in a phone nobody’s even seen yet.

Based on the rumour mill, it seems like the phone’s hardware will be mid-end, but topped up with a bunch of interesting software features. Below are some of the specs and features speculated, together with a leaked picture of how the phone may look.

Motorola-X-Phone

Source: Tinthe

  • Of course, being a company of Google, we can probably expect the phone to have the native android experience, devoid of carrier bloat and layered UI like HTC Sense or Samsung’s Touchwiz.
  • One of its first selling points is the ability to customise the phone with 12 colourful back panels.
  • It may ship with the new Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie
  • Display size will be between 4.7″ to 5.0″, with a 720p resolution.
  • Use of Sapphire Glass, which is purportedly 3 X stronger than Gorilla Glass.
  • 1.7GHz Quad Core Processor, with 2GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage.
  • 10MP back facing and 2MP front facing cameras.

Also, it seems that Google is prepared to spend up to $500 million to market the Moto X.

What do you think? Yay or Nay?

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