Unique SM Product Alert: FollowPlants

FollowPlants was introduced this week at Disrupt NY Hackathon and actually sounds pretty neat. Here is a quick description of what it is:

To use FollowPlants, a grower could install sensors near their plants, then data from those sensors would be automatically translated into tweets like “It’s a sunny day!” or “I need water!”

What is unique about this product is that it incorporates social media, online shopping, has a very distinct target market, and more. Can’t believe it was created by two 15 year old kids! So awesome.

Thought I would share since it just seems like a new idea, one I definitely have never heard of before, but would be interested to see if it takes off one day. I know several people who love to garden and who I think would really enjoy this product.

Interesting Research: Institutions Still Lack SM Policies

I was just skimming through the social media news today in relation to healthcare and came across this research study. I find it interesting that the results show a lack of protocols and standards for medical professionals to follow when interacting online with patients. When I conducted my research in 2012 and 2013, we found the same thing. I cannot say I am shocked to see nothing has changed, however I am a little disappointing to learn that institutions still do not understand nor see the importance of establishing social media policies for healthcare professionals. Without them, the practitioners, organization and patients are all at risk. Anyway, here is the article is you would like to read it!

New study examines impact of social media on mental healthcare, treatment

Super Bowl 2015 Ads: Best and Worst

I must have been watching different Super Bowl advertisements than everyone else or something. I have read so many posts and stories about how the commercials this year were pretty good. I think this was one of the biggest letdowns in several years. I think I laughed out loud maybe twice….said I liked that maybe three times……and when I see the top contenders, I am not surprised but definitely don’t agree. I kept asking myself where the big players were. For example, where was M&M? I love their ads typically.

Here are my top favorites in no particular order: 

Always,'#LikeAGirl'

This was an awesome idea, caught my attention, had a great message, and generated a lot of buzz worthy content.

BudLight, 'Real Life Pac-Man'

I want to play real life Pac-Man! I have always been a supporter of the brand but this was a very unique idea and clever. Just flat out awesome.

Clashof Clans, 'Revenge'

Hilarious. No other way to describe this commercial.

Squarespace,'Om'

This commercial made me want to go to the website and when we did it was overloaded with users hahaha meaning a ton of people found it intriguing.

Lost Dog by Budweiser

I love puppies and they stole my heart again with this ad. It didn’t make me want to buy the beer but it did make me love the company as much as I always have. What isn’t to love about a puppy and horses?

Here are the worst in no particular order:

Jublia, 'Tackle It'

Just gross. I like to eat tons of great food while watching the Super Bowl and this RUINED my appetite.  No one wants to see toes running around and toes with fungus on them…..yuck

Doritos,'Middle Seat'

Doritos probably offended so many people with this but honestly, compared to their previous years with great ads, what happened here? Huge let down. When everyone saw it was a Doritos commercial we all got quiet in anticipation……epic fail.

Nationwide,'Make Safe Happen'

DEPRESSING. This commercial disturbed me and didn’t seem like a good fit for the Super Bowl. I understand when the company said it wanted to raise awareness and get people talking about such an important topic, but was there not a better event to launch this ad?

T-Mobile,'#KimsDataStash'

Can’t she put on some clothes ever? They could have had a great commercial here but casting Kim didn’t help them in anyway. There are hotter more ridiculous celebrities out there.

LindsayLohan Esurance

Almost didn't recognize her and then I felt sad that she had to take a gig with Esurance. Made me think “hit rock bottom” plus the ad was boring and not that great.

I will say that BMW and Snickers were good as well. They just weren't my favorites compared to all the rest. Hope you all enjoyed the commercials this year and were more impressed than I was!

PR Nightmare for GoDaddy Ahead

GoDaddy had a major PR backlash today based on its new SuperBowl ad. Honestly, I am so glad they are pulling this ad from airing because while the company may find it funny, I think viewers would have lost it. Which is pretty much what is happening now on social media causing them to pull it. I wonder what test groups saw this ad and thought it was a good idea to air? I know they say all press is good whether it’s bad or not but this makes me not like the company at all and want nothing to do with them. As a dog owner who has two beautiful rescue pups, this disturbs me! 

Bad choice of an ad and just created in bad taste. The Super Bowl is known for having dogs, specifically puppies, in its ads and these ads always top the charts because viewers love animals. So why they thought it would be funny to show this dog fighting to find its family after being lost, finding the family and then realizing the family sold him online……….yikes GoDaddy……I am honestly baffled by this decision to create such a disturbing ad. Yes we are all talking about the company so awareness of their brand was generated and I am sure they can rebound from the bad PR, but still, was it worth it?  

2014 Top Ads

It is once again that time where the best commercials, ads, tweets, etc of the year are announced. 

Honestly, it is hard to pick just one of each so let’s see who some of the top dog media groups selected:

·         Entertainment Weekly selected Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” commercial as one of their top ten.

·         Ad Week selected Newcastle’s “If We Made It” ad which I have to admit was pretty brilliant.

·         AdAge selected “Awkward Family Moments” which promotes HBO Go.

The list goes on and on. So what are my favorites of 2014?

Definitely “Unsung Hero,” “Most Shocking Second a Day Video,” and the “F1Car Truck Jump.” These are just to name a few. I think ads whether print, online, television; really any type had a great year compared to 2013. Creativity in 2014 was high! I can only hope 2015 will be just as great.

So tell me, what are your favorite ads of 2014?

Taco Bell Goes Dark: Launches App

Taco Bell was very unique in their online advertising choices. They wiped out all the content across their social media pages and posted one simple message: “Customers can now order tacos, burritos and chalupas from the chain's new mobile app.”

First of all, their advertising choice definitely got the attention of their followers, customers, and fans. The social sites went dark, feature a single post with the hashtag "#onlyintheapp," which sends followers to the app. By going dark, Taco Bell is not going to be able to effectively communicate with fans through social media sites which is an interesting decision during the launch of this new app.  

Second, a fast food chain launching an app for ordering, saving favorite orders, locating nearby stores, and checking out with a credit card is pretty awesome. Stores like Pizza Hut and Dominos have these features on their apps, but not many fast food chains do. This will be interesting to watch as it unfolds to see how it gains in popularity and convenience for consumers, but also in which additional franchises will follow the trend.

Source: Adweek “Why Did Taco Bell Just Wipe Put It’s Social Media Accounts?

The Effects of Social Media on the Brain

I saw this video post titled “5 Crazy Ways Social Media is Changing Your Brain Right Now”  and was very intrigued. These scientists/researchers studied the effects of social media on the brain. The results are pretty interesting so I thought I would share it. Check out the video here and let me know your thoughts!

Enjoy!