Mercedes Promotes Play

With the prestigious Monaco Gran Prix this weekend, MB posted on Twitter and Facebook, a challenge to Gran Turismo 5 fans to best the real lap-times of team drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.

Couple things interesting about this:
A small example of doing something that gets people to play along w/your brand.
Further promoting the MB SLS AMG and sponsorship of GT5 among core performance enthusiasts.

No prize offered by MB, other than bragging rights. And maybe a seat on next year's MB F1 team?

What co-partnerships do we have w/our clients' brands that we could create some playful participation among their fan community?

Is entertainment check-in really that social?

Saw this story that suggests that a new crop of entertainment check-in apps allow for social TV watching. I've been playing around with a couple of these entertainment check-in apps, Get Glue and IntoNow lately, and still find them both less "social" than the types of conversations we would see blow-up on Facebook or Twitter during the TV events like the Superbowl, the VMAs, or even weekly episodes of American Idol.

Love the 1-click simplicity of IntoNow, however it lacks the social aspect of fostering dialog between show fans. The "shazam-like" feature makes it really easy to use. Anyone knows how the recent Pepsi Max/MLB "Free 20oz" promotion performed?

Get Glue is basically a 4sq. version where users are awarded badges for sharing the type of content you're consuming. Users can type in a short comment, or review of the content. I've used this feature to decide if I want to watch a particular episode or movie from Netflix. For the user, there's a bit more work required to type-in the content name, and the app does not recognize or allow users the ability to add web-based content. Missed opportunity here?

For people who are into entertainment check-in apps, what kind of rewards could we excite them with? How could we make them more "social"?

surfing nostalgia

for the past few years, i've seen a trend in surf shops that appeal to a more nostalgic aesthetic. so instead of the flashiness and bigness of most shops cater to a wider, mainstream audience, shops like Thalia, Mollusk, Shelter and even Saturdays Surf NYC target a more discerning and artisanal buyer. these shops will take their time to nurture a relationship with their customers. whereas the others will try to get you on frequency and will compete for your dollar with the online retailers.

i've always enjoyed the experience at these smaller boutique-y shops that have a knowledgeable staff, most of them also happen to be the owners. these guys are doing it for the love of surf culture and not trying to cash-in on a squid looking to wear the latest Kelly Slater boardshort. people who've been surfing for a long time, or those who really appreciate the craftsmanship, quality and rich history and story of a surfboard, wetsuit or even a tshirt design will enjoy these "retro" surf shops.