Cocktail Hour: August 24, 2012

This week Google+ announced that it is finally letting users and businesses select a vanity URL; the search giant also created an algorithm to ensure that it is promoting and hiring women; LatinWorks won Gold in the Small Agency of the Year category; Facebook unveiled Studio Edge; some major brands are violating the Children’s Online Privacy Act (COPPA); and Twitter is cracking the whip to limit access to its API for developers.

Did You See?

- Adweek created an infographic from Time Inc. and Mindshare's study "Connecting with Today's Families" on how traditional and non-traditional households view and consume media.

- YouTube is rolling out a pay-for-performance model where advertisers will only pay for the spot if it’s viewed for 30 seconds or to completion, whichever comes first.
For the first time in 25 years, Microsoft rolled out a new logo. Take a peak at the new identity.

http://youtu.be/OzkZWvAJUr0

- Starbucks Russia created a plan to have their coffe sleeves everywhere, including on their competitors products.

- eHarmony shares some love and captures the raw essence of people's love for their significant others.

http://youtu.be/GBwRN14Su8w

Catch Up

• Do We Need New Metrics For Social? Yes And Here’s Why [Advertising Age]: “Most of the web operates as a one-way street, meaning that a click is an action that a consumer takes when considering only himself and his wants, needs and desires. For actions like these, direct response media measures activity on unidirectional paths. But in a social network, the user's thought process shifts to include the effects that his action will have on others who see it on the platform (liking a brand on Facebook, retweeting a post on Twitter, etc.). This "friend mindset" creates a new way of interacting with media, products, services, brands, people and culture, which leads to many multidirectional paths of consumer behavior.”
• Smartphone Content Buyers More Favorable to Mobile Ads [ClickZ]: “An August report released by the Online Publishers Association found that 38 percent of smartphone content buyers said smartphone ads are similar to Internet ads, and 42 percent said they are hard to ignore. Among smartphone users who don't buy content, that number dropped to 28 percent. A higher percentage of content buyers also said smartphone ads motivate them to research or buy items - 25 percent compared to 14 percent of all smartphone users.”
• Online Retail Isn’t Always Better Retail [MediaPost News]: “It has become axiomatic that brick-and-mortar retail is not a place to buy things but to look at products, then maybe benchmark prices before going online to make the purchase. But a new mystery shopper study by StellaService suggests that, at least for the $83.8 billion back-to-school season, in which two out of five consumers will do their shopping online this year (nearly double the number from five years ago), going to a physical store can save money and time.”

Cool Down

To celebrate the launch of Absolut’s party planner app, Absolut Host, here’s a beverage you’ll want to have at your event.

Absolut Bellini Cocktail

• 1 part Absolut Vodka
• 1 part Peach Puree
• Champagne
• Mix vodka and peach puree and top with champagne in a chilled champagne glass!

Please drink responsibly. Recipe courtesy of Absolut.

Enjoy your weekend and tell us what you’ve been reading this week.

Cheers!