Cocktail Hour: July 20, 2012

This week started off with news that Marissa Mayer was appointed the CEO of Yahoo. Mayer is known as Google’s 20th employee and the first female engineer who led Google’s location services. News broke that MSNBC and NBC merged into one entity, with Microsoft pulling out of the partnership, making it easier for brands to advertise and for NBC to focus solely on their key competencies. IKEA started brewing their own beer; NASA redesigned their logo and Samsung announced the launch of their new camera with Wi-Fi capabilities and gesture control.

Did You See?

Nike+ has officially made exercise a video game in a partnership with FuelBand from Wieden + Kennedy. An accelerometer worn on the wrist gauges activity and energy which is turned into ‘Nike Fuel’ in the video game.

http://youtu.be/Ep1DZZAF0XI

You can now interact with Google’s Web Lab featuring technologic experiments from Google Chrome. Try out making music with a robotic orchestra!

http://youtu.be/RrgjufJhmwk

An interactive billboard in Manhattan silhouettes the movements of people passing by and presents clues to promote the TNT crime drama “Perception.”

http://youtu.be/IelUfryoA2o

Pfaff Auto is taking an entirely different approach to direct mail by personalizing the experience instantly.

http://youtu.be/EDgYdtUa1ho

Catch Up

Here’s the best in marketing-related news to catch up on this week:

Mobile marketing is emerging onto the scene with force — over 55 percent of mobile users are now using the web on their phones, with that percentage expected to grow over the next year. We’re seeing use of mobile barcodes, but are we as marketers exploring the full potential of this tool to engage with our consumers? In-app and messaging strategies are being injected into users’ mobile devices and more dollars are being spent in the mobile space.

New technologies are enhancing the shopping experience for consumers. Apps are being created to help find products in stores; hand-held scanners allow shoppers to scan as they shop; kid-friendly videos are being added to car-shaped carts, while commercials play for the parents about products in the store; and scanners are able to detect specific products without barcodes.

http://youtu.be/4dIr_cY03Js

Foursquare recently enhanced their app with local updates — allowing businesses to capitalize on customers who are frequent visitors. Users will only be able to see updates from their favorite places when they are close to the physical location. This update will create the opportunity for brands and businesses to actively monitor the platform and connect with consumers on a more personalized, individual basis.

Mocktail Hour

For a toast to Marissa Mayer and the work ahead at Yahoo, we’ve included a special pregnancy-approved drink for your weekend festivities.

The Citrus Mint Cooler

You will need:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 up fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups water
• 3-4 sprigs mint
• 8 oz ginger ale

1. Place the lemon juice, orange juice, sugar, water and mint into a saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Cover, remove from the heat and let the ingredients cool.
2. Pour over some ice and enjoy!

Please drink responsibly. Recipe courtesy of Modern Day Moms

Have a great weekend and be sure to tell us what you’ve been reading this week.

Cheers!