Cocktail Hour: June 15, 2012

The week started off with drooling, pounding of fists and a few happy dances (we know who you are) from the tech community during an annual geek holiday — the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). For those not interested in retina display or iOS 6, you can salivate over the artery-clogging bacon sundae from Burger King.

Geek Out

Maybe your heart doesn’t bleed Mac, so in honor of this technophile week, we’re featuring some amazing gadgets that will even impress your art director friends.

V-Moda VAMP: This smart phone case (made of aircraft-grad bushed aluminum) provides audio sound that is five times more powerful than the iPhone’s built-in amp.

Microsoft Smart Glass: Allows developers to turn smart phones and tablets into controllers for Xbox.

Logitech Gaming Mouse: Featuring more than 20 buttons in total, this over-the-top device is for the short-cut expert.

Tactile Layer: A replacement for the surface of a device, this technology creates fluid-filled buttons, allowing users to type using touch on the normally flat surfaces of phones and tablets.

Get to Talking

Here’s the best in marketing-related topics this week to start your cocktail hour conversations:

• While Facebook’s IPO may have seen less than stellar results, there are still stars in the eyes of researchers and advertisers who realize that the company has yet to really analyze, understand and use data from more than 900 million users. Names, phone numbers, emails and now milestones about important events are being researched by the Facebook Data Team, a group of merely 12 engineers and scientists. As the growth of the site continues, researchers hope that Facebook and its users could reveal findings on the unique ways in which humans interact and influence one another.
• Should the loyalty rewards system be reversed? Should brands be the ones gaining the points for creating trust, great customers experiences or providing quality information about their products or services? If brands work to earn points in this way, there’s no shortage of consumers who would cash in on those rewards.
• Digital strategists are assigned with the goal of building experiences that not only meet the brand’s objectives, but also take the brand’s online presence to the next level. This manifesto for strategic implementation outlines practical guidelines and directions for execution.
• Social media has changed the way agencies operate and communicate from behind the once closed doors. Four advertising executives discuss how social has created more relationships and forced agencies to be more focused and transparent.

Did You See?

• Cannes Lions International starts June 17; catch up on the industry’s favorites.
• Twitter launches expanded tweets with a select group of publishers and hashtag pages for advertisers.
• RebelMouse, a tech startup from the former CTO of The Huffington Post, launches social front pages.
• Wieden + Kennedy and partners launch Coca-Cola’s Happiness Islands website.

This Week’s Choice Cocktail

In honor of the rescue of Spain’s banks by the euro zone, we found a Spanish-inspired cocktail with a kick.

Tequila Sangria

Per glass:

• 2 pineapple slices
• 2 orange slices
• 3 blackberries
• 2 lime wedges
• 2 ounces of tequila
• 2 tablespoons of elderflower-flavored liqueur
• 2 tablespoons simple syrup
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• Splash of orange juice
• Fill the rest of the glass with red wine and ice

Please drink responsibly.

Let us know what you would have added to our list of great reads this week.

Cheers!