Chado-Design.com

After several months of speculation and rumors Apple has finally launched revealed their newest product, the iPad. For years tech blogs have been buzzing about a new Apple tablet to follow up their old tablet product The Newton and it has finally arrived.  What is it exactly? What does it do? What doesn’t it do? And how can it change the face of advertising?

The iPad can be best described as a convergence between the iPhone and a Macbook, fusing together specifications from both product lines. Initially it looks like nothing more than a giant iPhone, utilizing an improved operating system based on the iPhone OS. It also has about the same thickness measured at a half inch. The screen is slightly smaller than a Macbook’s with 9.7 diagonal inches of screen and has 1024×768 resolution. Apple has reported that the battery can last about ten hours on constant use with a one-month standby rating! This would make the iPad an excellent travel companion. Models will support Wi-Fi and some will also support 3G. Unfortunately, it seems that AT&T may be the only provider at this point, which is bad news for their already terrible 3G coverage. Navigating the system is done by hand utilizing a touch screen similar to the iPhone. The touch keyboard should be a bit easier to use than the iPhone, as it is nearly life size and can be typed on using fingers instead of just thumbs. It would still be awkward to type on but a definite improvement over the iPhone. By taking technologies from the iPhone they are ensuring that the new product will have a small learning curve and will be easily adopted by current iPhone users.

The interface seems pretty good, but what about media and apps? The tablet handles various types of media like music, pictures and video, supporting 720p HD playback using iTunes as the default player. The iTunes software for the tablet is a redesigned hybrid between the mobile iPod interface and the full iTunes program including features from both for improved functionality. Videos can also be enjoyed using a YouTube app similar to the iPhone’s. Speaking of apps, the iPad will have full support of all iPhone apps as well as some new apps made specifically for the iPad. Its also been confirmed that iPhone users can transfer their apps to the iPad so they don’t have to buy them again.

Apple also plans to use their iPad to compete directly with Amazon’s Kindle. With the iPad’s release they will enter the eBook market with a new program appropriately named iBooks. They have also designed a new iWork suite specifically for the tablet including new versions of Keynote, Pages, and Numbers with new interfaces designed for the touch screen.

As great as this new product seems, there are a few things that I would want to see before I would drop over $600 on a tablet. My biggest problem is it does not support multitasking. You can’t listen to music while writing in a word processor or open twitter while browsing the internet. Most professionals wouldn’t even consider using the iPad as an alternative to their computer without the ability to multitask. Another obvious improvement would be adding a camera. The current design doesn’t include a camera so there is no possibility for taking pictures or using iChat. Also, this makes the incorporation of augmented reality apps impossible. The other glaring problem is it does not support Flash making it unable to view streaming video directly from web sites while leaving wide barren gaps in web pages you are viewing. When most sites utilize flash and one of the main selling points of the product is using it to surf the web, it is paramount that Flash is supported. Lastly, the name; iPad. Since its introduction this morning there have been quite a few allusions made on tech blogs comparing the tablet’s name to feminine hygiene products. While my mind doesn’t immediately go there, I think they could have come up with something a little better. Just think of how difficult it’s going to be differentiating between an iPad and an iPod in Boston.

This new product has the potential of being awesome; it combines the functionality and interface of the iPhone with more programs like iWork and their new iBooks software. The new iWork software would make this perfect for giving impromptu presentations using Keynote to clients and a few improvements like Flash support, an HDMI port, and widescreen would make it perfect for media. Problems aside, it is sure to sell out and open the door to tablet computing.

Now that we have a firm understanding of what the iPad is and what it can do, how can it be used for advertising? With the increased screen size and potential for media viewing plus increased functionality with the touch screen and internet connectivity there is great potential to improve the mobile advertising/interactive advertising experience.

With 3G connectivity, the iPad is always aware of your location so location based ads in real time are a definite possibility. Also, with the larger screen, there will be increased media consumption on the iPad potentially using its technology to introduce a new medium for interactive advertising. The iTunes store could offer media specifically made to view on the iPad that could utilize the touch screen to make movies and shows more interactive for the viewer. This could enable the user to touch the screen and link to a product being shown in the media or directly answer a call to action from a mobile ad. With the ability to literally touch what you are viewing, branded apps have the capability of being more interactive. The iPad is also expected to improve the gaming experience of Apple products with its improved screen and functionality so in-game advertising could be applied to game apps. Lastly, the new iBook capabilities could reinvigorate traditional print ads. Newspaper and magazine ads could take back their audience when the content is viewed through an iPad. Also, while reading through and viewing an ad the user would now have the capability to touch the ad and link directly to the offer.

To conclude, the iPad may not be perfect but it opens up seemingly limitless possibilities for advertising that have never been realized before. With the potential for highly interactive ads, direct connectivity, and the possible re-emergence of newspaper ads through iBook, the iPad could become the next great medium for advertising.

The iPad tablet will ship in 60 days to America and only the Wi-FI models will be available internationally.

Twuition is a new web application integrated into twitter that automatically responds to tweets with information about products, local weather, directions, and other useful information. To use this service you simply tweet a specific “hashtag” like #twuitionweather Portland, OR. then in about three minutes you receive a response. Along with the informative tweet it also generates an advertisement.
Twuition was developed by Blast Applications; a New York based company that specializes in developing applications for Facebook, the iPhone, and Twitter. The application is intended to make twitter more convenient for mobile users, allowing them to stay on twitter instead of switching applications to find information. The technology is not necessarily groundbreaking; they have had similar applications for AOL instant messenger, but it is one of the first on Twitter that provides more information that just weather reports while effortlessly incorporating advertisements.

Muscle Milk, a protein drink made by CytoSport beverages, has recently launched a new campaign featuring viral videos and special edition bottles. The campaign also features Shaquille O’Neil, who recently became only the 5^th player in NBA history to score 28,000 career points, as the spokesperson and star of the viral videos. “Special Edition” bottles are featured in almost every beverage campaign and viral videos are no longer considered the pinnacle of new media, but what makes this campaign stand out is how the viral videos are delivered incorporating the actual bottle. It is part package advertising, part viral campaign, and part augmented reality campaign. The drink container will include a link on its packaging that consumers can visit to view the videos by holding the bottle with a special marker code in front of their webcam to watch O’Neil jump out of the bottle!

Unfortunately, this special-edition Muscle Milk will be released exclusively in Ohio, O’Neil’s home state, for now. The videos are not exclusive however; anyone can visit the campaign’s page, and print out the interactive marker to view the videos. Although this campaign was likely very expensive and will only reach a small market to its full potential, it is very interesting to see how marketers utilize relatively older technology (webcams) for new exciting ways to reach customers. Also, it serves as another unconventional medium utilized by Shaq to market his brand; following his incredibly popular Twitter, his business with Efuel, and the unforgettable Shaq Fu video game.

Chado Advertising & Design is launching a Twitter campaign leading up to the release of our advertisement for the Epic Group celebrating the Bangladesh Independence Day. Chado will post tweets daily with interesting facts about the country of Bangladesh and the Epic Group, one of the world’s largest textile manufacturers.

Follow the new campaign here!

Chado Advertising & Design is pleased to announce that for the second year in a row we will be developing an advertisement for the Epic Group celebrate the Bangladesh Independence Day Celebration. Although they are now headquartered in Hong Kong, The Epic Group was originally founded in Dhaka, Bangladesh as a small buying agent in 1971. Since then, they have made grown in leaps and bounds into a giant multinational garment manufacturing company that produces over 36 million garments a year and employs over 15,000 people worldwide. Bangladesh is also the home to the Epic Group’s state of the art manufacturing facilities where thousands of employees manufacture the world’s clothing. With its deep roots and strong local presence in Bangladesh, the independence celebration is very important to the Epic Group.

Bangladesh Independence Day celebrates the start of the Bangladesh Liberation War against West Pakistan on March 26^th 1971. This conflict originally started because, although the populations were equal, political power was heavily concentrated in West Pakistan leaving East Pakistan open to economic exploitation. The bloody, nine-month struggle resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the independent nation of Bangladesh we know today.

To celebrate this national holiday, the Epic Group has requested a high concept, full-page advertisement for the independence celebration that will run in major publications throughout Asia. Epic Group CEO, Ranijan Mahtani presented this important task to Chado again this year after their successful ad last year for the event and the fully integrated marketing campaign for The Epic Group that followed. Last year’s ad helped define the Epic Group’s new brand identity, that follows the vision of a modern, intelligent, state of the art company while celebrating the company’s roots with the nation and people of Bangladesh. This year the Epic Group and the people of Bangladesh have a lot to celebrate; the Epic Group continues to modernize their world-class production facilities in Bangladesh, leading the world in sustainable manufacturing techniques while providing thousands of jobs. In a nation that has given them so much the Epic Group is honored to give back and celebrate the people and nation of Bangladesh.

Google Street View, the popular Google Maps and Google Earth feature launched in 2007 that provides 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic views along many streets around the world may become the newest digital medium for advertising.. They recently filed a patent entitled “Claiming Real Estate in Panoramic or 3D Mapping Environments for Advertising” which would allow them to edit outdated billboards shown in Street View and replace them with new current advertisements. These new advertisements can be linked directly to the company’s website and serve as an effective call to action. Google wouldn’t have to stop at billboards, they could update marquees outside movie theaters, storefronts, and everywhere there is ad space in the real world. It is a great idea, with Street View’s increasing user base and obsolete billboards and ad space littering the virtual landscape this would give the software giant yet another source of income. Although brilliant, this could stir up possible legal issues and raise a lot of questions. Who owns virtual billboards? Does the owner of the physical property that is being portrayed have any say? What would the companies that originally placed an ad on that billboard have to say? Could competitors advertise on each other’s ad space? Could someone place an ad on my virtual property without my permission? Legal questions aside, this idea of owning virtual real estate will certainly pay off for Google and possibly open up yet another frontier for advertisers.

Pepsi recently announced that they would not be airing their annual Super Bowl commercial for the first time in twenty-three years. Instead, they are investing the money would usually spend on the expensive ad spots in an ambitious social media marketing campaign. Last year, the 2009 Super Bowl attracted an estimated 95.4 million viewers, with many viewers watching new commercials premiering as attentively as they are watching the actual game so this move by Pepsi is quite the gamble. Historically, Pepsi has spent tens of millions of dollars on TV and this decision and upcoming campaign could be one of the biggest events in the shift from broadcast to Internet media. As television viewership has gone down, Internet usage and social media are on the rise. According to ABC News, in the coveted 18-34 demographic, an estimated 85% now use social media so it is no surprise that more companies are diverting their resources to this new medium.

Pepsi’s new social campaign titled “The Pepsi Refresh Project” will launch on January 13^th. This campaign will be driven by social media outlets and blogs and will encourage individuals and organizations to interact and pitch ideas that will “refresh” their community. The best ideas will be presented via social media and users will vote for their favorite projects. The winners will receive grants enabling them to carry out their community projects in categories like Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods, and Education will be considered. This campaign will ultimately fund thousands of community projects while promoting the Pepsi brand. As Pepsi prepares to launch there is no telling how this social media driven campaign will be received. If this gamble pays off for Pepsi I believe this ambitious new campaign delivered through social media could be the push that further redefines the marketing game.

It is now a common practice for ski areas across the country to boast recent snowfalls and the opening of new lifts. Most resorts will advertise this via their website, twitter account, or in some cases a Smartphone app. These mediums have been proven to be highly effective in reaching avid snow sport enthusiasts who regularly check for updates but not for reaching casual skiers who are actively searching for condition updates.  Mammoth Mountain has used the same strategy but fused it with in an old medium to display their updates to the masses. With David&Goliath, a small L.A. based agency, they have created a series of digital billboards that beckon skiers and snowboarders in the L.A. area to make the six hour trip to the mountain by creatively displaying new snowfall amounts recorded in the past 24 hours. These “Dump Alerts” are displayed on the digital billboards using information from the weather widget on the resort’s website. This is a great strategy that breathes life into an old medium; billboards for ski resorts have not been very successful in differentiating their competitors and providing useful information, most have the same basic taglines that merely state that they are open while this contains a call to action. This new campaign’s goal is to entice consumers with updates in hopes they will impulsively go on a ski trip based on new snow conditions. Although Mammoth is located a fair distance from L.A., I predict this campaign will be very successful, that is if Mammoth continues to accumulate snowfall.