THE J-9

I spent a few minutes reading an incredibly in-depth article about mesh networks, and have decided to just start with the basics for today.

THE STORY

A pair of NY artists have started a program called OurNet, which teaches middle school students how to build their own mesh networks that support WiFi and social capabilities. This helps them understand how the internet works, and that there are alternatives to ISP-controlled networks.

VERY COOL. Keep reading to satisfy some more curiosity...

WHAT IS A MESH NETWORK?

A mesh network is “An alternative digital network...built using affordable, off-the-shelf hardware and open-source software, hundreds of communities around the world are assembling small, independent, nonprofit wireless networks, often organized as so-called "mesh networks" for their weblike, decentralized design, in which each node—a phone, for instance, or a sophisticated wireless router—relays the connection onwards to the next node.”

WHO HAS USED THEM IN THE PAST?

Residents of Red Hook after Hurricane Sandy

Occupy Wall Street and Hong Kong’s Occupy Central

I’m going to keep sifting through this article, and will report back next week with more learnings.

Last week, we saw Google and Twitter partner up to share data for more effective targeting. IBM and Facebook have launched a similar partnership.

This means advertisers will have better opportunities to reach customers in relevant and timely ways. IBM gave an example where a fitness retailer could “identify Facebook users interested in long-distance running, then deliver targeted deals based on the type of gear they’re interested in, as well as their location.”

This is a fun social stunt, which reminded me a bit of my own agency’s recent activation for Star Wars Day. The video says it all. 

Content like this is fun, but my gut tells me it’s starting to slide out of style. I’m curious to find out what my colleagues think about this, and what on earth the next evolution could be. Will share updates after I share with them!

Twitter is adding a feature which allows video ads to automatically play in-feed. Facebook has seen a lot of success with it, which led brands to ask for the feature on Twitter as well.

The team is testing two versions: either videos will play a six-second preview first, or the full video will start immediately.

Expect the fun to begin in late June.

Disney’s research lab churns out a lot of cool projects (check out their amazing spinning tops here). It’s no surprise that they are a big supporter of tech advancement--but their work tends to have a fun, imaginative spin that others don’t. I’m always excited and inspired to think about how Disney can use tech innovation.

Here’s how this printer works:

The machine builds the object up layer by layer by cutting shapes out of a sheet of adhesive felt, cramming/heating each layer together as it goes...When it’s done, you get what looks like one big block — but once you tear away the extra felt bits (left in place to support the shape as it’s printed), you’re left with your bunny/bird/mostly useless wrench/whatever. via TechCrunch

I’ve seen other startups that create 3D printed kids toys. One of them (I unfortunately forget the name) turned a child’s drawing into a 3D printed model. Very cool! But it was made of sandstone, which isn’t particularly conducive to child’s play. Crayon Creatures seems to do what I’m talking about:

I saw Ex Machina recently, so was excited to see this PSFK report about Bina48, a robot that has observed Bina Rothblatt and who has passed the Turing Test.

Bina48 uses cameras in her eyes to memorize faces, and analyzes responses to what she says, which she incorporates into her communication. For example, she will apologize to an interviewer if body language indicates she wasn’t understood. via PSFK

Cool experience -- CHECK.

Good digital content -- CHECK.

Viral-potential octopus footage -- CHECK.

Product/brand fits naturally without detracting from the content -- CHECK.

Secret, an app that allows people to share and see secrets from anonymous users nearby, has confirmed that they’ll be shutting down the company.

I’ll be glad if this is the beginning of the end of the “age of anonymity”. I’ve tired of trends reporters citing apps like this, shiny new toys that signal some psychological need to create online content without fear of consequence. 

I get it. But ultimately, I’d like to see services emerge that help strike a balance between public, private, and ephemeral content. Snapchat might be the closest thing to that so far.

Earlier this week, Twitter released a less-than-stellar Q1 earnings report, and also announced a new deal with Google that lets advertisers buy Promoted Tweets in DoubleClick, Google’s ad-buying platform.

Not groundbreaking, but there are some interesting implications here.

1: Google and Twitter seem to be playing nicely in the sandbox together. I’m a big fan of tech products who can share well with each other, instead of demanding staunch fidelity of their users. This serves the companies more than the users, though--mo’ ads, mo’ money.

2: Both platforms are working to improve their audience data. This means we would get better, more relevant targeting, and could help us understand how activity on each platform influences the other.

This will be great. Play the video and read about some SUPER FUN ad stats! (I’m actually excited. You should be at least kinda interested.)

THE NET NET: Video ads are killing it on Facebook. Especially on mobile.

Mobile ads are more cost-efficient on Twitter.

Hopefully you see a pattern emerging. And not just one induced by this crazy 10 minute loop track. Hint: It involves smartphones.

THE WHY:

Why does this kind of information matter to a creative agency? At some point, the digital strategist on the team should have face(/conference call) time with media partners. We can try to hustle our clients, account teams, media partners, and creatives, helping them see how awesome video and mobile can be.

THE STATS:

Facebook ads do well when they include video and are on mobile:

Overall ad performance on Facebook was up 266 percent year-over-year.

Click-through rates for video ads (desktop and mobile) were up 57 percent in the first quarter of 2015 compared with the fourth-quarter of 2014. As a result, 31 percent of Facebook ad budgets have shifted to video ads.

Mobile accounts for 57 percent of Facebook ad budgets.

CTRs in the travel category were up 98 percent versus the fourth quarter of 2014.

Twitter is a cost-efficient way for brands to advertise on mobile:

Effective ad prices have decreased, making Twitter a cost-effective option for advertisers using optimization tools.

Mobile made up just 25 percent of ad spending on Twitter via Kinetic Social’s platform, and advertisers should change their focus to mobile, as costs per engagement are far lower than those for desktop.

via Adweek & Kinetic Social

“Mobilegeddon” is probably my favorite thing to happen on the inaugural round of The J-9.

Because smartphones, Google’s algorithm is now favoring mobile-friendly websites.

What’s cool about this?

With its own dedicated hashtag, this new protocol is officially “a thing”. That means those of us who serve clients have new ammunition to start conversations about web design. 

I also think it’s cool that Google’s search engine is powerful enough that this change can (and probably/hopefully will) cause a dramatic shift in other organizations’ web designs.

This one’s simple enough--Facebook has joined other messaging platforms and built video calling into its Messenger app. See above for a punchy demo.

I’m a fan of this addition -- 

The experience is probably a lot more seamless than other platforms/products--the only necessary common denominator is Facebook (not a device, app, connection, etc.).

It fits in nicely with the brand’s positioning as tech that connects friends everywhere.

One caller can shut off their video feed in order to save bandwidth and increase the other caller’s quality. This is a simple but smart addition--do other platforms offer this?

Google threw their hat into the mobile carrier ring last week with Project Fi, joining the industry with characteristic simplicity and accessibility and addressing some serious pain points along the way.

The program, still in invitation-only phase, is most disruptive for its pricing plan. It’s a super-cheap, contract free deal--$20 a month for the basics, and $10/GB a month after that. If you don’t use all the data you paid for, Google will refund you a dollar for each unused GB.

The network piggybacks on T-Mobile and Sprint networks, and automatically switches to WiFi if a faster connection is available.

It also lets users operate seamlessly, transitioning texts and calls between the phone and a laptop or tablet.

It’ll take some time for Fi to be on par with the major carriers--that’s expected. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before network and device capabilities catch up. Project Fi is exciting because it has so much potential. Google could be the one to completely change how the wireless industry operates.