By next year,  Google expects to have advertising revenue of $9.5 billion. That would place it fourth among American media companies in total ad sales after Viacom, the News Corporation and the Walt Disney Company, but ahead of giants including NBC Universal and Time Warner.

And what do they have to sell?

Word snippets approximately 12 words long.   Your entire brand proposition in 12 words

No big creative ideas, no room for copywriting prowess, no room for creating emotional connections.

Just 12 words and a link.

BUT in the right place, at the right time and in a way that is measurable.

Seems like those last 3 little items are worth $9b in ad spend.

Intertesting NYT article with more details in here Download google_the_power_of_12_words.pdf

My friend Ian Farmer stopped in Singapore on his way back from Shanghai.  We got to chatting about new mindset in marketing.  Something I belive is inevitable.

He calls it Open Source marketing, Johnnie Moore & James Cherkoff ( of  interviewed by      if.psfk.com) call it Collaborative marketing.   They If.psf have a nice post  describing it in their interview.

(Update: Thanks for the correction Guy, Jonnie and James are independant consultants, not part of if.psk)

Collaborative Marketing – huh – what’s it all about?

James: It’s about letting people participate in the marketing process and planning to let that happen. This can range from simple things like blogs through to inviting select users into the product development cycle. Pretty straight forward really…we try and keep the mumbo-jumbo out as much as possible. It makes people feel ill.

Johnnie: I think it’s about softening the boundaries between producers and consumers, so that satisfying needs becomes a collaborative effort, and the amount of distrust and manipulation is reduced.
And just as if on cue (funny how life works that way) up pops an example of a major brand embarking on this journey. Amazon with their Product Wikipedia

Good update by Wired here 

1) The software Sony used to create their (scummy) copy protection device,  seems to have been taken from an open source project – Sony used it without complying with the open source agreement (requires declaration)

2) Virus have already appeared that exploit the weakness in security caused by Sony’s secretly self installing software

3) Sony have issued a recall on the CDs (not clear if for all of them, or just the ones still in the shops). [You'd think they would come up with something better than that]

4) Sony have had a class action lawsuit filed against them (damn right too, hope it wins and Sony has to pay out a fair fortune to all those who have had their PCs infected by their secretly installed software)

IMHO Sony has way way overstepped the mark with this …. what were they thinking when they approved the idea to secretly install code on their customer’s PCs.  Sony, no believes your position of defender of musician’s rights, certainly not anymore.

This is about a major brand doing something so deceitful and unethical that I wanted to spread the word. 

Sony-BMG have started putting a little extra on their music CDs.  Put one of their CDs in you PC to play it and it will secretly install a piece of  software (using a rootkit to hide itself) onto your PC.  This  enacts an unbelievably restrictive DRM (digital rights management) tool, and leave a backdoor open for Sony to enter your PC (and more dangerously, other hackers and viruses)

There is a lot of coverage building about this … one readable explanation of the details is by CNet here

If you have just bought a Sony-BMG album, don’t play it on your PC. Read up on the topic, and contact Sony asking for a cleaned replacement copy, AND the utility to remove their code from your PC

If you have not bought a Sony-BMG CD yet. DON’T now.

Please spread the word to let Sony know (in no uncertain way)  that we dont like to be treated like this.

Here’s a man putting his balls where is mouth is. 

The Author of the book, Life after the 30 sec spot, Joe Jaffe, has started an initiative to mail a free copy of his book to anyone who promises to review it and blog about it.

Read about the initiative here

I’ve put my name down and if he keep his word you will see what I think of his book …. From the title, I think I’m going to like it!