Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

Free People, a contemporary women's fashion label owned by Urban Outfitters, has begun integrating consumers' Instagram photos onto its product pages. The company has assigned individual product hashtags to a selection of denim items. Customers are encouraged to upload pictures of themselves in one of those items to Twitter or Instagram with the product hashtag - for the Sorbet Tie Dye Jean above, the hashtag is #fpsorbettiedye - as well as the general #myfpdenim hashtag. Pending moderator approval, customers' photos will appear on individual product pages as well as Free People's denim showcase.

""With YouTube external annotations, we're trying to make it a very seamless process," said Lisa Green, industry director at Google. "If while you're watching it, you see something you really want, you can click... We've allowed the user to make the decision to make the purchase" in the video. The beta feature is available to all existing clients, although Google won't disclose how many advertisers have shown interest or signed up thus far. Juicy Couture, one of the first brands to adopt the shoppable feature, released a new video directed by Terry Richardson featuring Candice Swanepoel at the famed Chateau Marmont hotel. The fashion label features nineteen different products in the second video. YouTube's shoppable video ads will display a shaded rectangle in the middle of the screen whenever a product appears. When a user rolls over that embedded video link, the product name is displayed with a link to the purchase page. Google's product and sales teams are working with advertisers to bring these new ads into their videos on YouTube, Green said."

A new survey by mobile ad network Greystripe suggests mobile shoppers are more likely to evangelize brands or products than people who prefer to make purchases in physical stores. The study found almost half (49%) of mobile shoppers routinely writing reviews about their product experiences, compared to only 31% of their traditional counterparts.   But if a mobile shopper is unhappy with a purchase, that also indicates they are more likely to complain about it online. The study showed that mobile shoppers are more likely (31%) to visit a brand's Web site or app first when looking for product information than in-store shoppers (24%).

kraft and intel iSample experience

"How can brands do a better job of fostering these relationships so that they're at the forefront of consumer's minds? 1. Develop a great product. Not to resuscitate the Mac vs. PC argument, but there's a reason many people aren't hesitant to recommend their MacBook or iPhone to a friend. 2. Facilitate social sharing. Brands need to be engaged with consumers via social media, and brands need product sites and marketing programs that facilitate seamless social sharing. 3. Create sampling programs to reach digital consumers. Many influential digital consumers are eager to discuss their love of specific products and brands. Marketers need to reach and engage them in innovative ways, such as via sampling programs, contests, coupons. 4. Get game. Brand can introduce game element through badges, achievements, and prizes to turn their consumers to brand ambassadors and engage them in a fun way."

"If these are really the dimensions that matter, why are mobile ad rates so low? This is simply an issue of time and of product and market development. The market is still illiquid and sub-scale, and great ad products haven't had time to develop. I don't know what the new mobile ad products will look like yet, and they won't be one-size-fits-all. But to be great they'll need to act like "content" in the context of an app and will need to be interactive and "push-button remote control" simple."

Some 22% of girls surveyed said they tap on the ad in mobile app just to view it, while 56% tap on an ad when it's for a product that interests them. Some 53% of tweens would share a cool product with their friends. Of those, 58% said they would share products they love with friends in person, and 42% would share things by sending a text or with an in-ad share button.

"This spring, Twitter unveiled "Twitter Amplify," a new ad product that allows media brands and their advertising partners to re-promote their television ads on Twitter. After several months of beta testing with select media partners, Twitter announced Tuesday that the product is now available to all advertisers running national TV commercials in the United States."

"One key advantage of using a vintage and nostalgic game is to indirectly remind consumers that Kibbles 'n Bits products, owned by Del Monte Foods, have been around for about 30 years. "It reinforces the perception that the products are familiar and well-established," said Zac Maricondia, Draftfcb copywriter. Arcade-style 8-bit games have proven to be surprisingly popular in this era of high-tech video graphics. (Originally 8-bit referred to the data capability of the processors used in video game consoles. Now it refers to the style of graphics and music produced by those early processors.)"

Glamour magazine is launching a month-long series of Hangouts featuring staffers, online personalities - and products. Eight of the nine Hangouts are sponsored by a company, whose products are featured centrally in the content. In a Hangout for Unilever-owned Suave, for example, DIY blogger Erica Domesek will show how to make hair accessories for hair styled by Suave stylists. A L'Oreal-sponsored Hangout with Glamour stylist Annabel Tollman will show viewers how to wear ombré hair, as colored by Loreal's Féria Wild Ombré product.

PinPointing is a service that recommends Zappos products based on different Pinterest pins and boards. Users open PinPointing, enter a pinner or board name and PinPointing recommends Zappos products that are similar so they can easily purchase that product. 

Zeebox still hasn't launched in the US, but shortly after the London-based social TV company scored a large round of funding they're launching clickable TV ads across their platform. Their press release reads, "in a world first, UK users will be able to purchase products advertised on TV through their tablet or smartphone in real time." Zeebox seems to be one of the only major players in the UK giving them the opportunity to really build a great product in their market and then come to the US with a fine-tuned model and case studies. On the other hand, Shazam, Viggle and the other US social TV startups are working with brands to finally figure out how to make ads useful.

Unlike an Amazon or traditional online commerce site, Tip or Skip focuses on the imagery of what is beautiful and being liked online and allows users to follow what's trending and send them to the original place where it can be bought, "The difference between liking something and 'tipping' something is that tipping will actually let you track, organize and really thinking about if you want to share that product. 

provides a price for certain products depending on each member's individual shopping history

Social Proof: 81% of customers reach out to friends and family members on social networking sites for advice before purchasing products Authority: 77% of online shoppers use reviews to make purchase decisions Scarcity: 77% of people like getting exclusive offers that they can redeem via Facebook. We assign more value to products that are less availableLike: 50% of shoppers have made a purchase based on the recommendation of the people they follow(and like) on social networks. We follow those we like and do the things they do Consistency: Purchases made from the brands we trust reinforce our future shopping patterns Reciprocity: We have an innate desire to repay favors in order to maintain social fairness, whether those favors are invited or not

aisle411 -- retail mapping -- helps customers locate products in stores

For instance, Fiber One Chewy will sponsor a board on the Pinterest page of Hungry Girl, which began as an e-mail newsletter in 2004. About a million people now receive the newsletter each day, and there is also a Hungry Girl Web site. General Mills had earlier turned to Hungry Girl to promote Fiber One products like cereal, yogurt and snack bars. This is "the first time Fiber One has done anything with Pinterest," said Julia Travis, associate marketing manager for Fiber One at General Mills in Golden Valley, Minn. "We know Pinterest is such a growing space, and wanted to test the waters," she added, particularly because "food is one of the top Pinterest categories." The idea is to reach "moms who are pinning fun and creative snacking ideas on their Pinterest boards," Ms. Travis said, and "re-pinning their ideas onto the Fiber One-sponsored board on the Hungry Girl Pinterest site," which will be called Fiber One Chewy Snack Champs. Those Pinterest users whose ideas are selected to appear on the board will receive a badge recognizing them as "Snack Champs."

The vast majority that clicked on ads was likely to take some action, including receiving a coupon (51%), research a product (49%) or making a purchase (46%). After coupons, ads featuring specific product searching, favorite brands, and location information were most likely to entice smartphone users to interact with them. When it comes to mobile platforms, the study found iOS users trumped Android device owners in ad responsiveness. People using iPhones and iPads were more likely to make a purchase than Android-based users. The findings, presented Monday at the IAB's Mobile Marketplace conference, were based on a survey conducted by ABI Research of 552 U.S. adults who use a smartphone with data service at least once a week, and 563 corresponding tablet users. The sample was split evenly by gender and covered those18 to 65+. The study also emphasized that mobile no longer means merely "on-the-go," with virtually all tablet and smartphone owners using their devices at home-the most common place for mobile activity. Tablets are viewed mainly as media consumption devices;  smartphones are considered "mission-critical" tools that 70% won't leave home without.

Robots. Mind control. Mobile games. Social films. Been there, done that. That is, if you're B-Reel. Last year, Ad Age's sibling publication, Creativity, named the Stockholm-headquartered outfit its Digital Production Company of the Year. It was an easy call, based on groundbreaking projects including the Cannes Cyber Grand Prix-winning "Wilderness Downtown" for Arcade Fire (directed and conceived by Radical Media's Chris Milk and Google's Aaron Koblin) and the much-buzzed-about LiveDrive for Mitsubishi, from 180, Los Angeles. Yet B-Reel's output during the past 12 months has proved even more impressive. A small sampling of the work includes a "Minority Report"-style retail interface for telecom provider 3Sweden; a Rube Goldberg-inspired browser puzzle for Honda and Wieden & Kennedy, London; a social-media-created film for Intel/Toshiba via Pereira & O'Dell; and yes, some really great commercials.