1) Project Purple and the pressure of working for Steve Jobs
Ever wondered what working for Steve Jobs would have been like? Apple engineer Greg Christie opened up this week about the subject. Having pioneered original iPhone software, Greg had direct access to Jobs and his creative process for years. As he describes it Jobs delivered, “ultimatums to his ‘shockingly small’ team for ‘bigger ideas’ — or else.” He goes on to describe that, “The majority of work took place in a windowless room bedecked in fluorescent lights, water-damaged walls and a poster of a running, headless chicken. Even cleaning crews weren’t allowed inside.” Read the full article here.
2) Are Twitter’s #Hashtags and @Replies going away?
In a recent speech at a Newspaper Association of America event, head of Twitter news Vivian Schiller made several remarks indicating Twitter is working on moving @replies and #hashtags into the background of the Twitter ecosystem. His comments were in line with CEO Dick Costolo February’s remarks, which included the following: “By bringing the content of Twitter forward and pushing the scaffolding of the language of Twitter to the background, we can increase high-quality interactions…” It’s unlikely the #hashtag and @reply will go away, but keep an eye out for changes in the coming months. Read the full article here.
3) Pinterest opts for tasteful advertising
Pinterest is entering the social ads market. Their goal is not to become merely another player in the game, but rather to advertise in a way that makes sense within their channel. Insteading of focusing on web ads that, “urge people to ‘click here!’ or ‘buy now!’, Pinterest is seeking to make artful ads that people actually love.” Will it work? Read the full article here.
4) Epic social media fails
Nearly everyone is on the social media bandwagon: Grandparents, dry cleaners, even cats have their own profiles. Every day, more and more companies are wading into the heavy current of our growing social media river. Some succeed and some fail. Whether a brand misses the mark during a tragedy, or an exercise in auto-responding goes wrong, these 35 Social Media Fails serve as a remarkable reminder of what NOT to do. Read the full article here.
5) Product videos continue to drive sales
Video continues to grow in popularity as a medium for organizations to engage increasingly distracted consumers. It’s no surprise to see the results of a recent survey by Animoto which show that 84% of consumers want to see more videos on amazon.com and 64% said the same for ebay.com. Read full report here.
6) How to make an epic to-do list
We all lead busy lives. Finding ways to cut the clutter and focus on the task at hand is never going to get easier. Having a system for accomplishing tasks quickly is paramount to success – especially in digital marketing. Here are the 5 pillars of getting things done.
