Lab Member Blog: No Internet? There’s something creepy about that!

[We have asked some of our Lab Members to share their thoughts with us on a number of topics. Today we hear from Adam, a 16 year old from Israel. He has Pelephone for his phone service and HOT TV for television.]

As you probably notice, we are surrounded by technology from all types; from T.V. to automatic foot massage.

In the modern world the technological inventions help us to go over the day - on your way to work in your brand new car, video chatting on your mobile with your girlfriend, talking to people all over the world with your computer and so on…

Today we can’t live without any technology; we are used to being surrounded by technology. We work with technology, have fun with technology and in fact do everything with technology.

For example, most of people can't manage a whole day without their mobile.

The youth of today are also affected by the renewed technology even more than their parents. We were born into this material world with the endless possibilities not like our parents that grew up when technology was at the very start.

As a teenager I can’t also see my self manage without my mobile or my laptop.

My whole life I've used technology. When I was younger I studied and worked on my computer. I saw TV and learned through that. I can’t turn of my mobile phone and can’t manage without browsing the internet at least once a day. I have to be updated all the time. If I turn off my mobile I feel disconnected from the world and there is something creepy about that.

My relatives work in high-tech companies. Its target is to answer the needs of modern society by technological inventions and when I asked him about his work he said that it doesn’t matter how many solutions you have, you can always find one more problem that can be solved by the technology.

He is a very good example for someone that can’t live without technology. All the time he stays updated with his mobile and the Internet.

So here’s my question: is the need to be online and updated a positive or negative thing? I guess everyone thinks differently about it but I'm sure that for me, the technology tools are necessary. I like this wired world.

Integrated Advertising: What did Earl do for a Klondike Bar?

Nielsen has just come out with a study that looked at product placement in U.S. television shows in the first quarter of 2008. Turns out the number is up – by 6%. And if you take a look at the list of shows with the most products placed, these are not shows attracting rocket scientists (my apologies to the rocket scientists who are watching The Biggest Loser). In fact, almost all of the shows are what we would call “reality” programs.

So why it this important to our industry?
Well, I think there are a few reasons that affect mobile communications and IPTV.

1. People don’t mind advertising if it perceived as part of their regularly consumed content.
That means you can push mobile advertising if it isn’t lousy banner ads that come between the user and the user experience. So let a brand sponsor something useful – like maybe a brand sponsors my Twitter updates so I don’t have to pay for the text messages – then everyone is happy!

2. People respond better when there’s a relationship between the content and the advertising.
If you notice the list of brands that were placed in these shows, it’s clear there is a contextual relationship. It would be strange to see a Rogaine (hair growing medicine) placement with a music download; unless maybe that music download was incredibly targeted (this song by the Arrogant Worms might be appropriate).

3. People respond better when there’s a relationship between the content and the device.
Our Lab Members tell us they want to see things that take advantage of a television’s high resolution and full color when it comes to shopping and advertising. And they tell us they want private, personal information on their phone. It seems to me we could meet this expectation.

4. Integrated advertising can be fun, interactive – and relevant to the story.
It’s not quite interactive television, but the Klondike folks got really close on last week’s My Name is Earl (a U.S. sitcom). In the show, there was a blatant mention of the product and their tagline used as part of the story. Then, in the first commercial break, they let the audience play along by announcing a video contest where folks could answer their familiar question: “what would you do for a Klondike bar!?” You could almost hear teenagers running for their Flip cameras.

I am sure there are some great stories of how advertising is being integrated into entertainment and then made device-appropriate in other parts of the world. I would love to hear about them. Please drop me a note and share your great examples!