May 22, 2006

Me, Me, Me, Me, Me

Personalization is rampant. "My Coke." "My Way." "My This and That...etc."

Apple has sold more than 8 million video downloads since it began offering them last October.

Eight million Americans maintain their own blogs.

MySpace has more than 50 million registered users. And eBay has almost 80 million.

Murdoch's News Corp paid $580 million for MySpace. And NBC recently bought iVillage (aimed at women) for $600 million.

All of these personalized media experiences provide extraordinary advertising opportunities.

I recently read the fascinating story of Mark Zuckerberg, creator of the Facebook websites that have proliferated on college campuses throughout the country.

In 2005, Facebook was the second-fastest-growing major site on the Internet. (behind MySpace)

Facebook has about 7 1/2 million registered members.

What's distinctive about Facebook is that you can control who sees your information. That is, you can block some information from anyone other than certain friends or groups of friends. Your choice. Fascinating. And a whole new level of opportunity in the Interactive world.

What's With "The Code?"

Reviewers say "The Da Vinci Code" bites. So do friends. One friend told me it was the worst movie he ever saw. Yet, the movie had a killer first weekend. Will viewers not go, once the word of mouth spread? Or will 100 million curious readers want to see how the book translates to the screen, no matter how boring it is?

The Sony pre-opening marketing was brilliant. They hired a marketing consultant who specializes in making the connection between the Hollywood community and the Christian communty. And the Christian community isn't just the Falwells of the world. No, there are apparently a small handful of well-regarded Christian bloggers will commensurate power. And this guy knew how to reach them all with his finely tuned strategy of "engagement."

Get people talking about the film, not trying to boycott or ban it...simply discussing the issues it raises. So, he created a site called "The Da Vinci Dialogue," with essays by religious leaders and a very civilized discourse on the issues and "facts" in the book. It was a way to get people engaged and intriqued...a real "people are talking about" kind of site. And, boy, did it work!