It seems as everything in the media is emerging these days. I can watch YouTube videos on my cell phone (and I remember when I thought it was cool because I had a “car phone” in a bag in my car). I no longer have a diary as I did when I was a little girl –I now have a blog to place my thoughts on. And, who needs a yearbook nowadays when you have Facebook?

Over the weekend, I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs. I jumped over to Becky Higgins’ blog to see what was new in the world of scrapbooking. Much to my surprise, I discovered that even scrapbooking is emerging! In my opinion, scrapbooking is certainly a form of media. It encompasses photography, design, and editorial content into one unique format. Plus, its marketing power is…well, powerful!

On January 1, 2009, Becky Higgins and Creating Keepsakes is launching their very first Kit of the Month (KOTM) of the year: Project 365. This kit is less than $40 *gasp* and is promised to be the best representation of one’s life for the ENTIRE year. Hence the name, Project 365.

Becky illustrated the top ten reasons to do Project 365:

10. Incredible value. We’re skipping the “middle man” so that we can bring this directly to you, the consumer – giving you a better deal. Yay for that.

9. The finished album literally can be a time capsule of an entire year. How fantastic is that?

8. Your photography skills will improve since you’ll be getting your camera out a little more often.

7. You’ll be among thousands of others involved in Project 365 in 2009. Cool sense of camaraderie among all involved in the project. Get your friends to join you with this New Years Resolution!

6. This can be one of the most uniting activities for your family this year as you combine your efforts to preserve your memories in 2009 … as a team.

5. In this age of digital photography, this is a great excuse to get many of those pictures off your computer and into a tangible book for all to enjoy year after year after year.

4. Can you hear it now? Those compliments will be rolling in! “Wow, how do you stay so organized!? What a cool display of your pictures! What a great record of your family!”

3. Sure, you can do your own version of Project 365, but good luck finding sheet protectors and pre-designed journaling cards that are custom to fitting a weeks’ worth of photos & journaling on a layout (times 52). Did I mention what a great deal this kit
is?

2. Cool design. Not too feminine. Not too masculine. And it all looks fantastic together. You don’t have to shop around for papers and elements that coordinate. And all the pieces come in stylish storage boxes, which can be used later, too.

1. As a scrapbooker who has been trying to keep up with products and techniques and layout designs and trends … this is one album that is completely stress-free of decorative scrapbooking! Think of the hours and hours of time you’ll save. And yet … you’ll still have a scrapbook in the end.

Pretty awesome right? What’s as awesome is that Becky is solely promoting this kit through her BLOG. That’s right! It’s not even featured on Creating Keepsake’s Web site yet. So, she is generating loads of interest for Project 365 through an online journal. That amazes me just about as much as watching YouTube videos on my cell phone.

I’m sure most of you have heard of sample sales, warehouse discounts, and consignment shops. However, did you know there is an emerging trend to purchase designer products at insanely low prices: VIP Boutiques.

An example of this is Rue La La. What is Rue La La?
Rue La La is… an exclusive, invitation-only online destination where Members discover premier-brand, private sale Boutiques, each open for just a brief window of time.

We hope to bring our Members a welcoming shopping experience full of discovery and pleasure. Our focus is a well-edited collection of sought-after offerings from the best brand names in the world — combined with helpful service.

Membership is free. It’s also invitation-only. Our Members shape the community by inviting new Members — even earning a $10 Rue La La Credit when each new friend joins and places their first order.

Some of the boutiques in the past have included: Juicy Couture, Hanky Panky, Honora, Vera Bradley and Theory.

So, what does this mean for IMC practitioners? A lot, actually! Think about it…what would a brand do when they have a ton of overstock? What better way than to downsize inventory than to partner with a company that has grasped this emerging trend? Also, by partnering with Rue La La, these top designers are gaining more and more publicity. Consumers feel important when they shop at these exclusive boutiques. I’m sure consumers love it even more when they find their favorite designers at exceptional discounts!

This week, I researched a good bit about advertising on search engines. I’ve known for quite some time that brands and companies pay to advertise on search engines such as Google and Yahoo. While Google (see above) sets their advertisements apart from the non-paid results, many search engines do not. I don’t think it’s unethical for brands to advertise through search engines. After all, many brands advertise in magazines, phone books, and on the Web. However, when a consumer flips through the Yellow Pages of a phone book, they are aware they are looking at advertisements. When someone conducts a search (even on Google), they are often unaware that some results are in fact advertisements.

In fact, 1 in 6 Internet users can tell the difference between unbiased search results and paid advertisements. On top of that, over 60 percent of adult American Internet users were unaware that search engines charge fees to list sites more prominently in search results. That’s startling to me! Don’t consumers have the right to know when they are being advertised to? I believe it is the marketing practitioners duty to help make customers aware of that. Unless you are super tech-savvy and aware, chances are you aren’t going to be able to decipher advertisements and search results on a search engine.

An idea I had was to label the results “ADVERTISEMENT” in a small font…almost like a disclaimer. Magazines often do this when advertisements in the magazine actually look like content. This would be an ethical approach for IMC practitioners to take to make the consumer more aware of their search engine results.

Thoughts on this?

One of my favorite things about blogging is creative expression. I’m always impressed when an individual will put so much creativity and thought into something…and then let the whole world see it!

So, my Top Ten Favorite Blogs (so far) are:

10.  The Lancaster Family: I think they love Christmas and Disney World more than I do! GASP!
9.  Eat, Live, Run: I love Jenna’s Food blog! She always makes the most amazing things!
8. This Young House:  John and Sherry have taken home design to the blog-level. So cool.
7. Kath Eats: Another great food blog. She lights a candle every time she eats…talk about enjoying your food!
6. Jennifer’s Blog: She’s an awesome photographer and baby Lucas is SO cute!
5. Life in the Fun Lane: Holly has some of the greatest decorating taste I’ve seen in ages!
4. Carissa’s Blog : She’s my BFF (best friend forever). She always posts fun things that she and her new hubby are up to!

3. Sprague Lab: Jessica is so FUNNY and creative! My favorite combination!
2. Ali Edwards: Her blog is AMAZING! She posts so often and always has awesome contests for readers to enter.
1. Becky Higgins’ Blog: She’s a contributing editor For Creating Keepsakes magazine. She’s always posting new videos, recipes and more. Plus, she comes out with a scrapbooking kit of the month and posts loads about it on the blog!

So, there you have it…my 10 favorite blogs. I’m sure this will changed as I become more aware of new blogs!

Oh, no! I believe I’ve fallen on the Kindle bandwagon! Since the summer, I’ve noticed this strange little device on Amazon’s Web site. Last night, I actually decided to take the plunge and actually research it. Bad idea. Now I want one! This small piece of technology has the capability to replace my entire library! Now, I love books. LOVE THEM. I was the little girl walking home from the library with a wagon full of books. I was also the girl that squealed when Barnes and Noble came to town. The ONLY thing I don’t like about Kindle is the fact that it doesn’t have that book smell and feel. That would be just weird, right? Another thing that is holding me back from purchasing one is the price. I think I’ll hold off on this one like I did with the iPhone. Smart move, Shalane. And, besides, it’s sold out on Amazon. Go figure.

Nevertheless, I STILL want one! After doing a little research last night, I came across these cool Kindle facts and this even cooler video:

Product Overview

• Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
• Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
• Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
• Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
• More than 200,000 books available, including more than 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
• New York Times® Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
• Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
• Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
• More than 1000 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN’s Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
• Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
• Holds over 200 titles.
• Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
• Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
• No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
• Includes free wireless access to the planet’s most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
• Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.
• Included in the box: Kindle wireless reader, Book cover, Power adapter, USB 2.0 cable.

Now THAT’s emerging media! Thoughts? Does anyone out there have a Kindle that would like to share some personal reviews?

Online brands/businesses can relish in what is said to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year. All the while, customers can shop for those pesky last minute gifts with guaranteed free shipping!

So, what is the exact purpose of Free Shipping Day? According to freeshippingday.com:

What is Free Shipping Day?

Thursday, December 18th, 2008 is Free Shipping Day. It’s a day when participating merchants give free shipping to online shoppers with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve.

Free Shipping Day is the last chance for many procrastinators.

What does this mean for marketers, companies and brands?

MERCHANTS
Why do we need a Free Shipping Day?
After December 12th online shopping drops dramatically, Free Shipping Day will encourage shoppers to continue shopping online later into the month of December.  Not only will online retailers benefit from increased sales on free shipping day but they will see increased sales on the  days leading up to Free Shipping Day thanks to increased consumer confidence.

In the next 5 Years Free Shipping Day has the potential to increase pre Christmas online sales by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Who picks the date for Free Shipping Day ?
Every year we will consult with participating retailers to determine the latest possible day in the Christmas shopping season that they can offer free shipping and guarantee delivery by December 24th. It will typically fall somewhere between December 17th and 19th. We encourage Industry wide participation, the more retailers that participate the bigger Free Shipping Day will be and the quicker it will catch on.

Does this cost me anything?
Free Shipping Day is Free! It costs nothing to participate, as a retailer all you need to do is offer a free shipping deal your web site this December 18th. Let us know about your offer and we will help promote it here on our website, on blogs and through press releases.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of offering free shipping and how to craft a profitable free shipping offer download The Free Shipping eBook.

Why is Free Shipping Day better than free shipping on any other day?
Offering free shipping can be profitable year round, but the idea behind Free Shipping Day is to encourage shoppers to continue shopping online later into the Christmas Shopping season. Also, many merchants will be offering free expedited shipping on Free Shipping Day, which is a bigger deal.

Check out this amazing list (200 +) of free shipping sites for December 18th! These graphics should act as a direct link to most of the sites.

What a fantastic way to promote shopping among customers! I’m excited to see how this turns out!

Earlier in my blog, I mentioned that I had just purchase the iPhone. This little piece of technology heaven is a God send! Seriously. My fiance and I were in Ohio for Thanksgiving and he broke a string on his guitar. How sad for my family who were anticipating music! Fear no more…just with a couple taps on the iPhone, we found a music store that carried the exact guitar strings he needed. On top of that, the iPhone’s GPS system gave us perfect directions. AMAZING!

I love how Apple has created application or “app” commercials for the iPhone. How genius of them to showcase some of iPhones greatest attributes through applications. I’m not going to lie, every time an app commercial comes on TV, I stop whatever I’m doing to see if it’s something new. I would have never found out about Shazam -an application that identifies songs on the radio by artist, song and album. On top of that, the application refers the user to iTunes to purchase the song if they want to. GENIUS!

Check out the commercial (via YouTube):

Another cool application is Loopt. It seems like a Facebook-style-networking-application. As a Facebook junkie, I’m a little hesitant to pick up on the Loopt mania. However, the iPhone commercial does make it seem extra-enticing.

What is your favorite iPhone application? How were you introduced to it?

Avon’s daughter company, Mark is promoting a fantastic Gift with Purchase (GWP) for 5 days this week! Sadly, I caught on on the third day!

Plus…they are offering FREE shipping?! What holiday shopper doesn’t love that?

This promotion has been featured on Mark’s Facebook page. This is an excellent tool to communicate with their target audience -college students (and teenagers).

In addition, I’ve received a few e-mails from the brand promoting similar promotions. Their e-mails are consistently attractive, fresh and appealing.

Check out today’s deal and the past and future deals of this week!

I learned from one of my professors about Bluetooth marketing this semester. It’s quite interesting and ingenius, actually! I learned that marketers use Bluetooth technology to contact consumers when they walk past a billboard or a store. Sometimes, these marketers will even send a money-saving code when an individual drives past a billboard or walks in a store.

How amazing would it be if you walked into your fabprotie store and a 20% off code was texted to your phone? Would it increase the chances that you purchase something? I know it would fro me!

As a big-time shopper, I’ve been thinking about the uses of bluetooth technologya lot lately. I recently came up with the idea for Bath and Body Works to utlizie Bluetooth technology in their marketing mic.

A lot of women are big fans of the brand’s Wallflower home fragrance systems. It would be genius if the brand incorporated Bluetooth technology to notify customers of a new fragrance when they are near a Bath & Body Works. To make the promotion even more effective, the message could offer the customer a free Wallflower with a $20 purchase.

Any other ideas about Bluetooth marketing?

Some of the best food blogs in the blogosphere include:

www.eatliverun.com

www.katheats.com

www.seebriderun.com

Talk about creativity! Plus, these blogs gain an outstanding amount of readership. After reviewing food blog after food blog, I’ve discovered a few key tips to creating excellent food blogs.

1. Be dedicated -people seem to like new food pictures every day.

2. Have a variety of food interests – Cheerios for breakfast everyday isn’t going to cut it.

3. Network! So many of the writers of the blogs I read have actually become quite good friends in real life.

4. Showcase brands – I’ve noticed MANY brands send food to these lovely ladies. To name a few brands: Quaker Oats, Clif Bar, Chobani Yogurt, Honest Foods Granola, Udi’s Granola and Larabars. Free food = happy bloggers.

5. Try new recipies -people love learning new things.

6. Invest in a great camera – nothing like an  excellent picture to make the reader start drooling.

7. Comment on other blogs -it just drives more attention to your own blog!

8. Go to fun and interesting restaurants – it showcases the restaurant plus gives the reader something different to view.

Any other helpful tips on food blogging?!