Thursday, February 01, 2007
Getting a Read on Active Users
Active Users of a feed is a very hard number to try and estimate.
A lot of sites will flaunt RSS numbers, but from casual observation, it seems people rarely unsubscribe from feeds.
Sometimes webmasters and bloggers get a clue when a feed is moved and you can see old subscription numbers vs new subscriptions.
Yesterday I read about PVRWire shutting down on Jason Calacanis’ blog. Tonight I read the farewell from AdJab.
These, and any other blogs shutting down over at Weblogs, Inc. have an opportunity to test out their active RSS base. They can keep the feed urls going and watch the subscription numbers, and how quickly they decrease. Sure, everyone doesn’t unsubscribe right away, but over the course of a few months you should be able to get a good read on things.
I know a lot of people don’t want to know these numbers as they feel it can hurt promotion, but for accuracy’s sake, I think it’d be a good experiment.
Just a thought.
Anyway, so long to AdJab, I was a loyal reader. Chris, Adam, Bob, Ryan, and Tom, did a great job over there.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Can One Commercial Change a Brand?
Ok, how about two? Through Bruce Campbell’s experience commerical (the quiz is pretty good too) and the one below, Old Spice is suddenly making a bit of a splash. I’ve had the Campbell one sent to me over and over (and I still like it when it comes on tv, which is pretty amazing) and the other is a strong follow-up (assuming it came out shortly after the experience one).
Could a few more turn Old Spice cool? Make it a younger brand? Apparently that’s a popular question and the goal of Wieden & Kennedy, the agency behind the spots.
The NY Times has some more details, including a description of one of the print ads:
To underscore authenticity for Old Spice, the campaign gives a prominent role to the brand’s original trappings and trade dress, including the cursive script logo, the clipper ship from the fragrance bottles and the vintage whistled commercial jingle. But they are treated playfully rather than reverentially, in a manner Ms. Taylor described as an “inside-the-joke feeling.”
For example, a print ad for Old Spice fragrance, featuring a 1968 photograph of the actress Faye Dunaway sprawled out before a roaring fire, declares, “If your grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist.”
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Unwrapping Rapping Paper
Monday, January 08, 2007
Tickle Me Elmo on Fire
Satisfying and disturbing all at the same time.
via BoingBoing