By Jerry Hong, Engineering Manager

L: Leadership
O: Opinion
V: Vision
E: Evolution

Free diving for California abalone is one of my favorite hobbies.  Abalone is a highly prized meat, but is very difficult and often dangerous to obtain.  Experienced abalone fisherman will swim out a little farther and free dive 10-15 ft deep, where there is little competition and plenty of abalone to be found.  Even greater risk takers go far out into the ocean diving 30 -40 ft deep to find trophy abalone 10 -12 inches in diameter.  The theory here is simple: with greater risk there is greater reward.

Steve Jobs recently took a risky dive when he unveiled the iPad to the world.  Jobs boldly declared that the iPod and the iPad will not support Flash. Flash, the technology that for years has served us video and complex interactive web content.  Internet users have relied heavily on Flash for interactive content, and without any other options we simply put up with Flash slowing down our web experience.  As technology evolved, a set of JavaScript libraries were created such as jQuery, ProtoType and Dojo to create a more dynamic experience on the internet.  As developers realized what web users were demanding, they started to create the next generation of HTML currently known as HTML5. 

What is HTML5?

HTML5 is the next generation of HTML.  HTML5’s standardization work is in progress and is expected to be ready in 2022.  Although, the standard is not final, major features are already being integrated into new versions of web browsers.  As people demand more and more interactive web content, developers have had to meet these demands through mediums such as Flash and JavaScript.  But since Flash is not native to HTML, interactive content must be built through Flash and the Flash application must be downloaded to view content.  HTML5 has simplified this process through the use of the <video> and <canvas> tags.  The introduction of the <video> tag allows you to display video files which are supported by the browser without too much additional programming.  This is good news to web engineers.   

New canvas technology will also enable non-flash developers to be able to produce more interactive content without the need of Flash.  Google has recently demonstrated this concept by placing a game of Pac-Man in their logo.  To the average user, this might not seem like a big deal, but to a web engineer, this is a very welcoming idea. 

Did Steve Jobs invent HTML5? (Opinion)

The HTML5 standard began long before the iPad was introduced. In 2006, The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) began discussing the development of HTML5, and in 2007 a working group had been formed to develop it.  So why is it believed that Steve Jobs invented HTML5? Steve Jobs disrupted the technology industry when he introduced the iPad, announcing that it would support HTML5 and not Flash.  Knowing that many online ads are made with Flash, Apple quickly introduced the iAd, which is based in HTML5, to deliver interactive advertisements.  The iAd gained a lot of publicity for HTML5, which is why some falsely credit Steve Jobs with inventing it. 

What is HTML5 capable of? (Evolution)

HTML5 will have several new features; features which are currently available include <video>, <canvas> and the geolocation API.  The video tag, as discussed earlier, is capable of displaying video content without wrapping it around Flash, and is considered to be the future of delivering video content.  Companies such as Google have already started enjoying the benefits of the canvas tag as displayed with their madly successful game of Pac-Man. Quick note on the <canvas> tag:  The <canvas> tag itself is not capable of doing any interaction, but it provides a base to draw and interact using JavaScript and CSS to deliver richer content to internet users.  Geolocation has already gained popularity, especially in the mobile industry.  Many new websites are also adopting the use of the geolocation API to provide localized service and content to non-smart phone users.  It is important to note that there are other features such as offline storage and client side database, but these features are used in the backend rather than shown to users as a feature. 

Where are we going with HTML5? (Vision)

I was recently watching a video clip of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates discussing the future of the internet in the mid 90’s.  Although Gate’s prediction was more accurate, Jobs took the initiative to make that prediction a reality with the invention of the iPad, the iPod and his support of HTML5. HTML5 will bring internet users a unique interactive experience which has never been possible before.  Interacting with content will become easier and will be tailored to individual tastes. When this migration begins, there will be a paradigm shift of the internet like we saw in the late 90’s and early 2000.  So get ready to embrace HTML5 into the future of your internet experience.

When do you recommend HTML5 to your client? (Leadership)

The move to HTML5 is inevitable. So, should we jump on the bandwagon now?  First, we should look into the demand for HTML5 features and the ability of browsers to support it.  Currently, browsers such as Internet Explorer are not adapting HTML5 features fast enough.  Although, IE9 is expected to support features such as <video>, <canvas> and geolocation.  How well it will support these features is another story.  As HTML5 matures, we will see hybrid implementation of HTML5 and existing HTML using some type of JavaScript library and Flash.  So you can either take a risk and begin using HTML5 now, or play it safe and wait for the rest of the world to catch up.

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Our business is based on people and clients and I am very happy to announce developments in both areas plus a very special event we had last month.

First, effective last month Scott Tieman has been promoted to the Head of Client Services. Since I joined the agency in January I have been impressed with Scott’s strong ability to partner with clients and create business building marketing ideas. Scott is an outstanding client leader who knows how to manage a team and strategically bring the right services to his accounts. Scott’s clients love his passion and his drive to do the best work possible without settling for the status quo. I was very happy to hear one of our clients refer to Scott as her “fearless” leader because that description is so true to Scott and it’s the way Red Bricks performs as an agency for its clients. Scott has been busy this past month meeting clients and becoming more involved with our New York office. Putting Scott in charge of account management shows our commitment to providing stellar client service and creating future growth for the company.

Next, I am happy to report that we have started working with a new client, Hitachi GST on both U.S. and international assignments. The nature of our assignment is tied to the launch of new products so there are limited details we can announce at this time. However, we can say that Red Bricks Media won the business in a competitive pitch and our work will encompass digital duties in creative, media, search, social and web development. Thank you to everyone at Red Bricks Media who worked very hard to secure the trust and respect of the Hitachi clients. We are thrilled to be partners with Hitachi and look forward to creating enormous value for their business.

Last month Red Bricks Media hosted a panel discussion event called “St@te of the Feeds” to take a closer look at social media and the impact it is having on marketing and advertising. Sandy Grushow from MediaLink moderated the panel which included Paul Ollinger from Facebook, Sean Blankenship from CODA Automotive and Diana Cartwright from Kaleidescape. Sandy and the panel talked for over an hour about the trends in social media and how advertisers can capitalize on consumer engagement. Thank you again to our outstanding panel and everyone who attended the event. You can read all about it on the agency’s twitter feed (http://twitter.com/redbricksmedia).

I am proud of these latest accomplishments of the agency and I am looking forward to developing deeper partnerships with many of our clients as we continue through the rest of year.      

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We are very happy to announce that effectively immediately Scott Tieman will take on a broader scope of responsibility within the agency as Head of Client Services.

Scott’s new role will focus on improving client satisfaction, building an effective client service department structure and process, and capitalizing on growth opportunities with current clients.

All account management teams in San Francisco will report directly into Scott. He will also oversee the New York account teams for the foreseeable future. Scott’s new position will include supporting new business activity and strengthening our strategic resources within the agency.

We have significant growth opportunities with our current client base and Scott is the perfect choice to lead our efforts in this area. During his time as Account Director, Scott has demonstrated the ability to successfully partner with clients and expand the agency’s existing relationships. He understands how to solve clients’ marketing problems using our company’s capabilities. Scott is a trusted client advisor and his point of view is relied on when making marketing decisions. These are important qualities that we continue to value as we expand our business and enhance our current position in the market.

In addition, we would like to announce that effective immediately, Peter Vaughan will be taking on the new role and title of Senior Social Media Strategist for Red Bricks Media.

Over the past six months, Peter has lead the charge on all Social Media efforts to great success for several of our clients, including VEVO and SanDisk. His research, insights, and innate understanding of this emerging space has made him a valuable player, earning deserved recognition.

He will work within the Creative Department and will be focused on Social Media strategies and campaigns for our existing clients and potential new ones.

Please join Red Bricks Media in congratulating these two fine employees.

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April 19, 2010 – Red Bricks Media, San Francisco- This week Twitter announced its new advertising platform, Promoted Tweets, which is officially still in beta. As the beneficiary of massive traffic growth, it seems that Twitter has chosen this moment to introduce a monetization strategy through advertising.

The news was broken by an article in The New York Times, and bloggers such as John Battelle have been following this story closely. Media people everywhere are excited about this product if only because of the opportunity presented by Twitter’s impressive user base—which appears on track to include … everyone.

There are two successful cases for Twitter’s advertising play: Google’s AdWords and AdSense programs and Facebook’s performance advertising service. While repeating Google’s magic advertising success seems unlikely, Facebook has been able to generate a significant revenue stream in just under a year. The blog Inside Facebook estimates that performance ads will account for over half of the network’s estimated $1B in sales for 2010.

So what are Promoted Tweets? Promoted Tweets are ads that brands can buy at the top of Twitter search results, just like AdWords places text ads on top of Google search results. Advertisers will be able to buy these ads via an auction model. Whoever is willing to pay the most per thousand viewers gets priority. Depending on how many people view and click on the Promoted Tweet, it receives a “resonance” score that predicts how frequently it will appear in the future. Resonance is calculated using nine variables such as viewers, click through, retweets etc. The greater the user engagement with a Promoted Tweet—and thus its “resonance”—the more likely it is to appear. Like Google’s Quality Score, resonance is intended to keep ads relevant and positive.

 The marketing value of Promoted Tweets remains to be seen, but there are valid reasons for the initial excitement:

1. Promoted Tweets Rise Above the Fray
   A host of marketers, including some Red Bricks Media clients, communicate with their audiences via Twitter. However, Twitter’s egalitarian publishing model means that most subscribers receive a cacophonous flood of tweets all day, and only a minority of these is interesting. For brands that tweet, many posts have only fleeting value. Often they go unseen amongst all the other tweets in a user’s stream. Promoted Tweets allow brands to hold and maintain top position, just like AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing ads do.  

1. Promoted Tweets Are the Spark that Lights the Fire
   We believe that good Twitter strategy is critical to a complete social media program.Yet, a significant base of Twitter subscribers is as difficult to grow as a house email list or a Facebook fan base. Twitter subscribers can wither or flourish slowly over time or like wildfire. But they behave unpredictably in any case. Promoted Tweets give brands a launching pad from which to ignite an active subscriber community, although at a cost.

1. Promoted Tweets May Provide Massive Reach
   Because Twitter is nearly ubiquitous on the Web, Promoted Tweets create an avenue to reach a huge number of people. That scale reminds us of Google, where it’s possible to message to almost everyone interested in almost any subject, such as shopping, finding a vendor, or researching life choices. Almost everyone uses Twitter to listen to the pulse of current happenings: events, entertainment, news, product launches, and so on. Imagine being able to message reliably to all those people.

When Should Brands Consider Promoted Tweets?

Promoted Tweets will provide an opportunity to brands to engage with any topical, trending subject on the Web. That broad condition applies equally to consumer and B2B marketers. Here is a short list of marketing objectives we believe Promoted Tweets could accomplish:

1. Build New Channels. Promoted Tweets would be a great way to publish promotions, contests, or sweepstakes, earning new followers in the process. As we mentioned, creating a Twitter subscriber group provides low cost, evergreen, loyalty brand communications for the future.
2. Drive Traffic. Similar to StumbleUpon, Promoted Tweets will allow online publishers to advertise content specifically to interested audiences.
3. Increase Awareness. We’ve already seen how advertising on search results increases brand awareness for qualified groups. With Promoted Tweets, brands will be able to introduce themselves, at scale, to people interested in their offerings.
4. Manage Crises. During crisis, customers and other stakeholders love to tweet each other with opinions and pronouncements. With Promoted Tweets, brands can offer their side of the story authentically, sincerely and instantaneously.
5. Manage Launches. Product launches generate buzz on Twitter. Promoted Tweets allow advertisers to build and capture that buzz while directing members to relevant links. This goal could apply to new products, software and entertainment such as books, movies, or plays. Imagine how James Cameron could have used Promoted Tweets to message to Avatar fans and detractors.

Scale, relevance and authenticity are equal ingredients in Promoted Tweets possible success. We await this product anxiously on behalf of our clients and their customers. Happy Tweeting!

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We are happy to announce our latest panel discussion and networking event: “St@te of the Feeds”, a review of the social media landscape—where it started, where it stands today, and where it is headed in the future.

This evening of drinks, appetizers and insights will take place during AdTech SF, on Wednesday, April 21st, from 6-9PM at Roe, 651 Howard St, San Francisco.

We have secured a fabulous team of panelists, all of whom are experts in the social media space. They come from a wide array of backgrounds and experiences, and will come together at St@te of the Feeds on April 21st.

Paul Ollinger, VP of Western Region Sales for Facebook, had extensive knowledge of the monetization and benefits of using social media in one’s marketing efforts.

Sean Blankenship of CODA Automotive knows the potential of social media first-hand. As VP of Digital and Social Media Experiences, he is using social media to bolster his marketing efforts for CODA’s new evolution of the electric car.

Diana Cartwright, now the VP of Corporate Marketing at Kaleidescape, was most recently a social media thought leader at SanDisk.  SanDisk’s social media strategy has been very fruitful, and Cartwright is now bringing her knowledge into a new environment.

The panel will be moderated by Sandy Grushow, a veritable social media rockstar.  His current company MediaLink is at the forefront of the social media space, and Grushow’s knowledge and expertise make him the perfect moderator for this in-depth discussion.

You are welcome to attend! Please RSVP at: www.redbricksmedia.com/party

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The value agencies bring to clients is changing dramatically in the marketplace and I am happy to say that it is heading in the right direction.

Historically advertising agencies would bring value to clients through their big ideas and strong ability to lead flawless execution. That part is still true but now in the ever-changing digital landscape we are bringing clients campaigns that have enormous ROI and long-term value potential. We are living in a world where generating a 30% lift in website traffic can create millions of dollars in short-term sales and even more value in long-term consumer satisfaction.

At Red Bricks Media we continue to focus on creating this level of value for our clients and we are doing it with social media, search expertise, creative thinking and outstanding web development. I am very excited that we are working with Coda Automotive and Plastic Logic as they get ready to launch new and exciting products in the marketplace this year. Creating this kind of value for clients is critical and it requires innovative thinking and strong leadership from us.

Creating enormous value also requires having a strong voice in the marketplace and I am happy to report that this month Red Bricks Media is hosting a panel discussion on social media called “State of the Feeds” on April 21^st. The panel consists of client marketers, a Facebook executive and a leader in the branded entertainment industry. We will explore the roots of social media, what trends will impact the future and what will happen next in this critical communication space for advertisers.

Coming out of the recession our theme at Red Bricks Media will be about maximizing value for clients and for ourselves across the board. It is the age of digital marketing and both clients and agencies should take advantage of it!

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Many marketers cringe when the topic turns to web technologies and all the jargon that comes along with it: XML, APIs, JavaScript, JavaBeans, SQL, PHP, blah, blah, blah. While it may all sound impenetrable, marketers should get to know and love this simple phrase: open source content management system, also known as open source CMS. Why? Because using an open source CMS will give you extraordinary freedom to manage marketing programs on your website and significant value in terms of efficiency and cost savings.

Most commercial websites use a content management system to enable site owners to add and maintain content (copy, headers, forms, images, etc.) using a simple editing tools. These tools are similar to a word processor, require no advanced HTML or programming skills, and help organize the extensive amount of content found in a typical website. The open source movement has led to the development of many CMS solutions that rival their proprietary counterparts in terms of features and functionality, while providing easier, faster deployment and significant cost savings.

Many of these websites built over the past decade use proprietary, commercial content management systems (CMS), such as Autonomy’s Interwoven and Microsoft’s CMS. Not only are such systems expensive, but they can be difficult to maintain without paid support from their vendors, and add-on options can be limited. Therefore, companies both large and small are increasingly migrating to free open source CMS platforms. The cost savings may be obvious, but what is less obvious is the potential increase in maintainability and extensibility. These systems allow for daily content changes, instant corrections, easy link management, access from any location with an internet connection and different levels of user access.

The more popular open source content management systems have a large community of vendors and expert service providers, a wide array of freely available plug-ins, and extensive online documentation and discussion that can help answer technical questions. While Red Bricks Media has worked with many different platforms over the past several years, we plan to focus on a handful of best-in-class open source content management platforms.

WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms in existence. It is a simple but effective blogging and content management system, and while many developers use Wordpress primarily for blogs, it is highly customizable, including an abundance of available plug-ins, making it suitable for most any site. While somewhat more limited than more-complex content management systems, its simplicity and ease of setup makes it a good option in many cases. Built on PHP, WordPress can be installed on virtually any web host. In addition to maintaining several WordPress blogs for clients, Red Bricks Media recently deployed a redesigned site for DriveSavers Data Recovery using WordPress, allowing for ease of maintenance and content updates.

Drupal is a powerful open source CMS with extensive customization options, such as multiple websites and advanced user account management. It is built from the ground up to be extensible and customizable, and plugins and upgrades tend to be stable and reliable. Drupal also has many freely available add-on modules, providing features such as blogs, collaborative authoring environments, forums, peer-to-peer networking, newsletters, podcasting, picture galleries, and file uploads. Drupal runs on PHP, so can be installed easily on most hosting providers. Red Bricks Media developed and deployed a fully redesigned site for Medidata using Drupal, migrating over 500 pages of content in three different languages.

OpenCms is an enterprise-class open source content management system for deploying complex websites, and supports full staging of content revisions before publishing. While OpenCms lacks the universe of community add-ons available for Wordpress or Drupal, there are free add-ons for features like comments, newsletters, surveys, and calendars, and commercial upgrades enabling replication, clustering, publishing workflows, transaction management, and other enterprise-class enhancements. Alkacon, the primary code contributor and maintainer of OpenCms, also offers commercial support, training, and consulting packages. OpenCms happens to be built with Java, and can be deployed in a wide range of technical environments. Red Bricks Media has deployed and maintains several sites using OpenCms, including Academy of Art University and i365.

Our experience with open source CMS solutions has proven that marketers looking to gain control over their website content—without spending a bundle or always calling on the IT department—can make good use of an open source CMS. Your new digital marketing BFF just may be an open source CMS.

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Great new client…Red Bricks Media is now working with Coda Automotive to help launch their American engineered, globally built all-electric car. CODA is an American automotive company independent of the oil industry and leading the charge to accelerate the adoption of the electric car era by taking an unconventional and customer-centric marketing approach.

Red Bricks Media will be working with the CODA team on search engine marketing and optimization to sell directly to consumers and deliver a unique customer ownership experience in order to build a community of passionate electric car advocates. Be part of the solution. Check out CODA at www.codaautomotive.com

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By Scott Neslund, CEO

We are now just two months into 2010 and there are positive signs that the worst of the economic slow down is behind us. Looking ahead we are taking the lead on a few initiatives to take advantage of the possible upturn in business.

We have started a search for new office space in NY. The commercial real estate market is very soft at the moment and we hope to secure new space sometime this summer. Savitt & Partners will be conducting our search.

The managers group has been busy working on a new positioning for the agency that will make us more competitive in the marketplace. We hope to share the new positioning with everyone by the end of March.

Several of our clients are launching new products or initiatives this year. Some of these are very innovative and I am thrilled Red Bricks is part of these  launch plans. I believe this reflects the positive trend we are seeing in business and the marketplace.

2010 promises to be a year of opportunity for Red Bricks, our clients and the digital landscape in general. I’m looking forward to sharing more good news as the year continues.

Scott  

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By Scott Neslund, CEO

I am in the middle of week 4 for my start at Red Bricks Media and the time is going by quickly. I have had over 20 review sessions with managers learning about client businesses and the different departments that make up the agency. I have also spent some time in the NY office getting to know our people there and our clients. Overall I am impressed on several fronts and think the agency has tremendous opportunity to grow. I want to share with you some of my early thinking and impressions about the agency:

· Great people: Agencies are powered by good people who work hard on client businesses to achieve success. I can tell we have people like this at Red Bricks and it has been a pleasure to get to know people across the agency. My goal is that we create an atmosphere and culture where people can do their best work and be rewarded for their performance.

· Growth opportunities: As I work with different agency teams and participate in meetings I can tell we have opportunities to grow the business with current clients as well as with new business. In order to achieve this we will need to perfect our positioning as an agency and be clear on what we stand for and what we do. I am working with the managers on our new positioning and we will build on the work we started at the agency offsite. I also believe that new technologies will play a key role in how we grow the company.

· Potential with clients: I have met with or spoken to almost all of our key clients and there is significant potential for us to become strategic and creative thought leaders on their businesses. Clients today need significant help to navigate the digital landscape and RBM is positioned with the right people, tools and services to offer that leadership.

I came to Red Bricks because I believed there was opportunity to grow the agency and take it to the next level. During the past few weeks I have seen this is true on several fronts and I am looking forward to working with the managers to move the agency forward.

I know I am still the new guy in town and I hope to change that soon so people look at me as a natural “Brickster.” I am in the process of locking down my apartment in San Francisco which will allow me to spend more time here. I like to ski so I am hoping to take advantage of the season before the winter comes to an end. I am also looking for place where I can pick up playing tennis again. My partner Todd is coming out to San Francisco every now and then so we can take advantage of everything the area has to offer.

I like to go out for drinks with people from the agency and socialize outside the office so please don’t hesitate to let me know when you are going out and wouldn’t mind me tagging along. I want to get to know everyone at Red Bricks.

I also forgot to mention the number one thing I have learned since joining Red Bricks.

I suck at Go-Kart racing!

Scott

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