Media Manipulation in the So-Called Age of Transparency

Media manipulator

Igniting a frenzy in the media is not difficult to do, not with reality TV stars and political scandals staining the front pages of papers and coloring the homepages of websites. More importantly, it’s what you want to do.

But, inciting fear in the hearts of the very media outlets responsible for the frenzy– now, that takes some prowess.

Ryan Holiday, Director of Marketing for American Apparel and the publicist behind the controversial author Tucker Max, has published a book that will do just that. 

Trust Me. I’m Lying. | The Media Manipulator Speaks

With endorsements ranging from the positive to the fearful, Trust Me, I’m Lying details Holiday’s life as a media manipulator. From billboard campaigns to roundabout press releases, Holiday spares no detail in how he takes invisible or little-known brands and applies the pressures that make them go viral.

From Holiday’s blog:

“The strategies Ryan created to exploit blogs drove sales of millions of my books and made me an internationally known name. The reason I am standing here while other celebrities were destroyed or became parodies of themselves is because of his insider knowledge.” —Tucker Max, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

A Media Strategy in Your Corner

In these uncertain times, it’s pivotal to have the right people in your corner. iQuarius Media brings several years of industry experience and knowledge to the table, and unprecedented tools to make your brand sterling.

The media space is constantly changing, and in response, we are constantly evolving to meet your needs.

We specialize in website design, social media management, reputation management, and so much more! Look through our Services page and then bring your questions to our offices!

Internet Ads: The Numbers Are In

Internet adsThe Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) reports that ad revenues last year were up 22% from the year before, hitting $31 billion. Here’s the biggest news:

  • Mobile ads grew the most of all categories, up 149%, or $1.6 billion
  • Search was the largest category with a 47% share (up 27% to $11.7 billion)

Digital video rose 29% to $1.8 billion and display advertising made up the rest with 35% of all revenues.

“This historic moment, with an especially impressive achievement in mobile, is indicative of an increased awareness from advertisers that they need to reach consumers where they are spending their time—in digital media,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of IAB, in a press release.

Ad Revenues versus Ad Spending

Internet ad spending is huge – the next biggest after traditional television advertising. $31.7 billion of ad spending in 2011 was on Internet ads. Retailers spent the most (22%), followed by telecom (12%), and leisure and travel (8%).

Unsurprisingly, Internet ads’ revenue growth has outpaced all other media outlets’ over the past seven years. Retail has seen the most growth in Internet ad revenues, followed by financial services, telecom, auto, then computing products tied with leisure travel.

As for the minutiae of what makes a great Internet ad, that our business. Let’s talk about whether and what kind of Internet ads are best suited to your business. iQM.

The PDF of the full report is here.

Motion Design at iQuarius Media

motion designFrom 2D to 3D, we use the latest technology and tools for powerful storytelling and fluid animation.

Nothing grabs an audience like eye-catching motion design, whether it’s: video graphics for your home page, as part of a web-distributed video, or even interactive ROM business cards.

iQuarius Media creates sleek motion graphics that are engaging, imaginative — and beautiful.

3D Animation

Whether you want to add a dimension to your existing visuals, or you want to bring something in your imagination to life, 3D animation adds a dramatic layer of reality to your material.

The Motion Design Process

We can start you from scratch. Or we can join you at any point in your current process, at any of the following:

  1. Concept
  2. Making decisions about intended audience and: art direction, cinematography, length, tone, soundtrack, etc.
  3. Making decisions about distribution: frequency, saturation, channels and markets
  4. Script
  5. Visual elements: live action, graphics, segues, etc.
  6. Live recording and sound design: music, backgrounds, sound effects
  7. Editing, compositing, and encoding
  8. Distribution and Internet marketing

 Call us and we’ll help you across the finish line.


No More Talking About Google

Listen, we talk about Google so much because, as business owners, we know the power Google has over our livelihoods. From gathering targeted customers to publicizing our accomplishments, to simply making sure we stay in touch with all the people we need to keep near, it is the world’s information hub.

We concentrate so hard on creating media and marketing our material in a way that keeps us in Google‘s good graces. To us, Google is that little something that we keep in our minds as we check how our clients are being seen, or how they’re being found, or as we SEO every paragraph that leaves our desks; or if we have something that needs to be shared. It occupies a small but constant space in our minds.

From Shatara, our Internet Marketing Director:

Increased productivity, international presence with a local feel, a professional necessity: those are some of the things that come to mind when I think of Google. Having the world at your fingertips (literally) makes it much easier to manage both personal and professional relationships in this age of informed shoppers. You can’t help but do your best to have a strong presence on Google, to ensure that your potential clients find your brand instead of your competitors.

Worth a Thousand Words — Well, More Like Billions

That’s why, sometimes, it’s a valid mental exercise for us to step back and see things like Google for the great social forces that they are. Knowing, in aggregate, what people are searching on Google is a sociological study in itself. Every year, Google Zeitgeist gathers information about all the billions of searches that were conducted over the year, and they’ve done it again “to capture the year’s 10 fastest-rising global queries and the rest of the spirit of 2011.” We’d like to step back for a minute and just hear what Google is saying through the power of video.

iQuarius Media has had a stellar year. Now that the end of the year is approaching, we’re all starting to look back at the year in review.  We think this video is a great little reminder of the wonders and weirdness of 2011. It also keeps us humble knowing that there are things that are bigger than us; it’s a fitting celebration for the coming holidays and of our wishes for you, our clients, and ourselves for an amazing 2012.

Zeitgeist 2011

Who We Work With | iQuarius Media

Whether you are an Ad AgencyMarketing CompanyDesign House, or Business Owner, we can compliment your efforts you already have in motion by extending your approach to the Internet.

  • Ad Agencies – If you are running a media blitz, let us execute the Internet campaign with PPC Advertising, Social Marketing, Email Campaigns, and online Press Releases. Inquire about our competitive agency rates.
  • Marketing Companies – So you’ve thought of the perfect brand and message for your client. Now let us help you get that message in front of your target market on the Internet with Website Development, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, and more! Inquire about our competitive agency rates.
  • Design Shops –  You do great design and everyone knows it! Which is why they want you to design their next website, email campaign, or e-newsletters. Let us program it for you and help make your creative vision a reality.
  • Business Owners – You signed up to be the “expert in your field” and have the freedom to run your business. Now you are expected to know everything about internet marketing and information technology. Let us help you take the mystery out of “new media” by assisting you in forging a well-defined Internet Strategy so you can get back to doing what you do best.

What We Are NOT

We are not an Ad AgencyMarketing Company, or Design House. We complement these types of businesses by extending your reach to the internet world. You are the experts in coming up with the best “message” — and we are the vessel to deliver it.

5G Mobile Internet on the Horizon?

Mobile Internet is the biggest thing to come along since, well, cell phones and the Internet. Now, before 4G internet is even mainstream, the possibilities of 4.5G and 5G are on the horizon.

Researchers at Rice University have made a breakthrough that could allow wireless companies to double throughput in their networks without adding a single cell phone tower or overhauling existing phone hardware.

“Full duplex” wireless would enable phones and tablets to  “talk” and “listen” on the same frequency, something that requires two frequencies today. In 2010, professor of electrical and computer engineering Ashutosh Sabharwal along with Melissa Duarte and Chris Dick published the first paper showing that full-duplex wireless was possible. That set the worldwide wireless community off on a race to see if it could be implemented on real networks. This summer, Sabharwal and Guarav Patel demonstrated in real-time that it could be done. They set new performance records while they did it, producing signal quality at least 10 times better than any previously published result. All they did was add an extra antenna and pulled a few computing tricks.

All this could mean new wireless standards allowing carriers to upgrade to 5G in just a few years.

“Our solution requires minimal new hardware, both for mobile devices and for networks, which is why we’ve attracted the attention of just about every wireless company in the world,” said Sabharwal.

Sprint Unveils Their First $100 4G Android Phone: The Samsung Conquer 4G

Mobile media development — which includes apps, video, audio, and other interactive media for Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, etc. — and SMS marketing are more than just taking off, they’re launching full-out assaults from all sides. The next big weapon to be unleashed is the availability of 4G-capable phones, able to handle more intensive media, at lower and lower prices.

At the end of August Sprint unveiled its 25th 4G-capable phone, but the Samsung Conquer 4G is the first of its kind with its starting price of just under $100 with a new 2-year contract. Sprint’s other 4G-capable phones start at the $200 mark.

The phone runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box, and its low-res front-facing shooter clocks in at 1.3 megapixels. This is where the specs start reflecting the lower price: the processor is a single-core 1GHz and the 3.5-inch touchscreen resolution only stands at 320×480, though many recent reviews point out that it’s plenty bright enough to read clearly. Other specs include 3.2 rear-facing shooter (with flash and zoom in tow) and Sprint ID. So the Samsung Conquer is no beast by any means, but the draw of 4G for that kind of price will no doubt be huge for consumers. For media producers and marketers, this means a growing audience of users increasingly ready to consume bigger, better, brighter media from them.

 

Tweet Lots of Links To Get Followers

To get followers on Twitter isn’t about herding unicorns — that is, there’s nothing mythical about it.

Looking at the relationship between the number of followers a user has and the percentage of their Tweets that are “@” replies: Highly followed users are less conversational than those with few followers.

Looking at the relationship between follower count and the percentage of a user’s tweets that contain links and are not replies: Using a sample of random, recently active Twitter accounts, there is a strong correlation. As the amount of links a user tweets increases, the number of followers they have also increases. And users with more than 1,000 followers tend to tweet many more links than users with fewer than 1,000 followers.

The data is starting to mount to suggest that “engaging in the conversation” is a waste of time from a marketing and reach-building perspective, especially when compared to sharing content.

 

College Students Use Technology At A Frenzied Pace

technologyAdmit it, you’re on the computer and Internet every day.  Studies have found that 53% of people believe they would be upset if they couldn’t get online while 40% believe they would feel lonely.

The use of technology continues to be a growing trend as new gadgets pop up every few months and college students lead the way in gadget use.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project report College Students and Technology”, 98% of undergraduate students use the Internet. 93% use broadband and 92% connect wirelessly using a laptop or cell phone.

Undergraduate students make up the largest percentage of students who use social networks, followed closely by graduate and community college students. However, the largest percentage of social network users were adults ages 18-24 who were not in school. Someone has to keep up with Farmville right?

The use of different technological devices has grown throughout the years. Years ago, it was rare to find someone who had a cell phone and an mp3 player. Now everyone has cell phones that function as mp3 players along with e-readers, laptops, and gaming consoles. Undergraduate students lead the way in owning e-readers and tablets. Undergrads are also more likely to own a laptop than a desktop computer.

Another unsurprising statistic is that 63% of undergrads admit to using their cell phones for the internet or email.

Technology use continues to rise and many higher education institutions are integrating its use into learning whether it is using an iPad for taking notes and using a laptop for distance learning.

 

World.Edu  (Natasha Bright)

407-378-7817