Big Apple Style Marketing Signs with Pandora Radio

For Immediate Release:

June 29th, 2011

Big Apple Style Marketing, LLC (BASM), (www.bigapplestylemarketing.com) a digital entertainment marketing firm, is pleased to announce that they have begun supplying original music to Pandora Radio (www.pandora.com), a streaming online radio platform for consumers in the United States via their various avenues for in and out of home/on the go listening. Through this opportunity, BASM can now provide a platform for major label and independent international artists to tap into the highly coveted US music listening demographic.

With a listening audience of more than 90 million American consumers, Pandora is an interactive Internet radio service that focuses on the listener’s responses to create personalized radio stations that mirror the listener’s interests. Consumers can access Pandora through a variety of avenues: laptop and desktop computers, smartphones, connected Blu-ray players, connected TVs, and plans for automotive integrations in BMW, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, MINI and Toyota. The Pandora app for mobile devices has been one of the top downloaded applications since it debuted in 2008.

Founded in 2009, Big Apple Style Marketing  is a NYC based full service digital entertainment marketing firm representing producers that create original music, film and television content. BASM  focuses on marketing, distributing and monetizing original entertainment content through digital platforms such as Internet, mobile and television (terrestrial and out-of-home platforms). BASM  assists clients with music licensing, television licensing, music distribution, product placement opportunities and the creation of long term residual income streams. BASM’s approval by Pandora to provide international content from Asian artists is one of the first steps being taken to actualize the company’s initiative to create a bridge for entertainment between the East and West with a focus on Asia and the United States.

For more details regarding Big Apple Style Marketing, please contact Dorian Smith at contact@bigapplestylemarketing.com.

Mobile Ads that Care – Zynga’s Japan Disaster Donation Ads

Okay…

So, if you know me at all, you know that there are a few things that get me passionate: food, marketing, entertainment and JAPAN. I ♥ Japan with a passion – visit there as often as I can and am even working to launch my company there later this year, and am even ready to relocate to Tokyo for a while. And, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days, you also know that Japan has been rocked by a double whammy of one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history followed by a devastating tsunami that added insult to injury in terms of damage and recovery efforts. I’m happy to say that all my friends and colleagues who live and work in Japan are doing well!

But, something that made me happy is that just like with the earthquake in Haiti last year, people and companies immediately began a push to provide emergency assistance to Japan. ^_^ One thing in particular I noticed was through my Words With Friends app (originally from NewToy but recently bought out by Zynga) and the advertisements (I have the free version – it’s rare I feel the urge to buy a game – even if for $1.00!). If you’re not familiar with the game, it’s essentially Scrabble. Except instead of being tied to the game for an hour, you can play at your own pace, and open the app from time to time to see if your opponent has made a move – quite nifty. Now, in the free version, everytime you create a word and submit it, an ad loads which you then have the option to skip the ad or click it to be directed to a web page with more information. Now, take a look at the screenshot of the ad that played non-stop while I was playing “Words With Friends” Saturday morning.

Zynga's internal ad for Japan Earthquake Relief Effort

I currently have 5 games running simultaneously with random opponents, and each time I submitted a word, the above ad consistently displayed. And for those who would question that this happens all the time – it doesn’t. Normally, even when playing multiple rounds without exiting the app, the ads usually work on rotation. I might see the same ad multiple times in a day, but normally not consistently one right after the other. I just think this is awesome, and a direct way to connect with people. Obviously, we know from the earthquake in Haiti that mobile donating was one of the biggest forms out outreach. I’m hopeful that the Japanese people and country of  Japan will bounce back better than before and continue to be the cutting edge and gracious nation that they have been before! ^_^

*If you haven’t already, please donate to reputable organizations like the Red Cross or Save the Children.*

When a Brand Gets Customer Interactions Right…Expensify

I had meant to post this earlier, but with all the things I’ve been up to…I didn’t get the chance to. On my personal blog, I often write about iPhone apps that I’m loving at the moment (and by the way if anyone can tell me the benefits of Kakao I’d be very grateful…). So, sometime last year I created a post about the app Expensify…which basically acts as a mobile version of Quicken, allowing you to take a picture of a receipt from a store or restaurant and allows you to attribute it to an expense code and more.

Well, I’m not exactly the most adept at record keeping, and probably for the past 3 months I haven’t used the app. Low and behold…I received an email last week reminding me that I hadn’t used Expensify in a while and with a quick poll question in the body of the email giving me an opportunity to explain why I haven’t had a need (or been able) to use the app.

Expensify Customer Outreach Email

I love this kind of customer service, it lets the consumer know that although there might be thousands of sales/downloads of a mobile app, that the developer is aware of the need to be able to reach out to their consumer base on a one-to-one level. Incidentally, Expensify also reached out to me directly to offer their thanks when I wrote a post on my personal blog about how much I loved their app. ^_^

Even eBay is Cashing In on Apple’s iPhone-Verizon Integration

If you didn’t know…I’m a huge eBayer. When I’m not hooked to my email and iPhone for work…I’m scanning eBay because I’m a lover of all things vintage, tall boots, cute scarves and random finds. Well, today as I was taking a quick poke on eBay to review some items I sold, I was greeted with a splash page telling me that I could trade in my existing AT&T version of an iPhone and receive “instant cash” in order to upgrade to the Verizon version of the iPhone. Apparently, there are some slight modifications on the Verizon iPhone 4 version (beyond the obvious GSM vs. CDMA issue) that will make it impossible to use the same iPhone accessories even if you’re only transitioning from the same generation – but from AT&T.

eBay Instant Cash for AT&T iPhone Program

There are obviously a few caveats that go along with this program so definitely read the fine print. But to me it was interesting that even eBay knows how to boost their traffic and prominence during one of the most overhyped (in my opinion) product roll outs that the nation has seen in quite a while. Not to sound biased…but for as much as people hate on AT&T I do like the fact that I can make a call and send a text and browse the web and use my other 3G/wifi required apps without being told that I can’t simultaneously be on a call at the same time. And until Verizon fixes that issue and the CDMA…I’m not biting the apple (no pun intended!).

For more details on this instant cash offer, mosey on over to eBay where there’s a huge ad for the above promotion on the landing page.

AT&T’s Swipe at Verizon Carrying the iPhone Falls Flat

So, there’s a relatively new AT&T commercial that tries to differentiate why iPhone users will have a better experience on the AT&T network versus Verizon. The premise: while talking on the phone with AT&T, you can also simultaneously browse the web and use other apps as well. Under Verizon, consumers must choose between sending an email or making a phone call, or browsing the web or making a phone call.

In my opinion, the commercial is “okay” but falls flat of driving home the true difference between iPhone experiences on the two competing networks. I think AT&T should have shown this man on the iPhone but via the Verizon network with a clear shot of the phone reading “Verizon” on the network display. And, as he’s on the phone with his wife, trying to make a reservation, he quickly realizes that he can’t connect to the Internet since he’s on the phone. In a panic, he has to abruptly end the call so that he can access the Internet  - but in doing so, he’s also tipped his wife off to the fact that he didn’t plan a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner for the two. It would have been perfect – and would have clearly made the point that although Verizon might have better reception, you can’t beat the multi-tasking opportunities that are available on AT&T.

Let’s face it…it’s the same phone that’s now available on two networks, for the most part the experience is going to be the same. So when you’re trying to fight the competition over the same demographic, you really need to drive home the important difference in the subtle nuances between the two networks.