Saw This Coming - Roku Builds it's OS Into TV Sets

In a move that surprised nobody, Roku has announced that they will build their streaming services into TCL and Haisense televisions. I've been calling this for years, as we can presume just about everyone in the media-tech game have. This really only precedes Apple TV becoming a real TV. In any case, full story via the LATimes here.

Survey Says: The iPad Is Not A Kindle Killer

Not totally surprising considering the wild surge of Amazon advertising before and during the holidays, but JP Morgan research is showing that iPad and Kindle are considered two different, non-competing devices (read: people who own both). According to the study, the Kindle was Amazon's highest selling product over this past holiday season which is definitely a surprise to yours truly. I was absolutely a part of the club that figured Kindle would die a slow painful death at the hands of the iPad, but as is true across industries, "follow the money." While avid book readers might seem niche, there sure do spend within their hobby.

Survey Says: The iPad Is Not A Kindle Killer

Barnes and Noble Made An iPad For Kids; Meet The Nookcolor

In keeping pace in the tablet game, B&N has no interest in letting Apple, Amazon, or Sony have all the fun (read iPad, Kindle, and Dash respectively).

Barnes and Noble is taking on a whole new market for the tablet game, and it's the most fascinated audience for pictures and colors and touchy things.  Yes, B&N made a tablet specifically for kids, at least thats what the advertising would lead you to believe.  The Nookcolor is using kids in it's advertising as a way to show off the simplicity of the gadget, and the interactivity of animated cats and dogs.  The site page itself actually promotes the reader as a way to connect with magazine and old books, but god forbid the advertising should actually connect with whats on the product homepage (READ disconnect between kids in your ads and Vogue magazine as your lead publishing partner).

Crowdsourcing And The Effects On Our industry

If you haven't heard the term thrown around yet, you will soon. Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a certain act or job to a group of people and having the power of the mob decide the best way to complete said job.

With many of the top advertising agencies becoming more and more disinter mediated, overhead costs going up in a floundering economy, and the need for fresh new opinions in a fragmented media world, crowdsourcing may very well be the answer.

Crowdsourcing can have a thunderous impact in many different sectors of the ad world, including both media and creative. Everyday we see different videos online on YouTube or Daily Motion or (fill in video destination of your choice), and we think to ourselves, “wow that person must be doing really well to have created such an inspiring piece.” The fact is there is a massive waste of creative going on, because of I house creative teams, lack of resources for up and coming talent, and a media world with more channels than one can count. I see crowdsourcing as being an answer to that major problem, and I’m definitely on the lookout for a company that can solve this issue.

Also, for an interesting read, check out Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business by Jeff Howe.