In the AdAge article, “Is Content King? Then Distribution Is Crown Prince,” Keith Richman discusses the importance of distribution and how having great content does not guarantee it will be reach its audience. According to Richman:

“The good news is that the internet provides amazing opportunities to distribute content and reach an audience. The bad news is that you are competing with millions of other content creators for the attention of that audience and their barrier to entry into the online medium is almost non-existent. In this environment more than any, distribution matters significantly.”

While “Overemphasis on Brand Building Leads to Mistrust” by Brent Leary in Inc. Technology examines the 2010 Trust Barometer report which shows that increased content through social media has swung the pendulum away from individuals in favor of industry experts/academics who are now as the most trusted source for company information.

“All the information being created and distributed is overloading most of us, which may be why there is a return to trusting authority sites, and recognized experts.  So, as the trust study is indicating, it’s becoming increasingly important to be viewed as an expert — more than ever before.”

This pendulum swing reinforces the idea that there is opportunity for brands to create content to tell their brand stories. Adidas Penalty Shoot-Out, which was released in 5 European countries through Windows Live Messenger, was able to garner over 13 million game plays in just a two-month period. This clearly shows that a combination of great content, strong brand tie-in, appropriate context, careful understanding of audience and engaging user experience can get you some amazing results.

Lately, hiring an interactive agency has become a complex and confusing enterprise. As the internet grows and more companies appear on the scene, assessing the qualifications of an agency is becoming more and more difficult. The barrage of marketing speak, technobabble, and nearly identical sales pitches involved with identifying the agency who will really work for you, makes the decision process even more difficult. Emerging technologies, new service applications, new tracking and measurement platforms, the development of social media and easier access to information have all contributed to a deluge of both niche offerings and startup players all vying for your project with promises of incredible results and ROI. So where to begin?

1. The worst place to start is from scratch. Search engines are not incredibly discriminating. Just as you wouldn't look for a spouse through a Google search, you shouldn't use one to look for an agency, either. Sure, it's not totally the same as finding a life-partner, but the length of the relationship could still be a long one. Get references from people you trust. Ask about the agencies they use and what they like and don’t like about them. Look at your fiercest competitors and see which agencies they use. Scrutinize.
2. Don't assume you know the exact solution to your problem. Just as you wouldn't disregard your gastroenterologist's referral to a nutritionist, don't be indifferent to an agency willing to re-diagnose and give angles you’ve never even thought of. Experienced marketing agencies should ask difficult questions, be able to use their expertise to figure out what’s ailing you, and offer a number of creative solutions.
3. Listen to the type of questions they ask you. Are they tactical questions, or are they strategic questions? The tactical questions tend to focus on specific product or service offerings, while strategic questions are more related to your business goals and objectives. Agencies that ask a lot of tactical questions tend to lack marketing know-how and will eventually run out of steam when it comes time to innovate or build your business over the long-term. Be wary of agencies who tout their value proposition around a short-term solution, niche application or key piece of technology; that’s a vendor, not an agency. Stay away from these vendors as their engagement may be inexpensive at the outset, but you might find that their short-term solution may cost you much more over time.
4. When meeting with an agency, ask to meet the principals of the company. Ask them if they use third-party agencies or vendors to execute any of their projects. Do they foresee the need for any of these partners for your project? If so, who would they be working with and is it possible to meet them too. Don't leave out visiting their studio which will give you a feel for the culture and attitude of the agency and the people who will ultimately be working for you.
5. What type of clients do they currently serve? A more diverse and varied roster of clients is actually better for your business as agencies gain a more varied insight and tool set to handle issues and create opportunities. Ones that work in predominantly one vertical tend to be limited in how they approach problems
6. Ask for three case studies and have them demonstrate what they did for the client and what results the program produced. Look for hard metrics and make sure the results were in line with what was requested by the client.
7. Find out how long they retain their clients. A good agency should be able to retain their customers for 2-5 years. If they don't, ask them why not.
8. Remember that hiring an agency goes both ways. Asking them to do all the heavy lifting when they're doing a proposal limits their ability to present you with a viable solution. Provide the agency with all the information they ask for, and don't treat the proposal development phase as a test or sphinx's challenge. It helps no one.

With the decline of the consumer confidence index and a recovery not projected for another two or more years, businesses will need to not only change their marketing messages to emphasize the idea of value, their marketing and sales strategies must also embrace the concept of value. Consumers will be hunkering down for the long-haul—spending conservatively.

It is extremely important in these tough times for businesses to concentrate on building and reinforcing brand equity. Brand equity is built over time through tangible assets (logo design consistency, name recognition, messaging) all utilized to influence and shape the public's perception of the brand. Reinforcing brand equity requires developing a strong and consistent image of the brand. Keep in mind that it's much faster and easier to knock down a brand than it is to build one up.

What should a business do until the economic environment improves? Continue to spend money promoting your products and services; just be smarter about how you invest those dollars. Limit the amount of scatter shooting in your marketing and advertising campaigns, be more critical of the status quo, investigate and research the best way to reach your target audience and relay clear messages. The value of the marketing dollar spent is equal to the effectiveness of your campaign. Make sure your tactical decisions back up the strategic goal of building brand equity.

One of the many things my great-grandmother taught me was if you live thoughtfully and support others, you can live a full, happy life. Sugi Iwasaki lived through a number of financially difficult times in history including two world wars and the US Depression. Through all of that, she was the bread-winner for her immediate family and was also able to send money back to her extended family in Japan for many years by working as a seamstress and sewing teacher. She lived a full life of 98 years, continuously supporting what was important to her by thinking long-term and being value-oriented.

When I work with clients, I keep my great-grandmother’s lessons in mind. Plexipixel was built on the fundamental belief that we are successful when our clients are successful. It’s our job to have our clients’ backs and help them build their success by reminding them that brand equity is built over time and maintained through thoughtful management. Our clients continue to work with us year after year because we ask the difficult questions before we start each project:

• Who is your audience?
• What are your goals?
• What is your marketing strategy that will bring people to this awesome website, advergame, widget, animation…?
• Does this project support your current brand strategy?
• How does this project fall in line with your overall marketing and advertising strategy?

If you’re unable to answer the questions above, it might be time to rethink how you’re spending your marketing and advertising dollars. Or on the other hand, if the agency you’re working with doesn’t ask these questions before they dive into your project, it might be time to look for a new agency—one that will partner with you to make sure that you’re both around (and healthy) for the long haul like my great-grandmother.

Vicky Tamaru @ Branded Entertainment, All Business

But in this day and age the networks need to compete extra hard for the eyeballs it needs to be able to justify the cost of the advertising slots. The competition includes anything from cable channels, licensing channels like Hulu, to even the network’s own alternative channels for content and advertising like their online video players.

One example of the struggles of the existing business model was exposed when NBC was able to continue production on the critically acclaimed show "Friday Night Lights" only after selling first-run rights to DirectTV--this means that even though the show is an NBC property, it’ll be shown on DirectTV first. Although the critics have consistently given good marks to the show, the ratings have been sub-par and the advertising income on NBC alone wasn’t enough to justify the production costs on the show. This strategy may pay off financially for the individual show and the network in the short-term but I wonder how this will equate to eyeballs back to NBC’s other properties in the long-run.

A combination of important factors makes Xbox a great contender for helping offer a new world of opportunities for content creators (including the networks) and advertisers. The first big game-changer was the launch of NXE ("New Xbox Experience") which enables users to access a plethora content much easier than ever before and gives advertisers a number of different ways to show their wares. The second big announcement late last year was the drop in the price of the console itself from $279 to $199 ($50 cheaper than the Nintendo Wii). The third factor was the partnership with Netflix that allows users to download Netflix content right to their Xbox. Another important advancement was the integration of the Xbox Live Marketplace online experience with the console which enables users to purchase and download content straight to their Xbox using a browser-based online user face on xbox.com including second-run top-tiered TV content ala iTunes like "Heroes", "Lost", "The Daily Show" and more.

Last week, I attended the AdClub Seattle luncheon. Chuck Frizelle, Director of Xbox/Games Product Strategy and Planning, was the guest speaker speaking on "Advertising in the Game Industry". Chuck has been in charge of the Xbox Live advertising business since its inception. Chuck’s main point to the Advertisers in the audience was that Gamers aren’t a niche audience anymore and that games are just a type of entertainment. The topic I don’t think he touched on enough was the opportunities for everyone in the family--gamer or not--to use the Xbox Live experience to watch and interact with entertainment of all kinds including movies, TV shows, games, and advertainment like the "Doritos :: Unlock Xbox" game.

With the convergence of media on one platform and the ability for users to control that media all in one place, we’re seeing a platform that really does change the game of entertainment and advertising. Xbox eases the user into one comfortable platform that allows for active as well as passive entertainment.

The next logical developments for Xbox Live should be an Interactive TV experience that will enable users to purchase items seen in a TV show or movie immediately and the availability of more casual games in XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade). The Interactive TV experience on this platform just makes sense since people are comfortable being both active and passive while enjoying entertainment on the Xbox unlike the computer experience which is mostly an active experience and watching regular TV which is mainly as passive experience. The introduction of more casual games in XBLA would also be a good move to help change the perception of the Xbox platform as a "hard-core gamer" console to something more family-friendly, like the Wii. Games like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" have already helped to do just that but those games are best played in groups and Xbox really needs to encourage everyone in the family to be more comfortable interacting with the Xbox even when solo--casual games can help with just that.

Once the Xbox is welcomed into the living room beyond the game room, families will be able to be entertained in a myriad of ways from a single platform. Advertisers will also have many opportunities to reach their target consumers in ways that are more creative and thus more welcome by their audience. It could just be that brave-new-world for content and how that content is funded that we’ve all been waiting for.

Vicky Tamaru @ Branded Entertainment, All Business

Okay, I’ll admit it. I don’t personally have an iPhone, but my husband does and he loves it. Why haven’t I made the plunge? Simple -- I’m waiting for the next big thing.

When I travel, I have five vital pieces of electronics with me. It’s always a struggle to get my iPod, cell phone, digital camera, Nintendo DS, and laptop in one computer bag (my "personal item") so that I can stuff my other carry-on full of clothes and other necessities.

I would love to have just one appliance to take care of my most important needs that those five items do for me now:

1. Check my work (Outlook) and personal email
2. Check /update my Outlook calendar
3. Access my Outlook contact list to quickly make phone calls
4. Purchase, sync and listen to music
5. Purchase, sync and watch videos
6. “Connect” to folks on my social networks like Facebook and Twitter and update my status
7. Take photos and video and upload them easily where I want to
8. Let me play games
9. Read/write Word documents
10. Read/write Excel spreadsheets
11. Pay for applications/content once—access it across as many platforms as possible (computer, phone, audio device, game console…)
12. Save all of my existing content (music, videos, photos, documents, etc.) in one place for me to sync and access easily

The iPhone does the first seven things well with the help of ActiveSync (to sync with Exchange Server), the Facebook app, and iTunes. Windows Mobile does the first ten things but it lacks a lot of the more fun applications available to the iPhone. Number eleven and twelve are the big items that neither can deliver quite yet.

Here is why I think the time is now. Apple has convinced the American consumer of what the Japanese have known for years: that a phone-sized computer can be used for an assortment of activities. In Japan, people use their phones to play games, read books (in fact the best selling novels often start off as cellphone novels), watch TV, and pay for items -- using it like a debit card -- which is why the iPhone hasn’t been a success in the Japanese market. Americans have started to recognize that they can use their phones for both business as well as pleasure. There are also more useful apps like the SonoSound ultrasound viewer for doctors and the NikeWomen Training Club to customize your daily workout, while games are some of the most popular iPhone applications downloaded from the iTune store.

Apple achieved this culture-shift by doing what they do best, making things fun and easy to use. There are a plethora of applications and content just available for you to try in iTunes from your phone. As soon as you’re ready to purchase, Apple makes this task as easy as pie, especially if you’re already used to using the same experience to get audio and video content for your iPod.

To get all of that content, Apple made it super easy for content developers to develop the content (getting your content through Mr. Jobs to sell it on iTunes is another story we’ll ignore for now). The biggest hurdle for mobile content developers was always the lack of consistency and requirements across phones. Imagine this: You’ve got a great idea for a mobile application but you have to develop it in several different languages (Java ME, BREW, .NET, Palm OS…), for phones with a variety of screen sizes, and then you’ve got the distribution nightmare. Say goodbye to any hope of making any money. iPhone and iPod Touch have one programming language, one screen size, and one distribution channel. Not to mention that it’s got a huge share of the cellphone market in the US. According to Apple’s WWDC keynote in June 2009, they announced that over 40 million iPhones and iPod touches had been sold globally. In May 2009, iPhone accounted 69 percent of the smart phone traffic according to AdMob. With Smartphones making up 37 percent of all mobile traffic globally. Those are some pretty good odds.

But I’m going to point out the elephant in the room: Are you tired of buying content and applications just for use on your iPhone? I know that I stopped adding content to my iPod because I’ve got two iPods and several computers and I’m tired of encoding/copying/moving/synching my files -- I want to buy or encode once and share all of the files regardless of device. Besides that, I’m an NPR addict and my iPod doesn’t have access to radio without external hardware. So I’ve actually gone back to what I used to do before I had an iPod, listening to internet radio stations and streaming my local NPR station live. And I know that I’m not alone in this.

On the business side, I love that my Windows Mobile phone allows me to use Word and Excel on my phone -- no need to purchase any apps or convert my files. I can also VPN into our business server from my phone. That means that I don’t need to store all of my important content on my phone, I can sync it from a server.

Microsoft has already opened their Windows Marketplace for Mobile to developers. They need to make sure that they don’t fall in to the trap they often do -- by making their OS and applications available to too many manufacturers without requiring them to stick to enough standards. It’s going to be key that developers feel like they’ll be able to make money on the content and applications they create and not wasting it on porting it to too many different phone requirements.

This is why I’m hopeful about the Zune Phone, aka Pink.

First, the Zune Phone will need to run off of Windows Mobile so that I can take care of my business needs and also my “need” for other mobile applications that I’ll be able to purchase from the Windows Marketplace.

On the fun side of things, the Zune already plays my audio and video content and has a radio tuner, so I’m going to assume that’s all on the Zune Phone. XNA, the Zune game programming language is also supported on Xbox. In fact, Plexipixel did the design for the Zune Sudoku game that was released with the 3.1 software update. There’s been chatter about a portable Xbox console since 2006 -- could this be the next step to that reality?

And what about the social experience? Xbox Live has been an excellent connector. At GDC, Microsoft announced the social extension of Xbox Live, Twitter and Facebook integration but more importantly the ability to watch videos or listen to music with friends. If the Zune Phone is able to tap into some of the Xbox Live social functionality, I’m buying one immediately.

Finally, Microsoft has a big ace in the hole called Azure. What is Azure? It’s Microsoft’s cloud computing solution -- platform, software, database, OS offerings all in one. Why is Azure so important? Think of being able to access all of your photos, videos, audio, business documents, games all on your Xbox, Zune Phone, Zune, and PC. But let’s go beyond that. Let’s say that you’ll be able to run some big juicy applications on your smaller devices like your Zune Phone. More and more developers will be building their software as a service (SAAS) -- think Google Docs or Salesforce CRM -- now that companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have cloud offerings available to developers.

I bet you’re wondering by now what this all has to do with branded entertainment or advertainment. Think about it: Your advertainment apps or content will no longer be tied to one platform -- iTunes already offers a number of branded applications in their store. People have been talking about mobile advertising for ages but nothing’s hit. It’s been expensive and difficult to execute. But if there are only two or three major phones and even better, one solution for multiple platforms, think of the possibilities.

I’m hoping that Microsoft can get it right. They have so much that they can leverage -- a great OS in Windows Mobile, industry standard applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, an amazing game console in Xbox, the social experience of Xbox Live, a good audio/video device like Zune (that has lots of opportunity to be so much better), and now the Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Azure. It could be a hugely powerful combination!

Vicky Tamaru @ Branded Entertainment, All Business

1. But Everyone’s Talking About It…
   Just because Twitter is “the next big thing”, doesn’t mean you should jump in head first.  Investigate your audience and its intention before you even consider investing time and money. Don’t forget to make sure that it’s an integral part of your overall comprehensive marketing strategy.
2. Customer Expectations
   Many of your customers are already very comfortable in the digital world.  They’re on the Web, using their iPhones, connecting on social networks and watching videos.  Make sure that your digital marketing is executed with your customer in mind.
3. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
   There are lots of great technologies, tools, and best practices available for you to leverage for your digital marketing project; no need to waste your money or resources on unnecessary costs.
4. The “One Size Fits All” Solution
   Conversely, avoid the solution that promises to solve everything for everyone.  Your business is unique; take the time to find the most appropriate solution for you.
5. Missing the Mark
   Your website might look good, but is it working pulling its weight capturing leads or retaining customers as hard as it should?
6. Brand Degradation
   An initiative executed poorly could degrade your brand.  A brand can be pulled down exponentially quicker than they can be built up.
7. Runaway Development Costs
   Poorly planned and architected websites and applications can end up costing you multiple times its initial projected cost, just as a bad contractor can blow out the budget and schedule of your home redesign.
8. Unplanned Maintenance and Management Costs
   Once it’s built, who’s going to update the content, pull down and analyze the data, make small tweaks to keep up your investment?  Make sure to account for these in your strategy plan.

In this tough economic environment, business decisions need to be made wisely.  A good digital agency should be interested in partnering with you to work towards your success long-term during any economic environment and be just as critical as you are of how funds and resources are being invested.

Your customers are in the digital realm: on the Web, using their smartphones, connecting via social networks and watching videos.  Are you where your customers are?  If not, let us help you.

As digital pioneers, our integrated group of designers and developers and our experienced management team understand how to navigate the often confusing virtual wilds. Let us be your guide as you maneuver the digital world, providing the essential tools for this amazing journey.

What We Do

We excel at making complex concepts:

• Engaging
• Simple to understand
• Easy to retain
• Fun, when appropriate

We do this by:

• Strategizing around your goals (goal-oriented)
• Focusing on your audience (user-focused)
• Leveraging tools, processes, and best practices (value-minded)
• Working closely with you and your team (make your interests our interests)

Our Work

Maximize digital marketing initiatives through a blend of strategy, conception, execution, maintenance, & measurement:

• Website Design and Development
• Branding
• Interactive Demos and Animations
• Custom Cross-Platform Applications
• Social Media Strategy and Execution
• SEO Strategy and Execution
• Games
• Mobile Applications

Who We Are

Plexipixel is a full-service digital agency specializing in consumer-driven experiences that incorporate “Sticky Brand Play”™, our user-focused, value-minded process to acquire, engage, and retain customers that gets measurable results.

Our projects include B2B and B2C work with clients like Adidas, Philips, Infiniti and Microsoft.

Contact us to schedule a consultation today!

Roshamboom! is inspired by David C. Lovelace’s extreme rock-paper-scissors concept called RPS-101.  The RPS-101 (http://umop.com) game got a ton of web chatter when it was released back in 2007 because it took David over a year to concept the game and produce the 5000+ outcomes.  The Plexipixel folks thought it would make an ideal (and silly) turn-based game for Facebook.  Plus, it allowed them to practice some Silverlight skills."

Barak Cohen @ Microsoft

Plexipixel developed a proprietary platform for rapid development and deployment of social networking applications and games called Dormouse. Dormouse is the platform powering the MySpace and Facebook implementations of MSN Games' "Hexic" and "Chess" which were released earlier this year as well as the Silverlight Facebook game, "Roshamboom!"

"Dormouse not only allows us to build applications and games for social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, and hi5 quickly, it allows us the flexibility during development to quickly respond to API changes such as OpenSocial 0.9 and MySpace Profile 2.0," says Andy Jacobs, Plexipixel's Lead Developer. "In addition, the platform has been deployed across a distributed web cluster to serve up speedy page loads and minimizes any single point of failure for popular games like 'Hexic' which has 50,000 active monthly users and growing."

In addition to Dormouse, our full social networking application solution suite includes the integration of analytics and tracking through Zabra, our customizable RIA (rich internet applications) tracking tool.

"Sites like Facebook have very comprehensive analytics tools, but Zabra allows us to track user interactions within the actual Flash/Silverlight/Javascript applications at the heart of the 'Hexic' and 'Chess' on MySpace and Facebook," says Vicky Tamaru, CEO and Co-Founder of Plexipixel. "We've also been using it to take small sample data about Silverlight penetration through our 'Roshamboom!' game to help us make technical decisions on other interactive projects."

Other speakers at LOGIN include Edward Hunter, Director of Gaming Solutions at comScore, Toby Ragaini, Director of Game Development at Big Fish Games and Lowell Vaughen, Director of Strategic Marketing at WB Games.

About Vicky Tamaru:
From playing Space Invaders in the 1970s to chatting online before the "interwebs" were even invented, Vicky has been a geek since before it was cool. In an increasingly fragmented and over-saturated world, Vicky's extensive experience in weaving the creative realms of design and tech into "unexpectedly sticky brand play" has given her a unique understanding of the importance of meaningful, engaging entertainment to the bottom line of any business. She is the Branded Entertainment expert on Dunn & Bradstreet's AllBusiness.com and is on the Advergaming committee of the Casual Games Association.

About Plexipixel, Inc.:
Plexipixel has been a leader in the interactive-experience field since its founding in 2000. Plexipixel is responsible for the design, development and concept assistance for one of the top five most successful online games in the world and has created other award-winning, highly successful advergame, animation, and website projects for multinational clients such as Adidas, Microsoft, Sony and Volvo.

RPS-101 was referred to by John Bardinelli--a freelance writer of casual and independent games--as "a completely unrealistic version of [the most basic game known to man]". Plexipixel created an interactive version of the game that is playable by anyone with the Silverlight plug-in and a Facebook account by using Microsoft's Silverlight technology and Dormouse™ (a proprietary social networking application development and deployment platform) to leverage Facebook's native services to create a game that is easy to play and can quickly be viral.

"RPS-101 took a year to develop on my end, so I was impressed at how well its complexity was preserved in this very engaging, addictive new version," says Lovelace.

Since 2000, Plexipixel has earned a reputation for delivering "unexpectedly sticky brand play"™ that include user-focused websites, games, applications, innovative advertising, and animations for companies such as Volvo, Adidas, VISA and Sprite.

"We make the users' experience fun," says Kristi Torgrimson, Project Manager/Producer who heads up the Plexipixel San Francisco office. "The interactive experiences we create for our clients totally immerse the users into their brands. We recently had a 75-percent completion rate for an advergame we created for one of our Fortune 500 clients. For another client, we achieved more than 13 million plays in just two months."

Most recently, Plexipixel has taken their extremely successful "unexpectedly sticky brand play" philosophy into the world of social networking. Microsoft's MSN Games worked with Plexipixel to develop and deploy MySpace and Facebook applications based on their most popular games, "Hexic" and "Chess". The social networking applications were built on the Dormouse platform and the user interactions within the Flash games are being tracked by Zabra™--Plexipixel's customizable RIA (rich internet applications) tracking and analytics tool.

Plexipixel has been a leader in the interactive-experience field since its founding. President Matt Tamaru and CEO Vicky Tamaru collectively bring decades of experience in design, interactive media development, character design and animation. Matt was a pioneer in web animation using FutureSplash (later renamed Flash) and has worked on advergames, animated web shorts, websites, and various interactive projects for Disney, Coca-Cola, Nickelodeon, among others.

"We're excited to bring two of our most popular games to the Facebook and MySpace communities," said Megan Hodel, marketing manager for MSN Games at Microsoft. "These networks reach more than 200 million people around the world, and the MSN Games applications will make it easier and more fun for Facebook and MySpace users to play some of their favorite casual games."

Both of the MSN Games applications reward users via collectible merit badges for playing and achieving skills, and feature leaderboards, news feeds from MSN Games, and the ability to share the applications with friends. The applications feature full Facebook integration, including notifications when badges have been awarded and games completed. MSN Games has also launched a dedicated page on Facebook, where casual game fans can download the game applications to their personal page, view videos, and post pictures and messages.

"Chess" features asynchronous multiplayer functionality, so that users can play their turn whenever they have time to log on and make their move. The application also allows users to track their long-term progress against friends using the ELO rating system.

(via PR News Wire)

What my husband Matt and I love about the show is that it’s a great combination of charity and business, competition and cooperation, and creativity and precise planning. Overall, the show is extremely well orchestrated as a true Branded Entertainment vehicle. It does a great job not selling anything short, including the duration of the show which is done in a two-hour weekly block (almost unheard of in this day and age of TV programming). It also does an amazing job elevating all of the brands in an immersive and entertaining way. The brands are numerous yet each has a compelling role to play in the overall story: the celebrity contestants, the corporations involved in the challenges, the non-profits the celebrities play for, as well as the Trump brand itself.

What’s been also so good to see is that everyone involved-from contestant to represented corporation-really seem invested in the show emotionally. There have been many passionate fights and tears from the contestants seemingly driven by their desire to win for their causes. And even members of the Trump family show a few moments of true compassion in the board room.

In today’s business environment, one of the true advancements marketing has made is to being more open to showing the real faces behind the big brands through social media and the like. It been refreshing to see a broadcast TV show hosted and produced by one of the most successful businessmen in the United States also make an effort to represent brands in more authentic ways.

Matt and I will probably be watching the ‘Lost’ finale and DVRing the live ‘Celebrity Apprentice’-only because after six years, we’re just more invested emotionally in the ‘Lost’ story. But you can bet that we will be watching ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ soon afterwards. We won’t be able to wait long to see Bret Michaels back from the brink of death in the board room with the very competitive Holly Robinson Peete. And yes, we’ll certainly be picking up a couple of bottles of the winning Snapple flavor. Job well done, ‘Celebrity Apprentice’!

Vicky Tamaru @ Branded Entertainment, All Business

Microsoft has revamped the MSN Games site to feature the new social features more prominently.

(via Forbes)

If you could buy this awesome display, how much would you be willing to pay? Tell us way down there in the comments.

Curious Displays from Julia Tsao on Vimeo.

Being a good designer is more than knowing how to brand products, make things look pretty or merely having good taste. You bring to the table an understanding of human nature; knowing what people need, what they want and what they think they want but don't need. The cross-over of this understanding into other realms of business is astounding and often under-appreciated.

Designers who want to make an impact on the tech frontier by starting their own venture must look beyond the importance of creative influence and start using their ability to see things from the user perspective to advance the bigger picture. It's not for everyone, and it takes a multi-faceted approach to get there but there are many notable companies that wouldn't be where they are without someone giving it a try.

Enrique shares what he discovered while working with these dynamic individuals, “Designer founders we’ve observed are consistently multidisciplinary and have cross-functional skills necessary to make decisions about products.” He references their ability to "...move up and down the design stack and across the technology and business stacks..." Important characteristics when just what you need is a diversified yet agile team.

Matt Tamaru is our very own designer founder here at Plexipixel, and feels that thinking beyond process has always been a part of the successful start-up model:

“Starting a business is a creative pursuit. The way we deal with one another, organize our teams and work collaboratively is all based upon our ability to solve problems creatively. If you get too focused on process, you forget to step back and see the bigger picture.”

He notes that successful start-ups have to be nimble, calling for a more organic structure that can meet changing needs and solve unforeseen issues without losing site of the day to day functions. “You have to know when to work loose, and when to work tight.” Even with all that business sense, the animator still comes through.

With over a decade working in digital we have seen the role of designers change as web-based technology transformed the user experience landscape. It’s very exciting to see organizations like The Designer Fund support a new generation of entrepreneurs in creating an array of totally kick-ass products for the world to share.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how the role of designers is shifting in today’s tech-savvy business world. What have your experiences been? Feel free to share in the comments below.

So for your viewing pleasure we are passing on to you the Web Design Ledger’s list of Amusing Photo Manipulations. Now your day is complete.

OK, that wasn’t entirely fair. To be honest (oh, puns) Jessica Alba’s new e-commerce venture, The Honest Company, is a great example of how important the curated online shopping experience has become. A lot of the draw, aside from the utter adorableness of Jessica Alba, comes from the aesthetics of the site along with the simple functionality that people have come to expect from online shopping. Well-designed and easily-navigated pages are brimming with products that have been selected by Ms. Alba herself.

This kind of curated experience is really becoming popular, so having a site that can attract and retain the crowds is becoming just as important as those lucrative celebrity endorsements. They did a lovely job on this one, and I will probably be spending the next two hours looking at baby clothes. Thanks, Honest Company. Thanks a lot.

Jeff Lopez wrote a great article for The Gamification Blog a couple weeks ago that addresses the conflict between competition-driven and collaboration-driven  gaming experiences. While his focus was mainly on work-place gamification, the same principle stands for branded gaming experiences: competition and collaboration don't have to be mutually exclusive. His analogy involving the two experiences squaring off in The Thunderdome a la Mad Max is pretty awesome, and we have to agree that it isn't the case.

While there is likely to be a lot less collaboration between strangers in the consumer market than in a workplace environment (and hopefully less leather and spikes than Mad Max), the fact that competition is not necessarily the driving force behind branded gaming participation should have a great impact on how we design these experiences. Knowing your audience is the most important aspect of pinpointing that force; the thing that will bring more people to your games and make them stay. In addition, you have to recognize the multi-faceted nature of gaming participation. In other words, people may come for one reason and stay for another.

With all the complexity involved, what's a company to do when trying to create memorable branded games that engage, retain and all-out delight their customers? Chances are you already know your target markets pretty well, but sometimes having an experienced partner on your journey to gamify your brand can be pretty helpful. We might just know someone...in the meantime, just remember not to put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to motivating your customers to engage and be sure to provide an environment that speaks to them on multiple levels.

Now, if only someone would extend the antacid of brotherly love we could get back to work around here.

That all depends. As is the trouble with so many things, it’s all about perspective. So much of the information available on cause marketing seems to be about companies boosting their sales by promoting a non-profit. Sure, you can’t continually volunteer your time and money for projects until you file for bankruptcy; you wouldn’t be in business if you didn't maintain a healthy ROI. Where many companies have failed in cause-related campaigning is to assume that the ends justify the means.

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

It’s important to be honest when promoting a cause. It’s a no-brainer that you should be honest about how much money is going to whom and for what—if you lack transparency you will lose some serious credibility and may even find yourself being driven into the hills by an angry mob. However, it’s not always about the numbers; it’s also about being honest with your intentions. If you are going to start a cause campaign with the intention of simply marketing your own brand: STOP! Instead you should utilize the current awareness of your brand to increase the visibility of the cause and your mutual project.

An excellent example of this strategy is the Ovila Project by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. These guys are already highly-regarded as leaders in the craft beer industry; have a world famous American Pale Ale and, at 723,000 barrels a year, are the 6^th largest brewery in the US. So why partner with a small and quiet group of gentlemen, the humble monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, to stack up a bunch of old stones? Because it’s something they believe in.

The Cistercian monks of New Clairvaux have an overlapping tradition with Sierra Nevada in creating everyone’s favorite frothy beverage. There is a lot of talk about cause dissonance when it comes to cause campaigns, which basically means the messages of the two parties either do not mix or directly conflict. Sierra Nevada and the monks seem to be a “match made in heaven”, as suggested by Father Thomas X. Davis and their partnership is likely enhanced by it's foundation of mutual respect. The brewery is open about getting some profits from the sale of the special Ovila series, with a portion of the proceeds going to the restoration project, and the brothers of New Clairvaux are aware that their fundraising success is impacted by the success of the Ovila series. Working as a team, the two organizations are able to share their story and move their project forward successfully. The fact that we all get to benefit by the restoration of an historically significant piece of architecture and the privilege of drinking some amazing beer is just an added bonus.

SO LET’S CALL IT WHAT IT IS

Taking an example from Sierra Nevada and the many other companies that stand behind their intentions, we are making a modest proposal (and not the Jonathan Swift kind)  that we stop calling it cause marketing, and start calling it what it is: Just being responsible. We have an obligation as business owners to give back to our local and global communities; we stand to gain from such actions whether the reward is material or intangible. Provided your intentions are honest, you believe whole-heartedly in your cause and your implementation provides a genuine benefit, you cannot go wrong in working with the right non-profit to share both your messages with the world.

Be More Respectful of the Creative Process:We refuse to beat ourselves up for using our own unique methods to draw from our collective well of creativity. Home-made fudge, cheap beer and our monthly all-studio Bad Movie Night are all acceptable ways to get the artistic juices flowing; the ends justify the means in this case.

Stop Buying Random Gadgets: And start buying “tools” instead. This better validates their purchase, though it becomes rather problematic when explaining how an R/C Copter could be considered a legitimate business expense.

Eliminate Sarcasm in the Office: Not really, we were being sarcastic.

Build a Bunker: Not because the world is supposed to end in 2012, but because we are pretty sure deep-fried zucchini is going to make an epic come-back and before the increase in demand creates an apocalyptic shortage, we will need a place to stock-pile our veggie oil and zukes.

Attend Some Awesome Events: There are tons of amazing events in the PacNW for 2012, and we can’t wait to attend some of them—from interactive film festivals to marketing conferences and some mouth-watering food fairs, we are feeling pretty lucky to live so close to all this action.

Hug Our Clients More Often: Our clients are what make this a fun and engaging process for us, each project brings its own thrills and challenges to the table. We think you guys are awesome, and what better way to show you than a great big bear-hug? But if you’d prefer that we just keep making you totally rad digital marketing assets we could just stick to that. At least a high-five, then?

Keep Doin’ How We Do: Only better. And with slightly more deep-fried zucchinis…

Now that’s a recipe for success, if we may say so ourselves. We can’t wait to share in a great 2012 with all of you, so please be safe this coming Saturday and have a Happy New Year!

If you had a $1,000 to get a gift for someone, who would you get it for, what would you get and why?

These were some of our favorite responses:

“I would partner with an organization that works with under privileged youth to take them all up skiing for a day and even run some of the lessons myself, because I think giving an experience is way more important than giving stuff. Also, if there was anything leftover I would give each kid their own wheel of cheese.” – Justin

“I would start a GET account for my son.” - Bernsie

“I would buy a new refrigerator for the kitchen. Like, a regular human-size refrigerator not this elf-sized one.”  - Stephanie

"I’d buy tickets for my mom and two little brothers to come down from Alaska for Christmas" - Amber

“I would buy 200 copies of Louis C.K.’s Live at the Beacon. Not only would my friends and family get to watch a great comedy show, I’d know that about $250 of that money would end up in a deserving charity.” - Nikki

“With $1,000 I could purchase non-rolling office chairs for my humans in the Design Department—being small and about ankle height around here is dangerous business. I would also get my sister, Pancake, an awesome new squeaky toy.” – Bean

We hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season filled with warmth, love and all non-threatening office furniture you could ever wish for!

- The Plexipixel Team