Emma Brooks | Digital Media Enthusiast

Ok. Men, women, watch this video. And then let’s chat.

“The result: More happy men at bars. Less broken up couples.”

Ahhhhhhhhhhhrgh!

Because, I, as one part of couple, absolutely want to be in a relationship with a person who lies to me about where he is. THAT, according to Cerveza Andes, is a good relationship. Thank god for Cerveza Andes! Because of them, I too can be in a relationship with a liar! Phew, dodged that bullet.

Listen, I know the state of the nation. Beer commercials are all aimed at men. Women are always cast as either sex objects with skimpy clothes, or as the “ol’ ball and chain” girlfriend. And it’s getting really old.

I am female. My drink of choice? Beer. I have beer several times a week. And I will allow for some stereotypical commercials with the guys and the party and the hot tub with the girls in them in the mountains. What I can’t stand? The portrayal of females as being crazy, clingy or a drag. To the point where their boyfriends HAVE TO LIE TO THEM ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE. RAGE!!

Screw you Cerveza Andes, you have truly insulted me. I’ll stick to my brand of Keith’s, whose spots are at least original and interesting. And you know, DOESN’T INSULT HALF OF ITS BUYERS.

This. Is. Awesome.

Great creative from Puma.

Got this e-mail in my inbox this morning.

Smile, thanks.

:D

I’ve known I’ve wanted to be in advertising since I was probably 14 or 15. I wouldn’t be able to explain to you why but I have always been drawn to the field. That said, I never really pictured myself working in digital advertising when I was younger and thinking of the big, awesome advertising world. Which is weird, now, for me, to think that every job I’ve had since graduating has been a digital job, through and through.

Because my entire career has been on the side of the “growing,” the “booming,” the “emerging” of digital advertising, I really haven’t ever had to face the worries and wonder of the future of traditional advertising or publishing. I often catch myself thinking about what my thoughts on the future of my career might be, if I was on the mass or traditional side. That said, I often wonder about the future of my “digital” career all the time anyway. I guess I’m just a wonderer.

But as Marketing Mag’s Blog framed this, “This popped up recently as a little flicker of light for publishers and those toiling in embattled traditional media outlets.” And I think they’re right. This is a lovely outlook.

To be totally transparent here, I wrote a very similar article for an internal blog here at Publicis Modem a couple weeks ago. This isn’t the same article copied and pasted, rather I took the logic and arguments I used there and applied them to the blog post below. As that blog is not a public blog, I’d like to continue spreading my findings in public arenas. Thanks!

PopCap Games, of many fames including my favourite Bejeweled 2 and the awesomely titled, Plants vs Zombies, recently released their “2010 Social Gaming Research” report.

There were several surprising findings – at least to me – in this report. Among them was the fact that your typical social gamer was more than likely: female, possessing only a high school degree, with an annual income of under $50,000, and over 48. Coloured me surprised! I did not think that Farmville really extended beyond those college kids looking for the next distraction from studying. (The more I thought about it, though, the more it made sense.)

However the really big shock to me from this report was that, according to PopCap’s research, just under 33% have said they’ve spent real money on virtual currency or virtual gifts.

So I decided to put my Math Hat on. And for those that know me well, know I rarely – if ever – wear this hat. I mean, c’mon, math is the reason I’m in advertising and not accounting! (And for that I am eternally grateful every day to my 10th Grade Calculus teacher.)

So, as of February 26, 2010, the Farmville application has 82,565,873 active monthly users.

The minimum amount of money you can spend on anything in Farmville is $5.

So to be conservative, let’s say 30% of Farmville users spent $5 on something once a year. Highly doubtful that it would be a one time annual purchase but roll with me, folks. This, my friends, translates into annual sales for Zynga, the makers of Farmville, of over $123,848,810!

That’s just a little ridiculous, don’t you think? And these profits are just for the 82 million Monthly Active Users (MAU) that play Farmville! Think of all the other social gaming properties Zynga owns.

In fact, according to AppData.com, Zynga has over 241,429,522 MAU across all their gaming properties.

Based on our earlier assumptions, that’s easily over $362,144,283 in annual sales for the company!

No wonder they are one of the fastest growing social gaming companies in the world: Farmville? Pure cash cow, my readers.

Much like the cow I gave my roommate as a present back in my Dark Days (TM) of playing Farmville. But, you know. Without the cash part.

I stayed late at work last Friday, way late (for a Friday, I mean!) just because I had to watch the rest of this video I found, somehow.

It’s from the DICE Summit 2010. The speaker is Jesse Schell, a Professor of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University and this was his talk on “Design Outside the Box.”

It started out innocently enough. “Yea! Points for brushing my teeth! My dentist sure would love that.” It even started building up to a good climax. “Sweet. Tax breaks for riding public transit!” Then it just got scary.

I won’t ruin the ending for you. But let me know what you think in the comment section. Is this a realistic view for what we could see in the future? Or taking it too far – too “doomsday” – for your tastes? Leave a comment and let me know.