I also love Facebook. Come on, what 20-something girl doesn’t? Heck, my mom loves Facebook. So wouldn’t that make me the ideal target for social commerce? My two (almost) favorite things in one place? So far, I haven’t bought anything on Facebook and I don’t plan to unless something pivotal changes.

When Allison Bradley, our Director of Client Leadership, wrote an article about social commerce in Multichannel Merchant, I began to think of myself and my purchasing habits. Why I buy things where I buy them and what triggers me to swipe my card. Then I thought of why I like Facebook and what I use it for. Although I whine and complain about the changes made since Facebook first came to fruition, I still log on daily and am attracted to retailers pages offering me a discount or information about their next big in-store event for ‘liking.’ So why am I so turned off by making a purchase?

Bradley highlights some very valid observations of how retailers can better utilize social commerce on Facebook to make users, like me, click ‘buy’. Facebook is a social platform and in order for retailers to get users to make a purchase, they must make the act inherently social by providing a product that they can share with their friends.

In my opinion, social commerce on Facebook shows some promise. I’m not in love with the idea of selling items on Facebook, but if a company gives me enough reason to buy, I always give in.

A good example of a social site that retailers have begun to utilize effectively for social commerce is Pinterest. As a user, I am sharing products that I like, or think are cool, with my friends and other users interested in the same categorized subject. Before I know it, I’m on a retailer’s site purchasing the iPhone cover my roommate pinned or the skirt the blogger on Pinterest was wearing. Companies are beginning to see the value in nonintrusively marketing their products on Pinterest in order to generate social buzz and ultimately lead users to purchase.

If retailers begin to tap into the reasons consumers use social websites and then seamlessly integrate the sale of their products without making the user feel like they are online shopping, social commerce will become successful.

Super impressed by this little app. There have been a few apps that do similar things, but none are as simple to compose with and allow you to create so quickly. In a matter of minutes you feel like you have produced something of value, with little to no knowledge of music. Figure is a warm and inviting approach to music creation.

AND IT’S $.99

via. ISO50

GOOD Ideas has officially kicked off for us today. We got to meet with our city partners from Green Umbrella and the Greater Cincinnati Energy Alliance to get things started. Our task, as assigned by GOOD, is:

Homeowners in the Greater Cincinnati area are spending far more than they should on electricity and gas because their homes lack proper insulation, storm windows and efficient heating and cooling systems. Modest energy efficiency upgrades typically save homeowners 20-30% on their monthly utility bill, in addition to contributing to larger goals like reducing carbon emissions and spurring job creation and community development in neighborhoods. With the goals of saving money, reducing emissions and putting local residents to work, how do we get more Cincinnati households to perform energy efficiency upgrades on their home?

We are very excited to begin brainstorming solutions to this problem, and our kickoff meeting and getting the groundwork was a great start. We learned there are a lot of hurdles we will have to overcome; however, the results in getting the “greenies” all over Cincinnati to join in this effort could really start to form Cincinnati into one of the greener metro areas in the country. Exciting stuff!

I recently read a very insightful article on an interview with Bonchek, social media expert, giving his thoughts on the unique revolutionary movement of social media. Learning the current affect social media will have on companies, brands and marketing, and the relationship among brands and customers was quite intriguing.  This article is a must read!

This video is an interesting take on sound design. Fun, interactive and edible? Sign me up, I would love to know the noises this contraption would make if you ate those little guys.

Now for this next video I need you to put on those head phones, take eight minutes and enjoy the sounds. Love the violent contrast from take off, to free fall, to splash.

It is with great excitement and honor that I would like to announce Hyperquake’s official selection as a participant of the GOOD Ideas for Cities program that is coming to Cincinnati. Named as one of the six teams (out of 27 applicants!) to present our concepts at the Contemporary Art Center on May 16th, our Hyperquake team will soon be partnering with a civic leader in Cincinnati who will assign our creative energies to a specific urban problem in the city.

Organized as an effort to tap the creative resources of problem-solvers from multiple disciplines and apply their talents to real problems in their urban areas, the GOOD Ideas for Cities program has been traveling from city to city across the U.S. since 2008, hosting 10 events in three cities and three schools. Over 2012, GOOD Ideas for Cities will be taking it’s program to five mid-sized U.S. cities, with Cincinnati in line after Richmond, VA, Portland, OR and St Louis, MO. To see some of the ideas that have been generated, click here.

Soapbox Cincinnati posted comments made by GOOD writer Alissa Walker in regard to the program’s selection of Cincinnati:

“Cincinnati is the perfect city for us to go to next as part of the GOOD Ideas for Cities program,” […] “We’re seeing many of the challenges there that other mid-sized cities are facing, issues around urban renewal, transportation, and fresh food access. But there’s also such a vibrant and established creative community that’s already so engaged in the city.”

The University of Cincinnati’s Niehoff Urban Studio will be hosting the program, which is fitting as they have been the host for another community-based, design-thinking program (Core Change) that a fellow Quaker and I have been involved in for the past few months.

Needless to say, GOOD Design for Cities’ selection of Cincinnati is a huge opportunity for both the city and the participating teams. It’s thinking about these sorts of projects that keep me up at night and I am thoroughly optimistic and excited to see what this critical mass of talent and passion will yield for the Queen City.

Again, Alissa Walker from the Soapbox Cincinnati post:

“We hope GOOD Ideas for Cities will be able to connect these creatives with local urban leaders to design some innovative and exciting ideas for Cincinnati,” Walker says. “We also hope to see some of those ideas become reality, as we’ve seen happen at several of our events across the country so far.”

Background

Every year, Hyperquake tries to find a new and exciting way to show appreciation for our clients. In the past we have sent out more traditional gifts such as books and cards, but this year we wanted to send something different and more importantly, something that would demonstrate how Hyperquake and its brand have evolved within the last year. Aside from the gift itself, Quaker’s love to give back and chose to use our innovative idea as a way to thank clients, as well as show support for a local charity, at the same time. Our Daily Bread was selected as our charity due to our prior involvement with the organization and our appreciation for what they do for the local community.

Existing Brand Experience

When it came time for Hyperquake to brainstorm holiday ideas, we immediately decided that this year’s gift would be different. In the past year our brand has evolved and our abilities and talents have expanded. With the success of OFFF and our first mobile app, we chose to encompass these new talents and show our clients what we’re capable of.

Brand Evolution Solution

After multiple brainstorms regarding our holiday gift, we finally settled on the idea of a mobile app. With the help of research and scouring the internet for ideas we decided to create an interactive app that would allow our clients and friends to “Santatize” their photos. This allowed them to personalize their personal photos with festive accessories, as well as share their creations within the app and on Facebook.

The Santatize app was a way of demonstrating how our own Hyperquake brand has evolved from traditional printed holiday cards into a completely mobile and online experience.

In order to spread the word about Santatize, we paired the app and Facebook page with a Santa Beard mailer. This further demonstrated our creativity by adding to the overall experience of the app and again allowing users to submit photos of themselves wearing the beard in support of our charity.

Results

259 total downloads: 227 iPhone, 32 Android.

Over 200 photos submitted to the Facebook gallery.

Louisville vs Kentucky. David vs Goliath.  Pitino vs Calipari. Mentor vs Student. Red vs Blue. Big East vs the SEC. Anthony Davis’ Unibrow vs Peyton Siva’s Meticulous Goatee. Adidas vs Nike. #1 vs #2 (coaches’ salaries, that is). Juggernaut revenue streams (In 2011 alone, Louisville generated a staggering $40.9 million from basketball related events in the 2010-2011 season. Up nearly 40% from the previous year and $12 million more than Duke, who finished second at $28.9 million.)

Put all this together, and there is a ton of emotion, pride, tension, and money tied up in these two programs – their Brands. Both Louisville and Kentucky are 2 of only 3 teams (joining Syracuse) that averaged more than 20,000 fans per home game last season. There are millions of articles, posts, tweets, & messages being thrown out there right now from everyone at the big networks to So-and-So in the Commonwealth arguing with his brother, who happens to root for the other team. These are amazingly rabid fan bases. Dedicated, loyal, some clinically insane.

There is so much intensity and passion in Kentucky right now, and this rivalry is a contrast of the Hatfields and McCoys.

I went to The University of Louisville. I am one of those rabid fans wearing red. I was an athlete, running track & cross country for the Cardinals, and I was there when Denny Crum stepped down and Pitino rode in on a white horse. I’m biased, and want UofL to win. I also grew up a huge UK fan, wanting to be Travis Ford. I loved Kentucky Basketball. I dreamt about playing at Kentucky, until the Good Lord had other plans for me and my lack of stature. My brothers root for Kentucky. My Father roots for Kentucky. (Coincidently, he also went to both schools).

Kentucky is clearly the better team. The more talented team. Gary Payton tweeted the other day that Kentucky is an NBA team. And he’s right. That’s what Calipari is good at: getting young All-Americans to come to Kentucky and play to win, and play to win the lottery as an NBA star after a season at UK. And it works. Louisville has passion, intensity, drive, and honestly, has exceeded even their own expectations. Rick Pitino in a press conference yesterday stated that he told his team before playing their first game in the NCAA tournament a few weeks ago that they would be in the Final Four. He just asked one thing: “When we get there, don’t be satisfied with that.” “Did I know that that would happen, absolutely not. But we had to believe it, or it would have never happened,” he said.

Pitino and Calipari do not like each other. It’s no secret. Each of them is their own brand. A very successful brand. And they each bring their style to their team, their state, their fans, and all that encircle these basketball operations, even nationally.

I love the intersection of Design and Sports. I love the uniforms. The brands. The athletes. The power of it all. Everything about them. I’ve written about it several times. Here. Here. And Here. And I could go on and on about specifics like their uniforms, with Louisville in the electric Infrared that Adidas has endorsed along with Baylor’s neon citron. But I won’t.

Instead, I’ll simply relish the impact and magnitude of this game. Personally. And think of how big this game really is. The brands behind this matchup. The comparisons. The similarities. And after it’s all said and done, when I’m either elated or broken as a fan, I’ll realize the true impact of this game – this single game – and how much bigger than myself, these coaches, these players, these fans – it all really is.

So without wasting anymore time, lets get to what I have on my mind today. I really like books. They are good for lots of things, but I mostly use them for inspiration and reading. Since we are rapidly approaching the end of the Maddness and the Wildcats are about to be crowned college basketball’s finest, I thought I would talk about some basketball books. We’ve got Freedarko’s The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac and The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball: History.

They are both relatively outdated. The almanac came out in 2008 followed two years later by the guide, but their current relevance is not what I want to talk about right now. I want to call to attention the beautiful, stylistic illustrations and infographics that lie between the soft matte hardcovers.

Now, of course you can read about things like Kobe’s spirit animal, why Lamar Odom is so sad (complete with a chart that breaks down his facial expressions), and even the ancient style of play demonstrated by Dirk Nowitzki (I’ll give you a hint. It’s Dirk Style). I know that designers (especially myself) are always trying to look beyond the web for inspiration. These are great assets to add to your library. Even if you just want to look at the pictures, that’s totally fine too. So trust me, it doesn’t matter if you could not care less about sports or basketball in particular, there is still a lot of enjoyment to be had out of these two books.