Overall, we think the evening proved that the Salt Lake market is teeming with creative thinking and individuals who aren’t just chasing “shiny objects” but looking at the digital arena as a critical component of any marketing strategy. As Craig said: “It shouldn’t be ‘digital’ or ‘new media’ anymore. It’s about engagement and integrated media strategy.”

And by “freshness”, of course we mean Google’s new Freshness algorithm that favors frequently updated content in the search results delivered to you. Amit Singhal, from Google, says that “search results, like warm cookies right out of the oven or cool refreshing fruit on a hot summer’s day, are best when they’re fresh.” While that may be true, it could also affect your website’s search engine rankings, especially if others in your market or category are updating their platforms on a more regular basis.

This new algorithm update stems from the completion of their Caffeine (aptly named!) web indexing system last year, which crawls and indexes the web for fresh content much quicker and on a much larger scale. The new Freshness algorithm further builds on Caffeine and impacts roughly 35 percent of searches. Different searches have different freshness needs and Google’s new algorithm accounts for that, differentiating between what queries require recent content and those it is less relevant for. For example, if you are searching for information on when the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting will take place, you are more likely than not interested in the 2011 tree lighting and not 2008 or 2004. However, if you are searching for a cookie recipe, timeliness is less critical. As a result of this, the search results that will be most affected include those in the following categories:

1. Recent events or hot topics (latest news about NBA lockout, Occupy Wall Street protest, etc.)
2. Regularly occurring events (elections, X Factor results, etc.)
3. Frequent updates (best SLR camera, safest SUV)

This freshness shift shouldn’t be seen as a detriment, but rather an opportunity to increase our search rankings by making sure content is relevant, updated and takes into account both social media and search. Now, more than ever, analytics, keyword research and trending topics should have an impact on the content we push out on the web, in social channels and press releases. Let’s shift our thinking to “real-time” so we can really embrace the “freshness” and provide our target audiences with the updated, relevant content they are looking for.

One exciting new restaurant in Utah to keep on the radar is BRIO Tuscan Grille, a classy Italian restaurant opening at Fashion Place Mall next to Nordstrom this Monday. It’s known as being “upscale affordable” Italian cuisine in a family-friendly atmosphere, and I just found out for myself that their tiramisu alone is enough to drive crowds to that restaurant.

To kick things off and get acquainted with the Utah community before it officially opens its doors for business Sept. 12, BRIO is hosting a free grand opening block party tomorrow, Sept. 10, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the parking lot it shares with Nordstrom. Celebrations will include food samplings of BRIO’s favorites, a build-your-own sundae bar for kids, a charity fundraiser dunk tank with Murray Fire and Police Departments, photo booths, craft tables, bocce ball tournaments, raffle-prizes from Fashion Place retailers and more. Some local head honchos, including Mayor Peter Corroon of Salt Lake County and Mayor Dan Snarr of Murray City, will also attend and all proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Murray.

So what we’re telling you is that, if nothing else, keep the first BRIO in Utah in your sites. It’s going to be a big deal and after you try their tiramisu, let us know what you think.

Who would’ve guessed that just two days later, we’re hearing about this 10-year-long manhunt coming to an end? The media has shifted and is now riddled with stories regarding the compound where bin Laden stayed, and how his death triggered a spread of computer viruses, affecting millions. What does this mean for the social media world around us? How long will this stay in the news? How many videos will be released regarding this event? It is an exciting time to share information and learn about this event in its entirety from the comfort of your home.

One thing is for sure: information is often emotionally charged. And that kind of information, spread through so many traditional and social media platforms, can affect the world. The morning after I heard the news about Osama, I was heading over to a conference. While entering a building, a man held open the door for me, wearing a giant American flag t-shirt, just beaming. He motioned me in and said, “It’s a great day to be an American!” It truly is a great time to be an American when strangers become friends, and all can rejoice together as patriots. But possibly the greatest celebration took place at the First Lawn of the White House. Read more details about the celebration here.

So stay tuned, contribute your two cents, and enjoy this victory we’ve won. As a side note, I predict there’ll be a Hollywood movie out recapping this bin Laden saga within one year from today.

“Checking-in” using platforms like Foursquare, Gowalla, Whrrl, Facebook Places, among others, is popular for many reasons, including showcasing to your social graph the cool places you are frequenting. Now, imagine checking in somewhere unheard-of. This is exactly what one astronaut has done. On Friday he unlocked the “NASA Explorer” badge and checked into the National Space Station. Where will someone check-in to next?  http://bit.ly/9Wx91U

Privacy on Facebook, or Not?

We all have our privacy settings set to our liking on Facebook; or so we thought. This week millions of Facebook users found that their personal information was being leaked to advertisers through apps on the social networking site. Facebook is taking immediate action but it’s yet another instance of privacy breaches on this wildly popular platform.  http://bit.ly/buDn6d

Apple Apps Becoming More Available?

Apple announced this week, that in 90-days they will be allowing users to purchase apps on their desktop or laptop computers through an online store with their i-tunes account. Previously the services were only offered to i-devices. Do you think this availability increase has then potential to hurt other software providers. http://bit.ly/cKgsde

In a July 12, 2010, ADWEEK article about the internationally prestigious Cannes awards festival, writer Noreen O’Leary reported the following:

“Mark Tutssel, Leo Burnett’s global CCO and a Cannes judge, said that despite the occasional exception, Cannes winners tend to be solid business successes.  In previous years, Burnett has conducted surveys tracking award-winning ads with business performance.  In the most recent survey, Burnett found an 86 percent correlation between award-winning work and effectiveness, up from 78 percent in 1997, the first year of the study.

Now for a specific example.

The Old Spice campaign featuring the buff, bare-chested Old Spice guy in the shower has certainly garnered attention (and won every major ad award), but has it sold product?

Here’s what Eleftheria Parpis reported in the July 26, 2010 issue of ADWEEK.

According to Nielsen data provided by Old Spice, overall sales for Old Spice bodywash products are up 11 percent in the last 12 months; up 27 percent in the last six months; up 55 percent in the last three months; and in the last month, with two new TV spots and the online response videos, up a whopping 107 percent.

“Our business is on fire,” says James Moorhead, brand manager of Old Spice.  “We’ve seen strong results over all of our portfolio.   That is the reward for the great work. The “Smell like a man, man” campaign, which by mid-July had become a pop-culture sensation, with videos from the series accounting for eight of the top 11 most popular videos on YouTube, went on to win a Grand Prix at Cannes.

1. Like a swarm of killer bees, this South African instrument – previously unknown to many – dominated the news, our ears and was a popular Twitter hashtag. Articles even popped up on how to remove the Vuvuzela sound from your audio by muting certain frequencies on your equalizer – http://bit.ly/bviXut – and Twitter’s fail whale was a semi-constant.

2. Meanwhile, Mr. Jobs’ latest creation is estimated to have sold 1.5 million on its first day, according to Oppenheimer’s Yair Reiner. http://bit.ly/crMoFi

3. However, complaints are already starting to pop up – especially regarding yellow distortions on screen and poor reception. From a PR perspective, it seems that Steve Jobs may need a bit of media training after responding to a customer’s email regarding reception issues by saying “Just don’t hold it that way.” Should he have responded the way he did? Apple is seen as a worldwide innovator and yet their solution to the problem is somewhat pathetic…http://bit.ly/91jI22

4. Lastly, (in non-World Cup and iPhone news) a recent marketing research study reveals a few things about online advertisements that might not come as a huge surprise. Content being “targeted” in any intelligent manner gets a much higher response rate. Likewise, obtrusive ads that do crazy things such as make noise, play music, or roll over the page on a  mouse-over are also extremely effective. However, when an ad was both targeted and obtrusive… people get a bit creeped out and the ads effectiveness falls pretty dramatically. Why? Apparently it begins to call too much attention to the fact that big brother is watching. How do you feel about these types of ads? http://bit.ly/czKpsC

But I also do not believe this is new territory for anyone. Reviewing AdAge’s recent “80 Years of Ideas,” it’s amazing how far we have come during this past century. Perhaps change is happening at a faster pace than it used to, but nonetheless, we should all be used to things constantly changing.

But there is still resistance. Perhaps part of the reason for this is because we are unsure how to keep up. How do we (all of us in this industry) embrace the constant change?

In the grand scheme of things, I am a newbie. I have been doing advertising a mere 10 years. But already, I can look back at the beginning of my career and am shocked about how different my role and the work I contribute to is today. If that much has changed in 10 years, what will happen in 20?

So, I’d like to share my opinions on how to keep up. These are merely a few ideas that I “try” to practice to be sure I am on the cutting-edge and not falling behind.

• You are never too old to learn new things (whatever your age). Do not sit back and hope something will fade away. You do not want to be one of those people who have lost sight of what is going on.
• If you hear of something new – investigate and dive in with both feet. If people are using a new social media website, don’t just peruse it. Sign up and use it. Having a Facebook or Twitter account, but not actively using it does not count. You cannot sell it or market on it, if you do not understand its idiosyncrasies.
• Set aside at least 30 minutes a day to read up on what is going on. Use Twitter, RSS Feeds, Mashable, Blogs or whatever you would like. Just keep up on the latest news and trends. This can be an enjoyable break from your regular responsibilities.
• Don’t forget to watch TV, listen to the radio and read magazines/newspapers. You need to see what’s popular and what other advertisers are doing.
• Take time to listen to the younger associate’s (or young people in general) at your company. They are likely into current trends and can contribute great ideas.
• Listen to your consumers. Don’t settle for the tactics you have always used to reach them. Speak their language and find where they are.
• If a project comes along that involves something new, volunteer to work on it. Take every advantage to work on projects that involve a new media, technology or process that you do not yet understand.
• Become a futurist. Think big and develop ideas someone hasn’t thought of yet. It’s the fun part of our job.
• Constantly look for ways to make things better. Look to make changes in the way you work. This will help you embrace other types of change that will inevitable come your way.
• Finally, don’t get frustrated. It’s hard to keep up. But keep at it and don’t lose traction.

Google has launched Buzz, a service wrapped into Gmail which allows for quick sharing of pictures, videos, status messages, etc. with your Google Friends. You can also autopost to Twitter, Picasa, Flickr and more. It includes privacy settings so you can share with the world or just your friends.

Flash your optics upon the official video:

Noticeably absent is the ability to share with Facebook. Hmmm.

I like how they’re taking a step toward consolidating your social activities into one place (Gmail) as opposed to launching a standalone service which quickly becomes yet one more place to login and check. Now if they’d just roll Reader and Wave functionality into Gmail, well that’d be the bee’s knees. Do it Google. Blow my mind.

In addition, there’s a pretty killer mobile version. It’s seems like a cross between Foursquare, Twitter, Yelp and Google Maps. Looks like it could be pretty impressive, actually. Check the video below:

To get Buzzed (ha!) just keep hitting refresh in Gmail for the next few days – it’ll be gradually rolled out to users throughout the week.