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Mar

HTC Ditches 'Quietly Brilliant' Tagline For Something Louder, Doubles Marketing Budget With Extra Emphasis On Digital

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in HTC, News

It's no secret around these parts that we find HTC's advertising to be a little lackluster. Which is a shame because its hardware is not. For what it's worth, the company's CEO agrees and plans to ditch the "quietly brilliant" slogan for the One and instead shoot for the themes of "bold," "authentic," and "playful." Which, by a strange coincidence, also happen to be Peter Chou's list of the top three traits he's looking for in a woman on his OK Cupid profile*.

The "bold" theme, as HTC's media chief Ben Ho explained (any good marketing campaign has to be explained, you know), refers to how the company will market itself.

Mar

This New Nexus 10 Ad Featuring A Couple Preparing For Their New Baby Is Exactly What Good Marketing Should Be

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Google, News, Nexus 10

I am vaguely aware of the iPad. I know that my Galaxy has Google stuff in it and my nerdy friend tells me about his Next Us that is cool. I am the target audience for this new ad for the Nexus 10. Why? Because my friend who reads tech blogs already knows about it and doesn't need to be convinced. I do. And you know what? It's doing a pretty good job of convincing me.

Here is what I've learned watching this video: the Nexus 10 can be shared with my family, is used to post photos online, can read books, watch movies, coordinate calendars, have video chats, and has voice commands.

Mar

Samsung Vs. HTC Advertising Smackdown (Or: This Is Why The Galaxy Brand Is Killing The One Series)

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Editorials, News

We've mentioned a couple of times on this site that when it comes to the battle of HTC versus Samsung, advertising is of paramount importance. Why? Because people who don't read blogs with names like 'Gizmondo,' 'Android Cops,' or 'The Precipice' have no idea what makes the Galaxy S IV better than the HTC One or vice versa. In fact, more often than not, the average Joe looking to buy a new item in a field he has no expertise in has just one question: what's a good brand?

Marketing is the art of getting people to know and trust your brand.

Feb

[Video] Sony Invites Us To Make New Memories With The Xperia Z In Nostalgic New Commercial

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Sony, Videos, Xperia Z, Xperia ZL

There are a few surefire ways to get straight to a consumer's heart, and one of them is nostalgia. People love to be reminded of the good old days, and Sony has done just that, uploading a new Xperia Z spot that will take viewers back to the moon mission, the Berlin wall, roller skating on the beach, and playing video games, all with Sony products.

The ad then continues with a young couple joining in a Holi celebration using the Xperia Z, showing that Sony hasn't abandoned its iconic role in capturing or enhancing your most memorable moments. The video finishes by showing that, after running through plumes of colored powder and revelry, you can simply rinse the phone clean – after all, it's waterproof.

Feb

Google Shows Off The Cooler Parts Of Now And The Nexus 4 You Don't Have In The Latest TV Spot

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Google, LG, Nexus 4

Yes, we know - the Nexus 4 is still thin on the ground basically everywhere. (Americans, both the 8GB and 16GB versions are currently shown as "ships in 2-3 weeks" on the Play Store.) Even so, the LG flagship is the logical showpiece for Google Now, and it's doing some fine service in Google's latest mobile search ad. This one shows off Now's ability to automatically bring up contextual information for your time or location. It seems that Google is also pretty sure that American tourists don't know what sea urchins look like.

This commercial makes a little more sense than previous Now spots, since it's displaying the app's ability to predict the topical information you want as soon as you perform that distinctive swiping function.

Dec

Google Adds Two-Step Verification To AdMob Ads To Prevent Accidental Taps

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Android OS, Google, News

Mobile advertising is an unavoidable part of the Android experience - in fact, some would make the case that it's the whole reason for Android coming to exist in its current form. But that doesn't meant that it can't be improved. So Google's AdMob team has been looking at ways of making delivered ads both less intrusive and more functional, namely by cutting down on unwanted activations.

According to the post on Google's Mobile Ads Blog, accidental and non-intentional taps on the ad space are one of the biggest problems they've had to deal with. It's claimed that even the advertiser isn't too keen on accidental visits, since they're using up server resources on a customer who isn't necessarily all that valuable.

Nov

[New App] Adblock Plus For Android Released: Root Users Block Everything, Stock Users Block WiFi Only

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, News

The perennial favorite of Firefox and Chrome power users has arrived. Adblock Plus for Android was just released to the Google Play Store, compatible with all devices running 2.1 or higher. Just like its desktop counterparts, it'll block ads in your browser... but only in certain circumstances. Those who are rooted (regardless of Android version) will block all ads in the standard browser and Chrome. If you're not rooted, it'll block ads on WiFi for Android 3.1 or later.

Those running an earlier version of Android will need to delve into their Settings menu, in order to manually enable the proxy-based filtering employed by Adblock Plus for Android.

Aug

[New Game] AstroWings3: Icarus Is High On Ships, Lasers, Missiles, Bullets, And Advertising

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Applications, Games, News

Last Updated: August 22nd, 2012

Top-down shooters, also known as "bullet hell" games, are fairly common on mobile platforms. But rarely have we seen one with the complexity and artistry of this one. AstroWings3: Icarus is the latest in a series that started on iOS, and the first to make the warp jump to Android. Don't let that dissuade you, though - it's well worth your attention if you're a fan of the genre. Customizable weapons and screen-filling attacks are par for the course, and the loose connection to Greco-Roman mythology gives the game a nice presentation. You'll need a pretty powerful device - my Galaxy Nexus shudders when there are too many enemies at once.

May

Lookout Ad Network Detector Now Snooping Out SellARing

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Apps/Games, News

With the advent of the latest and greatest APIs, amazing new apps have been made possible. Unfortunately, these developments have also given rise to another, more insidious trend on Google Play: cruel and unusual advertising. For example, ad network SellARing allows developers to play a 10-second audio ad whenever users make a phone call.

Fortunately, Lookout recently released an app called "Ad Network Detector" to help with such obnoxious, intrusive ads; however, up until today, SellARing was not among the detected networks. No more - as of the latest update, version 1.2, Ad Detector users can identify apps that use SellARing; as with other ad networks, once the applications have been identified, Lookout gives you the option of opting out of the ads, getting more information about them, or completely uninstalling the apps that trigger them.

May

[Pure Evil] SellARing "Replaces The Ring-Ring With A 10 Second Ad," Vies For Title Of Most Intrusive Ad Network Ever

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Applications, News

Remember Airpush, the ad network that was widely considered one of the most intrusive, irritating methods of advertising in existence (so much so that Lookout released a special app to fight it off)? Well, it looks like the folks at SellARing (pronounced "sell a ring") have come up with something even more insidious.

SellARing's ad network essentially allows associated apps to replace the familiar "ring ring" sound you hear after dialing a number with a selection of 10-second audio ads.

The service lists NBC, Walmart, Vodafone, FOX, and others as among already-enlisted audio advertisers, and boasts a booked campaign calendar for May 2012, noting that they "have demand for more Android apps," while promising five-minute integration with a proprietary SDK.