Random Thoughts: (Video, in this case) Nokia Re-draws the Map

Ah Wieden + Kennedy, do you ever stop producing cool spots? Check out the new Nokia ad, highlighting the oh-so un-tech, old school method of drawing maps. Drawing is what we did before Wii, kids. (Reading via RSS? Check out the video on the Travel 2.0 blog.)

Take Control of Your Maps

We live in the era of Google Maps. What started off as an impressive refresh of Mapquest-style maps now fuels web mashups. With APIs official and unofficial, Google Maps is simple enough for front-end designers to embed and for back-end programmers to target. Along the way to becoming nearly ubiquitous, it has played a major role in the “democratization of mapping.” For the practical developer who wants to add geospatial information to a site or application, the Google Maps API has been an easy call.

But, perhaps no longer...ask yourself this question: why would you, as a website developer who controls all aspects of your site, from typography to layout, to color palette to photography, to UI functionality, allow a big, alien blob to be plopped down in the middle of your otherwise meticulously designed application? >>Full Story

Thoughts// Visualization through dynamic mapping is a core function of most—if not all—destination sites and the majority of us (including yours truly) are fixated on using a Google, Yahoo or Live "mash up" maps. While these third party applications are for the most part practical, affordable, and accessible, the ultimate downside is that they come with a loss of branding.

This thought provoking article explores the increasingly accessible world of custom map development through open source platforms. While custom map development does come at a slightly higher upfront cost than the free third party API's, these costs could be mitigated if the development is deployed over a long term.

But...if neither custom map development nor using API tools from Google fits your budget, smaller DMO's might have another mapping option out there. Yes, this is a shameless plug...but, a former colleague at Travel Oregon, Sean Egusa, recently left us to form his own mapping application, SideStreet. SideStreet allows organizations to provide "personality" based mapping by providing an application to turn existing PDF's, JPGs or GIFs into an interactive guide.

Travel Trends - Nokia, Tennessee, Google Maps

Nokia Urbanista Diaries -Nokia introduces it's new Nseries N82 multimedia computer (in convenient cell phone size) via a great blog / map / widget / camera phone mashup titled the Urbanista Diaries. The idea is pretty simple, send 4 bloggers around the world in 14 days and record their every move, photo and story via the Nokia. You can view the travels via the site or widget. In addition, Nokia teamed with some other companies, namely Lonely Planet and National Geographic, armed them with the smartphone and recorded every move. Obviously, not everyone is planning on watching these urbanistas 24/7, even still, I can't help but think there is a good fit (somehow) for the tourism industry with an idea like this.
http://www.nseries.com

Howdy, Tennessee! - The team over at Tennessee Department of Tourism has revamped the homepage of tnvacation.com to squeeze even more of Dolly Parton into your browser! Seriously, this is one of my favorite state-level sites, although there is a lot going on within the site. The site is beautiful to look at, very rich and detailed...but I wonder if it overwhelms some travelers. Quite a contrast from the California site we talked about a few weeks ago. The new design widens the page and cleans up the navigation to make it more legible and easy to find. Take a look y'all! (Since I am from the south, I am qualified to use the word 'y'all' in this post)
http://www.tnvacation.com/

Google Maps - So, when searching for your house on Google Maps, did you notice it was out of place? Or perhaps your dry cleaner was in the wrong building. Well, the guys and gals over at Google Maps thought you should be able to do something about it. Earlier this week, Google Maps opened itself up to user edits. Meaning the wisdom of crowds will now be helping to create and refine the map. TechCrunch summarized it best, think of this new offering as what Wikipedia did for the encyclopedia...Google Maps will now do the same for maps.
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Last April, Reebok kicked off its "Run easy" campaign, using print, out-of-home, TV and online to promote the shoemaker as the everyman alternative to the catering of hard-core athletes by rivals like Nike. Three months later, the traditional elements of the campaign wrapped up -- except Goruneasy.com, a community site Reebok agency Carat set up for the push. There, runners kept coming back to share routes and post messages. Nine months later, they're still coming -- even from places like Australia, where Reebok never ran ads. >>Full Story

Thoughts// Running ain't so lonely anymore...especially with a social network such as Goruneasy.com and a community of users telling you where to run anywhere in the world. This interesting story from AdWeek really proves the point that if you build something truly compelling and useful for consumers, they will keep coming back to it long after the marketing campaign and buzz is over.

The article we've linked to is really about how "promotional efforts can take on a longer shelf life" in this fractured digital environment; after checking out the site, I had no doubt about why this was so popular. While the site is a bit rough around the edges (mysterious time outs, multiple prompts to log in etc.), I was really impressed and drawn in by the rich user experience of that lends itself to a very intuitive and engaging community site experience. The site allows a user to:

1. Find a running trail/route by zip/city
2. See who's recommending the run (Yes, this needs more relevant info content - marathon runner, casual runner etc.)
3. Integration with third party API's such as iTunes, Flickr (and yes, Google Maps) that allows users to share their photos and music
   

If you're ever in Portland, come run with me in the Montavilla Neighborhood!

Gucci Loves New York...

Gucci "Loves" New York, but perhaps New York does not share the sentiment? In an effort to promote the opening of its flagship store in New York, luxury brand Gucci recently launched www.GucciLovesNY.com, a site that pays homage to the city by featuring the favorite chic hangouts of the brand's CEO and creative director - including restaurants, clubs, boutiques and spas. One problem...the economic development arm for the State of New York is locked in a dispute with Gucci over use of the legendary "heart" symbol synonymous with the "I love NY" campaign. >>Full Story

Thoughts// Kudos to the marketing team at Gucci. They could have played it safe and celebrated the new Gucci flagship store by running one of those run-of-the-mill fashion campaigns we’ve become accustomed; yes, the ones with super skinny blondes enjoying the party life (not that there’s anything wrong with it).

Instead however, they chose to pay homage to the city that is the fashion capital of the country and built a whole campaign around it. Visitors to the site can view locations on a Google “mashup” map and read about why each location makes “Gucci love New York.” The site also has blogs from a group of fashion bloggers, all of whom also add their favorite New York places to go. Visitors can participate by submit their own posts, complete with a photo of themselves in front of their favorite place.

And what’s more, the company also designed 600 commemorative purses and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these purses are slated to be given away to a charity that maintains childrens' playgrounds at Central Park (at $600 or so a pop, that adds up nicely).

The campaign also has a ton of potential to extend itself to other channels: Madonna’s “I love NY” which plays in the background would make for popular ringtones, they could leverage the photos on Flickr, perhaps add a Twitter feed to track the hippest places frequented by Gucci staff and of course some point of sale interaction with customers.

Despite all of these positives, Gucci's love for NY is unrequited. As of this writing, the legal wrangling over the use of the “heart” symbol continues; in addition, some fashionista bloggers are up in arms about the fact that none of the bloggers on the site are from NYC. Guess you can’t please them all!

Gucci…perhaps you should head West?

Travel Trends - Google Tracking Flights, TripAdvisor

Google Including Flights In Search Results - Google gave the flying public an early Christmas present today by including flight status results within the search results. The service allows consumers to simply type in the airline and flight number into the normal Google search box and then returns the latest flight info, courtesy of flightstats.com (see example above). On a side note, how reassuring are those search results? Looking for an example for this post I searched for 'Southwest 75' at random and that video was the top result. Luckily, the video in question is just from a flight simulation game. Whew.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com

TripAdvisor Officially Launches New Design - As we reported a couple of months ago on the Interactive Trend Report, TripAdvisor has been beta-testing a new design for the popular travel review site. Over the last few days TripAdvisor made the switch-over complete and now the new design is coming up as the standard homepage for most users. While I heard a few rumblings of the site looking too similar to other OTA sites (Expedia, Travelocity, etc.), it is really just a new skin on the same content (which is a good thing). Granted, a few pieces have changed, but if you compare this new version to the previous version, a majority of the content is in the same spot. Plus, the new site includes a very addictive travel game from recent TripAdvisor acquisition TravelPod. Of course, I am a geography nerd and love anything with maps and capitals.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Travel Trends - My Location, Talking Outdoor

When Outdoor Talks Back - A great post from MediaPost's Mobile Insider blog talks about a deal between outdoor giant Clear Channel and Bluetooth content provider Qwikker that will allow thousands of outdoor ads to talk to your phone. Basically, if you and your Bluetooth enabled phone come close enough to a certain ad, say a subway transit board, a signal will be sent from the board to your phone, asking you to interact with the ad...perhaps via a download or message (similar to the popular RFID ads used by Mini earlier this year, pictured). But before your start avoiding bus shelters and subways, remember that this type of technology will be (more than likely) permission based. Now that is an interactive ad.
http://blogs.mediapost.com/

Google Maps Launches My Location - Earlier this month, Google Maps...who are slowing mapping everyone and everything...launched another product offering called My Location. My Location will allow cell phone users, with or without a GPS-enabled phone, to see a real-time representation of their location on a (Google) map. Sounds good, might be interesting. But the real benefit for Google is the integrated advertising opportunity that this technology creates.

Let's say you use Google for mobile search (or online search) and they know you have searched for a pizza restaurant in Scottsdale. So, the next time you are physically near that pizza restaurant, Google sends you a text message coupon for that restaurant. Or if you are near a certain store, Target for example, Google can send you an ad or message relating to that store.

Considering the shear amount of usable data gathered by both providers and application creators (such as this one) as well as its wide-spread use, this type of mobile advertising could create some extremely targeted advertising opportunities for marketers.
http://www.google.com/mobile/

Travel Trends - Las Vegas, Earthmine

Las Vegas - To complement new 30 and 60 second spots debuting this week, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority introduced a new section of VisitLasVegas.com that allows visitors to loosen up by listening to their 'evil' side. The section, which is surprisingly sparse of content, features an email a friend function that lets users 'impose your free will' via an angel or devil personalized message. The email a friend feature is powered by Oddcast, which is famous for those creepy talking avatars.
http://www.visitlasvegas.com/

Earthmine - A great post from TechCrunch introduces us to another virtual mapping company called Earthmine. Simliar to other companies and projects in the virtual mapping field such as Microsoft's Photosynth and Everyscape, the introduction of Earthmine places yet more emphasis on a searchable visual world.
http://www.earthmine.com/

Travel Trends - NAVTEQ, Radiohead

Nokia Purchases NAVTEQ - In an announcement today, mobile phone giant Nokia will acquire Navteq, the world's top seller of mapping software, for $8.1billion. While this move should not affect the use of Navteq's maps within mapping tools on Google, Yahoo! and MSN, the purchase is a blow to GPS-maker Garmin. Especially considering that Garmin competitor TomTom purchased the other major mapping provider, Tele Atas, earlier this year.
http://radar.oreilly.com/

Radiohead Says Pay What You Want - A bit of online news that everyone seems to be talking about, the U.K. band Radiohead has decided to release it latest album sans record label and let consumers decide what they want to pay for the album. Yes, that is correct. Consumers can download the entire album from Radiohead's website and decide during the checkout process how much they would like to pay for the album...anywhere from free to $10.00, or whatever you want. A very interesting concept on how much content (in this case music) is worth to consumers.
http://blog.wired.com/

Travel Trends - Yahoo! MapMixer, PayPal

Yahoo! MapMixer - An interesting addition to the Yahoo! Local / Map offering, MapMixer allows users to combine existing maps with the Yahoo! Maps program. In the example above, a user has taken a detailed map of Grand Canyon National Park and created a new map containing both maps. The site lets users zoom, pan and explore the map in the same fashion as the normal Yahoo! Maps site. Microsoft Research has a similar product called MSR MapCruncher.
http://maps.yahoo.com/mapmixer

PayPal Your Airline Tickets - Following the lead from Northwest Airlines, several carriers including Southwest, Midwest and US Airways now accept payment via the online e-commerce firm PayPal. JetBlue began allowing customers to pay via Bill Me Later, a similar product earlier this year.

The United Countries of Baseball

(click the map for a larger version)

In a retail branding effort that bonds Nike and the MLB, this poster campaign from Cole & Weber United is based on extensive data collection, according to the agency, which, among other things, charts fan loyalty, depicting the geographic boundaries of each team's fan base. In a tie-in with a Nike baseball clothing line, there are 30 team maps as well a series of ads and posters featuring individual players. The posters are seen in baseball team shops and Niketown stores.

Thoughts// Not exactly interactive-related, but I cannot help but love the execution of this Nike Baseball campaign. As the article says, the agency used data collection to create an accurate picture of the baseball fan divide in the US. The combination of a popular subject (baseball) in an easy-to-use and enjoyable format (a map) puts a creative spin on well-known information. From a travel perspective, how could we take this concept, apply typical (dare I say boring) information to a map and create a new way of looking at the data.

And I really think the Braves piece of the map should go a little deeper into Florida...but that is just my opinion.

Creating Next Generation Digital Experiences with Dragable Driving Directions and Photosynth

Thoughts// If you've been using Google Maps regularly like I do, you've noticed by now that the maps have become more interactive and allows you to add multiple driving points and customize your route by simply "dragging and dropping."

Kevin (our director or marketing here) and I had a brief chat in the office today about the power of the experience we could convey if we can extend this mapping experience and marry it to "Photosynth." Photosynth (based on Seadragon technology) creates breathtaking "multidimensional spaces" with "zoom and navigation"...all built from digital images (Flickr, cell phone images etc.).

Building such a platform where consumers can play, build itineraries and then start a conversation with each other (and the brand) can make for a compelling digital experience that makes a vacation eagerly anticipated and fondly remembered. For a demo of the photosynth project, please check out the presentation below.

With Tools on Web, Amateurs Reshape Mapmaking

On the Web, anyone can be a mapmaker. With the help of simple tools introduced by Internet companies recently, millions of people are trying their hand at cartography, drawing on digital maps and annotating them with text, images, sound and videos.

In the process, they are reshaping the world of mapmaking and collectively creating a new kind of atlas that is likely to be both richer and messier than any other. >>Full Story

Thoughts// Yet another illustration that "mashups" have come a long way since Google and other providers released their API to the public back in 2005. This article refers to how new tools such as Google's My Maps and MSN's Collections—both of which allow users to create custom "mashups" without any technical knowledge—have transformed the web into "a medium where maps will play a more central role in how information is organized and found."

Travel Trends - China, Google Mapplets

Chinese Internet Use - There are now an estimated 137 million internet users in China, second in number only to the United States, where estimates of the current internet population range from 165 million to 210 million. The growth rate of China's internet user population has been outpacing that of the U.S., and China is projected to overtake the U.S. in the total number of users within a few years. (See the chart above for a visual representation.)
http://www.pewinternet.org/

Google Maps Introduces 'Mapplets' - Now Google users can create custom map mashups built from other people's mashups. The company has rolled together two of its user-generated mapping products -- MyMaps and Mapplets -- to give Google Maps users the ability to create custom maps using dynamic data. Users can add data points like location-based photo searches from Picasa and gas prices from GasBuddy to their custom maps.
http://www.wired.com

JetBlue Airways Partners With Google Maps On Real-Time Flight Tracking

JetBlue Airways Corporation has partnered with Google Maps to provide customers with a real-time flight tracking channel on its signature seatback televisions to map the aircraft's route. To celebrate, the low-fare, high-frills airline is launching a "JetBlue Point of View" photo contest(a), inviting customers to share their own summer travel routes on a Google Maps mash-up on www.jetblue.com/google. >> Full Story

Thoughts// A new use and partnership for Google Maps. Using the Google Maps technology JetBlue will offer real-time flight tracking both online and in-flight. Another good example of a company (JetBlue) using another companies (Google) strengths and assests to it's avantage.

Bugaboo Daytrips, Walking Guides for Major Cities

It isn't so surprising then that Bugaboo International has enlisted its agency 72andSunny to execute an online initiative that targets the tikes and parents while stressing contemporary art and culture on a global scale.

With the web portion of the Bugaboo Daytrips promotion, parents can select from 22 different major cities spanning Europe, Australia and North America. Each city is dotted on a rather peculiar map that seems both bubbly and pixelated, a choice aesthetic considering the demographic. But by clicking on any one of the cities, the user is presented with a tailor-made microsite that is essentially a virtual walking tour. Each downloadable tour offers a handful of familiar and not-so-familiar destinations (with pictures included) specific to each city that would be ideal and unique for you and your little ones.

Thoughts// A creative and enjoyable site from Bugaboo, even though some of the maps are not easily navigated. However, the idea behind the site is a very subtle way of product promotion without being too overwhelming. By providing different walking trips and highlighting various artists, the site begins to provide intriguing content and useful (if not desirable) information.

Dunkin' Donuts Launches Trip Planning Site

Dunkin' Donuts launched a trip planning site Monday that lets travelers pinpoint and find directions to Dunkin' Donuts locations nationwide. Created in conjnction with Mapquest, the site called MyIcedCoffee.com, also offers instant win chances at gas cards, GPS systems and tickets on JetBlue. >>Full Story

Thoughts// A very short story, but an interesting site from Dunkin Donuts (see it here). The mapping technology is from MapQuest, which is very simliar to the Google Mapping technology we are currently evaluating. Overall the site is well-thought out (but a little busy) and does have a limited UGC offering. But, it does have Rachael Ray.

Travel Trends - Flagr, Silverlight, Second Life

Flagr: Using Google Maps technology, the social community site Flagr allows consumers to create and post maps of recent trips, famous locations or event sushi restaurants in New York (http://www.flagr.com/maps/315).
http://www.flagr.com/

Silverlight: While this is a ‘tech’ thing at this point, Microsoft’s answer to the Adobe Flash program has designers everywhere actually praising this new Microsoft product.
http://silverlight.net/

Second Life: After talking in a previous Interactive Trend Report post about how major corporations (Dell, Best Buy, NBA) are looking to extend there marketing efforts into this 3-D virtual world, a new report suggests that the majority of Second Life users are coming from outside of the US. According to a new comScore report, only 207,000 people from the US logged onto Second Life during the month of March. Second Life reports over 6 million total users. The accuracy of this report remains to be determined, but it is certainly a concern considering the large investment made by these US companies.
http://www.secondlife.com/

Reporter: Google Makes Mashups Easy

Mashups that overlay any kind of data on top of an online map are all the rage. But up until now I didn't know that even I, with no coding experience whatsoever, could make a customized map of my own. I did, and it took less than an hour. And it can even be found in the Google Maps index if I want it to. Google allowed me to preview a new feature of its maps service that it plans to launch on Thursday called My Maps.

Thoughts// Google has just added a function to there Google Maps product allowing anyone (via registration) to create their own personal map. The map could be of a family road trip, all Major League Baseball Stadiums or results from the 2004 Presidential Election. The map can then be saved, allowing it to become searchable in the Google Maps database, emailed or linked to.

Although this product is largely aimed at the novice user, not the programmer, the new ‘My Maps’ feature could be another possible promotional opportunity for AOT…for example, by re-purposing itineraries or special projects onto the map and then having links back to AOT for more information.

For example, here is our Arizona Origins campaign using the Google Maps tool: http://maps.google.com/