The Konami Code Frenzy

Never a game code has gained such a popularity. A hype is being created on the digital scene as developers are adding a secret code to some sites, the konami code.

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A, B and you're in for a surprise!

While this trick is spreading like wilde fire on facebook statuses, more famously recognized as the red circle trick, very few people are aware that it is not only restricted to facebook. While composing this code + enter creates interactive red circles coupled with lens flare effects, it has different results on different sites. While on netlog you get a meaningless fat dragon on your screen, on goolge reader, you get a slight change in the design of the left bar, and so on. the Konami Code site has a beautiful collection of websites where this magic code applies, and ironically, requires the code to be composed to view the list.

I think this movement ought to create a new rave in digital marketing soon, as it is attracting credible sites and an astounishing amount of visitors. Stay tuned!

Is Climate-Change a Fraud?

Lately, rumors have been going around about leaked documets from one of the world's most credited sources when it comes to global warming, the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (Eastern England).

Hacked emails, are currently posted online http://junkscience.com/FOIA/mail/ for everyone to witness the falsification of the data presented in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report. This report has been the source of many arguments for the pro-climate change initiatives, as it was perceived as one of the most trusted sources.

The current buzz around the climate change fraud concludes global warming to be another political scam, a hasty conclusion, yet worth examining.

With the emails available for the public, science has lost its credentials. Left to witness its effects come to life in the COP15- Copenhagen Climate Change Conference which will be held from December 7 until December 18. Looking forward.

How Audi Bank's Newsletter got it right

A fanatic of business news revolving on the Lebanese market in particular, I have my google news set to showcase articles with the key terms Lebanon and Beirut. As I spend a few minutes daily on this search, I have realized that the juicy articles are most often listed in the Audi Bank's newsletter!

This is a newsletter that's main focus lies in the economic and financial environment. Yet, they have a thorough understanding of their clientele. Their articles are tailor made to appeal to the Lebanese public.

Tapping unto the Lebanese pride of belonging, the messages are chosen and maybe sometimes rephrased to suit the Lebanese ego. Far from being dull information, for instance, instead of stating that Lebanon ranked 80th in the world based on a recent UN report, up three places from the previous year, the title proudly boasts "record improvements"...

Beyond their own understanding, I would assume, the Audi Bank's newsletter is a remarkably marketing oriented tool...

The Creative Work's Effect on Ads

Mike Bendixen, in a research entitled "Advertising effects and effectiveness", argues that the creative work has no effect on the magnitude of an advertising campaign; as the latter is only affected by the frequency of use of the medium in question.

As I stop to assimilate his research findings, I cannot help but pause thoughtfully. If indeed creativity does not in any way compensate on frequency; how can smaller campaigns, at times, get better response?

I would have to disagree in parts to the way the finding is presented. "Magnitude" by definition refers to the size. Thus obviously we are talking about frequency and reach. However, the way I see it, good creative work helps support the campaign in magnitude too, and is not merely a tool that dictates the efficiency of the campaign, as Bendixen seems to put it.

How? A good creative work stimulates the brain. It can be humor, it can be shock, simply beauty or even creativity. Whatever it is, it increases the magnitude exponentially as it is bound to create word of mouth.

Thus, I would not go against what has been stated by Bendixen. The magnitude within the medium in question is not affected by the creative work. Yes. The same medium will not multiply simply because the work is good. However, the medium will shift to incorporate other mediums which consequently would create a greater magnitude.

There, lies the beauty of marketing, the art of efficiently allocating budgets to maximize return by juggling not only the financials but also the qualitative.

*food for thought*

Care to contribute to science? ...Play!

Discover Fold It:

a free game that allows its users to contribute to the evolution of science and thereof to the discovery of new medication and ways to cure sicknesses as harsh as cancer, HIV and the likes... Interested?

The game can be downloaded for free on www.fold.it, and is available for Win, Linux and Mac users alike. Supported by big names like Microsoft and Adobe, this game was created by the University of Washington's Computer Science and Engineering department and the department of Biochemistry.

Another good use of the open source strategy that draws from the collective brain power of humanity, this game offers us much to hope for. With a smart and easy tutorial, anyone can dig in and become an expert in protein folding, compete and have fun for the greater good. Simply put "solve puzzles for science".