 | Ypulse Daily Update 06.18.09
Directory and more at Ypulse.com | |  | Quick Links Ypulse Essentials: Cheating 2.0, Family Guy iPhone App, Disney Museum Posted by meredith  Cheating 2.0 (a new poll from Common Sense Media finds a number of students using cell phones and the internet to cheat on school exams... And not really seeing the ethical problem. Plus a search engine for mathletes worries some teachers. Meanwhile, educating alice lists some of the positive ways tech can enter a classroom setting ) (eSchool News) (WSJ)
- Transworld Media and Loop'd Network team up (to integrate Transworld content into the motocross, BMX, ATV, skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding sport hubs on the action sports social network)
- Jimmy Choos at H&M (to the delight of young fans who first heard of the high end shoe designer on "Sex and the City." And new lines for plus-sized teen fashionistas.) (Times) (New York Times, reg. required)
- 'Family Guy' iPhone app (teen fans will love the clips, games and the show's signature potty mouthed humor. Plus, kids' mobile service Kajeet and Smartycard partner up to allow tweens to unlock and redeem SmartyCard points for pay-as-you-go mobile phones) (Mashable)
- The Walt Disney Family Museum (set to open in San Francisco this fall, will focus on the man behind the brand) (Reuters)
- Staples gives back with back-to-school shopping (with a Facebook page and application, created by agency Mr. Youth, where participants can virtually "fill" a backpack and donate supplies to students living in poverty)
-'Wife camp' (in Canada an educator launches a two week etiquette course with a focus on hostessing skills for girls between the ages of 10 and 14 that understandably raises some eyebrows and concerns among parents and sociologists) (Maclean)
- Haven't heard of Reckitt? (the consumer package-goods giant responsible for Clearasil among other big brands is trying to change that by targeting younger consumers and challenging them to come up with ideas for a new product) (Ad Age, reg. required)
- DVR stats (show teens and seniors record shows the least often, while women ages 25 to 39 are the most frequent recorders. Plus Slate asks 'can Alexa Chung save MTV?' And the Emmys change their airdate to avoid conflict with MTV Video Music Awards) (USA Today) (Reuters)
- 140 characters away from No.1 on the charts (Twitter helps artists like Asher Roth, drive up digital music sales by driving traffic to iTunes on his album's release date) (TechCrunch)
Posted in: Ypulse Essentials What Youth Marketers Can Learn From YA Publishers Posted by anastasia  This week there has been a flurry of announcements out of the YA book publishing world concerning technology nicely summed up in this USA Today piece. In a nutshell, Harper Collins is using mobile to promote LC's new book (Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy), Simon & Schuster launched a YA social network called Pulse It and Penguin launched YA Central, aggregating interviews with popular YA authors.
It's ironic that some of the smartest youth marketing is coming out of an industry many pundits have already written off -- book publishing. Here's what I think these publishers get right:
Using mobile in context to get what teens want (free content!). I don't know that mobile promotions would work with every teen title, but with Lauren Conrad, who we imagine would be on her PDA constantly, it makes sense. Not sure it would be as effective for a darker title like Wintergirls though it depends on the tone and the correlating content. It seems fun to have to scan a barcode to access content -- my hope would be that this content is super exclusive, i.e. you can't find it anywhere else. Kind of like "easter eggs" online where you are rewarded for unlocking puzzles or following clues. It's "pull" marketing, enticing young readers in vs. pushing unwanted marketing messages out.
Using the "power of free" to create a network of word of mouth marketers. Pulse It is not just another social network for teens who love to read -- it's a very calculated effort to give teens who register free access to eBooks along with the tools to promote them to their friends (i.e. WRITE A REVIEW IN THE BOOK REVIEW SECTION, and then, if you want, let people know you wrote a review by posting a message on your Facebook profile!). I actually think these guys should take it a step further and expand their points system to rewarding members who post on FB, MySpace (hello - there are still teens on MySpace) or even Tweet their review. I also think they need to build in and promote rewards for these points -- free physical books signed by the author perhaps?
Know your adult influencers. To me, Penguin's YA Central is not really for teens but for the librarians and other adult YA fans who will recommend books to younger readers. Teens may enjoy some of these video interviews (note to the host: be more natural, tone it down a little), but everything about this site and these videos speaks more to librarians, booksellers and other adults who are invested in this genre and want to get teens reading these books. By making the videos easily sharable everywhere (roll over the email and share link at the top of the video to see the widget), they give this audience an easy way to get the word out.
For more coverage of YA books and publishing, check out the Ypulse Books Channel sponsored by The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (LB Teens).
Posted in: Ypulse Essentials | Books Tales Of A Twentysomething Nothing Posted by meredith The quarterlife crisis isn't an invention of the recession. But the downturn and the growing ranks of unemployed twentysomethings has given the phenomenon a much higher profile as of late. As such, there's been a lot of interest in how affected Millennials are coping, and resources popping up intended to help them cope.
In that camp is self-described "Life Coach" and "Gen Y Expert" Christine Hassler who wrote a three part series that recently ran over on Huffington Post. I caught the final installment yesterday, "Tips for Twentysomething Transformation," and was intrigued. So, I went back to read Hassler's first two posts (here is part one and part two) and while some of her insights resonated, especially the emphasis on lifting the pressure off figuring it all out now and focusing on the present, when she mentioned the transformational weekend workshop she runs for twentysomething women struggling with the transition period, I paused. Here's description from the workshop's website
"In this intimate, profound and experiential workshop, you will dive into your feminine being, come out of your cocoon of doubt, anxiety, unworthiness, fear and confusion, and emerge as a much stronger and more beautiful woman for it!"
What concerned me with Hassler and her sales pitch wasn't just the belabored butterfly metaphor or the hefty pricetag on the workshop ($695!), but the idea that this type of crisis, these growing pains, whatever you want to call the awkward stage of life that comes after college, but before your career, could be alleviated in a single weekend. That these symptoms of "doubt" "anxiety" "fear" and "confusion" can somehow be cured by a quick fix, when in reality they are a natural, albeit uncomfortable, part of growing up.
Yes, there are degrees of discomfort and some may be debilitating enough to seek professional help, but I think for most twentysomethings, the quarterlife crisis is pretty much on par with a second bout of puberty. Only this time with the self-awareness (a trait most twentysomethings I know have in abundance) to remind themselves how they got through that rough patch the first time around: by talking to your friends and family, recognizing that this is a temporary situation, partially beyond your control (only this time that variable is the economy vs. hormones), and occasionally indulging in a Judy Blume novel or two. Swap out the YA for an old angsty classic like "Reality Bites," and I think most of us will be fine finding our flight path on our own.
For more campus coverage, visit the Ypulse Campus Channel, sponsored by Campus Media Group.Posted in: Ypulse Essentials | Books | Campus
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