Kurani Interactive

Sneak Peek - Opinionaided

ad:tech 2009 Update - Kurani Interactive On the Scene

Every year when I walk vendor floor at ad:tech I see the same companies - except they have new brands, business models and logos.  Around 2003 everyone was a search marketer, in 2007 every vendor was in the business of "connecting you to your customers".  This year everyone is an ad network - banners must be making a come back.

Here are some other observations:

Only 2 video production vendors.  In the last 6 months I've seen quite a bit of video being integrated into websites very effectively.  Not just a port of TV commercials but something between informmercial and TV commercial in length and depth - I think there's a big future in video.

Still a handful of local search companies.  Frankly I think this is a lost cause.  The web has never done local well and mobile looks poised to take it over.  In other words, it seems to me that local advertising in a digital format is going to essentially skip the desktop and laptop and really explode on mobile in the next 5 years.

With the proliferation of PPC costs thanks to the success of Google's Ad Words program, I see a huge opportunity for organic SEO to jump start again.  On one SEM campaign recently we were paying as much as $30 per click!  A little long-range planning and investment in content and link building seems to make more sense than ever - yet I saw very few SEO companies at ad:tech and some of the industry leaders were noticeably absent.

KIcks

Lookin for the new hotness?  Our gigs never looked so damn tight.

Check em in 360 glory

The K Housers...

http://www.converse.com/#/products/shoes/converseone/builder/chuTayOxCan0901,,,190498171

The HoneyPots...

http://www.converse.com/#/products/shoes/converseone/builder/chuTayOxCan0901,,,190498105

The OA's...

http://www.converse.com/#/products/shoes/converseone/builder/chuTayOxCan0901,,,190498183

Coming soon for you fashionistas...

The BOO Tops

Mannington Floor Boards

and for you ladies...

The "Z"

word.

GAME 1

Although I am surrounded by mostly Met fans or non fans, my board is decorated (courtesy of my fellow Yankee fan and co-worker Marc - thanks) with the AL Pennant flag just in the background of Buddy Big League (he sings and dances loudly - does a great job of driving some Met fans crazy).

Getting ready for Game 1 tonight hoping CC throws another gem. Also, as you might be able to tell from the board, those numbers are who we need to come through in combination with those already contributing in order to gain the coveted title for the 27th time. LETS GO YANKEES!

Happy Birthday to the Banner Ad!

Ah how long its been - or is it how fast you've grown. The banner ad, like all of us, is having a birthday and growing up. Its not quite an adult yet so please be patient like we must for all teenagers!

Below is how Hotwired.com's home page appeared back in 1994 and one of the first banner ads from AT&T is just below that.

HAPPY 15TH!!!!

Read the full story from IAB here

Kurani 2005 called, we want our campaign back

Our sexy, inappropriate voip calling silo's went public. That Via toting bird is beggin for a little va- va-voom from yours truly... at 31 fps of course.

It's Friday... it's 8pm... I'm still at work. Huh?

I'm really just waitin for my ride, being that my daily driver is on the lift... but while I wait, lemme give you the tour.  As they say in MTV Cribs... "this is where the magic happens."

It's mostly just four legs and a stool, but it's been mine for... I dunno, 5 years?

Editing some photos for my blog to the left there... took that shot last night, scouting a few locations.

Mid view I got the Qoob up and running, staple to anti-boredom and supplier of wit and sarcasm (+ Half empty Heineken... it is 8pm)

And lastly to the right... the music.

(cellphone call)

Ahhh... my ride just arrived!

Catch ya on the flip.

We uncorked a big one.

October 13, 2009

After almost a year from first convo to launch.  See post below for the official details.  See pic above for the 3 am celebratory plastic cup toast (in hindsight, we shoulda gone with the inspirational mugs).

To a fine crew.

Cheers.

Book of Odds

Well the time is finally arrived to introduce the world to Book of Odds. It's been really hard to keep this under wraps over the past several months, but I guess if Ryan Hagen of freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com can introduce the world to the Book of Odds we can join in as well.

When it officially launches tomorrow, Book of Odds will introduce, as one participant in the usability studies put it "a whole new way of thinking about life". How unique (or not) you may be. When creating this brand from scratch we took into consideration every aspect of the overall user experience. Our original pitch went something like:

It is about how we are all...

Alike

Different

Better off

Worse off

Making it

Not Making it

Connected

Separate

Even more, it's about how we navigate our way through life - knowing where we are by knowing where everyone else is.

Gratification needs a home

Today I had a funny feeling when purchasing a Kindle DX from Amazon.  When buying a shiny new object, especially a gadget, I am usually writhing with anticipation, however, in this case I felt something missing.  Loss.  At first, I thought it was me going through buyer's remorse, then I realized it wasn't me, it was the satisfaction of the person that I was buying it from that was missing.  Whether a sales associate from a big chain or an owner of an electronics store, they all get a small glint in their eye when they sell something.  Who cares why, you can tell they feel good, and it makes me feel good.

I've read and written a lot about the collapsing supply chain and the extraordinary efficiencies the web produces and in the process we've helped clients leverage those trends and even built our own applications to capitalize on the opportunities created by such a shift.  That said, right now I feel a little like I did in the early 90s, zombie-eyed from too much overnight chatting.  My answer back then was to just shut off the computer. 

Given that shutting off the computer just isn't feasible unless I want to drag myself, my family, and my company into the car manufacturing business (no offense folks).  The only option I see is to: bring a little more human into the interaction.