Q: What kind of activities are going on in town that people have seen or done?
A: Everyone is drinking and/or zip-lining.

Q: How is any work getting done?
A: We run out of the office, get on a TV show, and then run back to check e-mail. Although we already bumped into a client in Super Bowl Village, so we think the jig is up.

Q: Any celebrity sightings yet?
A: We’ve seen Al Roker, Ann Curry, Adam Levine, Gym Class Heroes, Jimmy Fallon……and Ryan Gosling!

Q: Could you put in a good word for Cleveland?
A: We really think those Cleveland tourism videos on You Tube are holding you back! But we will see what we can do.

Q: Will anyone be at work on Monday?
A: Depends on what time Peyton Manning’s party breaks up after the Giant’s big win!

Terrestrial radio stations have lost the in-car monopoly they once enjoyed. Watch this great video of Mark Ramsey interviewing the founder of Livio Radio:

The Future of Radio in Cars from Mark Ramsey on Vimeo.

Fred Bidwell, Chairman of JWT Action (parent company of Market and Main Media), wrote about these shifting shopping modes in a recent article in Hub Magazine called, “The New Fluidity.” In the article, Bidwell summarized results of a shopper study.

JWT Action asked a cross-section of people to keep shopping diaries to document the times when they flip in and out of shopping mode. The diaries revealed five drivers which may switch a consumer into a shopper. Here is how Bidwell summarized those motivations with real-world examples:

1. Appease Peers: “Anthony’s friend suggested dinner and movie destinations. Barry does online research about tablets prompted by his wife’s interest in an iPad. Jennifer’s trip to the library with her kids results in an unplanned stop at a local sandwich shop.”

2. Dissatisfaction: “Ryan isn’t sure he’s getting the best service from his auto dealer and elects to shop for others. Barry decides to supplement his trusty work shoes with another pair in a different style and color. Wendy decides she really doesn’t like her bed linens and makes a plan to replace them.”

3. Digital Convenience: “While watching an Ohio State basketball game, Barry starts searching online for “gray” Buckeye apparel. Anthony uses Netflix Instant View to watch a film instead of going to a theater. Laura grabs a Groupon offer for a half-price massage, followed by a local search for deals on an oil change.”

4. Stock-up: “Anthony runs out of lunch food and goes to the grocery store. Nicole takes her last cough drop and heads to the drug store. Wendy runs out of fabric softener and adds it to the weekly shopping list.”

5. Impulse: “Katie goes online to buy her boyfriend a birthday present and ends up ordering a shirt for herself. Upon exiting the mall movie theater, Ryan and family unexpectedly pick up a couple of items at other mall stores. Anthony has no intention to buy when he accompanies a friend to a club store, but ends up getting bathroom tissue because it’s on sale.”

These factors show us that not every shopping occasion is a pre-planned event with a linear shopping path.

Bidwell contends that marketing plans need to embrace the new fluid path to purchase, “This approach enables brands to better understand their empowered audience and develop programs that effectively connect with them across the continuum. Most important, these brands will find that working across the entire length of the new, fluid path-to-purchase is where great opportunities exist.”

Do your messages and media plans cross-pollinate between brand and shopper tactics? Read the entire article in Hub Magazine, and share your thoughts with us.

Adweek reported that social TV will change the way we watch TV and the way we connect with friends. With a click on the remote, your TV will share what you are watching with your Facebook friends. You’ll also see an on-screen listing of what they are watching. Discussions will take place on the TV screen so that you can laugh, cry, rate, and review programs in real time.

Consumers are already making a habit of sharing their media habits online. Social TV will just make it easier.

Here are the benefits for advertisers and networks:

Higher product integration value

Conversation leads to greater engagement. If I’m engaged in a program, then I’m less likely to miss details. Product integration becomes more valuable as friends discuss the outfits, the cars, and the music in the program.

Less channel surfing

Social TV makes it painful to change the channel if my friends are watching the same show. This returns value back to traditional commercial pods. It also gives networks an incentive to create buzz-worthy programs to keep friends watching together.

Less time-shifting

The DVR takes a back seat during real-time viewing. With social TV, any ordinary program can become a must-see appointment. If it becomes a habit with my friends to solve the murder together during CSI: Miami, then I will miss-out if I’m not watching in real time. This makes the DVR less of a threat to commercial ratings.

More brand chatter

The conversation doesn’t stop during commercial breaks. Expect users to comment and review every spot the same way that Super Bowl parties produce chatter about commercials. Marketers have an opportunity to identify brand enthusiasts and extend the conversation.

The next few years will see dozens of technology platforms fight to bring social TV into the mainstream. Marketers should be prepared to put their best foot forward during programs with lots of buzz, and nurture the brand conversations that social TV will produce.

1. Bill Sloan: My favorite app is Golfshot (Android). It’s a Golf GPS that tracks your strokes, estimates distances and maps out the entire course.  A stand-alone golf GPS can cost up to $400.  This app on your phone is only $30.
2. Tara Harkcom:  I really like Kayak for booking travel (Apple and Android).  The flight tracker allows me to see if my flight is on schedule or if the person I am picking up is landing on time. The price alerts are great. I have literally booked flights while standing in line at Target when an alert came through.
3. Anthony Burdette: My favorite app is Serve from American Express (Apple and Android).  It links your bank accounts and credit cards to a single online account.  You can “serve” money to friends and family that are also users of the app. It alleviates the pain of splitting the bill at dinner, trying to come up with cash to pay someone back, and making exact change.  If only I could use it to pay for my laundry.
4. Marcus Ackman: I use Onavo (Apple).  It compresses the data you use on your phone by up to 80%.  If you’re a data hog like me, it can help save you money. It also provides great visualization tools to help you track the data you use each month.
5. Betsey Lukens: My favorite app is Netflix (Apple and Android). With our existing Netflix account, all we have to do is sign into our account on the mobile app and we can view movies and TV shows anywhere.  It is also a great way to keep the kids busy.
6. Dewayne Tindall: I use Flixter to check what’s showing at the movies and to check showtimes.  It also has reviews from Rotten Tomatoes and movie trailers.  (Apple and Android)
7. Laura Toth:  My favorite app is Deep Sleep (Apple and Android).  This app is marketed as a sleep aide to “beat insomnia and get a good night’s rest.”  I’ve never had insomnia, but I often woke up feeling like I slept only a couple of hours.  So, if you get 7+ hours of sleep a night, and still wake up exhausted, give it a try.
8. Dawn Burdecki:  I enjoy the Automobile Magazine app (Apple and Android).  It has a large range of info on all types of vehicles, as well as editorial on concept cars, engine specs and everything happening in the automotive industry.
9. Brian Spencer:  The Asphalt 6 app on the iPad is amazing (Apple and Android).  I should disclose that I heard about the game because a client’s product is one of the vehicles you can race (the Can-am Spyder Roadster), but I have become a huge fan.  The graphics are amazing and the game has endless features and options. 

Everybody has a favorite app that has made life a little better.  What’s yours?

In reality, “cord cutting” may be a misnomer as users are really just shifting subscriptions to satellite and Internet subscriptions like premium Hulu accounts and Netflix. Media habits around feature length movies are especially altered by internet subscriptions. For example, this Bloomberg video demonstrates that box office sales may be taking a big hit from Netflix.

Marketers need to take steps to keep up with cord cutters as they switch from traditional wired cable.