By Ben Haber
Today Racepoint Group is launching a new offering – Racepoint Labs – to help companies, communities, causes and countries leverage the power of social media. To mark this launch we sat down with W2 founder Larry Weber, to get his thoughts on what this means for the overall digital marketing landscape.
Racepoint Launches Racepoint Labs from Kyle Austin on Vimeo.
26 comments March 10th, 2010
By Molly Galler
If you are a frequent visitor to CNN.com you surely noticed that something looked a bit different on the website this week.
Perhaps it was the blazing, fire engine red banner across the top? Or maybe it was the multiple, color photos accompanying the lead stories? Or was it the supersized video player featured in the center of the home page?
No matter what caught your attention, you’re correct. CNN.com got a facelift. In a recent article on the site redesign, Mike Shields of ADWEEK quotes K.C. Estenson, the SVP and General Manager of CNN.com, as saying “This is a revolution for us. To date, CNN has been a “largely text-driven site” that in the eyes of consumers is “a machine that spits out breaking news. We challenged ourselves to change.”
Why change now? Well, in an interview with Mediaweek, Estenson explained, “I think the portals are coming after us. I want people to not have to go someplace else to get more.” Who are these portals Estenson feels nipping at his heels? Oh you know, just two little companies called AOL and Yahoo.
Motivated by the idea of providing their visitors with all the types of news and content they are seeking, CNN.com has formed several partnerships that launched with the new website on Monday. New members of the CNN.com family include: Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine, Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Pete Cashmore and even Oprah Winfrey!
In addition to the fresh, vibrant look and the all star line up, CNN.com has also added personalization capabilities to the site. Visitors can tailor their homepage by adding local news, sports, and weather to their CNN.com experience.
It is clear from the components of the website redesign that CNN.com is paying attention to market trends and user preferences, and adjusting their offering accordingly. This new approach will likely delight existing fans and entice new ones.
Bravo CNN! Mission accomplished.
1 comment October 29th, 2009
By Kyle Austin
The Economist, which has been in the news lately for launching a pay-wall on its Website, has also begun to experiment with digital and social media.
One of its latest digital moves is a weekly online video series, which it is dubbing “Tea with The Economist.” Like every step the Economist has made in moving carefully into digital waters, the series is very true to the The Economist brand.
According to Beet.TV:
“The 10-15 minute videos are conducted by The Economist reporters and editors around the globe who pour tea and query their subjects.”
However, the The Economist isn’t attempting to turn this into an online version of Charlie Rose’s two-way conversations. In fact, true to the anonymity that the The Economist maintains for their bylines, the reporters are never shown on camera or identified.
2 comments October 16th, 2009
