Vine...Useful or Useless??

At the beginning of the year, many of us were introduced to the new social app called Vine!  The company was bought by Twitter and officially released in late January.  Essentially, this app allows users to upload and create 6 second video clips.  These clips can then be uploaded from an individual's
Vine account or shared across other social media sites like Facebook & of course Twitter.  But a few months later, how has Vine fared in the social world?  In my opinion it gets a notable nod of approval.  The company still has some work to do seeing as how it is only available for iOS users, but the app has already achieved the status of becoming the most-used video sharing application. I also like Vine because it's intuitive and fits right in to the fast-paced society we live in.  The shortest commercials are usually in the 15 - 30 second range, and even watching for those seconds feels like forever.  Vine prevents its users from uploading videos that are longer than 6 seconds.  This keeps viewers entertained and not worried or burdened for time, meanwhile Vine video uploaders are forced to "get to the point" of their video and make it extra good since there's only 6 seconds of time to work with.  Additionally, Vine has practical use in the journalism world.  So many times I've read a 2 page Yahoo article only to wish I had a visual or depicted image to really capture the story better.  Now you can opt to have the same story and a 6 second Vine accompanied with it.  I as a reader can now quickly grasp what happened there during the moment or I can skip reading the article and get the basis of the story from the Vine.  Ultimately, I enjoy Vine for its whole platform built on quickness and the concept of instantaneous delivery.  It encourages anyone to make a video, to utilize their creativity, and interact with others.  I hope Vine is here to stay.

Even Cosmetic Surgeons Need Social

Just this month Mediasophia, an internet marketing firm announced some perplexing news.  The marketing firm announced that they successfully drafted a social media research and development team that will create campaigns, "specifically designed" for cosmetic surgeons and clients in the beauty industry.  Taking a minute to let this new concept sink in....it amazes me the lengths that social can go and be expanded into.  While I desire no need for cosmetic surgery or a Facebook-like social space to explore surgeons, I do see how people specifically seeking these services would.  While unconventional in my mind, Mediasophia just might be onto something.  We live in a social world, where we want to demo and test things before we buy-in to it.  Peer reviews and previous customer testimonials hold far greater weight than the words of the professionals trying to sell the service.  For these reasons I see success with the social campaigns for surgeons.  Mediasophia lets patients and previous clients leave first-hand testimonials about cosmetic surgery procedures performed by the specified doctor.  Names are kept anonymous to encourage truth.  Doctors get the benefit of a virtual online resume/portfolio of their work and procedures.  Meanwhile, new clients and consumers get to go to one hub to do most of their research about a particular surgeon.  Mediasophia also said short clips of video or surgery explanations are provided, granting visitors even more beneficial information.  All in all, getting cosmetic surgery from even the most well-renowned surgeon can have the potential for some errors but Mediasophia is helping the cosmetic surgery market take steps to eliminating one predominate problem in this field: lack of information/research of specific surgeons.  And for that I once again commend them.

Victoria's Secret Gets Racy

This past March, Victoria's Secret once again unveiled its Spring Break collection.  The lingerie brand is in the business of marketing and selling women's undergarments so there's always a thin line between what's sexy and what's offensive.  Unfortunately, unlike some many Spring Break collections before, Victoria's Secret recently decided to pull its collection from stores.  The campaign centered around young-looking models in barely-there bikinis and a slogan called, "Bright Young Things".  Underwear with various forms of suggestive themes were also a huge part of the PINK line for the campaign.  What Victoria's Secret didn't count on was the huge backlash it would face from mothers nationwide.  Many mothers felt that unlike previous campaigns, Victoria's Secret was targeting tweens and teenage girls instead of their usual college-aged demographic.  With petitions signed by thousands, and calls for boycotts, Victoria's Secret felt like there was little left to do but pull the plug on this campaign and issue an apology.  I'm not sure if I agree with the company's decision this time around.  I really think that they could have stressed the fact that this collection was aimed at college-aged women in their early 20s.  The campaign was initiated in March, the month where colleges NOT high schools are in the midst of their spring breaks.  Victoria's Secret in general is a mature store for adult and young adult females.  I highly doubt 13 and 14 year old girls have their mothers buy them $49 bras from the store.  I believe that in this case, if mother's didn't like the message then they should have ensured that their child did not purchase or where anything from Victoria's Secret.  The brand is involved in an edgy, sexy business and at the end of the day they have to market their products.  Hopefully, Victoria's Secret can stand up for themselves the next time this happens in the future.