Facebook Camera App

Image courtesy of Techcrunch.com

There are but a few positives to spin out of Facebook's release of the Camera app. It's no Instagram and the consensus around the web seems to be that Instagram is to Facebook what YouTube is to Google Video: Most users will stick to the service that has a focus on one area and does it best.

The all-photo newsfeed on the app is a quick way to see your friends' pictures at a glance. All photos, even those added to Facebook through Instagram are displayed in the camera app's newsfeed. But unlike the Instagram newsfeed, a lot of these pictures are uninteresting and dull.

Instagram strives on the notion that most people have a little artist in them. Instagram exploits this theory by making it easier to express the artist's eye. While Facebook is a dumping ground for photo collections, Instagram lends to a subtler, more expressive one off and a creative expression.

I had this conversation over twitter with a friend when she joined Instagram (late). Her inclination was to update tons of pictures of an event. I said: "Instagram aint Twitter, just take one photo of the cute Australian guys and leave it at that".  I believe that Instagram is meant for users to pick one photo and make it as nice as possible for display. Her response to my complaint: "If you don't like all my updates in your newsfeed, follow more people." But that's not Instagram's mandate. I'll follow people doing interesting things as I do on Twitter, but I'm content with the small community I follow and actually hope to catch most of what they post. I prefer to have a relationship with most of the people I follow on Instagram and keep that community smaller and more intimate, never bombarding or being bombarded by tons of updates (of the Australians my friend digs so much).

All in all, a few positives to the Camera app include the all-photo newsfeed (even better if more of your friends take better photos or use Instagram). Also the ability to upload multiple photos from your mobile device is a plus. However as I haven't tried it I imagine the wait time is intense.

All in all I'm not sure it matters what Facebook does to create a better experience for their Camera app, I don't believe it will be widely adopted.

Perhaps some the reasoning behind the $1Billion purchase of Instagram was to avoid the negativity undoubtedly expressed when releasing a copy-cat app, but my hope was that Facebook was planning to develop the Instagram experience further, not divide users between apps.

- Jon

The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)

Imagine if the world’s most inspiring visionaries and greatest brands did not exist. Their ideas and inventions trapped and suffocated by six factors that could turn even the greatest of thinkers into a ball of mush or a quivering coward. The six enemies that after reading this article I am now aware and cautious of are; Availability, Ignorance, Committees, Comfort, Momentum and Passivity.

Availability - We often settle for what’s available and what’s available isn’t always great. Imagine if a brand decided to settle when it came to quality in their products. Resulting in an average or OK brand identity, instead of striving for and achieving greatness. Where would our favourite brands be today if they all just said, "Good works, we don't need to be great."

Ignorance - If we don’t know how to make something great, we simply won’t. If we don’t know that greatness is possible, we won’t bother attempting it. All too often, we literally do not know any better than good enough. Giving up, reaching for the mediocrity instead of greatness. Consider this when sitting down to create something; the scent of confidence and pride in ones work speaks volumes and can be the needed edge.

Committees - Nothing destroys a good idea faster than a mandatory consensus. The lowest common denominator is never a high standard. A slight rebellion is good for the soul. Sometimes the consensus of others can make a person second guess something brilliant and force them into a place of ease. The willingness to take a risk and the desire to be different, be better, be great; that is what separates the strong from the weak.

Comfort - Why pursue greatness when you’ve already got 324 channels and a recliner? Pass the dip and forget about your grand designs. This enemy is by far the worst. So often people fear change and rocking the boat worried that a rough current could lead to a sunken ship or an over dipped chip. I say dip that chip as much as you want layer things on and create something entirely new. The greatest designs come from the unforeseen. 


Momentum - If you’ve been doing what you’re doing for years and its not-so-great, you are in a rut. Many people refer to these ruts as careers. A career is a fraction of a person but not their defining characteristic. With that said one must enjoy what they are doing. To produce the best work you need to have zest and a thirst for knowledge. Don’t get stuck between the areas of sure, fine and whatever. That is how you end up doing things you hate well into your retirement.

Passivity - There’s a difference between being agreeable and agreeing to everything. Trust the little internal voice that tells you, “This is a bad idea" Many people suffer from being a lemming, so scared to separate from the pack that they let themselves be lead willingly to their death. Because I greatly enjoy all of you who read this blog I caution you; DON’T EVER BE A LEMMING! Voice your own opinion and have faith in your ideas.

What do you think your biggest obstacle in achieving greatness? Sound off in the comments below.

- Eric

YouTube Launches Merch Store For All Partners

Last year YouTube launched the Merch Store to help indie musicians with the sale of music, concert tickets and merch by partnering with Amazon, iTunes, Topppin, Songkick and Google Play. Today YouTube announced through the Creator Blog that they would be expanding on the Merch Store concept by allowing any YouTube account holder in good standing to add a store to their channel.

Image courtesy of YouTube Creator Blog.

The evolution of the Merch Store includes a partnership with CafePress, a promotional merchandise company that boasts 11 million unique visitors to their site each month, that will help account holders to create the merchandise they wish to sell on their YouTube channel.

Well I'm sure this evolution was designed for YouTube channel owners like Jenna Marbles, whose nyan cat costume I need to steal for Halloween this year, or Epic Meal Time; I can't help but see the value in the Merch Store for brands.

More and more often community managers and digital strategists sit in on a brief only to be told by the client that, "We need a viral video." Which, as we've said before, is a very difficult task to accomplish but if you succeed at creating an incredible video that miraculously goes viral then what does the brand get in return? We can't directly correlate a rise in Skittle sales after the launch of their award winning cat video. Until now.

What if after watching the strange cat video, admittedly more than just the 1 time, I could purchase Skittles merch? What if I could buy some weird cat ears and a bag of Skittles? What if I could purchase a light that looks like the broken Skittles rainbow? Wouldn't that be fantastic?!

By adding a Merch Store to all accounts YouTube has opened the door for endless merchandising opportunities both for brands and vloggers.

I for one can't wait to see what some of my favourite channels produce... seriously Jenna, I want that nyan cat costume.

- Shan

Facebook App Centre #WhatHowCome?

Photo courtesy of Facebook.com

Last week, Facebook announced forthcoming plans to launch an App Centre. App anything, no matter how you phrase it, associates with Apple and iTunes; the App Store which revolutionized the phone and developers' career paths. But Facebook makes no ploy to outdo Apple's model. Facebook's app centre doesn't claim to be anything revolutionary, instead it appears it will serve to showcase apps, making them easier to find as well as understand, with a dedicated info page for each.

For apps built on Facebook, those viewed and used within the Facebook site such as the massively popular Farmville, a new option to charge for the app itself will be introduced. This might not be a successful model but time will tell if users will pay to install a Facebook app. What is undoubtedly the case and most likely why Facebook had gone this route, is that with a payment mechanism attached, developers will dedicate more time to creating engaging apps in hopes of turning a greater profit, so look for cool new apps coming down the line.

With the success of apps using Facebook integration, this is a natural step to push already popular apps like instagram and pinterest to the 900 million users on Facebook, ensuring Facebook stays relevant and integrated ongoing.

Facebook is looking to be at the forefront of a user's mind when dedicating time to an app. If it wasn't already, shareability through Facebook should be the most important aspect of an app whether viewed as a developer or a user. 

- Jon

My Event Suite Launch Party

Earlier this week we were lucky enough to attend the launch party for Toronto start-up, My Event Suite, and was it ever a blast.

My Event Suite (MES), is dynamic website that provides users with the ability to plan their event all from one easy digital hub. MES allows top of the line caterers, venues, florists etc. access to their service for a fee which means that when you're planning an event you can do it all in one place, no muss, no fuss.

The launch was focused on providing the over 500 attendees with the best possible event, it left everyone feeling as though by using MES they could have an event just as impressive. With a mechanical bull, beautiful cocktails, exceptional food, an ice cream truck and massage tables there was something for everyone in attendance.

It has become common practice for major brands to throw events for the social media crowd and often we receive push back from clients when we present them with an elaborate strategy for a launch party; what we need to remember is that online communications need to continue offline and that is why these events are so successful.

In one night co-founders Shawn and Jon were able to convince a crowd of the most influential people in Toronto that their service could exceed all expectations with minimal effort. Planning a wedding, a branded event or a birthday party they've got you covered with connections to the best caterers, event spaces and party accessories (the bull) in the business.

When planning an event for a brand we need to focus first on what we're trying to communicate to our fans and then on what kind of experience we want to provide. If  we can't accomplish both those objectives expertly then the event is dead before we even send out the invitations.

It was wonderful to see all of my favourite bloggers in one space but it was even more exciting to see the expertise with which these two young men pulled off this event, no detail was overlooked in the planning process and as a result I walked away knowing that the next time I need to plan an event there is only one service I'll be using and that is MES.

- Shan

The Internet is Made of Cats

I don't know when the internet became a repository for cat videos, cute kitten pictures and Lolcats but it happened and as a result it is nearly impossible to go on Facebook without seeing a cuddly kitteh or a cat themed meme.

Until this point no brand has successfully used our fascination with cute kittens saying or doing ridiculous things for a campaign; although Toronto agency John St. give us Catvertising we were up until recently missing a truly cat centric digital campaign.

This week Proximity brought us the inspired KittyCat Hijack plug-in and never again will ANY website lack in the necessary kitten quotient to please the likes of Reddit and 4Chan.

KittyCat Hijack is an easy to use plug-in that anyone can add to their bookmark bar from the Temptations Canada Facebook page. By adding the plug-in users can hijack ANY page with cute, cuddly, meowing kittens by clicking on a bag of Temptations that appears on the left hand side of the page, the bag begins to shake and the more you shake it the more the cats take over the page.

I took over my friend Casie's blog and shared the picture with all of our mutual friends on Facebook - which speaks to the viral nature this plug-in. It's simple, easy to use and most importantly speaks directly to heavy social media users.

This is the kind of creative we at Cap C like to build - digital execution inspired by insight. We don't just look to the latest viral video to inspire TV spots, as Jon explained in his blog about The Pitch. We bring insight, product and execution together in a way that seems effortless and natural.

As digital continues to grow faster than we can keep up it is important that we help our clients stay relevant - don't try and make digital executions work on TV, don't turn TV spots into YouTube videos and don't throw QR codes on every piece of creative because it makes you look hip. Focus on creating digital solutions that are first and foremost DIGITAL - the results will speak for themselves.

- Shan