Texts Getting Promotions With GroupMe

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Branded conversations are becoming all the rage, and texting might soon be next. Featured Groups, a new service launched by group messaging and conference call service GroupMe, is looking to target special offers and inside information directly via through people’s conversations, with partners including Oxygen Media, the band Bon Jovi, and Bonnaroo and Coachella.

It s sort of a joint promotion, said Michael Scogin, vp of MTV Mobile. We get to try out a new platform of engagement for our audience, and [GroupMe] gets the chance to be associated with one of our highest-rated shows. So it s mutually beneficial.

The average teenager texts an average of 3,400 text messages a month, Scogin said. For our audience, it s their primary form of communication. There s a lot of people, especially the younger demographic, that want to talk with their friends during the show and check out additional content in addition to what they re viewing. This GroupMe promotion is another form of that.”

Source: AdWeek

Apple WWDC Planed For June 6 – 10

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Apple has announced that their 2011 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 6 – 10 at San Francisco s Moscone West. Along with technical sessions, coding assistance, networking and design awards, exciting new announcements are sure to take place.

At this year s conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS, said Philip Schiller, Apple s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. If you are an iOS or Mac OS X software developer, this is the event that you do not want to miss.

An Insidious Tale

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A new film from the creators of Saw and Paranomal Activity, Insidious plunges the audience into the world of the paranormal. Starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, on the official website two transmedia based features extend the supernatural world of the film into your browser. Two destination URLs with associated Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels have been launched as part of the official website to provide background for this creepy thriller. Check out some case studies on Spectral Sightings to get a look at some very intriguing spectral disturbances put together by some experts in paranormal investigation. On the Voices From the Further blog, meet Valerie a young girl who has recently woken from a coma and has been seeing things that no one can explain who has recently been blogging about channeling and a mysterious fairy tale about the Red Faced Man, check out what she has to say about the Grinner Preacher who has been stalking her on Twitter!

Resident Evil Returns To Raccoon City

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Capcom has confirmed ongoing rumors that a new Resident Evil title is under development at Slant 6 Games, veterans of Sony’s SOCOM series. The game will be a squad based shooter, described as a re-imagining of the events between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, where Umbrella Security Services soldiers look to cover up the outbreak in Raccoon City, killing zombies, survivors and U.S. special forces.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will have co-op for up to four players and multiplayer online modes. Familiar characters like Leon Kennedy will return.

Capcom also announced that the 3DS title Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D will include a free demo of Resident Evil Revelations.

Killzone Universe Explored

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The universe of Killzone is expanding with every game, and the backstory is one of increasing interest to some gamers. This live action video takes place before any of the Killzone games, showing the growing conflict between the ISA and the Helghast.

 

101 Musicians From 33 Countries: One YouTube Channel

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101 musicians from 33 countries were chosen on YouTube to make up the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 which converged on Sydney for a week long festival of musical collaboration.  A Grand Finale concert was streamed live on YouTube from Sydney Opera House.  Check out the multimedia extravaganza that features extraordinary projections on the interior Concert Hall and the exterior sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House.

Lady Gaga Donates To Zynga Charity

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Pop superstar Lady Gaga has teamed up with Zynga s fundraising initiative for Japan quake disaster relief, donating $1.5 million. Zynga has already separately raised $1.5 million through donations through its social games for Save the Children and the American Red Cross.

I’m inspired that my little monsters [fans] banded together to help those affected by the terrible tragedy, said Lady Gaga. What Zynga’s players have done for the cause is equally inspiring, and I m thrilled to partner with them to raise money that will go to Save the Children and the American Red Cross.

Source: VentureBeat

Discover Card Goes Social With ‘Peggy’

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No doubt everyone who watches television over the past year has seen the Discover ads starring Peggy a customer service rep working for “USA Prime Credit. While Tudor Petrut, a Romanian-American actor who plays Peggy really fills the part, the idea was solidified long before he was cast.

“Right away the idea of the campaign with Peggy resonated with all of us,” said Larisa Drake, VP-brand communications at Discover. “Then when we showed it to focus groups, people started telling us about their own instances of bad customer service.”

Now they’re enhancing the campaign with personalized messages on his Facebook page. Usually this is done by him holding up a blank sign with the response Photoshopped in later, but in the case of a recent marriage proposal, a video was actually recorded during commercial shoots.

“We all expected it would resonate, but the engagement has been much greater and much quicker than expected,” said Drake. “We are committed to Peggy and will continue to evolve him.

Source: AdAge

Xbox Is Moving To A Broader Audience, Says Microsoft

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Kinect Sports won the Best Family Game award at this year’s BAFTA’s. With this win, and four other Kinect titles nominated, Microsoft U.K.’s GM for retail, sales and marketing Neil Thompson said this signals a shifting audience for Xbox.

With Kinect Sports winning Best Family Game, you could argue Xbox is moving to a broader audience in terms of its market appeal, said Thompson. And as the install base grows, more publishers will seek success because the range of consumers we re attracting to the platform is becoming more diverse every day. I think people will see that success and love it.

We re constantly looking at what we re doing as a platform, he added. I think people are excited about Kinect, that s what we re focusing on and that s what you re going to see us really deliver on as we go through this calendar year, both in terms of what we re doing with that platform and the different types of gaming experiences that we re bringing to the market.

Source: MCV