SEAN TINER

From Seoul to Los Angeles, Nike is promoting the largest running event ever. On August 31, runners in 25 cities will participate in Nike+'s 10K Human Race , which will globally connect athletes and celebrate the sport. Nike ambitiously desires to have 1 million people run in the event. Proceeds from the global event will benefit the World World Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation and Ninemillion.org. To encourage participation, top musical artists, including Kayne West, Ben Harper and The All-American Rejects will perform after the race. Are you ready? Will Nike's brand promotion cross the finish line for reaching the most people ever? Nike's Key Marketing Elements: 1) You+Me: Nike's ability to inspire athletes of ALL skill levels, ethnicities and economic backgrounds, which encourages active participation in the brand. 2) Glocal : Global integrated promotion and local participation. Ten years ago, globalization was a term reserved for academia, now "think glo...

( Seth Godin by Tiner ) Seth Godin is raising marketer's eyebrows with an innovative product launch. Today to promote his new book, Godin his offering exclusive access to join Triiibes, a new social network. According to Godin, Tribes are groups of people aligned around an idea, connected to a leader and to each other. If you pre-order his new book Tribes before July 30 11 am EST, you will have exclusive access to join Godin's new community for marketers and leaders "focused on building communities or creating products or spreading ideas." The network will open to the public on the book's release date. This idea is really working. Godin has almost turned his new book into an overnight bestseller. Currently, Tribes is #6 on today's Amazon.com's bestseller's list and the book will not even be published until Fall. It's commonplace for authors to start blogs or offer free PDF downloads to promote their books, but start a new online community? What...

Removing the hanging chad, Oliver Stone is editing the final cut of W, the cinematic story of George W. Bush's life. Stone's new film will debut this fall and no doubt influence voters as America enters the final stretch of the 2008 election.

Warhol once remarked, "I'm the type who'd be happy not going anywhere as long as I was sure I knew exactly what was happening at the places I wasn't going to. I'm the type who'd like to sit home and watch every party that I'm invited to on a monitor in my bedroom." It seems Warhol's wish is granted as blogs, social networks and media sharing websites continually inundate our society with current trends, happenings and festivities. The erosion of privacy allows anyone to relive popular events, as long as it's captured on film or photographed. It's no longer a question of if it will be posted, it's only when. A Facebook page is a Facebook page. We may drive different cars, live in different neighborhoods, wear different brands of clothes, but no amount of money can buy you a different looking profile page. Presidential candidates it, super models know it, students know it and you know it. Everyone has an equal place in digital society and...

Today, former Google engineers released Cuil (pronounced "cool"), the world's biggest search engine. Attempting to rival Yahoo, Google and MSN, Cuil has indexed over 120 billion Web pages, three times more then what the company claims Google has indexed. Unlike competitors, Cuil promises not to store private information from search results, like IP addresses and cookies. Does the average person really care about this innovative privacy feature? Does this tell us something about Cuil's target audience? Will Cuil soon be the new synonym for search? Time will only tell.

Jason Calacanis , one of the internet's most influential tech bloggers, recently "retired" from blogging. He promises not to pull a Micheal Jordan or Jay-Z and come out of retirement. Calacanis cites that blogging has become too impersonal, polarized and would rather distribute a small eNewsletter. Will this be a new trend for other bloggers? As companies, brands and individuals create a presence across Web 2.o media, including Facebook, Twitter and blogs, how long will that existence last? Facebook recently celebrated its fourth birthday, but will users keep tagging pictures for the next 5, 10 or even 20 years? Will Perez Hilton keep posting celebrity gossip for the next decade? Maybe, but what if a user wants to leave a social network or stop updating a blog? What's the proper etiquette? Do you deactivate your account, make a formal announcement or simply don't do anything? Calacanis' retirement announcement illustrates the importance of keeping the conversa...

(Tom VP) (Lisa Pearl) (Bobby Trendy) Andy Warhol opened society’s eyes with portrait art, but I desire to revolutionize portraiture for the new millennium. Last weekend, I enjoyed exhibiting a selection of my portraits at the LA Mart and establishing new connections in Los Angeles. Historically portraits were reserved for royalty and religious figures, but I want to continue the paradigm shift. Using strong color, abstract form and unique design, I try to capture the essence of a personality with each portrait. I look forward to sharing more work in future entries.

(Randy Pausch (1960-2008) by Tiner ) Few people have the opportunity to see their life's impact, before they pass away. Randy Pausch knew his final alarm clock was approaching, so he gave one last gift: The Last Lecture , a book encouraging others to pursue their dreams and passions. Yesterday, I wrote about the book's impact and its testament to remain true to yourself. Today, Pausch passed away bringing his life to full circle. The Last Lecture allowed Pausch to see his life's impact and it left a lasting testament to his family. In 47 years, Pausch accomplished more then most, because he never stopped living his dreams. He conquered his fears and remained true to himself. The Last Lecture opens the doors to life's first lecture pursuing your childhood dreams. These are dreams of ambition and purity that are not influenced by the pressures of society, fame, money or self-doubt. As the works of artists and authors become immortalized through death, Pausch's book be...

(Abstract by Tiner )

Our time on earth is limited. If we live 10 years or 100 years, when that last year rolls along we can never earn one more. The problem is we never know, when we have reached our last year. If you were told that you only had one more year to live, I'm sure you would approach life a lot differently. The small things in life would seem trivial and you would focus on accomplishing goals and dreams that you may once have over looked. Randy Pausch, a fellow Brown alumn, recently published The Last Lecture , where he describes living your dreams and not being afraid to pursue your passions, even when doors close in your face. Pausch is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and only has 2-5 months to live. The Last Lecture is his legacy to his family and motivation for others to follow their hearts. The book is inspirational, because Pausch has lived his dreams his entire life, not solely when he was diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Pausch admits that life did not deal him the best ...

If gas continues to remain at high levels and Go Green initiatives continue, Thursdays will become the new working Friday.  Yes, the good Lord, Allah or Jah gave us a seventh day for rest, but is it really hidden in our constitution that society MUST have a five-day work week? Lets just suppose that today is the last working day of the week. Now, how much better would you feel? Would you feel refreshed? Would you work harder throughout the week, knowing that you only had 4 days to complete your workload? Would you be less tempted to call in sick tomorrow?  I'm not a fan of rush-hour traffic. Besides dentist visits and Christmas fruit cake, its one of the few things I despise. Now imagine if you never had to endure it. If employers subtracted Friday from the average work week, employees would avoid rush hour traffic. Workers would either work earlier or latter to compensate for Friday's time and simply avoid rush-hour traffic. The time employees used to spend waiting in traffic ...

I don't know how you expect Web 2.0 to react. There's nothing in this whole video closet that'll fit a luxury fashion brand. I can guarantee you. There is Obama Girl, Black Ninja Guy and little kids playing Guitar Hero. Can a luxury brand really be displayed between these Youtube legends? All right. Lets go ahead, take a risk and try something new..... And valá .... Prada's  creative Youtube movie illustrates how luxury brands can create awareness with new target audiences. The innovative movie reinforces the brand's allure and reaches potential consumers. ...But was the film's direction properly sized? A reason Prada's movie has only received 100k views in 6 months  (to date) and not gone viral (over one million views) is due to its abstract creativity. Creating a viral Youtube movie is similar to selling concert tickets. If your goal is to fill all of your seats, offer mainstream appeal that resonates with your target market. The average Youtube viewer i...

Pearl St. (C) Tiner

Today, British authorities arrested Batman aka Christian Bale after a "family dispute." Although the source of the "dispute" is still unknown, it's generated millions of free PR for Bale and The Dark Night. Talk about a follow up for the movie's 158 million box office opener. This incident really is a nontraditional clincher to promote the film in its second week. Now, how do you think the media would respond, if the situation today was: "Christian Bale volunteers at a London soup kitchen" "Christian Bale donates $10,000 to a children's charity" "Christian Bale goes green and walks to his movie's premier" Unless the late Mother Theresa edited the news, these stories would never make headline news. Our society desires drama and it often requires a controversy to satiate this thirst and earn ink. A little crisis only turns more eye balls on an individual and coincidentally the product or movie that person his currently...

The La Mart temporaries start tomorrow and I'm excited to exhibit a diverse selection of my portrait series. The temporaries run from July 18-21 and is open to retailers and interior designers. Booth: #2-413 Address: 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90007 I'll post more pictures from the show, next week.

Rippin' (C) Tiner Rippin' the fun of summer...one wave at a time

"Give a man a fish ; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish ; and you have fed him for a lifetime." Evolving traditional forms of relief, Ebay's Microplace provides an alternative solution to alleviating third world poverty. Instead of providing assistance in the traditional forms of food, clothing and donations, Microplace awards small size loans to people in developing nations. The initial loans, ranging from $30-200, provide a new hope and allow recipients to expand their businesses. From farming to creating crafts, the profits from the businesses pay back the initial loan with interest and help improve the recipient's quality of life. Microplace is not about creating handouts, it's about encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit and teaching people to be self-sufficient. What's revolutionary about Microplace is it allows everyday people the opportunity to INVEST, not donate to the needy and the system is working. The investments are paid back wit...

If your goal is to develop a cult brand, like Apple or Nike, strongly rely on creative elements in commercials to capture the viewer's attention and never mention your product until briefly at the end. ...Oh yeah, deep corporate pockets never hurt either. Sony's classic Bravia "Balls" advertisement creates a strong visual impact for viewers and impacts audiences of all ages. The subtle cascade of 250,000 rubber balls bouncing down San Francisco's streets conveys the subtleness of tranquility often lost in the city. The advertisement creates intrigue and the extended 2:30 Internet version allows the creativity to bounce all over the screen, much more then a consolidated 15 second television advertisement.

Today, Steven Tapia's AC "New Soul" music video surfaced on Youtube. The video features several of Apple's products and adds a fresh slice to user-generated marketing. Instead of creating a new melody for the music video, Tapia combines visual and harmonic elements from Apple's current advertising campaigns. No doubt, more creative slices will soon be cut for AC "New Soul" and Steven Tapia's careers.

Pharell's new music video is exploding on Youtube. It's received over 300,000 hits in the first week. The success mixes down to buzz and the experience of creative discovery, especially if music is involved.

Earlier today, I received a link to the new Facebook layout. Yes, the world's #5 most visited website is receiving another face lift. Apparently, the site is making a return to the basics, with a new simple layout that is visually reminiscent of its origins. It will be interesting to see the public's response to the updated look. Will people spend more time on the site? Will this encourage new growth? Will advertisers be encouraged to spend more? Although Facebook recently passed Myspace for total amount of internet traffic, the site's reported revenues are still lower. According to Alexa.com, Myspace.com's estimated revenue is between $250-500 million, while Facebook's is between $10-50 million. The flip side is Facebook is continually growing, while Myspace's traffic has remained stagnant. Will the revenue tables also turn? Time will only tell.

There is a reason why books are placed on a "best seller lists" and not "best written lists." Although unique ideas are valued, our society often conforms to follow the popular. We want to feel unique, but also reassured that our decisions are respected by our peers. New products and services are often marketed as a scarce commodity, before they are readily available to the entire public. Recently, Coldplay released a few songs from Viva La Vida, before the album was released in stores. The scarcity created demand for the entire album and the record sold in large quantity on its release date. This weekend, Apple released the new Iphone. Instead of allowing store preorders to create a more convenient shopping experience, Apple allowed its consumers to wait in large lines outside stores. The perceived scarcity created a large demand, confirming that the new Iphone was cool, worth the attention and purchase. Similarly, successful social networking sites use scarcity...

Thinking globally and acting locally, Tiger Woods is swinging into new fairways with The Tiger Woods Dubai project. In 2009, the exclusive new development will open its doors and feature a boutique hotel, private residences and the world's first 18 hole golf-course designed by Tiger himself. As the convergence of Eastern and Western cultures continually intertwines in Dubai, it's exciting that Tiger is bringing his passion for golf to this city. Are internationally branded community projects a new trend for other professional athletes and celebrities? Time will only tell, but Tiger is once again leading the way.

From the Virgin Islands to North Carolina, yesterday the phone lines were jammed as fans called into Soul Cole's weekly 89.7 KLAS FM show. Not only did Soul Cole highlight the first half of 2008, but the show featured several surprises, including a phone call from King James announcing his new record deal. I enjoyed discussing the surf board I created with Michael Baron for this month's US Open of Surfing (July 24-27, Huntington Beach, CA) and the inspiration behind my portrait series.

Last night, I enjoyed BB King's concert at the Orange County Fair. It's incredible that he has performed for over 60 years. I also saw one of my photographs on display at the fair. The image is of Trestles, which I captured earlier this year to create awareness for The Save Trestles campaign.

(Johnny Cash by Tiner) Earlier this week there was buzz about The City of Folsom voting not to name a new $117 million bridge after singer Johny Cash. Marketers raised their microphones in disappointment at the decision. But can a bridge really be a successful tourist attraction? Can you imagine yourself stopping on a bridge for a photo? The Golden Gate is one incredible photo attraction, but will a picture of you on a bridge in Folsom really be cool? Besides, do you really want to drive to Folsom just to see a bridge? If the city already spent $177 million on a bridge and its citizens want a tribute to Cash, why not spend a fraction of that amount and create a statue or monument of the singer? Think of the Rocky Balboa statue in Philadelphia. Not only is this a major tourist attraction, but people really enjoy taking pictures of it. In fact, a Google image search revealed over 200,000 photographs of it. People capture it, post it and all their friends see it. ...Creating lots of fr...

Yes, you are not the only one who discards marketing materials received in the mail. Traditionally, marketers are satisfied with a 3-5% response rate with direct mail. I'm sure the response rate will be higher, if they slap humor on the postage stamp. I recently found a link on a friend's facebook profile and completed the survey , "How many five year olds can you take on in a fight?" Normally, my patience runs thin after 4-5 questions on a survey, but I completed the 13 humorous questions. ...And the results were stunning, apparently I can take on 23 five-year olds in a fight. What's this have to do with marketing? Well, the site was designed by Oneplusyou, an online dating website. ...I really didn't know that five-year olds were allowed to date, but I guess times have changed and so have the rules of marketing. No, the survey may not lead to direct sales or new registrants, but it is creating traffic ...and lots of it. The survey illustrates how online h...

A multimedia portrait.

From one artist to the next, a creative youtube experience produced by Justice.

(Portraits by Tiner)

(Death Cab for Cutie by Tiner) Inspired by recently seeing Death Cab for Cutie perform at the Santa Barbara Bowl, I enjoyed creating this portrait of the band.

(Takashi Murakami by Tiner)

Obama found in public.

Apple's new Iphone 3G will be released on Friday. One of the phone's new features is the application store, where consumers can download new programs. Several of the applications sound exciting and quirky , but it's Loopt , a geosocial networking application that will alter the dial tone. Loopt allows users to see where their social networking friends are located and receive alerts when they are in near proximity. Are consumers really ready for this? Are you ready to know where that old class mate is constantly located? How about that person you met once at a party, but never saw again? You are friends with them on Facebook, Myspace or Bebo, so why shouldn't you have access to their location 24/7? ...Right? The benefits of geosocial networking sound cool in theory, but how much of our personal lives are we willing to reveal public and constantly accessible? As new applications and Internet media are created, it's interesting to see how the public responds.

( Amber Ettinger aka Obama Girl by Tiner)

Last Sunday the world watched The Euro Cup final. This Sunday we can live vicariously through one of the world's best players.

(Barbara Stoyanoff by Tiner)

Yes, it's exciting to receive a million hits on a quirky website or video, but is that Internet traffic sustainable? Contrarily you can write a prolific poem, but will it move anyone if it stays in your personal journal? As the Internet continues to evolve and companies, individuals and brands are looking to position themselves, the battle of quality vs. quantity comes down to goals. If you are simply looking to create awareness and knowledge for your brand or self, take the quirky approach. In 2004, this strategy paid huge dividends for Burger King with the launch of the Subservient Chicken . The website received millions of hits as the fascination with the dancing chicken grew. The chicken laid a big buzz egg for Burger King and marketers still discuss its impact. If your goal is to receive repeat visitors, then quality wins the battle. Dave Winer and Seth Godin follow this strategy with their blogs. They provide insight into their professionally fields, have thousands of wee...

(Abstract by Tiner)

(Snejana Opopka by Tiner)

How do we interact with people in the real world after viewing their online profile? Our our expectations raised? lowered? Are we comfortable discussing what we have seen online in person? What if you have not seen the person for years and suddenly see them in the real world? As social networks continue to grow and having an online profile is commonplace, it's interesting how our real world interactions are affected by the content we are exposed to online. According to Zanjoc's mere exposure theory , "the more exposure we have to a stimulus, the more we tend to like it." Basically, the more pictures we see of our friends online or view their online profile the more we like them. Our online profiles allow us to interact 24/7 and are a substitute for when we are unable to connect in the real world. Although mere exposure has positive implications, it can also be overdone. After a certain number of impressions, we ignore the content. For example, I have friends who have ...

Fireworks, surfing and rock & roll? Sounds like just another typical Southern California Fourth of July. Quiksilver's dynamite surfing movie highlights the explosiveness of buzz and the potential for established companies to create waves of awareness for their brand through new media.

( Jim Morrison by Tiner)

( Holly Hudleston by Tiner)

Stirring it up, Blendtec's successful viral marketing campaign illustrates how an ordinary company can blend big results. A household consumer product is a challenge to market, especially because it's not a glamorous luxury good or a product that augments a person's beauty. A company can always select a cute animal to be the product's spokesperson. Think of the success of Geico's Gecko or Aflack's Duck. ...Did we know these companies existed before the introduction of these mascots? Using a lovable animal is an excellent strategy to create awareness and knowledge for a company, but does it really highlight the features of a product? Can you actually remember how much on insurance you will save with either of these companies? Then again, a company can always us an attractive person to endorse a product, but what will the audience focus on? ...the product? ...or the model? Thinking outside the blender, Blendtec's Total Blender is serving up a full glass of ma...

(Katherin Werderitsch by Tiner)

( Albert Einstein (1879-1955) by Tiner)

Yesterday, Canada joined Ghana, Rwanda, Somalia and Burundi by celebrating their country's Independence Day. This Friday, America will celebrate hers, followed by Venezuela on Saturday and Malawi on Sunday. Although each country has its own tradition for celebrating independence, it's refreshing to think that a simple dance can move all cultures. Matt's dancing movie is a peaceful reflection to the amiable qualities of human nature. No matter the language, financial or religious background, each person is unified through a simple dance. The walls of unfamiliarity and difference are removed and the basic bridge of human connection is constructed. DANCE! Now, that's a way to celebrate any Independence Day.

Swimming world records are sinking, with 38 records recently drowned by athletes wearing Speedo's new LZR Racer swimsuit. According to Speedo, the new LZR swimsuit compresses the swimmer's body into a more streamlined shape using thin silicon panels to make it more slippery, like a fish. The LZR swimsuit will make its mainstream debut at The Summer Olympics (August 8-24). The new suit is available to all competitive swimmers at the games, before it is officially launched at retail locations this Fall. No doubt, the world will see swimmers sinking more world records throughout the Olympics. . ..Do I hear a "cannonball" coming from across the pool deck? What a cool product launch and to think of all the free PR and buzz that will continue to splash over the globe.

( Ruslana Korshunova (1987-2008) by Tiner) "All that live must die, passing through nature to eternity." -Shakespeare.

(July Desktop by Tiner ) Looking to The US Open of Surfing and The Fourth of July, I thought this month's desktop should convey the festivities of summer. I enjoyed juxtaposing my photography and artwork to create this desktop. Cheers!

...It's as simple as that. Maslow may have placed sexual intimacy in the middle of his hierarchy of needs model , but I argue that marketers have placed it on top of the pyramid. ....adjacent to death and fear .