Non-profits do some really exciting and dynamic work, yet their portrayal has never had the reputation of being hip, young and technologically savvy – until now.

Currently, I volunteer for an organization called charity: water, which happens to be a couple of blocks away from Glow’s office. Its mission is to provide clean water to those around the globe who don’t currently have access, from Cambodia to Liberia.

What’s different about charity: water is that you can feel an instant wave of excitement and inspiration. There is an aura about their organization that was hard to come by in the non-profit world a few years ago. They have been able to achieve an image of effortlessness and grace, behind such a robust network of people. What’s special about them is that they can portray the joy of giving visually, whether it’s in their website design, their promotional materials, the photography, their events, even their office design.

They emanate the same excitement and vibrancy of a modern tech startup, and introduce social good in a new light. In fact, that’s how they made their start, by seeking funding through the tech community. They are supported by big names in tech like Google, Bebo, Twitter, Foursuqare and more.

The group has done an excellent job of promoting their message to a tuned-in population who are geared towards technology and social networking, and demand crystal clear transparency. Their designs are clean, yet intricate and are developed in a way to provide a strong, clear message in a short amount of time – exactly what garners people’s attention in a fast-paced mobile world.

They understand the power of media and putting a digital face to their organization.  Some of their recent promotions include their anniversary project where they sent out personalized thank-you videos to their donors, and on World Water Day they created a platform for users to donate their birthdays to the cause and share that message across various social media platforms.

charity: water is a unique take on the business of non-profit, which was built from the ground up through the world of tech and understands that digital is for everyone.

Their website: http://www.charitywater.org/

Their blog: http://www.charitywater.org/blog/

Venture Beat’s charity: water coverage: http://bit.ly/vBgYpo

Personally, I don’t know if Instagram is truly worth $1 billion dollars, but if Facebook is worth $80 Billion then Instagram is worth well more than a mere billion to Facebook.

What is most interesting about this exorbitant purchase is what it tells us about Facebook. When the mobile app market began to explode, we saw an influx of innovation that resulted in an expansion of sharable content, along side a rethinking in what constituted social content. Gaming, location check-in’s, mobile video and photography began to flood our feeds.

We learned that Facebook can’t simply replicate a service and takeout the competition. Foursquare debunked this notion when Facebook Places launched and subsequently prospered. Foursquare noted that Facebook Places merely exposed more users to the concept of “checking-in” which resulted in a massive boost in their user base. Why you might ask? Simply put, Foursquare does it better.

Facebook’s biggest problem is its inability to figure out mobile. The fact remains that Facebook’s mobile app is packed with features resulting in a navigational nightmare. Accessing a single feature requires the user to jump through several hoops. My use of Instagram and Foursquare started as a matter of convenience.

It has been reported by various sources that Path, an app that allows you to keep a social journal (posting various types of media) is a source of concern for Facebook., as it should. Path is simple, elegant and easy.

I don’t have Facebook’s solution but I think the answer can be found through a multi-app strategy. Facebook is a platform, not a single application. If Facebook is looking to avoid several billion-dollar acquisitions – which doesn’t appear to be Mark Zuckerberg’s style – it had better change course, because this titanic platform has a huge hole in its hull and it’s shaped like a smart phone.

Rdio launched in the US a full year before Spotify, so naturally when Spotify with all it’s marketing dollars and buzz plopped in from overseas I was a bit skeptical. Sure enough, the service wasn’t bad, in fact it was pretty good… but not nearly as good as Rdio. You see, Rdio wasn’t just a music streaming application, it was like my personal music concierge service. It curated music for me based on what my friends and trusted sources were listening to, and delivered it in an easy to use interface. I was swooning from day one. I’d watch in my newsfeed as friends would appear, listening to their music using the popular Spotify service and like a Mac user watching someone on a PC, I’d think… “Why are you using Spotify? Rdio does the same thing…. just so much better.”

Then… last week happened. Spotify Apps.

Spotify Apps came in and shattered my world. Akin to when my parents told me I was Jewish and Santa was never coming again, everything I thought I knew was out the window. You see, Spotify Apps with its wildly open API, allows all the trusted music sources you’ve relied on for the past 5-10 years to curate customized music experiences; essentially building their own little music apps on the back of Spotify’s library and music deliver system.

Spotify is to the music-blogosphere, as steroids are to Barry Bonds career (umm… allegedly), making something good into something great.  Spotify has essentially empowered your favorite sources for music discovery (blogs, magazines etc.) to become a true access point for music consumption.

Reading Pitchfork? Like that song, album? Add it to your favorites. Now you have it on your computer and phone. Spotify Apps have made themselves a blog’s best wingman. You’re going home with that record tonight, because quite frankly… it’s just so easy.

Dear Rdio,

I love you and I know we haven’t been spending that much time together… but there’s someone else….  I’m sorry.

In a January (2010) blog post I attributed platform loyalty to more than just user interface and network availability. Additionally, I stated that a consumer’s investment in applications – many of which do not operate cross platform – would play an important factor:

“Every app purchased on a mobile device represents a small investment by a mobile user in their respective mobile ecosystem.”

Today, Apple far outpaces Google in terms of dollars generated through app purchases. As we’ve learned from Microsoft, there is big money in software. In a staggering figure, Apple accounts for roughly 85-90% of all dollars spent on mobile applications.

These numbers are alarming when one considers that Apple accounts for only 5% of global market share for mobile devices. This is a massive problem for Google, and the longer it goes unchallenged the bigger the problem will become.

The study released by GfK regarding platform loyalty further illustrates the dangers posed by Apple to its competitors. Apple’s 80% retention rate can easily be tied to several factors beyond investments made into the App Store. The study underscores that unseating current Apple users is an uphill, if not futile effort. Imagine how this will translate to tablet market where the iPad enjoys a 75% market share.

Fortunately, the smartphone market is anything but mature with a global penetration rate of 27%. There is still plenty of room for platform growth in the tablet market. The mobile market, whether it be a smartphone or a tablet, represents the future of computing. In two years we’ve seen companies who’ve pioneered and ruled the marketplace diminish in influence, and dance with death (RIM, HTC, Nokia, Motorola etc.).

Microsoft dominated in the 80’s and 90’s and what we are seeing now is a battle for the new king of computing. With no apparent heir, what’s becoming apparent is that a cohesive, cross-device platform will rule the land. With a king yet to be crowned, iPhone loyalty, iPad market dominance, App Store dollar spend and the introduction of iCloud, seem to be positioning Apple as the frontrunner for succession.

After graduating high school I attended Syracuse University to study the music business. Over the next four years as I maneuvered between internships, booking shows and managing bands, I would watch the very industry I once glorified not merely implode, but leap off a bridge with a rock tied around its foot.

My freshman year of college would usher in massive changes to an industry largely stable for the prior 30 years. The proliferation of high-speed internet would bring about an era of media consumption in extreme volumes. The use of Peer2Peer networks would explode on campuses and record labels would see sales dive for the first time in a decade. The iPod was penetrating the market at unforeseen rates, redefining the music experience, and record labels were settling $75 million price fixing lawsuits while simultaneously vilifying their customers for downloading MP3’s they’d refuse to make legally available. By the end of the academic year, the iTunes Music Store had launched lending false hope that the worst was behind us.

Over the course of the next four years The Facebook appeared, record sales would fall off a cliff, labels would consolidate, and as the industry grew smaller it seemed that the only area of growth was in the sheer volume of music being shared and consumed.

After graduation day, sitting around with my friends peering off into the rubble that was the music business, a major label – the original end goal – was in fact the very last place I wanted to be. The internet had eaten the music business up and spit it out. I quickly realized the future of all media, not just music would be dictated by consumers and their interactions with technology. It’s for this reason I find myself at Glow, where I am able to leverage my understanding of the market place with the designers and developers who are constructing its walls.

Today, the music industry still has yet to recover. Record sales continue to decline, labels continue their layoffs and revenues are lower than ever. Bands have responded by incessant touring, saturating an already crowded market and the digital licensing world is in complete disarray. SoundExchange can’t seem to give away an estimated $9 million dollars in back royalties to musicians (and managers) who probably don’t even know it’s waiting for them. The industry is a hot mess. But the future of the business looks bright and here’s why.

New services, technology and digital platforms are constructing what will be the next iteration of the music business. As the pillars of this new music industry are put to soil, what will rise from the ashes is a robust business rich with content and revenue.

Today we consume all forms of content (video, articles, music and books) in higher volume. Our expectations are such that if we pay for it, we want it accessible whenever and where ever we may be. We want the ability to share it with our friends and experience it in groups. Until recently no legal model existed to support this behavior and arguably the technology wasn’t available. But consumer demand is what drives change.

iTunes addressed the demand for digital content but it did little to address the volume at which we were consuming.

How could I possibly afford to legally pay for the plethora of content I was exposed to online without going broke? Why would I spend that money if I couldn’t have it everywhere? My home, office, car, phone, in the park, on the subway…

Rdio, Spotify and MOG represent what has been the missing link in the digital revolution that devoured the music business. Since the introduction of the iPod nothing has transformed and redefined my music experience in such a pivotal way as Rdio.

I pay a monthly fee in exchange for access to nearly all the music I want, whenever and where ever I want it. It’s easy, organized, clean, headache free and most important… available EVERYWHERE.

In time, adoption of these services will increase, the pennies currently produced for participating artists will turn into dollars, and the $88 million distributed (in Q3) by SoundExchange for digital streams will grow to hundreds of millions.

In the not too distant future consumers will make purchases on Facebook as regularly as they do on Amazon. Managers and artists will begin taking control of their social properties, seeing them not merely as promotional platforms but as new revenue drivers and Donald Passman won’t issue a new edition of his famous book “All You Need to Know About the Music Business”, he’ll need to rewrite it from scratch.

First-Ever Browser-Based HTML5 ad for iPad
Wins MOBI and OMMA Awards

New York – Sept. 27, 2011 – Glow Interactive (www.glowinteractive.com), a leading New York-based interactive marketing, advertising and creative agency, today announced that the first-ever browser-based HTML5 “gamified” ad for the iPad, developed by Glow Interactive for USA Network’s show, WHITE COLLAR, and ran on The New York Times’ HTML5 web page in January in conjunction with the show’s seasonal debut, has been recognized by two distinguished industry awards in less than a week’s time.

Last week, Glow Interactive was the recipient of the 2011 MOBI Award (produced by Digiday and presented at The MOBI Awards Gala on September 21) for the “Best iPad/Tablet Advertising Campaign” for the interactive, rich media mobile advertisement for USA Network’s WHITE COLLAR. Then last night at the OMMA Awards 2011 Ceremony, Glow Interactive was presented as the winner for online advertising creativity in the “Rich Media: Single Execution” category for that same ad execution. The OMMA Awards for Online Advertising Creativity “honor those advertisers that push the potential of online advertising creative.”

“We are so proud of the Glow team and every member involved in creating this ad,” said Mike Molnar, managing partner of Glow Interactive. “This ad and the work put into it is a great testament to what innovative and creative advertising can really do to stretch the boundaries on the latest platforms and take engagement to a whole different level.”

The interactive, rich media advertisement was developed for USA Network’s show, WHITE COLLAR, with two main objectives: 1) raise brand awareness and 2) engage viewers to interact with the in-page game to unlock exclusive content of the show. The results of the campaign proved these objectives successful and served as a first-ever industry catalyst to prove a truly interactive “touch and experience” model designed to encourage engagement through a casual game format can work better than the traditional formats. The campaign boasted a total interaction rate of 6.22%, with nearly 36% of total viewers who watched the videos to completion in one day.

For more information about the campaign’s details, including creative credits, objective, strategy and results, Glow Interactive’s MOBI Award submission can be viewed here: http://www.dm2pro.com/articles/20110825_10. The project can also be viewed at http://www.glowinteractive.com/project/usa_network_white_collar_html5_ad.

Press Contact:
Jamie Larson
Intersect Communications for Glow Interactive
PH: 512-296-9611
jamie@intersectcom.com

Players Enjoy Non-Stop Puzzle Action with a Beat-Fueled Twist to Spin and Shred Their Own Music Along with Original Soundtrack from Award-Winning Producer Neil Voss, Featuring Remixes of Hit Rockers ‘Ok Go’ and Others…

New York – August 25, 2011 – Glow Play (www.glowplay.com) and Alinear Studio, leading purveyors of digital entertainment and next-generation gaming, today announced the release of the first addictive arcade puzzler that interacts with players’ own music on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Radballs® takes classic puzzle action to a new level with over-the-top visual style and a deep connection to music where the game not only moves to the beat but also transforms, scratches, stutters and filters the soundtrack based on play.

“This is far from your typical ‘line up some gems’ puzzler,” stated Ted Kacandes of Glow Play. “What we’ve created is a game like never before, a stylized action-puzzle game where the music becomes a big part of the experience. Players can use the original included soundtrack or their own favorite songs from iTunes. This gives fans of various games – from Bejeweled to Tetris to DJ Hero – an entirely new, next-level outlet in mobile gaming and fans of music a new avenue to enjoy their tracks in a playful new way.”

The objective of the game is to use fluid, touch-based controls to move and match colored Radballs into groups that are destroyed in time with the beat. This classic puzzle mechanic is amplified by a deep connection to the music, where players can scratch and control the beat by interacting with the “beat wave” – a visual indicator of musical time – that affects both the music and timing of the game. Throughout the uniquely styled levels – all visually influenced by 1980’s poster and vintage graphic design – players can scratch the beat like a DJ for extra energy while mastering chain reactions and special power-ups for a higher score. With full support for Apple’s Game Center and Facebook Connect, players can easily share their achievements and challenge their friends to see who can claim the most Radness!

“The way music both complements and becomes part of the fabric of the game is unprecedented,” added Neil Voss, president of Alinear Studio. “It’s not as if you have to button-mash to the beat or that the music stands in the way of the play. Rather, it adds a compelling sense of rhythm and flow to the otherwise addictive and unblinking puzzle action and rewards players with crazy transformations of their music based on what they do.”

The original soundtrack for Radballs® was produced by Neil Voss (of Nintendo’s Tetrisphere and New Tetris fame) and features original electro jams, remixes of OK Go’s hits “White Knuckles” and “End Love,” as well as guest tracks from emerging artists Com Truise (Ghostly International), MisfitChris and Daze. And since players can easily use the songs from their own music libraries, the music literally never stops!

Radballs is available in the Apple AppStore, here, as a hybrid app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch for an introductory price of $2.99.

Media Resources:
• AppStore: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/radballs/id436204338?mt=8
• Video Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/RadBallsTheGame
• Screenshots: http://radballsthegame.com/press-kit/index.html
• Website: http://radballsthegame.com/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/radballsthegame
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/radballsthegame

ABOUT GLOW PLAY:
Glow Play is the gaming division of NYC-based, award-winning digital marketing and creative agency, Glow Interactive. Glow Play has also produced exclusive intellectual game property for
USA Network, US Bank, Wendy’s, Bravo, A&E, Turner Networks and others. For more information about Glow Play and Glow Interactive, please visit www.glowinteractive.com.

ABOUT ALINEAR STUDIO:
Alinear Studio is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary creative studio founded by video game and music pioneer Neil Voss, dedicated to bringing to life next-generation digital game, entertainment and information experiences.

© 2011 Glow Play and Alinear Studio – all rights reserved. Radballs® is a registered trademark of Alinear Studio.

Apple®, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod®, iPod touch® and iTunes® are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Retina™ is a trademark of Apple Inc.
App Store℠ is a service mark of Apple Inc. iTunes Store® is a registered service mark of Apple Inc.

Press Contact:
Jamie Larson
Intersect Communications for Glow Interactive
PH: 512-296-9611
jamie@intersectcom.com

RIM was successful because it introduced a product that did precisely what its intended audience needed, corporate email and did it well. What happened along the way were a few innovative gems (Blackberry Messenger) an expanded market place (both in customers and competition) and several learnings that other companies would extract to later bleed RIM out.

RIM, seemingly missed these learnings, ignored them or lost focus. When a company continues to turn a profit (in spite of itself), resting on past laurels can blind leaders to changing tides and the subsequent wave(s) that will inevitably wash away those successes.

On Apple’s Q4 earnings call back in October (’10), Steve Jobs said of RIM:

“They must move beyond their area of strength and comfort, into the unfamiliar territory of trying to become a software platform company.”

Ignoring what was incredibly valuable advice, RIM continued to produce Blackberry devices that remained relatively unchanged from one device to next. When faced with innovative devices from competitors they’d focus on their market share rather than their product. Now that their market share has eroded they’ve focused on their positive balance sheets, dismissing what seems to be obvious to everyone else.

Though there are obvious lessons to be learned in what has become RIM’s slow demise, I think there is a slightly less obvious lesson. Your secondary services can offer great opportunity. But companies must create environments that encourage this type of exploration and broad based thinking.

The Blackberry Messenger Application had a value seemingly unmatched in loyalty. The application was able to anchor so many to an outdated device for so long. This only emphasized its value to users.

Herein lies the missed opportunity to innovate and expand. BBM could have become an ancillary business opportunity yet it went unexplored. Rather than innovate, Blackberry chose to hold customers dissatisfied with the majority of the devices’ function for the small part they loved. If BBM was this powerful its presence on multiple devices could have laid the ground for a new business opportunity on foreign land.

Missed opportunities like this are the result of a work environment that doesn’t encourage exploration, innovation and new ideas. Could BBM have become the next Twitter? Groupon? FourSquare? It’s possible but that ship sailed when iMessenger was announced.

Soon after writing this post an open letter by a senior level executive (who probably should be tapped to be RIM’s CEO) highlighted additional areas of anti-innovation and disorder that have contributed to the organization’s downturn.

The most detrimental of these appears to be fear. Fear has its place, but an organization threaded with fear will produce very little in the way of new ideas. Failure is always an option; companies should fail several times over. Just keep these failures behind closed doors and out of the hands of your customers.

GAME INFO:

“Run Run Dash” is a fun casual game of survival and achievements developed for touch-play on iOS devices (iPhone, iPod, iPad). How long can you survive the desert onslaught?? Dodge waves of diving bluebirds hell-bent on attacking! Tap left or right to run, double tab to dash out of the way in your quest to remain. Collect power-ups, and unlock a cache of hidden achievements! Why are there bluebirds attacking you in the desert, you ask? We’ll let you know when we find out!

COST: Free

FEATURES:

• 50+ Game Center™ achievements to attain
• Powerful power-ups help you survive
• Classic 8-bit graphics & hypnotic music
• Super-addictive gameplay action
• FREE Universal app for iPhone™, iPod™ & iPad™

WHERE:

• Available for download in the Apple App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/run-run-dash/id431717211?mt=8&ls=1
• For more information, visit www.runrundash.com