NBC Olympic Pulse is my newest online obsession.
Designed by the  smart folks at Stamen Design, Olympics Pulse takes the best of twitter, tumblr, and the real time web, mashes it and serves it up right in front of your eyes. Talk about live online, this is where it’s going.

Real time tracking is certainly not new technology, Google began real time trend watching in their search at the end of 2009.

I’ve known about Twitterfall long before that. Twitterfall is a great way to track live social media conversations in real time.

But I’m mostly interested in what happens as this technology goes more mainstream and customizable by the everyday user. For example, I started playing around a simple twitter tracker from wiffiti that shows real time results for what’s being said about any 5 topics you’re interested in. Build your own at Wiffiti.com, it takes about 2 minutes. The one below tracks what people are saying about Marketing, Advertising, PR, Branding and Social Media.  It also shows photos from Fickr tagged with those keywords.

So far Stamen Designs’ projects, have everyone beat, in my opinion but the real time internet is just going to get better and better.

TRY IT: What topics will you track in real time?  Leave me a comment below with a link to your Wiffiti if you’re so inclined. Want to see your tweets show up in real time? Click on the photo above to launch the Wiffiti in a new window then text @wif17567 + your message to 87884 to see it in action.

Editors’ Note:  The real time link was on the blog but at the time this post went live Wiffiti was upgrading servers and it was slowing down my site. For now, click on the photo of the live feed and launch the real time feed in a new window.

###

Hitch is a consultancy that helps marketers hire the right marketing agency.

Here’s a brilliant little post about the cost of the Denny’s promo to feed everyone in America a free breakfast on Tuesday.  Of course he neglected to mention the cost of the superbowl spot.  But it makes for an interesting post!  

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/02/02/math-says-dennys-free-breakfast-a-good-deal-for-the-company-to/

Hitch is on Alltop, the magazine rack of everything happening on the web.  Check it out!  

We’re all the way at the bottom (around # 240) on the right, but we’re there, baby!  Very cool.  And in good company!

Use Alltop to find the top, cutting edge, most current content on the web–for any topic you can imagine!

Thanks Neenz, Guy and everyone at Alltop!  You rock.  Our pledge will be to stay relevent to our readers and worthy of the shout-out.

Hitch helps companies shift from traditional marketing to interactive, by finding the best resources to carry out their project(s).  We can also collaboratively develop marketing strategy and project manage the teams as needed.

Intel Shifts Image Advertising to a Smaller Agency:  Intel is shifting an important advertising assignment — to create brand and corporate image campaigns — to a smaller, independent agency from a Madison Avenue giant….  How much proof do you need?

Philippe Petit is a master of the positioning statement.  He does USP (unique selling proposition) like no one I’ve ever seen.  In the film Man on Wire, Philippe shuns the traditional definition of what he does (tightrope walker) and creates a space in your mind that is utterly unique.   (I’m not going to be a spoiler by stating it here, rent the DVD and see for yourself.) 

Yes, Philippe is an artist but he’s more than that.  And his view of himself and what he does is sharply focused and narrow yet incredibly expansive.  It fires the imagination.  And the people who witness him in action are moved to the same conclusions about him that he has of himself.  That’s positioning.  

In The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing Al Ries and jack Trout state “If you can’t be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in”.  Philippe Petit does that brilliantly and so can you if you look beyond the products you represent.

Philippe defies categorization.  He occupies a completely distinct place in his audiences’ perception.  He challenges anyone who labels him as a circus performer or mere high wire act.  And in so doing, occupies this ethereal space that is completely his.  It’s brilliant.  And a lesson we can all apply to our businesses in 2009.

To begin with, Philippe is careful to use a common understanding (or misunderstanding) of what he does to help you get your head around who he is.  “Tightrope walkers had their start in the circus and side shows around the world.  They are acrobats and contortionists, daredevils and entertainers”.  He helps you get to his space by using your initial cultural understanding of what he does.  Then he quickly expands that notion and demonstrates how he’s the only one who does what he does.  And his position is not only believable; it’s proven in the movie.

Philippe’s view of himself is a philosophy we can adopt when defining ourselves and our businesses.  How unique to be able to say, I’m the only one who does what I do.  Work on creating a space in the minds of your customers—one that only you can occupy.  Talk about a positioning statement.  Sure it’s harder to give that 10 second elevator answer.  But a yawp when balanced on a tightrope 1000 feet up just may be more intriguing.  Think about it.

Dig deeper to define yourself beyond conventional terms .  When positioning your company ask yourself: What can my brand represent to my clients, partners and peers that goes beyond just what we do or sell?  What emotion or intangible does our brand represent?  Defining your company beyond just your products and services is positioning.   Rolex, for example is not just a luxury watch, it’s a symbol of achievement.* 

As part of your strategic planning for your company in 2009, think about how your company defies categorization.  What space can you claim that is uniquely yours?  And own that space. 

*wikkipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing)

©  David Wiggs