You can’t say that Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer has sat on her laurel’s since joining the company. In fact, she’s made quite a shakeup in terms of people and purchases lately. The latest, a reported $1.1B acquisition of Tumblr (announced by Mayer on Tumblr) is an incredible deal in terms of content for Yahoo… but what else?

Audience

The millions of Tumblr users just became potential audience for Yahoo in their bid to bring the once-power portal back to the homepage of the web. Beyond the numbers, the audience of Tumblr is about as different as you can get from the core Yahoo user – younger, hipper, and more digitally savvy. Yahoo must be banking on the fact that they’ll be able to create positive feelings toward the Yahoo brand… something these young(er) users don’t have.

Content

If you look at changes Yahoo has made to their News Stream, you’ll notice a definite shift toward social content – especially after last week’s addition of Twitter news to the stream. By adding Tumblr content to the mix, this brings an added dimension of personalization to the news experience that wasn’t there before.

Ad Opportunities

This is somewhere Tumblr will actually benefit from Yahoo’s experience. Yahoo can work to implement higher-value advertising products into Tumblr in order to capitalize on the millions of eyeballs it pulls in every day. This will marry with the content flow in order to allow brands on Tumblr an additional way of promoting their content outside Tumblr’s promoted post functionality. 

One thing that’s worth noting (for the time being) is that Tumblr will continue to operate separately… That’s not to say the teams won’t be working together to create cross-property integration, but you won’t surf to Tumblr and see a Yahoo! logo anytime soon (at least not in place of  a Tumblr one). 

For more info, read Marissa Mayer’s Tumblr post on the acquisition and make fun of the .gif used. 

I’ve never really talked about this stuff with anyone – well, besides my wife – and I have to admit, it’s a little weird. I think, as guys, we’re more apt to talk about bulking up, how much we can bench, and what protein shakes we’re enjoying than to talk about losing weigh, general health from fitness, and how this affects our lives. So, bare with me if I’m not 100% open and gushing…

Two Different Locations. Two Different Lifestyles.

Normal days in Seattle: Wakeup.  Drive 30 mins. to work. Sit at my desk most of the day. Maybe walk a few blocks to get lunch from some place in Pioneer Square. Eat lunch at my desk. Work some more. Drive 30 mins. home. Sit on the couch watching bad TV with my wife or sports by myself. Eat dinner. Watch more TV. Go to Bed. Repeat.

Normal days in London: Wake up. Eat breakfast (WHAT?). Walk 12 mins. to work. Sit at my desk. Run upstairs to Initiative. Run downstairs to UM. Work at my desk. Walk to lunch. Eat outside. Walk back to work. Work at my desk. Run downstairs to UM. Run upstairs to Initiative. Work at my desk a bit more. Walk 12 mins. home. Eat dinner with Camille. Go for a walk around London. Watch TV. Go to bed. Repeat.

Now, I haven’t changed my profession at all, so my job does really entail sitting at a computer pouring over PDFs, PPTS, spreadsheets, web pages, and Word docs. What has changed, though, is most of the stuff surrounding that. I’m more mobile than I ever was in Seattle. Yes, I miss our car and I miss driving, but living a mainly pedestrian lifestyle has definitely added to the overall impact on my health and fitness over the past 4 months.

Everything in London is harder. Getting groceries is harder. Going shopping is harder. Going to the movies is harder. Usually, that’s based on the fact that we’re not used to using public transit and walking everywhere – but I have to say I definitely like it.

Hacking Health

I’m a geek (big surprise). So, when I heard about FitBit some time ago I really got excited about something to tie my health to technology. There are plenty of people who lose weight and get healthy without gadgetry… but there are also people who don’t have the internet, so you can decide what’s right and what isn’t.

I use a couple different gadgets/technologies to help me keep track of how much I’m eating, how active I am, and how those two are affecting my body.

FitBit

This little thing is with me every day (edit: I lost it the other week actually, so it’s no longer with me every day, but I’ve got a new one coming in the mail). FitBit is a pedometer-based gadget that keeps track of things like steps, calories burned, distance traveled, flights of stairs climbed, and also gives you a reading of just how active you’re being.

The best part about FitBit isn’t actually the great little gadget that rides with me everywhere (I usually clip it onto the small pocket on my jeans), but the online portal that lets you track your progress, see your friends’ activity (and compete against them), and talk in the forums with people just like you. Plus… BADGES! Who doesn’t love badges and achievements?

FitBit Aria WiFi Scale

I first saw the Aria at CES a couple years ago and immediately wanted one – but chose to wait a bit for the kinks to get worked out (something very hard for me to do). For Christmas this last year, Camille surprised me by getting me an Aria – someone was listening!

The scale, made by FitBit syncs with your wireless network to update FitBit.com (and therefore the app on your phone) with your weight and BMI info. It’s an incredibly smart way to track how your exercise and eating habits are creating actual results. The setup process was a bit of a bother, but I found some really helpful info online that eventually led to me setting it up using my iPad instead of our PC and BOOM – it was working in no time.

Aria allows for multiple user profiles and it actually recognizes each user when they step on the scale. So, in our house, that means both Camille and I can use the Aria without even having to pick it up off the floor or fiddle with any buttons via our toes.

MyFitnessPal

When you watch shows on TV about weight loss, one of the first things they have them do is track everything they’re eating in food diary. I don’t like writing things down, so naturally I found an app to replace that. MyFitnessPal is a great site (and app) that lets you track everything you eat along with all your exercise. I’ve yet to find something that I can’t find a pretty close match for in their database of nutrition information, so that’s pretty awesome. The iOS app also has a barcode scanner that lets you scan items and pull up their nutritional information.

The best part about apps like FitBit and MyFitnessPal (and others) is that you can use their APIs to pull information into other apps – which I’m currently doing between MFP, FitBit, and the next app I’m fond of…

RunKeeper

I’ve been a fan of RunKeeper for a while, but kind of go between using it and not using it. The GPS-enabled app tracks your runs/walks/gym workouts and assigns caloric burn information to them. It’s pretty great for looking at exactly where you’ve been during your workouts and when I lost my FitBit, it’s served as a good replacement for tracking calories burned – but only when you turn it on. For those worried about sharing your location, you can turn off map sharing and change the level of access people have to your workout information.

But How’s it Working?

I’ve actually seen some pretty great results without drastically changing much besides eating habits, being more active, and actually tracking (kind of too much at times) how I’m doing in each of those areas.

So far, I’ve lost 22 pounds and 12% body fat since we moved to London… needless to say my jeans are getting a bit too loose (which is a problem because everywhere here wears tight assed jeans).

More updates to come!

I had the opportunity  to be part of an Advertising Week Europe panel led by Karl-Heinz  Land – marketer and author of Digital Darwinism – The silent attack against your business model and your brand! Oddly enough, the panel focused on the exact topic of Karl-Heinz’s book- a very important topic!

Check out the video here:

Digital Darwinism – How Mobile, Social Media… by advertisingweek

It’s no secret that I’m a tech fan… or that I am basically crippled without my iPhone. In our jaunt across the pond, I’ve definitely relied on my iPhone to help me get by most days. Here are some of the apps that I’ve been using.

Before you’re all like “Oh man, you’re such an Apple fanboy. Why’s it all iOS apps…” 1) Stop. 2) I have a work phone and it happens to be an iPhone 5 – not my fault. 3) I offer Android versions (or alternatives) where I can. Now… proceed after the jump for explanations and completely unscientific ratings.

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Time Out London/Time Out Travel Guide

Both these apps are pretty great for someone who’s new to London and looking for stuff to do. The former has a ton of great events from shows to gallery showings to concerts and you can sort by things that are near you, price, etc. The latter is really aimed more at tourists, but since we’ve only been living here for a couple months, those things are still sort of fun. Also available on Android.

Rating: 3.5 cups of tea/3 crumpets

Tube Map

This was one of the first apps that was suggested to me by a friend, so it’s still on my phone (though I don’t use it that much anymore). It’s a pretty simple guide to the tube system and has basic routing (though it doesn’t always seem to be synced with the latest Transport for London info). Also available on Android.

Rating: 2.5 Please Mind the Gaps

Google Maps

Apple’s native maps are pretty jenky when it comes to London. Downloading Google’s purpose-built maps app has made a work of difference. Duh, it’s available on Android.

Rating: 4.0 London Bridges Falling Down

Tube Robot

My wife actually discovered this app. It’s incredibly handy for finding your way home at the end of a pub session. You input your home address and it will tell you where to snag the last tube home at the end of the night.

Rating: 3.14 Pints

Globe Convert (Free)

I didn’t learn how to convert to celsius, metres, and every other thing when I was in school, so this helps me do it. Google works well also. Here’s an Android alternative.

Rating: 3 British Pounds (or $4.54)

Barclays Bikes

One of the coolest things about London has been the Barclays Bikes. They’re seemingly everywhere. This app lets you know where the nearest location is, how many bikes there are, and then helps you plan your route. If your ride is under 30 mins., it’s FREE! Also available on Android.

Rating: 4.8 speeds

WhatsApp

Talking with people back home is important (right?). WhatsApp is an intriguing little app that lets you do just that – for free. Also available on Android.

Rating: 3.5 texts per minute

Viber

Despite its racy-sounding name, this app has nothing to do with sex toys. Instead, it’s an app similar to WhatsApp that lets you call/text your friends where they ma be. They’re battling Voda a bit over apparent throttling of the app, but it’s worked well so far. Also available on Android.

Rating: 5 vibes (not phallic)

HulloMail

Vodafone in the UK doesn’t have visual voicemail. That sucks. HulloMail is an app you can download that gives you the visual voicemail functionality (for free). That doesn’t suck. Also available on Android.

Rating: 4.5 VMs

Citymapper

All the credit for this one goes to my wife for introducing me to this app. It’s the most-comprehensive travel app I’ve seen that covers directions (walking, driving, transit), estimated taxi fares, calories burned from walking, and the amount of time it’d take to catapult (yes, catapult) to your destination. Not available on Android… womps.

Rating: 5 catapults

This year is really being considered the first “Social Media” election as both candidate and voter use of social to communicate ideas, intent, and to mark their participation is at an all-time high.

Facebook, with their ability to tap into a large percentage of the American population, has a data-rich, real-time graphic at facebookstories.com that updates whenever a users clicks the “I Voted” button found after logging in.

Foursquare actually has a real-time view that can be embedded in sites. Check that out below. right here. Seems like it’s not working well with embedding right now.

No matter which party, candidate, or measure you vote for or against today, remember that we’re all Americans and the very fact that we have the option to go to a polling place (or our couch here in WA) and cast a vote is pretty incredible.

Ours is a shared destiny and only through working together and for the greater good can we leave a legacy that we can be proud of.

God Bless America!

Related articles

• Welcome to the Peer Pressure Election: Brought to You By Social Media (betabeat.com)
• A political app for all of us: Election apps to help make your 2012 decision (digitaltrends.com)
• It’s Illegal to Photograph Your Ballot. In America. (outsidethebeltway.com)

Over the past three years and nine months, I’ve had the pleasure of working at one of the smartest, quickest, most-fun agencies around – Spring Creek Group. I started my first day all that time ago as an Engagement Lead (entry level position at SCG at the time) after spending three years climbing the ranks at a PR agency (where I was told social wouldn’t be that big of a deal). It was a bit of a step back, but one I was willing to take to be part of what SCG already had going on.

Some time later, plus an office relocation from Westlake to Pioneer Square, I’d moved into a different role as the types and sizes of clients SCG started to take on evolved. We still had one of the best teams around and it was showing in our work every day.

Also around this time, I met the woman who would (as of August) become my wife – Camille (Carette) Schott. Regardless of what I have and what I do, I have her to thank for always being my inspiration and my cheerleader. She’s also had to be a one-person couple many times thanks to work and the constant relationship I have with my phone/computer. There’s actually a great quote in a George Lois book I just read:

I have to say, without Camille’s support and help, I wouldn’t be where I am today… and I definitely wouldn’t be where I’m about to be.

In 2011, right around my birthday, Spring Creek Group became part of Interpublic Group’s Mediabrands family of companies – something we were all really excited about. We’d grown incredibly quickly as an independent and scrappy agency, but we all knew there was more out there for us.

I can say right now that the experience of being acquired by a large holding company is definitely interesting – great and frustrating at times. Everyone at IPG, Mediabrands, and our partner agencies has been an absolute pleasure to work with. We’ve got some incredibly smart people at these companies putting out some seriously amazing work in social, digital, search, and mobile. That’s not just in the U.S. either, it’s all over the world.

Since being acquired, we’ve had the ability to spread our thoughts on social as a viable marketing channel far and wide with companies like Kia, HTC, IHOP, and more. We’ve been at the ignition point of industry-leading integration between traditional and digital advertising. We’re pushing further and further, everyday, toward new standards for measurement, activation, and customer interaction. It’s all incredibly exciting and I’m glad to say that I’ve had the chance to be a part of it.

Where We’re Going

A couple weeks ago was one of the toughest weeks of my professional career. You may have heard that Spring Creek Group, along with a number of our Mediabrands partner agencies, experienced a round of layoffs. No one likes layoffs – not the employers, not the employees that get laid off, and not the employees that are left behind. The changes made focus on the future as we look at the market and needs of our clients, but that doesn’t make things any easier.

I had to say goodbye to great coworkers, but even more than that – great friends. People I’ve worked with since starting at SCG. People that helped get SCG where it is today – one of the leading social marketing and strategy agencies in the world.

Along with that incredibly hard day, came some news concerning me and my role at Spring Creek Group… and that gets us to where we are today.

Soon, I’ll be relocating to London, England and taking the position of Head of Spring Creek Group, UK. I’m incredibly excited for this opportunity as, and this isn’t a big surprise to anyone who follows me on social, I love SCG and believe wholeheartedly in the leadership and direction of the company . Having the chance to take everything we’ve built here in the U.S. and expand that model and culture across the pond has been something I’ve long thought about.

The UK, much like the U.S., is moving along the maturation scale fairly quickly and the need for SCG’s unique skills and experience is definitely an opportunity for SCG and Mediabrands. I’ll be working within MAP (the Mediabrands Audience Platform) and with our partners at Ansible, Cadreon, and Reprise to continue what our group started out to do: improve insights and results for clients by helping brands find, buy and engage their most valuable audiences in real time.

We’re (both Camille and I) very excited for this opportunity and we thank IPG, Mediabrands, and Spring Creek Group. One of the hardest parts about making this move has been taking Camille away from a job at a company she truly loves – Blanton Turner. After a not-so-great experience at her last employer, Camille found an incredible company with a leadership team that truly cares about their employees. So, to the team at Blanton Turner – thank you and I’m sorry I’m stealing Camille away. If you want to open a BTUK, I’m sure she’d be down.

As you may (or may not) know, we both have relatives living the the UK and it’s been a goal of ours to move abroad for some time now. We’re looking forward to experiencing the expat life while still staying connected to our friends and family back home (thanks to the fact that I’m addicted to technology). I’m still trying to figure out ways I can watch Cougar Football while in Jolly Old, so you may get frantic calls from me trying to access your Xfinity account in order to watch Pac 12 Live.

Our friends are our family, as we don’t have very big families. We’re definitely going to be missing each one of our friends as we make this move, but we’ll have an extra room. Believe me when I say we’ve been dreading leaving you all here in the States as our lives just won’t be the same. Flights to London come on sale every once in a while

Over the next couple of months, I’ll be travelling back and forth to London setting up there and looking for housing. I’m sure you’ll all be annoyed by FB, Twitter, and Instagram posts.

More to come…

Not only did he yell at me, he had a few choice words for me as well – probably nothing I haven’t yelled at another driver before.

Not really expecting anything from it, I tweeted about my experience.

Well, wasn’t expecting to have a @UPS driver yell/curse at me for letting a pedestrian cross in a crosswalk today #HowRude

— Ron Schott (@ronschott) July 11, 2012

Much to my joy (remember, I work in social media), UPS responded fairly quickly.

@ronschottWow! That’s unacceptable! Can you send the details, the location, truck# and your contact info to twitter@ups.com? ^SP @ups

— UPS Customer Support (@UPSHelp) July 11, 2012

So, major props for catching the tweet and responding go out to UPS. Like I said, I’d never expect anything and certainly don’t think the driver was terribly horrible or anything – guy was probably at the end of his route and wanted to get home. I know I did.

The whole experience just reinforced what I tell clients day in and day out – people just want to know you’re there and that you give a shit about the experience they have with your brand.

While getting yelled at wasn’t rad, I’m definitely a bigger fan of UPS after the interaction with their social team.

http://mbaonline.com/draw-something-embed

Created by MBAOnline.com

Probably the most-anticipated out of these was the Nike Fuel Band. The Swoosh-powered band was announce some time ago and immediately sold out pre-orders. Since then, chances of getting your soon-to-be-sweaty hands on one have been as slim as users hope to be.

Today their Twitter account let loose the hint that there would be a new supply available at around 5pm EST – I was waiting.

However, I don’t have one… and that’s OK, because it’s pretty interesting to see how the whole thing played out. Check out a screenshot of their Twitter feed to see how quickly the new batch of bands sold out:

I have to give their social team props for being on top of the situation. They definitely got things out there as quickly as I’m sure they had info. However, the actual process of ordering was pretty horrible. The site crashed twice on me before I got through to the final confirmation page… only then to see that the product I had ordered (and input my address, phone number, email, and credit card info for) was sold out.

Oh well… I guess there’s always next time.