Like Tweets and most texts, bubbles are short, with a recording limit at one minute.  But Bubbly has added intimacy – users hear a favorite, well-known, or trusted voice instead of just reading a simple message, which, for celebrities, could have been written by an agent.

While the BBC is leading networks in using Bubbly to release breaking news, the Indian film industry is using Bubbly as a tool to build buzz – and brands.

Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Bollywood stars who appear together in the film “3 Idiots,” were using Bubbly to promote the film before its release.  Their bubbles soon had hundreds of thousands of followers, and built incredible anticipation over the movie.  The film swept India’s 2010 Star Screen and Filmfare Awards, and has grossed over $86 million – the highest profit in history for any Indian-made film.  It seems the film owes some of its box office success to Bubbly.  And so do its stars.

Bollywood stars aren’t free from Hollywood’s standards of youth and vitality to grab choice roles and maintain careers.  And what better way to appear young than to be among the first to popularize a new social media tool?  In a recent interview, the mid-40s Aamir Khan was asked how he stays young looking enough to play a 20-something college student in “3 Idiots.”  He answered that it’s essential to eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest.  He could have added bubbling to the list.

The list of countries in which BubbleTalk has been launched is limited so far, and there aren’t immediate plans for a U.S. (or U.K.) launch.  So while there aren’t options here now for utilization, there is time to investigate how potential users respond to this new media and the potential impact on communication channels here.  Is enthusiasm for Twitter fading?  Nonprofits struggle with being both media savvy and able to implement new options usefully, could BubbleTalk be the righ solution?  Or is this mode of information dissemination not the right match?  One blogger notes, “ears are for music and for live communication, not for news that I scan more quickly with my eyes.”  Let us know your initial reaction to this emerging tool.

- Liz Arora

One aspect of CCA’s mission is its Alliance of States.  These states’ governors and leaders in higher education have pledged to make college completion a legislative priority by setting completion goals, creating a plan to reach those goals, and publicly reporting progress.  The Alliance has 17 member states now, but its ranks continue to grow.

Clips resulting from the launch currently number over 300 in media around the country, in the Alliance states, in national print and broadcast outlets, and in higher education trade publications.

In addition to coordinating the launch, Lipman Hearne designed CCA’s new visual identity, stationery suite, a temporary landing page (to house materials for the media before the launch), and CCA’s new website.  Impressive comments about the site and the CCA’s work are already rolling in.

One early site visitor praised the website for “delivering  a great and powerful new tool that combines the voices of students demanding reform together with powerful state- and campus-level data.”

And from Stan Jones, Complete College America’s President, comes this recommendation:  “I know everyone is busy but take a minute and watch at least the first video on the website.  It is an excellent reminder of why we do this work.”

The number of Tufts applicants choosing the video option has been significant, but not overwhelming – about 1,000 of the 15,000 applicants this year submitted videos. The responses range from students showing off card tricks to day-in-the-life montages to flying a remote-controlled blue-elephant helicopter (representing Tufts’ mascot, Jumbo the Elephant). Some of the videos have even gathered a YouTube following – the most popular one features Amelia Downs; her video has gotten more than 6,000 views.

So what does this all mean? Will videos ultimately replace the written essay? Tufts admissions staff insists that they remain “committed to the traditional essay-writing requirement” and that videos are genuinely optional. But this is clearly the year of the video for colleges and universities – between the “Lipdub” phenomenon and Yale’s YouTube musical “That’s Why I Chose Yale,” universities’ staff and students are increasingly turning towards video as an effective means of marketing their institution. So it seems natural that prospective students are likewise using this medium to market themselves. Only time will reveal to what extent video and other social media vehicles will come to dominate the higher education communications sphere.

What do you think about colleges allowing prospective students to submit application videos? Do you foresee the end of the traditional college essay? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

Another curiosity is the seemingly broad use of the word “brand” being used to compile the list.  In addition to Valentine’s Day (really!?) there is an eclectic mix of people (Alexander McQueen), products (Apple iPad) and annual events (Super Bowl). Should these topics really be compared to each other from a marketing perspective? Will tracking of such mixed topics really help Twitter’s future monetization? And more importantly will those Justin Bieber followers succeed in taking over the Twitterverse?

Share your thoughts on what trends and behaviors should be tracked on Twitter in the comments section.

The launch caps a great year for the school. Recent rankings put Miami among the top 10 law schools for Hispanics and among the top 20 law schools in terms of the quality of the lawyers it produces.

Central to the site is Lipman Hearne’s best asset: the staff. Visitors can browse staff stories in the People section, hear staff members’ voices through quotes that float throughout the site, and catch glimpses of them as they travel the globe. (In one such glimpse, a space suit is involved.)

Other media-rich features include portfolios of work, curated along special themes, such as Wasabi for the Brain and The Dean’s List. In addition, the stories of successful collaborations are told through selected case studies, including University of Cincinnati and The Nurse-Family Partnership.

Key Insights reports, presentations, and articles are also available on the site. Information sharing tools make it possible for visitors to share these resources and news articles with colleagues.

Check out Lipman Hearne’s website and leave a comment here – we’d love to hear your feedback.

- Erin Kelly

The project is a close collaboration between Muhlenberg’s internal web team and Lipman Hearne.

The point: Voluntary collectivism, such as Wikipedia and tools for sharing, such as Flickr, are powerful signs of cultural change. At at time when Iranian activists are using Twitter applications to get around government censorship, the article appears prescient.

- Lee Reilly, Vice President,Interactive

Lipman Hearne’s work with UDM has spanned nearly a decade and includes enrollment publications, research, consulting, and marketing, as well as interactive services.

- Lee Reilly, Vice President, Interactive

I did evaluate all the submissions, though, and gave my recommendations to the committee.  And what struck me most about the proposals we reviewed – nearly 100 in all – was that more than a third of them focused around web 2.0, social media, and related topics.

The word “tweet” hasn’t been tossed around this much since the last Looney Tunes cartoon fest.  But for any smart marketer – as for Sylvester – the issue not just sighting that elusive prey, but figuring out how to wrap our claws around it.  Thufferin’ Thuccotash! 

The key is to discern not just what can we do – because the options are truly staggering – but what we must do.  Resources – both cash and time – are scarce.  So how do we determine which of the many social media opportunities we should invest in and which are just a passing fancy?  My answer, for now, is straight Machiavelli:  “I must see where my followers are going so I can lead them.”

In which formats are your target audiences engaged?  And is this all unadulterated UGC or are they receptive to – clicking or tagging or digging – a more “institutional” voice in their desired format?  Are they involved in serious exploration of content – as relates to critical decision-making – or are they surfing the ripples?

On a site I spent some time on recently – www.mynextcollege.com – “The Dean” balances comments between snarky and solid, all grounded by his signature “does it look like I work here?”  And then there are all the sites that are pure UGC – www.ratemyprofessors.com, www.collegeconfidential.com, www.studentsreview.com, www.myusearchblog.com, and their ilk – and the 900-pound gorillas of Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Flickr, and (a baby gorilla) Ning.

Any “final” resolution now would be absurd to project; new platforms crop up almost daily.  There are some that are nearly the “price of admission” to be considered in the game at all – notably, the upland gorillas mentioned above.  But there are some things to keep in mind as you develop content for these venues:

•    Focus: Your audience will tell you.

•    Voice: All research shows that today’s prospective students are very aware of when they’re being “marketed.”  And the research also shows that they don’t necessarily mind being the target, if the outreach is funny, relevant, and fits their interests.

•    WOM and viral: The ultimate goal is to be so in the middle of the conversation that people digg you forward – as happened with the University of Minnesota with their “science of Watchmen” video on YouTube that got more than 1.5 million hits.  And was this successful because people wanted to know about the University of Minnesota? Of course not – it’s because they’re geeks for Watchmen.  Give them something that they’re interested in, and they’ll center it in the discourse.

•    ‘Tude: You gotta have ‘tude, dude.  Whether you’re talking with prospective or current students, alumni, or web wanderers, you have to put forward some sort of characteristic energy and stance that make people sit up and take notice, laugh, get mildly offended – or just notice you.

•    Integration: Your social media presence has to connect to everything else you’re doing – as in any brand communications initiative.  If you create a presence in social media, or establish a personality, you have to “pay off” that presence and personality in your website, direct marketing materials, publications, and the like.  Otherwise, you’re just confusing the market, and nobody can afford to do that.

So, I’m not tweeting yet – having been intimidated by the Chicago tweetmaster who has posted 20,000 times since the first of the year (once every six minutes, 18 hours a day, seven days a week) – but if you want me to I’ll start.  Just let me know and I’ll try to figure out what to say.  (Hey, it’s six minutes later and I don’t have any new thoughts!  Uh-oh…)

- Rob Moore, Managing Partner