TED augmented my reality

Last week, the world's biggest brains descended on Long Beach for five days of inspiring talks at the TED conference. Rallying around three topics (Technology, Entertainment and Design) TED isn't your average seminar. Officially, it's a "small, nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading." Unofficially, it's a four-day "brain spa." Each year, only 1,500 of the best and brightest are invited to attend. No invitation? No go. (And each attendee gladly pays the $6,000 registration fee.) Needless to say, it's an elite crew.

Even more sensational are the speakers. From star-studded rockers to world leaders, fortune-50 founders, entrepreneurs, C-suite officers, Nobel Prize winners, scientists, philosophers and more. The thing is, each of these world-renown visionaries has no more than 18 minutes to dazzle the audience.

No pressure.

This year, one of my favorite speakers was Blaise Aguera y Arcas. Partly because he has a cool name, but mostly because he spoke about something that directly affects my daily routine. Let's call it "Digital Cartography."

Remember when Google Maps launched? Amazing. Google Earth? Astounding. But, have you seen Bing Maps? You know, Bing. The "Decision Engine." You've seen the ads. "Binnnggg."

Don't get me wrong. I'm a Google guy. But, I've officially converted to Bing Maps. Why? Watch Blaise Aguera y Arcas' 8-minute talk and you'll see why.

Here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera.html
(I guarantee you'll forward this to at least three people.)

[Brief summary: Bing Maps gives you street view like Google Maps. But, unlike Google Maps, Bing can even take you indoors. Better yet, they can augment those images with real-time video from the your virtual location. Confusing? Watch Blaise describe it.]

So, what does all of this have to do with advertising? If you consider the fact that Google Maps is selling and re-skinning outdoor ad space in Street View, it means a lot. With Bing's ability to see inside buildings and incorporate real-time video, your endcap is more important than ever. Your promotional street team can now interact with people thousands of miles away. (Not to mention, soon, you'll be able to see for yourself whether or not the deli is out of potato salad. From your couch.) Imagine if music venues enabled this real-time video imagery. Imagine if the video you're seeing isn't actually real-time. Imagine if it was a pre-recorded, PR stunt.

Traditional media is dead and social media is hot. But, virtual media is next. If you can be the first to layer a promotional stunt inside Bing Maps, you could make your brand famous.

Drop that in your next board meeting.