Kyle Archer Babson

Hi, welcome, and thanks for visiting my site. If you don't already know me, here's a brief introduction.

I'm a digital marketing specialist in my twenties, and a graduate of the University of Kansas with a BA in English Literature.

I currently reside in Kansas City, MO where I work as Marketing Manager for Musictoday, a Live Nation Company. In this position and in my free time I explore music, marketing, and the web. This blog aims to highlight my most interesting explorations.

Take a look around and contact me if you have any questions or just want to say hi.

kyle(at)kylebabson(dot)com

I'm causing trouble.

Note: The opinions expressed in this blog/site are my own and in no way reflect the opinions or positions of my employer.
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A woman takes a photograph of the the Cape Town stadium seen from the Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, July 2, 2010. From Boston.com’s Big Picture series. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the Big Picture series is worth…well a lot of words.

A woman takes a photograph of the the Cape Town stadium seen from the Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, July 2, 2010. From Boston.com’s Big Picture series.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the Big Picture series is worth…well a lot of words.

Realtor Who Lost My Business

Realtor:
I have over a thousand properties available .
Kyle:
Really? Do you have them listed online?
Realtor:
(in an offended tone) Why would I!!??
Kyle:
(stunned silence)

The decision to run commercials on TV says as much about your brand as the content of the ad. For Starbucks, a previously “high-end” brand that depended on word-of-mouth and customer loyalty, running this ad reinforces it’s slide into mediocrity and the goal to be the middle of the road coffee solution for the world.

It’s a good ad, I’m still a fan, but I’d like to see them make some better marketing decisions. The free wi-fi experiment will be interesting to follow.

Full version of the Nike ad currently running during the World Cup. I’m not a soccer fan, but this ad does an excellent job of communicating the star power of the highest paid soccer player in the world to an American audience who is up to this point unfamiliar. Skip to the last minute for the best part.

This kind of “hero” story is exactly what Americans need to connect to soccer the way they do to the NFL and other American sports leagues. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to head to the Nike Store to get some soccer gear.

How Top Musicians Are Utilizing Their Facebook Pages 

insidefacebook.com highlights and praises @musictoday’s “Store” application for Facebook; the creation of which I project managed. It’s now used by over 150 artists like Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, and Pink Floyd, to drive e-commerce and further their connection with fans.

I helped Justin Roberts, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter of children’s music, launch an email for a track campaign this week. Check it out and enjoy “Sleepoverland.”

I helped Justin Roberts, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter of children’s music, launch an email for a track campaign this week. Check it out and enjoy “Sleepoverland.”

Who’s Jack? Click the image to see my thoughts on J Crew’s marketing strategy.

Who’s Jack? Click the image to see my thoughts on J Crew’s marketing strategy.

The Pomodoro Technique  



The Pomodoro technique for productivity is a method I’ve been using for about a year now. It’s dead simple, and a great complement to GTD.

Here are the steps:

  • Set a timer for 25 minutes (I call the 25 minute time period “the pomodoro” officially it’s supposed to be the timer itself)
  • Decide on one task to focus on for the time allowed
  • Start the timer and complete the task
  • Take a 5 minute break to decide what to focus on for your next “pomodoro”

    • I list out my pomodoros in my moleskine at the beginning of each day, and check them off as I complete each task.
Nike+ users, join me in a run across Kansas. It’s only 417 miles. You’ve got until the end of 2012, or until the world ends. Whichever comes first. photo of a Kansas road by: josephleenovak

Nike+ users, join me in a run across Kansas. It’s only 417 miles. You’ve got until the end of 2012, or until the world ends. Whichever comes first.

photo of a Kansas road by: josephleenovak

A great talk on how we work, or more accurately don’t work. Served as a great reminder for me of why I love not working in an office.

Nike+ Green Level

I just advanced to the next level in Nike+ That would be level three, or the green level. No more orange for me. Nike was kind enough to congratulate me with a video.

What do levels mean on Nike+? Nothing really. A badge of honor I suppose, and everything in the Nike+ admin is a nice lime-like green color now. That’s about it. Bottom line, it’s a little bit of motivation to keep running. The more I run, the sooner I’ll need a new pair of Nike+ enabled shoes.

I’m pretty much blown away by this video. Ben Folds didn’t come up with the idea, but he sure deserves credit for taking it to an entirely different level. This is an excellent example of an artist using technology to do something truly new and amazing.

“The holder of this card is entitled to early entrance (must purchase concert ticket separately) to the (Coheed and Cambria) headline shows.” Early venue entry as a concert promotion is nothing new, but this black card helps Coheed and Cambria create an even greater feeling of exclusivity. You get it by pre-ordering the deluxe version of their new album.

“The holder of this card is entitled to early entrance (must purchase concert ticket separately) to the (Coheed and Cambria) headline shows.”

Early venue entry as a concert promotion is nothing new, but this black card helps Coheed and Cambria create an even greater feeling of exclusivity. You get it by pre-ordering the deluxe version of their new album.

Manchester Orchestra & Kevin Devine, ‘I Could Be the Only One’ (Two-Song Bundle) — Song Premiere - Spinner UK I love this idea. Engages current fans with new content, while building awareness with a new targeted audience. For many local or regionally touring bands it’s common practice to “trade shows” with a band in another town. This is a modern version of that. My question: I wonder if more could have been gained for each artist by doing this themselves? Spinner gets about 1.5m unique visitors a month, which is great, but how many of those will actually become long-term fans? By the three comments on the post, I’m guessing not many. My suggestion: Bands could easily execute this kind of promotion on their own sites. The benefit is the opportunity to collect email addresses, sell merch/music, and further communicate who each band is.

Manchester Orchestra & Kevin Devine, ‘I Could Be the Only One’ (Two-Song Bundle) — Song Premiere - Spinner UK

I love this idea. Engages current fans with new content, while building awareness with a new targeted audience. For many local or regionally touring bands it’s common practice to “trade shows” with a band in another town. This is a modern version of that.

My question: I wonder if more could have been gained for each artist by doing this themselves? Spinner gets about 1.5m unique visitors a month, which is great, but how many of those will actually become long-term fans? By the three comments on the post, I’m guessing not many.

My suggestion: Bands could easily execute this kind of promotion on their own sites. The benefit is the opportunity to collect email addresses, sell merch/music, and further communicate who each band is.

Looking for a new wallpaper image for your iphone? Try a concert poster. Scaled down, the image size should be about right for your iphone screen, and your options are practically limitless. Wilco usually has some pretty great designs.

Looking for a new wallpaper image for your iphone? Try a concert poster.

Scaled down, the image size should be about right for your iphone screen, and your options are practically limitless.


Wilco usually has some pretty great designs.

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