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The new Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) is #7 in unit sales and #10 in dollar sales on the CBA Bible Translation Best Seller list for the month of April (http://cbaonline.org/nm/documents/BSLs/Bible_Translations.pdf). This marks the fourth month the Common English Bible (Twitter @CommonEngBible – http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible) has been on the Unit Sales list (moving up from #10) and the first month it’s appeared on the Dollar Sales list since its release last fall.

“The broad acceptance of the Common English Bible by scholars, consumers, and book sellers is gratifying,” says Paul Franklyn, PhD, associate publisher. “It confirms our decision to create an academically rigorous yet naturally understandable translation for 21st century English readers; a translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that’s built on common ground from the bottom up.”

The Common English Bible’s popularity has soared since it was first released last September. In addition to being a repeat best seller,

·         it was named one of the top 10 religion stories of 2011 by leading journalists of the Religion Newswriters Association

·         people are printing its verses in calligraphy when they LIKE the Facebook page http://facebook.com/LiveTheBible

·         a Lenten PowerPoint^® presentation of nature scenes in vivid color photography combined with scripture verses from the Common English Bible has been viewed, downloaded, and embedded more than 10,000 times (http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/LentDownloads and http://slideshare.net/CommonEnglishBible)

·         200 bloggers are participating in the “Common English Bible Change Your Heart and Life” blog tour (http://CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/blogtour) through Pentecost Sunday in May (Twitter hashtag #CEBtour – http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23CEBTour).

·         the Common English Bible’s video “Who Does God Love” (vimeo.com/CommonEnglishBible) has registered more than 1,000 views and blog embeds (see above)

·         the Common English Bible text, including the Apocrypha, is available to search for free online at Bible Gateway (http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Common-English-Bible-CEB/), YouVersion.com (http://www.youversion.com/versions/ceb), and the translation’s website

·         more than 6,000 people subscribe to the email Common English Bible “Verse of the Day” delivered daily to personal email inboxes from Bible Gateway (http://www.biblegateway.com/newsletters/)

·         and churches are using the translation to read through the Bible in a year (e.g. http://www.fourthchurch.org/bibleyear.html).

The Common English Bible is a collaboration of 120 Bible scholars and editors, 77 reading group leaders, and more than 500 average readers from around the world. The translators – from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities – represent such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others.

The Common English Bible is written in contemporary idiom at the same reading level as the newspaper USA TODAY—using language that’s comfortable and accessible for today’s English readers. More than half-a-million copies of the Bible are in print, including an edition with the Apocrypha. The Common English Bible is available online and in 20 digital formats. A Reference Bible edition and a Daily Companion devotional edition are now also available. Additionally, Church/Pew Bibles, Gift and Award Bibles, Large Print Bibles, and Children’s Bible editions will be in stores soon, joining the existing Thinline Bibles, Compact Thin Bibles, and Pocket-Size Bibles, bringing the total variety of Common English Bible stock-keeping units (SKUs) to more than 40.

Visit CommonEnglishBible.com to see comparison translations, learn about the translators, get free downloads, and more.

The Common English Bible is sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (USA) (Westminster John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing, Inc.), United Church of Christ (The Pilgrim Press), and The United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).

For a media review copy of the Common English Bible and to schedule an interview with Paul Franklyn, please contact Diane Morrow, dmorrow@tbbmedia.com, at 800.927.1517, x106.

Simply Zesty (@SimplyZesty) / Simply Viral (@simplyviral) scouted this TED (@tedtalks) talk of YouTube (@YouTube) trends manager Kevin Allocca (@shockallocca) speaking at a TEDYouth (@TEDYouth) event on the 3 reasons a video goes viral:

·         Tastemakers: when influential people discover new videos and introduce those videos to their followers

·         Participation: when viewers of a video become motivated enough to produce another version of the video

·         Unexpectedness: when a video contains surprises, especially in a humorous manner.

Allocca says over 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Also see our other blogposts about viral videos:

• "P&G Wins Hearts & Top Marks with Olympic Video Spots"
• "Video: What a Wonderful World"
• "The Art of Hand-Bound Books"
• "McDonald's Behind-the-Scenes Video Goes Viral"
• "Seeding, Not Quality, is Vital to Make Videos Viral"
• "What Makes a Story Popular and Viral?"
• “How ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Reveals the True Meaning of Viral Content”
• “Infographic: Understanding Viral Content Marketing”
• "A Video About a Poster Masks a Bookstore's Promotion"
• "Unlikely Videos Go Viral"
• "LEGO Celebrates 80th Birthday With Animated 'Short' Film"
• "Video: The Viral Benefits of a Satisfied Customer"
• "Video: PSA Uses Whimsy to Communicate Grim Message"

What principles have you identified that contribute to a video going viral? Write your comments below.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you strategize your brand’s social media communication.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

Will attractive aromas spritzed in the air be able to save bookstores? According to an article by Robert Klara (@UpperEastRob) in Adweek (@Adweek), a growing trend among diverse businesses (including retail, hotels, funeral homes, retirement villages, medical and law offices) is secretly scenting the air customers breathe to get them to buy more.

At a time when brands have already fine-tuned everything from their store color palettes to employee dress codes to the music thumping through the speakers, scent — the sole remaining sense that can directly influence how a customer regards a brand — is becoming an increasingly important instrument in the marketer’s toolbox. Given that smell is the most powerful and emotional of all the senses, the bigger surprise might be that it’s taken brands this long to wake up to smell’s potential.

...Environmental psychologist Eric Spangenberg of Washington State University says, “The technology has advanced to the level where anyone can do it.”

...Brands want their customers to be in such environments because, as research has shown, even a few microparticles of scent can do a lot of marketing’s heavy lifting, from improving consumer perceptions of quality to increasing the number of store visits.

...Brands that use the technology have a singular aim: to put people in the mood to spend. “Pleasant, subtle scents lift our moods and impact buying behavior,” says Donna Sturgess (@donnasturgess), president of Buyology (@BuyologyInc), a neurological marketing firm based in New York. Brands that have found the right ambient scent, she says, “have seen results as high as double-digit increases in brand preference.”

Read this in full.

Also see our previous blogpost, “Life-Like Mannequins Inspire Real-Life Shoppers.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you identify blue ocean strategy for your brand.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

SXSW (@sxsw) (pronounced “south by southwest”), the annual Austin, Tex.-based festival of interactive ventures, music, and film, runs March 9-18, for another year’s presentations on innovation in technology, music, cinema, and new business platforms that will attract more than 20,000 attendees. SXSW Interactive runs March 9-13, focusing on books, publishing, and new media technology.

Panel presentations and discussions include “The Future of Lifestyle Media,” Making a Grand Entrance: How to Launch a Product,” and “The Present of Print: Paper’s Persistence.”

Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) editors Rachel Deahl (@DeahlsDeals) and Calvin Reid (@calreid) are moderating two panel discussions:

Publishing Models Transforming The Book, will examine how conventional publishing industry business models are being rearranged and reinvented, and how books and book content are being offered to consumers in the digital age. The panel features content entrepreneurs like Brian Altounian (@BrianAltounian), CEO of Wowio.com (@WOWIO) (announcing the rebranding of itself as Studio W), and Swanna McNair (@swannamac), founder of Creative Conduit. Also on-hand will be Molly Barton (@MollyBBarton), director of digital publishing and business development at Penguin (@penguinusa) / Book Country (@Book_Country), and Jefferson Raab, creative director at The Atavist (@theatavist).

And Reid will moderate the panel Discoverability and the New World of Book PR, organized by Austin based book media relations veterans Barbara Cave Henricks, founder of Cave Henricks Communications (@CaveHenricks) and Rusty Shelton (@RustyShelton), owner of Shelton Interactive as well as Hollis Heimbouch (@heimbouch), vp and publisher at Harper Business (@HarperCollins). The panel will examine book marketing and promotion at a time when physical bookstore shelf space is declining and more books are being released.

Read this in full.

Also see our previous blogpost “Discoverability in the Digital Age: Personal Recommendations and Bookstores.”

Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you identify blue ocean strategy for your brand.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

The Associated Press is talking up a new “visual identity system,” to be rolled out over the coming months (a historical retrospective of AP logos is shown above with the new logo on the right).

The global news network says the look and logo are designed for the digital era and are supposed to unite its various offerings as part of a “master brand” strategy. AP called this the first significant change in its look in 30 years. The first use is on its new AP Mobile news app and AP.org website (@AP). According to its brand introduction (pdf) document, the new visual identity system brings to life the AP values of “integrity, action, and independence...and creates a distinct footprint in the media marketplace.”

AP President/CEO Tom Curley says in the announcement, “We have world-class content and world-class products and now we have the world-class look to go with them.”

The system expands the range of colors and designs available for use in AP products and services. The logomark recognizes the past stencil pattern while the logotype is black with a red underscore, both in a white box. This design is by the firm Objective Subject (@ob_sub), which says the red underscore, dubbed ‘the prompt,’ “evokes AP’s emphasis on editorial rigor and precise and accurate approach.” It goes on, “We retained the original logo’s stencil lettering, which embody the gutsy and adventurous personality of an international news organization.”

The Associated Press Stylebook (@APStylebook) is considered to set the standard in journalistic (and public relations) spelling and grammar.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you establish or update your logomark to convey your brand’s true identity.

Be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard; especially the Religion News tab.

Author, speaker, and futurist Leonard Sweet (@lensweet) scouted this article in the World Future Society’s (@WorldFutureSoc) magazine, The Futurist (@Theyear2030) (March-April 2012): A Future of Fewer Words?: 5 Trends Shaping the Future of Language by Lawrence Baines (in an earlier article, Baines offered 6 manifestations of the retreat of the written word:

     1. The power of image-based media to influence thought and behavior;

     2. The tendency of newer technologies to obliterate aspects of older technologies;

     3. The current emphasis on school reform;

     4. The influences of advertising and marketing;

     5. The current state of books as repositories of the language; and

     6. The reconceptualization of the library.)

Members may log in and read online. Nonmembers may order the issue.

Sweet says,

I tried to say the same thing in chapter 9 of my upcoming book Viral ("Turning a Tin Ear to Poetry"), but Baines is more comprehensive and scientifically compelling. “As the world recedes from the written word and becomes inundated with multisensory stimuli (images, sound, touch, taste, and smell), the part of the human brain associated with language will regress. While visually astute and more aurally discriminating, the areas of the brain associated with language are also associated with critical thinking and analysis. So, as the corpus of language shrinks, the human capacity for complex thinking may shrink with it.”

“Losing polysyllabic words will mean a corresponding loss of eloquence and precision. Today, many of the most widely read texts emanate from blogs and social networking sites. Authors of these sites may be non-readers who have little knowledge of effective writing and may have never developed an ear for language.”

Read The Futurist article in full (membership required).

Read Baines’ earlier article (pdf).

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you navigate the changing communication scene to most effectively reach your consumers.

And be sure to bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard; especially the Futurist News tab.

Chart by Chart of the Day (@chartoftheday)

Business Insider SAI (@SAI) reports that Kirsten Kowalski (@ddkportraits), a lawyer with a passion for photography, browsed Pinterest's (@Pinterest) Terms of Use and found Pinterest's members are solely responsible for what they pin and repin. They must have explicit permission from the owner to post everything.

“I immediately thought of the ridiculously gorgeous images I had recently pinned from an outside website, and, while I gave the other photographer credit, I most certainly could not think of any way that I either owned those photos or had a license, consent or release from the photographer who owned them,” Kristen writes.

Kristen turned to federal copyright laws and found a section on fair use. Copyrighted work can only be used without permission when someone is criticizing it, commenting on it, reporting on it, teaching about it, or conducting research. Repinning doesn't fall under any of those categories.

A court case allowed thumbnail images to be considered fair use, but Pinterest lifts the entire image, not a thumbnail.

If that didn't scare Kristen enough, the all caps section of Pinterest's Terms of Use did:

“YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE, APPLICATION, SERVICES AND SITE CONTENT REMAINS WITH YOU.”

What's more, Pinterest places all blame and potential legal fees on its users.

Basically, if a photographer sues you for pinning an image illegally on Pinterest, the user must not only pay for his or her lawyer, they must also pay for Pinterest's lawyer. In addition, the defendant must pay all charges against him or herself, along with all of Pinterest's charges.

Kristen likens Pinterest to Napster as an enabler of illegal activity. It wasn't just Napster that went down – 12 year old girls who downloaded music were sued too.

She concluded her post inviting someone from Pinterest to call her. Someone did. The founder. Read about it at “My Date with Ben Silbermann — Following Up and Drying My Tears.” Bottom line: She writes Silbermann said “some changes are on the way in the very near future.”

Also see Adweek’s (@Adweek) “Brands Pinning it on Pinterest” and “Pinterest: The New Facebook for Lifestyle Magazines.”

Somersault (@smrsault) is beginning a Pinterest board. What should we put on it?

Infographic by Modea (@Modea)

Emily Temple, editor of flavorpill (@flavorpill), has compiled more photos of more gorgeous bookstores “from Slovakia to Brazil to West Chester, PA” (see our previous blogpost). Enjoy these (and maybe even plan to visit them) while appreciating the fact that not all bookstores are bereft of customers these days.

See the photos and read this in full.

If you’re a book lover like we (@smrsault) are, bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

The website Book Guys (@PaulTheBookGuy) discovered this article gem by Emily Temple, editor of flavorpill (@flavorpill). Despite grim news of brick-and-mortar bookstores closing, there are still bookshops open that are wonders to the eye and beckon customers to come see!

We can’t overestimate the importance of bookstores — they’re community centers, places to browse and discover, and monuments to literature all at once — so we’ve put together a list of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, from Belgium to Japan to Slovakia.

See the photos and read this in full.

Also see our blogposts, "20 More Beautiful Bookstores from Around the World" and "The 20 Coolest Bookstores in the World."

If you’re a book lover like we (@smrsault) are, bookmark and use daily the SomersaultNOW online dashboard.

The American demographic landscape has changed significantly, as reflected in the 2010 US Census compiled by the US Census Bureau (@uscensusbureau). The shifts related to race, age, gender, ethnicity, geography, income, and other key marketing drivers profoundly impact the USA and how brands communicate their messages to target audiences. Adweek (@Adweek) has partnered with Draftfcb (@Draftfcb), to present The New America (@The_New_America), a website “dedicated to providing timely and topical news and insights on what the metrics mean for marketers, ad agencies, publishers, and technology companies.”

A few articles of interest:

·         Higher Numbers for Higher Education: More than 30% of adults now have bachelor’s degrees

·         Multigenerational Households: Number of children living with a grandparent increases

·         Coming of Age in the Down Economy: Pew finds young Americans are underemployed but optimistic

·         Man Down: The future isn’t rosy for American males

·         An Unmarried Boomer: The growing number of middle-ages singles has significant implications

·         5 Discoveries from the 2010 Decennial Census That Advertisers Should Know:

     1.    The US population is an older one.

     2.    We are an ethnic soup spread throughout the country.

     3.    The growth of the Latino population is substantial.

     4.    Multiracial identification is growing.

     5.    Internal migration from the North and East to the South and West continues.

See The New America.

How will these changes influence your publishing agenda in the coming months and years? Write your comments below.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you analyze demographics to maximize your brand’s marketing communication strategy.

Be sure to bookmark and use daily our SomersaultNOW online dashboard; especially the Research tab.