Olympic Test, Columbia Records Funds First Startup, Foodies Rule YouTube

The Content Strategist picks the day’s most relevant and interesting stories about the world of content from around the web. Here’s what you should be reading today, in case you missed it:

What Social Media Users Actually Know About the Olympics

Lab42 asked 500 users a few simple questions about the Games. Their answers are eye opening.

Columbia Records Invests in Stamped

The record label is investing in a startup for the first time in their history. But why in technology company Stamped?

Forbes.com spoke with Elliot Lum, VP for strategic marketing at Columbia. “We have a strong sense of what works and what doesn’t. We think we can bring our collective digital expertise to the Stamped team to help them grow their service while aiding in the discovery of our music and our artists,” Lum said.

Users Eating Up YouTube Food Content

AdWeek explores the new stars of YouTube: the extreme foodies.

“Epic Meal Time is at the epicenter of a food-content explosion on YouTube. Recent channel launches include Electus’ Hungry, Food Farmer Earth, Tasted and Foodie TV,” AdWeek said.

Forbes’ AdVoice a Win?

Forbes’ content marketing effort has been going for nearly two years. AdAge.com takes a look at its impact on the bottom line and what their new licensing model means for advertisers.

“While Forbes says the product has been a nice differentiator for the sales team, it appears it’s not yet a source of big business. AdVoice posts have generated 3.3 million page views over that time, or about 150,000 a month on average,” AdAge reports.

Proctor and Gambles Olympic Digital Undertaking
P&G’s multi-faceted digital Olympic campaign includes sponsoring E!’s iPad and online coverage, multi Facebook pages with Olympic coverage and a virtual “wave” created by the users.

But, AdWeek reports its augmented reality campaign fell short.

Did Apple Bow to Criticism?

Mashable reports that’s Apple’s much-bashed Genius ads aren’t running anymore. Is this due to unpopularity or was it Apple’s plan from the beginning?

Philadelphia Ice Cream Cart Co.’s Creepy Ads

Gross or good, these videos are getting noticed. 

Philadelphia’s Little Baby’s Ice Cream launched a series of ads that viewers don’t know what to do with. Mashable writes, “Are these ads creepy yet effective — or just plain gross?”

How Did ShoeDazzle Pick Up 1M New Users Last Month?

The celebrity e-commerce company’s model is killing the competition.

“ShoeDazzle has been gradually expanding what it is offering to its mainly female users base. Not only is it now offering apparel and other accessories in addition to shoes, but in March it dropped the mandatory subscription model that put users on a once-per-month buying schedule. Now people can visit the site and buy as often (or as little) as they like,” TechCrunch reports.