THANK GOD! I think the move to distribute MS office on ipads will help both companies... It willl allow for greater business usage and greater productivity. I'm a huge fan of both ms office and ipad, so i think like many, will consider it a win win.
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Apple Could Have Three iPads For Sale Next YearMicrosoft may be bringing Office to the iPad next year, according to a report in The Daily.
The report cites unnamed sources, and says that Microsoft will also update its version of Office for the Mac next year.
On a business level, it might make sense -- the iPad is making inroads into enterprise, and having some sort of Office client available for it would let Microsoft earn at least some money from these Apple invaders. It would also help ensure that Office 365 -- the company's cloud-based business services -- would work on the iPad.
Microsoft might even do this at the risk of driving some enterprise customers to stick with iPads instead of adopting Windows 8 tablets. After all, Office and related back-end products has been driving Microsoft's growth for the last year, while Windows sales have been pretty stagnant. And Microsoft has built a version of Office for the Mac for more than a decade now.
But there are a couple possibly relevant facts that the report did not mention:
OneNote came out for iOS in January. OneNote, a note-taking app, is now considered one of the four core Office apps -- Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are the others. In January, Microsoft released a version of OneNote for the iPhone. It works on the iPad, but isn't optimized for it. Perhaps Microsoft is simply creating an iPad-specific version of OneNote. Or maybe that really was the first wedge.
Microsoft has NEVER released Office for the Mac in the same year (or before) Office for Windows. Microsoft is heads down building Office 15 for Windows. It's going to be a ton of work -- in particular, Microsoft will have to revamp it to work with the Windows 8 tablet interface, or risk having it relegated to traditional PCs only (and having one less reason for customers to choose Windows 8 tablets). The Mac version of Office almost always comes a year after the Windows version. It COULD be different this time, but that would require a diversion of resources to a minority platform (the Mac still has less than 5% market share for personal computers).
Microsoft didn't exactly deny the report, saying through a spokesperson:
"We already deliver Office on multiple platforms and devices and are committed to expanding in the future, but have nothing further to share today."
That little bit -- "committed to expanding in the future" -- is worth noting. There are only a few major platforms out there, and Office is already on three of them: Windows, Windows Phone, and the Mac. Or four if you include OneNote on iOS. So expanding to the iPad is not crazy.
http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-office-coming-to-ipad-next-year-says-report-2011-11?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=SAI%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&utm_campaign=SAI_COTD_112911
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Visa Teams Up With Shopkick To Dole Out Retailer Reward Points At The Point Of Sale
I think the Visa entry into the mobile payment is a bit dated. they are defintely a technology company, and I think they have potential with their merchant netowrk. THat said, i think the google wallet has the strongest brand and market maker capabilityto make an in road into the mobile space. That said, if they can exploit their geographic proximity to google headquarters, I think they could make an amazing team!
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Visa is making a major move in the commerce and technology space, teaming up with Shopkick, an innovative geo-coupon system that has received funding from Kleiner Perkins, Greylock, SV Angel and others. The two companies will begin offering consumers a way to receive rewards points for retailers alot the point of sale when they use their Visa credit cards.
With the new partnership, called ‘Buy & Collect’, Shopkick users will get rewards (or ‘kicks’) for swiping their Visa debit or credit card at any one of six retailers, including ToysRus, Old Navy, Wet Seal, American Eagle, Simon Malls, and Arden B.
Of course, to understand the nature of the new transaction, you need to understand how Shopkicks works. Instead of checking in, as you would with a geo app like Foursquare, Shopkick automatically recognizes when someone with the free Android or iPhone app on their phone walks into a store. Once a Shopkick Signal is detected, the app delivers reward points called “kickbucks” to the user for walking into a retail store, trying on clothes, scanning a barcode and other actions.
Kickbucks can then be redeemed across all partner stores for gift card rewards or for Facebook Credits. User can also receive special discounts on specific products at partners stores like Macy’s, Best Buy or Target. National retail partners in the loyalty program include Target, Best Buy, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, Old Navy, American Eagle, Sports Authority, Toys R Us, Simon Malls and others, and 20 brands (P&G, Unilever, Kraft, Colgate, Clorox, Disney, HP, Intel). One of the retailers is estimating $50 million in measurable incremental revenue as a result of the shopkick mobile app.
As Shopkick founder Cyriac Roeding explains to us, the first problem for a brick and mortar retailer is to get foot traffic, which Shopkick helps solve with its app. But the second and third problems are how to drive conversions while a consumer is in the store, and how to make sure the customer returns. “If we are part of the purchase transaction, we think we can see great results and early tests have proven so,” he says.
Existing Shopkick app users will be automatically alerted to the availability of the new Buy & Collect program and those who are new to the app will be notified of this optional program. In order to start collecting Kicks at the point of sale, Shopkick users have to sign-up and link their Visa credit card or debit card once on the app or site and then any purchases using that card at participating stores will earn you Kicks (if you have a debit card, you need to use it as a credit card to receive Kicks).
Shopkick app users who opt in to the Buy & Collect program will see a green payment card icon on their “nearby” screen to let them know there are additional offers at participating merchants. By tapping onto that merchant, they’ll see the buy and collect offer such as “Spend $20, get 400 kicks” at the top of the page, while they are in the store. Consumers will get extra Kicks if you spend more than the average basket size at the store.
Once you earn Kicks at a point of sale purchase, you’ll get a push notification on your phone automatically that will tell you how many Kicks you earned with your purchase.
As Visa’s senior business leader for information products Leigh Amaro says, “This program is built around Visa’s strategy to personalize the shopping experience for consumers and, increase conversion rates and drive larger basket sizes for merchants…we have a commitment to using new technologies to enhance the shopping experience to consumer and add value to merchant.”
Roeding says this is just the beginning, and intends to expand the partnership to other retailers. “Walk in rewards are important, but the combination of walk-in rewards and purchases is killer combo,” he says.
Since the Shopkick’s launch in August 2010, the app has seen a whopping 700 million product views, and the startup expects to pass 1 billion product views this year. There have been over 2 million physical walk-ins to stores (which are measured from the Shopkick signal device installed at the store). The device is installed at 3000 large stores and 250 malls now, and even landed a lucrative deal with the CW network.
Shopkick users open the apps on average on 14 days per month (often several times a day). Each day they open the app, they look at 16 stores on average. That means, per month they look at over 200 stores via the app on average. And users have scanned 7 million products over the past year, which is up from 3 million in February.
There’s no doubt that part of the future of commerce is in closing the redemption loop. As we wrote previously, the redemption loop starts when a consumer sees an ad or an offer for a merchant, and is completed when the consumer makes a purchase and that purchase can be tracked back to the offer. And technology companies are catching on to this. And credit card companies are an integral part of this experience.
For example, Foursquare and Facebook have also formed separate partnerships with credit card company American Express. Earlier this year, Visa launched a location-based deal deal with the Gap to serve offers.
The future of commerce will be combining purchase data with innovative technologies like Shopkick’s to help close the reception loop and encourage consumers to purchase again at retailers. And as the holiday shopping season takes off, there’s no better time for Shopkick, retailers and Visa to give consumers an incentive to swipe a little more (and more frequently).
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/21/visa-teams-up-with-shopkick-to-dole-out-retailer-reward-points-at-the-point-of-sale/
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Visa is making a major move in the commerce and technology space, teaming up with Shopkick, an innovative geo-coupon system that has received funding from Kleiner Perkins, Greylock, SV Angel and others. The two companies will begin offering consumers a way to receive rewards points for retailers alot the point of sale when they use their Visa credit cards.
With the new partnership, called ‘Buy & Collect’, Shopkick users will get rewards (or ‘kicks’) for swiping their Visa debit or credit card at any one of six retailers, including ToysRus, Old Navy, Wet Seal, American Eagle, Simon Malls, and Arden B.
Of course, to understand the nature of the new transaction, you need to understand how Shopkicks works. Instead of checking in, as you would with a geo app like Foursquare, Shopkick automatically recognizes when someone with the free Android or iPhone app on their phone walks into a store. Once a Shopkick Signal is detected, the app delivers reward points called “kickbucks” to the user for walking into a retail store, trying on clothes, scanning a barcode and other actions.
Kickbucks can then be redeemed across all partner stores for gift card rewards or for Facebook Credits. User can also receive special discounts on specific products at partners stores like Macy’s, Best Buy or Target. National retail partners in the loyalty program include Target, Best Buy, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, Old Navy, American Eagle, Sports Authority, Toys R Us, Simon Malls and others, and 20 brands (P&G, Unilever, Kraft, Colgate, Clorox, Disney, HP, Intel). One of the retailers is estimating $50 million in measurable incremental revenue as a result of the shopkick mobile app.
As Shopkick founder Cyriac Roeding explains to us, the first problem for a brick and mortar retailer is to get foot traffic, which Shopkick helps solve with its app. But the second and third problems are how to drive conversions while a consumer is in the store, and how to make sure the customer returns. “If we are part of the purchase transaction, we think we can see great results and early tests have proven so,” he says.
Existing Shopkick app users will be automatically alerted to the availability of the new Buy & Collect program and those who are new to the app will be notified of this optional program. In order to start collecting Kicks at the point of sale, Shopkick users have to sign-up and link their Visa credit card or debit card once on the app or site and then any purchases using that card at participating stores will earn you Kicks (if you have a debit card, you need to use it as a credit card to receive Kicks).
Shopkick app users who opt in to the Buy & Collect program will see a green payment card icon on their “nearby” screen to let them know there are additional offers at participating merchants. By tapping onto that merchant, they’ll see the buy and collect offer such as “Spend $20, get 400 kicks” at the top of the page, while they are in the store. Consumers will get extra Kicks if you spend more than the average basket size at the store.
Once you earn Kicks at a point of sale purchase, you’ll get a push notification on your phone automatically that will tell you how many Kicks you earned with your purchase.
As Visa’s senior business leader for information products Leigh Amaro says, “This program is built around Visa’s strategy to personalize the shopping experience for consumers and, increase conversion rates and drive larger basket sizes for merchants…we have a commitment to using new technologies to enhance the shopping experience to consumer and add value to merchant.”
Roeding says this is just the beginning, and intends to expand the partnership to other retailers. “Walk in rewards are important, but the combination of walk-in rewards and purchases is killer combo,” he says.
Since the Shopkick’s launch in August 2010, the app has seen a whopping 700 million product views, and the startup expects to pass 1 billion product views this year. There have been over 2 million physical walk-ins to stores (which are measured from the Shopkick signal device installed at the store). The device is installed at 3000 large stores and 250 malls now, and even landed a lucrative deal with the CW network.
Shopkick users open the apps on average on 14 days per month (often several times a day). Each day they open the app, they look at 16 stores on average. That means, per month they look at over 200 stores via the app on average. And users have scanned 7 million products over the past year, which is up from 3 million in February.
There’s no doubt that part of the future of commerce is in closing the redemption loop. As we wrote previously, the redemption loop starts when a consumer sees an ad or an offer for a merchant, and is completed when the consumer makes a purchase and that purchase can be tracked back to the offer. And technology companies are catching on to this. And credit card companies are an integral part of this experience.
For example, Foursquare and Facebook have also formed separate partnerships with credit card company American Express. Earlier this year, Visa launched a location-based deal deal with the Gap to serve offers.
The future of commerce will be combining purchase data with innovative technologies like Shopkick’s to help close the reception loop and encourage consumers to purchase again at retailers. And as the holiday shopping season takes off, there’s no better time for Shopkick, retailers and Visa to give consumers an incentive to swipe a little more (and more frequently).
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/21/visa-teams-up-with-shopkick-to-dole-out-retailer-reward-points-at-the-point-of-sale/
Google Closes Register For Checkout, Moving Users To Google Wallet
I think this is a real industry game changer. I saw Google wallet as an option at duane reade, and I think it's actually going to happen. Google has to leap frog in the payment space direct to the user, and with the android system, it has the infrastruture now. It just has to get the wireless carriers on board. Verizon for instance, wont allow for the google app to be used on its android systes and is a pure comeptitor play as to who will win out -- the carrier or the digital payment proivder?
As a credit card company employee, where does this leave the banks in terms of the risk to under right, and the discount revenue for a mobile payment, which like the internet, has a higher risk associated with it?
I think this is a change in the mobile payment and an industry game changer!
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Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has decided to fold Google Checkout into its newly launched Google Wallet, in what fits right in with the pare-down-and-focus strategy set by CEO Larry Page in the months since he returned to the leadership chair. Users will need to acknowledge the transfer the next time they make a purchase, but Google said merchants won’t have to do a thing.
Google Checkout never really caught on as an online payment system, at least enough to make a dent in PayPal’s business. Customer-service issues didn’t help, but with the launch of Google Wallet earlier this year as a big part of Google’s mobile-payments strategy, the company has an opportunity to start afresh with consumers and merchants.
SEE ALSO: 45 Carriers Endorse Mobile Payment Standard, But Will It Make A Difference?
This will probably have the biggest impact on Android, where users will eventually be prompted to switch their accounts to Google Wallet then they try to download a paid application from the Android Market. Google Checkout was used as the payment system for nearly everything for which Google charged money (like YouTube movie rentals), but Android Nexus S customers who are trying out Google’s mobile-payments system had to use Google Wallet for in-store transactions and Google Checkout for app downloads. Those will now merge.
Merchants will transition a little more slowly, but Google Wallet users will be able to buy stuff from sites that still use Google Checkout and have Google Checkout logos on their sites, Google said in a blog post.
Google also announced that it is launching a mobile-Web version of Google Wallet for merchants to use on their mobile sites, starting with Fandango and MovieTickets.com.
As a credit card company employee, where does this leave the banks in terms of the risk to under right, and the discount revenue for a mobile payment, which like the internet, has a higher risk associated with it?
I think this is a change in the mobile payment and an industry game changer!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has decided to fold Google Checkout into its newly launched Google Wallet, in what fits right in with the pare-down-and-focus strategy set by CEO Larry Page in the months since he returned to the leadership chair. Users will need to acknowledge the transfer the next time they make a purchase, but Google said merchants won’t have to do a thing.
Google Checkout never really caught on as an online payment system, at least enough to make a dent in PayPal’s business. Customer-service issues didn’t help, but with the launch of Google Wallet earlier this year as a big part of Google’s mobile-payments strategy, the company has an opportunity to start afresh with consumers and merchants.
SEE ALSO: 45 Carriers Endorse Mobile Payment Standard, But Will It Make A Difference?
This will probably have the biggest impact on Android, where users will eventually be prompted to switch their accounts to Google Wallet then they try to download a paid application from the Android Market. Google Checkout was used as the payment system for nearly everything for which Google charged money (like YouTube movie rentals), but Android Nexus S customers who are trying out Google’s mobile-payments system had to use Google Wallet for in-store transactions and Google Checkout for app downloads. Those will now merge.
Merchants will transition a little more slowly, but Google Wallet users will be able to buy stuff from sites that still use Google Checkout and have Google Checkout logos on their sites, Google said in a blog post.
Google also announced that it is launching a mobile-Web version of Google Wallet for merchants to use on their mobile sites, starting with Fandango and MovieTickets.com.
Major Newspaper Publishers Band Together On Social Shopping Portal
What I liked about this article was the underlying importance of the tablet and electronic readers. Publishers really caught the right momentum to be part of the game changer rather than lose out like the music industry. At the end of the day, the content is what the customers willl pay for and the fact that they are being amenable to distribution shows the forward looking outlook of the industry.
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This new venture is being created with assets from the new entity’s acquisition of Travidia, the developer of Find n Save. The new company will adopt the Find n Save brand. Financial terms of the Travidia acquisition were not disclosed. The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. was the banker on the deal, representing Travidia
Over the past year, most newspapers have begun using some form of e-commerce to offset their declining print ad and circulation revenues, while buttressing their growing, yet relatively small, digital dollars. The platform all of the newspapers will now be using is called Find n Save. Last March, McClatchy started running its own in-house daily deal program on Find n Save, which was intended to operate alongside an existing affiliate deal with social shopping network Groupon (NSDQ: GRPN). Around that same time, Hearst signed on with white label daily deals service Analog Analytics to rollout daily deals sites across its local newspapers as well.
More recently, the Associated Press brought 40 newspapers into its mobile coupon network, iCircular. Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) have also been working on bringing the Sunday circulars into the digital age.
“Newspaper publishers are interested in strengthening their online circular and classifieds capabilities,” said Tolman Geffs, JEGI’s co-president. “They want to make sure they kept up with the pace of development of the daily deals space. What Trividia’s system does is create a consistent entry point for advertisers at the local level, while extending the sales of the newspapers who use it nationally. For example, advertisers will be able to choose from a number of options, such as buying across a newspaper chain or simply doing individual newspaper deals. Ultimately, Trividia can handle online and offline conversion—which is what newspapers have been trying to do on their own when it comes to transferring their print circular ads to the web. This gives them a simple system to execute those conversions.”
This new agreement with Find n Save is not meant to replace the newspapers’ current daily deals efforts, Christopher Tippie, the CEO of the newspaper daily deal consortium told paidContent in an e-mail.
“I think it isn’t accurate to say it is a daily deals platform,” said Tippie, who was one of the founding executives of the 800-member Yahoo Newspaper Consortium, a local sales alliance between the portal and individual newspapers. “In fact, Find n Save actually integrates existing daily deals initiative currently underway with our affiliates. In essence, it is a shopping portal that provides, in a single location, a myriad of shopping tools and advertising products being used by our local affiliates: circulars, converted print offers, daily deals and other local shopping products. Each offer is extracted from the product, fielded, indexed, optimized (SEO) and is searchable from a common branded user interface.”
Friday, December 02, 2011
A brilliant Facebook Marketing campaign - But is it allowed?
This is an example of creative ways of marketing via Facebook without having to use the traditional Facebook channels. The quick summary of it is : Olla Condoms company in Brazil decided to warn adult male to use condoms to avoid "unexpected pregnancy". Instead of going through the regular Facebook ad (which we can argue nobody ever clicks), they decided to create profiles of the "not yet born sons" of guys by tacking a Jr to their name, and then sending a friend request to these individuals. To ones surprise, when they see go to the profile, they see the ad from Olla condoms. I think it's brilliant.
One problem however, tactics like these raise red flags for Facebook and their privacy policy and will get shut down, but it is an indication of things to come. Marketers will always get creative to stand out, we all will be watching how Facebook handles the creativity.
Read more about it at here.
Read more about it at here.
ESPN: A Mobile Example to Emulate
Hot on the heels of today’s discussion on mobile technology, here comes a stellar example of a company that has figured out how to use mobile design to the fullest. According to this article on Mashable, ESPN is the “alpha and omega” of sports publishers.
What separates ESPN from the vast majority of companies attempting to utilize this new platform, is the fact that is has taken into account the different devices that people might be using the access the information. The design for a smartphone device is different than the design for a tablet; each is created with the specific features and uses of the device in mind. Also, both the smartphone and tablet versions have clear links back to the main ESPN.com website for additional information and features that aren’t available on the phone/tablet interface.
Another impressive feature of ESPN’s mobile design is that it is fully integrated with the website. When somebody registers on their phone and then subsequently goes to the website, the email opt-in immediately recognizes that the person has registered by phone: “Welcome! You originally created your account on a mobile device. We’d like to know a bit more about you.” This makes information gathering a simple process that organically helps build ESPN’s subscriber base.
What separates ESPN from the vast majority of companies attempting to utilize this new platform, is the fact that is has taken into account the different devices that people might be using the access the information. The design for a smartphone device is different than the design for a tablet; each is created with the specific features and uses of the device in mind. Also, both the smartphone and tablet versions have clear links back to the main ESPN.com website for additional information and features that aren’t available on the phone/tablet interface.
Another impressive feature of ESPN’s mobile design is that it is fully integrated with the website. When somebody registers on their phone and then subsequently goes to the website, the email opt-in immediately recognizes that the person has registered by phone: “Welcome! You originally created your account on a mobile device. We’d like to know a bit more about you.” This makes information gathering a simple process that organically helps build ESPN’s subscriber base.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
FTC Settles Facebook Privacy Suit
The FTC announced a settlement of their suit against Facebook regarding privacy on Tuesday. The government accused Facebook of engaging in “unfair and deceptive” practices and misleading its users regarding what private information they were sharing and with whom. The settlement requires Facebook to be more transparent and open about its privacy policies and subjects it to biannual privacy audits; however, no fines were levied and all-in-all Facebook got away with a mere slap on the wrist.
The settlement will likely have a greater impact on other social networks because Facebook has already reformed it privacy controls to be much stronger than they were in the past. The message from the FTC is now clear: “if you put the desires of advertisers before the privacy of users, you will be stopped. Just because you’re sitting on a ton of personal information that would make marketers drool, it doesn’t mean you can monetize it in any way you like.” The likely impact of this on the industry is a standardization of and a move towards the practice of opt-in. This move may actually benefit marketers more than it hurts them because customers who opt-in are more engaged and valuable than customers who don’t opt-out. “I think it’s a hugely positive step,” says Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of the social network Anybeat.
http://mashable.com/2011/11/29/facebook-ftc-settlement-2/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/technology/facebook-agrees-to-ftc-settlement-on-privacy.html?ref=technology
The settlement will likely have a greater impact on other social networks because Facebook has already reformed it privacy controls to be much stronger than they were in the past. The message from the FTC is now clear: “if you put the desires of advertisers before the privacy of users, you will be stopped. Just because you’re sitting on a ton of personal information that would make marketers drool, it doesn’t mean you can monetize it in any way you like.” The likely impact of this on the industry is a standardization of and a move towards the practice of opt-in. This move may actually benefit marketers more than it hurts them because customers who opt-in are more engaged and valuable than customers who don’t opt-out. “I think it’s a hugely positive step,” says Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of the social network Anybeat.
http://mashable.com/2011/11/29/facebook-ftc-settlement-2/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/technology/facebook-agrees-to-ftc-settlement-on-privacy.html?ref=technology
In Europe, Tablets Replace TV Viewing But Smartphones Complement It
Looks like the Europeans are spending more time on their Ipads then working on their financial crisis....but in all seriousness....
A recent article highlighted that tablet usage has now surpassed TV consumption in Europe. In the U.K., 35% of tablet users regularly watch on-demand content, 40% view streamed content, and 39% are watching TV on their tablet instead of on a television set. Interestingly enough, mobile phones supplement TV consumption as 19% of users say they watch more TV on a TV set as a result of their mobile usage.
This change in viewing behavior is sure to peak the interest of advertisers who were solely focused on TV and other above the line advertising, as opposed to digital integration. Advertisers may now need to consider tablet applications for their individual brands to keep customers engaged while they are traveling (and have access to a tablet, rather than a television) or even while at home.
The study highlighted that Tablet users are bigger spenders than smartphone users, or at least more likely to spend. Across Europe, more than 60% of tablet users have made at least one m-commerce transaction, compared to just 47% of mobile users in the survey. Overall, tablet users are 50% more likely to make a purchase than mobile users.
Advertisers should continue to consider the message they translate between mobile and tablet marketing to consistently keep customers interacting with their website or social media platform. Essentially one cannot discount either mobile or tablet marketing (if currently doing ATLa dvertising) as it seems this recent trend indicates customers use different channels for different purposes.
http://adage.com/article/global-news/europe-tablets-replace-tv-viewing-smartphones/231296/
A recent article highlighted that tablet usage has now surpassed TV consumption in Europe. In the U.K., 35% of tablet users regularly watch on-demand content, 40% view streamed content, and 39% are watching TV on their tablet instead of on a television set. Interestingly enough, mobile phones supplement TV consumption as 19% of users say they watch more TV on a TV set as a result of their mobile usage.
This change in viewing behavior is sure to peak the interest of advertisers who were solely focused on TV and other above the line advertising, as opposed to digital integration. Advertisers may now need to consider tablet applications for their individual brands to keep customers engaged while they are traveling (and have access to a tablet, rather than a television) or even while at home.
The study highlighted that Tablet users are bigger spenders than smartphone users, or at least more likely to spend. Across Europe, more than 60% of tablet users have made at least one m-commerce transaction, compared to just 47% of mobile users in the survey. Overall, tablet users are 50% more likely to make a purchase than mobile users.
Advertisers should continue to consider the message they translate between mobile and tablet marketing to consistently keep customers interacting with their website or social media platform. Essentially one cannot discount either mobile or tablet marketing (if currently doing ATLa dvertising) as it seems this recent trend indicates customers use different channels for different purposes.
http://adage.com/article/global-news/europe-tablets-replace-tv-viewing-smartphones/231296/
City of Start-Ups?
Forget the massive office parks that have grown up in Silicon Valley, New York is quickly growing its own urban start-up universe. The appeal of the suburbs is wearing thin and talent is flocking to start-ups in New York. New York has passed Boston as the second largest technology hub with no less than 400 start-ups. Many of them are drawn to the urban environment with its wealth of culture and close proximity to venture capital. The city is offering up land and $100M to create a world class science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island and is reviewing proposals from Stanford, Cornell, NYU, University of Toronto, and Carnegie Mellon.
Companies like Google and Facebook have large offices in New York now, drawing talent that prefers bigger cities and all they have to offer. But more interesting are the number of start-ups and the amount of capital that they have attracted. In the second quarter of this year along, 48 start-ups raised more than $416M. Weekly tech hackathon events are attracting the type of people who have been flocking to Silicon Valley for the last two decades. Combined with the investments that Columbia is making in their Science and Engineering schools, the Campus that Bloomberg envisions on Roosevelt Island, it appears that NYC is poised for the rise of Silicon Alley once again.http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2011/11/start-new-york/536/
Facebook Fans
How much more are Fans worth than non fans? A recent study shows that fans are much more likely to participate in desirable actions like purchasing, downloading apps and participating in contests and that the costs to get them to do so are much lower than non-fans. This would be the same for any engaged consumer though. Fans seem to do a few things very well.
1. They are a measurement for how engaging a product or campaign might be. This is valuable feedback for marketers. Fans can make good targets for lookalike products and services and a good launching pad for introducing new products.
2. Engaging your fans has a viral effect, particularly when they have "Wall Apps" and contests that their extended network is exposed to.
3. They continue to build the facebook brand, which allows them to build the value of facebook overall. Marketers that are working to collect fans are developing followers not only of themselves, but for facebook as well.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/220796
Big Brother is watching... and might not hire you!
I've submitted to drug tests, background checks, reference checks, etc for jobs before but so far I haven't been subjected to a social media check (that I know about). Now companies like Reppify, Identified, Social Intelligence and others are creating reports for hiring managers about your online persona. While background typically verify information you have provided and verify any past criminal activity, these services are investgating less objective areas of your background. Web applications will judge candidates based on any available information they can gather from social profiles. You can prevent this by ensuring your privacy settings are set properly, but then hiring managers will have one less piece of information for you compared that they have for others in the pool. The companies that provide these services argue that it is only one piece of a decision that hiring managers should use to vet candidates and that they will present a more comprehensive profile of the candidate than occurs when a recruiter googles someone and makes a decision based on the first few pieces of information that are discovered. They are right, we're all more accessible and less private than we ever were before and that genie isn't going back in the bottle and with the current state of the job market, candidates are likely willing to subject themselves to something like this rather than potentially missing out on an oppurtunity. Verifying your credentials and resume is one thing, but a tool that discovers I'm a Mets/Giants fan, like certain bands, and culls through photos of myself, family and friends to determine if I am an appropriate fit as a candidate seems to go well beyond the purview of the hiring process.
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/11/reppify-identified-facebook-linkedin/
Less Televisions?
Nielsen announced that the number of households with televisions dropped for the first time in 20 years. Currently 96.7% of households have televisions compared with the previous level of 98.9%. There seem to be two primary reasons for this. First is the down economy and the growing poverty levels across the country. Households that are struggling are not likely to buy televisions or haven't been able to afford sets that run on the new digital signals. The last time a drop like this occurred was in 1992 when the nation was had also been subject to a prolonged recession. If the current economic climate continues, it will effect networks, studios and advertising.
The second reason that they offer for the decline is the rise in online video. Unlike the households that can no longer afford television or cable, these viewers often have internet access and have "cut the cord". Younger people have gown up more accustomed to getting their entertainment and news online and seem to be more willing overall to access content through other mediums than television. This group can be bloated right now as a result of the economy, but it is not known if they will return to television if things turn around or if this is the beginning of a larger shift to online viewing. Overall, consumers are viewing more video content across all platforms, which just underscores the importance of seeking new revenue channels for traditional providers and marketers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/business/media/03television.html?src=tp
Is email dying?
A French Tech company is announcing that they will institute a "zero email" policy which will force the 74,000 employees to communicate via messaging and facebook-style interfaces instead. The impetus for this is to cut down on the non useful communications that occupy their employees time. The CEO, Thierry Breton, former French Finance Minister, is proud of the claim that he has not sent a single email since he took his current job. What he is really doing is just replacing one form of electronic communication with another though. I've got a massively bloated email box, as I'm sure many of you do too. But it is extremely useful. I have half a dozen different messaging accounts on an array of platforms to communicate with coworkers, partners, customers, but email is the one standard that communicates with them all. It's also easier to save and forward along than many other systems because of that standard. Many of the phone calls that I receive aren't productive or are marketing as well, but I'm not about to give up the phone either.
Instant Messaging, "Walls", wikis and Phones are all part of the toolset that allows me to communicate effectively. I'm not that impressed with a CEO who is closing off a communication channel for his company.
http://news.yahoo.com/tech-firm-implements-employee-zero-email-policy-165311050.html
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
What Brand Marketers Want From FB this Holiday Season
It is widely understood that the evolution of Facebook’s platform inevitable. Despite the [ongoing] opposition from marketers, with threats to bring their social networking business elsewhere, they need to realize that Facebook will not, and perhaps cannot, retreat from its justified progression. Digital Technology changes, new regulations are implemented and the opportunities to capitalize on the business continue to emerge. But this reality doesn’t stop brand marketers from making wish lists for FB this holiday season. I will summarize the complaints/suggestions that marketers hope FB will respond to this holiday season.
First, they want more control over brand status updates. Although FB developed the Insights tool to target this exact issue [by providing analytics which measure the impact of brand pages], they want to be able to communicate and understand their increasing number of ‘fans’. Brand marketers want to: target fans through geographic locations, specific relationships (buyer or prospective buyer), and psychographic groups (moms v kids). Recent GPS technology and mobile opportunities are a good sign that FB can capitalize on this desire.
Second, marketers want to understand the impact of their investment. How successful are these campaigns? How did they impact page interaction, attrition rates, application engagement and purchasing? Are they bringing in new fans or simply retargeting old ones? This is an important service that will not only help brand marketers determine the success of their marketing dollars, but also measure the quality of fans that they are attracting, from one campaign to another. If FB does offer this service, they can further capitalize on its benefits and drum up more business based on concrete results.
Third, brand marketers are looking for ways to control the frequency of ads, on a user level. Unlike typical display advertising platforms, FB advertisers cannot set an exact frequency for ads, which is frustrating. Although the network does have its own algorithm and tool to prioritize ads based on click through rates (CTR), marketers want more.
Fourth, brand marketers want to include their own tracking URL within their display ads in ‘social contexts’. Social ad opportunities are a great way to engage directly with ad units since they incorporate users’ friends while providing word of mouth opportunities, however their inability to include third party tracking makes it difficult for brands to track downstream actions. The blogger recommends using a hybrid that serves the dual purpose of keeping users within FB while allowing brands to track activities on a brand page.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, brand marketers want competitive separation. Like in display publishing, marketers want the ability to exclude competitors ads from the same page as their ads. They argue that seeing a Honda ad on the same page as a Toyota ad defeats the whole purpose of an ad. Currently, FB marketplace cannot control this, but there is hope that they will incorporate some capabilities to support this need in the future.
In fact, the blogger is optimistic that if Facebook continues to innovate, marketers will get most of their wish list in 2012. But of course innovation means evolution, so if you marketers want more services, you’re going to have to accept [and embrace] the progression of Facebook.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Driving Impulse Purchases in the Digital Age
A key dynamic that has changed for retailers with the advent of online shopping is the impulse buy. In the past, retailers stood to gain signifcant revenue from shoppers who entered a store and ended up purchasing many more items than intended. Compounded with changed habits due to the recession, the impulse shopper has morphed into the 'mission shopper.' Shoppers now do more purchasing online, and if they do enter retail outlets, they are more efficient with their purchase. They find their item and checkout, with little browsing involved.
Retailers have updated strategies to drive additional sales with the changing retail landscape. Tablet devices such as iPads are used at many stores to help shoppers put together an outfit or order out of stock items. Retail will continue to change with the growing presence of online commerce, however in-store integrated digital strategies will help to ensure better sales wherever the shoppers are.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45308303/ns/business-holiday_retail/t/retailers-change-snare-shoppers-caught-web/
Retailers have updated strategies to drive additional sales with the changing retail landscape. Tablet devices such as iPads are used at many stores to help shoppers put together an outfit or order out of stock items. Retail will continue to change with the growing presence of online commerce, however in-store integrated digital strategies will help to ensure better sales wherever the shoppers are.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45308303/ns/business-holiday_retail/t/retailers-change-snare-shoppers-caught-web/
What makes mobile campaigns successful?
It cannot be contested that the race to innovate in the mobile technology space is imperative for many companies. A recent article in imedia highlights three of the best 2011 campaigns thus far. The first example include Starbucks which turns an iPhone into a Starbucks card, allowing customers to check balances, reload their cards and even pay with their phone. Second, JCPenney has integrated its mobile strategy to include SMS couponing that also uses scannable codes. Finally, Target was one of the first big-box retailers to implement mobile barcode scanning in all its locations nationwide. It has also developed e-circulars, a RFID "tap and pay" service, and an entire mobile preference center aimed at creating a 360 degree customer experience.
What clearly defines a successful mobile campaign is if it is integrated into the entire marketing strategy. Companies need to view it as part of their multi-channel approach in order for it to work. It must be deemed useful and garner repeat visits. For example, American Express had a travel mobile application for its Platinum Cardmembers that offer flight alerts and information about airport lounges that come as a benefit with the card. However, it did not gain much popularity as it wasn't enough of an added benefit for Cardmembers to continue using the application. However, when Amex launched its Foursquare application as part of an integrated campaign that offered automatic rebates when purchasing with certain retailers, it was an instant success. The mobile campaign integrated a core benefit to the actual product and was marketed as an additional value proposition. Mobile applications need to make sense and benefit the user in some way - whether it be through increased efficiency or entertainment, the mobile campaign needs to focus on the end user. It will be interesting to see how mobile campaigns evolve in the future as the space becomes more saturated.
For more details on the Starbucks/JCPenney/Target campaigns go here:
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Bank of America's Attempted Reputation Restoration
After our discussion last week about "online reputations," I was interested to see this recent article on BNET.com regarding Bank of America's efforts via facebook to restore their brand reputation after the $5 Debit Card charge fiasco.
Curious, I logged into facebook to see the state of things. Interestingly, BofA does not have a corporate page and exclusively uses a "Building Opportunity from BofA" platform to communicate with their audience. The page communicates nothing of value about the company's products and services and instead features anecdotes on BofA's community volunteers and community initiatives. A particularly frustrating post encouraged followers to contribute to feedingamerica this holiday season...it was followed by a barrage of comments to the theme of "if BofA wasn't so greedy, maybe I'd have money to share."
BofA's facebook strategy seems incredibly weak: they are duping their followers with a less-than-transparent invite, and they page doesn't seem to be well tended to...there are certainly comments I wouldn't want unanswered on my company's page. Their twitter presence is a bit more controlled, though the reach is much smaller (less than 20K followers of BofA_Help, and 16K followers of BofA_News). Facebook's BofA hate sites approximate a total of 15K fans.
I found this Social Media Triage chart to be interesting when considering a company like Bank of America. It seems like they are using the "distraction" technique to boost their reputation...it's hard to tell whether this campaign will work in the long run...but it seems certain that people need a forum to share their perspectives and that BofA is skirting the issue, forcing people to air their grievances on BofA's fluffy "do good" page where the comments are not monitored, cultivated, and recognized in a constructive manner. They would do better to have one BofA facebook presence that incorporates all communication strategies: help conversation, "do good" updates, and banking service news and information. By segmenting these conversations on twitter and not fully embracing them on facebook they are limiting their reach, confusing their audience, and stifling their message.
Curious, I logged into facebook to see the state of things. Interestingly, BofA does not have a corporate page and exclusively uses a "Building Opportunity from BofA" platform to communicate with their audience. The page communicates nothing of value about the company's products and services and instead features anecdotes on BofA's community volunteers and community initiatives. A particularly frustrating post encouraged followers to contribute to feedingamerica this holiday season...it was followed by a barrage of comments to the theme of "if BofA wasn't so greedy, maybe I'd have money to share."
BofA's facebook strategy seems incredibly weak: they are duping their followers with a less-than-transparent invite, and they page doesn't seem to be well tended to...there are certainly comments I wouldn't want unanswered on my company's page. Their twitter presence is a bit more controlled, though the reach is much smaller (less than 20K followers of BofA_Help, and 16K followers of BofA_News). Facebook's BofA hate sites approximate a total of 15K fans.
I found this Social Media Triage chart to be interesting when considering a company like Bank of America. It seems like they are using the "distraction" technique to boost their reputation...it's hard to tell whether this campaign will work in the long run...but it seems certain that people need a forum to share their perspectives and that BofA is skirting the issue, forcing people to air their grievances on BofA's fluffy "do good" page where the comments are not monitored, cultivated, and recognized in a constructive manner. They would do better to have one BofA facebook presence that incorporates all communication strategies: help conversation, "do good" updates, and banking service news and information. By segmenting these conversations on twitter and not fully embracing them on facebook they are limiting their reach, confusing their audience, and stifling their message.
Tailor Stuff to Me!
As marketers we are all keenly aware of how much customer data is available on the web. We also know how valuable it is to harness that data and properly utilize it sell a product or send a message to our potential customers. I know that I've been the recipient of a gorgeous pair of shoes or a bookcase following me around from site to site. And, I've personally used the recommendation engines on sites like Pandora and Amazon. I find the recommendations based on my purchases and interests to be extremely helpful as a consumer.
Now there are a few startups that are putting their own twist on customer data. Startups like Singly and Personal are developing ways that customers can personalized what online data is associated with them and who it is sold to. Essentially instead of companies thinking that you are a new mom, since you've recently bought a baby present online for a friend, you can tell them that you are married without kids. Or, if you are in the market for a new refrigerator, you can identify that you are interested in "green" or energy savings products. Soon the products that appear in banner ads and in recommendation engines would be more tailored to your tastes. It will be interesting to see how these startups monetize this information and how they price accordingly. I can only assume that my interest in high priced jewelry should fetch more on the open market than a pair of running shoes. This marketplace between marketers and customers should shape up to not only interesting but also a whole lot more relevant... my wallet should be very wary!
http://adage.com/article/digital/web-data-startups-bank-consumers-controlling-data/231208/
Now there are a few startups that are putting their own twist on customer data. Startups like Singly and Personal are developing ways that customers can personalized what online data is associated with them and who it is sold to. Essentially instead of companies thinking that you are a new mom, since you've recently bought a baby present online for a friend, you can tell them that you are married without kids. Or, if you are in the market for a new refrigerator, you can identify that you are interested in "green" or energy savings products. Soon the products that appear in banner ads and in recommendation engines would be more tailored to your tastes. It will be interesting to see how these startups monetize this information and how they price accordingly. I can only assume that my interest in high priced jewelry should fetch more on the open market than a pair of running shoes. This marketplace between marketers and customers should shape up to not only interesting but also a whole lot more relevant... my wallet should be very wary!
http://adage.com/article/digital/web-data-startups-bank-consumers-controlling-data/231208/
Photography of a Different Lens
After a recent trip to South Africa, I've been noticing the varying degrees of photography that my classmates have posted. Some are pretty pathetic (those would be mine!) compared to some other folks that have simply breathtaking shots of wildlife, landscapes and people. Photography has come a long way since traditional Kodachrome shots including the photo app. A recent article in TechCrunch explores the popularity of Instagram and the fact that it's not just a social media play but also an artform.
Instagram is successful for three main reasons: 1) The photos are actually a pretty decent quality, especially considering they were taken on a phone. 2) There's a wide audience of people that are highly engaged with the app given the ability to see some far out images as well as share on multiple social media platforms all at once. 3) The single photo viewing experience means you are a more captive audience. And in this day and age, that's pretty rare.
Check out the full article: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/27/why-instagram-is-so-popular/
Instagram is successful for three main reasons: 1) The photos are actually a pretty decent quality, especially considering they were taken on a phone. 2) There's a wide audience of people that are highly engaged with the app given the ability to see some far out images as well as share on multiple social media platforms all at once. 3) The single photo viewing experience means you are a more captive audience. And in this day and age, that's pretty rare.
Check out the full article: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/27/why-instagram-is-so-popular/
Social Proof Is The New Marketing, Especially Online
All marketers are constantly battling for consumer attention, especially online, but with the caveat of being cost-effective to their companies. Author Aileen Lee proposes that the most effective form of online marketing is using a concept called social proof, originally a psychologists’ tool. In its basic form, social proof is “the positive influence created when someone finds out that others are doing something. It’s also known as informational social influence.”
Social proof observed in our everyday settings, such as people standing behind a velvet rope, waiting to get into a club and thus making people walking by curious about what the wait is about, can be effortlessly translated online such as the invite-only launches like Gmail, Gilt Groupe, Spotify, and Turntable.fm.
Lee highlights five types of social proof, especially related to helping a digital startup find success with examples of how the social proof has helped leverage the business. I have listed out the types – the full list is available on the link
1) Expert social proof – Approval from a credible expert, like a magazine or blogger, can have incredible digital influence.
2) Celebrity social proof
3) User social proof – Direct TV marketers are masters at sharing user success stories.
4) Wisdom of the crowds social proof – highlighting popularity or large numbers of users implies “a million people can’t be wrong.”
5) Wisdom of your friends social proof
The benefit of using social proof online is being able to test, learn and iterate quickly to find what works best. However, the author again adds a caveat that social proof only works when the product is actually credible.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/27/social-proof-why-people-like-to-follow-the-crowd/
Fast food Industry and digital Media
The fast food industry spent more than $4.2 billion in 2009 on TV advertising, radio, magazines, outdoor advertising, and other media. McDonald’s and Burger King have pledged to improve food marketing to children. However, both restaurants increased their volume of TV advertising from 2007 to 2009. McDonald’s and Burger King created sophisticated websites with 60 to 100 pages of advergames and virtual worlds to engage children (McWorld.com, HappyMeal. com, and ClubBK.com). McDonald’s thirteen websites attracted 365,000 unique child visitors and 294,000 unique teen visitors on average each month in 2009. Nine restaurant Facebook pages had more than one million
fans as of July 2010, and Starbucks boasted more than 11.3 million fans. Smartphone apps were available for eight fast food chains, providing another opportunity to reach young consumers anytime, anywhere.
At the end of the day, Restaurants have an important role to play in creating a food marketing environment that supports, rather than undermines, the efforts of parents and other caregivers to encourage healthy eating among children and prevent obesity.
Source: http://fastfoodmarketing.org/media/FastFoodFACTS_Report.pdf
fans as of July 2010, and Starbucks boasted more than 11.3 million fans. Smartphone apps were available for eight fast food chains, providing another opportunity to reach young consumers anytime, anywhere.
At the end of the day, Restaurants have an important role to play in creating a food marketing environment that supports, rather than undermines, the efforts of parents and other caregivers to encourage healthy eating among children and prevent obesity.
Source: http://fastfoodmarketing.org/media/FastFoodFACTS_Report.pdf
BMW and Digital Marketing
This article talks about digital marketing efforts within Auto Industry
BMW, an industry leader, is using digital marketing to reach out to its customers. BMW is using “iAd” that allows users to build their own Cars online. BMW also launched iPad Experience for Consumers at Major American Auto Shows. BMW is also using JAG TAG program, which create videos to share experiences with customer. Each video is approximately 20-25 seconds in length and cover topics like xDrive, safety awards, Ultimate Service and more.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/11/06/bmw-digital-marketing-iad-ipad-and-jagtag/
Thanks Mo
BMW, an industry leader, is using digital marketing to reach out to its customers. BMW is using “iAd” that allows users to build their own Cars online. BMW also launched iPad Experience for Consumers at Major American Auto Shows. BMW is also using JAG TAG program, which create videos to share experiences with customer. Each video is approximately 20-25 seconds in length and cover topics like xDrive, safety awards, Ultimate Service and more.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/11/06/bmw-digital-marketing-iad-ipad-and-jagtag/
Thanks Mo
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Voxer : walkie-talkies make a comeback?
Voxer is an app, which functions in a similar manner to old-fashioned walkie-talkies. I was a little surprised by the popularity of this app, as it is difficult to imagine how that style of communication could still be relevant. According to a Techcrunch article http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/23/viralvoxer/ it has jumped to #6 on the app store’s social network category. Although, promoted as a walkie-talkie application, Voxer has many other features beyond push-to-talk, it can be used to send text messages, create groups, shares photos, location etc. In essence, it is yet another social network; in many regards, it is identical to Whatsapp, except that it is being marketed it as a walkie-talkie app. In all fairness, the audio capabilities are more user friendly than in other apps that incorporate voice messaging, but other than the retro feel of push-to-talk, it does not offer any obvious advantage over similar apps.
It would perhaps be more interesting if Voxer was more similar to Bubbly, (a twitter like voice messaging network) http://www.bubblemotion.com/, as the walkie-talkie style is perfectly suited for that type of communication.
What is Google’s Innovation Strategy?
An article I read on BBC Technology discussed that recently, Google decided to drop seven of its products to simplify its range of services. Some critics called this move “out-of-season” with the removal of services such as Google Wave, Knol and Google Gears; this will also be the third effort to “simply” its products because they have failed to gain popularity. Critics have also indicated that this pattern of launching and terminating new products and services may have a detrimental long term effect with users being detracted from signing up to any potential new offerings it may have in the future. Google’s Vice President of Operations justified the termination by stating that they were removing products "which haven't had the impact we'd hoped for…overall, our aim is to build a simpler, more intuitive, truly beautiful Google user experience," a goal which seems to be a process of iteration rather than a measured process.
The following projects will be removed from the Google brand, some of which were not even publicized to begin with:
- Google Wave - an attempt to combine email and instant messaging for real-time collaboration
- Google Bookmarks List - a service which allowed users to share bookmarks with friends
- Google Friends Connect - allowed webmasters to add social features to their sites by embedding a snippet of code
- Google Gears - much-hyped effort to maintain web browser functionality when working offline
- Google Search Timeline - a graph of historical query results
- Knol - a Wikipedia-style project, which aimed to improve web content
- Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal - a project which aimed to find ways to improve solar power
Although innovation is to be celebrated, Google is aware that it needs to proceed carefully with new products in the future. Often products are too hyped-up, especially in lieu of any potential competitor launching a similar service and consumers don’t understand the substance of the product itself. However, some critics have suggested that this measured ‘streamlining’ is in order to concentrate on its Facebook rival Google+. Although the network gained 10 million users within the first 16 days after its private launch, and 40 million within the first 100 days, making it the fastest-growing social network in the history of the web, there is much skepticism around the success of the service long-term.
However, the process of innovation at Google still remains unclear—they recently launched an Android-based online music store, adding again to their list of products and services.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15853323
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15766706
Friday, November 25, 2011
6 Pro Tips for Marketing to Digital Natives
It’s a dilemma that faces almost all organizations with a product to sell or a brand to enhance: how to get the attention of the wired Millennial generation, that tricky demographic in the 17-34-year-old age range. Our cohort of Millennials is more connected than any generation before, with almost three devices per person and a canny sense of identifying the cheesy marketing ploy. Therefore, it takes a specific plan of attack to create a marketing campaign that will appeal to this group.
This article from Mashable.com lays out six different tips for making yourself relevant to the Millennials and successfully grabbing their attention. Each tip has an accompanying video of a good use of that tip, so be sure to check it out. Some are really fun!
1. Cater to their needs
Millennials need tools that are useful and that are able to push through the crowded browser windows and various social media updates to provide functional applications. We also like to be entertained and informed and we definitely want to receive some sort of award. Brands can help build Millennial loyalty be bringing the messaging down to a personal level and recognizing the work of this generation or just saying thank you for their loyalty. A little bit can go a long way.
2. Don’t be conventional
As ads infiltrate our lives from every corner, it’s important that a brand create an advertisement that will stand out and capture our attention. When we have the option of fast-forwarding through a commercial, we almost certainly will every single time. Brands need to create content that makes Millennials want to watch instead of skip through.
3. Gamify with Friends
This one doesn’t really take much further explanation—Millennials like to play games, especially when they can compete with friends. There are ways that brands can incorporate some friendly competition similar to creating a fantasy football league to encourage interaction.
4. Give them ownership
This tip is about giving millennials a chance to have a say in the creation of content as a way of engaging them in the development of a brand.
5. Let them discover
We always want to be the first to discover that next great band or song, which helps explain why programs like Pandora and Spotify that allow users to share on Facebook exactly what they’re listening to have become so successful. Some cool new marketing campaigns are allowing audiences to help discover the next big thing, and then hopefully share that with their friends, thereby increasing brand identity and loyalty.
6. Be Everywhere
The importance of a good SEO strategy is stressed in this point as today, more than ever, people are searching for information in the unlikeliest of places.
This article from Mashable.com lays out six different tips for making yourself relevant to the Millennials and successfully grabbing their attention. Each tip has an accompanying video of a good use of that tip, so be sure to check it out. Some are really fun!
1. Cater to their needs
Millennials need tools that are useful and that are able to push through the crowded browser windows and various social media updates to provide functional applications. We also like to be entertained and informed and we definitely want to receive some sort of award. Brands can help build Millennial loyalty be bringing the messaging down to a personal level and recognizing the work of this generation or just saying thank you for their loyalty. A little bit can go a long way.
2. Don’t be conventional
As ads infiltrate our lives from every corner, it’s important that a brand create an advertisement that will stand out and capture our attention. When we have the option of fast-forwarding through a commercial, we almost certainly will every single time. Brands need to create content that makes Millennials want to watch instead of skip through.
3. Gamify with Friends
This one doesn’t really take much further explanation—Millennials like to play games, especially when they can compete with friends. There are ways that brands can incorporate some friendly competition similar to creating a fantasy football league to encourage interaction.
4. Give them ownership
This tip is about giving millennials a chance to have a say in the creation of content as a way of engaging them in the development of a brand.
5. Let them discover
We always want to be the first to discover that next great band or song, which helps explain why programs like Pandora and Spotify that allow users to share on Facebook exactly what they’re listening to have become so successful. Some cool new marketing campaigns are allowing audiences to help discover the next big thing, and then hopefully share that with their friends, thereby increasing brand identity and loyalty.
6. Be Everywhere
The importance of a good SEO strategy is stressed in this point as today, more than ever, people are searching for information in the unlikeliest of places.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Chinese "Buying" Zombie followers and networks
According to a recent article in ChinaDaily, sites in China including Sina.com, Weibo.com and other popular social networking and community engagement sites are growing with faulty data.
"Zombies" are online followers that can be bought and sold for as little as 4 yuan ($0.63) per thousand. Thus, many people with online profiles and potentially millions of followers may have the appearance of a strong, legitimate, online presence, yet most or all of it can be, in fact, fake. Some companies in China are actually boasting that they provide software tools to build followers, friends, and similar network community contacts. The cheaper options include basic friends/followers with account names, and generic location and identity information. More expensive options can use this software to actually build random demographic data for followers, including photos, occupation, income, location, and likes/dislikes. In a country where copying and counterfeiting is not discouraged boy society or punished by the law, it is no surprise that many people *stifle* their creative talents by not being creative or focusing on innovative, new ideas. Instead, they use their energy coming up with unique ways to copy what others have done, and ridiculous methods to give the "image" of a strong, beautiful storefront with great products and many shoppers . . . until you step inside and realize the storefront was all a scam and inside the store is nothing but emptiness. Disappointing to see this in a country that claims to be encouraging innovation, collaboration and cooperation with international business standards because stories like this display that they are moving in the opposite direction.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
How effective really are daily deals sites?
Why the up and down nature of daily deals sites? customers seem to be noticing that many of the daily deal sites they frequent, i.e. Groupon, Living Social, etc, do not live up to their expectations when purchasing what seems like a phenomenal deal. Many merchants go out of business, treat users like unwelcome patrons when redeeming coupons, etc. Yael Gavish, founder of the coupon resale website Lifesta.com, says about 20 percent of daily deals are never redeemed. Often, the culprit is buyer remorse. Lifesta and similar sites offer a marketplace to sell unwanted vouchers to willing buyers.
Often times, daily deal offers are not enough to keep customers returning to the merchant. So why do businesses use these daily deals? usually struggling businesses will use them as a last effort to get customers through the door.
Most sites send reminder emails when deals are nearing expiration, and Dealradar keeps track of deals from various sites in a single email. Other options include setting a reminder in your cell phone, as Rome does, or marking expiration dates on a calendar or planner.
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2011/11/groupon_daily_deal_sites_offer.html
Often times, daily deal offers are not enough to keep customers returning to the merchant. So why do businesses use these daily deals? usually struggling businesses will use them as a last effort to get customers through the door.
Most sites send reminder emails when deals are nearing expiration, and Dealradar keeps track of deals from various sites in a single email. Other options include setting a reminder in your cell phone, as Rome does, or marking expiration dates on a calendar or planner.
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2011/11/groupon_daily_deal_sites_offer.html
Monday, November 21, 2011
What target audience is the most tempting for advertisers?
Professional networking is a stream that has been very important for a long time especially in the US. Usually networks varies by type of job and/or interest, companies, income level, degree obtained etc. Almost every feature of a human being can be a determinant of a network 'headline'. So once we get into a certain network or are planning to choose it we define ourselves as representatives of a community. Lately the latter got an addition determinant which is sexuality.
A new website called dot429.com was designed specifically for LGBT community networking. Although this is not the first networking platform for gays it has become increasingly popular. The reason for such recognition became the fact that the website could attract well-known brands (e.g. Wells Fargo, Fiat, David Yurman, Saks Fifth Avenue, General Motors) to post their advertisements and even become dot429 sponsors. For such a young platform partnerships with companies mentioned above is a great success. Advertisers also think that attracting LGBT communities should be promising. First, families where both members are men make more money on average. Second, they also tend to spend more money on aspirational and luxury products, thus can be a good set of potential clients for, lets say, car companies. Third, gay couples tend to be more successful than straight people which also plays in favor of LGBT community.
Another advantage for companies to target gays is the fact that although some families have or adopt children, still most of them tend not to do so. Thus, they have a bigger disposable income and more 'disposable' time to spend on travel and entertainment. Another point is that LGBT communities have very strong trend-setters and trend influencers who can actually be hired by companies to advertise products.
These and many other reasons make gay communities so attractive for 'pricy' brands and advertisers in particular who can convert free rich and successful homosexuals into loyal customers who will pay for luxury; so professional gay networking has widely spread among LGBT communities as a source of target audience as well as a 'search engine' for 'recruiting advertisement'.
A new website called dot429.com was designed specifically for LGBT community networking. Although this is not the first networking platform for gays it has become increasingly popular. The reason for such recognition became the fact that the website could attract well-known brands (e.g. Wells Fargo, Fiat, David Yurman, Saks Fifth Avenue, General Motors) to post their advertisements and even become dot429 sponsors. For such a young platform partnerships with companies mentioned above is a great success. Advertisers also think that attracting LGBT communities should be promising. First, families where both members are men make more money on average. Second, they also tend to spend more money on aspirational and luxury products, thus can be a good set of potential clients for, lets say, car companies. Third, gay couples tend to be more successful than straight people which also plays in favor of LGBT community.
Another advantage for companies to target gays is the fact that although some families have or adopt children, still most of them tend not to do so. Thus, they have a bigger disposable income and more 'disposable' time to spend on travel and entertainment. Another point is that LGBT communities have very strong trend-setters and trend influencers who can actually be hired by companies to advertise products.
These and many other reasons make gay communities so attractive for 'pricy' brands and advertisers in particular who can convert free rich and successful homosexuals into loyal customers who will pay for luxury; so professional gay networking has widely spread among LGBT communities as a source of target audience as well as a 'search engine' for 'recruiting advertisement'.
eBay buys Hunch to improve long-tail shopping recommendations
In an effort to improve its recommendation algorithms and close more sales at the end of the long-tail, eBay has announced its acquisition of startup Hunch (http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/21/ebayshunch/).
Hunch's site (www.hunch.com) describes it as a social media-enhanced recommendations engine. Users answers basic questions and link their Facebook and Twitter accounts to Hunch. It learns what you like and makes recommendations based upon your friends, who you follow, your question answers, etc. If you haven't tried it out, you can sign up and get started using the service in about 2 minutes.
Hunch seems to be following a common pattern and trend towards more social media-influenced and curated content that helps users better digest information and receive recommendations for books, movies, shopping, etc. using what they call a "taste graph."
As the company began to explore the value of its technology for other companies they met up with eBay and, it appears, found a good synergy with the auction site. The rumor is that Hunch was acquired for $80M and turned down and offer from Google last year for $60M.
Consumer engagement - brilliant strategy from Domino's?
It seems that Domino's Pizza has figured out a brilliant way to engage with iPad owners. The company has developed an iPad app that allows consumers to create virtual pizzas on screen and then order their creations and have them delivered: http://mashable.com/2011/11/21/dominos-ipad/.
The app is called Domino's Pizza Hero and it brings together the craze in social gaming, with players able to compete against their friends and share scores via Facebook and Twitter, every brand's desire for consumers to engage with their product/service, and ties it all into an actionable revenue source. No doubt many of these pizzas will be created and remain virtual, but the end result will likely be an increase in actual revenue in pizzas sold, brand recognition and engagement.
Interestingly as well, the app demonstrates that pizzas are made by hand (which I never would have guessed) http://dominospizzahero.com/. Consumers playing the app get a bit of a virtual experience as to what is involved in the creation of the actual pizzas they end up buying, thus linking them with Domino's employees and with the production process in general, creating additional engagement.
The sea of opportunity called Mobile
Recent ComScore data has shown that of the 250million US mobile users, only around 70 million have smartphones. Of that market, Android currently has the highest share (about half the market) followed by Apple (at 26%). However, a Mashable article thinks that the windows platform is actually the best kept secret out there, and here is why.
The mobile interface allows for one tap access that brings out a well thought out ecosystem that is largely driven by your Windows live or Hotmail account. It then brings in all contacts from your account and weaves it into other phone services like Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn. Office files saved on the phone are saved to your SkyDrive (cloud). Simplicity is the name of the game and all phones have a Windows Phone home button, Bing search button, and the ability to bring the camera simply by holding the physical camera button for a second or so. Tapping each picture allows you to automatically share it on Facebook, Twitter, or both. The user experience is smooth and rivals that of the iPhone.
As I look to upgrade my smartphone to the latest and greatest, a few dilemmas come to mind. The iPhone currently has the largest and most current applications. Developers tend to develop the application for the iPhone first followed by Android as a close second. The user interface is sleek and the brand identity that comes with Apple is undeniable. The Siri application is an added plus. However, in terms of user interface and processing, the iPhone 4S does not compare to some of its competitors. It is behind Samsung in some of the latest technology and is on the Apple iOS platform that is not open sourced like the Android. In my decision I also ponder the fact that I will always be a laggard when it comes to mobile as the landscape changes so quickly. In the fight between the Android and Apple platform, perhaps the Windows platform will emerge the winner in two years. If that is the case, I will once again be out of date.
For more information on the Windows phone platform go here:
http://mashable.com/2011/11/19/windows-phone-best-platform/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29#
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