Nmap just created a visualization engine based on Alexis.com data which lets you navigate the web’s most trafficked websites. Definitely worth a look even though the servers seems to be over capacity right now, due to all the traffic from Mashable.
Check out this Awareness Networks Article about General Mills and their blogger outreach efforts.
It’s a good read, but I was struck by just how good a job GM has done in acting ‘like a blogger’ with the blogging community -
1. Ensuring that they offer value. Kudos to them for recognizing that not everyone is interested in just having their voice ‘bought’, but making them feel special, by treating them in a special way.
2. Being fans of the bloggers, and giving props to them when appropriate. Bloggers love FEEDBACK.
3. Staying involved, and creating opportunities to lengthen the conversation and relationship. Once again, showing that the tools and learning from doing CRM can come in mighty handy in our wired world. Connections matter.
Well done!
In a recent post on Retail Customer Experience.com, Jeff Weidauer speaks about how mobile couponing is heading in the wrong direction. He references the fact that marketers trying to replicate a coupon bar code on mobile devices can be compared to Henry Ford’s famous comment that if he had asked the public what he should build they would have told him - “A faster horse.”
While I agree with his well-thought-out points on the dire situation of mobile coupon display technology, I think the revolution is almost here - where the mobile channel becomes a serious contender in the value chain. And it all comes down to customer behavior (just like it always does).
Couponing has never been ideal for marketers or the public - with most coupons distributed willy-nilly in broadcast print media, and the vast majority of them never used. And people hate having to remember to clip and carry - not even willing in most cases to print at home with the slew of online coupon outfits.
Marketers also have to do a careful dance with couponing - realizing that they will unwillingly subsidize a portion of purchases that their loyal consumers would have already planned to make. And the higher the value, the more possible that they will shift the ideal price point in the consumer’s head for the product or service.
But when couponing is thought of differently, and more personally, we can get to a place where it starts making sense for everyone. For marketers the only realistic position is personalization - if they can’t customize the coupon value for the individual, then they don’t have any way to assist in developing any real relationship with the person. Once you are committed to personalization, the mobile channel starts to look more and more like the right place to be, and if you maintain focus on ease of use for the user, you’ll avoid the replication of real-world ‘Faster Horse’ mentality that the article takes issue with. For retailers, they will continue to push for solutions like Kroger has, that tie manufacturer value-off deals to their existing loyalty cards - creating frictionless experiences for the big chain shoppers.
It still sounds funny when someones steals someone’s virtual furniture. It also makes a good read for lunch break. Nevertheless, as more and more of our assets move into the digital domain, it becomes a real economic factor.
Check out this BBC Article on the recent Habbo Hotel theft.
Spotted on Todd’s FB stream.
So, after the robot craze of the 80s and 90s in pop culture, we’ve been waiting for some more actual smart and more life-like robots. Well, I just saw this on Gerald’s posterous. It looks like some serious geeks have been busy.
Stretching the idea that your average person is gunning for an endorsement deal from their products and services - Shortbord launches today!
It has good integration with Twitter and Facebook (but who doesn’t?) but I’m not sure that the people who do these kinds of things for money are really the right people to represent brands. How many times would you read the status updates of someone who was more interested in getting paid for their endorsement than connecting with you? For how long would they remain your friend?
For Cause Marketing, I think it has potential, simply because the updates are less annoying and interruptive, but Brands should remember that in order to get good ‘friends’ online you have to _act_ like a good friend.
via Thrillist
A new article from TechCrunch outlines the current fight between Zygna and Facebook on the Credit System that they prefer (require) payments to go through.
The fight is interesting in that Facebook clearly would like to benefit from some of the amazing spend that some loyal users are throwing at the Zygna platforms, but also in regards to Brands who may wish to get in on the action. When the payment platform that Facebook prefers/requires includes a cut for the ‘house’ then Brands have to think twice about playing.
We’ve spoken about the cost of participation on social platforms before, but this discussion also raises a few new questions about how to measure actions taken on the platform. We can imagine some of the possible benefits for Brands working with Facebook to utilize, offer and redeem credits - whether or not those credits are bought, or earned through engagement on the platform. After all, if the value of the experience that we are offering is great enough, why would some virtual currency not change hands? Rewards for positive behaviors may extend to offering these virtual benefits, which will then require more scrutiny as to their ROI than some current offerings/rewards schemes.
Via: TechCrunch
… the iPad. Unfortunately, it does not shred all that well:
(Most) anything else: we can make an app for that.
Check our the iPad report on Horizont TV.
Part 1:
Talks about possible 3 directions of best-practices of iPad Apps for media companies.
Part 2:
Talks about Branded Applications, Target Audiences and Creative Possibilities
Amongst other things, we’ve done some testing with Silver Surfers. It is clear that the 50+ and even more so 60+ generations is maybe not the first adopter target audience, but a close second. In fact, in some ways the iPad by itself could be considered an even better fit with this target, than say, young professionals.
Undoubtedly younger targets (with the necessary disposable income) will be the first to buy, but given the online behaviors of silver surfers, the iPad completely covers the tasks and functionality silver surfers use regularly, such as e-mail, browsing, photos albums, online banking, e-commerce, etc. For this target it is more likely to actually replace other computers.
As forecasted, the lean-back nature and non-work environment context in which this device excels immediately makes it a nice fit for even 65+ pensioners.
Initial doubts stemming from the technical nature of the device are quickly dispelled after seeing how much more intuitive and cheaper the device is than their existing PC or laptops. Except for some participants who also heavy computing users, the device was short listed immediately, especially when they were about to replace their old computer with a new one. Also, a preexisting internet affinity is key to adoption. Participants with no or little internet affinity obviously had a hard time understanding the purpose of the device. However, with the intuitive nature of the device, it is likely that adoption of the internet per se could also be accelerated through the iPad in this age group.
Interestingly, initial difficulties consist of “unlearning” the sometimes arduously acquired mouse computing skills as well as dispelling the fear of actually touching the technology. Once overcome, the apparent real life metaphors present in the applications (turning pages, etc) are intuitively understood and recalled again without having to be reminded. The fact that no complicated folder structures are present - common to normal operating systems - makes it even easier to adopt.
Typing, however, usually poses an issue for some, as unlearning previous keyboard behavior of unconsciously resting your hands on part of the keyboard turns out a bit more difficult and sometimes leads to a more timid touching behavior, as if unsure what unplanned action the device “will do next” when unintentionally triggering keys on the virtual keyboard.
Apart from using the device for things previously done on their PCs, the device also scores high on doing a few new things that had previously remained within the realm of analog behaviors. Quite different than expected, this group had no qualms about reading newspapers or magazines this way and applaud the fact that “we can save all the trees” or “don’t have so much paper lying around”. Also, the picture quality and sharpness was deemed as “even better than on paper” in many cases. What scores high as well in this area is to actually be able to receive the publications of international press which they cannot even get in analog form where they live.
Books, however, are bit too holy to be sacrificed on the digital altar. They could only imagine reading eBooks when going on a trip without having to bring all the heavy books with them.
Another area that tested well is card and board games as long as they are solitary games such as, you guessed it “Solitaire”. In the case of multiplayer card games the experience of being social and looking people in the eye vs looking at the device was rated as important.
Overall, the biggest joy point seems to be to be able to all of the things they did before in the comfort of a couch or sofa without having the feeling of “working” for a price they feel is more affordable than their previous computing solution. Within this context, the device is being used more in a information consumption than actually inputting information or sharing information.
