Thanks to YouTube and other media sharing websites people with obscure hobbies and interests can connect and share easily. This phenomenon can be seen in this fascinating dramatization involving both cats and Star Wars. These topics separately would not pique my interests in the least; however, when their “forces” (har har har) are combined it results in some pretty entertaining footage.
So here is my official “Thank you” to YouTube for brightening Tuesday afternoons all over the world.
If Nielsen estimates comes true, by the end of 2011, 50%+ of all mobile phone users will be smart phone users surpassing feature phone ownership for the first time. This means about 142 million smartphone users by the end of 2011.
I’m sure by now you’ve all heard of the phenomenon called “Extreme Couponing.” A new TLC television show by this name has surfaced over the past few months, and has put the media and cyberspace into a tizzy. The concept, while not new, includes spending hours scouring deals online or in newspapers, and then spending up to 5 hours in the grocery store, in order to save hundreds (sometimes thousands) on the products. These hard-core shoppers plan and plot out each shopping trip with such precision, it is quite a sight to behold. The shoppers enlist the help of family members and friends in most episodes, and collect stock pile hoards of groceries that would make even the most domesticated individual blush.
I have to admit, I have been somewhat cost-conscious lately, and even subscribed to the Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune in order to get some of the coupon deals delivered to my home. Having recently gained a new family member, we have all the reason to be pinching pennies, clipping coupons for everything from diapers to dish soap. However, since we are a bit “green” and really believe in buying local, organic and sustainable products, I often find that only a handful of the coupons in the Sunday paper really apply to me. I wish they had more coupons for people like us. How awesome it would be if we could coupon for broccoli, grass-fed beef and a bag of Granny Smiths? But alas, what I find consists mostly of processed, packaged goods that include tons of sodium, high fructose corn syrup and various other unfamiliar ingredients. The people on this show not only buy SEVERAL of one item (one recent extreme couponer bought 60 bottles of mustard) but then proceed to show off their “stock piles” in their garages, basements and under their children’s beds. While I applaud the efforts of people who are able to reduce a thousand dollar grocery bill down to $50 or less, I wonder how many of these items get tossed out due to an expiration date or lack of shelf space? Also, wouldn’t it be nice to donate the products to those in need? I’m sure a few of these extreme couponers may do so, but does that really make for good television? We all saw how well Oprah’s “Big Give” show did in the ratings.
What are your thoughts on this phenomenon?
I suppose I’ll keep on couponing, albeit not that extreme. And while I don’t ever see myself having the need for eleventy billion boxes of Lucky Charms, it would be nice to have a few spare items on hand in a pinch.Â
Due to the internet’s ability to deliver huge amounts of digital information we are reading more, but the average person’s attention span is becoming shorter.
In it, the author notes that screen-based reading has emerged making skimming and scanning the dominate mode of reading. In-depth and concentrated reading is going away.
From a market research perspective, this can be looked at in a couple of ways:
–The not so good news is… the validity of certain online quantitative research surveys come into question due to straight-liners– participants who are too distracted or impatient with the time spent reading survey questions to provide thoughtful answers– a familiar problem that is usually monitored but is now a greater issue than ever before.
–The not so bad news is… the market research industry will need to adapt to this consumer behavior by fielding even more focused, less sophisticated and abbreviated surveys with clearer, more concise question structure. This is a “best practice” that isn’t always adhered to currently.
–The pretty good news is… research companies and ad agency research directors have one more reason not to let clients try and cram everything into one piece of online research.
Yesterday, Facebook introduced its latest feature – Places. Similar to Foursquare, Places is all about location; it allows users to share where they are with their friends, see who is near them and find new places around them.Â
Unlike Foursquare though, Places is less about gaming (e.g. getting points for checking in at various venues, becoming mayor of a location, etc.) and it brings a new level of engagement to Facebook’s 500 million users vs. the fraction of that number who use Foursquare. For now, though, this first version of Places is only being rolled out in the U.S., and Foursquare updates (as well as a few other services) will be integrated into Facebook Places.
Places can be accessed through Facebook’s most recent iPhone app or via touch.facebook.com on a smart phone. Users can add places or check into places that already exist, check in by themselves or as a group by tagging friends, see which of their friends are in the same area and discover what places are around them.
Facebook posted this beautiful video to show how Places can improve our lives -
For marketers of companies with physical locations, it definitely presents a new engagement opportunity, allowing for targeted interaction with consumers right outside – or inside – their door. For example, companies can send coupons and special offers to consumers who check in at or around a store, restaurant or theater, enticing them to make an immediate purchase.  Once a location has been added to Places, the business owner can claim its location’s page.
From a user standpoint, it will be interesting to see how people – including myself – feel about these added updates that will pop up on the Facebook newsfeed (the check-ins will also show up on the user’s profile and the location’s page).  If you already don’t care about half of what is posted on your newsfeed, you may not be interested in the fact that your friend Joe just checked in at Starbucks in Kansas City. On the flip side, you may find out that your friend Mary, whom you haven’t seen since college, is at a store right down the street from you – prompting a spontaneously delightful reunion.
As always, it will be interesting to see where this latest social networking tool takes us…
A few months ago I received in invitation to become a friend of the group Betty White to Host SNL (Please?)! on Facebook. Normally I automatically hit ignore for these types of Facebook invitations. Once you become a fan or friend of a page like this the never ending messages and reminders to take action promptly begin and never seem to end. However, this campaign was completely different. The creator of the page, a 29yearold man from San Antonio, watched the number of people friending his page increase way past his goal of 5,000 people. The group, which became viral, ended up collecting over 514,000 friends, without annoying its members with messages and reminders. This is a prime example of how to utilize Facebook or other social media outlets to generate a huge buzz for your brand without spending a lot of money (and not annoying or alienating your audience in the process).
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This Saturday, the efforts of this viral campaign came to fruition when Betty White hosted the show, to rave reviews. I recorded the show on my DVR, and my family and I watched the episode Sunday afternoon as part of our mother’s day festivities. Although a little inappropriate at times, Betty did an amazing job (my favorite skit from the night is below) which is why I joined the group Betty White to Host the Oscars. I figure…why not!
After stumbling across this video online the other day (whatever… I totally searched My Little Pony on YouTube), I would like to offer my marketing services to this spectacular off Broadway show. In fact because I love those adorable My Little Ponies so much I will even work for free swag, and the opportunity to meet Rainbow Dash!
Watch out social media world, this morning Google launched their much-whispered-about BUZZ social media functionality, which integrates your social networking accounts.
Can soda companies change the world? At a time when the fight against childhood obesity is a weekly headline, companies seen as contributors to the problem, such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola, are spending major dollars trying to change how we perceive their brands.Â
PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have both committed to developing healthier products and promoting healthier, more active lifestyle choices. But those ideas can be a tough sell to consumers who love (or hate) their brands because of their bubbly, sugary, sweetness. And both brands seem to be finding that an easier way to change their image might just be to change the world first. PepsiCo is forgoing Super Bowl ads this year and running a major social media campaign called The Pepsi Refresh Project. Through their website (refresheverything.com), Facebook page and YouTube Channel, Pepsi is encouraging people (young people, ideally) to do something good for their planet. Individuals, groups and organizations can submit ideas that would positively impact their community and beyond. Submissions are voted on by other viewers/entrants/participants – and Pepsi is giving monthly grants from $5K to $250K to help make those winning ideas a reality.Â
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Coca-Cola, who has had a longtime partnership with the Olympics, is promoting the first “zero-waste, carbon-neutral” Olympic sponsorship. The company is making good on their sustainability vow by providing everything from emission-free soda coolers, to Olympic Village furniture made from salvaged pine-beetle epidemic wood, to dressing the staff in uniforms made from recycled bottles. But days before the Opening Ceremonies, of course, is the Super Bowl – and Coca-Cola will be advertising. Coke is running two spots as part of their Open Happiness campaign, which as the company puts it, is to remind people that “whenever they enjoy a Coca-Cola, they play a role in helping us make a difference in the lives of others. By opening a Coke they create a happiness multiplier” (a “pay-it-forward with soda” theme, if you will). Coke has also teamed up with Facebook to offer fans virtual gifts to send to friends and family. Each virtual gift is matched by a $1 donation to  Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as giving the sender a sneak preview of the Super Bowl spots. And their website, livepositively.com, further encourages visitors to get involved somehow, whether it’s donating to relief efforts in Haiti, recycling for the Green Schools program, or serving the community as part of the Sprite/MTV Step Off Challenge.
So are consumers going to swallow what some might call “propaganda”? Or will the dollars spent translate into glowing halos around the brands? In the end, does it really matter if the efforts positively impact individuals, communities and the environment? I haven’t made up my mind — I’m a water drinker myself.
As MSI’s Director of Interactive Services, I love the part of my job that involves geeking out over technology. I was about 12 years old when Blade Runner came out and remember thinking, “Giant video billboards. Pfft. Yeah, right.” I pooh-poohed my way through the movie, scoffing at such impossibilities as video conferencing, in-ear communicators, tablet computers, and glowing umbrellas, among many other flights of fantasy.
Watching Blade Runner while sprawled out on the brown shag carpet in front of my father’s monster Betamax machine, I don’t think I could ever have imagined that so many of these items would have trickled into our everyday use within my lifetime. They seemed so far away as I would get up on hands and knees to flip the knob (“ka-CHUNK”) on our living room TV. I certainly wouldn’t have believed that only seconds after the birth of my son, I could wirelessly beam an image of his beautiful newborn face to my 95-year-old great aunt in Galveston, Texas from our hospital room in Chicago. I pass no fewer than 5 massive video billboards during my morning commute. People Skype each other regularly, Bluetooth devices pegged into random ears, and even the infamous glowing umbrellas are for sale on Think Geek. Now come developments like the iPad and Google’s response, the Chrome OS Tablet.
Maybe take some time today to think about the differences between the world that surrounded you as a child and the convenience and amazement that technology offers today.
MSI makes it our business to keep up with the monster steps that Interactive technology takes every day and how you can apply it to your marketing strategy. It’s not just our business, it’s our lifelong passion. If you think of your website as a static piece of brochureware, give us a call. I bet you’ll be amazed by what technology, and MSI, can do for you.
A branding and integrated marketing agency, MSI offers brand strategies, packaging, merchandising, public relations, advertising, social media, sales promotion and interactive.
