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…

MSI is pleased to have been named #15 on the list.  You can view the complete list here.

While traveling to Washington, DC on I-70 I noticed something happening at a high frequency - the abundance of FedEx trucks on the highway. Every few minutes I would see one pass by heading west bound or we would pass one in the left lane heading east bound toward our destination. This got me thinking about the FedEx logo and how I recently discovered the arrow in the negative space between the “E” and “x”. Yeah, I’m sure most people see this right away. But, for some reason it always alluded me.

I remember when I first saw it and thought - how did I not see this before? Now, every time I see the logo I think: “Look, there goes another FedEx package/truck/airplane and the arrow is pointing it/them in the direction to where it’s going” And then I think about the coincidence of placing the the lowercase “x” immediately after the uppercase “E” to create an arrow shape; and then the coincidence of the word “Express” which is where the “Ex” in FedEx comes from.

When the English alphabet and language were taking shape, is it possible that certain words would create shapes and patterns with the letters to help define such words? Like in this case - the word “express”? I’m guessing no. I’m sure that its a happy accident the designer of the FedEx logo noticed. But sorta fun to think about… well.. possibly, maybe just for me.

Since this negative space discovery, every time I see the FedEx logo I gravitate directly to the arrow with the positive space fading to where I barely notice it at all. With the abundance of FedEx trucks on the highway and the frequency of this happening to me, its reminiscent of the second half of the Slint song “Nosferatu Man” that looped in my head roughly from spring of 1993 to the spring of 1995 (starts at 2:50 in the link below).

But, much like I got over that, I’m sure I’ll get over this arrow thing in the FedEx logo… it just might take a while.

Enjoy “Nosferatu Man” by Slint

Check out trailer for  “Gauge : 153″ - a retrospective film about the band Gauge; by Chicago filmmaker Matt Golin.

Seems like everyone is trying to figure out what to do, with high expectations among many companies using social media.  But the first question is: is it even right for your business?

I created a matrix that might help some brands in thinking about social media, including whether to use it all.

This matrix has two axes:

The horizontal axis we’ll call “frequency.” This is how often the consumer interacts with your brand - typically, how often they shop at your brand (but in the case of something like banking, “shopping” may be the wrong way to describe it).  Some brands are shopped frequently; perhaps you go to Starbucks every day.  Some infrequently; think mattresses.

The vertical axis we’ll call “engagement.” Engagement is the emotional affinity with your brand; being a member of the “club” of people that view themselves as aligned with your brand.  Many of these are brands that sell their own branded items: Nike, Coldwater Creek, Crate & Barrel, Apple.  Low engagement retail brands are likely those selling “commodities,” like gas stations or auto parts.

These axes give us four quadrants which may be a guide for how to think about your brand’s use of social media.  Take a minute to think about your brand from an engagement and frequency standpoint.  Where might your brand be on these axes?

Once you’ve located your brand on this map, here are some views that might help in your thinking about what to do with social, and other interactive media:

High frequency/high engagement brands:  examples are Starbucks and Whole Foods.

What to do:  this quadrant is the sweet-spot for social media: a real opportunity to engage customers as friends, confidants, lovers.  And to encourage them to engage with each other as fans of your brand.  To help this along, you may need someone from your organization interacting in the social space all day, answering questions, offering insights, dishing news.  But with this engaged group, it may be worth your while.

Low frequency/high engagement brands:  examples are Chico’s and Swatch.

What to do:  Amplify the “brand badge” in social media.  It’s likely these brands already have a strong affinity market - you can buy a blouse or a watch at lots of places but shoppers of these stores are drawn because they see themselves as members of the club that is these brands.  They are fans.  Fans use Facebook.  Swatch rewards its 68,000 Facebook fans with musings about and access to creativity (its brand badge?).  Chico’s uses its stylist Sher Canada.

High frequency/low engagement brands:  examples are 7-Eleven, gas stations and other “convenience” type outlets.

What do to:  Use borrowed interest to create higher engagement.  Face it, people are largely going to your brand because it’s “there.”  If another brand were “there” instead they’d shop that brand.  Social media is a challenge, but things like frequency contests or “Twitter-only sales” could create some interest.  7-Eleven is working this hard after abandoning Facebook a few months back.  A CEO on CBS’s Undercover Boss is just the borrowed interest they needed.

Low frequency/low engagement brands:  examples are mattress and furniture stores, remodeling outlets.

What to do:  Focus on awareness and search presence.  That’s right: don’t focus on social media.  It’s a giant uphill battle.  You’d be better served making sure that your brand is readily found when your category is searched.  That means strong SEO and SEM efforts.  Maybe with a skew to geo-location (see my blog on that).  Maybe some traditional advertising and Yellow Pages.