AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have banded together in creating ISIS, a mobile payment system that will eventually allow consumers to toss their wallet altogether. Details haven't surfaced much yet but the three companies have a stated goal of replacing "cash, credit and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets, and transit passes" (press release). At the moment, I can't imagine not carrying around a wallet at all. I can definitely see a world where cash doesn't exist and I can even see mobile transactions happening in the near future but just like checks were phased out slowly and surely, I believe wallets, debit, and credit cards will hang in there until there really is no need for them.
The main idea behind this near-field communication system is convenience: offering a world to consumers in which they really only need their phone and shopping lines can all but disappear. Their initial focus is to use mobile phones to make point-of-sale purchases but who knows where they can go with this new software they are developing. The product is said to be released in the next 18 months. Imagine - in 18 months, none of us might have wallets or purses or coupons anymore at all.
LIke I said, everyone is a little hazy on the details but there are a few things I do know. NFC (near-field communication) uses "short-range, high frequency wireless technology to enable the encrypted exchange of information between devices at a short distance" (press release). Essentially, shoppers can go into a store and once they say they want to purchase something, their mobile device will wirelessly activate the transaction in much less time than it would take to wait in line and pay with cash or a card. It constantly surprises me how many things we now depend on for our mobile devices and this list is only increasing.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Google TV
Well on its way to becoming the next world superpower, Google does it again. The company recently invented and released their new product, Google TV, which combines the Internet, television, and mobile media channels. The new product is changing the advertising world, allowing advertisers to hit a target with their message utilizing three media venues at once! Google TV allows users to access the Internet exactly as if it were a channel on your television. Anything and everything you would ever want to look at on your computer is now available on your TV. In addition, the TV set comes pre-loaded with applications that most people have on their ipods, phones, or iPads, which adds games to the mix as well.
One of the coolest features in my opinion though is called Fling. If you find a really cool website or game on your phone and want to share it with the family while you are all watching television, now all you have to do is "fling" what you're looking at onto the TV screen. Just press one button and automatically your website, song, or game instantly appears on the screen for everyone to see.
Google TV Leanback is another awesome feature that allows people to watch YouTube videos that have been chosen for them specifically based on behavior or previously watched clips. Someone can even create their own channel based on the selections chosen for them.
In addition, the new product has a homescreen, which allows people to save their favorite channels, shows, or websites on one screen that is easily accessible. You never have to search through channels to find your favorite show again.
The list goes on and on and I could literally write 7 pages about all the new features on this Google TV. But I will spare your eyes and busy schedules by not doing that to you! All you need to know is that Google TV is available for purchase and it is bloody awesome - I'll even go as far as to say that I believe it is the next big thing in the advertising industry.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
What a Turkey...
Although the title of this post is a bit cliche and corny, the image that I saw was completely awesome...at least in my sleep deprived and delirious state of mind. Let me just show you -
If you can't tell, this is a pilgrim turkey made out of coke boxes!!! It's genius, hilarious, amazing, and dare I say epic? Alright that may be going a little too far but, not only is this display eye-catching but it also has the potential to make shoppers develop a want or need for the item. Many times, people will see an awesome or eye-catching display and, though they think it is cool, will pass on purchasing the item. I believe this display does a good job at catching shoppers' attention while also making them crave the taste of a Coke and therefore a want to buy the product. In addition, I really wish this display was in my local grocery store!
Happy Turkey Day!
Black Friday
Black Friday is a holiday of its own...especially for my family. In fact, tomorrow (black Friday 2010), my sister and I are planning on waking up at 3:30 a.m. in order to hit the main stores by 4. Those of course are Target, Best Buy, and Walmart - the three big ones as we like to call them. Now, the amount of advertising preceding and following Black Friday is one of the largest during the year. It doesn't come close to rivaling that of the Superbowl and Christmas but it is huge nonetheless. Black Friday has become such a tradition that well-established companies, such as Coca-Cola, are pushing their advertising efforts even further on this day. This year, they are promoting a nationwide location-based rewards program that centers around the "SCVNGR" campaign. Essentially, consumers who have this application downloaded to their smart phones are encouraged to look for hidden shopping Coke challenges in order to unlock rewards. Even better, the rewards are instant, including American Express and Coke gift cards. The idea is set to go live at 10 malls beginning the morning of Black Friday and will require users to take pictures of themselves with specific items, just like a normal scavenger hunt.
In order to promote this new challenge, Coke is focusing mainly on guerilla marketing. The coolest thing I have seen in this campaign, however, is an elevator wrap. "What?" you may ask. Yes, i said elevator wrap. It's awesome! In addition, Coke is sending out teams of employees to go around the malls and educate shoppers about how to use the new application to earn rewards and gifts.
So far, SCVNGR is anticipating it will hit one million members on the application before the year's end (before Black Friday comes around). Reaching this many people on the day after a national holiday is a big deal...and Coke is only one of the many companies who are beginning to realize that Black Friday may be just a little bit bigger than previously thought.
On a side note - can't wait to wake up in 8 hours to get my shopping on :)
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Social Network
This past weekend I finally caved and saw The Social Network, the new film about Facebook's tumultuous ride from its initial invention to the addiction it is today. I have to admit, I loved the movie. Although I'm not so sure how much of it is realistic, I was entertained by the entire thing. It was so interesting to see how an extremely popular and permanent aspect in people's every day lives started out as a mere idea in someone's head. It also didn't hurt to have sarcastic jokes inserted every few minutes and the Winklevy twins on the screen :)
It really is strange to think about how many things people use in their day-to-day lives without even realizing how it got there. It honestly seems like I've always had a facebook so I never really sat down to think about when I first signed up for one. Obviously, I wasn't born with my facebook waiting there for me but it seems so regular now that it's hard to think back to when I didn't have it constantly open on my computer. The same goes for a smart phone. Now that I do remember opening up on Christmas morning but I can't even imagine going back to having a non-smart phone or even no phone at all. It is my primary means of communication for telephone calls, e-mail, web browsing, and the obvious texting. I even do 50% of my banking on my mobile. You're probably thinking of me as some crazed teenager who can't take her eyes off of her phone even during dinner but honestly, it plays a huge part in my life! Laugh all you want but I wouldn't be half as efficient and timely as I am now if I didn't have my cell phone stuck to my hip at all times (thanks Mom and Dad!)
It really is strange to think about how many things people use in their day-to-day lives without even realizing how it got there. It honestly seems like I've always had a facebook so I never really sat down to think about when I first signed up for one. Obviously, I wasn't born with my facebook waiting there for me but it seems so regular now that it's hard to think back to when I didn't have it constantly open on my computer. The same goes for a smart phone. Now that I do remember opening up on Christmas morning but I can't even imagine going back to having a non-smart phone or even no phone at all. It is my primary means of communication for telephone calls, e-mail, web browsing, and the obvious texting. I even do 50% of my banking on my mobile. You're probably thinking of me as some crazed teenager who can't take her eyes off of her phone even during dinner but honestly, it plays a huge part in my life! Laugh all you want but I wouldn't be half as efficient and timely as I am now if I didn't have my cell phone stuck to my hip at all times (thanks Mom and Dad!)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The horrors of wheat...
So this past weekend I found out that I am allergic to wheat. Of all things that I could be allergic to, I get wheat. My daily diet consists of bread, pasta, and dessert, usually a cupcake of some sort. When I found out I was allergic to wheat, I literally could not eat one thing in my entire kitchen, except for Craisins, which don't make for a very substantial meal by themselves (trust me, I tried). Although this entire process has been a royal pain in my butt...well stomach actually...it has made me realize two things.
The first: There is a huge market, especially in Austin, that is allergic to wheat. More and more people are finding out that they are gluten or wheat sensitive, as Doctors like to call it. In addition, there are many people out there who would just prefer to not eat wheat, even though they aren't allergic. If this segment is growing and growing, what are they choosing to eat?
The second: There could be such a better selection of wheat-free food. I mean, come on. After one week of going wheat-free, I am already tired of eating quinoa, frozen bread, and other products I can't even begin to pronounce. If there's such a large market of people waiting for a good tasting pasta substitute, why aren't there any better options? Of course, there are a lot more products than I would have originally expected. Whole Foods and Central Market even have entire aisles devoted to gluten free foods. However, many of these products are the exact same and don't taste very good. This is upsetting to a 20 year old who now has to search up and down aisles with fingers crossed for something other than frozen bread.
Okay, so I'm being a tad overdramatic and this doesn't have much of anything to do with advertising...let me try and make this relevant! After seeing just a small portion of an untapped market, I can't imagine how many other portions of the population aren't being fairly served. Advertisers especially know how much clutter there is with products and advertisements flying everywhere, but billions of products don't mean anything if they aren't serving a target market.
Rant over!
The first: There is a huge market, especially in Austin, that is allergic to wheat. More and more people are finding out that they are gluten or wheat sensitive, as Doctors like to call it. In addition, there are many people out there who would just prefer to not eat wheat, even though they aren't allergic. If this segment is growing and growing, what are they choosing to eat?
The second: There could be such a better selection of wheat-free food. I mean, come on. After one week of going wheat-free, I am already tired of eating quinoa, frozen bread, and other products I can't even begin to pronounce. If there's such a large market of people waiting for a good tasting pasta substitute, why aren't there any better options? Of course, there are a lot more products than I would have originally expected. Whole Foods and Central Market even have entire aisles devoted to gluten free foods. However, many of these products are the exact same and don't taste very good. This is upsetting to a 20 year old who now has to search up and down aisles with fingers crossed for something other than frozen bread.
Okay, so I'm being a tad overdramatic and this doesn't have much of anything to do with advertising...let me try and make this relevant! After seeing just a small portion of an untapped market, I can't imagine how many other portions of the population aren't being fairly served. Advertisers especially know how much clutter there is with products and advertisements flying everywhere, but billions of products don't mean anything if they aren't serving a target market.
Rant over!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Social Media Battles
After hearing so much about social media and the multitude of online venues open to advertisers, it became apparent to me that I often lump all of them together. In my head, I don't really distinguish between Twitter and Facebook. And neither do many companies in my opinion. Almost every company that has an active Facebook account also has a Twitter account. From what I've noticed, this doesn't mean they even do both well! So what are the major differences between Twitter and Facebook and the consumers that use each?
Well for starters, "daily Twitter users who followed a brand were more than twice as likely as daily Facebook users who 'liked' a brand to say they were more likely to purchase from the brand after becoming a social media follower" (eMarketer). Interestingly enough, Twitter only shows small snippets of information at a time. Maybe this plays into the ADD of the average Twitter user. We can only pay attention to something for so long before we tire of it. Also, it's much easier for Twitter users to see all of the people they are following in one swoop. All the status updates are on one page and now, with the new Twitter interface, you don't even have to click on the next page to see more. Facebook users, on the other hand, must dig through thousands of posts, pictures, and statuses in order to see one they actually care about.
In addition, Twitter followers are generally more likely than Facebook fans to recommend a brand that they follow to their friends. This word of mouth action is exactly what marketers strive for. Women, especially, get most of their information from their friends so maybe this means companies that target women should focus on Twitter accounts over Facebook.
One disadvantage to solely working with Twitter, however, is their small customer base. "Just 3% of US internet users follow a brand through the microblogging service" (eMarketer). Generally the users on Twitter who follow brands are the influencers, rather than the average consumer. This could be an advantage or disadvantage. If this influencer really does know a lot of people and their opinion matters to their friends, you could be reaching a much higher audience on a more personal level than previously expected. However, if their friends don't trust or listen to their product advice, you could be putting all of your eggs in one basket so to speak. Although this small consumer base may limit your reach potential, Twitter seems to have a higher ability to "switch" users from their current brand to yours. On Facebook, many people "like" a brand that they already use. Therefore, there isn't much more a company can do to make them increase their spending habits or purchasing power. They already buy the brand. On Twitter, you can reach one person who already buys the brand and through them, reach 30 people who may not even know of its existence.
Social media has its advantages and disadvantages, like any other media venue. But companies need to be aware of each individual social media site and who it is catering to. Up until this point, I didn't differentiate between Twitter and Facebook when it came to advertising. However, after looking into it, the consumers that use each one are extremely different in their personalities and their needs. Brands should make sure they aren't just using social media to jump on the bandwagon, but that they are understanding how it could help their brand in the long run.
Well for starters, "daily Twitter users who followed a brand were more than twice as likely as daily Facebook users who 'liked' a brand to say they were more likely to purchase from the brand after becoming a social media follower" (eMarketer). Interestingly enough, Twitter only shows small snippets of information at a time. Maybe this plays into the ADD of the average Twitter user. We can only pay attention to something for so long before we tire of it. Also, it's much easier for Twitter users to see all of the people they are following in one swoop. All the status updates are on one page and now, with the new Twitter interface, you don't even have to click on the next page to see more. Facebook users, on the other hand, must dig through thousands of posts, pictures, and statuses in order to see one they actually care about.
In addition, Twitter followers are generally more likely than Facebook fans to recommend a brand that they follow to their friends. This word of mouth action is exactly what marketers strive for. Women, especially, get most of their information from their friends so maybe this means companies that target women should focus on Twitter accounts over Facebook.
One disadvantage to solely working with Twitter, however, is their small customer base. "Just 3% of US internet users follow a brand through the microblogging service" (eMarketer). Generally the users on Twitter who follow brands are the influencers, rather than the average consumer. This could be an advantage or disadvantage. If this influencer really does know a lot of people and their opinion matters to their friends, you could be reaching a much higher audience on a more personal level than previously expected. However, if their friends don't trust or listen to their product advice, you could be putting all of your eggs in one basket so to speak. Although this small consumer base may limit your reach potential, Twitter seems to have a higher ability to "switch" users from their current brand to yours. On Facebook, many people "like" a brand that they already use. Therefore, there isn't much more a company can do to make them increase their spending habits or purchasing power. They already buy the brand. On Twitter, you can reach one person who already buys the brand and through them, reach 30 people who may not even know of its existence.
Social media has its advantages and disadvantages, like any other media venue. But companies need to be aware of each individual social media site and who it is catering to. Up until this point, I didn't differentiate between Twitter and Facebook when it came to advertising. However, after looking into it, the consumers that use each one are extremely different in their personalities and their needs. Brands should make sure they aren't just using social media to jump on the bandwagon, but that they are understanding how it could help their brand in the long run.
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