iPad’s product cycle discussion

March 3, 2011 By dean Leave a Comment

Hey readers, I wanted to open this post up to talking about the iPad's product cycle. It seems to me that instead of launching new versions and keeping the old ones on shelves, they are simply going to replace the product with the new updated one. This means no price increase, just a tech upgrade each iteration. I think that this will wind up being a great thing for Apple in the long run because it keeps the iPad from being overstocked in different SKU's. It almost feels like you are buying into a chain of products instead of just one piece. This helps with branding and to avoid marketing confusion when people come into the store. They do not have to worry about comparing the two different versions and deciding what is better for their money, instead they simply get to see the newest that is available.

The downside I see if people wanted to not become early adopters. The people who usually bargain hunt apple products by waiting a generation are really not going to be happy with this move. They will be pushed back to the aftermarket of buying a used iPad from a previous owner. While Apple shouldn't have to cater to these people, they should also be aware that there is a big percentage of them due to the high prices that the products carry.

This post isn't really to tell  you my opinion, but instead its a open forum for everyone to talk about what they think about this product development cycle.

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Why Gowalla was smart by playing together

December 3, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

Gowalla's new icon

Gowalla has always been seen as foursquare’s lesser. The Austin based startup wanted to create a check in network that was created socially, instead of done by the developers like Foursquare’s network. While this was an admiral goal, Gowalla just never seemed to pick up as much steam. In the middle of this conflict Facebook decided to launch Places, their check in network. Now Facebook had the most users because of its engrained user base, and Gowalla sank to third. I’m sure the team was having a meeting where they decided that the best thing to do for their company was to stop trying to fight the battle alone, but to work with its competition.

Gowalla announced its third big iteration, and it changed everything. They implemented the API’s of both Facebook and Foursquare into their application. Now users can check in inside of the Gowalla app and be able to send that to all of their networks. Gowalla shifted from just another check in service to the one app you need to stay in contact with your friends locally. This is accentuated by the new activity feed, which can pull your friends check ins from all the services, not just Gowalla.

This new approach will help Gowalla gain a larger user base because of its convenience. Users will no longer have to open multiple apps and do multiple check ins just to show their fragmented friend lists where they are.

Gowalla will still need to get more press and users, which has always been its problem. While this update is being talked about in the tech space, it has yet to really reach mainstream media. Gowalla is number 30 in the list of social network apps on the iPhone with Foursquare at 21 and Facebook still as number 1. If Gowalla can make it to the front page then I could see it sticking there for some time.

gowalla's new interface

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Breaking: PETA’s attack on DKNY

November 30, 2010 By dean 1 Comment

Yesterday morning PETA launched an anti-fur campaign and used DKNY's facebook page as its venue. DKNY has decided to use bunny fur in its newest lines of clothes and PETA wanted to show its protest to the new animal fur. 13 different users changed thier default picture so when they posted it spelled out "DK BUNNY BUTCHER". This event shows how powerful consumer voices can be in the new world of social media. In previous years peta would have to talk about this protest on thier own site or maybe on television, but now they can take the fight right to the company. The company will be forced to address this issue becasuse every minute they dont, people are seeing these negative claims unanswered.

Does the PETA attack scare you as a company? The power of disgruntled customers or people has become greater than ever, and with this comes transparency. No longer can companies just ignore the percent of people who dislike their company. What this protest stands for is the fact that your company is always being monitored. You need to make sure you are willing to defend every descision you make as a company if someone calls you out on it.

PETA's protest on the fanpage

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Location based network rant

November 24, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

Earlier today I had a conversation with a friend about the growth of location based networks. She has always been a skeptic of new technologies in social networking like status updates and photo tags. It’s a valid argument, five years ago everyone would have thought you were nuts if you wanted to tell every friend and acquaintance you know what you were thinking or doing at any given time. Here is some of my ideas that came into my head during this talk.

The biggest innovation in social media is without a doubt location based networks. Tools like Gowalla, Foursquare, SCVNGR, and Facebook Places have all tried to bring this new technology to the public. Marketers and Advertisers are drooling over the possibilities that these tools will bring, but there is still one obstacle. Where are the users?

So far the adoption rate of these applications has been extremely low, with some speculating only 4% of the Internet user base being aware of these tools. Without a big enough user base, people will shy away from the new networks. For example, everyone is on Facebook, so you don’t need to convince your friends to get an account. As opposed to trying to explain why your friend needs to be able to see where you are at all times.

I believe that Facebook will be the platform that gains the attention of the majority of social network users and makes them really give location networks a chance.

Location based applications will continue to grow due to the exponential adoption rate of smart phones. While location based applications are still finding their place in the world, soon they will become just as common as status update and photo tagging.

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Myspace merges with Facebook

November 18, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

At a joing event today Myspace and Facebook announced that they were forming an intense partnership. Users will now be able to log into Myspace with Facebook connect. This symbolises Myspace's step down from the social network race. Myspace will now focus on working with entertainment partners. I think this will be a good partnership between both because it allows both companies to focus on what they are both good at.

Myspace and Facebook connection

Myspace has always been focused around connecting people with brands, bands, and other media.This is in conjuncture with their latest press release about changing the name to "My_". This move was to show that Myspace was now focusing on being your entertainment hub. This is going to drive an increased amount of traffic back to Myspace now that is it working in conjuncture with Facebooks 250 million users.

Myspace's new logo

I have been wondering what Myspace will be doing with the social network accounts still on the site. If they will be migrating these accounts to Facebook, or if they are just going to let the network stale out. So over the upcoming months we will see what happens with this merger and how the new features will roll out.

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HOW TO: 5 ways to make your brand “like”-able on Facebook

November 16, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment
Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...
Image via CrunchBase

Mashable recently conducted a study and discovered a wealth of information on people's habits with brands on Facebook. One of the biggest statistics is that the average user "likes" 8.7 brands. This means that these brands get to market to the users on their time, and can deliver content directly to them. There are thousands of brands competing for these coveted spots, and here is how to get your brand noticed on Facebook.

1) Make your content likable

The best way to make your brand likeable is to make your content likeable.Remember you are marketing to share, so make content that people will want to show their friends. Creative content wins over informative in this category. Entertaining content will cause your fans to share it with their friends. Short and sweet is also crucial, do not write Facebook targeted articles that drag on. Aim to hold their attention for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

2)People love free stuff
Try to use promotions, contests, and events to promote sharing between friends. People will gladly put a status on Facebook if it enters them in a chance to win something. I guarantee you the advertising you get from your event will be worth the cost of your giveaway.

3)This isn't your PR outpost
This goes off of the post original content theme. People do not want to be bombarded by "Look at this article written about us" style posts. They are here to hear from you, not what others think about you. These people do not need convincing that your brand is good if they are already on your page.

4)Make them feel like an insider
People will join you page if you make them feel special for doing so. This could be as simple as giving them a name that you call them in posts like "welcome elite". Another idea is to give them exclusive news or sneak peaks on deals. People will be driven to check your page if they believe they will be the first to see something.

Wallgreen's splash page

5)Interact often, but not too often.
Users liked your brand because they enjoy your product and want to interact, so do just that. Too many brands create Facebook pages and then forget about them. Create a schedule that you will stick to for posting to your group and replying to their messages. But watch out for posting too often. If a user feels overwhelmed they will dislike your brand and stop following you.

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Path, the personal social network, launches

November 15, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment
Image representing Path as depicted in CrunchBase
Image via CrunchBase

Path is a new social network that aims to create a very personal atmosphere. This is created by having a friend cap of 50. The small numbers leads you to feel a sense of security and allows you to be yourself. Path has been gaining hype due to its impressive founders and investors. The founders include members from Facebook and Napster, and its backed by the likes of Kevin Rose. This application has a lot of potential due to its irregular nature. It is mainly used as a photo sharing and geolocation app for your close friends. This could stem from people feeling insecure about sharing things like this with strangers or just acquaintances.

Path's Main Page

The application's private nature could really help new users of geo location apps to try it out without feeling uncomfortable. I feel like this app could get a lot of attention, but it is going to have to go through a lot to keep users interested. The adoption rate will be a crucial step in the success of the application. Another issue is the exposure to the "mainstream". Tech geeks and early adopters will quickly gravitate to the app to try it out due to the klout of the founders and investors, but this app will have to break into other sectors if it hopes to continue to grow. Currently Path does not show up in any top 25 lists and isn't even on the search page when you search for the name. This is a huge barrier to its success as of right now.

I think the idea of a personal social network is a really clever one at this time. Facebook has recieved so much negative attention for security and Twitter is known as a very public space. The idea that you do not have to worry about every picture, message, or status update being seen by the world is really comforting. The other benefit, or detriment to my usual reader audience, is the lack of businesses on this platform. This platform will probably see limited advertising because of the low friend count.

So is Path the ultimate escape from the public social networks? We will have to see what happens over the coming weeks.

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Social Media as an idea generator

November 11, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

Companies have started to use social media not only to connect with customers, but to gather ideas from them. Companies that get feedback from their customers are more likely to keep them loyal. This practice also helps people feel connected to their favorite brands and helps develop stronger opinions. Here are some examples of companies that truly shine in this department.

Starbucks

Starbucks frequently changes its drinks and other products offered  at its stores. Because of the many options, Starbucks gauges its customers on what they want to see returned, what they didn't enjoy, or new items that they would like.  They created the My Starbucks Idea website that allows customers to post ideas and have others vote and comment on them. This systems makes each customer feel like a part of the company. Thousands of ideas and comments have been posted on the site ranging from new drinks to where the next store should be opened.

My Starbucks Ideaphoto © 2009 Tanja | more info (via: Wylio)

Dell

Dell is another company that allows its users to share ideas. Dell has a website that users can vote and comment on new ideas, but they also have a very innovative feature called "Storm Sessions". These sessions take place in real time and are held to gain a lot of feedback on one particular idea. Dell can use this to pitch changes to a product, ask about what they could have done better, or anything else. Between these two features Dell can quickly assess how people feel about their brand and products.  A big example of this site giving Dell feedback was the Linux issue. A small community wanted to be able to have Linux installed on the machine instead of Windows when it was shipped. Dell saw this and decided to implement it in their stores. This case shows the power of feedback because it portrays Dell as a company that listens, and doesn't just produce what they want to.

Mountian Dew

Mountain Dew has branded itself as an extreme soda, and has been getting a lot of attention with its marketing. Mountain Dew sponsors extreme sports events, but it decided that it wanted to try something new and looked to its customers for help. They created a campaign to revamp the brand with new soda flavor options, new packaging, and a new marketing strategy. They allowed people to submit ideas and have them voted on by the general public. They created the site dewmocracy, which hosted the voting as well as videos and social networking venues to tell your friends about the project as well. Mountain dew first went to a few dedicated fans to show off the new flavors on videos, which instantly went across the net. Then they allowed a wider group to come up with the packaging. This tiered system allowed for tighter control while still allowing the consumer base to vote on the ideas that were proposed. The picture below shows the three flavors voted on by the customers.

Mountain DEWmocracy Flavors 2010 (Distortion, Typhoon and White Out)photo © 2010 theimpulsivebuy | more info (via: Wylio

These companies prove that social media can help your customers feel more connected to your brand by making them feel like they took part in decision making. Taking these examples and try to incorporate some of the ideas into your own business. Maybe hold a vote for a new entree offered, or what next line of clothes you should sell at your store.

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Amazon in trouble with pedofilia how to e-book

November 10, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

Amazon has been receiving a lot of flack today over a controversial e-book sold on the site. The book titled "The pedophiles guide to love and pleasure" broke into amazon's top 100 list. This caused many people to view the book and predictably, many were offended. At first Amazon was defending the right to sell content, but then took the book off the market as it broke into the top 80 on the list. This incident has lead to multitudes of negative press, and not just in the digital space. News broadcast and even Dr. Phil have talked about the incident. Recent acquisition diapers.com went public on facebook to say that they have no control over what content is sold on Amazon. This shows that everyone is trying to stay far away from the current issue and its easy to see why. This incident has caused people to not only view Amazon negatively, but some people have even started boycotts of the retail site.

With Amazon's reputation on the line, I would assume that they are prepared a press release immediately. When this news breaks even more mainstream, then Amazon could have a huge problem on its hands. People perception of your company is a huge indicator for whether or not they will continue giving you their business. Amazon needs to start fighting the fires immediately if they hope to recover from this endeavor.

UPDATE: A facebook fan page for boycotting Amazon due to this book has over 2,500 members.

Diapers.com's release to its fans

Do you feel like Amazon should be held responsible for this incident? Has your opinion on the company changed at all?

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Career path: Social Strategist

November 10, 2010 By dean Leave a Comment

I found a very interesting slideshow today about the jobs of the top Social Strategist. This research shows what top companies are doing with social media, what their problems are, and how they plan to move forward. I recommend reading through this to get an idea of how social media is used in bigger companies.

Some of the troubles in Social media is the lack of metrics and internal struggle. Social strategist are flooded with options for social media, and there is no way to directly record the ROI. This, coupled with how fast technology changes, leads strategist into a game of catch up. Another problem is the companies stubbornness to go transparent. Some companies are uncomfortable sharing a lot of information, and therefore the social media strategies cannot incorporate as much transparency as they would like; which keeps the company looking like a distant entity.

The report is hosted on slide share, the link will also be on this page. I would love to hear your opinions on this report and how you feel it affects your business.

Report: Career Path of the Corporate Social Strategist: Be Proactive or Become Social Media Help Desk

View more documents from Jeremiah Owyang.
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