Sunday, February 24, 2008

So whats the skinny on mobile messaging?

Here is a question, is "new" a perception that is only in the eye of the beholder? For how long is something considered to be unique or novel? For example, lets say that a consumer has used a phone for a number of years and presumes to know everythign about the phones capabilities. Then, the consumers child barrows the phone and shows the consumer that a virtual attendant is available for a commonly used service.

The consumer had spoken about and even had conversations with the company who provides the service and still had no idea that the service was available. So, after a number of years the consumer is finally shown that there is a virtual attendant that can be accessed via his mobile phone and is capable of providing all of the services that had been wished for.

The question again is, for how long is something considered to be novel or unique to a person? Is it when the technology or tool was developed, or is it when the consumer discovers (in this case through a serindipitous discovery) the item regardless of the time that has elapsed since the products introduction to the market?

I can see that there will be a number of wheels that are turning in regard to this question, so Ill come clean. Did mobile messaging pass me buy with the virtual attendant from Delta airlines? I use Delta every week and have continuously for almost 3 strainght years. I have had conversations with Delta representatives regarding ideas for virtual attendants and mobile updating that fall outside the standard, "your flight has been canceled" updates.

I wanted the meat and potatoes virtual attendant that will help me navigate the Atlanta airport in a more efficient mannner. I want this virtual attendant to tell me to "hurry, because your plane is boarding in concourse C", while Im in concourse A!

Until this week, I had no idea that this was such a widespred already in use almost out of date service (in a wordperfect 1.0 kind of way) that is no longer considered to be new, novel, or unique. As a matter of fact I still have not seen this service in application, but evidentlly it does exist because I was told so.

I would think that being a "Gold" level member (2 years running) that I would have been alerted to this feature. I receive multiple email messages and texts from Delta on a variety of topics and for a variety of reasons. None of which has ever notified or alerted me to the availabiliy of a virtual attendant. So, to me, this is a very new and state of the art development. To others, appartently, this is old news and is yesterday's dirt sock.

In this case, who failed? Was it the consumer (me) that failed to inquire or ask the proper questions in order to be informed of the availability of such a product, or was it the fault of Delta for not responding to the demand and inquaries of a valued consumer (me) to provide them with the most recent and available technology for travel assistance? I just wish I would have known about this tool in order to avoid or, at a very minimum, diminish my travel angst during high volume and delay filled days in the Atlanta jungle!!

Thoughts?

Short Films..

So, I saw this cute short video for a phillips nose hair trimmer. This video was very intertaining, whitty, clever, and informative. The question from here is, what did it accomplish? While I will admit that I now know more about nose hair and man's second puberty, I still do not know if this was an effective way of marketing to a consumer base.

Lets look at this from the perspective of the targeted consumer. A nose hair trimmer has one focus, men that have been through puberty, plain and simple. I know a few women that could stand to utilize this tool, but the vast majority of the consumers who need and utilize this product are clearly men (post 1st puberty).

Idealy, we should be able to split the population of the U.S. in half; there are potentially 150 million men that could benefit from the use to this product. From the short film it can be inferred that young professional (not yuppie's) type men are the target for this marketing media form. It can also be inferred from the short film that me over the age of 50 are also part of this targeted group.

The problem that I have with this marketing form is that I fall within this set of characteristics but had to look rediculously hard to find this commercial. So, this begs the question, was this an effective effort for Phillips and their nose hair trimmer?

I would say no. The form is very limited and and is essentially the lesser cousin of in-game advertising! In my opinion most people will watch or observe this medium just for the entertainment value. However, brand recognition and demostration are very important aspects that make this an enticing option for marketers.

While I was entertained, I was not motivated to inquire about Phillips or its nose hair trimmer. Futhermore, I would find it hard to justify the budgeting for such small endevors that potentially have a very limited reward for marketers.

If you have a varying opinion, please let me know!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

The RSS revoloution..

It seems that most inventions or inovations that occur within the context of the Internet are done so at the cost of marketing. Pop-ups were a unique was of communication, then came the pop-up blockers. Next, the pop-unders came into effect an the blocking software effectivly was mdified to prevent these notices also. Additionally, the mouse-over and playful attempts at in-game advertising are also now seeing the market shift towards preventing these instances from asserting themselves on the public that interact with Internet.

However, the apparent last true bastian for the Internet purest is seemily under attack. The attentive RSS feed is begining to find itself set squarly in the crosshairs of the marketing and communications worlds.

Internet users typically had been able to save an RSS feed to their desktop and simply see the updates from the selected sights that they chose to subscribe. These mostly text versions of website information are (were) the stripped down, meat and potatoe versions of website info. For Internet purests this meant one thing, and one thing only. They only saw the information that they were looking for! There were no bells and whistles that would lead the weary Internet surfer to another linked site. This was simply an information channel!

Now, Marketers are starting to see the value of such RSS feeds and are begining to find ways of advertising in RSS feeds. As the novelty and awareness of the market that is available to marketers through RSS, the more focus and emphasis will be placed on this available form of communication.

As with most things, the novelty and unique nature of RSS has caused this trend. As this becomes more popularized, savvy Internet users will have to find a better way to receive their text only updates. Until then, it appears as though the sharks smell blood in the water!

Thoughts?

More mobile marketing...

In a discussion I was having this week, the topic of mobile marketing and mobile communication came up. This topic was brought up because of a little time managemet issue.

So the story goes like this: We were due to leave the Baton Rouge Airport at 0700. At 0530 I received a notice (via text message) that the 0700 flight we originally had been confirmed on was now canceled. Subsequently we were rebooked on the 0745. Unfortunatly, the text message that was sent to inform us of the flight cancelation did nothing to inform us of our connecting flights out of Atlanta.

So, that was what caused the conversation. The conversation, however, touched on a few unique points that would benefit air travelers and reduce the amount of anxiety and stress that is unique only to air travel. Bluetooth travel updates in the airport concourse would be fantastic. Additionally, Free WiFi for air travel related information would be openly welcome. The third issue that came up (and quite possibly the most interesting) was that of a virtual travel partner. If the airline of choice can create a unique reward account to store all of the travel information, it should be able to have an individual conversation with its consumers while they are physically in the process of traveling.

I mean really, who goes to the kiosks? The people who need a virtual travel partner who will help them adjust to issues as they pop up during the course of their travel. The best way to do this would be through the use of Mobile to Mobile (M2M). Imagine recieveing gate updates on flight delays as you are pulling up to the airport or are on board a landing jet and arriving at the gate.

For savvy travelers, this would save an abundance of time and prevent needless questions for the gate attendants.

Any thoughts on these issues?

Matt

Sunday, February 10, 2008

SPAM..

No, not the friendly canned delicacy that comes in the space age can and sites coveniently next to the TANG! No, this is a malicious and seriously irritating form of marketing, which actually boarders on harassment be some very unscrupulous cyber entities.

The idea of SPAM and the people behind it have been around since Al Gore invented the Internet. However, not until the mid to late 90's did the real relavance and understanding of SPAM take place.

To some, SPAM was an efficient way of distributing the message of the their products to multitudes of people without the cost of a traditional direct mail marketing campaign. Additionally, SPAM could create databases of Internet email addresses, without the need to purchase a house list for a tremendous cost. But alass, to no avail! SPAM was abused.

frivilous marketing and an over dependance on immediacy made SPAM the no-no of the cyber world. Today, the Federal governement has gotten involved and created the Caned-SPAM act, which limits the type and purpose of most SPAM mail. This act was aclaimed by the citizens who were tired of having their inboxes filled with Viagra offers, while legitamate Internet based companies were in a tiff because of the restrictions that the Act placed on their business.

Surely there is some middle ground, right? Well, even today, some 15 years since the Canned-SPAM Act, there are still complaints from both sides; one calling for more restriction, while the other cries for greater deregulation. This whole SPAM issue has simple ruffled the feathers from both sides of the argument, but what everyone has failed to realize is that this entire arguement has actually created a new line of business. SPAM filtering has become a multi-million dollar a year industry and does not appear to be slowing down. Essentially, this arguement has created a nutrient rich environment for new market development in the land of Capializm.

Thoughts?

Mobile Marketing

So, there I was... Watching the evening news when my phone rang in a manner that alerted me to a new text message. I picked up my phone to read the new message and found that it was a marketing message from my cell phone service provider! Although the message stated that I had received the message at no charge, it brought to light the potential for marketers to reach individuals via a cell phone; rather than the traditional method of a land based phone line.

There are significant differences between the two forms of marketing contact, most notably the cost. However, there are other differences which make marketing via the cell phone much more invasive and iritating. The first of these reasons is that people who own cell phones typically have them on or near them at all times. This means that the likely hood for interuption is that much greater. Telemarketers or other such persons can and do call the house phone at all times of the day, but I am typically only there for 5 hrs per day.

The second frustrating issue regarding mobile text message marketing is the inconvenince of having to acknowledge the mear presence of a call or new message. In church, at work, during a doctors appointment, or another otherwise inconvenient moment make this form of marketing a irritation to say the least.

Potentially, if there were a way to segment a day part that would be a known marketing time and also be provided at no-cost to the user, then I think that this form of marketing could have great potential. However, until this form of scheduling occurs, I believe that this is a media form that is best left alone. That is,.. for the overall reputation of the brand or product.

Thoughts?

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Super Bowl Review..


So now that the Super Bowl has concluded, the active critiquing period of the commericals that aired during the game will begin. I almost find it to be a complete waste of money for marketers, but it appears as though advertising on TV during the game has become a status symbol.

Essentially, if you are able to pony up the coin for the commercial time slot, then you (the brand advertised) can become part of an evoked set of brands. Take for example GoDaddy.com. This brand has religiously advertised during previous Super Bowls. As a matter of fact, they had two plays of the same commercial in one previous Super Bowl. Talk about shelling out the cash!!!

Anyway, the point here is that the actual reward for these commercials are not in the 10-30 seconds that it takes to run the ads in front of 50 million people world wide. The true benefit of these commercials will be in the endless blogs, newspaper colums, and publications that will be dedicated to breaking each commercial down one-by-one. Then, these same outlets will rank and provide a historical perspective on where this years crop of commercials ranks all time.

The bottom line in all of this is that YouTube and the seemingly endless supply of new media outlets will keep this years set of SuperBowl commercials alive for much longer than the memory of the New York Football Giants Super Bowl 42 victory. In January of next year the buildup for the Super Bowl will not make much mention of the exciting game; rather the talk will be about the exorbanent cost of Super Bowl advertising and how this year (which will actually be next year) the commercials are going to be unbelieveable.

My overall opinion of the commercials this season was a 6. The only redeaming quality for this season was the AMP commercial! The ability to start a car through osmosis of free electrons gathered from a can of AMP should not be understated. As a matter of fact, someone should tell Al Gore. He could use this novel idea to decrease his carbon footprint!

Matt

Friday, February 1, 2008

Viral Marketing..




I can still remember the first instance of Viral Markeitng that I was witness to, or at least rememeber. It was during the Super Bowl a few years ago and Budweiser caught lightning in a bottle.

The Budweiser Lizards became a long running, humorous, and informative set of icons for the Budweiser brand. The whole point of the commerical was to create interest in the beer through the humor and cynical rants of the frogs and Louie the Lizard. Bud -- Weis--- Er, we could have been huge!!

That type of marketing, viral, proves a point. The dialog of a commercial doesnt have to contribute to the product being advertised in order to create interest among and consumer population. There simily has to be a hook that causes consumers to stop and investigate further. In this case it was the novelty of the characters and their antics.

I know that instance of Viral Market occured before the YouTube phenomenon, but could you imagine the splash and increased longevity Budweiser could have received from the proliforation of the Budweiser frogs and lizards? A perfect example of what could have happened would have been the "Wasssup" guys a few years later, again from the Super Bowl.

In the end, the practice of Viral Marketing will come down to targeteed and identified cousumer groups that have a relationship with the message or product being promoted or advertised. The content of the promotion will be what grabs the attention of the consumer, but the product itself is what will win the day for the brand. Consumers, much like horses, may be brought to the water, but they may not drink if they have not identified with the body of water.

Thoughts?