Monthly Archives: December 2010
I’m reading Bogusky and Windsor’s Baked In and, while frequently meh, the book does sport some wisdom. The crux in my opinion is this:
“[A] brand’s products and marketing not only tell the same story but also have a deep connection to culture and the flexibility to be extraordinary.”
This got me thinking about how brands have existed throughout time, active within a culture. Particularly, one of my favorite: Budweiser.
[Disclosure: Budweiser is a client. In 2010, I completed quite a bit of content strategy for their website redesign and even dug around for a few days in their St. Louis archives.]
What can we learn from brands like Budweiser; brands that have been cultural landmarks for over a century? And what can these classic brands portend for the future?
Early Days
From roughly the industrial revolution through, say, the 1950s, brands offered consistency. They communicated to consumers that this product would be the same each and every time; they stressed dependability.
As Budweiser gained in popularity with this new light lager, imitators tried to encroach on their territory. Adolphus Busch fought this infringement – very much protecting his good name against these inferior products.
The Budweiser brand stressed consistency in these early days, but prohibition ended consumers’ ability to remain loyal. And a funny thing happened – American beer drinkers got used to the sweeter taste of illegally-produced “bathtub” beer.
The holiday spirit is in full swing and I’m back to bring you my top five apps for to help with holiday shopping. No matter if you are venturing out to the mall or simply shopping from home, I’ve compiled a quick list to get the job done.
1.) TheFind (Shop Nearby available on iPhone, Blackberry and Android.) Using this app you can find what store near you has the best price on the item you are looking for. Includes maps, coupons and online deals for the product you select.
2.) Amazon (Available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android.) Are you too busy to go out to shop? This app works just like the website to find what you are looking for. If you have an account you can simply sign in and your information is already in place!
3.) Foursquare (Available on iPhone, Blackberry and Android.) Make sure you check in to find out if there are special deals happening where you are shopping. But be careful that your loved ones don’t see where you are shopping. 
4.) Urban Spoon (Available on iPhone, Blackberry and Android.) After all of the shopping you are bound to be hungry. Just give Urban Spoon a shake and find out all of the restaurants in your area. You can even select the type of food and price range you are looking for. Then click the link and call to make a reservation.
5.) Where’s My Car (Available on Android and iPhone.) Now that you have a full stomach and an arm full of packages it’s time to get home. Using this app will allow you to locate you vehicle, but only if you launch it before you leave your car. Download this app and never hit your panic button again.
Hope this list provides some help during your holiday shopping expedition. Have a happy holiday!
Written by Jessi Odenbach
We hope you have been enjoying the weekly installments of “Social Six” so far! We will be taking a few weeks off to celebrate the holidays in style, but will be back in full force for 2011. See you all there!
COMMUNITIES
Social Media Is Greater Marketing Priority for Small Businesses
While big businesses are still in the lead when it comes to social media usage, but small businesses are now catching up. According to a new survey, small businesses consider word of mouth to be the most important marketing tactic in their arsenal. Facebook was ranked as the third most influential tool for small businesses, only behind websites and email. While big businesses still ranked Facebook as far more important, this is still a big step for small companies in the right direction.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Ed Norton: activism not just for actors
If you love Ed Norton (who doesn’t?) and good causes (again, who doesn’t?), check out this video. Norton has co-founded a site, crowdrise.com, in order to help bring social media and activism to one place. The site offers incentives on donating to good causes. For example, for the holidays they have provided e-cards that can be sent to friends and families, in which the money goes straight to a good cause. With so many sites appearing dedicated to social good, it is a nice opportunity to donate during the holiday season.
MEASUREMENT
2010: ‘Twas The Year Of Mobile Apps, LBS And A Huge Surge In Data Traffic
2010 was the year of mobile. No one would dispute this statement. But plenty of the actual statistics are unknown amongst everyday users. A new video by MobileFuture lays out all of the specifics. There were five billion apps downloaded this year, a 347% growth in Twitter mobile usage and 200 million mobile Facebook users. It has been a historic year for all things mobile, location based and social media, so check out this video for some cool stats to impress your friends with at holiday parties.
On October 14, this IA embarked on a journey somewhat outside her comfort zone- a design conference. But this wasn’t just any design conference, this was the Gain Conference hosted by AIGA. In the introduction, Debbie Millman said, “Design is being called upon to solve the world’s problems.” This idea echoed throughout the next couple of days I sat and listened to speaker after speaker with an occasional panel. Here is a summary of the conference, from an IA’s perspective.
Different “Experiences”
For an IA, user/customer experience means the user’s needs come first and is what our practice is based on. I found it interesting at this conference that this idea was somehow regarded as a novel and new approach to design. It made me think about how those of us in strategy design view “experience” a bit differently from those in creative design. For an IA, experience design means creating experiences for which they may interact while for a creative, it means creating an experience to which a user can react.
One example of this difference was revealed by JetBlue’s Fionna Morrison (Brand & Advertising) who discussed the importance of having the customer experience first and foremost when considering design. She said design should be, “Nice, Fresh, Smart, Stylish, Witty” – providing examples from a brand perspective as opposed to a user experience perspective. The examples given were about, “Hey, you come have fun with our brand” as opposed to “This is going to make booking and flying with us much easier for you.” Final tagline for JetBlue: You above all.
COMMUNITIES
11 retailers that have embraced social applications
With thousands of social applications out there, sometimes it’s hard to tell the good from the bad. Now, with holiday shopping in full swing, some of the good applications can be extremely helpful. Eleven brands are featured in this article, ranging from Best Buy and Nordstrom to Threadless and Loblaws. All eleven of these brands have an impressive social footprint, as well as some unique and innovative ideas about how to continue their social success.
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES
Full Details On Facebook’s Overhauled Profile Pages
Facebook overhauled their profile pages over the weekend, and they are now available to everyone to see and implement on their profiles. The new update aimed to make the profiles more aesthetically pleasing, while also making some of the most popular features more accessible. For instance, the photo feature has been made much easier to access, and profile information has become much more readily available. There is also now an option to feature friends on your page, such as family members, significant others, and other important people in your life. But if you’re worried about getting the new version and not understanding how to use it, have no fear. Facebook is also rolling out a ‘wizard’ feature that will appear and show you around the new layout and some of the biggest changes.
This is a positive blog and I don’t take cheap shots. But when I find a book so disjointed and frankly unusable, I have to mention it.
A lot of people love Brian Solis and I’m sure he’s a good guy (this isn’t personal). But that makes his book from earlier this year, Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultive, and Measure Success in the New Web (whew!), all the more disappointing.
Engage reads like a few reheated blog posts tied together with twine and gum. Here are a few reasons I don’t recommend it:
– We’ve heard it all before: I could insulate a house with each book that’s been written as a social media primer. Solis offers only rote, near-impossibly-simplistic suggestions in the intro, manifesto, social media 101, 201, 202, 203, 203… Well, there’s a lot you’ve heard before.
– We’ve heard it all again. And again: Repetition is useful if ideas build on each other. Solis has few (if any) ideas that build on each other. (Just skip part 3 altogether.)
– Shotgun, not sniper rifle: This is the most untargeted book I have read on marketing. There’s no real audience. This book includes reams of information to the n00b and expert alike, but in such close proximity as to be confusing to both groups. Solis doesn’t identify a target and hit it; he loads up with buckshot and prays to hit anything.
