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Tweets
- The audacious plan to end hunger with 3-D printed food - Quartz http://t.co/4CKfivJD5H
- Why doesn't Yahoo just buy Vimeo, Foursquare and Soundcloud too.
- Wow, Meta lands Steve Mann as Chief Scientist?May 21, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Google Glass: Coming Soon to a Cubicle Near You? | Wired Enterprise | http://t.co/B3vSjOE14y http://t.co/ByzCsajffM
- RT @TheNextWeb: Microsoft introduces new Kinect with 1080P RGB camera, 30FPS and ‘time of flight’ light sensing http://t.co/6nzAGeHqY8 by @…May 21, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @matthiasshap: The new Kinect sensor doesn't just read your heartbeat. It can read your soul. #XboxRevealMay 21, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- RT @verge: Xbox Live adds gameplay recording and sharing, revamps achievements http://t.co/9ar6tcQ2kmMay 21, 13 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- New Flickr for Android is gorgeous.
- Digital Marketing Briefs: Big Data with Lattice Engines, Live Video Marketing with Brightcove http://t.co/in9i3rmvtB
- Now With More Than 1.5B Page Views A Month, Secret Sharing App Whisper Launches On Android via @TechCrunch http://t.co/RMIStpT3Oe
- Producer of The Ring and Mulholland Drive releases new horror movie as an iOS app — paidContent http://t.co/SPsWrqby55
- 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Poster Unveiled on Instagram http://t.co/eNkOV49Bvp
- Club Monaco Debuts Fall Lookbook on Tumblr http://t.co/lK9G2nDpIW
- Announcing The Finalists Of The Co.Labs And Target Retail Accelerator ⚙ Co.Labs ⚙ code + community http://t.co/eKnrtY1ADq
- Aiding transit in real time | http://t.co/uln5P1qYFF http://t.co/RxzKmnkvo2 #marta #transit #atlanta
- Down with the data center: can a peer-to-peer swarm replace cloud computing? | The Verge http://t.co/3UKefBItA5
- Immigration as a game: 'Papers, Please' makes you the border guard | The Verge http://t.co/duMaPy5YDx
- Twitch video platform for gamers comes to Xbox 360, watch and play from the same place (video) http://t.co/zt2pGBOCDp
- That’s a lot of videos: YouTube now responsible for 17% of home Internet traffic — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/hD53G6cHHN
- Amazon Staff Meetings: “No Powerpoint” | Moving People to Action http://t.co/ZrSreiwlia
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Info
- Senior Innovation Strategist at Engauge (US)Marketing and Advertising | Greater Atlanta Area, USSummary
I am an innovation strategist in the Digital Innovation Group at Engauge, a full-service marketing agency with offices across the U.S. Our team informs internal and external clients of technological/cultural trends that are creating change in marketing and advertising.
I have worked as a professional futurist for almost 4 years, helping clients recognize and act on signals of change in order to be prepared for the future. My time as a consulting futurist at Social Technologies involved working with Fortune 500 companies on a wide range of custom work from developing innovation platforms to organizing consumer segmentation and providing custom streams of observations of how consumer trends were manifesting themselves in everyday life.
I have a master's degree in Futures Studies from the University of Houston. I was required to take classes in futures research methods, strategic planning, systems thinking, and theories of social change, among others.
The combination of my work and educational experiences have provided me with a future-oriented view to present-day challenges facing organizations and has developed an understanding of various methods for developing innovative solutions for Fortune 500 companies from multiple industries.
Specialties: Consumer and technological trend spotting and analysis, Emerging media, Research, Writing, Futures research methods, Environmental scanning, Scenario planning, Systems thinking, Strategic planning, Visioning
Experience- Jan 2013 - PresentSenior Innovation Strategist / Engauge (US)
- Oct 2012 - PresentAssociate Director, Innovation & Emerging Media / Moxie
- May 2012 - Oct 2012Sr. Specialist, Innovation & Emerging Media / Moxie
- Nov 2011 - May 2012Digital Strategist / Moxie
- May 2010 - Dec 2011Trendspotter / Moxie Interactive
- Aug 2007 - Jul 2009Futurist / Social Technologies
- Apr 2007 - Sept 2007Graduate Researcher / University of Houston
- Jun 2007 - Jul 2007Intern / Social Technologies
- Dec 2006 - Jul 2007Futures Research Intern / Global Futures & Foresight
- Sept 2006 - Dec 2006Student Grader / University of Houston
- Jun 2006 - Aug 2006Mac Specialist / Apple Computers
- Apr 2005 - Jul 2005Intern / Democratic Party of Japan
- Feb 2005 - Jul 2005Language Teacher /
Education-
2006 - 2008University of Houston
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2002 - 2006Georgia Institute of Technology
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2004 - 2005早稲田大学
- Regent University
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Posts
- May 21, 13
As the Google I/O conference concluded last week, I was left pondering the future of Hangouts, arguably Google+’s most defining feature. Will they become accessible? Will more brands take advantage of this technology? Here’s a case for the Hangout, and why — with new integration features that make “hanging out” even easier — this technology could be a huge win for brands wanting to creatively connect with their fans/consumers.
Starting a Hangout can now be done from the Google+ homepage. The Google+ site redesign allows users and brands to start a Hangout with one click — similar to Google chat. From the home page, you can see who is available to Hangout and what Hangouts are live. And if they missed the start, they can head to a brand’s YouTube page to check out the live stream, which is captured automatically. Whew! So many ways to get in on the fun!
This ease of use allowed Outback Steakhouse to host a successful hangout on May 16, as all these new features were being rolled out. Outback launched its new menu as a Hangout, introducing its chefs and walking fans through the new offerings. Steak flights? Yes please! Outback also allowed fans to ask the chefs questions. The entire experience was very personal, and really made me want to eat there. Outback even has cake pops on its new menu! In addition to promoting this Hangout on Outback’s own G+ page, the hashtag #KickbackwithOutback was widely used across Twitter and Facebook. Behind the scenes pictures and offers were tied to #KickbackwithOutback, and the conversation is still going. This 360-degree program, with a Google+ Hangout at the center, was a great example of a brand diving headfirst into the technology and using all the Hangout features to capture an audience and make fans feel like insiders.
I suspect that more brands will flock to Hangouts, as consumers integrate them into their own, everyday lives. When your Google chat fails, users can always head to Google+ to start a Hangout and show their mom’s their new haircuts or give parents a tour of their new places. And next time, a consumer’s favorite brand will do the same thing with him/her in viewer’s seat!
*Allison Zimroth is a Social Media Supervisor at Moxie. If you ever need a restaurant recommendation, she’s a former Yelp Elite. Find out where Allison is eating @alpal_atl.
- May 17, 13
Google held its three-day I/O Conference this week at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. Since the end of last year’s conference, there have been a lot of rumors and inclinations about some of the platforms that Google has been working on. Moxie brings you the scoop on a few of the changes that Google has made, as well as the latest updates on what to expect by 2014.
1. Google presents its new streaming service: Play Music All Access
Google unveiled one of its latest and greatest at the conference – Google Play Music All Access. Similar to Spotify and Rdio, Google’s All Access music service allows users to stream songs onto their computers, as well as their Android smartphones. The service enables users to create their own radio stations based on their individual song preferences, as well as personalize the user’s playlist with recommended songs that are similar to the listener’s desired music, helping to create a better experience. What makes this platform so unique, compared to other services, is its feature that lets listeners preview the next song on the playlist with the limitless option to skip the tune by simply swiping it away on the screen. Currently, this service is available to the public for a monthly fee of $7.99, but Google plans to bring it back up to a fixed price at $9.99 a month. Get it while you can!
2. Google Wallet makes it easier to send/receive money with Gmail
Among all the great announcements that Google has revealed this week, the goliath company is also bringing Google Wallet to Gmail. Gmail users can now send money to their friends and family as an attachment on an e-mail, as well as receive incoming payments. In order for this to work, Gmail users must first create a Google Wallet account before executing any form of transaction. Once this convenient payment platform is made available for people to use to manage their money, it will potentially impose a threat to other online payment options. Users can anticipate using this service within the next few months.
3. Google unveils “Hangouts” to introduce its all-in-one messaging app
Google has finally announced its latest multi-platform messaging app that is similar to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger – Hangouts. This service lets user’s text, send pictures and engage in group video messaging – which is always fun to do. Yes, Google has had the ability to provide a seamless communication experience for users, but it was always divided amongst different platforms. Even though this service does not include SMS messaging, it does, however, include a watermark feature that alerts users when someone is typing and how much of the content he or she has read. A photo saving feature has also been included, which automatically saves all the pictures that have been shared while chatting via Hangouts. Since it took Google a while to join in on the unified messaging platform, it will be interesting to see how well it does in a market where some services are already thriving.
4. Google adds a voice to their search feature
Google plans to launch an updated version of its service with a voice search feature that replies to the user when using Google Chrome. People can ask the search tool a question by first saying “Ok Google.” Similar to Siri, Google’s Knowledge Graph will analyze the users question before offering a variety of answers and links. A notable feature for Google’s voice search is its ability to comprehend follow-up questions by identifying the pronouns within the questions when providing results. Although the upgrade is not available yet, it will be interesting to see how this platform will change the way people engage with online content.
- May 16, 13
Although Pinterest is relatively new and has yet to reach the critical mass of other social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, it appears to be a valuable mechanism to drive sales.
After all, it plays on the old saying: “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Who Uses It?Women are by far the primary users of Pinterest. In fact, Pinterest is second to only blogs as the source from which recommendations drive women to make purchases.
Interestingly, men are more inclined to purchase a product/service after discovering it on Pinterest.
Proof of Success
Certain industries fare better on Pinterest than others. A March 2012 study by Bizrate found that among U.S. shoppers who bought via Pinterest, the clothing and apparel and jewelry, handbags and accessories categories were the best performing.
A lot of research has been conducted to understand the impact of Pinterest and other social media platforms on purchase behavior. According to a 2012 comScore study, the buying power index (BPI) of Pinterest (149) was second to that of LinkedIn (214). The next platforms on the list were Myspace (115), Facebook (112), Tumblr (107) and Twitter (104). Ecommerce solution provider Shopify reported an average order value from Pinterest of $80— twice that of Facebook. RichRelevance attributed an order value of $168.83 to Pinterest, $94.70 to Facebook and $71 to Twitter.
Several brands have started experimenting with promotions on Pinterest. Sony Electronics made use of its “Sony on Sale” board to highlight sales. During May 2012, the company experimented with a weekly “Pin Deal” that would unlock after a minimum of 20 repins. Wayfair launched its “Match Me if You Can” campaign in August 2012 by pinning photos of living spaces from sources like Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It challenged users to find and pin five items from Wayfair.com to recreate the look. Every person submitting an entry received $5 in Wayfair rewards. The result was a 58% increase in average order size.
To read more about what brands are doing on Pinterest check out our article: Brands are Having Fun on Pinterest — Let’s Join Them
*Bibek is the Director of Research at Moxie. Follow him on Twitter @Bibvikas
- May 14, 13
In the last month, two entertainment companies — Prospect Park and Cinedigm — used online distribution tactics in different ways to drive viewership of their content. In February 2013, 83% of the U.S. Internet audience viewed online video and video ads, accounting for 23% of all videos, according to Comscore, showing audiences are ready and willing to view content online. Cinedigm used online as the starting distribution point, using BitTorrent—traditionally considered a taboo method of file sharing—to seed out 10 minutes of the character dramedy Arthur Newman, starring Emily Blunt and Colin Firth. Prospect Park used online as the end distribution point by using Hulu and iTunes to run its soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live, rebooting the shows after ABC canceled them from broadcast airings in 2011.
Using online content to drive users to act out of home (using online distribution to get someone to perform an action in the real world—in this case going to a movie)
For Cinedigm, BitTorrent users drove 1.4MM downloads of the repetitive Arthur Newman clip within five days and drove 150k clicks through to the website, generating an impressive 11% click-through rate. By comparison, the official trailer on Cinedigm’s YouTube channel had less than 20k views in 3 weeks. Although the BitTorrent stunt was useful in finding a creative way to reach a tech-savvy audience, it didn’t translate to box office sales, making just $108k in 248 theaters its first weekend — a poor $435 per theater average. Arthur Newman’s character drama plot didn’t align with what BitTorrent users actually like to watch.
The most popular BitTorrent download ever was the season premiere of Game of Thrones, beating the past record for the season premiere of Heroes — showing BitTorrent users prefer to download action/comic book/fantasy fare vs. other types of content, such as character dramas. In addition, BitTorrent users want to watch their content immediately, making it difficult to get them to take the extra step to get out of their houses and go to the theaters. Advertisers also need to make sure their strategies align with the content they are pushing — if the content targets18 – 34, especially males (BitTorrent Network skews 65% male), using BitTorrent would be a useful channel to seed clips, making it more likely that users would go to theaters.
Using out of home actions to drive users to view online content
After ABC cancelled All My Children and One Life to Live, Prospect Park looked to trusted environments Hulu and iTunes as exclusive channels to continue running the show. Gaining rights to the premium content was a boon for Hulu and iTunes, but the problem was how to convert the older female audience into watching online, while attracting new, younger viewers. To move the existing audience from TV to digital, Prospect Park used traditional media—print, radio, billboards and grassroots publicity—efforts to inform older viewers that their favorite soaps were moving to Hulu and iTunes.
To attract a younger target market, Prospect Park executed social efforts on Instagram, Tumblr, Get Glue and Google. Spoof ads based on popular memes (Goats Screaming Like Humans for the Return of One Life to Live) ran on YouTube with the intent of going viral. Prospect Park even ran ads in broadcast, although CW was the only network to accept ads. Other major networks, such as CBS and NBC, viewed the soap operas as direct competition to their shows and determined the ad money earned would not be enough to offset potential lost viewership. Within the first few days of release, the soaps climbed to the top of the download lists on both platforms, showing that using traditional media to drive an existing audience online can work.
Conclusion:
Online distribution can work as both a starting and end point to capture viewers, and the lessons from Cinedigm and Prospect Park show — like all media plans — brands need to tailor their strategies to the target audience and end goal. Cinedigm’s Arthur Newman experiment shows that effectively seeding content doesn’t necessarily translate to ticket buying—users are on BitTorrent to watch video immediately. Prospect Park’s tactics worked because they moved an older audience using traditional media tactics into the trusted environments of Hulu and iTunes. As brands launch new content in the evolving digital landscape, they should carefully evaluate sites in order to use them for what they do best.
*Sara is a Media Planner at Moxie. She is well-known around the office for her love of national parks, cat memes and terrible jokes. Follow her on Twitter @saraluckow.
- May 10, 13
Want to catch up with what happened in the digital world this week? Our weekly Cheat Sheet fills you in on everything you missed while you scrambled to meet deadlines and put out fires.
Read about Google launching a Trends Map feature to YouTube, Talkz giving users a multitude of options for communication, Isobar announcing the release of SeeItShopIt on Facebook, Target partnering with Facebook to drive more foot-traffic in stores and Clutch offering an all-in-one shopping app.
1. Google launches a new Trends Map feature for videos
Have you ever been the last one out of your group of friends, to watch a popular online video? Well, Google’s new Trends Map feature might be your answer. This new service helps users stay up-to-date by finding online videos that are trending in real-time. People can filter through the video content by age, gender and location in order to find out what the latest craze may be across social networks. Although this tool is still fairly new, it can potentially enable brands to use the data, based on the variety of viewership categories, with the aim of optimizing ad targeting.
2. Introducing Talkz, an all-in-one messaging app
In an effort to make mobile communication more idyllic, Talkz has unveiled a new platform for an all-in-one messaging app. The application combines several features, including text, voice message, doodle and much more. A notable aspect of this free application is that in time, it will learn the users’ voice, allowing Talkz to send an automated copy of your voice when delivering a message. As amazing as this is, is it not a little creepy that the app will clone your voice, allowing it to imitate you?
3. Isobar’s unveils the SeeItShopIt feature on Facebook
Isobar has partnered with Facebook to launch SeeItShopIt, a new platform that enables brands to create an interactive shopping experience directly within the users’ newsfeed. Facebook members can share a retailer’s collection simply by posting a link like a normal status update. Consumers can view the assortment of items that appears in the users’ newsfeed and gather more information about the details of each item without having to jump to another screen. Companies will be able to use this service as a new medium for brand engagement, as well as being able to enhance brand interaction.
4. Target teams up with Facebook to push shareable deals
In an effort to bridge the gap between digital and brick-and-mortar, Target is taking couponing to another level and adding a bit of a social twist through Facebook. Target has launched a beta test on a new app called Cartwheel that will automatically create Newsfeed posts within Facebook every time a user redeems a coupon. Even if a user chooses to turn off the feature, Cartwheel will give consumers the opportunity to discover and share personalized deals with friends. The beta allows users to pick and choose up to ten coupons– out of the hundreds of offers and deals on the site. Afterwards, users must head to their local Target and present their unique barcode in order to redeem an offer.
5. Clutch is the only app you’ll need when shopping
These days, people can be found ploughing through their smartphones trying to find a shopping app that provides the best deals – which can become a bit chaotic. Clutch is a personal shopping platform that hopes to ease the purchasing process by eradicating the need for multiple shopping applications. Once a consumer creates his or her collection of different products on the app, Clutch will begin to compare prices and then recommend the user to either purchase the product online or at a store to receive the best offer. This new shopping service will allow users to not only optimize their shopping experience but to provide brands with better user profiles.
- May 09, 13
The evolving digital landscape is changing the way brands must communicate with their audiences to establish relevant, timely and actionable dialogues. We must remind ourselves that while brands may operate in channels, customers most certainly do not.
It’s critical to find a way to talk to targets online and offline — responding to their fickle natures with an experience that adapts and changes as often as their minds do. They are on a consumer journey, and you must join them.
The first stop involves laying a strong foundation by defining your customers and truly understanding all of their nuances. Once you do this, you can communicate in their language about their passions at the right time and right mindset. Be smart about how you leverage available data angles to power your media and online strategies. Your data mining should include, among other things, site behaviors (what customers are doing on websites: searches, product interests, previous behaviors), environmental variables (the type of technology they’re using and their preferences for viewing content: screen resolutions, browsers, operating systems) and temporal elements (time of day, day of week and frequency. What did we say? How many times did we message them?).
The next step to bring it all together is data activation. You can’t manage the message unless you have the data to inform and confirm those consumer behaviors in a centralized place. For an omni-channel solution to be successful, you must have the following foundation elements:
1. Consolidated data for a holistic picture (offline behaviors, too) and a centralized analytics solution
2. Comprehensive data that includes all interactions (in-store, with call center reps, etc.), all contact points and channels
3. Distributable data available to distribute to channels so they can activate on it
4. Scalable data to ensure the targets and segments you are focusing on as a business are big enough to make an impactThen, take action by thinking big and starting small. Plan where you want to go with your data knowledge and determine what steps you need to take to get there. Begin thinking of this as a customer optimization challenge and not a media or site optimization issue. Buy-in from your company, media partners and vendors will all be critical, so showing the small wins from each step helps create the momentum needed to gain organizational alignment and support.
In this data-driven world, you can transform the way you work by using internal technology and creative support to understand how and what assets to create. Testing is instrumental, so look at the approach to the consumer problem from beginning to end — defining what information you want to track up front so you know if you delivered on the results and hypotheses at the end.
Customers are on a journey with your brand, so you must be ready to escort them on their way and stay top-of-mind. There are too many disjointed touchpoints in a customer’s experience; you must tie your key messages to a specific destination, connecting the messages to the promotion and aligning them with other touchpoints.
First, make sure your site is optimized to capture fundamental data and ensure your targeted messages are received as intended. Use site and display content targeted together as a single campaign to best speak to customers. If you have customers clicking banners, consider driving them one step further in the sales funnel and move them closer to conversion. Think about the entire site experience, and leverage the destination as much as the delivery mechanism to optimize their journey with your brand. A data management platform (DMP) should be used to collect, centralize, synthesize, analyze and optimize the data. Keep using the next set of data points to feed the data-centric ecosystem, enrich the next conversation and expand the customer journey.
You can also change the way your organization thinks about segmented data, and work to create a cohesive consumer experience across all touchpoints — including retail stores, call centers and online support. Creating a unified message does not mean using the same message across the board; instead, create an adaptive message that understands the customer’s need at each touchpoint.
Finally, focus on the end goal, which is not about driving the next sale but rather about better understanding your audience with every interaction. The more you know and the more data you synthesize, the faster your organization can react. Continue to learn more, make your tools work better together, break down silos and make the data actionable with a positive ROI.
In conclusion, make sure you:
1. Provide a relevant experience to a fickle, changing consumer
2. Speak to consumers knowledgably at every touchpoint
3. Capture ROI to prove the program, which leads to adoptionYou must effectively manage the messages sent to customers to help move them through the funnel from prospect to conversion. You are no longer just optimizing media; you are using an integrated solution that utilizes all sources of data and information about your customers to solve brand challenges.
*Brian DAmato is the SVP, Analytics at Moxie. He is a veteran in the digital space – working with technology, businesses, user experience and analytics to help transform teams into continuous learning organizations. Brian uses data, research, and insights to craft solutions and push the envelope in the spaces of big data and omni-channel user experience. DAmato has worked with Fortune 500 companies like Intel, General Electric, Delta Air Lines, and The Home Depot, and has launched two startups. Brian aligns business objectives and customer needs, with appropriate KPIs and available technologies to enable intelligent risk-taking for organizations. Brian has a Chemical Engineering degree from MIT and a MBA in Strategy and Finance from Goizueta Business School. He is the proud father of two children.
*Originally published in The Agency Post
- May 07, 13
“We want to use HTML5! We want to be bleeding edge! Everyone’s doing it!”
Welcome to the world of a web developer. Some brands and agencies seem to decide what technology should be used before they even know what their BIG IDEA is. The idea should drive the execution, not the other way around.
HTML5 is a fun buzzword for people to say when they want to sound tech-savvy, but the fact is that HTML5 is not always ready for prime time – YET. If you build with HTML5, expect various mobile device compatibility issues, cross-browser issues and Internet Explorer (IE) issues, which will be layered on top of the browser compatibility problems developers are already dealing with. Clients may say they want HTML5 and later tell you they also have to support IE7. You can’t have the same experience both ways. You will have to drop all of the HTML5-specific features to run your site in IE7.
News flash: Flash isn’t dead, it evolved
During the 2010 storm of HTML5 buzz, people had a tendency to say that HTML5 was the ONLY way to get advanced interactivity because “Flash is dead.” But Flash isn’t dead – it evolved.
Many designers and coders alike thought Flash was done for once HTML5/CSS/JavaScript could do the same basic animation, fades and transitions. Once Apple Inc. refused to run Flash on its mobile devices, that was the end of it, right? After all, Flash was invented to get animation and advanced interactivity onto the Web during a time when there was no other alternative.
But Flash is still widely used all over the world – for good reason. While some people were declaring the demise of Flash, Adobe added full 3D textured model and animation support. You can now build 3D experiences and games that look like something that would run on an Xbox.
Flash remains the only widely-used option for a browser experience that requires a webcam, and the only real choice for complex audio apps in the browser. Yes, you can do 3D animation and access the webcam in the latest version of Chrome (as proven by the recent “Oz” Google Experiment), but let’s face it – most agencies don’t spend their days helping to build Google Experiments for clients. Instead, they build cross-browser compatible experiences that target a wide audience.
Flash and HTML5 can work together
Believe it or not, there are still times when you can target the desktop user for the big, bells-and-whistles experience. Companies often build a rich, interactive experience in Flash for use on the desktop and build a separate mobile experience that complements it using HTML5 or native apps. Just because the experience is different on a phone, that doesn’t mean it’s less resonant with your brand.
Flash can now publish native apps for iPhone and Android. A 3D desktop browser advergame can also be exported as an iPhone or Android native app for iTunes or Android app store, while leveraging the same code used for the desktop. The Unreal and Unity 3D gaming engines now support Flash, bringing rich gameplay to the browser. Not to mention that you could also run Flash on a kiosk, connect it to a Microsoft Kinect and do some really amazing stuff.
It’s all about using the right tool for the job. Flash isn’t the cure-all, but neither is HTML5. They both have their merits. Instead of starting off by picking the TECHNOLOGY, start off by building up the IDEA. Then, choose the technology that allows you to best deliver that idea to your audience.
*Andy Makely is a Lead Developer at Moxie. When he’s not writing code, he can often be found playing blues guitar in local Atlanta clubs. Follow him on Twitter: @rendermouse.
- May 03, 13
Want to catch up with what happened in the digital world this week? Our weekly Cheat Sheet fills you in on everything you missed while you scrambled to meet deadlines and put out fires.
Read about Google Now’s expansion to iOS devices, chat apps outshining SMS, Snickers buying misspelled search terms on Google, a mobile app that monitors your car’s health and more!
1. Google Now available on iOS devices
After almost a year, Google’s mobile virtual assistant is now available for iPhone and iPad as an update to the Google Search app. Google Now provides users with real-time updates for the information they want the most; such as weather, traffic conditions, calendar appointments and flight itineraries. Google Now functions similarly as it would on Android — however, iOS users won’t get the same deep integration as users on native Google devices.
2. Messaging on chat apps surpasses SMS
For the first time ever, smartphone users have sent more messages via chat apps, such as WhatsApp, Kik and iMessage, than standard SMS. According to an analysis by Informa, 19 billion messages were sent through apps compared to 17.6 billion through SMS in 2012. It’s no surprise as social messaging apps are a cheaper alternative to messaging plans provided through mobile carriers. This shift in behavior will have a huge impact on mobile carriers in the future, as a big chunk of revenue is earned through text messaging plans — but for now, SMS is expected to help carriers pull in $127 billion by 2016.
3. Snickers bids on misspelled Google search terms
As part of the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign, Snickers partnered with Google to find the top search terms people misspell on the search engine and bid on more than 25,300 of them. Each time a user searched with one of the misspelled terms, a paid search ad directed users to yourenotyouwhenyourehungry.com, telling them to buy a Snickers. Within three days of launch, the campaign reached approximately 500,000 people within the target demographic.
4. Automatic app monitors driving habits
Connected cars are definitely a trend these days, and the Automatic app will help drivers get real-time information on their cars. A driver must plug the Automatic Link device into the car’s data port and download the app to get information on the car’s health, driving suggestions for better fuel efficiency, trip times, parking reminders and automatic crash detection that will contact 911 and loved ones. Automatic will be available in July for $69.95 and will support all gasoline-engine cars made in 1996 or later.
5. Isis ties loyalty to mobile payments on vending machines
Isis launched a pilot program last fall allowing anyone with Isis mobile wallet on his or her phone to purchase products from NFC-enabled vending machines. As an extension of this program, Isis has tied in a loyalty feature to more than 100,000 NFC payment terminals, so consumers can earn rewards for repeat purchases. Customers who make frequent payments at these vending machines will get their fifth purchase free. Isis aims to leverage this new loyalty feature to help drive traffic, create repeat business and improve brand loyalty.
- May 02, 13
7 out of 10 will switch products if the other product were to support a cause.
As consumers expect engagement from the brands they choose to use, causal marketing has proven to be a successful tactic. Causal marketing has the dual benefits of promoting a business while promoting a worthwhile cause/organization. In addition to the potential for increased brand awareness, sales and perception, causal marketing offers an advantage over the competition and presents an opportunity to attract a new and diversified customer-base who otherwise may not have known about or used your product.
*Ruby is a Senior Research Analyst here at Moxie. When not dorking out on research and data, Ruby is planning to cook her way around the world. Follow her on Twitter: @rubyllfeather.
*Alex Brannon is a sci-fi nerd and a designer at Moxie. New a website comped up or a random movie quote or a lengthy debate about how Breaking Bad is the greatest show ever? Then come on down! Follow him on Twitter: @Alexbrannon.
- Apr 30, 13
Society has moved beyond words into images as the preferred way of communicating. Between Facebook and Instagram alone, consumers are generating nearly 2.5 billion images every week. Add Pinterest into the mix, and it’s clear that consumers increasingly prefer to communicate with pictures rather than words.
“Blogs were one of the earliest forms of social networking where people were writing 1,000 words. When we moved to status updates on Facebook, our posts became shorter. Then micro-blogs like Twitter came along and shortened our updates to 140 characters. Now we are even skipping words altogether and moving towards more visual communication with social-sharing sites like Pinterest.”
William J. Ward, social media professor at Syracuse University (Syracuse, New York)
There are two primary sources for today’s visual imagery: consumers and brands. Instagram is heavily biased toward user-generated content, and Pinterest is dominated by images supplied by brands. The two sites represent a powerful combination of the things people want (Pinterest) and those things in action (Instragram).
The meteoric rise of Pinterest has caught the attention of several marketers. In February 2010, Pinterest launched with a couple of hundred, invitation only, followers. Two years later, Pinterest had 10 million followers in the U.S. and, according to Nielsen, in the following 5 months, that number grew to 27 million. A closer look at the demographic profile of Pinterest users is also very telling. According to Nielsen, in 2012, 70 percent of Pinterest users were female. No surprise. When they sliced the data by age, they found Pinterest users uniformly spread across ages 18–29, 20–49 and 50–64. When you contrast that with data from other popular networks like Instagram and Twitter, where most of the followers are in the 18–29 age spectrum, Pinterest becomes even more intriguing.
Given the female skew of the Pinterest audience, some brands seem to be a more natural fit with the platform than others—fashion and makeup brands would fall into this category. Brands that are a less natural fit are coming up with creative ways to communicate in this visual platform.
According to Online Media Daily, Pinterest is driving substantial results for brands. Unlike Instagram, images on Pinterest link back to brands. Those links have enabled Pinterest to become the Web’s third-largest traffic referral source. For numerous retailers and publishers, Pinterest has become their top referral source. The traffic converts, with average shopping cart sizes more than 75 percent larger than Facebook. That’s not surprising when you consider 70 percent of Pinterest users use the service to look for shopping inspiration.
These trends indicate that visual marketing should now be a big part of telling our brand story. Though we don’t have complete control over how consumers view our brand through pictures, as marketers, Pinterest gives us opportunities to push out content that is crystal clear about who and what our brand stands for. If we don’t present a consistent, clear, compelling and rich story of our brand, we risk consumers sharing a different version. An old ad by the Guardian sums up this sentiment nicely:
Every marketing campaign will naturally include word of mouth, so the goal is to give consumers conversation topics that create healthy images about the brand.
Pinterest offers marketers the ability to create/repurpose content to share their ideas, knowledge and sense of identity with their communities while deepening their brands’ stories.
Here are some great examples of companies using Pinterest to connect their brands’ stories to consumer needs in a visually intriguing way.
Red Bull: The Red Bull Pinterest boards are ideal for displaying the brand’s lifestyle. The product is an energy drink, but the company uses its sense of identity to look at travelling, memes, tattoos, stunts, pets and clothing. Red Bull appeals to men and women, by focusing its images around its slogan: “Red Bull gives you wings.”
General Electric (GE): Although General Electric doesn’t have an attractive product it can easily photograph, the company still prints a range of visual content related to the brand. General Electric also encourages users to submit personal photographs that demonstrate how the brand has inspired them.
Sony Electronics: Sony uses its boards to explore style, retro products, colors, room designs, tech art, brand ads and home photography. Sony comments on interior design in rooms that subtly include Sony televisions.
Pinterest offers marketers the ability to create/re-purpose content to share their ideas, knowledge and sense of identity with their community while deepening their brand story.
*Jennifer is VP Planning Director here at Moxie. She is passionate about brands and dogs — all dogs, but she has a soft spot for X-racing greyhounds. You can find her on LinkedIn.
