People Love Free Stuff.

As a freshman in college, I observed my classmates signing up for multiple credit cards just to receive free tees, notebooks and other cheap tchotchkes. I did not participate in the free-for-all because, as God would have it, I was only 17 and too young to sign up for credit cards. By the time the hype had died down (along with a myriad of young credit scores) and I turned 18, signing up for free money had lost it's appeal for most of us college freshmen. And it didn't hurt that someone older and wiser, witnessing the insanity, started the rumor that signing up for so many credit cards was not only unwise, but it negatively impacted your credit score. In truth, most of us didn't know what a "credit score" was, but it sounded important and mysterious - and not something to be messed with.

I digress.

Considering the KFC debacle, which I fully enjoyed, it should be well understood that people (especially in this economy) love, love, love free stuff. Is it a sport? Is it out of necessity? Is it a combination of the two? I am not entirely certain. Regardless - our distant neighbors at Wizz Air in Budapest would have done well to take note of what happened with KFC before attempting to give away $49.95 free travel money on their airline - without ANY restrictions on using multiple vouchers for a single purchase.

See, Wizz Air thought it would be cool to attach vouchers to balloons and then, at a press conference for their 5th anniversary, release the balloons with the vouchers, providing consumers far and wide the opportunity to sample the airline at a reduced rate.

And... well, the unruly crowd LOVED the concept so much, they raided the net holding the balloons - popping them and stealing the vouchers.

Remember the part where I said the vouchers didn't have usage restrictions?

Niiice.

What can we learn from this, fellow marketers?

1. People Love Free Stuff.
2. Consumers will lose themselves in the frenzy of obtaining free stuff.
3. Your brand will potentially be lost in the frenzy.
4. There's a reason why moms everywhere say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" It applies just as much to daughters as it does grilled chicken and your brand.

TweetBoard

One of the challenging things with Twitter (among many) is the ability to sort through the data and follow conversations. On my own personal blog, and on this blog, I have a Twitter Feed that is allowing me to display my tweets. The difficulty is actually following these conversations. TweetBoard is coding that can be embedded into the site and allows blog/site readers to better follow related conversations happening on Twitter. It is a free application and the coding is in open alpha. A full article is here.

NeoReader

A picture is worth a... website? Cool site called NeoReader.com allows consumers to download an application to their cell phone that will convert pictures of 2 dimensional barcodes into hyperlinks to URLs. Very cool idea. Check it out! Are we in the future or what? Just snap a picture and go!

InstaPaper

I just got turned onto this cool new bookmarking site. So often I come across articles throughout the day that I want to read - but can't at the moment. I don't want to bookmark EVERY article I come across in my browser, but thanks to InstaPaper, it creates a page of articles that I want to read and then I can come back to it at the end of the day and spend more time with the information. I can access it on my cell phone or via internet. No real marketing application except a great way to stay up on research. Or celebrity gossip. You know, whatever.

stinkin' cool.

One of my coworkers sent me this link to GE's Holographic Windmill and I pretty much find it to be amazing.

How cool would this be for product demonstrations and virtual worlds??

Sites that Make Me Happy.

These are some sites that remind me of a world outside of my daily grind. They make me smarter and better at my job... and well, sometimes even better at life.

Site 1: KnowYourMeme.com
What is a "Meme" you might ask? It's an internet theme or a fad or trend (fads sometimes become trends). Those memes gaining momentum are well documented on the site, providing background stories and general information about the key players in the current memes. It's great if you are trying to figure out if what your brand is doing has been done before or if you can tap into a current pocket of internet excitement.

Site 2: 5-secondfilms.com
Important to know not for the sake of the information, but rather, the site's unique ability to tell a story in 5 seconds. I look at this site for a study of marketing theory rather than growing my marketing knowledge. This site is a dynamic reminder of the importance of strong brand positioning and target audience definition - and why each matters to the other. Think about it - character and plot development - all in 5 seconds. You know who the characters are and what happened and why it matters in 5 seconds. It makes me feel like 30 seconds is an eternity.

Site 3: Cracked.com
I Love This Site. It makes me laugh. It is sharp. It is funny. It is quick. It helps round out my brain's diet because while I need my fruits and veggies (industry trades), I also need a solid foundation of quick, sly wit to keep me going (bread!). Plus, if you've ever wondered where Men 18-34 go when they are not watching Sportscenter or Myth Busters, this will enlighten you. And so will Ebaumsworld. Pick your poison.

Site 4: Mashable.com
Love might not be a strong enough word for what I feel about this site. I crave it. Written by avid users of the 'net for avid users of the 'net, this site has lots to feast my brain on, with a heavy emphasis on social media. Delicious. Read it or miss out on everything important in social media. That's all.

Site 5: PopSugar.com
Yeah, basically the chick version of Cracked.com, this site is a conglomeration of sugary-sweetness. Targeting most things that interest women - babies, celebrities, food, clothing, etc - the site has mass appeal with a tone that sometimes makes me feel like no one else has discovered it. Read it so you can stay up on what female consumers are staying up on.

New Search Engine Concept

Check it out and let me know what you think - Spezify.com - courtesy of Dan Monfre up in Minneapolis. Thanks, Dan!

I liked it because I think it's kitschy and cute and it reminds me of the show Chuck on NBC (he has a computer of images in his brain). I think I will use it for image, broad topic, recreational searches, but I will probably not use it when I need to get down to business quickly.

The Paid Internet: Say it ain't so!

Well, I've heard rumblings about this for long enough that I finally decided to acknowledge this possibility and stop hiding behind a shroud of denial because I really, really don't want this to be true. Much like the free music sharing orgy of the 1998/99 school year (oh yeah - and the 1999/00, 2000/01 and 2001/02 school years, too), all good things eventually want to get paid for their good work. As websites struggle for ad revenue that paid for a good chunk of content, the concept of paying for online subscriptions will likely become more and more common place with higher quality content providers. As long as ad budgets are down, someone needs to pay for it.

I bet regular ole consumers are going to rue the day they ever looked down their noses at us advertisers. When the online population gets the bar tab for the information bender that we've been on, there are going to be a lot of people sobering up really quick.

Gotta Hunch?

A new website, brought to us by the folks at Flickr, launches today. The site is hunch.com and it makes recommendations for everything from vacations spots to lap tops based on how consumers answer a series of questions. Calling themselves a "decision engine" (sound familiar?), I personally liked it only because I am narcissistic and I enjoy answering questions about my likes and dislikes. However, from a practicality standpoint, I'm not sure how much I like answering a dozen questions about my likes/dislikes before getting a recommendation.

Let's take vacation spots, for example. Generally I like active vacations with hiking and I prefer water. I might travel in August. I probably would want to stay in North America.

All that said, if there was an amazing beach vacation in the Mediterranean for a reduced price in December, I'd probably make it happen because deep down - there is something alluring to me about traveling to Europe. I guess what I am saying is, when answering questions in a vacuum versus being presented with options/offers and browsing, I am still my own best decision engine.

Giving it away for free...

What does it say about your brand if your best way of promoting it is to give it away for free? KFC did this in May and in this economy, it's not surprising that over 4MM people cashed in on the offer.

But to me, giving something away for free or discounted, especially at the launch, under-sells the quality of the product.

My Twitter Beliefs

Ahhh, Twitter. If there was a thought bubble coming out of the collective brains of advertisers regarding Twitter, it would have been empty for a long time.

How do we use Twitter?
You can't easily slap an ad on Twitter because, well, the primary reason being that they don't take standard display ads. But the problem of Twitter is deeper than just a matter of display ads: once you decide to use Twitter as a tactic, the strength of your strategy is completely tested.

As we all learned in Marketing 101, all marketing plans should start with a marketing objective. Usually it's something like, "Generate awareness! Grow distribution!" Then you figure out the strategies you will employ to meet those marketing objectives. If the objective is to "Grow awareness and purchase intent of new product line," then you put together a Communication strategy that may include using PR, Advertising, Promotions, etc to help meet those goals. Strategies are based on both your objectives as well as insights about your product and your consumer. Once you identify the appropriate strategies (which should be based on insights from your target, geography, seasonality, etc as well as input from your brand positioning), THEN you look at specific tactics.

The problem is, we usually say, "Everyone is using Twitter! Quick! Get a Twitter account!" and then brands/agencies try to figure out what to do with Twitter. If you know what your brand hopes to accomplish and have a clear idea of your objectives, strategies and brand positioning, then it is abundantly easier to develop a plan of action for how to use Twitter. For example, BananaRepublic decided that their strategy for using Twitter would be to broadcast the latest sales and deals to drive online sales. So. Simple.

For brands that want to grow awareness of product benefits and attributes or change perceptions, they may spend more time developing the brand's personality or sharing product news (Apple tweets all of their conferences to generate excitement for new products/features).


How do people use Twitter?
A frustrating phenomenon among interactive specialists is a dichotomy between innovative thinking (what if we merged this application with this product and created... ) and an over-reliance on numbers without analytical thinking.

So when Twitter hit a "tipping point" and grew leaps and bounds, the numbers looked great! Yay! Brands, politicians, and pets all have Twitter accounts now. Hurrah!

And then the next month new numbers came out. It was almost like everyone found out the prom queen had herpes. "Did you hear that half of the people that use Twitter don't come back?" "Did you know that 10% of all Twitterers account for 90% of tweets?" Twitter was practically disgraced, there was a sense that the industry was looking the other way.

But I think those numbers need understanding. HOW do consumers USE Twitter?? I've found that more often than not, I just like to read Tweets. I like to see updates from Ashton Kutcher. I like to know where John McCain has been. I check out TwitPics and TinyURLs to get more information. And - gasp - I don't even have to log-in to Twitter to tweet and read tweets! I can tweet from my phone, Tweet Deck, Blippr, etc. I can read other tweets through RSS feeds on websites and blogs. More people are exposed to Twitter feeds than probably even realize it!

So what does Twitter become then? I read a great article that said that Twitter's usage patterns are more typical of Wikipedia than any other social networks. Of course it is! Twitter is a living, breathing search engine. When an episode of Lost airs, you can watch the trending as people talk about the characters and the story line. You can search for specific topics and find real-time information. In a lot of ways, it's similar to Digg because it taps into what people WANT to know about and not what media groups are broadcasting at consumers.

It should be no surprise that Google might be looking at Twitter as an acquisition target. What better compliment to Google than a dynamic, live tool?

Completely Gratuitous

Why is it that people falling makes me laugh? I wonder if there is some sort of deep and meaningful marketing truth buried in this observation - or if I'm really just 12 yrs old at heart.

Click here to see Bret Michaels take a fall.

Pixazza

For those of you DYING to know where you can find Angelina Jolie's tank top from her latest flick, sunglasses Nicole Richie wore to Trader Joe's or shoes Jennifer Aniston sported on a date to Nobu, Pixazza is now imbedding links in Gossip Site photos.

The links imbedded in the photos bring up items similar to the celebrity attire photographed. Sure, I might not be able to afford Jolie's designer style, but I might be able to afford the similar one at the Gap. It's just too bad they don't include a link to a similar personal trainer and metabolism.

The full article is here.

But I am not sure that this needs to be limited to just the clothes the celebrities wear. Why not also synch up advertisers offering other products, like cars, restaurants, etc.? Lauren Conrad likes to eat at outdoor cafes - why not advertise one in my area? Denise Richards enjoys a smoothie from Jamba Juice - here is a store locator for Jamba Juice! Miley Cyrus is making a speedy get-away in a black SUV - here's a hot looking SUV from Toyota.

Streaming Movies

Not to be outdone by Hulu, the movie studios are joining together to create a new streaming movie venture called Epix. This channel will live as part of a basic cable package and for those consumers who receive access to the channel via basic cable, they will also be able to stream the movies for free on their computers.

No commercials. None.

The folks at Mashable.com already poked some holes in this program. My hope and dream is that the movie studios make Epix available to all consumers, even if there is a subscription fee. And this could be a game changer for streaming video. It will definitely give Hulu and NetFlix a run for their money.

Bing - a more critical review

I love the premise of Bing.com . I love that it is forward-thinking concept and is attempting to herald in a new era of consumer-centric search. I love that it is attempting to be a fresh idea in an economy that is emphasizing a "hang on to your hats" mentality. While there are a lot of theoretical things to LOVE about Bing.com, it's time to get critical.

Before I do, though, I want to caveat my review with the fact that I had lofty hopes and expectations for a "decision" engine that is being launched with $80MM+ in media spending.

That said, I performed side-by-side searches on Google.com and Bing.com to really understand how searches look for each of them. Below is a comparison using an area of purported strength for Bing.com (travel) and a random search term to see how the search engines handle them.

Search #1: Las Vegas

Google.com returns sponsored results, a map and a tourist destination site. Bing.com returns sponsored results, websites and a handy left-hand navigation bar that helps refine the search into top categories. To categories include: Hotels, Weather, Attractions, Tourism, Images. A quick click on "Tourism" reveals a map with corresponding links to locations in Vegas. Click on "Weather" and the three-day forecast is listed at the top, followed by additional links.

Not bad for Bing.com .

But my expectation/hope had been that Bing.com would learn what consumers wanted when they searched for Las Vegas and return examples of flights, weather, and some hotel rates unprompted. Is Bing.com wildly better than Google in this arena? Not really, but it is better at any rate.

Point for Bing.com

Search #2: Toyota

Not necessarily an area of strength for Bing.com, but I liked what I saw here. Again, same left-hand navigation that allowed me to narrow in on specific categories / areas: Cars, Dealers, Financial, Used, etc. I like that the first listing after the search query included the customer service number - SO helpful! When I clicked into the "Dealer" category, the engine displayed a map with a ranked order of the closest dealers to my location. NICE!

Google returned the usual sponsored results and myriad websites. The more I search, the more I like the Bing methodology.

Overall

So yes, I like Bing - it's easy to use and it does a nice job helping me filter to a more qualified search result. Like a lot of consumers, I often search for the broad topic (ie., restaurants) and Bing helps me take the rest of the guess work out of what I am looking for by suggesting locations and cuisine, which I like. But is Bing different enough to set itself apart? From my standpoint, the difference in search quality is subtle and may be missed by the average consumer who is used to "Googling."

From a marketing stand point, anything that helps consumers move down the decision funnel is beneficial. It will be interesting to see how their left-hand navigation that allows for more specific categories will impact search term success. Something I've read in research is that consumers often find the sponsored search results to be as helpful (and sometimes, more helpful) than organic results. It seems like a search engine's efforts to narrow a consumer's focus will only benefit advertisers.

Google Squared

I can barely contain my excitement! While the rest of the world is Bing-ing, I came across a link to the most amazing Google invention EVER!! Ok, well, not EVER, but close. As an equal opportunity lover of spreadsheets (any size, shape, purpose - I love them all!), the fact that this is an INTERACTIVE spreadsheet just blows my mind! I love it!

Check it out at: Google.com/squared

Consumer Application: This is great for quick comparisons of information, especially when you know what you are looking for with regards to specific categories or brands. If you click on a square of information (ie the price of Toyota Corolla), it shows all of the sites in the query that site a price for the vehicle. Play around with it and tell me you don't love it!!

Marketing Application: Could this application live on corporate websites for comparing products on the site? This would be a great app for retailer sites, too - cars.com, target.com, etc.

Bing!

Bing.com, the new "decision" engine is live. It's subtly different from other search engines. I will post more once I've spent more time with it.

Flying is Funny

Check out AirTran's new promotion. They are having a comedian flying for one month, all around the country - and blogging live from the plane using the available WiFi.

I love this use of blogging because it is so tied in with one of the hottest features/benefits of flying with AirTran. Great interactive programs are born out of a tight alignment with the message being conveyed. I love it!


http://www.markonairtran.com/Public/Main.aspx

How do you Tweet?

An Ad Agency in NY has a keg that tweets every time a beer is poured. Kind of funny.

http://twitter.com/tweetingbar

Hopefully no one sees the need to add that kind of functionality to, say, the bathroom facilities. Or, even worse yet, the front door of the office. "Em has just arrived. 10 minutes late. Tweet."

Mashables.com, my new favorite website, had a great article on products that tweet. An office chair that senses ... human gas... and then tweets about it? No thank you. But a device that tells me how much energy I'm using in my house? That's a sweet tweet!

How do you tweet?

Wolfram+Alpha=Nerdtastic Good Times!

For those of you not familiar with WolframAlpha.com, I am so sorry! Because I love knowing stuff this site is chocked full of facts and figures. The site does not search other websites for answers to your queries, which means that the answers you get are precise - and sometimes the site does not have answers for more obscure questions. But I will take a precise answer over an arbitrary answer provided by HotMama22 in Omaha, NE.

What does WolframAlpha.com mean for the average marketing joe? I'm not sure yet. But wouldn't it be cool if an advertiser could sponsor some of the answers? For example, if you asked a distance question like, "How far is the sun from the moon?" the site would return real answers as well as how many tanks of gas it would take for a Toyota Corolla to travel the same distance.

Anyway. Just a thought. Otherwise, I just like this site. And sometimes that is enough for me.

The Joy of Media!

"They" (parents, teachers, friends, pastors, mentors, counselors and pets) always say, "do what you love." And when you do what you love, it's not work (but sometimes it is). And if it's not work, then it's just pure joy, most days (but not always). I mean, "they" always say other things that are true, but not 100% fun, like, "Eat your vegetables" and "Get 9 hours of sleep." But I would say, if "they" were to provide one more piece of unsolicited advice (but it's never just one more piece... it's more like, ten more pieces) it would probably be "where there is marketing/media, there is joy." And I would say to them, "Almost." And my mom would add, "and grandchildren." (she works it into most conversations - "Would you like some ham salad? And then maybe you can get me some grandchildren?" and then my response is usually, "Mom, what in the world is HAM SALAD?")

Hopefully this blog will become a forum for good conversations about current trends in media/marketing, especially digital trends. And maybe some constructive familial venting. But mostly media.

So let the fun begin!