Augmented Reality Buzz: Google X Labs Project Glass

Do you remember those cool spy glasses you’d see in the movies? The ones that would let you map your way across unknown territory, talk to your friends, work on voice command, take pictures. Well it may not be so far out of your grasp. Google X Labs has been developing their their own futuristic, augmented reality spy glasses. It is a head-mounted display (HDM) that allows users to enjoy the perks of a smartphone using voice commands for en entirely hands-free experience. Users can call or text friends, take pictures and videos, map alternate routes to their destinations on Google maps, and so much more. Take a look at the video below and see the all the things you can do with with the Google HDM:

 

 

I think that it would be pretty interesting to see how this device would affect communication. Would it augment communication, or create a barrier? Imagine being on a date and thinking that your date is listening to your stories, only to find out they’re actually aren’t because they are preoccupied with the HDM. It is already bad enough that the world of text messaging is holding us back from one-on-one conversation.

The device itself is said to retail at approximately the same value as a high end smartphone ($250-$600), and is set to be available to the public near the end of 2012, according to a New York Times blog.

I’m still on the fence as to weather or not I would want one of these. I think it would be cool to try it out and pretend I’m in a mission impossible movie, but whether or not I would adapt to it instead of a tangible smartphone, I’m unsure. Time will tell. Keep up the good work Google.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Glass

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/google-to-sell-terminator-style-glasses-by-years-end/

https://plus.google.com/111626127367496192147/posts

When Social Media Commits Social Suicide: Social Media Failures

While social media has its advantages including low cost, credibility and connectivity, there are also some disadvantages. Prior to posting an update on behalf of yourself or any company, one should consider these potential downfalls. Social media has a lack of anonymity, therefore anything you post online can be traced back to you. Below are three recent social media failures.

First off, there is a high potential for harassment and negativity in social media. Regardless of how positive your post is, there are always those who will find a flaw and use it against you. Take McDonalds for example. They recently launched a few promoted hash tag trends on Twitter (#Meet the Farmers and #McDStories).  The generalized #McDStories trend was intended to receive positive feedback,  however horror stories of food poisoning and unhealthy food comments were posted instead.

 

McDonalds Starts Trend: #McDStories

 

Second, the connectivity aspect also goes hand in hand with the lack of anonymity. Yes it can be an advantage if posts and updates are done right, however when they are done wrong, serious consequences may occur. Just seconds after an update is posted, your viral views begin to grow, especially if it is a scandalous one. Take the Anthony Weiners case for example. The potential New York City mayor’s entire career was ended by one tweet. The married man accidentally tweeted some photos of himself shirtless and in his underwear to women on Twitter, without thinking the entire online world would see them. The indiscretion resulted in the end of his career, even with the televised apology released after the outburst. The lesson here is: think before you click. People love to gossip and spread the negative, and it all happens in seconds.

Anthony Weiner Scandal

 

A third common mistake in social media is that some people don’t always know where to post their updates. Post categories are crucial to the credibility of the post. You don’t post a used car ad in a fashion tab on Kijiji because it’s irrelevant to the category. A social network that has very fine lines about where you should post is Reddit. Recently, Woody Harrelson posted “I am Woody Harrelson AMA” in the AMA (Ask Me Anything) category on Reddit.

Woody Harrelson AMA

 

The AMA category contains treads where Redditors can ask questions about occupations and life (ex: I’m an electrician, AMA). Harrelson proceeded only to answer question about his upcoming movie: Rampart. This enraged Redditors, who then threatened not to go see the film. One user replied asking if Harrelson remembered taking a high school girl’s virginity, which he replied with “First of off, its not true, and second off, I don’t want to answer questions about that. Lets focus on the film people.” It was labeled one of the” worst AMA threads of all time” and an “epic fail from his PR team”. Needless to say, the rumours are out and Harrelson’s reputation dissolved.

The main lessons learned here are: be aware of what you’re posting, where you’re posting, and who’s going to read your post. Keep that in mind to avoid social media failures and keep your online reputation credible.

 

Sources:

http://gawker.com/5882852/the-reddit-user-who-asked-woody-harrelson-about-taking-a-high-school-girls-virginity-speaks

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/woody-harrelson-enrages-redditors-with-marketing-attempt_n_1257871.html?ref=technology&ir=Technology

http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/07/the-weiner-case-when-is-tweeting-cheating/

http://www.everyday-wisdom.com/social-networking.html

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/01/mcdonalds-mcdstories-twitter-campaign-gone-wrong.html

http://www.emberstudio.com/2012/01/social-media-gone-bad-2/

Marketers and their Monkey Business: Trends in Guerrilla Marketing

Every day, marketers strive to find creative ways to reach their audiences. One of those creative methods is Guerrilla Marketing. Wikipedia defines guerrilla marketing as:  “an advertising strategy in which low-cost unconventional means (graffiti, sticker bombing, flash mobs) are utilized, often in a localized fashion or large network of individual cells, to convey or promote a product or an idea.”

Typically, if done well, guerrilla marketing causes people to look twice and enjoy the concept presented to them. It will create a lasting impression that could then be passed along by word of mouth, photo sharing, and repeat visits.

“Done poorly, guerrilla marketing can make your company look like a nightmare. Done correctly, it is one of the single most powerful marketing tools.” –  Erik Hauser, Founder and Creative Director, Swivel Media

As mentioned in the quote above, a poorly executed ad could diminish your brand. For example: in an effort to promote a cartoon television show called “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”, the broadcasters placed several LED signs across Boston in 2007. Even though it seemed to raise awareness, the broadcasters forgot to notify the authorities of the purpose of these signs. As a result, these complex-wired signs were suspected to be bombs, and taken down by the state police. Turner Broadcasting had to pay millions of dollars to homeland security to solve the problem. See the picture below:

Boston Guerrilla Bomb Scare

The major advantages of guerrilla marketing are high exposure and significant long-term impressions. High exposure can also become a major disadvantage if the ad was done wrong. People are more likely to repeat negative comments than positive ones, therefore, they are more likely to tell their friends about a poorly executed ad. In order to avoid negative exposure, intensive market research should be taken into account, prior to putting a guerrilla ad on display.

As for local guerrilla marketing, I was able to witness one at Winterlude in Ottawa two years ago:

Rogers/Samsung Ice Phone at Winterlude 2010

This is an effective way to market Rogers and Samsung brands in a high traffic area. It creates a lasting impression because festival attendees can take photos of each other in the phone and share it with friends. It gets passed along by word of mouth. Also to the left of the photo, you can see a few phones frozen into the ice-wall, as a part of the display.

A few other examples of effective guerilla marketing include a coffee cup promoting a plastic surgeon’s business, a street ad promoting National Treasure the movie, and a lamp post promoting McDonald’s free coffee day. All of them are successful in generating awareness and lasting impressions. Take a look:

Free Coffee Day at McDonalds

National Treasure Guerrilla Marketing

Plastic Surgery Coffee Cup

 

Guerrilla Marketing really captures our attention and helps us appreciate the ad much more than just a regular print ad or commercial. We can relate to them, and in turn want to share them with others. Even if we don’t purchase what is being advertised, its all about awareness. I’d like to see more marketers advertise like this here in Ottawa in the not to distant future. Lets give them something to talk about.

 

Sources:

http://www.experientialforum.com/content/view/35/48/

http://weburbanist.com/2009/05/06/12-extremely-effective-guerrilla-marketing-stunts/

http://weburbanist.com/2008/05/06/5-great-examples-of-guerilla-marketing-gone-wrong-from-olympic-fumbles-to-bomb-scares/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_marketing

http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/guerrilla-marketing/the-80-best-guerilla-marketing-ideas-ive-ever-seen/

Check your watches Advertisers, It’s “Appy Hour”

Nowadays, developing a brand personality is no longer about creating entertaining advertisements, it’s about creating an experience. It is so easy to skip ads or fast forward through them thanks to digital TV’s and PVR’s, that the messages that these brands are trying to get across are not being heard. Advertisers have to try and find innovative ways of keeping consumers engaged  and focus on the utility of their brands. Many brands have yet to realize that:

“Content is not the end game here. The end game is giving the consumer value and utility. If the most value for the consumer would be derived from free shipping, or a new piece of software, or a better user experience, then doing a feature film integration isn’t the right answer.” Jonah Bloom, Advertising Age

In most cases, mobile apps are the way to go. According to a recent Neilson study, 40% of the US population are using smartphones.

% Breakdown of Smartphones in the US Market 2011

That 40% of the market have the advantage of downloading apps to make day to day activities more convenient. Marketers can use that to their advantage. As an iPhone owner, I use many different apps everyday. This includes anything from the traditional social media apps including Facebook and Twitter, to branded apps. My favourite “branded” apps are the RBC Mobile Banking app and the Weather Network app. These brand made a utility that brings the convenience of checking the weather or transferring money from one account to another, right to your fingertips. Another neat app is the Tim Horton’s Timmy Me. It shows all the nearby Tim Horton’s locations, your  Tim Card balance, nutrition facts, and even a convenient little note pad to take down orders. The app coincides well with the 5 brand utility “virtues”. It is interactive, helpful, interesting, relational and genuinely useful.

There are a couple local brands that have created apps to better reach their audiences. Place d’Orleans Shopping Centre has their own app which allows users to see promotions within the mall, check their Place d’Orleans gift card balance, an interactive map of the mall and links to the PdO’s social networks. Another nameable local brand is Hot 89.9. Their app allows users to listen live, enter contests, view the program guide and visit their facebook. Both these brands are reaching their audiences on a higher level. Users are carrying the brands everywhere with them.

A brand that I would like to see develop and app would be the LCBO. They have several different promotions year round that could also be promoted using an app. They could show their featured products, add tasting notes to popular wines, offer recipes and beverage pairings (like Food and Drink magazine). Also, they could add a gift card balance component, store locator and more. It would be convenient as it is one of the stores with the highest traffic in Ontario. It would be another way for the LCBO to reach their clientele on a more personal level.

In my opinion, the best brand utility at present is brand applications. More and more brands are going to see the value of developing these apps to better reach their audiences. Smartphone users, prepare yourselves!

Chart Link: http://www.intomobile.com/2011/09/01/study-smartphone-penetration-hits-40-of-overall-u-s-mobile-market/

To put it bluntly… we creep your Facebook.

Great news ladies! You can finally put those anti-aging creams away because social media marketers don’t give a hoot about your age! Research shows that marketers are more interested in your psychographics than how old you are. This is not to say you should say that you’re 25 on Facebook when really you’re 45. Be proud of your age, but more importantly, be proud of your interests. Talk about them, comment on your friend’s interests. Talk about everything you care about. Why? Because the internet listens! That goes for you too gentlemen.

In previous years, and even now, marketers have been investing a great sum of advertising dollars in demographic research. New products were advertised to a men and/or women of a certain age, with incomes between this and that. But nowadays, it’s all about the psychographics of a person, especially when it comes to harvesting information from social media sites. Although the adoption of psychographic research came about in the 1960’s, it has just begun to reach its potential.

I recently watched  a Ted Talks video where Johanna Blakley discusses how social media has reduced the need for demographic research and the dominance of women on social networks. She mentions how easy it is to falsify your age online, as well as other demographic attributes. With so many people connected to each other, advertisers can now find out who likes certain foods, where they go to purchase that meal, who goes with them etc. It is a giant web of personal characteristics and trends that connects everyone at one point or another.

Since social media is primarily dominated by women, female opinions and subjects are concentrated. It is an ideal place for marketers to target women, based on their psychographic data. A lot more advertising dollars will be spent on researching these psychographics in order to best reach an audience.

In my opinion, I don’t think that social networking is the end of gender segmentation. Although users are predominantly female, men also use these networks. I think using the right demographics, in addition to the psychographic information collected, will be necessary for great advertising. Also knowing which sites to look at for male/female opinions is key. If I we’re to research what men are thinking about on a certain topic, I might check out Reddit. For females, I would check out Pinterest. For both, Facebook and Twitter would be my “go-to” websites.

In short, social media research is going to help marketers find those psychographic details necessary for great campaigns, all the while keeping in tune with relevant demographic factors. Knowing where to look is also key.

So, ladies and gentlemen, help out your fellow marketers and start talking! Well typing that is.

Check out Johanna Blakley’s chat on social media here:

http://www.ted.com/talks/johanna_blakley_social_media_and_the_end_of_gender.html