The First 36 Hours

So I have had the new phone for about 36 hours and I have already Tweeted that it makes my Blackberry seem like a stone tablet and chisel. The apps are amazing and when I install them, it takes seconds. I don’t have to reboot my phone or rub my belly and pat my head to make them work either. Swype isn’t the obnoxious circa 2005 predictive text- it makes you look like a magician. (Thanks to @VegasBill for the great analogy. You should follow him on Twitter.)

This phone can be organized and managed exactly like a computer, which I have been saying Blackberry should have done. There is an app that kills apps that run in the background, you can create folders on your home screen to store groups of apps and attachments are easier to view, save and access. I can even send messages from an elevator.

I was in Walgreens yesterday morning before work and there was a woman holding up the entire line. She kept pushing the same key over and over on a phone similar to my old one. I felt frustrated for her, because I had been in her shoes MANY times. Just last week, I was standing around awkwardly, oblivious to my surroundings, just trying to get that message out!

Last night, I decided to go on a food truck tour. Unsure of the best way to get to the next stop (and secretly wanting to test my phone’s navigation) I typed my destination into the GPS and pressed navigate. A robotic female voice began directing my journey and suddenly, my best friend’s voice popped onto the speaker.

Her: “Hello?”

Me: “Hello?”

Both: (Laughter) “Hello?”

Me: “Did I just call you or did you call me?” (My thought: “There is something wrong with this phone, I knew it!”)

Her: “I called you.”

GPS: “In 200 ft make a slight right onto blah, blah, blah.”

Me: WHOA, did you hear that???!”

Her: (Laughing hysterically now.) “No, hear what?”

Me: “My GPS is talking on my phone AND I can hear you too!”

We’ll end there. (Hopefully my auto insurance company doesn’t read my blog.) The phone simultaneously operates GPS Navigation and calls when it is in Car Dock mode. This is amazing. It might not be so amazing when you are lost and I am not really sure how the call got picked up.  Did I touch the answer button by accident? Not sure. All I know is she could hear me and not the navigator. I will definitely  have to explore this feature a bit more. There is undoubtedly a lot to learn. If you are impatient or become easily annoyed by an abundance of choices, you may want to keep the phone you have. I on the other hand, am loving this so far.

Breaking the Habit

After years as a hardcore Blackberry addict and brand fanatic, my evolving mobile needs have left me feeling like the all business smartphone is too archaic and antiquated. I am going Android.

I will be brief, but I feel you need a bit of background. In case you have not read my past blabbering or bio, I am a marketing professional and entrepreneur. My company offers social media services to its clients. I’ll stop there, because like you I don’t want to hear another person (myself included) go on and on about how they are a social media guru, specialist, expert, phenomenon. The basic idea is that I run many accounts, I have many followers, friends, fans, etc. on each and I need to access all of it on the go.

Apparently the average Blackberry user should have one Twitter and one Facebook with a maximum of 250 friends on each and God forbid you want to check-in on Foursquare! The GPS will have you in the nearest lake and then comes the old, “oops, your phone thinks you’re a little too far away.” Yeah, you’ve been there.

So I need a more robust system with better apps and I have T-Mobile. An employee of ours recently went Android and loves the MyTouch 4G. I do some research on CNet and after one more weekend of botched check-ins and white screening mid-Tweet, I decide to make the switch and get over my fear of touch screens, splashy graphics and preloaded games. I bite the bullet and go buy the Android phone…

In the store, I almost grabbed my old Blackberry and ran for the door twice. I was sweating and my stomach was churning. I kept thinking, “What am I doing?” over and over again. I watched the salesman “Swype” and navigate like a champ and chalked it up to him sitting in the store all day practicing. I turned to my partner and told him I would never be able to use “this thing” and confirmed the 14 day return policy.

Why The WHO Needs To Butt Out Of The Booze Biz’s Buzz

I have to respond this… “World Health Organization Calls for an Online Detox of Alcohol Ads” http://bit.ly/9OLjYG because the WHO is being absolutely absurd, stupid and unreasonable. These companies are not advertising to teenagers via social media. Check your demographics, World Health Organization. The fastest growing groups in the world of social networking are predominately 25 and older! You don’t see these companies rolling out programming on MySpace! The future of marketing is in the digital space and these companies are doing nothing but adjusting their strategies to remain relevant. Who is the WHO to handicap an ENTIRE industry based on assumptions, poorly researched data and inaccurate information?

Maybe the WHO should read the recent study published on WebMD this week siting that moderate drinkers (those who consume 1-3 drinks per day) not teetotalers, are most likely to lead a healthy lifestyle? (Click here to read: http://bit.ly/9AsaHi) As Warren Riddle points out, I don’t see them going after McDonald’s and their 2.5 MILLION fans and 1-3 servings from there per day will land you 6ft under!

If the WHO were smart, they would launch their own creative social media campaign about the dangers of alcoholism and incorporate it into the alcoholic beverage industry’s online activations by requiring them to have a link to the WHO PSA/campaign on the main page of each their online efforts (Twitter homepage, Facebook, website, etc). (By the way, that one’s free WHO.) I for one, will not be told who I can friend, fan or follow. That is taking public policy too far. At some point we have to accept that humans were each born with their own brain, to think for themselves.

Ashton Kutcher: Mr. Social or Mr. Hype?

Ashton Kutcher’s moves to monetize the socialsphere have generated so much momentum that he landed on the cover of a recent issue of FastCompany. He makes claims that he will fuse Madison Avenue with Hollywood to create splendid, digital marketing solutions for brands. Kutcher’s company is primarily a film studio, not a marketing firm. He has the most followers of anyone on Twitter, but he is not a social media guru. People follow him because he is famous. He did not earn these followers by posting fascinating information or by engaging the general public. With that said, there is a major disconnect between what Mr.Kutcher has experienced in the social media forum and what the everyday consumer experiences in that space. I believe that his company, Katalyst is creative and they are wise to move their film making expertise into the digital space, however, I think there is much to be examined before portraying them as a valid, future marketing vehicle.

Social media is a platform that does not mesh particularly well with the typical, Madison Avenue campaign addiction. Additionally, Hollywood has traditionally been viewed as one of the most insincere environments on the planet. With that being said, it seems highly unlikely that the fusion of these three things will provide much in the way of a long-term success. It reminds me distinctly of the beginnings of celebrity seeding in the nightlife and entertainment world a few years ago. Every vodka wanted to be on Paris Hilton’s table in the hottest club, where she was paid to host and party, until people caught on and stopped caring.

Consumers are travelling to the social space for different reasons, but once they arrive there, they are likely to see through plastic campaigns, celebrity endorsements and Hollywood hype. I hope Katalyst has plans to incorporate some serious, organic marketing strategies based on real life topics and conversations if they plan to help shape the future of this great arena instead of ruining it. There is nothing wrong with monetization, but social media marketing efforts shouldn’t require Hollywood budgets or flaunt cumbersome, ad-like, campaigns. The value of the channel is in the human interaction. Did you run out and buy a Nikon camera because Kutcher was paid to appear in their ads or did you buy Brand X because it received higher consumer ratings and was voted best value in the consumer review forum where real people shared real experiences?

-BrandMaven

The Value of A Creative Stretch

Stretching your creativity to the outer limit will prove valuable to you and your clients. During this tumultuous recovery period, those who are able to offer more for less will often win business. Set yourself apart by stretching your creative talents and you’ll find it easier to stretch your clients’ funds and surpass their expectations. Make sure you stay hungry and push yourself and your employees to extend their initiatives well beyond the realm of “traditional” and “comfortable”. Bold,innovative moves and multi-tiered programming are the only way to make any impact these days.

Many will sit back and rest on their laurels, offering the same-old conventional tactics and widespread, one-dimensional agendas. No one has the tools to succeed based on these simple, out-dated standards and the coming years will showcase those who take creative risks and embrace change by making it work to their advantage.

-Brand Maven

This Month’s Marketing Blooper!

Sounds like... Hot Guys

This was the way the marquee for our Iowa Hawkeye Pre-Orange Bowl event before 8pm and after. I guess the guy in charge of putting up the letters isn’t big on sports or common sense. So, our own event’s silly mistake has inspired me. Each month I will post the blooper of the month and a little blurb for your entertainment. Enjoy!

-Brand Maven

Email Marketing: Is Time On Your Side?

There is much debate regarding the effectiveness of email marketing. When our company began offering digitized solutions like SMS Campaigns and Social Media Strategies, the statistics showed a definite decline in open rates, but I would not write the practice off, instead, I would spend some time evaluating a brand or company’s email marketing strategy.

Email marketing is not terribly expensive and can be a great way to reach those clients and contacts with whom you have an existing relationship. It is a direct form of communication in a world where that is a fading notion. It can be personalized or promotional and it is my opinion that more companies would see better results if they paid more attention to those pesky data charts their email marketing service or department provided.

When I look at my diagnostics, I notice that there are some undeniable patterns. I also notice that I quite frequently get an episode of  workspace “ADD” between the hours of 2 and 4pm. If you send me an email about shoes, pictures of winter or your latest promotion between the hours of 1 and 3pm, there is about a 75-80 percent chance I will read it. The closer you get to my lapse in attention span, the better. If you send me anything before I get to work, my SPAM radar is in overdrive. When I open my email in the morning, I am scanning for essentials only and a sweater promotion or handbag blowout is certainly not on the list.  The same holds true for late emailing. After 4pm, I am refocused on getting all of the day’s communication finalized and although I often work for several more hours, I am once again, only scanning emails for the essentials and direct client communication.

It is shocking how often companies overlook something as simple as open patterns. I would say about 80 percent of the email marketing I receive is sent to me during the “essentials only” phase of my email use. Make sure you pay attention to the numbers and keep time on your side. It seems ridiculously simple, but tons of brands and companies ignore the numbers every day.

- Brand Maven