Taking just a moment out of your busy holiday season for a shopping fix…
Social Shopping as a phenomena is getting more and more press as we (as marketers) start quantifying the results of what we (as shoppers) have instinctively known for awhile – personal product vouching means something. Quite a lot, in fact.
What’s also interesting is that it’s through the social-review mechanism, finally, where the internet begins to trump that “but you can’t hold it in your hand” advantage that in-store experiences offer and websites don’t. Yes, you can hold it in your hand in the store. But you can be led to a product you never would have dreamed about through social review networks such as wists.com, and you can have a tribe of commentary making you feel comfortable (or uncomfortable) about that purchase through product reviews.
Who does a great job of combining product reviews, customer-generated content and drives massive loyalty/participation and tribe-building as a result? Threadless.com - check out all the pictures users submit of themselves wearing the products they bought. Doesn’t that tell you more about the fit of that shirt than any measurement listing? AND doesn’t it make you want to be part of that group?
And check out the direction I sincerely believe the future of online shopping is headed: wists.com. Warning: you may need to save this for lunch; once you start browsing it’s hard to stop. Which is exactly the point. Christmas season is coming up, people. Time to shop. Let’s see where this social train is headed.
Read more about social shopping in this marketingvox.com article.
The LA times printed an interesting article that talks about a new Microsoft Live Search service offering that will allow users of windows based mobile phones to perform searches via voice commands. The two most challenging limitations with mobile phone applications are the size of the screen and the input options. Adding voice and speech recognition to mobile search seems to be a great solution to the input problem. Although, I remain highly skeptical of how well it can work after viewing this demo. Regardless of how well it works, kudos to Microsoft for trying to one up Google with some new cutting edge search services.
Have you ever Googled yourself? A friend or family member? A job applicant or new potential boss? Try it!
As more and more of the worlds information is being indexed by the search engines, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor your “online profile.” As I am sure everyone went and searched their name after reading the first line; what did you come up with? Was there anything that you would prefer was not showing up or some content you wished appeared higher in the results?
This concept of “online reputation management” is becoming a must for every business whether they have a web presence or not. Reviews, ratings, testimonials, videos, and more, are becoming common place within the search engine results. There are numerous tips and tricks that can be implemented to help improve your online reputation, but the first step is to take a look. A large amount of companies and individuals seem to forget about it and are losing money, potential clients, and brand reputation because of it.
Does your business effectively monitor your reputation online???
In this day and age of Internet-savvy searchers, online shoppers, and technology enthusiasts, it is no wonder that people are going online more and more frequently to express their thoughts and opinions. Forums, chatrooms and polls are just a few of the ways users known as “passionistas,” or consumers passionate about certain issues, can express their opinions.
Blogs, such as the one you are visiting right now, are a great way to market, promote, or connect with certain brands, issues or products, so why not spread the word on the resource with the widest reach? I think everyone is a ”passionista” about something, so it is easy to use the Internet as a channel to create an open discussion and spread knowledge on an issue.
Here at Geary, we have people who are passionate about everything from mobile technology to tropical fish, so it’s no wonder this blog (and our office) is inundated with information on all things creative. What are you passionate about and how do you get the word out?
The rapid growth of online video has created a lot of interest with marketing professionals on how to best utilize video content websites as a marketing platform. While many video websites are looking for an effective means to index and tag videos, You Tube has also been busy revolutionizing the method of distributing advertisements to online video viewers.
Recently, You Tube introduced a new “semi-transparent” advertising overlay that covers the bottom 20 percent of the screen for up to the first 10 seconds of the video being played. According to You Tube, these advertisements are less annoying than the “pre-roll” video ads that are currently being used on other video sites.
The distribution method is based on the same principles of targeting traditional broadcast TV, (age, sex, geography and genre) combined with the measurability of online marketing mediums such as banner ads. Currently, there are about 20 advertisers using the “semi-transparent” advertising including New Line Cinema and BMW.
Google has announced that it will soon begin showing AdWords ads on its Google Mobile Search page results. Formatted for mobile devices, however, only ads with landing pages that can be seen on the tiny screen will be shown.
Google has implemented an “opt-out” feature, binding existing advertisers to be included in the mobile search unless they specifically configure their AdWords account to prevent it.
While many marketers and technology gurus are anticipating to this avenue of advertising, other users are finding that there is no place to hide from the burden of advertisements. What do you think?
As the online channel becomes more and more prevalent among users of all ages, we are starting to see the same trend across the board - people turning on their computers as opposed to dialing the radio knob, flicking on their TV, or flipping the page in the magazine.
According to eMarketer, online advertising spending is projected to outweigh radio advertising spending for the first time. This doesn’t mean that people are going to completely shut out radio as their form of entertainment or resource for information, but the Internet is quickly providing more and more alternatives to the traditional channel.
One example of traditional radio crossing over into the online world is online streaming, which many radio stations now provide. Some local San Diego favorites are Smooth Jazz 98.1 and Channel 933 FM.
The iPhone has caused quite a craze since its June 29 launch, with everyone getting in line and online to purchase the cell phone that also functions as a mini-PC. However, AT&T is now facing a problem with the ability for people, such as 17-year-old George Hotz, to hack into the mobile device.
Hotz hacked his iPhone and unlocked it so that it could be used on a variety of cell phone networks, and then decided to turn around and sell it for a hefty return, including a new Nissan 350Z sports car and three new iPhones. Terry Daidone, owner of the cell phone refurbishing company, CertiCell, has not only agreed to purchase the hacked iPhone, but has also agreed to hire Hotz to teach CertiCell’s technicians how to unlock other kinds of cell phones.
Is this really a positive example being set? Hack a cell phone and get a car, three new phones and a job? Although the tech-savvy work executed by Hotz is impressive, I don’t expect AT&T or Apple would be too happy if the mastery behind the hacking was leaked.
Watching commercials on TV is quickly becoming the trend of the past. With the broader reach of online Web 2.0 tactics, commercials are turning up online more and more. The latest company to try this innovation is Carnival Cruiseline, making a “Funship Island” virtual experience for users to try out everything from the ship’s piano bar, sundeck and karaoke lounge to onshore activities.
Using interactive websites for businesses, products and services is becoming the new way that companies are reaching out to consumers and appealing to them on a deeper level. As web sophistication increases and more and more marketers take advantage of the medium, we can expect to see a lot more sales activity online.
Google started expanding its Google Maps program across Southern California, and anyone who got in the way of the camera lens became subjects in the online map views.
The additions in the Google Maps program include cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and some Orange County cities, as well as Houston and Orlando. While some bloggers, teens and Internet technology enthusiasts were excited about the advancement in the tracking technology, some who were actually caught on camera became uneasy with the invasion of their privacy.
I myself was even caught leaving my office building at lunchtime one afternoon! What is your opinion on this detailed tracking? Should Google have the right to show people in such detail that you can identify exactly who they are, where they are and what they are doing?
