s February 2011 Trend Briefing covering CITYSUMERS
The INTERNET OF CARING THINGS means connected objects that serve consumers' most important needs: physical and mental wellbeing, safety, security, oversight of loved ones, and more. You're probably already familiar with the innovations that have blazed an early CARING trail. The Nest smart thermostat*, NIKE fuelband and Fitbit, for example.
A new way to measure word-of-mouth marketing - McKinsey Quarterly - Marketing - Strategy
Consumers have always valued opinions expressed directly to them. Marketers may spend millions of dollars on elaborately conceived advertising campaigns, yet often what really makes up a consumer’s mind is not only simple but also free: a word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted source. As consumers overwhelmed by product choices tune out the ever-growing barrage of traditional marketing, word of mouth cuts through the noise quickly and effectively. Podcast
Content Pays
Here's a newsflash: people will pay for content online. You may think that the statement above runs contrary to everything we know about the Internet. From music and the torrents to pay walls at newspapers and magazines. Mostly, the people who are complaining that consumers will never pay for content are the ones who are simply taking their content from its traditional form and migrating it to the digital platform. Beyond being able to deliver true value online (more on that here: People Pay For Value - Their Value, Not Yours), consumers have not really felt the need to pay for content.
Andy Grove: How America Can Create Jobs
Recently an acquaintance at the next table in a Palo Alto (Calif.) restaurant introduced me to his companions, three young venture capitalists from China. They explained, with visible excitement, that they were touring promising companies in Silicon Valley. I've lived in the Valley a long time, and usually when I see how the region has become such a draw for global investments, I feel a little proud. Not this time.
Gabriel Dawe - Installation Artist
It's The Cool Hunter logo as an art installation. Gabriel Dawe's colorful 'Plexus installation is currently showing at the Dallas Contemporary in Texas. The construction is made out of gütermann thread, wood and nails attached at either end to blocks of wood, the effect is like a real-world version of computer generated imagery. Stunning.
65% of internet users have paid for online content
65% of internet users have paid to access or download some kind of digital content. Music and software are the most common kinds of content purchased. Nearly two-thirds of internet users – 65% – have paid to download or access some kind of online content from the internet, ranging from music to games to news articles.
There is no spoon
It’s a pretty safe assumption that if you’re reading this blog, you’ve seen “The Matrix.” And you may or may not remember the scene where a kid explains to Neo that the trick to bending a spoon with your mind is simply to remember that, “There is no spoon.” So it is with marketing. One thing I learned very early in life, thanks to intentional overuse of psychedelic drugs, is that there is no reality. As a guy at the commune once put it: “The reality is, there is no reality.” So some guy says his iPhone 4 is having reception issues.
5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now
What's the first thing young women do when they wake up? Check Facebook. How do enterprise employees pass the time at work? With social media. With so many studies highlighting ever-accelerating social media usage rates, the conclusion is obvious — social media is everywhere.
7 Top Online Marketing Trends for 2011 [Data Included]
Heidi Cohen | January 10, 2011 | 23 Comments inShare319 Social media's influence expands. Shovel and Twitter in hand during the post-Christmas Snowpocalypse, Newark Mayor Cory Booker showed that 2011 will be about being connected, showing up, and responding to customers' needs. Like Mayor Booker, online marketers will require more than social media marketing. Further, as Mayor Booker demonstrated, an integrated approach is essential for achieving your goals.
A Look Back at the Last 5 Years in Social Media
In honor of Mashable's five-year anniversary, this series is supported by IDG. Customers are talking about your brand and products — find out what they are saying with IDG Social Scout. Five years ago, YouTube was just getting started, MySpace was the most popular website in the U.S., and Facebook was still limited to college and high school students.
Social Anticipation: Using the Intention Web for Experience Marketing
Jeremiah Owyang coined the term “Intention Web” to describe social media which captures and promotes users’ future plans. Where the asynchronous web is about the then, the real-time web is about the now, Intention Web properties are about the later. Event and experiential marketers seem to have been focused on using social media as a sort of historical record of their activities, posting content, including transcripts, photos, videos, Powerpoint presentations etc. after the fact.
The Mac Versus PC Debate Has Never Been Clearer
“Our goal is not to build the most computers. It’s to build the best.” That was Apple COO Tim Cook two days ago during Apple’s quarterly earnings call. Sure, it may sound like spin from an executive who doesn’t have a better answer as to why Apple isn’t competing in the low-end of the market, and thus, gaining market share.
Six Social Media Trends for 2011 - David Armano - The Conversation
by David Armano | 10:44 AM December 6, 2010 It was a banner year for social media growth and adoption. We witnessed Facebook overtake Google in most weekly site traffic, while some surveys reported nearly 95% of companies using LinkedIn to help in recruiting efforts. In my outlook for last year, I cited that mobile would become a lifeline to those looking for their social media fixes, and indeed the use of social media through mobile devices increased in the triple digits.
