Celebrities ≠ Viral Videos

David Beckham has done it again. Advertise completely irrelevant products to what he does for a living. This man is a chameleon. Revitalizing Sharpies to selling his own line of H&M underwear, Beckham is not stopping and is now endorsing Burger King. Can’t deny that someone like that is actually tickling my fancy to expand my smoothie adventure this summer – Timmy Ho’s, McDonald’s and now Burger King. But the real reason for my post is because I’m more interested about BK’s marketing, not that Mr. Beckham isn’t post-worthy. Check out the new BK commercials that also feature Steven Tyler and Sofia Vergara. That woman is everywhere nowadays too eh? I guess CoverGirl and BK seem to go hand-in-hand to some people…

This commercial reminds me of T.I.’s music video. Romance and daydreaming over the fast food counter. Themes that sell in America…

I wonder who does the marketing for Burger King. Whoever it is, they guided BK to select some pretty big profile celebrities to endorse its new products. I’m a pretty big commercial watcher (even American channels) but I haven’t seen these on television just yet. According to the official BK YouTube channel, these commercials were uploaded two weeks ago yet the number of views are a bit disappointing. I’m taking a stab here but maybe BK was hoping the videos would go viral with these celebrities and wouldn’t need to spend the money to put them on television. Celebrities sure don’t come cheap but the effort here seems quite haphazard (so far to my knowledge anyways). Would love it if someone can update me if they have seen them elsewhere!

Maybe BK is pulling a Super Bowl commercial approach? Testing out the waters and then a full-blown attack? I have seen this year’s Super Bowl commercials recycled and reused recently. Might as well right? Productions don’t come cheap either and I believe good commercials are worth watching an extra (few) time(s).

Never Replicated but Possibly Replaced

Went on a little hiatus! I just finished exams this week and locked down some summer plans. I’m really excited for what summer has in store!

Yesterday, I finally got a chance to read May’s trend briefing from trendwatching.com. I love this website! It’s like a goldmine of information and ideas from all over the world. The people running the site are always on the lookout for emerging consumer trends and company innovations. The best thing about these monthly briefings is that it always include actual examples of companies and websites that are putting these trends into actions. It’s inspiring, really.

This month’s focus is on e-commerce. It is truly amazing how far companies have taken e-commerce from where it was a decade ago. Although online brand experience will never replicate the offline, clever companies have made it easier to replace by supercharging the “e-tail” experience (online retail) with added benefits that the offline experience will never be able to offer. The May briefing put it well:

Certain factors (taste, smell, and physical interaction to name just a few) still compel people to continue to shop in the ‘real world’. But the online world has its advantages too, especially when it comes to things such as collaboration, accessibility, reach, transparency and shareability.

And… “U.S. e-commerce sales will grow 62% by 2016, to USD 327 billion (Source: Forrester, February 2012).” Incredible!

The attractiveness of a market segment has often been evaluated through criteria such as identifiability, reach, responsiveness and profitability. The web has allowed the online world to speed up this evaluation. For example: geo-targeting helps identify users, social media empowers reach and web analytics measure response. Nowadays, companies often go beyond the basics and do things such as develop fancy mobile apps to further engage with their customers, assist with their purchasing behaviours and encourage them to share their positive experiences – all, of course, online.

Galaxy Note and its Nebulous Future

Samsung Galaxy Note was introduced in October 2011. It was launched in the North American market by February 2012. It is an Android smartphone and tablet combined into one. And because of that… it is rather.. er large.

I am no tech expert so I will not delve into the specs. I will dive into the marketing aspect (from my perspective). I first saw a commercial for it in Taiwan last Christmas. My first impression of it was nothing unique. I just saw a really large, clunky phone. Not for me… but maybe for really big people or people with giant pockets (literally). By March 2012, Samsung has sold 2 million units worldwide since its launch and is looking to sell another 10 million units before the end of 2012. Currently, the general North American consensus is similar to my first impression of the “phablet.” As proven by this recent viral commercial, it’s hard to imagine who could use it other than a customer that size. Elephants, although cute, aren’t usually the ones with deep pockets.

After some thought, I believe the adoption of phablets will grow… but slowly. Remember when phones were simply used to make calls? Remember when people used to carry mp3 players along with their cellphones? Remember when people started phasing out their desktops in exchange for laptops? Remember when people questioned the benefits of a tablet when they have their trusty laptops? Remember when people carried BOTH their laptops and cellphones? Oh wait, we’re still there. The phablet is the ultimate platform that eliminates carrying both a laptop and a cellphone.

The Galaxy Note obviously isn’t for the consumer who prefers the convenience of a small smartphone. With a processor of a tablet and portability of a phone, the Galaxy Note is for more serious note-takers, data-collectors, and integrators on-the-go. These pockets of people are around but currently do not view the Note as their solution just yet. I believe it’s just a matter of time (and effective marketing) before phablets are THE next thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple has something up its sleeve already but is just waiting for the right time to release its version. Samsung will eventually reach their 10 million units goal but probably not by the end of 2012.

Instagram Coming to Android!

Update – It has arrived!!! Follow me on anitapitafajita 🙂

Update #2 – Facebook bought Instagram... I am not sure what my thoughts are about that. Facebook must have felt threatened. People moving away from tagging on Facebook and sharing photos on Instagram must have tickled Facebook in the wrong places.

Short post – but Instagram is coming to the Android platform very soon! I have signed up to be notified when they do. You can do it on their site:

I realize quite a few of my posts have been drifting more towards the mobile side of things rather than the “internet” but mobile and online are becoming so interconnected nowadays. As smartphone adoption increases, mobile is no longer just a phone. It’s a device that allows users to connect beyond their phone lists. It’s internet on-the-go.

Grocery Price Discrimination

Recently I have noticed a rise of bulk discount on groceries. Being a subscriber of WagJag (a deal-site similar to Groupon), I receive alerts of food products that are sold at a discount around my area. The latest one is a kilogram of sliced, smoked salmon for $45. That is a lot of salmon but no doubt a good deal.

Riding along the bulk grocery trend is a mobile app developed from a French company called Zéro Gâchis. Zéro Gâchis means “Zero Waste” in French. The overall goal of the app is to minimize the amount of waste that other people are still willing to pay for. Zéro Gâchis developed an app that alerts users who are geographically close to businesses that are willing to quickly sell their food products at a discount price. The company saw a demand of merchants looking for ways to get rid of food products that are close to expiry and consumers who are looking for savings. Talk about price discrimination in action. Entire article can be read here.

Tweet Seats!

“There is a growing trend in US theatres to reserve seats in one area of the auditorium for members of the audience who wish to tweet while the performance is taking place, so that they don’t disturb fellow spectators. Do you like the idea of ‘tweet seats’ in theatres?”

I do like!

Rather than barricading technology and its lovers from live performance/theatres, tweet seats may be the solution for a happy audience (with the exception of a few eye-rolls). Real-time online updates allow people to share their excitement with others and serve as free marketing. I believe this trend is ongoing – coming soon to a theatre near you.

Starbucks Ad Throw Up

Looks like Starbucks threw up on my weather network page….

 

I’m unsure if the weather network website allows for customizable ad banners so I’m uncertain if this is targeted advertising or not. Either way, I do notice Starbucks getting more and more comfortable with using mass advertising when it use to rely mainly on experiential marketing and word-of-mouth. Nowadays we see Starbucks advertising on television, transit ads, and even coupons in newspapers. Whether it’s the company’s new strategy or act of desperation, it’s hard to ignore this recent online tactic… a Starbucks explosion while I check up the weather.

Pinterest Vs. Fancy

It’s hard not to notice the wave of Pinterest lately – an online scrapbook of some sort. The idea of Pinterest is definitely not new. In the past, I have stumbled across many Tumblr blogs that have a similar layout as Pinterest. Here’s a quick video about how Pinterest works: 

Although Pinterest has been gaining member sign-up momentum, it is reportedly to have a pretty non-existent revenue stream right now. The founders are currently unsure about how to convert the traffic into revenue. Full article HERE. Another similar looking website called Fancy, has beat it to the punch of monetizing on images that users have collected. Fancy allows merchants to “claim” the links of certain images that users upload in their collection. This is its bio:

“Fancy is part store, blog, magazine and wishlist. It’s a place to discover great stuff, to curate a collection of things you love, to get updates on your favorite brands and stores and to share your discoveries.

Use it to create a catalog of your favorite things around the web and around the world.

When you find something you love somewhere on the web, Fancy it.”

My guess is that Pinterest may take that route into consideration or come up with an entirely different business model. The question still remains – is there enough space for more than one social scrap-booking site on the web?

Digital Nirvana Still Long Way to Go

I read an article a few days ago that caught my attention. Among the e-marketing, digital-strategy craze, there are also cynics. The writer was questioning the effectiveness of hyper-targeting.

Online hyper-targeting is said to be the nirvana that digital marketers are striving towards. Anyone that believes in conventional marketing understands that knowing your customers wants, behaviours and attitudes make advertising more effective. So why isn’t it working that well?

According to him, some company attempts of targeting aren’t as profound as creating a well thought-out message directed to the mass. He describes that the marketing industry have fell in love with the potential of digital marketing yet have forgotten the importance of message quality and execution. He then goes on to discuss about his belief of “an inverse relationship between the granularity of [marketers’] targeting and its productivity.” Read the original article HERE.

I do believe that hyper-targeting will become a very effective way of advertising. I think it is a matter of time before companies unlock the efficiency of digital strategy. However, I also think that traditional, mass marketing channels should not be abandoned. It seems like hyper-marketing is a very personal, quiet method to advertise (so far). I believe that the way mass advertising influences people’s preferences unconsciously is still different from a customized ad appearing only on your Facebook page. The fact that an OOH advertisement is out in the open, loud and proud, clear for everyone to see, speaks something about the current society. Having shoe ads stalk me on my Facebook page (just because I searched up boots online more than three times last month) does not necessary make me like a brand more – in fact, I feel a bit intruded now that I have found my pair of boots from strolling through a physical store.

Hungry and Searching

Losing track of time and finding myself hungry with no prepped food in the fridge at 6pm is a common occurrence for a student like me. In my fridge sat a lonely cauliflower, a stick of cucumber and some shredded parmesan cheese. I went on Google and searched “cauliflower and cucumber and cheese recipe” hoping to get some inspiration even though that combination itself sounds pretty disgusting. That didn’t go so well. Some recipes were way too complicated, some didn’t have pictures and some had mixed or no reviews. I was left uninspired… and decided to click on Google images instead to find pictures FIRST and THEN hopefully recipes. In the end, I settled on making some cauliflower curry fritters – which turned out to be okay.

A few days ago while browsing the net, I bumped into this site called GOJEE that could have solved my prior food headaches! This site sources food and drink recipes from all over the world. Users simply type in the ingredients they would like to work with and pictures of dishes would return. Now this type of recipe search engine is not new… but what I love about Gojee is that it is really visual. Instead of spitting out lists of potential recipes, the site returns amazing pictures of food that selected food lovers and bloggers around the world have taken the time to take and share. The internet is very good at providing overwhelming amount of information. When someone is already hungry, sifting through pages and pages of unpromising recipes does not make the experience very fun. Instead of overloading the user with text, Gojee simplifies everything through tantalizing, mouth-watering yet organized photos of food – usually in HD.

Although recipe searches online have been around for a very long time, I find Gojee to be really good at creating a unique user experience. It is able to filter recipes to come up with tailored recipes based on users’ “craves” and “dislikes.” In essence, Gojee does not produce any content but bridge users to users. This is definitely a trend that I have been noticing… websites or applications that link and streamline how users search or rely on other user-produced content. Something similar (but not exactly the same) would be the rising popularity of Pinterest. It seems to me that e-marketing and web content nowadays are starting to shift and rely heavily on community-produced content for not just credibility but also for engagement.