The Consumerologist

Love this commercial for Intel.  It displays the capabilities of the 2nd generation i5 processor through rich storytelling of a chase scene; this chase scene is brought to life by multiple tools utilized on the Internet and a desktop.  Performance of the story’s progression is not affected by the multiple tools that are opened and playing which most multi-taskers can relate to.

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“People have carpal tunnel because hardware wasn’t designed with humans in mind.  The same problem exists with digital interfaces—human elements are often left out of code.” (Carolyn Guertin)

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Chicago, like one-half of the country, got hit with a major storm earlier this week.  This “snowicane” produced 70 miles per hour winds and 25 feet waves hitting the shoreline from Lake Michigan.  It also dumped over 20 inches of snow with the wind creating over 6 feet snow drifts.  Lasting over 2 days, it produced a snow day for most on the second day.  The city owns approximately 300 plows (close to 600 when you include the plow-equipped garbage trucks); yet, travel was nearly impossible on the second day with main artery streets cleared, but all others nearly impassible.

The Chicago Tribune had news to get out regarding the 3rd largest producing blizzard in history, the shut-down and massive car abandonment on Lake Shore Drive, and even non-blizzard related news.  Yet, the snow-filled roads made delivering the physical newspaper to stands, boxes, and homes impossible.  It announced that for the first-time ever that it would post today’s edition of the paper online for free.  (You can view it here:  http://eedition.chicagotribune.com/Olive/ODE/ChicagoTribune/)

The Chicago Tribune does post much of its news online; it has a prominent website.  This was unique because for the first time everyone was exposed to how the newspaper appears on an eReader (iPad, etc.).  Die-hard hard copy subscribers could not help, but experience what an online subscription feels like.  If anything, it shows the hesitators that the physical newspaper experience is similar to the eReader experience (note, I am not stating exactly like).  It also made the Chicago Tribune that more relevant to the younger generation which has turned away from reading newspapers.

It will be interesting to see if this has any effect on online newspaper subscriptions.  But, this certainly is a big win for the online newspaper formula; it delivered on a day when even the U.S. Postal Service (“neither snow nor rain…”) could not.

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In 2010, I posted that companies must make mobile websites a necessity. 

I cited four main reasons in a previous post (http://consumerologist.posterous.com/no-longer-an-option-mobile-websites):>

·         Your audience is no longer tethered to a computer for information. 

·         Your audience reaches out to your company/brand on their smartphone. 

·         It is more useful to your shopper. 

·         There is a new generation growing up on smartphones. 

 

I believe that these four reasons are still relevant—actually more so now.  There are more reasons to revisit this.

·         Smartphones are the last thing owners check at night; they are also the first thing they turn to when they wake up.  Over one-half of American smartphone owners sleep with their phones.  They use them as more than phones; these devices serve as their alarm clocks and even their remote controls.  However, they also serve as their first access to news and the outside news in the morning.  In short, smartphones are the adult security blanket.

·         The devices are increasingly becoming the first pathway to the Internet.  Outside of the home, we already know that consumers are frequently turning to their smartphones for information when in a store, walking down the street or at a coffee shop.  It acts as a quick source for information, directions guide, and decision influencer.  Yet, the smartphone is playing this role for its owner at the home too.  Owners tend to have their mobile phones by them when watching TV, making out the grocery list or having a discussion at the kitchen table.  They turn to their smartphones quickly.  It is seen as the convenient Internet appliance vs. even the laptop.

Mobile has evolved our perception and behavior.  It has altered our decision-making paths.  Smartphones are providing instant access to the Internet for many.  Adolescents are coming of age in a world where the Internet has always been at their fingertips…anytime they needed or wanted it.  We truly live in an always-on society.

If mobile websites and applications are becoming a consumer’s/user’s first access wave to your web presence…they why aren’t companies still treating it as such?

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You are at a store about to purchase a new bike (maybe new dishes, a new TV, etc.).  You notice on a comparable model a symbol…one that lets you know what energy supply source was used in the manufacture of the product.  Does this change your decision of what model or brand to purchase?  Would you find this important to know? Is it a right to know?  Does this logo create “purchaser empowerment”?  Or does it add confusion?

WindMade believes it can have an effect.  By introducing a new logo (see the top of this post for the new logo), it strives to have a consumer pull impact; consumers will become more informed in the energy used to create products, they will look for the logo, and demand that more products carry the logo (thus, be made by wind-powered energy vs. non-renewable energy sources).

The impact will be felt in purchasing behavior.  However, the general public and consumers must first be informed of the logo; more importantly educated about the “what’s in it for me?” or “why should I care?” elements of wind power. 

My mind goes to other broad-base issue campaigns.  Some successful, some not.  Here are a few to ponder: “Made in America”, LEED Building certifications, anti-littering, and anti-smoking campaigns.  How would you position this campaign?  Will the logo change the general buyer populations’ perspective?

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You are at a store about to purchase a new bike (maybe new dishes, a new TV, etc.).  You notice on a comparable model a symbol…one that lets you know what energy supply source was used in the manufacture of the product.  Does this change your decision of what model or brand to purchase?  Would you find this important to know? Is it a right to know?  Does this logo create “purchaser empowerment”?  Or does it add confusion?

WindMade believes it can have an effect.  By introducing a new logo (see the top of this post for the new logo), it strives to have a consumer pull impact; consumers will become more informed in the energy used to create products, they will look for the logo, and demand that more products carry the logo (thus, be made by wind-powered energy vs. non-renewable energy sources).

The impact will be felt in purchasing behavior.  However, the general public and consumers must first be informed of the logo; more importantly educated about the “what’s in it for me?” or “why should I care?” elements of wind power. 

My mind goes to other broad-base issue campaigns.  Some successful, some not.  Here are a few to ponder: “Made in America”, LEED Building certifications, anti-littering, and anti-smoking campaigns.  How would you position this campaign?  Will the logo change the general buyer populations’ perspective?

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Source: www.nittygriddy.com

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Starbucks has presented its new logo this month which will be phased in later this year.  The modified logo is meant to display the company’s move into other products and services in addition to its core coffee offering. 

The logo is an updated look of its mermaid symbol.  Missing is its traditional tri-color scheme, border, and most prominent to the eye, the words: Starbucks Coffee. 

Gap faced a deluge of protests when it tried to change its brand logo last autumn.  Yet, Pepsi seems to be able to evolve its logo continuously throughout the years as its seeks to remain modern and relevant; to little or no fanfare or notice nor uproars from its community. 

As Starbucks seeks to extend its offerings, a few general questions arise that any company should ponder as its changes an embraced community symbol:

• How does the updated logo reflect its consumers?  its business vision?  its business promise?  its relationship to its consumers? 
• How can you take your customers on the business journey with you so as not to alienate them from their core “love” or “embracement” of your brand?

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Retailer, Target, gets even more smartphone savvy

Nielsen now estimates that one-half of Americans will possess a smartphone by the end of 2011.  Target has embraced the tool and technology releasing a series of functional applications for its shoppers.  It has followed this up with a mobile gift giving announcement.  One can now purchase a Target gift card and immediately notify the recipient via her smartphone. The recipient is given a surprise or a nice event as they go about their normal routine day.  Better yet, she can also utilize the card with her smartphone as the bar code is supplied with the message.

The giver will also receive notice when the recipient has opened the message which provides assurance to the buyer in their “evaluation” phase of the purchase cycle.

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How to Have an Idea A Frank Chimero Jam

Visit Frank’s Site
Pretty much solely inspired in format by this little diddy by Jessica Hische.

Thank you to @SouthsideAdguy (Anthony Kalamut) for sharing.

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Beloit College publishes its Mindset List every year.  What is this, you wonder?  It provides perspective to the 18 year old entering college freshman’s world.  It tells you what they have always known to be true, exist or be of thought; it also tells you products or version they have never known nor use as a frame of reference.  I love this list.  I wait for it every year.  It is enriching information to utilize as you begin to understand their minds—their outlooks, perspectives and crucial milestones that have shaped them.

Beloit College is located in Beloit, WI.  Authored by: Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief.  The official Mindset List website is located at:http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/index.php  Though I have provided it below:

Beloit College Mindset List for the entering college class of 2014

Beloit, Wis. – Born when Ross Perot was warning about a giant sucking sound and Bill Clinton was apologizing for pain in his marriage, members of this fall’s entering college class of 2014 have emerged as a post-email generation for whom the digital world is routine and technology is just too slow.

Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. The Mindset List website at www.beloit.edu/mindset, the Mediasite webcast and its Facebook page receive more than 400,000 hits annually.

The class of 2014 has never found Korean-made cars unusual on the Interstate and five hundred cable channels, of which they will watch a handful, have always been the norm. Since “digital” has always been in the cultural DNA, they’ve never written in cursive and with cell phones to tell them the time, there is no need for a wrist watch. Dirty Harry (who’s that?) is to them a great Hollywood director. The America they have inherited is one of soaring American trade and budget deficits; Russia has presumably never aimed nukes at the United States and China has always posed an economic threat. 

Nonetheless, they plan to enjoy college. The males among them are likely to be a minority. They will be armed with iPhones and BlackBerries, on which making a phone call will be only one of many, many functions they will perform. They will now be awash with a computerized technology that will not distinguish information and knowledge. So it will be up to their professors to help them.  A generation accustomed to instant access will need to acquire the patience of scholarship. They will discover how to research information in books and journals and not just on-line. Their professors, who might be tempted to think that they are hip enough and therefore ready and relevant to teach the new generation, might remember that Kurt Cobain is now on the classic oldies station. The college class of 2014 reminds us, once again, that a generation comes and goes in the blink of our eyes, which are, like the rest of us, getting older and older.

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2014

Most students entering college for the first time this fall—the Class of 2014—were born in 1992.

For these students, Benny Hill, Sam Kinison, Sam Walton, Bert Parks and Tony Perkins have always been dead.

1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.

2. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.

3. “Go West, Young College Grad” has always implied “and don’t stop until you get to Asia…and learn Chinese along the way.”

4. Al Gore has always been animated.

5. Los Angelenos have always been trying to get along.

6. Buffy has always been meeting her obligations to hunt down Lothos and the other blood-suckers at Hemery High.

7. “Caramel macchiato” and “venti half-caf vanilla latte” have always been street corner lingo.

8. With increasing numbers of ramps, Braille signs, and handicapped parking spaces, the world has always been trying harder to accommodate people with disabilities.

9. Had it remained operational, the villainous computer HAL could be their college classmate this fall, but they have a better chance of running into Miley Cyrus’s folks on Parents’ Weekend.

10. A quarter of the class has at least one immigrant parent, and the immigration debate is not a big priority…unless it involves “real” aliens from another planet.

11. John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.

12. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.

13. Parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-head might be the voice of a lost generation.

14. Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine.

15. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.

16. Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.

17. Trading Chocolate the Moose for Patti the Platypus helped build their Beanie Baby collection.

18. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.

19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.

20. DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed.

21. Woody Allen, whose heart has wanted what it wanted, has always been with Soon-Yi Previn.

22. Cross-burning has always been deemed protected speech.

23. Leasing has always allowed the folks to upgrade their tastes in cars.

24. “Cop Killer” by rapper Ice-T has never been available on a recording.

25. Leno and Letterman have always been trading insults on opposing networks.

26. Unless they found one in their grandparents’ closet, they have never seen a carousel of Kodachrome slides.

27. Computers have never lacked a CD-ROM disk drive.

28. They’ve never recognized that pointing to their wrists was a request for the time of day.

29. Reggie Jackson has always been enshrined in Cooperstown.

30. “Viewer Discretion” has always been an available warning on TV shows.

31. The first computer they probably touched was an Apple II; it is now in a museum.

32. Czechoslovakia has never existed.

33. Second-hand smoke has always been an official carcinogen.

34. “Assisted Living” has always been replacing nursing homes, while Hospice has always been an alternative to hospitals.

35. Once they got through security, going to the airport has always resembled going to the mall.

36. Adhesive strips have always been available in varying skin tones.

37. Whatever their parents may have thought about the year they were born, Queen Elizabeth declared it an “Annus Horribilis.”

38. Bud Selig has always been the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

39. Pizza jockeys from Domino’s have never killed themselves to get your pizza there in under 30 minutes.

40. There have always been HIV positive athletes in the Olympics.

41. American companies have always done business in Vietnam.

42. Potato has always ended in an “e” in New Jersey per vice presidential edict.

43. Russians and Americans have always been living together in space.

44. The dominance of television news by the three networks passed while they were still in their cribs.

45. They have always had a chance to do community service with local and federal programs to earn money for college.

46. Nirvana is on the classic oldies station.

47. Children have always been trying to divorce their parents.

48. Someone has always gotten married in space.

49. While they were babbling in strollers, there was already a female Poet Laureate of the United States.

50. Toothpaste tubes have always stood up on their caps.

51.  Food has always been irradiated.

52. There have always been women priests in the Anglican Church.

53. J.R. Ewing has always been dead and gone. Hasn’t he? 

54. The historic bridge at Mostar in Bosnia has always been a copy.

55. Rock bands have always played at presidential inaugural parties.

56. They may have assumed that parents’ complaints about Black Monday had to do with punk rockers from L.A., not Wall Street.

57. A purple dinosaur has always supplanted Barney Google and Barney Fife. 

58. Beethoven has always been a dog.

59. By the time their folks might have noticed Coca Cola’s new Tab Clear, it was gone.

60. Walmart has never sold handguns over the counter in the lower 48.

61. Presidential appointees have always been required to be more precise about paying their nannies’ withholding tax, or else.

62. Having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine. 

63. Their parents’ favorite TV sitcoms have always been showing up as movies.

64. The U.S, Canada, and Mexico have always agreed to trade freely.

65. They first met Michelangelo when he was just a computer virus.

66. Galileo is forgiven and welcome back into the Roman Catholic Church.

67. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has always sat on the Supreme Court.

68. They have never worried about a Russian missile strike on the U.S.

69. The Post Office has always been going broke.

70. The artist formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg has always been rapping.

71. The nation has never approved of the job Congress is doing.

72. One way or another, “It’s the economy, stupid” and always has been.

73. Silicone-gel breast implants have always been regulated.

74. They’ve always been able to blast off with the Sci-Fi Channel.

75. Honda has always been a major competitor on Memorial Day at Indianapolis.

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No longer an option: mobile websites

 

My mind has been focused on the adoption and usage of smartphones this week, due to the impending launch of Apple’s iPhone 4G.  In the U.S., most mobile users are looking to smartphones for their next purchase/upgrade (of those who do not already own a smartphone).  Currently, over 25% of the U.S. population have smartphones.  More noteworthy, Nielsen predicts that by the end of the 2011, more U.S. cell phone subscribers will own smartphones rather than feature phones. 

Nielsen also reports that only 3% of smartphone owners utilize their device only for voice use.  Thus, we have a booming ownership group leveraging the device for photos, Internet access, applications, location-base profiling, and more.  In my own studies, one of the most prominent disappointing factors these users experience when utilizing the device is the inability to purview a website.  Many users I have spoken to become frustrated when accessing a website remotely, only to experience a site unreadable (scalable) or sensible for a mobile reader. Companies, organizations and brands can no longer ignore this pertinent touchpoint.  Mobile websites need to be adopted on universal scale instead of viewed as an ancillary website offering.  True, mobile websites may not be getting the attention as apps are today, but they must not be overlooked nor forgotten if your consumers are accessing the Internet via their mobile devices.

·         Mobile websites are needed by all, not only the large companies/brands nor early adopters.  Prospects, readers, consumers are all accessing the Internet via smartphones.  This is not a venue for only large companies; it is an important media form for all companies (big or small).  For some, this even becomes your phone book listing that lives right at the source of the phone.  Be present and “brand alive” where your target market is.

·         Your audience is no longer tethered to a computer for information.  Your prospects, consumers and users have busy lives.  They may not have the luxury of spending time at home purveying the web before they venture on a shopping trip or need to make a phone call.  They may be in a discussion with a friend or family member while away from home that demands the need for information.  We live in a 24-hour news cycle where information is demanded to be at one’s fingertips.  Be accessible where (and when) they are.

·         Your audience reaches out to your company/brand on their smartphone.  Convenient.  Transportable.  Simply put: the smartphone lives where your consumer lives.  It is crucial to align the purpose of a mobile website with the need of your consumer: Why would she reach out to the company, product, or brand on her phone?  Where is she in her daily routine?  Where is she location-wise (near store, in store, at the office, at a coffee shop, etc.)?  What is her primary need? What is her frame of mind?  How can you solve her problem, make her day easier, and delight her?  Understand and be her.

·         It is more useful to your shopper.  The shopper is increasingly sophisticated in her use of technology.  Her decision-making path has been altered.  She now seeks information outside of the home.  She is able to fact check product claims, product compare, price compare, and even order online through her smartphone device.  If your website is not easily accessible, nor readable, she simply moves on to a competitor site.  In turn, that competitor is more likely to become her go-to resource and win her business.  Be supportive when she needs you.

·         There is a new generation growing up on smartphones.  We speak often about digital natives, the generation that has never known a time without computers nor the Internet.  Digital behavior is intrinsic to them.  When on your next public outing, take a long look around yourself, the teens of today are texting, uploading photos, accessing Facebook, and searching for movie listings on their smartphones.  Be your future.

(Post by Anne Gibson)

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There is no doubt that consumer are becoming more empowered on the shopping front.  With the smartphone, shoppers are able to access a range of informational tools while in the store, in a specific category aisle, and when directly facing a brand or product on the store shelf.

Social media has led to community sourcing through product reviews, customer service reviews, and recommendations.  Online retailing has given shoppers the ability to price compare.  As a marketer, I understand that many decisions are still made when in the store.  No matter how many commercials or online advertisements she is exposed to or how many websites visited, the “moment of truth” lies in that shopping aisle when the shopper reaches out her hands to remove the branded product off of the store shelf and place into her shopping cart. This is not to exclude the other actions that are occurring: reviewing product labels, checking on pricing, reviewing past experiences and influencing by formed perceptions.

The retailer Target understands that shopping and in-store decision-making has changed as access to information is easily accessible in-store on the shopper’s own terms and peer influence is able to invade the in-store stage itself (before it was prominent in the pre-store and post-store experience).  Target has responded with a strong shopper iPhone application.  Recently, it added a new feature that hits to the heart of the decision at the aisle…that moment when a shopper is reviewing a product label, has the product in hand, and is a second away from putting it into her cart or back onto the shelf.  That feature is Target’s barcode scanning.  A shopper can use her iPhone (with the Target app) to scan any item.  This allows her to gain access to product reviews, information and ability of it within the store.

·         Have unanswered questions?  This iPhone app may have the additional product information that she needs to feel satisfied that this product will perform the function she needs fulfilled.

·         Will I have buyer’s remorse?  The product reviews exposing opinions from shoppers like her may soothe her hesitations; thus, nudge her towards placing it in her shopping cart.

·         How many are left within the store?  For big purchases, knowing there are 2 versus 20 can either speed up or slow down her decision-making process.

The biggest factor I believe the barcode feature addition provides is the ability to shop Target when at a different retailer.  UPC codes are universal; thus she is able to scan the code to gain Target’s price and stock information, as well as any current special deals.  She is able to garner value-added information providing a goodwill and helpful gesture by Target.  The app is able to affect the “moment of truth” at another retailer’s store shelf; it may influence her to return her cart, leave the store and shop at Target.

(Post by Anne Gibson)

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<br />Via: Online MBA

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Powerful. Enamoring. Inclusive. Epic.

A story that you need to see more than once.

Much more than a brand.

Much more than a commercial.

(Nike, World Cup 2010 commercial)

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<div style=”width:425px” id=”__ss_2771091”><strong style=”display:block;margin:12px 0 4px”>22 Social Media Trends</strong>

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The Five Essential Elements of Wellbeing What differentiates a thriving life from one spent suffering?

• Wellbeing
• Workplace

by Tom Rath and James K. Harter, Ph.D.

Adapted from Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements (Gallup Press)

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Page: 12

Gallup scientists have been exploring the demands of a life well-lived since the mid-20^th century. More recently, in partnership with leading economists, psychologists, and other acclaimed scientists, we began to explore the common elements of wellbeing that transcend countries and cultures.

In our initial research, we asked people what “the best possible future” for them would look like.

As part of this research, Gallup conducted a comprehensive global study of more than 150 countries, giving us a lens into the wellbeing of more than 98% of the world’s population. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, we asked hundreds of questions about health, wealth, relationships, jobs, and communities. We then compared these results to how people experience their days and evaluate their lives overall.

In our initial research, we asked people what “the best possible future” for them would look like. We found that when evaluating their lives, people often give disproportionate weight to income and health: Across the groups we surveyed, “good health” and “wealth” were two of the most common responses. Perhaps this is because these things are easy to measure and track over time — we can monitor our height, weight, blood pressure, and household income. Yet we do not have a standard way to measure the quality of our careers or the health of our relationships.

So to construct a comprehensive measure of individual wellbeing, Gallup designed an assessment composed of the best questions we have asked over the last 50 years. To create this assessment, the Wellbeing Finder, we tested hundreds of questions across countries, languages, and vastly different life situations.

Upon completion of the research, five distinct statistical factors emerged. These are the universal elements of wellbeing that differentiate a thriving life from one spent suffering. They describe aspects of our lives that we can do something about and that are important to people in every situation we studied.

The elements

These elements are the currency of a life that matters. They do not include every nuance of what’s important in life, but they do represent five broad categories that are essential to most people.

• The first element is about how you occupy your time or simply liking what you do every day: your Career Wellbeing.

• The second element is about having strong relationships and love in your life: your Social Wellbeing.

• The third element is about effectively managing your economic life: your Financial Wellbeing.

• The fourth element is about having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis: your Physical Wellbeing.

• The fifth element is about the sense of engagement you have with the area where you live: your Community Wellbeing.

While 66% of people are doing well in at least one of these areas, just 7% are thriving in all five. If we’re struggling in any one of these domains, as most of us are, it damages our wellbeing and wears on our daily life. When we strengthen our wellbeing in any of these areas, we will have better days, months, and decades. But we’re not getting the most out of our lives unless we’re living effectively in all five.

Although these elements are universal across faiths, cultures, and nationalities, people take different paths to increasing their individual wellbeing. For many people, spirituality drives them in all these areas. Their faith is the most important facet of their lives, and it is the foundation of their daily efforts. For others, a deep mission, such as protecting the environment, inspires them each day. While the things that motivate us differ greatly from one person to the next, the outcomes do not.

via gmj.gallup.com

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<div style=”width:425px” id=”__ss_2452358”><strong style=”display:block;margin:12px 0 4px”>Meet Your 7 Fascination Triggers</strong>

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Copyright © 2010 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
Gallup^®, A^8™, Business Impact Analysis^™, CE^11®, Clifton StrengthsFinder^®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names, Customer Engagement Index^™, Drop Club^®, Emotional Economy^™, Employee Engagement Index^™, Employee Outlook Index^™, Follow This Path^™, Gallup Brain^®, Gallup Consulting^®, Gallup Management Journal^®, GMJ^®, Gallup Press^®, Gallup Publishing^™, Gallup Tuesday Briefing^®, Gallup University^®, HumanSigma^®, I^10™, L^3™, PrincipalInsight^™, Q^12®, SE^25™, SF^34®, SRI^®, Strengths Spotlight^™, Strengths-Based Selling^™, StrengthsCoach^™, StrengthsFinder^®, StrengthsQuest^™, TeacherInsight^™, The Gallup Path^®, The Gallup Poll®, and Wellbeing Finder™ are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. These materials are provided for noncommercial, personal use only. Reproduction prohibited without the express permission of Gallup, Inc.

via gmj.gallup.com

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I had to share this. I absolutely love it. Thank you to thecoolist.com and @brainpicker (Twitter handle) for sharing. Edible Crayons by Luxirare

These delectable looking edible crayons are chock full of a healthy dose of nutrition and no shortage of creativity.  The Edible Crayons by Luxirare are hand-made health bars featuring colorful ingredients like freeze dried strawberries and raspberries for red coloring, dried carrots and apricot for orange, kiwi and pistachio for green and almonds and prunes for brown.  The ingredients are pressed together in a mold and sealed with a sweet bond of melted marshmallow.  After they dry, they are packaged with paper crayon tubes and inserted into a simple white box in the shape of the classic crayola crayon design.  The result is stunning in both packaging design and flavor, showcasing healthy creativity from the brilliant minds at Luxirare. [luxirare via notcot]

Edible Crayons Gallery

via thecoolist.com

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Top 10 Apple Markets In The US: See The Cities That Buy Apple The Most (PICTURE)

Huffington Post   |  Bianca Bosker

A recent map of iPad early-adopter hotspots revealed where higher concentrations of Apple fans lie.

Now, new data from Experian Simmons offers an even more precise view of the US cities that are the biggest consumers of Apple products.

The company’s survey of over 200 “designated market areas” (a.k.a “cities”) shed light on Apple’s top 10 markets in the US.

Here are the six largest Apple markets, with data, commentary and ranking from Experian Simmons. The full list is available here.

Check out the survey’s findings, then scroll down to see a “heat map” of the top Apple markets.

1. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA: With Silicon Valley and Apple headquarters located squarely within the market’s boundaries, it’s no surprise that the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose DMA ranks number one in the nation for owning or using one of the core Apple products. Residents here are 49% more likely than the average American to own or use an iPod, iPhone or Mac computer.

2. Boston, MA: Almost one-in-three adults in the Boston DMA (31.3%) own or use an iPod, iPhone or Mac computer making area residents 45% more likely than average to be Mac maniacs.

3. San Diego, CA: San Diego-area residents are 42% more likely than the average American to be toting around an iPod, chatting on an iPhone or computing on a Mac. In fact, 31.8% of the San Diego DMA’s 2.2 million adults are admitted Mac users.

4. New York, NY: Anyone can tell you that iPhones are about as common in New York City as taxis, which supports the fact that there are roughly 4.9 million Mac-users in the New York DMA. Of the almost 16 million adults in the area, 30.4% use either an iPod, iPhone or Mac computer.

5. Washington, D.C.: Residents of our nation’s capitol can agree on at least one thing: their love for Apple. D.C.-area residents are 39% more likely than average to be found listening to an iPod, chatting on an iPhone or tapping away on a Mac computer.

6. Chicago, IL: The Chicago-area’s eight Apple stores should keep plenty busy serving the DMA’s 2.1 million adults who currently use one of the three core Apple products. An estimated 29.4% of adults in the Chicago DMA use iPods, iPhones or Mac computers, making them 36% more likely than average Americans to be Apple consumers.

via huffingtonpost.com

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5 things that every new app should do.

Posted by Brad McCarty

It’s only been a couple of days since I’ve been editing here at TNW’s Apps Channel, but I am seeing a trend already.  We get a lot of application review requests…and I do mean a lot.  Sadly, it seems that many of them are clones or simply don’t fill enough of an existing need.

So with that in mind, here’s a quick list of 5 things that every application should do, and hopefully do well.

1 – Fill a Void

Why would you open a URL shortening service, right now, unless it were specific to your site?  There are already tons of them, and a few are widely accepted as standard.  This is the problem that I see more often than not.   Unless you’re changing the game, stay on the sidelines.  Adding features to an application that already exists doesn’t mean it needs to be a new application.

2 – Do it Better

If you’re developing an alternative to something, it should be better than the original.  This goes along somewhat with point #1, but is deserving of a talk all its own.

When Opera Mini got accepted into the app store, there was a load of excitement.  People flocked to try an established browser, other than the iPhone’s built in Safari clone.  Then, a few days went by, and people stopped using it as much.  Why?  Because it simply wasn’t better than what already existed.

Opera made the same mistake that many other developers and companies make.  You can’t rely on your name or reputation to carry your lagging application to the victory stand.  If it’s not truly innovative, or has too many bugs and gremlins to work correctly, then either fix it or scrap it.

3 – Be Easy

Nothing tweaks me more than a brilliant application with a crummy UI.  If we look at Facebook as an application, the UI is wonderful…unless you need to make changes to your account.  Getting lost inside of a thousand menus is no fun for anyone.

Want a sure-fire way to win hearts?  Do one thing and do it very, very well.  The same philosophy applies to so many things: just be easy to use.  If you hand your application over to your friend and they look confused, then you’re doing it wrong.

Need an example of this?  It’s a gigantic pain in the tail to sign into my bank’s website.  But if I pick up their iPhone app, all I have to do is enter 4 numbers on a pad.  So, guess what I use to check my balance.

4 – Listen to the Noise

The #1 thing that I hear back, in comments, when we talk about apps is very simple: this doesn’t do what I want it to do.  Let’s face it, there are very few original ideas left.  So in order to make an application shine, you need to listen to what people are grumbling about with the current offerings.

A lot of times developers (and writers and artists and…) will take a line of “artistic integrity” when it comes to what they’re making.  They have it so stuck into their head that their application will do “X”, and it will do it in this exact way.  So often, though, all people want is for something to be done a bit differently.

Again, go to the friend pool before going public.  Have your best friend’s mom use your application. See what she has to say about it.  If it’s confusing to her, or she’d like it to work differently, take that into consideration.

5 – Learn About Us

Sure, some people think it’s a privacy invasion. Others think it’s just creepy. But really, there’s nothing more impressive to me than adaptive software. If I spend some time in your application and you find that I do only one thing, then why not make it easier for me to do that one thing?

It really comes down to a matter of form versus function anyway. All of your main functions should be simply laid out. If they are, then I don’t have to worry about it anyway. But if they’re not, and you find that I’m using a function that’s buried deep inside of a menu, why not find a way to allow me to access it faster?

Windows (I know, I’m putting on the flame suit) does this very well with the Start Bar. When I press the Start button, I see an easily accessible lists of my most recently used applications. Of course, this is easier to do in a dynamic piece of software such as Windows, but it should still be workable in others.

So that’s it. Take these 5 things and run with them. The first developer to implement these and then send me an app to review, I will highly praise.

via thenextweb.com

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I love coffee houses.  I first fell in love with them as I backpacked my way across Europe as a young adult.  The aura was encaptivating…the aroma, the sound of the expresso machines, the clink of the china, the boisterous discussions and debates going on around me, the lovely tables and chairs from which to rest my weary feet, and the ability to observe the local culture.

Now, I am a working professional.  I still love coffee houses, but for different reasons.  I can get a good a cup of coffee on my way to the subway station during my morning commute.  I can get a HOT cup of coffee in the winter time on my way to the subway station during my morning commute.  I will always bump into one neighbor or another at my local cafes.  They are great places to work when work beckons after hours.  They serve as thriving and bouncing alternatives to the bar scene.

I am sure I am not the only one who prefers different cafes and different locations for different purposes.  There is one that I go to for a wonderful outdoor patio on a bright sunny day (a great place to read the Sunday paper or browse articles on one’s iPad).  There is another nearby that offers free wifi and excellent tables to work/study at—though packed at all hours, it remains relatively quiet in which I can get alot of work done.  There is another that is wonderful to meet a friend or two for a scrumptious bite to eat and strong expresso.  Yet, another to grab a cup of joe and listen to great jazz or local musicians.  Finally, there is one that is great to take visitors to as the baristas are a show unto themselves and one barista has been honored with the best barista in the U.S. title.  Thus, I have many cafes in my repertoire.  I have a few store/coffee brands filed away in my mental cabinet.

There is one that stands out to me time and time again.  The staff is always pleasant, friendly, helpful, but never overbearing.  They almost make me feel as if I am visiting their home; yet, I can stay however long I would like.  The place is clean.  The coffee is wonderful.  What I like most about them is that they delight me in the most simplistic ways.  Today, I received this:

My birthday is coming up.  They knew it was my birthday and ta-da!  (I don’t even remember giving them this information, but I must have at some point—first time I logged in to use the free wifi? Caribou Coffee gift card (but not loyalty card)?). 

I am a marketer….a strategic planner and market researcher who sifts through information.  It is amazing how much information stores and brands have about its customers, but they fail to use it.  In a stressful on-the-go world, I realize how many brands still seem inpersonal to me.  I also am reminded as a consumer, customer and living human being myself, that it is the small things that bring delight to your customers…it is these small things that add up to the big perception and reality of your brand.

I understand that this is not earth-shattering to many.  I then inquire why is it very often not executed? All of the touchpoints of one’s brand can bring a little more happiness to our customers.  (For we do not want the opposite—letting all the encountered disappointments lead to an aggravated view of a brand).

Now, I must leave.  I am heading out for a little sunshine and to enjoy my free drink at a certain coffee house…that I will visit again and again.

(blog post by Anne Gibson)

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April 13, 2010, 8:25 am — Updated: 9:03 am —> Why Humanity Loves, and Needs, Cities By EDWARD L. GLAESER

Nicky Loh/Reuters Residents sit on the waterfront with a view of the Singapore skyline.

 Edward L. Glaeser is an economics professor at Harvard.

For much of its early existence, our species spread out.

Many millennia ago, we left our primordial homes in search of places where fewer people were competing over nature’s abundance. In the 19^th century, settlers extended across North America to get access to Iowa’s rich soil and Montana’s mines.

But now humanity is marked more by concentration than by spread. In 2007, one-half of the world’s population became officially urban. One-third of Americans inhabit just 16 large metropolitan areas, which collectively use only a tiny fraction of the country’s land mass.

Given the vastness of the globe, why do human beings choose to live so close to one another?

Understanding the appeal of proximity — the economic advantages of agglomeration — helps make sense of the past and future of cities.   If people still clustered together primarily to reduce the costs of moving manufactured goods, then cities would become increasingly irrelevant as transportation costs continue to decline.

If cities serve, as I believe, primarily, to connect people and enable them to learn from one another, than an increasingly information-intensive economy will only make urban density more valuable.

About 30 months ago, the National Bureau of Economic Research convened a conference on the economics of agglomeration and the fruits of that conference were just published.  As I edited the volume and strongly believe in the quality of its contents, I’m going to draw from it in a couple of blog posts.

Perhaps the clearest reason why people cluster together in cities is that wages and productivity rise with density.

Edward L. Glaeser

The figure shows the 25 percent correlation between the logarithms of population density and 2008 gross metropolitan product per capita (using 2000 Census population numbers).  Per capita productivity increases by 4 percent as population density rises by 50 percent.

But why does productivity rise with density?

The first essay in the book, by Pierre-Philippe Combes, Gilles Duranton, Laurent Gobillon and Sébastian Roux, attacks this productivity puzzle using data on more than eight million French male workers. They are concerned with two potential sources of bias. First, it may be that productivity is causing density, instead of density causing productivity.

Here’s how the four co-authors try to deal with this potential problem. They argue that longstanding geological features of an area — like the quality of a city’s soil — should have little direct impact on productivity in a developed economy today. If they are right, then natural geographic attributes would affect current productivity only indirectly, by increasing population density over time. Researchers can therefore use historical data to try to correct for this reverse causality. They find that the productivity-density link drops little after making this correction.

A second problem is that more skilled people might choose to live in more dense areas.

Across American metropolitan areas, there is a modest (25 percent) correlation between area density and the share of the population with college degrees. To address this issue, the co-authors first control for other types of characteristics of workers and industries. Their more high-powered approach looks at people who migrate from one place to another, and then asks whether wages rise or fall when people move into different metropolitan areas.

By looking only at the wage changes that come with mobility, they are able to correct for aspects of workers’ skill sets and abilities that aren’t captured by years of education.

In their data, they find that about one-third of the connection between density and productivity disappears with this movers-based estimation, which suggests that workers’ ability (beyond what degree they’ve earned) is important.

I found an even larger change when I started using this approach more than 15 years ago, but interpreting these results is tricky.

If cities enable the accumulation of skills, then the movers’ data will understate the true effects of density.   If cities are machines for learning, as suggested by the fact that wages rise more quickly in cities, then a young person who moves from rural India to Bangalore won’t become instantly more productive.

The result on the wage gains of movers suggest that some of the productivity differences across space may reflect the selection of more skilled people into cities.  But in my opinion, they somewhat overcorrect, and eliminate the impact that cities have on learning.  As such, they may be something of a lower bound on the true connection between productivity and density.

Other essays in the volume focus on the changing nature of agglomeration economies. Jed Kolko writes about services, which now dominate most United States urban areas.

Mr. Kolko highlights a fundamental difference between manufacturing and services. For manufacturing firms it doesn’t much matter if suppliers or customers are in the same ZIP code or the same state. Goods are cheap to move. But services seem tied to suppliers and customers that are in the same ZIP code. Since face-to-face contact is so much a part of service provision, they are drawn to the extreme densities of cities.

In the penultimate essay in the book, Giacomo Ponzetto and I ask, “Did the Death of Distance Hurt Detroit and Help New York?”

Improvements in transportation and communication costs made it cost-effective to manufacture in low-cost areas, which led to the decline of older industrial cities like Detroit. But those same changes also increased the returns to innovation, and the free flow of ideas in cities make them natural hubs of innovation. Since the death of distance increased the scope for new innovation, idea-intensive innovating cities were helped by the same forces that hurt goods-producing cities.

Humanity is a social species and our greatest gift is our ability to learn from one another. Cities thrive by enabling that learning, and they have become only more important as knowledge has become more valuable. Understanding what makes cities work is more important than ever.

via economix.blogs.nytimes.com

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<div style=”width:425px” id=”__ss_4080036”><strong style=”display:block;margin:12px 0 4px”>You Tube Think Video Keynote</strong>

<div style=”padding:5px 0 12px”>View more presentations from Neil Perkin.</div></div>

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via imgur.com

(http://imgur.com/gallery/VNvdV)
(via: twitter/thebeancast)

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Apple iPad User Analysis

• Posted May 6th, 2010 at 10:54 am by Ginny Hung
• Categories: General

yahoo_mail_bl498:http://ymobileblog.com/blog/2010/05/06/apple-ipad-user-analysis/ —>

There’s no question that the iPad is the latest “it” product, with first-day sales exceeding 300,000 and some analysts projecting as many as 7 million units sold by year’s end.  Inside Yahoo!, we’re just as interested in the iPad phenomenon. Just a week after the iPad’s launch, we began to analyze the behavior of the first iPad users on the Yahoo! network.  While some of the findings were expected, there were a few surprises that popped.

As expected within the classic early-adopter profile, we identified a male skew in the 35-44 age group among these early users.  In fact, among all users, men outnumber women 2:1. Given the economy, people with higher earning power were probably the first to buy the iPad. The first Yahoo! iPad users were 94% more likely to be affluent consumers with solid wealth and strong incomes than typical U.S. Yahoo! users.

The sweet spot for the Yahoo! iPad user is within the 35-44 age category, where the population composition is 36% higher than the typical Yahoo! user. Additionally, iPad users over-indexed within the age ranges 30-54 compared to the average U.S. Yahoo! user.

The demographic profile of the iPad Yahoo! user closely followed the interests on Yahoo! that we would suspect: Flickr, Finance, Sports and News were all among the Yahoo! properties most frequently visited by the Yahoo! user.  Flickr usage by iPad users is 143% higher than average. Because the iPad is meant for Internet browsing and media consumption, visits to Flickr seem to be a logical choice.

One surprising data point is the non-U.S. IP traffic on the iPad that’s coming to Yahoo! During the measurement period, the iPad has only been available for purchase in the U.S. market; however, we observe approximately 10% of IP traffic coming from Europe and Asia Pacific. Specifically, the U.K., France, and Germany are the top countries in Europe, and Taiwan and Hong Kong make up the most traffic in Asia Pacific.

Because the iPad runs on the same OS as the iPhone, it is not surprising to see many iPad users own another Apple product. Nearly half (48%) of Yahoo! iPad users own an iPhone and had visited Yahoo! on the iPhone previously.

We’re going to continue watching this segment closely in terms of what media they’re consuming. Stay tuned for more!

Ashley Cheng
Yahoo! Insights

via ymobileblog.com

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via contextured.com & via sociamediagraphics.posterous.com

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Facebook Reaches Top Ranking in US

Facebook reached an important milestone for the week ending March 13, 2010 and surpassed Google in the US to become the most visited website for the week.

via weblogs.hitwise.com & socialmediagraphics.posterous.com

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When thinking about the Whole Foods brand what comes to mind? Organic, natural, fresh, good-for-you, locally grown, responsible food? Now, picture its target market or regular Whole Foods shopper. How would you describe them? Conscious food eaters, health/nutrition valuers, responsible, image strivers. Many of these shoppers like to frequent farmer’s markets, as well.  I believe I am making a safe assumption when I state that most Whole Foods shoppers understand that they are paying a premium for the goods served at the store; yet, that does not deter them—they shop at Whole Food for a reason. 

Recently, a local TV news item has hit the Internet regarding specific Whole Foods products.  It has become viral.  Quite simply it shows that some of Whole Foods’ store brand frozen foods, 365 Organic, are from China.  It has become viral as it has shocked people.  It raises concerns—how are they assured these products are organic? (Different governments may set different regulations, etc.).  It raises doubt about the brand.  It leaves customers reconciling their perception and beliefs about the brand with reality.

At the core of Whole Foods’ brand is its product: food.  As a society, we trust that our food is safe.  At Whole Foods’, we trust even more…that the 365 Organic food line is free from pesticides, grown environmentally responsibly, and possibly is as fresh (i.e. local) as possible.  Like the farmer’s markets, we believe the small, independent farmers are being patronized.  Realizing that this food is grown in China conjures up different images (for right or wrong) such as not-fresh (it traveled over thousands of miles, over many days), unsafe (how can the USDA really regulate these farms, what are China’s food supply laws?), and not local.  For some, it goes against the Organic food principles that they have established in their own mind.  Thus, has Whole Food’s diverted from its core positioning or core brand that the consumers hold…the one that has created fanatics, loyalists, believers, and shoppers?

Whole Foods states their organic commitment as

“Some things are just no brainers, like knowing you can always find a lot of organic food at our stores. We offer you the biggest and best choice we possibly can because it’s an important part — perhaps the most important part — of our commitment to you and the planet. Choosing organic supports farmers and producers who believe in good health, quality foods and earth-friendly sustainable agricultural practices. And that’s good for everyone, from the farm worker to the planet to your family – and future generations too.”

Yet, as I questioned family and friends in a discussion regarding this, again the aspirations of this statement become fallible with the “Product of China” label. Concerns raised were the fossil fuels and pollution created during the trans-continent journey of the food; do I truly trust that it is organic; and why isn’t Whole Foods impacting and helping the organic farmers in this country. (Note this was non-scientific discussion; thus the concerns cannot be applied to American or target market; yet provide a starting point for discussion.)

Right or wrong, Whole Foods’ customers and the public at large have placed expectations on the retailer.  Most of these expectations result from the company’s positioning in the marketplace.  Consumers feel misled and disappointed (the opposite of a delighted customer) when these expectations are not met. Fanatics, loyalists and even sporadic shoppers may become disappointed when their Whole Foods’ brand perception nor image is not met.

Positioning and imaging is much more than copy on a website, a slick advertising campaign, and the experience at the store…it gets to the heart and soul of everything you do and provide to your customers and society-at-large.  An image reflects how you treat your employees, how and where you source materials from, and the products you stock for purchase.  When you lose sight of this or cut corners, you have broken that promise with your fanatics, loyalists, and shoppers.  It then depends how your customers feel and react to this.

I would love to hear your opinion…has Whole Foods broken its “marketing promise” or perception? Do customers have a right to create their own image/perception of Whole Foods and hold Whole Foods (or any company) responsible for it?  Is this a non-issue?

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Burnett shakes up Chicago’s St. Patty’s Day

Leo Burnett celebrated St. Patrick’s Day yesterday by dumping a giant McDonald’s Shamrock Shake into the Chicago River, which the city turns green every March 17 as part of the Irish celebration. Some think it looks like littering, but minty ice cream is surely among the least objectionable substances to have been emitted onto the streets of America yesterday. Plus, unlike in Tennessee, no leprechauns were harmed.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

via adweek.blogs.com

Chicago loves the Irish. A good portion of the city is Irish…there is Beverly the historic Irish neighborhood, the Daley mayors (Richard Sr. & Jr. both of Irish descent), Irish-Catholic churches (and pubs) found every few city blocks, the green ivy at Wrigley….I could go on. Not surprising, for a city that loves and has strong ties to Ireland, Chicago goes all out for St. Patrick’s Day. It is a big holiday here. Every year, the Chicago River is died kelly green (it is a must-see if you live or are visiting Chicago at the time). McDonald’s is a Chicago-based company and its ad agency, Leo Burnett, is also headquartered in Chicago. Thus, a brilliant collaboration reflecting the city’s culture and heritage…display a Shamrock Shake spilling into the river…a site to see for tourists, business workers, parade-goers, shoppers, and Chicagoans.

I have been asked by visitors why the river has a strong greenish tint to it…years of temporary dying it has that effect. Enjoy!

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