News Update – Best of the Day

Do bank customers want ads in their checking accounts? Whether or not we like it, banks think about ways for new monetization opportunities but also try to strengthen loyalty programs of other companies. The big alignment of the industry and the end of the plastic loyalty card? Banks just ad links to the last transaction and you get the voucher for some benefit at the next check-in.

Apple released some numbers that every iPhone user has approximately 60 apps on their device which sums up in 10 Billion app downloads from their store. It took Apple 31 month compared to 67 month to sell the same amount of iTunes songs.

In their latest commercial, MINI battles vs. five-ton monster truck. Can a monster truck jump really clear the whole MINI family becomes the question? And just watch the feelings and what happens to those who watch the challenge. Can love be described better?

LeWeb10 – Learnings & Review

Before I came to Paris to participate in the LeWeb10, I was quite amazed how excited everyboody was about the event. Tweets went to and fro about what we can expect as revolutionary input (comparable to Cebit in the 90′s when companies were launching their most important technology inventions). On Facebook people were awaiting the great party with DJ Bob Sinclair. And people did their networking via Presdo which was used as the “official social network” for participants.

So, what was my impression of LeWeb10? Of an event where 2500 devices got connected, 300 Gigabytes of data were going in and out…

Obviously, the networking part is the most important topic of all events in this business. And so I was networking with many people from interesting people (like Jeremiah – interview follows…) and companies like Pearltrees which introduced new technology or business opportunities. As some could not make it, we will have to evaluate Presdo’s real social networking after-event benefit in some days. So far, so good…

They keynote by Carlos Ghosn, Chairman & CEO, Renault S.A. & Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. was impressive and honest. It showed how much the automotive industry and the IT are coming together, although the former cannot keep up with the speed of innovation the later embraces. The New Megane will have as much IT build in as the first Airbus 300 about 20 years ago. Global warming (also air polution), oil price and the future of mobility will be challenges the car industry will neeed to tackle, Ghosn said, facing the fact that there will be 2 billion cars globally by 2020. A topic I have actuall picked as a futuristic project for me and IDG…

The plenary hall talks were the usual PR outlooks (most not much enlightening…). Interstingly enough, for the first time I saw somebody praising openly the quality of their competitor’s device. Marko Ahtisaari, Director of Design Strategy at Nokia, mentioned the “beautiful elegant” and “easy to learn” of the Apple UI. Obviously, these words were to underline that their new Meego-based platform will kind of “revolutionize” UIs in the future (launch in 2011). He also mentioned that Nokia has 1.5 billion mobile handset users a day and 3.5 million app downloads a day in their Ovi store. Seeing this under the findings of the latest Handmark Mobile Media Consumption Report that mobile replace desktops for breaking news and events consumption, Nokia does well to make their devices more user friendly. Most of my friends don’t have Nokias anymore. Apple and Androids are their choices. So, the competition will be interesting…

For some months, we have been discussing internally the value of MySpace. Or if their market has gone already. Mike Jones, the CEO of MySpace, reaffirmed (or redefined?) their new positioning to the world. MySpace does not want to be a social network anymore but a social entertainment platform (which explains the mayor partnership with Facebook). MySpace is reinventing itself. User shall get recommendations for music, TV and other entertainment content, in some way similar Facebook’s social graph approach (250 mio. peoplle use Facebook Connect button). Music seems to be the focus for them in the future.

“My goal is you come to MySpace, you listen to some new bands and connect to those bands. I don’t wanna be the place that replaces iTunes. I wanna be the place where you learn about music and then take that to wherever your music consumption happens. If we connect you to curators who bring you the best content, your repeat visits go dramatically up,” concluded Jones.

Some of the Ignite speeches were mentionable and thought-provoking (Fumi Yamazaki about the Japanese Geek culture of openness and collaboration).

Side notes… Finally I saw the first Promoted Tweet activity appear in my Tweetdeck account pop up. And I agree with the findings of a study by TWRTCON and oneforty about promoted tweets: Yes, it is was a positive experience (as long as it comes up like this… see picture) and No, it did not target me, so I did not click…

The food was really good – THX to the founders Geraldine & Loïc Le Meur! Maybe work on the registration process. Standing in the rain for an hour is “sub-perfect”… ;-)

Spot On!
The funny thing in the last two weeks was that wherever I was going (Munich, Paris and London) the world collapsed as of serious snow conditions. Two hours waiting on a plane, getting stuck in Heathrow for another day, and no cabs available in Paris for hours were my learings on how much we depend on nature. No matter how clever our technology is. And then you realize how much you use modeern technology. You pick up the iPad and watch TV (live or on-demand) and participate in webinars or conferences. Conversations continue consistently. And sometimes you ask yourself: Do we really need to fly to these countries to join these events anymore? Especially, when these events can be viewed on a live stream? And then you think about Bob Sinclair and listen to his fantastic party tune “World hold on!“…

You answer this question or add thoughts to the future of mobility and events if you may… Much appreciated!

Nielsen study: iPad users open for ads

When the the iPad certainly was introduced by Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs it was said to be “a truly magical and revolutionary product.” This week I have bought an iPad myself and have tried to understand what the tablet is capable as a mobile business device. I cannot really say it failed. And a new study by Nielsen asking 5.000 mobile users shows us how the iPad is delivering businesses from the perspective of a new ad platform.

The Nielsen findings from their new “Connected Devices Playbook” suggest that the iPad owners are more open and responsive to advertising than mobile users of other devices – even those of the iPhone. The study shows that iPad users are more likely to buy products after being introduced to ads. And 60% of the respondents of users across the iPad, iPhone and all other connected devices responded they were “OK with advertising if it means I can access content for free.”

The magic formula for making ads for iPad users effective are interactive features: 45% of iPad owners said they were more likely to click on ads that included multimedia than 26% of iPhone subscribers and 27% of other connected device owners. Isn’t this perfect news for the launch of Apple’s iAd platform?

What makes marketers even more happy is that iPad users indicate that they buy a product via their mobile device because of an ad. 24% of iPad users made an in-store purchase compared to 10% of those who use other devices. It seems that the iPad and other mobile devices might offer a helping hand as a revenue driver to all retailers or shop-owners. Nevertheless, we might ask the question whether this is as of the new product and the hype around it, or if this will last in the future. The final question could be how Apple will change their single app sales strategy to make the use of the iPad more cost-friendly for users.

So, who is the typical iPad user? The Nielsen study says they tend to be younger and more male than users of other devices like users of the Acer Aspire One, the Kindle, the iPhone, iPod touch or the Sony PlayStation Portable. 65% of iPad users were male and under the age of 35.

Spot On!
Sometimes it is funny when you read these studies and remember your own shopping experience. Some weeks ago, when the iPad was not even available I remember a 45 year old posh women rushing into the Apple shop. She did not even realize that the sales guy next to me was explaining the benefits of an iPad to me. She just asked when the iPad will be available, got her answer and rushed out with the same urgency she came in. The sales guy was shaking his head that day, saying some of our clients are weird. When you think about how eager she was to buy the product, I can understand that advertising is still effective… not only on an iPad.

The idea of the non-privacy generation

The talk around Google Street View seems to be never ending by the elder generations. Parents get upset that Big Brother visions have become reality, grand parents see geo-data services as a threat well known from the times when war was a child of their past. When people think about the potential of the latest social web technology opportunities they fear that foreigners or even neighbour’s interest might make those spy out their privacy. 

Not so the younger generation it seems. It handles data exchange cooler, or more naive? Privacy data protection worries the younger generation less. Although they won’t leave or share their passwords online which a survey showed this year. Do they really understand that Google Street View is just taking photos of a street that is not interactive, or cannot be zoomed in like the Google Maps version?  

Young people love to log in on Facebook Places. By updating their status they make available the place they have stayed to all of their friends. They do social badging on mayorships via Foursquare. Or they use location-based marketing bargains offrered through services like Groupon. Privacy topics are not interesting to them – although there are reasons for cyber-bulling threats out there.

On a flight last week I had a very interesting discussion with some teacher from a university. The woman I was talking provided the following thesis… 

“There is a new generation on the rise. This young generation can be called the non-privacy generation. It does is not afraid of having somebody chasing them in the virtual or offline world. Or obeying them whereever they go. Or finding out secrets about their privacy. They just enjoy the opportunities that the social web has to offer. Networking and exchanging data. Sharing ratings and reviews on purchases or events. Exploring the future…”

Well, obviously there is some value and a lot of truth in this statement. In our conversation we came across other platforms. She asked why nobody has ever talked about Bing Maps. A platform that takes advantage of pictures by Blom. A company you have probably not even heard of yet, right? They offer pictures of a cross-view of buildings, making backside views of gardens available to everyone. Connected with phone book data, it becomes a great privacy data source – not only for marketers.

The non-privacy generation even uses platforms like Openstreetmap, and thus competes with the Google Street View model. They take pictures with their GPS-enabled iPhones or smartphones and share them on the platform.  Other platforms could be mentioned like Gigapan, a panorama photography – patchwork of tiny pictures put together giving most exact insights in areas. Or even Apple mobiles could be mentioned that in a 12-hour-period tell the head-quarter the position of Wifi hot spots and mobile masts. And Vodafone above all shares their users’ activity data with TOMTOM to improve traffic forecasts as they say.

Is the non-privacy generation not aware of what they are doing to their future? Are we heading away from an age of Big Brother visions? Of old-fashioned fears where people have been chased by the “unknown but realistic” bad, or anything similar to it?

Looking forward what you think about this view on the non-privacy generation…

News Update – Best of the Day

Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn seem to be not enough social networks for the world. The Wall Street Journal is even asking already who has time for another one… I would assume nobody but still there are more and more coming up. See the latest 3 social network innovations from some students, Apple and AEG…

Now, on 15th of September we are awaiting the launch of Diaspora, a community managed social network, which will start with the vision “The privacy aware, personally controlled, do-it-all, open source social network”. The project is financed by Kickstarter.com and is looking at an investment fund of 182.000 USD. The four students driving the project will compete against Facebook’s efforts to monetize on Social Graph data knowledge – and Mark Zuckerberg is said to have invested in the project as well.

The second new “social network” is basically an extension of Apple’s iTunes 10 platform – called Ping. Richard MacManus explaines the social network and all the feature here. The main basic features are the opportunity to comment and rate on music, use the ‘like’ button we know from Facebook and it offers the same asymmetry that Twitter has, in that you can ‘follow’ people and music stars that don’t necessarily have to follow you back. The monetization strategy behind it is clear but still quite aggressive to me. Sharing Richard’s view that I absolutely agree with from a user’s point of view…

“The fact that you need to be inside the iTunes Store to create new content or like something, seems a rather cynical move to encourage people to buy more music. Why not let users search inside Ping for a song or album? Or, even better, let them right-click and comment, like or rate music from within the iTunes player?”

The third new social network I found was created by HUGE, digital agency in the US and part of the Interpublic network. The company just launched a new social platform, called Perfunkt for Electrolux, via their AEG brand. Perfunktis looking for perfect functionality, ideas and techniques. It is said to represent the biggest bet on branded content and social media by a major appliance brand to date. The platform is already generating new heights of engagement with consumers around branded content through stunning videos and one-on-one interactions with users.

Google Ads: Marketers have more influence on brand name key words in the future

If your company runs a business in Europe using Google Ads, then the announcement of Google becomes of interest for you. From 14 September 2010 your company will be able to buy and include brand names in keywords in your Google Ads campaign which have been trademarked by other businesses. These changes are extension to the changes made in the UK and Ireleand in 2008. In the US, this has been possible since 2004.

Many companies use Google Ads in order to drive attention to their websites and increase visibility about their products and services. Up until now, it was a court issue for companies to stop third-party ads from being mentioned alongside the paid keyword results of a trademark name. The problem came up when the French luxury goods company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton complained that only they have the rights to be able to use and buy such trademark terms in search offerings. The objective behind this cause is obvious: Brands wanted to protect their brand name.

And in the era of the social web, this also becomes an important impact on brands and the influence on their consumers. “Google argues that selling brand names as ad keywords to multiple bidders helps consumers because it allows them to find product reviews, sellers of second-hand goods and other information. It stressed that the new policy would not extend to the actual display text in search findings.” The idea is that users will find more relevant context connected to the brand name. The bad news for brand owners is that a hifi dealer will now be able to use the products brand names in its keywords.

Spot On!
Seeing this movement from a Google perspective it is a clever approach to boost their Google Adwords business. Although Google stressed that the new policy would not extend to the actual display text in search findings. Nevertheless, questions arise if Google has to watch out for Facebook as a competitor in the fight on search revenues. If more and more people are spending more and more time asking for the opinion of their friends (see launch of Google Questions) instead of searching the answer via search machines, the world of advertisers and brand might follow.

So, did your company already move budgets from Google to Facebook?

Brand studies and relativity – It’s all about trust…

The theory of brand strength and leadership is all around and about trust. No wonder that a lot of companies, agencies and consulting companies produce studies that show the importance of results in favor of their business reason – in order to make it a valid business reason.

Some days ago, a marketer said to me: “One day I will write about the theory of relativity research offers”. I can understand my business contact. Especially today. Why? See what kind of study results came out today focussing the relevance of trusted brands in connection to social networks.

As I read the RSS feed of a lot of advertising magazines, it appeared that in not more than two hours (!!!) I came across the following two “studies”.

A: Study, Scource Reuters – Study by Fleishman-Hillard, conducted with Harris Interactive

This Digital Influence Index study says brands using microblogging site elements that provide real-time responses to the public (like Twitter or Facebook) are winning a higher degree of trust from consumers.

Around 75% of respondents say they trust more more in companies that send out short, frequent messages like status updates on social networking sites. These companies deserve more trust from a consumer perspective. In times where leading companies have felt the power of social networks (BP, Toyota, Johnson&Johnson or Procter & Gamble), these findings show the importance of social web engagement companies should consider.

B: Poll, Source AdWeek – Study by Zogby Interactive

This poll suggests that Apple, Google and Microsoft are trusted brands about equally by consumers. But according to the study Twitter and Facebook lag far behind in that respect.

Only 13% of respondents said they trust Facebook completely or a lot. Now, the unbelievable number of 75% are just trusting it a little or not at all. And Twitter does not show better results with 8% trust completely/a lot versus 64% a little/not at all (28% were not sure).

And the numbers in the Gen Y were not better: 20% of the 18-29s trust Facebook completely/a lot – 72% trusting it a little or not at all. For Twitter it is 15% trust it completely/a lot and 66% saying they trust it a little/not at all.

Can you believe these numbers? People are posting their lives and conversations on this social networks. Though they don’t trust them. Strange, right?

Spot On!
So if we take these numbers of the study and the poll for granted, transfer and aggregate their essence, does it mean that we trust brands which show up regularly on Twitter and Facebook, but we don’t trust the platforms of Facebook and Twitter. This sounds bizarr to me. Now, I know that we have to double-check the number of repondents, the way in which the questions were put to the responding audience, the research conducting company’s interest and so on. And sure, a poll offers probably less value than a verified study. Nevertheless, it shows that trust in brands can be seen from different angles. News companies sell both with the same unverified trusted value of one news story. Reuters and Fleishman-Hillard to me sound more like a trusted news source, so I will trust with their findings. It reflects my knowledge…

And in some way I can understand what my customer meant when we was talking about the “theory of relativity of research”.

News Update – Best of the Day

Just some weeks ago, I have been talking about the idea of replacing loyalty cards by social networking customer service to drive customer engagement. Now, the New York Times has extended the idea by the integration of location-based advertising using Foursquare… and of course replacing loyalty cards by social networks activity and mobile apps. The idea seems to be moving from trend to standard…

Often the question comes up which brands are the most valuable in the world. Millward Brown’s Optimor BrandZ Top100 Most Valuable Global Brands report gives us some insight. The key findings…

- Google is the most valuable global brand worth $114 billion (2nd is IBM with $86 billion, 3rd Apple with $83 billion, Microsoft was fourth with $76 billion.
- Social Media is a winner: Facebook has a brand value of $5.5 billion. Use of social media was a key trend across many of the successful brands this year, i.e. HSBC’s Expat Explorer online community.
- Strong brands such as Samsung (80% growth in brand value) and Starbucks (17% increase) are evidence that businesses with strong brands recover from adversity faster.

Heineken commercials know how to dive into the hearts of their main target group. “Men with talents” is another fantastic example after their “walk in fridge” idea… Sorry ladies, but we man love it!

Only few websites trustworthy? Yes, says OTA study…

Adopting standards to cut down online fraud is obviously not one of the major topics retailers are checking their web site business for. The Online Trust Alliance confirms this stement. Their recent study results illustrate that only 8% of consumer web sites made it onto the organization’s “honor roll” of sites taking stringent measures to reduce online fraud enabled by forged emails, phishing sites and malware.

The survey looked at 1,200 web sites and 500 million emails purporting to be from either Fortune 500 companies, top Internet retailers or federal government web sites.

The group set up an honor roll of companies that it said are free of malware and free of links to sites containing malware. Sites that got listed also have extended validation SSL certificate which is used by web sites that scramble or encrypt sensitive data transmitted during online transactions.

The 500 top Internet retail sites had the highest percentage on the OTA honor roll at 14%. Federal government sites finished with the worst results. Only 3% made it to the honor roll.

Some further findings…
- 8% (113 companies) earned entry into the OTA 2010 Online Safety Honor Roll, for their adoption of EV SSL Certificates, one or more forms of email authentication and successful scan for malware.
- Over 26% of the Internet Retail 500 and top 100 financial services companies have adopted EV SSL certificates.
- Worldwide growth of EV SSL certificates has exceeded 90%, growing to 23,000 deployments.
- 14% of the Internet Retail 500 and 13% of the Top 100 FIs have adopted both email authentication and EV SSL certificates.

“While major corporations, banks, governmental agencies and industry working groups talk about best practices, the majority are failing to adopt, risking demands for added regulations.” Craig Spiezle, Executive Director and President, OTA.

On the honor roll were top technology companies like Apple Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., eBay Inc. and PayPal.

News Update – Best of the Day

Today, we keep this links list as short as possible…

Adam Singer tells us how to architect a social web marketing and PR strategy.

Ellen Davis interviewed Julie Bornstein (Senior Vice President, Sephora) about the ROI of social media – an interesting case study of a successful retail brand.

The new Apple iPad commercial shows all the features of the product in 30 seconds and with it the future of “infotainment” – and why it is better than Kindle and the likes.

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