Category Archives: Announcements
TV is falling to pieces, and this year those pieces will start to make more sense than the whole. Stop thinking “everything,” start thinking “something.” Piecemeal programming will start to replace standard subscriptions as more established brands like Apple, Google, Xbox and Amazon – and newer ones like Netflix, Boxee and Roku – compete to offer more ways to access, easier ways to consume and better ways to engage. It may be just a single show, a series or a channel, but Gen Y doesn’t want to get their TV the same way their parents got it or ultimately to pay for it the same way either. As the last bastions of local news and sports crumble to the Internet, á la carte TV will finally become easier, better and here!
Read MoreFinally brands are beginning to look at B2B customers as B2C consumers. For years, the word “Enterprise” implied a second rate user experience, sacrificed to the altars of productivity and profitability. But, no more. After a decade of living with iPhones and BlackBerry devices, 1-click buying and “LIKE” buttons, we’re seeing a new generation of users looking for that same easy experience in their spreadsheets and business applications, forms and reports. Why shouldn’t business processes be as engaging and efficient as iTunes, Flickr or Facebook? The user economy is demanding a better user experience and as brands apply the same elegant digital, social and mobile efficiencies that are driving modern consumer applications to B2B products, they’re creating deeper loyalty
Read MoreConsumers want engagement and this year they are going to get it – with or without your help. They don’t want to just participate in your brand’s conversation; they want to shape it, control it, sell it, evangelize it and even try to destroy it! Consumers are out there doing those things however they can, committing rampant acts of “brandalism” every day to get themselves heard—whether it’s creating video content to tell your brand’s story their own way, championing social causes or lampooning your company’s behavior. They want to get noticed, and they want your brand to react. Sure, big brands like Shell, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have dealt with this for years, but now no brand – no matter how small – is immune to these spontaneous acts of brandalism. So be aware, and be prepared.
Read MoreSo you’ve covered the “How” with consumers, throwing more campaigns and incentives at them; you’ve even answered the big question of “Why should they care?” But consumer engagement can’t stop there. This year, engagement is going to happen more deeply and more authentically as brands turn to their employees to become the living expressions of the brand. From Zappos to Kraft, Urban Outfitters to Berkshire Hathaway, brands are recognizing the real, hidden value of their people as ambassadors – not just their role in the community, but as walking, talking, texting touchpoints. Brands need to find their champions and get rid of their detractors. Teach your employees the essentials of brand evangelism and see them become catalysts for broader brand loyalty.
Read MoreLet’s face it, consumers are going to be confronted with more choices and more incentives this year than ever before. Brands will be throwing more freebies, competitions and videos at them; they will be drowning in social and overwhelmed by engagement. And pretty quickly they are going to ask the big question – why should I care? Do I really need another brand marketing to me? Do I really care about this product? Consumers are going to become more selective and if your brand is not clearly differentiated, you’re going to lose out very quickly. Get ready to stop thinking tactically and be prepared to answer the big question – why should they care?
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