Innovation & Creativity Archives - Page 15 of 18

Microsoft takes on Apple’s iPhone with ZenZui

March 27, 2007

Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...

Maybe this is why Apple and Steve Jobs announced the iPhone when they did….

Yesterday, Microsoft Corp. announced the launch of ZenZui, an independent company with the mission of transforming the way people engage, consume and interact with Web content through a revolutionary mobile user experience and information ecosystem.

With ZenZui, your phone screen is a portal into your own customized Zoomspace, an information landscape of personalized, cached content that we call Tiles because they reflect your lifestyle. Using a single thumb, you fly in and out of your Zoomspace — two simple taps gets you directly to any Tile.

Read the official press release over at Virtual Generations.

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In the pink or just ick?

March 23, 2007

Every time I walk by these at Target, I sort of shake my head. Do women really buy pink tools? Are they insulting? Empowering?

I understand the power of marketing directly to women. But I also understand that the danger is crafting women-centric marketing messages is that the kiss of death is to talk down to the audience. (In fairness…pretty much the kiss of death no matter who you are talking to.)

But don’t these tools somehow suggest she’s not quite up to the man’s set? (or is that my own biased filter talking?)

If you sold hand tools and your target audience was women — how would you sell them?

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All about Apple

March 11, 2007

It occurred to me today how often I have written about Apple. Now granted — I love the Mac. I wouldn’t use a PC if you gave me one for free. But I’m not letting my brand bias my blog. (Try saying that 5 times fast!)

One of the truths about elite brands is that they create buzz. Look at how many opportunities for buzz Apple created that I grabbed onto:

Steve Jobs — $400 million smart (the free publicity gained by the iPhone announcement)

Hey raving fans, STOP promoting my product! (Apple lawyers trip over themselves, letting semantics get in the way of promoting the iPod)

Fortune 500 Corporate blog review series: Apple (A study of corporate blogs and Apple’s place in that mix)

Want to create an Apple-sized buzz? (Inc. com’s study of how Apple creates buzz)

Should I launch this product? (My thoughts on the iPhone launch)

Hey Goliath, I think you’re going down! (the Zune versus iPod discussion)

That’s a post about Apple at least once a month! How many companies do you know that can/do create that sort of positive buzz?

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Put on a different hat

March 2, 2007

You know, sometimes life takes on a little mini-theme. I have posted quite a bit lately about the importance of being able to put on and take off the many "hats" of your potential audiences as you craft a marketing strategy or message.

I was doing my daily jog through some of my favorite blogs and stumbled upon Roger von Oech‘s post "Change Viewpoints." Let me entice you to go over and read his post by sharing an excerpt.

"Whereas the first group asked, "What if we bury somebody alive?" the second group asked, "How can we make sure everyone we bury is dead?"

How can you not go see how that plays out?

As marketers — it is absolutely vital that we find ways and challenge ourselves to think differently, from different points of view. The faithful among you will know that I’ve been beating this drum quite a bit lately.

We’ve talked about the emotional truths that can be discovered by really walking around a question or challenge and seeing it from all angles. And we’ve explored how an insider’s view of things is, by its very nature, not a very clear or accurate picture. Donning another person’s "hat" and turning your view finder is a skill that far too few marketers employ.

Check out Roger’s post and if you’d be so kind — share some of your methods for making sure you’ve broadened your view.

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Taking a 360 degree look

February 25, 2007

8+ inches of snow fell on us over night. Hundreds of churches and other organizations cancelled their Sunday events. Reporters told us to stay off the roads. Almost 200,000 were/are without power.

But what does the snow mean?

It would be easy to only see it from my own perspective. Using that single lens focus we discussed in an earlier post. But what happens when you actually take the time to walk around an issue, thought, product, client and take a 360 degree view?

For me, the snow is beautiful. Having grown up in Minnesota, I love the snap of cold, the crispness of the snow and the serenity in the blanket of white.

For my dad, who’s flying here from Sarasota today, it’s a reminder of why he left the Midwest and no doubt will be a source of much grumbling over the next few days.

For the neighborhood kids, it’s an imagination overloaded play land filled with an ice fort’s construction materials, bombs to be lobbed, and snow people to be birthed.

For my friend Steve, whose daughter was at a weekend church retreat deep in the woods and about an hour away, it brought worry about how to retrieve her safely. (We took my 4-wheel drive…all is well!)

For my daughter, it was a close but no cigar. 24 hours later and we’d have had a snow day.

For Mark the guy who runs a snow removal company, it was cha-ching and relief after a very slow season.

For the families without power, it was a potential crisis. No heat brings frozen pipes, no way to keep the family warm, and a huge hassle.

A relatively simple thing. A snow storm. And yet to each different audience, its importance and meaning was very different.

As you approach a marketing project — how often do you "place the item in the center of the table" and walk around it, describing it from different perspectives. We know people buy based on emotional responses. This snow storm brought a sense of calm/serenity, disgust, frustration, glee, disappointment, worry, relief, and panic.

Wow…those emotional truths are tools for a marketer. With a better understanding of people’s reactions to an event, product or service — you can talk to them in a way that will resonate with those emotional realities.

But only if you take the time to understand them.

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Everyone’s a twitter about Twitter

February 19, 2007

Twitter, by their own FAQ definition is "a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives."

After watching it for a week or so, I decided to give it a try, as you can see in the right hand column of this blog. Like it or not, you will now be able to peek into the deep and dark recesses of my mind. Best tie a rope around your waist so you can pull yourself out when you’ve had enough!

What value does it bring? Why does it matter? Why would I add it to my world?

I can’t tell you yet, because I don’t know. There is something incredibly interesting to me about sharing both the mundane and the monumental moments that, in a flash, are gone.

When I did a Google blog search, I discovered that lots of people have already been talking about twitter. So I thought I’d give you a snippet of their perspectives.

David Armano (Logic + Emotion) wonders if Twitter will be polluted by product placement.
Kathy Sierra (Creating Passionate Users) who makes the argument that our brains just can’t take much more.
Robert Scoble (Scobleizer) is all about maxing his Twitter contact list.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can also go here, here or here.

From a personal perspective — it’s almost like having a secret friend you can whisper to. Of course, you need to remember that your secret friend is a blabbermouth and anyone can listen in.

From a marketing perspective — what do you think it says? I wonder if it is more evidence of how, in this uber connected world, many people feel even less connected and less heard. Or perhaps it means our blended obsession with technology and instant gratification has taken on a whole new level.

What do you think it means?

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Niche publications going wiki!

February 12, 2007

Meredith Corporation, publisher of magazines as mainstream as Ladies Home Journal, Better Homes & Garden, Parents and Family Circle also has an entire division of special interest or niche magazines aimed at very segmented audiences.

These titles include Diabetic Living, Decorating, Kitchen & Bath Ideas and over 200 additional magazines aimed at women particularly honing in on homebuilding, remodeling, decorating, gardening, crafts and cooking.

They access and influence over 75 million women with their titles. That’s a lot of power and because of the narrow focus of each title — a lot of passion.

Meredith announced today that it has signed a contract with Wetpaint to create a series of Wikis for its company’s most popular special interest magazines and Web sites.

The first Wiki to launch will be Scrapbooks etc.

So what do you think? How will this influence circulation? Advertising dollars?

Do you think this strategy would work as well in a more mainstream magazine like Time or People?

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A marketing tip from my Italian grandma: Speak in your native tongue

February 10, 2007

No doubt you look at my last name and say Italian? But rest assured, on my mom’s side I’m your amico! Like all Italians, I had an Italian grandma. And like all Italian grandmas, she had an opinion about everything and wasn’t afraid to share it or the life lessons she had collected along her colorful life.

What she didn’t realize is that she also taught me some great marketing tips that in her honor, I’d like to share with you.

When I got under my grandma’s skin (which I must admit, I did on purpose now and again) she would give me "the look" (as illustrated to the right) and then she’d wave her hand in the air and mutter "oh Madonne" which roughly translates to "a prayer of patience to the Virgin Mary or "Madonna dell’Oh di mine." (If that’s not quite right, blame me and the online translator!)

In fact, you knew she was completely in her zone (happy, mad, sad etc.) when the Italian came out.

When she wasn’t being cautious or conscious about how she sounded or was in a peak state –she slipped into her family’s native tongue.

It was when there was no doubt about how she was feeling. Complete authenticity.

That’s a lesson that as marketers we should embrace as well.

The community, our customers and prospects can tell when we are speaking in our native tongue and when we’re trying to spin doctor something. When you are completely in your zone — talking to a client or your internal team, you are probably talking very naturally, without a lot of jargon or hype.

Now look at your website, brochures, and ads. Do they have that same authenticity or are they filled with ad speak? Maybe it’s time to switch to your native tongue?

Here’s the entire Marketing Tips from My Italian Grandma series, for your enjoyment:

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Join me by the fire

February 5, 2007

Have you ever shared a campfire with a friend?

The warmth and the crackling colors mesmerize you as the fragrance of the burning wood mixes with the crispness of the night. You’re aware of the world that cocoons you but it simply serves as the backdrop to the moment.

You sit close together, your voices almost hallowed in their hush. You listen intently, knowing each has something important to be said.

You aren’t in a rush, trying to force your point or plan your response before the other finishes talking. You are savoring the conversation and are content to let it pace itself.

You are reluctant to let it end. You feel connected. You know you matter.

That is what good marketing looks and feels like. No hype. No interference. Just authenticity and intimacy.

Flickr photo by Mr. Sugden

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Duh!

February 1, 2007

Long story short…(read about it here or Download adageTurner.pdf here) The Turner Network and a New York marketing firm Interference launched a 10-city outdoor marketing campaign for its film "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres" involving small circuit boxes labeled with the characters scattered across the streets of Boston; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Atlanta; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; and Philadelphia.

The boxes have lights and wires sticking out of them. Can you say "bomb?"

They shut down a huge section of Boston because, again…can you say "bomb scare?" Boston’s bomb squad was scrambling around the city, detonating and removing the devices.

I am sure some people will applaud the disruptive ploy. They’ll point to the fact that we’re all writing about it, it played on major network news and the name of the movie is top of mind.

Frankly — I don’t care. Somewhere along the way, we have to put ethics ahead of getting our clients some buzz.

In our post 9-11 world, this gimmick was just irresponsible. You do not throw a city into panic mode to promote a movie. You do not tie up valuable, life-saving resources on a stunt. You do not earn buzz by creating fear and worry.

And, while others will pass this off as "oh, we had no idea it would create this reaction" I think that’s bull. You would have to be an adult with the IQ of of 13 to not consider that your antics might trigger exactly what happened in Boston.

Today, I am embarrassed for our profession. We look like what we are often accused of being — slick manipulators who don’t care how we get our message out.

For another take, read Ann Handley’s post over at Marketing Profs Daily Fix.

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