There’s widespread concern about privacy on these networks, according to a new survey
May 25, 2010 – Mark Dolliver
The presence of one’s near and dear ones on an online social network doesn’t stop people from being wary of the network itself, according to the findings of a Vision Critical survey released this month.
Respondents to the polling (fielded online in March) were asked how trustworthy they think online social networks are. Few of the U.S. respondents said they regard such networks as “completely trustworthy” (5 percent) or “very trustworthy” (11 percent). Thirty-five percent rated them “fairly trustworthy.” Nearly half said they’re “not very” (32 percent) or “not at all” (17 percent) trustworthy. (The polling was also conducted among adults in Canada and Britain, but this story focuses solely on the U.S. responses.)
Privacy is clearly an underlying concern behind such broad distrust. Sixty-three percent agreed with the statement, “I am very concerned about my privacy on online social networks.” Fifty-five percent agreed that they “worry that online social networks are selling my personal information to advertisers.”
The survey also asked respondents whether they agree with the statement, “I don’t mind online social networks using my personal preferences to target ads I see because it means they’ll be more relevant.” Six percent “agreed strongly” and 20 percent “agreed moderately.” But they were far outnumbered by those who “disagreed moderately” (23 percent) or “disagreed strongly” (30 percent, with the rest declining to choose or saying the question doesn’t apply to them).
It’s not as though word of mouth from family and friends is regarded as gospel. Fewer than half (47 percent) rated as “completely” or “very” trustworthy “friends/family/contacts discussing or recommending a brand/product” in the context of a social network.
Despite such negative opinions, though, 48 percent agreed that online social networks “are good places for brands/products to advertise to consumers.” Indeed, 18 percent said they’ve “purchased a product because of something I saw on an online social network,” with the figure rising to 28 percent among the 18-34-year-olds.
Can lighter company ignite a new revenue stream?
May 17, 2010 – Brian Morrissey
Zippo has been the case study for how to create a popular brand application for the iPhone. Now, the company hopes to turn that popularity into a new revenue stream.
The 78-year-old lighter brand has launched an in-app store that carries a line of skins for its Virtual Zippo Lighter application that will set back iPhone and iTouch users 99 cents. There are 150 premium skins, including imagery from Harley-Davidson, Bob Marley, The Who and Ozzy Osbourne. Zippo plans to add new skins each month.
Virtual Zippo Lighter launched in January 2009 as a simple application that lets users create a digital flame on their screens. It proved particularly popular for use at concerts during what the company deemed the “Zippo moment” of calling for an encore. Since its launch, the app has tallied over 10 million downloads.
While a smashing success for a brand app, Zippo can’t definitively say it has increased lighter sales, according to Brent Tyler, event marketing and promotions manager at Zippo. Site traffic has improved, though, he added.
“It’s not ideal, but that’s the reality,” he said.
Zippo is not the first brand to view the iPhone as a business opportunity. Kraft charges 99 cents for the iFood Assistant. Virgin Atlantic has a pair of premium applications: a $4.99 Flying Without Fear app and its recently released $1.99 Jet Lag Fighter.
The success of virtual goods sales on platforms like social gaming and mobile ringtones shows that consumers will shell out for virtual items so long as the price is right, said Jon Vlassopulos, CEO of Skyrockit, the developer that built the Virtual Zippo Lighter. There’s no reason brands can’t also play in the arena, he added.
“It’s a very interesting time for brands to use their marketing dollars to create new IP that’s advertising as content,” he said. “It can now become a new SKU or product beyond just communications.”
Brand: Apple iPad
Agency: TBWA Media Arts Lab
Review Date: May 13, 2010
Great. Another iPad ad that makes me want to junk my Kindle. Amazon’s e-reader looks so sad and colorless in comparison. This new commercial from TBWAMedia Arts Lab sends me into another useless want-need internal debate. The spot poses the most basic question — “What is iPad?” A series of shots showing people using the ”beautiful” device to read newspapers and books, update Facebook pages and play music provides the answers. “There is no right way or wrong way to use it,” the voiceover says. It’s not only “crazy powerful,” but “magical” too. I can do without magic in my gadgets, but the case for a gorgeous do-all portable is compelling. Technophobes fear not — we’re informed that we “already know how to use it.” And for folks that just want to be trendsetters, “It’s already a revolution and it’s only just begun.” That’s the kind of not-so-subtle persuasion that stands to make the iPad the most culture-changing device since the iPhone. –Eleftheria Parpis
watch commercial
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May 10, 2010 – Eleftheria Parpis
Gap makes iPad play.
Michael Ancevic, svp, group cd at Mullen, is nearly as excited about Apple’s iPad as those in the publishing industry. (The only difference: his future may not depend on it.) While working on an ad that will run in a Conde Nast title on the new tablet — he declined to name the brand or magazine — he said, “We felt we were doing something that’s going to change everything. … It’s print on steroids. What if that photo came to life? What if you can see different angles of a certain product or demo it? It picks up where print left off.”
David Hewitt, mobile practice lead and cd for the Southeast region at SapientNitro, calls it “the most compelling mini-media consumption device” there is. Advertising on it, he adds, is as much about reaching the early influencers as it is about the buzz. “A lot of clients are using this as a first-to-market opportunity,” says Hewitt.
The industry has iPad on the brain, and agencies and brands alike are busy assessing ways to make their marks on the hottest new product to hit the technology sector since, well, the iPhone. Brands that have jumped in include Cadillac, which paired with trend-spotting site Cool Hunting (and BBH Labs) for an app that helps promote the CTS and CTS-V coupes, and Procter & Gamble’s Pampers, whose app, Hello Baby — its first mobile-device application — allows pregnant women to track their babies’ development.
Serena Connelly, cd at StrawberryFrog, which created the Pampers app, says that it was important for the brand to have an early presence. “Pampers wants to be present and part of innovations in technology that help to redefine mass culture,” says Connelly.
Apps are probably the easiest and most cost-efficient way for marketers to get into the iPad game because existing iPhone apps can be repurposed for the larger device. Dan LaCivita, president, Firstborn, says the agency is extending clients’ iPhone apps as well as creating new ideas.
“It all depends on the initial app itself,” says LaCivita. “If the apps can use the same functionality and it’s not a lot of redevelopment, the physics and math are going to be the same.” Size is the main issue, he adds: “For example, if you have an [iPhone] app that’s graphics heavy … we would have to redesign those images to make sure the quality is there, that the aspect ratio is correct.”
Hewitt, however, says taking the same app from iPhone to iPad is rarely optimal.
Text and graphics are going to get a little blurry, he notes, not to mention many popular iPhone apps rely on the phone’s camera and voice capabilities, features not yet available on the iPad.
Early entries that have optimized the features of the iPad so far, Hewitt says, are apps that allow users to manage their social networking, such as TweetDeck; to shop and browse, like apps for Gilt or eBay; or to watch videos, like those for YouTube and Yahoo Entertainment.
Because it’s so early in the game, the challenge, of course, lies in not knowing how much can be done on the iPad, and what will and won’t work.
“We haven’t even cracked the surface on the experiences we can create,” says Hewitt.
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Posted in advertising, Apple, consumers, digital media, iPad, marketing, Technology, trends
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Tagged advertising, Apple, business, communication, consumers, customer loyalty, dan brill, danbrillDesigns, digital, digital media, incentives, iPad, loyalty-program, marketing, media, membership, rewards, rewards programs, Technology
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The iPhone took twice as long to reach the same milestone
May 5, 2010 – Antony Bruno, Billboard
For those wondering if the iPad would take off the way the iPhone did, Apple answered that question by revealing that it has sold 1 million iPads in less than a month.
By way of comparison, the iPhone took twice as long to reach the same milestone. And if you’re thinking these sales are merely indicative of only the Apple faithful buying up their new toys, two new developments point to additional sales success in the coming months.
First is the introduction Friday of the iPad 3G, which features both WiFi and wireless access to the AT&T network. It’s not clear how many of the 1 million iPads sold were for the initial WiFi-only verion and how many were for the iPad 3G. While more expensive, many fans have indicated their intent to wait for the more versatile iPad 3G before pulling out their wallets. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster this morning estimated that Apple sold 300,000 iPad 3G devices this weekend.
Additionally, the 1 million sales are domestic only. Apple will begin shipping the iPad internationally later this month, opening multiple new markets for new sales.
Apple also said that more iPad users have downloaded more than 12 million apps for the device since it went on sale, and more than 5,000 apps have been created specifically for the iPad. Apple didn’t say how many were paid and how many were free. It also didn’t break out how many of the 12 million downloads were iPad-specific apps or those created for the iPhone which can also run on the iPad.
Posted in advertising, Apple, consumers, digital media, marketing, Technology, trends, Uncategorized
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Tagged advertising, Apple, business, communication, consumers, customer loyalty, dan brill, danbrillDesigns, digital, digital media, incentives, iPad, loyalty-program, loyalty-program marketing, marketing, media, membership, rewards, rewards programs, Technology
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May 4, 2010 -By Ilana Bryant
The cultural hysteria around Apple’s new iPad has left many marketers wondering whether it really is a breakthrough platform or just a new flavor of Apple Kool-Aid. I suggest marketers sit up — or lean back or lie down or get in whatever position is best for using this titanium tablet — and take notice.
iPad sales hit 1 million in a third the time it took the iPhone, according to Apple. It works in more usage contexts than PCs, laptops and smartphones, and it will take companies where other technologies can’t go. It brings a brand into every room in the house in a larger, more consumable format, enabling people to relax with it on the sofa and use it lying in bed. And the potential for a 3G-enabled iPad outside the home is huge. (A harbinger is the current success of the Star Walk app that lets the user put the iPad up towards the sky and be an amateur astronomer.) I’m personally looking forward to outdoor iPad opportunities for auto, travel, and home and garden brands.
As far as it being a mobile-entertainment platform, it’s better for viewing content than laptops, reading devices or smartphones. Its larger screen and clever, wide-viewing angle feature ensure good views of the images even when the tablet is held sideways.
And TV advertisers, take note: Recent qualitative research from PHD among iPad owners indicates the iPad TV experience is so good that many respondents forecast it will replace the second and third TV in their homes and, possibly, their primary TV sets. ABC’s TV app, which offers free access to the network’s shows in exchange for users watching five traditional 30-second ads per hour, generated millions of ad impressions in the first 10 days of the iPad launch.
Additionally, the iPad can create stronger emotional experiences than a smaller screen — an obvious plus for brands. Removing the mouse brings the brand experience closer to the user, and the screen’s size means we’ve moved from widgets to truly sensory experiences. Both consumer and neurological research shows that being able to interact with brands through sight and sound experiences can result in stronger emotional connections, brand associations and memory recall.
Pampers leveraged this interaction with “Hello Baby,” its app designed especially for the premiere of iPad, which allows pre-natal moms to experience their baby’s changes week-by-week with simulated life-size, 3-D images and baby sounds.
The iPad’s cinematic, touch-screen experience is also game changing. People, for instance, are buzzing about the app Elements: Visual Exploration (an interactive look at the periodical table) because of its visually breathtaking approach to the normally mundane table. Imagine the potential of this device for the visuals in print magazines. The iPad also has a willing audience of e-readers waiting. According to a CNET poll taken last week, 20 percent of iPad owners bought it for the primary purpose of reading books and magazines.
Additionally, the tablet offers a unique platform for social interaction with a brand. If you have wrestled with others to view pictures, videos or text on iPhone handsets, you know the benefits of the iPad screen. It’s also great, of course, for movies and board games. I think we’ll see a lot of multiple-user games taking off.
The iPad, which is more like an appliance than a computer, also reaches less tech-savvy audiences with high-technology capabilities. Its menu of apps is simple to use, and there are no folders so you don’t have to worry about where you save stuff and where you install it. Once the iPad goes mainstream, it will be a perfect platform for older consumers.
We know that the iPhone interface has resulted in much greater Internet use than other smartphones. And it’s clear in its first month out that the iPad has had the same impact. According to Web metrics firm NetApplications, the approximately 500,000 iPad users have a larger Internet consumption — in terms of percentage of Web traffic terms — than 30 million-plus BlackBerry users over the same period.
There’s also the product lust it inspires — for itself — which will generate more usage and thus more marketing possibilities. It’s a beautiful device that inspires the visceral reaction, “I have to have one.” Just as the phonograph was originally invented as a telegraph recording device (a relatively vertical audience) and was quickly adopted as a music recording device, and Twitter evolved from being a tool for social updates to a social organizing tool, so the iPad will likely be embraced by users who will find additional applications for it.
The launch of Apple’s iAd service that allows app developers to create advertising experiences within applications also means there’s the potential to develop new kinds of in-app ad formats.
To put it simply: the iPad is a solution waiting for a problem. And when marketers start figuring out what problems the iPad can solve for them, things will really get interesting.
Ilana Bryant is chief strategy officer at StrawberryFrog. She can be reached at Ilana@StrawberryFrog.com.
The art, science and psychological appeal of bright colors.
April 25, 2010 – Eleftheria Parpis
When considering colors for upcoming models in Toy State’s Road Rippers collection, Will Coleburn, svp at the company, which also makes the Freedom Force and Caterpillar toy vehicle lines, looked to trends in other industries for cues. “I spent a lot of time looking at what the ski industry is doing,” he says. “They’re on the cutting edge of art and decoration and color for teens.”
While the main target for Toy State’s products skews much younger — 5- to 7-year-old boys — Coleburn figures what attracts the big guys will also appeal to little kids.
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- Tue Apr 20, 10:57 am ET
Well, I guess this settles it as far as the authenticity of Gizmodo’s iPhone 4G scoop Monday. The definitive piece of evidence: a letter from Apple’s top lawyer, formally requesting the safe return of the wayward next-generation iPhone — the one left on a Redwood City barstool last month by a young (and surely red-faced) Apple software engineer.
Gizmodo posted the letter late Monday, and the missive — while firm in tone, and signed by Apple General Counsel and Senior VP Bruce Sewell — stops short of making any legal threats, at least for the time being:
It has come to our attention that GIZMODO is currently in possession of a device that belongs to Apple. This letter constitutes a formal request that you return the device to Apple. Please let me know where to pick up the unit.
Gizmodo Editorial Director Brian Lam replied cheekily that the lost, radically redesigned iPhone was “burning a hole in our pockets” and that he was “happy to see it returned to its rightful owner” now that “we definitely know it’s not some knockoff.”
The news came just hours after the bloggers Gizmodo described how a 27-year-old software engineer at Apple (who is named and pictured in the post, by the way) managed to leave the precious iPhone 4G prototype — disguised to look like an iPhone 3GS — on a barstool at the Gourmet Haus Straut, a “nice German beer garden” in Redwood City, about 20 miles northwest of Apple HQ in Cupertino. (Engadget had blogged over the weekend that the phone was lost in a San Jose watering hole, leading to some initial confusion.)
Having downed a few brews, the hapless Apple engineer eventually rolled out of the bar, according to Gizmodo, absentmindedly leaving behind the next-generation iPhone (which he’d been field testing, the post said). Hey, it happens. (If I had a nickel for every time I left a credit card at a bar … ) Another man in the bar ended up taking the phone home, peeled off the protective jacket the next day, and realized he had a windfall on his hands.
And as we all now know, “weeks later, Gizmodo got it,” says Gawker Media Inc.’s Gizmodo — leaving out a key detail that Nick Denton, founder of Gawker Media, filled in later for the Associated Press: The company paid $5,000 for it.
What followed, I’m sure, was a scene similar to the wonderful sequence in the BBC version of “State of Play”: The editors huddled with their lawyers, the crucial evidence (a suitcase of documents in “State of Play,” an iPhone in the case of Gizmodo) on a table before them, trying to suss out whether they should write a story or call the police.
So, is Gizmodo in trouble? Hard to say, but the L.A. Times tech blog checked in with UC Irvine law professor Henry Weinstein, who says Gizmodo is probably in the clear: “Journalists generally do not get prosecuted for being in receipt of stolen documents, as opposed to the person who received the documents and turned them over.” (It’s worth noting that Gizmodo claims the iPhone in question wasn’t stolen — merely “lost.”)
Now, Apple may find some other way to punish the Gizmodo guys (who are fast becoming the Merry Pranksters of tech bloggerdom) — perhaps a different legal route, or it may freeze out Gizmodo in terms of access to Apple reps and review samples. Then again, Apple reportedly had already snubbed Gizmodo by refusing to give it an advance review iPad, so … sounds like Gizmodo’s iPhone scoop may have been sweet revenge for the spurned blog.
And c’mon: Here’s Apple, perhaps the most infamously paranoid company of all time, complete with triple-secret security zones, blackout curtains hung over conference room windows, flashing red warning lights, prototype devices chained to tables, and all that — only to suffer the (arguably) worst security breach in its history because some poor guy left the next iPhone on a barstool. The irony is just too rich.
Of course, this is all inside baseball (albeit a fascinating game of inside baseball); in the end, we’re left with what appears to be an enticing new iPhone, with a revamped design (flat and shiny on the front and back, trim aluminum sides, thinner but a bit heavier), dual cameras (with a front-facing lens for video chat), a bigger battery, and what appears to be a higher-resolution display. The design may change between now and the final shipping date — after all, the phone Gizmodo snagged may only have been a prototype — but still, there’s little question that the iPhone as we know it is poised for some big changes.
link to article
Falling consumer confidence is driving Americans towards greater self-reliance
April 19, 2010 -By William Higham
Spooked by the recession, consumers are looking for ways to take back the reins from institutions and brands alike. I’ve labeled this macro trend “control freaks.”
Falling consumer confidence is driving Americans towards greater self-reliance. The ABC News Consumer Comfort Index has remained below minus 40 for more than 100 weeks — the worst levels on record. A recent Gallup poll for the Better Business Bureau found nearly half the consumers surveyed have just “some, very little or no trust at all” in the companies with which they do business.
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New services monitor exactly where ads appear
- April 19, 2010 – Brian Morrissey
adweek/photos/stylus/135655-man-at-computer.jpg
For years, Web media planners have lived in fear of The Screenshot. That’s the e-mailed evidence from a client that shows its ads running where they shouldn’t, such as a pornographic Web site.
More brand advertisers than ever are turning to the Web and they are now seeking to solve this problem by engaging verification tools and services to alert them when their ads run on sites they deem unacceptable.
Misplaced ads aren’t a problem unique to the Internet, but the digital medium makes the problem even more acute. A client and agency can easily pick up a magazine and see their ad ran as agreed to on the insertion order. Yet the Web is incredibly fragmented, with attention spread across millions of sites. That’s led to an automated system of ad placement that is far from transparent, with many ad networks not even showing clients where their ads ran.
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