December 7th, 2009
It’s been a while since Foursquare had new proprietary event badges. In fact, the last time I remember a special badge was for NY Internet Week.
Foursquare took a break to focus on expanding to tons of global cities to strengthen their worldwide userbase. Now that that’s out of the way they can continue to hone their
business model by making
brand integration once again essential. This brings back the element of surprise that users love and turns users into fans and fans into evangelists.
Today has also been a marquee day for Foursquare with a return to focus on brands by partnering with Pepsi. For about a week Pepsi will donate $.04 to Camp Interactive for every point scored on the NYC leader board.
With event badges, leaderboard sponsorships and nearby checkin deals in place brands are starting to take their rightful place on Foursquare. While they may be privately funded thus far there is definitely a clear path to profitability by integrating brands in a timely and relevant manner.
Posted via email from db’s digital branding database
Tags: badge, badges, board, Boxee, brand, break, business, business model, Camp Interactive, checkin, clear path, database, day, download, element, element of surprise, email, evangelists, event, fact, Foursquare, gallery, global cities, integration, Internet, internet week, last time, leader, leader board, leaderboard, love, manner, marquee, model, NY, NYC, path, pepsi, place, point, posterousWith, profitability, relevant manner, return, surprise, time, today, userbase, way, week, while, worldwide
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November 30th, 2009
Nike has been relevant and will continue to be relevant for their brand and all the sports that they encompass. For over 3 years now they have had a Runner’s Station in New York City on the west side highway – a part of their hyperlocal RunNYC campaign. While others may have known about this, for me this is a first considering I started running again after a 10 year hiatus.
The Nike Runner’s Station is a small 1970’s-style shack, full of trail, community and product information. There’s water, Gatorade, sports bars and sports gel all for the weary runner to purchase. The best part about the Nike Runner’s Station is that there is an assortment of Nike running shoes that you can “trial”. Any athlete knows that the true test of a piece of performance gear is in the field and what better way for a runner to find the perfect shoe than to take it on the course they most frequent.
The station attendant was really knowledgable and helpful, delving into my level of engagement. He gave me critical information to the station – it’s only open from July to November with yesterday being the last day it was open. He even showed me a trail that he used to run that would be great for me to follow based on where I live.
There was also a computer on site for any online queries and connections I woudlve have wanted to make, like looking up more about the Nike Run Connect shoes and iPod widget that shares your running stats with your social networks. I didn’t want to look into it further right then because I just wanted to get back to running.
All in all the Nike Runner’s Station is possibly one of the best niche hyperlocal branded popup shops I’ve ever seen. Leave it to a leader in a category to show the competition how it’s done. Take note and think outside the box like Nike did.
Posted via email from db’s digital branding database
Tags: 3 years, assortment, athlete, attendant, brand, campaign, community, computer, Connect, course, day, delving, email, engagement, field, Gatorade, gear, gel, hiatus, highway, hyperlocal, information, iPod, July, level, New York City, niche, Nike, nike running shoes, November, online, part, performance, performance gear, piece, popup, product, queries, Run, Runner, RunNYC, shack, shoe, side, site, social networks, sports bars, Station, test, trail, trial, true test, water, way, west, west side highway, widget, woudlve, year, yesterday
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November 10th, 2009
A strong brand pays attention to details. A smart brand connects with the connectors in memorable ways that may not be readily quantifiable. A savvy brand knows that there are many factors involved in making something a hit or miss. Motorola is all of these and more when it comes to Droid.
On Android day, Cake Group put together an amazing event for Motorola’s Droid release. Their efforts went beyond the day of with connecting with various influencers beforehand to seed articles after the fact.
The branding brilliance comes into play with the attention to details. Customized shortened urls were created just for the event:
Press Release for Droid: http://bit.ly/MotoDroid
Link to Droid specs/product info: http://bit.ly/MotorolaDroid
Pictures from last night: http://bit.ly/MotoLaunchParty
The invitation was elegant, simple and overall top-notch:
What really set them apart was Motorola’s use of Foursquare in a relevant and timely way:
If that wasn’t enough, the piece that pulled it all together was the fact that the launch party took place in Morimoto, the famous Japanese restaurant. MoriMOTO, MOTOrola - very slight but very intentional and very effective.
With Motorola the attention is in the details. At every turn there was a robot, or droid, to reinforce that we were there in fact for the DROID launch. By the end of the party none of the robot droids were left, as they were almost as coveted as the DROID itself. Another small detail was the DROID branded photo-booth downstairs, which came with props like a giant inflatable 90’s-era cellphone and a raygun, as well as an alien backdrop.
Attention to details doesn’t stop after the party: I have it on good authority that Cake Group also added tips to every Verizon store on DROID day (11-6-9) to clue people in to the new Motorola DROID. While Foursquare may not be completely mainstream yet one thing is for sure – the people that ARE using advanced social networking services are the ones who are buying these new mobiile computing “phones”. With the proliferation of these advanced communication devices it’s only a matter of time before everyone is using one. Until then we have companies like Motorola and Cake Group who are using branding purposefully to guide us along the way.
Tags: android, attention, authority, backdrop, brand, brilliance, Cake, cellphone, clue, computing, day, detail, downstairs, droid, droids, end, event, fact, Foursquare, giant, giant inflatable, Group, influencers, info, invitation, japanese restaurant, launch, launch party, link, mainstream, mobiile, Morimoto, motorola, networking, networking services, new motorola, night, none, party, photo booth, Pictures, piece, place, play, Press, product, props, raygun, release, restaurant, robot, seed, social networking, something, store, thing, top notch, turn, Use, verizon, way
Posted in branding, life, social media | 1 Comment »
October 23rd, 2009
Facebook recently released a touchscreen optimized interface for phones such as the iPhone and android models. It’s interesting that even though Facebook is one of the most downloaded social networking iPhone apps that Facebook is still continuing to optimize the mobile web on many different fronts.
Considering they just launched their newly redesigned homepage in a more streamlined newsfeed focused way it makes me wonder if this addition is within their overall brand vision for their user interface and user experience.
One thing I DO like about the new Touch interface is the Phone section (Also notice the new notifications red icon in the upper left corner). It focuses on who you can call, as opposed to the mobile interface which focuses on all your friends and pointing out who has their phone number listed with a phone icon.
What do you think about the differences? Not enough? Too much? What other changes should be made?
Posted via email from db’s digital branding database
Tags: android, brand, branding, email, Facebook, iphone, iphone apps, mobile interface, mobile web, models, network, networking, notifications, phone icon, phone number, social, social media, social network, social networking, social web, touch interface, touchscreen interface, user experience, user interface, Web 2.0
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October 23rd, 2009
Seriously Burger King? Seriously Windows 7? This Is Why You’re Fat even reposted it on their site.
In a global economy with instant communications a brand must always be aware of the message they send in any local community. I’m not sure how this relates to the Windows brand at all. It may be ‘cool’ in Japan because it’s different (I’m not sure, I’m not there) but to me this is just a shameless cross-promotion that promotes unhealthy food choices.
A subliminal statement about Windows? Associating your brand with anything gluttonous and unhealthy nowadays just isn’t smart branding.
P.S. Read the comments on the original post at Electronista. Some of them are comedy gold.
Posted via web from db’s digital branding database
Tags: anything, Associating, brand, branding, Burger, burger king, com, comedy, community, cross promotion, database, economy, electronista, Fat, food, food choices, global economy, gluttonous, gold, health, instant communications, japan, King, local community, message, nightmare, P.S. Read, post, Seriously, site, smart, statement, unhealthy food, web, Windows
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October 23rd, 2009
Checking my Facebook fanpage updates I came across this update:
It basically says fans aren’t actually allowed to have fanpages anymore. Essentially what has happened is that fanpages have been cannibalized by brands as an official outlet for them over groups.
Why is this important?
- It takes away your right to create, share and enjoy something socially with others
- It enables a brand economy over a social economy
- It adds a layer of authenticity for brands allowing them to protect their interests
- It shows Facebook’s commitment to monetizing by looking out for brands
So if you want to make a fanpage for an established brand (personal or professional) the party’s over. Unless it’s an officially sanctioned fanclub run by the brand you’re out of luck.
Also important, there’s a three week authentication grace period.
P.S. If you look in the upper right corner I find it pretty apropos that Facebook is asking me if I know about Slash and want to be his fan, therefore I dub this technique of Facebook cutting fan fanpages as being ‘Slashed’.
#ChatPack P.S. This one’s for you Brett, as I know you’ve run into a similar situation with Mr. Easton Ellis’ people.
Posted via email from db’s digital branding database
Tags: authentication, authenticity, brand, Brett, ChatPack, Checking, commitment, corner, database, dub, easton ellis, economy, Ellis, email, Facebook, fan, fanclub, fanpage, grace, grace period, layer, luck, Mr. Easton, outlet, P.S. If, P.S. This, party, period, right, share, situation, Slash, Slashed, social economy, something, technique, update, week
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September 30th, 2009
You’re a competent entrepreneur and the model employee but when it comes to your company identity you need some help. That’s where brand aid comes in.
“Brand aid is not avaibable over the counter and its not sold in stores. Brand aid is recommended for entepreneurs of all ages who have experienced salespeople who are beginning to show signs of slowdown. Such symptoms may include a decrease in monetary intake, low b-to-b and customer communication, or signs of a general slowdown. If these symptoms increase call a brand doctor. Try Brand aid today!”
Or that’s what it would sound like if it was a pill. Identifying symptoms that your brand may need professional help aren’t always easy. There aren’t commercials to prompt you or ads to remind you. You have to be like a mother and always be aware of your child’s overall disposition.
A brand may need a little or a lot of help depending on how much expert knowledge has already been injected in equity. I don’t just mean professionals qualified in their fields either. Each and every one of us is an expert in many areas. Our preferences and interests have been molded from external sources to make us experts due to the sheer amount of information absorbed in the course of a lifetime.
But don’t mistake familiarity with in-depth knowledge. Whereas you may bring a fresh outside perspective, the professional brings a wealth of knowledge culled from years of relevant information being added to personal experience.
You may know your brand best but they know branding best. Listen to each other. You’re both experts in your own right.
Tags: advice, benefit, brand, brand aid, branding, company identity, consumer, consumers, conversation, customer communication, expert knowledge, external sources, goals, interactions, knowledge, model employee, productivity, Value, wealth of knowledge
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September 29th, 2009
Regardless of the economy, not every transaction is right for you. Money is important but sometimes it’s more important to stand your ground and say no.
Your brand is your most important resource. Underselling it sends the wrong message to everyone out there. Remember, people are always looking.
Recently speaking with me at IOWAtasmic, Derek Johnson (CEO of Tatango) spoke about running a landscaping company that ran into this predicament. He ultimately didn’t say no and learned a valuable lesson from it. By cutting his price to do a partial job as a favor for a friend selling a house he misrepresented himself to the public’s perception. People driving by, the neighbors, the new owners, and even his friend’s partner all saw the job done and assumed that was the best work.
Learning the valuable lesson of when to say no has it’s benefits. Your brand image is all you have in the eyes of the public. If all they ever do is view you from afar all they will ever perceive is what they see. Make sure your best foot is always forward when representing yourself and your brand.
Tags: advice, benefit, brand, brand image, branding, business, communicating, communications, consumer, core values, economy, interaction, interactions, iowatasmic, job, knowledge, life, marketing, money, perception, predicament, productivity, selling
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September 28th, 2009
I started this 30 Days To A Better Brand series with the intent to write an article everyday for 30 days. Sometimes intentions can not be synced up with actualities. My business started getting much busier so I had to decide what was more important- sticking to the plan or going with the flow. This is also the decision your brand must face in business.
I personally decided that doing what I had to do for Esultancy (my new social strategy firm with Oz Sultan and Khayyam Wakil) was of more pressing importance than sticking to a regimented posting schedule. This is a valuable lesson for all brands. When an opportunity presents itself that is more pressing you should shift to accommodate it.
The main criteria I gauge how I deal with situations are based on how pressing it is, how opportune it is, if it’s “on brand” and if it will net more money in the short run than the other project being displaced. While blogging can be lucrative and elevates your profile thus leading to money, unfortunately I don’t blog for money.
So I decided to focus on getting my business off the ground. We’re so enamored with the content creation and sharing products that we tend to forget that we’re here to make money. Regardless of using social media for fun, everyone has a personal brand and social media usage can affect you.
Everyone has social equity. What we do in the public eye shapes people’s perception of us and ultimately affects how much money we make. Referrals, appraisals, partnerships and promotions are formed over time. Do what’s right for you and your brand and in the end you’ll do what’s right for your pocket.
Tags: actualities, advice, appraisals, benefit, brand, branding, business, consumers, content creation, core values, gauge, goals, going with the flow, hierarchy, interaction, interactions, life, marketing, network, networking, partnerships, perception, personal brand, productivity, promotions, referrals, social, social equity, social media, social strategy, strategy firm, Value
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September 20th, 2009
While it may be your brand you do not actually own it. Your public owns it. Your customers decide what your brand means to them. Once you put your company out there it is now in the hands of the public.
The fact that your audience has final say in whether your product thrives or dies doesn’t change the fact that you still have the last say in the decisions implemented. If a majority of people purchasing your product decide decide they don’t like something either you must change it, change their opinion or become a victim of change.
Changing your brand based on feedback alone is shortsighted. Although there is wisdom in the crowd you ultimately are the professional. Your years of experience coupled with thorough knowledge of the category definitely weights your opinion. Just remember, you don’t pay your bills; they do.
So what do you do?
• Survey your customers with key questions
• List all potential pros and cons at hand
• Compare with competitors and other businesses who may have had the same issue
• Create a mindmap of your business / product / situation landscape
• Map out the best possibility to completion
• Implement your plan in timely phases
• Gauge for feedback
• Adjust accordingly
Not all situations are created equal and neither are your customers. By being aware of your capabilities, your customer’s savviness and the clarity of mind to know the difference between the two, you should be positioned to dominate in any situation you encounter.
Tags: advice, attributes, audience, benefit, brand, branding, business, business product, capabilities, clarity of mind, communicating, communication, communications, consumer, consumers, conversation, core values, corporate message, cradle to grave, cross country race, crowd, customer relationships, decisions, endurance, feelings, foster innovation, gauge, goals, interaction, interactions, landscape, life, lifeblood, lists, long term relationship, map, marketing, mindmap, network, networking, passion, person smile, productivity, pros and cons, purchase decisions, retention rate, savviness, selling, social, sprint, term rewards, Value, wisdom
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