February 2010

You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2010.

It’s Hip to Be Square

February 27, 2010 in Games, Integrated Marketing, Mobile, Online, Social Networking by Lauren McCabe | No comments

FoursquareI am the “Mayor” of the Evanston Athletic Club here in Evanston, IL.  Never heard of me?  Well, you must not be one of the hundreds of thousands of people playing Foursquare.  Ok, even if you are, you probably still don’t know me, but if you are a marketer for Chicago Athletic Clubs, Lululemon, Nike, Les Mills Group Fitness Programs or any other fitness-oriented organization you should know me.

Why?  Well, as the “Mayor” of the Evanston Athletic Club, I’m self-identifying myself as the most frequent user of the gym through the mobile location-based-service (LBS) Foursquare.  I’m pretty much giving you information on where I’m going, how often and who I’m meeting up with.  That’s the beauty of LBS platforms like Foursquare.  It’s a consumer data oasis.  All it needs now is more people buying in.

I first learned about Foursquare last year at the MBA Media and Entertainment Conference at Columbia University.  Even after being one of Dennis Crowley’s first followers it did take me almost a year to really get into it.  What did I need?  More friends participating!  But now many of my friends, especially from my Medill IMC program, are getting into it.  And we’re not alone.

Already there are more people using Foursquare in the first year of its inception than what Twitter had on its first birthday.  Plus, A number of marketers like Pepsi, Bravo TV and Zagat guides are already jumping on the bandwagon by using the platform to reach the early adapters.  These marketers are reaching out to users when they “check in” to offer free samples of products and tune-in reminders.  For example, to promote the new movie Valentine’s Day, Warner Brothers reached out to Foursquare users who had checked in at one of ”Makeout Spots” locations listed on the movie’s website.

It’s examples like this that show how much of a gold mine Foursquare can be for marketers.  You are reaching an already engaged and interested fan.  The price of a coupon you can send to that person’s mobile phone is so worth acquiring that person’s loyalty. 

I’m still going to go to the Evanston Athletic Club to work out (I’ve signed a contract), but it wouldn’t hurt getting an occassional free massage or a free pair of yoga pants from Lululemon. (HINT! HINT!)

Tags: , , ,

A Squeeze and a Dip of Insight

February 16, 2010 in Product Development, word of mouth by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Heinz KetchupTalk about truly listening to your customers and catering to their needs!  Last week Heinz unveiled its newly redesigned ketchup packet.  In its first packaging change in 40 years, the Heinz ketchup packet reflects how consumers eat the red condiment on-the-go. 

For anyone who has ruined a white t-shirt or has had a hard time flavoring your french fries when in the car, the packet is perfect.  It’s a cup for dipping those beloved fries or chicken nuggets with a tear-off end to squeeze onto a hamburger.  Plus, it holds three-times more ketchup than the old packet.  That’s good news for anyone who has been charged for extra packets at McDonald’s!

The executives at Heinz have joked that they’ve been receiving complaints since they first introduced the little plastic packets back in the 1960s, but apparently someone was paying attention.  Better late than never, huh?  This is a great example of how listening to your customers and understanding their behavior can not only create more effective marketing campaigns, but also better a better product.

Tags: , , ,

And the Oscar Showcase Goes To …

February 8, 2010 in Film, Online by Lauren McCabe | No comments

popcorn-bagFor the past couple of years I’ve been going to the all-day movie marathon known as the AMC Best Picture Showcase.  I’m a movie lover and the idea of sitting in a theater for close to 15 hours on a Saturday in February gives me a big smile, especially as I eat my unlimited bags of popcorn and soda.  The showcase provides people with a great way to celebrate the Oscars, watch all five of the Best Picture nominees in one day and feel ready to win the office pool.  But when the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Science decided to change things up this year and nominate 10 films for the top prize, it left AMC and it’s die-hard movie fans wondering what would happen to the Showcase. 

I’m impressed with how AMC handled the situation.  Knowing that it would be logistically and humanly impossible to show all 10 films at once, the theater chain decided to split the showcase into two days, each showing five of the films.  But it also gave the fans the ability to help decide which films it would show together, especially since the three-hour megamovie Avatar would be shown in 3-D.  Through a polling system, AMC allowed fans to vote on the movies it would show during the first weekend with Avatar and announce the results later today. 

86,521 votes were cast and it looks like it may be a good year for me.  I’ve seen about half of the films nominated, including Avatar, and those are also the ones that the majority of fans have voted on to be shown on the first Saturday.  Of course AMC has the final say, but let’s hope that the peoples’ voices have been heard and it will save me $30 and an extra Saturday.

I’ll post the results as soon as I find out.

Tags: , ,

Coca-”Cool”-a

February 3, 2010 in Integrated Marketing by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Coca ColaSoft drink giant Coca-Cola is collaborating with advertising agency Ogilvy to engage with teens through branded media.  Part of this year’s MIPTV Content 360 Challenge, Coca-Cola will award a 1,000 euro development contract to whoever can come up with the most innovative tv show, web series, mobile app, game, etc that gets kids engaged with the brand.

The MIPTV conference has been hosting this contest for the past five years and Coke certainly isn’t the first major corporation to get involved.  But what it shows is how marketers are continuing to think outside the box to get their brand and their product in the hands of potential customers.  Plus, it allows advertising agencies like Ogilvy to come up with new ideas without the expense of hiring new talent (not sure how I feel about that argument right now). 

 

If you are interested in entering the contest, just go to http://www.mipworld.com/en/MIPTV/conferences-and-events/content-360/

Good luck!

Tags: , , , ,

iPad: iWow or iDud?

February 1, 2010 in Games, Mobile, Online, Television by Lauren McCabe | No comments

Funny or Die: Pee Wee gets an iPad

Since Apple’s highly anticipated unveiling of its iPad last week, there has been a lot of buzz about this “revolutionary” gadget.  Frankly, much of the discussion is just about that.  Is the iPad even revolutionary?  For some, including Pee Wee Herman and the folks at Funny or Die, they think that the iPad is nothing more than a glorified iPhone that can also be used as a serving tray.  But for others, including me, the iPad is a hint of what’s to come for media consumption. 

Sure, the iPad probably won’t change the media industry as quickly as how the iPod changed music years ago.  But what is sure to happen is how media companies start thinking about the content they produce and how they release it to consumers.  As the New York Times reports today, the iPad has its flaws.  One of its largest is the inability to play Flash, a key compenent for sites like Hulu.  However, with new devices like the iPad, the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook, media producers will once again need to figure out how to get their content into the hands, ears and laps of media users before someone else does.

Tags: , ,