Currency is not necessarily money nowadays. A factor that leads to profit can be also counted as currency. In this video, Rachel Botsman explains how trust can be your valuable asset in this economy.

“With every trade we make, comment we leave, person we flag, badge we earn, we leave a reputation trail.” says Rachel Botsman. As the technology of internet developed, peer-to-peer business has been going wide. Especially in peer-to-peer, reputation is one of the most important factors that leads to success. The only thing that consumers can rely on the trustworthiness of producer is the reputation(trust): reviews, comments and status. Therefore, as peer-to-peer business grows, the more the trust values.

http://www.andersoncooper.com/2012/02/22/a-familys-home-computers-get-hacked/

It is clear that peer-to-peer business is going to get bigger and bigger. However, one thing I’m concerned is that a person’s identity can be easily fabricated and altered in digital world. I’d love to see how people are going to handle this problem and secure the out growing business.

http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/

In 2009, Toyota was struggling through coming up with innovative design after succeeded setting a standard quality of automobiles. Although they were yielding tremendous amount of profits, they suggested the consumers the future of automobiles with environmental issues. Toyota is still one of the leading company in its industry with stable base of consumers and satisfying them with long term-planning.

http://www.businessinsider.com/dealers-cannot-keep-this-car-on-the-lots-2012-4

As the importance of environmental issue emerged, automobile companies realized the demands of creating hybrid cars-a type of cars that uses electricity and liquid fuel simultaneously-however, Toyota was the most active toward it which is becoming more significant while other companies focused on present sales. Toyota’s futuristic value positioning has been coming through with early development of hybrid cars.

http://www.hybridcars.com/news/september-2012-dashboard-53157.html

In hybrid cars market, Volkswagen is catching up with Toyota but it is obvious that Toyota is leading. This suggests that Toyota’s futuristic value proposition is the key to business rather than focusing on instant trends because the one who focuses on future will set the trend.

http://zachheller.com/2009/06/16/direct-comparison-ads-do-they-work-best/

These days, direct comparative ads are rampant especially among mobile industry (Samsung vs iPhone vs BlackBerry).Nevertheless, there has been a notorious example of direct comparative ads, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, depreciating each others’ products. However, personally, I think comparative ads are expeditions of product development for companies therefore benefits for consumers.

Pepsi-Coca cola

Despite the beneficial side of the comparative ads, immoderate use of them cause consumers eyebrows to raise. Pepsi depreciates Coca-cola in their comparative ads explicitly; however, there is no certain point that they are comparing with. This kind of advertisement basically tells “Ours is better than theirs, simple as that”. However, without providing solid reason why their products are better than the others’, it is not an efficient advertisement but an insist which can’t convince audiences.

Pizza Hut direct comparative ad

In this commercial above, Pizza Hut tells the audiences their point of difference emphasizing their relatively cheap price with variety of toppings. Opposing to funny but non-sense ad of Pepsi, Pizza Hut successfully appealed to audiences with blatant method.

All in all, to promote a comparative ad, companies should verify their distinctive PoD and not stubbornly insist that their product is the better one no matter what.