Tinder is a mobile app that allows individuals within close geographical proximity to connect.  The program gathers users basic data via Facebook and displays your mutual friends, shared likes, and geographical distance from your location. Essentially the app functions similarly to ‘hot or not’; however if both users approve of each other they are able to chat through the app.

There have been a wide variety of reviews on Tinder; some claim it’s going to put online dating out of business, others expect it to be a passing fad like Chatroulette; however, all critics agree that Tinder it has been a huge hit in the mobile app market. Since the app was released just over a year ago it has received well over 50 million downloads.

The question for successful app developers such as Tinder and Snapchat is how and when to implement a revenue stream.  Free-ad revenue streams for content-oriented entertainment apps have a reputation for wide target and high-initial traffic. This model includes 3rd party platforms, independent platforms, as well as Ad exchanges. Often times these smaller, less-familiar brands sell their company over to technological giants (i.e. Instagram acquired by Facebook). While these offers are often enticing for smaller companies who have operated revenue-free for multiple years this acquisition can also be seen as ‘selling your soul’, the social equivalent of selling your company to Proctor and Gamble.

Personally I would love to see a company like Tinder join forces with a company who lacks a social aspect – specifically a company like Netflix. I think it would be interesting to view Netflix favorites or recently viewed displayed in a similar way to mutual Facebook likes. Individual’s interest in TV and movies can say a lot about their personality, and a program like Netflix is growing in popularity among younger age groups who have an appreciation for efficiency and on-demand services.

Sick of seeing the same boring viral video posted on Facebook? Maybe you PVR’d the World Series Final and want to get through your day without seeing the results posted on Social Media. A new add-in called ‘Rather’ may be the answer to your prayers. The relatively recent introduction of hash-tags into Facebook allows Rather to scan your Facebook and Twitter for user-specific filters and swap out the topics you don’t want to see/hear about, with ones you do.

There are currently a few barriers that are keeping Rather from becoming a huge hit with consumers. Firstly the program works based on scanning words through hash-tags. As a result if someone uploads a photo of the final score of the World Series without any of the keywords you have highlighted, there’s no way for the program to pick it up. Additionally, many users are not using Hash-tags for their proper and intended use. So, similarly if someone uploads a photo of the World Series scoreboard and says ‘#gametimewithfriends’ or ‘lazyFriday’ Rather has no way of filtering out the photo.

Consumers these days are inundated with commercials and advertisements. Recognizing this, companies are making more and more use of targeted paid-online advertisements. Whether it be promoted tweets targeted to your geographic area, Facebook ads targeted to your age and gender, or pop ups based on your previous searches you can be reasonably sure they there specifically for you; however, the difference between targeted ads and Rather is that many consumers aren’t typically aware of that they are being targeted by certain ad agencies, whereas Rather requires users to consciously select what they see.

No doubt Rather is a unique program that will catch the attention of many users; however, I can’t say I’m convinced it will have long-term impact on our social media channels. Personally, I would be more frustrated by seeing photos of rabbits or cute babies that had been filtered in to replace a Rob Ford press conference video. Surely you are connecting to people via Facebook or Twitter because you’re interested in what they have to say, it’s a part of social media. To me, Rather is the social equivalent or yelling ‘CUTE PUPPIES’ when your friends are talking about a topic you’re disinterested in. So, while I am impressed with the innovative technology, I can’t help but to feel that Rather is discouraging the authenticity that makes social media such a unique and interesting part of our daily routine.

As a resident of the town, Whistler Blackcomb has always been a prominent brand in my life. However, since my time at Sauder, and specifically with the focus on marketing I’ve been able to see the brand in a new light.

Specifically this winter I have noticed the effective use of earned media as well as co-creation. Whistler Blackcomb is fortunate in that their brand has many positive associations with which outdoorsman worldwide who wish to align themselves with. As a result WB has attracted a significant number of strong brand loyalists, which I’ve begun to notice the company has used leveraged through social media to the assisting them in their marketing and advertising efforts.  Specifically, two WB promotions have stuck our in my mind over the past year:

1. The ‘You Name It’ competition – In ancticipation of Whistler Blackcomb’s new quad chair going in this season the company held a competition encouraging WB enthusiasts to name the new Crystal zone chair lift. In addition to bragging rights the winner received a seasons pass for the 13/14 ski season or a $1000 gift card to Whistler Blackcomb as well as a chance for you and 3 friends to have the first public ride up the lift when it opens.
2. ‘Snow Ready’ – A familiar term to anyone who has been following Whistler Blackcomb on social media this fall. Essentially Whistler Blackcomb’s promotion encourages users to compete for the best ski/snowboard ‘throwback’ on Instagram and Twitter with a wide variety of related prizes given out on a regular basis. A great way to get loads of user-generated content out there, get consumers excited for the upcoming season, and act a reminder for those not as actively involved with the brand to consider buying a pass for the season. Check out the quirky video that WB put together to kick off the campaign:

http://vimeo.com/76617645

This week our group will be launching our Google Adwords campaign for our client, MASC Skin Care. To me this kind of program is a brand new language. As a result I began looking into blogs about both Google Analytics and Google Adwords one evening, hoping that e-marketing companies could share some of the secrets and insights they found first-hand. I came across a blog called ‘4 Ways to Maximize Your Google Analytics’. According to this post found on Digital Marketer Google Analytics is most effective as an evaluation tool when:

1. Don’t Focus on a Single Metric (Important metrics that should be monitored on an on-going basis include visits, unique visitors, Avg. visit duration, Pageviews, Bounce rate, Mobile visits, Organic search visits, Top referrals, Top landing pages, Top exit pages, Goal completions, Goal conversion rate (% of people who visit and complete a goal)
2. There is no such thing as ‘weak’, ‘average’, or ‘strong’ scores on the metrics. The results from the two programs are company specific and realistically should only be compared to them over time to assess progress.
3. Look at data over time. Focusing too narrowly may present misleading results.
4. Analyzing the information is important but your business won’t improve until you act on the Data you have collected

While some of these takeaways have already been discussed in class, as well as from our 6s Guest Speaker it was a good reminder to maintain a ‘big picture’ view despite the tendency for the tool to focus on specific.  Additionally we aren’t truly providing value to our client if unless we can draw some specific insights from our research findings. It will be up to our team to learn the ins and outs of Google Adwords quickly so we can learn how to manipulate the metrics/data to focus on MASC’s objectives. Hopefully these few Takeaways from the website will give us a good start!

‘MyTag – Buyers and Sellers connected’. Sounds familiar, right? Craigslist, Kijiji, eBay etc. We could all name dozens of online services providing a medium for demand and supply to connect within our own communities – and many of these online platforms have seen great success. So what makes MyTag special? What gives Tony Pham and his California team so much optimism as they plan to launch the business this Thursday September 19th? After all, dozens of bright minds have tried to take on Craigslist and failed. Well, MyTag has managed to accomplish what all these websites currently lack – safety and credibility. Not only does MyTag give users the ability to upload videos, providing a more thorough view of their goods for sale, but the website also pulls users ratings from websites like eBay and Amazon and displays them on profiles. Pham, a veteran to the retail business, claims he got the idea after he and his wife were scammed after wiring money for an online purchase. Pham’s goal is to ‘make local e-commerce more social, transparent and, most importantly, safe’.

When I found this post on TechCrunch it reminded me of an online service my family has quickly become reliant on when travelling, Air BnB. In an apartment/home rental industry, transparency and safety is the utmost concern – Air BnB established a 2-way feedback system whereby the renters rate and comment on the quality of their stay, and the tenants rate and comment on the state of their home when the renters leave. Both forms of feedback are automatically displayed on the individuals’ profiles for future renters or tenants to review. It is easy to understand why this level of transparency is required when renting your home to strangers, but is this necessary for consumer goods? Personally, my first reaction to hearing about MyTag was ‘Wow sounds like too much work’, and I think this would be true in my case – rarely do I buy something off Craigslist over the value of $100. However, g I would consider making larger scale purchases MyTag reduced some of this risk for myself, and other users?

Whether or not MyTag measures up to the high expectations set is hard to say at this point, however; they will undoubtedly be a company to follow in the upcoming year. Who knows, they may even be the company to help you furnish your apartment next September.

Interested in MyTag? Visit their website: http://mytag.com/

Emily Raven’s blog  “Celebrity Cool Contagious” discusses the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements on brand success – something that I only really became aware of after the Tiger Woods scandal when the majority of his sponsors publicly dropped him to protect their company image.

The whole notion of celebrity endorsement seems incredibly risky. In my mind, as far as celebrities go, a 36-year-old professional golfer married, with children is about as stable and secure as they come. And yet we watched this man absolutely DESTROY his reputation in a matter of days. It seems almost foolish for company’s who have worked endlessly to plan and create a product to rest the success of it on a celebrity – a factor that you have virtually no control over.

To me a far more reliable route as far as commercials and brand awareness go would be a creative message strategy combined with unique execution style. For example Dollar Shave Club – a brand new company with the intention of simplifying razor purchases for men.

I find the commercial to be witty, straight to the point, and yet leave me wondering “…What just happened?”. What sets this commercial apart from others was its simplicity combined with unforeseen inappropriate language/references (that, unfortunately, caused me to laugh out loud in a silent study area). This advertising style may not be fitting for all company’s but I find it refreshing to see a business deviate from the dry and over-used celebrity endorsement strategy we are used to and try something different. After all it may prove to be just as effective while often being far less costly to produce.