· meng chao · annie · wang

LinkedIn’s free-mium model is proven a success where big corporations pay at a premium to amplify awareness and seek talent , while the free users make up  the talent pool.

Although all the online social platforms have different norms and purposes, many of them share similar functions. In late July, LinkedIn has introduced its new feature- Sponsored Updates which is replication of Facebook’s Sponsored Stories.

Now LinkedIn user’s newsfeed will also feature these ads. While Facebook users are accustomed to reading updates from their newsfeed homepage,most  LinkedIn users are more accustomed to job searching and polishing their online profile. Personally, I barely read any newsfeed from my homepage because most of them would be irrelevant to me. When I asked around, almost none of my friends pay attention to the feeds. It would be a great push strategy for companies to announce news to the public, but having no choice to hide or delete those voluntary posts, users who lack the interest in those post will feel the lack of customization.

Reaching to the right audience will be come a concern for this new feature since LinkedIn have a different behavior norm. To accommodate the need, LinkedIn has recently added its newest feature Showcase pages for corporations. This is a separate, less robust company pages that allow the firms to share content tailored to the interested target group. Let’s say for example Sephora can create separate pages for its different product categories like Sephora skincare or cosmetics. These showpages will also be followerable , creating a more niche follower group who shows a specific interest in this product category. Right now, the limit is ten showcase pages for one firm, but if larger firms have the need to create more that would not be a problem. This page as suggested in its title , only showcases content and does not have the features like careers, products and services however firms can advertise on showcase pages.This is indeed a good news for all the corporations, since the tailored ad can generate more foot traffic to their page and ideally can turn the followers to prospective clients.

What do people think of when they hear fatherhood?

like this?

or perhaps like this?

My point is people are stereotypical and when it comes to parenthood, people would point fingers and immediately think the men are irresponsible, lazy and unorganized. But is it true? That men are less likely to have a caring heart? That they lack the feeling of responsibility and the ability to pay attention to details when it comes to parenting? The Sound ,a qualitative market research firm took an unordinary approach to explore the modern fatherhood.

Rather than constantly monitoring the observed group, The Sound let the chosen Dads to take  the video cameras home and record video diaries for six months. This user-generated content allows the marketers to fully observe the behaviors unobtrusively.   The documentary was meant for analysis purposes, but the amount of love and emotion attached to it gave the public a different view of the contemporary men.  Here is a quick peak:

The video diaries featured seven dads with seven cameras and in three cities. Everyone of them has a unique circumstance, some are broken families and others are simply not biologically related. I was lucky to have seen the entire documentary in one of my lecture and I just couldn’t stop myself from tearing up. It was ordinary, there was sadness, there was delightfulness, most importantly there was LOVE. The documentary had such a big impact on me that my view on 21st century men has completely revised itself and with no doubt, The Sound has also marked its name in my memory.

Honestly,  I disagree with people who say going on Facebook is a complete waste of time. I simply love browsing through newsfeed for friends updates and their sharing of interesting contents. Here’s what I found yesterday:

As the Ad was playing, I couldn’t help but gasped on the number of views on the video considering how new it is. Over 4 million views within in just few days? That is insane! There are entrepreneurs everywhere in the market, but this Coin has made its name big  by being featured on Wall Street Journal, Forbes, ABC news, NBC… nearly EVERYWHERE that would spoil news.

What it is is just a normal physical card that enables bluetooth that will connect all your credit cards together so you can simply carry one card out and swipe any card any time. The concept is intriguing and is proven technologically feasible, no doubt there is so much hype in the public. Oh wait, there is the preorder! Coin hopes to raise $50,000 funds through crowd funding on its own website.What can be more exciting than watching the the days tick and you are able to get the deal before its off the table? Leveraging on all media, whether its online/offline, Coin was able to create the buzz and get people talking about its potential offering.

Despite all the hype, there are many skepticism among people. The feedbacks ranged from positive to negatives

and here is a more neutral one that brings up some criticism

I will skip the negative comments due to the improper language. But here is the thing, I do not see any responses to all the hate-messages! The skepticism isn’t going to resolve itself and Coin is not responding to clarify the grey area.  Poor monitoring I would say. Going viral is great, but watch out what you are being discussed , praises can bring the shine on you, but bad can go even worse. Will Coin be the next big thing and eventually make it to the market with its sufficient crowd funding? Let’s hope it would first  respond better online as it positions itself as a forefront technology trend setter.

If any online marketers had to categorize me into one of the technographic segements , I would be either a spectator in some communities and a collector in others.  I am a foodie and I do not only indulge in ready-to-eat meals but I also cook. Speaking of cooking, I abhor reading text only recipes because it is so hard to follow. Instead, I browse through Youtube videos and follow video demo instructions . I am very visual and watching video  tutorials  just make life way easier for me. Well thanks to Youtube, the miso grilled salmon has officially became my signature dish!

User generated tutorials are one of the most popular videos being watched online, in other words we all need help in one way or another. Google,a prominent player in the search engine area, has sensed the need of visual aid and recently brought the new tool to the public’s eye.

Introducing- Google Helpouts

The catch phrase: Get real help, with real people at real time perhaps has highlighted the uniqueness that this tool has to offer. Google has made a clever move by integrating its product through different functionalities such as doing the actual video call via Google Hangouts and payments through Google Wallet.  The tool adopts a free-mium model which should be a lucrative method. However everyone is so accustomed to the free user-generated video tutorials, how luring would it be for users to pay different increments just for the need of real-time help? The questions arise, as help is sought from all over the world, will availability becomes a issue for certain helps that real-time becomes a issue? The online environment is always full of loopholes for hackers to invade, privacy and safety issue would be major concern for those real-time video calls. Although Google has already addressed the  issue and enforce safeguards as a another layer of protections for its users but we shall wait and see the responses from the public after majority has adopted this new tool.

Recently my Facebook newsfeed has been bombarded by a series of hilarious comic posts starring …TA DA my darling friends. Here’s a quick peek:

The attitude, the caption and the character resemblance, there is something that is so intriguing about these post that I can’t get enough of them and yes, I LOLed.  As I asked around for this source of fun, I found out this comic status is generated from a phone app called Bitstrips.  Here is what you can do with this app:

• Design cartoon versions of yourself and your friends
• Put your friends in hilarious comics where anything can happen
• show how you’re feeling with cartoon status updates

Not only the app provides hysterical laughters, it also let its user to customize each strip. What led to this high diffusion among users? I would say  Bitstrips did an exceptional job with satisfying all five factors to Roger’s diffusion of innovations(ACCTO criteria).

• Relative advantage： Customization allows maximal character resemblance and personal relevancy. Rather than having mundane text status updates you are able to create vivid picture updates. This is also a network product, as more of your friends join the Bitstrips community, more friends you are able to incorporate into cartoon generation.
• Compatibility : Just like any other apps, Bitstrips is available in both Google Play and Apple store. There the app is compatible with both Android and Apple interface.
• Complexity: User friendly interface with clear navigation and instructions.
• Trailability: Since the app is free, anyone can download it and try it a no cost
• Observability: Connection with other social networks allow users to amplify awareness and increase adoption rate

Comic strips is no stranger to us, but it is an innovate idea to allow users to customize content and characters generated by the app and share them in other online platforms. By leveraging user’s social network ( Facebook) , Bitstrips is able to gain  high social network presence for the purpose of app adoption.

So why not add subtle hint of fun to your day at no cost? As it turns out, the app can be quite addictive, this is a picture collage made by my friend:

and here is my favorite one:

I couldn’t print screen the caption but it was the sweetest message from the guy to his long-d girlfriend : Stella has been on Allen’s mind all day. 

I can still recall my consumer behavior prof going on and on again about the importance of customer service and product experience, because through WOM anything can go viral. Just check out the video below:

This is a protest song wrote by Dave Carroll after his disastrous experience with United Airlines in 2008. Dave’s expensive guitar was damaged due to the improper transportation handled by the baggage carrier personnel. After he filed his complain and claim for compensation, the airline blamed the fault onto him and was indifferent towards his situation.  Emotionally exhausted by the useless effort, Dave wrote ” United Breaks Guitar” as a way of expressing his complains. The video went online in 2009 and had a massive hit of 150,000 views within one day.  The viral effect of the video immediate caught public’s attention and resulted as an embarrassment for the airline.   United was then forced to act promptly to mitigate the situation.

The airline did not foresee the consequences of neglecting customer complains and overlooked the power of an individual voice. Dave did not expect to have such enormous impact in the public and the fame he gained from speaking up for himself. It is doubtful that United’s apology is sincere and would be appreciated by the public. Maintaining a good customer relationship is not only about luring your customers into buying/using your product by emphasizing on the gains, but also act consistently before/after the purchase (aka good customer service!) After the incident, United’s stock price fell drastically , maybe firms should learn from this mishandled incident. Once a problem is encountered,  firms should act promptly to find the cause within first (rather than blaming the outsiders), apologize if the blame is internal, or clarify if the problem is caused by a third party; alleviate the intensity by either providing a compensation or merely give a gesture of offering something will be fully appreciated by the costumers!

As the partner of the UEFA Champions League,, Adidas has been demonstrating their passion for football. As they stand at the forefront of integrated marketing communications. Adidas has pulled together campaigns that spans across multiple marketing channels( ads, social, digital , experiential etc) in hopes of delivering a consistent brand messaging. So far my favorite would be the campaign for 2012 UCL final in Munich.

“Go all in for your team. Make your choice.” Once again the slogan speaks for itself and clarifies the purpose of the campaign.  The week prior to the game, adidas transformed many Munich’s pedestrian traffic zones into many decision points where passers-by can easily make color choices to showcase their support for their favorite team.

“Red for FC Bayern.” “Blue for Chelsea fc.” Either its the choice of coffee sleeves, or staircases or scoop of ice cream or even the “sit-stone” are decision choices that accounts for the team support. With the help of innovative technologies, these “ choices were counted and recorded in real time on the campaign website. Football enthusiasts were able to be fully engaged in the path of “choices” and consistently monitor the cumulated scores online.

Every evening from Wednesday to Friday, people gathered to witness the announcement of the results that were showed in 3D mapping projection. The consistency with the game had accounted for the ongoing hype among the football fans and has definitely rooted the brand image into public’s awareness.

let alone the trend of social media, engaging with your fans in multiples ways is definitely going to increase awareness and perhaps through WOM your clientele will grow like the virality of your campaigns.

Ad reference: http://ca.adforum.com/award/showcase/6650176/2013/ad/34486226

Have you ever used a product for over a period time and suddenly, one day you realized there were functions that you didn’t know that existed? It happens to me all the time. I still remember myself complaining about the new UBC SSC interface, how it was so confusing since all the tabs were relocated and the layout was completely different. I was basically being forced to meticulously navigate through the page to figure out where everything was. It was until then, I learned the various functionality of the page.  The key takeaway ? People are so used to the current offerings and consumption patterns it takes effort to adapt to new innovations.

You often hear people in the sales industry complaining about how idiotic the consumers are, how they don’t appreciate the benefits of the products etc. Why? Because Firms often over-weight the benefits and consumers often under weight due to skepticism and the preference of status quo. What do the consumers value? Why would they switch to a different product when they are satisfied with the current one? Its due to resource slack where people tend to discount the effort or the benefit in the future and emphasizes the current gain and status quo. Thus the trade off occurs, switching cost! So how could you increase the incentive to adapt?  Check out this ad campaign by Volkswagen.

If you observe carefully, you’ll find the first lady hesitated before her usual course of action- taking the escalator. She observed other people taking the musical stairs and was intrigued by the sound. Then she abandoned the thought of taking escalator and went for the stairs instead. Around 66% of people preferred stairs than escalators after the installation of the piano stairs.  Volkswagen called this the fun theory, indeed the subtle hint of fun acted as a catalyst , but theoretically it was more of the immediate gain that has fueled the urge to switch. So if you are worried about the adaptation of your newly innovated product/service, perhaps you could also fuel the incentive by  creating a perception of an immediate gain 🙂

As I browse through Youtube, its fascinating to see how many companies are going full speed with their online campaigns. What captivated me was the video of the best advertisement in 2012. We all have learned how mood congruency plays a role in recalling effective marketing campaigns and TNT channel has brought this approach to a whole new level.

The campaign is called “Push Button to Add Drama”,sounds pretty straightforward and it is!  For the launch of  the high quality TV channel TNT, a button was placed on a square of a town in Belgium  that invites people to get involved in an unexpected scenario. Once the person presses the button, the show begins. Even though the initiator and the bystanders lack the knowledge of what is going on, but they are fully attended to the actions ( “cops” and “criminals” going full fire) and are pleasantly surprised and excited ( from their facial expressions). As the intensity diminishes, the actions come to an end. After the criminal scene has cleared up , the ad poster is reveal to clarify the purpose of the”mess”.  After seeing the poster, some people dropped their jaws, others simply giggled  out of joy. Even I was astonished after watching the entire campaign and it has left a powerful impact in my memory.

This elaborated experiential marketing not only let the initiator to be involved in the process but also the bystanders. When the whole experience is documented and presented online, viewers like myself are able to experience the impact of those actions vicariously as an observer. Speaking of mood congruency, people are better to recall  those memories with the same state of mind as their current mood. This campaign elevates the excitement level as people encode this event into their memories and next time when those viewers look for action packed movie channels, most likely TNT will flash through their mind as they think of the possible options! (priming effect and schema is the key and the proper implementing the mood congruency theory )

It might be doubtful that instagram would bring any cash value to Facebook at the moment, however on the brighter side the users are  taking the full advantage of this app.  Since the acquisition of Instagram, Facebook has been revolutionizing this free photo sharing experience.

Vine is a free video sharing app that allows users to record a six second looped video and share it with the broad community. Facebook saw the potential and replicated the success by adding the option to record and share a 15 second video on Instagram. It went viral since the update of the app. Me, myself is a very active Instagrammer and my first Instavideo was done under the peer influence ( Everyone was talking about it!). This new feature allowed users to connect in depth and share experiences in a lively manner.

While the firm might not yet figured out a way to turn the hype into monetary value, many active users have already taken the privilege to use the platform to amplify awareness. Hashtags, Hashtags and more Hashtags. the embedded hashtags allow users to explore pictures according to context and like-minded users are instantly  grouped together this way ( Ways to gain followers!).  Bloggers update their Instagram more frequently than their blogs, because this allows fast updates and real-time connection. By gaining more and more followers , many bloggers have also attracted business to sponsor them. For example, one of my favorite fashion blogger , Aimee from ” Song of Style” currently has one million followers on Instagram and an average of 12000+ likes on every photo that she posts (hooray  for fashionista!) This phenomenon has attracted many big brands like Tiffany & Co , Luisaviaroma, Vita Fede , etc to sponsor her outfit or inviting her to their events as a spokesperson. ( I personally bought a Vita Fede bracelet because Aimee had it , What a fan I am ! ) Establishing a well rounded online appearance  and amplifying awareness for many brands is crucial, so why not capitalizing on those opinion leaders’ influential power?

It might sound strange that this is also a C2C platform, but indeed many personal users find  this cost free platform a great channel to promote their goods.  If Facebook is realizing the potential business that is also driving Instagram’s popularity , shouldn’t it fast forward its track and perhaps change the business model? Perhaps add more valuable features at a cost of paying premium and maintain the existing features at a free cost? Perhaps a free-mium model like Linked-in and Skype? This is just a personal thought. Stay tuned for my next blog post!