Month: October 2010

I have been a Google Chrome user for a year and I am very inspired when I saw the new advertisement of this web browser in Derek Li’s Blog! I totally agree with Derek when he said that Google used a lot of creativity in the video clip to present the web browser’s features. Google Chrome is fast and has a simple, clean, clear, minimalistic user interface. I really feel that Google has a clear understanding on psychology of perception of the users and recognizes how the interaction between eye and brain works, while the bigger direct competitors didn’t.

I would like to introduce some of the Google Chrome’s features that I really like. First of all, Google Chrome reopens website tabs that one closed by mistake. This saves users a lot of time to reopen every website tab by remembering how they initially opened those tabs. Also, compared with Firefox menus, Google Chrome has super clean contextual menus. You right click a hyperlink on a web page and you get only five relevant options to deal with that link. The design is very user friendly. Last but not least, Google Chrome enables the users to search their favorite websites from the address bar This is brilliant. If you visit a website that includes site search (for instance:search.labnol.org) – Chrome will automatically recognize and add that search engine for you so the next time you can perform a search on that site via the Chrome address bar itself.

Google designs the web browser to stop Microsoft from Balkanizing the Internet in ways that favor its own services. Google Chrome  conceals most of the functions and doubles up on operations where possible. It is is really about technological innovation.

Want to download the Google Chrome Browser?

Here you go! http://www.google.com/chrome

I am a chocolate lover and Ferrero Rocher is one of my favorite brands. Ferrero Rocher is a praline-filled hazelnut and chocolate shell, wrapped in golden foil packaging that has instant consumer recognition. Today the product comes in number of specifically targeted pack formats, including a seasonal cube and Christmas tree shaped box, an Easter egg format and various sizes to meet consumer needs all around the year. A new diamond format is also introduced to further enhance the premium value of the brand.I really like this commercial as it depicts the perfect combination of nuts and chocolate by using the pleasant music and beautiful models.

Last Monday, I finally decided to sign up for a three-year contract with Fido for an iPhone 4. When I lined up at the Fido Store & Kiosk at the Oakridge Center, I was very excited when I found that iPhone4 was in stock. I saw a customer walk away happily with the iPhone4 and I imagined that I would leave the store with content as well. Unexpectedly, when there were still five people lining up in front of me, the sales representatives announced that iPhone4 was out of stock and they would not put customers on a waiting list by taking names and addresses. I was very disappointed and upset when I left the mall and I kept thinking: Why could not Apply supply more iPhone4?

I called Sally, my best friend, and I complained about the insufficient supply of iPhone4 to meet the expected demand. Surprisingly, Sally held a totally opposite opinion. She called Apple’s marketing strategy genius marketing as she thought that the hype of now and the power of wow are the magic combination of Apple marketing. I learned that Apple channeled the energy of the new iPhone 4 by pre-launch reservations, extra early store openings, and exclusive day-of-release purchase at Apple store locations only. The secret ingredient is exclusivity by holding back product details from store employees and the marketplace until Steve Jobs himself reveals the masterpiece. This strategy controls the channel of communication and builds focused energy which Apple can then leverage.

I was confused by the words that came out of Sally’s mouth. As a customer, what I felt was only disappointment and inconvenience when I cannot get the iPhone. It seems that the shortage is due to unexpectedly high demand for the phone. However, I am not an iPhone fan and waiting is one of the last things I want to do. If I do not get an iPhone 4 the next time I visit the store, it is very likely that I would think of switching to other smartphones, which are readily available and have comparable features.

The Apple brand is almost synonymous to marketing. There is absolutely no reason other than marketing (i.e. creating an artificial shortage of units) why people would need to line up to buy a cell phone, especially days after its initial release. From my perspective, Apple’s marketing strategy will backfire. It’s great to have a product full of mystique, but if it’s not available to the average buyer, he or she will look elsewhere. This is because, at the end of the day, it’s really no fun to camp out in front of a store, even for hard-core enthusiasts.

I totally agree with the analysis of iPhone Marketing Strategy in the Vertygo Team’s blog. (http://www.vertygoteam.com/iphone_marketing_strategy.php) These marketing professionals analyzed that Apple has done some serious mistakes in the marketing of the iPhone.

What do you think about iPhone4’s marketing strategy?