Ventures in Blogging
Where Did the Time Go? 12/6/12
A specific case study will be my last blog for this semester. Thanks so much for reading all of my blogs and as always I would love feedback and love to hear your comments. It has been a great and super busy semester but it is finally over...I can't believe it! One more and I am done and graduated (hopefully, God willing) forever! As my last blog I will talk about my Branding Assignment that I did in regards to The North Face's mobile presence.
Here is some history that I didn't fully include in my presentation that I had to give in class. The North Face is named for the coldest and most unforgiving side of a mountain. This company began in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, only 150 ft above sea level in 1966 by two hiking enthusiasts. It quickly became a retailer of high-performance climbing and backpacking gear. After a while the company needed new scenery and moved to the wild and oatmealish Berkeley in 1968 where many hikers reside and was once the home of the famous hiker John Muir. They then began sponsoring expeditions all across the globe which led to the creation of their mantra “Never Stop Exploring”. In the early 1980s led to the beginning of their skiwear line, sleeping bags, packs, and tents. Then in the 1990s The North Face half dome logo began to appear with greater regularity all over the world and launched their own line of trekking and running shoes. The 2000s have led to unprecedented longevity and becoming well known-even the average person on the street knows the company and has at one point either owned or contemplated owning one of their famous warm jackets. in the late 2000s enter world of iPhone and iPad apps and has one of the most comprehensive and community charged apps for hiking wear.
Now here is some information about The North Face's social media presence. The North Face uses Facebook heavily for promoting their own events such as their famous Endurance Challenges, or promote a new video they have just made, or share weather conditions in certain popular areas of the world. They have over 3 million likes. They have had almost 12,000 people check into a North Face store. Almost 23,000 people have been talking about The North Face brand. They have an Instagram feed on their Facebook. On LinkedIn they have 12,000 followers, on their artfully put together webpage. The North Face has a fantastic Youtube channel with over a thousand either well-cut videos that not only promote new kinds of products but also promotes races they are sponsoring and in depth biographies on some of the most famous hikers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the world. Possibly the most interesting are the videos on the unbelievable treks that famous people have done with them, hanging off the side of cliffs and such.
As you can see The North Face is a great company when it comes to using mobile communications and social media. Below is a Glogster of my North Face presentation, on there you will find snapshots of what The North Face iPhone app looks like as well as two relevant videos to the topic. You can link to The North Face website as well as peruse some mobile fun facts.
It has been so much fun blogging over the last few months. I bid you all ado party people! Talk to ya on the flipside!!
Here is some history that I didn't fully include in my presentation that I had to give in class. The North Face is named for the coldest and most unforgiving side of a mountain. This company began in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, only 150 ft above sea level in 1966 by two hiking enthusiasts. It quickly became a retailer of high-performance climbing and backpacking gear. After a while the company needed new scenery and moved to the wild and oatmealish Berkeley in 1968 where many hikers reside and was once the home of the famous hiker John Muir. They then began sponsoring expeditions all across the globe which led to the creation of their mantra “Never Stop Exploring”. In the early 1980s led to the beginning of their skiwear line, sleeping bags, packs, and tents. Then in the 1990s The North Face half dome logo began to appear with greater regularity all over the world and launched their own line of trekking and running shoes. The 2000s have led to unprecedented longevity and becoming well known-even the average person on the street knows the company and has at one point either owned or contemplated owning one of their famous warm jackets. in the late 2000s enter world of iPhone and iPad apps and has one of the most comprehensive and community charged apps for hiking wear.
Now here is some information about The North Face's social media presence. The North Face uses Facebook heavily for promoting their own events such as their famous Endurance Challenges, or promote a new video they have just made, or share weather conditions in certain popular areas of the world. They have over 3 million likes. They have had almost 12,000 people check into a North Face store. Almost 23,000 people have been talking about The North Face brand. They have an Instagram feed on their Facebook. On LinkedIn they have 12,000 followers, on their artfully put together webpage. The North Face has a fantastic Youtube channel with over a thousand either well-cut videos that not only promote new kinds of products but also promotes races they are sponsoring and in depth biographies on some of the most famous hikers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the world. Possibly the most interesting are the videos on the unbelievable treks that famous people have done with them, hanging off the side of cliffs and such.
As you can see The North Face is a great company when it comes to using mobile communications and social media. Below is a Glogster of my North Face presentation, on there you will find snapshots of what The North Face iPhone app looks like as well as two relevant videos to the topic. You can link to The North Face website as well as peruse some mobile fun facts.
It has been so much fun blogging over the last few months. I bid you all ado party people! Talk to ya on the flipside!!
Matt Lauer...Being Taken Out In the Back and...Twittered? 11/23/12
Sooooo since I have a bunch o' time on my fantastically long Thanksgiving break I decided to write two blogs on the same day...plus there are some hilarious journalists going at it online with these Black Friday stories and mobile stories.
Here is a little story that is slightly different than what I usually write about, but I still found quite interesting. There was quite a lot of Twitter traffic during these Thanksgiving holidays, many of the tweets I saw were pretty hilarious, dealing with turkey and the parade and such.
I am a HUGE Thanksgiving Day Parade fan. HUGE, I even watched it on my computer when I was studying abroad on Thanksgiving day last year. That's how dedicated I am to my paradeness. This year was nothing different and while I was at my boyfriend's parents house I enjoyed the entire parade. I was obviously watching NBC, because they are the classic network to watch the parade on. Matt Lauer, like always was on as anchor as well as the somewhat new Savannah Guthrie. I have never been a huge fan of Matt Lauer, I think he is pretty full of himself, but during the parade only a few times was he truly an annoyance.
I obviously was being nice because evidently the Twittersphere went wild with people saying all of these crazy things about Matt Lauer and how awful he was during the Parade. I had never heard of something like that happening at such an innocent event as the parade but people got really fired up and used their handy-dandy mobile device to air out their grievances.
“You are terrible,” was a general tweet directed at Lauer by the thousands.
“Dear Matt Lauer, RETIRE!” was an often retweeted comment that similarly came in response to Matt Lauer’s hosting duties of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Matt Lauer should get a lifetime achievement award for saying ridiculous things with deadpan, absolute sincerity. Way to go Matt,” another critic griped.
“YOU LOOK LIKE A CROTCHETY OLD MAN,” another viewer lamented.
Those are a select few of the tweets that were picked by the article written by Michael talking about this strange, angry Twitter occurrance. I must say, my favorite/ most annoying thing that Matt Lauer said on Thursday that this article touched on was, "David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun said 'Though, I will admit, pronouncing ‘S’Wonderful” as ‘Ess Wonderful’ is pretty ignorant and embarrassing. And if you love musical theater, it probably does make you want to kill.'”
Believe David, speaking as a theater enthusiasts, I hear ya. Although Matt is pretty annoying, what is most interesting to me is that so many people went to Twitter to share their issues with him, a true sign of the times. Mobile is taking over ways people let their feelings being heard, especially when the entire nation is watching the exact same thing.
Here is a little story that is slightly different than what I usually write about, but I still found quite interesting. There was quite a lot of Twitter traffic during these Thanksgiving holidays, many of the tweets I saw were pretty hilarious, dealing with turkey and the parade and such.
I am a HUGE Thanksgiving Day Parade fan. HUGE, I even watched it on my computer when I was studying abroad on Thanksgiving day last year. That's how dedicated I am to my paradeness. This year was nothing different and while I was at my boyfriend's parents house I enjoyed the entire parade. I was obviously watching NBC, because they are the classic network to watch the parade on. Matt Lauer, like always was on as anchor as well as the somewhat new Savannah Guthrie. I have never been a huge fan of Matt Lauer, I think he is pretty full of himself, but during the parade only a few times was he truly an annoyance.
I obviously was being nice because evidently the Twittersphere went wild with people saying all of these crazy things about Matt Lauer and how awful he was during the Parade. I had never heard of something like that happening at such an innocent event as the parade but people got really fired up and used their handy-dandy mobile device to air out their grievances.
“You are terrible,” was a general tweet directed at Lauer by the thousands.
“Dear Matt Lauer, RETIRE!” was an often retweeted comment that similarly came in response to Matt Lauer’s hosting duties of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Matt Lauer should get a lifetime achievement award for saying ridiculous things with deadpan, absolute sincerity. Way to go Matt,” another critic griped.
“YOU LOOK LIKE A CROTCHETY OLD MAN,” another viewer lamented.
Those are a select few of the tweets that were picked by the article written by Michael talking about this strange, angry Twitter occurrance. I must say, my favorite/ most annoying thing that Matt Lauer said on Thursday that this article touched on was, "David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun said 'Though, I will admit, pronouncing ‘S’Wonderful” as ‘Ess Wonderful’ is pretty ignorant and embarrassing. And if you love musical theater, it probably does make you want to kill.'”
Believe David, speaking as a theater enthusiasts, I hear ya. Although Matt is pretty annoying, what is most interesting to me is that so many people went to Twitter to share their issues with him, a true sign of the times. Mobile is taking over ways people let their feelings being heard, especially when the entire nation is watching the exact same thing.
Mobile Doesn't Matter on Black Friday 11/23/12
Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving this year!! I know I definitely did. All of the turkey and stuffing and gravy and desserts and everything has put me in a food coma haze. I want it to never end...but it has, so I guess I have to move on.
As an entire country we have moved swiftly from Thanksgiving to Black Friday...on THANKSGIVING!! What the heck is this stuff about stores being open at 8pm on Thanksgiving. Come on people and stores...that's no longer Black Friday, that just shopping on Thanksgiving and leaving your family and family time to get a TV that you don't really need that is slightly cheaper even though there are plenty of sales all year long that you can take advantage of without standing in line for 5 hours.
I went by Best Buy this week and there were already two tents set up by people who were in line for Black Friday...on TUESDAY!! What do you need to buy that is so ridiculously important? Best Buy even set up a port-a-potty outside the tents for them at night when Best Buy was closed. This is too far people. Do none of these people work? I mean really, well whatever I will stop ranting but it is interesting that in this new burgeoning age of mobile commerce, it totally goes out of the window on Black Friday still to this day.
In an article on Mobile Marketer Watch written by Michael that describes the way that Black Friday this year has been even more popular than before with longer lines and more money being spent. So much money that it actually bumped up the stock market. In the article there is a stat that reads, "Retail is a key driver of the nation’s economy. Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. November and December, which can account for as much as 40 percent of a retailer’s annual revenue, are crucial for stores." That is a huge amount of money for the stores to obtain over such a short period of time. It is really shocking how many people are going out and participating, but whatever floats your boat.
What do you guys think? Did you go out and shop at crazy hours on Black Friday? I would love to know what your experience was like! I sat home in my cozy house and had leftovers...and it was AWESOME.
As an entire country we have moved swiftly from Thanksgiving to Black Friday...on THANKSGIVING!! What the heck is this stuff about stores being open at 8pm on Thanksgiving. Come on people and stores...that's no longer Black Friday, that just shopping on Thanksgiving and leaving your family and family time to get a TV that you don't really need that is slightly cheaper even though there are plenty of sales all year long that you can take advantage of without standing in line for 5 hours.
I went by Best Buy this week and there were already two tents set up by people who were in line for Black Friday...on TUESDAY!! What do you need to buy that is so ridiculously important? Best Buy even set up a port-a-potty outside the tents for them at night when Best Buy was closed. This is too far people. Do none of these people work? I mean really, well whatever I will stop ranting but it is interesting that in this new burgeoning age of mobile commerce, it totally goes out of the window on Black Friday still to this day.
In an article on Mobile Marketer Watch written by Michael that describes the way that Black Friday this year has been even more popular than before with longer lines and more money being spent. So much money that it actually bumped up the stock market. In the article there is a stat that reads, "Retail is a key driver of the nation’s economy. Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity. November and December, which can account for as much as 40 percent of a retailer’s annual revenue, are crucial for stores." That is a huge amount of money for the stores to obtain over such a short period of time. It is really shocking how many people are going out and participating, but whatever floats your boat.
What do you guys think? Did you go out and shop at crazy hours on Black Friday? I would love to know what your experience was like! I sat home in my cozy house and had leftovers...and it was AWESOME.
They're HEREEEEE!!!! 11/15/12
What's up party people?! Well guess whaaaatttttttt!!!! THEY ARE HEREEEEEEEEE!!!
What is here you ask? The iPad minis have officially arrived people. And waayyyyy earlier than originally proposed. They were supposed to arrive on November 21st, 2012...but they have started arriving today.
According to a blog on Mobile Marketing Watch written by Michael they started arriving today with one of his friend's as a source that received theirs before 10am Central time today. I wonder how popular they will really be seeing that if you remember reading one of my earlier blogs I went on a rampage about how insignificant iPad minis are in a world that already has iPads, iPods, iPhones, and Macs that all do essentially the same kind of thing.
Let me tell you right now...my stance has not changed. However I'm a little more intrigued by them now. How many iPads do you think will be sold by Christmas time? It's almost time for Black Friday and the sales are nuts out there. Not that this is a new thing. Black Friday has always been nuts, it's seems worse this year somehow though. I think this is a great move by Apple though. It leaves more time for the early adopters to get their hands on their new technological treasure and leaves even more time for people that are looking for a somewhat less expensive chance to give their loved ones a part of the Apple family that is new and shiny and not many people will have it.
Smart move Apple, smart move. What do you guys think? I personally think they might do more than 5 million in sales now that they have practically a whole other week to get sales up and get the product shipped out and moving. Do you agree or do you think the iPad mini is still just as stupid as an idea as I thought it was a few weeks ago?
Google on Google on Google...But Will This Change? 11/5/12
Welcome to the party y'all!! Everyone loves a cool infographic. I think this one is HILARIOUS! I loooooveee the little dudes, especially because they aren't afraid to rock some supa dupa cool green and pink. Rock on little infographic men!! Aside from that, that's all be real. Who doesn't mostly use Google as their main source of search. I definitely do, I always have since I made the switch from the God-awful Netscape.com in the late 1990's that my parents were conned into using for a year. I don't care what anyone says about Bing or FireFox...It's just not the same to me. I really don't like them. They just aren't the same to me. Now I may be set in my old 22-year-old ways, but I think Google is the easiest way to get around the Internet and it has never been bad to me.
This is especially true for mobile searches. Mostly everyone uses Google from any of their smartphones. Most smartphones don't even give you a choice really, it is automatically set to your main search engine, however you can change it on most phones if you really want to, but who does? Apparently only 5% take the time to set their main search engine on their phone, while 65% to 70% have Google as their main search engine on their desktop. This is according to Mobile Marketer Daily's article by Chantal Tode.
However many people argue that more people should change their search engine from Google on their smartphone. Google is not in all actuality the best search engine especially for mobile. It has been created in order to, "Chose to address mobile search is by looking at the Web as a whole, regardless of format or device,” she said. “Their intent is for every Web site to have one core Web site that can be viewed from any device through responsive design".
Google is extremely relevant especially with their voice searches, however soon enough they will possibly be beaten out by other more relevant search engine newcomers such as Kickvox. However Google I'm pretty sure will always have my heart. Sounds off party people! What do you think? Does Google have a stronghold on the search engine game or should they scoot over for more relevant newcomers?
This is especially true for mobile searches. Mostly everyone uses Google from any of their smartphones. Most smartphones don't even give you a choice really, it is automatically set to your main search engine, however you can change it on most phones if you really want to, but who does? Apparently only 5% take the time to set their main search engine on their phone, while 65% to 70% have Google as their main search engine on their desktop. This is according to Mobile Marketer Daily's article by Chantal Tode.
However many people argue that more people should change their search engine from Google on their smartphone. Google is not in all actuality the best search engine especially for mobile. It has been created in order to, "Chose to address mobile search is by looking at the Web as a whole, regardless of format or device,” she said. “Their intent is for every Web site to have one core Web site that can be viewed from any device through responsive design".
Google is extremely relevant especially with their voice searches, however soon enough they will possibly be beaten out by other more relevant search engine newcomers such as Kickvox. However Google I'm pretty sure will always have my heart. Sounds off party people! What do you think? Does Google have a stronghold on the search engine game or should they scoot over for more relevant newcomers?
Dunkin Donuts--Pay Before You Go? 11/2/12
Alright, everyone get their hands up who enjoys not only Dunkin Donuts, donuts, but also everything in between. Their iced coffees in the summertime are my answer to Milwaukee's crazy hot and humid summers. When we had a week this past summer where the high never got below 100 degrees and the humidity was right up there too, these things were what I expected heaven to serve everyday. Come on, look to the picture on your right...tell me you wouldn't love to dig into one of those awesome tasting donuts right now...and I'm not even a donut person!
Aside from how awesome Dunkin Donuts is, they are currently working on a mobile app payment system so that people can pay for their beverages before they even walk through the door. HECK YES DUNKIN DONUTS!!!! Hallelujah!!!! I hear that all the way. Being able to pay for your beverages before you walk in the door means less waiting in line which is always a great thing especially in the morning when everyone is trying to go to work. It also means more people will be interacting with the companies app and or website and that means more 'foot' traffic online to display sales going on or promotional deals. It could become extremely lucrative once they get the ball completely rolling and people really take to the app itself and find it useful enough to use multiple times, if not everyday. For customers to find an excuse to use a companies' website or app everyday is something money can't really buy and what stores should become more used to thinking about.
It is all about targeted ads for consumers for Dunkin Donuts vice president, who says, "“We use mobile advertising because we want to create greater awareness of the Dunkin’ App, and we are also able to geo-target our ads to areas where we have Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants,” said Scott Hudler. Dunkin Donuts is trying to launch into the future and I think it will definitely benefit them well over the next couple of years. I would like to see other companies doing the same thing, it's a smart move and will bring more people from all ages and demographics to begin to use their smartphones in certain ways. Thus prolonging this project.
Aside from how awesome Dunkin Donuts is, they are currently working on a mobile app payment system so that people can pay for their beverages before they even walk through the door. HECK YES DUNKIN DONUTS!!!! Hallelujah!!!! I hear that all the way. Being able to pay for your beverages before you walk in the door means less waiting in line which is always a great thing especially in the morning when everyone is trying to go to work. It also means more people will be interacting with the companies app and or website and that means more 'foot' traffic online to display sales going on or promotional deals. It could become extremely lucrative once they get the ball completely rolling and people really take to the app itself and find it useful enough to use multiple times, if not everyday. For customers to find an excuse to use a companies' website or app everyday is something money can't really buy and what stores should become more used to thinking about.
It is all about targeted ads for consumers for Dunkin Donuts vice president, who says, "“We use mobile advertising because we want to create greater awareness of the Dunkin’ App, and we are also able to geo-target our ads to areas where we have Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants,” said Scott Hudler. Dunkin Donuts is trying to launch into the future and I think it will definitely benefit them well over the next couple of years. I would like to see other companies doing the same thing, it's a smart move and will bring more people from all ages and demographics to begin to use their smartphones in certain ways. Thus prolonging this project.
Augmented Reality or Actual Reality? 10/31/12
HEYYYYYYYY!!!! How are ya doing everyone? Happy Halloween! Hope you are having a ghoulish time in your fun costumes and outfits! It's time for all of the creepy crawlers to come out tonight and nothing like a little talk of augmented reality to spook things up. Well really, augmented reality isn't really that spooky at all, but it CAN be made into something spooky. How much are you loving this picture I linked? Super cool right? That's what I thought. What if we could do stuff like that all of the time with our iPhones or any smartphone? It is not extremely practical, but that isn't what augmented reality is about. Augmented reality is about making a person's experience of anything, more personal. Be it a video game or a phone app, it is all made to be more personalized and more interactive than before.
The genius' of Walmart evidently are just as smart and as witty as I am because they are one of the only major stores in the United States to be grasping the fact of how revolutionary augmented reality is and how much it could potentially draw customers into certain products or even into their stores.
In an article written by Chantal Tode, she discusses that, "Walmart’s use of augmented reality is an example of how the big box retailer is embracing mobile as it looks to engage customers via cutting-edge technology." I think this is a very striking statement. Who would have thought that throughout all of the major brands in the United States, a store like Walmart would be the one to carry on the augmented reality torch. Of course they have the money, but how many people do they really believe would use the product. How many people do they think that shop at their stores have enough money to even own a smartphone? That isn't exactly their targeted demographic.
They put together augmented reality for movies/DVDs that they sell, The Avengers and Spiderman. Now that makes sense for a big box company to do. For people to be able to engage in a movie that they can't wait to see in theaters and then eventually own for their use at home is a great way for Walmart to engage their audience and make Walmart more accessible and relevant. I personally think it is a great move on their part and I hope to see more big box stores, like my favorite, Target, to do more of the same.
The genius' of Walmart evidently are just as smart and as witty as I am because they are one of the only major stores in the United States to be grasping the fact of how revolutionary augmented reality is and how much it could potentially draw customers into certain products or even into their stores.
In an article written by Chantal Tode, she discusses that, "Walmart’s use of augmented reality is an example of how the big box retailer is embracing mobile as it looks to engage customers via cutting-edge technology." I think this is a very striking statement. Who would have thought that throughout all of the major brands in the United States, a store like Walmart would be the one to carry on the augmented reality torch. Of course they have the money, but how many people do they really believe would use the product. How many people do they think that shop at their stores have enough money to even own a smartphone? That isn't exactly their targeted demographic.
They put together augmented reality for movies/DVDs that they sell, The Avengers and Spiderman. Now that makes sense for a big box company to do. For people to be able to engage in a movie that they can't wait to see in theaters and then eventually own for their use at home is a great way for Walmart to engage their audience and make Walmart more accessible and relevant. I personally think it is a great move on their part and I hope to see more big box stores, like my favorite, Target, to do more of the same.
Should Journalists Just Start Writing Everything in 140 Characters? 10/23/12
Tweet tweet!! Alright everyone, that Twitter bird is pretty cute, admit it. Please follow me! Precious. You can actually follow me on Twitter @kirstenelisen. Aside from tweeting me, how many of you receive news via Twitter as opposed to the ever-dying physical newspapers or even online news websites? It might surprise some of you how many people really do receive the newest news on Twitter as opposed to more traditional ways such as news stations. Personally I get some of my info from Twitter pertaining to news such as campus news from Marquette's twitter or other Marquette students tweeting about events and incidents all over campus. However I really enjoy that my MSNBC app on my iPhone will send me a notification if anything in the world is happening that is of interest to me. Essentially only worldly or nationally breaking stories.
However, would I like to read all of the news from short 140 character tweets for the rest of my life? My answer would be no. I am archaic in the fact that I enjoy having a newspaper in my hands that I can physically look at instead of the computer. But when it comes to entertainment news I have no qualms about only reading it on the web. However, reading it ONLY through Twitter would be a problem for me. In this article written by Vanessa Horwell, she discusses that as a journalist that enjoys writing traditionally, she just can't get used to the Twitter format of 140 characters. Although it is great for quick news, it is no where near as indepth as feature length articles and does not do the story full justice by shortening it to just a line or two.
Amen sista! I hear that all the way. As a Broadcast Journalism major I know the beauty of being short and concise, however it is also pertinent that Broadcast majors know how to write in long prose. 140 characters does no one any good on an investigative article. There is just no a two line explanation does the same thing as even a 2 page feature story. But those are my thoughts, let me hear from you guys. What do you think? Should Twitter be the new way to receive all information news or otherwise?
However, would I like to read all of the news from short 140 character tweets for the rest of my life? My answer would be no. I am archaic in the fact that I enjoy having a newspaper in my hands that I can physically look at instead of the computer. But when it comes to entertainment news I have no qualms about only reading it on the web. However, reading it ONLY through Twitter would be a problem for me. In this article written by Vanessa Horwell, she discusses that as a journalist that enjoys writing traditionally, she just can't get used to the Twitter format of 140 characters. Although it is great for quick news, it is no where near as indepth as feature length articles and does not do the story full justice by shortening it to just a line or two.
Amen sista! I hear that all the way. As a Broadcast Journalism major I know the beauty of being short and concise, however it is also pertinent that Broadcast majors know how to write in long prose. 140 characters does no one any good on an investigative article. There is just no a two line explanation does the same thing as even a 2 page feature story. But those are my thoughts, let me hear from you guys. What do you think? Should Twitter be the new way to receive all information news or otherwise?
iPad Served Regular? Or Mini? 10/19/12
What's up party people?! Good to see ya again. On MobileMarketingWatch.com Michael wrote a blog talking about a rumored announcement of Apple launching the iPad mini on October 23rd. He wonders how long after this announcement that consumers will actually be able to not only pre-order the mini but be able to buy it physically in stores.
Previously the iPhone 5 actually came to stores earlier than tech magazines and websites had claimed as well as Apple. A UK retailer has been saying that November 2nd is a definite date of release that would give the mini a healthy attempt at a great holiday quarter again this year.
Apple is slated to possibly sell 5 million iPad minis in the holiday quarter, and you pair that with the newest iPhone, iPhone 5 that had only come out a little over a month prior to this rumored iPad mini announcement it looks to be quite the profitable holiday for Apple. Santa seems to have them on his 'nice' list for sure.
Alright, so the iPad mini...does mini stand for minimal excitement? To me this just sounds completely stupid. I have never heard anyone claim that their iPad was just too big and that they wish they could have a smaller one. My iPad mini is my iPhone. This iPad mini sounds quite frivolous if you ask me. I don't believe there is any reason for someone to have both the iPad and the iPad mini. I know Apple is doing it in order to bring in more holiday sales and vary their slew of gizmos but seriously Apple? Knock it off, this is lame, and I really doubt it will be as popular as the 5 million that is projected. We talk about tablet sales in class all the time, I don't think anyone will use the iPad mini to purchase things, the screen is too small, they might as well buy it on their iPhone.
Previously the iPhone 5 actually came to stores earlier than tech magazines and websites had claimed as well as Apple. A UK retailer has been saying that November 2nd is a definite date of release that would give the mini a healthy attempt at a great holiday quarter again this year.
Apple is slated to possibly sell 5 million iPad minis in the holiday quarter, and you pair that with the newest iPhone, iPhone 5 that had only come out a little over a month prior to this rumored iPad mini announcement it looks to be quite the profitable holiday for Apple. Santa seems to have them on his 'nice' list for sure.
Alright, so the iPad mini...does mini stand for minimal excitement? To me this just sounds completely stupid. I have never heard anyone claim that their iPad was just too big and that they wish they could have a smaller one. My iPad mini is my iPhone. This iPad mini sounds quite frivolous if you ask me. I don't believe there is any reason for someone to have both the iPad and the iPad mini. I know Apple is doing it in order to bring in more holiday sales and vary their slew of gizmos but seriously Apple? Knock it off, this is lame, and I really doubt it will be as popular as the 5 million that is projected. We talk about tablet sales in class all the time, I don't think anyone will use the iPad mini to purchase things, the screen is too small, they might as well buy it on their iPhone.
Campaigns on Campaigns on Campaigns... 10/10/12
Unless you are living under a rock, you know there is something in the water that is making these presidential campaign advertisements worse this time around than usual. Or at least I am telling myself that because it just seems like these things are popping up all over my online and televised life. Be it watching my favorite Wednesday night shows like Modern Family and Nashville or watching Parenthood and The Office on Hulu.com, they are EVERYWHERE!!!!
Even my iPhone is pushing the already annoying ads on websites such as E!Online, PerezHilton.com, and CNN to the limit with these campaigns ads every time I watch a video on my phone. They are literally unstoppable. I can not go through my day without seeing at least 10 different campaigns ads or listening to the same campaign on my Pandora stations. The worst is actually seeing the same campaign ad over and over and over again.
Because my life has become campaign ad central I was intrigued by an article written by Elizabeth Wilner in Ad Age last week that spoke about all things in presidential ads.
Wilner states that, "In the 2012 general election campaign alone, 1.1 million references have been made in ads to jobs, taxes, the budget and government spending. In contrast, fewer than 25,000 references have been made to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." This fact is not particularly surprising, seeing as the economy has been the biggest issue of the past 4+ years in the United States. However what is interesting are the differences in the campaigns of the candidates.
Obama's campaign has opened a wider net of issues than Romney's campaign. The Democrats are trying to gain the trust of the young voters and women voters. The idea is to celebrate Obama's great points except for his Affordable Care Act because it is polarizing subject for many voters regardless of party. While Romney is really trying to target the economy and the Affordable Care Act in order to polarize moderate to extremely liberal Democrats.
Which campaign do you think is going to do better in the actual election? Personally, I think spreading a wider net of advertising through things such as Pandora stations playing different candidates commercials because it is guessing what kind of voter would listen to certain kinds of music. Or using the amount of mentions of a certain hashtag on Twitter that is trending nationwide as a way to see what to put into advertisements. I think using these methods are the best way to really get to the heart of voters and really land on topics that they really want to talk about.
Even my iPhone is pushing the already annoying ads on websites such as E!Online, PerezHilton.com, and CNN to the limit with these campaigns ads every time I watch a video on my phone. They are literally unstoppable. I can not go through my day without seeing at least 10 different campaigns ads or listening to the same campaign on my Pandora stations. The worst is actually seeing the same campaign ad over and over and over again.
Because my life has become campaign ad central I was intrigued by an article written by Elizabeth Wilner in Ad Age last week that spoke about all things in presidential ads.
Wilner states that, "In the 2012 general election campaign alone, 1.1 million references have been made in ads to jobs, taxes, the budget and government spending. In contrast, fewer than 25,000 references have been made to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." This fact is not particularly surprising, seeing as the economy has been the biggest issue of the past 4+ years in the United States. However what is interesting are the differences in the campaigns of the candidates.
Obama's campaign has opened a wider net of issues than Romney's campaign. The Democrats are trying to gain the trust of the young voters and women voters. The idea is to celebrate Obama's great points except for his Affordable Care Act because it is polarizing subject for many voters regardless of party. While Romney is really trying to target the economy and the Affordable Care Act in order to polarize moderate to extremely liberal Democrats.
Which campaign do you think is going to do better in the actual election? Personally, I think spreading a wider net of advertising through things such as Pandora stations playing different candidates commercials because it is guessing what kind of voter would listen to certain kinds of music. Or using the amount of mentions of a certain hashtag on Twitter that is trending nationwide as a way to see what to put into advertisements. I think using these methods are the best way to really get to the heart of voters and really land on topics that they really want to talk about.
It's Christmas Time for Tablets 10/2/12
What's up party people?! It's my second blog post y'all. I'm here to talk about Christmas time...in October. Wait! Before you stop reading because it is October 2 and you don't want to hear about sleigh bells ringing, let me explain.
Tablets have become the newest thing you need, and there is no better time to give and receive a tablet than Christmas this year. Companies are quickly realizing the importance of having a tablet presence as well as mobile presence. Just having a website nowadays just doesn't cut it people. You have to go to the next step and do both mobile and tablet applications for your business.
The article I read by Chantal Tode, IBM did a study in which mobile commerce did more in sales than online shopping during the back-to-school shopping period earlier this year. A large amount of the mobile commerce was done on tablets during this time period, which is a surprising statistic for IBM.
The CEO of Branding Brand in Pittsburgh, PA stated that, "Last year, we were all still in the experimental phase, so many tablet experiences focused simply on getting something launched," but now with the trial period of tablet commerce being well documented as a worthwhile expense for companies and a smart investment, "This year, there is more of a focus on creating a fluid transactional experience on tablets and mobile devices in general".
Personally, I feel behind the times. I have yet to own a tablet or, gasp! use one. I'm not sure if that makes me an enigma of my "technologically genius" generation or not, but I have yet to find a true need for a tablet. Do you guys feel otherwise? Seriously, I'm really asking. I'm just not totally onboard yet with the whole tablet commerce idea. I'm sure I will get there at some point, but I still don't totally understand the big deal.
In a few weeks my class will be able to use this newly minted website called CliqLaunch, which allows you to create your own tablet application. We get to use it for free, but as the startup begins to grow they will be charging monthly fees for it. More information to come on this topic. Once again, not sure if I'm sold on it, but well worth a try. Let me know what you think of tablet commerce. I would love to hear your incite!
Tablets have become the newest thing you need, and there is no better time to give and receive a tablet than Christmas this year. Companies are quickly realizing the importance of having a tablet presence as well as mobile presence. Just having a website nowadays just doesn't cut it people. You have to go to the next step and do both mobile and tablet applications for your business.
The article I read by Chantal Tode, IBM did a study in which mobile commerce did more in sales than online shopping during the back-to-school shopping period earlier this year. A large amount of the mobile commerce was done on tablets during this time period, which is a surprising statistic for IBM.
The CEO of Branding Brand in Pittsburgh, PA stated that, "Last year, we were all still in the experimental phase, so many tablet experiences focused simply on getting something launched," but now with the trial period of tablet commerce being well documented as a worthwhile expense for companies and a smart investment, "This year, there is more of a focus on creating a fluid transactional experience on tablets and mobile devices in general".
Personally, I feel behind the times. I have yet to own a tablet or, gasp! use one. I'm not sure if that makes me an enigma of my "technologically genius" generation or not, but I have yet to find a true need for a tablet. Do you guys feel otherwise? Seriously, I'm really asking. I'm just not totally onboard yet with the whole tablet commerce idea. I'm sure I will get there at some point, but I still don't totally understand the big deal.
In a few weeks my class will be able to use this newly minted website called CliqLaunch, which allows you to create your own tablet application. We get to use it for free, but as the startup begins to grow they will be charging monthly fees for it. More information to come on this topic. Once again, not sure if I'm sold on it, but well worth a try. Let me know what you think of tablet commerce. I would love to hear your incite!
Walmart is Checked-In With Their Shoppers 9/26/12
Welcome to my first blog post! I might start out a little rough but hopefully in time I will get the hang of this thing. So let's jump in!
I was recently reading the Mobile Commerce Daily and read an article by Chantal Tode that reports the findings of a recent research study through LocalResponse. According to this study, Walmart had the largest percentage of check-ins in the month of June 2012 coming in at 38.3 percent. Not that this is a crazy finding, just look at the image below which is a map of all of the Walmarts in the nation, obviously they are extremely saturated in the Midwest all the way to the East coast. But just look at how many of them there are! No kidding that Walmart had the most check-ins! It seems like just one person per day could check-in to every single Walmart and they would automatically be the highest on the list! The president of LocalResponse, Kathy Leake, had this scintillating piece of a quote, "The large number of check-ins for Walmart is reflective of the sheer volume and scale of Walmart". It's pretty easy to see that that would be the case when looking at the map. No surprises here.
Welcome to my first blog post! I might start out a little rough but hopefully in time I will get the hang of this thing. So let's jump in!
I was recently reading the Mobile Commerce Daily and read an article by Chantal Tode that reports the findings of a recent research study through LocalResponse. According to this study, Walmart had the largest percentage of check-ins in the month of June 2012 coming in at 38.3 percent. Not that this is a crazy finding, just look at the image below which is a map of all of the Walmarts in the nation, obviously they are extremely saturated in the Midwest all the way to the East coast. But just look at how many of them there are! No kidding that Walmart had the most check-ins! It seems like just one person per day could check-in to every single Walmart and they would automatically be the highest on the list! The president of LocalResponse, Kathy Leake, had this scintillating piece of a quote, "The large number of check-ins for Walmart is reflective of the sheer volume and scale of Walmart". It's pretty easy to see that that would be the case when looking at the map. No surprises here.
After Walmart, there is a large drop in percentage to Target who comes in to second place with 15.4 percent of the check-ins in the month of June 2012. Then comes Costco with 9.3 and Best Buy with 7 percent and rounding out the top five was Walgreens with 6 percent.
Foursquare was the most popular way to check-in to any place I think possibly because sometimes you can get deals on things on Foursquare if you check-in somewhere unlike if you check-in on Facebook or Twitter. 78.5 percent of the top 10 retailers were checked-in through Foursquare.
In an interesting bit of information, much of the check-ins not only came on Saturdays but also late in the day on Friday night, which obviously means Americans are getting their party on at Walmart late into the evening. They certainly know how to party. I was personally invited to a Walmart rager for this Friday but I just don't know if I can give up my regular routine of oh, I don't know, having a life on a Friday night.
In another interesting bit of information it seems that men check-in places more so than women which I find odd. Only 46 percent of women were likely to check-in some place whereas 54 percent of men were likely to check-in some place. Let's get it together women! I should probably go check-in somewhere to do my womanly duty to always beat men at everything. Ciao for now my peeps, talk to ya next week!
Foursquare was the most popular way to check-in to any place I think possibly because sometimes you can get deals on things on Foursquare if you check-in somewhere unlike if you check-in on Facebook or Twitter. 78.5 percent of the top 10 retailers were checked-in through Foursquare.
In an interesting bit of information, much of the check-ins not only came on Saturdays but also late in the day on Friday night, which obviously means Americans are getting their party on at Walmart late into the evening. They certainly know how to party. I was personally invited to a Walmart rager for this Friday but I just don't know if I can give up my regular routine of oh, I don't know, having a life on a Friday night.
In another interesting bit of information it seems that men check-in places more so than women which I find odd. Only 46 percent of women were likely to check-in some place whereas 54 percent of men were likely to check-in some place. Let's get it together women! I should probably go check-in somewhere to do my womanly duty to always beat men at everything. Ciao for now my peeps, talk to ya next week!