Archive for August, 2010

Hassles, puzzles and joy!

Monday, August 30th, 2010

My most recent paper copy of Fortune alerted me that I can now read Fortune on the iPad so off I go to check this out.

Which way to enjoy Fortune?

  1. Hassles:  As I have experienced before, big files like a magazine are quirky downloading.  You get download errors.  I never did get that Sports Illustrated issue downloaded and it took 3 or 4 shots to get the Fortune downloaded.  I have plenty of memory so I don’t understand the nature of the problem.
  2. Puzzles:  As I began the process of downloading the Fortune issue, I saw no mention of what my “deal” was going to be since I am a paper subscriber to the magazine.  Copy price on the iPad is $4.99.  But what is my “deal” since I am already a subscriber?  I emailed Customer Service with this very question.  And the answer came back that there is no deal for me.  I am one of the stupid people who is getting Fortune magazine and that’s my tough luck when it comes to the iPad version.
  3. Joy! As I have predicted in the past,  the iPad can be the making of magazines – showcasing more pix and video, keeping the issue current, making feedback easy etc.  And so it was, I:
    1. Enjoyed seeing the celebrity pix of shoppers at Trader Joe’s
    2. Found the video clip most interesting of Flipboard.  Brought the idea home in a more compelling manner than just the story.  (I’ll be exploring Flipboard further in later blog posts.)
    3. Relished seeing the actual examples of Salman Khan’s tutorials which really brought home the article, “Bill Gates’ Favorite Teacher”.  (Ooops, slight pause in composing this blog while I listen to the post about the French revolution.)
    4. Reflected on how times change when I looked over the pictures and timeline for Lehman Brothers over 100 years, including their assistance “some time ago” to a small retailer named Sears!

I’m looking forward to more magazines online and the offers they make to their print subscribers to make it a true multimedia experience.

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Bus schedule – promising mobile app, but needs work

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Cruising around town on the bus this week.

Got the bus schedule mobile site to check times on the Droid.

You’re able to press a button, engage your GPS and find the nearest bus stop.

I did this standing under the bus stop sign and it replied no bus stop within a 1/4 mile.

Hmmm.

But I liked the functionality that tells you the time of the next three buses.

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A B2C marketing vignette

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

As our readers know, we’ve been commenting on the iPad and key strategic events at industrial giants like Apple, GM, Tribune and others.

But, this morning we turn our attention to how marketing applies to small businesses right here near the office.

The Crock Spot at the Farmers’ Market.

I happened to try this at a food fair recently and thought the food was delicious.

Why are there no people?

They have a booth at our busiest Farmers Market and are the nicest folks….but I wonder how long they will last as they don’t seem to do the business that other food booths do.

First, I thought it was the brand name – Crock Spot.  I guess the food is cooked in crock pots, but what you see if a conventional set-up with pans sitting over hot water.  No crock pots.  And then, as a marketer, I take issue with a brand name that is about “what we do” vs. “the benefit we deliver”.

However, I am now more convinced that this is a product design problem.  You, the customer, assemble a custom lunch from them.  There are signs that tell you what to do in steps.  (See them pasted to the case.)  So, you have to make lots of choices to get your lunch.  Which grain?  Which meat?  It doesn’t seem like a menu so much as a science project.

I hope they can make it.

I’m not alone in thinking their food is quite yummy.  Our local magazine, 5280, gave them a sweet review, which the folks in the booth told me about but, of course, they had no mention of in the booth.  (See http://www.5280.com/blog/?cat=5)

Marketing in terms of brand identity, product composition and promotion is key in every business, from small to large.

Off to the Saturday Farmers Market!

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The iPad at home

Friday, August 20th, 2010

When Forrester doubled its forecast for iPads for 2010 and one of Apple’s key manufacturers announced a massive hire of new workers, I knew it was time to share more of my thoughts on the iPad.

When I have both the paper and the iPad option right in front of me, I am moving to doing my business reading on the iPad.  Easier form factor and the video clips are right there as well as color pictures.

Which form factor to use?

Now, you can’t really be completely spontaneous in that decision since when you reach for the iPad, you have to wait for The Journal to download.

Speaking of downloads, keep checking for Updates.  They pile up and they take a little bit of time to get downloaded.

So, if you impulsively grab the iPad, it slows you down while it gets ready for you.

But the Updates are worth it.  Love where The Weather Channel is going, for example!

Thanks to all who pointed out in my last post that I can get speakers for the iPad.  Apple just recommended a set but some buyer comments were mixed on sound quality.  Hmmm.   More to follow.

I suppose I could get going on researching this but I have to allow time for Solitaire on the iPad.

And to those of you who followed my guidance to download Angry Birds, it is not my fault that this is addictive.

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Do they know too much or just enough?

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Is it a benefit or a threat?  That’s the point of The Wall Street Journal’s recent series on Internet privacy.  (See http://wsj.com/WhatTheyKnow.)

I’ve always felt that targeted advertising was the next big opportunity for cable TV.  I’m ready to sign up right now to change the ad mix on The Golf Channel from Viagara, luxury cars and insurance to travel, clothes and cooking!

However, the web is increasingly able to deliver this targeting, which I think is great….but like the Journal’s Nicholas Carr article where he points to danger, I’d like these providers to try to be careful with my information and maybe show me an ad for something that isn’t exactly matching my profile so it’s not all endless trips, fashion and recipes!  I’d like to stay part of the general conversation of American life, not just buried in my micro-segment.

What do you think?

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