TECHNOLOGY - Motorola Droid X: The Android Attack Continues

TECHNOLOGY - Motorola Droid X: The Android Attack Continues

Here's great article on iPhone's newest competitor! And below a separate video.



Another new Android based phone...yeah...I mean....YEAH!

The best part of competition is that it will continue to make Apple up its game to stay on top. Which at this point I am sure it will,at least in the hardware arena. I do not think that it will be that long before all the software will become compatible to run on all phones. Kind of like having the ability to run PC on Mac and vise versa. Customers are demanding it!

I have heard that it is possible now to run Android on the iPhone. I just bought a used 3GS that it is currently too updated to be hacked for T-Mobile, so I think I may just have to give it a try. Just did a quick Google search....and there's a ton of info out there!

iPhone Chatting....Really???

Apple continues to push the envelope of technology bringing us closer together. The new Apple iPhone 4.0 will have the capabilities of live face chatting with a forward facing camera that allows people to see each other. Still there are a lot of unanswered questions. Will other applications have the ability to tie into the teleconferencing...like web cams? Or will it only be iPads? Will other phones with similar set ups and different OS have the ability to tie into the teleconference capabilities? Will it be one-way?  Is the phone camera always on?  How many of us have accidentally called a number in our contact phone book?  Will this give the synonymous "butt-call" a new name?  Maybe a new view to be sure.

This technology will be a paradigm shift of the face to face communication....or face time to be sure. Right now I want one! But I am now wondering if it's utility will rise to my expectations. Who would I talk to, who "could" I talk to?  What if I have some food stuck in my teeth, and the other person sees it...would they tell me?

Eventually rest assured all the bugs will be worked out, and customer demand will drive the answers to these questions. I would have to say that this is one technology that will most likely take off but will be slow. Not all people will use it, but like other technologies such as the smart phone in general, techies will embrace it and develop it. Maybe even make it their own....

Social Media and the Direction it's Going....

Is Twitter Getting Too Popular? I just wanted to test out Twitter and see how it works, and see if I can get a good feeling for it...for the first time. Right now it keeps telling me, it's too busy! Is this normal....?

Minutes pass....

So I am all signed and waiting to think of something to say....wait it doesn't matter nobody is following me. Not much of first impression yet; I am @mcmatther276 in case you're wondering!

I can't look up my friends with from my Google gmail account....it's too busy again.  But cool it's possible, just like Facebook!

 And Speaking of Facebook.....

Facebook has a storefront capability in case you have not heard!

"Payvment E-Commerce Storefront Great new data by Forbes shows that Facebook "Fans" are 41 percent more likely to recommend a brand and 28 percent more likely to
continue using them. Plus the average value of a fan was found to be $136.38 (USD), meaning that’s how
much a company can expect the average Facebook fan to spend. Make sure to turn on your ...Facebook store's "Fan Discount" feature and start building your Fans!"

The melding of media continues and seems to be spiraling; I am now just wondering now in which direction. Is everything getting too interconnected? Too commercialized?

As marketers competing in the Internet Age we are expected to embrace all that the Internet has to offer including some (if not all) of the most popular social media outlets. If we take a look back and see why a lot of the social media websites were developed we would see a distinct evolution of social outlets into market focused, big dollar revenue generating machines. Sorta like Google  and all its affiliates too!

I just have to think that there will be a time in the not too distant future that the general public, the supporters of the social media will start to resort back to the roots and go elsewhere, to different sites not yet commercialized. A bubble burst or an implosion? Is there a new social media outlet on the horizon?

Or maybe there's no end to the inter-connectivity and we soon we will be able to eBay,Boocoo, Tweet, Facebook, and Blog right on our Google homepage....amongst everything else Google now offers. Everything in one location..a compiler of sorts.

Either way it looks like there will some additional opportunities!

eBay under attack!

eBay will have some new competition on or around 6-21-2010 as Boocoo.com launches its new on-line auction site. Just today I saw my first advertisement in a local newspaper, with a launch date of June 14th. I followed the subdirectory  url in the ad and it is redirected to the boocoo.com main site. So is it the 14th or the 21st?  The media frenzy is starting to build. The first I heard about this site was back in March, and from what I gathered so far it looks like it is going to be a mix of eBay and Craigslist. Great idea I hope it works!

I have not used eBay in long time to sell anything because of the high fees; hopefully this site will keep the fees low and offer eBay enough competition to persuade them to lower their fees as well. Boocoo is allowing users to transfer their buyer and seller ratings over to their site.....interesting....wonder how that will pan out! 

Right now the Website is for invitation only. If anyone out there has access to a password please let me know, I would love to get a peek at what this new auction site will offer!

Stay tuned, I looking for a lot more hype to build up before the official boocoo,com launch!

Bar Code Mania

Bar codes are hitting mainstream....er, I mean Main Street!

I just read a great story (put together by Rachel Metz for the Associated Press, Bar Codes Get Around Town and Get More Useful, June 6th ), and I needed to share! I actually found the story in the local newspaper here, where I am vacationing, but for a great read, check it out on Yahoo! News: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100606/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_better_bar_codes

We are familiar with bar codes and use them every day in our lives when shopping; the little vertical lines on the back of virtually every product we purchase in the stores. You know what I am talking about; they give the retailer all the info on a particular product so (most importantly) you get an accurate price at checkout. This technology has been around for years and is generally accepted as normal protocol.

In the early 90's a Japanese company Denso Wave Inc., who creates scanning equipment came out with a new type of bar code called QR, for quick response.  You know these too. All the little boxes and squares making it possible to store a lot more info. United Parcel Service (UPS- What can brown do for you?) now uses these for all your packaging needs. I have heard these also referred to as 2D bar codes, which really makes a lot of sense because you are able to use lines in both the vertical and the horizontal directions....broken up, of course, into the little squares we see.

The article refers to a new use of the technology for downloaded movie tickets for Fandango. I can't really relate to that, but if you are like me and travel a lot, you may also use the 2D bar codes for instant message plane tickets. Right now Delta uses this technology at certain airports and I am sure other airlines, if not already' will follow. I love this as it allows me to use ether my iPhone or Blackberry to do quick scan and move on through. No need to print out the ticket at home or stop by a kiosk. And more importantly I always have at least one of my phones on me, and it is always frustrating to me trying to remember where I put my ticket. I have to warn you though not everyone has embraced the mindset of adopting this technology. I still see very few people using the IM tickets and I have had to literally show TSA agents how the scanners work. And of course there's always the murmurs from the other passengers on how it shouldn't be allowed because "anybody" could just find my phone and check in as me......really....really??? Seriously people they would need my ID too, that hasn't changed! And you know why you don't have to show your boarding pass "again" as you walk through the metal detector? Yes that's right, protocol changed after the TSA allowed the technology because you have to put the phone through x-ray belt. You're welcome!


Now the QR technology is being utilized for yet another use, and is being embraced by none other than Google.

Google in conjunction with Google Places has been sending out the QR or 2D bar codes to hundreds of thousands of companies to promote businesses in their local listing service. The codes are placed at the bottom of a business decal that businesses place in their window. When customers scan the code with mobile device like a phone, a plethora of things can take place; though right now you're directed to a Google page dedicated to your business that can link the customer to your Website, a coupon, or whatever you desire!

I can't say for sure what public opinion is on this technology but I think it's great! A direct connection of cyberspace to the physical world, initiated by the customer. This technology will allow marketers a lot more flexibility and will enable much more targeted advertising in the future. We are currently studying how marketers can optimize SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to increase the probability of getting found on the Internet. Soon bar codes will need to be integrated as tool in SEO optimization, as well as RFID tags! And yes it is possible....because after all the bar codes represent data! Cool!

The Internet is all around around us and this is a huge step ( can I say leap-frog) to the next generation of the inter-connectivity that will envelope our lives. I say let us embrace it, develop it, and move forward!

Appreciation

Not too ago I was forwarded an email about a world class violinist who gave a street concert with a violin worth millions on a street street corner. The donation only (free) presentation was near the theater where the night before he sold out, selling tickets for hundreds of dollars each.  During the free concert only a handful of people stopped by to give him a few bucks. The music was beautiful, as it had been the prior evening, yet only a couple of people were actually able to fully appreciate it. This exercise in human perception, and appreciation, was purposely set up. Nobody knew the violinist, nobody knew the quality of the violin or of the quality of the music, even when they could physically hear it.

My point in writing this story is to make an analogy to Websites.  If search engines can't recognize you, or social media doesn't promote you, how are you really perceived? Or even found?

Let's face it, the Internet is getting ever more crowded and it is getting more difficult to get noticed. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and using social media to work up a buzz does work now and it will continue to work in the future. It will be more important in the future!

Just think of the crowds that may have attended the violin street concert if the word had gotten out. Remember no marketing, no appreciation? SEO and social media outlets are functions of marketers for companies large and small; don't let the opportunity pass you by!

For those of you really interested in the true facts of the violinist, and the story behind it, it is true and verified on snopes so check it out for a good read!

HubSpot Website Grader

I recently had the pleasure to use HubSpot's Website Grader for the anyalysis of the company I work for, Pall, against one of our largest competitors, Millipore.

The Report of that was generated can be found at http://websitegrader.com/site/www.pall.com . Based on this report I have several recommendations that Pall could use to help raise their Search Engine Optimization (SEQ) score.

• First and foremost I would recommend not just one blog, but multiple blogs. Pall has always been very secretive about pretty much all of their information. The time has come to open the floodgates and allow the information to flow. Every press release we have is timely and accurate but sometimes I wonder how long it takes to hit the mainstream or popular medias. We have a lot of great scientists working for Pall who are more than articulate on the functions of filtration and separation. I think it would be great if we could promote more products by highlighting the features and benefits in a blog, not to mention increasing the SEO scores! Blogs about anything related to Pall would be great...just get them started.
• Images should all have ALT text, right now Pall has 4 images of out 5 viewed without the Alt image tag. Not that big of deal for the typical user, but very important for those using the Website without the image viewing capability. Personally I would like to see more of the ALT images used as a default for the Mobile version to enable quicker page loads, and  easier viewing. I know you can turn them off but I would rather had the option of turning them on when I needed them, versus having to wait for pages to load while I get to where I need to be.
• Let's Tweet about it. We only had 3 recent tweets. I know that we can do better than that, and I know that it would be something a lot of our customer base in the University setting would use and appreciate.  I personally do not use Twitter at this time, but I have friends that do...and it seems to be very viral in nature. Which is why I don't do it right now. But when I do have more time, and a reason, I am there! I say for now though.

Hey Pall let's get a couple of personas built up around our customers and start blogging and tweeting!

FREE Doritos!

Just in time for Memorial day weekend....actually the coupons have circulating the internet since about Easter, or maybe even longer! Almost sounds too good to be true.

OK it is too good to be true, and the sheet of 6 coupons being circulated around an email forward are completely fraudulent according to Snopes.com.http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/doritos.asp

You can find the actual file here: .http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=1z3iF7sTTAvbsgcI6ZG-t6s8Uq7l8_37rjD17RUF_17s03sychFXp0VnPoZAk&hl=en

So is the first time a company like Frito Lay has been victimized by an internet perpetrator? NO and it is probably not the last. Here's the rub though. These coupons look really good and official, at least to me. And if I was a local grocery store clerk, gas station clerk whatever, and did not know of this scam, I would probably end up taking one of coupons. The store managers and clerks would then try to submit for reimbursement to be denied by Frito Lay (again supposing, no knowledge of the scam). So the customer who unknowingly participated in the scam, is the real winner, and the store, or maybe the clerk/manager, who accepted the coupon is the real loser. Frito Lay is not liable, but look at the attention they are getting! Good press, or bad press, it is building brand awareness for Doritos for sure.

These scams present a real dilemma for marketing folks. Hey, online coupons seem like a really good idea, and I could not think of a greener avenue; just print what you need. But as more and more scams keep coming about, customers and stores, will become more and more concerned about authenticity of the print your own coupons. Personally I think there will need to be some type of authentication needed in the future for these type of coupons to be realistically viable. As it sits right now....and if people can get away with these scams, it is just like printing money, right?

Go Twins...??? Go MLB!!!!

OK I purposely put off doing a review on the Twins site because I knew I was going to the Twins vs. Yankees on May 27th....tomorrow. Why? Just because I am not exactly a Twins fan and I still don't know what I think about the new Target stadium....and I thought by spending a bunch of time on the Twins website, the night before the game, I might get a little excited.  My first impression was, wow this site is really busy...and....quick turn down the volume as the MLB.tv commerical starting blaring. Sorry kids! I am sorry but I found that to be a little obnoxious and frankly I think it would be a good idea to let the customer has the option of viewing (and hearing) the video clip commercial. A quick pause took care of it...just in time.

I am going to break the site down as I see it:

Content, not bad , and there is a lot flash / gif / java stuff going on. Way too much. Mouse over causes new stuff to bounce around and my ADHD really gets the best of me when everything really starts rolling. I can see a real rabid fan going nuts and not really getting bothered by this stuff, but from the non-fan, kinda baseball fan, the site is really not that enjoyable.

A lot of the tabs bounce you around to the official MLB site that lead you to other MLB sites. Hey wait a second these all look the same....hey they are under the same domain name, and all the teams are just sub-domains.(state.team) So it looks like the MLB made a shell and had all the teams fill in their local content. Oh look all the same advertisements....just like I anticipated. So the MLB branding efforts over-ride all the individual team branding. I guess I am OK with that, consistency is good, and if you are true baseball fan and want to analyze all the stats for any team or player this site is the ticket. Fantasy leagues must have a hay-day.  Another cool thing is that when you are bouncing around from team to team you are getting specific ads served up to the location. I am starting to like the site more and more now and getting around finding what I need is getting easier. And hey I figured out how to turn the autoplay on the video OFF. Though I did just find that the History Channel commerical was pretty cool....most likely based on of my browsing behavior history! Good job Ad Sever who and where ever you are!

OMG just flipped back to the MLB site and wouldn't you know it, there's the Arizona Diamondbacks playing live...impressive indeed and now I know why my processor is fully clocking out! It wasn't long-lived though.....just a teaser from MLB.tv.  Even though I had my auto-play on the top right turned OFF. Not even sure what if anything triggered it because I am sitting here typing on my blog on one tab, when all of sudden I hear my computer working on something. I hit the demo button and it opened up a new browser window....the video I saw was playing overlaid in the same tab / frame so I know I didn't accidentally hit the demo button. So this doesn't impress me....I don't like websites that go on autopilot, gobble up band with, and hog my processor!

Just for kicks and giggles I checked out the NFL.com website to compare and contrast. It is not as busy and just as functional and has a lot less advertising.  So which one do I like better? I guess it is still up in the air for me . I would prefer that NFL website had some of the functionality and the browsing speed of the MLB website. Honestly the extra movement and advertisement of the MLB is annoying but the server side content is so much faster.

Free Pac Man on Google

In celebration of the 30th year anniversary of Pac Man Google is offering a free game with their logo embedded into the game. Insert new coins and play a 2 player game....go have some fun!

Check out more on: http://games.spreadit.org/insert-coin-pac-man-30th-anniversary/2010/05/21/

Pall sending out eNewsletters

Finally the company that I am working for is sending out electronic newsletters; Pall Life Sciences. Hopefully this is the start of a good thing that will continue, and improve. I have not had a chance to check

it out on a PC yet, only my iPhone. I did notice that the copyright is still 2009; so it may be older.

The BioSepra chromatography line-up has a tremendous potential and is in desperate need of some Marketing. Most of the customers that I  introduce the product line to have no idea that we even have chromatography tesin or columns. So basically the awareness aspect of the product line is severely lacking. 

I just thought of another concern as well. Why did I get this eNewsletter? Is it because I am an employee? Is it based on an industry newsletter that I am getting already? Either way I did not get any communication from my company regarding the eNewsletter on how and why it is being sent. I have a bunch of customers who I know would greatly benefit. How do I sign them up? How do I know if they may already be receiving the eNewsletter? And for that matter how do I even know that this is the first eNewsletter?

I cannot stress enough how important communication is between the Marketing and Sales groups. I have already sent an email our Director of  Marketing for our Lab Division. Hopefully he will have some insight!    

UPDATE: I found out that this is one off that the Pall BioProcess Marketing group purchased from the BioProcess International Group that I belong to. The exact same e-blast was sent out to a couple of other groups in the past with very high click rates. And now that I look....it says the eNewsletter came from BioProcess International!



We have a great loyalty program for the lab group, called the Pall Preferred Program. Right we do have a monthly newsletter going out to customers with update. In the future I would like to see us do something like GE did where we have some interaction that customers will forward onto their friends and co-workers. Also I think it would be a great idea if we could revive our old Lab Rat Hero / Icon, Lenny the Lab Rat. Lenny could get his own following on Twitter / Facebook etc. I thin I will propose it and see where it gets me!

Hit the click here link below to check out the contents!

If this email isn't displaying correctly, click here.

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More on the Ford Fiesta...It's a Movement!

I just saw my first Ford Fiesta TV commercial, and it is way over the top. But very good for its target audience now watching American Idol. The guy pushes a button to start the Fiesta, then all these dancers start coming to life...and all these abstract scenes start coming together. The Ford Fiesta gets 40 mpg and you can do a hands free sync! This is great example of the tying of Internet marketing media and the traditional TV commercial marketing. Roberts mentions on page 156, " The best brand building on the Internet will fuse the attention-getting power of the Web's interactive environment with the targeted relationship techniques of information-driven direct marketing. It will be tightly integrated with offline (traditional) brand development activities."  So it all started with a Social Media advertising campaign, and is now being followed up with TV commercials. Also today...ironic, I know, I was at a Ford dealership getting some work done on my Ford Escape. Naturally I had to ask about the Ford Fiesta.  One of the sales guys gave me peek at the sales reps guide sent out by Ford corporate marketers. It had all the hot points to mention for the Fiesta. It has a lot of great features and the actual functionality seems great.

With this huge media blitz going on, I thought I would Google: Ford Fiesta...and Ford Fiesta Movement came up....and I selected it.

Ford has put together a Fiesta Movement Web site. They are having a contest....more media blitzing! 16 Cites, 20 Teams, 1 Movement. Here's some info directly from the Web site on the contest: "The Ford Fiesta is coming stateside this summer. Until then, our 20 teams of agents are handing over the keys to their cities, working with the best local talent to re-imagine the way Fiesta gets advertised. Support a nearby team as they compete against the rest of the country. Winners get their own 2011 Ford Fiesta (and all the glory)."

I haven't noticed much in print yet for the Ford Fiesta but I am sure it is out there! I will now keep my eye open for advertisements in magazines.

I must be too old and addicted to my SUV....I still wouldn't buy a Ford Fiesta. But I don't really think that I am part of their target market. Overall the Marketing Campaign that Ford has put together is phenomenal mixing the old media, with the new media....social hype and all! I would definitely call the campaign successful if nothing else but building the Ford brand.

If anyone sees anything else out there online or other, please let me know!

Ford Fiesta Movement: Can Social Media Sell Cars?

Ford Fiesta Movement: Can Social Media Sell Cars?

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Mashable, the Social Media Guide is yet another great site to monitor for marketing finesse. I don't remember which blog brought me to this site, but it is now bookmarked.

Can social media sell cars?  So far so good, but I have to admit that I did not personally know about this until Mashable told me about it. So does that mean it's not hitting masses?  Not really because I am a not twitter follower and honestly every advertisement I now see on Facebook, I "try" to ignore. Though in recent memory I do not recall seeing one. I would personally never buy a Fiesta because I do not view them as safe, but for somebody looking for commuter across town in large city, perfect!

Here's the premise. Ford spends a lot money letting  100 social media gurus (social agents!) try-out and blog, Twitter, Facebook comment, etc., on the the new Ford Fiesta. I am not sure how they are tracking all of this but after the media is put out on the Internet it is tracked. The report that I am referring to is 7 months old right now, and it mentions 8 million personalized advertisements to views world-wide, resulting in 50,000 customers showing genuine interest. Do these numbers suggest success?  What are they up-to right now?

Personally I have to call this a success regardless of how many Fiestas are sold. In addition to the sales of the Fiestas, Ford also receives the extended branding efforts. I firmly believe that this type of advertising will be key in the future, although it will need to be tied with other advertising. Viral Marketing is covered in Roberts on page 185, Chapter 7, so this jumping the gun a little....but I couldn't resist!

Hog Tied and Roped in!

 Branding, Branding, Branding are the 3 words that best describe Harley-Davidson and their Web site. They do not want you to forget who they are and what they represent. They are true to their roots and continue to build brand loyalty based on all of their marketing campaigns from their Web site, to their racing sponsorship, to their stores. Once just an American experience and an American passion, is not only sold but marketed world-wide. I am certain their vision has been updated more than once, especially after the Buell acquisition.

The Buell branding is still keep separate but interestingly enough, you usually will see both brands in show rooms, side by side. But regardless, the acquisition and sales of Buell and Harley together is a superb business plan as it brings together 2 demographics that "do" have a tendency for cross-over. Most sport riding guys eventually go over to touring bikes. What is a better way to get those guys in transition? Have one on the best European sport bikes available next to your touring bikes. And of course it does go both ways, via mid-life crisis. Motorcycles always need parts,  and who can resist checking out the new models when stopping by???? One thing I think is very interesting is the completely separate Buell Web site that is maintained...and is keep in the same browser tab. I would think that they would want to retain the H-D Web site open in one tab (or window) and have the Buell site launched separately. I would like to see both open via a lauch into a separate browser or tab, with easy access and not have to worry about hitting my back bottom. But I suppose H-D benefits both ways...so maybe they don't care.
  
I have ridden motorcycles all my life, but never much "on" the road, usually off-road for Hare Scramble Racing and Motocross. The quality and reputation of H-D is remarkable and "almost" always positive; Harleys don't leak oil....they just mark their spot! For years and especially around the time H-D fully acquired Buell, it was hoped that they would become a player in the off-road market. Few US based companies have fared well against the Japanese and European manufacturers. H-D has in the past made some pre-production based models for some of the most popular dessert races, like Paris to Dakar Rally Race, but none ever made it into full production. Buell has dabbled, but has never fully committed either. So I must still wait!

With that being said and my waning interest now evident, I want to admit I was pretty excited checking out the Web site to see what it had to offer. I didn't sign up for the newsletter because I am sure it would end up like so many of my other newsletter emails that I know get; read maybe 1/10th of the time. There are so many aspects of the Web site that aid in the branding for H-D; motorcycles obviously, but they are also huge on the history, accessories, and we can't forget the clothing. Custom motorcycle better suite your fancy? Roberts on page 105 uses the example of the Nike Web site, but H-D does a little different take but worth mentioning that the H-D Web site lets you do that too. Probably the best and most interesting part of the Web site for me was the listing of used motorcycles across the country; both brands H-D and Buell. This is one feature that you will never find in a Japanese or European motorcycle company.

In summation I would say that the Harley Davidson Web site does an excellent job as a tool for marketing the Harley-Davidson Brand and all of its merchandise. It is easy enough to use and find anything needed. If I was in the market for a motorcycle and had the money to spend I think I would utilize their Web site for setting up my test ride!

On the Value Chain

Things to think about....

So I was thinking about the value chain, the whole scenario; why it's done, and the impact it has had.
The whole tying everything together, saving money, making the business enterprise a mean lean, six sigma machine. Is this all good?  Well let's see. It 's definitely good for the company, because ,well, you know everyone is in business to make money. And if the company is public, the shareholders will profit too, so that's good too. But let's track it a little more. As everything becomes more streamlined, other things start to happen, like people losing their jobs, from any number of scenarios including outsourcing.  Now is this a bad thing? Debatable I would say. Economic theory would dictate that the job demand for the position is no longer there and the supply is too high, and subsequently the person needs to be retrained or take a different career path within their current skill-set if possible. So I guess overall looking at this aspect I would say it is still mostly good, especially if the people were able to get additional training and ending up with an overall increased skill-set, which would make the whole country and economy better off.

Another thought to ponder.....
So is this value chain thing new? Is it here to stay?  It is not new and has been around a while and yes it is here to stay. So get in gear and work with it,and not against it. As a matter of fact, the majority of companies doing business all around the world will need to start their own value chain to remain competitive. And yes I said around the world, as this is a global economy!

Come to think of it, the fear of my own position becoming obsoleted is one of the primary reasons that I wanted pursue a Masters Degree to begin with. Now I just know why!

Target Web site review

OK I will admit it....I have never been to the Target Web site, at least that I can remember. My first impression is that it is way too busy, the font is way too small, and that there is way too much moving Flash animation, which causes the pages to load slowwwwlwy. The set up and style seems to be very 2006-ish to me. With updated content of course. Trying to be positive, I looked for some of the specific stuff that I would normally buy at Target, and what do you know it was actually fairly easy. So I would give the user interface (UI) a B. I said fairly easy, because I have had an easier time at other retailer Web sites.

As I was checking out the Web site I was reminded of something that I have used with great success before...my Target iPhone app. (more on that later). A lot of what is on the app is also on the Web site....or that's probably vise versa! But wait where's something notifying me that Target has a great iPhone app? With all the merchandising stuff jumping out at me, why did I have to go looking for info on the app? If I didn't have the app, I would expect Target would want me to know about.......they really need to promote their app more!  On a side note the Target Web site incorporate some great features that allows their vendors additional banner space and coupon saving opportunities. You know what that's pretty cool for some folks I am sure, but not that important to me; there's actually some of the same stuff on the app but it is so much easier to ignore!

And now back to Target app Why do they need to promote the app more?  Because it is awesome and makes their Web site look not as bad. And maybe that's why I have never been to their Web site; I have never felt the need because I all ever needed was on my phone. Did you know that they now incorporated a bar code scanning feature that allows you to make a list, get pricing, availability, and bunch of other stuff I am sure?

• Target is doing a great job at focusing on their target market, which would probably be my wife. But on the other hand they are also keeping us geeky techies interested in shopping too.
• I think overall Target is doing an excellent job in melding new and old technologies. The app obviously is using content and features from the Web site. Together they allow the consumer instant access to product info, store locations, and other pertinent info everyone needs to know.

My Blog eNewsletter Subscriber list!

I have signed up for the following:

• Marcom Writer Blog 
• Hubspot Marketing Blog 
• eMarketer Newsletter 
• Seth Gobin Blog

Who knows maybe I will find some more! So far these have all been pretty great!

Becoming a Bus Company - A Seth Gobin Review

Seth's blog  looking at the elements of the way companies run in comparison to a bus company shows a negative but realistic outlook on the way too many people do their jobs. His example of the way American Airlines treats their passengers is very common; but unfortunately, AA is not the only airline, acting like a bus company. It has become clear to me the last year or so that there are no airlines that care too much about their passengers any longer. Although I can only fly a handful of airlines out of the Twin Cities, I think I have utilized them all over the last 6 months,  and 2 not by choice, after Delta left me hanging! I fly almost every other week or so; my perspective is probably valid.

• Attitude is everything, think positive, smile, and good things will happen : )

OK this bit of advice will only go so far, for so long. There have been many days where I have to remind myself that I am very fortunate to have a good job allowing me to make a decent living and have a good life. There are other days where I have to remind others of the same thing. So we all have our ups and our downs and no matter where you work everyone has gripes. In the end the advice that Seth gives is easy to take action on. A little bit of positive attitude goes a long way in making a huge benefit for many people!

•  From a marketing perspective:

I think if I were ______ (insert your least favorite airline here) it would be great to start up a new marketing campaign highlighting how bad things appear, how easy they are to fix, and the changes that could be evident after the changes have taken place. It may be a tough pill to swallow but we all know that humor can go a long way and it is so easy to poke fun at yourself! So would highlighting your worst problems and airing your dirty laundry be better than just fixing the problems and moving on?

Hello World!

Just had to get that out of the way and out of my system! : -)