Leader’s Blog

When many companies take on the idea of innovation it seems like an insurmountable mountain to climb.  Innovation doesn’t always have to come in the form of the “big idea” to be impactful.  This blog points out several small steps we can all use to achieve innovation every day.  Innovation can be achieved through small, digestible changes that can lead to breakthroughs and large operational efficiencies. 

When eagerness for massive overhaul is at all time low, approaches that allow you to fine tune tactics along the way rather than starting from scratch can be especially valuable to keep organizations both innovative and competitive.

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Although it is true that internationalized domain names will open up the internet to billions of potential users around the globe – what remains to be seen is how enterprise marketing teams will transform to be able to efficiently create and sustain quality localized versions of their holistic global internet marketing strategy.

After all, localized access is only one consideration. Localized content delivery is another. And if a user requires localized URL entry for access to a website, it is a fair assumption to say that audience member also requires localized content delivery to be able to browse and enjoy their online interaction.

However, bottom line is that internationalized domain names are another new technology development that marketing can leverage to extend brands globally. Supported by savvy content management tools, a quality content pipeline, and segmentation of subject matter by geography, localized websites complimented by localized URL access will provide many more users a seamless way to experience an enterprise’s online destination.

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Apple has decided to allow in-app purchases from free iPhone apps.  Previously purchases were only allowed from paid apps.  I think this is a good decision on Apple’s part.

It benefits the consumer from a user interface perspective because it eliminates several steps in the process in getting from the decision to buy to actually making a purchase.  It also eliminates the need for users to go back and delete the old app after installing the paid version and having to login to the new app as a new user.  All of that information will be maintained now.

There is benefit to Apple in this scenario as well.  Many users may not even be aware there are paid versions of the apps they enjoy with more features.  By giving users a quick and efficient way to upgrade a free app to the paid version not only informs the customer of its existence but it also helps reduce the chances a customer will abandon an unnecessarily complicated transaction.

I also like the opportunity for opening up payment gateways to third-party transactions in free apps. A good example of this type of app is the Chipotle ordering application that is a free app but allows you to order and pay for your order direct from your iPhone.  I see lifestyle applications like this one really taking off as a result of this expanded opportunity.

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Two points of interest and inspiration were gained from this article.

One, it is good to see Wind Mobile is taking a differentiated approach to media buy and placement by investing 25% in a viral video campaign. Interactive marketing continues to overshadow traditional advertising as the preferred way to experience brands. More importantly, the increased spend in this channel catapults Wind Mobile into a space few geo-specific competitors have navigated well.

Secondly, I love the creative concept behind the campaign. It positions the company as “the people’s” carrier by connecting with the audience practically and emotionally. Throw in the aspect that the strategy involves social media and Wind Mobile empowers the audience to pass on the story to others – people spread the word and customers begin to shift.

Really great illustration of what can be achieved through an intelligent shift and use of spend.

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I enjoy an article that gives you a “sneak peak” on what it takes to power a site like Gilt.com.  Most people never think about things like that (naturally I do).  We just expect the site to work when we want it to work.

To those of you unfamiliar with Gilt.com, it is a membership only site that offers short term sales (usually 24 hours) on a limited amount of discounted luxury merchandise.  Recently it has expanded to include a site geared to men’s apparel, a travel discount site, and a site offering emerging designer brands of apparel.  Members are notified about the sales via email each day where they can log on to the site, view the merchandise, and make a purchase.

That is where the challenge lies.  Each day Gilt.com accommodates large spikes of traffic activity as their customers receive their emails and logon for deals.  The article explains how they have leveraged JRuby to power the seamless experience that the customers have come to expect and their business depends on.  The success of their operating model depends on their customers being able to access the merchandise quickly and complete a purchase.  If navigating the site and the checkout process was slow customers would quickly miss out on the fast selling merchandise and not return in the future.  The fact that Gilt.com has been able to create a visually appealing and stable user interface is beneficial for getting the customers what they want immediately and keeping them coming back for more.

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As more web searchers bypass the typical search destinations to utilize search engines within their social media websites, Google and Bing offset the shift by announcing plans to incorporate social search into their search tools – an excellent counter move.

Interestingly this mitigation effort will quickly turn into opportunity for Google and Bing’s online advertising products. For example, Google will begin to spider an individual’s friend’s social media posts – let’s say on Twitter. In one of those Twitter posts, a friend mentions their admiration for a new Nike shoe. Google can seize this opportunity to position its ad words advertisement product in close proximity on the page and direct browsers to the product page on the Nike e-commerce website – resulting in a paid click when the searcher click’s the link to view the product their friend adores – a profitable outcome for Google.

And an even better outcome for the brand – in this case Nike. Along with extension of the Twitter viral marketing, Google’s social media search mechanism also delivers additional advantage that the ad display was based on recommendation by a friend – an influencer. This type of referral will often result in a shorter sales cycle for Nike. Furthermore, thanks to Google’s evolved ad word placement, Nike is positioned directly where the customer is when their interest is peaked and the customer is most likely ready to interact – an absolutely incredible opportunity for a brand.

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It is never surprising to see Mozilla leading the pack in innovating customer’s online interfacing.

And although it is exciting to read that an innovative leader like Mozilla is leading the task of creating the single preferred location where people access their various digital information, we are about to see the same challenge the company is working on solving  resurface among the market of single preferred digital information locations. In other words, as Mozilla progresses this opportunity, so does Microsoft, Google, and a whole host of new product creators. So although this is good news for advancing R&D for the customer’s need for a single inbox for all their various digital communications, the news of Mozilla Raindrop confirms organizations must continue to navigate the fragmented world of digital marketing for the time being. The news also indicates organizations will need to consider and deliver against more proprietary technical considerations for deliverability and to display across these new third party consolidated communication applications like Mozilla Raindrop.

On the bright side, Raindrop’s features may also present the opportunity for organizations to embrace the application’s power of sorting and prioritizing communications to strengthen connections with customers. Organizations will be able to work toward gaining the privilege of having their communication part of the customers accepted or high priority messaging – opening up the opportunity to further build loyalty and separate the brand from the competition. 

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CNN describes Finland as one of the most wired countries in the world with over 95% of the population having an internet connection.  So why would the Finnish government take steps to make broadband Internet access a legal right? 

Having broadband access in all areas of Finland – regardless of whether you reside in a city or rural area – can create efficiencies for public service agencies. Finnish government could use the Internet to push out public service announcements to all areas of the country during an emergency or natural disaster. Additionally, broadband can improve access to information that was previously limited to people in rural areas.

Expanding broadband also creates opportunities for businesses to expand their online capabilities and services to broaden Finland’s economic opportunities. 

As broadband becomes the norm we will all be better connected.  Finland could just be the beginning of a trend because the United Nations shares this view and is taking strides to make Internet access a citizen’s right. 

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38 percent of LinkedIn users pull in $100,000+ per year.
23 percent of Facebook users earn $100,000+ per year.

What do those numbers tell us? In the business-to-business world it means traction continues to grow for social media amongst senior leadership. This can be attributed to the fact that more senior executives are embracing social networking – partially the result of younger executives entering leadership teams and leapfrogging social media into relevancy amongst their peers.

LinkedIn is no longer perceived as an online rolodex – today LinkedIn members are using the tool as a vast business networking opportunity – connecting with former colleagues, using peer networks to gain references for services and people, and participating in interactive peer groups – in turn providing business leaders access to a wealth of shared knowledge and thought leadership. Facebook continues to grow in popularity, although many senior business leaders tend to prefer LinkedIn as the clear business network leader. However, Facebook’s popularity and continued growth still command consideration in an organization’s digital marketing strategy.

The bottom line is that integrating LinkedIn and Facebook with your brand’s broader social media objectives has become a requirement for any business-to-business peer community.

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This Knowledge@Wharton article stood out to me because it mirrors conversations I have with clients and colleagues every day.  Wharton’s “Future of Advertising Project” focuses on advertising but the concept is the same across all areas of marketing – how will new media channels fit into our go-to-market strategy?

With such a rapidly changing landscape people can find it difficult to keep up.  Companies range between wanting to ignore all emerging channels and stick with their tried and true methods to wanting to adopt every new medium that they read about.  The answer – as you might expect – lies somewhere in between.

The process for evaluating a new media channel shouldn’t differ significantly from your processes for evaluating “old” media channels.  Does the new media channel reach your target audience?  What is the cost/benefit analysis of adopting the new channel?  Does uptake of the new channel improve the perception of your brand?

I have participated in this process with several of my clients over the years and have found that by fitting new media channels into your marketing “big picture” you’ll find the landscape much easier to navigate.

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