Twitter Joins Facebook, Google, Launches 'Brand Pages' for Marketers | Digital - Advertising Age
1 comments Posted by Wendy at 11:24 AM
Twitter's existing brand pages have been under the radar, especially compared with the buildup around Google brand pages, which were launched last month. But Chief Revenue Officer Adam Bain said that he's spent the better part of the past year meeting with chief marketing officers, and brand pages were a recurring and frequent request.
Wendy's Note: Nope I wasn't on the list of partners to get access to the Brand Pages but I did get on the #newnewtwitter version right away. This really isn't innovation, its also ran to copy Google+ and Facebook. I am waiting for Twitter to really take the next big leap to incorporate the next new idea. Something that someone hasn't done yet.
Here are the companies who were in the initial launch:
Twitter is launching brand pages with 21 marketers: American Express, Best Buy, Bing, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Dell , Disney, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, JetBlue, Kia, McDonald's, Nike , PepsiCo, Staples, Verizon Communications Wireless, NYSE Euronext, Heineken, Subway and Paramount Pictures, specifically for the release of "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol." It has also partnered with some charities and individuals that it hasn't disclosed.Do you suppose the only way for innovation is to create a new brand and separate from the existing Twitter?
This is crowd-sourcing the employees for innovations in the company. Shouldn't employees already be doing this? The problem appears to be that firms only encourage engineers and scientists to innovate, leaving other employees to follow their normal methods.
To solve this problem, Ashkenas recommends three steps for building a culture of innovation:
1) Identify and implement an innovation in your area
2) Once employees have confidence that they can innovate incrementally, work together to identify a more ambitions innovation.
3) Make an atmosphere that encourages people to develop and experiment with new ideas
By successfully completing these three steps, a manager can crowd-source their employees for innovations just as many user innovation companies would source from their customers.
After listening to a presentation in one of my other classes about 3D TV, I googled the topic and came across this...a 3D Camera?! Personally, I like my standard TV and camera, but this invention seems to open a whole new realm of possibilities! In the article it talks about how these devices would allow users to do the impossible and gives examples of its users being able to "walk on the soccer field" and "stand where the goalkeeper is."
Confused? I was too while reading the article, but check out the video because it clearly explains how the gadget works and what it will be able to do.
Last week, Dunkin' Donuts introduced a new food item, Sausage Pancake Bites. These items sound like a normal breakfast item, but for a chain that has prided itself on donuts (especially Munchkins), people have been drawing the comparison between the pancake bites and Munchkins. Many websites have dubbed these items as "Meat Munchkins," which do not sound too appetizing. I personally do not think these items will last on the menu, especially if the term "Meat Munchkin" sticks. Innovative? Yes; but successful? Probably not. To see a video of a brave man trying one of these "Meat Munchkins," click here.
When we think of innovators, we usually think of inventors, or businessmen. Most people do not think of athletes. I am here to tell you that there might be a new innovator in the world of sports, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. The origins of such classic pitches as the four seam fastball and the classic curveball are unknown, but recently, pitchers have been finding new ways to throw the ball. In the 1930s, Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell perfected the screwball (the anti-slider), in the late 1970s, Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter created and perfected the splitter (a dropping fastball), and in the 1990s, future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera invented the cutter (a breaking fastball). Now, in the 2010s, Matsuzaka could be working on inventing and perfecting the "gyroball." Unknown to most American baseball fans, this mysterious pitch creates a spin on the ball with an axis of spin in line with the direction of the throw (like an American football). If perfected, Matsuzaka could continue his career with the Boston Red Sox with as dominating numbers as the innovators Hubbell, Sutter, and Rivera put up before him.
Google seems to have poked their noses into every aspect of our lives. For example, they love to know what our web searching patterns are so they can better advertise to our peculiar purchasing behaviors. But now they want to develop software that drives our cars for us?
This video by Steve Johnson does a nice job of illustrating, pun intended, innovation. I particularly like his inclusion of the history of innovation, noting that both collaboration and collision of ideas is necessary for innovation to occur.
You can view the video at http://kottke.org/10/09/where-good-ideas-come-from
Many of us are fearful of needles, and as a result, often delay visiting the doctor or dentist. Also, needles (through misuse or accidents) are responsible for spreading many life threatening viruses such as hepatitis and HIV. This new product by Pharmajet is designed to solve these issues via a new drug delivery technology that is entirely needle-free. It appears to be both safe and effective. The medical community is often a late adopter of many innovations, so it may be a while before we see a Pharmajet in our local doctor's office.
Recent research by the Nielsen company (a long-time benefactor of the WSOB) provides new evidence that senior managers of CPG firms are more likely to harm (rather than help) innovation. Interestingly, a firm's innovation efforts seem to be harmed by even being physically close to to a firm's headquarters. Although this news release doesn't provide an explanation for this effect, it is likely that most senior managers share little in common with their firm's average customers. Thus, they are likely to have little direct knowledge of their customers' needs. To address this knowledge gap, a growing number of CPG firms such as P&G and Kraft are allowing their customers to become more actively involved in the innovation process.
"We live in an era of rapid innovation." I'm sure you've heard that phrase, or some variant, over and over again. The evidence appears to be all around us: Google, Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, flat-screen televisions, the Internet itself.
But what if the conventional wisdom is wrong? What if outside of a few high-profile areas, the past decade has seen far too few commercial innovations that can transform lives and move the economy forward? What if, rather than being an era of rapid innovation, this has been an era of innovation interrupted? And if that's true, is there any reason to expect the next decade to be any better?
An article in BusinessWeek Magazine seeks to explain America's economic woes in the past decade due to a lack of innovation, that Michael Mandel says, merely got hung-up for a while until costs can be reduced, margins increased, and breakthrough innovations happen outside of core IT.
For many firms, innovation is a critical driver of growth and profitability. Excellent examples of firms that have grown and profited via innovation include 3M, Apple, and LG. Traditionally, the innovation process at most firms has largely operated as an internal function in which the planning, research, development, launch, and marketing of a new product is largely conducted by its employees. While this internal approach has produced many successes (e.g., Post-It Notes, iPhone, LED television), most new products developed via this traditional approach fail to deliver on their objectives. Thus, an increasing number of firms, including 3M, IBM, and Procter & Gamble are supplementing their traditional internal approach with external innovation efforts that incorporate the know-how and wisdom of millions of individuals across the globe.
This externalization initiative can come in many forms, ranging from bringing lead-users more actively into idea generation activities to turning the entire new product development process over to one’s customers. An intriguing middle ground is the recent rise of on-line innovation brokers such as InnoCentive, NineSigma, and IdeaConnection. In essence, these organizations serve as middlemen between firms seeking solutions (i.e., seekers) to specific innovation challenges and individuals interested in offering solutions (i.e., solvers) to these challenges. On average, online innovation brokers claim that their services solve nearly half the challenges posed by seeking firms. Thus, a growing number of firms across several industries (e.g., pharmaceutical, chemical, textiles, packaged goods) are employing these brokers. For example, the challenges currently posted on InnoCentive’s website include firms seeking innovative solutions for new uses for cotton, more sustainable packaging materials, and new insulin delivery systems for patients in developing countries.
Online innovation brokering services such as InnoCentive are a great example of the opportunities afforded by globalization. These opportunities are particularly exciting because they provide potential benefits to both firms seeking solutions with their innovation activities as well individuals capable of providing these solutions:
Benefits to Seekers
Access to an expanded knowledge base. Innovation brokers provide seeking firms with access to the wisdom and know-how of thousands of individuals, many of whom are well qualified experts in one ore more scientific disciplines. For example, InnoCentive currently has more than 160,000 registered solvers (across over 80 countries), 40% of whom have a PhD. Thus, there is a good chance that one or more of these experts will be able to generate a suitable solution to almost any innovation challenge.
Low cost solutions. The recruitment and hiring of a scientist or an engineer into a firm can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars in addition to the cost of his or her salary and bonus. Moreover, once hired, employees require substantial administrative and training costs and may be difficult to fire if they perform below expectations. In contrast, innovation brokering provides a considerably lower cost option, as most solvers are rewarded between $10,000 and $20,000 for a winning solution. In addition, seekers are typically under no obligation to pay this reward if none of the submitted solutions meet with their approval.
Anonymity. Because online knowledge brokers act as a conduit between seekers and solvers, firms concerned about protecting their privacy can remain anonymous. Indeed, most solvers have little or no knowledge of the identity of the seeking firm. This anonymity reduces the likelihood of competitive response and helps a seeking firm protect its intellectual investments.
Benefits to Solvers
Democratization of innovation. Under the traditional approach to innovation, solutions are largely generated by a small group of high-level managers, many of who attended elite universities. Thus, this process is somewhat totalitarian in nature. Online innovation brokering democratizes the innovation process by opening it up to the masses. Anyone with access to the Internet can become a potential solver, as registration at most online brokering services is free and easy. As a result, these solvers come from all walks of life and reside not only in advanced economies such as the USA and South Korea but also in such emerging economies as Ghana and Vietnam.
Obtainment of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. As noted earlier, in exchange for a winning solution, solvers typically earn between $10,000 and $20,000. Although these amounts are rather incremental for most firms, they represent substantial earnings for many individuals. In addition to financial remuneration, successful solvers gain valuable additions to their resume and increase their employment value to other firms. On top of these extrinsic rewards, many solvers report that they intrinsically enjoy the process of formulating solutions and view their efforts as a means of improving society by helping create new products and improved processes.
As illustrated by this example, globalization is dramatically changing the economic landscape and empowering individuals to perform activities that were formally conducted within a firm. While some may view these changes as a challenge, they also represent a substantial opportunity for forward-looking firms and individuals.
Although it's been around for a few years, the last six months has shown frenetic growth for an emerging social media platform known as Twitter. And it's a platform that has tremendous potential to help marketers better understand and interact with their customers -- leading to improvements in new product development and innovation.
Many may be skeptical of this claim. In fact, you may not have even heard of Twitter before, but if you question whether it is becoming mainstream, consider that the Wall Street Journal has published no less than 30 (as of this posting) different articles mentioning Twitter since September of this year -- including an October piece that headlined, "Twitter Goes Mainstream." A pretty bold statement.
What is Twitter?
Katherine Boehret wrote a "Mossberg Solution" column in the Wall Street Journal explaining the service: "In short, Twitter is a free social-networking tool that keeps people connected with one another and with sources of information. Twitter users submit updates about whatever they're currently doing, and these updates cannot exceed 140 text-based characters."
Some refer to it as 'micro blogging.' Basically, you write updates on what you're doing, thinking about, seeing, etc., in real time, and the sum total of these items is your Twitter stream (your micro blog). People then choose to Follow your stream, and vice versa, much as you would via the RSS stream on a blog. It's very stream of consciousness, which from a marketing research standpoint is very intriguing.
How can it can it help improve customer insights?
Twitter has tremendous potential for garnering customer insights, and in fact many businesses, including Comcast and Ford are already engaging in Twitter-moderated interactions with current and potential customers.
Some normative examples include:
- Ethnographic observation of Lead Users,
- Customer sentiment tracking and
- Live, real-time interactive focus groups.
There also have been some great recent articles and blog postings on this topic -- pointing to using Twitter for engaging with customers.
> Observing behaviors and actions: Chris Wilson, who writes The Marketing Fresh Peel blog, posted a recent presentation in which he focused on how businesses can use Twitter for customer insights. "I stressed the importance of understanding people’s behaviors and actions," he notes on his blog, "because no matter what happens to Twitter years down the road, behaviors will be the same."
> Making dialogue two way; not getting caught up in the medium: On my own Propelling Brands blog I posted a response to a blog post by Tony Hung on the Conversation Agent Blog in which he commented on the role of Twitter in brand management. He points out that the key is to facilitate what is a two-way dialogue with customers, and he argues that brands using Twitter should "really listen to customers, show your commitment to participating in direct dialogue and identify and interact with true thought leaders." My additional thoughts, which I posted in my response, were that, "[t]he issue is that too often the medium becomes the message and as marketers we forget the role each channel plays in the ongoing dialogue between brands and customers. Also, all too often, we treat these mediums as a chance to shout at customers but never to really communicate with them."
The key to using Twitter for garnering customer insights is to keep in mind that it's just another tool in our arsenal. As marketers and marketing researchers we should have an objective in mind, first, and then assess whether Twitter is the right venue for communicating with our channel.
But this is the case for any social media technology. I presented on this topic last week, together with some other colleagues at the Wisconsin School of Business. We looked at the role of social media in new product development innovation, including providing points on how to assess whether any given platform is the right fit for the type of insight you wish to garner. You can check out the presentation on SlideShare here.
How can you begin using Twitter?
Set up an account, follow other's Twitter feeds and give it a try!
In an age when video games are differentiated by specifics such as HD graphic resolution, Sony sought to take a step backwards and develop a product with broad enough appeal to attract as many consumers as possible. This challenge, however, did not rely on piecing together the ultimate gamer market segmentation report. Rather, Sony needed to create an approach that did this groundwork for them, fast. The Wii gamer segment, where users are personalizing their machines and game profiles to interact with an online community, is growing steadily and, most recently, out-sold Sony's PS3 over 4 to 1 (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171305). Further, video game production costs, 3 years ago, ranged between $3 million and $6 million (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4442346.stm). Estimates today place costs upwards of $20 million. New video games, thus, need relatively strong ROI.
So, t
While there were 50 pre-built levels included with the game, Sony looks to the community of LBP gamers to create worlds of play applicable to their demographic or something to which their segment is emotionally tied. For example, there is an up-cropping of worlds resembling the early Mario Brothers games. This 
Another interesting and, perhaps, more poignant insight is that this same approach and capability, including all the community communication elements, were available for PC games decades ago. Sony's LBP model is hardly a new concept for innovation. Yet, perhaps users were not yet conditioned to develop and share as readily as they are today.
Sometimes innovation is inherently complex, but what should the goal of innovation be? Arguably it's to simplify, but sometimes that requires taking a radically-new approach to a traditional problem -- redefining its nature and scale. That is the 'case' study we provide here.
Data Loss Problem
One of the most vexing problems of the digital era is the the nightmare of losing critical digital information on a computer. Large corporations spend significant amounts of money on complex, multi-tier systems. What about a consumer or small business, or how about a large corporation that has such a disparate workforce that in many ways its 'problem' looks like that of traditional consumers? There have always been back-up solutions, but they have traditionally been hardware-intensive, complicated and required a tremendous amount of human management.
Mozy -- a company recently acquired by enterprise-storage player EMC -- provides a subscription-based service that enables consumers and businesses to achieve continuous, off-site back-ups of critical information and programs residing on their computers and servers via their local Internet connection from anywhere in the world. Download a piece of software, select your configuration, and you're done! It's that easy.
What does Mozy do differently, though? The company offers a cost-effective service that is incredibly friendly, easy to use and reliable -- simplicity and reliability -- but yet that is technologically robust. In fact, it is light-years ahead of the competition in terms of capabilities and technical sophistication. In many ways, Mozy is an innovation that is both ‘radical innovation’ and ‘architectural innovation.’ It is also not only an upgrade, relative to competitors, but a complete re-think about how to solve the problem of online/off-site backups for its customers.
Radically-new Approach
The service is the result of one entrepreneur, who realized that the scale and nature of back-up solutions is very different, perhaps, than others might view it -- referring to it as a 'petabyte' problem.
Mozy was founded by Josh Coates as Berkeley Data Systems in Utah. He is a serial entrepreneur, who previously founded another storage company, Scale8, which he sold to Intel. Coates approached Mozy from the standpoint of recognizing a core problem that everyone faces – the risks and challenges involved in keeping important, computer-based information safe – and wondering how he could solve this problem as elegantly and simply as possible. He commented to online technology-news site ‘Techrockies’ in 2006: “My career has been spent around large scale parallel systems. The next problem I wanted to tackle was the backup problem. It seems like such an obvious solution to a problem everyone has – how do you keep your data safe.”
Coates was amazed, though, that –- at the time -– there still was not an easy-to-use and reliable solution, and he was also baffled by the cost and nature of others' solutions to the problem.
The solution seemed simple to Coates: "You back it up remotely. Floods, fires, and earthquakes can't get to you, and if someone steals your laptop you're still safe, and your hard drive is still okay. That's a problem that has never been solved. There are three to four dozen backup companies out there, but none have been terribly successful. I thought to myself—why is this still a problem? Why isn't this a no-brainer? Why isn't there a free, automatic, secure backup solution out there? Well, it doesn't take long to figure out why. If you're Yahoo, or Google, with a ten million user base, with 1 or 2G of backup data, that's ten to twenty petabytes. That's why there isn't this ubiquitous remote backup solution out there. I wanted to fix this."
Coates was convinced that no off-the-shelf solution would be sufficient or cost-effective. So he took a different technology approach to Mozy's storage systems than competitors' – a proprietary ‘petabyte’ architecture that he found actually costs dramatically less to operate at scale.
This platform/economics combination enabled Mozy to offer a very compelling amount of value for such a low price. The result, today, is a service that for many consumers with small storage needs is free, and for others and for small businesses it costs only an incremental monthly fee.
Data Revolution?
The company was launched in 2004; it came out of 'stealth mode' in 2006; and it was acquired by EMC in 2007. So it's had a lot of recent attention. So what?
First, it's a great service (which this blog poster can verify, given he has three computers backing up each day via Mozy's premium/paid service).
Second, and most importantly, it represents a tremendous face lift on storage architecture -- one that will undoubtedly impact the industry in numerous ways over the coming decade.
When I hear the word, "innovation" I typically think of high-tech and expensive new offerings such as the iPhone, Dyson vacuum, and the GM Volt. Indeed, these are the types of innovations that grab headlines and engender high levels of consumer awareness. However, these offerings appeal to only a small subset of consumers (i.e., those living in advanced consumer economies). According to Mahajan and Banga (2005), nearly 90% of our planet's inhabitants live in nations with a per-capita GDP of less that $10,000 (US). Clearly, these individuals have a much different set of consumer needs and desires than the typical American and are highly unlikely to be able to afford (or even need) an iPhone, Dyson, or Volt. Consequently, there is a tremendous need for low-tech innovations geared to this vast population of consumers. While this need appears to have been ignored by most corporations, it has attracted the attention of Professor Amy Smith, who directs MIT's D-Lab, which focuses on creating innovative solutions for inhabitants of developing nations. This lab has produced a number of interesting innovations such as non-toxic charcoal made from corn husks and sugar cane. The importance of affordable low-tech innovation has also been recently recognized by Nokia researcher Jan Chipchase, who has discovered that in developing nations such as India, local street vendors who recycle and reuse old cell phones are posing a major competitive threat. Given current growth projections, over the next decade, the population of developed nations will shrink and get older, while the population of developed nations with grow and get younger. Thus, innovation directed towards the developing world is likely to be the main growth are for most firms. Is your firm prepared to meet this challenge?
