File this one somewhere between Holy Sh1t! and Who gives a Shit...
When you see a headline that reads, "Amazon will pay shoppers $5 to walk out of stores empty-handed," it definitely warrants a further read.
Turns out Amazon was in fact offering consumers $5 off if they compare prices using their mobile app during a one day promotion, which took place on December 10th. Actually it was 5% off or up to $5 on a maximum of 3 items.
So yes....lots of conditions, but this is a probe being launched to scour the realms of possibilities and potential. Or of course, if you're a traditional retailer it might feel like an anal probe.
The process is still clunky:
consumers would walk into a store
open up their Amazon.com App
scan a bar code or take a photo of the item in question
check and compare prices
In retailers' favor, this process makes several assumptions and requires several additional steps to be in place:
To start, consumers would need to have the app downloaded
...and be aware of the service (requires advertising, messaging, CRM etc)
They'd have to have the time to conduct the comparison searches (which - when time strapped and/or distracted by kids etc - is no given)
The offer in question would have to be compelling and whilst $5 isn't exactly like hitting the Powerball jackpot, it's not insignificant, especially in these trying times
They'd have to sacrifice the convenience or desire of walking out the store with the item in question in favor of receiving it 2+ days later
That said, it's quite possibly the beginning of the end and any retailers that ignore this (and mobile in general), are doing it almost certainly at their peril.
Retailers will have to invest now - more than ever - in a combination of innovation, service and experience if they are to remain competitive, differentiated and compelling to consumers.
In this monthly debate, Mitch and I have a meaty conversation about one of the hottest and endless topics in the marketing world: how to correctly value, price and position ideas.
It all stems from an article which Scott Montgomery wrote in Ad Age, where he attempted to debunk the myth about how long idea generation takes and on a parallel path, how ideas should be valued and compensated as such.
We also open on a brief conversation about blogging, authentic voices and being re-certified.
Join the Conversation dammit (it's not a cliche when I coined the term and wrote a book on it!) @jaffejuice on Twitter and @mitchjoel on Twitter.
And be sure to forward this to any brand marketers you think would benefit from the discussion and ultimately give their perspective on the theme at hand.
Listen to it LIVE (left click) or download it HERE (right click)
Matt Straz just wrote a short and succinct post on Mediapost's Online Spin, giving 6 reasons why you *shouldn't* join a startup. In short, the idea is that you should do it for the right reasons, as opposed to:
You probably won't get rich
The odds are against you
You will work really hard
Things could get ugly
You may have to buy your own drinks
Someone has to work at the big companies
One comment by Kurt Ohare adds 4 more:
Don't join unless you are passionate about the product
Don't expect a normal work-life
(paraphrasing) if you're not a self-starter, then this isn't for you i.e. if you like delegation, micromanagement and being spoon fed like a good employee (I might have taken a few more liberties there)
(paraphrasing) don't join unless you're prepared to put skin in the game...which can translate into reduction of salary, investment of time and/or $$$
Matt is a former agency guy. And he's also (according to his bio) someone who has recently exited a startup i.e. he's been around the block at least one time.
I love the article based on the fact there is no doubt a mixture of his own biases, preconceptions, wisdom, experience and perhaps even neuroses built into the perspective.
Madison Avenue agencies are going to continue to lose talent to Startup Nation...and where they are able to entice those on the other end of the coast to defect from the Valley to the Avenue, this will be shortlived.
I guess Matt is giving fair warning that the grass is not always greener on the other side, especially if reasoning, rationale and/or motivations are suspect.
Personally, Every single reason is exactly why I think people should join startups, led by these simple assertions:
With technology today, anything...and I mean, anything is possible.
Now is the time to dream it...and to do it (as Walt would have once said).
Innovation is no longer a nice-to-have, but a strategic imperative and necessity
We are living through unprecedented times, where economic, social, cultural and creative disruption and upheaval are fastly becoming the new normal...the new status quo.
As Bill Bernbach once said, safe advertising is the riskiest advertising of all and I think people are going to be faced with a multitude of push and pull drivers which will absolutely affect how they choose to spend - or invest their professional lives.
Here's what I would leave you with:
What legacy will you leave behind?
How are you making a difference?
How will you change the world...for the better?
How sure are you that your loyalty in your company will be rewarded with a gold Rolex versus a pink slip?
There's a saying that goes, "No one ever said on their deathbed, I should have spent more time in the office." Says who?
Matt - thank you for writing your article. I think the spirit is captured in the first and last paragraphs:
America is a startup nation
A startup is an incredible opportunity to make a significant contribution
...but it is not for everyone. And the last thing we need right now is for more "noise" versus "signal".
It's time to make America great again. And it's time to make the world great again. That's never going to happen sitting buried in a cubicle, thinking "If only...."
I just finished recording one of my monthly "debates" with my industry colleague and friend, Mitch Joel. I had two topics I wanted to discuss - the first of which was #occupywallstreet. We had a really terrific conversation around the movement and right at the end of the conversation, Mitch innocently brought up my second topic, which we very briefly skirted.
So now I want to discuss further...
Steve Jobs. Legend. Icon. Visionary. Dreamer. Ideal Client. Over the past few weeks, we've said good bye to a business genius. To be sure, Steve Jobs grew, turned Apple around and then extended this leadership by transforming it into the world's most valuable company, taking over from Exxon Mobile (at least this was in August)
And then, as if by some grand design, Steve Job's commissioned Biography, aptly titled, "Steve Jobs," comes out days after Jobs passes away and rockets to number 1 on Amazon.com. Hot on these heels are a number of press appearances, including the book's author, Walter Isaacson, making an appearance on 60 minutes.
And as I'm watching Isaacson and listening to various accounts of Jobs' life, I'm deeply troubled. The fact remains, Jobs does not appear to be a very nice man at all. In fact, he comes across as a proper son of a bitch. Denying paternity rights to his child, refusing to give options to one of his long time colleagues and when a sympathetic co-worker offers to give some of his options if Jobs matches him, Job says, "good idea...I'll give zero and you give zero".
Jobs also critiques Bill Gates in the biography, calling him "basically unimaginative" and someone who "shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas". Not that we needed a book to see Mac vs PC commercials which did likewise. This to a man who has pledged to give away half his fortune to charity.
I'm confused. I see the iconic Apple commercial that talks about the people that are crazy enough to change the world and they are all good people.
Or maybe there weren't, but chose not to commission a biography.
I wonder if this commercial was briefed by Steve Jobs to be about Steve Jobs i.e. his future legacy.
I'm confused because I wonder if being a visionary genius and being a mensch are mutually exclusive.
I'm confused because I wonder why Apple doesn't bring all those jobs back to America as it continues to manufacture luxury products at bargain basement prices and charge a fortune to an endless sea of willing lemmings.
I'm confused because the same sea of lemmings are probably occupying wall street right now with a 110% incidence of owning at least 1 i-product.
...and I'm probably one of them as I have my iPad, MacbookAir, iPhone, iPod and about to make the permanent switch away from PC to Mac. And I bought the book as well.
So am I a hypocrite? Probably. A confused one, because I'm not sure if it's fair or right to mix personality with profits - or at the very minimum, a person's private life with their business leadership.
Was Steve Jobs a right ole meanie? Most likely, but the people around him adored him and look back on even the public displays of displeasure with pride. The honor of getting to work with a true legend...
So is all of this irrelevant? At the end of the day, isn't it just about manufacturing the world's greatest suite of products? Perhaps and perhaps not. The world is certainly blurring and younger consumers in particular are not separating the products the buy from the companies' ethics, morals and business practices that manufacture them.
Personally, I will choose to divide Steve Jobs the man, CEO, business leader and visionary into two buckets. I will discard the things about him that I don't identify or agree with, or approve and I will integrate the practices, principles and ideas which I can learn from.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
Steve Jobs was a complex man to be sure. I'm not sure it's fair to hold him to a higher standard, after all he was human. Very human. Sadly so. I also don't think it's right to worship him as an idol - false, American or otherwise. That too ends badly for all.
I guess I will continue to support the company, based on my - along with seemingly everyone else's - inability to "force quit" this addiction to design, functionality and sexiness in general. Although I'm not sure how long this may be the case if the company chooses not to adapt, evolve and be a better company in the wake and shadow of its creator, who might not always have been as such.
You can quote them.
Disagree with them.
Glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can't do it ignore them...
In this episode, Mitch and I discuss #occupywallstreet - its consumer behavior insights and learnings for brands and brand marketers.
We discuss some of the obvious and less than obvious catalysts or ingredients that have contributed and combined to create - arguably - a force for change and an idea whose time has come.
We debate whether #occupywallstreet is just the left's version of #teaparty or something else.
We also attempt to isolate government versus big business' role and ultimately responsibility in terms of weighing in, being accountable and taking action.
Most interestingly, we chip in our respective marketing POV's and 2c as we talk about some practical and tactical next steps and ideas.
Oh yeah, there's the whole social media component as well. I almost forgot.
PLUS: At the end, we get into a really meaty topic and I turn the tables on YOU for your thoughts, input, feedback, pushback, ideas and recommendations.
Join the Conversation dammit (it's not a cliche when I coined the term and wrote a book on it!) @jaffejuice on Twitter and @mitchjoel on Twitter.
And be sure to forward this to any brand marketers you think would benefit from the discussion and ultimately give their perspective on the theme at hand.
Listen to it LIVE (left click) or download it here (right click)
John Wall is one of the good guys. He's also a social media veteran - meaning he's been doing this at least since 2005.
In fact, I met John when he was the host of the wonderful, "The M Show".
Today, John podcasts with another well known name in marketing podcasting circles, Christopher Penn (host of "The Financial Aid Podcast"). Their show is called "Marketing over Coffee" and it's a pretty popular and really informative show which I recommend you subscribe to.
A few weeks back, I was in Boston for a panel at the DMA, led by Beancast host, Bob Knorpp. John and I found some time to sit down together to talk about podcasting memories, Flip the Funnel, social media stuff and....of course....marketing...over...coffee.
Listen direct by left clicking or download by right clicking here
Enjoy!
PS Appreciate the Sean Connery photo, whatever the connection or implication.
Shownotes below:
01:42 Starting with Flip the Funnel, Crayon and Powered, the peril of wooing strangers
Latest Beancast marketing podcast is up, where I join host Bob Knorpp, and panelists Tim Malbon, Darrell Whitelaw and Anthony Kalamut to discuss the following topics:
Location Based Marketing or LBM is definitely riding the crest of a wave. The growth of mobile, gaming and loyalty marketing are all converging quickly and explosively. So join me as I chat with authors Aaron Strout and Mike Schneider as we discuss their newly release book, "Location Based Marketing for Dummies".
Yes, it's that time of the year again. Time to rock the vote as the SxSW panel picker moves into overdrive and the audience participation phase of the rigorous selection process begins.
For those of you who don't know what SxSW (South By Southwest) is, check out the Wikipedia Entry. Or if not, in short it's essentially the banner event in the entire interactive/new media/social media/emerging media (you get the picture) calendar. Think CES for consumer electronics. Cannes for Advertising. SxSW for Interactive. The festival is not only for the geeks. There's also a Film and Music festival and for those of you that can make all 3 (Interactive and Music run back to back, but Film bleeds into both), you'll benefit tremendously from the blurring and synergy that comes from naturally overlapping trades.
One of the great things about SxSW is that anyone (and I mean ANYONE) can share the stage via the Panel Picker process. Literally thousands of proposal are submitted and via a 3-pronged vetting system (staff picks, advisory board, public), the eventual shortlist is chosen.
Last year, your votes helped me secure a speaking slot where I spoke about "Flip the Funnel" and took questions from the audience. Within about 60 seconds after the event, every single copy of the book has been sold in the bookstore. I hope they'll bring more copies this time round.
So this year, I'd like to reach out to you again. This time, I'm hoping to secure a more visible and desirable speaking opportunity (as in solo keynote/presentation) and on a personal note, I'd love to give you - FOR FREE - the content that I'm typically paid to deliver and have done so many times in the past.
So if you're planning on being at next year's festival, check out my session and if you're so inclined, I'd be honored and humbled by your all-powerful vote. How's that for submission?
My session is titled, "Change the Game. Or Go Home: The Rise of Innovation" and it focuses on what I believe will be the next wave of growth, development and investment in the space. Here's a blurb on the session itself:
Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. That’s kind of where we are today with digital, social and even emerging media. We’re still trying to teach an old dog new tricks with tired objectives like awareness, reach and engagement. It’s time to break that mold and build a better mousetrap. True Innovation. Madison Avenue meets Mountain View. The prime directive should be Transformational Change. Metamorphosis. A complete reinvention of the customer journey, customer experience and ultimately go to market strategy. Not only can it be done for any company, it’s already being done by some. In this provocative keynote, thought leader and bestselling author Joseph Jaffe will outline the brand evolution from campaign to commitments to platforms that flip the funnel, activate advocacy and differentiate brands from their commoditized competitors. There is a new model and a better way. Come find out for yourself.
Here's the link where you can find out more and vote for my session. Feel free to comment on the session entry as well, especially if there are themes or questions you'd like me to address.
And to whet your appetite, a clip from a few weeks ago, where I keynoted at Google's "Think Infinite" event in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the same subject. Hopefully I can give you a similar presentation in Austin in March of 2012!
to the reincarnated and reinvigorated Jaffe Juice.
What was once a weekly op-ed column is now an unshackled, uncensored and uninhibited dialogue
on the subjects of new marketing, advertising and creativity.
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