Technology

Can I End This Call? Technological Hurdles

There are indeed a vast array of channels by which a company can “market” these days, however a more common method of choice lately seems to be that of a pre-recorded voice message.

Personally, I have always responded more favorably to a “live voice”, yet can see the value in utilizing technology to take the place of a human in marketing circumstances. That being said, one would hope that if a company chose to market using this “high tech” methodology, they would at least ensure that the message itself could be both heard and understood.

Upon answering my phone last evening around the dinner hour (always so timely of them!) I was greeted by one of these alien pre-recorded voices, who was already in mid sentence. Apparently she had begun her conversation minutes before the call actually came through my line, so if I chose to listen further, I would have to “assume” certain things about the purpose of her call seeing as I missed the first part altogether! In the middle of making dinner for two young ones, I immediately decided (or at least I thought I did) to end the call.

Moments later (not seconds later, but moments later) with the phone still close by, I attempted to make use of the quiet in my surroundings, and make a social call, only to discover that when pressing “talk” to begin to dial out, this pre-recorded voice was STILL continuing her rant on the other end! I made two other attempts to end the call by hanging up and then trying to get a line to dial out, to no avail!!!!

Finally, on my third try, I was able to connect to the outside world and make my call, all the while wondering what would have happened if my surroundings became one of dire straits emergency, requiring me to dial 911 instead of merely a social call? Would those additional 55 seconds to a minute have been the difference between life and death to one of my children???

Social Networking + BlackBerry = eHarmony.

The social networking phenomena is catching on with BlackBerry users. Why? Because it's super simple to do, it's fast and it's private. Anyone with a Pearl or Curve can now connect to groups on Facebook, and most recently BBMNATION, a social networking site devoted to connecting you to other BlackBerry customers using your PIN.

What's your PIN?
Similar to your bank card, each BlackBerry has a unique identifying code or PIN number. The technology is similar to that used in two-way pager systems. When you send a PIN to PIN message, it doesn't venture outside RIM's infrastructure in search of an e-mail server and (eventually) an e-mail in box. Instead, it stays in the RIM world and delivered directly to the recipient. And because the message is sent directly, it's the fastest way to send and receive messages.

Have friends on Facebook? On the Facebook page, meet other BlackBerry users, save their PIN and voila! -an instant network of mobile friends to take with you wherever you go.

And the most popular Facebook features are available too, like wireless access to home screen notifications — so you know right away when you have a new Facebook event like a wall post, message or poke. Plus full text messages or wall posts, new photo tags and friend requests. With photo-sharing, you simply snap a picture with your BlackBerry smartphone’s camera, then post it to Facebook with one click.

Social networking on your BlackBerry is instant fun. I can't think of a better down time distraction than writing on a fun wall waiting for my plane to take off. Yet another reason not to put it down...argh!

Microsoft!

The last time Microsoft spoke publicly about its annoyance with Google and plans to wage war against Big G was back in September 2007.

Eager to challenge Google`s internet advertising and search empire, they hired Brian McAndrews from aQuantive as MSN general manager to draw up battle plans. “We are hell-bent and determined to allocate the talent, resources, money and innovation, to absolutely become a powerhouse in the ad (and search) business,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, at the company’s financial analyst meeting back in July. Rest assured since then, they've been very, very busy.

So it came as not a shocker 10 days ago when Microsoft announced its intention to purchase Yahoo! for $44.6 billion in a decisive bid that, if effective, accelerates its marketing efforts tenfold growing web based services and advertising share.
Well timed overtures.
The bid is well timed to take Yahoo! under its wing. Even after recent management shakeups, the company is still lethargic with slow growth, a poor quarter and weak share price. So the 62% premium over the $13 stock price is a sweet deal indeed.

According to a letter sent to the Yahoo! board of directors, "while online advertising growth continues, there are significant benefits of scale in advertising platform economics, in capital costs for search index build-out, and in research and development, making this a time of industry consolidation and convergence. Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition. Together, Microsoft and Yahoo! can offer a credible alternative for consumers, advertisers, and publishers."

Faster PCs mean less software CDs.
While Microsoft has a lock on computer software, including Windows on 90%+ of the world’s computers, the reality is people are changing how they interact with PCs as they spend more time on the web downloading free applications and services to run. Services that also include Google`s free web based word processor and spreadsheet programs, Google Docs.

Further proof of online migration can be seen at any Future Shop too. The software CD section is now a tiny footprint of its former self.

Armchair quarterbacking the play.
In Canada, although way too early to tell what impacts will be (even if passes the US Justice’s competitive smell test), the deal could affect Rogers Communications and their customers the most. That’s because they have a deep partnership with Yahoo! for content, advertising and web services. Will that partnership end? Will they align with someone else? It’s pure speculation of course, but wondering about the possibilities is way more fun than wondering what’s next for Britney.

If I were Google, I would subscribe to a MSFT newsfeed and keep both eyes focused on this new, combined competitor. In short order Microsoft could own the most popular website on the planet. And with a track record of dogged determination and winning at all costs, nothing says ‘IT'S ON’ like an exclamation point at the end of their name.

Update: The latest news from the Yahoo! camp is they plan to rebuff MSFT's advances, citing the offer as too low and are holding out for a $40 price per share - a whopping 109% premium on the current share price. The last time their stock traded at this level was more than two years ago. Most industry analysts call the Microsoft bid "reasonable and fair."

This is getting more interesting by the minute.

How Tweet it is

At first I didn't like Twitter. I found nothing wrong with using IM so I thought, who needs it? I remember saying that about cell phones too... and email... and Facebook.

For me: I don't like it, I try it, I'm hooked.

If IM is the cocaine of internet communication, then Twitter is surely the crack.

Don't know what Twitter is? Some call it Micro-Blogging, Tumblelog, Thumbcast, Sideblog, and more. Last November, Robert McIntosh did a great post on it. Check out Wikipedia here, or Twitter's Twitter about page, or check out Gaping Void's take.

How do you use it? Let's get started.

A) Go to Twitter.com and get a profile going.

B) Now you have a platform, but you still need an audience for your "Tweets". Look for a friend. (Go ahead and pick me, http://twitter.com/collindouma, the first tweet's free kid). Find the button that says "Follow". Now you're following my Tweets.

C) For more people, return to my Twitter page (http://twitter.com/collindouma) and click on the word "following" (right nav bar, below Stats heading). Recognize anyone? Click "follow" for the ones you know too. They'll receive notification that you've subscribed to their tweets. If they know you, or are interested in you, they may reciprocate. That's how you build an audience. You have to listen to be heard. Strange how that works eh?

You can do the same over and over and over, but there is plenty of time for that. I suggest you stop for now, and start to tweet.

D) Click the Home button, and then start Twittering. Maybe start by saying "Hello", and pressing "update". Remember, you only get 136 characters, be brief.

That's it. Your first Tweet. Try a few more.

E) To target a specific person, try putting an @ sign in front of a name. Use me, I don't mind. Type

@collindouma : Saw your post on the CMA blog about Twitter. Trying it now.

Remember, even though it's addressed to me, it's still a public statement. I'll get a little nudge which lets me know you said it. And you'll know if anyone has said anything directly to you by clicking "Replies" on your home page. It's the tab, just below the update button.

Basically, that's all you need to know.

I'll leave you with one last tip for your new Twittering habit.

You might want to share a website on your Tweet but the URL is very long. Try using this site: http://tinyurl.com. It turns long URLs into short ones that still are clickable. By making the URL nice and short, you can better add a description or comment without maxing out the 136 character limit.

For example, here's a Tweet I sent recently about a YouTube video:

Too funny... David Lynch re: watching movies on iPhone : http://tinyurl.com/2xsk89

Here's another recent Tweet.

Join the new Facebook group "Petition to Get Sean Moffitt On Twitter" Today! http://tinyurl.com/26bnm3

You don't have to use tinyurl.com if the url is short.

hey world, check this out : http://www.radicaltrust.ca

There isn't much more to it. You just have to do it.

Welcome to the world of Micro-Blogging. Good Luck

http://twitter.com/collindouma

Empowering Marketing Intelligence: It's Not Just About the Data

"If you're not going to make decisions, stop asking questions. If you're not going to take action, stop making decisions. If you're not measuring results, stop taking action.” (Rob Armstrong, Teradata)

On November 27th, the CMA's Marketing Technology and Database Intelligence Council held a highly informative session surrounding the challenges marketers are facing with the explosion of data analytics. If you couldn’t make it - here’s what you missed…

The key take-away from the morning was - Focus on the business, the process, the customer - technology is an enabler but the human element is critical to deriving intelligence and insights.

Each of the four speakers had their individual take on how to manage the ever-increasing explosion in data:

Greg Doufas of Rogers Cable is continuously testing the applicability of new analytical methods. As the analysis matures, it "grows up" and integrates into their business intelligence toolset. Each tool has its proper use and it's important to know where to draw the line. Knowing where to draw the line comes with experience. However, they don't focus on the data. They provide a continuous narrative about customers, working continuously to surface insights, not data.

Alioscha Leon of Microsoft Canada is part of a global analytics network striving to implement re-usable modules of analytics know-how, processes and technologies. They don't have one end-to-end solution that satisfies all countries. Instead, they have designed a business logic layer that facilitates the sharing of best practices and a data consumption portal with analytics and visualization tools.

Daymond Ling of CIBC stressed the importance of helping those who seek answers from analytics to ask really good questions, questions that the data can help answer. Business questions are often vague. Help the business re-phrase the question so that you can peel the answer back layer by layer. Don't fuss over tools or let tools be the focus - create something that may not be interesting but that is always useful.

Rob Armstrong of Teradata emphasized the need for integrated operational and strategic data management processes. Business users have to own data cleanliness, not IT. IT manages the process of moving the data around (they're plumbers, managing the pipes, the infrastructure) but business has to be the one who cares about data quality and cleanliness. The problems you are resolving should drive prioritization of analytics work, as well as what you're going to do with it.

A marketers charge is to draw from these insights quickly and with increased frequency. All the speakers highlighted the need to ask the right questions and prioritize the use of both human and technological resources. Technology is rapidly evolving but we need to be constantly vigilant about how a new piece of technology will address a given business need.

Is all the world a-Twitter?

...i'm hung over from the CMA's last night...(send)
... it’s warm in my bed...(send)
...i think i need new batteries for my camera...(send)
...I just paid my hydro bill. (send)
...is it ok to eat yoghurt after the sell by date?...(send)

No I haven't cut and pasted sentences from various emails into one incoherent paragraph, nor am I playing a thought association game. I'm demonstrating the art of Twitter. The New York Times calls it, "one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet." TIME Magazine says, "Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app," and Newsweek noted that "Suddenly, it seems as though all the world's a-twitter."

Welcome to the art of Twitter - living in the moment and staying connected, Millennial style.

A new toy for the tech savvy Millennial.
Those of you following trends created by the current 'it' group of society, Millennials, you’ll know that when these guys do something en masse, marketing people tend to notice - even if it doesn’t amount to much. Millennials number around 90 million strong in North America, and include people born between 1980 and 1995. They’re also the most coddled, preened and fussed over generation in memory, raised by dotting parents who told them they were special every chance they could (or at least left them voice mails to that effect).

Millennials are also the most connected, tech savvy, gadget owning group in history, and have a strong emotional need to stay connected with friends and family. Twitter could only make sense to this generation.

Creating a running life narrative.
Twitter began as a research and development project inside Odeo, Inc. by Noah Glass and Jack Dorsey, and debuted in March 2006. Also called micro blogging, it’s based around a simple idea – what R U doing right now? In 140 characters or less, users send text messages or “Twitter” at regular intervals to a pre-screened list of friends about the events in their daily life, from the mundane to the magnificent.

“It’s like creating a running narrative about our lives,” says Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter and Blogger. “In the beginning, bloggers were viewed with disdain (do they think their lives are so important to write about?), but as it moved mainstream, writing about oneself on My Space and Face Book became the norm. People are reacting in a similar way to Twitter, (do they think their lives are so important?) What we’re creating is an ambient intimacy with our network of friends that’s real, readable, and then gone.”

It’s the paradox of the Millennials’ need to feel close and connected to others, but at arm’s length that makes Twitter intriguing. It’s an easy, non committal way to keep tabs and staying emotionally close to our friends with low effort, risk and intrusion.

Next Steps.
Setting up a twitter account is easy and takes a few minutes - http://twitter.com
And there’s a handy Twitter guide that answers your questions.
The product team at Twitter is focussed on building a large following of users...with business models and revenue opportunities to follow. A Millennial said it best – “Some people may say that I think narrating my own life is crazy.... but for my own selfish reasons, it’s fairly natural to me.”

And said in 140 characters or less (136 to be exact).

A new way to advertise

On November 7th 2007, Mark Zuckerberg announced a "completely new way of advertising online" with Facebook Ads.

Facebook Ads allows organizations to create pages for their brand or product, and integrate into the social graph that is Facebook. People can become friends of the brand or product much the same way they become friends with each other. By aligning yourself with a brand in Facebook, you are telling all your friends that you recommend the brand. We all know the power of recommending a brand in viral marketing.

Focussed advertisements can then be customized to the person and show up on their Facebook home page as news feeds. Facebook has provided tools for marketers to see where their advertisements are and how they are doing within the social network.

Some powerful companies were on hand to assist in launching Facebook Ads including Blockbuster, CBS, Chase, The Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, Sony Pictures Television.

On the first day over 100,000 new Facebook pages were published by organizations hoping to jump on the bandwagon.

So will this work? Certainly Microsoft thinks so. They recently invested $240 million dollars in Facebook. This seems like a great deal of money for an organization like Facebook since they only generate about $150 million in revenue at this point. The shock is that the $240 million dollars only gets them a 1.6% stake in Facebook. If Microsoft valued the company correctly, then Facebook is worth about $15 billion dollars.

If we follow the math, there are more than 50 million active users on Facebook as of November 2007 (and more than 250,000 new users per day). $15 billion divided by 50 million users is $300 per active Facebook member. I know it's much more complicated than this, but interesting all the same.

How big will this get? It could be very big since Mark Zuckerberg has surrounded himself with market leaders in launching Facebook Ads. Not bad for a guy who's only 23.

Get Facebook to Facebook with your Customers

There have been a number of great articles about Web 2.0 on the Canadian Marketing Blog. There is no denying the fact that Facebook has taken Canadians by storm when it comes to social networking. We are among the world leaders in Facebook usage.

Wherever people gather (physically or virtually) there are opportunities to listen to your Customers and deliver some value added services.

Wal-Mart and Target have been in the news recently with their foray into Facebook marketing. David Wilson wrote a great summary of his take on the Facebook strategy of the two organizations (and who is winning so far).

I was discussing the Facebook opportunities with someone from another organization and was surprised to hear they had not done anything in that area.

Our own strategy thus far on Facebook is to be personally available to our Customers in the Facebook sites they have created. We have been able to provide some "insider" information that they love, and provided some Customer support wherever needed. The sites have grown and people are constantly discussing anything and everything to do with our organization. We are trying to build trust because we genuinely want to build trust. There are no ulterior motives. We are by no means experts in this area. We are learning by being involved.

If you haven't joined Facebook, you may be surprised what is being said about your organization. These are genuine Customers giving genuine feedback about your products and services. Making yourself available to them in an honest way can only help build the relationship between you and your Customers. How much more loyal would these Customers be if they were the first to hear about a new product or service coming from your organization?

The person I spoke to the other day was surprised when I told him there was a group created that loved the service his organization provided. He was floored when I told him there were already more than 3000 members in the group and growing strong.

Look out Facebook here comes the next Ning

Recently my colleagues have been all a buzz around creating their own social networking sites. Why? Because they want more flexibility and the ability to brand their very own network. Or so they tell me. An example that allows you to brand your own network is Ning. Which is an online platform that allows you to quickly create your own community in just a few minutes. Ning provides a full list of social networking features. The experience is very similar to setting up a Blog on Blogger.

The site was co-created by Marc Andreeson (Netscape browser fame) who helped kick start the venture. Currently Ning features over 5,000 social networks ranging from a handful of people to thousands. There are communities built around everything from Dancing with the Stars to car lovers to active communities around reviewing of products and services. Ning is not the only ‘do it yourself’ social networking platform. CrowdVine is another online service. A quick Google search and you will find a number of options.

If you have been considering building or testing online communities with your customers these platforms (most of which are free) might be a great way to get started. Lately I have seen a number of not-for-profits using these platforms as an extension to their existing website. A word of caution and this goes without saying, when selecting a platform make sure the company behind venture has a track record and is financially stable. Nothing worse than building a great community and the platform it’s hosted on disappears!

Are mobile phones getting (too) personal...?

This month, the Kelsey Group released its “Mobile Marketing View” tracking study of mobile user behaviour, including asking what customers want to do most. Number one on the list – better Internet capabilities. Almost half of those asked, 44.7%, say a mobile phone with better Internet functionality and a cheaper internet plan are tops. According to the survey, only 26 percent of mobile phone service subscribers currently opt for an Internet access plan.

“The combination of unlimited data plans and next-generation Internet-enabled mobile devices, like Apple’s iPhone, suggests mobile Web access will grow to become ubiquitous,” said Matt Booth, a senior vice president at The Kelsey Group. And what do customers want to do with those unlimited connection times? Search for local businesses along with a custom map and turn by turn directions. Travel across the Pacific ocean to Japan, however, and you'll find they're way beyond having a cell phone point out landmarks or the nearest takeout restaurant.

Introducing the Wellness Navigator – a touch screen slider phone manufactured by Mitsubishi. It was shown off earlier this month at CEATEC 2007 in Tokyo. Among other personalized coaching features like counting calories and offering up motivational messages, the phone has a built-in bad breath meter that lets you know if you have the halitosis. You simply cup the receiver with your hand and huff – and your personal stink sensor goes into action –alerting you to pop a mint or that it’s ok to have another piece of garlic bread. The phone has a built in pulse meter and body fat analyzer which sends a weak electrical signal through your body to assess your paunch.

My New Best Friend..?
The mobile phone continues to evolve as a personal device. For many, it’s within reach at every waking moment, customized with photos and ring tones (one for each friend!) as it securely transmits our most intimate conversations into another person’s eardrum. Therefore, it's inevitable for some that mobile technology take on more human traits.

But many of these offerings with a ‘softer side’ have been slow to find a North American market. Why? Some observers believe that it’s because we draw the line on what we allow technology to do for us. Buying movie tickets with our mobile is one thing – being told to lay off the double cheese pizza is another.

Facebook – leveraging a tested business model into the User Generated Space.

I have to admit - the first time I heard about Facebook was sadly, when the Virginia Tech School shooting occurred April 16th, 2007. Not being part of the 16-25 year old ‘millennial’ generation, I had never heard of it before.

But as I listened to news (on television), reporters continued to reference this ‘virtual meeting place’ as the primary means by which students located their friends and worried family, wrote messages and eye witness accounts on super walls (a feature that lets users create, draw and share messages with each other). Sadly, some walls became student memorials, with friends writing words of remembrance and condolence and commiserating about the senselessness of the act.

For me, this was Facebook’s debut as a mainstream online tool that captured my imagination - I got it and I wanted to try it out. Up to this point, I thought social networking sites were for exchanging personal dating profiles, hooking up, or a way to locate like-minded people passionate about, say, digital photography or baking with Splenda.

For those of your just joining us, Facebook is the number one social utility in Canada that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. In less than a year, Facebook has become the most popular online social network – and Canada is now number 1 in the world for users.

According to the latest Ipsos-Reid survey, nearly two-thirds of 18-34 year olds have visited an online social network or community – and 55% of them set up a profile. Facebook has the largest share at 65%, followed by 20% on Classmates.com and 15% on MySpace. And we’re spending huge amounts of time there as well - an average of 5.9 hours a week. When you consider Canadians spend about 10 hours per week online, social networking activities accounts for a huge chunk of time.

Why Them? Why Now?
In a recent interview with TIME magazine, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, all of 23 years old (don’t you love it?), the new poster boy for the Millennial generation, attributes the explosive growth to the launch of Facebook Platform.

Borrowing a page from Microsoft’s Windows developer playbook, Facebook's platform enables anyone, anywhere, to build complete applications that you can choose to use. “The possibilities are endless,” he says... “For the first time we're allowing developers who don't work at Facebook to develop applications just as if they were. That's a big deal because it means that all developers have a new way of doing business if they choose to take advantage of it.”

And it’s not a coincidence Microsoft has an exclusive deal to sell advertising on the network and reach Facebook’s 30 million users. They get the power of this business model too. With the strategy in place, users will be introduced to a steady stream of services, features and content innovations.

I think it boils down to this key challenge – generate enough positive interest to keep the growth momentum going and continue to deliver quality content (sponsored and otherwise), useful online apps and services.

Otherwise, Facebook will become stale with users, who will no doubt move on to the next online widget that shines light in their eyes.

Facebook is fast becoming the new Internet jump off point for the millennial generation. And when this company gets its IPO together (assuming it keeps saying no thank you to suitors including Yahoo! (who offered $1 billion) and Viacom ($750 million), Mark Zuckerberg, 23, will be the newest member of the billion dollar club.

I wonder if he shaves yet?

Technology = happiness

Last week, I had a debate with a coworker regarding the internet. The discussion was on whether or not the internet makes our lives easier or if it is a time inhibitor. I think the difference is generational. For Millennials, they don't know a world without the internet and technology. Take that away from them and it would be like taking a toy away from a baby.

A recent issue of eMarketer claims that technology is a part of a balanced life for most youths and keeps them upbeat.

Young people age 13 to 24 today are generally very happy and optimistic about the future, according to an MTV-Associated Press study conducted by Knowledge Networks in April 2007.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they were happy with the way things were going in their lives in general, and 62% thought they would be even happier in the future. Only one-fifth said they were unhappy.

"Nearly two-thirds of the young people surveyed said they think that the Internet, instant messaging, cell phones and other technologies make people happier, and 61% said those things make them feel closer to their family," said eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson. "You simply cannot separate young people from technology; it is part of who they are."

Respondents generally said living without technology would be stressful. Nearly half of young people never turn off their mobile phones, even when they're trying to relax or "chill out."

Harris Interactive asked kids and teens in October 2006 what things made them happy. Having a PC made more than half of both groups happy.

Personally, I am old enough to remember life before the internet. I really don't know how we ever survived.

CMA eMarketing Professional Certificate Course Starts In One Month.

Quick reminder that the fall semester of the Canadian Marketing Association's eMarketing Professional Certificate Course is just one month away.

I have taken on the responsibility of instructing the course from Ken Schafer of Tucows and have also revamped the course materials, updating the outstanding sessions originally crafted by Ken.

The course covers web site best practices, usability, social media, email, search, eCommerce, privacy, analytics and online advertising with practical examples, case studies and stimulating discussions over a 15 week period. Students will leave with a solid foundation of today's digital landscape and a superior marketing skill set in order to go forth and make their own mark in the growing medium.

It starts up September 26, 2007 and there are only a few spaces left. For those interested in taking a deep dive into the ever evolving world of digital marketing, don't delay.

Kick start your future with the CMA's eMarketing course. For more information, or to register for the course, please visit the CMA website. I hope to see you there.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the course is available in Toronto and Montreal. Mitch Joel, and Dave Haber of Twist Image will be the course instructors in Montreal.

Google Universal Search Or Google 2.0… The Future Of Search Engines

This past May, Google talked about the pending launch of their new universal search. Some, like Search Engine guru, Danny Sullivan, called it Google 2.0.

So is this hype or necessity, and where are we at with Google Universal Search?

If you’re still trying to understand what, exactly, Google Universal Search is, you’ve probably already experienced it (and didn’t even know it). Traditionally, all of the searches one does on Google returns text-based results. If you want to do an image, news or other vertical search, you have to select the vertical and work from there. Universal search is the aggregation of all content on the Internet into one universal search page.

So, imagine, I do a search for “Tim Hortons” and I get all of the website mentions along with addresses (from the local vertical of Google), images, press releases, maps, videos and more… all on one centralized page of results. It makes perfect sense. Google agrees, and this is the direction they’re going in.

For instance, lately on searches I’ve done, there have been instances where results from Google Maps or Google Images appear either ahead of the text-based (standard) search results or in between the text results.

Top level, it makes the user experience all the more engaging, but it has dramatic effect on Marketers.

For the past decade-plus Marketers have pushed to optimize their website content and copy for search engines (hence the term SEO – Search Engine Optimization). Now, in a world of tagging , User Generated Content, Blogs, Podcasts, etc… Marketers are being forced to re-look at this strategy and optimize all content (text, images, audio and video) for the Web. It’s a lot more work, and nobody knows how Google’s algorithms will adjust in the coming months and years as search goes from vertical to universal. What we do know is that it is happening, and Marketers need to make sure we’re tagging all of our content properly. Suddenly, everything from the filename of our photos to the ID3 tags on our audio files need to be optimized with core keywords to make sure that when the Google Spider comes by, our content is primed and optimized.

With all of its public gallantry, Google is still very private when it comes to how the search engine works. Marketers are smart (and getting smarter) as to what it takes to make content climb to the top of the organic search results page. The challenge (and question) of universal search will be less about what the content says and more about what type of content it is.

So, what do Marketers need to know about Google Universal Search? Ultimately, you need to sleep at night knowing that if Google decides tomorrow that images should appear ahead of Website content that you’ve done everything you can to make your Marketing collateral findable and likeable to the engine that gets about seventy percent of all searches worldwide.

QR codes (a.k.a. 3 D codes) - The holy grail for mobile marketers?

Despite recent attention spurred on primarily by a couple of agencies that all of a sudden were mobile marketers, QR codes will not make many waves in 2007 or 2008. Don’t get me wrong, the technology will eventually make a huge impact and I applaud the recent efforts by Vespa to incorporate the technology but as the old saying goes – you need to walk before you run. For an explanation of QR codes visit a smart microsite developed by Dentsu Canada.

Very cool isn’t it? This scenario will happen, however I feel compelled to address some barriers and assumptions to this model. They are:

Handset limitations. Keep in mind handsets must be web enabled and able to send/receive picture messages - which isn't a substantial barrier. However more challenging is the software application that must be downloaded to receive and process the codes. I tried to snap a picture of the Vespa QR code recently but the fine print instructed me to visit a WAP site to download the app. A bit of a pain, but I was a very motivated consumer. Unfortunately my Nokia 6265i (which is less than a year old) was not supported and I was unable to enter the contest. What the Denstu website failed to point out in their Japanese example was that the Government, wireless carriers and manufacturers all got together and decided to pre-load the app in most phones.

Entry mechanism. I don’t understand why taking a picture of a code is easier than sending a keyword to a shortcode and receiving a WAP push (WAP push will facilitate a WAP session where the QR code is hosted). I am extremely confident that a SMS call to action will yield a much higher response rate vs. a “take a picture” call to action. Because the audience is asked to take a picture this raises a proximity barrier. Let’s not forget that part of the appeal of mobile is the viral benefits. How would one enter this contest without being near the media execution? This proximity shortcoming is also my beef with Bluetooth transmitters.

QR Readers. No doubt the greatest barrier to the scenario described in the microsite is the redemption of these codes. Imagine for a second retrofitting hundreds, or even thousands, of Coke machines with one of these readers. Needless to say, I won’t hold my breath. North America is at least 3-4 years away from having m-commerce enabled vending machines that can support a campaign of this nature. Once again this is a similar infrastructure challenge to Bluetooth technology. The reach is just not there.

Mobile Ticketing is the first step.
We’ve already started to see some examples of QR in action, most notably with Rogers wireless at one of the Toronto Raptor playoff games this past season (see Strategy Magazine sponsored supplement, August 2007) This foray into QR was viable because redemption occurred at one physical location. In my opinion, POS terminals and back office software vendors will be a catalyst contributor to moving this technology further.

One last note, why are these called 3 D codes? Last time I checked my mobile screen was flat...