Experience Manifesto

Choco' Treasure

We happened across these chocolates and, as we do, decided to give them a try. Cool idea, sort of like a chocolate egg with a surprise inside. Our neighbors had a St Paddy's Day party yesterday & Sydney delivered the chocolate eggs to several of the kids playing there. She thought that they were awesome and so did the kids she took them to. They have cool little presents inside, so far we've found several sets of stickers and puzzles and she'll have a countdown this week for other prizes.

So if you're looking for a fun treat, cut out the coupon below and head over to A&P, or similar store and see if they carry ChocoTreasures. You'll kids will enjoy them and they'll make great little gifts for Easter.

Choco' Treasure.

BRITE '10 (Mar 31-Apr 1) on brands, innovation and technology

Very excited to be going to the BRITE conference this week at Columbia University. They have another great group of speakers this year and I'm sure it's going to be an excellent conversation again. Click on the link below for additional information or to register.

A few of us will also be doing a Tweetup on Wednesday night after the event, so give me a shout if you're in the area and would like to join us.

"For those in the marketing, ad, digital, interactive – overall "innovation" space – the BRITE Conference is where to be." – Ross Park, attendee

BRITE '10 will bring together big thinkers from business, technology, media, and marketing to discuss how technology and innovation are transforming the ways that companies build and sustain great brands.

BRITE offers a different blend of thinkers and doers, both onstage and off, than you will find at any other event. Participants come to think differently about the changing landscape of media and technology, and to connect with a unique group of innovators, marketers, entrepreneurs, and champions of social enterprise.

Key themes at BRITE '10 include:

• Digital marketing – myths and realities of building brands in the online world
• Innovation now – open collaboration and designing your business in beta
• Customer networks – strategies to listen, engage, inspire, and mobilize them online
• Entertainment 2.0 – the future of music, film and gaming… and how they shape brands
• Age of disruption – brand bubbles, dead business models, and the post-crisis consumer
• The future of media – engaging audiences and creating new opportunities for brands

Featured speakers include:

• Vivian Schiller, President and CEO, National Public Radio
• Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do?
• Thomas Gensemer, Managing Partner, Blue State Digital
• Devon Harris, Grammy Award winning producer and songwriter for Kanye West
• Dwayne Spradlin, President and CEO, Innocentive
• John Gerzema, Chief Insights Officer, Young & Rubicam, author of The Brand Bubble
• Robin Chase, Founder and former CEO of ZipCar
• Bernd Schmitt, professor and bestselling author of Big Think Strategy
• David Rogers, host of BRITE and author of forthcoming The Network Is Your Customer

BRITE '10 (Mar 31-Apr 1) on brands, innovation and technology .

Guest Post from Michael Gutenplan

Old friend and CMU alumni, Michael Gutenplan, now out on the west coast, spent a day at an Oscar gifting suites and send some thoughts about his experience. We'll be asking Michael to do more writing from the west coast in the future.

Hollywood Gifting Suites and SWAG… Good branding or a total waste of money, time and resources?

On Saturday, March 6, I had the privilege of attending one of the many Hollywood gifting suites set up for the Academy Awards. For those of you who are not familiar with this type of event the best way to describe it is a group of vendors in a room, suite or some sort of event space giving away free products, coupons or services to celebrities, publicists, press and other members of said peoples entourages. Some of these gifting suites are the hottest tickets in town and if you go to the right one you can walk away with tens of thousands of dollars worth of Swag (short for "Stuff We All Get", or "Souvenirs, Wearabes, and Gifts”). The event I was attending, “The Aesthetic Everything Celebrity Gifting Suite and pre-party” was far from the top of the line SWAG but not without its merit.

The gifting suite was held in empty floor of a brand new luxury apartment complex called “Sunset Vine Tower.” With my invitation in hand and dressed in upscale casual (as the initiation has requested… after all, there were going to be photographers!) I entered the 18th floor, not knowing what to expect but giddy with excitement.

I knew right away that I was not in one of the fabled gifting suites with X-Box’s, free safaris and diamond rings but looking around I knew that there were some goodies to be had. I was very quickly approached and asked “Talent or Press?” Well, both I responded and I handed the person asking my card (I am a professional magician in addition to my many other interests and jobs). From a nobody to a somebody in 2 minutes, I was quickly given a bag for my swag, a glass of champagne and a hardy welcome. I was now allowed to explore, enjoy and become part of the gifting suite process.

Looking around at the products being given out I couldn’t help but wonder… is it really worth it? Sure, having a big star wear your clothing might bring in some more business and for some of the venders, the massage parlor giving free massages or the caterer giving out free food, might get a new client or two, but for the most part looking back, I have no idea who gave me what or what they gave me… I just took, took, took. I am the proud new owner of premium hand cream made with snake venom, a water bottle with some sort of magical water that will make me healthy and a book written by someone I don’t know and will never read (she did write a lovely inscription in it though!). As I joined the throngs of C,D and E list celebrities, models and others (myself included in the others category) I couldn’t help by wonder- why are you giving away your product, time and money to people who no one knows and no one cares about.

Building a brand image is important and getting a celebrity endorsements can actually help increase sales enormously but these gifting suites, in my opinion do nothing more than deplete cash flow and use up inventory. At a trade show you are showing potential buyers your goods and at stores you are selling to the general public but at a gifting suite you are giving away valuable product to anyone and everyone hoping that someone famous will first show up and than second wear it or use it in public. It all seems a bit crazy to me. But crazy it is, and companies still support this industry. Just check out Whats in the Swag Bag. An Online Magazine Celebrating Hollywood Swag Lounges, where Bradley Garfinkel writes about the gifting suite industry.

I totally understand giving Tom Cruise a free vacation worth ten thousand dollars, because if he takes it and gets photographed enjoying the pool, your resort now has a reputation of being a celebrity hangout, and that “gift” will repay itself tenfold, but giving me a bottle of hand cream will never, ever result in anything more than my hands being very soft!

I had a lovely time at the gifting suite and really hope I get to go to another one, after all, who doesn’t like free stuff, but I hope the next time I go the companies do a better job at selling me the things they are giving me. If I don’t remember who gave me what I will not buy it, support it or even right now write about it. Yes, I got lots of business cards but those mean nothing because I don’t remember anything about who gave them to me, yes, I got lots of cool products that will sit on my shelf unused and yes, I had a great time at this event (kudos to the event producer who actually did put together a great event) but what I didn’t get was why all this was happening.

The problem with the gifting suites can best be explained with the story of one of this years Academy Award nominees. Every event this person was invited to she would respond saying she would only go if she was paid and when she did show up she would bring an entire entourage of friends, workers, assistants and family and as expected, all of these people would enjoy the benefits of the event. Now, I don’t think the entire entourage was given free trips and diamond rings but I do know that they walked away with lots of swag… and that trip that was given to Tom Cruise… It was probably given to Tom’s assistant because let’s face it- if Tom wants to go on a vacation he can afford it.

Long story short- work on creating a brand image with people who will actually buy your product- don’t give it away for free because if it doesn’t cost something it isn’t worth something!

Apple Files for Patent on 'iGroups' Proximity-Based Social Networking - Mac Rumors

Macrumors posted this yesterday and it's a great example of companies looking to create tools to foster the socialization of place. Look for much more of this in the future. Read more by clicking the link below.

Patently Apple points to a patent application from Apple published today addressing technology to allow users at large events such as concerts, tradeshows, and rallies to utilize their mobile devices to automatically create social networking groups by exchanging "tokens" using such wireless technologies as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The patent application, which was filed in September 2008, describes an example of the technology involving Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, specifically using an "iGroups" application on the iPhone to demonstrate the process by which attendees could invite one another to a group and access information related to group discussion and activities on their devices.

In this example scenario, a number of attendees of a rock concert set their Bluetooth-enabled devices to Token Exchange mode. All devices within transmission range of each other at the concert and that are set in Token Exchange mode begin exchanging and storing tokens. These devices are collectively referred to as a Group, and the users associated with devices in the Group are referred to as Group members. The Token Exchange is referred to as a "contact event." The contact event can be associated with a "contact time" defined by timestamps provided to the trusted service.

Groups created using the method could then utilize functionalities such as e-mail and calendaring applications to interact with each other. The specific "rock concert" example poses a situation in which the musicians on-stage could initiate a group, linking to attendees near the front of the audience. The technology could also "daisy chain" to allow those further back in the crowd to still join the group via attendees further forward even if out of range of the musicians.

Apple Files for Patent on 'iGroups' Proximity-Based Social Networking - Mac Rumors.

Riddle Me This...

I've been having conversations with a number of folks, including Marge Laney (@margelaney), CB Whittemore (@CBWhittemore) and Becky Carroll (@bcarroll7) about the fact that companies can see what other companies are doing successfully yet it's so hard for them to replicate what they see. And I don't mean simply copying what those other people are doing, but looking at it, seeing how it fits with their brand and then making the necessary changes.

For example, I understand that the Apple stores do about $4,000 sf in revenue, which I also understand is about 10 times the industry average. So, if they're generating 10 tines the industry average, why aren't more retailers looking at the Apple formula to see how they can make it work for them?

And everyone agrees that brands need to provide better customer service, yet so few seem to be actually doing that. I recently updated Why Don't More Retailers Have Genius Bars? and that's something I think more retail brands could use. It's simple to execute although it can be hard to do well.

So the question is, if brands can see what they need to do, why don't more brands do it? They can see that brands doing things really well actually make great money for the company and for their shareholders. Yet, companies are so focused on very short term goals, they just freeze when it comes to executing the right things. Even in the face of financial proof.

Companies jump on the short-term and the easy. Gut your customer service department, but add SM functionality so you can say you're on the cutting edge. Build more stores but keep your staffing so low that you make the shopping experience difficult. But doing the right thing, sometimes the hard thing, can be significantly more profitable. When Sydney was born almost 9 years ago, Apple stock was about $70/share. Today it's $222.25/share. That's a pretty good show.

So in all of the conversations, we ask "If brands can see the right thing, why are so many of them afraid to do the right thing?" I don't have an answer yet, but I'm sure if I keep asking, I'll eventually get one.

Here's a post I wrote last year about the Apple stores and their retail plans. With the highly anticipated iPad coming out in just a few weeks, I'm sure the Apple stores will be busier then ever.

Even thought their sales were down 3%, Apple is still investing in it's retail strategy. Why, because they know it's the way to really connect with their customers. Got to any more where there's an Apple store and more often then not, that Apple store will be the most crowded store in the mall. Not only are the usually pretty full of customers, but they also have more staff per square foot then any other retailer out there. Well, it looks that way.

We think they've created a social shopping experience and said this back in 2006:

Here's what we think the Apple store is all about: They took the barriers to entry to buying an Apple product and answered those barriers with the store. Again, this is only our take, nothing official from Apple here! And how does that work?

• First barrier to entry has been price in the past, although that has certainly changed. But with a higher priced product, what did Apple do? Create a store environment that's as beautiful to look at as their product. Give people the comfort that they're buying something of value.
• Number two barrier to entry? People don't want to learn a new operating system. Now, us Apple folks say Hey, Microsoft stole the operating system from Mac years ago, but the store takes away that concern. Afraid of learning a new system? No problem, we'll teach you. Come to our classroom (the theatre) or visit the Genius Bar and we'll help you. Learning something new is a big hassle for most people and this is a way cool way to make it less of a hassle. Sure, there are things that I can't figure out how to do, so I just make an appointment and get their help. I don't have the time to figure it out myself, so why not let them teach me or just take care of it quickly.
• Make it a social experience. Although I haven't been to the new store here in NYC at 3 AM, I can bet that a good number of other people have. No matter when you go to the Apple store here in Soho, it's always crowded and it's got an almost club-like vibe.

They're also investing in the downturn. So, while many (if not lost) retail companies are scaling back, closing stores and letting people go, Apple is growing theirs. They understand that in a down economy, it's even more important to find ways to create the right experience to connect with your audience. And, the Apple stores have been a great connection point. I still don't understand why more retailers are not looking for ways to create their own genius bars! Are you listening Whole Foods?

Why Don't More Retailers Have Genius Bars?

I few years back, I made a new year's resolution to lose some weight, something that's way overdue. After years of eating whole cakes or bags of cookies and washing it down with a half gallon of milk, the calories caught up with me. I thought I could keep avoiding them for a couple of more years, but I couldn't hide any longer. So, I went to Dr. Rodriguez, a nutritionist that my wife & mother-in-law have used in the past with great results.

I took a battery of tests & blood work which let me know where I stand. I wasn't surprised with some of the results. Almost 28% body fat, no surprise there. Cholesterol was high. For many years it hovered around 150, despite the 1,000 or so calories of cookies I ate daily. Last year, it went up to 195 but now it's 257 and time to get it down a lot. Triglycerides were also way up this time. But, I was surprised by my blood sugar. As it was explained to me, anything above 6 is considered diabetic and mine came in at 5.7. Cutting sugar out of my diet has been one of the hardest things for me to do this week, especially when you look around and see ho much sugar is in everything we eat.

So I went to the Whole food near my house and started to look at things I could eat, what could I use for snacks and things like that. The problem is that it could be pretty confusing without a lot of work. Lower sugar usually means higher sodium. Where do you make the trade? Is 10g of sugar OK in a meal or is that too much? And that’s when it hit me: Whole Foods needed their version of a “genius bar.”

It would’ve been really helpful to schedule a time to meet with a Whole Food nutritional specialist, go through my dietary needs and then walk me through the store helping me find what I need. Take me through each of the areas of the store and help me devise a menu that will help me meet my nutritional needs. I could walk around with a barcode scanner and build my grocery list and have it downloaded to a personal web site that I can use to track my progress. If it were really well done, it might even be something that my doctor could review to make sure I was making the right choices! OK, maybe that’s pushing it a little bit, but you get the idea.

The point is, that as consumers become continue to grow even more sophisticated in their expectations, retailers need to change their approach. I can shop online if all I need is shopping. I go to the store to receive service and I’m expecting more & more. Make my shopping experience my enjoyable. More helpful. More convenient. More of an experience. Give me more value then the other guy and I’ll keep coming back.

I never did lose the weight I needed to lose and, although I usually lose weight during Lent, I seem to be stuck where I am weight-wise. Maybe if Whole Foods had their genius bar, I would've lost that 25 pounds.

Social Media & Place, A New In-House Presentation Available

Every day, there's another new company in the news, promising to change how we interact with the world around us. In my 2010 Predictions, I talked about tools like augmented reality and cell phone barcode readers. And with SXSW just concluded, we're seeing a number of new companies entering the fray, as well.

Are you up-to-date on:

• The latest of location-based technologies?
• Have you explored cell phone-based barcode readers, Google Goggles or MS TagReader to see how they can be used with your brands?
• What will be the impact now that Google is adding local inventories to product searches?
• What role will tools like Foursquare, Gowalla, Hot Potato, Venmo, Stickybits, Dub, Sitby.us, Gatsby and others play in delivering brand experiences?

If you can't answer these questions, then I can help. I've developed a new, in-house, presentation exploring the social media technologies that are impacting place.

With my experience in emerging tech, I can help you:

1. Separate what's real from what's hype;
2. Understand these new technologies and where they're going in the future;
3. Understand where to put your time for immediate ROI and you can walk out with a strategy road-map that you can start to execute right away.

I've put together a half-day and full-day program to help you understand what's out there and how you can use it to better engage your audience. I'll come to you, making it easier for you to have the right people in attendance.

I've been following these trends for years and through these sessions, you get immediate access to my knowledge base. These programs are an extremely cost-effective way to learn about the technologies that will have a significant impact on your business. 

The half-day program will introduce you to the current state of social media, augmented reality and location-based services.  I'll bring hands on demonstrations, so this won't be just another talking-head program.  We'll deep-dive, giving you a chance to understand where these technologies are today and where they might be heading in the near future.

The full-day program includes an opportunity to dive a little deeper and adds an ideation session about how you could bring these technologies to your brand marketing.  It's not enough to just know what's out there, knowing how to use it is critical to doing it right.  At the end of the day, you'll leave with actionable ideas to use these technologies and bring location-based experiences to your marketing programs. 

For almost 20 years, companies have come to me for my expertise and strategic thinking about how emerging technologies will impact marketing. With all of the knowledge available to the consumer, it's critical for brands to understand both the tools available and how to use them.

Call or e-mail me for fees and to schedule your presentation. You can click here to explore other ways that I can help you with your marketing programs.

Book clubs at Borders: Borders invites book club groups to convene at the store - chicagotribune.com

As I just wrote about here, physical retailers have a great advantage over online retailers, they have place. Sadly, I think too many retailers believe that place is a burden, something they have to do.

But maybe retailers can wn, but using the advantage of place. More retailers need to figure out why their physical stores exist and then really make them environments to immerse and engage their audience. Like what Border's is doing here. Wish more retailers started thinking about their experience from a different POV.

In the increasingly brutal book wars, Borders Group Inc. is learning what coffeehouses long have known: Encourage shoppers to think of you as a home away from home and they'll spend more, maybe even become regulars. (Emphasis mine)

To spur that feeling, Borders quietly unveiled a program late last month that invites book club groups to convene at its cafe spaces instead of in club members' homes. The step is geared toward helping the money-losing bookstore chain drum up sales and reshape itself into a local gathering place instead of a faceless superstore.

The superstore book chains also hurt themselves by replacing booksellers with cashiers, a move that sent avid readers to independents, he said. (Emphasis mine)

"The chains need to figure out why they have a reason to exist," Norris said. "They are caught in the middle. You have the Internet on one hand, where people can access whatever books they want, and on the other hand you have disengaged people who happen to buy a book if they are walking through Target or Wal-Mart. Then you have passionate independent booksellers placing the book into your hands."

Book clubs at Borders: Borders invites book club groups to convene at the store - chicagotribune.com.

Marco Tempest - Magic & AR

Had the chance to see Marco Tempest do this life during the ARNY Meetup earlier this week and it was pretty darn cool. Great example of what you can do with imagination and new technology.

Brand Experience Matters: It is possible for high street stores to win against on-line stores

Andrew Weir writing at Brand Experience Matters has a nice post about the value of the physical retail experience. I especially like his concluding recommendation:

My recommendation is to leverage one of the main competitive advantages physical stores have... the ability to interact with consumers on an emotional level using the human touch. It is a powerful tool. Use it.

This is at the hurt of current work I've been doing with Vanessa Keith and her students at Pratt and a major retailer for a Retail 2020 design project. Physical retail has not changed in probably close to 200 years, yet the world around us has changed dramatically. Today we can drop-ship, shop online, use our cell-phone based barcode reader to check prices and, if we find a better deal, purchase right there. In your store. From someone else. I think that one of the biggest challenges that physical retail faces is become nothing more then very expensive windows for online retailers. And, it's OK if you shop at the online version of the store, but if I'm using Best Buy to window shop at Amazon, well, that's going to be a big problem.

Physical place is important. If you don't use it, you'll lose it.

Consumers shop in a number of different ways. These are two:

They can shop in a store with a nice environment, a wide selection of goods, and that has sales staff who are courteous and know what they are talking about.

They can buy on-line.

Okay, a lot of consumers do both (the insight that lead to this campaign).

Some stores invest significant time and resource in ensuring they deliver brand experiences that deliver and delight consumers. While other stores don’t ; they have rude and ill informed staff that don’t give a damn.

Which do you think will survive and thrive this new age?

Brand Experience Matters: It is possible for high street stores to win against on-line stores.

Download Sticky Soul, a field report from a 2008, holiday stroll through retail in NYC.