Mobile Holiday 2013 Has Begun [Trends And Engagement]

To the surprise of everyone, Jack Frost arrived in Seattle [on Monday] and he brought winter with him.

With winter comes the launch of the holidays [in the states]. In addition to unseasonably cold weather comes the holiday spirit.

People laughing with friends and typing away on their mobiles. Men, women and children looking at the displays in the window as they pass by their favorite retailer.

The question everyone's asking is, "what's the buzz for the holidays"?

Has mobile and tech lost its fizzle? Have Apple and Samsung released a device too many this year for us to care?

Too early to say but one thing we can all assume is that this year will be a banner year for mobile apps. Mobile apps will play a bigger role this year than ever before because the technology has caught up with consumer demand.

The playing field is even and most people have some sort of smart phone that is capable of downloading an app on windows phone, iOS or Android. With the emergence of social media, sharing your experience online brings a whole new meaning to "holiday spirit".

Ultimately, the holidays are about people and not products. If retailers can create an experience that's less shopping and more "experience", maybe mobile apps will bring the fun back into holiday shopping?

Evolution Of Man

Recently, there was a picture on the internet of an American TV host and hunter [Melissa Bachman], posing with an male lion she'd shot while on a "canned hunt" in South Africa.

Its not that these type of photos have not been seen before but this particular photo is uncanny. It seemed so out of place in a modern world, from a distant past, antiquated.

Do we really need to sport hunt one of the few remaining apex predators on the planet today?

The good thing about the photo is that the world is talking again and the future of big cats [lions in particular] is being discussed on a world stage. Humanity has had a love/hate relationship with the animals we share on this planet. We love them for providing us with food but we hate them when they get in the way of our insatiable need to expand and dominate our habitat/environment.

Will we ever learn to find some way to share the planet with plants and animals that were here long before we were ever conceived?

Is this the continuing evolution of man?



    Did you know the African Lion IS NOT on the endangered species list? 



VIDEO ADDENDUM 11/22/2013

You Don't Know @Jack [Life According To #JackDorsey]

What!?

That's right, I said it.

I don't know Jack either [Founder of Twitter] but I do know Twitter is turning the world of social media upside down as we know it.

Twitter has changed how global news and media events are announced, how brands communicate/engage with their audience and how we stay in touch with each other [friends/family/coworkers] in 140 characters or less.

Compared to Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, little is comparatively known about Jack Dorsey.

Who he is? What's his background in technology to have the vision to create such a social media juggernaut?

Maybe that's by design but if you do a Goggle search there's no shortage of really interesting information about social media, Jack Dorsey or the technology behind twitter.

The Twitter story may not be as sexy as the Facebook story but Twitters profundity in how its changing the planet is just as significant. When we look 5, 10, 15 years from now. Jack Dorsey's vision to bring Twitter to life will live side by side with the likes of Gates, Zuckerberg and Jobs.

OK, maybe you do know a thing or two but here's your chance to get to know Jack [Dorsey that is]...in his own words.

Wait, let me send this tweet first...   ;/)

Television Of Tomorrow [Featuring #TexAvery]

There are 3 inventions that changed the world in the 20th century and is still evolving at an alarming speed.

1. The Automobile
2. The Telephone
3. The Television

Entertainment has been around as long as humanity was able to communicate a story effectively through storytelling.

You may never have heard of him but you likely have seen one of his classic cartoons. Tex Avery was a futurist, pioneering cartoonist, and expert in human behavior. The directors of Who Framed Roger Rabbit was heavily influenced by Tex Avery's style of animation.

The western world has always loved technology [and television]. Tex was one of the first to highlight America's fascination with television and how television influenced us. As our society grew, the television kept pace and during days of unrest, kept us in touch with a changing world.

Like TV, 2nd screen experiences will evolve, giving marketers a glimpse of the future of how consumers will attach to emerging content delivery networks [CDN].

In the modern world of the future, television will rival 2nd screens to be the primary source of news, information and entertainment for consumers. With this in mind, technologies will evolve and marketers will experiment with ideas for...

                      Television Of Tomorrow



What's uncanny about watching this animated short is that Tex Avery wasn't that far off from what the television of tomorrow would look like yesterday.

Fast forward to a new millenium.

Tomorrow IS today.

Samsung wants to bring you the future of smart tv and its never looked better [on a flat screen].

#TPP: The Biggest Threat To The Internet You've Probably Never Heard Of...

In the digital world, every year there's a new threat to your privacy, health care or right as a citizen of the planet. SOPA was the villain of 2012 and was defeated but not with ease.

There's a new threat on the table and you've probably never heard about it. This new threat is TPP or Trans-Pacific Partnership [sounds harmless].

TPP doesn't have the ring that SOPA had so its probably not catching the buzz it should have. Nonetheless, the threat is equal if not greater because of its dynamic legislation.

As we move in this new millennium, there is no doubt that big corporations will lobby and influence legislation in their favor [nothing new there] to create laws that are favorable to their bottom line [and investors]

All corporations are not evil empires. If it weren't for many, our country and our economy would be in shambles. However, as global citizens, its important that we're informed and participate in the democratic process.
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            Why Should You Care About The TPP?

Are Online Marketers Missing The Mark?

It's Fall 2013. We're on the cusp of the most important time of the year for most [if not all] major retailers. Some say this upcoming holiday season will be the beginning of the most significant shift in how consumers shop and find products on the Internet.

Each year we look back, see how trends have changed and attempted to predict the mind of the consumer. Reality is, its not in how the consumer shops but how marketers reach their target audience.

Consumers are fickle and trends happen at the speed of light. Maybe its not, are marketers missing the mark but is the data being interpreted correctly? As we attempt to understand marketing trends online, its safe to say that the only way to reach that audience is through the audience telling us more about their needs, wants and desires.

Which leads to privacy issues and other questions of how much data is too much data?

There's no doubt that uncertainty is in the air. Retailer and consumer confidence is pensive at best. Mobile is leveling off. Social media is still highly effective but marketers are looking to social media platform API's to create new ways for consumer engagement using existing technologies [this takes time and lots of research].

The question to ask yourself, "how are you spending your money looking forward into 2014 and do marketers speak my language?"



Video is [and will always be] where the action is. If content creators can create compelling video for their consumers on mobile, social media platforms and other second screen devices. Undeniably, this is where marketers will see significant growth and brand awareness for consumers.



Learn More About "The Impact Of BIG DATA On Small Businesses"? [Click On The Link]

Is #OnlineMarketing Getting Too Complex?

In my previous post, I wrote about the basics of Online Marketing 101 [According To Google].

In that post are 2 short videos created by Google that were designed to get you better acquainted with online marketing concepts.

The positive thing about those videos are that they're easy to understand and prompt you to take action.

The reality is, online marketing is a lot more complex than what you could have ever imagined. Today, Ad Age posted an article on the topic of online marketing and asked its readers a question.

                Is Online Marketing Getting Too Complex?

It's a good question because even the biggest players in advertising are having a hard time figuring out what really works? The short answer is that there is no one model that will work for all scenarios. However, you can apply some very basic marketing fundamentals to get things started.

1. Understand your customer.
2. Conduct market research. 
3. Embrace the competition and extend on existing models through creativity.   

Online advertising is a growth industry still in its infancy. Advertising is the nuts and bolts of how you reach your target audience. How to be seen or heard will ALWAYS change but keeping it simple is the hard part.

  The Complexity index

There are technologies in the marketplace to help with complex online marketing campaigns. This is not an endorsement but an example of how some companies are tackling this complex issue.