Businesses and Advertisers May Not Use Google Glass for Ads

By Fausto Mendez

    Google Glass is the smartphone of the future, a wearable computer that sits on your head like a pair of glasses. Though it seems rather futuristic, the technology that powers Glass is hardly any different than the same stuff that powers your smartphone. Needless to say, advertisers and businesses continue to line up and compete for a chance to start using and building software for Glass - mostly programs and experiences centered around ads other types of marketing content (as is the custom in smartphone app development). There’s just one problem: no one is allowed to serve ads on Glass!

    Google recently announced that a set of Glass headsets would arrive at the doorsteps of some lucky developers and a few enthusiastic fans, and with that announcement, the company released the API (and guidelines) for developing software for Glass. It turns out the API specifically states that Glass and the user’s data connection may not be used to serve advertisements. Section Two of the API reads:

“No Ads. You may not serve or include any advertisements in your API Client. Data Usage. You may not use user data from your API Client for advertising purposes. You may not sell or transmit any user data received from your API Client(s) to a third-party ad network or service, data broker, or other advertising or marketing provider. For the avoidance of doubt, user data from the API Client(s) may not be used for Third-Party Ad Serving (‘3PAS’).”

    This development poses problems for businesses that have become accustomed to Google’s traditional business model: ads everywhere and anywhere, but whether or not Google will maintain this stance is unknown. It could very well be a temporary measure to ensure that only the most passionate developers jump on the bandwagon. On the other hand, Google may have a business model in mind that we’ve never seen before. 

    Google is no stranger to revolutionizing business models. After all, it is the company that shaped the modern Web and the way businesses to business on the it (with the help of the masses, of course). We look forward to seeing what Google has planned throughout the rest of this decade. It will certainly be an interesting ride.

    We’ll  watch the story as it develops, so stay tuned. In the meantime, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google+, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

Businesses Are Losing the Right to Ask Customers for Zip Codes? Yes, But It Doesn’t Matter.

By Fausto Mendez

    It’s expected that businesses make some kind of effort to obtain the personal info - including phone and address - of their customers. That’s why I was surprised to hear that it’s becoming illegal for businesses to ask for customer zip codes in the US. It was even more surprising to me when I learned that this has been illegal in California since 2011.

    Now that I think about it, a business hasn’t asked me for my zip code since my college days. That’s because California considers zip codes to be a critical piece of identifying information, and with just your zip code, they can accurately guess your home address and phone number. Whether you like it or not, it seems that as California goes, so does the rest of the nation. Massachusetts is the next state that’s outlawed the collection of zip codes during customer transactions, and there’s no reason to assume this trend will reverse itself anytime soon. Fortunately for marketers (and unfortunately for consumers), this isn’t a big deal. Consumer information is more available than ever.

    The rise of online marketing and social-media marketing makes these laws irrelevant. Let’s put it this way: if a marketer gains access to your Facebook profile, they probably have a lot more on file than just your zip code, phone number and home address. And by connecting with you on Facebook, they have a much faster and more convenient way of communicating with you than annoying junk mail or telemarketers. 

    As a result, these laws are generally perceived as good for the public, but they won’t protect consumers’ info from prying eyes - at least not in this day and age. The new laws may force marketers to rely on the online world even more, and in the digital realm, it’s much easier to get the same info and a lot more. In the end, these laws only coerce businesses to rely on easier and more effective web-based methods. Though that’s great for the marketing industry, consumers are not receiving any effective protection by the passage of these laws. 

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

(Source: Business Insider)

Marketing Case Study: Weight Watchers Leads the Weight-Loss Race

By Fausto Mendez

We love to break down complex marketing campaigns to uncover the core motives of human behavior that fuel corporate success. This week, we’re analyzing Weight Watchers and the company’s classic marketing techniques. 

    Weight Watchers continues to dominate the weight-loss game with over $1.2 billion revenue each year and 8 million website visitors per month, and it’s closest competitors are about a third of its size. This constant success stems from a solid product that delivers results, but behind every great product is an even greater marketing campaign. Below, we break down the principles that made and continue to make the company’s marketing campaigns so damn successful. .

+ Sell the consequences. The average Weight Watchers customer isn’t interested in the product itself. Actually, the idea of self control is scary or boring, so why are people lining up for a membership? They want the consequences associated with that self control. They want the success, intimate relationships, fitness, appearance, money and whatever else results from losing weight, and they want to eat what they want while getting it. Weight Watchers sells the consequences, not the product.

+ Sell happiness. Weight Watches sells happiness, not a weight loss system. Similar to the previous point, the idea is to focus on the internal (emotional) results, not the actual product. 

+ Offer a test drive. Weight Watchers allows prospective customers to “join” the service for free. Furthermore, Weight Watches doesn’t force prospective customers to hand over a credit card number to do this. This style of free trials produces about a 30% conversion rate, which is not bad at all. 

+ Make it easy. The PointsPlus system makes it easy for customers to track calories without actually tracking calories. Sure, it’s based on basic nutritional science, but the target audience hates learning. PointsPlus is much easier in the short term. 

+ Exclusive products make it hard to leave the proprietary system. Weight Watchers sells (and sometimes gives away) PointsPlus calculators, snack foods, frozen meals, ice creams and other products that make it even easier to track calories. These products actually serve a brilliant marketing purpose because they: 1. boost brand awareness at key locations within supermarkets (where the target audience spends a lot time) and 2. make counting calories the traditional way even more tedious. 

+ Seek out new audiences. Your audience can get stale if you don’t actively court new targets. Weight Watchers recently started marketing to men, but they don’t expect men to show up at the meetings where 90% of the attendants are women. As a result, the company launched online tools and mobile apps that help men diet on their own - since men often prefer to diet alone. 

    As a marketing professional, it’s hard not to get jealous when a company’s marketing campaign is consistently successful, but that’s why we’re here to break it down. Happy hunting! And thanks to  Marketing Profs for the core data

    Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ or Linkedin, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis. Brought to you by AnyPromo.com.

The World’s Most Successful Business Titans Share Some of the Best Advice They’ve Ever Received

    Advice comes from every direction - even when you don’t want it, but a few times in life, a special someone shares a few words of wisdom that will shape your life forever. This is, perhaps, most true for the world’s biggest business leaders, a group that has learned to recognize good advice better than almost anyone else.

     This morning, Forbes published an insightful piece that summarizes the best advice that’s shaped the lives of some of the world’s most successful individuals. Our favorite is Beth Comstock’s story.

    During a call with former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, the call abruptly ended. She called Welch’s assistant to let her know that the call had accidentally disconnected - only to find out that the disconnection was intentional. “He wants you to know that’s what it’s like to be in a meeting with you,” the assistant said. “You’re too abrupt.”

    Harsh, but practical. More importantly, it was absurdly useful, and it really helped her climb the corporate ladder at GE.

    Martha Stewart and Deepak Chopra share similar tales. Long story short, they cherished the concept that each person is a source of infinite possibilities - a simple nugget of wisdom delivered by their loving parents. In other words, they can do whatever they want in life.

    Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist.org, describes his experience at an IBM office, where he learned to balance his know-it-all attitude with his above-average sense of humor. His tendency to correct people when they’re wrong - whether or not it mattered - really became a problem with his co-workers, but he was often funny too. By replacing his know-it-all attitude with jokes and stories, he brought back a sense of unity that departed his team a long time ago.

    There’s several more stories from a variety of leaders with a variety of backgrounds. The whole piece is worth a read if you have the time.

The Death of Retail? Analysis of the Office Depot / OfficeMax Merger

By Fausto Mendez

Retail is an ever-changing landscape, but it will never be the same after the mass adoption of the Web. The office supplies industry is learning this the hard way as retail giants struggle to stay afloat in a world that is learning to prefer digital goods and services instead of the traditional stuff.

    We stumbled upon an excellent analysis of the upcoming Office Max and Office Depot merger, which is supposed to save both companies from economic doom. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a steep uphill battle as technology reduces the need for office supplies and e-commerce stores undercut the brick-and-mortar option with better prices and to-your-door delivery. In other words, get ready to pay even less for your office supplies as a revolutionary war is about to consume this industry.

    It’s a good read that inspires some important questions. Who will emerge as the online leader? Will Amazon step in to take over? Will a new, forward-thinking company emerge? Is there any room innovation? Who will remain the brick-and-mortar option? How far will prices drop? Only time will tell, but we suspect that established online giants, like Amazon, and web-based promotional products suppliers, such as AnyPromo.com, will play a big role in Office Depot/Max’s woes.

    We’ll continue to watch the story as it develops, so stay tuned. In the meantime, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google+, and stay ahead of the game with an occasional hearty laugh and non-stop marketing & business advice, news and analysis.