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Press Release: Matthew Cox Hosting Gift Wrapping Workshop

It's time for the holidays and to get everyone in the mood Matthew Cox, Branding Reason owner, will be hosting a Guy's Gift Wrapping Workshop this Saturday at Studio Chameleon in Newport Beach.  See the official press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Sharon Fain

949.636.8189

Sharon@revgroup.biz

Guys Gift Wrapping Workshops Shows it’s not just the thought that counts… It’s the whole package 

Studio Chameleon Invites Men to Learn the Art of Gift Wrapping, with Proceeds from Sales Benefiting Charity

Newport Beach, Calif. (November 30, 2010) – It is no secret that the burden of holiday gift wrapping usually falls on women. Studio Chameleon is hoping to break through the gift wrap “glass ceiling” by offering workshops for men on several upcoming Saturdays—December 4, 11 and 18 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The workshops are FREE, plus 15% of proceeds on any store purchases by participants will be given to charity.

Nearly 71% of adults believe that women are better gift wrappers than men, based on the overall appearance of the gift (Source: Scotch Tape Survery 2009). It’s time for men to give women a run for their money and blow the significant women in their life away with their beautiful and thoughtful gift wrapping!

 “We think this will be a fun event,” said Studio Chameleon owner Eve Lowey. “We’re creating an environment where men can learn to gift wrap that won’t be stressful and they won’t be judged. We know that some men can pay to have this done, but when you wrap it yourself it makes it so much more meaningful and personal.”

Hosting December 4 is social media guru and small business owner Matthew Cox of Branding Reason. His charity of choice is the Center OC, an LGBT community and advocacy group in Santa Ana. Branding Reason is currently working on the social media for the Ms. America pageant, which will be held in Anaheim in January, and has previously done work for Disneyland’s Gay Days.  

“I’m really excited about this event!” said Cox. “I could definitely use some improvement on my wrapping skills instead of throwing gifts in a bag. Plus, this will benefit a great cause.”

Participants are encouraged to bring a gift to wrap or they can purchase one from Studio Chameleon. Cheryl Steffen of Details Design Studio, also located in the Westcliff Court shopping center, will be the featured guest instructor for the gift wrapping series. Details Design Studio offers gift wrapping services for those who might not feel like they have quite mastered wrapping yet or for especially hard to wrap items.

GIFT WRAP FACTS

When asked what they would be most likely to give their spouse or significant other in return for wrapping all the holiday gifts, men say that they would buy them an extra gift (33%), watch the latest chick flick or action movie (18%) or take out the trash for a week (9%). Half of women (49%) claim, "It wouldn't matter because they would never agree to it." 

74% of adults say that the female head of household is most likely to wrap the majority of holiday gifts in their home, while just 19% say the male head of household wraps the majority of the gifts.

While the average number of presents wrapped by adults in a typical December holiday season is about 15, women wrap an average of 10 more gifts than men (women: 20, men: 10).

Source: Scotch Tape Survey 2009 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holiday-gift-wrapping-survey-statistics-79837697.html

ABOUT MATTHEW COX

With a master’s in Communication Management from USC, Matthew Cox has over 10 years of brand strategy and marketing experience serving Fortune 500 clients in nine countries. His latest endeavor is in social media with Branding Reason, a consulting firm he founded that provides small and medium businesses with the tools and strategies they need to grow their businesses. 

ABOUT STUDIO CHAMELEON

Located in Newport Beach, CA, Studio Chameleon offers distinctive furnishings and unique treasures that give new meaning to effortless elegance. Offering an array of beautiful art, décor and design since 2007, Studio Chameleon helps you create a home that is not only lovely to be in, but one that resonates who you are. The design experts at Studio Chameleon transform homes into something special.

Studio Chameleon is located at 1733 Westcliff Drive, Newport Beach. For more information, visit www.studiochameleon.com. 

Official Agency of the Ms America Pageant!

Branding Reason is thrilled to announce that we are the official social media marketing agency of the 2011 Ms America Pageant.  The Ms America pageant seeks to empower women across the nation by encouraging community service and promoting the advancement in the status of women.  It is our honor and pleasure to provide this amazing organization with the tools necessary to generate awareness in the social realm and to aid the ongoing effort to promote social change.

Please join us in supporting Ms America 2011 by visiting the official website and Facebook Fan Page and wishing good luck to all the contestants.

Updated Services!

You live and you grow and you learn what it is your customers need and how to best execute it.  Branding Reason has significantly stream lined our process and incorporated the services and tools that you, the customer, have asked for.  What this means for you is faster returns and reduced prices on industry leading social media marketing tactics.

Check out our Services page for more information or Contact us directly for a free consultation.

Are We Headed Towards Checkin Fatigue?

Facebook Places is here and the net is once again abuzz with a flock of new happy users who are experiencing checkins for the first time.  But for the rest of us, the diehard early adopters who have been checking in for years, Facebook Places is just another fish in an already crowded sea of location-aware applications.  Maybe a little too crowded.  Personally, this author is now juggling 16 applications, including Foursquare, MyTown, Yelp, GetGlue, Loopt and Loopt Star, Gowalla, SCVNGR, and newcomers shopkick and Facebook Places.  I must admit, this is a bit much even for social media mavens such as myself.  It can take me between 10 and 15 minutes just to check-in at a location, often standing outside or rudely doing so in front of my companions.  Trying to manage this plethora of services, it's no wonder users are beginning to show signs of check-in fatigue, resulting in fewer check-ins, going off grid and abandoning less popular or newer services without giving them a chance to grow. Worse yet, if early adopters are suffering from fatigue, it won't be long before the average user does too, with more severe results.  There must be a better way to navigate this check-in process.  In this article we'll take a look at possible solutions by analyzing the following questions:

1. What types of check-in applications are out there?
2. Is it possible or necessary to check-in everywhere?
3. What is check-in worthy and what can we pass on?
4. How do we prioritize which applications we check-in through?
5. Is it possible to narrow down the playing field?
6. Is there a better solution for managing them all?

Types of Check-In Applications


There are three principle categories of check-in applications: social, rewards, and entertainment.


Social


Social checkin applications operate by allowing your social circle to know where you are and either join you, comment, or read your reviews of the location.  Primary players in this realm are Loopt, Facebook Places, Yelp, and Brightkite.  With the exception of Loopt, these apps function by telling the device you are currently located at a specific venue chosen from a list determined by your GPS location.  The application does not update your location again until you manually change it.  Loopt has two added features.  In addition to venues, Loopt gives you the option (read: you can turn it off!) to check in to a street corner and it can continue to track your location via GPS even after you close the app, the added benefit being that people can find you if you leave the venue.


Rewards


Rewards-based checkin apps aim to provide users with monetary or discount-based promotions in return for visiting select venues.  Most rewards applications contain a social element as well and many even started off entirely as social applications and later added reward elements.  Principle rewards-based checkin applications are Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt Star, SCVNGR, WeReward, Whrrl, PlacePop and shopkick.  Business owners can register their business with these applications and choose to provide users with special offers based on completing certain criteria: being the person who visits the venue the most often (mayor), visiting the venue for the first time, visiting the venue a certain number of times (every ten visits), completing challenges, or scanning products.


Entertainment


Entertainment checkin applications are completely different in that rather than checking in to a physical location, you check in to a specific form of entertainment such as a movie, television show, video game or book.  The most prominent entertainment checkin applications are GetGlue, Philo and Miso.  Like social applications, users can write reviews and people can leave comments.  The benefit to using these applications comes from professional and social recommendations.  Users can rate the media they consume and receive recommendations based on their likes and dislikes.  In addition, users can collect badges and awards (although they possess no value) and aid water-cooler talk by letting your peers know in advance what you've been watching.


As can be seen, in addition to several types of checkin tools, there are multiple contenders in each space.  How do we know which ones to use, when and where?


Finding a Balance


To find a balance in our checkins, we need to analyze two things, our own lives and the checkin playing field.  While the former may seem more complicated, the latter is out of our control and thus requires more constant vigilance and risk.  However, the following guidelines may help to keep things in order.

1. Does your network of contacts use social checkin applications? Dedicated apps like Loopt and Brightkite require your friends to sign up for the service as well in order to receive any benefit.  If your network doesn't already use these apps, consider using Facebook Places, where your network already exists.  Our judgement: If realtime tracking matters, use Loopt.  If not, consider Facebook Places.
2. Entertainment checkin applications seem fun, but they're just a formal equivalent of posting what you're consuming on Facebook and they mirror the functionality of better services like Amazon.com.  Our judgement: if you're experiencing checkin fatigue, start trimming the fat here.  Just like what you're doing in Farmville, your network doesn't need to know every TV show you watch either.
3. How long can you hold out? As we previously mentioned in our post on Facebook Places versus Foursquare, new open APIs may allow for a single checkin to register with multiple applications.  SCVNGR has already integrated the Facebook Places API for read and write, bridging social and reward-based checkins.  Similar integrations to these are guaranteed to come in the near future.  Another solution is services dedicated to multi-site checkins.  Mobile site m.check.in has been around for a while now and currently has grown to function with Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite and Whrrl.  When you check in through the website, it automatically syncs with all four services.  This trend will continue to grow as well.  Our judgement: give m.check.in a try and hold on as long as you can.  Things are going to get easier soon.
4. What brands do you like? Your brand preference may play a role in your checkin behavior.  Gap, for example, has partnered with Loopt Star, giving users 25% off on every second visit.  AT&T is working with SCVNGR, Best Buy with shopkick and Starbucks with both Loopt Star and Foursquare.  This is just a minuscule sampling.  Our judgement: continue to support your favorites brands across your favorite checkin apps.  If you build it, they will come.  If you deliver the checkins, you will be rewarded.
5. Tired of hearing about every time a friend goes to the gym, grocery store, bank, or work? So are your friends most likely.  Furthermore, these locations are unlikely to yield you rewards.  Avoid the mundane checkins that don't benefit you or your contacts.  Our judgement: only check in to locations that will be interesting, like vacations, or potentially reward you with special promotions, like restaurants and retail outlets.
6. The last tip is for those business owners who are reading this article.  There are some applications that function better than others.  PlacePop is an amazing app; a beautiful example of tracking multiple visit rewards.  It never gets noticed, though, because none of the major brands have partnered with it.  Our judgement: do your homework.  Know which services are out there and what benefits they offer you and your customers.  Then, let your customers know about it!!

Is Check-In Here to Stay?


Unlike Google, Facebook's efforts tend to stick around.  So if Facebook decided it was time to enter the location game, chances are it's here to stay.  What that means for you the consumer is that things are bound to get more complicated before they get easy.  Your diligence will be rewarded in time, solutions will surface, winners will grow and losers will fade away.  In the meantime, manage your checkins using our guidelines.  If you're feeling fatigued, take a short break, drink some water and get plenty of rest, but don't jump ship.  These services are here for your benefit and early adopters will be the first to reep the rewards.

Will Facebook Places Grow or Destroy Foursquare?

Location-aware applications like Foursquare have been a hot topic across the web, especially on this blog, and although Foursquare has passed over one million check-ins per day, location-aware apps are still considered early adopter technology. Now, with the introduction of Facebook Places, location-based check-ins stand on the brink of mainstream acceptance. With the world's largest social network, boasting over 500 million users worldwide, the most recent addition to the location arena, it stands to reason that a giant percentage of the social media population is about to be exposed to check-ins for the first time.


There are still limitations, though, that must be considered. First is the ever present paranoia (sorry for the brief outburst of personal bias) regarding security. Checkins = privacy concerns = security breaches, no matter how strong Facebook's privacy controls are. That will remove a large portion of the potential user base. Second, location-based check-ins must be executed through Facebook's mobile site, meaning only smartphone users can partake in the fun. Once again this cuts down the potential user base. Finally, only the iPhone's Facebook app currently supports Facebook places. All other smartphones will need to access places through Facebook's mobile site, not the native app. For most smartphone users, this will require a deviation from current behavior to access Facebook through their mobile browser rather than the app. This deviation may too shrink the number of potential users. However, out of the remaining set of users who do use the new service, what will the introduction of Facebook Places do to their relationship with other location-based applications like Foursquare? We imagine two strong possibilities.


Facebook & Foursquare Play Nice


The first outcome is that Facebook and Foursquare form a beautiful symbiotic relationship and fuel the growth of one another.  This may sound like a pipe dream but it's actually possible.  How?  Facebook actually appears to be interested in this outcome.  Facebook is opening its Places API (the background set of codes that allow check-ins) to third party developers so that a check-in on Foursquare would equally result in a check-in on Facebook.  How this will actually play out though is still hypothetical as nothing has been released yet.  There are three possible tiers: good, neutral and bad.  The good outcome, for both Facebook and Foursquare, would be that the integration of the Facebook API to Foursquare's application increases the value of check-ins vs check-ins through Foursquare alone, resulting in either better deals and services for businesses, more rewards and badges, or a smoother, streamlined interface on the two apps.  This would potentially encourage Facebook Places users to adopt Foursquare because of the inherent advantages.  The neutral outcome is that nothing changes, for better or worse.  Foursquare still works the same, Facebook Places works the same, but a check-in through Foursquare now results in a check-in on Facebook as well.  This is still a win for both services, although not as enticing as the good outcome.  The bad outcome is that the integration makes using either service tedious or cumbersome.  This may mean the process has more steps, is slower, or results in excess spam or clutter on your wall.  This seems like a less likely possibility because one would hope that neither service would rollout an update that would hinder the user experience; however, it wouldn't be the first time and so it remains a possibility nonetheless.


One caveat, regardless of which of the three tiers plays out, is that the Facebook Place API is an open API, meaning it's available for all location-based applications to use and integrate.  Even if Foursquare creates a winning integration, Gowalla, Loopt, Whrrl or a dozen other apps could do the same thing.  On the contrary, Foursquare may create a wining integration while competitors don't, or vice versa.  The point is competition will still abound.  The silver lining is that Facebook and other location-aware apps playing nice together has a high potential to promote an increase in overall check-ins and and location-aware app use.


Facebook & Foursquare Battle it Out


The second, and less favorable option, is that two brands decide to fly solo and attempt to win the location battle based on their own merits.  Truthfully this will be a decision made entirely by Foursquare as Facebook has already committed to releasing its APIs.  If Foursquare decides they don't need Facebook to succeed or that a partnership with the social networking powerhouse would not benefit their users, they may decide to put faith in having the superior product and trust that new users interested in location-based products will continue to seek them out on their own.  This would be an extremely risky tactic, but one that would best preserve Foursquare's integrity as the leader in location-based check-ins.  If Foursquare uses Facebook's API, it could be seen as relying on the industry giant to validate its own services, rather than as expanding its compatibilities to provide users with a more complete user experience.  Not integrating Facebook's APIs, however, could look arrogant and would be extremely risky.  Millions of users already use the Facebook mobile application everyday, meaning check-ins through the Facebook app would require minimal extra work.  Expecting users to check-in through a separate app, something millions of users aslo already do, requires extra work that may result in check-in fatigue for a majority of users (a topic that you can look forward to in our follow up article).  


As with the above caveat, the same situation applies here.  Just because Foursquare decides not to implement the Facebook Places API doesn't mean that its competitors in the location-aware market won't.  This fact alone makes flying solo extremely ill-advised for Foursquare.


Implications


Based on initial numbers released earlier this morning, it appears that the launch of Facebook Places has already lead to a surge in new Foursquare users.  Whether or not these new signups will migrate to regular users is still unknown, but this is definitely a good step in that direction.  Ultimately our prediction is that one of two things will occur as a result of this influx: either Facebook will win the location war and become the only dominant player in the field or Places and its open API will fuel the growth of all location-based apps, increasing what is already a sea of potential players.  Either way, check-ins are here to stay and businesses need to be ready to act accordingly.  Users are checking-in at their favorite locations and they are expecting to be rewarded for it.  Business that jump on board now will become leaders in the industry and will be well rewarded for their efforts.  But don't take our word for it, just ask Gap.

Taking Responsibility for Our Tweets

When we grow up, our parents teach us that we must take responsibility for our actions.  That what we say and what we do have consequences, some of which can be quite severe.  As our society evolves and social networks become a prominent form of communication, it would seem logical that these same guidelines would apply to the digital realm.  Nothing we post online is completely private and we must be prepared to accept the ramifications of what we say and post.  For many though, Facebook and Twitter are stilled viewed as personal networks where we can do and say as we please without global or legal ramifications.  One celebrity in particular appears to be a member of this camp.  I am referring to the legendary Twitter Trending Topic king himself, Justin Bieber.

Recently Bieber participated in what would normally be considered a school yard prank.  Except, because of the pop star's fame and his method of delivery, the prank was broadcast to the world and could resort in serious legal action.  Bieber tweeted a message asking fans to call him at an included phone number.  The number actually belonged to an enemy of Bieber's (do Tweens have enemies?) and within minutes the boy's phone was blowing up with texts and voicemails.  This is actually the second time Bieber has been the subject of a Twitter scandal.  Last November, Bieber tweeted that he was headed to a CD signing at a mall, only to later cancel the event.  His fans, after waiting hours only to be told to leave, became violent resulting in one serious injury.  Apparently Bieber was supposed to tweet again that the signing was cancelled but never did it.  According to reports, it was Bieber's manager who decided not to post that the signing was cancelled.  Bieber's first tweet that he was on his way is what caused the crowd to become unruly and he feared that a tweet in the contrary would put the crowd in more danger.  Bieber's manager was arrested under criminal charges for the event.


Implications


So what does this mean for your business?  First and foremost, people are reading what you post.  No matter how few followers you think you have or how local your audience is, the contents of your posts are constantly being searched and indexed by search engines like Google and by users for keywords.  What you post is out there forever, being read by many, and you must be ready to deal with the effects of that.  If you tweet a customer promise, be ready to deliver on it.  If you post a comment about a customer, they will read it...and so will their friends.  Treat every word you post on a social network as if you're saying it directly to the customer's face.  Finally, this same effect works in the positive direction as well.  Made a mistake?  Closed unexpectedly due to a glitch?  Delivered a negative customer experience?  Apologize for it.  Let your customers know you recognize the error and will improve upon your service in the future.  


Don't let the potential downfalls of social media keep you from using a service that could greatly benefit your business.  Just be prepared and be smart about it.  What was the old adage your parents used to always tell you?  Think before you speak!