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!

When Is a New Brand Identity just a Visual Refresh? - Part 3

Visual Refresh


Pros

• Unlike a brand identity, a visual refresh doesn't have to represent anything.  It can just be a fun, abstract, exciting design that attracts attention.  This makes it easier for design teams to create ideas and appeal to audiences.
• Advertising, design and branding blogs and magazines love to talk about the latest logo alterations.  A visual refresh is a great way to garner some free press.  This can be handy if your brand is losing relevancy and needs some attention.
• Since your visual design affects your packaging, a visual refresh is a quick, easy way to attract new attention on the store shelf.  Shoppers are always caught off guard by packaging they don't recognize and will give your product a second glance, which is a huge win.
• A visual refresh gives you the opportunity to always be modern.  As you will see in our case study below, your brand can constantly update its look to prevent looking outdated or obsolete.
• Similarly, your brand can refresh itself to find a look that resonates better with your audience.
• Finally, a visual refresh can be executed against a brand identity.  You can update the art styles used in your current brand identity to strengthen the appearance of the brand without losing the connection to your brand's positioning and value statement.

Cons

• The con of an abstract design is that it can be too abstract.  If your brand's look confuses your audience then they'll lose interest.
• The same can happen on the store shelf.  If your customer is confused and doesn't recognize your product they are more likely to purchase a competitive product.
• Obviously this can get expensive.  Creating a brand identity that fully reflects your brand and appeals to your audience the first time is much more cost efficient then consistently updating every five to ten years.
• If changing your look and using snappy visuals is the only way you can build awareness and interest in your product, your brand is probably a commodity item.  You may want to consider how you can position your brand to offer a unique benefit from your competition.

Case Study: Pepsi

Pepsi is a classic example of a brand who's visual identity mostly relies on visual appeal and not on a symbolic expression of the brand's positioning in the market.  The logo started as pure script, integrated a visual element that reflected what industry it operated in, and has since then shifted that element into something most people would no longer associate with a bottle cap.  As a legacy brand, Pepsi has the fortunate position of never needing to educate its audience about the product.  Everyone knows what Pepsi is.  So instead it can use its visual identity to create a sort of personality or lifestyle statement - light hearted, laid back, young, hip.  This is backed by one of Pepsi's old taglines, "The taste of a generation."  Pepsi needs to continually refresh its visual scheme to reflect a style that resonates with the youth of the generation.  For its current logo, the current trend of minimalism is blatantly apparent.

Image courtesy of Scarletbits.com

When Is a New Brand Identity just a Visual Refresh? - Part 2

Brand Identity


Pros:

• A brand identity allows a visual system to be more than just a logo.  The same set of values, beliefs and principles set forth in the positioning and brand promise that inform logo design also inform elements such as typography, color choices, and photography.  This allows for consistency and ease of design across all mediums, including website and advertising.
• A brand identity creates a scenario where the visual design says something about the brand.  Whether your brand is technologically advanced, family oriented, bargain centered or focused on safety, your audience will see these attributes conveyed visually.
• A brand identity never loses relevancy.  As long as your brand continues to deliver upon the same promise to its audience, your visual identity will continue to tell that story.
• Since a brand identity tells a story, it's never distracting.  Your visual language won't confuse your audience or hide who you are, but rather inform and persuade.
• A brand identity doesn't have to rely on gimmicks.  You can use emotional appeals, hard statistics and audience understanding to engage your consumer base instead of just bright colors, abstract designs and loud advertising.

Cons:

• Since, it is designed to last, a brand identity must be done right from the start.  If your brand identity doesn't tell a story, resonate with your audience or isn't able to withstand the test of time you will not only have lost time and money for development, but any initial momentum or excitement your brand initially garnered at launch will be lost as well.
• Your brand identity can also begin to feel stagnant.  Poorly designed brand identities that do not tell strong stories or create strong attachments with their audiences will begin to feel stagnant and often require a visual refresh to regain audience favor.
• Sometimes your brand promise may be hard to portray visually and your audience may not be able to understand your visual design or relate it to your positioning.  In this case, a brand identity may need to be paired with additional marketing techniques to sell the concept.
• Your design team may feel limited by the rules of your brand identity.  This isn't a problem with your brand.  Dump your design team (Branding Reason is not advocating firing your employees).
• If your brand changes, so must your brand identity, often from the ground up.  This can be costly and will require you to reeducate your audience about what your brand stands for and how to recognize you.

Cast Study: MapQuest


MapQuest has been a staple of the web since the beginning, but it quickly lost steam as Google Maps became the prominent online mapping service.  Parent company AOL is hoping to change that with the introduction of the new MapQuest site and brand identity. The first thing you'll notice about the new MapQuest interface is the clean, simplified look and feel.  Gone is the crowded, confusing layout of yesterday.  Additionally, the interface is more intuitive to use and the underlying system is smarter and capable of providing users with better results.

The first thing you'll notice about the new visual system is that it is clean and simplified as well.  The colors are soft and inviting versus the old red color scheme and the text is now sophisticated and easy to read, just like the new interface.  The format of the logo is also reminiscent of a math equation with the "q" portraying an exponent or superscript.  This speaks to the more sophisticated background technology.  Finally, according to MapQuest, the logo's design also invites users to feel a sense of discovery interpreting their own meaning to the design.  For a service that allows users to explore their neighborhood, this concept seems fitting.


You can view the new MapQuest site as well a video about the new design and brand identity here: MapQuest.

When Is a New Brand Identity just a Visual Refresh? - Part 1

The world of design is constantly evolving as the tastes, trends, styles and movements of art fade in and out.  Brands seem to change their visual designs just as often, trying to stay modern and relevant by emulating the latest in design through their logos and ads.  From a creative standpoint, this constant change is an important tool in reengaging your audience, drumming up awareness and pr, and reinventing your image.  However, this may not always be in the best interest of the brand.


A brand's visual identity is extremely important.  It's the element consumers relate to at all your touchpoints - media, advertising, and point-of-purchase.  It's only natural you'd want your visual identity to stand out, make a statement, and say something about your brand and your product.  But is your visual design speaking to your brand promise and positioning or your skills in design?  The difference depends on whether your company build a brand identity or refreshed your visual system.  A brand identity provides you with the opportunity to take all that your company stands for, your brand promise, positioning and personality, and present it to your audience in a visual form.  A visual refresh is modern and contemporary and focuses on creativity and beauty in design.


Below is a closer look at what separates these two styles and how you can tell them apart.

1. A brand identity is created when the brand is conceived and only changes if there are significant alterations to the brand. For example, new operating principles or positioning, changes to the customer brand promise, or new products or services that change the relationship between the customer and the brand.
2. A visual refresh often coincides with a new advertising campaign or occurs cyclically, maybe every 5-10 years.
3. A brand identity is designed for long term use.  The design choices are timeless and meant to live outside of trends.
4. Visual refreshes are short term.  They are designed to be replaced, regularly updated, or to fit the needs of a select occasion.
5. New brand identities involve a complete reworking of the current system.  The priority lies on matching the positioning of the brand, not preserving the current system.
6. As the name implies, visual refreshes are generally a revisioning of the current system, keeping the same basic shape and design while updating the style, colors, and appearance.
7. A brand identity is rooted in logic and research, vetted against the brand platform and what customers will respond to.
8. A visual refresh focuses on design creativity, trends and innovation.  Its purpose is to attract attention and make a statement.

Each of these systems has their own uses and benefits.  In parts two and three we will take an in depth look at each system including pros and cons and case study examples.  Look forward to part two next week.

Valuing Your Customers: Case Study on Murphy USA

One of the last companies I would have imagined having a social media relationship with is my gas station, but after taking a look at what Murphy USA has done I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of this sooner.  Taking cues from larger retailers like Target, Murphy USA, which primarily operates in Wal-Mart parking lots, has launched a suite of social tools to engage customers and provide exclusive deals and promotions, including:

• an iPhone and Android application using GPS to deliver up to the minute gas prices at your nearest Murphy USA gas station as well as neighboring competitors
• exclusive coupons and discounts on gas, food and beverages via the application
• text updates before gas prices go up
• a check-in promotion through location-aware application Whrrl entering users in a contest to win $50 in free gas

This level of social integration is unheard of from most national retailers and is even more groundbreaking coming from a largely commodity-based service such as gasoline.  That's why the new suite of services is pure genius.  Knowing that it's consumer audience is principally price and location-driven when choosing gasoline, Murphy USA's application provides consumers with the tools to make an educated decision on both.  And since Murphy's is a discount brand and located at arguably one of the most prominent retailers, the brand's gas is almost always the app's recommended choice.

From a branding perspective, Murphy USA's new tools and services increase the brand's engagement with customers in three powerful ways.  First, it increases brand awareness.  Murphy USA may not be a brand many consumers recognize by name, this author included, but as a social media maven and price-conscious consumer I'm more apt to pay attention to the brand now because of the new application's ease of use and superior discounts.  Second, it positions the brand as an entity that values its customers and seeks to provide savings and discounts in an industry that often takes advantage of consumers' need for the product.  Lastly, as a result of the above, it ultimately increases brand loyalty from consumers who have benefited and saved using these services.

So how does this translate to your business?

• Provide value to your customers where others in your industry do not, whether it be through discounts, time-saving tools, simplifying the shopping process, or an exclusive knowledge base
• Put the customer before your bottom line, an increase in awareness and loyalty means an increase in sales, which offsets the costs of discounts and promotions
• Utilize new technology and social media to listen to your audience, discover their needs and communicate your brand's value to them

Effective Social Media on YouTube & Twitter: Case Study Old Spice

YouTube is now the second largest search engine on the net and with Google, the number one search engine, now indexing YouTube and Twitter feeds, these services should be at the top of any Social Media or Search Engine Optimization strategy. Combine these efforts with a viral campaign that also engages and interacts directly with consumers and you have the brilliance that is Old Spice.

Old Spice has harnessed the power of their newest icon (the rugged man on a horse, Isaiah Mustafa) to produce what seems like an endless series of web videos, published on YouTube, responding to customer, celebrity and blogger questions tweeted to the brand on Twitter. There are so many things right about this scenario. First, by holding this promotion on Twitter, Old Spice is attracting new fans and followers to its social media profiles. Second, Old Spice is strengthening its relationship with its customers leading to long term brand loyalty. Isaiah is a huge sensation right now with both male and female viewers. Allowing users to interact with the man is a big win for the brand. Finally, and most importantly for my small business owner audience, this effort is extremely cheap! Not only is YouTube great for SEO, but it's also completely free. You can publish all of your commercial and promotional videos to the site at no cost and have them seen by millions thanks to Google's superior indexing. Thus Old Spice could produce a day's worth of :60 spots, most likely with a lower production cost since they are web only, and deliver them directly to fans in real-time.

To take a look at Old Spice's YouTube channel and get some ideas for your next campaign, click here.

Small Business Social Media Success Story

I can't tell you how many times small business owners have told me that they don't need a social media presence because their business is too small, their customers aren't high tech or it just wouldn't benefit them.  Worse yet, they argue that they already have a Facebook page and that it just sits there and doesn't do any good.  If this sounds like you or someone you know, take a look at this case study from Tillamook Ice Cream.  This local, small town business leveraged its loyal audience on Facebook to collect user generated content and hire fan actors to create a business-driving TV ad.  By engaging their fans, listening to their personal stories with the brand, and featuring them in a televised commerical, Tillamook Ice Cream increased brand loyalty and awareness for a very low cost.  The best part is that these results are 100% reproducible for your business!

Check out the article and Tillamook's Facebook fan page below.

• Article on Open Forum
• Tillamook Fan Page

What's in a Brand Name?

That which we call a brand by any other name would smell as sweet.  Those of us on the inside know, the value of a name, whether it be provocative, catchy, made up or descriptive, is temporary at best.  The trouble is that to principle stakeholders of a brand, founders, owners, investors, and C-suites, a name either be very personal or overly relied upon.  In truth, a brand or product's name can be useful in the early launch stages as a way of attracting awareness (provocative or made up names inspire the consumer to want to know more, like Yahoo!) or educating the consumer about the product (descriptive names hint to the function within the name, like Build-A-Bear).  However, after the initial PR and press for the brand or product's launch fades away, all that's left is the functionality and value of the actual product.  That's what truly matters, not the name.  Does the name Apple in any way add value to the products it sells that wouldn't exist if the name was Banana or Cherry?  What matters is that they make high quality products.  

Businesses always place far too much importance on names.  That's why it always strikes me as funny when a company either spends thousands developing a name, or better yet, hopes that a new name can save a failed, unwanted or late to the party product.  That's what Comcast appears to be doing.  Noticing that some of it's largest competitors have bundled new services under umbrella names like AT&T's U-Verse and Verizon's Fios, Comcast has decided to rebrand its current suite of offerings as Xfinity.  The problems are as such:

• It's most likely too late to jump on the bundling band wagon craze
• Early and mid adopters who wanted to bundle already have and are in contracts
• Their services haven't changed, so there's no reason for current customers to upgrade accept price, if there is even a price discount
• Since bundling and receiving television and phone digitally over broadband are old concepts, there's no excitement factor for the name the garner

And that's the sad truth of it.  Hopefully Comcast isn't relying on this name to do anything spectacular and realize that they are just playing catch up.  We'll know soon by the amount of marketing and PR they put behind it.  

"Google Me" vs Facebook: Why It Will or Won't Work

If you're reading this, chances are you're either already a Facebook addict or are realizing that it's about time you checked it out.  You may also be aware that there are dozens of other competitor/supplemental/replacement/alternative sites out there as well vying for your attention - most of which will never reach the same size and influence as Facebook.  The newest anticipated player in the mix, however, may stand a chance at doing just that, if not surpassing it.  That's because it's Google.  The bug amongst the blogosphere is that Google is poised to launch it's own social network, independent from Google Buzz and Latitude, called Google Me.  Although we don't have any firm knowledge about the service yet, or know if it is even definite, if the service sets out to clone Facebook, as speculated, it could have some huge advantages over the market leader.


Why Google Me Could Win


Google already owns my data: The phrase "Google me" (meaning the verb here, not the suspected website, no pun intended) exists for a reason.  Google is first and foremost a search engine, and as such, has access already to every piece of information on the internet about me.  It knows all my curent social profiles, the activities, movies, music and so on that I've listed on them, and where my name has been written about on other sites.  Furthermore, it knows my search history, who I'm connected to on Gmail (Google Mail) and Google Talk, what I watch on YouTube, where I'm going to be on Google Calendar, what I blog about on Blogger, what topics I'm interested in reading about in Google Reader, and the list goes on.  Because of my already deep attachement to the brand, Google could build a stronger profile of me than I ever could...which is kind of scary.  This leads to the next reason.


Google Me could interface with all my existing services: The TechCrunch article linked to earlier warns against Google arbitrarily linking the new social network to it's previous products and services; however, if this is done wisely, it could be a huge selling point for highly integrated Google users, such as myself.  First, Google can automatically begin to build my network from my contact list in Gmail and use Google Talk as the default chat client (which includes AIM built in as a bonus).  In an earlier blog post I discussed how Facebook messaging was one of the killers of personal email.  Although it is more convenient to message someone on Facebook, because you don't have to keep track of or obtain their email address, you do still have to log in to the site in order to view your messages.  Google Me could integrate the site's messaging with Gmail so I could receive my messages in real time on my phone, reviving personal email.  Facebook events are a great way of sharing invites with a large number of people, especially open invitations from businesses, but after I confirm my attendance Facebook doesn't sync the information to my actual calendar.  Google Me could automatically populate my Google calendar with my RSVP status.  No need to click on share buttons, Google Me would be able to auto post articles in Google News or Google Reader that I star or share.  The blog you are reading is composed on Blogger.  Since Google owns Blogger, it can automatically update my news feed every time a new article is published, eliminating the need for third party solutions.  Google Me could also use Picasa to store photos, YouTube to host and share videos, Maps to integrate, well, maps, into event invites, Shopping to create storefronts and much, much more.  The possibilites are actually a little overwhelming and baffling at the same time - why hasn't Google done this already??


Better and wider integrated SEO, ads and analytics: This reason is all about eliminating repetitive third party applications.  As businesses, we already maximize our search engine optimizations for Google Search and we trust our online ads and web traffic to Google Ads and Analytics.  Now with social media, we have to optimize for and track data with even more tools, like Facebook Ads and Insights.  Google Me would have preexisting SEO, Ads, and Analytics built in from the start.  No additional ad buys, no additional metrics to integrate in your ROIs.


Google is still the most visited website: Facebook may have more global users than Google's individual applications like mail and calendar, and users may spend more time on Facebook in one sitting, but Google is still the number one ranked site in the world for unique visitors.  The implication here is that unlike every other Facebook competitor, Google will have immediate and significant exposure to its new product along with an implicit higher trust level than an unheard of service.  This would mean faster growth and uptake and an increased opportunity to surpass the master.


Why Google Me Could Fail


Is it too late?: Facebook continues to grow its user base every day and current users' data becomes more and more dependent on the site with every use.  All the connections, groups, fan pages, photos, birthdays, events, and contact information we store on Facebook keeps us forever attached to the service.  In order to truly succeed, instead of playing second string like Twitter, it would need to fully replace Facebook in the user's eyes.  Would people be willing to fully abandon their connection to the site or would this be another project early adopters eventually forsake because the majority of their networks won't convert?  Could Google Me be simple enough that late adopters or Facebook jumpers would give it a shot?


Facebook Connect: Google, and several other sites, have enabled users to login to third party sites using their Google credentials via OpenID for quite some time.  It's Facebook Connect, though, that has garnered all the attention, both positive and negative.  On one hand, Facebook Connect allows users to easily login and share their information with additional sites without having to sign up or reregister.  At the same time, this feature has been rebuked for privacy concerns - how much information is being shared and are users aware of it?  The amount of press Connect has earned combined with the increased level of integration it is experiencing (often in addition to or replacing Google OpenID) may make web site developers and businesses owners less apt to switch back again.


Is Google too big? If Facebook receives criticism for its privacy concerns, Google is bound to experience the same feedback.  Google's sheer size and aforementioned ability to scan the web and know nearly everything about you is bound to draw privacy concerns from even the most early of adopters.  In addition, Google tends to be a more open service, either having info completely private or open to everyone.  A new set of security standards would likely need to be considered in order to quell fears.  Finally, Google has already experienced security scandals, even recently, including Google Buzz defaulting to public and Google Maps collecting Wifi data.


We'll hopefully know more in the near future, but I for one am definitely willing to give this service a shot.  As more information becomes available, we will issue follow ups to strengthen or weaken the arguments made in this post.


Update: According to a TechCrunch report, Google is conducting surveys on users' social media habits including online and offline friend interactions.  Check out some sample questions from the survey here.

Lifestyle Brands and Brand Loyalty: Brands that Save Lives

A common question asked by our clients is "how do I get my customers to feel a greater sense of attachment or loyalty to our brand?"  The truth is, there is no surefire way that works for every audience and every brand, but for some brands, the proper positioning can really get things moving.

Recently my friend's father was in a car accident.  Thankfully he is okay, but the car, a Mustang, was totaled.  It just so happens that my friend himself had also been in an accident in the same vehicle years before and walked out fine as well.  When I spoke to him about it he said that he would only buy Mustangs for the rest of his life.  That car had saved their lives twice and he trusted the brand above any other.  He kept the hood ornament off the vehicle as a memento and a display of the brand he will forever be loyal to.  This mirrors a recent commercial by Subaru, which features a man retrieving the shifter knob from his totaled vehicle that saved his life as well.  This scenario is a powerful example of how a brand can earn loyalty with its audience and although the bond in this story occurred naturally, without the brand's involvement, if we dissect what happened we can actually build a formula for increasing brand loyalty.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding

First, cars are one of the most well known types of lifestyle brands.  Outside of price and fuel efficiency, the reason we pick a certain brand of vehicle usually pertains to its representation of the buyer's lifestyle or personality.  A parent of three buys a large van or SUV because it sells safety and allows the buyer to transport the whole family.  The successful entrepreneur buys a luxury vehicle to display his wealth and status.  The young kid or middle aged man buys the muscle car to represent masculinity and power.  Car brands identify these lifestyles and decision choices and market products around them.  Volvo has consistently marketed itself as the brand for safety.  Outside the auto industry, Apple is well known for its lifestyle marketing strategy.  Apple represents creativity and self-expression and owns a diehard fanbase of loyal users who self-identify with the brand.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding + Emotional Marketing

Second, the increase in loyalty occurred as a result of an emotional experience.  Emotional marketing is no secret.  Brands have been using it for decades.  The "Kodak Moments" campaign epitomizes emotional marketing.  Kodak knows that families cherish their memories and played off that emotion to entice buyers to trust their products if they want their memories to last a lifetime.  The semi-secret is that the emotion doesn't always have to be sad.  When Kodak partnered with Disney, Kodak Moments focused on fun and excitement while still appealing to love, togetherness and family.  MasterCard's "Priceless" campaign is another great example.  In the beginning, the ads focused on heartfelt emotions to instill the idea of priceless moments. As time progressed, however, MasterCard began to make the commercials comical, still triggering an emotional response, but in a humorous way.  Emotional marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to aid audience understanding of why your brand improves customers' lives.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding + Emotional Marketing + Delivering on Experience

If these two factors alone were enough to trigger brand loyalty, marketers would be a whole lot richer and brands wouldn't be struggling through price wars.  The final piece, and real key that makes your brand more than just a commodity, is truly delivering on the the needs of the lifestyle and the emotional experience your brand promises consumers.  Know your target audience.  If your product doesn't meet the needs of the lifestyle you are marketing to, your brand will be quickly dismissed because you don't truly understand the customer and industry.  Similarly, choose an emotion that is relevant to your product.  Making an emotional plea that doesn't align with your product will backfire.  Using your product must deliver on the emotional experience being advertised.  Say your brand sells winter wear.  If you choose to identify with an extreme sports lifestyle, ensure that your product enables freedom of movement, functionality, convenience and self-expression.  Furthermore, don't choose marketing that focuses on safety, but rather adventure or individuality.  By doing so, your audience will better identify with the brand and begin the path towards brand loyalty.

Formula: Lifestyle Branding + Emotional Marketing + Delivering on Experience = Brand Loyalty

So what's the answer I give our clients? Position your brand around your target audience's lifestyle choice, create authentic emotional marketing and deliver a brand experience that aligns with the brand's promise.

Check-in Revisited

Apple and Loopt are upping the ante on location-aware technology. Thanks to a new feature in iOS4, the application Loopt is able to consistently monitor users' locations in the background. This could have huge implications for the social use of location-aware applications.

Previously we noted that companies like Loopt have received minimal social uptake, partly due to security issues and having to rebuild your network on a new application. There is also a third reason though - the inability to check-out of a location. When a user checks-in to a location, their status remains at that location until they check-in somewhere else, meaning that if a friend decided to stop by and visit them, there was a good chance they could have already left...days ago even. Now, with background location, Loopt can continuously monitor your location (for a duration of time you control) and actually check you out of a location if it notices you are no longer within a given radius of the venue.

Clearly this doesn't address the primary two social concerns of location-aware applications, but this new feature does complete the technology, guaranteeing interactions between friends. Will this be enough to entice early adopters to reconsider social implications?

Girl Scouts Using Social Media - Modernizing a Brand

I grew up, as I'm sure most of us did, with the doorbell ringing and a little girl in uniform on the other side trying to sell me delicious overpriced cookies using her award winning smile.  Buying Girl Scout cookies is so ubiquitous that it almost equates to a rite of passage for new home owners - one of those inevitable events you know anticipate is going to happen that, unlike some first time experiences (like a pipe breaking), you can actually look forward to.  However, I haven't had a Girl Scout come to my door in years.  It certainly can't be because I'm not friendly :-D.  Is door-to-door selling just not bringing in the returns these future entrepreneurs are looking for?

According to an article from Mashable, more and more Girl Scouts are turning to social media in order to reach larger audiences and sell cookies faster - and with less work.  This may sound like a good idea at first, a smart way to use modern technology to increase sales, but the article warns that this may actually be tarnishing the Girl Scout brand.  For two years shy of a century, the Girl Scout brand has been aligned with cute girls coming directly to your door hawking baked goods.  That personal connection of knowing your neighborhood children and shelling out $5 a box to support her is what made the interaction so powerful.  You were more likely to buy from her in person because how could you say no to that innocent face price gouging you?  If this scenario took place entirely online, not in real time, through plain text, would you be as convinced to buy as you would be in person?  If done correctly, yes!

I'll admit that a status update from my neighbor saying "please buy girl scout cookies from my daughter," or, heaven forbid, actually setting up a Facebook store, would not entice me to purchase...unless she had some thin mints...mmm....err but um, no, that situation would not be so persuasive.  Imagine this instead, a personalized wall post with a picture of the daughter in uniform standing in an open front doorway, holding up an order form, with a caption attached saying "Ding Dong. Hi Mr. Cox, would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?" Um yeah, that's going to work.  Why? Because this scenario has modernized the classic Girl Scout interaction to play out in a digital realm.  On Facebook, my wall is the equivalent of my front door and a photo takes the place of looking through my peep hole.  In all effects, I feel as though I am still receiving the same level of personal service, but on a forum that I am more likely to respond to (I'm always available on Facebook, whereas it would be much harder to isolate a time when I'm regularly home).

This form of modernized service is the key to keeping historic brand interactions relevant today.  Feel out of touch with your local grocer or bakery? What if they posted their fresh produce or what's being pulled hot out of the oven? Not at home to receive that package? UPS could post a delivery notice to your Facebook wall, so that you could stop and retrieve the package on your way home rather than having to go back out.  Social media has upped the standards for customer service and it's no longer becoming a convenience, it's an expectation.  How is your brand adapting to better serve the customer?

Reviving Your Brand: Chatroulette

By now everyone should be familiar with Chatroulette, the internet site that allows users to video conference with random people from around the globe.  As the media and television shows like South Park have made very clear, the site is heavily used by individuals looking to perform sexual acts.  Despite the large market for a website serving this purpose, pornography had never been the original or desired intent of the site's creator.  This unwanted usage has lead to a surge of backlash from the media and a large portion of users disassociating with the site because they are tired of seeing naked images every time they try to hold a legitimate conversation.  For the last seven months, Chatroulette has done nothing to prevent or deter such behavior, most likely on the grounds of fostering free speech and expression; however, allowing the brand to grow organically and earn a negative reputation, especially in the US, has put the brand at risk of permanently becoming nothing more than another internet sex site.  Now, it appears founder Andrey Ternovskiy is taking a stand to intervene before it is too late.


According to an article on TechCrunch, Chatroulette is employing a series of new technologies that will use video recognition to weed out pornographic images and flag users who are repeatedly skipped.  Assuming the new technology works, will this effort be enough to save the decaying brand?  With the right set of actions, the answer should be yes.  Alone the technology improvements would not be able to re-energize the brand and reengage users who have already jumped ship, but with the right amount of crisis communication and a solid brand platform, Chatroulette can reinvent itself and ignite a growth in video communications and global networking.  


Similar to BP, but on a much less disastrous scale, Chatroulette needs to first initiate crisis communication to begin apologizing to its audience for the current state of the brand.  Following a current trend of using CEOs as spokesmen, Ternovsky needs to engage media representatives directly, stating that this was not the intended usage of the site, explaining why the situation was allowed to escalate to its current state, and thoroughly educating users on the technology being put into place to address the problem.  Second, Chatroulette needs to develop a new brand platform and positioning that sets the course for the brand's future.  If not pornography, what is the true intended purpose of the site? How can the service benefit its users? And what will the future hold if the brand revolutionizes the way we communicate and socialize.  The new positioning should give the audience a reason to care about the company and a promise of change to hold on to for the future.  Together, these two steps should display an effort to abandon the past and launch a new direction.


Of course, the last step is to carry through with what is promised.  Aside from the improvements to the underlying software, the biggest way to reflect the positive changes associated with the new brand platform is to improve the user experience on a visual level.  As the site looks now, Chatroulette is a very visually disengaging experience, resembling an early Windows 3.1 feel.  Although this may have accurately portrayed the brand as a startup (the vibe gives an old school feel, focusing on substance over quality and aligning with an initial audience that most likely isn't swayed by just a pretty visage), combined with the current perception of the brand, the visual scheme of the site actually portrays a very low tech and even distrusting persona. If Ternovsky cares enough about the brand's perception to change the technology, he should also care enough to create a visual scheme that appears modern and professional (Apple-esque I'm sure).


With all this in place, the brand should have the legs it needs to reposition itself in the market and reengage lost audience members.  After a trial period of testing the updated software and analyzing some initial feedback on the overall user experience, I would further suggest that Chatroulette begins to sponsor or partner with other aligning interests.  If the new positioning aims to bridge language barriers and span distances, sponsor a pen pal program for high school foreign language departments.  If the new positioning is focused on networking and meeting new people, partner with dating sates and social media networks.  Not only will this drastically increase the site's user base, it will further build trust in a brand that had once been greatly discredited.

Has Lincoln Become a Classic Brand Without Modern Relevance?

Recently I was asked by a large automotive marketing firm to conduct a brand analysis for Lincoln.  Below is my review of Lincoln’s current market crisis:
With nearly a century‘s worth of history, Lincoln has proudly maintained the concept of elite, sophisticated luxury that the brand was initially built on. For generations the Town Car has been known as the pinnacle of high status. Designed to fill just such a role as the personal transport for Henry Ford, the Town Car brand has long defined its category, similar to Kleenex or Band-Aid, being the name used to describe a chauffeured vehicle long after additional players entered the space. And for 70 years the Lincoln Continental was the vehicle of choice for the successful family man. There is no doubt that Lincoln has always understood what it means to be a status brand – a symbolic expression of the personality and lifestyle of its users. However, as a sea of rival luxury brands continued to enter the market, Lincoln released a product that would forever change the positioning of the brand, opening it up to an endless potential of future-forward possibilities.
1998 brought the launch of the Lincoln Navigator and, although they may not have realized it at the time, this vehicle would set a new precedent of bringing luxury and class to emerging markets. The Navigator allowed Lincoln to enter the highly sought after market of SUVs, but in a way that opened the trend up to its core demographic. From that moment forward, this is where the power of the Lincoln brand would lie, in bringing its history and industry-leading standards of luxury to new automotive trends and new audiences. A lack of internal understanding and external communication of this new positioning, however, would soon cost the brand relevancy in the market.
As it stands now, a decade later, Lincoln’s brand has lost focus. New model vehicles have continued to bring luxury to new markets, including eco-friendly with hybrid support, technology focused with Sync and SIRIUS Travel Link, and power seekers with superior performance and handling and ultraquiet environments; however, this has most likely been as a means of keeping up with lower priced competitors rather than as pioneering a field. Additionally, Lincoln’s true audience has dramatically shifted from its original target. The successful family man is now a thirty year old entrepreneur.
If Lincoln is to uphold its heritage and regain its superiority in the market, it needs to understand how to reach and communicate with its new audience and reposition itself in a way that gives the audience a reason to care about the brand. It needs to remember what made the Navigator such a success. It needs to become the brand that brings luxury to groundbreaking technology.

Why You Should Check-In to Location-Aware Apps

Location-aware applications have been a hot trend this past year after the leaders in "Check-In," Foursquare and Gowalla, took SXSW by storm last spring.  Surely these two companies were not the pioneers in the field (as this author had been using similar location-based social media app Loopt for several months prior), but their strong presence at the national event, backed by sleek interfaces and updated technology, brought the attention of location-aware apps to the forefront of social media.  The response from users and industry analysts alike has been mixed at best with a few early adopters (yours truly included) singing their praises while a larger majority either dismissed the tools or frowned upon them for various reasons including privacy or redundancy.  However, as new contenders continue to enter the space and marketers become a little more savvy, industry players are beginning to realize that there may be more use to these tools than they were previously given credit for.  Here we will analyze the social versus business value of these services and discuss how new players are changing the nature of the game in the right direction.


Early services in the location-aware field, such as Loopt and Britekite, and even more recent players like Google Latitude, Gowalla and Whrrl, have focused their services primarily around the social aspect of checking-in.  These services allow users to broadcast their location to their social circles by checking-in at a venue, often accompanied by a short comment or picture.  The goal is that nearby friends will see your location and choose to join you. In theory this sounds fun, but many concerns and short-comings quickly arose - chief amongst them safety.  But the real problem was that there were too many of these apps and none of them were offered by the major social players - Facebook and Twitter.  Users had to rebuild their networks all over again, convince friends to use the new services and, frankly, remember or continue to use the services.  An update to have these apps post your check-in directly to Facebook seemed like a possible solution, but it was nothing that posting to Facebook on your own or sending a text message couldn't already accomplish.

The real solution is that the services aren't being used for the correct purposes.  Don't try and fight the market leaders.  Facebook and Twitter already own our social networks.  Anything we want to communicate directly to our groups of friends, colleagues and acquaintances will be done through these well established channels.  Instead, focus on how checking-in to a location can benefit the user and the venue.  This is where Foursquare and subsequent derivatives are beginning to do things right.

Location-aware services need to be entirely focused on direct marketing - knowing exactly who your customer is, where they are, how often they go, and providing them with the rewards and incentives they have earned for their loyalty and advocacy.  Most people are aware of Foursquare's mayor status, but there are so many more reward tiers that Foursquare allows, such as loyalty programs, first time visitor promotions, and even one day only sales.  Take a look at what Cynthia Rowley (Mashable) is doing - a one time promotion, for two hours, where anyone who checks in gets a $25 gift card and 15% off.  Brilliant!  Veteran Loopt introduced an additional service called Loopt Star which has a similar, but more refined, effect.  Check in twice at Gap with Loopt Star and save 25% (Forbes).  Not only does this provide a great incentive for users to visit and return to a restaurant or store, but it also costs nothing for the venue to market the promotion and it gets plastered all over Facebook and Twitter every time someone checks-in.  That is where the value lies.

An additional benefit for the venue lies in reviews and referrals.  Yelp is a prime example here as one of the largest online peer review sites.  Users check in to a location and proceed to write reviews, post photos and share their experiences.  In fact, most of the location-based apps allow for Twitter-esque 140 character shout-outs, which can be shared via Facebook.  Give the customer something positive to shout about and reward them for doing it and you have a perfect platform for free marketing that is golden for large corporations and small businesses alike.

Of course, problems still exist, largely in  that these types of promotional uses are still few and far between.  Getting $1 off  your coffee after battling to be the Foursquare mayor at your local Starbucks hardly seems like a strong enough reason for users to maintain another social media tool.  There's also the fact that there are a lot of new apps being developed that are quickly flooding this space and its far too soon to pick a winner.  Big names like Foursquare or Gowalla may have the recognition and high number of daily check-ins (Foursquare is estimating 1 million check-ins per day [Twitter]), but new services like Loopt Star and WeReward are rewriting the rules, creating apps that blatantly depict the value of checking-in. Finally, there is the problem of corporate buy-in.  Most businesses, large or small, are still trying to figure out what it means to operate in the social media realm, maintaining a relationship with their fans, providing industry news and insights, and engaging the consumer directly on Facebook and Twitter with storefronts, promotions and contests.  If most brands still don't see the complete value of social media, how can we expect them to by into another fledgling tech trend?

The solution is to directly engage the businesses that have the most to gain from localized, low cost advertising - small businesses and restaurants.  Although every business is trying to increase sales right now, small businesses especially are suffering and can benefit greatly from this service in many ways.  First is awareness.  After establishing a partnership with Foursquare, the app informs users every time they are near a venue with a special offer.  This will immediately help raise awareness of unknown venues and encourage first time visits.  Second is rewarding loyalty.  Everyone is familiar with loyalty cards that reward a visitor for their 10th purchase.  Location-aware apps offer the same tool, but without the need for printed cards, special hole punchers and with the bonus of a network-wide shout out every time a hole is punched/check-in occurs.  Finally, it helps to venue reach out to a new audience on their terms.  Today's younger audiences aren't being exposed to direct mail, ads in the paper or even commercials on the radio.  They're taking suggestions from friends and social media.  By connecting with this audience on their terms, not only are small businesses able to tap new audiences, but the audience in question's immediate perception of the business will be tech savvy and modern, which they can relate to.

As social media marketers it is our job to promote these services to our clients and continue to help them grow.  The more business partner with location-aware websites, the more users will join, and so on, forming a reciprocal cycle. (*Shameless Plug*) As my clients can attest, the benefit is there and the value is measurable, the hard part is just taking the first step and learning more.