iPhone Apps Today are Just a Hint of What's To Come

Okay, I like to pare things down into what works, and what doesn't. This is a process I always use when getting ready to brainstorm the creative, and the creative usually comes to me in this process.

So, to boil it down, I check out the latest apps that I think are cool, and those that aren't. And it always comes down to "why do some work, and some don't?" . The answer? Easy! Is it something I would use? It's kind of like buying a present for someone you care about--you buy them something you think they would actually use.

Now let's see what I think about what works and what doesn't:

Coca-Cola offers "Spin the Coke", which is basically spin-the-bottle on an iPhone screen. If I don't have better things to do than this, shoot me.

The Date App, which helps socially awkward people figure out what to say on a date. Um....no.

Now, let's apply it to branding, since most of the apps out there are "entertainment", I say the time is now to apply creative + branding + this new media as one element of social marketing, which in essence is all about creating and maintaining a fan base--the creation of goodwill translates into dollars for non-profits, associations and corporations.

Here are some of my favorites--and what do they have in common? Useability! Something I would actually use:

1. Disney World Wait Times & More: the concept is to get feedback from people who are at Walt Disney World waiting in line for rides--people who happen to also have iPhones loaded with Wait Times software get the most accurate wait times for rides such as Space Mountain.

--now imagine the possibilities with any lines: hospitals, Saturday night popular restaurants, opening nights of movies, etc. People feel a camaraderie with those they are interacting with, and that's good for any brand.

2. Benjamin Moore's Ben Color Capture app. I just downloaded this yesterday and it's too cool for interior design fans like me. I could take a picture of the green Buddha head on my desk (love love love that green, and would love it in my living room), and the app shows me the closest matching colors in the Benjamin Moore catalog. Imagine the possibilities! This can change how people come up with color schemes in their homes. Paint swatches will be soooo last century.

Anyhow, this is what I've been mulling over in my head for the last month. So many possibilities and so many chances to create. I can't wait.

Making Giveaways Part of Your Plan

The word "free" in business makes owners shudder--there is no profit in free. I say it's time to rethink "free". Money losers today can bring in paying customers tomorrow if done right. As the economy evolves, the things we value comes more in bits (virtual) versus material (bricks). Bits cost virtually nothing to copy and distribute in comparison to material.

Since I'm a new mommy, the example I have in mind is Webkinz. They're popular with parents because their kids can go online and play with digital versions of their plush toys. The online experience must generate and emotional connection - so the creative still has to be right - but Webkinz uses this successful tool to sell their stuffed animals.

And then let's take Radiohead, the band. At first, I was very unsure of their strategy: they let fans download its album In Rainbows for whatever they thought it was worth. Of course, a lot of people paid zero, but the average sale price was $6. This definitely made me do a double-check of my initial reaction. Radiohead ended up taking a big risk and through downloads, the band made more money than any of its previous records. Crazy right?

Personally, I'm rethinking "free".

Old-Fashioned Creativity Will Always Rule

If any of you are big TV commerical fans like myself (in my case viral versus television), you may have wondered why U.K. videos always seem to go viral, as opposed to (my opinion now) blah blah blah US commericals. If the best someone can give me are the Superbowl ads, maybe we can learn something from across the pond.

If you haven't seen "Eyebrow Dance" (Cadbury), "Rollerbabies" (Evian), or "Dance" (T-Mobile), look it up on You Tube now. Even the most non-TV watching friends I've sent this too have responded with enthusiasm.

Trying out to find the difference between "their" videos versus "ours" was hard at first. Besides just saying "British advertisers tend to be edgier" wasn't enough. What was it then? A strong creative idea at the center of it all.

What did all of those UK videos have in common? An ability to engage the viewer emotionally, whether it be changing their mood, or even just having them wonder "was that real"?

Maybe it's just me, but in all areas of advertising, old-fashioned creativity has been lacking. It's time to bring it back.

Does Blogging Work as a Business Tool?

How do blogging and email marketing work together, and do they? My opinion: email as a tool is great for conversion and retention, but what about acquiring new ones?

I've heard that email and search still make up the majority of online activity. How do leverage 'search' to reach new people?

To use search as a way to get more new contacts, there is Pay-Per-Click and SEO. To me they are one and the same, except you have to pay for one.

If your website ranks among the top dozen results after a search, you're doing well and can probably stop reading here.

Most if not all clicks are made on a search engine results page such as Google.

So here's the problem: PPC only gets a small amount of clicks on search engine pages, and traditional website SEO tactics don't come close to fulfilling the volume of keywords that an organization needs to target.

The supplement? Notice I said supplement and not "the answer". Search engines, when it comes down to it, want to deliver relevant content. This is where blogging comes in.

When blogging, pay attention to the following: keywords (the more content, the more chances you have to use the keywords you want to be found on), page titles (a page with a title that matches the search phrase has a much better chance of improving their rankings), and frequency (blogs are updated more frequently--search engines put a higher value on pages that are updated more).