Three Minds On Digital Marketing @ Organic

Our little Norwegian-based company, Opera, is at it again with a bold claim that it will "reinvent the web" with its new Opera Unite service.
 
Some of the features available to Mac, PC, or Linux/Unix users:

• File sharing -- securely share files direct from your computer
• Web server -- turns your home computer into a web server via Opera Unite URL
• Media player -- direct link to your music collection from any web browser
• Photo sharing -- shares your image library over the web without requiring a photo service
• Lounge -- self-contained chat service running on your computer
• Fridge -- a place where friends and family can post notes

All sounds good on paper. But we have some skeptics here:

"These Swiss army knife apps that attempt to do everything for everyone tend to fall short in the end. The convenience of having all that functionality in one place often comes at the expense of the robust functionality we expect from dedicated apps.

Take the photo-sharing feature. Sounds nice, but are you really going to use go for that over Flickr or Picasa? Especially if it means fragmenting your library? Will the media player have the codec support I have in my dedicated media player?

Looks nice on paper, but I'm not buying shares just yet."
- Dan Neumann
 
"I'm wondering how this would compare to Google Wave. Google Wave is claiming to 'reinvent email', but it sounds like they are trying to do a lot of the same stuff by making it more collaborative, real-time, and enable sharing."
- Marta Strickland
 
"Opera's promo video and new list of features are uninspired, in my opinion. One could replace Opera with Facebook, Twitter, Google, Xbox, and probably countless other platforms, and no one would notice the difference. This is a failure in branding and product strategy.
 
As for this vs. Google Wave, the Wave team has truly examined the experience from the user's perspective, and uniquely rebuilt communication online, while Opera Unite seems to be just adding on functionality that certainly isn't revolutionary. That is, the elements of Wave aren't new, but most people don't use things like Wikis and Twitter... Wave is positioned to take over because of its simplicity and intuitive structure.
 
And btw... 'Fridge?' Dumb."
-Craig Ritchie

 
These are all valid points and they've left us wondering three questions:
1.  Will people really make the leap from their "trusted" current browser?
2.  How long before other browsers copy these services?
3.  And last but not least, the privacy issue. Will people be fearful of sharing their stuff?
 
Opera has been around for over a decade and had features like tabbed browsing and a search bar at the top of the browser before Firefox did and is looked to as an innovator on the web browser front by companies like Mozilla. So the thought about other browsers copying Opera's services is absolutely correct.
 
Opera claims their mobile and computer-based browsers are very secure - even safer with user data than Firefox and any product they develop tends to include the same encryption and security. Even if people trust that, it may not get past the legal barriers. The file sharing aspects of this product may be frowned upon by the U.S. legal system, as they will likely fall into the same category of services like Grokster and Napster. However, with a much larger following for Opera outside of the US, and being Norway-based, we don't really think they're concerned about that.
 
Do you think the new Opera will do as they promise and "reinvent the web?"
 
Tyler King
Sarah Jo Sautter

For some, it's coffee. For others, it's thinking about what awaits them at home. And for a select few, it's about what is at home. For those like Molly Layton, working from home has it pluses -- including being able to take a break from the digital world to enjoy time with her favorite co-worker: Riley.
 

It's hard to have a bad day when there is a dog curled up on your feet. While it can sometimes be difficult to conduct business as usual, it is not impossible.  I recall more than a few conference calls that were interrupted by some fierce barking on my end, usually at the postal delivery service. I'm blessed with great co-workers in both my home and business offices though, which means once everyone has shouted "Hi Riley," and laughed a bit, we've always been able to get back to the business at hand, with the mood of the participants noticeably lightened.

Pets are generally patient creatures - they also possess an uncanny ability to intuit or sense when owner stress levels are rising. Once they pick up on it, they seek to intervene. You may be able to put them off for a little while, like postponing an internal meeting, but the longer you make them wait, the more disruptive they tend to become. It is, I would say, generally perilous to ignore them.

The results of taking their urgent calls, and following their lead, so to speak, can be surprisingly productive. Sometimes Riley and I play, sometimes we go off leash and tear up the park, and sometimes we just wander and sniff every little corner of this fabulously smelly world. Often I find that complex problems (that no amount of time spent in front of my screen have solved)  miraculously resolve themselves in my head while my body is in motion.

Spending time like this, I've begun to see that the break from work is just as valuable as the time spent working. I'm grateful for my office manager, Riley, who helps me to get back on track, whenever I begin to stray.

But what about those of us who work in an office every day? There have been plenty of studies that show pets in the work place are beneficial. Many sources (including the American Humane Association) state they can:

1. Improve morale
2. Increase productivity
3. Inspire better performance
4. Reduce stress
5. Lower absenteeism
6. Increase willingness to work longer hours
7. Act as ice-breakers during client visits
 
And it looks like many companies have tried it out. If that's a requirement for you, use Simply Hired to find your next dog-friendly employer. When offices do allow you to bring in your pet, they usually have policies -- to keep it fun. Guidelines like only on certain days/times, sign up sheets, "three strikes you're out" in regards to accidents, no barking, must be clean and on a leash often apply. 

Organic, Inc. is the first company I've worked for that offers pet insurance -- in both our U.S. and our Canadian offices to help cover the costs of your pet's healthcare. At first, I thought it was silly. Since, I've come to believe it says a lot about the company.

A happy puppy is just as cheerful as the new mom bringing in her newborn and provides a pleasant lift in the atmosphere.
 
Are pets the break we need to pull us out of this interactive universe and clear our heads? Does your office allow pets?
 
Molly Layton
Sarah Jo Sautter

Realizing perhaps that the female netbook/notebook computer market is steadily growing, Dell decided to launch its own specialized shop called Della. Nothing fancy here. Really, it's just your usual specialty shop highlighting some Dell products designed with the women users in mind.

Product Makeover
And of course, highlighted in the store is Dell's very own Inspiron Mini 10 netbook which sports several girly designs from well-known artists. Expect to see the pink-colored Mini 10 all over the site as well as some fashion accessories that women will surely love to have on their Mini 10.

You can find all sorts of accesories for your Mini 10 at Della. From netbook sleeves, bags, and girly-looking mouse.

But the major highlight of the site is of course the Mini 10 with various girly designs...Or so I thought. Appears they should have consulted more females in this plan.

Under Tech Tips, the site states:

"Seven Unexpected Ways a Netbook Can Change Your Life
Once you get beyond how cute they are, you'll find that netbooks can do a lot more than check your email."

Misreading the Target
Michelle Ameron finds the irony in this, commenting:

They tout that it has enough memory for shopping and can track calories.
 
For real? Maybe they should have just quietly made a pink one like everyone else and left it at that...

When the tone of all of the "Tech Tips" could basically be summarized as "You can even use The Internet on this thing!", it's kind of a low blow to anyone shopping for a new computer...online. I'd guess their target is technically inclined enough to know that you don't buy a laptop just because you can Google recipes on it, but the site sure doesn't speak to that assumption.
 
On such a targeted site, I'd assume I was being offered bare bones options and paying extra for bright colors because they've already established, in a reassuring tone, that I won't know the difference anyway. When checking out the Dell site a while ago, it did seem to limit component options and offers depending on your starting point. On a second look at the Della site, they don't even clearly offer the Mini 9 (least expensive, but most compact). It's buried at the bottom. I guess the ladies deserve an instant upgrade to the Mini 10 at $449?
 
As for the product, it's a useful and fun super-gadget for almost anyone to have around. There are just so many other ways to go with messaging that would even err on the practical side, they really didn't need to sell it, or their audience, short by likening it to OMG, the-best-make-up-compact-ever.

Enticing Interest by Usage
I like how they make the selling point to their demographic by using all those special tips. The twist is that all the apps that are mentioned are actually online tools you could use on just about any computer -- similar to the iPhone commercial advertising tons of apps. So rather than push the product, they push what you could be using it for.

Della has some social networking features. So, if you've got a techie girlfriend or wife, you may want to tell them about Della where they can participate in the discussion and join the site's social networking activities on Twitter, MySpace and Facebook.

But it looks like they may have gone a little too stereotypical with this new endeavor. Did they shift their prospects in the opposite direction with this poor understanding of their target?

Mark Shu
Michelle Ameron

 

Within the last 24 hours, Twitter has reached historic milestones. Ashton Kutcher marked 1 million+ followers. CNN followed shortly after. And, yes my friends, (drum roll please) today: Oprah will send her first Tweet on national television. This occasion has some asking:  Will Oprah's endorsement ruin Twitter's underground geek appeal? Will Twitter explode to mainstream adoption?  But, after checking out Oprah's Twitter profile myself, it had me asking:  Who the heck are the other 34 Oprahs on Twitter?

Persona hijacking isn't new to Social Networking. In fact, Carri Bugbee has built an entire business model around it.  Bugbee is the mastermind behind creating faux Twitter personas of characters from the AMC network series Madmen. In this Ad Age interview, Bugbee describes the extensive effort she made to not only create an authentic persona of the fictional character Peggy Olson (and later other characters) but to find other Twitter conversation about MadMen and join it.  In fact, last fall, I wrote on Organic's ThreeMinds about my shock of being contacted by "Peggy Olson" after complimenting her new haircut on Twitter. Turns out, it was Carri Bugbee behind the thank you Tweet to me. Bugbee's Tweets as Peggy Olson generated a following of over 12,000 people. Her efforts have been recognized in the first ever Knight foundation Shorty awards.

Bugbee's initiative was not endorsed or approved by AMC and Madmen - but they were thrilled with the end payoff.  And, it has led to Bugbee starting her own Twitter ad agency, Supporting Characters to help other entertainment entities achieve similar results. However she is careful to point out in her blog, the differences between Brand Advocacy and Brand hijacking:

"There may be a fine line between brand advocacy and brand hijacking. I firmly believe that Mad Men on Twitter is pure brand advocacy, but that's also because I've interacted with them myself and know they all have the interests of the show as their focus. Brands should act as facilitators and the starters of the conversation. Brands who are social media savvy will be in the space themselves and engaging with their customers. Hijacking suggests malevolence so rather than just unleashing lawyers willy nilly, check out what is being said and only engage legal when absolutely necessary."

Besides creating fake profiles for others, Bugbee admits to having multiple Twitter profiles for herself - based on subject matter.  One profile covers her expertise in social media while another covers her love for Jazz music. So, is having multiple personalities for yourself acceptable on Social Networks?  

There seem to be two schools of thought on this. In a recent conversation with Organic's Executive Director, Emerging Platforms, Chad Stoller, he jokes: "For some on Twitter, it has become a contest of who can read the fastest. There are people simply Tweeting news that others are writing and yet they have nothing interesting to talk about themselves."

Many social networking experts insist a varied and multi-faceted approach to your on-line conversation is more dynamic and interesting to followers. Some of the best advice I've heard about creating great short content is to get out from behind your computer and live - so you have new and interesting things to discuss.

On the other hand, there are purists that believe your blog, or micro-blog in this case, should be strictly about one subject.  They may have a point. Typically, I Tweet about Social Networking for Job Search. But occasionally, I throw in some personal observations or experiences - completely unrelated.  Earlier this week, I commented on how happy I was my husband had prepped our taxes and April 15 was stress free for me.  According to Qwittter, an app I downloaded to monitor when people stop following me on Twitter, six people unfollowed me after that Tweet.  

Hmmm... maybe I should have Tweeted that post to my "Wives Who Hate Filing Taxes" profile. On second thought, I'll wait for someone else to create that persona for me.

Traci Armstrong

A few days ago two Domino's employees took it upon themselves to document a pretty distasteful (literally) joke -- or so they're calling it now. If you haven't seen the video that many sites grabbed before YouTube pulled it down, you might want to pass.

One employee plays the old prank of putting something that doesn't belong into an order he's making while the other employee captures it on video. To make it worse, they act like this isn't the first time they've done this. Just check out their other videos. Not good for Domino's or the fast food world in general.

But the crowdsourced sleuthing came to the rescue. The Consumerist stepped in, helped locate the store and the employees, then alerted the manager and Domino's headquarters. Dominos responded quickly by firing the employees. That's what we'd expect, but that doesn't help skeptics like me who wonder if there are copycats out there messing with orders right now. (And I'm sure there are.)

So could Domino's have avoided this mess to begin with? What should they do now to make sure it doesn't happen again? A few Organic employees weighed in:

"Honestly, any attempt like that just looks like duct tape. The real source of the problem is disengaged employees. It reminds me of that great training game where you managed a Kinkos full of unsatisfied and unhappy employees.

The real solution here is training and programs that incentivise and motivate employees. If that happened at a Starbucks, the problem would have been rectified before it ever got that bad."
-Chad Stoller, Executive Director, Emerging Platforms

"...Disengaged employees, or just bad hires? It's naïve to think this kind of crap doesn't go on everywhere. I worked in a restaurant during college, and well, it's a wonder we don't all get sick more often. The best way to deal with this proactively is to hire folks with the right attitude, first and foremost. Although it's interesting, that girl who made the video was perky and happy as hell and probably interviewed well, same as the booger guy. But they were both missing a chip or two, clearly. Certainly, good training programs and involved management make a huge difference, but in certain industries, maybe what a company like that needs to do is institute some kind of prescreening psych test."
-Tracy Coté, Executive Director, Human Resources

No matter what, Domino's will definitely take a hit. I'm sure there are many people who side with these comments:

"Wow. This really gives me pause. Guess I will be eating at home tonight and far into the future."
-Jeff Bossardet, Associate Creative Director

"I just threw up in my mouth a little. You hear things like this and I think a lot of times, you brush them off. No more, I say!"
-Tara Williams, Copywriter

Do you think Domino's did all that they could? What should/could they do now to increase customer trust? And the big question, will you ever eat at Domino's again?

Thanks to Chad Stoller and Jay Bain for the links.

Sarah Jo Sautter

This week one brand harnessed the power of Facebook connect. In order to grab the attention of risk-takers, the movie Crank High Voltage (the sequel to the first action-thriller-comedy) encouraged users to allow the movie to take over their Facebook page.  That's like allowing someone you don't know too well to borrow your car. They don't tell you where they might drive it, but they do promise to return it after they're finished. Oh, and they warn you that it might cause a bit of mayhem, but it'll be exciting because you could win some cash. Do you do it?

Pretty risky, but also kind of intriguing. And that's what Crank High Voltage hoped to accomplish in 14 days on Facebook. But what did the movie's fans think? A few Organic peeps weighed in.

Its really funny
-St.John Oneil-Dunne, Global Business Development

I think its great for attention. I don't know enough about the film to know how well it integrates the appeal.
-Chad Stoller, Executive Director, Emerging Platforms

So I risked my facebook "reputation" and did all those challenges. I must say. I'm very disappointed. I really like how they utilized the functionality of Facebook to create these challenges: updating my status with link to the site, and videos, upload images and tagging...etc. Unfortunately, the content of the challenges is not that impressive in my opinion. Maybe this is the tone of the movie, but this is not what I remember with their first movie, nor from the new trailer. I was hoping the challenges would be more about achieving some missions or more sneak peak about the movie, rather than telling all my friends who I "hook up" with, and what kind of STD I've got.... NOT GOOD... Or am I just lacking a sense of that kind of humor??
-Euphenia Cheng, Designer

So, it looks like they lost at least one fan. Did they go too far or not far enough?

Sarah Jo Sautter

About three years ago, a couple people in our Toronto office shared their cravings for roti. Little did they know it would drive new traditions -- or enlighten those of us who had never heard of the addictive bread. It started as a communal gathering that spawned the need for online ordering (known around the office as Rotitron 3000). The ordering system provides weekly stats on the number of rotis ordered, the type ordered, strength of roti and more. Since November 10, 2006, Organics have spent $9,703 on roti lunches.

Today, we've launched the iPhone app "Rotitron Mobile." No more missed rotis if you can't get to your computer before the Thursday deadline.

Thanks to David Feldt in Toronto for the scoop.

Sarah Jo Sautter

With brands flocking to Twitter, there are many that still need to take the time to understand how it can work for them. In a recent post about the evolution of brand conversations, our own David Feldt describes how much work it takes to engage in meaningful conversations with customers.

This morning, Skittles is letting you do the work for them. Instead of guiding the conversation, they've handed it over. The site's homepage it pulls in every -- absolutely no editing -- twitter reference to the name "skittles."   They've added Twitter to their social media repertoire without ever tweeting a character themselves. Their new website may be generating quite a bit of buzz, but at what cost?

Here's what folks around our network are saying:

"The Skittles' twitter homepage "strategy" makes NO sense whatsoever and adds nothing to the Skittles brand.  All they did was put up an unfiltered, generic Twitter search page that is open to all kinds of abuse. If they had put some thought into it they could have done something worthwhile that actually tied to the Skittles' customer base and made sense."
-David Feldt, SVP, Managing Director

"More than just the Twitter feed, the "Media" link is their YouTube channel and the "Friends" link is their Face book page. Another argument for the "do brands really need a .com anymore" thesis."
-Craig Ritchie, Strategy

"Interesting and not unexpected from a brand known for some extreme marketing ;)"
-Jay Bain, Project Management

"Fail or no fail. I have to say I'm hankering for some Skittles right about now. Maybe that's the point."
-Sandy Marsh, Experience Architecture

"There's no such thing as bad press, as long as they spell your name right."
-David Freeman, Technology

"Skittles has taken the "you are what they say you are" adage literally which is not a bad approach or a new one - Jeep Experience was a similar strategy.  But the execution lacks.  When a consumer arrives at your brand page they should get a sense for what the brand is about. A handful of 140 character blurbs conveys a scattered and convoluted message. It might have been more interesting to bubble up key phrases or terms from the multitude of skittles tweets or draw in imagery from Flickr."
-Russ Hopkinson, Strategy

How long before skittles revokes their campaign? Check it out and tell us what you think. And if you twitter it, please include that too.

UPDATE 3/3/09: Skittles has moved their Twitter feed to a less prominent page titled "CHATTER" and replaced the home page with their Facebook page -- content they are controlling. Skittish or part of their long-term strategy?

Sarah Jo Sautter

People think NASA, they think "can do" right?

Well, judging by this video shot on a borrowed camera and edited at home by a NASA engineer, the agency that put humankind on the moon faces some of the same problems the rest of the world seems to. Too long, amateurish, cloying and at times downright trite - but bang on. So bang on that upper NASA management has used its very existence to deeply question how they foster some of the best ideas in space that never get developed - the ones that are generated by the person in the next cube.

Craig Ritchie also noted some interesting things about the YouTube video itself: "the comments are much more thought out and obviously experience-based than the stereotypical YouTube flaming; the rating 5 stars with 204 ratings; and 94K+ views in less than a month."

You can read more about the story and NASA's reaction at NPR.org. But a more intimate reaction is on the blog of Wayne Hale, previously Space Shuttle Program Director at NASA, now Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships. He ties it back to how in BOTH space shuttle catastrophes there had been grass roots, internal flags raised and solutions offered to the problems that led to the crashes. Longer, but a really really fascinating read.

Alex Churchill

Last Sunday, more than half a million people worldwide opted to heed Nike's call and run ten kilometers. Official race events were held in 26 cities worldwide, while others were encouraged to "run anywhere" using the Nike Plus/iPod pedometer system. With online tabulation of race results for official competitors and iPod users, the event literally allowed participants to race the world, at a universally accepted distance. The promotion also involved pretty sweet micro-site action and free t-shirts.

Liking the idea of going out for a run with the world, Dawn Farrell in the San Francisco office put out the call for runners. Holiday weekends being what they are--and 10K being what it is, at more than 6.2 miles--only three of us joined the worldwide effort on Sunday. Possessing neither Nike Plus systems, nor living in one of the official race cities, we decided to freestyle it. Draw up our own courses and get at it. Three people, three stories. And a nice shared moment of zen with the planet. Viva Endorphin release. First, the words of the organizer, Dawn Farrell.

"Pacific Heights was the backdrop for my first ever 10K. My goal was to finish and I did. My course was designed to be dog friendly as my 12 year old Labrador joined me (that's 84 to you and me). She finished too, a much bigger accomplishment than anything I did that day.

I found myself far more aware of others sharing the pavement than I usually am, my competitive nature kicked in as I observed how easy they made it look, and my Nike t-shirt mandated 'Just Do It' attitude changed quickly to more of one of, 'I can totally take you.' I did managed to get myself to a more zen place at about 4K thanks to the sounds of the Rolling Stones blasting from my nano."

Dawn's tired feet are pictured below at bottom, along with (clockwise from the feet), Ang DiPietro's course, Ang in preparation, Daniel Turman in post-race repose at the beer garden with his Dachshund Lola, and Turman's course on the East Bay isle of Alameda. The other two stories follow the picture. So go ahead and live the drama of global athletic competition and make the jump.