Sunday, January 30, 2011

Are We Bored Yet?

bored
image courtesy of izqrdo

We usually attend conferences to learn new, interesting information. James Ward, in contrast, created the Boring 2010 conference. The "boring" topics ranged from the English breakfast to Mr. Ward's tie collection to sneeze counting, all topics which examine everyday life. One of the attendees, Ms. Jo Lee said, "We're all overstimulated," and "I think it's important to stop all that for a while and see what several hours of being bored really feels like." http://goo.gl/09OFU

Here is a recent article on attention deficit disorder due to technology, which continues the theme of a surfeit of information for today's consumers: http://goo.gl/Ne4V3

It is surprising that consumers long to be bored, yet understandable due to too much information. Would you like to be bored, and if so, by what?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Oh! The Places Marketers'll Go

Place Royale Québec
photo courtesy of Mario Groleau

Lionsgate Entertainment uses Facebook Places instead of Foursquare or one of its competitors for a new social media campaign: http://goo.gl/KsUO2



The campaign is interesting in that it is by a large company and incorporates a game with locations related to the film. It continues with the winners of the game eligible for a bigger prize. Foursquare and its competitors, of which there are many, face competition from Facebook Places. Some users have become bored with checking in on Location Based Services (LBS) and receiving badges. It is easier for consumers to check in with their Facebook accounts instead of logging into a different app.

Marketers need to reinvigorate check-ins. Coupons will work if the user agrees to opt in. Prizes, discounts and rewards are more attractive to customers, and may influence them to visit your business. The rewards should not be one-time only, but continue. They could be tied to events and unique product offerings. If your company uses LBS, it should offer gifts, which make customers feel special and increase brand loyalty and equity. How is your company using LBS?