How Amazon pegged me as a Popchips popper

I occasionally get customer emails from Amazon. Today's Deal of the Day for 35% off Popchips caught my attention. For starters, I love Popchips! More important, how did Amazon profile me as somebody who'd be interested in Popchips? I've never purchased 'em, nor anything remotely close to a crunchy snack, for that matter. The only grocery item I've purchased from Amazon is chicken bouillon (don't laugh...I ordered it for my wife). Go figure. But I do like my Popchips (barbecue flavor). I'm curious to know how Amazon slices and dices data--their sources, how they append and overlay; how they make sense of all that data!

Coincidentally, I was at Target a few days ago and noticed two Google Shopping Express (GSE) employees perusing aisles--with carts on hand--filling them with stuff. On my way out at the parking lot, I noticed one of the Google guys loading up his GSE company car (a Toyota Prius) with his loot. I've seen the GSE cars driving around town and one can argue the name "Google Shopping Express" is suggestive; but I figured I'd engage the guy in a bit of conversation to satiate my curiosity about the GSE service.

It appears that GSE is being piloted in the San Francisco Bay Area. Essentially, the service caters to those who don't have a lot of time to trek around town to buy their own stuff. They use the service to save time and get their stuff delivered to them--the same day in most cases. Not a revolutionary idea (think Webvan, now a part of the Amazon family), but if there's one thing we know, Google is super smart and will do their darndest to do the GSE service right.

Sidebar: Google will pay you 38 cents per mile to drive your own car, but the guy I was talking to preferred to use the company car. He didn't seem too excited about driving a Prius (no cool factor, I suppose?), but he was proud of the car's sound system. I wonder if he's allowed to listen to his own music or if the car comes equipped with company-issued tunes (which makes me wonder about the type(s) of genre Google-issued music would be comprised of).

But, I digress.

Getting back to Amazon...

I'm still wondering about how I was pegged as a Popchips popper. And doesn't Amazon have a leg up on Google with this Webvan-ish service? AmazonFresh has been piloted in Seattle for several years, and now it's made its way to Los Angeles.

Have you used AmazonFresh and/or Google Shopping Express? What's your verdict and why? Please feel free to comment below.

Product form and function in the comfort of your hand

Products come in various shapes and sizes. A product that exemplifies the perfect marriage of form and function is the perennial writing instrument, the pen.

I suppose I'm a bit of a pen aficionado (a rollerballer, to be exact). If you do enough writing and note-taking as I do, you'll know what it's like to have the perfect pen fall beautifully into your hand; the smooth flow of the ink as it hits the paper, never skipping a beat, as if you're magically guided through every stroke. When you have the perfect pen, you'll swear as if you can write for eternity!

Another key aspect is the pen's design. Let's take the German brand Lamy, for example. It's evident that Lamy approaches their designs with a great deal of consideration. Just take a look at some of their product designers and creations. Like architecture, it is through Lamy's product features that they tangibly convey the competence of their brand. Though a smaller scale, a great deal of thought and effort goes into designing pens.

Let's not forget the other features and attributes of a pen. There's the type and quality of materials used--aluminum, acrylic, wood, plastic, resin, perhaps a combination thereof? Disposable or refillable? If you're into fountain pens, you'll have nib sizes to contend with. The list goes on.

What's your pen of choice? Do you have a favorite brand?

Successful social selling is only about one thing...your customers

In today's social web, I still see companies using social channels to push their products (and often push them very hard). That's because they still view social media as a traditional marketing and advertising channel, where it's commonplace to try to get people to buy their stuff.

Social media is fascinating because for it to be successful, you need engaging, relevant content round-the-clock. It's true that traditional media also needs engaging and relevant content, but you can get away with being sales-y and "pushing" your stuff to people. That's because most traditional media is a one-way conversation. I equate a one-way conversation to a company that's hot and ready to sell when their customers aren't ready to buy.

If companies truly cared about their customers, they'd first take a step back; then they'd listen and take their customers' feedback into consideration (perhaps even action). By doing so, they'll have a healthy, two-way dialogue; and avoid lecturing customers about why they should buy their stuff. This two-way dialogue helps to create a one-to-one relationship with their customers, an ingredient that's necessary to survive in today's social web. From that relationship comes trust and loyalty, the very tenets that make a brand truly successful.

Like most simple concepts (yes, it is a simple concept), it involves some work to implement, and needs time to percolate. But diligence will pay off.

Unless companies like to hear themselves talk, I don't recommend they have one-way conversations in the social web--because they'll only have a captive audience of one--themselves. And that won't be terribly productive.

Have you come across any companies having one-way conversations out in the social web? Who are they and how can they turn their conversations into healthy, two-way dialogues?

Don't dismiss the value of content and messaging

Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase, "The medium is the message." In media theory, he proposed that the subject of focus should be the media's characteristics--not the content it carries--as it is those characteristics that influence how society perceives the message.

I won't get into a sociological dissection of Professor McLuhan's theory. I do feel that medium and message are important. You must factor both while conveying a message and trying to solicit a response from your target audience. 

I'd like to focus on the "message" portion for a moment, however.

While attending RampUp 2013, I had a discussion with the CTO of an ad platform company. This bloke was sharp, highly-technical and knew his stuff. After our initial introductions, we landed on the topic of messaging.

Off the gates, he (CTO) seemed to dismiss the value of content and messaging; and instead, placed more importance on the product's technology attributes.

I begged to differ. 

A company's product (technical or otherwise) is only as good as how it's conveyed and understood by its customers (users). True, product development is important, but I can almost guarantee that successful companies also understand the importance of identifying a market for that product or service; which, by the way, will need some content or messaging crafted around it. Moreover, the message must not only be clear and concise, but also targeted. It's a balance that content and messaging developers work hard at in order to engage and deliver results. 

At the end of our discussion, I feel we were both more educated; he (hopefully) on the importance of content and messaging, and me on the opportunity to further bridge the gap between IT and marketing.

Do you have a similar IT vs. marketing story or experience? Let's hear about it.

Extraordinary Entrepreneurs Partially Ignore the Experts

Reading and learning often puts me in a quandary. One expert says one thing, while another negates the other expert by saying something just the opposite. Who should I believe?


When it comes to entrepreneurship (and navigating one's career), Reid Hoffmann and Ben Casnocha hit the nail on the head in their book, The Start-Up of You...

"Books and speeches and articles on entrepreneurship proclaim to impart the top rules of the trade. The irony is that the extraordinary entrepreneurs tend to challenge the rules and partially ignore the experts--they come up with their own principles, their own rules of thumb. After all, the way you achieve differentiation in the market is by not doing what everyone else is doing."


True, being experts themselves, one can certainly partially ignore Mr. Hoffmann and Mr. Casnocha. I personally wouldn't given their achievements (and high-caliber book endorsements). Instead, I recommend you read the book. It's a quick read and you may just get inspired (like me).

Do you have a favorite motivational/inspiring book? Join the discussion on Linkedin.

Redbox: An informal brand case study

In a previous post, I indicated that Redbox was an irresistible brand. I want to prove my point further in this post. Below is an email correspondence I had with Redbox concerning an unplayable disc. I rented a movie and halfway through watching it, the picture went ballistic on me. As a result, I was unable to finish the movie.

A few things worth noting...

• As you'll read in my online inquiry, I didn't ask Redbox to compensate me in any way.
• Redbox explicitly states a response time of 24 - 48 hours for web inquiries (suffice it to say, their response time was lightning fast)
•  There were no grammatical gaffes or typos in Redbox's communication.

If you're a Redbox customer, I'd like to hear about your experiences (good or bad). Thanks for sharing!

...Original correspondence starts below...


Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

Subject
Unplayable Disc
Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (JessicaO)	06/11/2013 04:44 PM
Hi Giovanni! I’m sorry to hear that your Blu-ray Disc didn't play properly. If you haven’t already, please go ahead and return it to any Redbox location. It’s possible that the disc you rented was manufactured after your Blu-ray player. To play new Blu-ray Discs, you may need a firmware or software update from your manufacturer. We encourage you to check the manufacturer’s website or call its technical support team to find out if you need an update, and if so, how to get it. To apologize for the inconvenience and cover the cost of the rental, I’d like to give you some promo codes good for a free one-day rental of any Blu-ray Disc or DVD of your choice, or a discount on a one-day game rental. The codes can be used online or at the box and are valid for 45 days from today's date. Only one code can be used per transaction. Here they are: XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX To use a promo code at the box, touch the PROMO CODE button when you get to the checkout screen. You’ll still be asked to swipe your card to cover any additional days you hold on to your disc. You won’t be billed for your first rental day, but you’ll see an authorization hold that’ll drop off of your account in 5-7 business days. To use a promo code online or on the mobile app, click the “Use Credits or Promo Code” box on the checkout page, then select “Use Online Promo Code.” You won’t be billed for your first rental day, but you’ll see an authorization hold that’ll drop off of your account in 5-7 business days. If you have any more questions, please contact us at 1.866.REDBOX3 (1.866.733.2693). Thanks! Redbox Customer Care 1.866.REDBOX3 www.redbox.com
Customer By Web Form (Giovanni Ella)	06/11/2013 04:30 PM
I rented Broken City and it played fine for the first half, but I was unable to watch the other half of the movie because it wouldn't play (even after cleaning)...the images got pixilated and distorted. Anyway, thought you should know. Keep up the great service!
Question Reference #130611-003143
Date Created:  06/11/2013 04:30 PM Last Updated:  06/11/2013 04:44 PM Status:  Solved Credit Card Last 4 Digits:  XXXX What can we help you with?:  Unplayable Disc Rental Location ZIP Code:  XXXXX We are here to assist you with:  DVD/Blu Ray/Games Rental

Who in the world has a Discover Credit Card?

I've seen my share of Discover Credit Card ads. I've heard them on the radio and seen them online. There's even a billboard off Highway 101.

Discover is certainly not some fly-by-night credit card company by any stretch of the imagination. As a non-member, my perception of their brand is positive. Yet despite these attributes, I'm still hard-pressed to know anyone that has the card.

I've marketed credit cards, so I know Visa and MasterCard are the top dogs. Then there's American Express.

Where does Discover fall in the ranks? According to the Nilson Report, Discover is the fourth largest in terms of market share. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are the top three.

As I look back at how my credit card relationships came into being, I remember that American Express was the first company to give me a credit card (in college). I'm not entirely clear on how my relationship with Visa began; and I've never had a MasterCard.

I'm on a quest to find somebody with a Discover Credit Card. If you have one, what drove you to get your card? What is it about the card that you value most? Thanks for sharing.