Think like inventor of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee.
While working in CERN in the 1980s and thinking about the problem of information retrieval, the first programme he wrote was called Enquire.
This was in homage to the literary masterpiece of Victorian self-improvement ‘Enquire Within upon Everything.’
Berners-Lee had already conceptualised the internet as a treasure chest of information on just about everything; the problem was devising a way for non-geeks to access it.
As the man said, ‘When I first began tinkering with a software program that eventually gave rise to the idea of the world wide web, I named it Enquire, short for Enquire Within upon Everything.
It was a musty old book of Victorian advice I noticed as a child in my parent's house outside.
With its title suggestive of magic, the book served as a portal to a world of information, everything from how to remove clothing stains to tips on investing money.
Not a perfect analogy for the web, but a primitive starting point.’
Enquire Within Upon Everything was the title of one of the bestselling books of the Victorian era.
First published by Houlston & Sons of Paternoster Square in London and endlessly reprinted (it went to 113 editions), it set out to be an encyclopaedia of information on important matters such as etiquette, parlour games, cake recipes, laundry tips, holiday preparation and first aid.
It told you how to plan a dinner party, cure a headache, make a will and address a duke.
According to Wikipedia, it sold more than a million and a half copies.
(It's now available for free from Project Gutenberg).
Ref. http://influxinsights.com/blog/article/2162/enquire-within-upon-everything.html
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Think like marketing agency, Poke, who built BakerTweet to let tweeters know that their freshly baked goodies are ready to go.
BakerTweet is a bespoke piece of hardware (with Arduino-based guts) that allows the bakers at Albion Oven to select what's just been baked and ping the relevant Tweet to local customers.
Meaning that you can time your trips to Albion to pick up the freshest freshness.
If you want to see what's coming out of the Albion's Oven, join the flocks @albionsoven on Twitter.
Ref. http://www.pokelondon.com/story/project-launch/mmmm-doughnuts-arduino-style-/
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Not Skittles, who binned theirs in favour of spreading their information across various social networks and services.
If you point your web browser to Skittles.com, you will be greeted not by the familiar highly ‘experiential’ or branded interactive site complete with games and promotions—instead, you’ll go to a Twitter search result page that shows you what people are saying about them in real time.
The ‘siteless website’ then places a ‘widget’ above the Twitter search result and lets you navigate to other destinations, including Facebook, You Tube, Wikipedia and Flickr.
Another reason this is worth watching closely is because we're seeing a social media reality play out in real time.
While you can listen in on, respond to and potentially even influence conversations, you cannot control them. We will see more of this, not less.
Whether you love it, hate it or think it's a gimmick—right now this tactic is providing a valuable insight into the business world and current marketing challenges.
Brands are scrambling to become more relevant in our lives.
Traditional websites aren't enough.
Banner ads aren't enough.
Traditional 30-second spots can be ignored and they’re desperately looking for new ways to get talked about.
Ref http://blog.futurelab.net/2009/03/skittles_goes_modernista_with.html
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Think like Apple, who seem to have got it right once again.
The New Scientist reported evidence suggesting that students who download lecture podcasts get substantially higher exam results than those who attend in person.
"Podcasted lectures offer students the chance to replay difficult parts of a lecture and therefore take better notes.
It isn't so much that you have a podcast, it's what you do with it", says Dani McKinney, a psychologist at the State University of New York in Fredonia, who led the study.
To find out how much students really can learn from podcast lectures alone, McKinney's team presented 64 students with a single lecture on visual perception, from an introductory psychology course.
Students who downloaded the podcast averaged a C (71%) whereas those who attended the lecture mustered only a D (62%).
But that difference vanished among students who watched the podcast but did not take notes. Students who listened to the podcast one or more times, and took notes, averaged 77%.
"I do think it's a tool.
I think that these kids are programmed differently than kids 20 years ago," she says.
Ref. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16624-itunes-university-better-than-the-real-thing.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
Take some inspiration from Hyundai.
While other car companies played the ‘Zero Down, Zero % Financing’ and ‘Employee Discount for Everyone’ cards to rescue sales, Hyundai introduced an alternative marketing program that didn’t rely on the same easy-credit, wallet-stretching gimmickry that got us in this economic mess in the first place.
Understanding people’s lack of confidence surrounding job stability, Hyundai created a marketing program, the Hyundai Assurance plan, to reduce the risk in buying a car.
Its mechanics were simple: if you lost your job after buying a new Hyundai, you could walk away from your loan or lease, and simply return the car.
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/financing/HyundaiAssurance/HyundaiAssurance.aspx
The sales results have been astounding. Where overall US car sales have declined about 40% from the same time last year, Hyundai has recorded an increase of nearly 5.0%.
Ref. http://brandautopsy.typepad.com/brandautopsy/
Think like FutureAcoustic who’ve developed SoundCurtain, a new iPhone application that transforms noise pollution into comforting sounds.
The application uses a 3-sound transformation technology that takes in noise via the iPhone microphone or iTouch headset, and converts it into ambient music.http://www.futureacoustic.com/soundcurtain/
iPhone applications are big business: Sky+, Skype and NetPhoto are among those currently in the headlines, but SoundCurtain stands out because it solves a common problem while also providing entertainment.
FutureAcoustic is further developing the application to make it compatible with other mobile platforms, meaning that noisy neighbours and hellish housemates could soon be a thing of the past.
Ref. https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/view/501
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Think like Aussie alcohol company, Lion Nathan, who recently launched their ‘6 Beers of Separation’ campaign for their Tooheys Extra Dry beer.
The competition offered young people a chance to meet the most inspiring person they could think of, in the spirit of the ‘six degrees of separation’ concept.
Entrants were asked to submit a video entry, and now with four Australian finalists chosen, the microsite is streaming their progress.
With 18 days and $12,000 at their disposal, the finalists must meet with five people, each one intended to move them one step closer to the person they aimed to meet.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=55092759
http://www.6beersofseparation.com.au/
Ref. http://www.psfk.com/2009/04/6-beers-of-separation-campaign.html
Think like Zappos, which, according to CEO, Tony Hsieh, has the ultimate aim to be the very best in delivering customer service and consumer experience.
Truly great customer service is rare and Hsieh suspects a lot of people are frustrated by this.
"In the long run, customer service is just good business," he says.
"The problem, however, is that the payoff is usually two or three years down the line."
Given that Zappos made over $1billion in merchandise sales in 2008 after starting in 1999 with almost nothing, with repeat customers and word of mouth as the main drivers, we can see how many businesses are now beginning to cotton onto the force that is Zappos.
So what ‘s different about Zappos?
• The company provides free shipping both ways• Zappos has a 365-day return policy• Only products available in the warehouse are placed on the site• The warehouse is open 24 hours a day• The company is contactable 24/7• The 1800 contact number is prominently placed on every page of the site• The company trusts in its reps; sales staff don't have scripts• If products are unavailable, sales staff direct customers to competitors.
While some of these ideas are extraordinary, like the 365-day return policy, others are quite easy to implement, e.g. putting your phone number on every page of your website.
While some of these aren’t always efficient to the Zappos’ bottom line, Hsieh firmly believes that creating a 'wow' experience for the customer and investing in a corporate culture that gives employees space and freedom and space is what makes them so successful.
"If you get the culture right, then most of the other stuff, like great customer service or building a brand, will just happen naturally," says Hsieh.
Ref. http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/zappos_ceo_talks_culture_fit_a.php
Think like Dutch hospitality group, La Bergère.
They’re developing a new hotel in Maastricht, temporarily dubbed Hotel X, and are filling it with furniture and knick-knacks bought from ordinary people.
The underlying concept for Hotel X is ‘style, sex and soup’, which—in a nutshell—stands for ‘design, attraction and authenticity’.
To find unique furniture and nostalgic items to help them achieve the desired vibe, Hotel X is asking people to rummage through their attics, spare rooms and garages, and offer their unused objects for sale.
People can upload a picture of the item they'd like to sell, along with a short description and an asking price.
While authenticity and nostalgia aren’t exactly new to the hospitality sector, this is still a clever way to find remarkable pieces, and also drum up interest in Hotel X before it opens.
Moreover, by encouraging people to look for ‘cash in the attic’, it taps into the current very of-the-moment of helping people make money instead of just spending it.
Ref. http://springwise.com/tourism_travel/stijlsexsoep/
Everyone knows but rarely practices the secret to successful innovation: knowing how to fail early, and fail cheaply.
Which is why P&G is still actively investing in game-changing innovations even amid the recession.
Real innovation is becoming rare which is why P&G knows it’s important to master the ‘art of failing’.
P&G's CEO, Lafley says,
"In our industry, only 15%–20% of new products succeed. P&G's success rate is a little over 50%. But we were at that lower industry average in the '90s.
We improved our batting average by clarifying and simplifying the innovation process. We set checkpoints with clear measures for each phase of the process from ideation through development and commercialisation.
If a project looks like it won’t make it, we drop it.
You learn more from failure than you do from success but the key is to fail early, fail cheaply, and don't make the same mistake twice."
Ref. http://blog.futurelab.net/2009/04/the_secret_to_successful_innov.html
Think like street artist, Dan Witz.
With his latest work, ‘Plain View’, he attaches his art to the doors and walls of public places, such as bus stations.
Only the occasional passer-by notices that there could be something going on behind that door or wall.
But this occasional passer by is enough to get the buzz going.
http://www.danwitzstreetart.com/2009plainview3.html
Ref. http://www.psfk.com/2009/04/dan-witzs-plain-view.html
Think like CubeTree.com.
Skilled workers are seeing that markets are fluid and global, and a new opportunity may be just an email away.
So Cubetree provides social network tools and application clouds to accelerate virtual collaboration in ways a traditional office setting can't – with exciting new tools coming in every day.
http://www.cubetree.com/
CubeTree allows colleagues to share ideas; get feedback from people they wouldn't normally interact with; find thought leaders; and form ad hoc groups that cut across organisational boundaries.
As well as empowering employees, CubeTree also includes policy controls that give HR and IT administrators the ability to ensure the product complies with corporate policies.
Ref. http://www.iconoculture.com/Approach/WhatWeIdentify/Observations/GenXers/index.aspx?DocName=oa_FreeAgentTools09_108330
Think like Woolies, yes, Woolies.
They’ve left the high street only to pop up in the blogosphere, and are looking to relaunch online this summer.
The Woolies blog is here for people to share their views on anything Woolies-related and so help shape the brand’s new direction.
They’re also encouraging people to discuss what they liked about the brand on their Twitter feed or Facebook page. (Thanks, Wadey).
http://www.woolworthsblog.co.uk/
Woolies have always been famous for Easter eggs, and they didn't want Easter to go by without them, so they've created a fun-packed, online world where you can hunt for their magical Easter eggs for a chance to win a family home entertainment package.
Good on Woolies for bringing the brand back from the dead, and into the virtual world.
Think like Häagen-Dazs who have produced 'Häagen-Dazs Five' which focuses on keeping things pure, natural and simple – adjectives which hold a nostalgic, reassuring and calming appeal in today's ailing economic climate.
As a delicacy with relative affordability and universal appeal, ice cream is one of those products that serves as a barometer of the times.
If the Häagen-Dazs Five line is any indication, then simplicity is a possible signpost to the future.
http://www.haagendazs.com/products/five.aspx
Häagen-Dazs Five is a new, all-natural ice cream crafted with only five ingredients: skimmed milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and natural flavouring.
Available in mint, ginger, coffee, vanilla bean, passion fruit, brown sugar and milk chocolate, the Five line also includes less fat than Häagen-Dazs's other ice creams, the company says.
Ref http://springwise.com/food_beverage/
Think like Kodak who has just announced its new ‘Print and Prosper’ marketing campaign.
The premise is simple: Kodak printers use cheaper ink without sacrificing quality, so they cost less to use.
As almost everyone knows, cartridges are the not-so-hidden cost that lets HP, Lexmark, Brother, and the other manufacturers push down the price of the printer…and then recoup everything, and more, through ink usage over time.
The beauty of Kodak’s strategy is that it requires no explanation, and declares that there will be no surprises.
It simply highlights today’s harsh economic climate and offers people a solution to help them save money.
This says lots about the authenticity of its brand, as well as its relevance.
It's supported with an online calculator to figure out how much money you'd save and by asking details about the printer you're currently using.
So it's also a smart approach to gathering data!
Ref http://blog.futurelab.net/2009/03/even_before_the_ink_dries.html
Greg Taylor
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