The Essential Orange

Foursquare sampling idea - Bow Wow

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Here's a fun use of Foursquare that was used by a petfood manufacturer in Germany. The billboard becomes the destination where dog owners can "check in" and receive a free sample. What I like about this idea is that it's highly targeted - reaching early adopters/experimenters- creating brand buzz and trial for a new dog food. What makes this dogfood unique is a key ingredient - 5% of the mixture is pomegranate.

The only drawback - the sanitation issue. I would have preferred packaged samples.
(just saying....) bow wow

How the Tablet is changing the online Shopping Experience

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:23:00 +0000

I’m often told by folks that once they buy a tablet, they give up their laptop. While less than 4.5% of all computers shipped in 2010 were in the tablet format, Morgan Stanley predict that number to increase to 20% in the next two years.

This is great news for retailers who are jumping on iPad and other tablets to create new retail interfaces that provide an enhanced shopping experience compared to your typical e-commerce site. These new apps are more lifestyle oriented, and offer a curated selection of the top featured items or selections around certain themes – just like a magazine or catalogue.

With a quick swipe of the finger, it’s easy to drag an image and drop it into a cart. Image and video quality are often superior to a phone or computer. These apps are much more about presentation and visual merchandising and the “less is more” approach means that the consumer is not overwhelmed with selection.

At Net-a-Porter, the online designer fashion retailer, currently, about 15 percent of their shoppers buy from the iPad app.

“The iPad app is really our magazine app,” said Alison Loehnis, vice president of sales and marketing for Net-a-Porter. Its app was introduced last summer, and has been downloaded 120,000 times.

“Our site was founded on the desire to create a fashion magazine that you can shop from, and this whole notion of literally being able to move things around on the page and slide things into a shopping basket and touch things with your fingers the way you would do in a magazine is really a dream come true,” Ms. Loehnis said.

At Gilt, the innovative flash sale site featured here, the iPad app “truly is sort of an entertainment source during the member’s downtime” said the company’s chief product officer, Stefan Pepe.

Gilt’s sales start at a specific time with a limited amount of merchandise, and so its Web site and iPhone app are geared toward quick shopping. Although Gilt members shop flash sales on the iPad app, they can also use it to look at clothes as they would in a fashion magazine — a different experience. Shoppers can zoom in on the images closely enough to see the stitching on a shoulder seam or the lace fringe on the bottom of a skirt, for instance, and can drag items to their shopping carts without leaving the page.

TheFind does the comparison shopping for you online. Once you select a style/colour, it gives you alternative. In TheFind’s tablet app, a shopper can see the typical catalog-style shots, like of a living room filled with Crate & Barrel furniture, or can view individual photographs and descriptions of each item in the shot, like the pillows or lamps.

Mr. Kumar of TheFind said the app was a reaction, in part, to the overwhelming shopping options available online. “If I said, let’s show you every possible shoe on the planet, you’d be exhausted,” Mr. Kumar said. “A lot of these retailers use the catalog to tell people what they have: its things they’ve curated and picked.”

Share your favorite tablet apps or join me in tablet envy :)

Integrated marketing campaigns - 14 tips on using QR codes

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:28:00 +0000

Ever pass one of these codes on the street or in a magazine and wonder what it's all about? These are QR codes, a 2D barcode that can be a powerful and innovative tool in your integrated marketing campaign mix.

Here are the top 14 tips from interactive expert Angie Scottmuller who runs a strategic consultancy Interactive Artisan, that specializes in leveraging emerging technologies to improve user engagement, optimize conversion, and continually enhance the customer experience

1. A QR Code is a 2D Barcode

QR codes are an encoded barcode image resembling a square-like maze. Unlike a 1-dimensional UPC code, a 2-dimensional barcode stores data in both directions and can be scanned vertically or horizontally to be decoded.

2. 2D Barcodes Can Store a Variety of Data

A traditional 1D barcode (UPC/EAN) stores up to 30 numbers, while a 2D barcode (QR) can store up to 7,089 numbers. The additional storage capacity accommodates a variety of data beyond numbers:

Text
Hyperlink
Telephone number (Phone call)
SMS/MMS message
Email (Send message)
Contact entry (vCard or meCard)
Calendar entry (vCalendar)

Storing a hyperlink presents a myriad of possibilities beyond just loading a web page -- play a video, download a mobile app, check-in on Foursquare, update a Twitter status, "Like" a Facebook page, display map directions, and more.

3. Read/Decode a 2D Barcode by Scanning it With a Smartphone

(A 2D barcode reader app is required to decode the encoded data.)

4. 2D Barcodes Can be Placed in and on Nearly Any Location

Once the barcode image is created, it can be printed on nearly any surface and location -- newspapers, TV ads, billboards, temporary tattoos, product packaging, clothing labels, cake frosting, and more. This enables you to drive traffic, interaction, and conversion from anywhere. 2D barcodes excel at bringing non-digital media to life.

Note: Use caution placing barcodes online. They should always enhance the user experience. If a user could click a hyperlink, don't make them scan a code to complete the same task.

Bear in mind the location must be easily scannable. Plastic frames and packaging can reflect light. Lighting can cast shadows, and hillsides and subways can kill Wi-Fi access. Consider all contextual factors that could impact the scanning experience.

5. Mobile Barcode Scanning is on the Rise

2D barcode scanning outnumbered 1D (UPC) scans in Q1 2011.
- ScanLife's Q1 2011 Trend Report
Mobile barcode scanning grew 1,600 percent in the year 2010.
- ScanLife's 2010 Trend Report (PDF)
QR barcode scanning was up 1,200 percent in the second half of 2010.
- Mobio's Naked Facts Report
22 percent of the Fortune 50 have already used mobile barcodes.
- Burson-Marsteller Report

QR codes can be used for nearly any function (logistics, advertising, customer service, etc.) for B2B and B2C across a variety of industries:

Best Buy uses QR codes on in-store price tags for quick access to online reviews.
Golf Digest uses Microsoft Tag in their magazine to accompany tips with interactive video.
Real estate agents use 2D barcodes on "for sale" signs providing prospective buyers access to virtual tours.
Libraries are using QR codes to facilitate learning via interactive scavenger hunts.

6. QR Isn't the Only Type of 2D Barcode

The most popular 2D barcode formats are QR code, DataMatrix, ScanLife EZcode, and Microsoft Tag (Tag).

There are several key differences in these code formats. ScanLife EZcode and Microsoft Tag are proprietary formats only decodable by their tools, while QR and DataMatrix formats are open standard. (Additional format differences can be addressed in another blog post.)

A Google Trends analysis of these 2D barcodes shows "QR code" dominates by far from a search popularity perspective. QR has become a common term used to reference a 2D barcode (2D code, mobile tag, mobile barcode, etc.) even when codes are technically a different format. Even @MicrosoftTag uses the #QRcode hashtag on Twitter.

7. Tools to Generate and Read 2D Barcodes are Free

Tools are available for all major mobile phone handsets. To run a 2D barcode campaign you'll need to following:

2D barcode generator (Website service)
2D barcode reader (Mobile app)
[Optional” 2D barcode management/tracking tool (Website service)

Generators:

Different generators have varying features. Choose a generator based on the options for:

Code Format (i.e. QR, EZcode, Tag, etc.)
Stored Data (i.e. hyperlink, meCard, SMS, etc.)
Output (i.e. color, size, download file type, etc.)

QRstuff.com is a comprehensive QR generator providing a variety of stored content, color, size, and output options. ScanLife's generator creates their proprietary EZcode as well as QR and DataMatrix formats. Microsoft Tag only generates Tag.

Note: To generate a code on the ScanLife or Microsoft Tag sites, you'll first need to create an account. (Tag requires providing personal info like birth date, gender, etc.)

Readers:

Microsoft Tag and ScanLife EZcode can only be decoded by their respective reader apps. Because of the open standard for QR codes, dozens of reader apps are available. (DataMatrix is usually supported on most QR readers.) Some mobile handsets come with a reader app pre-installed.

The following 2D barcode reader apps work on the majority of phones/handsets.

Reader App	Code Formats	Download Link (from your mobile phone)
RedLaser	QR, UPC/EAN	redlaser.com
BeeTagg Reader	QR, DataMatrix, BeeTagg	get.beetagg.com
AT&T Code Scanner	QR, DataMatrix, UPC/EAN	scan.mobi
ScanLife	EZcode, QR, DataMatrix, UPC/EAN	getscanlife.com
Microsoft Tag	Tag	gettag.mobi

RedLaser and AT&T Code Scanner also have geolocation features for local price comparison shopping.

8. Management Tools are Available to Track Scanning Analytics

URL-shortener and web analytics for 2D barcodes storing URL hyperlinks are a great start. For comprehensive scan tracking, you'll need to use a barcode generator tool that includes tracking analytics. (These tools are not independent.) Some management tools will merely track the number of scans while others provide detailed metrics like demographics, repeat scans, geolocation, and more. Collected analytics depends on the reader app used for scanning, so data results may vary.

Management tools are relatively inexpensive and sometimes free. Paid plans typically have a free trial with fees based on the number of scans.

2D Barcode Management & Tracking Tools:

Microsoft Tag (Tag)
ScanLife (EZcode, QR, DataMatrix, UPC)
Tappinn (QR, UPC)
Paperlinks (QR)
QReateBUZZ (QR)
BeQRious (QR)
SPARQCode (QR)
QReate and Track (QR)

9. 2D Barcode Content Should Provide Special Value for the Customer

It's work to scan a barcode, so users have higher expectations as to what content they will find. Reward the user with discounts, exclusive content, or useful tips relevant to the code's context. Consider scenarios that leverage smartphone features (email, SMS, phone call, video, map, apps, etc.) to save the user time.

For example, including a QR code on a business card that links to a meCard would be a lot easier than the user manually entering the contact record. In contrast, a QR code that links to a website homepage adds limited value.

Note: If you link to a web page, make sure that it's mobile-friendly.

10. Small or Complex QR Codes Can't be Scanned by Smartphones With Lesser Quality Cameras

Complex 2D barcodes (a lot going on, not very dense) are more challenging and time consuming to scan. In the case of QR codes, more stored content forces a larger code size. In general, it's best to minimize data stored in 2D barcodes. Always use a URL-shortener to shrink hyperlinks. (Add analytics tracking parameters before shortening the link.)

Warning: Small, complex QR codes are the biggest mistake currently being made by marketers. (Microsoft Tag and EZcode formats generally don't have this issue.) Smartphone cameras with resolution less than 4-megapixels can't scan a QR code smaller than about 1"x1". Moreover, without the auto-focus (AF) camera feature, a complex QR code will have the same scanning issue, even if the code is larger. The iPhone 3GS and Blackberry are popular handset examples that lack both of these camera features. Unscannable codes kill and delay the adoption rate for 2D barcode campaigns.

Tip: Always provide a back-up (i.e. hyperlink, SMS text message, etc.) option for users to retrieve info within the code. A back-up enables non-smartphone users to also participate.

11. Consumers Need Guidance to Scan 2D Barcodes

The variety of code types, readers, and different terminology is confusing to consumers. Nielsen Company estimates that only 40 percent of U.S. mobile devices are smartphones as of Q1 2011, growing to almost 50 percent by Q3 2011. That means there are a lot of smartphone rookies that barely know how to use their phone, much less distinguish differences in mobile barcode formats and reader apps. As long as 2D barcodes are a novelty concept, always include a brief step-by-step guide with the context of your code.

Logical steps:

Get the reader app
Scan the code with your mobile device
(Action that happens upon scanning)

Tip: For the reader app download, include a URL link or SMS shortcut to expedite the process. This step is imperative when using proprietary Microsoft Tag or ScanLife EZcode formats since only one reader is capable of scanning their codes.

Steps two and three can be combined as a call-to-action. Example: "Scan to ____." (... watch a video, download our app, call customer support, etc.)

12. 2D Barcodes can be Customized Artistically

QR codes include an Error Correction Level (ECL) that enables "damaged" codes to still be scanned. The error level tolerance (set by the code generator) can be as high as 30%. As a result, creative license can be used to create designer QR codes from a variety of colors or materials (i.e. jelly beans, sand castles, product packaging, etc.) as long as there is adequate contrast to read the code.

When it comes to advanced QR code graphic design, it's harder than it looks. If you want to get fancy, I recommend connecting with QR art experts at QRarts.com or Delivr.com.

Microsoft Tag also allows for artistic codes. Their custom tag tool allows users to generate art from codes or even overlay codes on top of photographs.

Tip: Some artistic design is fun and good to see; however, don't go overboard. As long as 2D barcodes are novelty, it's important that users easily recognize a scannable code from a distance.

13. Testing Scannability is Imperative.

Before you mass print or distribute barcodes be sure to test for scannability. Testing factors:

Smartphone cameras (resolution/auto-focus)
Reader apps
Scan context (i.e. lighting, shadows, surfaces)
Scan distance
Scan timing

14. Seek Expertise to Ensure Successful Campaigns

To ensure campaign success, consider consulting with a mobile barcode marketing expert, especially if it's your first time running a mobile barcode campaign. Technology, trends, and tools in this arena are rapidly changing. A few hours of expert consulting can bring your team up to speed, help optimize campaigns for success, and avoid unnecessary embarrassment for poor implementation.

Expertise goes beyond consultants: Talk to your web analytics guru and learn all you can about the mobile users currently accessing your website. Seek out mobile marketing industry statistics regarding popular devices and demographics to appropriately target your audience. (Compete, ScanLife, and eMarketer provide regular useful reports.) Follow the #QRcode Twitter hashtag or subscribe to "QR Code News & Mobile Trends" (Paper.li) for the latest news and case studies.

Finally, you can download Angie's QR Code Best Practices Checklist & Campaign Worksheet to help plan and manage your campaigns.

To Deal or not to Deal - are local Daily Deal sites right for your brand?

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:03:00 +0000

Ever wondered if it made sense to add Groupon or Living Social to your marketing mix? Daily deals are great way to leverage two current trends, hyper-localism and budget consciousness. Many companies have participated in these deals, from Gap and Nordstrom Rack to your local restaurant or gym. How do you decide if it's for your brand? Well, like any marketing/media vehicle, there are a number of questions you can ask. Here are a couple simple ones:

Does this vehicle help me meet my marketing goals?
How targeted is it?
Is the vehicle/environment consistent with my brand?
What deal should I offer?
What's the ROI?
Timing?
Which Daily Deal platform to select?

Here's some food for thought.

Marketing Goals
- Daily deals are a great way to build awareness, drive traffic and trial - especially helpful if you have low awareness and penetration into your key demographic.

How targeted is it?
- Because only people who are interested buy, it is highly targeted. This is a great way to introduce your products or services to new users since it's low risk for them. You might be subsidizing some of your current customers, but chances are, you'll also be able to bring back lapsed or occasional users are well. And since it's a social tool, your fans can share with the deals with their friends and bring in new users.

Is it a good brand fit?
- The great news for marketers, especially those who shy away from coupons, is that Groupon and Living Social and some of the newer sites including Rue La La (upscale deals including luxury brands such as Cartier and Hermes), Tippr and even Facebook are a great milieu for most brands. They are relevant, social, and hip.

What deal should I offer?
- It depends on your target audience and marketing goals. Among adults online who visit Coupons/Rewards websites, nearly half are interested in gardening, while roughly one-third are interested in home repair/renovation, religious involvement and landscaping. Other standouts include knitting/sewing (Coupons/Rewards site visitors are 19% more likely than the average adult Internet user to be interested) and gourmet cooking (18% more likely). (Source: Nielsen)

What's the ROI
- Most offers are around 50% off or more off the regular price. The daily deal platform normally takes 50% of the deal. That leaves you with a slim 25% margin. The best way to look at the ROI is to compare the cost per conversion versus other vehicles you use to see if it makes sense.

Timing
- Make sure you have your operational house in order. You don't want to invite new guests and have them be disappointed by out-of-stocks, customer service, cleanliness or other issues.
- If there's seasonality inherent in your business, you should also take that into consideration

Which daily deal platform to select?
- Here's some great info from Nielsen comparing the Living Social to Groupon profiles.

Visitors to Groupon and Living Social are similar in that nearly two-thirds are female and more likely than the average U.S. Internet user to be affluent. Living Social’s visitors trend slightly more affluent and more educated than Groupon’s with 46 percent having a Bachelor’s or Post-Graduate degree, compared to 39 percent for Groupon (the national average for Internet users is 25%). Visitors to Living Social are also 49 percent more likely than the average American online to make $150,000 or more, while Groupon’s visitors are 30 percent more likely.

Although the audiences to both sites share a similar gender and socioeconomic split, there are notable differences in the age and geographic location of their U.S. visitors. Groupon has a higher concentration of visitors aged 35-64 (57 percent compared to 51 percent for Living Social), with the Internet average being 48 percent. Living Social has a higher concentration of younger visitors with 21-34 year olds making up 33 percent of their audience compared to 25 percent for Groupon and 21 percent across the entire web.

While both sites offer deals in many cities across the country, Groupon is most likely to have visitors from the Northeast while Living Social has a high concentration of visitors in the South and Pacific regions.

Hopefully, this gives you some food for thought before you decide to plunge into the world of daily deals.

Have you tried any of these platforms? If so, share your story or advice!

A novel approach - pop up bookstore

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:24:00 +0000

On the ground floor of a townhouse at 547 Hudson Street, in Manhattan's West Village , there is a book store that only sells one book: Martian Summer: Robot Arms, Cowboy Spacemen, and My 90 Days With the Phoenix Mars Mission.

Imagine, walking into a bookstore and seeing over 3000 copies of one book. You'd either find it really humourous and want to purchase the book or for the more curmudgeon types, be really annoyed. The idea was the brainchild of the 32 year-old first time author Andrew Kessler from Brooklyn, New York who wrote Martian Summer. Looking for an idea that would generate publicity about the book on a small budget, Kessler tapped friends and colleagues until he found a generous landlord who was willing to support the arts. Normally rents in this area go for over $1000 a square foot.

While pop-up stores aren't new, this is a fun spin that's helped raise the author's profile and generate some sales. The store is open for just a month (April 12- May 15) and to date Andrew has sold over 500 copies.

Any fun pop-up store experiences you can share?

Guerrilla-style campaigns - Inspiration #1

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:28:00 +0000

Let me inspire you!

There are so many great examples of how brand managers around the world are experimenting with different media and venues to build brand awareness, drive revenue and traffic. Many of these campaigns use social media, making it interactive with users who then take the idea viral by involving friends on social networks.

I'll post the top ten campaigns that I've found. Some of these require big budgets, but others are very guerrilla and are more an investment of time and creativity.

For many of you who stay up to date on the latest in digital marketing some of these campaigns will likely be familiar. For others, I'm hoping this will be a discovery.
And please, feel free to add your comments or share your favourite campaigns so I can feature them!

Enjoy!

Volkswagen - The Fun Theory, Stockholm Sweden

The Objective:

Get more people to drive environmentally friendly cars by making it fun

Establish Volkswagon as an environmentally responsible leader in car manufacturing

Create awareness and interest in Volkswagen's "BlueAction Technology" which reduces environmental impact without compromising the car's performance.

The Insight:

It's easier to change behavior if you make it fun

The Idea:

The idea was to "test" the Fun Theory - that you could change human behavior by making things fun, by creating three experiments, “The Piano Stairs,” “World’s Deepest Bin,” and “The Bottle Bank Arcade.” All three experiments were filmed and released on YouTube; you could also go to funtheory.com to learn more about BlueMotion Technologies.

Volkswagen also launched The Fun Theory Award, which allowed people to compete with their own ideas. Submissions were judged on how the idea could in a fun way change people's behavior and make a positive impact.

The Results:

“The Fun Theory” became a global topic, with articles appearing in all the major Swedish newspapers and other major media outlets throughout the world. It became the most viral campaign in the world with over 20 million views on YouTube, 115,000 sharings on Facebook, over 20,000 Tweets, and 33,000 blogs have written about it worldwide. The Fun Theory website received over 1.7 million visitors, 10,000 fans on Facebook, and 10,000 subscribers on YouTube. The Fun Theory contest received 700 user-generated initiatives from 35 different countries.

As a result, Volkswagen has become the most popular eco car in Sweden, selling 4% more green cars than they sold the year before, and exceeded their sales target by 50%.

The Work:

Bottle Bank Arcade

Piano Stairs

The World's Deepest Bin

The Fun Theory Award Winner - The Speed Camera Lottery

How Converse is succeeding in Social Media by being relevant, useful and making a human connection

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:36:00 +0000

It’s Prom season. The stretch limos were out last night. One stopped outside our restaurant and unloaded maybe ten young women, slightly tottering on unfamiliar heels, expectant fresh faces adorned with brightly coloured eyes and lips. Following closely behind were teenage boys decked in tuxes. I noticed that one lad in particular had matched his tux with a pair of Converse sneakers. Very fun – made me think of John Lennon and the other music icons that embraced this brand helping give it its cult status. The humble canvas sneaker that says you’re a touch subversive, a little bit hip and a tad different from everyone else in a non-elitist way.

Converse continues to nurture its connection with the indie/alternative music scene with their very talented and innovative CMO Geoff Cottrill at the helm. (I worked with Geoff when he led the Starbucks Entertainment group – he ran around in, guess what, a pair of Converse). The brand was bought by Nike in 2003 for $350 million, a time when the brand had lost its way in the 80’s and 90’s and held less than 3% of the market. Today its sales are well over $2 billion and the brand has over 16 million Facebook fans. (In comparison, Nike has 7 million fans and Pepsi less than 4 million). All this on a pretty slim marketing budget, according to Geoff.

Geoff attributes the more recent success of the brand to staying authentic to its roots and by leveraging social media to cultivate the passion of its fan base – tapping into the imagination of the brand’s core customer base, turning them into brand evangelists. He does this by enabling the brand to be relevant and generous, a zeitgeist if you will, “a curator of sorts for new music, art and fun”. They've become a real distribution platform to help indie musicians get their music out, through ongoing initiatives including “Converse Rubber Tracks” - a new state-of-the-art recording studio launching this summer in Brooklyn where artists can record at no cost. These types of gems make new music a real discovery for the Converse customer and build huge brand affinity in the Indie/Alt music world.

So getting back to the Prom. One of the fun things that Converse does is trend topics on the internet and build conversations around them. A timely theme they picked up on was “How to ask for a date to the Prom”. They created a video/promo around this question “The Ask-Er-Out-Er” and asked folks in their Facebook community to list three things that they liked or had in common with their dream date. They picked a couple posts and created personalized videos meant to help that person ask the guy or girl for a date to the prom. You can check it out here.

A great example of why the Converse brand is so successful in nurturing its following. While you can buy Ready to Wear or create your own Converse Prom sneakers, the “Ask-Er-Outer-Er” was more about building an emotional connection with teens rather than selling stuff. I love this quote from Geoff from an interview on Mashable about the opportunity for brands to act more like human beings in order to make a real connection.

Social media itself is a lot of hype, except for the potential for companies to act more like human beings and be forced into thinking about marketing and message control in a different (or now obsolete) way. But social media has the potential to mature into a powerful hybrid of traditional marketing techniques and community engagement, especially if that community becomes your brand advocates. Which is why we focus on a couple of core marketing truths via social –- be relevant, make a connection, be useful, etc.

So what stories can you tell about you and your pair of sneakers?

Social Dining - two new reasons why you never have to eat alone

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:04:00 +0000

Social dining is a new innovation in social networking– it takes online relationships offline, over a meal. I love this idea. It’s a great way to meet new people if you’ve moved to a new city or simply wish to expand your social or professional network. It’s also a fun way to try new restaurants.

Here are two different models on the cutting edge

Grubwithus: Launched in 2010, the core philosophy at Grubwithus is that Social Dining can build friendships over great meals. Think OpenTable meets Groupon, but instead of booking your own table, you're booking an individual seat at a table with other social diners at a fixed price & menu. You'll eat good food, meet new friends, and instantly know more people. Grubwithus was started in Chicago by two post-college friends who have tried their hand at various start-ups.

Today it was announced in Tech Crunch that a group of prominent early-stage investors have decided they’d love to back Grubwithus. The service, which launched out of Y Combinator last year, has just raised a $1.6 million round. Who’s at the funding table? Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, NEA, SV Angel, Ashton Kutcher, Guy Oseary, Vivi Nevo, Yuri Milner, Felix Shpilman, Maynard Webb, Matt Cutts, Elad Gil, Paul Buchheit, Alexis Ohanian, Start Fund, and Y Combinator.

Grubwithus is currently operating in Chicago, New York, San Fran, D.C. and L.A.

The other Social Dining site is called Let’sLunch which was launched in January of this year. Its focus is much more about social business networking versus making friends and acquaintances. They have a built-in rating system for who you are as a key influencer based on peer ratings. As users improve their level, they gain more access to more connected people and opportunities. You pick the time and restaurant so it’s much more about the forming business connections (think match.com for business networking) than about enjoying a meal or making friends.

Have you tried any of these social dining sites? Are you game?

If you’re in Seattle you register here to be notified when Grubwithus Seattle is up and running.

How Social Media helped Starbucks rebuild trust

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Seth Godin’s post “Seeing the truth when it might be invisible” caught my attention this morning. Its message resonated. Every day we are asked to make a leap of faith – whether it’s to believe what we hear in the news, an ad we watch or what we read online. Most people begin from a place of trust, but trust is easily broken. Can we believe everything that we read in the news or online about a company? Absolutely not. As Seth says, “it’s a skill to figure out what’s real, even when it’s invisible”.

I think the implication is an invaluable lesson for brands. Everyone has an agenda and brands can provide great acoustics for any group or person’s agenda. And while you cannot control the media, what is real, however, is the face to face customer experience – how you can impact an individual’s experience with your brand, positively or negatively.

For brands this means that all aspects of what the customer experiences needs to line up to a consistent message. For Starbucks this meant that when business softened and criticism mounted on all fronts in 2007/2008, they had to rebuild customer relationships and show the world that they did really care about things like the quality and consistency of their coffee beverages as well as the more altruistic components of their brand such as community building and caring for the environment. People were quick to call for the demise of the brand – Starbucks had become too big, they had sold out and were no longer cool.

Starbucks responded with the now famous closing of its stores for three and a half hours while it retrained every barista. That was a public throwing down of the gauntlet to critics. However, one initiative that sea-changed the customer relationship equation for Starbucks was the launch of My Starbucks Idea in March of 2008. For the first time ever, Starbucks customers had a direct pipeline into HQ and could voice in a public forum what they loved or did not, about Starbucks and submit ideas on how to improve their Starbucks Experience.

Starbucks was listening. Now Starbucks’ ubiquity became an asset as customers from around the world had an opportunity to connect with each other, spawning like-minded communities like the "free wi-fi group", the "soy group", the "comfy chair group", "bring back the x beverage group" or "frappuccino lovers". Starbucks listened and brought over 100 ideas into action.

By building out additional social media initiatives, Starbucks had direct a pipeline into their fan base. From there they could share their perspective, share their appreciation and share their view of what was real through content and dialogue. By giving customers a platform to voice their ideas and emotions about the brand and by responding in a transparent and authentic way, Starbucks was able to reignite the magic and rebuild trust.

When you mess up, act quickly & be humble

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:26:00 +0000

Today in my inbox I received an email apology from Jill Layfield, the CEO of Backcountry.com. She was apologizing because of the use of an unfortunate headline used to promote their outerwear and rainwear collection.

"Mother Nature Hates you. Deal with it"

While very fun and witty, the timing of the header could not have been worse as it coincided with the tornado disaster in Alabama and surrounding states.

As most marketers know, email campaigns and headlines are developed weeks in advance based on a promo calendar. While it was too late to catch the headline, the company acted swiftly showing their concern and apologized in a sincere and authentic way.

Based on their handling of the situation, my esteem for this company and affinity for the brand has increased. (I think I'll go like them on Facebook to show my support).

When you mess up....act quickly, be authentic and humble.

Social Media CSR - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 02:35:00 +0000

This presentation does a good job of memorializing how campaigns have been successful in driving social change.
Companies, or movements like Green Peace, have built support by leveraging available media platforms in an innovative way allowing for immediate involvement in a cause. Take a look.

Social Media CSR - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

View more presentations from Social Media Influence.

KLM - performance art creates buzz (and smiles)

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:15:00 +0000

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I absolutely love guerilla marketing as a way to generate brand buzz and launch new products. Here is a new favourite from KLM to launch their new "Economy Comfort Zone" on intercontinental flights. The event takes place in Manchester Airport using the Dutch magician Ramana. Advertising that generates awareness and smiles is a powerful duo, combined with the viral effect this ad will generate, it's a very effective campaign indeed.

Hema - viral launch of an eCommerce site

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 09 May 2010 16:02:00 +0000

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Sometimes examples of well-executed creative ideas take a while to cross the ocean. This is one from Holland that I thought was really fun and effective.

HEMA is a Dutch department store that opened it's first door in 1926 in Amsterdam. There are currently 150 stores all over Holland. In June 2008 they launched a campaign to promote their new online shop, but instead of a creating a typical digital ad, their agency turned the new website of HEMA itself into a viral hit, based on the simple message: "The products of HEMA can now be found online at hema.nl"

The website had 700.000 visitors the first week, and 1.500.000 after a month. It was featured on all major blogs in the Netherlands as well as worldwide blogs such as Gizmodo, BoingBoing, Wired. It got over 2.400 Diggs. Google blog search reports over 2.000 mentions of the site's name.

The Best Ideas - breakfast with Seth Godin

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:37:00 +0000

Seth Godin requires no introduction. I happily subscribe to his words of wisdom and creative inspiration that are sent every day, rain, snow or sun. You can too. This little pearl was delivered into my inbox this morning. I read it while munching on my Raisin Bran with bananas and a sipping a cup of (Starbucks French Roast) coffee. I thought I would share it you.

"Do you often find ideas that change everything in a windowless conference room, with bottled water on the side table and a circle of critics and skeptics wearing suits looking at you as the clock ticks down to the 60 minutes allocated for this meeting?

If not, then why do you keep looking for them there?

The best ideas come out of the corner of our eye, the edge of our consciousness, in a flash. They are the result of misdirection and random collisions, not a grinding corporate onslaught. And yet we waste billions of dollars in time looking for them where they're not.

A practical tip: buy a big box of real wooden blocks. Write a key factor/asset/strategy on each block in big letters. Play with the blocks. Build concrete things out of non-concrete concepts. Uninvite the devil's advocate, since the devil doesn't need one, he's doing fine.

Have fun. Why not? It works".

Isn't that the greatest idea! I wonder if this would work in a group setting. Often I find that these collisions and new ideas come from getting a group of people together from different functions and backgrounds to look at an issue or opportunity.

Feel free to share your most effective techniques on generating good ideas.

Crowdsourcing creative needs- innovative options for budgets small and large

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Over the past two years, a number of creative services crowdsourcing sites have emerged providing services you would typically find at an ad agency - everything from logo design, advertising development, website design, video creation, to brand naming and tag lines. The more well known of these sites includes 99design.com, genuisrocket, and Victors & Spoils.

So how do these work?

99design.com and Geniousrocket have a similar approach.

You develop a creative brief which is posted on their site. You select a reward/prize anywhere from $100 upwards depending on the scope of the project . A flat fee is charged by the site (20% on the prize at GR or a project brief fee $39 at 99D)
Your project is uploaded to the website and designers from around the world submit their creations. During the ideation phase, there's an opportunity for creators to correspond with the client in order to get more clarification or info
select the winner
rights transfer

Victors & Spoils works differently from the two sites mentioned above. It's model seems similar to an ad agency but with a big difference in that it harnesses the principles of crowdsourcing to develop work. In a very real sense, they end up with a virtual, hand-picked creative department. In this case, you play the more traditional role of the client. The CCO at V&S is Evan Fry, an ex-Crispen & Porter.

Here's a little more on them, edited from their website:

".... it’s our goal to provide businesses with a better way to solve their marketing, advertising and product-design problems by engaging the world’s most talented creatives.

...companies need an alternative.., one that offers the strategic direction, engagement and relationship management that agencies deliver today, but one that also delivers the engagement, cultural relevance, results and return on investment that crowdsourcing {if managed and directed well} can deliver".

Two very interesting approaches that serve different audiences and needs.

Have you crowdsourced any of your projects - or submitted creative work? I would love to hear about your experience.

emarketing - emails you'd love to receive? Is it possible?

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:47:00 +0000

As I was going through my Yahoo account this morning, I realized it was out of control. Hundreds of unopened emails from a host of great companies trying to solicit my business. And in amongst this sea of company names, emails from friends were being overlooked. This wasn't working. Time to unsubscribe to get incoming mail to a manageable amount.

This made me think....what is it that companies need to do to really stand out and deserve my attention? Most of the emails were like sales flyers, companies selling me what's on promotion. Unless it's big news like, my favourite hiking boots that I've viewed 8 times are now 50% off, I'm really not that interested.

So what is it that companies need to do to generate and keep my interest? In contemplating this question I came across a piece of advice from a relatively unknown (or at least to me) email marketing company called Madmimi

I often feel that the best way to treat your list with respect is to sit and think of yourself for a little while. Think of how important you are to your customers, how your product, service or newsletter improves your readers’ day and even improves their lives.

Great, now you can create an email which shows your passion and, like laughter, passion can be infectious. Imbue your emails with sincerity and your contacts will appreciate you all the more for it.

There’s another side to this idea. Think of yourself some more but this time as if you’re the recipient. What makes you open up an email in your inbox. What makes you click on a link or read it til the end? When do you feel you’re being respected and when do you feel that your email address is taken advantage of (ugh! No one wants to be spammy!).

It’s really helpful to write an email you’d love to receive

I think this is great inspiration and a powerful filter for any email marketing campaign.

The Growth and Role of Online in US Retail

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:17:00 +0000

There are some tasty tidbits of research recently released from eMarketer and Forrester Research that track the growth and importance of ecommerce as both a shopping and research medium for consumers. eMarketer forecasts that in 2010, US retail e-commerce sales (excluding travel) will climb to more than $152 billion, which is 12.7% higher than 2009.

They also estimate that 162 million people in the US will research products online this year. Of that, over 82% will makes purchases. As big as this number is, the internet still functions mainly as a research tool, capturing only 7.7% of total retail sales. The percent of online buyers will rise as younger aged Internet users, predisposed to e-commerce, replace older users.

The biggest opportunity for retailers is to provide a seamless experience between the web and the store. According to Forrester Research, much of the overall retail sector’s growth in both the US and the EU over the next five years will come from the Internet. “To maximize that growth, eBusiness professionals will have to help enable a multichannel strategy that responds to consumers’ increased desire to hop between the offline and online worlds and their increasing mobile and social behaviors. The retail innovators over the next five years will demonstrate customer enablement across all touchpoints, not just via a PC-based Web browser.”

Despite consumers’ increasing use of the Web to research products before purchasing, most retailers fall short on offering a seamless cross-channel experience. According to Forrester’s data, while 82 percent of US online consumers are satisfied with buying experiences that began and ended in a store, satisfaction drops to 61 percent for consumers who began their research online and purchased in a store.

Here is the US Online Retail Forecast, 2009-2014 (Forrester Research)

* In the US, Web shopping will account for 8 percent of total retail sales by 2014.
* Three product categories dominate online retail: apparel, footwear, and accessories; consumer electronics; and consumer hardware, software, and peripherals. Together, those categories represent more than 40 percent of total online retail sales in the US.
* By 2014, 53 percent of total retail sales in the US will be influenced by eCommerce as consumers increasingly use the Internet to research products before purchasing.

The Power of Sound in Advertising

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Powerful advertising has the ability to engage both visual and auditory senses. Jingles have always played an important part in lodging brands into our brains and influencing purchase decisions. Sometimes, annoyingly, like Subway's current $5 dollar foot-long ad). Now that's a jingle that's tough to shake. And it does work - or it did on me. When at an airport the other day, I visited my first Subway for a sandwich in years.

A study conducted by Buyology Inc. and Elias Arts, a sound identity company in New York, looked into the impact of sounds in advertising. They wired up 50 volunteers and measured their galvanic, pupil, and brainwave responses to sounds using the latest neuroscience-based research methods.

What was interesting, was that the most powerful sounds were not the familiar and comforting sounds from nature but that of a computer chip, Intel - especially since a computer chip doesn't even have a sound.

The third most powerful sound was the vibration of the cell phone. This sound had a Pavlovian effect on the volunteers who immediately stopped what they were doing to check their phones. Curiously, cell phones on "mute" are not considered to have a sound but as the study shows, the unintended sound of the vibration was powerful. (Hmm - can you create an ownable vibration sound to build brand recognition??).

As marketers, we know that sound is important in generating emotion and brand recognition. For me, this study makes me look at sound in a new light. Here are the results from the 50 volunteers. A small sample to be sure, but it gives directional food for thought.

THE MOST IDENTIFIABLE SOUNDS

Non-branded and branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Intel
3. Vibrating phone
4. ATM / cash register
5. National Geographic
6. MTV
7. T-Mobile Ringtone
8. McDonald's
9. 'Star Spangled Banner'
10. State Farm

Top 10 Branded sounds:
1. Intel
2. National Geographic
3. MTV
4. T-Mobile
5. McDonald's
7. State Farm
8. AT&T Ringtone
9. Home Depot
10 Palm Treo Ringtone

Top 10 Non-branded sounds:
1. Baby giggle
2. Vibrating phone
3. ATM / cash register
4. "Star Spangled Banner"
5. Sizzling steak
6. 'Hail to the Chief'
7. Cigarette light and inhale
8. "Wedding March"
9. "Wish Upon a Star"
10. Late Night with David Letterman Theme

For more on this topic visit Fast Company

Visa Olympic Ads hit the right tone

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:27:00 +0000

It's been great watching the Olympics this year. Normally I don't get too involved. Maybe it's because, being in Seattle, it feels like it's in our backyard. And of course, it's in Vancouver and the Canadians are cleaning up on gold medals and will shortly take home the gold in hockey! (Can you tell what nationality I am?? :)

One of the fun things that I've enjoyed watching are the Olympic-themed ads. And I'm not the only one. As it turns out, American TV viewers like their Olympics – even in the commercials they watch.

A Nielsen survey asking Olympics viewers about commercials aired during NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage through February 20 shows that six of the 10 most liked ads contained an Olympics theme. The ads, aired by Visa, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble, included either a direct mention to the Olympics or imagery alluding to the games.

Americans rewarded Visa the highest ratings of likeability for ads that ran the first week during Olympic prime-time coverage. The emotional spot featuring the story of U.S. speedskater Dan Jansen was liked three times more than the average commercial aired during NBC Olympic telecasts. Visa placed two more ads on the top 10 list, including a spot featuring U.S. skier Julia Mancuso, which earned likeability levels twice as much as the average.

In addition, Visa is running a super integrated marketing campaign along with these ads.

The overall blue hue that the commercials and all other visual elements use it instantly recognizable. Morgan Freeman as spokesperson has a wonderfully strong, provocative yet friendly voice that resonates with both sides of the border.

The website is really engaging. It uses the same creative style and palate as the commercials. While the sweepstakes is the main feature, there are also great vignettes, highlighting several athletes.

8 Lessons from a Local Retailer's success

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Over the past twelve months, many shop-fronts across the nation have gone dark. Restaurants, fashion boutiques, housewares, furniture and fixture shops. Yet some retailers continue to thrive, despite their high price points or seemingly luxury or non-essential offerings.

One business that is a true passion of the heart is the book selling business. While many businesses have been both created or rendered obsolete by technology, bookstores have certainly faced their set of challenges. First it was the big box giants like Barnes and Noble, where you could sip your Starbucks and cozy up on a couch and flip through discounted first run best sellers. Then it was Amazon with its convenience of online shopping, book reviews and, unbeatable prices and free shipping. And now, book stores have to brace for another challenge with the advent of the Kindle and iPad.

I’m sure all of us can name at least 2 or 3 of our favourite bookstores that have disappeared. Yet despite the odds, some independent bookstores continue to thrive. Or should I say survive? I doubt the bookstore business is a high margin business – far from it. Those who stay in business I’m sure are working on very thin margins.

One small chain with 11 stores in the Bay Area that has managed to thrive is Books Inc . What are the lessons that book stores, small chains or other independent retail businesses can learn from their success?

Location: They stay away from malls and locate in communities with heavily foot-trafficked areas
Footprint: They have found a smaller footprint (3500 square feet) works best
Financial Management: They are scrupulous about costs – book returns, payroll, payroll hours allotted to each store
Locally Relevant: Much attention is paid to the needs of the surrounding community. Books Inc. buys for each individual store (versus one size fits all). They also include special shopping nights with a portion of proceeds going to local schools and discounts for community book clubs

Customer Service: Friendly and helpful is absolutely key as is staffing the store with people who are passionate about books and enjoy sharing their knowledge and passion with others.
Books Inc. is a destination: They host numerous author readings and book clubs. Some of the clubs include: Classics I forgot to Read, Desert Island (the books you’d want to take on an island), and Down to Science. They also host kid clubs and a writer’s workshop
Leveraging Technology versus Fighting it: While they’ll never be Amazon, they have developed their own affiliate program and you can download eBooks so customers don’t have to shop elsewhere.
Civic-minded and Industry involved: Books Inc. is also very active civically and in their industry. Book Inc., as members of the American Booksellers Association, protested to The Department of Justice, challenging the predatory pricing of best-sellers from Big Box retailers - Walmart, Target & Amazon. Book Inc. are also advocates for shopping local and are members of Indiebound.org

"The mission of the IndieBound Community is to help people across the United States share and find independently-owned businesses. By connecting indie-conscious people with local businesses, we're working to strengthen the health of Main Street ecosystems across the United States".

Ultimately, people vote with their wallets. Every purchase directly impacts the composition and character of one's neighbourhood. If independents can't compete on price and in some instances convenience, then the added-value needs to come from somewhere else. The competitive advantage a local retailer owns is its closeness, connection and knowledge of its community.

So where will you cast your vote today?

Beyond Carrots and Sticks

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:52:00 +0000

What motivates creative problem solving and innovation in the workplace? Enjoy this TED talk featuring social scientist Dan Pink. Dan Pink argues the case that present day thinking around managerial approaches and incentive based performance actually stifle performance, especially when more out-of-the-box approaches are needed to tackle a problem. He cites research from universities such as MIT, Carnegie Mellon, LSE to name a few to support this fact.

So what drives performance? Intrinsic motivators. People want to feel that what they do is part of something larger than themselves. They want to feel engaged, not by being told what to do but by being self-directed. Carrots and sticks don’t work in the new economy. Dan Pink posits that too many companies are still focusing on old world thinking about driving results and can learn from 21st century companies like Google, IDEO and Atlassian where new approaches like devoting specific time to non-work projects are driving results and employee satisfaction. At Google in particular, at least half of the innovative new products, including Gmail, have been created during this think and play-time.

What does the new operating system look like? It satisfies these human desires:

Autonomy – the urge to direct our own lives

Mastery – the desire to get better and better at something we have a passion for

Purpose – the yearning to do something of value in the service of something bigger than ourselves

Enjoy!

Trends to watch in 2010 - Embedded Generosity

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Now that we're over the "best of" lists that look nostalgically at 2009, it's on to thinking strategically about the consumer trends that will impact the new decade we've entered and what it will mean for the brands we're working on.

One of the most inspiring trends to me as a marketer is the Generation of Generosity. This trend reflects a wide array of thinking - from companies that share everything they know for free - to bloggers and tweeters that share stories and information to help others. A great example of the former is Hubspot, a B2B company based in Cambridge Mass. that publishes all its methodology and even holds free "university" webinar classes so that people can learn new insights and technology in order to become better internet marketers. And of the latter, some of my favorite sites include presentation zen and harvard business where I'm always learning new information on topics that interest me or following #tags on twitter to be part of a larger converstion on a specific topic.

In the spirit of generosity, trendwatching.com (another favourite site) predicts that we'll see more of something they term EMBEDDED GENEROSITY. This trend ..."incorporates all giving initiatives that make giving and donating painless, if not automatic (after all, pragmatism is the new religion ;-). On top of that, with collaboration being such an integral part of the zeitgeist, expect lots of innovative corporate giving schemes that involve customers by letting them co-donate and/or co-decide".

This idea is not new - Starbucks has adopted EMBEDDED GENEROSITY as a way of doing business for years, especially around its Cafe Practices coffee sourcing program and most recently, in conjunction with Starbucks RED.

So does this feel like an evolution of "cause marketing"? Perhaps so. The point here for marketers is that EMBEDDED GENEROSITY works when its authentic and transparent. Done well, it provides a rich landscape for storytelling providing the consumer with the opportunity for more meaningful involvement. And if you're not doing it, well you might very well be standing apart from your competition.

Here is the list of examples from trendwatching.com from 2009, one of which (Campbell's) is a favorite that I've already featured on The Orange. Some ideas to spark inspiration for brands as we begin 2010.

Australian Baby Teresa manufactures and sells a variety of 100% cotton onesies for babies, and, for each one purchased, donates another to a baby in need somewhere in the world.

IKEA’s SUNNAN LED desk lamp is powered by solar cells. The product retails for USD 19.99, and for every unit sold in IKEA stores worldwide, another one will be donated to UNICEF to give to children without electricity in refugee camps and villages in remote areas.

Still going strong, Procter & Gamble and UNICEF have joined forces for the fourth year running, in an effort to raise money for tetanus vaccines. Each time a pack of the Pampers or Fairy brands bearing a "1 Pack = 1 Life-Saving Vaccine" logo is purchased, P&G will donate the cost of one vaccine to UNICEF.

TOMS Shoes donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell online. As of August 2009, TOMS has given over 150,000 pairs of shoes to children in need. TOMS shoes plans to give 1 million shoes by 2012.

Sage Hospitality is encouraging consumers to complete 8 hours of volunteer service in exchange for 50% - 100% off published room rates in their 52 hotels. To take advantage of the 'Give a Day, Get a Night' scheme, customers must present a letter from the organization they worked for.

Give a Day, Get a Disney Day aims to celebrate and inspire volunteerism. Disney is working with HandsOn Network to highlight a variety of volunteer opportunities with participating organizations across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Starting this month (January 2010), those who contribute their time can have it verified by HandsOn and they'll receive a voucher from Disney for one day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park.

Servus, a Canadian credit union, began handing out CDN 200,000 in ten-dollar bills, giving 20,000 people the opportunity to create a Feel Good Ripple by spending the money on someone else. By pledging CDN 200,00 to the effort, the company hopes to start a ' kindness movement' that will positively affect at least 20,000 people. Servus is distributing the bills through its branches throughout Alberta, and asking participants to write up stories of their kindness online.

Campbell's Help Grow Your Soup campaign aimed to raise money to maintain farm buildings in need of refurbishment. The campaign asked consumers to vote for one of ten barns in need of work, and for every vote until January 2010, Campbell donated 1 USD to restore the five barns which receive the most votes.

In October 2009, Twitter’s owners announced that they will begin selling wine through their label, called Fledgling Wine. The wine will be bottled from August 2010 and USD 5 of every bottle sold will go to Room to Read, a charity that organizes literacy programs for children around the world.

Chicago's Hotel Burnham launched the charity based initiative 'Casual Blue' in 2009. A USD 10 room credit is given to patrons who leave a pair of (old) jeans, which are then donated to local charities.

If you have other favourites you'd like to add to the list, let me know!

Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world's leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide.

There's no biz like Shoe Biz

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:23:00 +0000

I have a great appreciation for the art and science of visual merchandising. I also have a weakness for beautiful shoes (and boots). How wonderful that Cool Hunter has assembled a nice collection of retailers that combines the two. In these photos, you can see how the shoe buying experience is elevated to resemble that of visiting a gallery. Each shoe feels bespoke. And we're not just talking Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik here. Many of these "galleries" feature sneakers. Effective brand building experiences for both the manufacturer and the boutique.

Inspiration to begin The New Year

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:16:00 +0000

Happy New Year!
I wanted to share this wonderful Ted Talk given by Benjamin Zander in 2008. Mr. Zander is on a mission to ignite the love for classical music in people around the world. It seems that only 4% of the world is passionate about classical music. It's wonderful to listen to his stories. I think there's a great leadership lesson here when he says "My job is to awaken possibilities in others; to make everybody else powerful". He knows he's successful when he sees his audiences' eyes shining.

Here's to a shiny and bright 2010.

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Reaching the LOHAS Consumer

karin.koonings@theessentialorange.com (The Essential Orange) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:06:00 +0000

Here are some interesting demographics regarding the size, media habits and location of Americans concerned with issues of sustainability and health. The all important LOHAS segment (acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) represents a $200 billion rapidly growing market for goods and services that appeal to consumers who have a meaningful sense of environmental and social responsibility and incorporate those values into their purchase decisions. According to Ad Age, the nation's shelves will be stocked with more than 1,500 new products featuring green messages by the end of this year.

This is what the consumer environment, based on environmental values looks like*:

LOHAS (19% of U.S. adults): LOHAS consumers are dedicated to personal and planetary health. Not only do they make environmentally friendly purchases, they are active stewards of the environment.

NATURALITES (15% of U.S. adults): This segment has a strong personal health focus through consumables. NATURALITES are not, however, as committed to the environment nor driven to purchase eco-friendly durable goods.

DRIFTERS (25% of U.S. adults): These consumers have good intentions, but factors other than the environment influence their actual behavior. They are, however, driven to sustainability based on the trendiness of the topic.

CONVENTIONALS (24% of U.S. adults): This very practical segment doesn‟t have far-reaching green attitudes, but they do have environmental behaviors such as recycling and energy conservation.

UNCONCERNED (17% of U.S. adults): Simply put, the environment is not a priority to consumers in this segment.

The NATURALITES are an interesting niche - a group that has a strong personal health focus but are not driven to purchase eco-friendly products. This is likely a group we’ll see more and more products targeted at with messaging around simplicity and transparency of ingredients. For example, in March 2009, Haagen-Dazs launched a new premium product line called Five. Five was developed with fewer, more recognizable ingredients (the name reflects the number of ingredients in the product: milk, cream, sugar, eggs and a natural flavor such as vanilla bean.) In just eight months, Five sales have grown to account for 10% of Haagen-Dazs business.

In terms of targeted media vehicles, it is interesting to note that the LOHAS segment are heavy users of both magazine and the Internet, while NATURALITES under-index in heavy usage of the internet but are heavy TV users.

Profile of LOHAS Consumers Heavy Media Usage
	% more likely to be a heavy media user
	LOHAS	NATURALITES
Heavy Magazine User	+16%	+6%
Heavy TV User	-23%	+6%
Heavy Internet User	+21%	-10%
Source: MRI 2009 Survey of the American Consumer

And if you ever wonder what the top DMAs for buying organic food are, here they are:

Top 10 DMAs in which reside adults who buy foods labeled natural or organic:

1. San Diego, Calif.

2. Seattle/ Tacoma

3. Philadelphia

4. San Francisco/ Oakland/ San Jose

5. Washington, D.C. (Hagerstown, Md.)

6. Portland, Ore.

7. Denver

8. Baltimore

9. Sacramento/ Stockton/ Modesto, Calif.

10. Colorado Springs/ Pueblo, Colo.

* source: MRI