Every year SXSW grows leaps and bounds, this year is no exception. New to SXSW the Startup Village brought together startups, entrepreneurs, investors, and cutting-edge digital taste-makers to create new and exciting business ideas.
[VIA SXSW]
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There is some debate of the virtues of Snap Tags vs. QR codes and which one will win the eventual battle for marketing dollars. It harkens back to the classic VCR or BetaMax situation. Both have innovative benefits and differentiating limitations, but there is no debate over the important era they are helping to define: The Era of the Experience Expectation. (I just came up with that.)
Consumers across all demographics are developing a taste for immediate information and experience. Smartphones have enabled anyone with one to have information on everything they can think of at their fingertips...
The digital age and social media revolution have changed the way we consume information. Since the flow of information is no longer one-way—companies to consumers, there's a lot more on the table to look at in order to determine the true success of brands and products. It can no longer be measured by simply how many times a company's message is seen, i.e. "consumer impressions." In today's technologically savvy world, the message is then carried out by the consumers themselves through their "expressions," their interaction with a brand's content, mostly taking place online.
By now, most of us have heard of QR codes to some extent, or at the very least we've stood in public and asked the embarrassing question, "Hey...what the heck is that?" They're everywhere -- in magazines and newspapers, on posters and ads in our train or bus, as social network avatars, and, ah yes, even on the package of products themselves...
I once got lost riding my bike when I was seven. I was new to our neighborhood, took a wrong turn at some point, and lost track of how to get back. It was confusing and scary. And then I saw a familiar landmark (a Dairy Queen sign) and it guided me back to a street that I felt comfortable and safe on. It was a great feeling to have all of the uncertainty wiped away with a simple, familiar sign that let me know that I actually wasn't too far from home.
I thought of that moment when I found myself on a 404 Error page that looked like nothing like the vacation travel site I was on. Suddenly, I felt the "Uh-Oh" of that wrong turn...
Last week, I attended The Social Media Club Chicago's first event of the year: Community Outlook for 2011. There was much discussion to be had, points to be made, questions to be asked...after all, we are a "social" group. Some insightful topics shared included:
Last month, Google launched Hotpot, a social ratings and recommendations site which works in tandem with Google Places. But what about the name "Hotpot" conveys community to you?
We believe that names are powerful because they are identities. The right brand name will provide emotion, personal meaning, and genuine attachment to its brand. So did Google get it right? We suspect that their posted explanation of the name choice suggests maybe Hotspot Hotpot was only lukewarm...
The web may be the future, but it’s looking pretty blue. In color, that is. A recently released infographic of the colors of the top 100 web brands reveals a color spectrum heavily weighted in hues of blue.
At first this may seem odd, as a brand should aim to “own” a certain color(s) to provide greater brand recognition and distinction. Why would a brand choose to use the same color many other brands are using? And why blue? After a quick look into color meaning and effects on observers, the cool blue color is an obvious logo color choice.
