Maybe Samuel Adams was onto something by advertising their “smallness?” I just read about another brand taking a similar “we want to be small” approach.
MillerCoors has recently launched a new brand, Colorado Native, to be produced in small quantities, and marketed solely through online and digital channels. The beer will initially be launched in Colorado only, with expansion following. MillerCoors is hoping the lack of traditional advertising will make consumers feel as if they “discovered” the beer, similar to how MC brand Blue Moon gained popularity.
Colorado Native has also used a unique, digital-based approach to gathering information about its consumers. Using a mobile phone’s camera, consumers can take a picture of the SnapTag on the logo, and send it to Colorado Native. This will provoke a series of questions about their activities, interests and opinions, and the information will be used to create future communications for each specific Colorado Native customer. For example, if I sent the SnapTag logo to Colorado Native and answered the questions, I would probably get emails/texts about deals surrounding major sporting events (like last night’s NCAA title game).
This approach will create an outstanding experience for Colorado Native drinkers (assuming the beer tastes fine) for two reasons. First, the information they are gathering is willingly provided by the consumer. They aren’t forced or tricked into providing it, so the brand will have a chance to interact directly with consumers who are genuinely interested in the brand. The early adopters of this communication will likely turn into brand advocates, which are extremely valuable for a brand that’s putting all of its eggs in the word-of-mouth basket.
Second, the end-game really is a better experience for the consumers. They are rewarded with discounted beer and information related to their own interests for simply texting about themselves for a couple minutes. If Colorado Native were to send out these discounts on Friday and Saturday afternoons (or whenever beer is purchased most), it could be very effective in driving sales. This approach would be a stark contrast to Amazon, who emails their account holders daily with book suggestions. As much as I would like to buy a book every day, it’s not realistic. If brands or companies are going to use this approach, find out when individuals purchase your products, and send the offers around those times.
I’ll leave my questions for how they plan to grow their brand outside of Colorado for a later date.
April Fool’s! However, I am anxiously awaiting its release in two days. While I am not a quite sold, I cannot wait to see if the iPad will have the effect Steve Jobs is anticipating. The Question: what will the reaction be when consumers actually get their hands on Apple’s newest toy?
According to a study done by Vocus, the consensus view towards the iPad has been “neutral.” 76.8% of traditional media reviews, and 57.9% of blog posts about the iPad have been measured as neutral, and that likely reflects hesitancy to pass judgment on the product until it is released. This “wait and see” approach is probably justified, given the mixture of positive/negative speculations, but the first few weeks will be telling.
The Apple-addicts and other early adopters that have pre-ordered the gadget will likely drive the app purchasing during this time, but will their positive reviews and word-of-mouth be enough to carry the iPad? With prices starting at $499 and stretching up to $829 plus wireless costs, purchasing an iPad is much different than buying an iPod. The iPad will have to earn its keep at those costs.
My previous post about the iPad questioned how practical it will be, but I cannot question the power it could have. Could this be the beginning of the end for laptops (and iTouches for that matter..)? According to Walter S. Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, it could be close, but it has its work cut out for it. What do you think is in store for the iPad’s future?
Coming Soon…will Border’s and Barnes and Noble be joining Blockbuster?
I have previously blogged about how Apple’s approach to its tablet device, the iPad, and questioned whether or not its design was practical, what the market was, and if it was truly innovative. I do not have the same skepticism regarding Microsoft’s new device.
The Microsoft Courier - not bad, right?
The Courier, Microsoft’s digital journal that’s currently in the works, emphasizes portability and practicality, and will likely reap the benefits of these characteristics. The Courier weighs about a pound, is less than an inch thick, and is about the size of a 5″x7″ photo when closed, compared to the iPad’s nearly 10″ size. This makes it much more portable, and closer to a happy medium size between a laptop and Smartphone.
The functional aspects of the Courier include a pen-based interface, combined with a camera and strong chance it will act as Microsoft’s e-book reader. The pen base will allow consumers to write, draw, and use the Courier as an actual journal, only the contents will be accessible through a corresponding website.
The price and release dates for the Courier haven’t been released, but as long as the price is close to the iPad, I believe the Courier will be wildly successful. The folding, smaller size will not just make it easier to use, but much easier to carry around, and the ability to write (not type) will make using the device much easier. It’ll be interesting to see what develops regarding the Courier, but FaceTime will be sure to keep you posted.
The temptation was too much. I really did not want to write about the iPad.
With every piece of information I read about the iPad, the HD-quality video or web-browsing, email, music/iTunes, photo albums, videos and eBooks, I can’t help but think, doesn’t Apple already have an iSomething for that? Outside of the eBook, it appears that Apple tinkered around then injected steroids into the iTouch. Apple has been right in the past when they created the iPod, when the mp3 player market was almost non-existent, but this has to be a bit of a stretch. Right? I’m not saying the iPad isn’t “cool”, and playing around on one at the Apple store wouldn’t be fun to do for a while, I’m just questioning whether or not it’s practical. To do so, I have a couple quick questions. (more…)
