This creates a challenge for marketers. They want to deliver the message that the latest product is better, faster, hotter than the last one and that you need it. They also have to protect their existing customers and either make them appreciate their existing product for longer or make upgrading to the newer product more affordable to reward them for their loyalty.

Apple often does this by timing platform upgrades for existing models around the time of new model launches.
This can help make existing products seem less outdated and overshadowed by the release of new products, while still being able to promote the new models.

An example would be the upgrade of the iPhone operating system before the iPhone 4 was released. The iPhone 3G and 3GS received a few great upgrades, such as multitasking, folders and the book store.

This is a very important strategy to get right, as Apple is near to launching the iPhone 5 not very long after the iPhone 4 was released.

It will be interesting to see the approach from some non-tech companies.

Price influences behavior. In order to craft an excellent user experience, the price — and how your users interact with that price — must be central to the development of the product, especially applications. No user will welcome an application if the cost is prohibitive. This makes price every bit as important as design, information architecture and wireframing, and it goes deeper than just getting people to click “Buy.” By focusing on users in setting and maintaining a price, you will increase revenue, lower overhead and, most importantly, significantly improve the user’s (read customer’s) experience. Read More

Google Wave is Dead

Google Wave, the revolutionary product, platform and protocol for distributed, real time, app-augmented collaboration will no longer be actively developed and may be shuttered after the end of the year, Google announced this afternoon. Read More

Vanity Purchases Are All About Image Even in a Recession

Vanity purchases occur when a customer buys a product with the intention of using it to enhance or support their perceived personality or, as we call it in the Consumer Buying Behavior tutorial, their self concept. Read More

Train your customers

Yes, you can train them. By rewarding some behaviors over others, by keeping some promises not others, by having some expectations instead of others, you get the audience you deserve. Some things you can train customers to do… Continue Reading

Turn More Visitors into Buyers with Adwords Ad Sitelinks

Ad Sitelinks is a new Adwords targeting feature for sponsored search ads that allows you to extend the value of your existing AdWords ads by providing targeted and specific links for searchers whose keyword triggered your ad. Read More

Find all the answers here

1. Myth #21: People can tell you what they want
2. Myth #20: If it works for Amazon, it will work for you
3. Myth #19: You don’t need the content to design a website
4. Myth #18: Flash is evil
5. Myth #17: The homepage is your most important page
6. Myth #16: Search will solve a website’s navigation problems
7. Myth #15: Users make optimal choices
8. Myth #14: You are like your users
9. Myth #13: Icons enhance usability
10. Myth #12: More choices and features result in higher satisfaction
11. Myth #11: You need to redesign your website periodically
12. Myth #10: If your design is good, small details don’t matter
13. Myth #9: Design has to be original
14. Myth #8: Ornamental graphics improves the users’ experience
15. Myth #7: Graphics will make a page element more visible
16. Myth #6: Accessible sites are ugly
17. Myth #5: Accessibility is expensive and difficult
18. Myth #4: Design is about making a website look good
19. Myth #3: People don’t scroll
20. Myth #2: All pages should be accessible in 3 clicks
21. Myth #1: People read on the web

Often correct with his posted rumours, this one will be interesting to watch unfold.

Even with Facebooks monsterous growth and profitability, Google is still an online powerhouse with a massive user and press following. Should their social network offering be more usable and not dabble in the areas of privacy infringement, which has been a common downfall for Facebook, they could do very well.

Websites like Groupon and LivingSocial have become very successful by applying this business model to special deals. Group is valued at about $1 billion only after a year of operation with many new locations added to their website.

The websites make use of social media sharing, such as Facebook Connect to spread the specials through visitors’ circles of friends. This not only broadens the exposure of each special, but gives it a personal recommendation from each person that posts it.

It will be interesting to watch what other social equipped businesses launch in the future.

This emotional response by people towards traffic fines presented the perfect marketing opportunity for FmyFine to engage with potential customers.

I was walking to my car, which was perfectly parked in a bay designed for a car and saw the little pink slip stuck to my window. I really had a hard time understanding why I had been fined and almost gave the nearby car guard a hard time about it too. Upon closer inspection of the fine, it turned out to be a witty marketing stunt by FmyFine.

Having your brand associated with laughter and a feeling of relief is more than some brands could wish for.

FmyFine.co.za is a website designed at providing customers with high quality excuses for lowering or getting out of their traffic fines.

The following example was sourced from The Cool Hunter website.

The game of marketing has changed fundamentally. Taking out uninspiring, run-of-the-mill print and TV ads doesn’t fly any more. Marketing a brand effectively requires exceptional ideas and concepts that are entertaining and unusual enough to capture the imaginations of today’s cynical, ad-wary consumers. Our advice is to go beyond the traditional media to capture your audience in other platforms as well – offline brand experiences that DEMAND consumer attention.

All you do is hold your phone up to the walls and the constantly changing QR codes tell you what’s going on inside. You can also browse shop information, make reservations and download coupons.

Source

How to create a viral element

There’s no formula to create word of mouth marketing, but there are methods that can create the platform:

You need a great product or service that makes your brand stand out and that makes your customers want to tell others about.

Excellent customer service is an essential part of generating word of mouth. Even if your product isn’t the best, leaving a good impression and offering a level of personal service can often be more valuable.

Make your employees happy. One of the most often asked questions is, “So what do you do for a living?”. The answer given can act as the perfect testimonial for your business.

Invest in technology. Social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are powerful and free platforms for customers to spread the word. Create a fan page, add a re-tweet button or publish comments – they’re great ways to show what others are thinking about your products.

Having a website or blog is a great way for others to refer people to your website or share information you publish.

Publishing client testimonials is great way to show potential customers what your current clients think of your product and service offering.

Target the trend-setters. In any marketplace, there are people with industry authority. If you can get them to believe in your product, they will mention you and their followers will pay attention.

Crowdsourcing

Who uses Crowdsourcing?

Companies use crowdsourcing to generate content and products like Wikipedia and Threadless or to come up with marketing concepts for companies in return for a reward or payment, which is done well by Idea Bounty.

Why is it so Popular?

When you crowdsource your campaign results you bypass a single team of experts and open your company to the many talented individuals all over the world. The ideas submitted are often much more fresh and innovative than ones you would receive internally. The individual reward or payment is often quite valuable for the person with the idea and much more cost effective for the company, as they are paying one person… rather than a whole team.

How do you run a Campaign?

If you have a large subscriber base, such as through a facebook fan page, newsletter list or blog base, then you can submit the idea to them and offer a prize for the idea that is chosen. Alternatively there are many agencies who offer crowdsourcing services and have databases of thousands of registered creatives and professionals who are eager to scratch their heads.