WORD OF THE WEEK - "Del.icio.us"
A social bookmarking website. Instead of bookmarking your favorite sites using Internet Explorer or Firefox, bookmark them to a web-based site. It will keep all your bookmarks in one spot so you can access them from any location. It will also allow you to bookmark things not only for yourself, but your friends as well as give you the ability to see what others are bookmarking.
I defined this a couple weeks ago, but I'm going to do so again:
BRANDED UTILITY: Brands being genuinely useful to their customers, employees, suppliers, and to the people they touch.
A Really Good Example of Branded Utility: Nike+ Coach
This site is the prime example of Nike being useful in the lives of their consumers. This tool allows users to track their runs (or even just walks) on a daily basis. They define the site as "train individually or as part of a team, with existing training programs or by creating your own." You can set goals, use maps, see a gallery of others challenges and join them if you'd like, see and be a part of a community that shows events, distances and world runs. You can leave motivational messages for friends or teammates. If someone leaves a message on a future training run, you've got to complete the run to unlock the 'support message'. You can also download music that will help you run and a podcast of a "running coach" that assists you along the way. One small link amidst the entire site will bring users to Nike Gear. The rest of the site does no blatant selling.
Here's a quote from Nike and how they're changing their advertising mentality.
“Last year, Nike spent $220 million of its $678 million United States advertising budget on traditional media (down 55% over ten years), while its nonmedia ad spending increased to a record $457 million. Behind this shift is a fundamental change in Nike’s view of the role of advertising. No longer are ads primarily meant to grab a person’s attention while they’re trying to do something else – like reading an article. ‘We want to find a way to enhance the experience and services, rather than looking for a way to interrupt people. How can we provide a service that makes the consumer go, wow, you really made this easier for me?’ Nike executives say that much of the company’s future advertising spend will take the form of services for consumers – like workout advice, online communities and local sports competitions. Nike portrays the shift in strategy as a return to the company’s roots in the 1970s, when, in the words of an early magazine ad, Nike grew through ‘word-of-foot marketing’. ‘We’re not in the business of keeping media companies alive,’ says Nike Global Branding VP, Trevor Edwards. ‘We’re in the business of connecting with consumers.’” (Steve Saenz, The New York Times)
Welcome Back Spring (except here in Minnesota, bah humbug)
This is a nice little microsite from Lowes. While it took what felt like 3 hours to load, it's a lovely little site with nice use of video/animation and fun (if you're bored) functionality. The site allows you to visit your neighbors, and build your own yard, using products from none other that Lowes. Plant your shrubs, trim them with the hedge trimmer, add a fountain, firepit and even a disturbing little leap frog statue to your yard. Listen to the birds chirping and settle into your new virtual backyard. Again, Lowes, it's a nice site but work on your load time. Do you seriously think I have all day? Maybe because I'm just short and cranky because it's cold.
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