The benefits of technology battles

Gizmodo produced this helpful map of the battlefronts between Microsoft, Google, and Apple.  One could expand this endlessly, but a couple of other fronts to note might be Amazon’s commerce/content/cloud platform, and mobile/internet carriers fighting to keep from being commodity pipes.  Notice none of the device-centric players are on the map – a bummer for one who appreciates devices and design.

As a person with a strategic bent, I find the dynamics of the tech market scintillating.  This is why I left the food business for the personal technology market.  In food, with all of its marketing know-how, if unit sales were growing faster than the population growth, you had a winner, and then almost always at someone else’s expense.  In tech, the internet happens, Google search happens, and iPhone happens.  Competing tenaciously, companies with a lot of smart, creative people try to out-awesome each other.  Things change as a result — change which impacts and (mostly) enables the way billions of people do things.

As a matter of belief, I refuse to trust technology to fundamentally improve the state of the world.  For every boon (e.g., the ubiquity of communication counters ignorance and exposes badness), there is a bane (e.g., people consume and create as much unhealthy content as conscience allows).  The root of the world’s trouble is not a gap in the  sufficiency of wizzy tech.  But at least tech causes movement, and in movement comes opportunity — opportunities for profit, sure, but also for other goodness.

Despite conspiracy theories, I believe Larry and Sergey are sincere when they pledge Google to avoid “evil.”  Many might argue that their moral compass is out of alignment, but they do put forth efforts on clean energy and employ civil disobedience in the name of freedom.  And their search tool lets me find information and people instantly.  Microsoft’s success has funded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  And their Office apps are my favorite tool kit.  Apple has done many….hmmm.  Well, at least my wife finally can access my calendar via her iPhone (and Google).

One of the things I appreciate most about tech is that it creates new markets.  Instead of spending my (whole) day trying to ruin competitors by taking share, profit, bonuses, jobs, and livelihoods from them, I can add new value and new capability to customers.  Hopefully, they do good things with that capability, and hopefully, I’ll set a good example.

I get the value of competition in providing economic benefit and do my part in combat, but I advocate a balance of intent (I love the B Corp concept).  Let me work on the innovative front, climbing new mountains, rather than focusing exclusively on knocking people off the old ones.  And cheers for our God-given capability to invent things that create those opportunities.

Pepsi project is refreshing

The most powerful source of brand value is customers’ experience of a company’s offerings — products or services.   But the second most potent, in my assessment, is company actions.  Pepsi has launched a terrific effort called the Pepsi Refresh Project.

They’ve taken around $20M of advertising funds (that might have been spent on Superbowl ads or The Who halftime show), and committed it to positive impact projects.  The novelty is that the projects are conceived of by anyone, and voted on by anyone (this is not entirely original, but it is novel to a large audience).

People submit ideas in six categories of goodness, and in four financial categories based on the amount requested, up to $250,000.  Then people vote (project submitters cannot vote) to award $1.3M, spread across 32 projects.  This will happen every month for a year.

As corporate philanthropy projects go, this is my ideal.  It aligns to several powerful values or norms, especially among younger wired audiences (Pepsi’s target, probably):  transparency, online social connection, self determination, crowdsourcing, environmental concern, social justice, mistrust of big corporations.  Instead of announcing what Pepsico is going to give money to, Pepsi says “We want to do something good.  You decide what to do with our money.”  If they stick to their pledge of true democratic process, they will win a lot of brand affinity with people who seek positive change.

This is not easy for a big company to decide to do.  Senior execs no doubt sat in a few hand-wringing sessions imagining how fraud could occur, funds could be mistakenly routed to terrorists, competition could find and expose a flaw, etc.  I’ve been in that exact meeting.  Big brands take a big risk when they invite the masses to allocate their assets.  And that is part of why I like this.  Pepsi is courageous, and thus will differentiate, while many other brands play it safe.

I’ve seen no advertising, online or otherwise, for this project.  Perhaps I’ve just missed it, but I think they are hoping for word-of-mouth endorsement, online and off.  This blog post, for instance.  Keeping it organic will help it stay authentic, and that is the whole key to it working.

My only concern is relevancy.  What is the connection to Pepsi?  Pepsi takes this head on in their video explaining how the program works:  “Can a soda really make the world a better place?”  Answer:  “With your help, we think so.”

Domino’s delivers branded experience

I talk and write frequently about achieving brand intent through customer touch points.  In fact, I just submitted a book chapter on this topic, which I hope you’ll see in a few months.  Domino’s online ordering app is an example of doing it right.

I imagine their brand intent includes associations like Yummy, Fast, Responsive, and Accurate.

I recently went to the Web to look for the phone number for my local Domino’s as this was the vendor of choice for my 14 year old.  I then remembered that I could place a Cyber Order and skip both the phone call and the figuring out which of five local stores serves my neighborhood.

I went to the Online Coupons section and found a deal that sounded Yummy – Fiery Hawaiian pizza.  It was very Fast to get through the ordering options, and each choice had a Yummy picture.  I noted the time on the clock prominently featured on the website (confidence).  Once I placed the order though, I got some browser error.  So I called the store (number provided on the site) and was able to confirm quickly that my order had indeed been received: very Responsive.

Upon restarting my browser, I found this cool order tracking screen, which showed in colors that my order had been prepped and was baking.  Mmmm, I could just smell it.  I could even see the name of the guy who made the ‘za.  Scrolling down, I confirmed that the order was Accurate, and noted Domino’s well-conceived request for feedback.  I then noticed the Connect 4 option (below left in the picture), one of my favorite games!

I clicked on it and played what I think is a Wii version of Connect 4 (I won).  Finishing the quick game, I noticed the progress bar had completed, and my pizza was en route, in the capable hands of Jerricca.

A few minutes later, I went downstairs and looked out the front door window, and found Jerricca herself about to ring our doorbell.  She received a good tip, and my family and I enjoyed a Yummy dinner, acquired Fast, Responsively, and Accurately.  They exceeded my expectations at every point, and even added Fun to their brand associations.

Well done, and thanks!

Update:

After this good experience, which I related to several friends (word of mouth advocacy: priceless), I noticed a TV spot for Domino’s.  It showed video from focus groups or customer interview research, with people expressing criticism for Domino’s (e.g., “rubbery”).  It then cut to recipe work that had been done to address the issue, and then to the food scientists (food service industry people who develop recipes) visiting the same person at home, with the new and improved pizza.  A Wow moment ensues.

I remember several occasions sitting on the other side of two-way glass, listening to people’s wishes or complaints, thinking “you know, we should address that, and bring the solution back to this same person and film their reaction.”  But I never did it!  Domino’s apparently did.  I might have disbelieved the story represented in the ad, but my online ordering experience earned credibility.

Authenticity, responsiveness, transparency.  Again, well done.

Dear Google: how to market Chrome OS

Asking people to use a new OS is like asking them to change how their car works – steer with a joystick instead of a wheel, brake with the right pedal instead of the left.  Not welcome, or easy.  Here are three things you can do to increase probability of success of Chrome OS.

1. Use your brand power to help the PC OEMs.  They want differentiation, and they want low cost, but they will shy from the trouble of a new OS without the branding carrot.  I know you actively avoid creating Googzilla, but if you want the OEMs to prioritize Chrome OS over alternatives, give them a reason beyond a hole in the head shiny new OS.  I.e., surround the PC with a glowing Google brand endorsement halo.  I’m talking about visible branding, and spending actual marketing money.  This can’t be your tried and true “build it and they (geeks) will come” strategy:  geeks are not the netbook target, and you are too omnipresent to be coy.
2. Set up demos in Best Buy, under a very visible Google brand.  Microsoft is trying to emulate Apple’s retail experience, because people want to experience cool stuff that Just Works.  So show them the cool stuff you can do with Google.  Show them the hidden gems in search, Docs, Gears, Wave, Trends, Maps, etc.  Most people don’t have time to just happen upon this stuff.
3. Work with Apple to enable iTunes on Chrome OS.  People use netbooks for social media and content consumption (like music).  This gap is a non-trivial barrier to Linux on netbooks.

OK, 1 and 2 above are not very Googley.  They are counter-cultural for you, and therefore a risk to your brand position.  But if you want to play in the OS space, you’ve got to have distribution through PC preloads, and the above are dependable approaches.  But here are some slightly more Googlicious ideas that would help you stay on-brand.

1. Write an open letter to potential buyers explaining what is good about Chrome OS and asking them to try it.  People like to be asked.  Gmail’s launch, in which people had to ask you for permission, was clever, but you’ve outgrown it.  People root for the winners, until they win a lot;   then they fear and vilify them.  The only remedy is transparency, authenticity, and no evil.
2. Create and promote an online demo that realistically enables users to experience Chrome OS.
3. Offer a conversion tool.  Something that will help people move onto the cloud.
4. If it can be done in a non-gimicky way, run servers directly related to Chrome OS on renewable energy, consistent with your corporate pledge.

I’ll be interested to see what happens.

del.icio.us Tags: Google,marketing,Chrome

Test drive of WolframAlpha

I just heard about WolframAlpha from Steve Graham of the U of Chicago Computation Institute, a smart software guy not easily impressed.  Essentially, he said “you’d better see this.”  So I checked it out.  Here’s my first impression.

WolframAlpha presents a Google-like text entry field, wherein one enters subject matter or a formula.  The application provides “computational” information in response.  Cursory reading of its About section reveals the intent to provide not only look-up data, but computed knowledge, things that can be mathematically or algorithmically derived from the associated data.

Our goal is to build on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries.

They have a flash video that shows off compelling capabilities.

Some of what it can do is a bit like the lesser-known functions of Google in returning the results of mathematical equations or giving quantitative equivalencies (e.g., try typing “90 hectares in square miles”).  Give it more latitude, and it will surprise with concise presentations of relevant data.  Example when entering “next total solar eclipse Seattle.”

But after fiddling with it for 30 minutes, I found that my particular areas of interest correlated with an echoing lack of anything.  I tried solar vs. wind, Acer PC netbook share, top brands, Ford Motor Company share, and many more.  Nada.  Since…

Wolfram|Alpha aims to bring expert-level knowledge and capabilities to the broadest possible range of people—spanning all professions and education levels.

…they have a lot of work to do.  Although for mathematicians and geneticists, I’m prepared to believe it rules.  Given the academic pedigree of those involved, I thought “OK, let’s try a more college oriented computational knowledge challenge.”  For the health conscious college kid looking at calorie tradeoffs, bingo!…

Translation:  one case of Bud has the same calorie count as 17 strawberry (frosted) Pop-Tarts.

They do call it “Alpha,” and they do say there is much work to be done, so I’ll reserve judgement.  But I at least tried testing the obvious question:  is WolframAlpha a threat to Google as a mainstream tool?  I used the #2 Google search term from 2008 on both apps, and got the following results.

Verdict:  Google is safe for now.  Wolfram needs to be careful not to reach a broad audience until he’s got broad topics covered.  Initial frustration will substantially delay retrial among the masses.  But, if you are a higher echelon scientist or technophile, you will probably geek out over this.