BRANDING UNBOUND

CNN puts Wordlens AR App To The Test (Video)

 The more I see of the Wordlens augmented reality iPhone app, the more impressed I get. Here's what happens with CNN puts it to the test. I could see brands hitching a ride on translator maps to help you find your way to their stores when you're abroad. Or to plant special offers embedded in signage that are  invisible to the naked eye, but there for anyone with the right branded app.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Tom Nicholson (Conclusion) - Social Retailing Advice for Marketers

In Part 1 and Part 2 of we learned about social retailing pilots for Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales that resulted in a 3x increase in sales.

In Part 3 we learned about how social media can get shoppers into stores - and keep them there.

And in the conclusion of this exclusive source interview for the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, we get advice on how to start implementing social retailing ourselves.

Part 4: Social Retailing: Advice for Marketers 

 

(Approx 2:34)

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Interview: Tom Nicholson - The Father of Social Retailing (Part 1)

 

If Tom Nicholson has his way, teenage girls will no longer wait until their home from the mall to ask the eternal question, "Do these jeans make me look fat?"

Nicholson, founder of digital agency LBi IconNicholson, and more recently, Nicholson NY, has personally led a technological revolution in retailing, having spearheaded efforts to transform the shopping experience at Prada, Nanette Lepore and Bloomingdales by enabling shoppers to use touchscreen interfaces to connect with runway video and information on cut, color and accessories related to the clothing they care into dressing rooms.

In this source interview from the new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, we see how Nicholson is taking fashion a giant step forward - mashing up social networking, in-store technologies and yough shopping habits to delight customers as never before possible.

Part 1: What Is Social Retailing - And Why Do Retailers Need to Know About It?

(Approx. 7:08)

 

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... EXCELLENT ..."

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

 >>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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Interview: Julie Bornstein, SVP, Sephora Direct - On Enhancing The In-Store Experience Through The Power of Mobile

For all the attention check-ins and badges get for trying to lure people into stores, high-end cosmetics retailer Sephora is quietly using something comparatively simple - mobile customer reviews - to enhance the actual in-store shopping experience.

Indeed, it's no secret that reviews are now a key part of shopping - and in building confidence in purchase decisions for everything from L'Oreal lipstick to Lamborghinis.

According to Nielsen, eight in 10 shoppers now routinely read online produce reviews before placing purchases. And 40% cite online customer reviews as one of the primary reasons they have bought from a retailer, online or off.

The beauty, if you will, of Sephora's solution, is that the service is primarily accessible when the consumer is in the store or mall, as they access the reviews by looking up a keyword or the UPC on product packaging, via Sephora's mobile site.

You'd be surprised how many people can get supremely passionate about, say, Philosophy brand's "Cinnamon Buns" body wash, for instance. And yet a quick look at the mobile site reveals 132 different reviews, featuring comments ranging from "Kinda smelled like cardboard," to "Smelled so good my husband wanted to drink the bottle."

The capability began as a feature on the Sephora traditional website, where it became an instant hit. In this source interview for my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, Julie Bornstein, senior vice president for Sephora Direct tells me the migration to mobile was an absolute no brainer.

Along the way, she offers a glimpse at how Sephora sees mobile - and its possibilities for supercharging the in-store experience.

(Approx. 6:22)

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"... EXCELLENT ..."

“Through persuasive arguments and Q&A's with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas."

Publisher's Weekly

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

 

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Fall Jones NY Line Models Mobile-Activated Hang Tags

  Jones New York is hoping you'll get the hang of it.

Word's out that its fall line will feature mobile-activated hang tags with which consumers can access videos featuring model Jessica Stam discussing her contributions to Jones' Rachel Roy line.

“You can actually get to Jessica sharing with you her favorite pieces, why she did it in a really great, unplugged way,” Stacy Lastrina, CMO for Jones, tells Brand Week, adding that the video will include fashion tips and the back story on the line’s creation.

This seems like a nice way to enhance the in-store shopping experience for more sophisticated shoppers with smart phones. Prada has done similar things with RFID tags, in which readers built into the store walls scan and then transmit related video to the nearest in-store monitor.

One advantage of the Prada approach is that the shopper doesn't actually have to do anything - if you pick up a garment, the readers fetch the associated content. But that took a lot of investment. The Jones initiative, which apparently uses Microsoft Tag technology, requires little if any.

It will be interesting to see if Jones shoppers access these tags. But for those who do, this is a nice differentiator, and something more brands should explore as increasing numbers of consumers take to the mobile medium.

Read more here.

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"... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

 

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Video: iButterfly = Augmented Reality + Motion Sensor + GPS + Coupon

Just got on my radar today, though it's been out for a while.

It's a mobile implementation in Japan that involved augmented reality butterflies, posted in specific locations, that consumers could then collect, share, and even turn into coupons for use at retail stores.

I could easily see how consumer goods and entertainment brands could put this to great use here in the U.S. Look for some serious action on that front in the coming months.

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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BrandChannel Names 'The On-Demand Brand' Its 'Featured Book of the Month'

Very cool: BrandChannel has selected THE ON-DEMAND BRAND as its "Featured Book of The Month" for July.

In making the selection, BrandChannel writes, "Brand marketers will value [this book] for the detailed case studies, such as how Burger King, Coca-Cola and Axe Deodorant are using advergames; how Showtime, MasterCard and NBC are redefining viral video; and how Fanta, GE, Papa John's and Topps are leveraging augmented reality."

Check it out here.

Learn more about the book here - and order your own copy here (available everywhere books are sold).

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... AN ESSENTIAL READ ..."

“This is an essential read for those of us tasked with connecting and engaging with the elusive 'I want it right now' generation. Anyone interested in not sucking at their jobs should pick this book up immediately!"

Jordan Atlas
Vice President, Group Creative Director
Digitas

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

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eMarketer: Big Potential for In-Store Mobile Marketing (And Who's Doing It Right, Now)

  But that's only if you're doing it right.

According to a new eMarketer report titled "Mobile Shopping from In-Store: A Potential Game-Changer," such things as access to branded mobile product reviews could make a big difference for retailers. I say branded because you don't want to end up, as eMarketer puts it, "a showroom for online pure plays like Amazon."

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at how brands like Sephora are taking a proactive approach, creating mobile apps for in-store shoppers to read product reviews from other customers, right at the point of consideration.

How retail brands like Bloomingdales are actively connecting shoppers with shoppers' personal social networks to facilitate that "does this make me look fat or fab?" conversation in the store instead of long after they've left.

And how m-commerce is about to enter the equation in a major new way.

As I recently told the Global Retail Executive Counsel at CTIA last fall, mobile will define the retail winners and losers of the next decade, whether they recognize it today or not.

Read more about the eMarketer report here.

And read more about the book here.

FOLLOW RICK ON TWITTER & FACEBOOK

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>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

"... WITTY, INSIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC ..."

“THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”

Alison Moore
Vice President, Brand Strategy
& Digital Platforms
HBO

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES NOW - LEARN MORE (AND ORDER YOUR COPY) - HERE <<<

 

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Back From GREC, Gearing Up For DTC

Back in the office after my trip to speak at the Global Retail Executive Council (GREC) event at CTIA this week.

Had a blast and met some really cool people, including Tim Downs of Interwork Media, who spearheaded the event; Jim Crawford, executive director of GREC and Melissa Fryback, development director for GRE; and Christina Bock and Ricca Silverio of Bock PR; Corey Fugman of Apple and more.

Anyone involved with, or interested in, mobile marketing and how it applies to retail should check for future events - there really isn't another resource for exploring mobile as part of the retail experience. And you've got to get to know this group. In one five minute conversation with Melissa, she spit out a half dozen great ideas for retailers looking to leverage the power of mobile. Not pie in the sky stuff; practical ideas from a working mother.

My particular talk was on how mobile can be used to enhance the in-store shopping experience by capitalizing on the surprising ways consumers use mobile phones when they're shopping. I brought along Mozes CEO Dorrian Porter as my special guest, who shared some of his company's projects and how they're making a difference for companies like Pinkberry.

Next up: A keynote at the DTC Fall 2009 Conference, which will look at ways direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical marketers (think Viagra, Lipitor and other "ask you doctor about" medicines) can tap the power of digital experiences to promote their offerings as never before.

Should be fun!

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BRANDING UNBOUND WAS JUST THE BEGINNING:

 

>>> CLICK HERE FOR A FIRST LOOK <<<

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Quick Links:

Generation Wow: Expanding the conversation to multi-platform marketing
BRANDING UNBOUND The Book
ADWEEK Magazines Excerpt
Rick Mathieson.com

It's All GREC To Me (At Least Tomorrow)

Getting ready for the big Global Retail Executive Council event at CTIA tomorrow, where I'll be giving a keynote on making the retail-mobile connection.

If you can't make it, Retail Trends magazine interviewed me yesterday for an upcoming article on the topic. I'll link to it as it becomes available. I also recorded the convo, so if I get a spare moment one of these days (I'm pretty much traveling all month for speaking engagements), I'll post it.

Tomorrow should be fun. I'm bringing along my friend (and longtime blog sponsor) Dorrian Porter, CEO of Mozes, which has been doing some really innovative things to connect people to the things - music groups, movie stars, products and retailers - they love via mobile.

I'll give readers an update on how it went tomorrow. 

In the meantime, you can learn more about the event, here.

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BRANDING UNBOUND WAS JUST THE BEGINNING:

 

>>> CLICK HERE FOR A FIRST LOOK <<<

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Quick Links:

Generation Wow: Expanding the conversation to multi-platform marketing
BRANDING UNBOUND The Book
ADWEEK Magazines Excerpt
Rick Mathieson.com