Fall+2008+Section+07-PS+Week+12

=Class Discussion For Week 12=

> Internet Anonymous – we talked about it in class for a little while and I thought I would share a video of something which is happening right now.

http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/videos/35260/Lori_Drew_MySpace_Suicide_Case.html __**Blogging at BzzAgent**__

[|BzzAgent Website] Blog entry on November 10th - 4 comments posted on blog entry. Pretty much shows the BeeLog was no longer achieving the goals of the company and creating the interaction Dave once hoped for. 

 Our group discussion of the BzzAgent case focused around the key issue of transparency (as illustrated by the dirty window in the picture below). It was a top priority of the CEO that the inner workings of BzzAgent be available for all to see. Transparency was an important element at the conception of WOM advertising as it wasn’t a conventional method utilized in the market. But as WOM became legitimized within the industry the importance of the blog fell off and so did the people paying attention. In the end transparency didn't exactly equal value for the community. We therefore suggested that the blog be taken down and that an internal Intranet site be utilized in order to communicate with the BzzAgents.
 * Mavericks ; )**

In discussing the BZZZAgent company we came to the consensus that there was little benefit for the company to keep the blog alive. We feel the primary constituents that were affected were the staff, company, competitors and customers. We felt the only real value add was to the competitors and although they did want to grow the marketing agencies that supported BZZZ marketing there were better ways to go about doing this then by the use of an open blog.
 * Group 3: Marketing Marvels**

When discussing the BZZAgent Case, our team took a practical purspective to look at what makes the company "tick". Important to the business model was the connection/relationship with CMO's (Chief Marketing Officers). Thefore, we emphasized that this relationship should be fostered even when these CMO's transfer to new companies. We noted the essential role that agents play within the company and why these individuals choose to operate as Buzz Agents. Although I totally agree that the buzz agent concept is a good idea, the thought of actually interacting with a "real-life" agent irks me a bit.
 * 5-Marketeers:**



**[|Jumping the Shark]**
**Posted by Dave Balter** **November 10th, 2008** It seems to me that after the press [|in Harvard Business Review about the BeeLog and Transparency], there isn’t much more to say. It’s just time to move on to new organizational behavior initiatives. Thanks for being a part of this experiment. (And remember to check out [|90 Days of BzzAgent]& [|The Bento Box]) More to come…but not here…we promise… Dave

[|Become a BzzAgent]


 * __Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web__**

A few nights before class a friend and I were discussing the phenomenon of blogs and tried to answer the question, 'why do people bolg?'. We didn't find an answer or interesting soloution, but one blogger at http://news-at.blog-city.com/whydopeopleblog.htm notes that "the reasons are varied but the one thing that does come through them all, is the sense of control. The blogger is in charge and no one tells them what they can or can't write about. They may be writing for an audience but that by in large is a by-product of the ultimate control of having the ability to express one self". Based on this reasoning it is natural that blogging would turn to a person's most or least favored company.

[|Satish Nambisan and Priya Nambisan]
 * __How to Profit from a Better Virtual customer Environment__**

Customer roles in innovation and value co-creation: VCE customer experience components: Read "[|IBM Takes Lotus Sametime into 3D with OpenSim]" September 2008 ...The goal is to reduce the barrier to entry to virtual worlds while also making them more relevant to business needs, both working with existing technologies and practices while offering alternatives as well...
 * 1) product conceptualizer
 * 2) product designer
 * 3) product tester
 * 4) product support specialist
 * 5) product marketer
 * 1) pragmatic experience (its ability to provide information)
 * 2) sociability experience (how it promotes group discussion)
 * 3) usability experience (defined by the quality of the human-computer interactions)
 * 4) hedonic experience (relating to mental stimulation and entertainment)

A good article on harnessing customer feedback: http://ezinearticles.com/?Using-Customer-Feedback-to-Build-Your-Business&id=323917

Some local crowd sourcing in Portland: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93495217
 * __Class Discussion from Slides__**


 * __Related Topics__**

In an effort to connect with customers, Nike has established a website that is a service for customers to log runs, set challenges and get expert running advice. Information can be downloaded to the website from an individual's ipod. For those that don't know, Nike and Apple are in a partnership which allows an ipod to give information about a person's run (distance, time, etc.). The website is a free service which is good for customers and is valuable consumer feedback and connection points for Nike. Check it out [|Nike Plus].
 * Nike Plus Encourages Customer Participation**


 * What do people blog about??**

WOW, Very interesting graph above. Kudos to whoever found/posted this one!

RELATED MATERIAL
"The old four Ps assume that price, promotion, product design, and physical placement and distribution are largely elements of marketing strategy that can be determined by the firm. In many categories, this is now quaintly obsolete; pricing is determined by what the consumer is willing to pay, promotion is increasingly determined by online user-generated content, product design is based on filling gaps in the marketplace that correspond to strong consumer preferences, and physical placement is irrelevant because everything is available online from everywhere and to everyone." The article also include nine steps for implementing "resonance" marketing campaign.
 * How Information Changes Consumer Behavior and How Consumer Behavior Determines Corporate Strategy,** by Eric K. Clemons, Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

I believe this to be related and ancillary to our class discussion, and very topical right now (from [|www.trendwatching.com]) -

Since advertising is as trusted (or appreciated) as a certain president with two more years to go, performance is once again becoming increasingly relevant. (Forrester reports that only 13% of US consumers admit that they buy products because of their ads, and a paltry 6% believe that companies generally tell the truth in ads.) So **trying out and sampling may well become the new advertising**. "Two years ago, we dubbed this growing trend [|TRYVERTISING]: //"There's not even a 'relationship' anymore; there's a cold, calculating, experienced, and demanding consumer, and there are humble companies. So introducing yourself and your products by letting people experience and try them out first, is a very civilized and effective way to show some respect.’’// Not surprisingly, an entire TRYVERTISING infrastructure—from 30 second samples on iTunes to firms specializing in relevant product placement—is now in place, enabling consumers to try before they buy.

from [|www.springwise.com] -

Last year we wrote about Tokyo's Sample Lab, where Japanese consumers can sample and test new products. Roughly a year later, a similar concept has come to China with the launch of Shanghai-based [|Sampleplaza]. Sampleplaza is a new showroom featuring brand-new products not yet available to the Chinese mainstream. Membership costs 100 RMB per year, along with a one-time processing fee of 20 RMB, and is open to anyone over 15. In exchange, consumers are invited to visit Sampleplaza as often as they want and test out a diverse range of products, from exercise equipment to pantyhose, cosmetics to high-tech, drinks, BBQ sauce, soup and snacks. In addition to trying out samples in the showroom, members are allowed to take home up to 5 items per visit as well. Either way, they need only fill out an online survey—a maximum of 10 questions per product—for each sample that they test. Products are listed online, so consumers can see what's available, and while the company's website is being fleshed out, news and announcements are posted on its [|offsite blog] as well. As we've noted before, [|tryvertising] is very popular with today's ad-immune consumers, many of whom will gladly pay to be among the first to test something new. Who will continue the spread of this concept to other parts of the world....? Website: [|www.sampleplaza.cn/eng]