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Earlier this year, Doritos introduced a For the 2009 holiday season,
line of Late Night chips. To promote The Home Depot has released a
the chips a limited-edition AR symbol special AR gift card. When lined
was printed on the back of the Late up with a webcam, the card
Night chip bag. Users visited a shows a continuous stream of
special Doritos Late Night Web site, possible gifts and saves the gifts
lined up the symbol with their in a special section of the Web
webcam and unlocked a never- site for further viewing and
before-released song and video from information.
popular pop-punk band Blink-182.
POPMoney (pay other MasterCard has launched MoneySend, allowing Citibank is the longest-tenured
people money) is a new cardholders to exchange P2P funds via SMS, provider in this space, having
bank-centric P2P mobile browser or mobile app. launched the U.S.’s first real-time
service that will allow P2P service in October 2008,
banks to stay in the allowing account holders to send
loop with the growing money to “virtually any U.S.
P2P trend (versus mobile phone number.”
allowing credit card
companies and third-
party payment Coming at this trend from another
companies to process angle is mobile device maker
these transactions). Nokia, which recently launched
POPMoney allows bank Nokia Money, a mobile financial
customers to link a product that will allow users to
In September, Wells Fargo Bank launched a mobile
checking account to transfer money to their friends
customer-to-customer P2P payment system that
their mobile device and and pay bills. Nokia has stated
allows Wells Fargo customers to transfer up to
pay friends seamlessly. their that their goal is to become
$1,000 per day between fellow customers. the world's largest mobile bank.
Picture: www.labs.wellsfargo.com
#3 2D BAR CODES (AKA QR CODES)
2D bar codes (also known as QR codes) have been widely used in consumer marketing applications in
Europe and Asia for the last four to five years, but they are just now starting to make serious inroads in
North America. To read one of these codes, consumers use their smartphone camera in conjunction with
a bar code reader program to unlock data stored in the code. It might lead to a special Web site or
provide extra information about the product, a coupon, ringtone, wallpaper, song or any other bonus
feature that can be thought of. These codes can appear in any number of places, including magazines,
signs, movie posters, outdoor boards, taxis/buses or anywhere a user is liable to see and scan one.
In August, Facebook While Twitter is still wrestling In June, Dell was the first
announced the planned with how to make money major brand to announce
launching of 20 virtual themselves, that hasn’t direct sales from its Twitter
storefronts where users stopped numerous account, reporting $3
will be able to shop businesses from exploring million in sales from click-
without ever leaving the ways to make money via thrus to its Dell Outlet that
respective Facebook Twitter. Having recognized started on Twitter. While
page. 1-800-FLOWERS this trend and need, Twitter that’s sofa change for Dell,
was the first of these posted a business tutorial to it shows how Twitter has
virtual social media help brands discover ways Mega-retailer Sears potential to be a viable
storefronts to open, with to move past conversational and Web T-shirt maker sales portal.
others expected to roll engagement with their Threadless have tested
out in the coming months. customers on the platform. limited e-commerce
functionality on their
respective Facebook
Southwest, JetBlue and United have all experimented
pages, allowing fans to
with using their Twitter accounts to announce short-
shop on Facebook, but
term “Twitter-only” fare sales that are completed on
check out on their
their respective Web sites.
branded Web sites. Picture: www.business.twitter.com/twitter101
#5 21ST CENTURY VENDING MACHINES
Vending machines are nothing new, having been around since the 1880s selling basic staples such as
soda, sandwiches and snacks. But lately, some brands have grasped onto the time-pressed, 24/7 nature
of the 21st century consumer and begun to create machines with an increasingly amazing array of
options. While DVD rentals and iPod/iPhone machines have become fairly common, they’re really just the
tip of the iceberg for this trend. Below are just a few examples of how the ordinary vending machine
might bring even more options to life in 2010.
Unless otherwise noted, all app store counts are as of the second week of November 2009.
#9 NICHE USER-GENERATED HUMOR
Five years ago everything changed with the launch of YouTube. Suddenly anyone and everyone could
publish video of the world around them. Thanks in no small part to the success of MTV’s Jackass,
YouTube very quickly became the place to find user-generated videos that could keep viewers laughing,
smiling and cringing for hours. Soon thereafter came sites like CollegeHumor, Funny or Die, Break and a
host of others where everyone with anything funny to say or show could be seen. The commonality of
these sites was the broad nature of humor displayed. In the last six months or so, there has been a
growing popularity in single-focused humor sites, almost niche in nature. Some of these more focused
sites have very quickly received large, dedicated followings and even a level of celebrity or fortune for
their creators. Could these new micro humor channels be a sign of how online consumers want their
humor dished out moving forward?
Probably one of the better known (and more Txts Frm Lst Nght is what it sounds like:
questionable) of these sites is People of Walmart, user-submitted texts (generally from
which features less than flattering user-submitted twentysomethings) that were sent or
photos of everyday folks in their local Walmart received the night before, in many cases
stores. The site tends to focus on poor fashion in a somewhat inebriated state. Most of
choices, bad haircuts and strange vehicles in the the texts have a scandalous feel or fall into
parking lot. Within a month or so of launching as a the “too much information” category.
joke amongst friends, the site went viral and has Launched in the spring, the site receives
received plenty of mainstream press. an average of 4 million hits a day and
secured a book deal mere months after
In August, a 29-year-old guy named Justin posted his first tweet on launching.
a new Twitter stream he had created, shitmydadsays. It was meant
as a joke between Justin and a few friends to capture the
continuous stream of humorous observations and sayings his 73-
year-old father offered up during the course of any given day. The
site quickly went viral and now has over 800,000 followers. It also
garnered Justin a book deal and possible TV series.
#10 GOODNESS
There is no question that it has been a rough 18 to 24 months for brands and consumers alike, which has
stretched the limits of niceness and even charitable giving for many. While the U.S. has always seen a
strong level of volunteerism and philanthropy from consumers and brands, a new evolution is taking
shape that can help remind consumers about the everyday goodness they can participate in. This new
evolution of goodness seems based in the idea of brands empowering their customers to be both the
giver and receiver of goodness versus the brand doing the giving. At the core of it is the simple act of
making someone smile through a nice gesture or simple deed.
1. Augmented reality: really picks up where virtual reality leaves off, but without the bulky glasses,
headphones or other haptic feedback devices. This trend seems like it will fall into the categories of
entertainment and information, the latter being used as a mashup of existing information resources to
produce things like three-dimensional maps, store locators, travel guides, etc. On the entertainment
side, opportunity in the gaming, music and video space feels unlimited.
2. P2P Mobile Payment: P2P mobile payment is the next logical evolution of whipping one’s wallet out to
give a friend a 10-spot. It cuts down on the need to carry cash or plastic or write one of those
increasingly archaic paper checks. It also makes it easier to quickly settle a friendly wager when your
favorite team loses.
3. 2D Barcodes: are all about information and choice, giving consumers more opportunity to interact with
a product, brand or service. This goes hand-in-hand with the App World trend as more and more
consumers turn to smart mobile devices; their expectation of instantaneous connection, information
and entertainment will continue to expand at an accelerated rate.
4. Social Media Storefronts: with 300 million Facebook users spending a combined 8 billion minutes a
day on the site, it makes perfect sense to offer shopping opportunities that don’t require fans to leave
the friendly confines of the Facebook community, while fitting seamlessly into the experience they are
already having. Not to mention they’re already predisposed to the brand, being a “fan” and more likely
to buy.
WHY THESE TRENDS MATTER
5. 21st Century Vending Machines: this is clearly about convenience for consumers and new sources
of revenue for brands. With over 17,000 machines, Redbox DVD rentals may be the most
recognizable of this new generation of vending machine (and possibly the final nail in the coffin of
traditional brick-and-mortar video rental stores). Pizza, shoes, jeans; the vending machine code has
been cracked and the sky’s the limit for smart marketers and entrepreneurs to reach customers with
24/7 access to the products they want.
6. Crowdsourcing: is about giving the consumer ultimate control. It also plays into individuality as like-
minded individuals are likely to be attracted to similar crowdsourcing opportunities, creating an
acceptable outcome that feels personalized to each individual. It can be a risky and rewarding
proposition for any brand to undertake, but it is a necessity as brands slowly cede control of who
they are to their true brand managers … the customers.
7. Mobile Contactless Payment: this trend has potential to be huge. Contactless payment has been
around for years, but it has always required an additional fob or device to complete the transaction,
thus stymieing its mainstream adaptation. The credit card companies finally adapted the RFID
technology to work on actual credit cards and now have figured out how to make it work via NFC
chips on mobile devices. Consumers are becoming tethered to their cell phones and mobile devices
almost like articles of clothing (never going anywhere without them). As smart mobile devices
continue to become the norm, they are likely to start replacing wallets and money clips like cell
phones replaced watches.
8. App World: the current iPhone advertising says it all: “There’s an app for that.” As more and more
consumers migrate to smartphones, an increased functionality and meaning in day-to-day life will be
expected. Brands will need to adapt to this potential all-in-one device so that they can be front and
center when needed.
WHY THESE TRENDS MATTER
9. Niche User-Generated Humor: humor comes in many forms. What some find funny, others find
offensive. But no matter what the humor niche, there always seems to be an audience. For decades
TV shows have been built around selected comedians and their brand of humor. So why not a 21st
century spin on this concept, featuring user-generated material in the digital space. As long as there
are book deals to sign and TV shows to be made, these types of niche sites will surely proliferate and
continue to provide a daily chuckle to their users.
10. Goodness: 2010 has got to be better, right? January 1 will mark a turning point for consumers and
brands alike to put the last 24 months of economic turmoil behind them and look to brighter days.
Small acts of goodness may be inconsequential on their own, but when multiplied by the power that
well-known/respected brands can put behind these acts, they may have the power to become
difference-makers on multiple levels.
A SPECIAL THANKS AND SOME LINK LOVE