Saying Goodbye to Steve Jobs

October 9, 2011 By Simren Deogun Leave a Comment

Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

It’s a little strange: feeling so close to someone you’ve never met. I’ve read countless tweets, posts and articles all expressing much of the same sentiments — that Steve was a genius, a leader, an innovator, a risk-taker, an admirable human being that throngs of people felt intrinsically connected to.

I’ve had the misfortune (or fortune depending on how you like to see the glass) of experiencing a lot of loss and heartache. That’s part of my personal story. But your perspective becomes markedly different when a community of strangers suffers a loss together.

In Canada, Jack Layton was taken from us in August — by Cancer. Steve Jobs suffered the same, horrifying fate. To be stripped of your life by something so cruel and unforgiving is equally as unbearable to experience as it is to watch, I think.

I recall the announcement of Steve’s resignation — walking into work the next day, I was inundated with everyone’s thoughts, both business and personal. I’m your quintessential Machead and have never hid it. Steve said that if he felt he could no longer perform at his standard as the head of Apple he would step down, and when he did we could all almost hear the ominous clock counting down.

It hasn’t sunk in for me yet. Reading through everyone else’s personal stories about how Steve inspired them, about how Steve was the only reason they were who they were today, about how Steve had irrevocably changed the world showed me how deeply rooted he was in people’s lives. He wasn’t just a businessman or a technologist.

Steve is no doubt a legend. And I believe he’s one of those indescribable people we will hold in high reverence always.

As my jaw dropped when I read that first tweet from Forbes on Wednesday, October 5 announcing his death, I could only think how sad it is to lose. But I remind myself always how much sadder it would be to never have had at all.

Goodbye Steve. And to those of you staring hardship and loss in its dark, bottomless eyes, remember him, because he took his “3 months to live” sentence and transformed it into 7 glorious years of incomparable global impact.

Filed Under: Business, Digital, News, Technology Tagged With: ,

Questioning the Sustainability of Social Media

August 8, 2011 By Simren Deogun Leave a Comment

I’ve been contemplating this for about a month now. Wondering — through all the very many nooks and crannies of my mind (and there are a lot!) — whether or not social media in all its vastness is sustainable.

When I speak about sustainability, I am focusing in on two particular areas. One is the sustainability of the medium as an effective marketing channel and how it fits into a successful marketing strategy. The second looks at social media as a career choice.

I’ll admit I follow LinkedIn Jobs, job boards, and communities — it gives me a sense of what organizations consider important and relevant in today’s business world. How do marketing jobs fare? Is there a particular skew in speciality? In what areas are companies looking to hire most?

Inevitably, the trend I’ve witnessed has been the growth of what is now coined the ‘Social Media Bubble’. And I will contend that it is, in fact, a bubble.

From tweets to LinkedIn postings to emails in my inbox, for the past 12 months in particular, there has been a noted influx in demand for social media specialists, gurus and wizards! (Clearly, these companies don’t realize that none of these individuals actually exist!)

But it sparked a question in my mind. As a member of the marketing — and specifically these days the digital marketing — community, is a job or career choice in social media a smart one?

My gut says NO. My instincts tell me that the bubble is real, that we, as marketers and consumers, are inextricably drawn to this massive, online, social media sub-world that is driven predominantly by a false sense of connection and community. Is that a harsh analysis? Most definitely! But, if we’re being honest, very few individuals and businesses are doing it right or well.

The recent downturn in the American economy and its rather scary global market implications hint at a second recession. It’s the last thing anyone wants. But I can’t help having the feeling that if it were reality, social media would be the first thing to go.

It’s risky and unpredictable. It’s new and modern. It’s a mix of controlled knowledge and an uncontrollable environment.

What all this points to is the crux of my post — is social media our marketing saviour or does it lack the staying power to sustain itself well into the future?

People are bandwagon-jumpers. We love our trends and fads. We can’t help it! But as a marketer I struggle with social media and how it fits into the mix. I cannot say I’m completely sold. And maybe that’s something the Google Pluses of the world (and any other new social up-and-comers) need to keep in mind: the pitch phase hasn’t ended yet, each and every one of them still has to convince me why it’s worth my time — professionally and personally.

And, on top of that, the industry needs to keep that bubble from bursting.

Filed Under: Digital, Strategy, Technology Tagged With:

Google+: Is It the People’s Social Network?

July 12, 2011 By Simren Deogun Leave a Comment

Are you walking the halls at work wondering why people keep saying Google wrong by adding a “plus” at the end? Have you found yourself without anyone to chat with on Facebook in the last week? Is your Twitter stream looking a little sparse lately?

Your coworkers, friends and twitterers might be suffering from “G+ Syndrome”. Let me explain…

Google recently announced another attempt to get social networking right with the introduction (via limited test invite only) of Google+: its real-life sharing project.

With a number of failed attempts laying shame to the Google superpower, Google+ aims to forget the days of Wave (and if we’re lucky Buzz!).

Early adoption (though limited with an invite-only model) has been phenomenal, with numbers of 10-20 million users floating about! Can this be an indicator that Google has finally gotten it right? Or is it simply a reflection of a tech-savvier conglomerate that’s willing to jump the gun to try something new and shiny online?

Google+ Profile

So who gives a flying squirrel about Google+? Why should you spread yourself even thinner and add yet another social network to your roster? Honestly, I don’t know! I’m not particularly partial to learning a whole new interface, a new way of sharing, a new way of connecting online. There’s a theme here: it’s reinvention. Reinventing what you already do online (surf, share, connect) to make it easier, funner, cooler! But I imagine Google wouldn’t call it reinvention, they’d call it rethinking or retooling — a simpler way to take your life and transpose it online.

I’m a digital nut — it’s what I live and breathe. So I got a little giddy at the clean interface and the “fancy” terminology: Hangouts, Sparks and Circles, oh my. Though, admittedly, it sounds like I’m in a kindergarten classroom and we’re about to learn how to colour in the lines!

And yet with all its innovation (and, yes, I do believe it to be innovative) and the perfect positioning of making the network “you-focused”, I still wonder the same question I’ve always struggled with when it comes to social media and social networks: How will it all come together?

Do I now have to choose between a Google+ post, a Facebook post, a Twitter update and a LinkedIn status change? Does each get its own dedicated time slot in my already filled-to-the-brim day? Do I pick one or two and say screw the rest? Or do I find that perfect aggregator that lets me manage them all, making my life easier, but ultimately diminishes the real value of each network itself?

Where I think Google will succeed is with sharing, conversation and engagement. It’s easy to +1 something or share a great news story, funny pic or blog post. It’s easy for me to make a comment on another’s post and build a relationship. It’s easy to get involved. For whatever reason, it feels comfortable. And comfort is not easy to create online.

I’m rooting for Google — they may just have something here.

Filed Under: Digital, Social Media, Technology Tagged With: , ,

The QR Code Sensation

November 7, 2010 By Simren Deogun 1 Comment

QR Codes — or Quick Response barcodes — are two-dimensional barcodes that when scanned by a smartphone will direct the user to a predefined URL. The codes can also contain embedded messages, email addresses and images.

I used Kaywa QR-Code and BeQRious.com to generate my own barcodes in seconds.

To scan the codes, I downloaded a free application — QR Code Scanner Pro — on to my BlackBerry 9700 (for Android and iPhone, try QuickMark QR Code Reader) that when launched, I simply pointed at my codes to scan. Easy enough!

qrcode
Kaywa Qr-Code 		qrcode
Beqrious.com

The technology behind the codes is simple to use and implement, as shown above. The barriers, however, are two-fold: one, knowledge and understanding, and two, the ability to scan and use the barcodes.

As a novel — and admittedly peculiar-looking — piece of marketing, these barcodes lend themselves toward innovation with the near certainty of becoming a mainstream channel incorporated into both print and digital marketing initiatives.

The catch is moreso usability. The public can be easily educated on these cute little codes, but even if they know what they are, we need to seriously consider if they have the technology to use them. Without a smartphone, the codes are essentially useless to both the user and the marketer.

However, let’s keep in mind that the smartphone market is growing: 17% adoption for the US, 12% for Canada and a staggering 28% for Italy. Still, these numbers are low, to be honest. And that means QR codes are (and will likely remain to be for the next 12-18 months) a niche marketing channel.

They’re cool, which definitely helps. Innovative, no doubt. Can hold a great deal of data/information. Appeal to that ever-important 18-55 demographic, who represent the largest age demographic group for mobile. And they’re INEXPENSIVE.

My take is to NOT shy away from the QR Code but to embrace it. Implement and use them in unique ways as part of your digital/social media marketing, just make sure you have a way to collect data, track metrics and measure success from them. Happy Barcoding!

And, if you’re really interested in the new world of barcodes, check out stickybits for some intriguing ideas around tagging digital content.

Filed Under: Digital, Technology Tagged With: , ,

What Did ‘The Social Network’ Teach Us About Marketing?

October 24, 2010 By Simren Deogun Leave a Comment

Now that “the Facebook movie” — better known as The Social Network — mania has subsided, I think it especially timely to resurrect its message, marketing-style!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/2973207730/

The poignant part of the movie for me was when Zuckerberg turns to Saverin and says, “It’s cool now. And if it’s filled with pop-ups for Mountain Dew, it won’t be.” Saverin wants ads on The Facebook because ads equal money. But Zuckerberg doesn’t want the sanctity of his “cool” online networking experience to be infiltrated by overbearing advertisements.

What does The Social Network teach us? If it is cool, it will sell. Well, yea, if your target market is the young, college demographic!

Facebook, in its infancy, successfully filled the void of connecting and building relationships online with an uber-personal but rudimentary approach — friends! More friends must equal more cool, right?

But it’s not just about being cool. “Cool” ultimately represents the intangible properties of history’s ‘insanely great’ marketing successes. “Cool” is that which cannot be planned or manufactured or anticipated — it is precisely that which is ruined when it is planned, manufactured or anticipated. Yet, the concept and definition of cool is in constant flux.

Twitter embodies “cool” by being current and timely. iPhone takes on “cool” with good looks, charm and apps. Coca Cola is “classic cool” because it has modernized an old brand without abandoning its roots. Tickle-Me-Elmo was “cool” because it was unexpectedly infectious and cute.

Each of these products has its own difficult-to-measure but incredibly powerful cool factor. And almost each has evolved over time to effectively enhance and translate its intangible key to success on a global scale.

Ask yourself what your cool is. Where does it come from and why? And, if you have no perceivable cool to be found, are you trying too hard? Think back to high school and remember that one classmate who wore too much gel, too much makeup or sunglasses indoors, he/she was trying too hard to be cool. Don’t be that kid, be your own.

Cool is dynamic, influential and flexible. It can be neither consistently defined nor created. It comes from the purest form of invention, where intent is earnest, meaningful and driven.

Filed Under: Digital, Technology Tagged With: , ,

Why RIM’s ‘PlayBook’ Should’ve Been Called ‘BlackBook’

October 3, 2010 By Simren Deogun 2 Comments

Seven days now since the announcement of RIM’s work-in-progress tablet computer, BlackBerry PlayBook. The specs, impressive. The design, in line with RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones. The name, clearly a joke.

But it isn’t. Unless, RIM is planning a whole charade of odd branding and marketing decisions surrounding this iPad-killer hopeful. Will Balsillie emerge from the caverns of Waterloo laughing uncontrollably in a public statement announcing that ‘the PlayBook was only a hoax, imagine us calling our cutting-edge tablet the PlayBook…’? And the conspiracy theorists are already chirping.

But I have to say that the likelihood of Jim making any such pronouncement is simply my fiction getting the better of my fact.

And affixing “BlackBerry” to the front of the name does not improve the situation. Is that supposed to make it more viable, more defined, more “enterprise”? And aren’t the two identities clashing already — Business versus Pleasure — BlackBerry versus PlayBook is more like it.

So let’s strip away the “BlackBerry” for a moment and look at the device in its most naked form. Why ‘PlayBook’, when RIM clearly positioned the device as an “enterprise ready professional tablet” in its fancy introductory video. Is RIM telling us that Suits just aren’t playing enough or that RIM itself is perhaps losing at the Apple-predominant playing field of rocking consumer devices (pun intended).

It really is simply RIM, you should’ve chose BlackBook (not Blackberry PlayBook):

  • First off, ‘BlackPad’, as many tech and blog sites were contending as a frontrunner for the name of the new RIM tablet, is simply not doable, at least RIM wasn’t so nearsighted to actually share names with an Apple product … iPad anyone?

  • Second, ‘BlackBook’ is cool. Quite simple actually, just watch The Social Network movie to understand where I’m coming from. B2B or B2C, cool does matter. The name itself denotes status and marketability.

  • Third, ‘BlackBook’ is not only sleek and enterprise-minded but also fashionable and commercial. It appeals to the sensibilities of both the enterprise and consumer sectors with little effort.

  • Fourth, instead of marrying BlackBerry and PlayBook in some type of incestuous RIM relationship why not create some brotherly — or sisterly — love by mirroring the incredibly strong brand identity of the BlackBerry with a new product entitled ‘BlackBook’. The smartphone and tablet will be undeniably related with ‘device-pairing’ as a key selling point. Apple chose the “i”, so is it really foolish to think that RIM could not do the same by finding some type of niche for identification that its target can recognize and relate to.

  • Most importantly, RIM is trying too hard with the ‘PlayBook’. A device whose main focus is in fact not play but business, so the video says. There must be a balance between functionality and branding. There must be unity across all lines. Simply put, there must be ‘BlackBook’.

I can’t say I yet understand RIM’s decision to opt for PlayBook. Who knows what other names floated around during that brainstorming session, but it seems RIM has their strategy and target market confused.

Filed Under: Business, News, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,