High Tech, Baby

FRESH IDEAS:  My Son is now nine, but when he was a wee tiny baby, like most nervous parents, we had a baby monitor.  We ultimately stopped using it because his sounds were SO amplified that you HEARD EVERYTHING, and therefore, did not sleep at all.  Flash ahead to today’s offerings and what I just read about in today’s TechCrunch:  a BabyPing.  Basically, it’s a camera that enables you to peek in on your child from another room – including in the dark!  And where you peek in is what makes BabyPing so tech and cool — you use it with an app on any of your “i” devices (iPhone, iPad, iTouch).  So the images and the sound go through your own wireless to give you the scoop on what your “sleeping” baby is up to.  As opposed to using a frequency — potentially tapping into a neighbor’s frequency, too, yikes!  The BabyPing is currently only available in Europe, but is expected to hit the US market soon.  A system like this makes perfect sense for today’s Moms as 61% already use their mobile phones for internet connections; and Moms spend twice as much time online than others (according to Nielsen and BabyCenter).  Moms are mobile.  Mobile are tech savvy.  And now Moms can feel good about their babies with a cool new tool!

By the way, I did want to mention that there is a really good study about today’s Moms and their media consumption from Nielsen and BabyCenter called “21st Century Media Mom Report” (where I pulled the stats) that just came out in April.  A crunchy bunch of other Mom studies worth checking out are here, too: http://www.babycentersolutions.com/research_studies?bclink=logo&scid=20120522_trade_21stmom:4  TASTY TREND:  Go Mobile

Come Fly with Me

FRESH IDEA:  I love when “would it be great if we…” ideas actually come to life. And this is a great example in gaining press buzz.  Delta Airlines is the Official Carrier of the NY Rangers.  The Rangers are currently in the Stanley Cup playoffs with the NJ Devils.  Delta is offering a a free charter flight for select Rangers fans Saturday, May 19th.  The Delta flight departs from LaGuardia, NY for Newark, NJ at 10 a.m. And the flight is going to take all of 17 minutes total.  These fans will then be whisked to the next Rangers/Devils playoffs game in Newark via ground transport.  Indeed, there is a return trip back, too.  In order to qualify, you needed to have:  filled out a form online by yesterday; have tickets to Game 3; and qualify to fly with FAA regulations.  Winners are chosen first come, first served to fill the plane.  And there is an overlay to win two game tickets for next NY Rangers playing season.

Now, what I like about this program is that: it’s just fun PR…no payback, no sales bumps, just press buzz.  And what a great, once in a lifetime opportunity!  For a fan, this is excellent!  Particularly as the NJ Devils had a “no blue” campaign in place for keeping Rangers fans away from their home ice on Saturday.  Nice leverage of a partnership!

Hey, hope your weekend is equally as delightful and lightheartedly fun.  TASTY TREND:  Buzz Baby

More Pins

FRESH IDEA:  I swear I wasn’t planning on talking about Pinterest again.  But this idea is just too much fun (and too good) not to share.  And it can be seen in other social channels — Pinterest is among the lot.  One our of clients (who generously shared this idea) received an email invitation from Zulily — a daily deals site for kids’ and moms’ stuff.  The email brings you to a page of mini posters, aka “pinables.”  The designs feature colorful, fun sayings about play and other lighthearted notions.  Under each pinable are share options:  email, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and yes, Pinterest.  Go ahead and share.  For anyone who clicks the pinable you posted or passed on, joins Zulily, and makes a purchase, you – the original sharer – gets $15 in credit from Zulily on a future purchase.  Now, aside from being super cute, there are a number of reasons why I love this idea:

1. Original designs –When you talk about social these days, it’s all about content content content.  So what better way to drive share than to deliver original, highly relevant, and fun content for moms to pass on.  And with very subtle branding, I may add (see image, lower righthand corner).
2. Pinables, the name — Indeed, you can share any way you wish, but in calling them “pinables,” you jump on the hot hot hot bandwagon of Pinterest.  Nicely done.
3. New customer drive & WIFM — Yes, they’re super cute designs and posting them/sharing them, associates you with all things super cute.  But even better:  this is about using your existing database, and incenting your existing customers to find other new members with a simple action.  $15 is a rich offer.  And for doing very little work — again, other than posting and sharing something super cute.  Now that’s smart.

Really great, right?!  The cookies design is my personal favorite.  I’ve pinned to my Pinterest trends & cool ideas board: http://pinterest.com/lisafritts/  Be sure to check it out!  TASTY TREND: Social Curation; Content is King

Tweet & Save

FRESH IDEAS:  This is one of those executions that makes you say “Wow, how cool is that?!”  American Express is now linking card holder offers to Twitter.  Here’s how it works: As an Amex holder, synch your Twitter account to your American Express account (a one-time, easy process).  Then Tweet a specific hashtag to your Twitter followers.  Right now, there are hashtags for partner offers from Whole Foods, Best Buy, and Zappos.  As a reward, an offer is then loaded to the holder’s card so that when they make a purchase with the partner (Whole Foods, Best Buy, Zappos), they redeem the offer.  This is a natural extension of what Amex is already doing: rewarding card holders for Foursquare check-ins and Facebook Likes; and leveraging “social currency” among cardholders.  Personally, I am most impressed by the seamless of the transaction.  No need for codes.  No need to coupons.  Just “talk” about Amex partners using specific “language” (hashtags on Twitter) and get rewards loaded for you, ready to roll.  Nice!  See…you just said “How cool is that,” didn’t you?!  I knew you would.  TASTY TREND:  Socially Acceptable; Here and Now; Go Mobile

Cookie Gram

FRESH IDEA:  What do you get when you combine:  a cookie, it’s 100th birthday celebration, a retailer who sells these cookies, a Facebook application, and a mobile coupon?  You get the Oreo Cookie Gram!  I just saw this idea on Target’s web site:  Go to the Oreo cookie Facebook page — they haven’t yet converted to the new timeline format, FYI — it would make a lot of sense to do that given the milestone now being celebrated, but I digress.  There is a tab for the Oreo Cookie Gram — enable this app.  Choose from among your Facebook friends who you’d wish to send a coupon good for a free package of Oreos.  You can also add in an email of a friend if he or she isn’t on FB.  Give your credit card information.  And for $3.99 per package, your friends will be sent a mobile coupon (or digital, if it’s an email address) good for a free package of Oreo cookies.  And this coupon is good only at Target, no other retailer.

Now, what I like about it: It’s easy.  Very simple transaction.  It’s a great use of social.  It’s super customized for a key retailer — one that accepts mobile coupons, nice!  It’s not expensive — $3.99 is a good, low price point for a social gift.  And it takes an old-sounding birthday (holy 100 years!) and makes it contemporary.  What I think it’s missing:  the what’s in it for me (WIFM).  Other than the “hey, thanks” from friends who receive the coupon.  Sending a package to yourself isn’t even served up as an option.  Chance to win a year’s supply or 100 packages would have even been a nice WIFM.

Feel free to send me an Oreo Cookie Gram, I will be more than happy to redeem it and share.  I’ll even bring the milk!  TASTY TREND:  Socially Acceptable; Retailers Rule; Here and Now; Go Mobile

Pins, Pins, and More Pins

FRESH IDEAS:  Pinterest, Pinterest, PINTEREST!  I just can’t seem to go a day without reading something about it, or seeing an interesting way that a brand is using it.  Here’s what I pin-spotted just this week….all in honor of Valentine’s Day…

Threadless Vday Challenge:  One of my favorite, incredibly social, terribly experimental, online retail sites, Threadless has a clever promotion.  It gets you to consider their shirt designs, express yourself, and potentially win.  Here’s how:  Make a Pinterest board titled “Threadless Vday challenge” specifically for your Valentine.  You’re supposed to share  why that person is so great in the board’s description.  You then add 10 pins to the board that “would make great gifts for your special person.”  And not surprisingly,  at least 5 must be Threadless products (ah, clever marketing!).  Email a link to a Threadless contact that shares your board by this Sunday.  And one lucky winner will get $200 in amazon.com and Threadless cash.  Nice way of getting consumers to browse your products, actually consider products (’cause you may even buy one), and the advocate through repinning.  Cool!

Free Valentines from Toys R Us: I actually saw this idea through a tweet on Toys R Us’ Twitter account…On Pinterest, Toys R Us has a Valentine’s Day specific board.  Among the pins are click-and-print free Valentine’s cards (Hello, Kitty).  When I shared this idea with my digital creative peeps, they liked it…seemed fun and easy to develop.  I could imagine this idea for fun place cards, trading cards, lunch notes, fun coupons, etc. etc.  Nice, right?!

I swear, I’ve told my team that I feel like  broken record sharing so many Pinterest posts and articles lately.  But alas, Pinterest is this year’s instagram (2011 shiny object) and Foursquare (2010 shiny object).  And if this helps to inspire, feel free to share or pin these ideas, I’ll keep ‘em coming.  Hey, hope your weekend if like a good Pinterest board: filled with things you love most.  TASTY TREND:  Socially Acceptable; Social Curation

Music Making Sense

FRESH IDEA:  This morning I read about a partnership between Cesar Canine Cuisine and Pandora — the online music service.  Cesar is offering a free “playlist” on Pandora for the holidays that can be enjoyed “with loved ones — both two- and four-legged-alike.”  Implying that you can listen to this free holiday digital mix-up with your pet.  Now…music for your pets is certainly on trend.  Meaning, consumers, despite the economy, continue to spend on their pets.  But that’s not why I’m sharing.  Rather, not only is this playlist free on their website and Facebook page.  But it’s also can be accessed by a QR code.  Ah ha!  There’s where it all got nuggety for me!  The idea that branded content (i.e., Pandora music) comes as a value-add from a QR code to your smartphone makes a QR code very meaningful.  Particular as it is being used on in-store POP materials — giving consumers instant gratification.  Nice!  A playlist for pets?  I dunno.  A good QR code application?  Nice! Now…one could argue that this isn’t exactly the spot-on demo for QR code users.  But bonus points to Cesar for extending it to their site and to Facebook.

Wow, that was fast!  I love a good tid bit to start off the week, don’t you?!  Here’s the article from MediaPost if you wish to sit, stay, and read: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/163383/cesar-partners-with-pandora-radio.html?edition=40894v TASTY TREND:  Here and Now

Giving Good

FRESH IDEAS:  Two days.  Two different articles.  Both talking about the Salvation Army’s usage of technology this holiday season to facilitate donation collections beyond the traditional cash in the kettle.  And both are mobile-based solutions — nice!  Let’s take a peek and chat about how they’re making giving good:

Swipe to give – According to the New York Times, 10 donation spots each in Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and New York are using a service called Square. Bell Ringers will be equipped with Android smart phones donated by Sprint Nextel.  These phones carry Square’s a small card reader and two apps, one from Square and one from the Salvation Army. To donate money, the passerby simply swipes a credit card, signs, and the money goes into the Salvation Army’s account.  Fast, easy, and great for anyone lacking spare change or cash on-hand.  Nice!  The second option seems a bit more cumbersome…

Scan to give – According to the Boston Herald, the Massachusetts arm of the Salvation Army will have signs featuring QR codes.  Passersby who are short on cash can scan the code using their smart phones, and then complete the donation transaction via a secure, mobile web site.  Now…Unlike the Square execution, this option requires more time, more effort than a simple swipe.  It also, unfortunately, uses a technology that only 6% of smart phone subscribers use (per comScore) — which doesn’t facilitate the ease nor simplicity of the transaction. What may have helped is if they used a similar method as UNICEF whereby the code take the payment right from your bill — thus decreasing the steps involved. (Note: See 10/14 post about the UNICEF box code, we chatted about this, you remember.)

Mobile and giving = good.  Swipe convenience = good.  QR code = meh.  That’s my two cents for your brain’s red bucket.  Now stop ringing that bell.  TASTY TREND:  Here and Now; Go Mobile

QR Code Inspiration

FRESH IDEA:  Well hello there!  While I was on vacation last week I saved an email I received from one of my favorite trend sources, PSFK.  It shared a really cool usage of a QR code that JCPenney is executing for the holiday season.  They call it a “Santa Tag.”  Here’s how it works:

Basically, you pick up a tag at JCPenney.

Scan the code using your smart phone (any QR code reader will work).  And then leave a voice message for a gift recipient.

You then take the tag and sticker it onto the gift recipient’s package.  He or she gets the gift, scans the code, and then hears your message.  Nice!

I’ll include the link to the PSFK article which shares a video of it and how it works — it makes it very crystal clear.  What I love so very much about this execution is how it’s taking a QR code and: continuing to “train” consumers in how and why to scan;  moves the content of a QR code beyond a discount or a link to like a brand’s Facebook page, and into a truly meaningful, very personalized experience.  And good for JCPenney…it’s a unique differentiation point for a retailer. Love it!  I could see this application for other brands and services, can’t you?!  Here’s the URL: http://www.psfk.com/2011/11/jc-penneys-qr-code-gift-tags-carry-personal-voice-recorded-messages.html

So did you start your holiday shopping yet?  Maybe this will inspire you not just with a good idea, but to make a list and check it twice!  TASTY TREND:  Here and Now; Go Mobile

More Do-Good

FRESH IDEA:  I love this idea.  And I love that it makes doing something good that much easier.  Trend-new technologies-crunchy-goodness-sharing site PSFK just wrote about this…it’s the partnership between UNICEF and Microsoft Tag’s technology.  As an alternative to digging into your wallet or pocket or purse this Halloween to give money to UNICEF, you can simply scan a QR code on the money collection box.  In doing so, $10 gets added to your cell phone bill, and given to UNICEF as a donation.  So no need to figure out the donation amount.  It’s a straight, low-price point level that’s super simple.  And it’s encouraging consumers to accept and adopt QR codes in an everyday moment.  Where this up-levels technology used by cause organizations, is in the experience.  So unlike a text to donate opportunity, here the organization can also serve-up additional content or collect information.  And the QR code aka tag can be put onto anything:  POP, product packaging, etc.

Here’s the PSFK article if you wish to check it out: http://www.psfk.com/2011/10/triple-pundit-trick-or-tag-for-unicef.html

Love it!  Hey, hope you have a good weekend, ‘k?  TASTY TREND:  Experiential Traditional; Here and Now