For all the times you’ve begrudgingly given a pushy sales associate your email address knowing full well you’ll delete whatever brand bombardment lands in your inbox, do you ever wonder why you conceded in the first place? It’s because somewhere during the transaction you felt you had something to gain.

So what if we’re interested in what brands have to say, but don’t have the time to sift through the clutter? Google cracked the code as it trialed Gmail Smart Labels, an innovative extension to its priority inbox feature that automatically organizes and classifies emails into customizable labels:

• Bulk: promotional mass mailings, daily offers
• Notifications: receipts, account statements
• Forums: mailing lists, group emails

Senior writer for CNET Stephen Shankland shares how Smart Labels appeals to a broad range of users, revealing a way to filter messages – out of sight, out of mind – until you have the time and patience to see what’s in it for you.

Key Takeaway – a win-win for both sides of the virtual tug-o-war. As a marketer, I have a fighting chance of avoiding the trash and surviving in the Bulk realm for later review; as a consumer, I choose when and where I want to be the target of your promotional pitch.

Too good to be true? You tell me…

-Stephanie C.

(Photo courtesy of googletutor.com)

If I can admit it, so can you – we’ve all been subject to distracted driving and lucky enough not to get caught, but that’s no longer the case. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo approved legislation raising texting while driving to a primary offense.

That distracted driving poses a serious threat and draws national concern is no surprise, but the GHSA (Governors Highway Safety Association) has arrived at the startling statistic that smartphones are tied to 25% of all car crashes.

So what can we do about it?

First, companies can (and should) create internal use policies, particularly for those commuting daily with their smartphone as their only lifeline.

Secondly, we can use advanced technology to solve the problem. Whether it’s tools like T-Mobile’s DriveSmart or the SAFECELLapp offered for the iPhone and Android that rewards users for safe driving, there’s a better alternative than “it won’t happen to me”.

In 2007, 5 local girls suffered a tragic fatality in consequence of distracted driving; consider how that number has grown exponentially as new technology drives our daily lives and people are not only calling and texting, but sifting through emails, scrolling their news feed, and checking Twitter updates during rush hour traffic.

Isn’t it time you became a real “smart” phone user?

 
Stephanie C.

(Photo courtesy of corbisimages.com)

Recently I noticed a trend in restaurants – younger couples having dinner, not absorbed in conversation but rather by their smart phones. You can argue that they might be texting to each other, and maybe some of them are. Is Social Media replacing the Social Life? Is Facebook replacing the old fashioned backyard barbeque parties? Is Twitter replacing casual gatherings at cocktail hour? Are LinkedIn and Webinars replacing the old fashioned meetings and interviews? You might say that this a ridiculous thought. But is it? Think of the communication methods and devices available 20 years ago versus today. In past we used to write letters and send these in mail. Last week I found a handwritten cover letter from the 1990 sales file. When was the last time you sent a hand written correspondence to your customer?

Today, company websites are taking over the functionality of a salesman. A perfect website will attract the prospects with updated blog contents, webinars and technical papers. Prospects then will be converted into the sales leads through well designed landing pages. What about 20 years from now? Advanced technology with artificial intelligence will recognize the need, prepare the sales proposal, and convert it into the order. The mainstream of business people (today’s teenagers) won’t appreciate the personal phone calls or traveling to personal meetings, these take too much of their valuable time. Can we as marketers keep up with these changes? Or will we be replaced by an intelligent machine? What do you think?
- Kristel

http://blog.growingleaders.com/generation-iy/leading-the-next-generation-well-over-connected-2/ 

Chris Brogan and Julien Smith open their book about Trust agents with comparing the “trust agent” to FBI agent. Agent Pistone created the character of Donnie Brasco who hung out places where the mob guys hung out; he wanted to be known as the person who didn’t ask many questions. With the guys he was after, it was hard to break in. The important thing was not to act fast, but to build credibility and good backup story which “checks out”. In conclusion, within six years, he was able to filtrate into deepest circles of mafia and bring down significant number of mob influencers.

This is a shocking comparison… which makes perfect sense! To be a good trust agent, one needs to be a good “street agent”. For example, your LinkedIn profile provides you more business opportunities once you have more recommendations and testimonials on your profile. Your blog will generate higher web traffic when you create original content, include inbound links, and post regularly.

When you look at any glossy-print advertisement there is a smiling person holding new product. Who is that person? Using of celebrity spokes person has been one of the oldest tactics in marketers’ toolbox. But really, why would your customer trust celebrities who get paid to tell what is good? Find lovers of your brand and give them a voice. If you do this right, next thing you know, you will have an army of volunteers.

See also: Trust Economies

Kristel

Laptops, pens, and paper are all utilized by the MSMK4 cohort.

More than a year ago, the Washington Post reported that colleges and universities were banning laptops from their classrooms in an article titled “Wide Web of diversions gets laptops evicted from lecture halls”.  This is an interesting notion as the popularity of new online degree options like Roberts Wesleyan College’s Master of Science in Strategic Leadership program grow exponentially.  How can some institutions (not RWC, of course) be so polarized yet still appeal to the students who are now products of the technology?

The answer is to accept the fact that laptops, the student’s attention span, and willingness to participate, are entirely up to the student.  If participation is a requirement of the class and it is soundly based in classroom discussion, the individual’s grades will reflect their distractions from their laptop and render them unable to participate with meaningful contributions.  Banning of any technology sends the wrong message about the willingness of the instructor, and subsequently, the institution, to advance and offer the most up-to-date and pertinent information to their students.  Certainly, students have a different style of learning, communication, and willingness to maintain undivided attention than they did ten years ago, but this is not an indication of diminished quality, rather a sign for educators to evolve their styles to interact with their audience.

-Kelly