Businesses don't cut corners with Foursquare

Since the recent launch of Foursquare, I admit that I've been unsure of just how useful it is. Sites such as the audacious Please Rob Me definitely definitely didn't help convince me of its merits. This Mashable article, however, offers a great look at the innovative ways businesses are starting to use Foursquare. A few notable examples from the article:

• The Wynn Las Vegas hotel, which provides luxury bonuses with check-ins as well as interesting trivia about the hotel
• Lucky Magazine, whose Fashion Week tie-ins provide information on where to grab a cup of coffee (among other things) and will eventually expand to include recommendations from editors
• Starbucks, which provides a Barista badge that will eventually evolve into a customer rewards program

The interesting thing about all these examples is the fact these business are using Foursquare to enhance and provide real-life benefits to customers. Much has been made of how social media and technology are infiltrating our lives. Rather than being a distraction, in this case it's being creatively used to enrich and complement, rather than intrude on a customer's experience. Just like how Facebook has evolved into a valuable business tool, it will be interesting to see how businesses continue to innovate and improve their customer service with Foursquare. Looks like it may be worth it it after all to try to become the mayor of Fabricland.

Google gets all whimsical

Unfortunately I missed the actual day, but April 2nd was Hans Christian Andersen's 205th birthday and Google chose to celebrate with some delightful doodles. I've always liked Google's doodles, but the whimsical, painterly style of these ones make them real standouts in my opinion. I'd totally love to have bigger versions of these.

The full set of doodles can be seen at Mashable.

And speaking of Farmville...

In my previous post about Facebook I mentioned the popularity of Farmville. This New York Times article from October 2009 gives a really interesting look at the popularity of the game, with this telling quote:

Of course, real-life farming is quite a bit messier and more dangerous than FarmVille (perhaps just one reason that FarmVille players outnumber actual farmers in the United States by more than 60 to 1). Yet some of the game’s biggest fans are farmers.

“I was having all these deaths on the farm and hurting myself on a daily basis doing real farming,” said Donna Schoonover, of Schoonover Farm in Skagit County, Wash., who raises sheep, goats and Satin Angora rabbits (real ones!). “This was a way to remind myself of the mythology of farming, and why I started farming in the first place.”

The article also describes other Farmville devotees, such as a medical transcriber in the Philippines who sets an alarm at 1:30 a.m. in order to wake up and tend to his farm. There seem to be two common threads running through the article...

Farmville is fundamentally changing how people structure their lives. Aside from the above example, the article also talks about several instances of how this addictive little Facebook game contributing to everything from poor study habits in college and university students to even marital tension. While, as someone who's been interesting in video games since I was young, I can related to to the can't-put-it-down feeling of being immersed in a good game, I can't imagine scheduling my sleep or social life around a game. The fact that people are so invested in Farmville seems to speak to an interest that goes far beyond simple fun, which brings me to my next point....

Farmville is an escape. This is what really stuck out at me. On the surface, the fact that so many farmers play the game may seems like one of those ironically funny things about the internet. When one farmer speaks of how the game allows him to experience the enjoyment of farming with none of its drawbacks, however, it speaks volumes about the game puts the player in his/her idealized little world. The article also hints at the idea of Farmville providing an escape from the bustle of urban life itself, which I do think is valid. With the onslaught of technology and business occupying life, it isn't hard to see how someone would long for what is perceived as a more peaceful existence. Farmville does seem to help people stop and smell the flowers, even if it is from behind a computer screen.

Facebook's growth continues

On Monday, March 24 at Centennial’s Centre for Creative Communications we had Elmer Sotto, from Facebook Canada come and speak. It was an excellent talk with some interesting insights into Facebook, including:

Facebook is growing at an explosive rate, partially because it's leveraging its international user base. Facebook is currently at 400 million active users worldwide, with especially rapid growth in nations such as the Philippines and, before they blocked it, Iran and Iraq. It has 100 million mobile users and, with an average monthly use of 278 minutes, it has officially bumped Google from the number one spot of most engaging website.

According to Elmer, part of the reason for this explosive international growth is because Facebook is available in over 70 languages. To insure that translations match the natural feel of a language, international Facebook users handle the translations and vote on words that will be used. I think this is a good move by Facebook because it’s a way to directly engage their user base. Also, because the users are adding value to something they use, they become that much more invested in and loyal to Facebook. Plus, who wouldn’t love to say that they helped engineer Facebook’s Pirate-language version?

Facebook is a powerful platform that's not only changing the way we interact, but the way news is delivered to us. Elmer cited a few examples of how news delivery is changing, including the fact that the Oscar Red Carpet had a livestream and that Sarah Palin announced her resignation via Facebook. I find it interesting to see how social media is breaking down the barriers between news consumers and, in some cases, news makers. While this process, such as the Sarah Palin announcement, may seem to make traditional news channels irrelevant, they themselves are also using Facebook. It will be interesting to see if the ultimately end up competing with or complementing each other.

It’s not your imagination - Farmville really is everywhere. Elmer told a memorable anecdote about a friend who went to Indonesia and met a farmer. When the farmer realized that the individual worked at Facebook, the farmer spoke enthusiastically about his love of Farmville. So there you have it – this game is so addictive that even real farmers can’t resist it.

The Lexus LFA: you are not worthy

Last week I found out about the new Lexus LFA. One quick look at its specs shows that it’s a car-lovers dream. While it's safe to assume that it'll be exclusive and expensive, what's surprising is exactly how exclusive it is. Money, even lots of it, has very little with getting your hands on one.

Simply put, you don’t just buy this car. You have to earn it.

To even have a chance to buy it, there's a rigorous application process to screen out unworthy potential purchasers. So why the exclusivity? Toyota, the maker of the Lexus LFA, sees the car as its ticket into the luxury car market and hopes that the exclusive buying process will have it be associated with the rich and elite lifestyle.

On one hand, I can see what Toyota’s trying to do. Rather than making a car and slapping on a price tag with countless zeros, the company is tapping into the intangible mystique of luxury that transcends money by having a commodity that can't just be purchased, but actually has an element of selection and rejection. By choosing who gets to own the car, Toyota can actively craft its identity in the luxury market.

On the flip side, Toyota isn’t the first name that comes to mind when thinking of luxury cars. While they're not the first company to re-brand for the high-end market, doing so in the midst of a historic product recall may prove to be an uphill battle. The spectre of controversy may make it more difficult to crack into the luxury market, especially since one expectation of luxury products is unparalleled quality and workmanship. It’ll be interesting to see if Toyota can successfully manage their recall situation and court elite car owners.

Just when things seemed to be dying down...

Later today, Tiger Woods will finally end his self-imposed exile and hold a not-quite press conference. Though the scandal had died down, especially with the Olympics, news of his appearance has resurrected the story with such a force that it may actually overshadow Olympic coverage.

The media is speculating mainly about what he's going to say and if it will help or hurt his career, but I think what happens after this appearance is more critical. Even if he comes out in a self-flagellating flood of tears that puts Jimmy Swaggart to shame, he'll still have an uphill battle to reclaim his previous status. This scandal was over-the-top in so many ways that it will probably leave people disenchanted for a while, and one public appearance isn't going to reverse that. A few hurdles he'll need to overcome:

Eventually, he must answer questions. The public appearance will be carefully controlled: a single camera, an audience made up of a few reporters and personal friends and, above all, no questions. While I can see how he'd want this announcement to be on his own terms in what he feels is a safe environment, he'll create new problems if he waits too long to speak out. Whether he does a sit-down television interview, a talk show or a magazine interview, he needs to speak about the situation sooner rather than later.

His golf game. Before his scandal, Tiger was the world's top golfer, so the hype and scrutiny of his return to golf will be intense. Playing well may help him, but if he disappoints he could face a host of troubles, which leads to my next point....

Those lucrative endorsements. Tiger's endorsements made him a billionaire. Once the scandal hit, his sponsors mostly stood behind him, but as things got more sordid, some, such as Accenture, dropped him. Rehabilitating his image will be important for him to retain the sponsors that did stay with him. If he doesn't fix his image or starts playing poorly, he may come off as a liability and scare off advertisers.

Restoring his image. The scandal destroyed Tiger's wholesome image and it's possible he may never get it back. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to use his sex addiction to try to appear more sympathetic, but this could seriously backfire if he comes off as making excuses and not taking responibility for his behaviour. There's a definite paradox in the way people often view public figures: though they're fascinated with the gory details of a downfall, people do love a good redemption story.

Can Tiger actually rebound from a scandal worsened by poorly-handled public relations and image management? Only time will tell.

The Literati Lounge

On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, four classmates and I hosted “The Literati Lounge,” a wine and cheese fundraiser for Frontier College, at Re: Reading a used bookstore on the Danforth. The event was the major project for our Event Management course in Centennial College's Corporate Communications and Public Relations post-grad program.

The event was tons of fun. We had readings by two award-winning authors: Pasha Malla, author of The Withdrawal Method, and Terry Fallis, author of The Best Laid Plans and co-founder of the public relations firm Thornley Fallis. We also had a raffle, free book giveaways and, of course, lots of food, wine and book-related discussions. We spent most of the first semester working on the event and along the way I learned some valuable lessons:

Don't be shy – when you need something, ask for it. Initially, when we pursued sponsors, we weren't as proactive as we needed to be. Therefore, we ended up doing a second wave of solicitations and targeted far more sponsors more aggressively, which got us some amazing raffle prizes. We realized that people actually were willing to help, but more often than not they were extremely busy, so following up (sometimes multiple times) was critical.

Double check everything and don't be afraid to negotiate. Considering how much planning and work went the event, it was inevitable Murphy's Law would eventually rear its ugly head. We decided that the best way to showcase and thank our sponsors would be a banner with their names and business cards. I got a quote from the printer and got everything ready. Just to be safe, I called to double check the quote....and was given a completely different price. The confusing and contradictory information continued for the next few days until I was finally told that, not only was my initial quote for a nonexistent option, but the actual option cost five times that incorrect quote. Fortunately I explained my situation to the manager at the print shop and was able to finally get the banner printed at a large discount.

Although I'm outgoing, I tend to avoid conflict and confrontation, so when I realized this situation had plenty of both I found it a bit nerve-wracking. Fortunately, negotiating wasn't as scary or difficult as I'd feared. Plus, following up to confirm the quote, even though I had previously used this printer, was critical in resolving the situation without breaking our budget.

Sometimes things work out, even when they don't. The situation with the print shop wasn't the only time we realized this. All of the groups in class had been fortunate enough to have beautiful weather on the days of their events. Unfortunately, on the day of our event Toronto had its first major winter storm.

Although this resulted in a few no-shows, we still had a decent turnout. Also, the bookstore was less crowded so people were able to mingle without feeling cramped and crowded and some even bought books, which made the owner of the bookstore happy.

Have fun because time passes way too quickly. About three months of planning and hard work paid off in an event that ran smoothly and passed more quickly that I thought it would. Everyone had a great time, our guest authors were stellar, and Christopher, the owner of Re:Reading was wonderful to us. Best of all, we were able to raise over $800 for Frontier College. It was fun to work with great people and create something we could all be proud of.