Droid Cometh (UPDATED)

The first real challenger to the iPhone looks like it will be Droid. I haven’t read anything but great stuff coming from the people who have seen the über smart.

It has an iPhone look complete with touch screen, but it also has a slide out QWERTY keyboard (WIN)

The device is made by Motorola; powered by Google’s mobile operating system, Android; and it will be sold through Verizon, thus it will be on Verizon’s awesome network.

Droid will run the latest version of Android, which looks incredible (see The Boy Genius’s write-up).

If the hardware reports are true, then Droid will have the same processor core as the iPhone, making it far more powerful than previous Android phones (Engadget).

Google CEO Eric Schmidt is decrying Android’s imminent explosion in the marketplace, while analysts’ are talking about Android’s potential for market domination by 2012.

Verizon is also going all out with their marketing. In the lead up to the announcement of Droid, they have been bashing AT&T’s flimsy network with their cleaver, “There’s a map for that” ads.

Then their Droid announcement ad launched a flurry of attacks on the iPhone’s limitations.

“The Droid poses a different and more significant challenge to the iPhone than any other phone to date. The Palm Pre could have been that challenger, but it lacked the Verizon network, and users were unimpressed with the hardware. According to people who’ve handled the device, the Droid is the most sophisticated mobile device to hit the market to date from a hardware standpoint. When you combine that with the Verizon network, you’ve got something that is most definitely a challenger to the Jesus phone” (TechCrunch).

If Droid is everything that Motorola, Google, Verizon, and the tech writers are claiming it should be incredibly exciting (The claims are pretty much confirmed). Better still, Droid should be available within a few weeks.

Pay close attention to the oddly placed umlaut under the "r"

It’s clear to me that Droid means business because it has an unnecessary umlaut in its name.

~ syndicated by TheGeekWhisperer.com

Evolution of the Coke & Pepsi Logos

I have no idea where this came from. If you know, please tell me so I can site the originator.

This image tracks the evolution of the Coke and Pepsi logos over time.

Coke got it right the first time. I’m not so sure Pepsi ever got it right.

Thanks to RJay for passing this along to me.

Microsoft Makes a Commercial That Doesn’t Piss Me Off

Microsoft released a commercial for the upcoming Office 2010 that is, well… high budget.

Here’s what Microsoft got right – They didn’t say a word about their own capabilities, they didn’t attack the capabilities of other more stable and secure platforms, and they didn’t have a woman vomiting at the sight of her significant other’s web history.

Mostly I am just happy that no one threw up in this one.

DC Comics Blog

I’ve got corporate blogging on my mind, and a stone in my hand.

So, I’m going to beam DC Comics with that stone.

About five months ago DC Comics launched its own blog. In an industry that is packed with rumors, art and controversy, the blog merely serves as a weak marketing tool.

I don’t want to see preview pages for new comics, I can find those on about a dozen other, better sites. There is so much more DC could be doing to engage their very active and enthuastic audience. They could spark debate, or use the blog to address real public image issues, but it seems that they would rather pretend that they never happened.

DC, your blog is a waste of bandwidth. Change it.

Why Bother Attacking the iPod?

Microsoft is attacking Apple with another wasted commercial:

As of June 2008 (a year ago), Apple had sold about 163 million iPods:

As of May 2008, Microsoft had sold 2 million Zune Mp3 players.

Zune has been a lost cause since launch. Trying to outflank Apple by labeling Zune as the cheaper alternative will only damage Microsoft’s brand and reputation (as I pointed out before).

I do want to see Microsoft put up an intelligent fight (although I am not sure why I care).

Please Microsoft, pick better battles.

“Get a Mac” Ad is Bad

I’ve been pretty tough on Microsoft over their Laptop Hunters ad:

http://geekwhisperin.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/microsofts-lauren-ad-is-shortsighted/http://geekwhisperin.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/its-the-user-experience-stupid/

Apple’s latest ad is smart because it plays into the zeitgeist that Apple has essentially created about home computing, but it is incredibly stupid because it isn’t true.

She wants a computer that “that works without crashing, or viruses, or a ton of headaches.”

She can find that computer next to the “new drug” that Huey Lewis was looking for. They are both on the shelf labeled “Things that don’t exist.”

An Apple can crash. An Apple can get a virus. An Apple can cause you a boatload of headaches.

http://geekwhisperin.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/macbook-air-hinge-defect-revisited/

Apple has earned a right to be a little smug, but this latest ad greatly overshot reality.

It’s the User Experience Stupid!

The PC vs. Mac ad war continues to rage.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the first of what has become a series of PC “Laptop Hunters” ads. I’m continuing to stand being my original analysis of the “Lauren” ad. The two subsequent PC Hunters ads weren’t quite the train wreck that Lauren was, but I still found the people in the ads obnoxious and ill-informed; shouting off random computer parts and claiming to be tech savvy doesn’t appeal to me at all.

The biggest problem with these ads is that they completely ignore the user experience. Microsoft doesn’t sell Blu-ray drives, monitors, or graphics cards. They sell software. They sell a user experience, and that experience is lacking but it isn’t unsellable. These ads were pretty damn good:

These two ads are simple and elegant. They address the user experience in a clear and friendly manner. Plus, how can you get have a problem with those little girls? They seem far more intelligent than the tools that appear in the PC Hunters ads. The four year-old came across as more authoritative and likable than Lauren, Giampalolo, Lisa, or Jackson.

In response, Apple is using the same old formula to continue point out the flawed Windows user experience, and why not? These ads have been working wonders. Here are two of the new ones:

Another problem that Microsoft has is that Apple has had an active and preachy community for decades. There wasn’t a completely devoted community of PC users in the same way that there was a Mac community. Tight knit communities form around minority views. Additionally, many of the devoted PC users of the past (like myself) jumped ship to Apple over the past few years.

If Microsoft want’s to plug the holes, the answer isn’t poking holes at Apple; Microsoft doesn’t have the credibility to pull it off. They need to prop up their product and make it as cute, pretty, and above all, as likable as possible. They need to highlight the virtues of their own user experience, even if there aren’t many of them.

It's the user experience stupid!

Microsoft’s “Lauren” Ad is Shortsighted

This past week the new Microsoft ad, “Lauren Get’s an HP Pavilion” has consistently come up in conversation.

Is the ad telling the truth?

Yes! It absolutely is true. PCs are much cheaper than comparable Macs under almost all circumstances.

The question of truth unfortunately isn’t the important part of the ad. Sadly for Microsoft it is an excruciatingly shortsighted and ill-conceived TV spot. Let’s parse out this ad’s message:

• Apple is the stick with which the industry measures against.
• Apples are expensive.
• You can’t afford an Apple.
• PCs can be powerful.
• PCs are cheap.
• You can afford a PC.

By kicking off the ad with Lauren trying to buy an Apple it states very clearly that a Mac was her first choice. She went to get a PC when she couldn’t afford her first choice.

Flash forward to the Best Buy-ish store.

Lauren shouts out some easily digestible specs that she wants, and the PCs can meet he expectations for well under her budget of $1000… in fact, she bought if for $699.99 – This section of the ad has two BIG problems.

First, Microsoft sells software and a user-experience, not necessarily a good one, but a user-experience nonetheless. They don’t sell hardware. In spite whatever Microsoft believes, the biggest draw of an Apple is the user-experience, not the pretty hardware (there are some very pretty PCs out there). As Lauren points out, they have comparable hardware. The ad never deals with Windows Vista’s inferior user-experience. At least the Mojave Experiment ads did that!

The second problem with this section of the ad is the price-point. Microsoft doesn’t sell PCs but their partners do. The profit margin on a $700 laptop isn’t usually amazing. They set Lauren’s budget at $1000, why not have her spend $950? or $990? The ad lowers the expectation for what consumers will expect to pay. If Lauren could get a “great” computer for $699.99 then that’s what a PC should cost.

This ad also degrades the value of a PC. Apple is now officially the gold-standard… Microsoft said so in its own ad. Microsoft has made Apple the BMW of computer makers (if they weren’t considered that already there is no debate now). PCs are the computer you buy when times are rough… like now. But in the future, the economy won’t be in the dumps (hopefully sooner than later). Then people will have money again. When they replace the cheap POS of a PC they bought during the recession, they are going to want to replace it with something better. Something top of the line… and now we all know that PCs are the cheap computer.

Bad move Microsoft.

Facebook’s Demographics Shift

A few years ago Facebook began as a networking tool for college students. Since its inception it has been firmly viewed as the turf of teens and twenty-somethings, however that is no longer the case.

According to statistics from Facebook, they have experienced a profound shift in their demographics:

The biggest growth in terms of absolute new users over the last six month came amongst users 35-44. Over 4 million more US women 35-44 and nearly 3 million more US men 35-44 used Facebook in March 2009 compared to September 2008.

Another fun fact is that women over 55 is the fastest growing demographic on the social networking site, expanding at a rate of 1.5 million people per month.

As the demographics of Facebook change, the manner in which people use it will too.

How will businesses and marketers use Facebook to spread the message? Or maybe the better question is how long will it take them to realize that Facebook isn’t just for kids anymore?

How will older users interact with each other on Facebook? There is no doubt that their reasons for joining and real world uses are and will be different than their younger counterparts. 

Will teens want to join a social network that their parents are on? Will Facebook become viewed as old and untrendy in the process? 

In my mind, these numbers raise many more questions than they answer. The only thing that I will say with confidence about them is that these changes will have a lasting effect.

Lost Generation

Creative use of language is one of the many things that causes me to “geek out.”

I think this ad is damn brilliant. 

I know it’s a couple of years old, but it doesn’t make it any less cleaver.

(Special thanks to Carla H. for sending this my way)

Big Blue

This post is not about about IBM, although I am aware that another tech post is long overdue. 

As I browsed my new favorite blog, Occasional Superheroine, I was kind of shocked (not an easy feat) by her latest post – Watchmen Condom “Sexist?”

It seems that the upcoming movie, the Watchmen is now being shock-marketed with blue condoms that say, “We’re society’s only protection” on the packaging.

Why blue condoms you ask?

Because main character Dr. Manhattan is both blue and nude… you can’t really argue with the cleverness. 

He's omnipotent. No need for modesty.

Is it sexist? Feel free to check out Occasional Superheroine’s post for that one. I am going to make a different point.

A few days ago I wrote about the appropriateness of the advertisements and merchandizing of Watchmen. Namely, I’ve been bothered by the kid friendly marketing and merchandise for what will be a very kid-unfriendly movie.

At least the use of condoms appeal to a more mature audience. I think it is more honest marketing. 

… and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Fox Gears-Up to Repeat History

Joss Whedon’t new show Dollhouse starts tonight and I really  want it to live a bit longer than Firefly did. 

One of the big reasons that Firefly died so quickly was mismanagement by Fox.

Joss & co. shot an exceptional two hour pilot for the show. It properly introduced viewers to the Universe, its complex character, and the main plot lines. Sadly, Fox decided not to show the pilot until the day it cancelled the show. Instead they showed other episodes. They were great, but viewers never had the chance to properly get to know the characters and were constantly confused even though they enjoyed the show.

To further add to the confusion, Fox’s pre-airing marketing blitz used key footage from the pilot. When viewers started watching the premier, it didn’t look like what they had seen in the commercials and trailers.

Dumb, right?

Well checkout this commercial for Dollhouse and Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Seriously, WTF are they thinking?!?!

This is how I imagine the pitch for this playing-out:

“OK, so we have these two modern sci-fi epics. Let’s just ‘Charlie’s Angels‘ them up. I mean make them look really 1970’s cornball! Let’s washout the colors, set it to outdated music, misrepresent the shows, and use quaint marketing language that was abandoned two decades ago for good reason. That ought to appeal to a demographic that will be utterly uninterested in the show while simultaneously pushing away the people who will actually want to watch it!”

Please Fox! You’ve already dug the both of these shows a grave by slotting them for Friday night. Don’t slay them with stupidity.

Whopper Goes Down in Flames

Burger King’s latest in a long string of marketing campaigns that are clearly striving for “edgy” bit the dust yesterday.

They created a Burger King Facebook application that coupled with the campaign. The deal was that if an individual used the app to unfriend ten of their Facebook friends, they would receive a free whopper.

It’s funny and I rather enjoyed the campaign.

Personally I unfriended a bunch of people a couple months ago (not part of this campaign) when I realized that I was getting feed updates about people I didn’t actually know. I had a ton of “friends” whom I had met in random places like parties, received friend invites from them, and felt that it was only polite to accept. After a while though it became too much, so I canned a bunch of them.

Anyway, Facebook brought the whopper campaign to an early end because the app that users had to go through to earn their free whopper would notify the unfriended individual of their severed connection. It seems that this violated Facebook policy.

I’m not sure why it matters at all… but I’m also pretty sure I don’t care about Facebook’s policy one way or another. I just thought the campaign was interesting.

In case you were wondering, 233,906 individuals were unfriended since the campaign began less than a week ago. That’s pretty impressive for a corporate viral campaign.