February 02, 2012

Shazam and IntoNow: The Audio QR Code for Advertising

When Shazam first launched, I thought it was the coolest thing on my iPhone.  How awesome that an app could recognize a song by listening to a snippet of it playing on the radio, TV, etc and tell you what it is and who sings it.  I’ve bought a couple of songs using Shazam but honestly, I’m usually driving when I want to use it and digging out my phone, unlocking it, opening Shazam, and tapping to tag is not the safest driving practice.  When IntoNow launched I thought, cool, Shazam for TV.  Except, I already know what I’m watching so they tagging process was really just to check in and frankly, the way GetGlue shows trending shows and your favorite shows, checking in over on GetGlue seemed easier.  Plus, I like the stream you can follow of fellow viewers/fans.  I’ve long thought there is a market for an app to facilitate these impromptu conversations about an event, show, etc. outside of following hashtags on Twitter or only seeing what your friends are updating on Facebook.  For me, GetGlue wins out in the TV check-in app category over IntoNow or YapTV.

However, when Yahoo! bought IntoNow, I realized it could play a whole new role in advertising and possibly resurrect Yahoo! with a new ad revenue stream.  I’ve started to notice some Shazam bugs during TV shows but the news today shows that Shazam, and to a lesser extent IntoNow, are going big when it comes to the Superbowl and I’m thrilled.

I’ve spent years lamenting the lack of mobile integration into Superbowl ads, and the social media talking heads have bashed agencies for not going further to integrate social outside of a hashtag or Facebook page.   Now we are finally about to see both.  Shazam and IntoNow will offer a perfect way for viewers to interact with the ad using their mobile device, and get a reward with additional content, coupons, donations on their behalf, and more.

I’m not a huge fan of mobile QR codes because seem more effort than the value they deliver.  However, Shazam or IntoNow becoming what I’ll call the “Audio QR code” for advertising has many interesting implications for broadcast advertisers.  Now to see if people know what the heck to do when they see the little Shazam bug on their big screen.  I’ll be watching.

October 12, 2011

My Tribute to Steve Jobs

Five years ago, I didn’t think I could operate outside of a Windows-based world.  I bought a Palm Treo smartphone running Windows Mobile (big, big mistake), I upgraded my old Dell laptop to a Sony Vaio running Windows Vista (even bigger mistake), and I FINALLY got a new-fangled portable music player with my first iPod Video (not that I EVER used  the video part).

Today all that has changed.  My old school iPod still works and has completely changed the way I listen to music, especially in the car. In addition to the thousands of songs I burned off of my old CDs, I have purchased nearly 700 (gasp!) songs from iTunes and have created over 50 playlists (harkening back to when I was queen of the mixed tape.) My daughter barely knows anything different and started her Apple consumerism at six with an iPod Nano and my husband’s old PowerBook.

For phones, I now carry an iPhone 4.  I stood in line in July of 2008 to be one of the first to get an iPhone 3G (which my daughter now uses as her “iPod Touch”).  We also bought the iPad for our family on the first day it went on sale.  Across these devices I run over 300 apps (and that doesn’t count the ones I’ve downloaded and deleted).  Yikes, just thinking about how much I’ve spent with Apple over the last few years makes me cringe.

And one of the best decisions ever, I finally ditched that heavy, slow-as-molasses notebook for a super-thin, super-fast, MacBook Air with a long battery life and no more blue screens of death.

Have I had any problems? Yes.  Mobile.me was a complete f’ing disaster that wiped out my contacts entirely after moving to the MacBook Air and caused hours and days of headaches.  My iPhone 3G got so slow after upgrading the software too many times that it could barely send an email or make a phone call.  My new iPhone 4 crashed and I had to reset it, wiping out the hours I spent re-organizing my apps back into folders and re-registering with all of them.  The AppStore subscription policies piss me off.  Ping is completely useless.  But, does that stop me from being happy? No.  Because I don’t have to spend 20 minutes every day starting and turning off my computer.  I don’t need to restart multiple times a day.  I can do what I need to do quickly and move on with my busy life.  I can count on my products to work.  The entertainment and utility I get out of my apps enriches my daily experiences.  And, without Stack the Countries, how else would my seven year old have become so interested in the countries of Southeast Asia?

So Steve, we thank you.

July 29, 2011

Deals Make Foursquare More Relevant

After being an early Foursquare adopter, I somewhat abandoned the app about six months ago in favor of Facebook Places.  It came down to the fact that Facebook Places was easier (faster, didn’t crash, better database) and if I was letting people know where I was, that was usually information I wanted to share only with the friends and family I am connected to on Facebook.  However, some recent news out of Foursquare made me reconsider.

First, was the rumor, now confirmed, that Foursquare will be incorporating Groupon Daily Deals.  Finding local specials and deals gives Foursquare a leg up on Facebook, at least until they expand their Facebook Deals program.  The second news bit that intrigued me was that Klout was going to incorporate Foursquare into its influence ranking.  I like to think I know a thing or two about the area where I live so I would like to get that street cred through Klout and see where their Klout Perks program leads.

So I decided to give Foursquare a second chance and I have to say, I’m impressed.  First of all, the app is much improved (along with upgrading from an iPhone 3 to an iPhone 4), it is faster, with a better UI, more comprehensive database, and much more reliable.  Second, I still like the fact that I can share with other services.  If it is personal but something I want to share with friends, I’ll post to Facebook.  Professional and public, like a networking event or conference, I’ll post to Twitter.  But best of all were the deals.  (Note: as of this writing Groupon Daily Deals are not yet incorporated in my city.)

Perhaps it was because I tried it out on a recent trip to New York City, but I was overwhelmed by the number and accessibility of the specials.  In the past, to unlock the special you had to become the Mayor or some other hard-to-achieve benchmark.  Not now, at least, not what I saw.  From the time we checked into Hotel Roger Williams, we were unlocking a boatload of deals that were compelling and meaningful.

First up, my husband and I both received a free drink in the hotel bar for checking in on Foursquare.  The next day, when checking in at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we received a free reusable tote bag when spending over $25 at the museum store (that was a given since we were traveling with our seven year old.)  Later, after checking in when we arrived at the Lion King, we received 20 percent off our souvenir purchase of $20 or more (again, of course the kid gets a t-shirt).  The next day we stopped for a quick chocolate soup dumpling at Rickshaw Dumpling Bar but alas, couldn’t take advantage of their special only because we had just eaten a full meal.  Also couldn’t take advantage of the bar special at Eataly because of the timing but it felt like everywhere we went, we were unlocking special deals.  (Ok, the staff at Peter Luger probably never even heard of Foursquare but you don’t go there for a deal, that is for sure.)

Now that I’m back in Providence I’ve gotten back in the habit of checking in using Foursquare vs. Facebook.  I haven’t been surprised by any specials yet but who knows, we’ll be in town tomorrow for dinner and Waterfire.  In the meantime, I’m going to keep my eye out for Groupon Daily Deals.

By the way, little tip for when you unlock a special: Take a screenshot of the special so when you go to redeem it you don’t have to open the app and try to find the screen while waiting in a busy checkout line.