Capital C

Give people something to aim at...

and their marksmanship improves by 80%. 

Even something as simple as a sticker of a pesky fly motivates people to point-and-shoot, dramatically reducing 'human spillage' and thus maintenance costs. It's a strong testament to IDEO's principle of tapping into the sweet spot, the overlap between an individual's motivation and an organization's goals. Yesterday, I was lucky to be at a Rotman talk given by Gentry Underwood, IDEO's Head of Knowledge-Sharing. Gentry helped us understand the powerful strategy of using 'Design Over Compliance'. Influence behavior by giving people something they want to do, rather than by enforcing a standard. If the reward flows as a natural consequence of the desired behavior, people will flock. And aim :)

Digital Digs- 01.25.10\\\\

Digital Digs Brought to you by Capital C
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Capital C’s Digital Digs – A digest of what's new and emerging in marketing, technology and strategy.

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Google Is Now Apple’s Greatest Enemy: Here’s Why

A nice little article explaining Google’s and Microsoft’s battle royal in the search and mobile arena.

 

This Rumble Hath No End

 

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Why is Google Afraid of Facebook? Because Social Networking Could Soon Pass Search

For the first time ever, social networking traffic exceeded search engine traffic. This could be the beginning of a very different era, one that’s way more difficult to monetize.

 

Where the Money's Headed

 

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BRANDED APPLICATIONS WILL DRIVE MOBILE ADVERTISING IN 2010

Mobile banner ads are like the guy who forgets his wallet when the bill comes. They’re just there, hanging around but good for nothing. Enter branded apps: Becoming more useful at a steady rate and winning the hearts of consumers across the globe.

 

These Apps Pay for Dinner

 

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YouTube Nabs Live Sports Streaming Rights

Yes, it's only cricket. But securing live streaming rights to a major sporting event is a huge coup for YouTube. With the inevitability of other professional sports leagues bound to find themselves onboard at some point in the future, the world of sports broadcasting will never be the same. Not to mention sports advertising revenues.

 

Today Cricket, Tomorrow the World

 

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Testing the Frontiers of Social Media

With the world scrambling to cover the recent devastating Haitian earthquake, journalists, neuroscientists, and everyone in between are testing the frontiers of social media.

 

Boldly Going...

 

 

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We want your feedback. Post links, criticism & love to:
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Digital Digs- 01.18.10

Capital C’s Digital Digs – A digest of what’s new and emerging in marketing, technology and strategy.

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Text-to-Donate Collects Millions for Haiti Relief
By making donating as easy as sending a text, relief funds for Haiti’s earthquake victims quickly skyrocketed to new records of fundraising efforts across North America.

Keep it Simple, Yield Results <http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9144838/Text_to_donate_collects_millions_for_Haiti_relief?taxonomyId=15>

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10 Musts for Marketing to Women on Facebook
With over 56 million women using it, Facebook is the place to be for marketers targeting women. However, there’s a right and a wrong way to talk to women.

Wait…Is this for Marketers or Men? <http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/marketing-women-facebook/>

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Are You Paying Attention to Paid Search in 2010?
When thinking about advertising in 2010, there are some things to consider for putting more effort into search. Razorfish lays them out.

Search and Ye Shall Find <http://www.searchmarketingtrends.com/>

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$99 Laptop Aims to Bridge the Digital Divide
Getting new technology into the hands of populations that would not otherwise be able to afford it is a big step in building a bridge between a cultural, digital divide. One that’s important for new opportunities to educate, communicate, and eventually (don’t shoot the messenger) market to.

Building Big Bridges <http://springwise.com/non-profit_social_cause/cherrypal/>

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Coke Drops Campaign Sites in Favour of Social Media
As the value of connecting with consumers in one central hub become more apparent, some big brands are shifting the effort and dollars put into websites for campaigns towards social media.

Sense Makes Dollars <http://www.nma.co.uk/news/coke-drops-campaign-sites-in-favour-of-social-media/3008538.article>

What the Right Words are Worth

The right turn of phrase can literally change the public's mind about something and make it more acceptable. Consider Public Relations. Coined by Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew and the father of PR, Public Relations was a friendlier term for good old-fashioned propaganda. When 18th century grave robbers (a.k.a. body-snatchers) started calling themselves Resurrectionists, their business of supplying medical schools with corpses to dissect became more legitimate. That's why more people are Pro Life than Anti-abortion. The right words are worth their weight in public approval.

-BK

The Elephant and the egg

Capitalism works on the principles of supply and demand.  In the investment world, shareholders demand a minimum top line growth of at least 4% a year. That means simply to meet expectations, a $50 billion dollar multinational must supply $ 2 billion dollars in new business, plus whatever the impact of price cutting is on their core business. The next year they need to find another $2.1 billion.

  Innovation has to be their lifeblood, but the sheer magnitude of the task will force them to rethink the way they conduct research, invent, and commercialize within their four walls.   Navin Chandaria, one of the smartest individuals I know, once told me that if an Elephant tries to hatch an egg, he will smash it. Flexibility and nurturing are key, and they work best small.

  This is why it's such a great time for entrepreneurs. Those that can conceive, incubate and hatch eggs of innovation, and can then use social networks to directly connect with multinationals desperate for ideas.

- Tony Chapman @tonychapman