Instagram Hangs Itself

Instagram's fame as THE
photo-sharing app is in jeopardy.

Instagram released its new terms of service overnight, and the backlash has been swift and sharp.  No one knows yet how this will play out, but many Instagram users are threatening to leave the service.

So what happened?  Their updated terms of service state that "you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you."  Ouch!

If the debate gets any hotter, there could be government intervention or a law suit, which would hurt the company even more that user abandonment!

Instagram's response, so far, has been to say that this was a move taken to better integrate with its parent company, Facebook, which already does this a little.  I've seen ads that list profile photos and names of my friends as "Likers" of other pages that I should also, apparently, like.

The Marketing Take-away
This is a two-edged sword for marketers, because we LOVE to use customer data for our own purposes, and photos are part of that.  But with the severe infringement on people's personal information and images could cause consumers to lose confidence in companies that use this type of information to sell products or services.

My advice to marketers and companies?  Wait it out and see what happens before making the move to use people's Instagram photos and metadata to marketing anything?

Now tell me: what do YOU think about Instagram's new terms of service?

-MJP

Hugo Chavez and Cancer Treatment

Hello, everyone.  It's been a while, but I'm back!  It's been a couple of busy months, and my new goal is to write a new post once a week...we'll see if that happens...

Anyway, the topic for today is: Hugo Chavez and his cancer treatment fiasco, which has blown up in the past 60 minutes, or so.  Since he last

Pilgrimage - A Novel of the Sovereign Era

I don't often do this, but I feel like I owe it to Matthew Wayne Selznick to try and help support his Kickstarter campaign; his novel, Pilgrimage - A Novel of the Sovereign Era, is a sequel to Brave Men Run, one of the first podcast novels EVER!  I read the first one and have been a fan ever since!

Click below to watch the video trailer for the book and to read more about Kickstarter and crowdfunding.

Small pet...or huge rat?

This 3-foot rat looks more like a pet dog than a monster rodent!

I've always heard jokes about giant-rat sightings in New York City, but this is no joke!  It was found in the back room of a Foot Locker in the Bronx.  My question is: how can Foot Locker turn this around and keep it from turning into a big problem?

(P.S. Beware of SCAMS!)

As disaster clean-up continues around my neighborhood, I've been seeing more news vans than usual.  Unfortunately, no one has stopped to talk with me...until yesterday.  Below, I've posted the brief video.  I know it's a bit vain, but I'm fine with a little of that!

More charitable giving as marketing material

My 30-foot-tall tree fell in my front yard on
December 1st, 2011.

Last week, a barrage of unusually strong wind came whipping through the western United States.  When it whipped over the eastern mountains of the Wasatch Front, my town was the hardest hit; the gusts were over 100 miles per hour!  For those of you keeping track, that's level-two-hurricane-strength winds!

The best of James Bond, in ONE novel!

From an article in The Guardian:


In a shocking turn for the debut novel by Q.R. Markham, Assassin of Secrets, the US publisher is recalling all copies and offering refunds to those who have already purchased the book.  The UK publisher is taking back all copies of the book before it is released there this week.  Why are they doing it?

The answer is simple: plagiarism.

Apple Goes Solar

Schematic for one of Apple's filed patents.

Apple recently filed for two patents in the area of solar power, and they have three more in the works (http://gigaom.com/cleantech/how-apple-could-revolutionize-solar/).  If they get these patents, and even if they don't, what could this mean for Apple devices going forward?  All I can say is: WOW!

You already know you can download music DIRECTLY to your iPod, so the only need for the computer is to CHARGE the device and act as a backup for your entire music library.  Imagine if your iPod could be powered by the sun; that would mean no more charging via the computer.

So, other than for backing up your database...wait a minute.  Look at this: http://www.apple.com/icloud/what-is.html.  Well, now that's taken care of, too.  It seems to me that Apple just disconnected me from wires, completely.  How cool is THAT?!

The Marketing Take-away: Unplugged is a HUGE marketing plus!
iCloud and solar power could put Apple's devices in a league all their own, and this super-huge added value is marketing GOLD!  To no longer need a cord at all - to be truly portable - is a strategic advantage that can't currently be matched by anyone.

The Death of TechCrunch?

(AKA "Why AOL and Arianna Huffington are anti-social-media idiots!")

This may have changed by the time I post this article, but as of right now, I'm convinced that AOL and Arianna Huffington care more about their own power than in making sound business decisions.  They want to oust Michael Arrington and put in an editor-in-chief of their choosing.

It's another bone-headed move by AOL, in a long history of bone-headed moves, to stake a claim on one of its more successful web properties.  Huffington, I believe, is weighing in on the matter in order to mark her own territory on what she sees as her potential property at AOL, despite having no direct control over what goes on, currently, at TechCrunch.

See the article here: http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/06/the-end/.

One Man's Reaction to the Death of WebOS

This is a funny look at how one historic figure might react to the death of HP's WebOS. Watch to the end; it's pretty funny!

The Final Space Shuttle Launch

It's sad to see the shuttle program go away. I never wanted to be an astronaut myself, but always felt like it was a special part of my childhood; my family went quite a few times to the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, and I always learned so much.

The cancellation of the program is a huge marketing blunder for the United States. We have a brand image, and we've been letting it erode. How can people expect to value the country if we shut down one of the few programs that make it stand out in the world, especially considering that it's a PEACE-promoting endeavor; so few are anymore!

Here's the Daily Show's take on the whole thing. Beneath the humor, there's a sense of disappointment at how ridiculous the cancellation is for the country.

The Daily Show - Final Countdown Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

A unique brand move for J.K. Rowling

Whether or not you like Harry Potter, you have to admit that this is an interesting move for the story's creator, J.K. Rowling.  She's created a new site for the world of Harry Potter, unveiled the week of June 19th, 2011.



The video reveals that it will be an interactive experience, but it's still REALLY vague as to what exactly will be going on there.  Leading up to the announcement, there were speculations as to what would be on www.pottermore.com.  It remains to be seen whether or not this brand strategy will pay off for Rowling.  In terms of e-book sales, it should be great, at least!


-MJP

What the...?

OK, so my mind was officially blown after reading this article.  If you'd like to read it, click on the blog title to go to the BBC website.  At first, I couldn't tell what it was a picture of, so if you're still wondering, it's a flat, plastic smartphone!

Site Updates

To all my readers:

Over the next few months, the site will be going through some back-end changes that will cause change to its look fairly regularly. Don't worry though, because the content will still be here for your perusal. I've been taking some web design classes so I don't have to rely so heavily on Blogger to control my site layout. Keep reading, and don't forget to post comments on the posts you like, even if they're old; you never know what could spark a discussion!

-MJP

Experience pays...right?

Click on the title of this post to go to an interesting article on experience and success in a given job. The results surprised me, and they will do the same to you; I guarantee it!

Hulu Takes It Back

Click the title to go to a Website Magazine article about this topic.

Image via CrunchBase

My wife and I are avid TV watchers, but only online; with three kids, it's the only time we have to watch our favorite shows. And yes, we've been using Hulu to watch everything in one place; the convenience of the site has been great. I've even watched some movies on there, too.

So, when I heard that the News Corp. deputy chairman, Chase Carey, announced that Hulu would start charging for viewing videos through a subscription-based service, I wanted to reach through my computer screen and throttle the person that came up with the idea. SUBSCRIPTION? Are they all mental over there at News Corp.?

At our house, we get satellite TV, but we have the family package so the kids can watch all of that. It's really the only reason we have anything at all. That's our subscription. We don't need to pay for another subscription just so we can watch our favorite programming online. Watching shows online is an added BONUS for my wife and I, so we don't feel deprived. However, if Hulu charges, we'll go somewhere else; the stations themselves will most likely still offer free viewing. Sure, it'll be less convenient, but I'm NOT going to pay for something I already pay for each month!

Does anyone else have an opinion on this? Please make a comment below!

Now that people are up in arms, Hulu and News Corp. have all but recounted Mr. Carey's words by saying that their current plan is a good one that they'll not shy away from using in the future. The spokesperson also said that any additional, subscription-based services will be IN ADDITION to their free offerings. Who knows if that's what Carey meant to say, but I'm sure that's what he'll claim.

Companies should do more research before deciding on future business plans. Without the research, any company can make a mistake like News Corp. did. Research first, everyone! It's the only way to go!

Comments on Chaotics - Part 2

The second half of the article takes a turn for the better as Kotler answers specific questions concerning how to achieve marketing success in these turbulent times. His answers can be categorized as follows:

1. In-depth market research
2. Database-focused analytics
3. Product research
4. Proper budgeting

All four are great ways to improve marketing in these tough times, but Kotler hasn’t re-invented the wheel here. He’s repeating what others, himself included, have been saying for years; marketing is changing more rapidly that ever, and savvy marketers need to change their outlook on the world, focusing more on customer needs than on their own.

Comments on Chaotics - Part 1

Philip Kotler, the marketing “expert” everyone seems to look to for inspiration, has written yet another book to garner praise for stating the obvious. This one, entitled, Chaotics: The Business of Managing and Marketing in The Age of Turbulence, centers around two forces that are driving the rapid changes in business today: globalization and technology.

In my opinion, this book is about five years too late, and will only be useful to C-level executives that have their heads so far up their own, or their CEOs’, rear ends that they can’t see what’s been developing over the past half decade.

These ideas can also be helpful, I suppose, to people who are new to the work force and have no clue how to form their own thoughts based on their surroundings.

I haven’t read the book yet – I probably won’t read it anyway – but from the interview Mr. Kotler gave in Deliver magazine, he seems confused. In the first part of the interview, he states that Chaotics isn’t about the current recession, but instead about the previously mentioned two forces (technology and globalization) that have increased the speed at which circumstances change in the current business environment. Then, in the very next question, he mentions technology again, but includes three MORE forces that can affect a company: social change, legal change and economic change. That’s now a total of FIVE forces that must be monitored.

In answering the next question, Kotler talks about Chaotics’ description of the current recessionary economics and how customers are responding to it. I hate to say it, but this story is nothing new. Since the great depression, there have been 12 recessions. In each one, people have responded by buying lower priced items, postponing big-ticket purchases and spending less on things like fuel and eating out. Customers’ reactions to tough times can really be boiled down to ONE thing: looking for ways to SAVE MONEY.

Twitter users vs Habitat

"Habitat" is a UK furniture brand; apparently it's like an upscale IKEA. It's been a respected brand since its creation in the 1970's, but then they decided to dabble in the social media giant called Twitter. Not only did they use their brand and marketing power for evil by using spam tweets, they still haven't apologized for it.

In the world of social media, where feedback is instant, brands need to have someone on

Image via CrunchBase

call when they use a campaign tactic like this. Twitter's not a bad way to advertise promotions, sales and new products, but it needs to be done in a responsible way to avoid the negative fallout that can follow within minutes.

Here's a link to a good article on Habitat's mess:

http://www.digitaltip.com.au/index.php/how-not-to-use-twitter-habitatuk-as-a-case-study/

How could this happen?

News Corp. has decided to "dissolve" Fox Interactive Media (FIM), which has, up until this point, been their digital arm. That's sad, and even more sad is the fact that they might lay off 350 people in the near future. That being said, as a social networking specialist, I'm even more worried about that will happen now to my favorite part of FIM: MySpace; News Corp. already fired 400 employees at the former social networking juggernaut on Tuesday.

This revolutionary company turned the world upside down with its ability to network people across the globe like never before. It helped turn the Internet into the necessary part of life that it is today. Now it may disappear. Goodbye, old friend...