Google + For The Masses: Facebook Counters

What a day. In the space of a few short hours, Google+ wrenched open the floodgates, allowing anyone to sign up for the fledgling social network — while Facebook retooledits News Feed so you won’t miss any of your friends’ vital updates.

Google+ managed to out-announce Facebook by a wide margin. The search giant offered a slew of new Google+ features, such as turning Hangouts into a bona fide broadcast platform. The search giant even added — you guessed it — search to the service.

For those of you not in Google+, which is most of you, this is a very big deal. Google+ has, by some measures, almost 20 million users and no way of finding anything. I have no idea why Google waited to introduce search until Google+ was out of the hands of Google’s more trusted web cognoscenti’ audience. We could have debugged it for them. The company also managed to bury the lead, putting the fact that registration for Google+ is now open to the masses near the end of its announcement.

Into A Future… Without The PC

The World Wide Web turns 20 years old this month, and to that I say, “Happy Birthday WWW!” It was 20 years ago that Tim Berners-Lee put up the first website. This milestone means it’s a good time to reflect on the end of an era. The PC-based web had a good run but it’s coming to a close. The next chapter has already begun, and it’s all about smart phones and tablets.

In 2011 for the first time, smart phone and tablet shipments will exceed PC shipments. Since usage follows shipments, Gartner expects that mobile devices will overtake PCs in web usage in 2013. Given recent trends, I’d say it’s more likely that this will happen next year. Google’s $12.5 billion pickup of Motorola confirms that the future lies in mobile.

QR Codes Already Old News?

Microsoft’s High Capacity Color Barcodes (HCCBs) were designed to work with the limitations of smartphone cameras. So, even with a somewhat blurry picture users can get a more accurate read. The tags also don’t need to be as large, and can be scaled down to as little as 3/4” in print. That saves some prime real estate.

Other enticing features include the ability to expire tags and track usage statistics. Tags can also utilize GPS, which means manufacturers and store chains can direct consumers to the nearest location. And, tags can be converted for black and white (no color) display or printing.

Custom tags, however, are what really make Microsoft Tag so attractive. If you’re handy with Adobe Illustrator, for example, you can save a raw image of the tag and modify it to truly brand it for your business.

Companies Missing Out On “Boomer” Spending

At the age of 60, Bruce Springsteen earned more revenue from his concert tour than did Coldplay and the Jonas Brothers combined.*

Really.

Does your top management team know this? Do they realize we live in new world where the 50+ consumer is fast becoming the major driver of the U.S. economy?

Is your organization ready to claim your fair share of the $3.5 trillion spent annually by Boomers and older adults on consumer goods and services? By the way, younger adults spend around $2.3 trillion, or about a third less (according to the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Adults 18 to 49, ha!

Look. It is time for all organizations — from Fortune 500 corporations to non-profits to government entities to local retailers — to get up-to-speed on what is happening to the demographics in the U.S. and what to do about it.

Great Strategies For A FaceBook Ad Campaign

All marketers these days want a Facebook strategy as part of their outreach mix, and pharma is no exception. Facebook is easily the largest social network, and it continues to integrate itself into users’ lives on so many levels — social, political, personal — that at times it may seem dizzying. In addition, Facebook advertising promises unprecedented access and response, all for a fraction of the cost per acquisition of traditional media.

However, implementing a successful Facebook campaign is not as easy as it appears. While Facebook’s user interface is simple, behind the scenes is a complex set of rules and algorithms that determine when, where and how an ad is served. Understanding and working within these parameters will help maximize an ad’s exposure and response.