12 years ago, Kodak was warned on what to do to avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing

12 years ago, sometime in september, 2000 a powerpoint presentation was sent to the chief marketing officer of eastman kodak. the above was one of the first few slides in that presentation.

the slide talks about the fast changing competitive environment that kodak was in. at that time, the internet and digital photography was just starting to grow rapidly and in effect changing the way people share pictures. the engulfing change was altering consumer habits in dramatic ways that was making kodak irrelevant and not even one of the choices consumers had on their list. consumers were still taking pictures, with stand alone digital cameras and digital cameras in cellphones. they were taking more pictures than ever but they were no longer having them printed  to be stored or shared with others. the digital pictures either stayed in their cell phones or shared digitally through the internet or from one gadget to the other. that means kodak was quickly being taken out of the picture taking habit.

it was a quickie presentation - not based on any business data or consumer research but just observations in the market and the author's own personal experience. the idea was to have a start point discussion of the marketing challenges that kodak faced then and how with more work, consumer research and analysis of business data need to be done from which the strategies and thinking contained in the presentation were to be changed, adapted or implemented by kodak.

read more about it here and take a view of the complete powerpoint presentation. - http://wawam.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/12-years-ago-kodak-was-warned-of-chapter-11-bankruptcy-risk/

apple's new iPhone 4 and iPad - a second chance to market leadership for globe telecoms

we read in an internet posting globe telecoms has slid to 3rd in total number of subscribers recently and have been overtaken by sun cellular. we will not discuss that now here as we still need to verify the numbers but that is a very sad state of affairs for globe.

sun is a crappy service. the only thing going for it is its unlimited calls and text but the service is pretty bad - texts take a long time to reach the other party if it reaches it at all and voice calls are very often choppy and garbled, not to mention frequent dropped calls and "service is unavailable" error messages. we can't even call the sun cell service as good value, nothing much is good about it and its value questionable. "cheap" is the only appropriate word to use for it.

with that profile, you can understand why it is a sad state of affairs that sun is able to overtake globe in number of subscribers. in many ways, it hurts less if the brand that overtakes your brand is superior than yours but for an inferior brand to achieve it, that hurts pretty bad.

BUT apple's latest - the iPhone 4 and iPad is here. globe is the exclusive partner of apple in the philippine market for the iPhone. we assume it will continue to be so for apples newest toys.

the iPhone 4 by all measures, that means the tech reviewers are going crazy over the latest version. it will have a new OS (iOS4) and has new and really great features. to name a few - a great display, longer battery life, a gyroscope and 2 cameras (back and front facing). almost all the tech reviewers this new iPhone is apple's best and a sure winner for consumers.

the other is the iPad which has taken the market by storm. before launch, it was a product nobody could place. people were excited about it. almost any new apple product excited people but this one was hard to place where it can be in the tech market. apple launched it and it was an instant success. it has sold 2 million units in just 2 months and it continue to escalate. by all accounts, the only barrier for further growth in unit sales for the iPad is the speed by which apple's factories can manufacture the gadget.

what this means is that apple has 2 excellent products that globe can use to spring it's subscriber base up. but the question is- has globe learned it's lesson the first time it launched the iPhone in the market?

the launch of the original iPhone was also an instant hit in the US market and in most markets it was sold. it was first sold in the US and apple stores had long lines of consumers waiting outside apple stores to get their hands on it. almost all of these consumers who lined up were there from the previous night, all of them camping out during the night just so they are able to get their hands on the iphone.

no such crazy adulation occurred in the philippines when globe launched it here. we have previously written about it before here and we said the reason for the absence of excitement for the iphone was the pricing strategy that globe adapted for the iphone. globe bevame greedy - they over-priced it so much so that very few could afford the iphone,

we also wrote that globe could have used the iphone as key marketing tool to get leadership away from smart. globe then was second to smart.

with the iphone 4 and the ipad appearing to be a real winner technologically and by techies acclaim, perhaps globe will be smart enough to bring back the sun into their subscriber base by doing the right thing the second time around. (pun intended)

No To Con-Ass Power – across the board, in lightning speed : Marketing & Advertising 101

the efforts executed by No To Con Ass supporters is an excellent case study for Marketing & Advertising 101.these are the key points:

• the most impressive was the lightning speed by which the various efforts were launched all within 24 to 48 hours of congress approving HR 1109. within that time frame - blogs, websites and facebook accounts were launched; a logo was created and distributed, small groups organized who did pockets of small protests around the city.
• a major rally was announced, organized and executed on june 10, less than a week after congress approved HR 1109 and the rally in makati was very well attended.
• a no to con ass, tv ad, "Hindi Ako Papayag" was written, produced and aired within 3 to 4 days of the congress approving con-ass. this ad had an excellent concept with a strong and memorable strategy visual. copy was sparse and very sharp. there was no mistaking what the message was and delivered in a very compelling way, the visuals as the main driver. we also noticed the production values of the ad, it was well made and well directed.
• within the same very short time frame various groups who attended the rally executed their own concepts of protest with many of them very creative, persuasive and to the point. it's amazing to see all sorts of unique groups expressing their protest on the issue in their own way.

from a marketing and advertising perspective, these are what happened:

• on the over-all excellent marketing strategy that covers all components of persuasion
• communication strategy was brilliant - sharp, insightful and highly creative
• succeeded in connecting with a very wide target audience through a long list of efforts that appeal to each audience segment
• succeeded in capturing participants from a very wide demographics and psychographics profile from the rich to the poor
• excellent use of various media (traditional and non-traditional) and events all executed within the same short time frame for optimum impact and visibility
• lightning speed and flawless execution

in this marketing and advertising effort the line between marketer/advertiser and target audience is almost invisible with both groups crossing the line in various degrees and efforts. but as in any mass media exposed marketing and advertising activity, the true audience will always be those at home or at the office watching the event unfold who are always large in number.

it is the marketer and adman's dream. it's secret in it's success? those who executed the marketing and advertising activities were highly committed to their cause and believed in it with a passion.

that by itself is another marketing and advertising lesson in Marketing & Advertising 101.

read more here: http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/no-to-con-ass-power-across-the-board-in-lightning-speed/

Brand Adam Vs. Brand Kris : the American Idol Marketing 101

this is probably one of the best articles written about the two finalists for next week's American Idol finale. not only does it give a good analysis on the two contestants and how they differ, it's a good read on what Brand Equity or Brand Image means in very practical ways.

during talks to students in universities, we would talk about marketing principles in terms of practical and real life experiences of the students. we use stories, analogies and examples from their daily lives to explain what the marketing terms mean. we do it that way as it engages the audience and more importantly, it's very easy to grasp.

this is the kind of brand differentiation that marketers need to achieve for their brands to succeed in the market. it needs to be well-defined, clear, holistic and executionally different as well. while this demonstrates the clarity and power of the Brand Equity, not here is the target audience.

food for thought - are both brand equities running after the same target audience? the differences are very clear between the two that it's easy to conclude they can be going against very different target audience.

can the american idol audience be divided into two group distinct groups. is there a common denominator?

we could not agree more on this analysis. read the article both in terms of the contestants themselves and at the same what Brand Equity or Brand Image means.

kudos to the author!

Does ‘American Idol’ want an artist, or a star?
Adam Lambert pulled out
all the stops, while Kris Allen stayed low-key

By Craig Berman
msnbc.com contributor
updated 10:43 p.m. ET May 14,
2009

Adam Lambert and Kris Allen could not be more different. Their musical styles and strengths don’t mesh and their personalities are opposites. But they share a skill that explains why they’re the two singers competing in the “American Idol” finale.

They listen.

The judges made it very clear what they were looking for in season eight; performers who could take a song and make it their own. While other singers took that advice from time to time, no singers took the message to heart more than Adam and Kris.

As the other finalists fell victim to unfortunate song selections and karaoke performances, it was the originality of Adam and Kris that kept them on the good side of the four judges. No finalist in history has been more memorable week after week than Adam Lambert.

Sometimes the impact of an Adam performance may be felt more for its strangeness than its skill — his version of “Ring of Fire” caused guest mentor Randy Travis to spend the whole night wearing a “what is this guy doing?” expression — but most of the time, he hits the mark. His “Mad World” was missed by DVRs everywhere the week the show ran long, and it was good enough that the omission inspired outrage and not relief.

Adam's big weakness would seem to be that he's the most theatrical contestant in the history of the show, but he's turned that into a strength by embracing it. By going all-in and showcasing the lighting, effects, and costumes, he's turned his comfort with stagecraft and his Broadway-sized voice into his biggest assets. Nobody loves the spotlight more, and no other contestant has looked as comfortable standing in it.

Instead, his weakness is that he's the most polarizing "Idol" figure in recent memory. He has fans who will defend him with passion, and detractors who would do anything to bring him down.

It's possible that the anti-Adam contingent will watch the finale for the sole purpose of voting against him. But Adam isn’t going to give anyone else much ammunition to hate him. Although when he’s singing he plays the part of the diva, he’s been nothing but respectful as soon as the music ends and always has kind words to say about his fellow contestants.

To win, Adam needs to keep on doing what he’s been doing; take chances, make songs his own, and perform like he’s going for broke. He enters the week with a slight edge, but Kris has been steadily improving and will seize any chance he's given.

Kris is Adam's oppositeWhile Adam is a natural under the bright lights, Kris looks to be the male version of Carrie Underwood, a small-town singer who uses "Idol" to jump into musical stardom. Even after months in Hollywood, Kris still has a country-mouse-in-the-big-city look that has helped endear him to millions of “Idol” voters.

That wouldn’t be enough, however, if he wasn’t also talented. Kris has made every song his own, but in the exact opposite manner of Adam.

Instead of blowing things up to show-business size via lights, smoke, mirrors and costumes, he uses a stool and a guitar or piano to strip down the arrangement and engage with the audience. That makes him less of a spectacle than Adam but easier to listen to, and it has allowed him a number of memorable moments performing less familiar songs. It's always a risk to pick something like "Falling Slowly," which didn't receive a ton of airtime apart from the Oscars, but he was able to make turn that into a compelling performance.

Kris' biggest strength is that it's very easy to see the kind of album he would create and the audience who would buy it. Is there anyone out there who can’t picture him with a hit record that sounds an awful lot like, say, Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours?” It’s easier to give him a sellable label than it is Adam.

Like Adam, Kris has a weakness that can double as a strength. He doesn't come across with that star quality aura, and seems pleased and surprised to have made it this far. That humility is what makes him so likable, but most seasons that factor is less important in the season’s final days. In last year's finals the more likable David Archuleta fell victim to an edgier David Cook.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30754468/

Tough Times Strategy: Introduce New Products

we are starting a new series where we will publish interesting articles we have picked up from the internet on marketing and avertising strategies during tough economic times. here is the first of the collection:

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A Strategy When Times Are Tough: ‘It’s New!’

THEY say money is the mother’s milk of politics. In marketing, it is new products, meant to pique the interest of consumers and thereby stimulate demand at stores, restaurants and dealer showrooms.

In tough times, it would seem the flow of new products would be slowed by companies fearing that shoppers have too much on their minds to consider still another cereal, soap or soup.

But as the recession grinds on, Madison Avenue is serving up a steady stream of new packaged foods, cars, drugs (prescription and otherwise), menu items (for both sit-down and fast-food restaurants) and beverages ( alcoholic and otherwise).

The new product pitches are coming from all manner of marketers, from global behemoths — among them Campbell Soup, General Mills, Mars and Unilever — to family-owned companies like Sargento Foods.

One reason to stay the course on new products is that they can offer marketers new reasons to reach out to consumers when the impulse may be to pull back.

“There’s a saying: ‘When times are good, advertise. When times are tough, advertise more,’ ” said Dan Beem, president at Cold Stone Creamery in Scottsdale, Ariz., the ice-cream chain owned by the Kahala Corporation. “We want to stay with that philosophy.”

read in full: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/business/media/25adco.html?_r=1

red mobile takes the long road to something

a new mobile service was launched last year, red mobile. we're not sure if the philippine market can take one more. the top 3, smart, globe and sun cellular is just about to reach saturation levels. smart is the dominant leader followed by globe and a far third is sun cellular.

red mobile is going after sun cellular. what? why go after sun, the smallest of the three? we will answer that question later.

sun's core strategy is excellent value. they launched on the basis of unlimited calls and unlimited texting. that has caught on as there is a growing segment of the market, most specially among teen-agers and young adults who have switched to sun and an even larger segment who have added a second cell phone to their globe or smart cellphone service.

the mobile phone market is quite mature in the country and many have actually more than one handset. users tend to replace their handsets often and buying a second hand or used handset is quite easy and cheap. so, adding a second mobile service is quite easy. the habit is to use the sun cellular handset when you want to indulge yourself with numerous text sending or make long calls.

sun cellular, however, has not grown its market share to anywhere close to being a real threat to smart or globe for a simple and really idiotic reason - not enough cell sites. everyone knows texting and calling a sun cellphone is a very painful process. the network is always busy or over loaded that you can't get a line or the person you are calling is often out of coverage. texting is equally painful - success at sending texts takes a long time and receiving one takes longer.

and now to the question - red mobile is going after sun as most likely red mobile was launcheed as a flunker brand, a brand owned by smart or globe meant to blunt further growth of sun. our guess is it is owned by smart.

will red mobile succeed? we don't know yet. it might, but we need to wait for sometime.

red mobile's lowest costs are only applicable for texts and calls to other red mobile cell phones. and since this is a new mobile service provider, there are very few people who have it. everyone will simply be on a wait and see mode.

the other turn off factor here is that, they are not offering superior or even the same rates as sun cellular. sun is offering unlimited text and unlimited calls, red is not offering unlimited texts/calls, just lower rates versus globe and smart. they are actually selling quality and reliable service - calls will be clear, you can text/call anywhere in the country and you will not experience network problems. those are all sun cellular issues or problems.

now there is a lot of problems with that strategy. here's why - red is going against sun cellular not with superior rates but better quality and reliable service. quality and reliable service is something sun users are used to and obviously something they don't mind suffering from. the fundamental reason why sun users have stayed on is the unlimited text and calls or best price/value point.

we think there is no way red mobile will be able to get sun users to switch on the basis of better quality and reliability. price/value point is THE motivator and poor quality and reliability is just an inconvenince to live with.

that kind of attitude is true for many other services and products the filipino consumer buy - they will not mind a less than superior or less than perfect service or product as long as it gives the best or lowest price point.

red mobile's marketing strategy is a WAWAM!

must-read for any marketing professional who wants to succeed in the technology market

in my view this article is a must-read for any marketing professional who wants to succeed in the tech world. not only for marketing professionals but also for tech manufacturers be it on the software or hardware side.

there in one answer to all the questions the author posted at the start of the article --- consumer insight and consumer preference! the nature of consumer insight/consumer preference to those unfamiliar with marketing would always sound like a mystery or at worst it does not make sense. but when you start to go to the consumer and extract insights, then everything will make sense. not only will it make sense, what was previously thought of to be complicated will now look pretty simple and plain. that is the power of the consumer insight.

the article actually proceeds to give excellent consumer insights that answer most of the questions posted. one wonders if the author is in marketing. it is very clear the author understands very well what consumer insights mean.

Memo to Vendors: Here's How to Build a Winner
Mike Elgan, Computerworld

Why do some people prefer Windows XP and Mac OS X over Windows Vista ? After all, Vista is pretty and sleek and much more advanced than XP, and, in many areas, Mac OS X. Why is there so much love for Xbox, but none for Windows Mobile ?

Why do BlackBerry users love their BlackBerrys, but the public is lukewarm about Palm devices?

Why is the Amazon Kindle, which is an unsophisticated, clunky, poorly designed gadget so popular with owners?

Why do people love plain, ugly Gmail?

The answer to these questions is a mystery to most of the companies that make PCs, gadgets, consumer electronics devices and to software makers. The industry spends billions on usability testing and user interface design. Unfortunately, that money is mostly wasted.

The problem is that there are too many technologists in technology. The technology is only half the equation. The other half is the human, that irrational, impulsive, impatient, power-hungry gratification machine.

When you ask someone what they really want, they won't tell you the truth because they're not aware of the truth.

Both users and product designers alike talk about user interface (UI) consistency, usability and simplicity, and system attributes like performance and stability. What's missing is that these attributes are means to an end. The real issue is always the user's physiological feeling of being in control. And control comes in many ways:

Consistency: Designers focus on UI "consistency," but why? Consistency gives predictability, which gives users a feeling that they know what will happen when they do something -- even for the first time. It's a feeling of mastery, of control.

Usability: One of the errors software and hardware designers make is to base their UI decisions on the assumption that the user is an idiot who needs to be protected from himself. Give this moron too much rope and he'll hang himself, the reasoning goes. But instead of taking the Microsoft route -- burying and hiding controls and features, which protects newbies from their own mistakes but frustrates the hell out of experienced users -- it's better to offer a bullet-proof "undo." Give the user control, let them make their own mistakes, then undo the damage if they mess something up.

Simplicity: Simplicity is complex. And there are many ways to achieve it. One way is to insist on top-to-bottom, inside-and-outside simplicity. Extreme examples include the original Palm Pilot organizer, Gmail and RSS feeds. And then there's the illusion of simplicity, which is the Microsoft route. In trying to be the operating system vendor for all people and all tasks, Microsoft Windows and Windows Mobile are extraordinarily complex pieces of software engineering. To "simplify," the company hides features, buries controls and groups features into categories to create the appearance of fewer options, without actually reducing options. (From all accounts, it appears that Windows 7 will offer more of the same.) Both extremes result in something you could call "simplicity." But one version thrills users by putting them in control. The other frustrates them by taking away control.

Performance: Everyone hates slow PCs. It's not the waiting. It's the fact that the PC has wrenched control from the user during the time that the hourglass is displayed. That three seconds of staring at the hourglass is three seconds when you feel utterly powerless. Fast computers are good because they keep the user in control.

Stability: Designers focus on system "stability," but it's not because they worry about time wasted, though that's how users tend to talk a lack of stability. Like the performance issue, instability is about the theft of system control from the user. People waste all kinds of time on all kinds of things, and usually don't mind doing it. What enrages people is when somebody else forces wasted time on you. Blue Screens of Death are more akin to running into unexpected traffic jams or having somebody take away the TV remote control. You're forced into putting your objectives on hold, and left feeling powerless.

One reason for the industry-wide pandemic of frustrating products is that the whole culture of usability testing doesn't emphasize user feelings of control. Microsoft does usability tests, for example, but its tests are flawed. Typically, it sits random people in front of a PC in a usability lab. Victims are directed to do various tasks, and asked what they're doing and thinking as they try to complete those tasks. All of this is monitored, and everything is recorded.Microsoft usability testing tends to focus on enabling users to "accomplish goals." Microsoft categorizes these goals according to their educated preconceptions about what people are trying to do based on their jobs or user categorization are you a student, middle manager, designer, for instance. So Microsoft focuses on results.

My view is that how the user feels during the process is more important than anything else.Here's the problem. In these scenarios, users are using somebody else's PC. They expect and assume that the software is in control. There is no psychological feeling of "ownership" over the equipment or the software or the work or anything. So the most important element -- the sense of control people feel when doing their own work on their own PCs in their own homes -- is missing entirely from the tests.

During usability tests, users are asked constantly about the software. And that's the wrong question. When real people are doing real work, they're focused on their own desires and objectives and are frustrated or not frustrated based on the degree to which they're given what they want.

My advice to Microsoft is to add an additional test: a "Who's In Control?" test. After performing a task, ask the user to rank their experience on a scale with "me in control" on one side, and "software in control" on the other. Try all test methods for completing various tasks, and choose the one ranked with the maximum "me in control" score. And they need the home version for ongoing testing in the "real world."

We've all experienced the full range of emotions while using gadgets, PCs, phones and software. At one end of the spectrum is a kind of thrilling joy, where something "just works." At the other end, there is a consuming rage. The amount of time your emotional state spends at one end of the spectrum rather than the other is the one and only thing that determines how much you "love" the product.

All the factors involved in using a PC -- consistency, usability, simplicity, stability, performance and even the successful completion of tasks -- all come down to control.Give me control, and I will love your product. It's as simple as that.

source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/156305/memo_to_vendors_heres_how_to_build_a_winner.html

new balckberry storm - storming its own brand equity into bits

i don't own a blackberry, but i thought this review at the new york times has an excellent insight on brand equity.

No Keyboard? And You Call This a BlackBerry?
by: David Pogue
The New York Times

Research in Motion (R.I.M.), the company that brought us the BlackBerry, has been on a roll lately. For a couple of years now, it’s delivered a series of gorgeous, functional, supremely reliable smartphones that, to this day, outsell even the much-adored iPhone.

Here’s a great example of the intelligence that drives R.I.M.: The phones all have simple, memorable, logical names instead of incomprehensible model numbers. There’s the BlackBerry Pearl (with a translucent trackball). The BlackBerry Flip (with a folding design). The BlackBerry Bold (with a stunning design and faux-leather back).

Well, there’s a new one, just out ($200 after rebate, with two-year Verizon contract), officially called the BlackBerry Storm.

But I’ve got a better name for it: the BlackBerry Dud.

The first sign of trouble was the concept: a touch-screen BlackBerry. That’s right — in its zeal to cash in on some of that iPhone touch-screen mania, R.I.M. has created a BlackBerry without a physical keyboard.

Hello? Isn’t the thumb keyboard the defining feature of a BlackBerry? A BlackBerry without a keyboard is like an iPod without a scroll wheel. A Prius with terrible mileage. Cracker Jack without a prize inside.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/technology/personaltech/27pogue.html?_r=1&bl&ex=1227848400&en=5a50becfbe5bac73&ei=5087%0A

the question the author asked - "what? a blackberry without a keyboard?" is excellent in terms of the most fundamental and strategic question on brand equity. the last paragraph says it all - "isn't the thumb keyboard the defining feature of the blackberry". yes, the thumb keyboard is the very core of what the blackberry is all about.



the blackberry storm, with it's touch screen is obviously an attempt to match and answer apple's iphone. since the launch of the iphone, the market has been looking for the iphone killer.


the intent is fine. but what is not right and in fact most likely will cause an implosion to blackberry is that they are attempting to kill the successful iphone by removing the brand's strategic core of the thumb keyboard by being a copy cat to iphone's touch screen. the thumb keyboard and the touch screen are two extremely different consumer experience of the products. they are worlds apart.


the history of marketing has been brutal to copycat brands. being unique is one of marketing's most revered commandments. it is one of the top holy grail of marketing while being a copycat is poison, a sure path to failure.


that reminds me of burger king when it first launched in the philippines. burger king in the philippines essentially had the same sort of offerings as in the US, one of which was the bottomless refill of sodas (coca cola products). it was a first in the philippines for any fast food restaurant and was a hit among consumers.


a top official from burger king headquarters in the US visited manila to look at the operations here. one of the big discussions with the marketing team of burger manila was the bottomless refill of sodas. the BK official had asked that the offering be stopped, obviously to improve margins. the local marketing people objected arguing that it being a first in the country, it was a top draw among consumers. BK was head to head with the leaders jollibee and mcdonald's and any advantage it can have was one of the things the local marketing team was defending.


the BK official stood pat on the direction and i agree with it. he said BK is all about its charbroiled hamburgers, not sodas. it is their key brand equity.


cellphones are very much the physical design as its features and software. cellphone brands have their own unique physical designs that not only do we remember them, we buy them for that reason. that is true with Motorola's slim flip phones which became an immediate huge hit as during the time of it's launch most cellphones were thick. and the most recent success of course is the iphone with its touch screen.


the blackberry was weathered all these new physical design innovations from their competitors. the blackberry continued to have very good market share and a large and even growing number of loyal users. and all that because blackberry's thumb keyboard was able to fight off these competitive design onslaught.


until now, when they removed the thumb keyboard in the blackberry storm.


it would be interesting to see if consumers agree and confirm this marketing law of "though shall not remove thy brand equity".

president barack obama : the winning marketing strategies. Strategy No. 1 : Change

last october 15, 2008, we posted in WAWAM! our prediction that barack obama will win the US presidential election on the strength of a brilliant marketing effort and a marketing blunder of the mccain campaign.

(read in full here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/2008/10/barack-obama-wins-us-presidential.html)

we also said that the point of no return will most likely occur right after the 3rd debate. our analysis of the 3rd debate was that mccain was unable to rock our world. mccain's task was to not only to do well in that debate but to do so well that he needs to reverse the trend to his favor. while he did well than the first 2 debates, mccain unfortunately did not do well enough to reverse the trend that was not in his favor.

we also posted on WAWAM! a few factors that has the power to reverse the trend of an obama win. since that time, none of the factors listed occurred, thus we concluded, also posted in WAWAM! that obama is on track to win in this election.

(read in full all posts on barack obama here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/barack%20obama)

just about 8 days before the election, we are posting here what we think were the core marketing strategies that both campaigns employed that resulted to obama winning the presidency and mccain losing it.

WAWAM! will be looking at exactly the same things that a political analyst or strategist will be looking at in analyzing the campaigns. but WAWAM! will look it at from the eyes of a marketing and advertising man. these strategies and analysis can be written into marketing plans of brands and it will make sense and most likely work.

we will be posting this in a series.

1. Consistent, consumer-meaningful message from start to finish : Change. the obama campaign is on the "time to change" theme from the very beginning, on day 1, as early as the democratic primaries. the core message was, enough of the 8 years of the bush-led republican years of managing the country be that the iraq war across other issues, specially on the US economy. consistency in message across time allows the audience to focus and the candidate to build consensus. marketing tells us a brand needs to stand for something and the obama campaign has done a most admirable job at standing for "change". it is not only consistency that is important ans where the obama campaign has succeeded, it is also in relevance or in WAWAM! marketing term - "consumer-meaningful". being consumer-meaningful and consistency are both required to be there to succeed, they are like twins where having only one in the end will not amount to anything. while both are critical, finding the right message that is consumer-meaningful is a much more difficult task. it is here where most campaigns and brands fail at. you can be consistent but if you do not have the right message, the effort will not amount to anything. consistently delivering the weak message is very much like garbage in-garbage out, repeated many times over.

at the start of the primaries, bush ratings were on all time lows and on a continuous decline. the key issue at the time was the iraq war and most specifically on the solutions that america was supposed to apply to it. more and more americans were increasingly withdrawing their support on the iraq war and they felt the end game solutions were unclear at best to wrong at worst.

then as of late the failing US economy has been the key focus. and that while largely unpredicted by the obama campaign (no one else was able to predict it), it fell quite nicely, very snugly into the "change" theme and core strategy.

we can argue that the obama campaign was very lucky that the US economy failed towards the last months of the presidential campaign and towards the very last part when nothing can be done to reverse the trend given the short period of time.

with american voters disappointed with bush on the iraq war at the beginning of the primaries the US economy failing became a double whammy to mccain. add to that the fact that obama stands to be the first black president in the history of the US, the meaning of "change" takes on a very different, almost cosmic meaning. when obama wins, it will be a real "change" in the US in very many ways, in very many aspects of american life and most specially the american psyche.

memo to The Philippine Star : top things to do to take leadership away from the Philippine Daily Inquirer

the philippine daily inquirer (PDI) has been releasing print ads (above) of various sizes touting the latest ac nielsen media index results wher it placed PDI's readership at leadership position at 48%.

something shocked me when i first saw that ad of PDI - it's not that PDI is the readership leader, that was expected and common knowledge, what shocked me was the rating of The Philippine Star (PS) where it scored 41%, damn close to PDI's readership. PDI used to enjoy a wider margin, did not realize the ratings have come so close, a 7 pts spread is within spitting distance.

so given this spitting distance, i thought i would write a memo to PS the objective of which is to give them some ideas on how they can take leadership away from PDI. here are some points to consider:

• the very first thing i would do is to look at the DISTRIBUTION numbers and look for areas of improvements. this i think will yield the most incremental readership for PS. i would do a thorough study of the PS distribution system and benchmark it against PDI. and i would be very thorough about it. i would literally look at EVERY distribution point and discover where the weaknesses are and apply improvements. they should go beyond number of distribution points, more importantly they should look at distribution system and strategy. finally on this topic, i would be creative and add at least a superiority edge of +15% more distribution points versus PDI.
• i would conduct a nationwide research, a combination of quantitative and qualitative researches to find out what readers think of the both newspapers and figure out improvement areas.
• and from that research, i would implement improvements very quickly.
• PS should not hold back in improving or applying changes on the whole newpaper in as many parts necessary - from layout, to writers, to writing style, sections, photos, editorials, etc.
• there is a lot to do but i would be very smart about it and determine which ones to do, drop and what to do first, how much of it and when. these are all very critical as while they may find clear improvements, any one or all can backfire on them. a lot of strategic thinking needs to be applied here.

the above essentially is a consumer marketing approach to exploiting a marketing opportunity that has been laid on a silver platter to the philippine star. doing the above will see the philippine star taking away leadership from the philippine daily inquirer.

notice : the above is protected by intelectual property rights and may not be used, published and printed in part or as a whole without written permission from the author of this blog.

vp palin - haste leads to marketing blunder?

the honeymoon is over on palin.

there is a part here that bothers me very much --- a presidential candidate chooses a vice president partner when they hardly met? not so much as talked face to face? is it that easy to get the job of US Vice President? and the job of US Vice President can be taken that lightly?

the miss universe beauty contest seem to take the no. 2 position more seriously than mccain did. in every miss universe contest we always hear the announcer say how important the runner up position is. but i don't see that resolve on this matter.

that leads me to think that palin seem to have been chosen purely on the basis of being an excellent marketing strategy. obama did not choose hillary, a female, so get one over the democrats by choosing palin. obama chose biden, a man older than obama, so why not get one over the democrats by choosing a much younger woman than mccain. mccain made a big deal of obama's inexperience, so why not get palin as VP, who has no experience and contrast that to biden who has a lot of experience.

the best marketing strategies are those that clearly differentiate versus all others in the same category. it's not only clarity, it is also discrimination and uniqueness. and those seem to be the overriding consideration in choosing palin.

as predicted, the next few weeks will be the most interesting and exciting time in the US presidential elections and that is not because it will be tight race. WAWAM! can't wait to see which marketing strategy worked the best.


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Disclosures on Palin Raise Questions on Vetting Process

ST. PAUL — A series of disclosures about Gov. Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain’s choice as running mate, called into question on Monday how thoroughly Mr. McCain had examined her background before putting her on the Republican presidential ticket.


On Monday morning, Ms. Palin and her husband, Todd, issued a statement saying that their 17-year-old unmarried daughter, Bristol, was five months pregnant and that she intended to marry the father.


Among other less attention-grabbing news of the day: it was learned that Ms. Palin now has a private lawyer in a legislative ethics investigation in Alaska into whether she abused her power in dismissing the state’s public safety commissioner; that she was a member for two years in the 1990s of the Alaska Independence Party, which has at times sought a vote on whether the state should secede; and that Mr. Palin was arrested 22 years ago on a drunken-driving charge.

Aides to Mr. McCain said they had a team on the ground in Alaska now to look more thoroughly into Ms. Palin’s background. A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Ms. Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before Mr. McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice. The campaign was still calling Republican operatives as late as Sunday night asking them to go to Alaska to deal with the unexpected candidacy of Ms. Palin.


Although the McCain campaign said that Mr. McCain had known about Bristol Palin’s pregnancy before he asked her mother to join him on the ticket and that he did not consider it disqualifying, top aides were vague on Monday about how and when he had learned of the pregnancy, and from whom.

While there was no sign that her formal nomination this week was in jeopardy, the questions swirling around Ms. Palin on the first day of the Republican National Convention, already disrupted by Hurricane Gustav, brought anxiety to Republicans who worried that Democrats would use the selection of Ms. Palin to question Mr. McCain’s judgment and his ability to make crucial decisions.


At the least, Republicans close to the campaign said it was increasingly apparent that Ms. Palin had been selected as Mr. McCain’s running mate with more haste than McCain advisers initially described.




New Yort Times photo and article, parsed, read complete story here : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/us/politics/02vetting.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin

new ipod and new ipod touch - don't we love the rumors?

september is a very special month, to many it's even better than december. it's special as it's the month when the apple faithful does nothing but listen, watch, dream, think and yes speculate and about what apple will do next. oh, and did i mention spread rumors? september is the favorite month for the big event for apple.

september is 4 months away from december, the christmas sale season to be specific. in marketing terms, that means september is the introduction to the peak consumption months of november and december. apparently, apple buyers like to plan ahead their christmas gift purchases. announcing the goodies in september primes the market for a big sales bulge in november and december.

this rumor, i like very much. it's one of the most impressive rumors as this one even has drawings of their rumor. to be honest, if you have a drawing it's really tough to classify it as a rumor, don't you think? we call it a rumor as, well, it's not september 9 yet.

if this drawing turns out to be right, that's when we read this blog again on september 10, then this ilounge dude will be hailed as the next apple outsider expert.

i have to admit, with these drawings, i am totally impressed!





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iPod nano 4G, touch 2G dimensions revealed?
by: charles starrett
Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Confirming details first reported by iLounge in July, apparent dimensional drawings for both the fourth-generation iPod nano and second-generation iPod touch have appeared, suggesting that the devices will have familiar measurements but with interesting new shapes and features.

Images of the supposed new iPod nano show a device that measures 90.75mm tall by 38.75mm wide by 6.08mm deep, compared to the second-generation nano’s measurements of 90mm by 40mm by 6.5mm. These numbers suggest that the device will be the thinnest and narrowest iPod nano yet released, though almost inperceptibly so, while also just a hint taller than the original and second-generation models. An oval-like body shape will be similar to, but apparently more pronounced than the one on the second-generation nano. Notably, the images seem to extinguish a concern that the device’s screen would be curved to match its shape; the metal body will give way to a plastic-covered screen that is as flat as prior-generation screens.

The second-generation iPod touch is depicted as having a shape similar to the iPhone 3G, masking increases in both the height and thickness by using a more tapered enclosure. This device is shown as measuring 111mm tall by 61.8mm wide and 8.4mm deep, versus the original iPod touch’s 110mm height, 61.8mm width, and 8mm depth, and the iPhone 3G’s 115.5mm, 62.1mm, and 12.3mm measurements. What appears to be an antenna enclosure is shown on its rear top left, with the same headphone port and Dock Connector port arrangement at its bottom. Notably, the drawings show what appear to be volume controls on the left side, addressing a key concern of iPod touch users; the added thickness might be attributable to changes in the battery.

As always, advance reports on Apple products may or may not prove entirely accurate, and should be treated as speculation until confirmed by the company. In any case, we’ll have more on the new iPod nano and iPod touch in the days to come.

source : http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/ipod-nano-4g-touch-2g-dimensions-revealed/




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read WAWAM! posts on globe's iphone launch : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/globe

read WAWAM! posts on the iphone here :http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/iphone

iPod phone for $99?! iphone 3G sales - 3 million handsets!

there are two interesting points in this article :

• apple will most likely announce they sold 3 million iphone 3Gs since launch
• this analyst is speculating an "ipod phone" that will sell at $99 is being developed by apple

on both points, even if one is untrue means globe really screwed up on their pricing for the iphone 3G in the philippines.

aside from regularly updating their products in terms of performance, apple has been known for almost always reducing the prices of their products after a few months or years in the market. they are one of the few companies who are able to make their products better and sell them at lower prices.

ah, what a blunder for globe!

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RBC says sub-$100 "iPod phone" market up for Apple's taking

Apple could announce sales of more than 4 million 3G iPhones at its media event next week, according to investment bank RBC Capital Markets, which also suggests the company may be looking into a low cost "iPod phone" to build on its momentum.

Analyst Mike Abramsky made the comments in a research note Wednesday, saying "resilient post-launch" sell-through has paced the company ahead of Wall Street's expectations and on target with his forecast of 5.1 million 3G units in the September quarter and 14 million total iPhone units for the calendar year.

Apple plans to hold a media event next Tuesday to usher in a refreshed line of iPod digital music players and unveil new iTunes services, but may also use the forum to provide an update on iPhone 3G sales, Abramsky said. He added that the Cupertino-based company has also promised by September a new version of iPhone Software (v2.1) with system-wide push notification support and improved GPS tracking, which may also make an appearance.

The analyst also used his report to toss around the prospect of a completely new device that could be brewing at Apple, but one that he does not expect at Tuesday's event. Though unsupported by any hard evidence, Abramsky said he has reason to believe the electronics maker is exploring the possibility of an "entry level, low cost (less than $99 subsidized) prepaid iPod/phone" that would be restricted to music playback and voice calls.Such a device would allow the company to "capture an untapped global opportunity," he said.

Marketing the pre-paid handset through retail outlets worldwide would provide a residual effect that would both "boost iPhone's momentum by 50 to 100 percent" while establishing future iPhone upgrades and enhanced global Mac sales.As is the case for the iPhone 3G, the current quarter is proving to be yet another breakout period for Mac sales.

Abramsky, who previously published the most bullish known estimates for Mac sales at 3.04 million units, said he stands by that forecast, which continues to see support from his firm's proprietary data.He sees refreshed MacBooks and MacBook Pros with "aluminum enclosures, larger multi-touch trackpads, and updated specs" arriving sometime after next week's iPod event. He also expects Apple's global PC market share to rise to 4.2 percent by next year, up from 2.9 percent in 2007.Abramsky maintains an Outperform rating on Apple shares.

source : http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/09/03/rbc_says_sub_100_ipod_phone_market_up_for_apples_taking.html





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read WAWAM! posts on globe's iphone launch : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/globe

read WAWAM! posts on the iphone here :http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/iphone

new ipods - analyzing the invitation

tell me how brilliant is this and exactly how strong is the ipod brand name and apple --- media and everyone else are now down to analyzing the invitations sent by apple to their gig on september 9. everybody wants to know what is going to happen on september 9 and there are no clues around except this invitation. can you blame them?

one more question, well actually something to be admired --- how great is apple at keeping things secret? there are no slippages, no leaks. nobody knew about september 9 until media got the invitation. while september / october are the usual months the apple fraithful are called to the mountain top for things of this sort, nobody seem to be able to get any advance notice. what is that. everything is done in steve job's private office?

till september 9......

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Apple To Announce Something Music-related


The Apple invitation is being analyzed and deciphered -- a fuchsia-colored man jumping with white iPod headphones. One point to anyone who guessed it would be music-related.
Most likely, the Cupertino, Calif., company will unveil a refreshed line of iPods at the Sept. 9 gathering. Maybe a few bands or musicians will perform, since the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts theater in San Francisco. Some speculate Apple could announce that the Beatles catalog will join iTunes.

One thing the announcement apparently won't be about: a digital music subscription service. Music-industry sources say such a service, which Apple has been discussing for a while, isn't going anywhere at the moment.

But think about the five stars. Decoration? Or, could it be a reference to a rating system, maybe from the users? That makes me think about a new iTunes, complete with its own social network. Apple observers have long noted that by adding social networking tools, such as ways for people to find each other and recommend and talk about music, Apple would surely sell more on iTunes. And what about the "Playing Soon?" Of course, that could be in reference to the event itself but could it also be a hint that iTunes is going to open up in a way that lets artists interact with fans, such as announce upcoming tours?

Perhaps one early sign of artist/fan interactivity: The band Snow Patrol said it would be the first artist to release an interactive album for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

As an aside, the Apple invitation cannot be good news for Billboard, which is having its Mobile Entertainment Live event, which is part of CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008 and happening on the very same day (one block over).

Almost at the very hour of the Apple event (will it be Steve Jobs talking?), the Billboard keynote speakers -- Paul Smith, head of major label relations at Nokia, and Michael Nash, executive vice president of digital strategy and business development at Warner Music Group -- will speak, no doubt facing a thinner crowd than they had expected.

-- Michelle Quinn

source : http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/09/apple-to-announ.html





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read WAWAM! posts on globe's iphone launch : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/globe

read WAWAM! posts on the iphone here :http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/iphone

september 9 apple event - rocking the ipod and ipod touch?

Apple Hints at iPod News

BOSTON (Reuters) — Apple is expected to show off its new iPod music players, and possibly announce price cuts, on Tuesday but may not release a long-awaited update to its MacBook laptop computers until a later date.Apple, which also makes iPhone devices, e-mailed reporters an invitation to a Sept. 9 event titled “Let’s Rock,” which has an image of a man jumping while listening to an iPod, with the words “playing soon.”No further details were available. Creating an allure for its brand has helped drive Apple’s market capitalization above Google’s, despite fears about the weak economy.An analyst at American Technology Research, Shaw Wu, said the iPod line needed to be refreshed and the price of its iPod Touch models needed to be cut because they have a higher starting price than the iPhone, which includes a cellphone and other features not included in the Touch. The Internet-ready iPod Touch starts at $299 in the United States, compared with $199 for the iPhone.

source : .http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/technology/03apple.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

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read WAWAM! posts on globe's iphone launch : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/globe

read WAWAM! posts on the iphone here :http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/iphone

new and better iPods, iPod Touch coming sept 9. lower priced too?

nobody does it better than steve jobs! apple is the only electronics company, in fact consumer product that generates this much excitement and anticipation. all it's product moves are watched and in fact calendared into everyone's PDA.

this september 9 is no exception. brilliant marketing? apple owns that!

hold off purchase of the ipod and the ipod touch -- wait after september 9.



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Come September: iPods

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Apple has announced a San Francisco-based special event for September. Like past September special events—where the iPod nanos and video capable iPods have made their debut—this one will surely focus on the iPod. (The invitation, with its title Let’s Rock, iPod interface, and silhouette figure makes that clear to even unsubtle folks like me.)

And it comes as no surprise because in Apple’s eyes, September means the holidays are a scant Autumn away. That can only mean that it’s time to issue the latest batch of tempting portable media players. And, in turn, that can only mean that it’s time for us iPod watchers to don our speculation hats and ponder what September 9 might bring.


The new nano


September 2005 brought the original, scratchable iPod nano. 2006 introduced the tougher aluminum 2G nano. And 2007 saw the birth of the ittier-bittier aluminum, video-capable iPod nano we enjoy today. The iPod nano is Apple’s most popular iPod—not too expensive, easily slipped into a stocking, attractive, and capable as hell. And because it is, the company can’t seem to leave the thing alone.


Given how capable the nano is, what does it need? Right. A bigger screen. Although you can watch video on its 2-inch (diagonal) screen, viewing a letterboxed three-hour epic gives even the most robust of us a crashing headache. With the advent of the iPhone and iPod touch, those who enjoy video on the go are accustomed to watching that video in a widescreen view and on a display that can’t be covered with their thumb.

So, that means a nano with a wide screen. And that’s accomplished by returning to the old form factor—the hunk-o’-beef-jerky long iPod nano—and turning the thing on its side to watch video. Digg’s Kevin Rose has foretold just such an iPod (complete with a picture he claims is a prototype of the device) and he’s probably right. Such a nano gives us the change that Apple needs to sell customers yet another iPod and because it doesn’t feature a touchscreen and performs only iPod functions, it doesn’t eat into iPod touch and iPhone sales.


The “big” iPod

If Apple does indeed issue a sideways iPod nano and maintains the iPod touch pretty much as it is, where does that leave the “traditional” hard-drive bearing full-sized iPod? Currently the advantages that iPod has is storage and a slightly larger screen. The use of flash memory in the shuffle, nano, and touch necessarily constrain them to holding only a small-to-medium-sized media library. The full-sized iPod, currently available in 80GB and 160GB capacities, makes it possible for those with heaping helpings of media to pack a good portion of that media with them.
But storage isn’t sexy. And sexy is important if you want to continue to sell these things in large numbers.

What would bring sexy to the full-sized iPod—and keep its capabilities from being compared unfavorably to the iPod nano—is a similarly sideways display. Again, retool the form factor, keep the storage capacity up, and you provide zazz as well as utility.


The littlest shuffle

Much as I’d love to see another go-round of the iPod Flea parody, I’m pretty sure that Apple can’t make the shuffle any smaller without also making it a pain in the neck to use (and keep track of). The current clip-on form-factor is darned convenient and, should Apple add some more capacity (4GB, up from 2GB for the “top-of-the-line shuffle), round off the edges, and slap on a few different shades of paint on the things I think they can be fairly confident of their chances of selling a boatload of them during the holidays.


iTunes

A few weeks ago, in my Imagining a New iTunes entry, I suggested that it was time for a new version of iTunes. And by new I don’t mean “even more cluttered with capabilities” but rather a version of iTunes that’s more focused. This could come in the form of a reorganized interface or as a couple of different products that more specifically zero in on particular chores—managing, obtaining, and encoding music, for example.


When releasing new iPod models Apple has been known to also unveil major new versions of iTunes. Seems the timing is right for Apple to do so again. In a setting where Apple “returns to its iPod roots” one could argue that it would be easier to sell a slimmed down, music-focused version of iTunes.


And the rest

We haven’t heard a lot about iTunes in Starbucks lately. Now may be the time to provide a little refresher on that one as well as detail additional ways to obtain music—from other retailers, streaming, and maybe… gasp… in an all-you-can-eat plan that Apple takes pains to describe as anything but a subscription model.

Oh, and of course there’s the Musical Guest at the end of the presentation. I know what you’re thinking. You know what I’m thinking. But I’ve been burned too many times to mention The Name or The Group again. And frankly, I just don’t care any longer.

What I do care about is that the fall TV season is about to kick into gear and NBC and Apple have yet to make nice. Here’s hoping that the One More Thing is Jeff Zucker and Steve Jobs exchanging a big wet one before Paul McC… er McCandless and the rest of Oregon take the stage.

source : http://www.macworld.com/article/135337/2008/09/september9event.html




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read WAWAM! posts on globe's iphone launch : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/globe

read WAWAM! posts on the iphone here :http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/iphone