I love this piece on measuring consumer’s emotional levels in a retail shopping space or tracking their eye movements on a website. I don’t for a moment believe it’s about “making their experience better” do you? No really do you believe retailers will pay millions of dollars on research about consumer behavior to make your experience better?

No, it’s to make you buy more period. Now, I’m not opposed to companies understanding how to sell their wares, make themselves more attractive to consumers, I’m sensitive to the idea that this is in my best interest.

And this is the inherent conflict in between consumer and company. This relationship and conflict is highlighted by social media. It will play out in the coming year as Facebook pushes timelines and sponsored stories, more companies use social and gaming to occupy your mindspace and consumers constantly connect to the consuming process through mobile devices.

Will We Get This The Linked Economy?

In this scene from the Miracle on 34th Street, Macy’s employees send consumers to their competitor Gimbels if they have the product the customer wants. Far fetched? probably, but this is where consumers and their mobile devices are fighting the in-store technology. Pew Internet and American Life study shows 52% of consumers use mobile devices in store to consult a friend, compare prices, or consult reviews before making a purchase.

“Imagine that, Macy’s sending me to another store cause they ain’t got what I want! I don’t believe it.”

Marketers are a shrewd lot, some have customers in mind, but most have their own hides at the top of the food chain, then their company’s. This is not a criticism. This is the premise upon which the most successful and productive societies are built. Humans act in their own self interest, it’s OK no need for apologies.

This is why gift cards have expiration dates, fees are hidden, and introductory pricing are used as gateway drugs.

Marketers are certainly aware of the time pressures on “average” consumers and as such, we consume mostly with the “easy” button. When was the last time you read a “terms and conditions” agreement? Sign here, here, and here, and you’re done.

It is the same with privacy policies. Google’s new privacy policies that have met some criticism. As a consumer of online websites, we think about privacy policies in general as whether your email will be sold and, among the more sophisticated users of technology, will a cookie be placed on your computer that impedes the machine’s performance.

Today’s Google policy, similar to Facebook’s failed Beacon tracker, calls attention to a user’s every digital action and whether it will be shared in some way. The primary question to ask is whether your actions will be shared publicly. For example, if a consumer is looking for another job will their searches and website visits show up in their Google profile visible to their current employer. For now, most of the complaints are about collecting data and sharing it with advertisers, not with public exposure, but, the burden for privacy policies is on the consumer. It is getting more complicated and that’s what marketers understand and are taking advantage of, keep it simple, click here and don’t worry about the details. Today it is more evident that a consumer’s habits, their every digital and physical move (now that Google apps are used on mobile devices) are of interest to marketers and they will get it.

Happy Memorial Day to you, the families of the United States Military.

A quick note to say thank you and I’m sorry. Oh sure, we applaud the military service and we wave flags. We call you all heros. Most of you are average folk, cooking, cleaning, pushing paperwork, some are Seals, Rangers, fighter pilots, etc etc. but these days of changing threats, all of you are the first to be put in the line of fire. Time and again, redeployments are a way of life and fighting for your pay is almost as time consuming as fighting for your life. See Stop-Loss pay.

As the landscape of threats to the US changes from what was thought of as a battlefield with rules of engagement, to a free-for-all with bombs disguised as trash cans, the way average citizen’s perceive war is changing, and I fear not for the better. Without a draft, most Americans remain a couple degrees of separation away from the effects of war. It seems like we complain more about the inconvenience of TSA airport lines than the sacrifices of military members and their families.

We shy away from war, and when we are allowed a glimpse, it’s usually through the eyes of technology or the sweat of a special branch. Drones, operated by military intelligence officers thousands of miles away, the orchestration of an aircraft carrier, or the training depicted on the Military Channel. May I suggest Restrepo on Netflix. http://restrepothemovie.com/

War, with its limited involvement and engagement by the general population, is sterile today, compared to World War II which was a national sacrifice or the Vietnam War accessed on only three national television networks broadcast into most living rooms.

No, I fear without a national draft and a variety of limited engagements based on an ever expanding rationale for participation, war has as much entertainment value as it does strategic geopolitical value. With three thousand information and entertainment choices instead of CBS, NBC, and ABC (circa 1968), knowledge of US military engagement will be less of a national experience, and more similar to your choice of watching, House Hunters or Sports Nation.

MIlitary life is in a transition, from a lifestyle choice back when deployment meant moving to a similar environment to the one you are in only in a different developed country, to a life of sacrifice where part time National Guard and a career warrior equally are targeted. My humble thanks to all military families for their sacrifice. Also, a modest appeal to fellow Americans and political leaders to consider the point of this post. Do not let America’s military technology and human lives be treated as a team sport.

As we see in the Mideast uprisings, Freedom is not something to be outsourced. On this Memorial Day I wonder if Freedom is something all Americans would fight for instead of calling out for it?

Time 24:59

The second part of this Marketing Edge podcast interview with author of the book The New Small, Phil Simon  and Albert Maruggi talks about the type of consumer that the “New Small” economy may be creating.  Picking up where Chris Anderson, the author of the book Free, a tome about the free economy.  

In this free economy, supported in great part by the social web, consumers use platforms from Google to Hootsuite, from Twitter to Facebook for no cost (or a nominal fee)  Simon’s book the New Small shows how businesses can tap into the free economy companies who are providing technology infrastructure at a fraction of the cost compared to the last decade.  As a buyer at least, Simon contends the free economy is in your best interests.

More Whiners Than Buyers

Is this new small economy comprised of consumers who want something for nothing?  Are they the same consumers that will share their criticisms to the world about a product they are using for nothing?   Or perhaps this new small economy is about technology companies who calculate the more users the greater the revenue potential from other sources such as advertising, and in that model users are justified in their visible critiques?  

Maruggi and Simon discuss ways to approach this highly vocal, highly opinionated consumer. The New Small doesn’t mean only small will win, it means there is a new perspective about creating businesses and new consumer perspectives that will impact businesses of all sizes.

Chance to Win The New Small

Enjoy this conversation with author Phil Simon, examine the book The New Small and enter a chance to win The New Small book used by Maruggi to conduct the interview with his notes by posting a comment or Tweeting about this podcast with the hashtag #mktedge Follow Simon on Twitter @philsimon on Twitter and Maruggi @albertmaruggi

Time 20:29

Once you see Microsoft commercials talk about the “Cloud” you know it’s ok to talk about the topic in mixed company. By mixed I mean other than the geek set. Author Phil Simon surely makes enabling technologies easy to understand and more importantly practical for business decision makers. In his book The New Small, Simon makes the case for using what he called The Five Enablers

• Cloud Computing
• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Free and open source software (FOSS)
• Mobility
• Social networks

These enablers allow business to participate in trends that are fast becoming essential to complete and to satisfy the new social consumer.

1. Flexibility and agility
2. Collaboration
3. Content creation and choice
4. Experimentation and acceptable risk
5. The social customer
6. The war for talent

In this podcast we discuss how law firms, restaurants, dental practices, and many other businesses are abandoning the idea of office infrastructure for the inexpensive enabling technologies available. For example, I created this text in Google Docs, posted on a Word Press blog, and you are playing the audio on this page with a free open source audio player. All I need is to be smart about asking the questions that you, the listener, want to ask.

That’s a major theme of Simon’s The New Small, businesses lean of staff and sharp of mind, can focus on their core value while reducing costs and expanding their reach with enabling technologies which include the social tactics and networks most appropriate for that business.

This is the first of a two part conversation. In this podcast you’ll hear how business is saving money and increasing ways to make their customer feel beyond satisfied.

The New Small is full of examples of free or low cost enabling technologies that businesses are using to be successful. Let’s start a list of the New Small technologies by Marketing Edge listeners in Google Docs and you can add to it.

Time 24:50

We interview St. Paul Pioneer Press technology writer Julio Ojeda Zapata, author of Ipad Means Business, to be released the week of December 13. This is a two part series, with this episode focused on how mobile computing is impacting industries such as health care, real estate, legal, and other small businesses.

Some examples of using the iPad in business applications include:

• patients completing online forms in the waiting area and not at a kiosk or a clipboard where interpreting handwriting can be a challenge
• Mobile video viewing of real estate properties and integrated with location based applications to improve the real estate buying experience
• Any field worker now has a more mobile, yes even stylish device for insurance claims, remote health care workers, service and repair technicians

And for the real business heavy weight,

• Edit and Create CAD drawings, or
• Access SAP data from your enterprise applications

Some will suggest this is a revolution, we believe it’s a natural evolution. Some contend the iPad is more a content consumption device than a content creation device. I believe it’s both, especially if you define completing a form as a type of content creation. I submit that in business a complete form field is content creation that advances some type of business process. To the end, the more convenient you make interacting with technology, the greater the chances of expediting a business workflow.

A word on behalf of non-Apple consumers of the world, mobile computing “Tablet Size” is not limited to devices that begin with the letter i. The android platform has the Galaxy Tab among several others on the market or soon to be available.

Point being for marketers is this –

1. Size does not matter – the screen size of tablets and smartphones are less of an issue.
2. Bandwidth is getting larger for mobile users - Speedy networks 4G is just about in place and WiFi will abound so long as people will consume coffee while accessing the web.
3. Price matters and is dropping - When comparing the iPad against a laptop or comparing the tablet market across the products in that emerging category, price is extremely competitive. Will this put powerful computing in the hands of more people?

These data points should lead a marketer to conclude the distribution of the message is now a minor issue. The format of the message should not be predicated upon who can access it. There is critical mass is virtually every platform, format, stationary or mobile, across the street or around the world.

This, I hope frees marketers to be innovative in the mobile arena. Just browsing the applications available on the ipad and android platforms will spark ideas for your clients and companies.

The South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX which combines music, film, and Interactive media has become a major destination for trends and social interaction. Sure, it’s a social technology conference, but it’s a music festival and an arts venue.

It’s the kind of event that represents more of what the future will be, collaboration and cross-pollination. Yes, the larger the show the more unwieldy it becomes, but the benefit of mixing the disciplines is a dynamic learning environment. I suggest it represents more of how our government, corporations, and schools are going to restructure for a society that wants less silos of information and more of web (and I don’t mean web-based) approach in the physical world as well.

There is no replacement for being in Austin, TX right now, but there are ways to feel like you are there. Following the events and chatter is simple.

There are RSS feeds from the SXSW conference

Then there is the Twitter Feed for #SXSW

Don’t think SXSW is on the bleeding edge, it’s mainstream enough that National Public Radio has live SXSW coverage of the music venue

There is plenty to see and hear from SXSW at Ustream TV and Blog Talk Radio just search SXSW to see those who are broadcasting live from the event.

If you are attending SXSW what are your turn ons or offs about the festival. Use this widget from Beyond Polls to select from the menu or add to it in your own words. Here is a link to the poll http://qcwidget.com/widgets/5410a1ee2859

I know it’s early, but can you imagine a political convention without a known nominee going in? Hot damn, that’s the best reality TV that can be. So get this, the last convention that was somewhat in doubt was 32 years ago with Reagan and Ford, however most pundits say the last true brokered convention was 56 years ago. Let’s not quibble, the fact is this year both the Democratic and Republican conventions have a chance of being decided in real time. They resemble sporting events and not coronations.

They would be the first brokered convention with mini DV cameras, live blogging, Twitter, Utterz… yipes!

Obama, Clinton, Edwards for the Democrats and McCain, Romney neck and neck with one more heavy Giuliani still poised to win a couple of big states on the Republican side.

Look I just can’t get too excited thinking about it because the chances are still slim, but indulge me for just for a moment.

Delegates will become citizen journalists and spin doctors will all of a sudden wish they had a Twitter or Utterz account. (Twitter and Utterz training available here act now!).

Sure those folks are wired with text messages and crackberries, but they will need to reach out to people that may not be in their distribution lists. They may have to reach out to someone that was the opposition just 10 minutes earlier. They may want to try and drive web users to online polls or engage them to show which candidate can motivate outside the walls of the convention hall because that’s the ultimate victory. Eegadds!

Will journalists be plugged into twitter profiles for the candidates or the candidates’ spokespeople (that is a separate conversation whether to have surrogate profiles to float trial balloons)?

Yes social media friends, a brokered convention is one part crisis, two parts breaking news, and all of it adds up to an interesting scenario for microblogging platforms. Stay tuned.

Here is some background on the convention process and brokered conventions

Election 2008 Countdown and Delegate Count

Democratic Convention Watch

Power Line News

Republican National Committee

Democratic National Committee

The technology dilemma: New technologies are developed quickly and less costly today than even 10 years ago. New technology implementation requires the precise work of three groups: path finders, bridge builders and commoditizers.

1) Path finders: They forge a wild river. They develop for the joy of a challenge and/or the dream of wealth. Many times they traverse to unknown places. They prudently cut a path with precision moving toward a desired destination. They may not know exactly where they are going, but they are learning and discovering with every step.

2) Bridge builders: These are the ones who help the masses on the populated side of the river come across. They painstakingly educate those fearful of going over the bridge and in some cases hope they don’t loose sight of the path finders.

3) Commoditizers come along with the masses and build different uses for technologies that have become common. They help drive the price down, expand usage and, with it, less risk in implementing that technology in a typical business.

The issue that Jeremiah Owyang of the Web Strategist Blog raises in his Utterz post from Nov. 29 is whether the technologists are moving too fast. In my parlance, are the path finders rushing ahead so fast that they are in danger of being alone in the wild?

The pace of what technologists can do is outracing how significant portions of the population can use it or can pay for it. The question technologists and consumers should answer jointly is: Can the new technologies be applied to provide sufficient value that it is worth changing from what we do now?

Social media and different issues than the 90s:

• A more fragmented market, which could mean less total revenue per technology
• Less costs, which potentially mean higher profits per technology
• Insanely short product life-cycles, putting all technologies in danger of being overtaken
• Potentially misunderstood brand power of technology, when the real asset is the communities

The Bar Syndrome

What would make me the most nervous as an investor? Understanding exactly what the asset is and how will that asset sustain itself and grow. I believe a good metaphor is that many of these social media technologies are like investing in a bar or restaurant. If that establishment can be replicated to attract enough people, then you’ve got a winning franchise. If, however, the people are fickle or a new bar opens down the street with better looking, livelier people, then what is left?

The accessories

We are to the point of application accessories; widgets is the accepted term. The issue is how these accessories are going to be paid for. An interesting question formed in the negative, just to make it more painful: What two technologies can you give up today?

A typical business with an abundance of meetings, limited budgets and cautious management needs time just to understand how these technologies are going to add value to the company. Patience is a virtue. Will the marketplace reward patience?

I worked at a venture capital firm in the 90s. There were companies working on 360-degree images of shopping malls, med-tech applications for desktop radiological reading, and video-on-the-Web capabilities. It was just a question of timing more than applications. Those ideas are well in place today and profitable.

History does help predict the future; we just need the patience for the future to catch up with us.