Greg Verdino

Sell your car like a pro(sumer)

Confession: I've never bought or sold a used car. Sure, I've traded in a car or two at a local dealership but
I've never had the time, patience or inclination to deal with auto listings (online or offline) as a seller or a buyer. But I know plenty of people have and I'm always interested in the ways companies empower people to do old things in better new ways by offering tools and technologies that improve on traditional means, especially in simple ways.

The folks at used car bible Kelley Blue Book - the gold, umm I mean blue, standard for what that old clunker is really worth - have come up with a way to tap into social and mobile to make it easier for regular people to sell their used cars without coming across like (well) used car dealers. Their new Seller's Toolkit provides sellers with a set of easy-to-use tools that make it simple for anyone looking to unload a car to advertise their vehicle across the social web -- from Craig's List to Facebook to Twitter to their own blogs -- and any interested in learning more to get real-time value info with a click or a call.

Social media is pervasive and I don't know many people who don't carry mobile phones complete with data plans and (increasingly) the ability to run apps.With Seller's Toolkit it seems KBB understands that its better for everyone -- the buyer, the seller and KBB itself -- if regular people had the tools to sell cars like the pros.

So what exactly is it and what does it let you do?

First, if you're gonna sell a car you're gonna need a window sticker. KBB let's you create a printable page to tack up in your car but (this is the cool part) it includes instructions and the mechanisms to let interested buyers get the current KBB value (something KBB calls LiveValue) with your mobile via text, voice or QR code. It's a nice modern take on the FOR SALE sign.

 

The kit also lets you build out a "digital window sticker" for your blog, site or social network profiles -- essentially a nice widget that allows one-click sharing across your online presences. If you've uploaded images for your listing, those images are presented dynamically so they're always the latest greatest shots of your car. And of course the KBB value is always current too via LiveValue.

 

Next, since so many of us use Facebook as a primary social network, the tool lets sellers quickly and easily turn their listing into a custom tab that they can add to their profile to let all their friends know that their love mobile is available for purchase. Personally, I've seen friends posting 'car for sale' and even 'house for sale' notices to their walls - this take that to the next level and provides potential buyers with a nice, clean tab that offers all the necessary info.

 

And finally, the KBB Seller's Toolkit even takes care of the tiny details like automatically generating Twitter and status update-friendly bit,ly shortened URLs that link buyers directly to Kelley Blue Book pricing reports for the appropriate make, model and year.

You can learn more or try it out for yourself at Kelley Blue Book. But obviously, I'm not an automotive blogger so I'm not here to sell you on the tool itself. Instead, think about why something like this makes so much sense -- it is consistent with KBB"s brand, modernizes their value proposition by taking advantage of common social and mobile technologies, and keeps the interests of its core consumers (both buyers and sellers) squarely in its sites. It's not gimmicky or flashy; instead it answers some simple business questions:

• How can we add more value in what we already do well?
• How can we make customers' lives easier?
• Is there a way technology and tools can empower both our company and our customers to do more, get more and transact more easily (and on their own terms)?

How might you apply some of these same principles to your company's social and mobile initiatives?

Mobile in the middle

While mobile still has a long way to go before it becomes a key channel for most marketers, it would be foolish not to keep an eye on new developments in mobility.

Although I don't write many posts about mobile on this blog, in the past couple of weeks on Verdino Bytes I blogged about two separate and very different mobile implementations.  Looking back at those posts now, I think they are even more interesting when viewed in tandem than they were individually. So I thought I'd take a second look at both technologies and provide some additional context.

On July 8th, I wrote about the incorporation of 2D barcode technology into this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Black-and-white visual codes developed by a company called Jagtag appear alongside one of the photo spreads. Readers can use just about any camera-phone to shoot and send an image of the barcode to receive an MMS message containing a set of additional mobile-friendly model photos. Super simple in its execution, this implementation offers consumers, publishers and advertisers a practical way to extend old world media (in this case a magazine, but it would work equally well with newspapers and out-of-home) into the mobile channel via exclusive content and supplemental information.

The following day, I happened across a company called TAT and posted a video demo of their Augmented ID offering. Augmented ID is a super-practical spin on shiny new augmented reality technology that, via your mobile phone's camera, "visualizes the digital identities of the people you meet in real life."  Let's say you're a social media geek who writes a blog and networks on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  You step away from your computer to attend a conference or tweetup where you meet lots of new people face-to-face. With Augmented ID, you point your camera-phone at one of your fellow attendees and, through the viewfinder, see his live image enhanced with a series of floating, interactive icons representing his online social media profiles. In the grand scheme, this blurs the increasingly narrow line between online and offline identities, and online and offline social networking. In the less-than-grand scheme, it allows us to avoid stick-on name tags and nerdy small talk like, "So, are you on Twitter?" 

See it in action (feed and email readers click through to the blog for the embedded video):

So now, I'll tell you why I find these two technologies interesting although, of course, I already tipped my hand in the title of the post.  The first offers an enhanced traditional media experience to the mobile device. The second extends the social media experience into the real world by way of the mobile device. 

I'm not going to pretend I have any clue about where this might be headed, but I'm intrigued by the notion of mobile as the glue that binds together our online and offline experiences.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Book 'em Verdino: announcing microMARKETING

I'm excited to announce that I've inked a deal with McGraw-Hill for the publication of my first business book, microMARKETING: A Breakthrough Approach to Building Brands by Thinking and Acting Small.

If the title alone isn't enough to clue you in, I'd like to give you an idea of the ground I'll cover in the book.  Here's a bit of how I described the book in the proposal itself:

A media revolution is underway, fueled by a micro-content phenomenon that is shifting the balance of power from mass communications to masses of communicators.  This shift plays out daily on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Ustream and other social sites.  It’s in the notion that an otherwise normal individual can use social media and low-end technology to become a micro-celebrity with a significant following.  It’s in the viral effect that takes hold when even one online influencer (in essence a one-person media outlet) sparks a conversation that makes or breaks a brand.  It’s in the shift in behavior that is turning the smart phone into the “first screen” for Gen Y and many increasingly-mobile Gen Xers.  It’s in the shift from watching 60 minute television shows interrupted by 30-second advertisements, to watching 30-second pieces of online video content with no advertisements at all.  It’s even in the changing of our expectations of product design and retail sales, giving rise to dozens of successful small businesses and individuals (think Threadless, think Etsy, think Mimobot, think Lemonade) that can create and sell enough high quality, unique or custom merchandise at a premium to shoppers for whom choice and individuality matter more than convenience and price. 

These are exciting times, but they can also be scary times for marketers who have been trained to think that bigger is better, and for whom the excesses and successes of the past 50 or so years – big budgets for major media ad campaigns designed to sell mountains of product through big-box retailers – seem to be the only way to build a big brand.  For better or worse, the new reality is that the old way doesn’t work so well anymore. Simply put, micro-content and macro-marketing don’t mix – and trying to maintain the status quo while consumer behaviors and expectations change amounts to little more than a recipe for failure.

Enter micromarketing – a new approach to building brands, marketing products and services, and growing meaningful long-term customer (and corporate) value.  Micromarketing emphasizes relationships over reach, interactions over interruption, and the network effect over the broadcast network.  It is built upon the premise that the “next big thing” is really lots and lots of small things, and that to survive and thrive, even the biggest marketers must think and act small (make that “micro”), too. 

microMARKETING is not a "Twitter book."  Puh-leeze... In signature Verdino-style, I will aim to help marketers understand the larger trends that are driving the popularity of tools like Twitter and what the real world implications are for businesses (even if Twitter itself -- or Facebook or YouTube, for that matter -- goes away), but my focus will be aimed squarely at the big picture.  I also don't plan to trot out the same ol' tired social media case studies.  In fact, one key piece of my approach is to help large companies understand how to thrive in the era of micro-content and micro-culture by taking lessons from the people and organizations that are involved in the revolution at the grassroots level.  In other words, I'll be looking at what the biggest of big corporations should learn from "whatever experts." 

Again, from the proposal:

Over the past several years, social media has evolved from a trend to watch to an irrefutable fact of life for marketers of all sizes.  Now – before most companies have even gotten social media right – the mainstreaming of micro-content services, the ubiquity of powerful low-cost handheld technology (from Internet-ready phones to consumer-grade HD cameras) and the rise of DIY culture promise to change the rules of consumer engagement yet again.  It is important to understand how these changes impact our ability to build brands, manage customer relationships and drive sales today, and this will only become more important over the coming years as more and more consumers flock to the technologies that are powering the shift.

On the flipside, it is also important that marketers not get swept up in the hype surrounding a single tool or tactic, losing sight of the bigger implications for their businesses.  As has happened with core social media tools like blogging, podcasting and social networking (and short-lived fads like Second Life), marketers now run the risk of not seeing the forest for the trees – of jumping on the “Twitter bandwagon” with short-lived, ill-advised tactics that do little to impact their businesses.   

On the one hand, microMARKETING educates decision makers about larger trends and what they mean for companies who are looking to more effectively engage consumers through new digital channels.  On the other hand, it delivers tangible and practical case studies, stories, tips and tricks from familiar competitors (other large corporations) and unlikely sources of inspiration (micro-businesses and individual creators.)

microMARKETING is slated for a May/June 2010 release.  I need to hand in the final manuscript by mid-October.  Needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me over the next few months.

That may mean less blogging for the next few months, although I'll still try to post here at least once/week.  And you should stay tuned for periodic updates on the book, my progress and the process.  Hell, I may even ask you for some input along the way.

Finally, I'd like to thank the good folks at McGraw-Hill -- especially Donya Dickerson -- and my agent Ethan Friedman at LevelFive Media.

Good times, ahead...

GyPSii: all-in-one social networking for the iPhone

As 2008 came to a close, my blogger-buddy Peter Kim asked a batch of social media folks to think about what 2009 would have in store for our industry.  I included location awareness and mobile social networking among my predictions:

Geo-location, location, location. Location awareness will be the mobile utility of the year as more and more consumers use their GPS-enabled phones and mobile social software (mososo) to find great stuff to see, do and buy wherever they may be at any given time, and foster real world face-to-face connections with the people in their social networks.

A few months later, crayon began working with a mobile social network provider called GyPSii.  GyPSii allows people to use their mobile phones to instantly capture and share what they are actually doing, building a multi-media virtual diary on their world – the places they've been, the things they've done, the cool things they've seen -- and share their experiences with their network of friends.  It's an all-in-one mobile social application that lets you connect with friends, document your life and share experiences, all in real time.  And of course it seamlessly integrates with Facebook and Twitter - making it easy to update once and share everywhere.

GyPSii already has a nice global footprint, and it works on most carrier networks and on dozens of different handsets.  But the reason I'm blogging about them now is that -- as of today -- GyPSii has launched its iPhone App.  And crayon and our good buddies at SHIFT Communications are helping to spread the word and get some traction.

So if you're an iPhone or iPod Touch user -- and especially if you're a social media geek who has dabbled with mobile social software and likes to bang on new services -- it would be great to see you on GyPSii.  You can get started by downloading the free App from the iTunes right now.

If you'd like a guided tour of GyPSii's iPhone features, you can watch this short video demo:

[Feed and email readers, click through for the video.]

Once you've downloaded the App, be sure to friend me on GyPSii, follow them on Twitter and become a Facebook Fan.  But most of all, be sure to spread the word, because the more friends you have on GyPSii, the better it gets.

Looking forward to connecting.

Quigley, Havens & Verdino get social (podcast)

Yesterday, Jane Quigley and I spent some time chatting with John C. Havens about everything from mobile social software and charitable causes to SXSW coolness and Adam Broitman (it was mostly John talking about Broitman, but still...)  That conversation aired live on Blog Talk Radio, courtesy of PepsiCo, and you can listen to it on-demand whenever you have the time.

[I've removed the BTR embedded player because it auto-plays but the show is at your fingers with just one click.]

Kraft helps you feed your family & America too

In many ways, 2008 was the "Year of the App" with marketers focusing at least some of their energies on cracking the code for delivering value and engaging consumers through applications of the Facebook and iPhone variety.  And so it is fitting that Kraft Foods (disclosure: Kraft is a crayon client) is rounding out the year with a couple of solid efforts in App marketing.  Both are good examples of how big brands can leverage new platforms to deliver beyond-the-box value.

Check out what Kraft is serving up.

Kraft iFood Assistant

First up, we have iFood Assistant.  Kraft is the first consumer packaged goods company to launch a food App for the Apple iPhone, tapping into Americans' increasingly mobile lifestyles and adding value in ways that are consistent with Kraft's brand promise and business objectives.

iFood Assistant offers more than 7,000 recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts, from healthy options to holiday splurges.  Most are consumer-rated and reviewed, and a bunch feature helpful video demonstrations, all resident right on the phone.  (Most similar Apps simply call up Safari and point you to the mobile web.)  Of course, iFood Assistant isn't all form, no function.  Its best features include the ability to create shopping lists, organized by supermarket aisle, and even find the nearest grocery store.  The result?  An easy way to use your iPhone to get food ideas, plan meals and shop smarter.

While today's iFood Assistant presents recipe and meal ideas from the Kraft Kitchens, it was built as an agnostic platform and Kraft plans to incorporate recipes, ideas and products from partners to provide iPhone users with a solid, general purpose grocery/cooking App that offers lots of utility and content in a single, well-designed package.

iPhone users can hit the App Store to download it, or visit Kraft's iFood Assistant page to learn more.

Kraft Supports Feeding America

If Facebook is more your style and you're looking to help needy families, Kraft has partnered with SocialVibe to launch Fill a Bowl, Feed America.  The proposition here is simple and the cause is a good one -- you install the Facebook App, register at KraftFoods.com or make a cash donation to Feeding America (Kraft will match your donations dollar for dollar), and in return Kraft buys up to 3.2 million meals for people in need.  This SocialVibe/Facebook effort is a smart social media extension of a larger charitable giving program that Kraft is supporting, to make a positive impact in the real world.

As I write this Fill a Bowl, Feed America has already generated enough support to fund close to 1 million meals -- help Kraft and Feeding America get to the full 3.2 million.

Want '09 predictions? How about 50 of them?

Yep, it's that time of year again -- time for the marketing bloggerati to polish up their crystal balls and make some bold statements about what you can expect in the coming year.  And you, faithful readers, scour the web looking for even just a few useful nuggets from your favorite bloggers and industry pundits.

Well, this year Peter Kim has done everyone the favor of gathering 2009 predictions from some of the sharpest minds in marketing and social media, and pulling them together in a single eBook that contains 50 or so clear-eyed, thought provoking ideas about what the next 12 months hold for media, marketing and the web.

As one of the contributors, I've had the opportunity to read everyone's predictions and can say for sure that you'll want to download a copy right away.  Lots and lots of good stuff -- from a great cross-section of the blogging community, representing a variety of different points of view.

If you want a flavor for what the eBook has to offer, check out these thought starters from Pete's 14 Nostadami (Pete himself contributes an intro and some takeaways rather than his own predictions.)

• "Although it is now cheaper to launch an initiative leveraging Web 2.0 technology - it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful." - David Armano
• "You may not always start the year as a leader, but you can certainly finish it that way." - Rohit Bhargava
• "Intimacy touches emotion; emotion powers conversation." - Pete Blackshaw
• "Doors are going to close all over the social web. Why? Because the money didn't come the way people thought it would." - Chris Brogan
• "The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media." - Todd Defren
• "There's a lot of fixing that needs to be done." - Jason Falls
• "Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball." - Ann Handley
• "We're going to develop a set of better metrics to help guide, direct and validate 'commitment'." - Joseph Jaffe
• "The movement is rooted in a desire to have quality, not quantity, as people cocoon in the face of the economic crisis." - Charlene Li
• "After a pre-qualifying wrestling match..." - Ben McConnell
• "These will be cumulative events and interactions that will build brand loyalty for the companies that pay attention to them." - Scott Monty
• "The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies." - Jeremiah Owyang
• "Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return." - Andy Sernovitz
• "Suddenly, being Facebook friends with your mom will seem less ridiculous than following 4,000 strangers on Twitter." - Greg Verdino

But these 14 soundbites only hint at the smart ideas contained in the full eBook -- so be sure to download the complete thang.

As for me, I'll most likely expand on some of my own predictions right here on my blog over the coming few weeks.  In the meantime, I'm sure Pete and the other authors would love to hear your feedback.  Feel free to drop a comment here or any any of the contributors' own blogs.

PSFK dishes out good ideas in mobile

Trendspotting site PSFK is running a series of Good Idea Salons over the course of the coming few weeks, covering topics ranging from digital marketing and design to social media and collaboration.  These are intimate events where expert panelists talk candidly about what will really matter in 2009 and, if you're in NYC, you may want to check out one or more of the upcoming sessions.

The first Salon looked at Good Ideas in Mobile and took a deep dive into location-based services, why they matter, what the practical applications are, and what geo-location means for marketers.  PSFK has posted video from the event and it's well worth watching.

From the iPhone to mobile social networking, geo-location is a hot topic right now.  If you're not familiar with the term or just want to hear some expert opinions, I'd encourage you to watch the footage from the Good Ideas event.  If you're a geo-location whiz, you may want to skip to minute 23 (or so) and hear how the panelists see brands leveraging location to add value for mobile consumers.

[Email and feed readers click through for the video.]

10 ways the mobile future will suck

When looking at the promise of new media channels, many marketers still seem to fall back on the square-peg-round-hole routine.  They attempt to force-fit tired, old ad models into next generation marketing opportunities that demand new approaches and, in doing so, alienate consumers and deliver questionable results for their companies.  You know probably already know what this looks like -- fake corporate blogs instead of proper and personalized blogger relations, MySpace homepage takeovers instead of direct engagement with consumer community leaders, the build-it-and-they-won't-come brand islands that many companies built in Second Life a couple of years ago, mobile banners and unsolicited SMS messages instead of value-oriented branded mobile utilities.  You get the picture.

And so with the carriers and mobile ad networks repeatedly declaring each successive year the "Year of Mobile," and most marketers struggling to understand how that can possibly be the case while simultaneously fearing that they're missing out on something, ekit CEO John Diamond points a finger at some current and emergent mobile marketing practices -- and predicts that mobile will get worse (much worse) before it gets better.  To my knowledge John isn't a marketer by trade, but he should know a thing or two about the global mobile marketplace.  His company provides international devices and services for travelers and recently launched a Travel Journal service that let's travelers easily track and share their whereabouts and experiences using a combination of a blog-like web platform, mobile technologies and geolocation.  Travel Journal is supported with opt-in, geo-specific advertising.  He could be part of the problem -- but instead seems to want to help marketers get it right, beginning with his list of 10 Mobile Marketing Predictions.

In truth, John's 10 points are less about predicting the future and more about painting some likely worst case scenarios for how marketers will abuse common mobile technologies like SMS and GPS to interrupt and alienate consumers.  It's mostly a list of 10 things not to do and, for better or worse (ok - just for worse), many of his points ring true.

Give them a glance and let me know what you think.  Does John get it right?  As a marketer, what are you doing in mobile to counter some of the downsides John explores in his list?

1) Mobile marketers will send spam-like messages to consumers' phones without getting permission to do so.

2) Mobile spam will be much more annoying than all of that email and blog spam.  Mobile spam feels much more personal.

3) Marketers will learn their lessons about message relevance in reverse... most likely after the fact.  There will be many examples of what not to do.

4) Mobile communications will be significantly cheaper for consumers willing to receive marketing messages.  For example: free TV on your cellphone...

5) Consumers will revolt against being tracked by GPS, particularly if there is no clear opt in/opt out option for tracking and receiving messages.

6) Tracked consumers will have their profiles sold to marketers.  Angry consumers will rally together and form class actions against such practices, and mobile marketing regulations will be enacted.

7) Media stories will name companies that spammed and tracked their customers, smearing the names of those companies and turning away potential customers.

8) Mobile spam filtering software will be a necessity.  It could be a new evenue stream for telcos or offered as part of a bundled service.  This will be a major service differentiator and major driver for switching carriers.

9) Mobile marketing will shift its focus from text messaging to mobile web with slick offers, presentation and relevance.

10) Mobile messaging will have to become more relevant given the limited real estate and high irritation factor.

Cellphone film: mankind is no island

I guess my Wesleyan University commie-sympathizer pink socks are showing today, but I love this video.  Mankind Is No Island is a short film that explores a global social issue using nothing more than a mobile phone, found typography and a simple soundtrack.  Last month it took home the big prize at Tropfest NY, the world's largest short film festival.  Social significance aside, Mankind is yet another demonstration of the democratization of the tools we use for content creation.

[Email readers and feed demons, click through for the video.]

Hat tip hat trick: PSFK, The Tastemakers Society and Lens Culture.