Socialmedia | T2 + Back Alley Blog

Latest Tweet

December 2nd, 2010
by Teri Rogers
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1 Comments
Retweet

Experience Design – The Future of Online Search

Qwiki - Experience for Search

Experience design is not just the hottest thing in marketing and for brands trying to drive engagement and sales, it’s soon to be an even bigger part of our lives. There’s a great new search tool, Qwiki, that was introduced during TechCrunch Disrupt this past September that brings experience – and experience design – into the search process.

Currently, when you search for something you get a list of links that may or may not provide all the information you seek. And it’s not always a very dynamic way to find what you need. Qwiki provides interactive video presentations with dynamic information pulled from a multitude of sources. What’s better, is that each information element that’s pulled into the presentation is interactive. So, if you click a video or photo while watching a Qwiki information experience you can interact with that piece individually. Also all related maps, timelines and other elements are highly interactive as well.

Qwiki at TechCrunch Disrupt from Qwiki on Vimeo.

Right now Qwiki is a very cool interactive reference tool, but it is actively working on developing products for small businesses and social media users. Social media users will be able to create Qwikis based on their social data aggregate, while small businesses can aggregate reviews from sites such as Yelp, Gowalla and others. Regardless of the end user, Qwiki CEO, Doug Imbruce says their ultimate goal is to become “a ubiquitous layer that augments the traditional web.”

You should definitely go check out some of the sample Qwikis available on their site. The Eiffel Tower Qwiki is a great example of a simple search and infinitely more interesting than what you get from a Google or Wikipedia search. There’s also a Qwiki about Gregory Smith that shows how social media information can be aggregated

Qwiki founders believe that the best ideas are experienced – so if Search goes experiential – what’s next? Since experiential projects and experience design are a big part of what we do – and since we believe that any information is better when it is experienced by the user, we will love seeing how quickly Qwiki will change the way we all search for information. Love, love, love it.

October 14th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3 Comments
Retweet

Fashion Industry – Creating Content and Clothes

T2+Back Alley Films, Fashion Week, Chanel

The fashion industry has embraced the web and social media in a variety of ways. And, for an industry that has a rep for pretty much being the snotty girls in high school that don’t really want to let anyone who’s not the “real deal” into their tight little clique, the industry as a whole has really done a 180.

The year in fashion thus far in 2010 has proven that the industry not only gets its consumers but, in a surprise move, it actually wants to attract even MORE of them. As a result, brands are incorporating innovative ways to reach them into their marketing efforts. Jimmy Choo was not the only brand to use Foursquare, but it might have been the most creative – and resulted in women running all over London on a shoe treasure hunt. I expect we’ll see lots more location-based focus as brands work to actually drive foot traffic to brick and mortar stores.

By the fall of 2010, the majority of the labels live-streamed their shows (up from only two in the spring) and Fashion Week moved beyond the realm of exclusivity and into the worlds of consumers around the globe.

In addition to live-streams and other tactics, many brands released short films like this one, produced by Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld.

Brands used Facebook, Twitter, Twitpics and even a variety of iPad apps to stay in touch with and, even more surprising, actually listen to their respective audiences. Ann Taylor’s Aloft campaign was a great example of how the brand took consumer feedback posted on their Facebook page, immediately acted upon it, and really took the words “community” and “engagement” to new levels.

Online retailers have upgraded their online catalogues to create more of an “experience” for shoppers and also to include high quality video and other content. In fact, during London’s Fashion Week, Burberry’s Christopher London noted on Twitter that Burberry is “now as much a media-content company as [it is] a design company because it’s all part of the overall experience.”

I think that just about says it all — the fashion industry as content creators. When you think about it, aren’t we all trending that way?

August 20th, 2010
by Teri Rogers
, , , , , , , ,
0 Comments
Retweet

Citizen Brand Ambassadors – The New Norm?

Gillette's Razor Guys
Gillette’s “Razor Guys” are the latest in a series of brands turning to consumers to help market or launch a product.

This isn’t new – other brands have done similar campaigns, but it is a new strategic move for P&G, which often taps famous athletes or other celebs to align with its products. For this particular product, the Fusion razor, the desire was to reach a younger demographic. By tapping a couple of young, hip, “every dude” kind of guys for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, P&G shows some savvy when it comes to buzz building and understanding how younger consumers both consume – and generate media. For P&G, the Gillette campaign is an example of a significant social media initiative. The Razor Guys (selected by winning a contest), traveled the country, did a ton of blogging and microblogging, posting reactions on the company’s microsite along the way and even tossed in some celebrity interviews for good measure. They created a lot of buzz, gave away over 10,000 samples and got the Gillette Fusion brand out there, in front of their desired audience, in a big way.

Creating campaigns that allow consumers to be a part of the brand experience is rapidly becoming a tactic that just makes sense. I think this kind of consumer outreach is but one of many “new norms.” More importantly, positioning your business – no matter what it is, so that you are open to change, and regularly adopting and testing different strategies is a critical component of growth and success. Especially when it comes to new media and a consumer group that is technically savvy and as used to creating their own content as they are consuming it.