Experience Manifesto

Toys 'R' Us Expanding Kids Convenience Concept - Retail News.

An interesting debate over at Retail Wire about this attempt by Toys R Us to increase the visitations by shoppers, who in this economy, may be cutting back on their toy purchases. Comments are mixed, with some people supporting the brand extensions and other people concerned that they are moving into low margin territories that are well covered by other retailers. I know that they tried a store concept in the past called Geoffrey's (see Geoffrey opens retailtainment door - Toys "R" Us | DSN Retailing Today | Find Articles at BNET for some info on that concept), but I don't think they ever went anywhere with them. Is grocery's the right area for them to be in or would they be better off creating an environment that was all about kids & fun? Would they be better off creating spaces that can be rented for birthday parties and things like that?

I have mixed feelings as I thought that the Geoffrey concept was really an interesting positioning for them. When they were opening them in 2003, Joel Anderson, vp of new ventures for Toys "R" Us said:

"It's really about capturing the childhood experience and the rituals of growing up," said Anderson. "And it's about making the stores a destination for parents and a fun place for kids 365 days a year."

For a store like Toys R Us, I like that kind of thinking. Creating a destination for fun. Yep, that's what I think Toys R Us should be. And maybe back in 2003, when the economy was doing well and people had money to spend, it would've been a more "upscale" kind of place. But I think today, it could play an even better role, by creating that one, elusive environment that parents & children both want -- a place that each other likes! As parents, we've all had to endure the Chuck E. Cheese visit and places like that. Places where the kids have a great time, but us parents really don't want to go in the first place & we certainly don't want to stay long once we're there.

Years ago, when we lived in the city and didn't have a child, we would walk past a place in the East Village that was a converted brownstone coffee shop/kids play room. The upstairs was Starbuck's like, with coffee, pastries, etc., and then downstairs they had the children's play space, that was always staffed. So, you would frequently see families on a Sunday morning with parents upstairs reading the Times and the kids playing downstairs. It was a good environment for both sides. So, my questions is:

Should Toys R Us Become a Third Place for Children & families?

So maybe TRU has an opportunity to figure out how to become that fun destination, especially in this tight economy. Maybe create more spaces for children to actually play together. Heck, the main reason we go to the Burger King in West Orange is because it has a playground, which becomes a third place for Sydney to meet and play with other kids. Should TRU become a third place for children & families? Should they maybe add restaurants and things like that instead of groceries? Any thoughts?

Toys "R" Us is looking to give shoppers a reason to visit its stores more frequently with the rollout of the "R" Market store-within-a-store concept that provides a wide range of kid-focused products including diapers, infant formula, baby food, lunchbox items, paper goods, health and beauty items, household cleaners and more.

Each "R" Market will feature roughly 1,300 items in a convenient shopping format located at the front of Toys "R" Us stores. The chain currently has "R" Markets in 260 stores with plans to roll the concept out to all of its 585 locations in the U.S. this year.

"As part of our business strategy, we are continually focused on improving the shopping experience for customers in our stores. This includes looking for new ways to provide busy parents with the convenience of finding everything they need for their kids under one roof," said Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO, Toys "R" Us, Inc., in a press release. "The introduction of 'R' Market offers customers a uniquely edited presentation of differentiated, kid-focused products from well-known manufacturers, as well as newer brands."

Toys 'R' Us Expanding Kids Convenience Concept - Retail News.. (Registration may be required.)

Lego Augmented Reality

Our friends at Metaio have done some very cool things with augmented reality, including the Mini print campaign last year. They just sent over this cool video of work that they're doing for Lego, kiosks that will let you see 3D models of the completed Lego toy. AR's been recently used by GE and Living Sasquatch and we're only at the beginning. As AR gets more common, especially as it gets added to cell phones, we will start to see some really exciting applications. Mark my word, when Sydney, who is 8 now, is in high school, she'll be using AR in some form every day. For brands, the ability to combine the real world with the virtual is an untapped area of creativity. It will come with real challenges, like creating content that people will want. While there's a novelty factor right now, people will expect a lot more in the future. The experiences that we create will have to have a lot more entertainment or utility value, but if they're just marketing pitches, people won't do them.

If you haven't experienced AR yet, drop me an e-mail and i'll bring some demos to you.

Let’s not forget celebs are marketers too. | Harte Marketing & Communications

Lots of debate going on about Oprah and Twitter and the fact that she might get invited to keynote BlogWorld. Writing on her blog, Beth Harte said:

Last night Jim Turner of BlogWorld made an off the cuff statement about having Oprah keynote this year’s BlogWorld that, as you can image, led to a very interesting conversation (be sure to check out both Twitter Searches). The debate ranges from Oprah isn’t a social media expert to Oprah could drive more social media use and increase BlogWorld sponsorships.

Here are my thoughts on all of it… As social media purists-who believe that social media is actually changing marketing and business as we know it-is it fair to give celebrities (as businesses) a pass because they are famous? Would you give Steve Jobs or Richard Branson or any other business (large, medium or small) a pass? Let’s face facts, some celebs have way more time on their hands to Twitter (insert any other social media tool here) than the average CEO or VP of Marketing and yet the business folks are constantly scrutinized and beat up daily for their social media missteps.

Since I think I made my point well in the comment I left on Beth's blog, I htought I would just repost it here:

I think that what's interesting about this debate is that we once again seem to be defining social media by a set of tactics rather then outcomes. After all, she started her book clubs in 1996 and as posted on Wikipedia --

"In Reading with Oprah: The Book Club That Changed America, Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as "a serious American intellectual who pioneered the use of electronic media, specifically television and the Internet, to take reading—a decidedly non-technological and highly individual act—and highlight its social elements (emphasis mine) and uses in such a way to motivate millions of erstwhile non-readers to pick up books."

I would say she's been creating social media a lot longer then most of the SM experts we have today. It just wasn't called social media back then. But, what do you call getting people together, both physically & through the internet, to discuss a topic or series of topics.

And, in 2008, she did the live, weekly webcasts with Elkhart Tolle and millions of people to create a social network around his book and teachings. Wasn't that social media?

But now we'd suggest that because she's late to the Twitter game, she doesn't really know about SM. Well, that would be correct if SM was simply Twitter. But it's not. Again, from Wikipedia:

Social media has become extremely popular because it allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal and business.

As I said, Oprah started her book clubs in 1996, using the internet as a key tool to help people form relationships around the books. That would mean she's been in the SM game for 13 years, right? Wouldn't that qualify her as at least knowledgeable about SM?

In terms of the recent jump into Twitter by celebrities, I would think the real question is whether or not they’re authentic accounts. I don’t mean just that they’re not hijacked accounts, but whether or not that person is actually posting the tweets. What happens to the value of this communication tool when it’s done by ghostwriters instead of the real person? Isn’t that a better question for us to be discussing?

In terms of BlogWorld, I would think that she's pretty well qualified to be a keynote speaker about the value of connecting people through new media.

Let’s not forget celebs are marketers too. | Harte Marketing & Communications.

Heineken - Walk in Closet Commercial

Bailed-Out Banks Face Probe Over Fee Hikes - WSJ.com

Back in September of '07, I was in London when they Northern Rock bank there ran into trouble and people started withdrawing money from their accounts. Over night, the bank had £1.5 billion and it went downhill for Northern Rock from there. Here's what I wrote back then:

It does beg the question as to how much loyalty Northern Rock created with it's customers before this all began. Too many brands use a crisis as the first real time they reach out to say "Hey, we're here for you. Help us get though this and we'll be there for you when it's all over." But when the crisis is over, they go back to business as usual. Do you think they'll offer to drop the interest rates on their mortgages for people who leave their money where it is? Or will they send your nasty notes when you're a day late with your mortgage payment?

You know, since I started reading about all of this, I can't help but think about Jimmy Stewert and the Bailey Savings & Loan. I can just picture him stuttering as he asks people to leave their money in the bank because it'll be safe. Trust me, he says. I live here too and I'll take care of you.

Watching the news today and they just had Ron Insana talking on msnbc about a report in the Wall Street Journal about how banks are now raising fees on everything and, with some banks now charging up to 29% interest rates, he used the term usury rates. But it's not just interest rates going up (and in some cases doubling, according to the WSJ article), every fee is going up. Late fees, charge fees, every thing's going up while the banks take our tax dollars. Look at this example:

Regional banks U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co. offer "checking account advance" loans that allow customers with direct-deposit accounts to access funds before they are credited to a customer's account balance. The short-term loans carry annual interest rates of about 120%. (Emphasis mine)

Think about that. They're charging a huge interest rate to get your money faster. It's direct deposit. It's electronic banking. Why should we have to wait at all to get access to money that's direct deposit? Sure, they get your money right away and make a ton off the float, but if you want it, they'll charge you for it.

Of course, what's frustrating about this whole thing is that we're still not breaking one issue that got us into this mess in the first place. Wall Street is still pushing the banks for profit, which it seems they're delivering right now. So, they get our tax dollars to bail them out. Then they fee us to death to generate more profits. Then a relatively small group of people gets to make a lot of money off of their stock. This is just wrong.

But, from a brand perspective, it's really wrong. But it might also show something that we really don't want to admit. Because no amount of tweets and blog posts is likely to produce a single big bank willing to stop raping us with fees. So, is this really a time when consumers are in control? Can I challenge the social media universe to put their collective might into getting banks to stop treating us this badly? Will any bank step up and say "Hey, we'd rather have loyal, life-long customers by treating people right then by charging them 120% annual interest to get their own money a little faster."

Sure, we can get Skittles to change their home page, but I'm not thinking we have the strength to battle this beast. The gauntlet is thrown, who's ready to pick up the challenge?

The committee overseeing federal banking-bailout programs is investigating the lending practices of institutions that received public funds, following a rash of complaints about increases in interest rates and fees.

Since the Troubled Asset Relief Program was launched last October, banks bolstered by capital infusions have boosted charges on a wide range of routine transactions, hiked rates on credit cards and continued making loans criticized as predatory by consumer advocates. The TARP funds are intended to open lending spigots and make it easier for people to borrow money.

Last week, for example, Bank of America Corp. told some customers that interest rates on their credit cards will nearly double to about 14%. The Charlotte, N.C., bank, which got $45 billion in capital from the U.S. government, also is imposing fees of least $10 on a wide range of credit-card transactions.

Citigroup Inc., another recipient of government cash, is trying to entice customers to borrow at high rates. "You could get $5,000 today," Citigroup's consumer-finance unit wrote in fliers mailed to customers. The ads don't disclose that the loans often carry annual interest rates of 30%.

The interest rates "compare competitively to similar offers in the market" and vary depending on the creditworthiness of borrowers, a Citigroup spokesman said. Citigroup has received $50 billion in capital from taxpayers, and the U.S. government will soon own as much as 36% of the company's common stock.

"To continue to offer competitive products and services and responsibly lend in this current environment, we must adjust our pricing," said a Bank of America spokeswoman about the company's new fees and interest rates.

The U.S. government's ownership stakes in hundreds of banks, as well as political ire stoked by lucrative pay and perks, are raising the specter of new regulation on basic banking practices. First-quarter results due starting this week will be scrutinized for signs of how much taxpayer-funded capital is being funneled into loans.

Elizabeth Warren, chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, the body named by Congress to oversee the federal bailout, said the panel is working on a report examining instances of potentially inappropriate lending by banks that got taxpayer capital. "The people who are subsidizing the activities of the banks through their tax dollars are the same people who are furnishing the high profits through consumer lending," Ms. Warren said in an interview. "In a sense, we're asking taxpayers to pay twice."

Last month, a Senate committee narrowly approved a bill that would rein in many credit-card marketing and pricing policies, including ballooning interest rates. Proponents of the legislation say many of the largest card issuers have received government aid and so should be subject to greater scrutiny.

Banks say that raising fees and rates, even on low-risk customers, is a legitimate way to recoup some of the costs of the bad loans still on their books. They also say taxpayers have a financial interest in seeing the industry quickly return to profitability. Any revolt over price hikes could intensify the crisis by depriving institutions of a key income source, say banks. New restrictions on these lending practices "may truly have an impact on profitability," said Gerard Cassidy, a bank analyst with RBC Capital Markets.

Bailed-Out Banks Face Probe Over Fee Hikes - WSJ.com.

Video: WiiSpray lets virtual taggers spray without fear of the man

When we first caught a whiff of the virtual aerosol action promised by Martin Lihs' thesis at Bauhaus University, dubbed WiiSpray, we were intrigued, but we never figured the end product would be this impressive. Lihs has since posted up a short teaser trailer showing the wall in action, controlled by a modified Wiimote controller, with results that should make even the most law-abiding artist smile. The video below shows an extensive color picker tool, interactive stencils, and what looks to be a perfectly accurate spray pattern -- and it should be, as the whole is getup is sponsored by Montana Cans. We're not sure what's next for this technology, but hopefully Lihs and his creation will be bombing a more public location soon.

WiiSpray Teaser from Martin Lihs on Vimeo.

Video: WiiSpray lets virtual taggers spray without fear of the man.

Baby's Got SpongeBob?

Come on, it's a commercial for kids meals, folks. Meals for people under like 8 years old. Is Sir Mix-a-Lot really the right artist for a commercial promoting kids meals? I get the square butt thing, but it's not working for me here. I might like it if it was promoting a meal for adults although admittedly it wouldn't make any sense at all for adults.

I also really didn't like the Wanna get withcha', cause you make me richer line. Sure, it's all in your face about how much money BK will make selling kids meals, but I think it's a little too in your face for me.

A few years ago, my wife & I went to see Eyes Wide Shut, the last film by great director Stanley Kubrick. At one point in the film, I asked my wife why no one told Stanley that the film wasn't that good. They could see the dailey's and clearly the film wasn't working. Our guess is that no one wanted to be the person to tell Stanley Kubrick, a truly great filmmaker, that this one was a stinker.

Is Burger King now in that position with Crispin? Do they now all sit in the room when Crispin shows them new work, all nodding & enthusiastic while internally hoping that someone else will say "Huh?" Someone in the room should've at least thought about the fact that this was advertising a kids meal and maybe not the most appropriate way to do so.

PSFK Conference -- New Idea Agencies

Interesting conversation about how agencies are playing more and more with creating their own IP and products. Ben Malbon from the BBH Labs is talking about the lessons they learned with their ready-to-eat vegetarian meal programs. For example, they did not have a window in the package that that's something that the consumer really looks for.

Carl Johnson (Anomaly) is talking about how it is critical to work collaboratively on these projects and that you need to let the best idea be the run that runs. He's also talking about how by creating their own products, they bring a different set of skills to their clients. They now have a much better understanding of the client needs and it gives them much better credibility to their clients as well. Nice to hear all of the panelists agree on this point.

If you're creating your own IP, you need to be prepared to know where you need help and be bring in the resources to be successful.

Good session.

Sent wirelessly from Nokia 9500 & T-Mobile

PSFK Conference New York 2009 - THIS PLATFORM CALLED EVERYDAY LIFE

Kevin opened his presentation talking about a woman who is married to the Berlin Wall and believes that all objects are living beings and have a soul. Interesting take about Webkinz and how things we live in two realms, the real & the virtual and where objects demand respect. Showing a project called Botanicalls , where your plants can call you when they need water. Or Nike+, where your sneakers are also part of the network and they can communicate with you. Or a ball that knows who's catching it, how long it's been in the air, etc. Talking about the Kogi taco truck out in LA which has been a huge hit! They send out a tweet to let you know where they are.

Kevin always really brings great examples like:

The Kim Possible game that you play at EPCOT Center, where you control the environment as you play the game through a cell phone.

513-381-JERK, a number in a stadium that you can text to when someone is a jerk, a whole company build around this.

Jryi Engestrom - social objects, people congregate about objects online, like photos, what happens when real objects do that?

Another good session. Looking forward to having the chance to work with Kevin in the future!

TALK: THIS PLATFORM CALLED EVERYDAY LIFE Like wildlife, viruses, and gold, mobile technologies don't recognize boundaries - least of all the ones we're using to distinguish "digital" from "real". Kevin Slavin (Area/Code) reveals the latest trends driven by mobile technology.

PSFK Conference New York 2009 - Eventbrite.

PSFK Conference New York - BUILDING HEALTHY BRANDS WITH HEART

Although I don't have many notes, this was really a good session about some of the small changes these two companies are making. I really like the simplicity that they're both applying to the healthcare industries. Well worth looking into Hello Health and Help Remedies.

PANEL: BUILDING HEALTHY BRANDS WITH HEART How do you change the status quo in industries with powerful incumbents? Two emerging New York-based brands seek to alter the way we think about medicine -- from routine doctor's visits to first-aid. Colin Nagy (PSFK/Attention) speaks with Richard Fine (Help Remedies) and Jay Parkinson & Sean Khozin (Hello Health) to discuss the vision for their respective brands, as well as their insights on the healthcare industry as a whole. 

PSFK Conference New York 2009 - Eventbrite.