Archive for category Brand Advertising

Bank of America and McDonald’s Marketing

Oct 20

Posted by Andrew Machado in Brand Advertising, Technology | Comments off

I noticed two really awesome marketing tactics in New York.

1. Bank of America’s use of secure ATMs in Times Square. Have you ever looked over your shoulder while pulling money from an ATM? I know at night this is something I do often. Well in Times Square Bank of America has an ATM that is encased in glass and behind a locked door. How do you get in? You simply swipe your atm card through their door and it unlocks. Not only is it secure, but also exclusive. From inside you are kept very warm, have deposit envelopes as well as a map of other ATMs and Bank of America offices in the area. It’s great.

bofasecureatm

2. McDonald’s Return of Monopoly

I’m a huge fan of McDonalds. Between the Nuggets and Fries I’m an addict. Well Monopoly started back up and I’ve started to build out my collection of game pieces. I noticed though they are starting to tout how you can acquire game pieces on different food items. See below for a photo of how they are enticing you to order a bigger set of fries next time.

mcdonaldsfries

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In the “Stream” Marketing for LinkedIn Premium

May 29

Posted by Andrew Machado in Brand Advertising, Technology | 4,761 Comments

We see a newsfeed in a majority of the websites/apps we interact with.  Most popular probably being Facebook’s, with its unique ability to let uses play videos, comment in real time, like posts, etc.

Over the last few years we’ve seen LinkedIn up it’s game in the stream space by mailing great weekly updates about your network and even greeting you with a Newfeed of your network’s activity on log in.

linkedinstream

Recently (just before the IPO) LinkedIn offered a majority of it’s user base a free month of LinkedIn Premium.  Essentially for $19.99 a month you can go deeper into your networks contacts, send email through their system and sort contacts differently.  It’s great, but what I found most interesting was how they marketed this free trial.

1.  Email

linkedin-premium

This email is just great. It’s not heavy so it loads lightning quick on your mobile or desktop client. It’s informative and the call to action is very clear.

2.  In the Stream Marketing

LinkedIn Premium Advertising in stream

When a user logs into LinkedIn they are inserting in your stream an update on who in your network has upgraded to LinkedIn Premium.  The best part for me is the language of “Find our why?”.  It creates a curiosity about why have they upgraded it? What does it do?

I look forward to seeing more of this over time.

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HelloBar’s Awesome Survey

Apr 26

Posted by Andrew Machado in Brand Advertising, Web 2.0 | 8,697 Comments

HelloBar recently launched version 2 of their product.  It looks like they are going the freemium route with a nice set of free features, but if you want a/b testing you’ll need to upgrade.

As a user of version 1.0 I logged into their site this morning to find this.

hellobarwelcome

Now this isn’t anything special we see this type of emphasized UI all the time with products in tiers, but notice the No Credit Card Required text? Well after seeing that I decided to click Upgrade to Pro.

free-trial

You’ll notice I’m greeted with all the benefits of moving to a pro account, but what really impressed me was the survey requiring an answer before hitting submit.  Instantly HelloBar is going to be able to find out how close they are to product market fit with the pro product.  Instead of administering a survey via email, every single user who makes it to this page has a high probability of submitting an answer to them.  Genius.

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Build an Experience

Feb 17

Posted by Andrew Machado in Brand Advertising | 8,735 Comments

I recently watched The Inception at my Uncle’s on his 127 inch screen with his beautiful handcrafted speakers.  As the subwoofers were rumbling to an ungodly decible level I thought to myself this isn’t just a movie…it’s an experience.

I think the same can be said for internet startups and companies.  Don’t just decide to build a great piece of software or product, but give it that special something where the user looks at you with a bit of awe.  You create that moment where the consumer has that “magic” moment wondering for a second if this was even possible.

A few that come to my mind.

Square

Every time I walk by Sight Glass in San Francisco I remember my first time paying with @square.  I signed the iPad with my finger and instantly got a receipt detailing my transactions.

square-receipt

Killzone 2

Killzone 2 was a PlayStation 3 game that came out back in 2008 that simply blew me away.  The intro alone is so epic in feel, look and interaction that I couldn’t help but be jaw dropped when it was an actual video game.  From the game engine to the sound it was simply the most impressive game I’ve ever played.

Facebook & Quora’s Search

I’ve written previously about Quora’s Search.  I think Facebook and Quora both offer the best search experience on the web when it comes to typing text in a box.  On both site’s its my primary way of getting around.  I’ve never felt something as fast as their search products.  It’s literally like magic.
facebook-search
Shoe Dazzle

Shoe Dazzle delivers a pair of shoes to your girlfriend every month for $39.99 a pair.  They are tailored to her liking and feel unique and of high quality.  My girlfriends first pair arrived last week and she can’t stop talking about them.  They knew her tastes without ever meeting her…amazing.  They arrive in a beautiful box to boot.
shoe-dazzle
Xbox Kinect
Microsoft decided to reinvent the wheel when it came to console gaming especially in the living room with the Kinect.  Who would’ve had the balls to come up with a product that knows your every move, can control the Xbox with your voice and to boot is affordable.  I was hesitant on this device when it was announced, but after playing with it a few times I hate to say it…it’s a hit.
Epic Meal Time
A hilarious cooking show on YouTube filmed with high-def cameras, top flight editing and excellent characters.  They release a new video every Tuesday.  The constant camera changes and audio are what take it to that next level.
What are some of the services/products that you think hit that level of being an “Experience”?

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