Filed under: B2B, The Elements & Total Plastics | Tags: B2B, Baby Boomers, business, facebook, history, Internet, social networks, Technology
CLICK TO ENLARGE: Timeline of internet from Baby Boomer perspective
My wife and I went out to dinner last weekend and while waiting for our table, we enjoyed a drink at the bar. While sitting there, my wife grabbed my arm and directed my attention to a sign taped to the wall. “You must be born on or before today’s date in 1991 to order alcohol.” Someone born in 1991 is old enough to drink! “Good lord that makes me feel old,” she said to me.
The internet, in its most basic form of connecting one computer with another, can trace its roots back to the 1960s and 70s. Maybe even before that. However, what many of us consider the internet, in its most modern form, seemed to take off in 1995. I’m sure somewhere, in some old drawer of some forgotten desk, I still have a stack of American Online CDs offering free minutes to sign up. “100 free minutes! That should last me a month!”
The Dot.Com Bubble is said to have run from 1995-2000. I graduated from college in the spring of 1999 and entered the professional world in the spring of 2000. I haven’t known a day in the working world without access to the internet or email. College graduates entering the professional world today really haven’t known a world without the internet. By the time they entered kindergarten, the internet was in full bloom. Their education was nurtured by the internet. It was used as a tool for learning, socializing and sharing ideas.
I mention that to provide a little perspective. The Baby Boomer era ran from the mid-1940s to mid-1960s (post World War II). That generation still demographically dominates the U.S. business world, especially at the higher management levels. An individual that was born in 1950 and entered the workforce in 1970 built the foundation of his professional career without the availability of the modern-day internet or email. Twenty-five of his 42 working years were spent absent the internet.
MySpace, Linkedin, Blogger and similarly-conceived sites ushered in the Social Networking Era, which roughly began around 2003, but didn’t really make waves in the professional world until several years after that. This era would account for less than 14% of that Baby Boomer’s professional lifecycle so far. Moreover, it falls into the last quarter of their time in the business world.
There have been volumes printed and posted about the benefits of social networking for businesses. I, of course, believe in the benefits. That belief will grow exponentially has the calendar rolls forward . Why? Because a kid born in 1991 is old enough to drink.
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Filed under: B2B, The Elements & Total Plastics | Tags: Advertising, Apps, B2B, business, CES 2012, Marketing, movie trailer, Smartphones, Technology
The Consumer Electronic Show (CES 2012), which concluded Jan. 13, is typically the launching ground of some of the newest, coolest technology. Browsing through some of the highlights I came across this video, presented by Aurasma, which absolutely blew me away.
The most basic explanation of how this is possible is the app recognizes the imagine of the $20 bill, which acts as a trigger. The subsequent 3D rendering and video is overlaid, making it appear as if your imagine has come to life.
Imagine reading through a magazine and coming across an ad for a upcoming movie that piques your interest. You grab your phone, snap a picture of the ad and the movie trailer plays as if it were on the page. Basically, this technology allows printed advertisements to come to life. Static ads, posters, newsletters, logos, and so on, will reveal a much greater, deeper message.
You can probably say goodbye to QR codes.
There’s much more about this software to learn and understand, which I am still doing. I’ll keep you posted. From an marketing and advertising standpoint, this opens up a world of possibility.
I recently read a very nice piece by Tom Searcy on CBS News’ website detailing the 5 sales trends to watch for in 2012. Two of the five struck an immediate cord.
From the story:
1. Mobile drives the definition of service. Everything that you offer in the way of ordering, service requests, inventory reporting, order tracking and process notification needs to be available in real-time and mobile. Think past your portal to the mobile app. The relevance of the need is not going to be considered. If you are not offering apps or smartphone-friendly access, you will be knocked for it in the sales process. Hard.
2. Transparency, redundancy, contingency. Natural disasters in 2010 and 2011 have shaken the confidence in manufacturers in their lowest-cost provider supply chain. Floods in Thailand, tsunamis in Malaysia and Japan and hurricanes here in the U.S. have made companies wary. They want transparency in their supply chain, all the way down to the component and raw materials provider level. They want plant redundancy with geographic diversity and they want detailed, actionable and drilled disaster recovery plans. Do you have yours ready?
First, as someone that monitors our analytics and tries to stay on top of SEO, mobile devices are making more and more of an appearance and impact in and on daily business. What’s 10% today will be 20% tomorrow and 50% next week. The question, of course is, “Are our online tools translating properly to mobile devices?” You spent years developing and tailoring your message to fit various internet browsers. With no time to take breath, you must retailor them to fit a much different medium, and one that’s more rapidly evolving. As I look down my list of 2012 projects, I’m redefining many, keeping this trend in mind.
The second point Searcy makes struck a cord with me as I previously worked in the HVAC industry, which relies heavily on the Asian market. It was an everyday question, “what’s causing the delays?” The natural disasters factored in heavily, but only amplified supply chain-related issues. Simply put, the supply chain was over extended. Countless U.S. HVAC distributors entered into partnerships with Asian manufacturers, only to find their supply chain wasn’t as transparent, as well defined or as capable as they perceived. Asian manufacturer’s promises and timelines were not in line with their supplier’s capabilities. In addition, the communication barriers (language, time difference, priority levels, etc.) furthered frustrations. It didn’t cripple the industry, but it significantly reduced the competitive advantages gained from working with a overseas manufacturer.
It’s an extreme example, highlighting the Asian natural disasters, but it underscores the point that your suppliers and their supply chain are one and the same, from your prospective. Delays, shortages, errors and other factors in the supply chain are moved on to the supplier and ultimately you. Know the components and all raw material that goes into your product, where it originates and factors that went into the manufacturer selecting a particular component or raw material supplier.
For Searcy’s complete story , Click Here
