How Not To Run An In-Store Kiosk

For those of you new to this issue, Best Buy was caught using a duplicate website to fool customers who tried to compare internet prices with in-store prices.

Customers who asked why the price was higher in the store were often told that "the sale must have ended" in the time it took them to drive to the store. They were then told to "check the website" to see for themselves, then were shown an identical-looking website that displayed different "in-store" prices. >>Full Story

Thoughts// A bit of a dated story, but still relevant, especially with this great post from the Consumerist.com (if you did not read the whole story, you should). I would assume that most normal people would read this story and react with a standard 'what were they thinking?' question. After all this is a major corporation, whose employees (at least some of them) thought, at some point in time, that this scheme was a good idea. It certainly proves that even the largest companies do not always think about the long-term effects of a business decision...let alone how the customers will actually react.

So how does this apply to the interactive / travel side of things...simple, tell your consumers the truth. Be open and honest with them. If they want to unsubscribe from your email list, then let them. If the don't want a brochure about fishing in your state, town, county, then don't trick them into ordering one. Focus on the consumers who do show an interest in your location, they are already interested and they want to know more. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

What People Are Doing Online

Thoughts// A very interesting chart from Business Week based upon recent Forrester Research. The data breaks down the internet audience into six groups (Creators, Critics, Collectors, Joiners, Spectators and Inactives) and then compares each group by age. Not surprisingly, Critics and Collectors span a wide age range, while Joiners are much more focused on the younger end of the specturm. (Click the image for a detailed view)

When Web Branding Works

Want to craft an effective online branding campaign? Think pictures, not words. Keep it simple. And tie it in with your offline efforts.

Those are some of the common strategies behind eight campaigns Dynamic Logic found to be the most effective online branding efforts out of all the campaigns the company measured in 2006. >> Full Story

What the top campaigns had in common:

• Keep it visually simple. Stick to little text and beautiful product shots. Online ads "are competing with a lot of other elements," said Michelle Eule, VP-research at Dynamic Logic.
• Put the brand front and center.
• Align online and offline campaigns. What's happening in other media can reinforce the online message and vice versa.
• Incorporate video and rich media: McDonald's salad spun. Oreo cookies dunked. And try out various video units—pre-roll, full-page interstitials, in-banner video.
• Add interactivity. Kraft let users virtually mix its Crystal Light On the Go product into a bottle of water.

Thoughts// An interesting look at some other online ads from 2006. The bullets above seem fairly obvious, but more often than not, some of these points are disregarded during ad creation. It should be noted that this study only included ads measured by Dynamic Logic, not all online ads. Still, some good case studies on what to do in online advertising.

45% of Europeans watch TV online

Almost half of European broadband users are using their computers to watch television online, a survey claims. The ability to "take control" of their viewing was the motivation for many users said Motorola, which interviewed 2,500 people including the UK.

Thoughts// While not directly related to AOT (unless you are a fan of BBC shows such as the EastEnders), this new study from Motorola does indicate that a large number of European consumers not only have access to the technology (broadband internet) to watch video online, but appear to be rapid adopters as well. An interesting note to keep in mind as AOT
ventures deeper into the European marketplace.