Started in December 08, global banking giant HSBC started offering passengers at Heathrow’s Terminal 1 a chance to select magazine articles on topics they’re interested in and have them bound into a hardback form they can take on their flight, according to Springwise. The concept was pretty simple: as travelers enter the enclosure, they are handed a hardback magazine cover. They can then pick and choose from a large selection of loose-leaf articles arranged on the kiosk’s shelves. When they’re done, a staff member at the ‘binding bar’ neatly binds them into the cover to create a personal magazine.
Although this pilot marketing campaign was HSBC trying to promote its Premier banking package, it was definitely a laudable initiative heading in the right direction. As the world becoming more personalized – companies realize they would have to provide customized experience one way or the other. They might not be in charge of the content production, but there is an increasing demand in customization and curation that’s waiting to be fulfilled.
I sincerely hope such perks will roll out to other places around the world in the near future.
Website: www.hsbc.com
Contact: www.hsbc.com/1/2/contact-us
The very first New York City Entrepreneur Week (NYC ENT) was full of energy and ideas, as more than 2,000 entrepreneurs came together to share experiences, spark conversations, and strengthen relationships within the local start-up community.
I only made it to one panel discussion, but jotted down the most practical and inspirational words of wisdom below
Research first, Research again
Market Research may seem like an overwhelming task, especially to those “original thinkers.” Nevertheless, research is a MUST before jumping into any conclusions. Market Research not only links the marketing variables with the environment and the consumers, it also bring you closer to the like-minded people who might have paved the road ahead of you. In today’s connected world, don’t forget to leverage technology to find out the unknowns! Scrutinize the first 10 pages of Google results; look for relevant links through Del.icio.us bookmarks; collect user-generated mentions in Social Mention; discover similar content in Digg; gather computational knowledge via Wolfram/Alpha, etc. The technology and information are mostly free, but it does take TIME and EFFORT to conduct a thorough research.
Know your market, Test the market
Once you’ve got enough information on the market trends, target audience behaviors, market size & market variables, then it’s time to TEST the market! It helps remove some of the uncertainties and largely reduce investment risks. Sometimes, testing the market could simply mean running a sanity check with your friends and family. Other times, it helps to build a prototype and see how far it takes you. Venture capitalists always welcome prototypes, because it also helps them to better determine the product’s potential growth value.
Have a plan, Build a budget
Just like planning a wedding or buying a house, translating ideas into reality requires a concrete plan and a reasonable budget. This is supposed to be common sense, but VCs have seen far too many entrepreneurs walking in with a 10-page sloppy power point presentation and asking for 5 to 10 million investment money. Although it is not advisable to develop a 150-page word document illustrating every single step of the implementation, a well through-out, well-researched presentation is absolutely necessary. Also, the budget proposal needs to be data-driven and research oriented, not according to so and so’s imagination or past experience.
Minimize the fixed cost, Track the variable cost
While this project is the love of your life and you desire the best of the best to work for you and make it perfect, reduce the fixed costs as much as possible! For example, if you need to build a website, give the developers shares of your equity instead of promising cold hard cash. Introduce new businesses to the designer instead of paying $1000 for the layout. Hire a webmaster who is interested in your business idea instead of someone who just wants to make $50 an hour. Develop long-term friendships and partnerships, but keep your cash abundant. Of course, there will be those one-off costs that can not be avoided, closely track them and make sure you are staying on top of your financial status at all times.
Gather all metrics, Run A/B test
Project development involves a great deal of trail-and-error, so please ACCESS, MEASURE, TEST! Aside from statistical numbers, look for qualitative feedback as well. Systematic assessment during the development phase should be and will be your best friend during the development.
Find sponsorship, Find affiliated markets
This is the “Age of Collaboration.” The more hands you hold, the stronger you will become in the market.
Hire slowly, Fire quickly
Again, CASH IS KING. Don’t let labor resources quickly drain your financial resources. Find the talented versatile who is willing to wear multiple hats, fire those who are not contributing effectively as soon as possible. One important side note, every organization needs at least one Super Star Salesman! (1 out of 1500 ratio)
Build traffic, build SEO strategies
Search Engine Optimization has been a widespread marketing practice for years because it shows a measurable ROI and revenue growth. Although those prestigious marketing agencies and consultants might break your bank, basic SEO/SEM tips and guidelines can be easily sefl-taught. However, be cautious, as it is not hard to be barking up the wrong tree when it comes to getting search engine traffic because there is so much out of date information being circulated. For a beginner, spending 20 hours on Google’s Starter Guide and AdWords Guide is worth the time investment =)
Do you have anything else to add on the list? A powerpoint presentation might do a better job presenting these key takeaways, stay tuned ^^
There are SO many reasons to completely fall in love with HIMYM (How I Met Your Mother), brilliant writing, in-depth charecterization, awesome cast and increasing loyal fanbase. Aside from the usual ingredients of a succesful TV show, HIMYM has gone an extra mile both online and offline to win our LOLs and free word-of-mouth promotions!
After the recent episode – Old King Clancy, I couldn’t help to search if the site Barney (Legendary Neil Patrick Harris) mentioned actually exists. I followed the search link to canadiansexacts.org, and soon realized it was yet another show-related creation by the geniuses behind HIMYM. Impressed by the seamless experience they’ve bought us, I conducted some good ol’ fashion research. Here is the list of digital assets which have been created by HIMYM’s staff to complement the show.
Barney’s Blog (Must read!!! It’s obnoxiously hilarious ^^ Barney is the womanizer who is known to use the words “Awesome” and “Legendary” too liberally and often invents his own High Fives.)
HIMYM MySpace Page (Characters all have their own pages, tons of videos and extra “show-notes” you will find intriguing)
Barney’s Video Resume (Barney also has an unknown corporate job. When asked about what he exactly does, Barney merely responds; “Ha….Please.”)
marshallandlilywedding.com (not mentioned on the show, but contains photos and webisode-type footage from within the show’s continuity)
www.slapcountdown.com (“Slapsgiving”; now links to a fan forum; If you haven’t seen the episode, watch it, it will get you hooked on the series.)
www.tedmosbyisajerk.com (“The Bracket”; Note that tedmosbyisnotajerk.com is fan-created and unofficial)
Lily & Marshall sell their stuff dot com (“Everything Must Go”; linked to a real charity auction of HIMYM props and wardrobe)
MysteriousDrX.com (mysterious doctor x web site from the episode “The Possimpible”, not mentioned on the show)
Now we can add the new discovery to the legendary list
www.canadiansexacts.org (“Old King Clancy”; according to Barney “they really just want to get the information out there…” No worries though, it’s completely safe for work)
Shifting gear to the marketing perspective, if HIMYM were a brand, it has done a remarkable job to maximize the brand enthusiasm and engagament. “How I met your mother” makes us laugh when we tune in to CBS on Monday 8:30, but the show creators know they could excite us more in this hyperconnected world. From the Bro Code on Amazon to the various show-related sites above, HIMYM has energized us, the enthusiasts, with additional creative content to further strenghen the relationships. This is not only a good model for other TV shows, but the principle could apply to all brands who have promoters/fans.
If we agree all businesses are media businesses in a way, then it’s all about transferring knowledge/information from the creators to the outside world. Carter Bays & Craig Thomas have done it, now what’s your way of keeping brand enthusiasm going?
