Tag Archives: smartphones
March 25, 2013
Gas Pump Confessional: Smartphone Payments that Bypass Interchange
The idea of making retail purchases via a smartphone holds little appeal to me; it will take more than convenience to motivate me. The heavily touted incentive here is the opportunity to “Save 10¢ on Every Gallon, Every Day.” Gas is something I buy a couple of times a week. A quick mental calculation has me potentially saving $3.85 on my fill-up. That is slightly better than what my credit card is offering in terms of cash-back rewards – and it’s an instant discount, not points added to a total that I always forget to redeem.
Using SmartPay
My first experience with the SmartPay app was over a week after that snowstorm, and I have to say it’s pretty slick. Open the app, and you’re ready to go. Press the “pay for gas at the pump and save 10¢ a gallon” button in the app, and it prompts you for your email address (which it, at your option, can remember) and the PIN code you designated during online set-up. Enter the Cumberland Farms Store number from the tag prominently displayed on the pump, and a map pops up with the address of the store and an integrated GPS dot to show you that you’re at the right place. Once you enter the pump number, the pump turns on… and the price per gallon drops 10¢.
I felt like I was suddenly a treasured customer – or a guy who just stole something. I pump my gas, no longer feeling like a thief as my purchase vacuums $64.00 out of my checking account… albeit saving me $1.70. As I drive off my iPhone beeps. It’s a very comprehensive confirmation email summarizing my “Recent SmartPay Purchase.” (The website has a nice interface that historically tracks purchases, as well.)
Posted in Financial services
Tagged alternative payment, Cumberland Farms, mobile apps, smartphones
June 2, 2011
Mobile Marketing Is a Necessity, Especially for Luxury Brands
The penetration of smartphones and other mobile devices, such as tablets, into the affluent consumer market offers luxury brands ideal platforms to target, communicate and engage with customers and prospects. And with roughly 61 percent of the wealthiest Americans owning a smartphone (those making over $330,000 in annual household income), luxury brands who haven’t optimized their websites for mobile devices are sorely remiss. Mobile optimized websites should be the cost of entry for luxury brands, particularly retail brands. Amazingly, they are not, as Chanel, for example, is the only brand among Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Gucci to offer an optimized web presence as of early May).
Posted in Emerging Media
Tagged luxury brands, mobile applications, mobile devices, mobile marketing, smartphones
November 12, 2010
QR Tags: You Want Them. You Just Don’t Know It Yet.
As a modern marketer, I have been aware of and following QR codes for a couple of years – I was interested when Esquire did an entire issue earlier this year featuring QR codes – one feature with 30 “must have” items for every man included QR codes that would take you to styling tips for that item and where to buy them. Interesting, but not particularly compelling to me – a woman who has given up on styling her husband. QR codes popped up occasionally on movie posters, in hipster magazines and in handful of other pubs. I read articles about their functionality and their failures and occasionally pondered for which of my clients QR codes might work. But that was as far as it went. Until pennant fever overwhelmed me.
September 16, 2010
Checking Out Why We Check-In
Location-based social networking has gotten a lot of buzz lately, particularly with the recent launch of Facebook Places. These services offer fun and entertainment to users. And with Foursquare alone reporting 2 million users, they offer a lot of potential for marketers…
August 16, 2010
Pimp My App…and Yourself?
Earlier this month, Fox announced the first-ever “Pimp My App” contest, challenging app developers to “the coolest, groundbreaking, mind-bending app for the Fox hit show “Fringe” and pocket a cool 10 large along the way”. While user-generated content (UGC) and consumer-generated advertising (CGA) is nothing new, application development is. It’s the first “you do it for us” application developer contest that pays above-and-beyond the exposure the end product may deliver and the only one to be promoted on a broad scale.
March 17, 2010
App Spotlight: Two Hundred Sides to Every Tweet
In our increasingly smartphone-entrenched world, the mobile application extensions of our social networking-entangled lives can make or break a user experience. Twitter as a network depends on the user development of mobile and desktop applications to keep participation thriving. In some cases, app developers attempt to provide a seamless brand experience between the desktop and mobile world, while often the very best apps focus primarily on the screen for which they are developed. For mobile Twitter users, custom design for ease of use is paramount. Beyond the individual, an organization’s conversation managers need to be properly equipped, connected and ready to go.
No matter the platform, there are literally dozens of apps to choose from, making it a painful finger stroll through any given app store. To make things a bit easier for you, we’ve compiled some of our thoughts on a few of the Twitter apps currently available.
Posted in Emerging Media, How to Go Social, Social Marketing
Tagged Android, HootSuite, iPhone, mobile applications, mobile apps, Seesmic, smartphones, social media, Twee, TweetDeck, Tweetie, Twitdroid, Twitter, Twitterrific, WebOS
February 18, 2010
Conversatiated: Mobile Ad Evolution
Advertisers everywhere are prognosticating the future of mobile advertising in modern integrated marketing. In this edition of Conversatiated, Media Logic Account Supervisors Josh Martin and Fred Ulrich share their perspectives on the evolution of mobile advertising in a conversation-centric world.
February 11, 2010
App Spotlight: Google Buzz
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard all the “buzz” about Google’s latest announcement. Buzz is Google’s (late) entry into the oversaturated social networking game, predominately ruled by Twitter and Facebook. Buzz is built into Gmail, so once you’re logged into your account, you’re automatically connected to all of your contacts that you email/chat with. You’re then able to post and share your status updates either publicly or privately, check in to a location, and share photos and videos. Basically, Google wants you to think it’s streamlined what all the other social networks (you’re already using) do into one simple and familiar interface.
However, I’m still not convinced.
Posted in Emerging Media, Social Marketing
Tagged Gmail, Google, Google Buzz, Google Maps, Google Wave, mobile devices, smartphones, social networking
January 29, 2010
App Spotlight: Goodfood
Restaurateurs get ready, your menus are mobile and there’s an app for that, seize the opportunity!
Posted in Emerging Media, Social Marketing
Tagged cuisine, Goodfood, Goodrec, mobile applications, smartphones, user reviews, yelp
January 15, 2010
App Spotlight: Foursquare
At Media Logic, we decided it would be a good idea to begin offering overviews of mobile apps that interest us. These apps may have marketing implications, or they may just be cool, fun apps that grabbed our attention. For our first app review, we’ll be talking about Foursquare.
Posted in Emerging Media, Social Marketing
Tagged Android, BlackBerry, Facebook, foursquare, geolocation, iPhone, mobile apps, smartphones, Twitter, WebOS
