Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Thinking Out Loud: No More Excuses

Just like the title says.  Use the tools that you have and make something happen!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Meet the rolling QR code, by @AmeriSignGFX.

2011 has been the breakout year for QR codes in the U.S.  I’ve seen their use increase greatly over the past three months and articles like this one make me think they’re here to stay for a while.  After experimenting with the various shapes and size that QR codes can take, I never thought I’d see anything as interesting as this.

Chris Sherman, owner of AmeriSign & Graphics in Pewaukee, WI has taken QR code application to the next level with his newly-wrapped “@AmerScion”.  To put it lightly, he’s made a rolling QR code that can be scanned at almost any angle.  It’s as eye-catching as it is innovative, which should surprise no one that knows Chris or his business.  Eye-catching and innovative are staples in every bit of work they do, and this vehicle wrap is no different.

Impromptu interview

After seeing the new @AmeriScion around town, I went to the source to get some additional details on this mobile marketing machine.  Here’s a quick Q&A with Chris:

Q. Why create a rolling QR code?
Chris Sherman - I love to network and market my company.  With the ability to actually change what the code points to, I thought this was the best way to combine the use of Facebook & Twitter by offering contests and give-a-ways for people who find the car, scan it and see what they get.

Q. What was the motivation behind it?
CS - I did some research and didn’t find anything like this out there, anywhere.  I know there are vehicles with QR Codes on them, but none that are fully wrapped.  This made me excited to be able to get out there first since I know this is so new and so many people are talking about it.  Plus, it is so cool to be able to change the specials and content that the code points to depending on time of year, events we are attending etc…

Q. Where do you see QR code use going, both from the consumer and implementation side?
CS - I see limitless potential with the QR Code.  When I am at the store and I see these on products that I am interested in, I scan it and it shows me videos, other products by the same manufacturer, more details on a specific product, the list goes on.  Plus, being in the printing industry, I see even more opportunity for printing these on marketing materials.

This might be a topic for another post, but people are saying that social media may be the death of printing, but I see it differently.  We have seen such an increase of clients wanting QR Codes printed on their marketing materials (along with Twitter & Facebook handles etc…), so it has actually increased sales.

Q. How has the updated @AmeriScion been received and how much use has the QR code gotten so far?
CS - Well, to say it simply, worldwide coverage.  This has been out for less than a week, and there are blogs and articles in multiple countries about this car.  Just amazing.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Empire Avenue - The Social Stock Market

I recently joined a new social networking site that is more of game/social media ego stroke than anything, but it’s caused me to spend more time on the various social connections that I take part in.  Welcome to Empire Avenue, a social media stock exchange.

With Empire Avenue, which actually launched last year, you’re rewarded by your contributions to your networks.  Each tweet, post, like, comment, all factor into your share price along with other aspects of your social persona.  As with any good social game, you receive rewards and badges for specific achievements (such as being mentioned on Twitter, posting amounts in a given span of time, etc).  The core of the game thought, is the ability to invest in your friends and in brands that you follow.  The currency used is the “Eave”, which you’ll both earn and spend when buying selling your social stock.

Some observations.
I’m not a (big) player of the traditional stock market, so I wasn’t sure how I’d be impacted by Empire Ave.  Much to my surprise, the way the reward system works has made me post more since signing up while being mindful of over-sharing.  No gameplay should be worth the price of losing followers.

I’ve also noticed other people that participate in Empire Avenue have stepped up their posting habits as well.  Whether or not this trend stays the course will be worth watching.  And I’m not complaining about this either.  The more content I can see from the people that I follow and friend, the better!

Get your shares in Tiglu!
If you’ve become involved in this network, I invite you to check out my profile and purchase some shares (if you’re so moved).

< End_Shameless_Plug >

 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

It Begins: Verizon’s first iPhone Commercial

The first in what will undoubtedly be many Verizon iPhone commercials was released today. It's interesting seeing the style differences between the Apple/AT&T ads and the Verizon/Apple ads. At least there were no asteroids involved in this one. Good job VZW!

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Driving in circles (and learning something along the way)

Back in my college years, I decided to act on an urge that I'd had since high school. I was going to try my hand at auto racing. I'd actually looked into buying an old Chevy Nova with a friend while I was still in high school, but my folks quickly put an end to that. Wise move on their part. Still, the thought of getting behind the wheel intrigued me. Not just the act of racing, but the marketing aspect, working on sponsorships and partnerships, running a team were all symptoms I'd contracted from the "racing bug".

I discovered kart racing the summer before I went to college and saw that as the best way for me to break into motorsports. During Christmas break of my freshman year, a good friend and I went and bought a kart. It wasn't pretty. It needed work. It was a mess. I loved it.

After I'd gotten things rolling, the results weren't what I'd expected. I didn't expect to be the next Jeff Gordon, but a guy can dream, can't he? Through the two summers of racing and operating a karting team I decided to sell off my equipment and call it a day, but I walked away with some great knowledge that holds true.

Establish yourself.
Sponsors fuel race teams. I knew that going in, but I didn't know how to approach sponsors. At first, I went after the the biggest fish in the sea. I contacted Pennzoil, Wrangler, and a host of other large companies and pitched them on my kart team. They all, politely, said "no thanks". It didn't take me long to realize I was going after the wrong companies. I hadn't run a lap in my life and i was asking for backing from some major players. Get established before you start knocking on the big doors.

Be aware of what's around you (or "Don't get lost in the moment").
Racing is a sport of awareness. Knowing where your competitors are, how deep you're running into the corner, which lanes are open, the list goes on. You need to know and understand the environment that's around you. Hitting the track and slamming into people, putting your vehicle in places it shouldn't be, forcing the issues...that won't win you any fans, on or off the track. There's a difference in driving with purpose and driving like a jackass. This also applies to your work environment (just take out the driving part).

The first time I hit the track, I was in awe. This is what I'd dreamed of for years and I had finally arrived (to a clay oval in Shawano, Wisconsin). The first two laps I drove like Miss Daisy herself. Glued to the inside lane, puttering around as kids (I was 19 and in college) and kids in lower racing divisions were zipping past me. I was soaking everything in, the noise, the lights, the experience. By lap three it was time to go. By lap four I went into turn 1 and spun in the middle of the turn and was hit head-on. I was a little banged up, but my kart took the brunt of the impact. Lesson learned. Understand your surroundings.

Keep your cool (no matter how bad things are).
Later in my first season of racing, I had an incident where I'd lined up incorrectly during a caution flag and, when making a move to correct the mistake, I ran into the side of another kart. From where I was sitting, I was in the wrong, but I didn't expect him to be there. (Damn, there's that surrounding awareness again.) The race went green and finished without further incident. As I pulled off the track and pushed my kart back to my "pit stall" (my truck), the driver I'd run into ran over to me and fired off a verbal barrage. Looking back, I'm glad I kept my helmet on, because he was mad. I didn't have time to get my helmet off, so I just kept it on as he said/screamed his piece. It was a major blow-up. The thing is, I was in the wrong, and I knew it. After he'd finished, he went back to work on his kart and I gathered my composure. The track owner and other and other drivers were all witness to this display.

I walked over to the other driver's pit area and started to apologize, but was cut off. I tried a few more times before realizing he wouldn't listen. He went back to working on his kart. As I walked back to my area, those around me, drivers and other team members gave me looks as if to say "don't worry about it". A few of my friends even came over and told me not to worry, the other guy had a temper and was hard to reason with. Words can't say how much that meant to me.

Looking back now, the amount of support that I had in that instance might not have been so strong if I'd gotten in the other driver's face, rather than staying calm and keeping my cool. The next weekend, after pulling into the track, I noticed the other driver approach my truck. I was a bit worried, not knowing if he'd gotten over the incident or not. He stood next to my truck and waited for me to get out. After I exited, he extended his hand and said he was sorry for how he reacted the week before. I explained my side of things, we both laughed about the situation and all was good.

Make things happen.
While my short racing career wasn't as successful as I'd have liked it to be, there were some bright moments. The brightest was when I came "oh so close" to winning a race. For the better part of this race, I stayed glued to the back bumper of the leader. Waiting for him to make a mistake and slip up the track, I kept following him as laps ticked by. Little did I know, until talking to him after the race, but his engine was starting to let go and I could have easily passed him or tried to pass him on the outside. I didn't. I stuck with what seemed safe, and waiting for something that never happened, a mistake. Don't sit around and wait for things to happen.