Digital Culture
Reality Check: How Augmented Reality Will Impact the Customer Experience
Jan 13th
So, the Consumer Electronics Show has come and gone, but what’s the main highlight? For me, it’s the notion of Augmented Reality, or AR. While AR products will not be flying off Best Buy shelves anytime soon, I believe the term will find its way into the lexicon of homes in the next few years and have a dramatic impact on the way we consume content in the next five years. According to Gartner, it has already touched the lives of millions of people and is one of the technologies to watch right now. The dramatic success of Avatar in 3D has proven that people are hungry a dramatically different visual experience.
Difference Between Augmented and Virtual Reality
First, a little AR 101. Virtual reality is a computer generated, interactive, three-dimensional environment in which a person is totally immersed. Virtual reality systems usually involve a head mounted display worn by users (3D glasses). The user is completely immersed in an artificial world and becomes divorced from the real environment. On the other hand, augmented reality involves augmenting the real world scene so that the user keeps one foot in the real world and another in the virtual world. The virtual images are merged with the real view to create the augmented experience.
Augmented Reality Applications
In the past year, the rapid evolution of AR has contributed to breakthrough digital marketing campaigns for Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonalds; AR Avatar toys for Mattel (said CNET, “I’ve seen the future of toys and it’s augmented reality”); social media applications for Kia; AR entertainment promotions for Paramount’s Transformers and Star Trek; AR consumer packaged goods campaigns for Procter & Gamble; AR in publishing with InStylemagazine — even an AR attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure theme park.
But the perfect AR tool may be right in your hand. A recent iPhone App from Acrossair lets you interactively access names and places of anywhere you are just by using your iPhone and its AR application. But applications such as this, are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AR. Imagine the following AR uses:
- Healthcare: Pre-operative imaging studies, such as CT or MRI scans, of the patient often provide the surgeon with the necessary view of the internal anatomy. From these images the surgery is planned. Visualization of the path through the anatomy to the affected area where, for example, a tumor must be removed is done by first creating a 3D model from the multiple views and slices in the preoperative study. Augmented reality can be applied so that the surgical team can see the CT or MRI data correctly registered on the patient in the operating theater while the procedure is progressing. Being able to accurately register the images directly on the patient, rather than some artificial 3D environment, will enhance the performance of the surgical team.
- Advertising: Some advanced billboard companies have developed augmented reality systems that allows broadcasters to insert ads into specific areas of the broadcast image. Imagine while broadcasting a baseball game this system would be able to place an advertisement in the image so that it appears on the outfield wall of the stadium. The electronic billboard requires calibration to the stadium by taking images from typical camera angles and zoom settings in order to build a map of the stadium including the locations in the images where advertisements will be inserted. Now imagine that these images can be dynamically generated for targeted advertising to the viewers.
- Maintenance: When your car breaks down, the mechanic approaches a new or unfamiliar part. Instead of opening several repair manuals he could put on an augmented reality display and the image of the part that needs to be fixes would be augmented with annotations and information pertinent to the repair.
- Home Design: So you want to put a new addition on the house but you want to know exactly what you’re getting for the $30,000 you are willing to dish out. AR would allow you to bring a video tape of your house shot from various angles, then in real time it would augment that view to show the new deck in its finished form. Or bring in a tape of your current kitchen and the augmented reality processor would replace your current kitchen cabinetry with virtual images of the new kitchen that you are designing.
While AR is a novelty advertising vehicle right now, it holds the promise to dramatically increase the quality and value of the products and services we consume. So get ready to go beyond virtual. It’s a brave, new, augmented world out there.
Google vs. China: Clash of Titans
Jan 12th
It was heartening to discover today that Google is finally standing up to China’s censorship policies. By threatening to pull out of China and announcing it will stop censoring its search results in the country, Google is doing an about face – in the right direction. (Email leak has Google threatening to leave China). The announcement comes after Google discovered that computer hackers had tricked human rights activists into opening their e-mail accounts to outsiders. According to a post on Google issued today (A new approach to China), US Google executives determined that enough was enough:
“These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”
If Google were to pull out of China, it could mean cutting off access to a country with the most robust economy and the largest number of Internet users. However, Google’s search-share, 29%, is still dwarfed by Baidu.com in China, which has 62%.
Why should US consumers care? First, by setting forth a clear message that it is willing to lose business for ethical reasons, Google can set a tone for the new decade that resonates with its professed corporate culture: You can make money without doing evil. Second, if Google is to be viewed as an ethical player in such important initiatives as Google Health, it must show good faith as a global citizen. Would you trust Google with your personal health information if it is willing to sell out Chinese human rights activists for profits?
For much of the last few decades, nation-states have played catch-up to technology in terms of controlling the flow of information. Fax machines got the word out about Tiananmen Square in 1989. Technology and media provided crucial to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, blogs and Facebook are undermining the information grip of the Iranian regime. China has proven that nations can successfully counter the free flow of information by dangling the carrot of market access to the world. If Google holds firm, it may be the tipping point in China, proving to the world that capitalism without democracy has a hollow ring to it.
Social Media Strategy: It’s Still About the Story
Jan 11th
“Well now home entertainment was my baby’s wish
So I hopped into town for a satellite dish
I tied it to the top of my Japanese car
I came home and I pointed it out into the stars
A message came back from the great beyond
There’s fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on”
So go the lyrics to the 1992 Bruce Springsteen song that lamented the hollowness of an expanded array of channel options with very little substance. If Bruce were to rewrite the song today, in our social media savvy world, it might be “There’s fifty-seven million posts but there’s nothing to say.” There is no doubt that social media has reached the mainstream. There are now 91 million Facebook users and 14 million Twitter users, and the numbers are climbing each day. Marketers are debating the merit of investing time and effort in jumping on the social media bandwagon. Many recognize, once you begin the dialogue, you can’t stop. You can create a Facebook fan page in seconds, however, populating that page with relevant, timely and consistent content that engages community is a much larger task. So, before marketers invest heavily in any social media platform, they need to think about the art of the story. Here are some brainstorm starters for crafting stories that play well with social media:
- Thought Leadership: Paul Levy, CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, provides and excellent example of how an inside look can establish a thought leadership presence online. Levy is sometimes controversial, other times philosophical, but his posts are always well thought out and intentional. Task: Find thought leaders in your organization who have a voice and a story to tell, as well as the skills to do it. Build a blog around their leadership insight, then tie into the blogging ecosystem.
- Showcase Your Culture. Your corporate culture is your best recruiting tool and usually your best story. Southwest Airlines has done a great job showcasing its culture on YouTube. Behind most of its videos, is a well crafted story. For example, this video documents the story behind Southwest’s “25-minute turn” – highlighting operational efficiency and it’s corporate can-do culture. It’s easy to create a YouTube channel, and even produce your own video, however, lay the groundwork first. Crafting your story online takes thought and time. Before you flip on that handycam, think through the story line basics: What are the top 10 stories you have going at your company? How do they reflect your core values? What are the elements of the story? Who are your best storytellers? Sometimes I encourage clients to create a Story Map before embarking on a social media initiatives. This keeps everyone grounded in the content, rather than the enabling platform.
- Relevancy, Relevancy, Relevancy. More than ever, we live in a relevant culture. From web searching to news, to personal relationships, people are seeking relevant content and engagements that speak to them and their immediate situation. A relevant social media strategy includes three things: 1) Knowing your audience; 2) Understanding what’s important to them; 3) Delivering content in a way that respects their time. While the H1N1 virus was an unwelcome visitor to many of us this flu season, it has brought about a great example of how social media can be used to tell an important and relevant story. At the onset of the epidemic, the Center for Disease Control placed social media at the cornerstone of its public awareness strategy. The CDC website contains numerous ways health providers, care givers and community members can share important updates about H1N1 using social media widgets.
The bottom line: A successful social media strategy includes a blend of technology enablement and old fashioned story-crafting. One without the other is not a recipe for success.
Retailers plan to get social this holiday season
Nov 15th
I know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet but retailers are gearing up in hopes that the biggest shopping season of the year will lift them out of the Great Recession doldrums. And it looks like they will be turning to social media even more this year in order to lure buyers online, according to an article by Retail Customer Experience. According to RCE, “47.1 percent of retailers surveyed will be increasing their use of social media this holiday season. More than half of retailers said they have added or improved their Facebook page (60.3 percent) and Twitter pages (58.7 percent) this year, while two-thirds (65.6 percent) have added or enhanced blogs and RSS feeds. In addition, to provide consumers with an extra incentive to start shopping, one-third of retailers (34.3 percent) say they will offer holiday deals earlier this year.” Stay tuned for a review coming later this month of the best online retail shopping experiences. Merry Tweetmas.
Is the shine coming off the Apple when it comes to customer experience?
Nov 2nd
Finally, someone has the…uh…apples to speak the truth to power when it comes to that customer experience golden boy named Apple. Kudos to Philip Elmer-DeWitt for saying what us Apple lovers and iPhone users have been ashamed to admit: The iPhone is a really bad phone but a great little gadget. In his recent post, DeWitt describes what we iPhone users have all experienced – buggy performance, dropped calls, really crappy battery life, and still no speed dial. My personal experience? When I upgraded to the 3G, I got a little faster Internet speed at the expense of a listless battery that makes the phone virtually tethered all the time, rendering it impractical for business use. When I sought out sage advice from a bearded, modern hipster at the Mac Genius bar, I got an uppity attitude: “You have to turn 3G off if you want to get better battery life. You just can’t have both Internet speed and battery life.” Why not? Combine this with the fact that I am being double billed for my .me account and can’t find a body to talk to. It makes me wonder if Apple has grown too big for its own britches (or designer jeans). Now don’t get me wrong. I have been an Apple fan since the early ’80s when I worked for one of the first Apple resellers. And I wouldn’t give up my MacBook, even for a free Windows laptop with more power. But I saw Apple’s success go to it’s head in the ’90s, when executives thought they could shove Macs into corporations around entrenched IT interests. Now I fear the company, long praised as the leader in the customer experience game, has lost its focus. If the iPhone is to maintain it’s leadership position, Apple needs to focus more on basic phone reliability and customer service. Cool apps are great, but they don’t make up for customer experience basics. Apple’s game plan should have less gadget plays and more blocking and tackling, to use a bad football analogy.