Mashable: Latest 13 News Updates - including “How Luxury Brands Can Prepare for Affluent Millennials” |
- How Luxury Brands Can Prepare for Affluent Millennials
- 68-Year-Old Skateboarding Professor Becomes Viral Meme [PICS]
- 43 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed
- Google Tablet Delayed Until July [REPORT]
- Top 10 Twitter Pics of the Week
- AT&T Will Unlock Your Out-of-Contract iPhone Starting Sunday
- Exclusive Look Inside the New Facebook HQ: You’ll Like This [PICS]
- Audi Reveals ‘E-Sound’ Engine Noise, Could Save Lives [VIDEO]
- YouTube Passion Project Sends a Journal Around the World
- Ruffled Feathers: Randi Zuckerberg Defends Bravo’s ‘Silicon Valley’ [VIDEO]
- Top 6 Mashable Comments of the Week
- About.me iPhone App Launches With ‘Who’s Nearby’ Feature
- Why Gamification Can’t Be Stopped
- More Smartphone Users Taking Pictures, Updating Statuses at Restaurants [INFOGRAPHIC]
| How Luxury Brands Can Prepare for Affluent Millennials Posted: 07 Apr 2012 03:48 PM PDT      Duke Greenhill is the founder and CEO of Greenhill+Partners, the premiere agency for bespoke luxury brand marketing. Duke is also available as an independent consultant and speaker at Duke@Greenhill-Partners.com. Echo Boomers. Generation Y. Millennials. No matter what you call them, shoppers between 18 to 29 years old are the fastest-growing luxury consumer segment. In 2011, they spent 31% more on luxury purchases than they did the year before, and they did it at full price. Compare that to Baby Boomers, who only saw a paltry 28% growth in spending, and purchased the bulk of their luxury goods on discounted flash-sale sites. Not surprisingly, by 2015, Millennials are expected to be the largest consumer demographic and nearly a third of the U.S. population. As the founder of one of New York's top luxury branding and marketing consultancies, I hear a lot of chatter about how luxury brands will soon have to adapt to this market change. What these statistics should really signal is the need for luxury brands to start adapting their strategies now. Below are three key shifts to keep in mind when preparing for the dawn of the luxury-loving Millennial. Know the Difference in ValueBaby Boomers: For Boomers, it is enough to say that a product is expensive because it's luxurious and exclusive; and it's luxurious and exclusive because it's expensive. Indeed, this Boomer propensity to accept that things simply are what they are is pervasive in the generation's psychology. This is why Boomers exhibit what seems to be unquestioned luxury brand loyalty, purchasing the same premium brands over and over, saying simply, "It's the brand I've always bought." This is not at all the case for Millennials. Millennials: Millennials scrutinize brands and offer allegiance only to those whose premium price-points are justified. Unlike Boomers, Millennials demand to know the origin of luxury products — where was it made, how, and by whom? It is no surprise, then, that superior quality, craftsmanship, and design were the top three attributes that defined luxury in a 2011 report by the Luxury Institute. This means luxury brands that want to grow their equity in the near future will have to adjust their marketing message accordingly. They will have to make emerging affluents aware of the human touch that goes into their products — the craftsmanship involved in the manufacturing process, from first stitch to final sale. Go from Icon to "I Can”Baby Boomers: To Boomers, much of the fun of investing in luxury is to have what others cannot afford, and to display it. Boomers view luxury as a material reward, proof that they have worked hard and earned their lifestyle. As such, luxury brand marketing messages crafted for Boomer consumers have always positioned their products as trophies, as icons of achievement and wealth. Millennials: Generation-Y affluents desire a very different relationship with luxury brands. They have not spent a lifetime accumulating and protecting their wealth, and are still in discovery mode. That’s why affluent Millennials do not want luxury purchases to be emblematic of who they are, but rather of who they want to be. Luxury is not a symbol of achievement, but rather a promise to one's self that "I can" achieve. Luxury brands that wish to excel in the emerging affluent market will therefore need to craft brand stories and marketing messages that focus as much on the quest as the destination, and as much on brand values as brand value. Understand Inclusive ExclusivityBaby Boomers: Boomers find tremendous value in being able to engage with brands that most consumers cannot afford. They use luxury to illustrate their achievement. In short, they think of luxury brand exclusivity as the ability to say "I can and you can't." Millennials: When it comes to luxury brands, Millennials have a pack mentality. For them, it's less about "I can and you can't," and more about "I can and you should come along." They see luxury value as a derivative of how many people want something, whether they can afford it or not. This means Millennials demand a very different kind of exclusivity from their luxury brands. I call it "inclusive exclusivity." A handful of luxury brands bold enough to take the social marketing digital dive serve as proof of the effectiveness of inclusive exclusivity. Consider Burberry, perhaps the most popular luxury fashion brand among Millennial affluents. Burberry’s revenue jumped more than 20% after including aspirational and real consumers in pioneering social campaigns such as “Art of the Trench.” By creating an inclusive platform for brand engagement (and cultivating relationships with aspirational consumers), Burberry effectively increased its exclusivity among consumers who can actually afford their products. Luxury brands that want to remain valuable among Millennial affluents will steal a page from this playbook and begin tailoring tactics to attract aspirational and actual consumers alike. By enhancing their inclusive exclusivity, they’ll increase their brand equity. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, kelvinjay More About: brand marketing, contributor, features, millennials
            |
| 68-Year-Old Skateboarding Professor Becomes Viral Meme [PICS] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 03:12 PM PDT   Tom Winter, 68-year-old University of Nebraska classics professor, rose to Internet stardom after a picture of him riding his skateboard, with a briefcase in hand, became a Reddit top post on Thursday. Numerous blogs and news publications wrote stories about the web-famous skateboarding professor. Winter had never heard of Reddit until his students notified him about his popular picture on the website. He checked the network out for himself and found some of the memes hilarious. He thought others were full of confusing “contemporary slang.” He received even more Internet love on Friday when BuzzFeed published a The 30 Best Teachers Of All Time, with Winter landing on top. “You can roll, but you can’t hide,” Winter told Mashable when asked what he makes of all this. When Mashable asked him about meme culture, he thought “memes” referred to the book “The Selfish Gene” by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. The sight of a professor on a skateboard may be surprising for some, but Winter thinks it’s normal. He drives to work and then skateboards on his Arbor Pocket Rocket board around campus. He even tries skateboarding tricks. He has battle wounds to show it — he once broke a rib while attempting a wheelie. “Walking sucks, so I get there on my wheels,” he said. “I am 19 except [my] joints are all of 68. Walking is of discomfort. Once I get the board going, I can keep my balance and the joints are happy.” For more Winter-inspired hilarity, check out the gallery below. Winter reviews nine memes that fans have created using his picture. Image courtesy of Reddit "Got his B.A. in being B.A""Ah, well whoever made this like using B.A." Winter said. "My daughter had to assure me that badass is good thing." Image via Quick Meme. Click here to view this gallery. More About: internet memes, memes, trending
      |
| 43 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed Posted: 07 Apr 2012 02:32 PM PDT   If you missed any of Mashable‘s resources this week, hopefully it wasn’t because you were dealing with that nasty “Flashback” virus (make sure you check if your Mac has been infected by using this nifty script). Once you know you’re not one of the 600,000 unlucky ones hit with the malware virus, get caught up with our weekly features roundup! This week, we’ve covered the ways to add LinkedIn to your company’s website, tech time warp videos that will take you back to the ’80s and ’90s and memes brought to life via Twitter. We also have a Q&A with author Jonah Lehrer, an office tour of StumbleUpon’s San Francisco headquarters and infographics on topics ranging from slacktivism to employee privacy. We even have the best Draw Something sketches from Mashable readers, like you. Go ahead and enjoy this week’s digital media resources. Editor’s Picks
Social Media
For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Business & Marketing
For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Tech & Mobile
For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Image courtesy of iStockphoto, akinbostanci. More About: Business, COMMUNICATIONS, Features Week In Review, Social Media, Tech
      |
| Google Tablet Delayed Until July [REPORT] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 02:21 PM PDT   Gadget lovers have been speculating about the 2012 release of the Google Tablet for months. Now, sources close to the project say the iPad competitor will debut in July. The Verge reports Google is pushing back the tablet’s previously anticipated May release, in an effort to cut prices. Manufacturers are working to bring the $249 price tag down to $199 or less. DigiTimes reports the lower price will help Google compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire — which is now leading the 7-inch tablet market with its $199 model. It sold over five million units last quarter. The Barnes & Noble Nook Color Tablet — also running the Android operating system — is priced at $169 for the 7-inch touchscreen version. By contrast, Apple is high-end, selling one of the most expensive tablets on the market with its lowest-priced 9.5-inch iPad (16GB Wi-Fi-only) costing $499. The 7-inch Google Tablet will run on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The Verge mentioned reports speculating the delayed release could be due to Google’s nearly finished Android 5.0 Jelly Bean update, which Google could be waiting for before it releases its first tablet. Once released, Google plans to sell its tablets through its own online store, according to last week’s WSJ report. How much would you pay for a 7-inch Google Tablet? Tell us in the comments. More About: Google, google tablet, Mobile, Tablet, trending
      |
| Top 10 Twitter Pics of the Week Posted: 07 Apr 2012 01:42 PM PDT 1. April Fools   April 1st. Some may say it's the funniest day of the year, where others regard it as the most annoying. Lots of companies and websites, including Google, Mashable and Ikea, made a great effort to fool their customers, and not without success. But, of course, the pranks done at home should not be underestimated. Youtuber @kianlawley (25.000+ followers) fooled his sister with this priceless toothpaste Oreo prank. #aprilfools Click here to view this gallery. Well hello there, Android Instagram users! You had quite an impact on the pictorial portion of Twitter this week, as evidenced by the huge influx of pictures from the brand-new app. That new burst of enthusiasm drove our picture total from which to choose our top 10 Twitter pics of the week to more than 52 million. You’ll notice that foolish holiday that some of us love to hate — April Fools’ Day — topped the list this week, followed by a couple of positively lovely pictures, a bit of rueful comedy, some much-needed social activism and a whole lot more. SEE MORE: Top 10 Twitter Pics of the Week Where did all these fascinating pictures come from, anyway? We had the assistance of our astute partners at Skylines, whose supersharp trendwatcher Julie Donders (@IkbenJulie) wielded Skylines’ powerful custom algorithm that’s able to extract the most explosively popular pictures. Beyond that, her incisive writing helps us make sense of this astonishing variety of imagery. So once again, we bring you the most popular pics of the Twitterverse and beyond, all boiled down to the microcosm that is the Top 10 Twitter Pics of the Week. In case you missed them, here are last week's Top 10 Twitter Pics. More About: Skylines, Top 10 Twitter Pics, trending, Twitter For more Social Media coverage:
      |
| AT&T Will Unlock Your Out-of-Contract iPhone Starting Sunday Posted: 07 Apr 2012 12:45 PM PDT |
| Exclusive Look Inside the New Facebook HQ: You’ll Like This [PICS] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 11:50 AM PDT Facebook HQ. You Like This   The company is now completely moved out of its Palo Alto pad, and into the much more spacious Menlo Park facility it broke ground on last year. Click here to view this gallery. It’s been a little more than a year since Facebook bought a 57-acre campus on the outskirts of Menlo Park in Silicon Valley, and started the slow process of turning it into its headquarters of the future. Well, the future is now. As of last week, every last Facebook staffer has been moved into the Menlo Park facility, which is almost unrecognizable compared to the way it looked a year ago. Mashable checked in on the new Facebook HQ in December, but there’s been a lot going on since then. The entire campus has a fresh coat of paint — not to mention fresh graffiti-style spray painted and stenciled artwork everywhere. (Employees are encouraged to “hack their space.”) We got an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at what makes Facebook tick — the high-tech booking systems, amusingly-named conference rooms, and premium caffeination facilities. (What really makes Facebook so eager to constantly upgrade itself? Two words: Philz Coffee.) We saw plenty of things that make working at the social network so much fun — including a wall where Jeremy Lin had marked his height, towering above the rest of the staff. Take a look at the pics, and tell us in the comments whether you’d want to work here. More About: Facebook, Facebook HQ, mark zuckerberg, trending
      |
| Audi Reveals ‘E-Sound’ Engine Noise, Could Save Lives [VIDEO] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 10:51 AM PDT Just when we were thinking of how delightful it was that electric cars were so nice and quiet, Audi adds sound effects to its R8 e-tron electro-beast concept car, saving absent-minded pedestrians from an unfortunate encounter with this battery-powered road rocket. Audi’s not the first manufacturer to cover its legal posterior with sound effects in its electric vehicles, and it certainly won’t be the last. Well, at least Audi’s interpretation sounds like a futuristic gas guzzler, rather than a tree full of chirping birds. Take a look at (and a listen to) Audi’s interpretation of what an electric car should sound like, and let us know in the comments if you think this is entirely necessary. More About: electric cars, Tech, trending For more Dev & Design coverage:
      |
| YouTube Passion Project Sends a Journal Around the World Posted: 07 Apr 2012 10:32 AM PDT   The MeetingLife Journal Project is an art project that started in Rome, Italy on Nov. 11 and has traveled to 11 countries and counting. The online passion project is inspired by travel, life and YouTube. For the past three months, a leather-bound journal has been traveling around the world into the hands of YouTube personalities. As soon as these YouTube video bloggers get this notebook, they are encouraged to make video responses about their week with the journal. “It’s an experiment we are doing to find out how positively peoples’ lives can change by coming across random people and random experiences,” Ernesto Cinquenove, web communications director at startup MeetingLife, told Mashable. So far, the MeetingLife Journal Project has reached 15 YouTubers around the world, in locations including Norway, Germany and Portugal. On YouTube, the project has garnered over 500,000 views, plus thousands of comments by supporters and individuals who want to be a part of the project. The latest video blogger to fill the notebook’s pages is 20-year-old Ena Clark from Bergen, Norway. The film student and singer has been making YouTube videos since 2006. Participants are encouraged to read the book’s entries. Clark made a video while taking the book to the center of her Norwegian hometown, surrounded by traditional Norwegian architecture and mountains. In the video, we see her reading the notebook. Cinquenove told Mashable the team loves the “romantic” aspect of the notebook. “In a world where everyone communicates via Facebook or Twitter using pen and paper makes you appreciate simple things,” he said. “Using the social networking sites and the Internet, we are reaching more people and affecting as many people’s lives as possible.” The notebook is tracked and mapped using Google Maps. Updates are available on MeetingLife’s Twitter and Facebook pages. Pieces of the project coalesce on the blog, creating an inspirational read. Due to the interest in the project, the group may open it to non-YouTubers in the future, according to Cinquenove. The journal’s next destinations will be England and the United States. Who will receive the notebook is still a surprise. Individuals who want to partake in the passion project can upload a video or write a blog entry for the MeetingLife blog. The blog’s followers will vote who gets the journal. “Try to be as inspirational as possible,” Cinquenove said. “It’s about spreading a positive message to the world.” MeetingLife Journal Project participant 19-year-old Rafael Moreira in Oporto, Portugal told Mashable after reading the book the message was clear-cut, despite its diverse contents of drawings, stories and Post-it notes. “I think whoever gets to hold this journal in their hands is going to realize how big this project is and how it connects so many people in one place,” Moreira said. Watch Moreira’s video from the project: Images courtesy of MeetingLife More About: digital art, Facebook, Google, Social Media, social networking, YouTube
      |
| Ruffled Feathers: Randi Zuckerberg Defends Bravo’s ‘Silicon Valley’ [VIDEO] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT The Bravo reality TV show entitled Silicon Valley is ruffling a few feathers throughout the tech world, and now the show’s executive producer, Randi Zuckerberg has stepped forward to defend it. Zuckerberg, who is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s sister, responded to a firestorm of criticism on Facebook, making the point that people are taking this reality TV show way too seriously:
All these hot responses to the show, and not a single episode has even aired yet — those making these criticisms have only seen previews. What do you think? Is it too early to start criticizing a program that hasn’t been aired yet? Has Zuckerberg attached herself to a bucking bronco? Perhaps the outsized egos in Silicon Valley aren’t quite ready for the superficial reality show treatment. One thing’s certain: This whole dustup amounts to a tremendous amount of free publicity for the budding reality show. More About: Entertainment, randi zuckerberg, reality tv, trending For more Entertainment coverage:
      |
| Top 6 Mashable Comments of the Week Posted: 07 Apr 2012 09:11 AM PDT   We’re back with our weekly top comments from the Mashable community. In this column, we showcase the best comments we see from our readers, on our site as well as from our Facebook page. We’re always looking for insightful contributions that spark discussion, add unique perspective, or simply make us laugh. This week, some of the most-discussed topics we covered included Mashable‘s April Fools Day prank with Conan O’Brien and Google’s launch of project glass, which includes Augmented Reality Glasses. There was also a lot discussion around the Flashback Trojan virus that infected many Apple computers during mid-week. Below, check out this week’s roundup of our top 6 comments from readers. Wow, it's April Fools Kevin Schlanger leaves a descriptive comment about Mashable's April Fools' Day prank where Conan O'Brien took over the site for a day. Original comment posted on: Conan O'Brien Buys Mashable, Ousts Pete Cashmore as CEO Click here to view this gallery. If you haven’t commented on a Mashable article before, check out Mashable Follow, our content curation and social tool, as well as our comment guidelines to learn more. We’d love for you to join the conversation. Remember to comment on next week’s articles for a chance to be in the top comments roundup. More About: comments, community, mashable follow, top comments For more Social Media coverage:
      |
| About.me iPhone App Launches With ‘Who’s Nearby’ Feature Posted: 07 Apr 2012 08:35 AM PDT   The simple one-page profile platform About.me is now available on iPhones. Since its 2010 launch and acquisition by AOL, around 1.5 million people have built a splash page, a collection of their social media handles. An About.me page consists of a background photo, as little as two or three lines of text and buttons linking to a person’s social networks. It’s a summary of who you are online that you can attach to email signatures, attach to Twitter and now view on your phone. The personal pages are short and sweet. The sleek interface packs a punch with its analytics system. Stats include views per month, clicks, links to you, average time spent on people and more. Now, About.me iPhone app users can make pages on-the-go as well as connect with people on the street with the mobile app. The ‘Who’s Nearby’ feature — unique to the app — is something that will appeal to people watchers, co-founder Ryan Freitas told Mashable. “There is this ability to create an opportunity for discovery, to see the way people are literally around you in a geographical location and how they represented themselves creatively,” Freitas said. “They have done something interesting to show off who they are as a person.” The app brings many pieces of the successful web platform to the iPhone. About.me creators say much of the website’s appeal lies in the ability for people to browse the directory, not limited to friends. “People enjoy the people-watching we provide,” Freitas said. “Not voyeurism, but about getting additional information about the people around you.” Privacy consistently being a controversial topic with location-based apps, About.me requires users to opt-in to become visible on the network. The app does more than finding businesses on the go, says Freitas. It’s about finding interesting people to follow on Twitter or cool websites to visit. “With the app, it doesn’t always need to be about utility,” Freitas said. “It can be about something as simple as finding out interesting people around you who you haven’t met yet.” About.me is now working on apps for iPad and Android market. More About: about me, aol, Business, iphone, Social Media, social networking, trending
      |
| Why Gamification Can’t Be Stopped Posted: 07 Apr 2012 07:42 AM PDT   From recycling, to personal health, to corporate culture, gamification is seeping into all aspects of everyday life. The practice of applying game mechanics to non-game contexts — for example fandom, separating trash from glass or meeting company goals — has exploded in the past few years. Since the beginning, the California-based company Bunchball has been at the emerging industry’s forefront and today works with companies including including Comcast, the Los Angeles Kings, Hasbro and Warner Bros. Bunchball founder Rajat Paharia (see photo) was one of the term’s earliest adopters and the company owns the domain gamification.com. Bunchball recently introduced a new product, called Nitro Flamethrower, that’s touted as the first personalized gamification product and something Paharia says will power the industry to stronger traction. “It’s spread not only incredibly deep, but it also reaches almost everywhere now,” Paharia says. “And I think it’s only going to penetrate deeper as long as people continue to see value.” The power of game mechanics to invest people in websites, shows, teams, companies and other properties is what Paharia says has fueled the rise of his company and others like it. But he says Bunchball’s road to success was rocky at first. The company started out building social games in 2005, but found that to be a dead end. Facebook hadn’t yet launched its gaming platform and few thought the genre could catch on, so Bunchball changed course. Applying game mechanics to non-game settings was also a tough sell at first, until an ironic twist helped Bunchball get established: Facebook launched its gaming platform and the industry Paharia entered too early to capitalize on exploded. But as products like Foursquare and FarmVille became popular, Bunchball’s new tack gained more believers. One of the company’s early hits came in 2007, when it created a gamified website for NBC’s The Office. Based off a storyline in the show, users signed up on a social network as employees of the Dunder Mifflin paper company. Users earned “Schrute Bucks” for making comments, posting photos and performing tasks that built engagement and buzz for the show. Before long, the site was populated with loads of user-generated content. “NBC loved it because they were paying all these users fake money to do real work,” Paharia says. In the five years since, Bunchball has gone on to leverage gamification concepts for more than 100 clients. In the next five years, Paharia sees gamification becoming more widespread in the health, media and employee-training spaces, among others. What are the keys to that continued rise? Paharia points to more customization for companies to tailor campaigns to their own needs, expanding beyond primarily individual challenges to promote more team-based engagement, and further incorporating real rewards beyond virtual points and badges. “Gamification is all about providing sustained user engagement,” Paharia says. “The word itself implies a transformation of something that exists, and people are starting to see more and more how they can apply it to their own situations.” Photo courtesy of Bunchball.com More About: Business, gamification For more Entertainment coverage:
      |
| More Smartphone Users Taking Pictures, Updating Statuses at Restaurants [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 07 Apr 2012 07:05 AM PDT Playing on your phone might be taboo while out to dinner, but more people are pulling out their mobile devices to snap and share pictures of meals and update their Facebook statuses, a new study suggests. According to an infographic by market research firm Lab42, about 19% of those that use their smartphone while at a restaurant update their status on Facebook. Meanwhile, about 24% said they take pictures of their entrees and 18% check-in to the restaurant on services such as Foursquare. Not surprisingly, smartphone users (20%) are also communicating with others to make dinner plans and 19% use mobile devices to find nearby restaurants. Meanwhile, about one in five people who use their smartphones during their dining out experience do so to view a menu online and find directions. Does it bother your when someone uses a phone while at a restaurant or is it now socially acceptable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.   Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, robynmac More About: Mobile, smartphones For more Mobile coverage:
      |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Mashable! To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment