This week we have a rock star guest, Dan Ciporin. Who better than the former CEO of Shopping.com to talk about holiday shopping trends, group buying, and how e-commerce companies can leverage social media?
Dan Ciporin is a partner at global venture capital firm Canaan Partners, whose early investments included match.com and doubleclick. A decade ago, Dan was CEO of Shopping.com where he oversaw growth from zero to over $100 million in revenues in just five years, culminating in the company’s IPO in October 2004 and later acquisition by eBay in 2005.
He was also a Senior VP of MasterCard International, where he was responsible for the marketing and product management of all online global debit products. Now he’s investing in social commerce companies like OpenSky and new e-commerce innovators like Gemvara.
We discuss:
- 2010 holiday trends
The recession… Dan thinks people are ready to buy again (but in a 2010 way, not a 2007 way)
Jim thinks the iPad and Kindle will be far and away the most popular gifts this season… Dan agrees, but adds two more hot tech items
- The origin around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and whether the trend still holds
- Group buying: Trend or here to stay?
We talk about the incredibly successful Gap Groupon case study. Why it was important to the Gap brand overall in the big picture, and what the two things a retailer is looking for when trying to do a promotion such as this (and Jim suggests a third).
- How do e-commerce companies leverage social media?
- Mass customization, the ability to mass produce something that is very unique to each customer
- What is the best way for companies to reach customers?
- What are the best ways for consumers to get deals?
- What trend is happening now, but will be even bigger next year.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play the full interview it below:
It’s easy to jump on the latest trends, but do you know when to exit the old ones?
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The tagline of this podcast is “The marketing trends that matter,” which means I’m usually looking forward at what is coming up.
But I read an interesting article in one of Wired’s sister publications, Details Magazine. The story is by David Amsden, and is called: “Introducing the First Dropper: Say so long to the Early Adopter. Today, the most influential guy in the room is the tastemaker who senses when a trend’s 15 minutes are up.”
He describes the First Dropper as someone that not only knows trends — whether it be a hot TV show, what jeans to wear, or the certain type of drink in the certain type of bar — but more importantly, he knows when these trends are overvalued.
Amsden says “Unlike most consumers, the First Dropper seems to be immune to peer pressure and the sway of marketing gurus; he’s propelled instead by an instinctual feel for when a trend has become overvalued. Think of him as a slyly influential arbiter of taste—one who operates as a covert counterweight to his better-known cousin, the Early Adopter.”
With the advent of worldwide blogs, tight social networks, and up to the millisecond trending on Twitter telling you what’s hot, it’s almost easy to be an early adopter. Is there anyone on the planet that does NOT know a month in advance when the latest iPod, iPhone, or Macbook is coming out?
Amsden makes it clear that you shouldn’t mistake the First Dropper with The Hater, who takes pride in never jumping on a new trend.
Don’t even mention your 65″ slimline 3D TV… you’ll get an earful that The Hater hasn’t even owned a TV since 1997.
Here are a few social media, tech, and pop culture items, and where I think they stand. In fact, it’s a little like Wired’s famous Wired/Tired/Expired feature.
Early adopter or safe to stay
Here are the items it’s still safe to jump on
(listen to the podcast for my reasoning on each)
- iPad, Kindle, and other eReaders
- Tumblr
- Twitter
- Facebook (Yes, even though I talked about a potential fall of Facebook)
Gone or ready to be dropped
- iPhone (see the great article by Wired Gadget Lab editor Dylan Tweney, talking about how he’d love a feature phone tethered with an iPad)
- Cable TV
- Untucked shirts and baggy hoodies (here’s a novel idea… why not grow up a bit, add some style, try some clothes that fit)
- Foursquare
- Cupcakes
What does this mean to marketers?
One prominent school of thought is to target these early adopters. After all, they’re dialed in, have influence over purchase decisions, and can help get your product on the radar. If you’ve used them successfully, congratulations.
However, better keep your eyes out for the First Dropper. Because if they start abandoning your product, that could be the sign of things to come.
I have to run, I only have one cupcake left, and I want to tweet about it from my iPad.
Today’s interview brings together so many things that I love about this podcast… meeting cool people, digging into the mix of marketing and technology that created a successful project, and hearing a great story of an entrepreneur that worked really hard, and with a little luck, some great decisions, and the help of social media, achieved his goal.
In this case, the story is about Matt Rix, a Canadian Flash developer working full-time, that learned how to program on the iPhone, sketched out a puzzle-style game called Trainyard, topped the popular game Angry Birds at one point in iTunes, and by next year, will leave his full time job in order to pursue his dream of developing games and other apps full time.
Along the way, he gives great insight on:
- The evolution of the game
- How he tapped the international market
- The importance of a tutorial in his game
- The best day to launch an app
- How to leverage social media to launch a successful app
- The key turning point for his success
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play the full interview it below:
Below is a full transcript of our conversation:
Jim Hopkinson: Welcome everyone, this is Jim. Today on the phone I have Matt Rix who is a Canadian developer. And the reason he’s on the show is kind of a success story – bit developer, bit entrepreneur, and he’s used Social Media, and the App Store, to develop a game that ended up beating Angry Birds and making some money on the side and he’s going to tell us the story today. So welcome, Matt.
Matt Rix: Hey, how’s it going?
JH: Great, great. So what part of Canada are you dialing in from today?
JH: Excellent, and so, you work fulltime for a company called Indusblue, and there you do iPhone app development, as well?
MR: Yeah, I do iPhone and iPad app development; usually not directly for ourselves, but for big name clients, like TV channels and stuff like that.
JH: And so the main story, though, is you’ve had this kind of whirlwind tour of an app being successful and everyone likes to hear these success stories. Have you been interviewed by any other media outlets or any fame, or just nerdy podcasts like me?
MR: Yeah, just a couple things. There’s been a couple blogs and sites that have done written entries and stuff, but nothing too much yet.
JH: Well, give us little bit of your background, how did you get here, did you have a computer background coming into it, and any kind of entrepreneurial spirit; what led you to this point?
For many people, Halloween is the best holiday of the year. Here is what marketers can learn from it.
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Ah yes, Halloween. A time for kids to get cavities from lots of candy, homeowners to be blackmailed for treats, and an excuse for women to be dressed in as revealing outfits as possible. What’s not to love?
But in the real world, if you’re listening to this, you probably have a real job, possibly in digital marketing, and that can be scary!
But never fear, if you pay attention, I’ll give you:
6 marketing lessons you can learn from Halloween:
Lesson 1: Be current
If you’re dressing up as the cast from Madmen, an Avatar Warrior, Justin Bieber, or Lady Gaga, you’re jumping on a pop culture phenom and you’ll be fine.
If you love the Jersey Shore, and identify with Snooki or have the abs to pull off The Situation, by all means this is the year to do it. This is reality TV people, they could be off the air next season or Pauly D could become mayor of Newark. You never know how it’s going to turn out, so jump on it now.
But if your idea of something cool is the cast from Lost, Joker from Batman, Sarah Palin, or a baby-wearing bearded guy from the Hangover, you’re about a year too late. Don’t be that guy.
Same goes for your marketing plan. Are you staying current, watching new trends, and staying ahead of the pack? Or just rehashing your ideas from 2007? Call a brainstorming meeting of your best and brightest, and update your creative.
It’s the talk of the town: iPad. Tablets. eReaders. The future of publishing. Let’s see what the headlines are saying.
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As an employee of one of the world’s largest publishers, Conde Nast, the owner of an iPad, a soon-to-be author assessing my options for digital publishing, and a lover of all things new media, I’ve become obsessed with the eReader evolution.
I’m going to share a little routine with you. Whenever I come across a great article, be it in a newsletter, my daily reading of blogs, through friends, or on Twitter, I hang on to it.
How do I do it?
Very simple. I have a Google Doc spreadsheet bookmarked that I can access instantly from work, from home, or for that matter, anywhere I can get to the internet. It’s a very fast process of opening it up, then pasting in the headline and the link. Done.
While it’s not 100% official, both the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch are reporting that the long-rumored story that Apple will produce a CDMA version of the iPhone for Verizon, starting in Q1 2011, is true.
As an iPhone owner on AT&T, what will it take me to switch to Verizon? Let me write an open letter to their management and marketing team.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below for maximum ranting entertainment (recommended):
Dear Verizon
Congratulations! I hear that you’ve convinced Steve Jobs to build you your very own iPhone for your CDMA mobile network. You must be soooo excited. I read that an analyst said it could mean 10 million more customers for you.
I also saw that you have about 27% of the smartphone market, while AT&T has 38%. That’s a pretty decent lead to make up.
However, here’s the good news for you. Nearly 7 out of 10 of the smartphones that AT&T customers have are iPhones. So if you can get those people to switch, those numbers might change in a hurry.
I have a few suggestions for your marketing department. First, let me tell you a bit about myself.
- I’m 41, live in Manhattan, and have a Bachelors of Science in Computer Information Systems. I have been around technology all of my life.
- I work for a website called Wired.com, teach a social media class at NYU, and with the money I have left at the end of the month, I often buy gadgets like the iPad and high end digital cameras.
- I also have my own blog and podcast, and am very active on Facebook and Twitter. Not to brag, but I’m pretty connected and a lot of people come to me for tech advice.
In short, I am your dream customer.
Let me tell you what the mood is right now in case you missed it. For the most part, people HATE AT&T. The best way to describe it is we tolerate them, because we’re such fans of Apple and love the iPhone so much.
As someone that covers all things social media, it was almost my job — adult homework so to speak — to go out and see The Social Network, aka The Facebook movie. For me, it didn’t disappoint. I thought it was great. In this podcast, I highlight the theme of product vs. money.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
Like many others, I rushed out to see The Social Network on opening weekend. If you recall, back in July I gave 7 reasons why “The Social Network” Facebook movie will be a huge success. And while the $23 million opening weekend wasn’t spectacular (Inception did $62m it’s opening weekend), it did land at #1.
So after viewing it as a movie-going FAN, it was time to look at it from a business and marketing angle. What I came up with was:
How The Social Network highlights the struggle between focusing on the product vs. focusing on the money in a startup business.
I’ve had a few good bosses in my life. Let’s take a quick look back at some good examples.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
I talk a decent amount about career advice on the blog, such as resumes, interviewing, salary negotiation, and internships. But one key factor is the importance of a good manager.
My original topic today was going to be the BMW Magazine app on the iPad, — and I do feel there’s a great story there how car makers can reach consumers via the Apple tablet — but the story needed a lot more research.
So pressed for time, I thought about a story or two I could tell on the podcast. But that got me to thinking about cars and bosses.
A good manager is like a good set of tires
Sometimes people really underestimate tires. It’s more fun to talk about how a car looks, the 0-60 time, the 300 watt stereo, or the 405 horsepower. But tires play a HUGE part in the enjoyment, and safety of a vehicle. They control ride, handling, steering, braking, cornering, acceleration, and traction.
If your tires are old or balding, it can ruin a lot of other good things on car. Just being a few pounds over- or under-inflated can be a serious hazard.
The same goes for your boss, although it’s perfectly ok for him to be getting old or starting to bald (hey!!!).
What I’m saying is, a boss that isn’t very good can make even the best job suck, and a really bad boss can permeate everything you do and make you hate your job. They can stall your career, prevent you from getting raises and advancing, and create office politics.
In story one on the podcast, I pause 30 seconds for a shameless suck up to my current bosses. As recent readers know, I have a broken arm. This happened while on my (deservedly earned) 7 business days of vacation, so I was out of work during that. But then add time missed during my subsequent 2 surgeries, leaving for appointments, coming in late after physical therapy, and working at about half speed. Even though I was working remotely, jumping on conference calls while on buses, and consistently on email, tack on nearly an additional 10 business days — that’s a lot of missed office time.
Not ONCE has anyone said anything besides “do whatever you need to in order to get better.” From my immediate boss, to our department VP, to coworkers, to the President of Conde Nast Digital (who I saw in the elevator and who is also a competitive athlete and biker), nothing but concern and well-wishes. I am thankful that these people have my back.
The other four stories I cover:
- The New York Move
My VP at ESPN had to make some hard decisions when moving the team from Seattle to New York. Also listen how he handled the “coaching” of his employees during the free-reigning late 90s dotcom era like Jim’s childhood Boston Celtics teams.
The Startup Guru / Bartender / Softball King
Has one of YOUR bosses ever served you drinks, hit the game-winning home run, and kick started the second half of your career?
The Female Assassin
Hear how a quiet supervisor reacts like a violent Grizzly defending her cubs when an employee is attacked by an outsider.
Shin Yoshino/Getty Images
The Scoutmaster
A fatherly figure saves Jim’s college party plans and prevents a poor, dark, winter.
What are some of the things a manager needs to do to have their employees backs?
1. Filter and disseminate information
2. Have a grasp of email etiquette
a. On vs off the record, forwarding, proper CC: and BCC:
3. Gives credit in public, criticizes in private
4. Steer their careers, ask them about next steps
5. Protect and defend against other departments
a. Too much work, annoying employees, giving credit
Ask yourself this:
- As an employee, take a look up the chain of command. For the most part, will your supervisors be there for you?
- If you’re a manager, are you doing everything you can to instill confidence in your employees?
Jim can see the next big trend, and he’s not going to let it go by.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
I get asked the following question quite often: “Jim, what’s the next big trend?”
Sure, the internet is always growing, and social media, Facebook, Twitter, geolocation, group buying, online video, and mobile are still at the top of everyone’s list. But I think there’s something bigger. Am I qualified to guess at trends? Sure, why not.
Can a broken arm kill Jim’s love for technology and social media? Stay tuned:
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
Loyal listeners of The Hopkinson Report know a few things about me:
- I never miss a week (once in the last 118 episodes)
- I love technology, being online and all things social media
- I love mountain biking (I compared the ‘flow’ of biking to a business in Episode 113)
So when I was away for the first part of my vacation while mountain biking some epic trails in Seattle, the capable Brandon Werner filled in. But then the unexpected struck when I came back to the east coast to go biking in the rocky trails of the Pocono mountains.
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