When Consumers Still Like Your Brand, But Simply Have Forgotten About You.

In 2008, the often known as "good, good whole wheat" Sheddries cereal was losing share by 8% annually. Their traditional advertising had not changed away from the brand image. As the 67 year old Shreddies had been a staple on many Canadian breakfast tables for decades. After conducting extensive preliminary research through focus groups, Shreddies observed that the product was not in need of any innovation. Canadians loved Shreddies for what they were and didnt want the product to change, but still there had been a continuous 8% loss. They realized the target audience had simply forgotten about the brand.

Yet another case where something had to be made from nothing, the essence of excellent marketing. In the Canadian cereal industry, competition had been coming up with many exciting ideas. As one of their biggest competitors, Mini-Wheats, released new flavours and commercials that showcased dancing wheaties. Shreddies had to respond fast and effectively in order to increase their share.

By using the concept of imagery, Sheddries came out with a new product line, "Diamond Shreddies". The idea was, 'consumers like us and don't want us to change' but they weren't excited about the product. By turning the traditional Shreddies on a 45 degree angle, the product became new and exciting through humour and fun. On every box of "Diamond Shreddies" was a significantly noticeable diagram showing the "old" Shreddies (square shaped) and then the "new" Shreddies (same product shaped as a diamond). Canadian consumers laughed at the cleverness of the campaign, while having a nostalgic view of their old favourite product in a new and exciting way.

Canadian humour was very important to Shreddies. When designing the campaign, Shreddies tested it with Canadians who loved the humorous concept, while Americans didn't like how Shreddies thought they were stupid enough to believe the traditional product had changed. 

The commercial reached within Canada cost about $3 million, but the average cereal company would spend about $5 million on advertising new products. By going digital, they had more exposure, got their message out faster, and were able to remind consumers of a brand they loved.

What will Web 3.0 offer?

There are many speculations around what changes Web 3.0 will bring. Here are some possible characteristics of what to expect:


Semantics
Referred to the understanding of what the user intends to do and making it easier to find information on the Internet, semantics will be integrated into all web activities.


Real-time
Just as tweets are posted, search results are often displayed in near-time form. Many sites today are beginning to have a "trending" sections, displayed in real-time.


Mobile and Geography
GPS (Global Positioning System) is capable in almost all new mobile devices. This will evetually apply to all devices that are connected to the Web with the users ability to turn it on or off.


Open Communication
Freely accessible knowledge over the web that can reference the information you find from where it originally resided. This will make online research much easier.

Cloud Computing: What is it? What are the advantages/disadvantages of cloud computing?

Imagine the possibility of a company merger where system setup and integration doesn’t hold back the business from its most important goal, to create and adapt to growth. Or a system that allows a company to operate in real time with everyone in the organization, internally and externally.  Imagine having the ability to implement an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution without having to slow down your pace of business while constantly paying for upgrades. Worldwide businesses are no longer worrying about their IT systems, allowing them more time to run and improve the business. All of these factors are enabled by the rise of technology, as cloud computing changes the way we manage our businesses today and in the future. The Wall Street Journal online quotes a study done by Forrester that estimates cloud computing sales at $41 billion in 2011, and increasing to $241 billion in 2020.

At the most basic level, cloud computing is comprised of the three layers. Cloud computing will change the pace and approach management takes on conducting decisions. It is important as a small business owner or manager to be aware of these changes in preparation for opportunity and the implications associated with globally moving forward into the future. 

Cloud Typology by Layer

          At the most basic level, cloud computing is comprised of three layers:

     Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

The first layer of cloud computing is Infrastructure as a service. Infrastructure as a service provides standardized, highly automated computing resources with networking and storage capabilities that are hosted by a service provider. Due to the scalability of IaaS, service and computing requirements are available on demand. Using a graphical interface, customers can configure the environment of their cloud infrastructure, therefore providing extremely customized needs.

      Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Platform as a Service offers application infrastructure services, such as Windows operating system. PaaS allows for quick customization and changes to the operating system. This offers a platform in order to use existing applications or to test new ones, without the need of heavy investment in operating system software and infrastructure. This is especially useful and important for companies that are experiencing a lot of expansion in a short time.

                               Software as a Service (SaaS)

Software as a Service is the most widespread form of cloud computing.  One of the many advantages of software as a service is its ability to easily allow for addition of users or other services. It is owned, delivered and operated remotely by the service provider. SaaS provides the operation of applications and software over the Internet to many users without the user needing the required infrastructure or platform to operate the software. SaaS is operated in a one-to-many model, with the source being the service provider. For SaaS, pricing is based on either a pay-for-use or subscription based model.

Advantages and Disadvantages to Cloud Computing

Advantages

The great benefit of using a cloud system is many of its disadvantages can be avoided with proper planning. The advantages of cloud computing include: low initial cost, scalability, reliability of data not being lost (compared to traditional means), often have higher security standards than most companies, and no expertise is required, as the service provider provides it.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of cloud computing include: data privacy concerns, lack of control over information and data, the location of cloud infrastructure could conflict with local laws and regulations, and the fear of service providers being bought out or unable to continue operations. Often, using a trusted service provider can mitigate these fears or potential problems. 

What You Shouldn't Be Putting on Your Business Website

The first problem you should address when beginning to create your company website is the purpose of the site. Is your website simply for contact info? Allowing your customers to find who, where, what you sell, and your hours available? Or maybe your website has the purpose to sell something, generate an online service, or to interact with your consumers. Discovering the purpose will assist you through what you should and should not host on your website. 

If your site is for the purpose of generating revenue online and not for contact information then you will need to decide how you plan to generate that revenue. The traditional merchant model is through sales of non-digital and digital products. This is a per unit or volume price; for example, a website that sells speciality ice-cream delivered to your door (a product and service mix) will generate cash on the margin value or how much is made in profit per unit/customer purchasing on your site.

The utility model is a user "pay as you go" site and is a very common way to generate online revenue. For example, Skype enables users to place telephone calls from their computers. Access time is metered and charged to the user's Skype account, which is put onto their credit card or Paypal account. A similar but different type is the subscription model. Some businesses have users subscribe to their site for a product/service, which users pay a monthly or annual fee in exchange. An example of the subscription model is Netflix as they provide access to an online movie database. Users have the ability to watch any movie they have and at any time through Netflix.

The last popular form of generating online revenue is the advertising model. This can be measured by the number of times a visitor of your site 'clicks' on a banner ad or regular ad that leads them to a new site. The new site they are now visiting will pay you based on your clickthrough count.

This brings us to the topic of discussion, what you should and should not be putting on your website:

1. When To Use The Advertising Model

If you are not generating cash through the advertising model then it is usually more professional not to host other company ads on your page. Keeping a clean and organized site that focuses the user on your company and content will be the best way to create an online presence. Merchant models definitely shouldn't post outside advertisements on their page because the sole usage and purpose of their website is to represent their company. You do not want to confuse the consumer about your brand qualities. It would be as if you went to Nike.com and saw an ad for the McDonalds 'Big Mac'. Not only is this a distraction but the two companies do not necessarily go hand-in-hand, one is focused on sports and fitness while the other one offers fast food.

2. Intros

We have all seen them, intros to your website is not as exciting as they appear to be when you plan and create them. In most cases, the user wants to be able to enter your site with ease. An intro is like entering a construction zone on a 100km/hr highway when you are on your way to work. It's not motivating and usually doesn't even contain a lot of necessary information about your brand or site. Forbes.com often post "thoughts of the day" as an intro to their site while it is loading on your computer. They also use the advertising model, the intro will usually generate an ad for which there is a better chance they get a higher clickthrough rate. In general, skip the intro and simply put it directly onto your home or index page (the first page viewers see of your site).

3. Irrelevant Content

It is important that your website stays on topic and the content you provide users about your company should be relevant. If I am going to Bob's Bar & Grill website and see all of Bob's photos from his trip to Punta Cana posted on the home page I will be very frustrated and discredit the company all together. Your website is your online store, you need to treat it as a representation of your company. Make sure all your content is directly related to the company or its consumers.

4. Customer Information

This may seem like an obvious one, but there have been cases where a customers privacy was infringed upon through an online site. Facebook.com, and many other social mediums, allow for its users to limit how much they share and to whom they share their information. Every website should have a privacy policy and should make clear to users what information will be used, public, or distributed.

Creating Something out of Nothing

This is the essence of entrepreneurship; designing, creating, forming, and planning something that has never existed before. As this task can be very rewarding, it is often believed to be a risky and uncertain path. Although, with the growth in technology over the past decade, entrepreneurship has grown appeal nationally and worldwide. If you are considering going down this road and doing something that has never been done before then you have come to the right place. I will go through the first beginner steps in approaching entrepreneurship.

Embrace Uncertainty
In life, there will always be situations where we are unsure of what to do or how to do something. Depending how one approaches these moments will determine whether they will become a successful entrepreneur or one that simply sits on their ideas and goes no further. If you are thinking about starting a business but have not taken any steps or have no idea what type of business you would like to start, this is a great way to begin your journey. Embrace uncertainty by looking at each situation in a positive light and focus on making solid decisions. The worst thing you can do is question yourself after making a decision, this not only decreases your confidence but it also stresses you out. It simply does not good to worry or doubt the decisions you have made because they cannot be changed, they become your past. You cannot be a successful entrepreneur if you are not ready to take the risk and trust your judgement.

Problem Solving
Seeing problems and seeking out solutions will help you identify real opportunities that the average person may not see. There is a common misconception that successful entrepreneurs experience good luck. In reality, they are successful because they spend each and every day looking for problems or opportunities for which they can find solutions. The bigger the problem to solve, the bigger the opportunity to become successful. A major factor in the success or failure of strategies is identifying a real opportunity of which is in your capability or your companies capability to develop through your resources. Identify problems, come up with solutions, and create a plan to know whether it is feasible and possible to implement.

Doing
There is no time for excuses when working for yourself. For you will always know the truth, and there will always be someone out there who found a way to do it. Mark Cuban, successful American businessman, states there are entrepreneurs and there are wannapreneurs. The difference is, wannapreneurs have millions of ideas for which they do nothing with. If you really want something in life you have to go out there and get it.