Isn’t this weird?

All the brands want the consumers to spend most of the time on them, and mobiles are something on which the consumers spend most of the time. So it is pretty easy to connect the dots. But most of the brands have not yet done so.

With the increasing rise of smart-phone users, the brands which want to be successful in the future need to explore this opportunity. According to the recent study L2 Prestige Mobile IQ report, most of the brands are failing to understand. And it can be so much more than just SMSes, like mobile applications, mobile sites and many more.

The basic problems which seem to hinder the penetration of the brands into the mobile market are:

1. Brands are not willing to understand that the user interface of websites and mobile websites need to be different. The same layout used in a website will not work on the mobile settings.
2. The brands which are suffering the most are the ones which are using Flash a lot. Flash is not supported by iOS so it is not hard to imagine how the user experience will be on a mobile where chunks of layout will not get displayed.
3. mCommerce needs a different approach. The brands need to instill the confidence in the users to use the applications on the mobile to engage in commerce. This can only be achieved by smart user interface design, convincing copies and a genuine eagerness to make the process as easy as possible for the consumer.

L2 Prestige 100®: Mobile IQ — The Video from L2 Think Tank on Vimeo.

It is pretty obvious that mobile usage is only going to increase. And it will be a shame if the brands couldn’t adapt to the mobile world. But those who will start early, like some brands already have, will get a head start which will be harder to cover.

- Subhadip

The buzz about Smart TV has been there for quite some time. Every big player in the market is launching their own version of the Smart TV. Google has come out with Google TV, Apple is out with Apple TV, Tivo has already made its mark and now even Sony has entered the picture.

Our quest to be omnipresent and omniscient has propelled us to reach newer heights in multitasking. Consider these statistics:

•  42% of American consumers surf the internet while watching the television (Deloitte).
• 86% of US mobile Internet users are using their mobile devices at the same time as watching TV (Yahoo!/Nielsen).
• 72% of under 25 mobile internet users in the UK post comments on TV shows using Twitter, and 56% do it on Facebook (Digital Clarity).

While it might not be correct to infer that the people want to be in touch with everything through a TV, we can definitely deduce that people are increasingly trying to be stay in touch with everything, including the TV.

And now that TV and socializing will go hand in hand, advertising will also take a new form. Here are the changes we can expect:

• Target Advertising: While we are already seeing a sea change in the way target advertising is done, the scope of target advertisement will also increase massively. For instance, during advertisement breaks you and I might see ads of Tata Cars whereas the Ambanis might be viewing a Mercedes ad at the same time. Along the same lines, ads will be made with respect to the preference of the person or his social status, family background and not to forget religion. For instance, a person who is obsessed with porn might be shown a sleazy version of the ad whereas a family man with interest in books and Shakespeare might be viewing a much more refined ad which can be viewed by the entire family without raising any eyebrows.

•  Interactive advertisement: Increasing efforts will be made to induce an immediate positive response from a consumer. Ads with “push the button and get free home delivery” messages will flood the Smart TV. At present there is a huge gap between advertisement and sales and this will sure be step to bridge the gap.

•  Action oriented advertisement: The “see it and forget it” method of advertisement will soon be overthrown by more action oriented advertisement. Action oriented advertising can be of two types: a)  The advertising might ease the way a consumer buys a product. For instance, “add to basket” has the power to drive viewers straight from TV to supermarket; and b)  The consumer might himself be the central part of an advertisement, rather than the product, which would not only increase the time the consumer views the advertisement but will also enable the consumer to know more about the product.

Advertising agencies prepared for such changes and take steps accordingly. One though will wonder how well and how fast the Indian advertising agencies respond to such changes

- Sridip

Currently, I am reading this book “The Google Story” by David A. Vise. Well researched and written, the book is gripping from the word go, and considering my respect for Google, and my interest to know the real story behind their growth, the book immediately has taken almost 4 hours a day.

What intrigues me the most while reading it is, the whole concept of SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is in itself against the reason why Google came into being. Larry Page and Sergey Brin were unsatisfied with the search engines of the day, like Yahoo, AskJeeves, Altavista, Inktomi etc. The results were not relevant, the database were not updated regularly and what is worse, companies and people had the option of paying these search engines and getting higher ranks.

Obviously, their frustration was shared by millions of other users, and that is one of the basic reasons for the growth of Google. Google provides relevant results because of the backlink theory. In simple terms, the more sites and pages have a link to your page, the higher your page will be shown in the results. There are also countless other variants used by Google in the formula, which keeps changing to beat the smartheads who want to crack the formula. But the backlinks remain important.

From the moment Danny Sullivan started spreading the methods how to get your website more visibility on the results, SEO was born. One of the basic trick of SEO is to create relevant backlinks, and this is where the irony lies.

Though, SEO is one of the services offered at Year Zero Designs, I can’t help wondering, isn’t this in direct contrast to the “relevant results” of Google? Of course, Google has a list of white and black practices of SEOSEO. Google should know it by itself. Isn’t it? and it makes the irony even more interesting. When the website is really important and relevant, it shouldn’t need

* If I miss anything, please do comment on that.

- Subhadip

These two terms have been used around so much in the last five years, that they have become almost synonymous. Even worse, most people think that both are essentially the same thing, with different monikers.

It’s not.

Compared to “Open Source Software”, “Free Software” was coined a long time back in 1984, by Richard Stallman, who is associated with the Free Software Foundation. “Open Source Software” is the result of Open Source Initiative, an ex-fraction of Free Software Foundation, who felt that “Open Source” explains the software in a much better way and has the power to convince manufacturers to release their software as Open Source. The termed was coined by Eric Raymond.

The biggest difference, it seems, is the way they treat “Proprietary Softwares”. Though “Proprietary Softwares” is the common enemy, Free Software Foundation considers it as a barrier to freedom, while Open Source Initiative finds it under-tested and incomplete.

Thus, open-source softwares give you the chance to improve on the source code, to experiment on the software, to enhance its features or efficiency. That is not possible with Free Softwares. On the other hand, many people complain, that some of the Open-source softwares are free to use, many of their features are only open to paid users.

Richard Stallman, in this article, offers an in-depth analyses in the difference between these two kinds of softwares, and even makes it’s stands clear, on why they don’t want to be clubbed with the recent surge in the “Open-Source” hype.

- Subhadip

Here are some tips to fail at Social Marketing….

1. Using the word “Media”: And treating it like “Media”. It is not. It doesn’t follow the rules of a media, and thus how you use it,  doesn’t follow how you use other medias.

2. Forgetting it’s “Social”: There are different ways of getting noticed, talked about, respected and “followed” in a social circle. No matter how big you are, if you are not social, with a helpful heart, and interesting conversations you just won’t cut it.

3. Believing it’s free: Now really? Think about this. How will people know about your great online campaign? You need advertising to promote your social efforts. And hiring people with little or no experience to handle your social “media” initiative just because they spend time on Facebook and Twitter is a terrible idea. Follow it and you will agree.

4. Only Facebook and Twitter and Youtube: The biggest is not always the best.Your business, your product and your consumers will decide the social platforms to work on. There are countless of options out there. Finding the right combination is a lot easier said than done.

5. It’s about sales: It is. But not definitely not directly. People won’t ‘follow’ or ‘like’ a sales pitch. You need to use the online social platforms for other disciplines of your business – customer service, product development etc. which in turn will drive your sales. Have a look at the image:

6. “It’s a chore!”: Treat it like a chore and it will show. Soon you will have a “boring” feel and in our experience at Year Zero Designs, have found a truth which never changes – Boring people sucks.

- Souvik

In the early stages of any business, it is accepted that people will know about you either through google search or word of mouth. ‘Word of mouth’ is an effective yet inconsistent method. On top of  that, if one of your customer is unhappy with your service or product, it can generate negative feedback which over shadows any positive ‘word of mouth’.

Search Engine Optimization is a process, which includes methods (and sometimes tricks) to make sure  that your website gets a higher page ranking, so that it shows up in the first page of any search engine result on the internet. With the every growing internet and countless websites coming up every day, SEO along with the SEM, is gaining more relevance than ever.

As these process is complex, due to the several guidelines from Google itself  (regarding valid methods and malpractices) and continues innovations in using keywords, deep linking and content, it is always advisable to take the help of an agency who knows the inside working of the SEO process. Now-a-days, you will come across many advertising agencies as well as design agencies, offering SEO services in its roster. Many specialized agencies are also present who devote their total skill and human resource into improving your page ranking.

If you are unaware of what Search Engine Optimization is, this Wikipedia article, is a good place to start.

- Subhadip

Among the huge collection of browsers, Google Chrome is the one which is the fastest. Websites open in a flash, and the designs look flawless, just like the way the coder had imagined it while writing the codes. For example, you open our website, in Chrome and then in earlier versions of Internet Explorer and you can see the difference yourselves.

<In case you have a solution to this compatibility issue, please contact us.>

Watch this brilliant video from 1st Avenue Machine to realise the power of Chrome.