Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Cup of Joe: Apple’s Army Wants To Dance, Will Apple Let Them?” plus 2 more

Link to Marketing Pilgrim - Internet News & Opinion

Cup of Joe: Apple’s Army Wants To Dance, Will Apple Let Them?
March Mobile Mix: Connected Devices Up 21 Percent
Tomorrow is Officially Foursquare Day?

Cup of Joe: Apple’s Army Wants To Dance, Will Apple Let Them?

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 09:08 PM PDT

The video above is YouTube user, iTr3vor. iTr3vor has as an odd obsession with filming himself dancing like a maniac in various Apple stores. Quite honestly I don’t get it. But, let’s face it, when the last time you had as much fun as iTr3vor apparently has in each video? It appears that many viewers and other YouTube users agree. Trevor has amassed a subscriber count close to 20,000 and a Twitter following over 3000. That is pretty good for a kid that probably doesn’t even have a driver’s license. What I’d like to know is what is Apple going to do about it? If anything at all?

Almost 4 years ago Andy mentioned the glaring realization that Apple has completely dropped the ball with social media. Even to this day Apple is completely absent on most if not all of social media websites and continues to squelch efforts in social realm. When you consider Apple’s demographic and target audience it seems as if ignoring social media would be a death wish. But it has been through the success of almost genius like branding and marketing that Apple has been able to succeed despite ignoring their user base in social media.

But just because they have done well in the past and will likely continue for the next couple of years, there is no certainty on the horizon which direction their market and company is headed. The technology space is known for rapid innovation and product development. Which is just as likely to come from an Apple competitor or unknown startup. This aversion to social media leaves Apple naked and vulnerable to perceived mediocrity and locked in a stalemate of innovation.

The truly incomprehensible part of this whole scenario lies in the huge potential Apple has in social media. It’s no secret that Apple has worked hard to market its products to creative and artistic users. Who better to inspire and cultivate in social media than brand advocates with content development skills that could potentially crush their competitors social media marketing efforts? Take for example, Coca-Cola who embraced two of their dedicated fans to help push their brand through Facebook. Apple on the other hand has a whole army of potential brand advocates that if given the chance could create an endless resource of marketing and branding material. Despite this Apple ignores them, and in some cases moves to silence them entirely.

In short: Apple, don’t ignore iTr3vor, instead put him on payroll. Because he is the future of your company, and if given the chance, the future of your brand.

March Mobile Mix: Connected Devices Up 21 Percent

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 12:17 PM PDT

It’s time for the March Mobile Mix by Millennial Media. Try saying that three times fast.

The big news is that connected devices are up 21% month-over-month. This is mostly due to the rise in tablet usage and is expected to jump up again thanks to the release of the iPad2 and Blackberry Playbook.

Looking strictly at Smartphones, Android has the biggest chunk of the pie with 48%, but the release of the Verizon iPhone pushed iOS up 11%.

And here’s an interesting fact from the report:

63% of customers surveyed said they would be less likely to buy from a company via other purchase channels if they experienced a problem conducting a mobile transaction.

Ouch. That means you’ve got one shot to get it right, so make sure you thoroughly test those shopping apps before you send them out into the world.

Speaking of apps, smartphone users downloaded more gaming apps than any other type in March. Shopping and Retail apps came in 9th, but was up 40% month-over-month. Ranked by revenue, Music and Entertainment apps came in second with Social Media apps right behind that.

We’re saying it again, folks. Mobile isn’t going away. If you’re not working on an app to support your brand, get on it. If you can work your brand into a game, then you’ll have a great shot at pulling in a whole new crop of customers.

Download the full March Mobile Mix for the cost of your email address when you click here.

Tomorrow is Officially Foursquare Day?

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 11:42 AM PDT

Tomorrow, April 16, is Foursquare Day and it’s not just the workers at the busiest location-based check-in service who say so. Mayor Bloomberg of New York City says so, as does the Mayor of Indianapolis and apparently dozens of other cities across the US.

Here’s the skinny from the Foursquare Day home page.

Foursquare Day is April 16th – because it is the 4th month, and the 4-squared day! (4/16) It's also the first “Social Media holiday” and was officially endorsed by Foursquare.com.

Foursquare Day is all about celebrating social media, but personally, I think they may be giving people the wrong impression. If it’s a “social media holiday,” doesn’t that mean you should take a break (aka a “holiday”) from social media. This whole thing could backfire on them. Imagine if everyone stopped Tweeting, updating their Facebook and checking-in for 24 hours! What a lonely planet this would be.

I love social media as much, if not more than the next guy, but if they’re going to give Foursquare an official holiday, then Twitter and Facebook deserve equal time. And while we’re at it, let’s plan a retirement party for MySpace.

Or better yet, how about an official holiday for teachers or firemen? I think they deserved to be honored a little more than Foursquare.

How will you be celebrating the world’s first “social media holiday?”