Mobile Phones, Computers, And Trends

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So we look in wonder at Mobile Phones.  They're gaming devices, they're cameras, they're electronic wallets.  Oh, and occasionally they're phones as well, when you're not texting or Twittering or throwing birds into pigs.

The mobile market seems captivating and enchanting to us as we marvel at all the things phones can do.

Well, yes, I am impressed with mobile phones, but I'm not impressed with all this functionality anymore.  Why?

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Harper’s Article on “Stopping Payment” on Homes and More

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Worth Reading: Harpers look at movements to take on banks over MERS and stop payments on loans. It's hefty reading, so it may only be for the dedicated, but I'd take a gander.

Essentially between the MERS mess people can take on the banks, it's got a bit of a movement behind it. This is reminiscent of other movements dealing with financial law, and might just combine with similar movements (anti-tax, state sovereignty, local control, etc.). It also has potential to combine with Occupy Wall Street.

It also means that the anger with the housing mess has a chance to mutate into something else, and banks have to keep up  . . . which they're not to good at.

– Steven Savage

Ocean Marketing Humiliation Roundup

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If you've followed the Ocean Marketing mess, you know about terrible customer service and bizarre idiocy spinning out of control. If not here's a summary.

Oh and the second lesson, Geico already used this on Twitter and Paul has his own cheezeburger subpage.  No he didn't ask for it, it's just there to humuliate him.

I don't believe I'm extracting professional lessons from Paul's escapade, but seriously:

  • Things can meme very fast on the internet. We know this intuitively – we just saw it in action. If you're in marketing, this is an important tool to show what not to do. Paul was an example in the extreme, but little bits of customer-hate happen all the time – this is what happens when it gets out of hand. As a PM who also works with support, trust me right now when I say support IS good marketing.
  • Paul was a moron.
  • This ability to meme fast can be and probably has/is/will be manipulated by people. Take a look at SOPA for instance, where GoDaddy got a bit "memed."
  • You must be pop-culture savvy to be involved in marketing, especially in a project related to it.
  • Yes, there is such a thing as bad publicity.  People may escape it or overcome it, but it's a real thing.

– Steven Savage