Just when everyone thought they saw and understood the quiet contextual advertising model espoused by Google, they have done it again as reported earlier by Ajaxian. Charlene from Forrester makes the link to advertising and how Google are integrating Google Base content into search results in a highly relevant way. She further makes the point that operations such as car dealers ought to get into Google Base. Charlene Li's Blog: Google integrates classifieds into search results What this means: if you're an auto dealer or real estate agent, get your listings into Google Base. It will be a great way … Continue reading Google Base quietly moves forward

Chevrolet have had an interesting baptism of fire in trying something new online. Someone, somewhere in Cherolet Marketing department, decided a campaign that involved Tahoe drivers in creating their own commercial would be a good idea. The creative brief probably spoke of "building commiunity", and "engaging users" etc etc. The campaign, is here and the results are here. The way it works, is that the apprentice is asked to add some pre-packaged Tahoe pictures, and pre-selected music, and they stuff it together into a commercial. After you are done, I have no idea where the commercial goes, because it took … Continue reading How “not” to use internet for marketing

This paper from Selfserviceworld.com, is intriguing and captures the general trend we can all see, for ATM type machines showing up everywhere within otherwise traditional shops and stores. TheFivePromisesofSelf-Service.pdf There is a new generation of ATM like machines that are available to Banks. These machines will perform additional functions, and are only limited by the Banks' imagination and technology constraints. These ATM's can provide "assisted self service". Customers can perform the bulk of the transaction, (commercial deposit, wire transfer, purchase a draft) at the ATM, and complete with the CSR. This provides greater efficiency to the CSR team, and speed … Continue reading The promise of assisted self service

Courtesy of the USC Center for the Digital Future. Here are the results of their survey of top activities for internet users. I am impressed we made the list, let alone made #7. Got this from Mark Evans, after he saw Jeffrey Cole speak today. Wish I had caught that actually. Hope to meet Mark at MESH. He is doing a good job at promoting the new web lifestyle. The top 10 for 2005 are: e-mail general Web surfing reading news shopping entertainment news (searching and reading) seeking information about hobbies online banking medical information (searching and reading) instant messaging … Continue reading Online Banking is one of the top internet activities

Today was research (long) day, spending time with our friends at Forrester Research.  Topic was of course online banking, and how banks stacked up against each other.  Some obvious thoughts from the day:

Continue reading “Research day … phew”

The subtitle to this blog "Which banks understand the web lifestyle?" was picked deliberately. I believe that the Banks that will prosper and thrive, are those that actively and positively lever the power of internet. A general theme is evolving that will make this very hard to banks' to deal with this issue, but at the same time essential for survival.

That theme has been called, networking, community, community of interest, but it is all of those and none of them. This is a new state that we are dealing with here, as we search for known metaphors.

Management Speak – Leadership and Management – Add Your Knowledge and Share in the Wisdom of Crowds

What do the stock market, Wikipedia, Google and James Surowiecki have in common? They all believe in the wisdom of crowds.

Author James Surowieki argues in The Wisdom of Crowds that "collective wisdom" is not an oxymoron. He cites numerous instances where many
discrete decisions and inputs can create a whole that is far more accurate or powerful than anything created by just a few decisions and
inputs. The stock market is an example, where the mind-boggling number of decisions and inputs intersect to create essentially a gigantic
repository of knowledge.

Continue reading “Share in the wisdom of crowds …..”

I don't pretend to understand the technology of one part of this, but I do recognise that the potential for applications such as online banking are amazing. This is because the Bank can anticipate the users steps, and have the data/ functions ready for the user when they click. If done right this can eliminate latency; translation almost instant response to users clicks. Irish Developer Network NEWS HEADLINES – Latest Technology News & Daily Expert Tech Features for programmers, software developers and ICT professionals in Ireland The architecture relies on a view of data which is event driven on both … Continue reading Ajax, comet .. whatever; its got to be good for users

I think the connection made here to Marx is interesting. Its obviously critical to put aside ones personal views on communism, Russia, KGB and all those memories, and consider here the theory. There is a revolution taking place in marketing, and Banks are not exempt. So lets review the consumer environment first.

Web 2.0 Is Reminiscent Of Marx – CBS News

Buzzwords from the old dot.com era — like "cool," "eyeballs," or "burn rate" — have been replaced in Web 2.0 by language that is simultaneously more militant and absurd: Empowering citizen media, radically democratize, smash elitism, content redistribution, authentic community … This sociological jargon, once the preserve of the hippie counterculture, has now become the lexicon of new media capitalism.

What got me going on this, is Tara Hunt and her coined phrase Pinko Marketing here, and here, and here (coming soon).

Continue reading “Pinko Marketing, marxism and Banks – a curious mix”