It has been estimated that in the first weekend since its introduction Apple would sell 4 million iPhone4S phones; the only forecasted hurdle would be ensuring supply/availability of the product would meet the expected demand.  Then came a collective sigh of disappointment from the technophiles and early adopters who closely monitor development of new gadgets.  It turned out that there was quite a bit of downgrading of iPhone4S sales estimates attributed to its lack of major enhancements from the current iPhone4.

We thought it would be fun to take a look at other new technology products and examine how their launch sales fared in the early days after their introduction.  Some of these new products have been tremendously successful, but it is also amusing to look at those that did not quite live up to expectations.

Recent technology introductions initial sales results:

2011-2012 Broadcast Season – early disappointments:

Reminder of some product misfires:

What does this mean for marketers?  Obviously it takes more than company reputation to gain and sustain public interest in your products.  Products must live up to the hype, provide a positive user experience and of course, be supported by impactful creative and well targeted media plans developed to introduce these new products to the marketplace through the most appropriate channels.

In a recent New York Times article, Mickey Meece describes her news consumption routine: pick up the paper, toss it on the table with intentions to read later, get the news on her iPad instead. She lists out her regular rotation of news sources, which are different than mine and probably different than yours as well. Unlike the days when everyone received the same newspaper and without the myriad additional sources available online, our consumption of printed news is becoming more instant, customizable, and as a result, more segmented.

But this comes at a price. Not only for the newspaper industry feeling the pressure from an ever increasingly digital world, but also for the consumer. Meece points out numerous news aggregating apps for tablets that were created as a way to access all the information a newshound could want, all in one place and exactly how you want it…if you’re willing to work for it. Until the day when apps can read our minds and know what we want, we still have to go through the manual labor of telling the app to build something full of must reads while leaving out the clutter.

Is it worth it to today’s ever-on-the-go consumer though? We could be content to sit back and have the news companies deliver to us, either physically or electronically, the stories their editors deem important enough to print and simply pick and choose which sections we want to take in. Or we could be proactive and use those electronic sources to become our own editors to get precisely the newspaper we want, thus becoming more engaged and empowered readers.

These one stop shops are not only a convenient way to gather all of our favorite news sources and content sections, it should also be a way for advertisers to conveniently target interested consumers. Yet while sampling 5 of the aggregating apps Meece mentions, I was not served a single ad unless I clicked through a headline to read the story on the source website. A lack of ads seems such a waste since I am consciously handing the apps my interests along with my attention. The increasing customization available through these apps will benefit consumers as well as advertisers, if only they’re willing to put in the effort.

This debuted earlier in the week but still worth viewing. The PayPal show what future-shopping might look like their their new payment platforms.

The options include everything from “bump” payments and transfers where consumers need only bump their phones to transfer funds to the always popular QR code check-out.

As part of their integrated campaign in support of the company’s 2012 Versa Seda model, Nissan is leveraging a previously widely unexploited Apple iAd feature to help deliver the campaigns’ young, tech savvy target consumer.

The Versa iAd utilizes gyro technology–offered on the iPad and iPhone–to allow the user to take in a 360-degree view of the car as they pan their device to the left or right while viewing the ad.  True to its name, the iAd also offers elements of jazzy interaction to the experience: when a viewer shakes their phone, for example, the people in the ad will put on different hats. 

A classy convergence of technology and targeting!

Talk about a back fire. Only one month into the company split of Netflix (into Netflix – Streaming and Qwikster – DVD’s), the once skyrocketing video entertainment powerhouse has lost over 1 million subscribers. Also, they have employed a more than backwards business strategy. Netflix CEO is effectively eliminating his core business prospects from the funnel, making it more difficult to convert new users. If Netflix remained as just Netflix, cross selling opportunities or possibily upselling opportunities would have remained from DVD to Streaming. Now, a user of Netflix DVD is automatically enrolled in Qwikster DVD, not only losing brand loyalists, but also making it more complex to be signed up for both services. Two companies. Two contracts. Too many issues. Without the brand Netflix for the DVD business, there is an increased concerned that users will become brand agnostic and switch to a different provider.

Check out the articles here

Yesterday Google released their Wallet app, a handy tool they originally announced back in May.  The app makes your phone a quick and easy means to pay for virtually anything payable by credit card and provides an answer to the George Costanza wallet.  Google Wallet is made possible through a partnership with Citi, MasterCard, Sprint and First Data.  Currently, it is only available to Citi Mastercard holders as well as holders of the Google Prepaid Card (fundable through any “existing plastic credit card”).

Google’s goal is to make it possible to add all payment cards to Google Wallet, and as a thank you to early adopters, it is offering a $10 free bonus to the Google Prepaid Card when users set it up in Google Wallet before the end of 2011.

Read more…

Rather than succumb to the supposed print-killing tablet, newspapers are trying to figure out how to make the device work to their advantage. Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, and Los Angeles Times among others, is currently rumored to be developing a tablet device of their very own.

According to a CNN article, the tablet will reportedly operate on a version of Google’s Android operating system, feature software customized to local newspapers, and include other functions expected of tablet devices such as downloading apps, playing games and surfing the internet. Tribune wants to give the tablet to consumers for free (or at very low cost) in exchange for an extended 2-year subscription to their paper.

Whether people choose to take this offer will likely depend on the technical specs of the Tribune’s tablet compared to powerful computing devices like the iPad. Price points are sure to also be a factor. Counting the estimated price for a 2-year subscription as the cost of a “free” Tribune tablet and using the aforementioned newspapers as examples, the price comparison is as follows:

*Software providing total access to digital copy of full paper, not an app. Price from Barnes & Noble Nook store.

Since this device release is still in the rumor phase, it is unclear whether Tribune would charge the extended subscribers the same price they do now or move to the digital price to entice customers. Consumers will no doubt be aware that a digital copy will greatly reduce printing, distributing and other costs for the paper and expect to see those savings passed on to them.

The Philadelphia Media Network will begin testing their own tablet promotion this week by providing 5,000 discounted tablets preloaded with three newspaper apps and three sponsors: Comcast, Wells Fargo, and Main Line Health, a regional hospital network. If this trend continues, Apple may see a new wave of tablets in the marketplace starting to encroach on its overwhelming share of the tablet pie. After all, why would someone need to purchase a $500 iPad when they can get a comparable multi-functional device by simply extending a subscription to their local newspaper?

Because newspapers depend on advertising as well as newsstand sales for their revenue stream, these new tablet devices offer an opportunity for advertisers to get creative. Imagine placing an interactive ad for a clothing store in the style section of a digital newspaper. Consumers can have the opportunity to browse and get information about featured articles of clothing then easily connect over to the store website to make a purchase. Moving from print to a digital medium encourages ads to be interactive and engaging, improving the consumer’s experience with the brand. Whether it will be because of Tribune and other newspaper companies, or the organic move of content to tablets, if the reader is present, advertisers need to be there to engage with them.

Yahoo’s summary ouster of CEO Carol Bartz this past Tuesday was quite a surprise in more ways than one.  From a big picture perspective though, the news should not really come as a surprise aside from the way in which it was delivered;  Ms. Bartz was reportedly notified of her termination via phone call from Chairman Roy Bostock.

It was not long ago we wrote of the Yahoo and Bing search alliance then presided over by the newly minted Bartz, (September 2009 to be exact).  Her “vision [was to position Yahoo at] the center of people’s lives online” as well as to better address Google’s increasing search marketshare.  Her goal at the time was to shift the company’s focus to their bread and butter, content and display advertising.  The company was losing traction and focus even back then, which coincidentally precipitated shareholders’ ugly dismissal of co-founder and former CEO Jerry Yang.  Quantcast’s rough estimates show Yahoo traffic nose-diving in July 2010, but flapping and fluttering downward from as early as 2008.

Yahoo was once the big fish in the industry, but has struggled to find its identity the past several years.  Is it a technology company, a media property, a search engine, or what?  Corporate direction?  The answer to this question is always the responsibility of the CEO, and as such the failure to find it incurs the blame.  Both Jerry Yang and Carol Bartz are immensely intelligent and talented people, but both seemed unable to find the compass needed to direct Yahoo, and therefore, they failed.  Should they really take the blame though?

It certainly can be no consolation for shareholders to see existing CFO, Timothy Morse, assume the position of interim chief executive (not to take anything away from the man himself).  He will reportedly lead a team of 5 senior executives in the management of the company.  Yahoo is also considering a possible divestment of Asian holdings to right the ship.

Today Google acquired Zagat, the trusted and influential source for consumer-survey based reviews.  According to Google’s blog, Google plans to collaborate with Zagat “to bring the power of Google search and Google Maps to their products and users, and to bring their  innovation, trusted reputation and wealth of experience to our users.”

The partnership between the two strong brands seems to be a great fit.  By combining their resources and platforms the two companies are able to offer new ways for consumers to express their opinions and make informed decisions.  I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for a Zagat rated restaurant on Google Maps next time I’m looking for some good eats in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

Sleek, shiny, and circular. Apple’s design for their new headquarters fits the company’s aesthetics perfectly. And with a 1,000-seat auditorium, Steve Jobs will have a prime setting for his spectacular presentations.  Aiming to be environmentally friendly, the 175-acre Apple Campus 2 will heavily feature shrubbery and plants around the building with a park at the center. The proliferation of glass walls will also help promote natural light. Did I mention that the plan incorporates an on-site power plant as well?

While the plan is still pending approval by the Cupertino City Council, keep in mind that Jobs is the city’s biggest taxpayer. Even if he doesn’t get everything outlined in the current plan, he will probably come close. For more details and photos, visit this site.