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Apple introduced the new iPhone 6 and it comes along the possibility to pay with “Apple Pay”. You just put your finger on the fingerprint reader to pay. Although the idea of paying with a phone is nothing new, see for example Windows Phone or BlackBerry, Apple revolutionised the idea. Whereas other devices sill request codes in order to pay, with an iPhone you just need to put your finger on the fingerprint, and you´re done. So using this possibility is obviously timesaving. Apple claims that is it safe simply because a fingerprint is unique and no one else can fake it.

However, I still doubt that this method is safe. There were so many new inventions already, which claimed that they are safe and cannot be hacked but after a while exactly that happened; they got hacked. And I think although a fingerprint is unique, hackers nowadays are so smart they just need some time to figure out how to hack it without using your fingerprint. Besides, for me the idea of paying with my phone is odd probably because it is a new invention. And especially older generations, who still go to the bank itself to check their bank accounts, will not make use of this service; they are not even doing online-banking.

So let me know what you think. Would you use this opportunity? Do you have any concerns regarding privacy issues?

Reference:

http://money.cnn.com/2014/09/10/technology/security/apple-pay/index.html

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After reading this weeks literature, and especially “For Mobile Devices, Think Apps, Not Ads” by Sunil Gupta, I asked myself how to attract consumers to download/purchase apps? The article suggests that mobile usage increases and the best way to reach people is to develop an app instead of spamming consumers with display ads.

So I started searching and came across several websites. They mostly talk about the same tips, which should increase app awareness and downloads, namely:

• App description; use keywords and publish in common languages
• Get sponsorship in order to market your app
• Create a website, which explains the app in detail
• Publish videos about the usage
• Submit it to review sites
• Promote your app on social media platforms
• Blog about your app

Then I thought about my own behaviour and I have to say that none of those tips actually result in downloading an app. I just have a few apps on my phone, and I downloaded most of them because of recommendations by friends or because I used the service already through my computer, e.g. dictionary.

So I want to know whether I am just an exception or if your behavior is similar? Do you read app descriptions or reviews on the Internet and download the app afterwards? Do you check the app charts and download the most famous ones?

References:

http://mobiledevices.about.com/od/marketingapps/tp/Iphone-App-Marketing-10-Ways-To-Increase-User-Downloads.htm

How to Increase App Downloads

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/tips-to-increase-app-downloads/

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The Internet and the growing usage of mobile devices offer new marketing and advertisement possibilities. Here, consumers are not passive anymore but can take action. Therefore, it is important to listen to consumers needs and understand their behaviour in order to use social media tools effectively. There are four reasons (4C´s) why people use social media:

1. Connections
2. Creation
3. Consumption
4. Control.

The right usage of social media results not only in a positive ROI and the accomplishment of long-term goals but more importantly it tackles awareness, enables engagement and word-of-mouth.

The same applies to mobile application software. Companies should release an app. Apps are valued for their functionality and consumer like them, whereas ads portrayed in apps are disliked. It is important to distinguish five strategies. An app should either

1. Add convenience
2. Offer unique values
3. Provide social value
4. Offer incentives
5. Or entertain.

While reading the assigned literature, I wondered whether those strategies apply for both B2C and B2B marketers. The authors of the articles I read (Swani, Brown, & Milne, 2015; Conlin, 2014) state that both businesses should use social media in the same way, mainly to increase brand loyalty, awareness, reputation, engagement, customer relationships, sales and profitability. They discuss several points, which are necessary to follow. Companies need to

• balance functional and emotional relevance,
• use social media as a communication platform not as a selling tool,
• personalize not only their products but also their online content,
• add visuals,
• come up with creative and innovate campaigns.

I analysed two companies, based on the literature, namely General Electrics and BMW. I chose those companies because GE is a B2B and BMW is a B2C company.

Surprisingly, GE´s online presence is better than the one by BMW. GE uses nearly every social media channel and uses the diverse features and strengths for their advantage. While doing it, they still publish a cohesive message. Through the various channels, GE tries to humanize the brand. The company comes up with innovative ways to interact with the consumer, such as the #6SecondScience Fair campaign, which allows people to upload their own science experiments. BMW on the other hand has a very standardized Facebook page, and the posts seem repetitive. Nevertheless, it provides apps, wherein users can experience the product and the feelings that it provides. The main difference between those two companies is that GE actually tries to interact with the consumer, e.g. answering questions and responds to posts whereas BMW hardly every responds.

I think that BMW has already such a large fan community that it puts less effort into its social media channels, whereas GE ‘just’ started to get in contact with the end consumer.

What do you think of this topic? Do you know companies who are doing a good/bad job? Do you think that companies with a certain fan base can lay back or do they even need more promotion?

References:

Conlon, G. (2014). Are B2B & B2C marketing really all that different? Direct Marketing News. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1549544975/abstract?accountid=13598

Frink, W. (2014, April 8). How 122-Year-Old General Electric Is Killing It on Social Media. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232918

Heine, C. (2013, Oct. 4). GE Gets 30% Better Returns Through Smart Content Marketing: CMO Beth Comstock on her brand’s five-year comeback. Adweek. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ge-gets-30-better-returns-through-smart-content-marketing-152946

Moth, D. (2013, May 16). How BMW uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://econsultancy.com/blog/62741-how-bmw-uses-facebook-twitter-pinterest-and-google#i.3m1nzx1doxfmcp

Swani, K., Browns, B. P., & Milne, G. R. (2014). Should tweets differ for B2B and B2C? And analysis of fortune 500 companies’ Twitter communications. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(5). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019850114000492#

http://www.ge-mcs.com/en/mobile-application.html