Marketing on the Internet

My dad sent this to me today, and I thought it was pretty relavant to this class:

A USA Today article:

He jotted down some ideas and posted a blog —Strobist— to show how any beginning photographer could get beyond ordinary shots by using inexpensive, $300 flashes, just like pros.

Then the world found out about him.

Hobby now has 200,000 mostly amateur photographers as devoted readers. His site attracts 1.6 million page views a month.

“This little blog has become as big, if not bigger, than many popular photo magazines,” says Hobby, 43. “The only difference is, it’s all run by a one-person staff.”

Hobby’s experience shows how folks with a passion can find a new means of employment on the Internet. The good news: Work from home or wherever and make your own hours. The bad news: The monster always has to be fed. And there is no guarantee of success.

Hobby is eight months into his experiment to see if he can balance life and work as a blogger. He’s taking a one-year leave of absence from his job as a staff photographer at The Sun in Baltimore.

So far, he’s making more money than at The Sun. He won’t say how much, only that revenue is more than six figures, all from photographic-supply advertisers. His overhead is zero.

Strobist is hosted for free by Google, which provides blogging software. Readers post their pictures and hold discussions on a Strobist area of Yahoo’s Flickr photo website. While Hobby works at home most evenings, his days are spent at a local library. Hobby uses the library’s free Wi-Fi to cruise photo sites and keep up with the constant comments from readers.

“David has demystified flash photography,” says noted photographer Joe McNally, who has shot for National Geographic and Sports Illustrated. “Strobes are integral to photography, but there’s a great deal of mystery and fear among amateur photographers. David’s made it accessible and given solutions to people that aren’t beyond the reach of your average Joe.”

Readers range from a Utah woman looking to improve her family pictures to geeky Google engineers who became such major Strobists they flew Hobby to Google headquarters to teach lighting tips in person.

His tips are based on using light just as great artists and photographers do, to show shape and dimension. His advice is geared toward the digital photographer who advances to more expensive and versatile single-lens-reflex cameras, such as Canon’s EOS Rebel and Nikon’s D60.

Hobby recommends buying at least one accessory flash and using it off the camera — on a light stand, for instance — for better results. He shows on the site how this can be done.

The main point of Strobist is that shutterbugs don’t need to lug heavy equipment to get magazine-quality images. Small flashes, when multiplied, can produce stellar results. The beauty of the digital age is that you see results instantly and can experiment until you get it right.

Playing with light

After her husband bought her a digital SLR as a gift, Danette Holley, 44, of Sandy, Utah, sought ways to improve her photography. She stumbled onto Strobist, “And what a difference it made,” she says.

Holley now uses four Nikon flash units with her Nikon D70. Like many Strobist readers, she has a photo showcase on Flickr, where her three kids mug for the camera in various lighting situations. Her teenage son dresses up Humphrey Bogart-style, with trench coat and fedora, looking moody with rays of light across his chest. Friends’ babies are photographed with really soft light — a classic Strobist technique — as opposed to the harsh, shadowy light generally produced by SLRs’ pop-up flash.

Ken Brown, 23, of Danville, Calif., uses Flickr to showcase his pictures of classic cars, taken with just one flash and a digital SLR. The twist: He adapted one of Hobby’s tips on shooting reflective objects, such as eyeglasses. He makes a “time” exposure — the camera shutter is basically left open for about a minute — on his Canon 40D and pops the flash 10 times at different parts of the car.

“David is a great writer and really easy to read,” says Brown. “The stuff he teaches you is very simple. What he talks about can be applied to any kind of photography.”

When he began photographing cars, Brown was a security guard at Danville’s Blackhawk Museum. The museum president saw his photos and promoted him to in-house photographer. One shot, of a Mercedes, won Hobby’s year-end award for best shot of the year.

The next chapter

Hobby grew up in Florida and moved to Maryland to work for a chain of weekly newspapers as a staff photographer. He started work at The Sun in 1999. He has until August to decide whether to return. “I miss being a news photographer,” he says. “If I do go back, I would have to reprioritize the blog and post less frequently.”

He says he still hasn’t made a decision. He augments his income with teaching — he leaves Thursday for a lighting seminar in Dubai; last week, he was at a Kentucky university — and says he loves the new experiences that Strobist has afforded him.

“I have friends from all over the world now,” he says. “My readership is larger than many cities. That’s pretty heady stuff.”

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I thought this was really cool, because some average Joe just started a free blog through Google, and became a sensation in the photo world–not to mention, he is making bank off of advertisements.  It just goes to show that web 2.0 is like the lottery, you have to go into it not expecting anything, and see what happens. This dude totally won the lottery and didn’t even see it coming.

This digital age has changed many things for many industries, but I would say a lot especially for the photography industry.  Photography used to be an elitist hobby or art from its birth in the middle of the 19th century even until the more consumer friendly Kodak brownies were invented at the turn of the century….only the more wealthy people could afford a camera and its corresponding film.  The advances in technology today allows anyone and everyone to afford a camera.  In my Cultural Anthropology class we have been discussing the notions of development and third world countries–did you know that of the millions of people in India who are living poor and in huts on the side of the road that they would rather buy a cell phone than food?  That is just amazing to me…and think about how many of those cell phones have camera capabilities.  ANYONE can be a photographer.  ANYONE can afford a digital SLR…and now ANYONE can learn the techniques behind using the equipment, using flash…etc.  It is all at their fingertips–it is free to anyone who wants to learn about it.  The internet provides the outlet for the communication to occur.

So my question is–what makes me different from the average Joe out there with the same equipment I have?  I don’t know–is it the 40-some thousand dollars a year I spent learning about the history and theoretical mumbo-jumbo concerning photography and its uses in society…does that give me the heads up?  Is it the fact that I know I have a skill, and have learned how to market it, that makes me a “professional photographer?”  Is it a silly thing to try to pursue?  All parents say, “you don’t want to be an artist, they don’t make any money.”  Maybe not off the bat–sure, I wont have a salary, or a 401K, health insurance and benefits given to me..I will have to work hard for those bc I will not be associated with one corporation, one place of business..someone’s hired monkey. I guess I might struggle, but I think that is the point in life–I enjoy it, I will pursue it…and when I don’t enjoy it any longer, I suppose I will find that secure job. (I kind of went off on a rant..but this is a blog, and I think I am allowed to do that).

Back to the internet and technological advances.  Everyone now days needs images, needs art, needs graphical and computer design. People respond to these things, and people need those ‘creative’ people to make what they need to gain a clientel.  You see something cool on the internet-some ‘creative’ made it and was paid to do it.  All I have to say is-wish me luck in the future!

Case #4
Website: www.Myxertones.com

1.) Which of Chris Anderson’s principles of the free economy apply on this site. You
can find these summarized in the free pricing summary posted on our course
website.

Advertising model-When I first went to the site I was a little confused because it explicitly said that it would generate free ring tones and wallpaper for you cell phone.  When you go to the information page (“Learn”) it blatantly says:
“Almost all of the content is free, as we’re advertising supported. There are NO hidden subscription fees.”

Although, it could also be considered a labor exchange site because they encourage users to upload their content to be shared among users. So not only can you upload your own music, you can use others, as well as purchase premium content.

As I am going through the site, I cannot help but be skeptical and I am wondering now if they have some sort of agreement with Verizon, because it made me check a box if I had Verizon (I do) and they only way to get the ring tone is if I download from a URL on my cell phone-and to do that, I have to access the internet via my cell phone at either $1.00 for 24 hour access or $5.00 a month access.  So, this is turning out to be not so free for me after all.

2.) Does the organization offer both free and paid versions of its products/services? If
so, briefly explain how they differentiate these.

There is even a service that allows you to make your own ring tone (ie. A song from, say, your itunes library that you can upload to your cell phone and offer online to other myxertones users-for free.  There are charges though for ‘premium’ products-that are set by the artists themselves, such as already made ring tones of popular songs.  Those prices range from $0.99 to $2.99 per item.

Also-the website service is free-but there are the charges you incur from the texts you receive from the site as well as using the internet on your cell phone (regular price you are charged for a text on your cell plan).

I must say: this is the coolest website I have seen in a long time.  It is seriously no joke! I mean, I had to pay the $1.00 to use the internet on my cell phone, but after I did that, I didn’t have to go to the web on my phone and type in a URL each time—they were just sent to my mailbox, and I can save and use them right away.  The quality is amazing, not to mention- YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS!!!

3.) How does this organization generate revenues and profits if its primary
products/services are free?

Since this site is part of the advertising model, they use different types of offers, but they aren’t very intrusive or annoying like those annoying flashing, blinking, obnoxious ones you can get on other sites.  It is a pretty clean look.

When I signed up for the free offer, they sent me a text with a verification code to finish, and there were a few offers for products-I had to respond yes or no to before I could move on

Also, I noticed there were not an abundance of annoying ads along the side, although there is one long horizontal banner on the top, and there are one or two on the right side panel.

Website chosen: Gap.com

1.) Is this site designed primarily for task or experiential users? What strategies do
you find here to support your conclusion?

The Gap website is definitely for task oriented users because the people who are going to this site are looking for a specific thing, and their main goal is to get something done. The Gap website is like a virtual magazine and people go to it to buy goods such as clothing and accessories. Gap.com’s users are looking to solve a problem, and that problem is the issue of finding suitable fashions for their body.

From my experience on the site (I have shopped here) I find it clean in appearance and the navigation is super simple.

Beginning from the main page, the top information bar divides Gap’s clothing into their main lines: Men, Women, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity and GapBody—and when you scroll over the one you want…such as Women, you get a drop-down menu choice of petite or tall—I love this, because I am a tall woman and the fact that there is an option for their tall line really satisfies my needs:

Not only is the site organized, but the images of the jeans are very accurate and are simply labeled. Also, I am aware of where I am at all times, because the top and side info bars stay the same through the whole experience, so I can always get to where I want to be.

2.) Referring back to the principles of traffic building and search engine marketing,
summarize all of the strategies you find this organization employing on their site
to facilitate organic or paid search results. Be thorough in your analysis.

When it comes to grabbing attention-Gap already had their attention as a successful clothing store well before Web 2.0 took over. So, their domain name choice fits-it is simple, easy to remember: www.gap.com. If they had done something like www.thegap.com it would be more confusing and not as successful in my opinion just because it is so not necessary.

The search engine marketing for gap is not very organic-it is more direct. People seem to be aware of Gap and what they offer and go directly to their site. Although, since they are part of a house of brands-their sister stores are Banana Republic and Old Navy-when certain keywords are searched online such as “clothes” gap will come up on the first page—and if Gap is not found first, and one of the sister stores is-on every site at the very top are links to each other’s sites:

They obviously don’t rely too heavily on search engine marketing because their meta tags are pretty vague and when I google search them, they are barely on the first page-but when “gap” is searched, it is a sponsored link and comes up first. Also, Its title tags are very clear-and this is important because when “gap” is searched on google, it’s link is very clean and to the point:

Gap is really known for their mass media advertising such as through their commercials and print ads. Currently they are well known for their RED ads:

Their commercials are known for being clean and they incorporate the celebrity spokesperson—I would say majority of their money for advertising goes towards print and television:

Wow, ok, so believe it or not-there is no domain name for www.jjignotz.com, but there is a  www.ignotz.com. totally weird! And it is the most random site ever.  The home page consists of three images: a photo camera, video tape, and a video recorder.  When you click on them it just takes you to a blank site-no rhyme or reason really.  Right now I have a website… www.jjignotzphotodesign.com.  I think this was stupid, now that I think about it.  I am thinking about changing it to just www.jjignotz.com -clean, simple. I am just hesitant, because I already have been marketing my site with business cards and word or mouth.  I suppose I would have to put a post on my site now, directing people to the new site–for a few months at least.  Dang.

Do you maybe have any suggestions for me?

Check out my site!

so, while I was gone, I blogged about my experience…not on wordpress but for Fuse magazine, Ithaca’s prospective student magazine.  If you go to it, you can see images and videos about my experience in Florida while I worked for Dan Howell and the House of Wu!

enjoy!

http://fuse.ithaca.edu/blogs/real_world_experience/

1.) Compare and contrast the approach used by the two companies to offer consumers customized athletic shoes.

From visiting both Puma and Nike’s homepages, I find that Nike’s site offers a more noticeable customization offer. Nike’s homepage is straight forward, clean, and user friendly. You notice their customization offer right away, because there is an informational icon saying, “CUSTOMIZE your gear” directly below the main video streaming. You don’t have to look around for this option-like on Puma’s homepage. When I went to www.puma.com I was reluctant to search around for the customization link. I only knew that there was an option of customization because I was told so in this case study. If I had gone to this site on my own, it would have taken me a while to figure out that “Mongolian BBQ” was the catchy title for the option of creating your own shoe. And, when I finally found the icon saying “Mongolian BBQ,” I clicked on it, and it only gave me a description of the feature, and didn’t take me to the site. I had to actually google search “puma Mongolian bbq” to take me to their launch window. I found this process draining, and I was not really interested anymore.

I found NikeiD to be clear, simple, to the point and the look stayed within the Nike’s branding image; it didn’t diverge from the look of the rest of their site. As for Puma, I feel like they really went out on a limb to make their customization option to be catchy and story-like. Puma stayed within this theme of Mongolian BBQ the entire time, and also gave you an option to have an almost video gaming experience in building your own shoe. This seemed pretty cool in the beginning because it was an experience in itself, but got tiring and confusing after a while, so they had a simpler version, which more resembled what NikeiD was doing. They seemed to share the same interface.

From creating my shoes, I found that NikeiD offered much more variety in shoe styles to start from. Puma only had two styles you could customize. Also, NikeiD allowed me to personalize my shoes with my initials, or even my favorite school’s logo or mascot. Puma didn’t have an option like this.

After I created my shoe at NikeiD, I had the option to create a ‘locker’ where I could save my shoe and create various other ones. I also had the option to turn that shoe into personalized wallpaper for my computer, which I could choose from several graphics to place my shoe on, as a piece of art. Puma only had a shopping cart to hold my shoe in for purchase.

2.) Analyze first-hand the customer experience on each of their websites. Which company is using technology to create the best customer experience?

From my personal experience with the two sites, I found NikeiD to be fun, user friendly, and it made me feel like I was the artist creating the shoe, which in turn, was a piece of art. It was an interactive experience, and I liked how they made it feel like this was a special experience. Their wallpaper and locker options were very cool, and appealed to me. Also, being able to see what the shoe looked like (at the angle of my choice) instantly when I chose a different color or pattern was gratifying.
I found that Puma’s site was confusing and went out on a limb with the theme of Mongolina BBQ. I didn’t really understand the relevancy of this idea to shoes. After reading the description I sort of understood the theory behind the cuisine and the comparison between creativity in food making with making shoes. Once I finally found their launch window, I initially liked this idea. It was interactive, and it was like a video game. I got to choose a style of shoe from a menu, and read about how shoes are made, and I even got to stand in a faux Chinese buffet from which I could choose colors and patterns. This was cool, and then got old really fast. It was hard, and quite a process to keep doing this to build a shoe. Also, the shoe was not a shoe, but rather the pattern of a shoe, which got really confusing. I liked the instant gratification of seeing the shoe and then see it change when I picked a color or pattern.

I think Nike was smart in making this option simple, fun, interactive, easy to find, and easy to use. Puma had an interesting idea, but didn’t quite execute it successfully. I think a huge downfall was that they didn’t have a direct link from their homepage-or at least one that was easy to find, because I couldn’t figure it out. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I am comparable in intelligence to an average consumer who is visiting these sites. Also, I feel like Puma should have played up, or explained their Mongolian BBQ cuisine more fully and much more clear.

3.) Build and save a custom she on one of these sites that you will be able to share with the rest of the class. Can you design the coolest shoe?