New Cillit Bang product launched exclusively on Facebook
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has announced plans to sell a new Cillit Bang cleaning product exclusively through its Facebook page.
It is likely to be the first of a number of e-commerce trials by RB, as it has said that it plans to invest an extra £100m in brand building across Europe.
The Four Seasons site is beautiful, but not for disabled users
The press release announcing Four Season’s new site states that it was "thoughtfully designed...to deliver an immersive and effortless experience tailored to every user".
But shouldn't that include disabled users?
The Four Seasons site review focusing on web usability highlighted some important shortcomings in terms of the booking process and other areas, and briefly mentioned some of the accessibility issues.
Here we take a closer look at some of these and the actions that should have been taken to truly make the site available and usable to every user.
How brands lost the Super Bowl race for the second screen
Here in New York last week, digital media and advertising commentators were all talking about the role that digital and in particular, social media, was going to play during the Super Bowl TV ad breaks. With advertisers paying about $3.5 million for a slot, this has been another record year for TV ad revenue and the show was the most watched TV event in American History.
Sunday night was going to be #Hashtag-Heaven, we were told – or at least a #FacebookFrenzy, with brands falling over themselves to drive people off their 47 inch flatscreens and onto their other devices – the so-called ‘second screen’. So you’d think that the ad execs would have thought the web in all its forms - mobile, tablet and laptop - would be the place to go make sure they extended the reach and level of audience engagement worthy of such an expensive commodity.
You’d be wrong.
Experience an augmented Valentine's Day with Starbucks
Yesterday Starbucks launched their new Valentine's augmented reality (AR) cups. It's quite a clever way to get customers to not only drink their morning coffee but to buy one for a loved one.
All you need to do is download the app from Starbucks and you can "experience your valentine" as the heart on the side of the cup comes to life.
StuffPal allows users to swap books, DVDs and games via Facebook app
Continuing our covering of the collaborative consumption trend, we’ve found another example in the form of StuffPal.
This Facebook app from Los Angeles-based Loconuts is designed to facilitate the sharing of books, DVDs and video games among friends.
The future of customer service and social media: infographic
According to Zendesk's new infographic, 62% of customers are looking for more support through social media. Compare that to research by MarketTools at the end of 2011 which shows only 23% of US companies provide customer service via Facebook and 12% provide support via Twitter.
This highlights the continued divide between what customers are expecting and companies are giving.
Webcredible study strengthens case for 'social customer service'
User experience company Webcredible has conducted what it calls a ‘Twindex Review' into customer satisfaction with brands following the Christmas period.
The company looked at the top ten UK retailers according to traffic statistics from Hitwise, and analysed the last 450 replies to each retailer’s Twitter feed in the seven days after December 25th.
Three steps to keeping email marketing simple but effective
The online space has opened up creative avenues marketers could only have dreamt about.
While you’re thinking up the latest bells and whistles to make your emails stand out, consider a few simple steps that should form the building blocks of any successful campaign.
Quick wins can be gained from analysing the time you send your communications; finessing the sender address and subject line; and, most importantly, testing your messages.
PepsiCo's Bough attributes $1bn brand growth to digital
Last week PepsiCo announced that three of its brands – Brisk, Diet Mountain Dew and Starbucks ready-to-drink coffee – had each surpassed $1bn in sales per year.
Now, the company’s global head of digital B. Bonin Bough says that utilising digital media has been vital to this growth.
Alice.com raises $3.6m in funding
E-commerce upstart Alice.com announced last night that it has raised $3.6m in funding.
The company, which we reviewed in 2009, operates a marketplace through which consumers can purchase household goods, such as batteries and soap.
It recently surpassed 1m customer accounts, and last year expanded into Europe with the acquisition of Spain-based Koto.com.
