Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Pocket Bargain Finder from 1999


In 1999, a team of researchers at Accenture described what you now know as a barcode-scanning app on your phone; they called it Pocket Bargain Finder. Pocket Bargain Finder "combines the global scope of Internet shopping agents, the ease-of-input of a barcode scanner, and the portability of a PDA. The result is a convergence of electronic and physical commerce that we call augmented commerce."  In their research paper (pdf), the authors have described the potentially disruptive effects such technology would have on traditional retailers: "With consumers able to find the best price regardless of where they shop, the physical retailer is left at a distinct disadvantage."  (Related from AdLab a few years ago: The Future of Retail: Instant Price Check.)

This is apropos of the Price Check for iPhone, a new app that Amazon launched today that lets you scan barcodes, snap pictures or say the product name into it and it will show you product prices, reviews and ratings along with a big Buy On Amazon button.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MitAdvertisingLabFutureOfAdvertisingAndAdvertisingTechnology/~3/FfB2fNiB2e4/pocket-bargain-finder-from-1999.html

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How Startup Weekend Got Its Start

This crash course for would-be entrepreneurs is hard-core.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/entrepreneur/latest/~3/UjUqf9yqTZc/218104

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United Kingdom: CPI Inflation At 4.4%, RPI Inflation At 5.5%

United Kingdom?s inflation continued to accelerate in February.  The Office for National Statistics? figures showed that CPI (all item) increased 4.4% in February over a year ago, vs. 4.0% in January and 4.2% of consensus estimates.  The Retail Price Index (RPI) increased 5.5% over a year ago, fastest rate of increase in 20 years.

Source: Office for National Statistics

There are actually more bad news.  On Wednesday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce the UK Budget 2011.  Ahead of the Budget though, the February net borrowing reached �11.8 billion vs. �7.2 billion of consensus estimates despite government austerity as government?s revenue dropped and spending increase.  Inflation will mean that the government will have to borrow more than planned, which will be bad news for George Osborne.

Although inflation will certainly give more pressure to the Bank to increase interest rate in the next meeting, the CPI inflation now is still within the Bank of England?s latest Inflation Report forecast, and some members might believe that the slack within the economy will keep the inflationary pressure downward.  We will have the Bank of England MPC Minutes for February meeting tomorrow, and we should better see how the members voted in the February rate decision before guessing what would happen in the next meeting.

This article originally appeared here: United Kingdom: CPI Inflation At 4.4%, RPI Inflation At 5.5%
Also sprach Analyst - World & China Economy, Global Finance, Real Estate

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/NzL8WvfnEHU/united-kingdom-cpi-inflation-at-44-rpi-inflation-at-55-2011-3

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How Brands Must Adapt to the 'New Majority Marketplace'


This isn't a story about why brands should invest more in ethnically targeted research and marketing. The drama we're watching unfold is a much more complex one: There is a race to evolve the multicultural-marketing paradigm, and the prize is the lucrative and growing multicultural consumer marketplace.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdvertisingAge/LatestNews/~3/qqO0WB2-Bms/article.php

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Farmville For Dummies


Coming out today: 245 pages of instructions on how to "download the app and start your farm", "create your farmer avatar" and spend hours obsessively clicking on stuff.  Angela and Kyle, my hat's off to your genius. $12.50 on Amazon.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MitAdvertisingLabFutureOfAdvertisingAndAdvertisingTechnology/~3/u6njrJNHQNs/farmville-for-dummies.html

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Toothpaste Magnate Finds an Eco-Friendly Encore

Tom Chappell launches a sustainable wool comfortwear business with the same social conscience as his Tom's of Maine.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/entrepreneur/latest/~3/pbv2_nQ5LQM/219286

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Amex Centurion Statue in Farmville


Continuing to keep an eye on brands in Farmville:  American Express is letting its card holders to redeem reward points for Zynga's virtual goods (and Citi has just followed). Amex is also offering a special Centurion statue that will double the mastery for players' crops in Farmville for one week.

Previous promos in Farmville: Megamind, Farmers Insurance, McDonald's, peanuts.



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MitAdvertisingLabFutureOfAdvertisingAndAdvertisingTechnology/~3/Myqp43z5CW8/amex-centurion-statue-in-farmville.html

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What to Watch for in New York Times' Pay-Meter Experiment

The Times' effort to charge frequent visitors will undoubtedly find many takers when it goes into effect on March 28. Whether the model ultimately works, however, depends on the action at three key fronts. Here's what's worth watching.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AdvertisingAge/LatestNews/~3/dApg7iaCaIQ/article.php

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