What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas-Texts Included

With four times more cell phones than PC's in the world, and over 130 BILLION texts sent monthly, it is no wonder why marketers all over are trying to capitalize on mobile phones. Between applications, SMS texting, and location-based marketing, it seems as though everyone is joining in on the mobile marketing fun.  It certainly makes sense, as people spend more times with their phones, and less with their computers, than ever before. 

This brings me to Las Vegas; a land of dreams, where every night is a weekend.  With a new club opening almost monthly, there is always a party to be found and something fun going on.  Even more, with the economic downturn, casino's need to make sure their marketing is as effective as possible.  Multiple hotels on the strip have begun to use mobile marketing to attract a larger crowd to their casino's and night clubs.  None, however, have been as successful as the Rio.

The Rio wanted to find a more direct way to connect with customers in a real-time fashion.  By informing consumers about promotions going on while they are in town, they are able to reach consumers that are physically present to partake in the events.  This campaign proves to be way more effective than a mass email to people all over the country.   The opt-in campaign allows visitors to sign up for text message notifications and coupons.  Visitors that decide they want to participate simply text the word RIO to the assigned phone number, and the customer receives text messages over the course of the next four days (the average length of stay).   The program is purposely designed so that consumers get text messages when they are in Las Vegas, and not when they are sitting at work in NYC.  If a customer decides the texts are annoying, they merely have to text the word STOP back to the same number.  Simple as that. 

The text messages alert customers about special food and drink deals, and provides them coupons to shows and performances.  By informing customers about what is going on, the Rio creates more of an awareness, and thus, a larger turnout, for may of their restaurants, clubs and shows.

The Rio decided to take their mobile marketing campaign one step further, by creating an application that can be turned on or off depending on when the customer visits the property. This allows those who want to be continually informed the option to do so.  

Many of the services offered in casinos are perishable--that is, if seats are empty, the hotels lose money.  Through their text message marketing, the Rio is able to reach consumers that are in town, and inform them about deals and shows.  This helps them to market directly to their target customer-those staying or visiting the Rio.  Many of these visitors have cell phones, and are in town looking to spend (and make) some extra money.  This SMS program texting allows them to reach their target is an extremely efficient way.

The Rio's text message marketing is extremely efficient, and the numbers prove it.  Within the first two months of the program, over 3,000 customers signed up for the texts.  Thats 3,000 informed consumers that otherwise wouldn't have been.   I believe that what makes the program so successful is that it is an option--consumers have the choice to receive the offers.  

No surprise here: MGM and New York, New York have already capitalized on the trend.  Text messaging is taking over the strip, one casino at a time.  

Social Networking..Err, Blackmailing

As much as we all love the internet, there is no denying that the line between cool and creepy is extremely thin--and getting thinner.  With technology advancing as quickly as it is, the possibilities are endless.  We can surf the web from our "smart-phones," fast-forward, rewind, and pause our favorite television shows, and even chat with friends (and strangers) from across the world.  With all this newfound freedom, it has become increasingly hard to tell just how far, is too far.  

More than ever, the Internet has made privacy nearly impossible to maintain.  With spyware, tracking, and phising, it seems like the Internet gods know EVERYTHING we do online these days.  As social networking sites like Facebook slowly take over the world, the word privacy no longer has meaning.  However, choosing to post something onto your page is one thing.  Being blackmailed or coerced into it is another.   

It was only a week ago that the Facebook scandal involving 19 year-old Anthony Stancl blew up. The disturbing story involves a Wisconsin student using Facebook as a platform to blackmail his classmates into sex. Stancl is accused as posing as a girl on Facebook and tricking more than 30 male classmates into sending him naked photos of himself, then using the photos to blackmail them for sex.  Stancl then reportedly threatened to post the photos or videos on the Internet if they didn't engage in some sort of sexual activity with him.  About 300 photos of underage males were found on his computer. 

Stancl was charged with five counts of child enticement, two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child, two counts of third-degree sexual assault, possession of child pornography, and repeated sexual assault of the same child.  The charges against Stancl leave him facing up to 300 years in prison, according to a FOX report. This is the latest in a string of concerning reports on teens committing criminal offenses involving exchanges of nude photos on the internet or via cell phone. These latest charges emphasize such dangers, and appear to point to an increasing need for parents to take an active role in addressing the issue.

Of course, like most major websites, Facebook has a link to their extensive privacy policy.  As their policy states "[We] take steps to ensure that others use information that you share on Facebook in a manner consistent with your privacy settings, but we cannot guarantee that they will follow our rule."  In addition, the policy suggests that minors ask their parents for permission before sending information about themselves to anyone over the internet, and encourages parents to teach their children about safe internet practices.  The link explains everything from what they do with your information, how they share it, who can view it, and how to protect it.  However, even with this lengthy policy, Facebook can only control so much.  The case of  Stancl demonstrates just how easy it is to misuse the site.  

As discussed in class, privacy issues on the Internet are becoming an extremely blurry topic.  It is often hard to tell what is an invasion, and what isn’t. In the case of Stancl, however, there is no denying that his actions were a complete and disgusting attack on his classmate’s privacy.  With characters like Stancl lurking on social networking sites, we must remember to proceed with caution.  Nothing that we post on the Internet is private, and many characters are not who they claim to be.  In addition, there is never a reason to send ANY naked photos to anyone, for any reason.  The bottom line is that the Internet is an open forum for anyone to do anything with any information they find or create.  Flaming and blackmailing on social sites has become an Internet epidemic.  Privacy boundaries are often crossed, and the Internet has turned into a game of “every man for themselves.”  Gear up, team. 

"The Times, They Are A-Changin'"

While it's been over forty years since Bob Dylan first uttered the now famous words, they have never been more relevant than they are today.  In this new "digital age," as people often refer to it, we are given more freedom than ever before.  With successful superstores such as Wal-Mart and Target, it is clear that our society has effectively conquered and moved past the idea of mass production and consumption.  While the above stores are able to offer low prices, they do so at the expense of uniformity.  However, our society has moved past that idea.  Like Dylan said, "The times, they are a-changin.'" Enter: Mass customization

Thanks to the internet, there is hardly anything that can't be obtained through the click of a mouse.  However, many companies have decided to take their online shops one step further by allowing us to customize our purchases.  If you've ever ordered a Dell computer, or been fortunate enough to buy a new Lexus, it is clear that mass customization is saturating our marketplace one industry at a time. 

What does this mean for us?  It means choices, thousands of them.  In economic times such as ours, this idea of mass customization is even more appealing than ever.  As we as a society become a little bit, shall I say...stingy, it has become increasingly hard for companies to get us to open up our wallets.  This idea of customization has slowly helped us to do so by allowing us to purchase what we want, how we want it.  Mass customization helps companies to satisfy our individual needs.  With hundreds of customizable products, we are given more power over what we buy than ever.  Even more, by putting the consumer at the hub of creation and design, it builds a foundation for a potentially very healthy relationship between brand and consumer, thus helping to strengthen brand loyalty.  In a marketplace such as ours, there is nothing more important than that.

Two key competitors in the athletic shoe market, Nike and Puma, each utilize a mass customization approach within an engaging digital atmosphere.  Both of these sites put the consumer in control, giving us as much or as little creative freedom as we would like.  Logging onto the Nike website, it was sleek and easy to maneuver.  I immediately saw the link for NikeiD and clicked on it to begin my first ever attempt at designing.  While waiting for the website to load I encountered their first problem.  In order t get the consumer to make a purchase, you need to make the process easy and enjoyable.  No one likes slow websites, and I must admit that had I not been directed to design a shoe for class, I probably would have logged off long before the page finally loaded.  Ten frustrating minutes later, I was able to begin my shoe design journey.  While i know that Nike knows more than I about creating an aesthetically appealing pair of sneakers, I will not deny that the freedom to choose my own colors and textures was exhilarating.   Thirty minutes and four attempts later, I came up with this:

After all the hard work, did I really have a choice?  I got out my credit card and have been anxiously awaiting their arrival ever since.  According to Nike, I'll be waiting for four weeks.  Considering all the work put into the project, the wait doesn't seem too unreasonable to me.

Next, I entered the kitchen of Mongolian BBQ to test out the puma design center.  Upon first glance, one would not think the website had anything to do with Puma, but rather, was designed for a trendy Mongolian restaurant.  While the website has the potential to be misleading and confusing, Puma maintains a consistent theme that has just the right amount of quirkiness to keep consumers interested.  The theme was engaging, and the website was certainly more user friendly.  Again, I had fun playing around with colors and design, yet this time was even more enjoyable, as the website was drastically faster.  Take a look at what I came up with in the kitchen:

This shoe may be the next big addition to my closet.  After purchasing my NikeiD, I need to put these on hold for now.  Lucky for me, Puma let me save my design for use in the future.

After playing around with two prime examples of customization, I do believe that more companies will jump onto the customization bandwagon.  The benefits to consumers are undeniable.  Putting the consumer in control allows the customers to have more say in their purchases than ever and helps to solve the problem of uniformity.  While my new Nikes are already being processed, I must admit that I found the Puma site to be more engaging and user friendly.  Both sites put me, the consumer, in control and provide thousands of options.  In today's marketplace, customization is beneficial and almost necessary to capture and maintain a client. "The times, they are a-changin," and mass customization is fueling this change.