Mark Kolier’s Blog

We have what at the time was a state-of-the art (back in 2001) Sony 42 inch flat screen television. It is a complete monster – heavy, non-internet enabled and with no HDMI cables. The picture quality remains very good (to my eyes at least), but it is not the television of the future for my family or anyone else for that matter. The amazing thing is what we paid for it back in 2001 – $4,000 installed. It seemed so important at the time. Now it seems to have been overkill even if we’ve gotten more than 12 years out of it. And a larger, less-heavy (by a long way) and better resolution HDTV can be purchased for almost $3,000 less today.

Because we are doing some redecorating we need to move the television (in our new, smaller house) onto the wall as it currently is standing on a display case. It makes no sense to us to attempt to mount the ‘monster’ on the wall when it does not meet our current or future needs. Consequently we’re in the market for a new flat screen television.

In terms of watching television in 3D – I’ve never done that. In fact the only 3D ‘experience’ I’ve ever had was with Avatar which I saw in 3D (not IMAX however) in a movie theater. I enjoyed that experience but it did not exactly make me eager to run and see another movie in 3D.

I suspect that I am in good company when I note that wearing 3D glasses detracts from any movie or television watching experience. Maybe if I were watching alone it would not be as bad but the actual wearing of the glasses is a hassle.

So why would we be interested in a 3DTV? It’s not as if there’s ‘oodles’ of programming in 3D. I have often read that ‘next year’ will be the year of 3DTV. That is reminiscent of the constant chatter that ‘this will be the year for mobile communication’. The problem is that we’ve been reading and hearing about this being the year of mobile for about 4 years. It’s only now that it might actually be true in mobile. I think it could be three or four years before 3DTV has enough programming to make it worth considering.

It seems to me that 120Hz vs. 240Hz is more indicative of the choice we need to consider than 3DTV. 50 inches or something close to that seems appropriate as far as screen size goes. And it has to be fully internet capable with LCD technology.

Which brand will we buy? That’s another story but like most Americans we are looking at a budget and then evaluating the options that are contained within that budget.

If you have any suggestions please share!

Good marketers understand the value of a well-timed and relevant reminder email. Reaching a prospect or customer with a value-oriented message when they are considering a purchase decision is crucial to campaign success.

I’ve purchased flower bouquets several times over the past few years from Proflowers.com. In general I have found the site easy to use and the overall shopping experience to be good. In fact after a recent purchase of flowers that began to look shabby after only 4 days I contacted Proflowers and they made good on their guarantee by sending a replacement bouquet within a reasonable time period. Good stuff.
But the email below while well-intentioned contains a fatal error that will be difficult for you to find.

Extra 20% Off
Mark, give Mom a gift she’ll want to show off to all her friends. Order today and get an Extra 20% off* gifts over $29.

Or send Mother’s Day Spectacular with a Garden Green Vase for just $23.99 – a total savings of 52% with your Extra 20% off!

Hint: it’s not the offer or pricing. Actually the offer is a good one and the pricing seems fair. The layout is also fine, clear and not overladen with graphic elements.
Give up? The fatal flaw is that I cannot send my mother flowers for Mother’s Day since she passed away nearly seven years ago. Let’s just say that when I read the offer it did not make me feel anything but sad. I still miss my Mom and think of her every day. I will never feel the same way about Proflowers.com again.

How could Proflowers make such a stupid mistake? It’s hard to fathom. Did they send this same email to all their current/recent customers? If so there are undoubtedly many people who had the same reaction that I did. The copy could easily have been modified to capture the feeling of giving flowers on Mother’s Day. But as soon as the copy read ‘Give Mom a gift she’ll want to show off to all her friends.’ there was no way out of an embarrassment Proflowers created all on its own. Had the copy read ‘Flowers and Mother’s Day were made for each other’ or anything along those lines I would not have been put off at all. Once the email is made personal by mentioning Mom and her friends you’ve entered the twilight zone of stupid marketing.

Is it possible that Proflowers could know if my mother was alive or not? The answer is yes it’s possible but if they knew and still sent the email that makes it even worse! Chances are Proflowers had no idea of my mother’s passing – or if she had any friends or not BTW (she did but still…).
Email marketing is a profitable and important business particularly on the retention side. I find it incredible that Proflowers.com could miss the mark so badly.

Am I oversensitive here? Do you have any good stories on how a marketer tried to get personal and made a big mistake?

With current gas prices in the U.S. averaging just under $4.00/gallon (of course where I live it is more like $4.20) the customer experience of going to the gas station is an already painful one. Many of the nation’s refiners have sold off their ownership in gas stations to independent operators. While this may make sense for oil giants like Exxon-Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP, what is happening at gas stations is that the experience is not getting better for customers.

Of course the #1 thing customers would like to see at gasoline stations is lower prices. Since that’s not going to happen, and even if it did it would not be the station owners making that decision, brand loyalty to gasoline or a gasoline station is as fleeting as it’s ever been before. Since a good percentage of transactions at the gas station can be done at the pump itself the gas station is about as impersonal a retail place as can be found. I’m not longing for a return of the days of the ‘man with the Texaco Star’, who would fill your tank, wash your windshield and send you off with a smile. But there are an increasing amount of things that are so annoying at gas stations in the U.S. today.

1 – The return of a cash price vs. a credit card price. This was in vogue ten years ago and has returned with a vengeance. Given that a $4.00/gallon price of gasoline is about the highest it’s ever been credit card processing fees (3-4% most of the time) represent $0.12-$0.16/gallon. So far I have seen a $0.09 or $0.10 discount for cash payments. The stations are not even discounting the cash price equivalent to the actual savings they are realizing by not processing credit card transactions.

2 – Ads playing on the screen while you pump gas. I admit it’s a clever idea and a captive audience cannot help but be forced or drawn to watch, but after I’ve seen the same ad on the same visit for the 5th time during the same visit I am ready to scream out loud. And there’s no shutoff button like there now is in taxis in New York that play ads while you ride (another clever idea). Please let us turn off the stupid thing!

3 – No I don’t want a car wash. At the gas station I am trying to get in and out as quickly as possible (I am trying everything I can to NOT go in the store). Often I am on autopilot and in hitting yes for a receipt out of habit I have inadvertently agreed to a car wash. I am quite capable of making my own decision on when I want a car wash. And the message flashes independent of the weather. Who washes their car during a rainstorm?

4 – Not being able to print out a receipt from the pump. If you are going to have a one-stop service and allow people to pay at the pump the receipt paper roll should be changed promptly. It happens all too frequently that there is no paper in the pump receipt and then you must go inside to get one. And what a pleasant experience that is.

5 – The pump handle lock is broken. Many people like not having to hold the pump while filling their tank. Why some gas stations either don’t have this feature at all or when it is broken don’t fix it makes me nuts.

There are actually more than five but I will save those for another day when I feel the need for a rant. But I am interested in hearing if you’ve got any others aside from those above that bother you.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Technology was supposed to make things easier and among other things aid in making twenty-something’s (i.e. Gen Y denizens) achieve more, make more money and contribute faster to society. It could be argued that in some cases that has happened – think Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Mason, and the two principals of Instagram Dennis Skyros and Mike Krieger who just last week became multimillionaires. But the way I see it, far too many Gen Y’ers have become slaves to technology and devices and actually unknowingly spend a disproportionate amount of their income paying for their technology habits. I believe the need for technology and its expense is a significant contributor to college graduates returning home to live with their parents.

In order to function in today’s society people need to have access to the web, a mobile phone (preferably a smartphone), devices such as a computer or tablet to produce and consume content. When those costs are included in monthly expenses the average Gen Y’er might be surprised at the percentage of his/her monthly income that goes to feeding their technology needs. Surely some will point out how inexpensive technology can be. However can is theoretical and in practice the average Gen Y’er spends more than $100/month on technology.

For example – a new smartphone costs anywhere from $300-$500. Since people tend to replace smartphones about every two years the cost of phone purchase amortized over the two years is about $20 monthly. Mobile service costs are $ 50 or more monthly. Add in the costs of buying a tablet, or computer, any software and subscriptions, home internet service and it’s easy to see how the monthly technology costs can easily exceed $100 or more. And I’m leaving out things like cable television service since the Gen Y’ers I know have little interest in watching broadcast or cable television.

For many Americans in their twenties scrounging up $500 a month for rent is not easy. Moving to a big city doubles or triples that number. Transportation costs (subway, bus, taking care of a car with parking and insurance, rail etc.) are a factor as well. It all adds up to a number that makes subsisting on anything near the minimum wage – impossible. Even at $15/hour which is nearly double the minimum wage, thirty-five hours per week equals $2,200 before taxes.

So it is conceivable that the sum of one’s technology bills at over $100 approaches 10% of take-home pay. That’s an expense that did not exist in the 1980’s when college graduates and young people would shudder at the thought of living with their parents.

There really is not an option to live in today’s society without technology. Surely there will be those that will point out technology does not have to cost as much as I am advancing, but in my experience most people just pony up and pay the costs without really thinking too much about the long term ramifications.

It is sometimes said that city dwellers can spend one-fourth to one-third of their income on housing. Add 10% for technology to that and the total can approach 40% of income before doing anything but paying for housing and technology. It’s no wonder things are tough for Generation Y.

Agree? Disagree?

Enjoy it while you still can since the days of offering a print and digital subscription for the same price are numbered. The main reason is of course that the print subscription is so much more costly to print and distribute. Many publishers of newspapers and magazines are attempting to condition readers to the digital version of their content by offering the print subscription and tagging on the digital version as well at ‘no additional cost’.

I think people are smarter than that and realize that the print subscription is the price driver and the digital subscription is simply riding along. Remember that despite there not being anything to print or mail, there are costs associated with digital publishing. Platform hosting interfaces, programming, digital maintenance would be some examples (certainly there are more) and even the development of specific content for the digital platform is a cost.

The recent buzz about NIM (Next Issue Media http://www.nextissue.com) made me think about the future of printed vs. digital publishing. Actually I think about that all the time. NIM is an e-reading joint venture formed by five major U.S. print publishers. Due to problems with Apple’s publishing platform NIM titles will only be available on Android tablets for the moment with the promise the iPad version is coming soon. The titles are lacking as far as I (and many others feel the same) am concerned. The concept is that you pay a monthly subscription fee for full digital access for up to 30 or so publications for as little as $9.99/month. It’s a kind of Spotify or Netflix for magazine readers. It’s a really good idea that is lacking because there are so many titles which are NOT included right now.

Personally, I would much rather read long form articles in the Economist or New Yorker in the printed version. Yes I am getting over that the more that I use my Kindle Fire or iPad, but that’s to be expected from someone who grew up reading ink on paper. There are things about the printed version that I enjoy very much and cannot get in the digital version. Like having ads catch my eye for instance. The impact of a full page print ad in a printed version is much greater (to me) than a digital ad. True I cannot ‘interact’ with the printed ad as easily (even with a QR code), but the digital ad is much easier to ignore and I suspect I am far from unique in that aspect.

Another cool benefit of the printed published page is that I tend to read things I might pass up in the digital version because all I have to do is move my eye. I don’t have to click, swipe, open, view, go-back or do anything but just read it. In the digital version I don’t find myself doing that nearly as much. Do you find that to be true?

Where it’s all headed is most likely the direction of a substantial premium for the printed version and that prices for the digital versions will increase (not decrease) over time. But for now having print AND digital is the best of both worlds.

Will you miss printed published newspapers and magazines when they are a rarity or (worse?) a luxury item?