lundi 12 novembre 2012

Social Media Branding: How to Create Differentiated Products Through Reverse Innovation

Reverse innovation is a process in which low-end products are created for an emerging market but are marketed in a richer, mature market, such as the United States. Social media has created the structure for reverse innovation. Reverse innovation creates differentiated products in fast moving markets. If you have a content of any kind, be it a song, a book, a video, a product, and it is digital, it can be placed on a social media platform. If this content is attractive, desired, wanted, or needed, social media platforms can quickly make content easily available to vast numbers of people. This makes for a fast, quickly evolving market.
Reverse innovation allows an organization to adjust and keep up to the speed of this market. Social media has created platforms in which of the entire world reside in one place Social media is a content driven issue. The sheer size creates a fast-moving market. Because so many people are engaged with this product at once, the product evolves quickly. Social media is also virile---it multiplies quickly---like a virus. Reed's Law teaches that a network of just two quickly becomes 1,092. New media has created an explosion of products. Because of the sheer scale of the marketplace, branding, positioning, and differentiation are critical to marketing a product. People have to see your product as different, that it can perform acts that no other product can do. A product must be strongly differentiated to be selected in the marketplace.
To be successful in social media marketing, a marketer must know their craft. Many marketing experts feel that positioning and differentiation are the same. I feel that in a world of social media platforms and a market place exploding with new products, positioning and differentiation are two different things. Simply, you position---place---one product against another. Walking sneakers are not the same as basketball sneakers. Different products perform different things. An ultra sound at a hospital is different than a small, portable ultra sound that is used at an accident scene. Simply, consumers have to see that a product is different if is to be branded. This can be illustrated by observing how an industrial goods manufacturer, manufactured an x-ray machine for India, which evolved into a highly differentiated product for its domestic markets in the United States.
The C.E.O. of this company was appointed in 2001. He realized that the domestic and global markets his company served were mature. He realized that the only way that he could create continued high revenue streams would be opening emerging markets.
These markets had limitations in terms of income and infrastructure. He commissioned a rigorous analysis that told him that if his company adjusted products to the limitations of the emerging markets, the emerging markets could create 2 to 3 times the growth that could be expected in mature markets. The company had a large brand in health care machine products, such as x-ray machines.
How this company created strong revenue streams is a benchmark for other products. First, they listened to the people in these markets and observed how x-rays were done in these new markets. The brand engaged with its customers. There was a meeting of the minds between the engineers of the emerging markets and the home market. The engineers were able to find a compromise machine.
This happened in 2002, before social media became an important issue---but there is an analogy for us today. On a present day social media platform, the central idea is engagement. With today's platforms, the company could readily and quickly understood what the people needed. The engineers could more easily have worked together to create the compromise machine that was developed. The "comment" section on a social media platform is critical. It is here that people are telling their brands what kinds of products they need and want. The platforms create the means by which products can be quickly developed marketed. The company developed a successful product for the emerging markets of 2002, but with today's more mature social platforms, this market could have been developed a lot quicker.
In the emerging markets of China and India, the company realized that transportation to clinics and hospitals was a problem. Instead of the patients going to the machines, the machines had to go to the patients. The company developed a compact ultrasound x-ray machine which combined a regular laptop computer with sophisticated software, which was easily portable. This machine sold for less than 15% of the price for a high-end machine sold in the States. It created great profit for the company.
More importantly, the company discovered a new market for this machine in the States. It created a highly differentiated product. A portable ultrasound is critical at an accident scene. The portability created a highly differentiated product. The technology advances in software are now making this product a significant tool in medical hardware. Someday every general practitioner may carry both a stethoscope and a compact ultrasound device embedded in his or her PDA. A technology created for an emerging market has created a significant, differentiated product for the domestic market. Six years after their launch, portable ultrasounds are a $278 million global product line for this company. The market is growing at 50% to 60% a year.
Dean Hambleton
dnhambleton@gmail.com
Reverse innovation creates an example of differentiated products. Differentiated products are critical to branding. I hope that this articles helps you in creating differentiated products in branding. If you feel that I can help your company, please get in touch with me.
Dean Hambleton
dnhambleton@gmail.com
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Mixed Media Art - Pursuing Artistic Innovation

Mixed media art refers to artwork in which more than one type of material, paint or objects have been used. This could be as simple as combining magazine images with painted images or as complex as a sculptural work assembled out of many different 3-D objects. It can also refer to art in which more than one distinct style has been used. Art that combines abstract elements as well as realistic elements could be classified as mixed media art.
There is an important distinction between these artworks and "multimedia". The term multimedia art implies combining visual art with non-visual elements such as recorded sound or with elements of the other arts such as literature, drama, dance, motion graphics or music.
Many mixed media works utilize impasto and layering techniques that incorporate paint that has been altered with gel medium or aggregates such as sand or sawdust. Impasto technique uses thick paint so that the brush strokes or palette knife impressions remain as part of the art. This can be taken to an almost sculptural level by applying layers of thick paint. Mixed media can also refer to work that incorporates different styles in the same painting such as geometric sections of the painting that have differing degrees of texture or areas that utilize glitter, beads or imitation gold leaf.
Many interesting effects can be achieved. Rather than attempting to imitate physical reality exclusively, mixed media art is often imbued with symbolic meaning. In this manner, many different elements of art are combined to achieve innovative results.
Learn more about Kathleen Karlsen, an artist, writer and marketing communications specialist at http://www.kathleenkarlsenart.com/about-artist.html. See modern arts paintings, landscape paintings, floral paintings, universe paintings and an abstract art gallery on her website and learn how to buy her original art at http://www.kathleenkarlsenart.com/buy-art.html.
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Enhance Your Workplace With Innovative Office Ideas

Today, in the modern times, computer technology has made it possible for us to handle official workings while being in the limits of an office premises. Due to this fact office jobs have immensely increased and an office is required for almost every work.
With this increase of offices, comes problems related to the scenario and to solve these problems one should enhance his workplace with innovative office ideas. Initially these problems are very minor but as we ignore them they increase without showing noticeable symptoms and finally our intolerance results into major health problems. The minor health issues include problems related to muscles, joints, eye sight, mental stress etc. but in an "office of innovation" things just cannot get wrong.
First of all it is important to reconsider a few things, those things that can make a difference such as the table chair, computer's monitor, office lights etc. A table chair is what we use the most in an office, we sit in it for long hours therefore it is vital to adjust its settings according to our convenience. The two vital pointers of 'sitting correctly' in a table chair are that your feet should almost touch the floor while your arms have to construct an angle of ninety degrees while using the computer. Stretching to the ground or to a PC causes body stress and may also set off muscular strains.
Replace the chair if it is not adjustable and bring in the type that keeps your posture straight and keeps you "in" it not "on" it.
A monitor may not be the major concern for many of us but it is the key reason of nervous tensions that occur in our neck and concerns related to the eye sight. One of the best innovative office ideas is to use a screen is to place it exactly in front of eyes, so that the user does not have to look up or down for lengthy intervals. Whereas for eyes' health it is sensible to use an LCD screen, if an office cannot afford one then it is advisable for the users to mask it with an eyesight protector. Another useful tip is to keep a distance of 16 - 30 inches between the screen and your eyes.
It is true that our stress hormones are actually affected by glare. An "office of innovation" sounds like a workplace that should use modern things but in fact it is more innovative and sane to use what is cheap yet produces better results. It is scientifically proved that natural sunlight actually reduces stress as it offers full scale lighting, not only stress but it also decreases fatigue and glare while divulging good mood in the space. Therefore it is wise to use these innovative office ideas and stick with the cheap lights which will be used rarely so tie the curtains for a better change!
Sadly not all of us give utter importance to the health perspective and majority chooses to enhance the looks of their offices. If circumstances keep evolving to this mentality, one day all we will be left with will be decorations keeping the health factor disregarded. Hence it is not just a good idea but also an important duty to utilize these innovative office ideas.
If you are interested in innovative office ideas, check this web-site to learn more about innovation management process.
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Innovative Fundraising Ideas

 Are you in need of a fresh fundraising idea? If you are fundraising savvy and have a competent and enthusiastic team at your disposal you might be discovering that the usual car washes, bake sales, Monte Carlo Nights and raffles just aren't cutting it in this economy, but funds still need to be raised.
In this article we will discuss some innovative ideas that might just fit the bill for your organization. Before you can begin to plan an event to raise monies, you will mostly likely need to organize your existing resources and volunteers. To plan for success you will find it helpful to identify the abilities and talents of the volunteers at your disposal, and plan your fundraiser to utilize their strengths. An enthusiastic team of volunteers is a must have for any successful fundraiser.
Secondly you will find it necessary to establish your financial resources available in the execution of your fund raising event. Many concepts will require a healthy investment. However, there are many ways to raise money on a skeletal financial budget. For instance, if resources are limited a great way to raise funds is to organize a community clean up. Volunteers will offer to do yard clean ups such as raking leaves in fall months, or lawn mowing and weeding in the summer months, for a small donation. Another great way to raise funds on a limited budget is to utilize donation containers. Local business oftentimes will allow you to leave a donation container on countertops near the cash register. Even better some supportive business will match any funds that have been raised.
Once you have raised a fair amount of funds using the strategies listed above, you might find it possible to use some of these funds to organize larger events and activities that will in turn bring larger donations and generate higher proceeds. An innovative and unique fundraiser idea is to invest some of your proceeds in wholesale merchandise. Buying wholesale caps are a perfect fundraising method. Buying Christian baseball caps wholesale for $2.50 each and selling them for $10 each at local events and church activities is a very easy way to generate proceeds. Organizing events such as bake sales, or garage sales or A-thons where you can then sell your baseball caps is a terrific way to increase raised monies.
Fundraising for any organization takes commitment, enthusiastic volunteers and a great team of organizers. Finding items that will generate proceeds is a terrific way to increase rasied monies, during any fundraising event.
To locate wholesale caps in insignia that will suit your organization is easy to do. For instance, Christian caps are ideal for church fundraisers. Jester Hats are perfect if you are organizing a carnival fundraiser. If you want to offer a variety of caps and hats to generate proceeds, visit www.CTSwholesaleSunglasses.com today.
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