Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly V2 i1
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The hospitality industry is leveraging social, local and mobile (SoLoMo) technologies to enrich the customer experience. Hotels are using mobile apps to allow customers to book rooms, access loyalty programs, search for recipes from executive chefs, and get recommendations for nearby places. They are also using Facebook for marketing campaigns, collecting customer stories, and running contests. Experience apps on iPads in hotel rooms provide integrated luxury experiences by controlling room settings and placing food orders. SoLoMo initiatives are spreading customer experiences and generating customer data to increase loyalty and promotions.
![Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1
keep the reader interested, to create a
feeling of curiosity about what happens
next. Usually, this is in the form of the
main character having a problem to solve
or a desire to accomplish something.
The problem may not appear huge to us
as adults, but is important to the child.
The story should have a clear beginning,
climax and a satisfying resolution.
Creating age-appropriate content is
harder than one might think. The story
and illustrations should resonate with
the child’s world, not look at it. Things
or situations that adults may find “cute”
are a part of reality to the child. This also
means that the text should sounds well
when read aloud, the words have to flow
and sound lyrical or rhyming while being
fun and playful. The meter should be
regular to enhance the rhyme.
In terms of aesthetics, the artwork should
be authentic, with illustrations that are
clean, high contrast and integrated well
with the text. The visuals have to make
sense within the framework of the story
and not be independent of it. Interactive
either from existing books, new books iSuppli revealed that there are about 50 Quality Content visuals shouldn’t take away from the
or stories that are rendered directly million tablets in circulation worldwide story or play a distractive role. Image-
into apps. and there will be over 150 million in This is the first, most important part of heavy books in general lend themselves
circulation by the end of 2012. any children’s book or book app. Without
Greenfield also quotes Michel Kripalani, content, all the bells and whistles would
president of Oceanhouse: “You can build With over 30,000 titles the market for have no meaning. They are important,
a product and submit it to Apple and ten children’s apps is crowded, and getting but they need to be used within the
days later – after approval [Apple will worse. To make a children’s book app framework of the content. Every
not sell an app in its store if it does not stand out takes a lot of understanding. children’s book app absolutely must
meet certain technical requirements] – Creating picture book apps for children have a good stand-alone story. This is
you’re available for sale,” said Kripalani. is extremely hard. Creating great picture why apps that started out as book make
“All of a sudden, they’ve created this book apps for children is even harder. better apps because the story can stand
environment that anyone who is able to Great picture books are simple, yet well- on its own without without relying on the
gather the technical and marketing skills done. This makes them look easy, but bells and whistles to make it look pretty.
is able to build a publishing house.” they are not. It is even more important If the story and illustrations can come
when a picture book becomes a picture alive on paper, it is very likely going to
His article mentions that about 7.4% of book app. White quality, age-appropriate make a good app.
children’s books sold in the first three content is hard to create, the execution
quarters of 2011 were digital (excluding of the content into an app in transmedia A story needs to have good
young adult titles), according to Bowker, keeping in mind very young children is characterization; characters that the
a company that tracks the book industry. quite another task altogether. There are child can relate to - other children,
That compares with 13.5% across all 4 areas that need attention. animals, inanimate objects the child is
book publishing segments over the familiar with that are personified, etc.
same period. A recent report by IHS Besides that, the story needs tension to
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Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly V2 i1
- 1. STQ Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Games Marketers Social TV and the Social Office (Should) Play Future of Online Spaces Media
- 2. Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 rte logy Tec ial Soc Qua hno rly 4 STQ 8 se ha 12 rc Pu to o M n Overview tio Lo ira So sp 27 g In in Welcome to the new look Social Technology Quarterly. m ct co ne The Social Technology Quarterly is a research 36 Be on ia publication from Kuliza focused on helping brands ns ed C is M to ry leverage the latest research and trends in social media ig e 41 st g in pa da llin du and social technologies. nl ar te In O m l S ry y of ha to ta it 46 a al re The Social Technology Quarterly has been a reflection of us al S C up it tu G sp Fu Kuliza’s passion and evangelism for social technologies. Ka isu ya Ho 51 e V The new look and design of the magazine is a reflection da th nt e th ar nd of the impact design can have on products. ow lS a es hi H ha V ps us T Ac iti al Ap This issue showcases how various industry verticals Ka ci i fit un So ok u raf like hospitality, banking and fitness are leveraging social Bo m nd G technologies for smarter campaigns, communities and s Ku e om n’ a tiv re commerce. It also provides marketing insights from the e l dy ra rn a ld ci C in bo hi So world of social games and storytelling. An la C ol ai on at C By re rm g C ps ia in We hope you enjoy the all new Social Technology G d om ee yr D nk Ap i s s an ce ha ke Ba C r Quarterly! al nd pa lic m lS a m ts Br ci D h ya t M ks ai ha e S So ia er Pa ha M dB irc c h Th an ce M Offi W d it Team Kuliza ee t w e d, An C Vi al aj u M it o om ja Am oci ic ne G chi it ks S in y R ed ng am nt A g ay :O re ati Ag a es ya G Fa e nl e Sw M up in of ti ar t e St ke a th pa e or te H es rs AR (S on E ho th ul e d) H ig Pl h ay St re et 16 20 24 2 3
- 3. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 sources. Images have an uncanny ability to take control of shared interests, and it is doing that in big numbers. This is a person’s time in an instant and lead them down a path why Pinterest provides the ideal platform for brands to connect that they didn’t intend taking. They are also the most shared with a community of existing or potential customers who are Visual assets on the social web. passionate about things that relate to a brand’s core values. So if a business runs a lawn-care center, for instance, they A number of image-based platforms like Visualy, Instagram, would want to engage with people who are pinning pictures Storytelling and SlideShare have already made a strong statement of landscaping. about how visual content can impact business results. The introduction of Facebook’s timeline in September 2011 has to Connect further exaggerated the impact of visuals. A recent addition Leveraging Pinterest to this list of image-based social platforms is Pinterest. The platform has witnessed phenomenal growth and brands are The simple and obvious approach is to use Pinterest to create rapidly adopting it to connect with their customers. a new board of your products, adding descriptions and prices Inspiration to to the images, and making sure they link back to your website. The objective of this article is to provide some insights Brands can then start tracking pinterest.com as a referral source into how brands can leverage Pinterest as a platform in their website’s analytics. This approach may get brands some Purchase to understand and engage with their customers through initial traction and one more platform to source traffic from, but it effective visual storytelling. may not pay any major dividends in the long run. Campaigns Businesses should not try to just pin pictures of all their What Makes Pinterest Tick products, but should pin images that capture a lifestyle, by Kaushal Sarda passion or cause that forms the essence of their brand. This is because there is something really magical about sharing one’s dream with strangers on the social web, and especially when it is visual. As the images that represent the brand’s Brands are using Pinterest to engage in vision get re-pinned onto other people’s boards, an emotional meaningful ways with their customers. connection that stems from sharing a common journey or purpose is established. Brands that share this level of intimate exposure will cultivate a meaningful and impactful presence We all know that stories provide a great way to reach out on Pinterest as well as lay the groundwork for a thriving to people and create an instant connection. Storytelling is community. They will also forge genuine connections while an ancient and effective way of communicating a message emotionally triggering consumer loyalty. that is clear and relatable. It is no surprise brands have been leveraging this tool to create impactful campaigns. Infographic Credit: Flowtown Let’s now look at some ways brands have used Pinterest in meaningful ways to engage with their customers. In order for a brand to market itself effectively in the era of social it really needs to connect deeply with its target audience Pinterest is a pinboard-style, social sharing website around Create value or community. It must have a narrative that clearly articulates photos. The service allows users to create and manage theme- Brands should look to offer helpful advice and useful ideas its core values, captures the attention of that community, based collections of images. The site’s mission statement is that their followers would find valuable and create boards that creates value, and makes them emotionally invested. to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they showcase the lifestyle the brand represents. Illustration Credit: Edd Cross find interesting.” It launched as a closed beta in March 2010. Brands are now trying to augment their ability to tell a great On August 16, 2011, Time magazine listed Pinterest in its “50 Cooking Light, one of the early stars on Pinterest, created a and consistent story. They are providing customers with Best Websites of 2011” article. In December 2011, the site series of boards that featured timely holiday recipes, seasonal tools to contribute and share stories through technology became one of the top 10 largest social network services, menu ideas and how-to cooking techniques, along with DIY advancements in real-time communication, on social according to Hitwise data, with 11 million total visits per week. projects and kitchen resources. Lowe’s Pinterest presence platforms, location based services, and with augmented It now drives more referral traffic to retailers than LinkedIn, has around 25 boards that span topics like family projects, reality tools. YouTube, and Google Plus combined. craft ideas, decorating ideas for the home and other home- improvement-themed boards. Whole Foods, one of the first The rise of visual storytelling as a means of spreading a 04 What is exciting about Pinterest is that site illustrates the food brands on Pinterest, features boards on gardening, marketing message seems to be the direction in which the evolution from the “social graph” to the “interest graph”. What recycling and fitness. world of online marketing is heading. Images, presentations, and infographics are shared with ease, attracting thousands that means is that it is creating a shift from friend-based of views and sending huge volumes of traffic to their original networks to networks that connect people based on their 4 5
- 4. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Saveur magazine created a dinner party pinboard contest, asking pinners to build a dream dinner party on their own boards using at least three recipes from Saveur.com. Participants were asked to tag pins with #saveur and #dinnerparty to help extend the reach. The winning board was brought to life in the print edition of Saveur. French car maker Peugeot’s Panama unit recently ran a contest that awarded fans who completed a Pinterest puzzle. The brand’s Pinterest profile featured images of cars running over two or more boards. In each case, a board was missing. To get the missing pieces, fans Pinterest Board: McDonald’s Olympic Games History had to go to Peugeot Panama’s Facebook Page or website. Influencer engagement Thought leadershop Brands can create collaborative boards that allow external B2B businesses should look at Pinterest to share resources, Pinterest Board: Cooking Light pinners to contribute. It’s a way to engage and recognize content and ideas that help drive interest and opinions in their a few of their top evangelists or favorite pinners. America’s industry that will in turn lead to bolstering their position as an Test Kitchen created several boards focused on projects that expert. Spredfast has a board up on social media management feature pins from contributors – from homemade gifts to slow- Tell stories where they share anything and everything related to helping cooker recipes. GSD&M created a visual guidebook for surviving SXSW 2012 social brands get ideas for social programs. and used Pinterest to make the survival story come to life. Community engagement / Capturing customer stories This also ensured all the information they wanted to share Pinterest provides brands with a great way to not only share but was easily available in one place. also learn about their customer community. Pinterest allows businesses to understand trends and styles the community likes based on engagement (i.e. likes and repins). Panera asks its followers to share their favorite pairing (like soup and salad) using the hashtag #youpicktwo. A board was dedicated to these creative pairings. Dunkin Donuts asks users to share what they’re drinking and how they’re “running on Dunkin.” Pinterest Board: Spredfast Takeaway The aim of this article is to aid brands in leveraging the true Pinterest Board: GSD&M potential of Pinterest and find new ways to use the platform to deliver their story with more vigor and strengthen connections Engage through context with and within their customer communities. Brands can create “pin and win it” contests to encourage customers to share their inspirations and drive engagement Pinterest Board: Dunkin Donuts around their creations. Bringing offline events to life About Kaushal Sarda Brands can leverage Pinterest to bring their offline activities to life by creating photos and video footage of events. Technology evangelist, serial Chobani, a Greek yogurt, brand’s boards highlight the entrepreneur, Chief Evangelist travails of the CHOmobile as it canvasses the country. at Kuliza, advisor to HashCube. Cabot Creamery showcases farm families that are a part of Writes on commerce and CRM. the Vermont cooperative and McDonald’s has a Pinterest board dedicated to the building of its first Olympic park Twitter: @ksarda Pinterest Board: Saveur Dinner Party restaurant in London. 6 7
- 5. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 leadership with a mobile app. The app allows customers to iPad application to recommend wines to its customers. search and create recipes prepared by executive chefs of the hotel and share them with their network. Similarly, the hotel’s How the ‘Concierge Insider Guide’ application recommends places to visit, video tours and provides inside tips. Hospitality Industry is Becoming SoLoMo Facebook campaigns and F-commerce apps Hotels are very aggressive in their use of the social network for marketing and sales. Many have experimented with Facebook Campaigns applications to share customer stories and experiences to facilitate word of mouth. Holiday Inn uses this concept to by Achintya Gupta Crowne Plaza and Hotel Indigo use their mobile applications to collect and showcase stories of customer travel using their facilitate room bookings and loyalty programs. Customers can Stay Social application. Similarly, Hilton uses its Facebook book rooms with their mobile phones, redeem points for stays application - Hilton Stories - to get customer feedback and and get their entire loyalty program managed with a single market research. Hilton also ran a Facebook contest for music Social, local and mobile initiatives are application. The Hilton, Choice Hotels and the Marriot also have lovers where the application asked participant to submit stories enriching customer experience. similar mobile applications for discovering interesting resorts of musical adventures and the most popular entry voted for by across locations, booking reservations and managing reward fans won a trip to Grammy’s. Over the years, the hospitality industry has thrived on word points. Accor Hotels has further gamified this experience by of mouth and expert referrals for its promotions. Since hotels integrating their mobile application with Facebook Places. are all about the experience, no ad campaign can replace the With this application, users can check into Accor hotels to earn ability a customer’s word-of-mouth has to increase numbers points and unlock exclusive badges and rewards. and loyalty. However, today there is a major shift among hotels to social technologies for their abilities to enrich customer Experience applications experience, spread customer experience through trustworthy Social technologies have enabled businesses to enrich their channels, and generate customer centric data. customers’ experience with high-end experience applications. Hotels that provide customers luxury experiences are using In this article we have tried to illustrate how hotels are using such high-end experience applications to build fascinating stays. social, mobile and local channels for customer engagement, loyalty, promotion and data. New York’s Plaza hotel provides an integrated luxury Photo Credit: eGlobal Travel Media experience with iPads. Each room has an iPad that can With so many consumers on Facebook hotels have begun to be used to control room temperature and lighting, order use the social network for direct sales. Hotels like Super8, Hotels room service, request wake up calls, and avail of concierge Hotel Indigo and Home2Suites are using Facebook for services. Similarly, the St. Regis E-Butler application gives Mobile apps reservations and bookings. Here, however, most of the the guest access to communicate with chefs and receive With their consumers increasingly moving to smartphones, applications limit themselves to providing an interface for recommendations for food, restaurants and sites worth visiting some of the largest hotel groups are building mobile booking and taking the customer to the hotel website when from city celebrities and experts. applications to enable mobile transactions, push deals, reward they click on the search button. We think these hotels will 08 loyalty, and offer concierge services on mobile phones. Many other hotels are jumping into this race to craft memorable move to a 100% Facebook transaction experience (like Best experiences for customers using applications. For example, buy and 1-800 Flowers) to address customers who do not The Intercontinental Hotel Group’s Kitchen Cookbook is an the Holiday Inn has equipped its concierges with iPads to want to leave Facebook for transactions. There is also the excellent example of promoting the brand’s gourmet thought provide better guides of hotels and Naples Tomato uses an possibility of viewing other people’s interactions with the hotel 8 9
- 6. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 on Facebook, like publishing what the users’ friends have balance called ‘The Business Balance’. The Four Seasons a fascinating campaign in New York City, where consumers local space displays how social tools can be used to enrich said about the hotel (across various channels), how many of has a foodie community called ‘Four Seasons Foodies’ and could interact, dance and move with Disney characters on the customer experiences, spread consumer stories and provide their friends ‘like’ the hotel, and how many used its services the Sheraton has an online community where customers can TV screen. In the past, Disney has built more social campaigns great service. It comes as no surprise that so many hospitality in the past. share their stories of travel and living. like the ‘let the memories begin’ campaign, where they asked businesses are experimenting in this space. users to submit and vote for their favourite Disney memories, Blogs and online communities and an advocacy program, ‘InsidEARS’, where they asked The most fascinating thing about blogs is the diversity of parents to advise others on their Disney visits. ways they can be leveraged to engage one’s audience and market one’s offerings. Hotels are using blogs to target various marketing strategies. The Marriott has built a blog About Achintya Gupta based press room for quick and social news publishing. The hotel chain is also using blogs for thought leadership in the hospitality industry. They have a CEO’s blog and expert blogs Marketing enthusiast and Brand on food, fitness, wellness and travel. Renaissance Hotels Manager at Kuliza. Writes on social and Courtyard Hotels (both managed by the Marriott) have media marketing. moved a step ahead in creating blog based communities. Renaissance Hotels manage the RLife blog that focuses Twitter: @achintya85 on lifestyle, luxury, travel and experience and the Courtyard Hotels manages the Connections blog which is essentially a blog based travel community. Other hotel chains like the Social media campaigns Four Seasons are using blogs to engage people with families Apart from building social platforms for marketing, hotels also around travel. Their well designed blog - Have Family Will use social channels such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook Travel - publishes information on having fun with families on for creative campaigns. For example, the Hilton’s potential Airports vacations and outings. guests can watch videos of its Caribbean hotels and get video Many airports have tried to woo their SoLoMo consumers with tours on the Hilton’s YouTube channel. The Hyatt provides their mobile applications to aid their airport visits. Copenhagen Twitter concierge services with the sole objective of helping airport built an augmented reality mobile application to people in their travel queries. The Hyatt’s guests can also guide travellers across the airport. The mobile application check in with their mobile phones and simply pick up keys from helps you search for and locate various places and review the front desk. Similarly Accor Hotels launched the ‘A-Club customer ratings in a very user friendly way. Heathrow’s social media project’ where their social media team conducted mobile application helps travellers get instant access to all the research on their customers’ open social media conversations information they need for air travel. Using this application they (tweets, blog posts) of their customers. Based on the research can check live flight updates, book long-stay car parking, view they treated customers with surprise gifts on their next arrival. interactive terminal maps, see shop and restaurant listings, check flight timetables, and view city guides. A while ago, Other businesses in the hospitality industry, such as theme Bangalore Airport ran a social media ideation campaign where parks and airports, have launched very interesting initiatives it asked its customers for ideas on how can they make their in the social and mobile space that the hotel industry can gain airport experience better. Other airports like Gatwick are using inspiration from. When it comes to engaging one’s target audience, nothing channels like blogs and Twitter to solve customer queries and works better than online communities. Online communities help them in their airport travel. succeed in providing a very high engagement quotient to Theme Parks members, like the ability to generate profiles, connect with The hospitality industry initiatives in the social, mobile and the audience, find friends and connections among like- Theme parks have a lot to teach us when it comes to using minded people, and gain recognition among a community of technologies to boost consumer experience. Many water people with similar passions. These are some areas where parks like the Great Wolf Resort are using RFID wristbands to blogs fail. Therefore, the world’s leading hotels have created allow users to post their pictures on social networks during the communities for a niche target audience around lifestyle, course of their stay. Some are even using wrist bands to help interests and passions. Wyndham has a community for customers post status updates while in the park. Other theme women travellers - ‘Women on their way’ - for travelling tips, parks are using augmented reality to create great experiences. advice and conversations. Marriott has a very active travel In South Korea, a complete 4D theme park has been built with community for members of its rewards program. Similarly, Kinect and RFID. The theme park allows users to become a Embassy Hotels has a customer community around work-life part of a 4D adventure. Disney, too, used AR tools to create 10 11
- 7. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 3 We are going to witness a major 4 The user interface of the TV is going convergence of television and mobile to feel more and more like mobile platforms. With the introduction platforms, complete with on demand of different television features like content, games, and media apps. There Social TV and streaming devices, streaming services, has been an acceleration in this trend on-demand viewing, and custom apps because of initiatives by companies like there are more ways to watch TV than Google, Samsung, and Apple. 6 ever before. This may create a strong the Future of demand for a one stop-destination for users to plan their entertainment. Online Media 5 The social aspect is being thoroughly integrated into the entire production Campaigns process of a show. This bottom up, super participatory approach will certainly by Kaushal Sarda have an impact on the way some news Users are using web connectivity and shows are produced. access to smartphones and tablets to Eight ways that social technology is going to revolutionize supplement their TV experiences via television and online media. the second screen. This trend is now becoming mass market in the USA. The 1 second screen provides a means to make TV content engaging, personalized and trigger conversations amongst 7 the audience community, adding an extra element to the experience of just 2 watching a show. The ‘click’ paradigm from the PC and TV era is being replaced by the ‘touch’ Photo Credit: 88 Media paradigm. The mass adoption of tablets 8 and smartphones will require media Social ratings will augment traditional companies to make their content aligned rating systems like Nielson’s ratings. to the touch experience. Companies Social gestures are transitioning from It will provide unfiltered focus-group are achieving this by partnering explicit shares and likes to frictionless like insights based on social feedback Photo Credit: with touch content aggregators like sharing. With Facebook’s open graph that audiences are providing while Jectaspecta Flipboard, coming up with their own API it has become possible to build apps watching TV. We may see more advances in ‘push’ touch magazine-like experiences using that share information about what users based media consumption. This is publishing tools like Adobe Publisher are watching, reading, or listening to where personalized media content that for native apps and Mobstac for html5 on their profile pages. The Washington may be specific to the user’s current based apps. Post’s social reader app is a great location is pushed for consumption example of this trend. However, media using technologies like NFC. companies need to be aware of privacy issues when building such apps. 12 12 Photo Credit: Future Tech Life 13
- 8. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 3. Miso Top Miso has evolved social What we like 4 TV to beyond check-ins. This app enables the They create a community creation of communities on by providing a publishing the second screen which platform to anyone - networks, can create long lasting Miso’s superfans, bloggers, engagements and deepen comedians and, potentially, relations between the celebrities, regardless networks and their audience. of their association with a show. This year they Social TV 2. Shazam Photo Credit: Mac Talk launched “SideShows”. This is an interactive content Apps Shazam is identification an mobile audio app. experience on users’ that iPhones plays while It uses a mobile phone’s they watch TV to deepen microphone to gather a brief engagement with the second sample of audio being played screen. It varies from and provides information on characters’ back stories to the album or artists in the information on guest stars, case of music. The app also fashion, history facts, trivia caters to TV ads providing and quotes. brands with an opportunity to Photo Credit: Deviant Art take advantage of Shazam’s ‘second screen’ experience 1. GetGlue to provide their consumers What we like with additional product The app provides an 4. Zeebox About: GetGlue is platform information or give them opportunity to transform that allows users to “check- an easy and fast point-of- TV ads from being about Zeebox acts as an electronic What we like in” to television shows, interest retail experience in awareness to being more program guide, weighted They are focused on books, and movies that real time. interactive, personalized, by what your friends or providing the three key things they are watching using a and engaging. anyone is watching. They will users need when watching website, mobile website, or soon introduce interactive TV: getting information a device-specific application. social payments and voting about what they see on TV, Checked-in users are features into the social TV ability to buy products they entitled to receive points, app, allowing users to buy see on TV in real-time, and earn virtual stickers, receive what they see on screen, and have access to links to new Photo Credit: Serendipity recommendations, and earn also vote for a contestant in episodes. Susan Photo Credit: Analogfolk discounts for entertainment their favorite TV talent shows. companies. What we like The app provides a way to create a connection with and amongst the audience and create a framework for recognizing and rewarding loyal fans. 14 15
- 9. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Each disruption in retail redefined customer expectations and Why is this Trend Happening? reimagined what retail is. Retailers that have survived thus far are the ones who adapted their format and offerings. The next We think this trend is the start of the integration of online and major disruption will be the integration of the mobile internet physical stores. Some of the reasons that it is occurring are: and the in-store experience of shopping. This is not just typical e-commerce with stores competing on price or convenience 1. People value experience and engagement with Clicks Meet for shoppers, but is about commerce becoming social. other people Shopping has always been a social experience, but now As the pace of technology change accelerates we value online and brick-and-mortar retailers are leveraging people’s and find comfort and security in the familiar: human contact. Technologies and apps that are scaling are ones that ease Bricks: Online social graph to add a social layer to aid product discovery, promote products and deals, and assist purchase decisions. transactions and encourage interaction between people. Until Facebook is at the forefront of this disruption with social recently, the common experience when purchasing a product plugins that add a social later to retail sites, enabling retailers is for customers to wait in a queue until they arrive at the cash Stores on the to push personalized recommendations, and using Facebook register and the wall between the buyer and seller. However, Deals to add a social layer to brick and mortar stores. Apple have broken this barrier and made the process a much more seamless part of the interaction between people with High Street One trend that is emerging as social commerce evolves and the the purchase completed on a modified iPod Touch. The integration of the mobile internet and the in-store experience focus of their stores is to build relationships and try to make of shopping continues, is the establishment of physical stores people’s lives better. Commerce by online retailers. This is reversing the previous trend of retailers establishing an online presence, either through The eyewear retailer Warby Parker initially launched by Diarmaid Byrne as an e-commerce site only, but quickly started offering their own e-commerce site or on Facebook. Having either an e-commerce site or a physical store appears to be no longer appointments to customers to sample their frames in their an option. Retailers see the advantage of trying to perfectly office. Later they partnered with a number of boutiques for integrate the advantage of physical and online stores to people try their frames. However, in both cases shoppers still Online stores are adapting their online- had to purchase online. More recently they decided to open a satisfy customers and their changing shopping habits as their only strategy and opening brick and mortar 2,500 square foot shop. They see a retail presence as having lifestyle becomes more influenced by mobile technology. In stores. 4 advantages: his Harvard Business Review article, The Future of Shopping, Darrell Rigby outlined the advantages of online and physical stores that retailers are trying to leverage: “First, our customers wanted it. Second, it allows us to build A Brief History of Retail close personal relationships with customers by meeting Advantages of online stores: them, which you don’t get from an online transaction. The retail industry has experienced a number of major • Rich product information Third, the showrooms act as learning laboratories, and disruptions in its history. The first large stores developed from • Customer reviews and tips help us to create ways to make shopping for glasses smaller general stores through the late 18th and early 19th • Editorial content and advice online easier based on how we see people behaving centuries. The first purpose built department store was opened • Social engagement and two-way dialogue physically in-person. Fourth, the stores are a great in Dublin, Ireland, in 1853. Compact and centralized cities of the • Broadest selection training opportunity for our staff. When they’ve served 19th and early 20th centuries, with public transport converging • Convenient and fast checkout people in our showrooms, they do a better job helping on the city center, were ideal for the growth of department • Price comparison and special deals customers who need assistance by phone or over email.” stores. As they were among the first large retailers they pioneered store design that is still common today. However, • Convenience of anything, anytime, anywhere access Photo Credit: Britannica Warby Parker is not the only online store to have established mass-produced cars and new suburbs changed the structure Advantages of physical stores: a physical presence. eBay and the Gilt Groupe both recently of cities, and shopping malls with specialty retailers challenged • Edited assortment opened pop-up stores. eBay opened stores in New York, San city center department stores. The next phase of disruption • Shopping as an event and an experience Francisco and London in December 2011 to display products from the 1960s undermined traditional malls as discount chains • Ability to test, try on, or experience products available online, with digital shop windows that included scan- like Wal-Mart and big-box stores like Home Depot grew. • Personal help from caring associates able price tags. The next major disruption began in the mid 1990s during the • Convenient returns • Instant access to products Anecdotal evidence of this preference for human contact while first dot-com boom. Internet start-ups like Amazon.com and 16 • Help with initial setup or ongoing repairs shopping is the growth of farmer’s markets and the rise of food Pets.com rushed to establish and scale their services as • Instant gratification of all senses truck movements. While the growth can also be contributed to investors gambled billions on the growth of online shopping. the better understanding of the value of eating locally grown However, the bubble burst in 2000 and wiped out most of the seasonal food, both also offer a far more personal experience first wave of e-commerce retailers. 16 17
- 10. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 In recent years loyalty programs have become a far more An Apple store is more than a place to buy an Apple product. References powerful tool for tracking purchasing patterns. Tesco uses As Ron Johnson, the former Senior VP for retail at Apple, said, their Clubcard program to track which stores customers visit, a store has: Alistair Barr, Amazon retail stores to reportedly open in what they buy and how they pay. This has allowed them to Seattle, Washington, Huffington Post, February 6, 2012 adjust store products for local tastes and customize offerings “got to help people enrich their lives. If the store just based on what people usually buy and what they are likely to fulfills a specific product need, it’s not creating new B. Joseph Pine and James H. Gilmore, The Experience also buy; for example, customer data analysis discovered that types of value for the consumer. It’s transacting. Any Economy, 1999 people who buy diapers for the first time are also likely to buy website can do that. But if a store can help shoppers beer because new fathers spend less time in pubs. With the find outfits that make them feel better about themselves, Darrell Rigby, The Future of Shopping, Harvard Business proliferation of smart phones and native apps, retailers are for instance, or introduce them to a new device that can Review, December 2011 now able to know when a customer enters a store, leverage change the way they communicate, the store is adding Photo Credit: Business Week their knowledge about him or her, and push relevant content value beyond simply providing merchandise. The stores Gardiner Morse and Ron Johnson, Retail isn’t broken. Stores based on their data. that can do that will take the lead.” are, Harvard Business Review, December 2011 than the typical supermarket or restaurant. The importance here is that stores need to move from ifoAppleStore.com, Revealed: Retail stores’ handheld POS 2. The app economy Reimagine Stores being focused on transactions to creating value for their device, February 4, 2010 Spending money is a stressful experience. Customers customers. The role of an Apple sales associate is not to want to make sure they are buying the best, most suitable Physical stores have suffered at the hands of commerce sell the customer a product, but to help the customer find a Peter Merholz, The Future of Retail? Look to its past, HBR Blog product at the best price. Online stores have been able to companies. Their response to slowing growth has been to product that is right for them. Network, December 12, 2011 satisfy this psychological need by providing detailed product cut costs and service, losing any differentiation they had. The information, product reviews and feedback, broad selection, result has been more customers shopping online. However, While Apple doesn’t maximize customer data in-store, there Paul Chaney, Social commerce platform overview: Shopkick, price comparisons, deals, and convenience. With apps such retailers should view their stores as an asset rather than a are hints of how this integration will look from how retailers - mobile commerce on steroids, Social Commerce Today, as PriceGrabber and Amazon Mobile customers can find all liability. Customers want the advantages of physical stores: use apps such as Foursquare and Shopkick. The idea behind November 14, 2011 this information while in a store. Indeed, electronic stores the ability to test products, shopping as an experience, each of these is similar: reward a customer with special offers have essentially become showrooms for online retailers as personal assistance and instant gratification. These are for repeat visits. In the case of Shopkick, there are a number Susan Berfield, Hip Eyewear: Warby Parker’s new spectacles, customers browse the aisles but buy from online stores for a elements that online stores can’t provide. But customers also of features that bring the benefits of the online store to the Business Week, June 30, 2011 cheaper price. want the personalization and other elements of their digital physical store: store integrated with their physical store. Technomic, Food trucks have staying power, says Technomic, This situation is perpetuated by the fact that many retailers • The retailer is alerted once a customer enters the store July 18, 2011 still view their stores’ primary purpose as transactional: they A successful case study in the utilization of a physical store • Customers receive membership points, deals and offers stock products they think customers want, create awareness and the need for human interaction is Apple, so successful from the retailer as they enter the store United States Department of Agriculture, Farmers markets of what is in the store and make it easy for customers to indeed that Amazon are due to also open retail stores to • It provides information instantly to customers, allowing them and local food marketing, August 8, 2011 buy. However, this transactional experience is the same showcase their electronics products. Apple has a good online to make better informed decisions experience that the customer has when shopping online, store, but reimagined the purpose of a physical store to add but more expensive, less convenient and probably more value to the shopping experience that emphasises human Additionally, the app helps drive foot traffic to the store as time-consuming. While people value the human experience, interactions in a way that online sites never can. They may users can see participating stores nearby, and it encourages technology has advanced sufficiently to bring some of the not have integrated the digital and physical, but they made loyalty with incentives to visit and browse products in stores. About Diarmaid Byrne elements of an online store into the physical store, such as them complementary. It is another way for stores to communicate with customers if browsing reviews, recommendations, alternative products they are in the vicinity or as they enter the store. and prices from apps. Retailers instead need to re-imagine Psychologist, interested in social the store concept so that customers view it as a place to behaviours and behaviour change and. The important thing is that using a service like Shopkick on its purchase rather than a place to window shop. Chief People Officer at Kuliza. Writes on own won’t differentiate a retailer forever. It will involve the type communities and commerce. of engagement that services like Shopkick and Tesco’s loyalty 3. Leveraging online features in-store card offer with the value creation of a shopping experience Online stores allow retailers to capture more information Twitter: @diarmaidb in a store like Apple. The retailer who manages to integrate about their customers than was previously possible with the virtual store and the physical store to create value for traditional membership programs and offer deals that they customers will be the leader in the next phase of retail. were more likely to be interested in. Amazon was one of the first retailers to develop such predictive next best offers (NBOs), better recognized by the familiar “people who bought this also bought that”. Photo Credit: Camillo Miller 18 19
- 11. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 a pen and paper to take orders. before pausing to observe and orient again. When information is becoming ubiquitous, such companies are likely to dominate The ritual of ordering two Sinful Choco Rocks, along with a the world in the future. chocolate walnut cake, which is supposed to be shared, is done with quickly. With the product delivered, the couple spends the next 2 hours lost in each other, oblivious to the world around What is a HARE? them. The only companion during the two hours is the mobile phone that is used to tweet about things they are talking about A company that moves fast like a hare uses honest, actionable, and to post pictures of them on Facebook. The guy also sends real-time and efficient feedback from its customers to take key an SMS once to a short-code displayed on the menu saying, business decisions and outrun its competition. ‘love ambience staff coffee, ouch walnut cake, overall 7/10’. Honest The store manager gets an SMS on her mobile that registers An honest feedback is one that is naturally initiated by the The Coming the customer’s ‘ouch’ feedback of the poor quality walnut cake served in her store. It turns out that the cake was 24 hours old, which got mixed up with fresh supplies and should not have customer without being under the prying eyes of a customer rep, who may have been incentivized to collect feedback and hence may even have selected the customer before prodding Age of the HARE been served. The couple is immediately offered an apology and for feedback. The act of prodding leads to customer stress as replacement for the product. The restaurant is ready to deliver a he / she must prioritize time to fill the form and may even feel near perfect experience to the next customer. frustrated if the feedback form is too long or needs too much Commerce information (‘These guys don’t value my time?’). An honest The customer, who did not spend more than 20 seconds feedback is valuable since it reflects the genuine act of a by Anand and Vijay Rayapati sending the SMS feedback, gets a coupon code on his mobile. customer’s own self-interest in relationship with the brand. It fetches him a 10% discount at the time of billing. The couple leaves the restaurant holding each other’s hand. This is a 10/10 Here are the different ways in which the customer’s self-interest experience from their perspective. may play out: How businesses can make smart use of technology to transform their feedback The management of the café chain looks at aggregate and Love this: ‘I wish they did this on my next visit too!’ system. store-wise love / ouch ratio every day and provides assistance / Or ouch X: ‘I hope this never happened to any customer inputs to each store manager to ensure that the ratio improves. (including myself)’ They are looking to achieve a love / ouch ratio of 0.995, at Military strategist and fighter pilot John Boyd broke down the which point they will truly be selling an experience and not just A positive brand response to honest feedback invariably causes process of observing and reacting into something he called coffee beans. the customer to say, ‘wow, they actually acted on it. I’ll love to an Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) loop. To win he talk to them again.’ realized that you need to observe circumstances, orient yourself to the enemy’s way of thinking and the environment, decide on The Coming Age of the HARE Actionable a course of action, and then act on it. The essence of feedback is that it will be acted upon. The A hare is a very interesting animal. At 45 miles per hour, it customer time is well-spent giving feedback only if the standards moves fast and can not only outrun most predators but also are bettered next time. Hence the insights from the feedback Selling an Experience and not Coffee Beans outfox them by taking a zig-zag path tailored to the landscape. need to be actionable and should help the business improve When in reconnaissance mode, it stops and collects feedback with each input. A couple on a date walks into the best coffee shop in town. As after every few hops, with its extraordinary sense of smell and they walk in, they take note of the ambience and the mood- sound. The inputs allow it to quickly hop on to the next nut or Real-time uplifting smell of the brewing coffee. The whole environment herb that keeps the animal nourished and nimble all day. If the management does not respond to feedback fast enough makes them look forward to the good time they are likely to that the organizational response is visible to the customer. have together. The guy clicks and tweets a picture saying ‘wow, In the digital age of information overload, companies will The basic contract between the feedback giver and receiver walking into the best coffee house in the town’. need a similar ability to quickly observe, orient and act to beat is broken. A real-time feedback ensures that time between competitions and win in the marketplace. The quality of their feedback and response is minimal. Soon a smartly dressed waiter arrives and hands over the actions will depend upon the speed and accuracy of insights menu with a warm smile. He senses the couple’s need for 20 obtained in the observation phase. Efficient privacy and moves away, waiting for the signal to be asked to Finally, the feedback must be collected with minimal cost take orders. The signal, which is nothing more than a couple of A company that acts like a hare uses the right feedback system to the organization and friction for the user. If it takes lots of glances away by the girl, breaking the small-talk between the to make quick progress and hop a few milestones really quickly paperwork, transport, data entry and analysis to come up with couple is enough for the experienced waiter to come back with 20 21
- 12. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 an insight, chances are that by the time the insight is obtained, All that the customer would need to do is tap the phone against References it is no longer actionable or honest. another nearby device, calibrate a few responses and then transfer the data back to the device. Like text, this medium Alistair Croll, The Feedback Economy, O’Reilley Radar, Just as sound waves lose strength with distance travelled, would be quick and efficient with the customer spending less January 4, 2012 inefficiently collected feedback will reduce in quality as it travels than 20-30 seconds on providing feedback. through organizational layers. It is unlikely to be respected by Near Field Communication, Wikipedia the senior management for making key decisions, even though they may continue with the practice of collecting feedback as The Universal Language of Feedback one of many useful listening devices. However, the outcome will not be very effective, as in the case of a partially deaf person It is very important that a universal language of feedback who makes every effort to listen to what is being communicated is established in order to collect feedback efficiently, train and gesticulates animatedly for every word that sounds familiar. users across industries on feedback method, and establish a About Anand standardized method of analysis that is actionable. Multiple choice questions can be completely eliminated in favor of ‘love’ CEO at Kuliza. Writes on startups, How Technology Enables a HARE? Photo Credit: Gadget Feel or ‘ouch’ responses with respect to brand attributes and service entrepreneurship and social commerce. quality. In the new language of feedback, a typical data point for Convergence of social, location and mobile technologies Tribe the airline industry would look like: Twitter: @anand_kuliza has the potential to transform the way feedback is collected This medium is suitable for brands that have already invested and responded to within organizations. The new medium on social media to create fan followings. Their fans, who spend love food, leg space, staff significantly reduces friction for customers as customers are considerable time on Facebook, may find it easier to converse ouch the check-in system: the self-check in machines were uniquely identifiable and do not always need to fill long forms with them on Facebook as well as share brand experiences out of order with personal details. with their friends. When distilled in the language of feedback, all feedback giving Any feedback received by the new media can be instantly Again the success depends on not bogging users with long, will be a breeze. About Vijay Rayapati processed and provided to local, mid-level and senior boring forms but collecting feedback in a way that is simple and executives in an actionable format. Some of the technology quick (<30s) or highly engaging (1-3 minutes), depending upon CTO at Kuliza. Writes on cloud and solutions mentioned below eliminate the middleman (sales the purpose. This can be made into a rewarding experience When to Reward the Customer? startups. rep), reduce friction (are completed in less 30 seconds) and for consumers who take out time to provide valuable insights makes it easy for feedback to travel through organizational on what they love about the brand or what they would like to For a loyal customer, improvement in customer service itself Twitter: @amnigos layers efficiently and instantly. change. is a reward. It is wrong to assume that customers must always be bribed into providing feedback. However, an incentive does help a customer form a habit of giving feedback, provided the Text Near field communication act of giving feedback is frictionless. Once the habit is formed SMS or text is underrated. However, just as radio made a While telepathy of the brain may take some more time to and it is effortless, the customer is likely to provide feedback comeback in the age of television, text is getting bigger by become possible, it is probably the best way to converse with to the business often and the brand gets more opportunities to the day for certain applications in the age of smartphones. It least friction. We should thus use the next best thing called near form lasting bonds. certainly has all the great attributes of a super feedback medium: field communication capability in mobile phones, which can low friction, simple to use, non-intrusive, instant response, low transfer data simply by tapping devices with each other. cost and universal reach. A customer who is simply interested A Success Story in conversing with the brand can do so in less than 20 seconds. Txtweb, an SMS based app platform, which was established in 2010, formed bonds with its end users early and engaged their Touch active users on SMS through text campaigns. User feedback Touch mediums such as iPads, tablets or surface devices from each campaign was collected and campaigns were are suitable for high-end luxury brands that want to create an calibrated within days to increase stickiness and get users into element of play through innovative use of audio visuals. The a positive virtuous cycle of using the system again. Active users customer is drawn to the interface because of curiosity, learns were cultivated and the data was used to create a group of and evaluates certain brand attributes, and leaves with a good energized and excited customers who would then market the frictionless experience. A user may spend 1-3 minutes on this platform virally. TxtWeb’s user base grew rapidly and it became medium but the time is well spent if there are new things to a large text-based appstore with millions of active users and learn about the brand. close to half-a-million users using the service every day. 22 23
- 13. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 gaming - that is using some brilliant psychological tactics to tactic helped Webkinz open 6 million online accounts in earn revenues. This article will focus on the psychological 2007 and become one of the most popular massive multi tactics that marketers can learn from social games. player online games. Earn on exclusivity and inorganic growth Guitar Hero, a music based video game, uses elements of The tactic that earned Zynga a revenue of $600 million music from the real world to simulate the player’s journey is simple, effective. Zynga games like Farmville, Cityville, into a virtual world of rock bands, musical concerts and Hidden Chronically, Fishville, and Castleville are built around performances. Wii Fit makes is players exercise and burn different setups where the player simulates the life and calories in the real world while they accomplish task and play Games adventures of different people or professions like that of a games in the virtual world. farmer (for Farmville), city mayor (for Cityville), emperor (for Castleville), or owner of a mysterious manor (for Hidden Chronicles). Players are given quests and tasks to solve and Marketers move up in the game. The most interesting thing here is that players, who play for free, will either need their friend’s help to solve quests, bringing more people to the game, or they will (Should) Play need to pay to move fast. As the players’ engagement with the game increases over time, so does the urge to solve the quest and move faster, even if that means paying a small amount of Commerce money. Players can also receive exclusive virtual items like buildings for their Cityville city, or special weapons for their by Achintya Gupta mafia, if they are ready to spend real cash. Game makers have succeeded in integrating elements of Marketing tactics that social games teach us. the real and virtual world to increase demand and sales of their games. Another great example of this tactic is Fantasy Marketers and brand managers often find themselves Football, where players manage teams of professional football trying to understand consumer psychology at the point of players and compete with each other based on points earned purchase. What is a customer thinking about when he picks on the footballers’ real game performance. The interesting up a product (or a competitors’ product)? How much time do question here is can such tactics be used outside games. Can shoppers contemplate before putting the product into their offline purchases of apparel or gadgets have online identities shopping cart? What emotions is the brand generating at or be plugged into a user’s existing online identity? Can the back of his mind? What is he thinking about when he buying clothes from a particular apparel brand automatically chooses to spend money? When is the right moment for a get one’s ‘sim’ new clothes on Sims Social or buying food from brand to push a product? an organic food brand increase sales price of one’s crop on Farmville? In the times when businesses are increasingly moving towards Over the years marketers have come across many such using gamification in their business models, tactics like these Earn on powering customer aspirations questions and came up with answers that you see everywhere. can do wonders. Businesses are already gamifying their Products have been traditionally marketed with the promise Photo Credit: Zynga When we finish shopping and take our cart to the payment loyalty programs, marketing campaigns, ecommerce sites, of helping customers achieve their aspirations. They have counter we are met with chocolates, goodies and other small employee software, etc. Can they use tactics like unlocking come with promises to gain attention and attraction from the items that are waiting to be picked up. The thinking behind exclusive goods and superpowers to give their customers and opposite sex, to gain power, freedom, security or love. The this is that people like to reward themselves after the stressful employees that extra push for making a purchase or rewarding problem with this model is that the customer first relates experience of shopping. When we shop online, the website performance at work? himself to the aspiration and has to pay for the product before shows us related products, products that were viewed by judging whether the product actually helps him in achieving people who also viewed that product we are looking at, Integrate the real world and virtual world the aspirations. Game makers have reversed this model: the and products bought or liked by our Facebook friends. The Webkinz stuffed animals look similar to other stuffed toys customer starts his journey into achieving his aspiration and purpose of these is to increase out time on the website. If 24 except that they come with a code. When this code is entered then pays in order to become better at what he aspires to be. we look around we will see many similar smart psychological on the Webkinz website it opens up an online multiplayer tactics both in the online and offline world to push products. game where the virtual avatar of the toy can talk to you, do Second Life, a multiplayer online game that allows players to various jobs, play with you, and solve quests with you. This create and manage their online avatars, powers the journey However, there exists a third world - the world of online social 24 25
- 14. Kuliza of its players into a virtual world where they can achieve About the Author aspirations such as looking good, buying high-end apparel and goods, building a beautiful home in beautiful surroundings, Marketing enthusiast and Brand etc. The fact that they can achieve aspirations in Second Life Manager at Kuliza. Writes on social at a much lower cost than real life is what drives them to make media marketing. purchases of virtual goods. Club Penguin allows its members to play as many games as they want and earn coins in the Twitter: @achintya85 virtual world of penguins. However, to spend the coins on virtual goods it asks its members to pay for a subscription. After earning coins the members usually do not mind paying a little real cash to get some online goodies. Collaborative Communities Graffiti by Anindya Kundu One of the oldest art forms that connects artists with each other, their environment and community. It is fascinating to see that the seldom discussed game Graffiti is viewed as an act of self- in Arabia thousands of years ago are makers have so much to teach us when it comes to marketing expression by writing or painting on public some of the oldest records of graffiti. and sales. It will be really interesting to see reflections of their walls using various materials ranging Ancient Greek and Roman walls and business models in the brands around us. from simple chalk to sophisticated monuments have borne graffiti with love spray paints. Graffiti can also be viewed declarations, political rhetoric and even as an act of storytelling on the part of curses. The Roman city of Pompeii the artist, which is especially powerful bears such graffiti on its walls, preserved when the message has a political and in ash from the volcanic eruption which social subtext. By looking at different destroyed it in 79AD. References forms of collaborative graffiti we will see how communities use art to express Over the centuries invading armies have Erica Naone, Making money in Second Life, Technology their viewpoints and create colourful been known to leave their artistic mark Review, August 14, 2007 Photo Credit: urban spaces that reflect different views for posterity. During the Napoleonic GetSome in communities. campaign in Egypt soldiers left behind Hunter Walk, How does Linden Lab derive financial benefit graffiti on monuments and places they from Second Life, Quora, April 4, 2010 visited. The popular cultural icon ‘Kilroy The Evolution of Graffiti was here’ graffiti is debated to owe its Paul Mardsen, What social commerce can learn from social origin in USA around World War II. gaming, Social Commerce Today, February 3, 2011 Graffiti can be traced back to the dawn of human civilization if we One of the major style and typography 27 consider prehistoric cave paintings influences on contemporary graffiti and pictographs as a form of graffiti. comes from the edgy graffiti of the Similarly, inscriptions scratched on New York subways in the 1970s. After rocks and boulders in the basalt desert the Clean Train Movement was started 26 27
- 15. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 in 1989, graffiti art burst on to city Collaborative Graffiti and Image credit: Banksy walls. Initially disliked by the public Murals Banksy makes a statement about the and authorities, soon graffiti came US role in the world to be appreciated as street art with Collaboration among artists artists creating elaborate graffiti art. Collaboration is an inevitable part of Around the same time graffiti became graffiti art. With the challenge of scaling associated with hip-hop culture, and large walls and trains while remaining artists Smash 137 and Zedz in Cologne, was featured in music videos and films anonymous to the opposing authorities, Germany, and the joint venture of like the documentary Style Wars. Graffiti many artists work in groups or crews. JURNE and I in Seattle. artists such as Keth Harring brought This has been documented in the graffiti graffiti styles into on t-shirts and bags scene in Buenos Aires from the 1990s Another interesting recent collaborative in 1980s. Since then many artists like where groups like DOMA and FASE public art / graffiti project is ‘Before I Die’ Mike Giant, Pursue, Rime and Noah are literally left a mark with their unique in New Orleans. Candy Chang’s chalk pushing the envelope of graffiti art on synergy. Even artists from abroad, for board-like mural encourages passers- skateboards, apparel and shoe designs. instance Other from Canada, collaborate by to share their aspirations by filling the With the emergence of stencil graffiti with local talent. blanks ‘Before I die I want to _____’ with style and pop art influences, graffiti coloured chalk. soon became part of the mainstream Apart from groups, individual graffiti culture worldwide. Currently Sao Paolo artists often collaborate and work on Layering of graffiti art is the hub of artistic inspiration for pieces together. This exciting prospect Graffiti art tends to build up in layers one graffiti artists worldwide with the social brings together the amalgamation on top of other. Here the collaboration is inequality providing powerful themes of contrasting styles and is critical in not intentional and there is often fierce across the city. enriching the graffiti scene. Some recent challenge and completion. As shown in examples include the collaboration of the documentary film ‘Style Wars’ some 28 29
- 16. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Collaborative Graffiti Photo Credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth Collaboration at Cans festival in an abandones London tunnel Photo Credit: An-d Photo Credit: Lost at E Minor Colourful yarn blends with the natural form of a tree Photo Credit: Meeting of Styles Collaboration at the International Meeting of Styles festival Photo Credit: Graffuturism Photo Credit: Lost at E Minor Citileaks Urban Art Festival Collaboration between the artist, Candy Chang, and the at Cologne, Germany public in New Orleans, USA. 30 31
- 17. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Photo Credit: Vadim Dubrov Photo Credit: My Modern Met Photo Credit: Graffuturism Interactive graffiti that is triggered Mural by BLU during the Citileaks Urban Art Festival at by passers-by Cologne, Germany Photo Credit: Dumbwall Graffiti art in Sao Paulo depicting social inequality in Brazil artists can do quick ‘throw-ups’ known as ‘capping’ to paint over an another artist’s graffiti in order to divert attention. This is something that graffiti legend Banksy has done, creating rivalries and angering fellow graffiti artists. Urban art festivals Urban art and graffiti festivals are at the forefront of increasing awareness and appreciation for graffiti art by the general public. They serve as a forum for international street artists to communicate, assemble, exchange ideas and collaborate. The ‘CityLeaks’ urban art festival which takes place in Cologne, Germany, provides guided tours of the murals created during the festival to visitors. The ‘Cans Festival’ in London in 2008 saw Banksy and other graffiti artists transform an abandoned tunnel with offbeat Photo Credit: Post Graffiti murals. ‘International Meeting of Styles’ is another such festival which started in 2002 at Wiesbaden, Germany, and has continued to host over 75 events across 16 countries across Europe, Russia and America. 32 33
- 18. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Graffiti and architecture There are also interesting projects where a graffiti artist and architect collaborate to create avant-garde buildings. A collaboration project between Metaform Atelier d’Architecture and the street artist Sumo took place in Luxembourg City. The final building boasted formal architectural forms contrasted with free flowing illustrations of clouds and faces. Another new trend is to project images upon buildings and walls using high- powered digital projectors or assembled instruments from disposable cameras. This is often referred to as projection Photo Credit: Hypebeast bombing. This form of graffiti art Painting over other’s work: Competition among graffiti legends Robbo and Banksy refrains from vandalism and has been spotted in many cities like in Toronto and Perth. Some artists have also made these installations interactive, for instance being triggered by movement of passersby. Yarn bombing Another new graffiti trend is yarn bombing which uses knits of yarn to cover different objects. They tend Graffiti and Social Media work, work on projects together, and Photo Credit: Architizer to personalize and add character to find locations to create their completed Collaboration between an architect and sterile or cold public spaces. Often The internet and social media has work. Although graffiting is a hands- a graffiti artist resulted in rigid forms seen on old sculptures and trees, already been playing a major role for on process, the initial planning and contrasting with free-flowing graffiti they add an element of humour to contemporary graffiti art to reach out sketches of collaborating street artists monuments and parks. to its enthusiasts. Websites and social can be mutually created digitally, then groups like Street Art Utopia have a shared, reworked and then used to bring huge following of dedicated artists and together artists and patrons worldwide fans on Facebook. to greatly benefit the graffiti and street art scene. There are a few interesting apps which help to connect people with graffiti. The NYC Subway Art app allows aficionados About Anindya Kundu to find graffiti across the New York subway and learn about the background and significance of them. Other apps, Visual Designer at Kuliza. Writes on such as Virtual Graffiti AR, allow users design, art and culture. to create graffiti in augmented reality and tag and share them. We believe it is also possibile for social technology applications to enable artists to connect with communities, collaborate on graffiti projects, enabling Photo Credit: Graffitimundo graffiti artists worldwide to share their Collaboration among graffiti groups with different style in Buenos Aires, 34 35
- 19. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Banking on Communities Social by Diarmaid Byrne Social technology represents a chance for banks to solve three major business problems. to educate students on how to finance There are other banks that effectively and management. They recently re- Social technologies are transforming the have been offered by banks for a college and manage debt with links to educate different customer segments. positioned themselves with a new way people live by making it easier to number of years, and others are going ask advice on budgeting, estimating American Express set-up Open Forum tagline: ‘Badhti ka naam zindagi’ connect and engage online. They are to create ever-increasing challenges to monthly loan repayments, or for getting to educate small business owners (‘Growth is the way of life’) from the old also creating huge changes in customer the way banks do business today. in touch with advisors who can help. and provide them with relevant tools one ‘Aapka solution’ (‘Your solution’), behaviour and customer service that is This purpose is also solved through and platforms. They provide articles reflecting their new philosophy of revolutionizing industries. Banking has Stagecoach Island, an online virtual and videos on topics such as Women being their customers’ partners. To been slower than other industries to Education world where users create an avatar, In Business, Employee Management mark this they launched a Facebook embrace social technologies due to a participate in an online community and Marketing. They also offer Crash app that tracks the distance a person number of concerns such as customer Wells Fargo has long been the standard and learn smart money management. Courses: members can take courses on has travelled over the course of their privacy and security. Certain aspects bearers of social media adoption for Another blog – Advantage Voice – topics that help them run their business life. They deserve some recognition of banking, however, have already the banking industry. In total they educates people about investment and earn IQ points, although there for not coming up with a competition, changed significantly - online banking have: seven blogs, three Twitter decisions. The purpose for Wells Fargo doesn’t seem to be any tangible benefit such as Citi Bank’s competition to use Photo Credit: has grown considerably since 2000 accounts, three YouTube channels, is two-fold: educate people, even if from getting high scores and being ’20 seconds’ in a post to win Rs.500 The End – but banks have not yet explored the Facebook page, an online virtual they are not current customers, and listed on the leaderboard. They also (approximately $10) shopping vouchers. Times Are full potential that social technologies world, text banking, a mobile website through this acquire new customers. By provide a number of Business Apps To mark this they launched a Facebook Here offer them. With consumers engaging and smartphone apps. This suggests targeting particular customer segments for wiring funds internationally, booking app that tracks the distance a person in new ways across different mediums that they are strongly committed to they can introduce them to relevant travel, managing payroll, and managing has travelled over the course of their with companies, their expectations will using social media and technology to products using case studies. Their blogs online advertising. Each comes with life. They deserve some recognition make it imperative that banks launch serve their customers. They use their function to increase their customer relevant content. for not coming up with a competition, new offerings. blogs primarily to educate and assist numbers and to improve loyalty and such as Citi Bank’s competition to use 36 their customers from various different Axis Bank has been one of the more satisfaction of their current customers. ’20 seconds’ in a post to win Rs500 There are three business opportunities segments rather than to promoting interesting users of Facebook among By addressing concerns in public, their (approximately $10) shopping vouchers. that banks can capitalize on as they their products or update customers banks to educate their customers online reputation for transparency and To further support the sense that Axis meet this challenge. Some services with corporate news. They have a blog and fans about financial planning customer satisfaction is also enhanced. are supporting you on your life’s journey 36 37
- 20. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 they have a Plan You Money page on Facebook with 5 tools method of communication for customers than visiting the same effect of bank websites – convenience for customers and calculators to educate people about how they spend their bank, and is far cheaper than the cost of maintaining a branch. and cutting costs of going to branches or calling customer money and encourage financial planning and saving. One service. calculator shows how much a person saves over 35 years, compounded at 10% per year, if s/he spends Rs380 each time they eat out, and they eat out two times per month. It is not the Building Customer Orientated Capabilities most sophisticated tool, but it is effective in educating people about the long-term value of saving money. Banks are facing increasing competition from competitors, innovative financial services companies and from non-banks like Square, Dwolla and Boku. Barclay’s Bank recently Reduce Costs launched a money transfer app called Pingit that was downloaded 150,000 times within the first 5 days of its launch With regulatory changes in the financial industry since the in early 2012. They are also dealing with an evolving customer financial crises, the revenue and profitability of banks has relationship and complaints about service that is unnecessarily reduced. Cost-saving measures have involved reduced bonus time-consuming, impersonal, and complicated. Banks need to payouts, cutting staff numbers, and reducing operational was a 31% increase in customers visiting Facebook, according invest in customer orientated capabilities that set them apart. budgets. However, social technologies provide banks with to comScore. However, increasing customer comfort with With social media and technology they have an opportunity the opportunity to move more communication to the internet transacting on Facebook will be the initial challenge. Typically to build these capabilities and play a more supportive role in and smartphone apps, reducing the frequency of more costly banks provide news updates and links to educate their fans, how people make financial decisions. The first signs of this methods of communication with customers. Apart from using location and contact information, application links for cards or appeared with apps like BBVA’s Tú Cuentas. social technology as a communication channel, banks can other services, and maybe job application information. Fewer develop initiatives and tools that improve customers’ financial Apps still provide links for their Twitter or YouTube channels, and BBVA’s Tú Cuentas tool provides customers with the usual education, provide a more personalized service, increase Banks have the opportunity to play a more valuable and offers or deals. functionalities as well as the ability to manage their personal customer loyalty and cross-sell and up-sell products. consistent role in people’s lives. They understand that finances better. Tú Cuentas offers analysis tools so customers customers want alternatives to visiting the branch. People want Facebook provides banks a cheap channel to educate and can better understand and improve their own spending and As explored with Wells Fargo above, blogs have been a a quick, convenient method of conducting any transactions engage their customers or fans. However, thus far ASB are savings habits, ultimately making better decisions about their popular method for banks to communicate to and educate or other activities. Online banking has been very successful one of the few who have successfully used Facebook to finances. This sort of information is more commonly provided specific customer segments without directly selling their for this; according the American Bankers Association 2011 meaningfully reach customers and cut costs. ICICI are another by services like Mint and Money Dashboard. However, with products. There are a number of other methods that banks survey, the majority of US customers (62%) prefer banking bank that invests in their Facebook page. They re-launched it customer data BBVA can subsequently provide a list of can use for communicating with customers to cut costs while online in comparison visiting the branch, using ATMs or financial products and services that may be educating, increasing loyalty and selling products: telephone banking services. Apps provide further opportunity more suitable to the individual customers’ needs. to improve convenience and build customer loyalty. Online forums The benefit of online forums is that they bring customers Smartphones are increasingly ubiquitous and provide banks together to discuss products and issues relating to them, with the opportunity to offer customers more than basic increasing their knowledge and reducing reluctance to account monitoring functions. The typical range of apps and buy products. Bank of America set-up the Small Business features banks provide different customer segments is well Online Forum, one of the earliest and most popular online represented by American Express. Customers can pay bills, communities. It allows members to begin online discussions, check card balance, see past and pending transactions, view read and comment on articles and share stories. and redeem membership points, and access benefits and exclusive events. They also have an app – Serve – that allows Virtual branch people to send and receive money easily and conveniently. Social technologies have allowed companies to reduce the With more customer data banks can send specific offers and communication gap with their customers. ASB Bank brought information based on customers’ behaviours and preferences their branch to customers, rather than customers need to rather than conducting a mass marketing initiative for their go to a branch. They opened a virtual branch on Facebook products, building a more personalized relationship and for customers to talk or chat with dedicated virtual branch increasing customer loyalty. employees. BNP Paribas also set up a virtual branch on Facebook. Deutsche Bank and BBVA are two others who Facebook in early 2012 with a Your Bank Account app. It allows allow customers to speak directly with bank staff and financial Expanding a banks presence and relevance on Facebook is customers to check their account details, receive account advisors through video chat. This is a thoughtful and practical a natural strategy considering the likelihood of large numbers statements and apply for cheque books and debit cards. This way to maintain customer loyalty. It is a far more convenient of their customers spending time there. Indeed in 2010 there replicates some of the features of online banking. It has the 38 39
- 21. Kuliza Mobile phones are having a huge impact on the industry and will be the focus of customer orientated investments by banks. products that match the customer’s spending patterns, and According to comScore’s 2011 State of Online and Mobile Banking report, app usage in the US increased 74% between Q1 2010 and Q1 2011 from 7.3 million to 13.7 million users. With smartphones and apps banks can receive far more valuable data about their customers’ habits and behaviours that was previously possible. New patterns and insights can What Makes be discovered from analyzing what customers like and dislike, what articles, news, products or offers they respond to online and through apps, and use this information to improve all aspects of their service and relationship. This will enable them to deliver more customized information, services and products to customers that will cut sales and marketing costs for banks and increase the value of their relationship with customers. Great Children’s New technologies are increasingly attractive to customers and important to how they behave online. Any new initiatives by banks will be vital to increase customer loyalty and Communities Book Apps acquisition, especially to younger consumers, a bank’s next by Payal Shah generation of customer. Five crucial elements that developers and authors should References include in a children’s book app to make it successful. Accenture, Social Banking: The social networking imperative for retail banks, 2011 Will e-books and apps on tablets with children ranging in age from three- replace traditional children’s books? to-six reading both print and e-books comScore, 2011 state of online and mobile banking, If you own an iPad, I suppose it’s an in the Summer and Fall of 2011. Most comScore, February 2, 2012 easy choice when you have to choose of the children in the study preferred between Kevin Kling’s Big Little Brother reading an e-book to a print book and Jackie Stewart, Survey: online banking surges, mobile lags, for $15.18 and interactive Big Little comprehension between the two formats American Banker, September 8, 2011 Brother app for $4.99. There are strong were the same. He also quotes Junko arguments on both sides, and I hope Yokota, a professor and director of the Simon Watkins and Vicki Owen, Banks scrambling to follow fervently that traditional books are Center for Teaching Through Children’s Barclays with pay-by-mobile service, This Is Money, February never replaced, but one can’t ignore Books at National Louis University in 19, 2012 that advanced technology can enhance Chicago, “I don’t think we’re ready to a children’s book by miles. Stories are say ‘picture books in their print form are often not about the mode of delivery, but better and will always be better.’” more about the content. Reading to your children is good, it doesn’t matter how Apart from the biggies in children’s About Diarmaid Byrne you do it. book app development (ScholasticInc., Sesame Workshop), some smaller Jeremy Greenfield, in his article “For companies like Oceanhouse (that Psychologist, interested in social Reading and Learning, Kids Prefer markets and sells Dr. Seuss and behaviours and behaviour change. E-Books to Print Books”, says that a Berenstain Bears apps) are producing Chief People Officer at Kuliza. Writes 41 new “QuickStudy” – so named for its children’s book apps too. There are on communities and commerce. short duration and the small size of its hundreds of small start ups run by sample group – from the Joan Ganz developers, illustrators and writers that Twitter: @diarmaidb Cooney Center observed 24 families produce apps for children’s books, 40 41
- 22. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 keep the reader interested, to create a feeling of curiosity about what happens next. Usually, this is in the form of the main character having a problem to solve or a desire to accomplish something. The problem may not appear huge to us as adults, but is important to the child. The story should have a clear beginning, climax and a satisfying resolution. Creating age-appropriate content is harder than one might think. The story and illustrations should resonate with the child’s world, not look at it. Things or situations that adults may find “cute” are a part of reality to the child. This also means that the text should sounds well when read aloud, the words have to flow and sound lyrical or rhyming while being fun and playful. The meter should be regular to enhance the rhyme. In terms of aesthetics, the artwork should be authentic, with illustrations that are clean, high contrast and integrated well with the text. The visuals have to make sense within the framework of the story and not be independent of it. Interactive either from existing books, new books iSuppli revealed that there are about 50 Quality Content visuals shouldn’t take away from the or stories that are rendered directly million tablets in circulation worldwide story or play a distractive role. Image- into apps. and there will be over 150 million in This is the first, most important part of heavy books in general lend themselves circulation by the end of 2012. any children’s book or book app. Without Greenfield also quotes Michel Kripalani, content, all the bells and whistles would president of Oceanhouse: “You can build With over 30,000 titles the market for have no meaning. They are important, a product and submit it to Apple and ten children’s apps is crowded, and getting but they need to be used within the days later – after approval [Apple will worse. To make a children’s book app framework of the content. Every not sell an app in its store if it does not stand out takes a lot of understanding. children’s book app absolutely must meet certain technical requirements] – Creating picture book apps for children have a good stand-alone story. This is you’re available for sale,” said Kripalani. is extremely hard. Creating great picture why apps that started out as book make “All of a sudden, they’ve created this book apps for children is even harder. better apps because the story can stand environment that anyone who is able to Great picture books are simple, yet well- on its own without without relying on the gather the technical and marketing skills done. This makes them look easy, but bells and whistles to make it look pretty. is able to build a publishing house.” they are not. It is even more important If the story and illustrations can come when a picture book becomes a picture alive on paper, it is very likely going to His article mentions that about 7.4% of book app. White quality, age-appropriate make a good app. children’s books sold in the first three content is hard to create, the execution quarters of 2011 were digital (excluding of the content into an app in transmedia A story needs to have good young adult titles), according to Bowker, keeping in mind very young children is characterization; characters that the a company that tracks the book industry. quite another task altogether. There are child can relate to - other children, That compares with 13.5% across all 4 areas that need attention. animals, inanimate objects the child is book publishing segments over the familiar with that are personified, etc. same period. A recent report by IHS Besides that, the story needs tension to 42 43
- 23. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 well to apps because immages on an characters wiggle isn’t enough. A children’s book app should be App Navigation where the screen becomes a minefield of Smashing Magazine, March 12, 2012 iPad (especially with the retina screen interesting. Children learn through play, icons that lead to accidental purchases. on the new iPad3) appear better than Apps should also keep in mind the so they need to be challenged to go App navigation has to be done with Ads in apps is another ethical minefield. Vicky Smith, What makes a great app, when you print them. developmental appropriateness of further. Apps have so much potential to children in mind. A child should be able Children can’t differentiate between Kirkus Reviews, December 18, 2011 interactions - It doesn’t take a whole make stories so much more interesting to skip to different parts of the book ads and play. Even in lite versions, it lot to please a 3 year old - simple, and imaginative with content and with ease instead of having to plough shouldn’t be allowed. A lite version is a Transmedia and Interaction upbeat text that rhymes, high contrast features that are interesting on more through the whole story again. Rian van good idea so parents can test the app illustrations and simple interactions are levels than one. Including multiple der Merwe, in his article “A dad’s plea out and buy it if their child likes it, but a About Payal Shah Some Apps go overboard with the enough. More complex interactions will languages is a great way to do this. It to developers of iPad apps for children” more ethical way is to provide only a part amount of transmedia and interaction probably go wasted or confuse. enhances the exposure children have suggests that apps should have of the story book in the lite version and they try and pack into one app. This to another world that they may or may affordance - that interactive elements let them buy the full if they like it. that can be quite confusing for children so not be exposed to otherwise, and gives should have a characteristic that way, everyone wins.Spying on children it is important to look at what type of Experience them a chance to learn a new language indicates that they should be tapped. is not ok either. An app shouldn’t have transmedia and interaction should be that provides a huge advantage in this hidden tracking software. used for apps. Whether you read a book or a book multilingual world. He also suggests that pagination must app, the experience can be individual be thought out more appropriate to As well-known author Jane Yolen Transmedia and interaction should or social. There are two distinct sides If the book app has a narrator, it is toddler use. The most common methods has said, “Children’s books change Psychologist and child development be used to help children see things people take when it comes to children’s important that attention is paid to little are the touch based arrows or the curled lives. Stories pour into the hearts of enthusiast. Writes about children’s differently, and enhance the experience. book apps - those that believe they things like whether the narrator is a child page that need to be swiped. Picture children and help make them what they media, baby sign language and The interactions should have meaning should be used exclusively for parent- or an adult, and that the story is read books for younger readers should use become.” There are great opportunities education. and add value - A proper picture book child interaction or those that use them with enunciations and sounds that make the arrows because swipes are less in the world of children’s apps to make app lets a parent and child read, listen to, to entertain kids while parents are it interesting for a child to listen and accurate for tiny fingers that are still things much more exciting for children, Twitter: @pobroin or explore a book in a fun and interactive busy or when kids need to be quiet be engaged in it. It is also important to developing their fine motor skills. As while adults have fun doing it! Its time to manner. not just pretty bells and whistles. (airplanes, restaurants, car trips, etc.). include an option to turn off the narration arrows go, it is better to place them on make the best of it. Though not all of them always need the I believe that children’s books, whether so that the parent or child can read the the top right and left of the screen rather bells and whistles, which would make in traditional or app form, should book in their own voice creating a sense than the bottom right and left as they the picture books just e-picture books. incline towards social interaction (read of familiarity and comfort - two essential usually are because the entire bottom of The bells and whistles are what make with parents or in a group) but not things to a child. The device’s volume the screen is a hotbed of accidental taps it an enhanced book. But basically, the completely discard the value that they control can be used to turn off narration, by the little ones. References story should be able to stand up on its provide, just as a book would, to keep but it is nice to have this as an option, own and the transmedia features merely them busy when sorely needed. especially in cases of apps that have Menu placement also needs careful Appracadabra, Kind Kids app rules, enhance the experience. Simply making background music or sound effects that consideration, keeping the touch zones Appracadabra.com, December 7, 2011 the child will miss out on if the volume is in mind. Rian says he has had to stop turned off. the car many times to dismiss a random Daniel Donahoo, Can Children’s menu brought on by an accidental touch. eBooks Provide “A Quiet Bedtime The best test, however, of a great app Apps should have menu actions on Read”?, Wired, March 19, 2012 experience is requests from the little one the top right of the screen, or even the to “read it again!”. Children like to read top middle, out of reach of accidedntal Elizabeth Bird, Planet App: Kids’ book the same book over and over again, taps. A 2 touch activation to bring up apps are everywhere. But are they any and discover new things every time, as the menu is a good idea - a menu that good?, School Library Journal, January opposed to adults who will happily move is transluscent and becomes visible on 1, 2011 onto another book right after another, first tap and activates on second tap. or if we are talking about digital books, Jeremy Greenfield, For reading and if the text is transferred onto an e-ink learning, kids prefer e-books to print, screen and they can carry more than a Ethics Digital Book World, January 9, 2012 thousand books with them everywhere they go. Fundamentally and functionally, Children’s app developers have an Laurie Hertzel, Apps take e-books reading is a different process depending ethical responisbility towards the beyond reading, The Register Guard, on whether you’re a child or an adult. children their apps are intended for. January 8, 2012 Tricking kids into buying anything is just wrong, however a lot of apps do this. Rian van der Merwe, A dad’s plea to Talking Tom Cat is the worst, apparently, developers of iPad apps for children, 44 45
- 24. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 or capability for a company, as some of the most powerful except due to the ever worsening lack of space issue, our web-based companies have offices that the public does cubicles have become even smaller. We have just reduced not know the whereabouts of. Similarly, logos are no longer the height of the cubicle walls so that we can prevent plastered on the sides of skyscrapers in city centers as they claustrophobia and retain some semblance of privacy. Some were decades ago. of the offices by the windows might have become meeting rooms and management may have moved to a higher floor. Otherwise there have been no major changes. Social Office Communities Spaces by Amit Mirchandani We find that our offices are uninspiring for 87% of our workforce, A Paradigm Shift so the question of managing their productivity becomes a bit farcical. We understand that on average our workers lose 19 To create an environment where our workforce can feel inspired Transforming offices to reflect how people work and socialize. minutes per day in distractions such as interruptions, 10.4 and achieve their full potential, we need to start looking at minutes per day looking for a room to have a more private offices differently! We need to break down the cubicles and meeting or call and 4.6 minutes per day hunting down the make our offices more social. Here are some points that can right tools to complete a task as their cubicle does not have dramatically change the way the office functions: In the world of broadband and Skype, things done. And if they are going to do those items, so we haven’t really separated our workers from you might ask why we bother to come in this on a fairly routine basis, we can not distractions and wasted time. And finally, with the advent of 1. Understand the nature of the specific works and to an office at all? Why not have every toss out the concept of an office just yet. digital information for over 20 years now, we don’t really need purpose build a space for it meeting virtually and upload all your We can, however, change it. a physical space to store resources as the information can be Different types of spaces are needed for different types work to an ftp? Imagine saving all that accessed via the Internet from any corner of the globe. of work, and it’s important to create an environment that is commuting time, all those resources at conducive to that activity. For example, an innovation space the office, and all those unnecessary The Office Disconnect or lab for being creative, a roof garden for being meditative conversations at the water cooler. The Outdated Office Template to think through solutions, or a play area to unwind and think Sounds great doesn’t it? Offices were originally created for the laterally. If space is limited, then a multifunction space with following reasons: movable walls and furniture is an option, but being expected to In the past an office would have been designed with the Unfortunately it’s not going to work. following logic in mind: management would occupy the outer have a brainstorm in a cubicle means a stifling of fresh ideas. In a paper entitled “Simulating social 1. They acted as a symbol of power and edges of the available space, taking control of the windows Google Office interaction scenarios in an office” by capability for a company 2. Take down the cubicles to create more collaboration that were stimulating and enviable (the so-called corner Switzerland by Michele Bezzi and Robin Groenevelt, it 2. They were a method of controlling the space offices, most likely reserved for the senior management). Camenzind was concluded that “Social interactions workers and managing their productivity According to Andrew Laing, David Craig, and Alex White, from That would leave the center space open for all the workers. Evolution 3. They could separate workers from their article “High-Performance Office Space”, “The radical are highly important in collective This central space, devoid of natural light, would have to be activity, such as goal-oriented work other distractions outside of work solution is to drastically reduce the space devoted to cubicles organized in order to accommodate the largest amount of teams. Despite the fact that many 4. They contained the infrastructure to and increase the space devoted to what people are doing with workers to maximize the space, while extracting a certain level communication media are accessible, house people and resources to contain, 65% of their time: collaborating, or hiding away in quiet places, of productivity, and at a reasonable cost (building individual face-to-face interactions still constitute showcase, reference and build upon or meeting with one another. Open space expands employees’ rows of rooms was out of the question). This gave rise to the options and gives them access to whoever or whatever they 46 one of the preferred media for work already done cubicle, which has over time come to be a ubiquitous method information transmission”. So it turns need to work with”. The other benefit is that more natural light of structuring an office around. out people are still going to need to meet Today we know that a physical presence permeates the space improving employee morale. and work collaboratively in order to get for an office does not constitute power Decades later, we still structure our offices in a similar way, 46 47
- 25. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 6. Introduce engagement spaces Bringing in game areas, cafes, libraries, etc. can only benefit the morale of the workforce. Allowing them to explore other aspects of their experience at work and breaking from the routine that may seem too familiar and uninspiring can be highly motivating. It is also a great way for colleagues to bond and build healthier relationships. In this day and age, work has changed. People have changed. They are by and large more independent and more in need of better engagement experiences. The purpose of an office is not to administer a system of control on its employees as it might have been in the past, but rather to allow them to achieve their full potential for the benefit of the company. People need to bond with their colleagues, to collaborate with them and create and act on new ideas. They don’t need a space that they are obligated to attend; they need a space that they are inspired to attend. People know what they need to do, the office just needs to give them the spaces to do it in! Horizon Media office by a+i Architecture Saatchi & Saatchi office by Supermachine Studio 3. Introduce colour and a design vision 4. Introduce hiding spaces 5. Work and free time are not mutually exclusive Do things differently in a unique style that accentuates the With all the newfound openness, it’s important to They are rather attended to as required. If employees work at company’s brand ethos. If the space is open, lively and counterbalance the freedom with the quiet reassurance of home, or offsite, or take time off, it all benefits the company vibrant, the workforces adopt a similar attitude to their own someplace tucked away and intimate. This will provide the with greater productivity and enthusiasm. It also means life and work and a distinct work culture develops that is fun much-needed reprieve from the stimulating collaboration that office space can be more flexible without dedicated to be a part of. Also everything doesn’t have to be refined spaces and allow people some casual time to think differently workspaces for specific employees, reducing cost and freeing and concealed; expose the workings of the electricals and the about ideas and work. up room for common spaces. air-conditioning or the data cabling to add a sense of down-to- earth realism to the space. An overly pristine space may make people uncomfortable. Dtac office by Hassell Skype office by PS Arkitekture 48 49
- 26. Kuliza References Michele Bezzi and Robin Groenevelt, Simulating social interaction scenarios in an office, available at http://www.ubicc.org/files/pdf/Bezzi-UBICC_162_162.pdf Andrew Laing, David Craig, and Alex White, High- Performance Office Space, available at http://hbr.org/web/slideshows/wish-you-worked-here/ Sari Stenfors, What if there were no offices?, Radical Inclusion, September 5, 2011 Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft, Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration, 2012 Sweating it out Communities with Social Apps About Amit Mirchandani by Fareed Majeed Cheif Creative Officer at Kuliza and Managing Director at Lucid Embracing social and storytelling apps to challenge and Design India. Writes on design, motivate people. environments and sustainability. Twitter: @lucid_design As a $14.8 billion industry, the fitness streets, parks, alley ways in and around business always records maximum sales their neighbourhoods, plugged into their as membership dues at the beginning little lithium-ion companions, completely of every year. This makes up almost in control of what they do. 80% of revenue. However, the rough economic scene has hit brick and mortar gym owners. According to Catherine Community as a Motivator Saint Louise, in a recent New York Times article, Full-service Gyms feel The idea that community is key to Flabby, conventional gyms are finding staying motivated underlines the it hard to retain and motivate clients, so sudden abundance of a whole industry much so that new memberships do not of fitness devices and apps working on a Photo Credit: cover the attrition rate. model of ‘solo exercise + social / online Crossfit Inc. connection’, as described by Jeff Lopez Significantly contributing to clients taking in his article Reworking the Fitness a more laissez-faire approach with their Game on The Gamification Blog. health and fitness is a curious case of technology supported independence Gyms, health clubs, yoga, and martial from the usual, big-box gym. The arts facilities have sensed this and now mushrooming of various social apps on stress the importance of community to 51 multiple platforms has equipped virgin encourage better engagement. In the trainees, fitness buffs, weekend warriors ‘social’ fitness world, the spontaneous, and multi-sport aficionados to go where mysterious and unstructured nature no gym-rat has gone before: to the of being part of a greater collective is 50 51
- 27. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 Gamification leaderboards. Like Fleetly, Fitocracy encourages social competition with Fitness apps that incorporate game open challenges where users compete mechanics have become more common against other. as gamification has crossed to the mainstream in the last 2 years. Game With a different approach to encouraging mechanics typically involve points, fitness, Striiv has designed a little rewards, quests, leaderboards and pedometer the size of a key chain with levels. In the case of fitness apps these the goal of making walking more fun. are utilized to motivate users to increase What is innovative is that apart from the pace, duration, and intensity of their just counting your steps, the device lets workout with the reward of higher visibility Striiv and its corporate partners donate on leaderboards, more recognition from to three different charities at no cost to the community, and the satisfaction from the end user. Essentially, the more you increasing levels of achievement and walk and the more you stay active, the fitness. There are a number of apps that higher your score and the more money incorporate these elements well: Fleetly, donated to charities. This philanthropic Nike+ and Fitocracy. ‘rewarding’ of usage motivates users towards a healthier lifestyle. Nike+ was one of the first fitness apps that incorporated game mechanics but It must be understood that leveraging did it a little more creatively than others. social technology presents a huge When users turn on the Cheers feature opportunity as well as challenges for they can post the start of their run to the fitness industry. With community Facebook and receive real-time cheers involvement increasingly meaning so from their friends during the run. To much more than mere numbers in a encourage competition amongst friends big box gym, and a growing population Nike+ has a feature that replicated getting physically active and taking an motivation enough to better physical photos and updates on user profiles. Storytelling Fitness Apps a game of tag called IT. Users can interest in their health and fitness, this performance. challenge friends to a game of tag by will be an area to keep a close watch on. Working on a ‘Workout of the day’, or There are hundreds of mobile fitness outrunning them on distance or time. Small devices such as FitBit, Nike+, ‘WOD’, approach to get people together apps for the iPhone and Android the WiiFit and even the Nintendo 3DS is Crossfit Inc., founded by Greg and measuring and quantifying everything Fleetly is similar to many other fitness References About Fareed Majeed provide a fun, engaging experience, Laura Glassman. The ‘virtual company’, from the distance of a running circuit, apps in how it allows users to log their and a hugely motivating social angle as described by Greg, has been able to to intensity, progressive overload workouts and to target fitness levels. Catherine Saint Louise, Full-service to working out. Fitbit is a multiplatform band together elite and everyday fitness and heart rate adaptations. Engaging What is really great about Fleetly is how gyms feel a bit flabby, New York Times, device that combines an accelerometer, fanatics so much so that it is often prospective users with a strong and it uses game mechanics to motivate January 26, 2011 pedometer, altimeter and even a sleep described disparagingly as a cult. The captivating story is something that Six users to stay fit, often one of the toughest About the Author tracker that analyses how frequently now worldwide phenomenon started to Start did for the development of their challenges people face when they start Dean Takahashi, Striiv raises $6m and for how long a user wakes up at when the husband and wife team running app Zombies, Run!. Runners exercising for the first time. It does this to make fitness fun, Venturebeat, night. This helps the person to gradually began writing a blog and posting a free are led through a virtual soundscape of through a mix of intrinsic – setting goals September 7, 2011 understand their sleep cycle. They can workout everyday with options to scale a post apocalyptic world, an RPG where and receiving feedback - and extrinsic keep their score and see how they depending on fitness levels. Visitors to the user is required to physically run – ranking on leaderboards – motivators Jepp Lopez, Reworking the fitness game, Fitness coach and director at Tough compare to other people in their age and the site can leave comments, compare for critical supplies that will help rebuild and its Challenges feature. This feature The Gamification Blog, February 4, 2011 Love Fitness. Writes on fitness and fitness range. high scores for the WOD, and even their base and save lives while avoiding encourages social competition by health. suggest and plan WOD’s for the future. zombies. There is also an evolving allowing users to choose from a variety Hookit is for the extreme fitness series of missions and puzzles to be of challenges and compete against Twitter: @toughlovefit enthusiast. It is marketed as the world’s There are a couple of other approaches solved that explain where the zombies others or to create their own challenge largest social network for action sports that developers and fitness enthusiasts came from and what is happening to the and invite friends to compete against. and has developed a multi-platform app have taken to devising their apps. world. This is a great way to keep users A similar set of features is offered by that helps users get to practice sites and engaged with the story and encourage Fitocracy to motivate and reward people buy clothing and equipment and posts exercise. – points, levelling-up, badges and 52 53
- 28. Kuliza Social Technology Quarterly Vol. 2 Issue 1 We are a full-service digital studio that creates Campaigns, builds Communities & transforms Commerce for brands. Campaigns Communities Commerce Facebook Contests Tool Ideation Platform Social Commerce Platforms Custom Facebook Apps Influencer Engagement Platform Facebook Store-Fronts Brand Websites Customer/ Employee Community Social Commerce Plugins Campaign Microsites Social Pressroom Facebook Promotion Tool Social Facebook Offers Campaign Automobile Service Marketing Case Study Mobile & Tablet Sites Mobile Feedback Apps Mobile Commerce Apps Kuliza designed and developed an offers Custom Mobile Apps campaign app to help an automotive major Mobile Loyalty Apps market their service offerings to customers via Facebook. The Facebook app allows customers Mobile to access service coupons that are redeemed at the nearest dealership. The app has a built in referral campaign to incentivize participants to share coupons with friends and receive referral discounts. The app’s analytics allowed the automotive major to measure overall engagement levels, peer referral rates, service effectiveness, and retention of existing customers. 54 Photo Credit: www.burgessmotors.com.au 55
- 29. Image credits: (Front Cover) Nike+ 88 media Skype office by PS Arkitekture (Back Cover) Banksy www.socialtechnologyquarterly.com