Berg, a London-based design firm, was asked to rethink what a receipt is and how it can become something more useful or engaging to consumers. And frankly, I’m a fan! The work they have done so far is really cool.

So what did Berg do that is so cool? What they realized is that receipt machines are already connected to complex systems that report consumer spending and product purchase data. With access to this information, receipts can transition from a sheet of paper with coupons for products you commonly purchase to something that provides news or information that might be useful to you as the consumer. More simply, what if your receipt was more tailored to your life and things that relate to your purchase decisions? By offering more valuable content to consumers, wouldn’t this enrich their overall impressions of your store? I think so.

As a new resident of Chicago, I’m constantly on the lookout for new things or places to check out so I can learn more about my city. If I went to purchase an album from a store in my neighborhood, it would be of great value to me if the receipt had information about shows or street festivals happening in the area. Or if it said something like “Since you like Adele, go to XYX and get one of their killer burgers. Adele loves hamburgers.” It would make me laugh – and I would probably go check out one of those burgers.

As we’ve mentioned before, user experience is something important to consider at all times, regardless of whether or not it’s a design product. I’m jazzed about this because this concept takes a commonly discarded paper item, and redefines the experience the consumer has with it. And that adds value not only to that purchase, but also to the overall experience the consumer has at your store and/or with the products they buy from you.

There are a plethora of opportunities – and so much room for creativity. Receipts could become a tool with which to raise awareness about social or health concerns, rally attendance for community event, promote purchasing local products or simply provide a quip or factoid that might make consumers smile.

Do you think consumers will take note of receipts like this – or will people continue to largely ignore them? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Are Receipts Integration Gold for Marketers? is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

This is V3im on QR Codes...

Whether you love them or hate them (or maybe even have no idea what they are), QR codes are quickly gaining popularity as marketing tools. We have talked a lot about how mobile communications are the next big frontiers–and people like Patrick Donnelly, CEO of QR Arts, laud these 2D barcodes as “…an opportunity to turn a brand impression into an interactive exchange in under 10 seconds.”

With nearly one-third of Americans’ noses buried in their smartphones, QR codes are a great way for on-the-go consumers to quickly scan a code and receive discounts, promotional offers, directions to your business or simply read information about a product while they’re window shopping. Another cool thing about QR codes is that you can also track their effectiveness through real-time analytics and tweak your call to action based on what your data is showing. To my way of thinking, in some instance QR codes might well be a better, more relevant and more actionable version of a banner ad.

Sources for Free QR Code Generators

Intrigued? Thinking these are pretty spiffy and could be a good way to leverage your business? If so, the great news is there are FREE tools out there that help you generate your very own QR code. Some best generators that we’ve seen include ZXing Project and KAYWA. ZXing Project is a little more robust and allows you to add a geolocation to your code if you want to direct consumers to a specific address. KAYWA is more straightforward and is a great if you’re looking to create a simple QR code. There are a lot of generators out there so if you know of a better one – let us know!

Use QR Codes Mindfully – Or Risk Alienating Users

A word of caution before you starting creating QR codes to leverage your personal or business brand – be sure to have a solid marketing strategy behind using this technology. As with any marketing tactic, if you don’t have a clear objective or call to action for your consumers, you might just end up annoying them – which is never a good idea. And please, don’t plop a QR code on something just because you think it might be cute. That’s the quickest route to a waste of time by someone who scans your code and a guaranteed annoyed customer or prospective customer.

Much like with Twitter or other social media channels, your blog or corporate website, if you don’t provide useful content to your consumers you run the chance of being completely tuned out by them. To add to my statement about strategy, I also encourage you to heed Terence Eden’s QR Code Commandments:

What do you think about QR codes? The new way to market to mobile consumers or just a fad that will pass? We’re betting on the former and are unabashedly big fans of QR codes — and we’d would love to hear examples of how you’ve used them successfully. Or, if you think they’re a total waste of time, we’d like to hear what you think about that, too.

Free Tools To Generate Your Own QR Code is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

Who can pass up a good pun, right? I’m probably one of the least fashionable people out there. However, even for the fashion-challenged like me, it’s likely that you’ve heard about TOMS Shoes.

TOMS was formed by entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie in 2006 on the simple concept that by selling these comfortable, Argentinian-style shoes to consumers – a pair could in turn be given to someone who needs them. Mycoskie’s business concept was rooted in the desire to help those (children primarily) who do not have shoes to protect themselves from soil-transmitted diseases prevalent in developing countries. The TOMS mission is also to ensure these people have access to places like schools or hospitals in their respective communities, for education, assistance and healthcare.

The cool thing about TOMS is that this is not a ’cause component’ of their business – it IS their business. TOMS’ advertising isn’t focused on selling you a pair of their shoes, it hopes to inspire you to do good. Below is a video from their “One Day Without Shoes” campaign and is a great example of their overall brand messaging:

Since the company’s inception in 2006, TOMS has been able to give 1,000,000 shoes to children through its One for One Movement. In addition to being able to donate to over 20 countries around the world, TOMS has also been recognized as one of eight revolutionary socially responsible companies making a difference in the world.

TOMS has a great consumer base that has essentially helped make an impact on the world. But as a brand, what do they do if they want to grow or evolve? And does it put their mission of helping those without at risk?

Apparently not. TOMS recently announced they are expanding into eye wear.

Armed with the same simple One for One business model, for every pair of sunglasses they sell, they will work to ensure that one person receives the eye care they need. Providing eye care is far more complex than shoes – so for this program TOMS is partnering with companies to provide the eye care services needed to fulfill their One for One promise.

Perhaps the coolest thing about this expansion it that it allows TOMS as a brand to grow into, as they say, a One for One company. In other words, regardless of what you buy, your purchase directly helps someone in need. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

So if you want your consumer dollars to make a difference in the world, and need a cool new pair of shades check out TOMS new eyeware line. Their site put their company goal right up front so you know your purchase can impact someone’s life – and they offer a cool virtual try-on tool as well. In fact, we started exploring this new initiative partly because we were interested in the technology behind their virtual try-on tool. We weren’t all that impressed with its functionality, but we love TOMS!

For your continued entertainment pleasure, here is what I would look like in a pair of TOMS shades, courtesy of their virtual try-on tool:

TOMS Building Upon ‘Soleful’ Brand is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

Social bookmarking may sound fancy, but it’s really quite simple. Know how you find something you like in a magazine and rip out the page for future reference? Social bookmarking is about the same thing – only online. And better.

Social Bookmarking – Why It’s Better Than Ripping Out Magazine Pages

1. Instead of bookmarking sites of interest to your web browser, when you use use social bookmarking sites, your links (or gems of information that you like and want to save or share with others) are saved on web-based sites that can be accessed from anywhere.
2. Your bookmarked content can be found by others who are looking for similar type content (based on tags and/or categories).
3. Social bookmarking can help you find other websites and blog posts that interest you and/or your clients (again, based on tags and/or categories).
4. Social bookmarking can help others find your content more easily – and deposit them right on your front step (a/k/a your blog or website).
5. Ergo, Grasshopper, social bookmarking can lead to interest, which can lead to traffic, which can lead to leads, which can lead to sales. Oh my!

In summary, social bookmarking is really all about just three things: Saving, Discovering, Sharing.

While I’m not sure which social bookmarking site was the first on the scene (as certainly there will be varying opinions on what is considered a social bookmarking site) it’s actually been around for some time – even if you’ve never heard of it. Social bookmarking sites include sites like Twitter, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Tweetmeme, Mixx and many others.

When we explain social bookmarking to someone, we tell them to think of it as a big, giant online filing cabinet – but one that’s organized by way of tags that identify what the content is about. And, one of the things that makes that online filing cabinet uber cool is that it’s public (if you want it to be) and accessible by anyone.

This video, while dated a bit, explains Social Bookmarking in Plain English. It was produced in 2006, which seems like light years ago (and in Internet years, that is light years!), the concept is still right on and briefly explains all the points articulated above.

Social Bookmarking Is Breadcrumbs On the Web

We write (and talk) a lot about online marketing – or content marketing – and how important it is to leave breadcrumbs of content all over the Web, all of which ultimately enhances your credibility, your brand image, the value you provide – and hopefully, it drives traffic back to your website.

Social bookmarking is yet another tactic you can use to leave those delicious breadcrumbs on the Internet. And, for the record, I agree wholeheartedly with the inimitable Geoff Livingston that the best kind of content marketing is for businesses to learn how to become better storytellers – and deliver facts, value and insights for your customers and prospects. That kind of content adds value to your relationship with those folks instead of just pushing whatever it is you’ve got to sell on them.

When your content (blog posts, press releases, articles, etc.) are submitted to social bookmarking sites, they have the potential to be found by others interested in those topics and not only increase your own brand awareness and credibility as an expert on that topic, but they can also drive traffic back to your website. Think of it as an element on online networking – or even new business prospecting. And also think of it as adding value to people who are interested in the topics you’re writing about.

If you enjoy finding smaller, lesser known websites and bloggers (or are doing research for yourself or on behalf of your clients), performing keyword and tag searches will often deliver up sites you might otherwise not have found. We use a variety of social bookmarking sites on a daily basis as a place to gather competitive information, research topics we’re writing about for our clients, as well as to share our own content and our clients’ content as far and widely as we possibly can. That’s part of our job when it comes to content marketing deliverables for our clients.

Want to know more about social bookmarking? Stay tuned (and if you’ve not yet subscribed to the V3 blog, now’s your chance) — because we’ve got another post coming this week that will give you a “how to” look at getting started using social bookmarking.

Let us know in the comments here if you have any specific questions we can answer and/or cover in that post – but otherwise, we’ll see you in a few days!

P.S. Feel free to stalk me on StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious or Twitter. You know you wanna.

Image Credit: Michael Gaigg

Social Bookmarking: What It Is And Why It Matters is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

Web analytics are a critical data component (or at least they should be) for marketers. And today, URLs are what matter – as much as cookies always have in the past. The analytics provided by URL shortening services are a marketer’s goldmine.

In today’s app-obsessed society, it’s becoming harder for marketers to track their consumers. Each app consumers use to access the Internet is like its own room within a giant hotel – when your customers access via an app, all you can see is a new visit. The inbound link is lost, along with the context of their visit.

Marketers and app providers alike have long relied on cookies to track consumers – the problem is that cookies have to be stored through a web browser. Since the tendency is now to share links via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, these cookies are rendered useless. To compound the situation, consumers have also begun to revolt against intrusive toolbars and cross-tracking cookies.

Marketers and web analytics companies know that URLs survive sharing and allow them access to the engagement and behavior data they want – and need. So, with URLs being so important, how does the rise of URL shorteners like the ones developed by Twitter and Facebook impact our ability to track?

Emerging technology enthusiast and entrepreneur Alistair Croll says it best, “whoever owns the shortener sees the engagement between your consumers and the content you are producing, no matter where it happens.”

For instance, if you use Twitter’s built in URL shortener, t.co, THEY see your traffic behavior data – not you.

Hmmmm. What a treasure trove of valuable information that is. The spin on these kinds of URL shorteners is that they help combat spam, which is not inaccurate. But there’s more. So much more. The people who have the data win. Just about every time. And, in the case of Twitter and Facebook, they stand to benefit tremendously because of the value they can bring to their users – read that ‘brands’ – and advertisers – in the form of that data.

Here’s a snippet from the Official Twitter Blog on it:

In addition to a better user experience and increased safety, routing links through this service will eventually contribute to the metrics behind our Promoted Tweets platform and provide an important quality signal for our Resonance algorithm—the way we determine if a Tweet is relevant and interesting to users. We are also looking to provide services that make use of this data, an example would be analytics within our eventual commercial accounts service.

Google recently rolled out its own URL shortener, goo.gl which allows developers to integrate the service into their applications. It not only allows for shortening and expanding URLS, but provides access to history and analytics as well. The access to the analytics via the API is a big deal, because applications can monitor traffic and usage – which is something that’s not readily available if you use other shorteners. For instructions on how to get started using the Google URL Shortener, here’s the scoop.

Do you think social media properties like Twitter and Facebook (specifically their Facebook Connect service) gaining the ability to produce aggregated reports for marketers will make them more valuable analytic tools? Actually, that’s not a question – we pretty much already know the answer.

Which shortener do you like and why? Or does it matter to you at all?

URLs Are For Tracking. Cookies Are For Eating is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

I discovered the “website” of Boone Oakley today quite by accident. Loved it so much that I had to stop what I was doing and write about it. You know the drill. Those interwebs – they’ll get you every time.

For those of you who don’t know, I live in the “fly-over zone.” That means Nowheresville. Dud City. Ain’t Nothing Going On Heresville. And I’ll admit it — as a transplanted New Yorker, it took me a long time to get my snotty nose out of the air and realize that great stuff goes on in places other than the coasts. And that there are really smart people – all over the place. Oh, and it would be remiss of me not to thank that rapscallion Al Gore for inventing the Internet, because now they’re all closer than ever and easier to find.

But even though I get it, I routinely have to dispel the notions of prospective clients (and peers) that just because my agency is in Kansas City and not in New York, LA or even Chicago (perhaps the most posh spot in the fly-over zone), we do great work. (And that “we” by the way is collective – not exclusive to my agency). Sometimes small and midsized agencies in non-fancy locales do even better work and, fairly regularly that work that is exponentially less expensive than what you might find elsewhere. Sometimes, in fancy cities, you have the “oh, this is LA so we have to add an extra $30K onto that web dev fee just because we’re super cool” pricing model. Here, not so much.

Like V3, Boone Oakley is located in a not-cool place. But based on the creativity evidenced by their website, I know they get it. And by “it” I mean simply this: if you’re a business and if you like looking, feeling and sounding like everyone else out there, that’s totally cool. And no doubt, if you want the same crap that everyone else does, hire the same people. Whether it’s for your marketing plan, creative work, your web development needs or for PR and social media. Cookie cutter agencies or poseurs are a dime a dozen. And sometimes the bigger they are (or they more they tell you how great the are) the more cookie cutter they are.

But what I know is this: great minds don’t always live on the coasts. They don’t always work in high rise buildings, and they don’t always cost an arm and a leg. Great minds work for large agencies and small ones. And sometimes they work from a mountain cabin, a cafe or while sitting at their kitchen tables. Great minds are everywhere. When I look for someone to hire or collaborate with, I look for the people who bring the most creativity, experience, work ethic and passion to the table. And where they live and/or where they office doesn’t factor into it – not one bit.

There’s incredible talent everywhere. So when you need it, do what I did years ago, and try getting your snotty nose out of the air and look around. I can promise that if you do, you’ll find amazing and amazingly talented people to work with. Oh, and watch this video – you’ll see immediately why I was inspired.

Image credit: John Alan

If You Want The Same Crap, Hire The Same People is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

The Kansas City Chamber of Commerce offers a popular educational series, Business Brain Food and Brain Food Over Lunch for business owners and executives.  Shelly and I spoke to a group as a part of the Brain Food series last Wednesday and it was amazing.

We made a presentation to a group of 20 over coffee on the subject of Social Media ROI and we really enjoyed the session. The businesses represented in the Brain Food session ranged from waste management to law firms to non-profit organizations and more.  It was enlightening for Shelly and I to hear from so many different kinds of businesses and we came away from our presentation very inspired.

One of my favorite business and marketing resources is the American Express Open Forum.

American Express Open Forum

American Express has assembled some of the top marketing and business gurus on the planet in one place—and small business owners and marketers should use Open Forum as a resource.  Even if you don’t have an AMEX account, you can comment on AMEX Open Forum blog posts and participate in the community by registering as guest via your Linked In account.

The experts featured on this blog are very grounded, and they communicate in an engaging way.  The advice is easy-to-read, and there’s not the usual “business lingo” that is common on so many blogs.

Some of my favorite experts write for Open Forum, so that’s how I got hooked.   I like advice from business gurus who communicate like “real people”: Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, John Jantsch are must reads for me.  Guy, Chris and John regularly write for this blog  and Open Forum is part of my regular routine.

For example, Gregory Go wrote an excellent article on American Express Open Forum about local marketing.  Go’s article, Forget the Phonebook: 3 Local Marketing Initiatives with Higher ROIs is one of the BEST explanations on how small business owners can use the web instead of the phone book. Read the article over on American Express Open Forum.

Here are a few of the many articles you should read:

Shira Levine’s How to Write a Winning Press Release: A Step-by-Step Guide

Mary Ann Reilly’s 4 Key Trends for Marketing in Real Time

How the GSA Can Help You Tap into $40 Billion by Michelle Thompson Dolberry

Whether you are the CEO of an established corporation or a small business owner or a marketing geek, you’ll find valuable information on American Express Open Forum.

Are you hooked on Open Forum?  What are some of your favorite and free resources? Talk to us!  We’re featuring Free Resources for Business this week, so stay tuned. Wednesday we’ll feature another great resource that is FREE, the Library. It’s that place with all the books.

PS: If you want to see the V3 presentation, the recorded webinar of our presentation should be up soon. Visit the KC Chamber of Commerce website for more information or you can visit our V3 Slideshare account and view our Social Media ROI presentation.

Free Resources for Business: American Express Open Forum is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

I came across this Marc Jacobs ad in a posh and trendy fashion mag the other day and felt compelled to comment. I mean, seriously, what’s going on here? Is ugly the new edgy? Does anyone – at Marc Jabobs, or anywhere else, think that this image of a puny, scruffy, not-at-all-attractive dude in a pair of tighty whities is going to inspire anything but a quick turn of the page?

At the risk of making a sweeping generalization, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that men in tighty whities are a turnoff. I believe I speak for all humanity on this issue. Or at least I speak for women of all ages and pretty much for the gay community at large. Fine. Wear them if you must, but don’t subject any of us to the sight of you in them. Ever.

Especially not when there are so many choices. Comfy and chic boxer briefs. The always highly recommended traditional boxer. Sleek and sexy trou like those sported by Dustin “Duke” Dlouhy for Glamour. Those make for nice, emmmm, browsing.

Surely you get my point. The Duke might not be your style when it comes to potential dating material, but there is no question he is rocking those skivvies.

Conversely, the image used by Marc Jacobs to sell what is no doubt a great leather jacket – just doesn’t work for me. Ugly is not edgy. Ugly does not capture my attention. Ugly does not make me momentarily want to run away to Fiji with one of those hot hunka lunkas – if only for a week (moment). And, most importantly, ugly does not make me want to purchase. And isn’t that the whole point?

Is Ugly The New Edgy? is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

Do you ever get this question from a client?   We created a quick and easy presentation that makes the case that social media is not just for kids or tech companies.  It’s over on SlideShare and please feel free to download it or share it!

Social Media Works: Why Social Media and Blogging Are Good for Your Bottom Line is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency

Okay, I’m a dork. I know it. Admit it. Embrace it. And while I don’t watch a bunch of TV, I’m online constantly. Big surprise, I know. This Google TV announcement is awesome. And I know that Microsoft tried to do this and that Apple TV is out there, but I’ve never really paid attention to it until now. For some reason Google got my attention.

This creates issues in my household though. Big issues. We are the people who still have old school TVs all over our house. You know the ones – they weigh about 300 lbs and are the size of a small battleship. Make no mistake — it’s not that my husband isn’t into all the bells and whistles that are an integral part of the flat screen, HiDef, fancy-schmancy TVs that everyone ELSE on the planet apparently has. It’s just that we have a mortgage, a house we’re rehabbing, 4 year old twins … well, you get my drift. There just have been other things more important to us from a budget standpoint than a killer TV.

But with the advent of Google TV, I’m now the one dreaming about new TVs. My husband will be beside himself with glee. Already I’m thinking about all the things that my kids currently cram onto my lap to see on the MacBook Pro that will be oh-so-heavenly on the big screen. Important things. Things like the Peanut Butter Jelly Song, or The Spice Girls singing Wannabe (don’t judge me), or watching the lions and elephants on WildEarthTV as they stream live footage from the Congo in Africa (yes, we do occasionally watch something educational).

Ohhhh, you betcha I’m getting excited (channeling Frances McDormand in Fargo here). And I haven’t even mentioned all the uses I can think of from a work standpoint – can you say “Holy Tax Deduction, Batman.” Shhh. Let’s run this by my accountant first, okay?

And now that I’ve waxed poetic about Google TV from a personal standpoint, as a marketer and someone who is immersed in the worlds of both content generation and content consumption, the ramifications are huge. Designing messages for devices is a big part of what I do, and thinking about how consumers receive and want to receive information is equally huge. My head spins just thinking of the possibilities.

In any event, I’m psyched about Google TV. And I’m the last person on the planet that I ever thought would care about anything related to TV. What about you? Will you be jumping on board or is this just totally no big deal to you? C’mon … let’s hear it.

Google TV – What It Means To Me is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency