The Photography Business

I was previously involved with a startup company that sought to bridge the gap between amateur and professional photographers. There have since been many changes in this industry. This article is a good overview of where that stands. This industry is a good example of the considerable influence of digital methods as they spread.

Pushing the Drive-Through Concept

We looked at this through a number of drive-through supercenter concepts. A good overview article in the Chicago Tribune. Online is open 24/7, so why not have a way to get to goods at all times? If you don't have aisles and have just an automated super-warehouse you can have much more selection. You can pick up your own orders eliminating the cost and complexity of distribution. Past attempts at this have not done well, but it is an innovative direction.

Food Lion Tracking Shopper Data with Cameras

Several reports on how Food Lion is gathering video data from cameras in-store. They are using the videomining system to gather and analyze results. We talked to them at the innovation centers some years ago. We did similar internal analysis. See the videomining site for more.

How Procter Remains a Global Marketer

In AdAge, a video: Video: At Induction to AAF Hall of Fame, Execs Discuss Importance of Multi-Brand Efforts.

Ease of Blogging

Walter Riker expands his new blog on The Ease of Blogging. Read it and follow.
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On Prediction Without Markets

Good overview and link to the original Cornell paper, here an abstract of that:

' ... Though theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that markets do often outperform alternative mechanisms, less attention has been paid to the magnitude of improvement. Here we compare the performance of prediction markets to conventional methods of prediction, namely polls and statistical models. Examining thousands of sporting and movie events, we find that the relative advantage of prediction markets is surprisingly small, as measured by squared error, calibration, and discrimination. Moreover, these domains also exhibit remarkably steep diminishing returns to information, with nearly all the predictive power captured by only two or three parameters ... '

Cloud Computing

CACM, the worlds preeminent computing professional society, gives a good view of cloud computing: Clearing the clouds away from the true potential and obstacles posed by this computing capability ... '

Geolocation Apocalypse?

The AdAge article is provocatively overblown, but the warnings are worth understanding. Geolocation is one of those tech things that are relatively easy with today's capabilities, so it is being taken up everywhere. The Semantic Web, by comparison, is harder to implement, but would be of greater value.

Smartphones Will Rule

Nielsen says that although only about 21% of phones today are smart, it will be 'most' by 2011, and 35% in the US by the end of 2010. Fast changes. This could make for lots of opportunity for location services and communicating with the consumer in retail.

What's Behind Procter's Strong Quarter

A very good and relatively detailed article. The short answer: Innovation... What’s Behind P&G’s Strong Quarter?. Via Richard James.
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Official Google CPG Blog on the ZMOT

Brought to my attention by Dave Knox. (His excellent blog). The Google CPG Blog On the Zero moment of truth. One thing I do note is that although they imply they came up with this term, very shortly after the first-moment-of-truth was coined, a number of people at P&G started talking about the zero-eth moment, even the -1st! I saw these suggestions often in the innovation spaces. Just to set the historic precedent straight. Good CPG blog to follow:

" ... The term "First Moment of Truth" (commonly called FMOT) was coined by Proctor & Gamble in 2005 to define the first interaction between a shopper and a product on a store's shelf. This moment was considered one of the most important marketing opportunities for a brand, as P&G asserted -- and others believed -- that shoppers make up their mind about a product in the first few seconds after they encounter that product for the first time. While this first moment of truth is still important, the rise of full internet adoption and increased search engine use often lead to many brand interactions taking place between a consumer and a brand before that consumer ever sees a product on a shelf. This phenomena is what we are calling the "Zero Moment of Truth", or ZMOT .. '
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Del Monte and Social Media ROI

There always has to be some measure that people will agree to. Being a quant I like the numbers. Here a good view:

' ... Doug Chavez, head of digital marketing at Del Monte Foods, advises brands looking to provide a social-media space for customers to "focus on engaged participants, not raw fan counts.... '

Where 2.0, The Next Wave of AR

A very good piece on: The Next Wave of AR: Exploring Social Augmented Experiences at Where 2.0. It describes upcoming work at the forthcoming conference. My interest in retail applications continues, will cover aspects of that here.

Five Things you Need Before Deploying BI

From Kevin Quinn of Information Builders, a 19 page paper:

' ... Before you start your next BI project, take a look at my recent white paper, Five Things You Need to Know About Your Users Before Deploying BI, and learn how to make your BI deployments more successful – right from the beginning ... ' .
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L'Oreal Advances With Mobile

In Consumer Goods Technology. A good interview ... requires registration.

L'Oreal Case Study: Advancing Mobile Technology in the Field
CGT Executive Editor Kara Romanow talks with Kelly Malone, Vice President at Spring Wireless, and discusses how L'Oreal leveraged technology in implementing a new field solution, impacting business processes in the areas of mobile sales force automation solution; a trade promotion management and marketing budget management solution, and a merchandising solution for retail execution. The implementation resulted in a 20% increase in productivity; higher order prices and reduced stock-outs... Listen (requires registration)

Play Fast Flip in Google Reader

The Google Reader RSS system now has a way to fast-flip through images. Good way to preview possibilities within your feed. It is also able to recommend other resources outside the space of your feed. Well done.

Statistical Methods for Behavioral Modeling

Steve Miller on misconceptions about using statistics for behavioral models. ' ... “Traditional statistical analysis is often of limited value. It is not that these tools are somehow flawed. Rather, it is that they are overly simplistic and, in many cases inappropriate for the task of modeling human behavior.” . Optimistically tilted I think ... but would like other comments on this. Also good links to related papers on the topic. See especially Leo Breiman's Statistical Modeling: Two Cultures.

Digital Scent and Scent in Marketing

A recent query about the progress of digital scent made me review the mentions of the idea in this blog. Have always been interested in the idea, and have been involved in a number of related innovation center investigations. Follow that search link to see what I have written about it. Would appreciate any additional resources and pointers you can provide.

Tableau IPhone Visualization

Michael Cristiani sends along a link to a test App for Tableau to do BI style visualization on the IPhone. Nice idea, I think having mobile visual business intelligence is very useful. The lesser real estate of a phone makes you need a redesign of how visuals will normally appear, so it is more than a trivial effort. If anyone knows of other useful BI efforts in this area, send them along and I will review them here.

Neuropod

Newly discovered: ' ... NeuroPod is the neuroscience podcast from Nature, produced in association with the Dana Foundation. Each month, join us as we delve into the latest research on the brain, from its molecular makings to the mysteries of the mind. We'll also be bringing you the latest news from neuroscience conferences around the globe, along with special reports on hot areas in neuroscience .... '. Via Ron Wright.