Most anyone who really knows me knows that I am (moderately) obsessed with getting an iPhone. While trying to wait patiently for my current cell phone contract to expire, I have researched AT&T, previous iPhone models and now the new iPhone 4.

Now with just under a month left in my contract, I am seriously considering taking the leap and signing on the dotted line for the new iPhone 4. As a consumer, I am moving closer to purchasing it. However, with all of the news and talk about the issues it’s having, I continue to weigh my options and consider what the best choice is for me. I also find it interesting what has happened and what is happening in terms of marketing to persuade me in this decision.

Beginning with the product itself, there are many, many reasons why I’d love to have an iPhone. After receiving an iPod Touch last year, I have become very attached to how easy to use and convenient it is. The personal experience I have had with a product very similar to the iPhone is so powerful in getting me to adopt and become familiar with the iPhone itself. It would be so much easier to use an iPhone than a new and different smartphone. Plus, the apps have helped me organize my life, save money and keep up with what’s going on in the news and in social media. I could easily move them onto an iPhone and only have one device instead of both a phone and an iPod Touch.

In terms of word of mouth and consumer recommendations, almost everyone I know who has an iPhone couldn’t live without it. They, too, find it extremely helpful in their daily lives beyond the basics of it just being another smartphone.

The advertising for the iPhone 4 has been overwhelming. Apple’s branding has always resonated with me. The very first FaceTime app commercial was very heartwarming. I’ve seen positive comments about it across Facebook and Twitter.

Of course the iPhone 4 has been plagued with issues in the news. “Antennagate” has seen some iPhone 4 owners struggle with poor reception and dropped calls. Apple’s decision to provide free cases seems to be only a temporary solution. With Consumer Reports not recommending it and competitors joining in the disapproval, the public relations firestorm surrounding iPhone 4’s problems has only increased. And on top of that, the iPhone is still only available through AT&T, which continues to receive complaints about its poor coverage.

In regards to statistics, a recent survey by the International Data Corporation shows 66 percent of current iPhone owners are delaying purchase of the new iPhone 4 due to its antenna problems. However, the issue has not stopped the 74 percent of non-iPhone owners who are moving ahead with purchasing it.

Overall, the experience I’ve had with the iPod Touch, the friends that I know who love their iPhones and the research that I’ve done push me closer to getting one sooner rather than later. I’d love to wait for Verizon to finally provide it through their network, but that has been an unrealized possibility for awhile now. I have to weigh out all of the messages—the great brand and product advertising, the social media talk, the press it has received and the way Apple is handling their public relations issues―with my own perceptions, needs and desires as a consumer. Maybe it’s time for me to take the risk and finally see for myself what all the (good and bad) fuss is all about.

If you are reading blogs and articles about social media, you have probably come across what brands are calling the next evolution of social media, Social CRM (SCRM).  Even within our Trone blog, Doug Barton wrote a post entitled “Social Media and CRM: Which Will Survive” , where he discussed Dove’s Ambassador program that combined both social and CRM initiatives to drive brand experience and loyalty.

At the LiNC 2010 Conference in May, experts discussed Social CRM and where it’s going.  Paul Greenburg, a leading CRM expert, was interviewed to  discuss the changing dynamics.

He quickly points out that companies are not yet aligned for the changes that this marketing shift can cause within their organizations.  Very few companies deliver a consistent experience across all of their social media touchpoints. Do you know any companies that are poised for each employee to embrace every single customer touchpoint?   As we emerge into the 2011 planning period, all companies should be thinking about what they are doing to deliver one-to-one, relationship-building experiences with their customers.

The mom blogger population is a great group; they are dynamic, competitive, compassionate and large in numbers. These bloggers have influence over their peers and are influenced by their peers. However, learning to treat each of these bloggers as an individual is where a brand stands to gain some trust, respect and eventually support. Just like each of our moms and any mom you know, they are different. They face different challenges, have different backgrounds and have different interests and values. Mashable’s article, Top 10 Misconceptions About Mommy Bloggers, is a good way to start thinking about mom bloggers. But I offer these other tips from experience:

• Use other social media platforms. Mommy bloggers will often leave the smaller personal details about their life out of their blog posts. Twitter and Facebook are great ways to find out these little tidbits of information. Use these pieces of information to connect with them on personal level. If one of your mom bloggers has a funny story about their kids, respond to it on twitter or include it your next email to them. It shows you care.
• Be a resource. Thinking that a blogger should just help you will not help you win over this audience. A brand needs to create content and act as a resource for their target bloggers. Let them know that you understand their lives are crazy and there is not always time to blog. Becoming a resource and trusted partner will be the basis for a strong relationship.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. These mommy bloggers are the experts in their world. If you are creating content or looking to start a relationship with new bloggers, as your current bloggers. Just like networking in person, a personal introduction goes a long way with this group.

When a mom blogger believes in a brand or campaign, it comes through in their posts. Creating a personal relationship with each of those bloggers allows them to see that your brand values the same things they do and cares about the success of their blog, not just the success of the brand. Mommy bloggers have a large amount of influence over each other and over their readership. Developing a genuine personal connection with these bloggers is the first step towards having their support.

There has been a large amount of conversation recently about Social Media and CRM. There are some that are saying we do not need CRM if we have Social Media. I have also heard it said, “Social Media, the death of CRM”. I find it interesting that this conversation is even happening. Both of these are really tried and true marketing programs that have been enhanced with new technology and some new names. It is clear to me that both Social Media and CRM are both here to stay, and both of them have very important roles to play in the marketing mix. I think the better question is how do we best utilize both strategies together to maximize the engagement of the customer and the ROI of the marketing program. Well, I came across a program last week that might be classified as the new buzz ,  ”A Social CRM” program.

Recently my wife received an invitation from Dove to be part of the ”Dove Ambassador” program for their new line of hair products. She received a series of four emails, a survey and a direct mail package. When she received the package it contained a free product for my wife to use, and it also contained five samples of the product for her to give to her friends. The trial packets for her to share with her friends also included a coupon good for their next purchase of Dove hair products. The  series of emails and instructions in the direct mail package spelled out the directions for the program and how to tell others.

I think that the “Dove Ambassador” program has successfully created a social media platform to create “word of mouth” for the brand and they have also leveraged CRM  through their use of targeted correspondence and their ability  to measure success of the program through the coupon redemption metrics.  I can see why this program might be classified as a “Social CRM” program but you know it really is not that new of an idea. Ten or Fifteen years ago it might have been called a ”a direct mail sampling” program  and now it been dusted off and rebuilt leveraging new technology.  Regardless of what we call it, “direct mail sampling”, “Social CRM” or  the “Dove Ambassador Program”,  good strategically grounded programs like this one will survive and be around for many years to come.

We recently conducted a study of internet use among 1800 members of our opinions@trone consumer panel. Among the key findings was the projected increase in the number of internet-enabled phones. With their next phone purchase, consumers will more than double the collective penetration of iphone, itouch, Android-based and other smart phones. Once this purchase cycle completes itself, we’ll have the majority of adults with mobile internet access for the first time. This certainly bodes well for the continued success of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and suggests an increasing opportunity for many other internet-based services.

Having internet access does not necessarily mean that consumers will be engaged. The behavior of those who currently have internet access, however, suggests use will be significant. Measured by a top 2 box response to frequency of use, 65% are currently checking email, 39% are doing local-based searches and 31% are updating their status on social media sites.

There is no way to judge what the full impact of that many internet enabled users might be on brands and products but certainly the venues to which they’ll have access are affecting both brands and products today. An example is Saturday Night Live acquiescing to the 1,000,000 plus fans who utilized Facebook to lobby for Betty White as the guest host.

White as the host was a big win for SNL with over 12.5M households tuning in. This represents about a 35% lift over a typical SNL audience. While NBC was undoubtedly appreciative of Facebook and its many fans, White conveyed her old, immutable self with her remarks.

“I have to thank Facebook. I didn’t know what Facebook was before this, and I have to tell you, it seems like a waste of time”  

A waste of time? Maybe. But, a popular one with nearly 2/3 of the adult internet enabled population spending a portion of their time on social networks. With that type of penetration, the ease of access provided by new technology and the power demonstrated by the SNL example this is a medium that marketers need take some risk to stay ahead of. 

Just as people are beginning to learn about location-based tools, Foursquare announces that it has reached 40 million checkins. Within five weeks, Foursquare’s checkins have doubled showing its increased popularity. But is the quick growth about to come to an abrupt end?

Facebook has announced that later this month, it will launch its own location-based features.  Leveraging all of Facebook’s users, this might be enough to crush the growth of Foursquare and the other emerging location-based tools such as Gowalla, Whrrl and TriOut. In late April, Trone launched an online usage study that  measured the popularity of these tools. The study showed that the tools mentioned above each had 6% top two box response when asked “how often do you use the following location-based tools on your mobile phone”.  The data will serve as a great benchmark when understanding the impact of the Facebook features launch.

As the penetration of internet-based phones increases, one thing that we can expect is that the popularity of location-based tools will grow.  In the upcoming months, it will be interesting to see how each fights for its own niche market position in combating the Facebook giant.

Today’s mom is ‘connected’ in more ways than you can count.  She has a Blackberry or an iPhone. She has a Facebook page and Twitter account. And she no longer seeks information only from books.  She reads blogs!

 As a mother of two young kids, I am often seeking out information that is not only factual but practical.  I am searching for answers of how to handle a 6 year olds temper to what other moms used to clear a bad diaper rash. And yes, I can get all of this information from something that has 2 covers with perfect stitching, but why?  Why would I choose to read a dated reference book when I can talk to other moms with my same issues and read about how my fellow moms handle certain situations?

 Not only am I huge blog reader, I now have a blog of my own.  An outlet where I share my funny family stories with friends and families.  During my blog research, I have come across many successful mommy blogs that offer everything from family stories to product suggestions. 

One of these such mommy bloggers is at the top of the mommy blogging world. She has made her personal blog her main income for her family and has currently landed a spot on HDTV.  DOOCE.com is by far my favorite mommy blogger.  She is real.  She offers an honest look at married life with kids.  While she spends her days updating her blog, she is also supporting her site with banner ads which now support her family and has allowed her husband to stay home with her.

What a great idea and one I wish I had thought of!  To think that you can support your life with marketing through banner ads on a site that you update because you love to write about your life, family and what you are having for breakfast.  BRILLIANT.  And for those companies who advertise on a blog like this are not brave, but smart.  Those who follow blogs daily are exposed to targeted product placements without evening knowing it. 

In the words of Heather Armstrong herself (the Dooce!) “Here in this tiny space on the web is an example of just how awesome and life-altering the Internet can be.”

 Check her out.  I am sure once you read her blog once you will be hooked.

With the Winter Olympics just under our belt, it’s a great opportunity to discuss the power of media during this event. There were many firsts during the Olympics- not only in terms of medals but also with regards to the audiences.

From the beginning, it was clear these games were held in North America. This was evident with the opening ceremony. Whether it was the aboriginal dancers, the Canadian singers or the customs, we knew these were our Olympics. Throughout the games, there were differences between this Olympics and the summer Olympics from 2008, where China was the host. China brought their own style and beauty to them. However, China is a communist country and the differences from a media perspective were quite apparent. China has strict regulations on internet usage and has recently implemented guidelines for Google.  Of course Google is questioning them. But could you imagine America without Google? We are very dependent on it. But alas, I digress.

The Canadian games were completely represented in the media. In the US, NBC owned the rights to the games but by contrast, in Canada, there were over ten networks (CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Infosports, Rogers, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, etc…) that carried them. Granted there are certain factors to take into consideration. First, Canada was the host country. Second, there are two official languages in Canada, thus needing to be aired in both. And probably the most relevant factor, it’s fair to assume that not one of those stations could afford to buy the rights outright. So what does this mean for the audience? Well, we could say we were not as lucky because if you were tired of watching the umpteenth time Apollo sped around the rink – too bad! Yes I am giving away a secret here; technically the games on NBC were not live. In Canada, if you did not want to watch skating, you could simply change to another station for different coverage. I am not revealing a deep dark secret here, as this was completely obvious through whichever means of social media you were following. Although I am a big believer in the power of social media, at times I found it difficult to follow them. It is hard to watch a sport, when you know the outcome. However, the benefit was that you never felt like you were missing anything. The added bonus to social media is that you can follow the athletes on Twitter for instance. This gives you the extra sensation of being involved in the games. You can feel their angst, their excitement, their fear… Imagine if it was your child competing and you could not be there with them. What a great way to share this special moment with them.

All in all, NBC did a great job, but more importantly so did our athletes. Congrats to all!

After years of blocking their contestants from online outreach to fans, American Idol has released a statement saying that they will allow contestants to communicate via their “Idol-managed” Facebook, Twitter and MySpace pages.  Sounds like a fantastic idea, but how will it change the competition?

Here are a few things I will be watching out for:

1. The influence of social media on the outcome
   As the Top 24 is narrowed to 12, we should see indication of popularity by visiting each participant’s social media site.  Can you imagine how much influence each site will hold as fans of the show try to rally their friends and family to support each contestant?  However, a new dynamic may enter as fans might become complacent and not vote if they see that their favorite has millions of supporters on their sites.
2. Each contestant’s ability to rally fans
   It will be interesting to see how each contestant uses their outlets to rally support.  This year’s winner could be decided on an artist’s ability to engage with fans to drive votes. A contestant’s social media savvy will be exposed.
3. Additional pressure on the contestants
   There is no doubt that each contestant feels pressure from the judges and live audience.  Will comments that critics place on the forums create more anxiety for the singers?
4. How much will Idol manage the forums?
   The true beauty of social media is unfiltered, transparent conversations.  I will be interested to see how much Idol allows.

Every year American Idol hooks me somehow, and now with this new dynamic, they have done it again.  How do you think the new social media policy will change the competition?