The Social Sell: Valentine’s Day Edition
If Twitter partners with Amex to take on eCommerce, you can be sure that Facebook will make its own effort, too.
Category: Economics
The Social Sell
Yesterday, I bought a $25 American Express Gift Card for $15. The neat thing is, I did it on Twitter. I’m not sure if this sort of selling is necessarily going to be the next big thing in eCommerce, but it is certainly a compelling development in how Twitter – which recently raised the per-day cost of its “Promoted Tweet” to $200,000 – is seeking to monetize its product. Similarly, Facebook is experimenting with a ticket purchase option for some events, demonstrating Social Media’s interest – and need – to expand from simple advertising platforms to facilitators of consumer engagement – and purchases.
Disney and Diversification
Yesterday, Disney announced that its profit dropped to $1.36 billion on $11.34 billion in revenue, reflecting a dip in the company’s margins, despite growing revenue. I found the earnings report fascinating in that it reflects the company’s profound diversification into non-film endeavors: the movie division booked only $234 million in profit, representing only about one-fifth … Continue reading Disney and Diversification
Polishing Chrome
In light of the screenshots of the new Chrome OS, I figured that it’d be worth publicly positing, that if given the opportunity again, Google would probably have chosen to make Chrome, and not Android, their mobile OS.
Fiber in the Diet
Yesterday, internet services company Akamai released its annual “State of the Internet” report, which tracks the various changes in internet speeds and penetration across the globe. When it came to broadband speeds, the US pulled in at 14th place, behind smaller countries such as Germany and South Korea. Before the alarmists clamor about the loss … Continue reading Fiber in the Diet
We Said So
Some of you may remember our post about Netflix from earlier today. And some of you may notice the current stock price. So yes, we’re starting a hedge fund. Continue reading We Said So
The Future is in Your Queue
There is a great metric by which companies’ success can be measured. Effectively, if the name of a corporation’s good or service becomes interchangeable with the product category as a whole, the company’s product – or at least its marketing – is probably pretty successful. Older examples would be the use of the word “Xerox” as a verb, or “Kleenex” as a catchall for tissues. In our generation, the use of “Google” as a verb is likely the best example.
Being a Guest On Another Blog
OK, you got me, it was a class assignment, but it is very relevant to what we do here also. Check it out! Continue reading Being a Guest On Another Blog
The New Hollywood Code
There is a fascinating article in The New York Times that explores the increasing level of coordination between Hollywood studios and Chinese censors. The studios – like all other industries – want access to China’s vast population, which has newfound disposable income and a greater desire for Western entertainment and material goods. But the Chinese government rigidly filters what elements make their way into theaters, generally censoring extreme sex scenes, religious criticism, and lukewarm sentiments about China itself. These limitations are unsurprising, given the government’s ban on pornography, wariness of religion, and repressive maintenance of a positive national image.
The Shotgun
I’ve written about Samsung’s shotgun approach to production vis-a-vis the Note – a different strokes for different folks view, as opposed to Apple’s one size fits all philosophy – and, over at Slate, Farhad Manjoo reiterates as much. Hit up the link for more. Continue reading The Shotgun
Silicon Spatula 