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Bhopu / Archives /
June 2008
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Posted On
Jun 27, 2008
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At the recently held Conference in Boston from June 9th to 12th 2008, on Enterprise 2.0 most of the speakers agreed to the view that E2.0, as it is popularly known as, is inevitable. Marketing and software pundits believe that this will be the next big thing that will have a major impact on how the business is run today after Internet infiltrated into the business processes. So this time around we won’t be discussing the regular stuff- Internet and Business- instead we will give you an insight into the somewhat new world of Enterprise 2.0 and how it is getting transformed into a major business phenomenon.
Browser based softwares, SaaS, and Web 2.0 have been making fast advancements in the enterprise arena, however the absence of useful pioneer reports is hampering the development process and preventing many organizations from moving on to this next level. The trends have been really amazing with more and more number of user generated content and communication collaboration mushrooming up via blogs and social media websites. Keeping all the above developments in mind a question that often comes to our mind is can the integration of the three- SaaS, Web 2.0 and business- be more meaningful in the enterprise as well.
What is Enterprise 2.0?
The term Enterprise 2.0 was coined by Andrew McAfee, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School. According to him,”Enterprise 2.0 is the use of emergent social software platforms within companies, or between companies and their partners or customers.” Source: Professor Andrew McAfee’s Blog
Social software enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities.
Platforms are digital environments in which contributions and interactions are globally visible and persistent over time.
Emergent means that the software is freeform, and that it contains mechanisms to let the patterns and structure inherent in people's interactions become visible over time.
Freeform means that the software is most or all of the following:
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Optional Free of up-front workflow
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Egalitarian, or indifferent to formal organizational identities
These examples will help you understand the term better:
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MK Taxi's ability to connect mobile phone users in Tokyo directly to the driver of the cab closest to them, bypassing the dispatch center altogether.
To make a long story short, it means using inside an enterprise the successful tools of web 2.0.These new tools may well supplant other communication and knowledge management systems with their superior ability to capture tacit knowledge, best practices and relevant experiences from throughout a company and make them readily available to more users. Enterprise 2.0 liberates the workforce from the constraints of legacy communication and productivity tools like email. It provides business managers with access to the right information at the right time through a web of inter-connected applications, services and devices. It makes accessible the collective intelligence of many, translating to a huge competitive advantage in the form of increased innovation, productivity and agility.
Other than Web 2.0, E2.0 makes extensive use of Office 2.0, the term coined by Ishmael Ghalimi. The term Office 2.0 is a marketing neologism representing the concepts of office productivity applications as published applications rather than stand-alone programs. The term leverages the Web 2.0 concept to conjure imagery of collaborative, community based and centralised effort rather than the more traditional application running on a platform locally. Office 2.0 prevents you from the tedious work of software installation, updates, administration rights, software versions, virus scanning and all like stuff. Read More
Tools of Enterprise 2.0
Whether created by software vendors, internal IT departments, line-of-business units or service providers, the software of Enterprise 2.0 will be flexible, simple and lightweight. It will be created using an infinite combination of the latest - and possibly, some old-fashioned - ingredients, including the following:
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Technologies
Open source, SOA/Web services (AJAX, RSS, blogs, wikis, tagging, social networking, and so on) Web 2.0, legacy and proprietary - or some combination
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Development Models
Relying on in-house, outsourced or offshore resources - or any combination; pursuing a global development strategy; and/or pursuing co-creation with users, partners or both
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Delivery Methods
Downloading individually; paying for a license; and/or, using on-demand/SaaS or via a service provider
Business Vs Enterprise 2.0
Enterprise 2.0 is the synergy of a new set of technologies, development models and delivery methods that are used to develop business software and deliver it to users.Enterprise 2.0 is more than just Web 2.0 for business. The complexity of enterprise computing is far more than personal computing. Things like legacy environments, innumerable vendors, mismatched data sources, stringent regulations and scattered pattern of users make it further complicated. While Web 2.0 can deliver genuine advantages for both business users and consumers, the real "Enterprise 2.0" will encompass a far broader and more complex vision. But with Web 2.0, all these complexities can be metamorphosed into strength as the organization becomes flat and there is ease of flow of information. Just take a look at the major advantages that E2.0 has in store for you as compared to conventional business methods often called as Enterprise 1.0 or E1.0.
Everything about E2.0 is not perfect and there are limitations like what happens when the server is down or the connection is irregular. These shortcomings may look to deter people/organizations from quickly shifting to E2.0. Despite those limitations its getting all the attention in this world and more and more business firms are embracing these new tools and technologies, either at the top-down level or at the grassroot level, and often both. It’s also an indication that the network is going to become the pre-eminent location for most meaningful business software.
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Posted On
Jun 26, 2008
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Day before yesterday while watching TV, I noticed the LG Scarlet ad that was broadcast in between the Euro 2008 Quarter final match. It was wonderfully done and left me gaping at it. Next morning when I was checking my mails on I saw the same ad in a banner presentation on the website. I couldn’t stop myself from clicking it. After watching it few times I started thinking - is the period of TV and Print ads over? Or aren’t they enough that corporate houses are looking for new media?
Recall Paul Legutko's discussion:
"......, but simply the fact that someone is staring at your company logo and creative for a certain period of time. This has an inherent branding value, and "branding" is something both marketers and management understand......high-volume sites can have significant brand-equity."
The advent of Web 2.0 has changed the norms the way business was done few years back. The competition now has become more intense and the battlefield spans over from offline to online marketing, from television ads to banners and buttons, from hoardings to pop-outs and so on.
Not adapting to these changes implies that your organization is losing a valuable share of prospective customers. Hindustan Unilever Limited (India) which was quick to catch the bus and started “Gang of Girls” to brand and promote its shampoo “Sunsilk” .Now it boasts of an impressive 40219 gangs with 668815 registrations (till 21st June 2008). Read More
Building brand marketing online is somewhat similar when compared with offline marketing, but Internet provides special opportunities and challenges to build up brand Internet marketing online. So let’s begin with the work of making your brand talk or simply strengthening the presence of your brand online.
What and Why
Brand in simple terms is like an identity of a company/organization/product. It can be a punch line, music, logo or design. In other words it is symbolic embodiment of the information related to a company/product/organization/service. The brand name has to be simple and easy to remember. When you look at three stripes in white placed in a triangular pattern, you are quick to identify it with ADIDAS. This is what branding is all about. You see you recognize. Online branding requires more attention and detailing as even small companies and firms are there to establish themselves. Brand online marketing will help you to make a distinction between leaders and other larger basket of brands. The top 100 advertisers in the U.S., who represent 41 percent of total advertising spending, shifted about $1 billion last year from TV and newspapers to the Web. An analysis from Ad Age shows that overall media spending in “measured” categories (TV, print, radio, Web) by the top 100 advertisers was flat in 2007, with 0.3 percent growth to $61.3 billion. But spending on Web display ads rose 33 percent to $4.2 billion. [Source: CrunchBase/Ad Age]
Where The medium is certainly an important issue to be considered in brand Internet marketing online. Domain name, E-Commerce storefront, logo, etc are some of the best branding medium online. Of late new dimensions have been added that are not only very user friendly but also are drawing more number of surfers- Social media Websites, Wikis, Blogs etc.
How After the primary duties have been performed, everything now boils down to how. So your strategy and execution has to be on target, or else nothing commendable would be achieved even after moving heaven and earth.
- Showcase your Brand
Don’t use flashy graphics and loud slogans. Instead try to convey the public what your brand is all about. Check it if your brand stands to its promises really or not. View it through the eyes of a new customer.
- Visual Elements
The visual elements should be in sync with your brand identity and easily recognizable. Words are critical but the importance of your online brand’s site is more. Therefore the web design and layout should be coherent with the product identity. Take for example, the appearance of a site dealing with paintings will have artistic fonts and borders, while a site promoting sportswear will be flashy with bold fonts as it targets the youth.
- Voice and Image
It has been medically proven that audio visual presentations have greater impact on our behaviour with better retentivity. With YouTube and podcasting, it’s become easier than ever to promote your company with multimedia. Do some research into your target audience and find out what kind of audio and video perform will work well. Once you have an idea of what could work for you, start creating and distributing your own content. You'd be surprised at how a few entertaining videos on YouTube or another video-sharing site can boost your publicity.
- One Stop Shop
Just posting some profiles and catalogs of your brand products will not help you much unless you assure your prospective customer as a major player with ample resources in the respective field. Further you need to ascertain that yours is a one stop destination and the customer will not have to wander here and there in case he is dissatisfied with the service/brand product.
- Performance
The website should be easily navigable and should lead the visitors to what your online brands perform rather than to what it is. Use hyperlinks to help the visitors.
- Message consistency
Whether you're going online or offline for your marketing and advertising, the message you send should be consistent across all your materials and platforms. If you have mixed messages, you'll risk alienating the customers you have and won't be able to convert potential clients.
- Information
Help the visitors with some useful brand related information and speak to your customers in a conversational tone. Do make use of two scrolling screens if needed to deliver the exact information. The words you use play a major role in your Internet brand enhancement. Handle the texts or words in a proper way in your brand identity online.
- Information Dissemination.
Having a brand centered website is a great thing for the business but since you would be requiring a lot of public support, it is advisable to keep them informed about new developments in your company thorough emails and other means.
- Social media
Sites like Orkut, Facebook, and MySpace are few of the numerous social media websites featuring discussion forums, communities etc. Try involving them by joining these and writing relevant articles and replying to various posts as often as you can. Don't just join all these media sites, participate proactively, start thought-provoking discussions in forums. Find a good niche and stick with it. Become a member of the community, and the community will see you that way. If people are intrigued by what you have to say, then they'll be searching your profile for more information.
- Use your website URL on all your marketing materials
Your offline marketing efforts should include your website URL information on brochures, banner ads, business cards, stationery etc. URLs should be easy to remember and easy to visit. If somebody wants to get a better idea of what your company's about, they should be able to tell with a five-second visit to your site.
- Keep your website updated
Keeping your website updated is one of the most important factors that will determine the success of your branding exercise. If the site hasn’t been updated, it will create an impression of a company that is running out of steam or it’s even out of the business.
- Press Releases
Press releases can even show up in Google News or Yahoo News if you use the right distribution service. Contact local or industry reporters to expand the reach of your news through traditional and online media outlets as well. Include the name of your URL in all such activities.
So everything is over? Wait. Last but not the least- just take this simple question. How does it feel when a sales person approaches you in the middle of something? If I am not wrong then you must be annoyed. In the same way while projecting your brand online prevent yourself from raising the sales pitch. The internet presents a plethora of opportunities if used creatively and in an innovative manner. Hope the above tips will help you in creating an indelible image for your brand and garnering more revenues for you. |
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