Kelly Mooney's blog about the online shopping experience from the customer's point of view -- MooneyThinks.com

Pickens Plan Delivers its Message Via OPEN Media

While the campaigns have been occupying the airwaves, it's exciting to see that presidential candidates aren't the only ones advancing their causes and engaging consumers with web 2.0 technologies.

If you haven't already, meet T. Boone Pickens, billionaire, oilman and founder of a plan that proposes the building of windfarms (with turbines 410 feet tall) to help the US diminish what he describes as our addiction to foreign oil. Headquartered at PickensPlan.com, Pickens is using dozens of OPEN vehicles to explain the plan, share the plan and push the plan.

The site offers a truly on-demand experience that gives people ease, control and efficiency. It's also very networked--making it easy to "join," "talk," "share," and "organize" around the cause. And it ties into more than 30 services (Del.icio.us, Twitter, Digg, MySpace, Ma.gnolia, etc.) through which you can bookmark and share the plan itself.

Of course, the Pickens Plan isn't just about the site, the octogenarian is networked through Facebook (T. Boone has 3,611 friends and the Pickens Plan has 2,952 fans.), MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

While T. Boone Pickens is focused on teaching the world about the power of wind, the way he's gone about it can teach marketers a lot about the power of the engaged consumer.

VS PINK Winning Facebook Popularity Contest

In what he described as a quick audit of Facebook Pages, blogger radical trust cited our client, Victoria's Secret PINK, as the most popular brand on Facebook, with 384,177 fans. (At the time of his audit, PINK was number 3 in terms of all Facebook Pages, behind Barack Obama and Chris Moyles.)

Through its Facebook Page, PINK excels at all four quadrants of our O.P.E.N. framework, creating an experience that makes it easy for PINK fans to get closer to the brand they love (On-demand), gives them a sense of belonging (Personal), entertains them with digital goodies (Engaging) and, of course, connects them with other fans (Networked).

While the experience has cool perks, like a Flash feature to get fans' attention at the top, and a mobile opt-in they can do right from the Facebook Page, PINK is popular because it's impressively relevant to young women in the collegiate set. PINK has radical appeal because it's focused on getting its merchandising right--and creating a center of gravity online and  off.

A Social Outlet for Sports Fans

I am continually amazed at the consistently high expression of passion that comes out of true sports fans. The love of an athlete, team or sport seems to foster a level of energy that could run a medium-sized city. (Ever visited Columbus during Buckeye football season???)

What I love is when that enthusiasm is harnessed for good. Take Bleacher Report, a blog that was written up today on Marketing VOX. It's a sports pub, blog, wiki and social media site--all mashed up into a destination it describes as "where the sports bar meets the press box."

The basics:

• Sports fans can create a profile and "contribute analysis on the sports stories that matter most to you"
• Edit and rate articles
• The right to refuse edits made to your own articles
• The ability to "build your reputation" by commenting on articles, develop a fan base and improve your writer ranking (They've apparently just amped up their stats offering, something fans asked for, that helps you track your exact readership, among other things.)

I really like how the site truly gears itself to its audience. In addition to standard profiles, Bleacher Report has something called "The Short List" (on each member's profile page), which it describes as "facts and information" about the individual. More than just the expected favorite athletes, favorite teams, The Short List has, "Ruth or Mays," "Unitas or Montana," "Jordan or Gretsky," and "Pele or Maradona".

I can see Bleacher Report is in for a strong, winning season.

Great Details from GoodReads

While the huge impact of the social networking (site) phenomenon is impressive, what I find the most interesting these days are the properties that target niche audiences around passionate topics.

Category giants like MySpace and Facebook have more focused origins, but today their ubiquity is overwhelming. Nothing wrong with wide appeal, but it makes destinations like GoodReads stand out.

I love how GoodReads has captured book lovers' passion for books. And frankly, it's a lot about the little details. When someone friends me on Facebook I get an email from "Facebook" with the subject line that So-and-So has added me as a friend on Facebook. It never bothered me, in fact, it's nice and straightforward. But then I saw the ones from GoodReads (I'm not a member but one shared this with me). The email comes from your friend and the subject line reads, "Let's compare books". Same process, just slightly different approach.

I also saw the site's monthly newsletter and I love its take on personalization. More than the "Dear (insert name)" approach, and not so far as to give me that Big Brother feeling, GoodReads personalizes its email with the recipient's name, a reminder of the book that person last said they were reading and the question, "Do you have any new books to share with your friends?" How smart. Because if you're a book lover you know the next best thing to reading a great book is sharing it with someone else--anyone else.

Wildfire Updates Twittering Across California

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with the vast array of information channels available to me. Call. Email. Chat. Blog. Facebook. Text. Twitter. Digg. Or, oh my, speak face-to-face.

But I keep discovering (personally and through news accounts like the one I'm about to share) the value of this expanding network. And from what I can tell, a lot of southern California residents were pretty thankful as well. Earlier last week as the wildfires burned around San Diego, the mainstream media couldn't always provide the most up-to-date information.

Individuals were using Twitter, the microblogging application, to share news about evacuations, meeting points and supplies, and local NPR station KPBS turned to it as well when its site went down due to web traffic that was 36 times the normal amount.

Resourceful reporters sent news updates via Twitter and built a Google Maps mashup to plot and track fires, evacuations and updates on shelters and hospitals.

Kudos to the creative folks at KPBS for keeping the much-needed information flowing.

Loyalty Pays at BustedTees.com

Ever wish the brands you were loyal to were loyal right back? Ever heard of BustedTees.com?

The e-retailer of jokey, retro-styled T-shirts doesn't just want you to buy their tees, they want you to love them--love them enough to sell them on your Facebook page. Don't worry, they know that's premier real estate, so they're willing to pay you for it--$5 for every shirt purchased from your page.

But wait--there's more. BustedTees.com knows that, collectively, your friends are worth even more than your Facebook page, so they're paying YOU $1 for every shirt YOUR FRIENDS sell on their Facebook pages! Now that's a profitable network.

If BustedTees.com's jokes are on you (and your Facebook page), you may make money. They call it the T-shirt Money Maker. I call it tapping the exponential potential of individual consumers and online niche communities. No joke.

Online Retailers Shoppers Like Most

I often share my favorite and not-so-favorite experiences about top retail sites. But, you might want to know what other people think too. Take this list of the top 50 consumer favorites from this month's Stores magazine. Not surprisingly Amazon.com ranks at the top, followed by eBay.com and Wal-Mart.com. Personally, I'm surprised that Gap.com is only 26 and that FashionBug.com even made the list. ; ) Check it out for your favs.

POLO Makes Great Sport of Interactive with Rugby.com

When Ralph Lauren sets its mind on digital marketing it does so with the energy of a team that plays to win.

A recent email from Polo introduced me to its new concept and web site, Rugby.com. Wow. What a compelling, engaging and personal way to sell an entirely new concept! Note that I had visited the NYC store last summer and discovered that 2 of the preppy yet chic sales associates were from my hometown and remarked, "Oh my god! You're the same age as my mom!" Uh....exit stage left. Wrong store for me. ; )

I digress.

Anyway, I like the section called Around the Corner. It's a monthly video featuring a customer and his or her city. I sat there for minutes watching a customer named Sherwin talk about his favorite restaurants, bars and music store in New York City. He wasn't just selling Rugby clothes, he was selling me the lifestyle, or  the "whole package," which made the clothes a necessary part of an experience a consumer might be yearning to have.

The site is chock-full of great content and beautiful interaction design. Some of my other favorite parts:

• A page of Rugby store associates modeling their favorite Rugby clothes and telling why they loved them.
• A playful blog on "what's hot and what's not"
• The Rugby collection, which is a dimensional delight to navigate through, oh, and informative
• A style guide with quick little videos that really do guide you
• The history of the rugby shirt, which tells a great story and tells you how to make your own at one of their stores

Interesting, that they're bold enough to request a mobile phone number on the home page. Now, I have to test that experience. More later.

With such a strong online experience out of the gate, Rugby.com is sure to win a crowd of fans.

del.icio.us Leaves Sour Taste

I signed up for del.icio.us last spring when I began working on my book. Used it a bunch of times but hadn't been back for a couple of months since we've been crunching on the final editing of the manuscript. Anyway, I wanted to add some articles tonight and was prompted to log in. Since I often use more than one email address and surf from work and from home, I couldn't remember which user name and hadn't been cookied on this computer to retrieve my password -- so I had to sign up again. It took 7 attempts to get a new account. Don't you hate that? First, it was the unavailability of my selected user name. Three times. Then, my password was too short (7 characters, not 8). Then, I mistyped the re-entry of my password. Twice. But I only realized it after I hit submit. Last, due to my failing vision, I missed the interpretation of the security test. No assistance along the way like the folks at Stylehive and other groovy sites provide.

Advertising to Kids, Webkinz Style

Who knows where they're eventually going to go with this, but I'm chewing on one of the many features of Webkinz' recent redesign. They added advertising. To children. But hold on, let me finish. At least for now, they're advertising things I wouldn't mind my kids seeing, like, oh, "veggies are great!" and "fruit is good!"

Yes, I've found a couple ads that tempt kids with something they might want to purchase--Webkinz cards and charms--but if that's the cost of healthy advertising, I  support my daughter's daily spin on the Wheel of Wow.

Twitter Makes Sure We Know What It's Doing

I've been following Twitter for a while now. And I'll confess, while I clearly see the relevance of Twitter in the lives of Digital Millennials (not just in social, but even in retail scenarios), I haven't partaken--er, Twittered--for my own personal benefit. I just don't need or want yet another way to communicate and to be communicated with. Can you relate? Truth is, I have registered -- research -- so there's not much holding me back except resistance to be always on. It's bad enough that I can barely make it out of the elevator at the close of a workday or through my daughter's softball game without tending to my Treo, and now my iPhone.

I found a recent update from Twitter's co-founder, Biz Stone, particularly interesting. In addition to the news that Twitter has hit Hollywood, I learned that Twitter is making a change in its functionality because,

"Folks have noted that there's too much overlap and confusion between 'friend' and 'follow.' As Twitter has evolved, these two concepts have emerged in parallel and clouded things up. So, in the spirit of simplification, we are no longer going to define people as your 'friends.' The functionality of adding people remains, but the interaction is focused on the term 'follow' instead."

How O.P.E.N. of them, really. And not just to listen to the core audience and respond, but also to be cool about people posting "updates" that they're not too happy with the change.

So to answer to the ultimate Twitter question: What are you doing? I imagine the official Twitter answer to be, "Right now we're doing what our members want us to do."

Worth paying attention to. And, maybe my Twittering time will come, but in the meantime, I'm an interested follower--no pun intended.

BarbieGirls Takes Doll Play Online

While my colleagues  include many parents sucked into the  Webkinz craze (some willfully, some kicking) we're now starting to see a budding population of BarbieGirls fans with this week's introduction of the BarbieGirls MP3 player.

Like Webkinz and countless other kid-community sites (a whole new way to think about "pretend play," isn't it???), BarbieGirls invites members into a visual experience where they can participate, create and interact, in fact, BarbieGirls.com turns dressing up dolls into a higher art form. (And if your house is Bratz-tolerant, you may already be counting down to the Aug.1 launch of Be-Bratz.com, a virtual world you can enter if you purchase a special $29.99 Bratz doll.)

So while the cost of entry at Webkinz is a $14.95 stuffed animal (unless you're one of those do-anything-to-make-the-child-stop-crying parents who shelled out anywhere from $24-$75 for one via Amazon sellers), BarbieGirls.com lets you in for free. Anyone can sign up and create an avatar, get a room, furnish it, play games, and interact with other members. But if you purchase and register the $60, doll-shaped MP3 player, you get a little bit more to play with.

What the MP3 player adds to the experience is access to "premium content" -- more hairstyles, more fashion, more shopping. Oh, and it's just way-cool as a gadget for a young girl who has most likely given up boring old Barbie until now.

Seems logical, right? I know that there is only so much of The New York Times content I can get for free online, and that if I pay a fee I can have access to premium content. But, I'm an adult. Grumblings around our office come from frustrated parents who (don't have the MP3 player and) have to explain what premium content means to a first-grader. Granted, you can do a lot on BarbieGirls.com without paying, and there's also that lesson about how you can't have everything you want. A good lesson, indeed.

NYT Article Misses Big Picture

One of my favorite publications stopped me in my tracks the other morning...caused my fresh granola and blueberries to taste sour. The front page headline did its job, "Online Sales Lose Steam," but the story left out key details.

Yes, I was familiar with the Jupiter stats, but they aren't the doom-and-gloom the New York Times was leading readers to believe. Au contraire, as Jack Shafer from Slate.com let us know the next day in his article "Bogus Trend Story of the Day." He points to the article's myopic logic, "bogus anecdotes" (an example from a web-weary shopper who just happens to be an executive at Macy's brick-and-mortar department stores), fuzzy statistics (saying Expedia.com tripled its ticketing kiosks in hotels but not saying what the original number was that got tripled), and plain incorrect information. Internet sales are far out-pacing the growth of the economy overall. If that's not enough, how about the fact that consumers are supposedly suffering from Internet fatigue. They can't be serious.

Further, the stats and the story fail to report the unmeasurable potential of the social web, which is a sea-change in how consumers are interacting...consider the 668% increase of social networking activity in just 2 short years! The implications will be profound and not yet factored into conservative forecasts for sales both online and off.

Maybe I'm just biased as I write the closing chapters of my upcoming book: The Open Brand.

Or, maybe it was just a slow news day at the Times.

Not Quite Buzzing over Buzzilions

I'm on a search to find valuable reviews from "people like me". Yes, because it makes my shopping experience go more quickly but also because we've heard in nearly every research project we've conducted, that online consumers want the same thing,

Broadly speaking, I think reviews are an incredible evolution in the shopping process--whether I'm buying online or off. I love how online reviews easily and exponentially expand my pool of resources, and we've been guiding our clients to launch reviews, working with BazaarVoice. But now the challenge I run into is taking advice on a product from someone who's nothing like me and has no intention of using it any way like I would.

I'm just being practical. A mother of a teenage boy is going to look at a jacket, a camera, an album, a pair of boots much differently than an actual teenage boy. And when I want his opinion, I'll look for it, which is the kind of review functionality I'm looking for, the ability to sort by affinity characteristics.

Recently I found out about Buzzillions, a (beta) review site that promises to give you reviews from "verified buyers." So the angle here is legitimacy and authenticity. Now, I can't search for reviews from buyers like me, (in fact, the site is so new that there just aren't a whole lot of reviews to search, period). But one aspect of the site I found compelling was an area called Consumers Speak, which lets people narrow results on point-and-shoot digital cameras for example, by key words or phrases.

Consumers Speak has four key questions: I am ___; How will I use it?; What do I like?; and, What do I dislike? Granted, the site is in need of a writer to make the language feel more natural, but the idea behind it is compelling. So if I note that I am "getting started," by the time I get to What I like, I can narrow my camera search by the factor of "simple controls" or "great resolution," in short, phrases someone who's getting started might use. Had I said I am a hobbyist/enthusiast, I would have been able to click on defining terms (i.e., bright LCD, accurate colors) more relevant to that level of interest.

In theory, this is a really compelling area. In reality, it's still in beta and we all know what that means. there's just not a whole lot there yet, selection of products and reviews themselves. (I narrowed cameras by "lightweight" and got camera batteries and cases.) And the rest of the site could use a little usability love. Charts and interactions are somewhat clunky and not intuitive. The site is trying to elevate brands, but hasn't really figured out how to do so in a relevant way.

Buzzillions isn't quite there yet, but I'm starting to think it won't be long before I can tap into the collective knowledge of shoppers like me. That will be very cool.

American Aparrel Gives New Meaning To "Virtual Store"

Looking to have the best-dressed avatar in cyberspace? American Apparel and Second Life, an online gaming society are helping make that possible.

In all honesty, I don't spend much time in MUDs so I haven't experienced this in person, but Business Week has a nice write-up.

The gist is that American Apparel has created a computer-generated boutique within the "parallel online universe" of Second Life. For $1 you can purchase a clothing item (digital versions of their actual trendy threads) at the cyber boutique to clothe your avatar.

The verdict is still out on whether this is a successful business venture on its own, yet the big idea seems to be to drive traffic to the real store--when you buy clothes in Second Life you get a 15% discount on real merchandise. And even bigger, it appears American Apparel has added one more fascinating piece to the ever-evolving marketing toolbox.

Garfield Takes On The Web: Welcome to the "Bobosphere"

Just in case you weren't getting enough Bob Garfield, I was excited to learn that he has just entered another realm of publication--the blogosphere, or rather, the "Bobosphere". Welcome, Bob.

After following his rants about mainstream advertising for years, I'm excited to see him on the web. All the Garfield energy we know and love, now potentially more focused on the web, and, if he lives up to the values of the blogosphere, none of the edits.

It's gonna get ugly. And I love that. We need more voices, more opinions, more momentum toward improving the online experience.

And speaking of voices and Bob Garfield--I'm psyched to have him join us as a guest speaker for our Resource Interactive Client Symposium this fall--iCitizen.

We've created this invitation-only event to focus on the iCitizen: the most empowered and elusive consumer since mass marketing gave way to niche.

I'm looking forward to two solid days of inspiration (presentations, panels and networking) and application (workshops, discussions and tactics) talking to our clients about how to reach the iCitizen.

I'm so excited, I can hardly wait for the symposium--but at least now I'll get some small doses of Garfield: the blog to satisfy that hunger until October.

University Leverages Web To Keep Community Alive

A Resource associate and alum of what we in Columbus call "That School Up North" forwarded on an email that I thought worthy of sharing (despite its Maize and Blue origins).

Let me start by saying I've never been a heavy user of the purely community-focused features of the web. Yes, I have a blog, and I read a few blogs, but that's not about community, but point of view. I rarely connect with other working moms, I don't read or post to any yoga bulletin boards, and I seldom  hang out in chat rooms with other people who remodel older homes (unless I've tapped out my real network), appreciate fine wine or help out in their kids' schools.

BUT...here's a twist on virtual community that caught my attention.. This email from Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan, starts to think about the internet and community in a more holistic way.

Remember the sense of community you felt as an undergrad? Raise your hand if you still feel connected to your college community. All of you who graduated post-2003, put your hands down, you don't count yet ;)

This email was an invitation to take part in a national conversation on health care. It has a time and date, and an explanation about how the U-M and a group called Citizen's Health Care Working Group are coming together to let "citizens like you give policy-makers in Washington your feedback about the U.S. health care system."

What I find compelling is that the email is really about how you can participate: either come in person, if you're going to be anywhere near Ann Arbor that day, or attend via the web where you can "see and hear the entire presentation and email questions." And, of course, after the fact you can watch the presentation online. The email is leveraging the internet as a way to inform and engage its extended family, to let them know that they are still a part of the community they spent so much time with and money on.

Now, I'm sure Michigan isn't the only school or organization leveraging the web, but this one example is so simple, yet so smart when you think about helping alumni feel a part of the community they said goodbye to after graduation. More than those semi-annual calls from undergrads or other alumni trying to get you to donate money you might already have earmarked toward your student loan.

A Lesson from Bounce: Be Careful What You Wish For

The funny part about this entry is that when I first went to write it earlier this week, it was about how great it was that Bounce (or P&G) was acknowledging that consumers use the product for things other than the traditional toss-it-in-the-dryer-to-eliminate-static-cling use, and how it was even leveraging this to get these consumers engaged on its site and help other people find new uses for this product that doesn't seem to have changed in decades.

That thought lasted about 5 seconds until I clicked through the Adrants link and found myself on BounceEverywhere.com reading entry after entry after entry about alternative uses for the product that go beyond the "non-traditional" labeling. Adult. Crude. R-rated. And funny. Use your imagination--because someone else obviously did. (In case you haven't clicked through yet, the site owners were fast to exercise their "right to remove a comment at any time.")

So what's the moral of the story?

Our clients ask all the time about community sections or interactive features, or other ways to get visitors to engage online and stay a few minutes longer. And I'll just repeat what I tell them: consumers who are interested enough in your product or company to come to your web site may really want to engage. So don't waste the opportunity. Begin a conversation with them. Let them go deep. Let them contribute. But make sure you're comfortable with all possible outcomes. If you give them full access, you have to be prepared for what they might come back with. And if you're a bit gun shy about it, establish the kind of controls that will enable you to sleep at night.

MySpace Built on Best Practices

There seems to be a whole new metric of success based on names that meant nothing to us just a few years ago. Used to be parties were thrown over getting a quote in the Times, a nod from the Big Eight, a conversation with a venture capitalist...Goodness, that feels so three years ago!

Reading an article in yesterday's New York Times about MySpace, the biggest online sensation you've probably never heard of if you're over 30, I realized things have indeed changed. The stats are nothing short of impressive: 400% growth since the start of the year and 27 million members who spend an average of 1 hour and 43 minutes there each month.

Amazing numbers, but here's the clincher: MySpace surpassed Google in page views this spring. A site geared to those in their late teens and 20s SURPASSED the leading search engine on the web!

Now, it's no secret that I'm not in the target age range of the MySpace audience, but the site has definitely been a point of interest here at Resource Interactive for two reasons: 1) it's a huge success story for consumer-generated content, something a lot of our clients can learn from, and, 2) it's attracted the budding artists and musicians in our office, who post original work and share it with their friends.

Google-busting aside, what I really found compelling was the founders' original idea for the site--a hybrid approach to the traditional social networking sites. They looked at their intended audience (teens) and then looked at the sites this group tends to like, then took away with them the best features and functions.

While they make it sound so simple and obvious, taking your audience to heart and then scouring the web -- both within the industry and outside of it -- will help you create an online experience that your visitors can't get enough of.   

Best of the Worst

Why should you listen to your customers?

Forbes.com offers up (and ranks) 9 reasons.

After reviewing more than 100 web sites created and maintained for the sole purpose of protesting, criticizing and otherwise grumbling about specific companies, their products and/or services, Forbes published highlights of the top 9 corporate hate web sites.

Read it for its consumer cautions, read it for lessons in business, or read it for its comedic value. (Then check in with your customer service folks and go out and purchase [mycompany]sucks.com.)

Martha Transcribed

What a cozy scene it must have been...Martha at her kitchen counter along with her editorial director, executive assistant and personal assistant, and "a couple of computers typing at a furious rate." Unfortunately, due to high participation volume or the tree that fell on the power line not far from Martha's home, I could not get into the live chat, but rest assured, the transcript is up today.

I wasn't surprised to see that The Poncho made it into the very first question. But all her responses, on topics ranging from Easter menus and Paw Paw and Zu Zu to Alderson and Mark Burnett, exhibited equal amounts of grace and gratitude.

For those of you with Cybil-Shepard-TV-movie images burned into your head, never fear. The softer side of Martha appears to have taken up residence in Bedford.

Martha Live

Martha is back. Big and bold on her main menu. And, she's scheduled to chat live later today (March 14th) and I'm hoping to get in. Why? Curiosity. Amazement. Fascination with how she's converting a disgraceful experience into a market opportunity. America simply loves a come back and she's dishing one up – on only the finest of china, of course.

I'm sure it will be highly managed communications -- every word carefully chosen and optimistically expressed. Nonetheless, I have to sign in.