Unfriendly and Gross Websites

I'm glad nobody has reviewed the websites that I have worked on my with clients as "Mostly Gross, Unfriendly, Not Worth a Return Visit".  On the other hand, Torontoist took a look at local restaurant websites, and their take is pretty accurate.

“Shut it down!”
Gordon Ramsay usually reserves his famous catchphrase for the chefs who foul up dinner service on Hell’s Kitchen, but we’d like to propose another fitting application. After spending a few sanity-testing days evaluating Toronto’s ego-driven, Flash-laden restaurant websites, borrowing his words seems like a good way to slap some sense into this city’s restaurateurs.

While I'm always glad to provide constructive criticism, I do aim for delivery that's a little softer than Torontoist.  Read the full article here.

Safe Toys - Easier When You Own the Lab

Beyond my work in marketing, licensing,and product development in toys for kids, I have spent a great deal of time working on toys for dogs during the last few years.  This ad, which I found in a consumer publication for dog owners, raised a perplexing question.

How could it be cost effective for a specialty pet toy company to put all their items through the rigorous testing that's required of children's toys?  Smaller toy companies often struggle to cost effectively test their products for small parts, heavy metals, and phtalates, and the tests are required by many governments as well as large retailers.

After doing a little digging on Google and LinkedIn, I learned that the owners of the pet toy company are in the product testing business.  Unlike Mattel, a toy manufacturing company that tests its own toys, this seems to be the case of a toy testing company that's gone into manufacturing, a great  way to vertically integrate and grow a business.

For Safe Made Pet Products, it's a clever and unique position in a crowded marketplace.  In the pet toy business, just like in kids' toys, product is king, and while I've only seen Safe Made's toys on their website, they do appear to be pretty good products.

Who Cares About Facts?

I do!

Apparently, a lot of people don't.

Earlier today, I wrote about Marketing Magazine's Survey that drew conclusions that inflated the popularity of mobile banking apps.

Seth Godin says it best in his blog:

The facts

A statement of fact is insufficient and often not even necessary to persuade someone of your point of view.

[I was going to end the post just like that, but then I realized that I was merely telling you a fact, one that might not resonate. Here's the riff:

Politicians, non-profits and most of all, amateur marketers believe that all they need to do to win the day is to recite a fact. You're playing Monopoly and you say, "I'll trade you Illinois for Connecticut." The other person refuses, which is absurd. I mean, Illinois costs WAY more than Connecticut. It's a fact. There's no room for discussion here. You are right and they are wrong.

But they still have the property you want, and you lose. Because all you had was a fact.

On the other hand, the story wins the day every time. When the youngest son, losing the game, offers to trade his mom Baltic for Boardwalk, she says yes in a heartbeat. Because it feels right, not because it is right.

Your position on just about everything, including, yes, your salary, your stock options, your credit card debt and your mortgage are almost certainly based on the story you tell yourself, not some universal fact from the universal fact database.

Not just you, everyone.

Work with that.]

 According to our local media in Toronto, disputes over facts are also coloring  [City Councillor] Doug & [Mayor] Rob Ford's controversial waterfront shopping mall, monorail, and ferris wheel plans.

          Spacing Toronto:  It ain't about the monorail or Ferris Wheel
     
As for me, I'll stick with the facts.  As a marketer, have always believed that within the truth lie sufficiently compelling facts to effectively communicate a marketing message.

Mobile Banking Apps -- Do We Care Yet?

Last year, I questioned the appeal of mobile banking apps for smartphones amid all the hoopla that CIBC generated for their app launch, the first mobile banking app from a major Canadian financial institution.

Like many marketers, my work in the last year has taken me to the world of mobile apps.  Much of my work and learning has revolved around how kids, especially preschoolers, use mobile apps, but I do stay on top of trends among grownups too.  Like many people, I become a proud first time owner of an iPhone, though I have not downloaded any banking apps.

This summer, Marketing Magazine blared the headline "CANADIANS RAPIDLY ADOPTING MOBILE BANKING".

A new study from Toronto’s Solutions Research Group(SRG) has found that Canadians are increasingly doing their banking on the go, and suggests that paying by plastic – whether debit or credit card – is destined to become obsolete.

The 2011 “Mobile Money & Banking Report” found that more than a third (38%) of all Canadian smartphone users currently use a banking app, including more than half (54%) of all iPhone users.

According to the report, the number of Canadians using a mobile banking app has shot up from zero just 14 months ago to more than 2.5 million today. The TD Canada Trust app is the most popular with Canadians, followed by CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank and BMO.

I was ready to retract my initial skepticism, but then saw that the study to which Marketing Magazine refers surveyed only 419 people, making me question its statistical validity.

Based on a survey of 419 smartphone users 18+, the study found that 63% of banking app users are “very satisfied” with the mobile banking product and an additional 33% are “somewhat satisfied.”

 Meanwhile, The Financial Post's Jonathan Chevreau reported last week that "while two thirds of us prefer online banking to pay bills...only 8% [of Canadians] use mobile banking."  The Financial Post's Environics survey was based on a more meaningful sample size of 1,000.

I have no doubt that it won't be long before smartphone owners (including me) are using our phones to pay for items at retail, and that credit card and debit card use will decline as a result.  But paying for stuff with your phone isn't the same as "doing your banking" with your smartphone, just as paying for stuff with credit or debit cards isn't the same as "doing your banking" with credit or debit cards.  Maybe it's just a matter of semantics, but when I identify and promote a trend, I like it to be backed up with solid facts.

Wrebbit's Paul Gallant Will Be Missed

I had the privilege of workly closely with Puzz3D inventor and Wrebbit founder Paul Gallant during my time as Director of Marketing at Irwin Toy and later worked with Paul on Puzz3D distribution opportunities as part of my consulting work here at Purple Husky.  He was one of the most inspiring people I have met in the industry, and I am sorry to hear of his passing earlier this week.

Obituary is here at Toys & Games Magazine.

Friday Fun: OK Go! and The Muppets

If not for viral videos, I would never have heard of "OK Go".  On the other hand, I've known about the Muppets since my childhood.  I really liked this video that features both OK Go and The Muppets.  Enjoy!

Faster Tabbed Browsing -- Web Wednesday

Lifehacker is a great source for tips about computers, mobile phones, and even household hints.  For years, I have been opening multiple tabs whenever I browse the web, whether in Google Chrome (my preferred browser), Firefox, or Internet Explorer.

Learning to open new tabs with a single click have enhanced my browsing experience tremendously, so I'm sharing Lifehacker's Shortcut of Day about tabbed browsing here:

Sometimes you're browsing along the web and you want to open a page but not bother to look at it right this second. You could right-click the link and choose "Open Link in New Tab," but this little keyboard shortcut can save you the trouble. All you have to do is hold down the Control key (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) and click the link you want to open. This will open a tab in the background and you won't have to deal with it right away. You can also do this with bookmarks and bookmark folders that are sitting in your toolbar. Some browsers will even save you a step and allow you to middle click (this generally refers to pushing scroll wheel on your mouse) to perform this action. Either way, it's a handy trick when browsing the web.

Unfortunately, Legal

My new Microsoft brand keyboard comes with a 60 page booklet. The entire booklet has been created to protect Microsoft from lawsuits in the event the keyboard malfunctions.

The keyboard cost $14.99 (+ 40¢ government electronics recycling fee).

The booklet, complete with "Terms and Conditions" doesn't explain the features of the keyboard, but I guess they're self-explanatory.

Working with some of the world's largest and most successful toy companies, we always had to concern ourselves with the ramifications of product malfunctions. Instead of creating a 60 page manual for a simple product, though, we tended to focus on making products that were genuinely safe and worked properly.

Just saying.

Knowing the Difference

After a summer break from sharing news and thoughts here on Playful Disposition, I'm back!  As I wrote when I first started this blog at the beginning of last year,  I'm not big on self-promotion.  Rather than spontaneously posting things as I come across them, I'm more inclined to think them through and add some value through comments that I hope are clever, insightful, or contextual.

On the other hand, I've always been confident with my spelling and grammar, so I'll begin the season by sharing this.  Enjoy!

source:  Will Rolls