The Google+ Project has been getting some serious attention due to the fact that when it is fully launched it will be a direct competitor with Facebook whose users seem to be dropping like flies.
Currently, Google+ is operating on an invite only format however if you visit the site you can take a completely interactive tour that walks you through what Google+ will have to offer.
Circles: You share different things with different people. So sharing the right stuff with the right people shouldn’t be a hassle. Circles makes it easy to put your friends from Saturday night in one circle, your parents in another, and your boss in a circle by himself - just like real life.
Hangouts: With Hangouts, the unplanned meet-up comes to the web for the first time. Let specific buddies (or entire circles) know you’re hanging out and then see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat. Until teleportation arrives, it’s the next best thing.
Instant Upload: Taking photos is fun. Sharing photos is fun. Getting photos off your phone is pretty much the opposite of fun. With Instant Upload, your photos and videos upload themselves automatically, to a private album on Google+. All you have to do is decide who to share them with.
Sparks: Tell Sparks what you’re into and it will send you stuff it thinks you’ll like, so when you’re free, there’s always something cool to watch, read, or share.
Huddle: Texting is great, but not when you’re trying to get six different people to decide on a movie. Huddle turns all those different conversations into one simple group chat, so everyone gets on the same page all at once. Your thumbs will thank you.
You have to see this, to believe this. A sensation sweeping, what seems to be, the nation is a new interest in creating YouTube videos inside Apple stores.
These aren't just any videos, these are dancing videos. People from all over the United States are posting up in an Apple store, filming themselves rocking out to a song of their choice, and directly uploading it online and posting it to social networking sites for the world to see.
Click here to view the CNN video report showcasing some people with some fancy footwork.
While many restaurant chains are spending their marketing dollars pushing products, often ones on a dollar or value menu, Panera is launching a TV campaign focused on its brand.
In its biggest TV push to date -- airing in 30 markets -- Panera positions itself as a place where people enjoy being. The TV ad is part of a campaign called "Make today better," breaking this week, in which Panera founder Ron Shaich touts the restaurant as a place with soul that uses professional bakers for its bread and gives customers real silverware. The spot was created by Interpublic Group of Cos.' Mullen, and WPP's Maxus is responsible for media buying.
Panera over the last couple years has steadily increased its marketing budget, in no small part to Senior VP-Chief Marketing Officer Michael Simon, who joined the company in October 2009 and was previously at Campbell Soup Co. working on brands such as Pepperidge Farm and Godiva.
"One of the cores of our business is transactions, and one of the critical drivers in transactions is an investment in advertising and marketing," Mr Simon said. He added that he hopes the TV spot continues to drive awareness about the chain's brand positioning -- that Panera is different because it has fresher bread and produce, and has a more comfortable environment than other restaurants of its ilk. He added that the campaign "is moving beyond food to create the notion of making today better."
Panera is not the first chain to use brand messaging with a fresh angle. Papa John's has long been advertising with the line "Better ingredients. Better pizza." Its competitor Domino's, as a continuation of its lauded "Pizza Turnaround" campaign, began touting fresh cheese and tomatoes, complete with the backdrop of a farm for its commercials. Chipotle also positions itself with fresh-ingredient and responsibly raised-meat messaging, relying heavily on word of mouth, billboards and other non-TV avenues.
Steve West, restaurant analyst at Stifel Nicolaus, describes Panera as a pioneer in the fast-casual category and also the largest player in the segment. The chain, founded in 1981, does a "great job differentiating with quality at a decent price and a good experience," he said.
In Technomic's bakery cafe category, Panera is the leader by a wide margin, commanding 59.6% U.S. market share in 2010. No. 2 in that category is Einstein Bros. Bagels, with 8.2% share, followed by Au Bon Pain with 6.2% share. It is the 18th largest chain in 2010 U.S. systemwide sales, according to the 2011 Technomic Top 500 Chain restaurant Report.
Panera's same-store sales throughout the recession have fared well. The company in 2010 posted same-store sales up 7.9%, and up 4.2% in 2009, according to annual reports.
Mr. Simon said Panera increased its advertising throughout the recession because it has a "differentiating concept that people are willing to pay a little more for," and it was able "to take advantage in a recession while the competition was pulling back."
The company in 2010 spent just under $36 million in advertising in 2010, up from $23.6 million in 2009, according to Kantar media. It has in the past tested TV spots in various markets, but much of the budget had been dedicated to billboards and radio. This campaign will also include radio, billboards, digital marketing, social media and the use of its loyalty program, MyPanera, all of which will help promote seasonal products-in this case, salad for the summer.
Mr. West said that Panera stands to grow even more. Although these tough economic times are still hurting some consumers, others are starting to feel better about the economy. So Panera benefits, as consumers who are feeling better are starting to spend a little more on restaurants, and those still concerned about the economy may be trading down from full-service dining to chains like Panera. "They get the consumers going both ways," said Mr. West.
It's hard to believe that there was a time when "Internet" wasn't a household word. Take a look at this clip from a January 1994 episode of The Today Show.
Facebook's disastrous attempt at an anti-Google smear campaign is an example of how heated things have become between the search giant and the social network. Indeed, this is Silicon Valley's new big rivalry, and we see it playing out on many fronts.
What makes this contest especially interesting -- and fit for a "Knots Landing" script -- is that almost all the key executives running Facebook used to work at Google. And now they want to crush Google. A quick search on LinkedIn (admittedly, not 100% accurate) shows that 358 current Facebook employees used to work at Google. (Facebook's new campus fits 3,600 people.)
Why is talent leaving Google for Facebook? There is the perception that Google web development has peaked and is headed for decline. Really, what more can it do with search? And -- barring a miracle -- it pretty much failed at social. Google's 26,000-person workforce creates the kind of bureaucratic slog that deprives creative minds of oxygen, forcing entrepreneurial execs to run for a breath of fresh air.
In response, Google has been forking over enormous pay packages to get key folks to stay. But the top ex-Googlers at Facebook have already made mountains of cash at the search engine; now they're positioned for another windfall with Facebook's mega IPO on the horizon.
Silicon Valley has a long history of tectonic rivalries -- Google vs. Microsoft, Intel vs. Apple. Big difference? The Googlers who run Facebook know the enemy all too well.
In an effort to create a buzz, Google Chrome released a commercial featuring none other than the Queen of Controversy herself, Lady Gaga.
The commercial, in my opinion, is very well executed and really captures the essence of all that is Google Chrome and what it is all about; social networking and Internet marketing.
