On Our Minds

Google Virtually Steps into the Business down the Street 

Imagine this. A new furniture shop opened an hour transit ride away from your home. Interior Designers are calling it the “most spectacular furniture shop in town.’ But is it really? No one wants to take that long and lonely transit ride to the new shop only to find out that it’s a flop.

Enter Google Street View. Indeed, Google has their fingers soaked in this market and they have long been known for being more than just a search engine. Google broke into the virtual industry when they introduced Street View to the U.S. in 2007 and Canada in 2009. Users had the ability to look at an image of a map and were capable of virtually walking the streets of locations in Canada, U.S. and beyond.

Google has recently expanded this virtual meandering into the business market. Businesses are invited to contact a trusted Google photographer and develop a virtual page of their business online. The photographer will take photos to develop a 360 degree image of the business itself, similar to Street View but with the focus on the independent business. This new feature is only available in the U.S. for the time being but as demand grows, it will likely expand.

So instead of dragging your furniture-savvy self to the newest shop in town you will soon be able to check out the place virtually and share it with the world. 

What do you think?

Is this a step too far for virtual technology or is this a step in the right direction?

Let us know @zenergycom with your thoughts and insights!

Will McDonald’s ever learn? This week marks the second time in recent history that the fast-food giant has paved their path to a social media crisis. Last year, McDonald’s looked to social media micro-blogging platform Twitter to promote the massive re-launch of their infamous McRib sandwich.

For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, Promoted Tweets (with an estimated cost of over $100,000 per day) are words bought in advance and given top-line placement in the trending stream beside organically trending topics. Promoted Tweets are comparable to Google AdWords where companies buy keywords and search terms within Google.

McDonald’s McRib promoted tweet, #McRib, was met with harsh words in the Twitterverse. Examples included; “The #McRib is back, and so are the McRuns” and “Well, folks, it’s that time of year again. #McRib is back. Pfizer stock on the rise. #lipitor.”

In attempt to promote the menu’s new healthy options and farmer-grown ingredients, McDonald’s took to Twitter again this week with the hashtag #McDStories.  They were met with even harsher words. @SkipSullivan, now enjoying his 15 seconds of fame for his hilarious remarks on this topic, went as far to say: "One time I walked into McDonalds and I could smell Type 2 diabetes floating in the air and I threw up. #McDStories." 

What do you think? It is time for McDonald’s to give up on Promoted Tweets or can they make some changes moving forward? Tweet us @zenergycom with your thoughts!

Just a mere 5 years ago, social media was largely perceived as a fad that was strictly built for teens and college aged adults. One or two platforms led the market and interactivity was at a minimum. Social media was thought of as a cluttered and utterly useless online space secluded for nerds and gamers.

Fast forward to 2012 – Facebook is set to hit 1 billion users, new platforms such as Tumblr and Google+ are growing at an incredible pace, a blog is no longer a foreign object and YouTube has claimed, with reason, sole responsibility for Justin Bieber’s popularity. These effects have not only shaped popular culture, but have had drastic effects on the communications industry.

Companies now understand the role that social media can play in drawing media attention to their brands and creating conversations around their products and services. Tools such as Twitter and LinkedIn have even made historically bureaucratic corporations more transparent and available to their consumers. Even the U.S. Secret Service opened a Twitter account in late 2011. We now live in a time where every organization – from Joe’s Donuts to Coca-Cola – needs to maintain a robust online presence in order to stay competitive.

2012 will see even more advancements in the way people communicate. Geo-technology such as Foursquare and Gowalla (recently acquired by Facebook) are estimated to peak this year, while new industry specific social networks are popping up every week. These new networks will continue to develop as consumers look for innovative ways to interact online.

Il y a à peine 5 ans, les médias sociaux étaient largement perçus comme une mode qui était strictement conçue pour les ados ou jeunes adultes aux études. Une ou deux plates-formes principales ont dominé le marché et l'interactivité était au minimum. La majorité des gens pensaient que les médias sociaux étaient encombrants et totalement inutile et qu'ils ne desservaient que les ‘’nerds’’ et les joueurs.

Passons en mode rapide jusqu’à 2012 - Facebook a frappé le 1 milliard d'utilisateurs, de nouvelles plateformes telles que Tumblr et Google + croissent à un rythme incroyable, un blog n'est plus une chose étrangère et YouTube a affirmé, avec raison, d'être la responsabilité de la popularité de Justin Bieber. Ces mouvements ont non seulement façonné la culture populaire, mais ont eu des effets radicaux sur l'industrie des communications.

Les entreprises comprennent maintenant le rôle que les médias sociaux peuvent jouer en attirant l'attention médiatique vers leurs marques tout en créant des discussions autour de leurs produits et services. Des outils tels que Twitter et LinkedIn ont même fait des sociétés bureaucratiques historiquement plus transparentes et plus accessibles à leurs consommateurs. Même les services secrets américains ont ouverts un compte Twitter à la fin de 2011. Nous vivons maintenant dans un temps où chaque organisation – Joe Donuts à Coca-Cola - a besoin de maintenir une forte présence en ligne afin de rester compétitifs.

L’année 2012 verra encore plus de progrès dans la façon de communiquer. Géo-technologie tels que Foursquare et Gowalla (récemment acquis par Facebook) sont estimés à prendre de l’expansion cette année, tandis que de nouveaux joueurs dans les réseaux sociaux font leur apparition chaque semaine. Ces nouveaux réseaux permettront de continuer à se développer alors les consommateurs recherchent des moyens novateurs d'interagir en ligne.

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, the Zenergy team has developed a fun Facebook application that eases your shopping stresses by recommending the perfect gift for that special someone. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a co-worker, loved one, friend or complete stranger, Zenergy will provide you with ideas that will help survive the Holidays this year. All you have to do is click here to visit our Facebook Page and provide us with a few starting points – we’ll take it from there! From all of us at Zenergy Communications, Happy Holidays and all the best moving forward into 2012!