Build risk-assessment confidence through D&B’s Material Change predictive analytics

Build risk-assessment confidence through D&B’s Material Change predictive analytics

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Your lumber business just scored a large contract to supply materials to an expanding hardware store chain in California. You’re looking at ramping up production and hiring a score of new employees. But how can you be sure that your new star customer will remain on its current growth trajectory? Businesses are faced with similar decision-making challenges on a daily basis. Without the proper data tools, it is difficult to see beyond the immediate outlook and predict when a material-change event will occur. Fortunately, new analytical tools are arriving on the market to help companies more accurately assess the future risk or potential of a business partner.

For instance, D&B’s patent-pending new analytic capability, “Material Change,” enables customers to better identify whether a business is poised for expansion or headed for decline, reaching out 12 months, 18 months, and on into the future. This new tool is the most recent in D&B’s family of predictive analytic tools. The company has traditionally provided market-leading business scores, credit scores, and ratings. The predictive analytic tools build on the traditional scores and can help transform data into intelligence that also helps manage risk and identifies new opportunities. Predictive tools already available from D&B include Viability Rating, Total Loss Predictor, and Delinquency Predictor.

Material Change PredictorsMaterial Change builds on D&B’s existing predictive analytic capabilities by adding anticipatory signals, such as a company’s payment behavior and financial obligations, to provide a long-range view of the firm’s risk profile. Where D&B’s existing tools allow businesses to move forward on deals with prospects, suppliers, and customers, Material Change gives customers the confidence to make future plans based on the predicted stability of those commercial relationships.

Advanced analytics like Material Change are designed to help customers anticipate a partner’s behavior and insulate against surprise developments. For the lumber business looking at expansion, the insecurity of relying on a large contract relationship is mitigated and confident business decisions can be made. Taking on 20 new employees and adding a new production line won’t cause unnecessary worry that those operations may have to be shuttered a year or two down the line. Anne Law

Predictive analytic tools on the market are also helping companies target key prospects, identify most valuable customers, and leverage successful products and marketing campaigns, according to EMC Corp.’s Bill Schmarzo. Modeling and forecasting tools allow businesses to answer futuristic questions such as: “Who will be my top customer next year?” and “What new product will be the top seller?”

Predictive analytics allow businesses to recognize patterns and correlations between customer behavior, store traffic, promotional activities, geography, and other elements that drive risk or profitability. Examples of successful data crunching initiatives range from Netflix’s predicted success of blockbuster TV show House of Cards to the Carilion Clinic’s identification of critical-risk heart patients.

–D&B is currently testing the Material Change predictors to determine how the capability can best be ingested and used by customers.–

anticipatory analytics, D&B Material Change, Dun & Bradstreet, material changes, predictive analytics, risk management, Biz Trends, Buzzworthy, Customer Intelligence  

Author : 

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How small businesses can gain actionable insights from big data

How small businesses can gain actionable insights from big data

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Are these a sci-fi film’s dystopian vision of a future where Big Data has paralyzed life on Earth or simply the stuff of nightmares for small-business owners around the world?

The out-of-control growth of global data (40% year-over-year) — aka Big Data — has created an information blizzard through which it is hard for businesses to see the actionable insight. Data that is not relevant and actionable is just that — data. Small businesses must be able to make sense out of their existing data to answer the questions about customers and prospects that need to be answered. 

Nevertheless, according to a recent Nielsen poll, many small businesses are still hesitant to access and leverage big data. The responses from a poll of 2,000 US small businesses found that 41% think that conducting market research is too expensive, while 42% think that they don’t have time to conduct research. But the most shocking thing in the poll is that 35% reported that they have never even considered it.

Whatever the reasons for resistance — intimidation, lack of expertise, limited time and financial resources — small businesses must get on board. Winners and losers are being determined by what insights businesses are able to gain from their data. Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) chief data officer Paul Ballew cites a Forrester Research report saying that a scant 12% of companies use data-driven intelligence, resulting in substantial lost business opportunities.

According to a white paper, Generating Value from Big Data Analytics, from global IT membership organization ISACA, big data insights shed light on “customer needs and buying patterns, the reputation the company holds in the marketplace, and the emergence of new risks.” The risk of ignoring these insights is great, according to the organization, resulting in “the company being left behind as its competitors embrace the technique to leap ahead.”

Accessing big data is of course the easy part. The key is finding the right tools to help small businesses extract the insight from the information blizzard — tools that help them target the right customers, create growth, and grow revenue.

Ballew advocates D&B’s market-sensing predictive analytics suite, which unlocks the business insight from a small business’s data set to gain a competitive advantage, create a comprehensive view of customers, and allow for a more disciplined approach around testing and learning.

The big data storm is only getting stronger, but businesses that use tools to navigate through the tempest will prosper while those who remain snow-blind will find themselves frozen out of business opportunities.

actionable insights, Ballew, big data, credit risk, customers, D&B, data overload, discern, external data, global economic outlook, global economy, growth, insight, intelligence, predictive analytics, product development, risk, small business, tools

Category:Biz Trends, Buzzworthy, Customer Intelligence

Author : British editorial veteran Stuart Hampton has been covering oil and gas companies for Hoover's since the Neogene-Quaternary period. Well, actually, since the early 1990s. For the best overview of the oil industry and its history he recommends Daniel Yergin's "The Prize." 

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US economic outlook — May D&B Health Tracker reveals business services growth

US economic outlook — May D&B Health Tracker reveals business services growth

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Strong gains in the business services and manufacturing segments are driving US job growth, according to the D&B May US Economic Health Tracker.

The tracker report highlighted some industries performing better than expected, as well as those underperforming expectations. The strongest job growth gains were in the business services and manufacturing segments, with retail, manufacturing, and construction also posting growth. 

Business services firms provide services to businesses such as office administration, personnel placement, security services, cleaning and waste disposal. According to First Research, major business service companies include Automatic Data Processing, Carlson Wagonlit, Manpower, and Waste Management (all based in the US), along with Adecco (Switzerland), G4S and TUI Travel (UK), and Randstad (the Netherlands). 

According to First Research, the staffing industry is the largest segment of the business services sector and will continue healthy growth in 2014 as companies take advantage of the flexiblity of using temporary workers.

The real estate sector, however, still lagged, as some regions continue a slow recovery from the housing crisis.

Ballew said he was pleased to see employment gains in some cyclical areas of the economy and in some areas that lagged in the first quarter, namely retail. US-based businesses added jobs at a stronger pace in April compared to March, with 208,000 nonfarm jobs added to the US payroll.

The Small Business Heath Index stabilized after several months of deterioration, according to the tracker. Critical weather-sensitive verticals such as construction and real estate were showing initial recovery signs at the end of 2013 but have lagged in early 2014. The construction vertical showed a slight bounce back in April 2014, but “nothing to write home about,” Ballew said.

Regions performing well include Miami, Atlanta, and Nashville, while lagging areas include Chicago, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. “Those laggards remain laggards,” Ballew said.

Overall US business health continued to improve in April, signaling a lower risk of overall business failure. Ballew said he was pleased by the “pervasive” improvement and says the bottom line is that the private sector is “extremely healthy.” Business health in the US strengthened by 8.6 percent year over year in April 2014, the highest recorded level since December 2010.

The D&B US Economic Health Tracker offers analysis of the following three macro indicators: the D&B Small Business Health Index, D&B Jobs Health Indicator, and D&B US Business Heath Indicator. Read more in the report infographic and follow the reports on Twitter, using the #DnBEconBrief hashtag.

Tags:business health, business services, Construction, D&B economic tracker, job tracking, manufacturing, real estate, retail

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FIA future beyond the Web - venturebeat

FIA future beyond the Web - venturebeat

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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The virtual future beyond the Internet is known as FIA.

At least it is to the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency in Washington, D.C. It’s funding that intriguing topic (FIA stands for the Future Internet Architecture program) with $15 million in research grants to some of the nation’s strongest tech leaning universities.

This is the third phase of a protracted study that began in 2006. The University of Wisconsin, Madison; Boston University; and the University of California at Berkeley are among others, are the newest recipients of the research cash, which the NSF hallmarked into three categories: “Deployment-Driven Evaluation and Evolution of the eXpressive Internet Architecture”; “Named Data Networking Next Phase”; and the third, “Next-Phase Mobility First Project.”

According to the NSF:

“The objective of the new awards is to move the FIA efforts from the design stage to piloted deployments that assess how the designs work at large-scale and within challenging, realistic environments. Cities, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and industrial partners across the nation will collaborate with researchers to test the new designs.”

The NSF, which has $800 million to fund research (tech or otherwise), told VentureBeat the research and beta-testing of systems designed under its purview aim to take the architecture of the current state of the Internet to the next level. Richard Byrne Reilly

“Each of these projects has their own versions of what the future looks like,” said NSF program director Darleen Fisher.

At Carnegie Mellon University, researchers are using the money to further develop a failsafe system that will enable cars to transfer data to one another about road conditions and traffic bottlenecks, for example, while simultaneously allowing vehicle occupants unfettered access to the Internet.

This facet provides a unique challenge to researchers because, as Fisher said, “there is no fixed infrastructure” as cars continually move from place to place.

According to CMU:

“Vehicles can use wireless communications channels called dedicated short-range communications, or DSRC, that are similar to Wi-Fi. Creating DSRC networks is challenging, however, because cars and trucks quickly pass from one DSRC access point to the next. XIA enables computer users to directly access content wherever it might be on the network, rather than always accessing a host website, so it should enable vehicles to obtain needed information from neighboring access points.”

Researchers said the myriad studies aim to propel technology beyond the current state of the ‘Net, as it were, relying less on existing technologies like routers and transmission points.

“The whole point is that existing infrastructures have a network to fall back on,” Fisher said.

The NSF said that based on the ultimate findings of computer scientists and their students involved in the research, the feds ultimately believe that new systems will be built, tested, and brought to market.

“It’s hard to say what the specific outcomes will be. Some of these systems may be adapted by enterprise. [The program] has also spurned interest with other government agencies. As they demonstrate what they do, it will naturally get more visibility,” Fisher said.

Platforms that effectively eliminate bottlenecks between video transmissions and further enhancements to security architecture and encryption are also key points of research for all teams involved in the multimillion dollar series of studies.

CMU professor Peter Steenkiste is leading the storied university’s FIA team. His teams focus is on mobile data transmissions and Internet security.

“These deployments will leverage, and enable us to deepen, our work on secure network operations, including providing a highly available infrastructure and secure authentication mechanisms,” he said.

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Some reasons have why cover letters are not even close - Bjarne Viken

Some reasons have why cover letters are not even close - Bjarne Viken

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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At Digital Mined we frequently use freelance platforms like oDesk and Elance, and therefore we are used to reading through hundreds of applications from freelancers. Despite all that experience, we still get surprised when, at times, really good freelancers lose out on jobs because of the way they apply.

We have written a lot about what can be done with this particular problem (just read the brief carefully and reply to everything in it), however this time we will try to look into why it happens. To explain possible reasons, we will try to give a few practical examples based on things we have experienced.

Here are a few possible reasons why cover letters are not even close;

Bad English. It is possible a lot of freelancers know they have limited skills in English, and therefore choose to write, and send, generic cover letters hoping that 1 in 10, or 1 in a 100, will lead to work. On oDesk this can be supported by the fact that often about 10% of applications get withdrawn by the applicant 1-3 days after being posted. The freelancer know they have a limit of how many application they can have at any given time, and therefore withdraw if they do not get a speedy reply.

Lacking skills. oDesk has recently introduced the possibility of asking targeted questions to each applicant, as part of the application process. Some freelancers might be frustrated by that, however as a client we love it! It allows us to ask difficult targeted questions, which immediately unmasks if the freelancer is qualified, and can save us hours.

Low ethical standard. There are bad clients out there who treat freelancers badly, however there are also freelancers who care more about making money than pleasing the clients needs. As a client, I see it as downright disrespectful if I politely ask the freelancer in the brief to answer a particular question, and there is no hint of a reply to it in the response to the brief.

Not understanding the process. Some freelancers blame clients, or their platform of choice, if they do not get work. We would suggest those freelancers get an external evaluation of their profile using Freelyzer, evaluate the market value of their work, and how they apply. Most clients deal with 30-150 applications for every job post they put in. When we hire, usually no more than 2 minutes is spent per application.

Preferring to chat on Skype. A lot of freelancers know that they will have a higher chance of landing the job, if they have the opportunity of interacting with their clients on Skype. Clients however, do not want to spend time chatting with someone, unless they are sure there is a good chance of the candidate being a good fit for their job, before they chat. We have interviewed candidates where just the first question was enough to unveil the lacking fit.

Thinking it is all about them. A lot of cover letters almost give the impression of being an ad, when they really should be more like replies to a conversation. Clients are thinking; “Did they get the brief?”, “Did they understand what I want?”, “Are they able to come up with a thoughtful reply that show they are qualified?”. Some of the best replies we have received are short, but clearly show that the applicant has read, understood and replied with a brain. source : Linkedin

Quality of clients. It is very possible that clients get a taste of their own medicine, when they price the work they want done so low that the applicants who would give good replies simply will not apply. Often it can be worth asking yourself, as a client, what you have done to deserve your team. Both in good times, and in bad. Having a clear defined process, and being willing to pay above market price, can ensure you get the best people.

If you are a freelancer that think most of the points above was hard medicine, please take it with love. Yesterday I flickered through 60 applications for a position and shortlisted 3. That is 5%. There is nothing I want more than to increase that percentage so freelancers make my job hard.

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Have you Know Components of Contact Data Quality

Have you Know Components of Contact Data Quality

   May 14, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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If you have used contact databases for your marketing / sales campaigns, one thing you would agree that quality of data is something which is always ‘wanting’. If you manage contact data for your organization, you will more often than not hear from your sales, inside sales or campaign manager that ‘data is not good’! 

Have you Know Components of Contact Data Quality

So in order to assess the quality and see if it’s bad or good, the components of contact data need to be defined beforehand. Here are the ‘4 C’s of contact data quality’:

Correctness

First and foremost, is the data accurate? Especially if Email Ids, Phone numbers and company address are wrong you will lose out on usefulness of data. If percentage of wrong email ids is high in your data – hard email bounces also impact your email deliverability in the long run. Similarly wrong address and phone number are waste of your direct marketing and Sales/ inside sales team’s efforts. Moreover, are all the data fields in data as per your specifications? Correct data fields enable you to do correct tagging for list segmentation, campaigns, etc. Also, no one wants a wrong First Name or Company Name while E-mailing or calling using a contact database!

Completeness

 Ensuring that all prescribed and required data fields are populated. Missing data hampers optimum utilization of the database. Are the data fields present as per your format/ requirement, and not as in any standard template? Also consider this – are you able to derive any insight from your data? For example, can you find out basic lead qualification criteria like Budget Authority Need Timeline (BANT), Company Type (Primary market, size of business, line of business, etc.), role based segmentation, etc.

A complete contact database helps in qualifying contacts as well as running target campaigns

Current-ness

People change Jobs change, their roles get changed – is your data is regularly refreshed to capture the changes Also current-ness means being able to do trigger based marketing campaigns based on market events like Mergers &Acquisitions, Management changes in target accounts, expansion plans, industry trends etc. As it’s said – it is all about hitting your prospect with the right message at the right time. Having real-time actionable database would provide you that edge over your competitors.

source : Dip Kaushik - Contact Database, Data quality, Direct Marketing, Marketing and Advertising

Customization

This is all about ‘Getting what you need’, and not ‘What is available in the market’. It’s as simple as this – you know your business and your target audience the best; so you should be able to devise your marketing campaigns first and reach out to your audience. Your contact database has be in accordance with marketing strategies; not the other way around!

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How Increase Focus on Mobile Email Marketing for Viewership

How Increase Focus on Mobile Email Marketing for Viewership

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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If you were to classify the top ranking buzzwords in today’s marketing world, the word “mobile” would certainly be at the top of the pile. It’s still not clear what people understand by the meaning of ‘mobile’. Are they talking about text messages or SMS, which is a pretty challenging platform for advertising? Is it the iPad or do they mean apps?

The centre of mobile marketing is the same trustworthy platform which has served marketing for over a decade: Electronic Mail (Email). Research shows that every alternate Smartphone user goes through their emails on their mobile devices. 

Source : email campaigns, Mobile marketing - Nitesh Pednekar

According to a recent e Marketer published report, there is a change observed in the importance to a mobile-first mentality when planning and executing email marketing campaigns.

How Increase Focus on Mobile Email Marketing for Viewer ship

The magnitude of changing trend to a mobile-first mentality when planning and executing email marketing campaigns has increased immensely, according to the e Marketer study.

It was found that: Mobile email viewer ship has risen considerably in the last quarter — up by 5% just in the last quarter

More than 55% emails get opened on mobile gadgets or smartphones taking home the lion’s share of your email viewer ship Approximately, 16% messages get opened on tablets — which are up by 1% quarter over quarter.

The study says “Mobile-only viewers were the main source of growth, jumping 64% during H2 2013. Hybrid viewer ship—checking emails on both desktops and mobile devices—declined by nearly 40% quarter over quarter and 72% since Q2 2013”

The massive increase of Smartphone acceptance by the neutrals across different parts of the continents is certainly helping in accelerating the mobile email roar.

The report goes on to say, “As mobile-only viewer ship becomes the norm, marketers are recognizing the need to optimize emails for mobile”. While cutting short to spot that many marketers are missing out this fantastic chance to go email still.

A recent study published in February 2014 by Ascend suggests the slight percentage (28% to be precise) of marketers from around the globe are going the extra distance to make sure their email marketing campaigns are optimizing emails for mobile screens. However, this was the least popular reaction, trailing approaches such as content marketing and targeted emails.

Though they were not executing mobile developed emails, the marketers did not seem to find this too difficult with only a small percentage of 4% recipients saying so.

With today’s buyer going more and more mobile for reading their emails, marketers might take a keen interest in implementing this “simple” approach.

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Expand B2B Sales ROI with Display Ads - Digital Marketing

Expand B2B Sales ROI with Display Ads - Digital Marketing

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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While you are working hard to connect with your customers continually assessing new channels and tools, you must engage your prospects at an essential level for turning your potential buyers into real revenue. In recent years, B2B marketers have worked hard with the role that display ads play in online mix more than their B2C counterparts. One must make sure that the amount of time and money spend on display advertising offers a significant ROI.

Expand B2B Sales ROI with Display Ads - Digital Marketing

Display ads can help in building brand credibility and can provide your prospects an assurance that they are making a right choice. One more way to gain confidence of your prospects is including customer testimonials in display ads.

As per Forrester research, brands must establish a strong foothold with prospects as early as possible in the B2B Buying process. For this display ads is a perfect strategy, as you can target your ads and keep your brand right in front of your audience. By using display ads you can maintain a consistent presence with your target audience online.

To ensure that you are reaching right audience it is essential to target your display ads to a specific audience according to your criteria.

Building credibility with your prospects is an essential part of the buying process. As B2B purchases often include large financial investments, B2B decision makers face lot of pressure because of the potential risks involved – for their job security, for the organization etc.  So B2B decision makers are usually more focused toward making the right choices.

Irrespective of the budget that display ads bring along with them, concentrate on your growing brand. Back then television, radio and newspapers were the primary source of brand awareness and these means were also not cheap. Off lately, Online advertising has leveled the play field, which made businesses of all sizes easy to foster their brands through online advertising.

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Customize display ads with help of Audience Profile - Webinar Marketing

Customize display ads with help of Audience Profile - Webinar Marketing

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Previous post shows how display ads can augment and speed-up your typical B2B sales cycle; now we can dig our thoughts little more and think about how you can use display ads the way you want it. Do you customize your display ads according to market trends?  Generally when you use display ads to influence buyers, you should also use it as a tool against market triggers. Here market triggers can be various; mergers & acquisitions, competitors exit or new industry news. 

Customize display ads with help of Audience Profile - Webinar Marketing

So if your competitor exit the market – can you offer some attractive trade-in programs?

If you are coming up with a product/solution with a unique concept: should you use display networks to run teaser campaigns? Yes it is a good way to first establish the uniqueness of your concept and then reveal more on your product One of the best example is of profiling your audience (company as well as executives). If you can find out what are the industry bodies or associations your prospects are affiliated/associated; what kind of events they attend – now you know where to place your ads!

What about social profiling? To start off, you should find out what LinkedIn groups your audience participate (or are members). Then target your ads accordingly.

These are just a few example – little food for thought. So core idea is to do audience profiling – so that you have a clear picture about whom you need to target, who are already using similar product like yours, competitors’ customers etc. Leveraging such insights you can direct your ads with more likely precision and get more engagement.

But again you can never know your buyers enough! It’s through trial and error. But audience profiling would give you a head-start.

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know Competitors with Market Intelligence - B2B Database

know Competitors with Market Intelligence - B2B Database

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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The Challenge of Competitors Tracking Know your Competitors through Market Intelligence

One of the global providers of supply chain management software company wanted to conduct an exercise to discover the existing users of two of their major competitors in the North American market. Their challenges were to ascertain which companies were using competitor’s products, what specific category of products (like Warehouse Management, Workforce Management, Transport Management, ERP, etc.), any additional intelligence on competitor user-base; along with mapping of key decision makers within these companies.

After careful understanding of the requirements, we had decided to deploy our tried and tested “Explorer” and “Competitive Intelligence Agent (CIA)” services in mining the various sources for gathering the necessary data that helped us in solving our client’s issues. Then using our market research and voice research teams, we carried out extensive validation and de-duplication work. Once the company level information was complied, the next step was to identify relevant decision makers in these companies as per criteria provide by our client. By deploying the CIA solution to discover the client’s competitor install-base, we managed to source more than 500 companies and 2000 contacts for the North America region. These included industries like Aerospace, Automotive, Consumer Goods, Food and Beverages, Healthcare, High-Tech, Logistics, etc. to name a few. Not just this, we also helped the client to build a list of top-level company contacts with roles like COO, VP Operations, VP supply chain, VP of Distribution, VP/Dir/Head of Procurement, and many more.

We were successful in delivering 100% verified competitor intelligence and contact database to be used by our client for aggressive marketing campaigns and sales pitch. With insights into competitor’s user-base, product usage landscape and decision maker profiles, our client could now design their sales &  marketing campaigns for relevant business instances like  ‘migration’, ‘Trade-in’, ‘integration’, complementary/supplementary products & services, etc.

Unique Marketing Intelligence solution offers an exciting way of knowing about your competitors, customers and also customers of your competitors. This solution leverages our proprietary technology, methodology and domain experience of Research Teams; to be able to address your specific pain areas and provide accurate and actionable information. We work with you to define the appropriate approach depending on your marketing campaigns, their size and current accuracy within your existing databases.

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Creating Your Own White Lab Coat Moment in Your Professional Life

Creating Your Own White Lab Coat Moment in Your Professional Life

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Size Matters When You Want to Expose Yourself to the Market

The words you say in a professional situation are an important thing. But what you wear while you say it is also very important. If you aren’t careful, you might be saying the wrong things at the wrong time with your wardrobe. A question we should all be asking as men when we look in the mirror is, “Does this suit suit me?”

For men, there is no question that a suit makes a statement. This is also true for women. But when it comes to women’s fashion, I don’t have much to offer in the way of insight. So for the purposes of this post, let’s focus on menswear with the caveat that I would love to hear any insight women can give for women’s apparel and professionalism in the comments section. Fair enough?

The items he recommends are considered the essentials of a professional wardrobe. But I would add that these wardrobe pieces are for working professionals clothing that creates White Lab Coat Moments and communicates all kinds of information about the wearer whether they are conscious of it or not.

I talked to a hiring manager about suits and things he observes in interviews with job candidates. He was honest about what he thought about a candidate as a result of certain qualities of appearance.

Good Qualities:

High Quality, Dark Tone Neutral: Classy, experienced, high-quality professional
Quality Silk Tie: Detail-oriented, fashion-conscious
Nice Black Belt: Successful
Three-Piece Suit: Lawyer, Banker (I found this one particularly interesting!)
Two-Piece Suit: Professional
Good Tailoring: Able to finish a project all the way to the end

Bad Qualities:

Double-Breasted Suit: Clueless, not up-to-date

Wrinkled Suit: Unprepared, procrastinator, Bad with details

Short Socks: Sloppy, unprofessional

No Tie: Arrogant, not a team player

Character Ties: Tacky, poor judgement skills for a professional situation

Cheap Suit: Inexperienced

Short-Sleeve: Clueless, dorky

Scuffed Shoes: Poor attention to detail

Mismatched Accessories: Disorganized

Clearly this is one person’s opinion and hardly a scientific study. But reading through the list, you likely have many of the same impressions based on the description. Even if you don’t have the same thoughts as what are listed here, you do have an interpretation. All of us do.

Interpreting appearance is always a part of a professional exchange and it will color your opinion of the wearer – even if it happens unconsciously.

Suits Create White Lab Coat Moments

In field of customer experience, we talk about the White Lab Coat moments of an experience. White Lab coat moments describe how the appearance of a person helps you make a judgment about the person’s ability and personality.

The phrase was coined in association with the famous Milgram study where participants were encouraged to administer electric shocks to fellow participants up to fatal levels when they answered questions incorrectly. Most participants hesitated when they heard the distress of their fellow participants, but continued at the urging of the study proctor, who was wearing a white lab coat.

In this case the white lab coat signified that the proctor had authority as a scientist and that they participant should continue with the experiment at his urging. For those of you that are not familiar with the Milgram study, the second participant was a plant, was not being shocked and any communications of distress were recorded.

White Lab Coat moments can also be a branding image for an organization. For Apple, it’s the blue Genius shirt, the glowing white apple on the aluminum cover of its computers, and the white clean background in advertising. For Disney, the magic castle and the swirly loopy font they use for their name. For you, it can be how you dress at the job interview. The idea behind the concept is that the image creates a certain feeling and interpretation in the mind of the beholder, either good or bad.

Creating Your Own White Lab Coat Moment in Your Professional Life

Men’s suits have been a part of appearance for centuries. In more recent history, the word “Suit” is associate with management or professionals, although the connotation of this term is usually intended as an insult by someone who is under the control of the “Suit’s” authority. But for good or ill over time, the suit has created a White Lab Coat moment of its own.

You can’t control all the associations that are made with what you wear, to be sure, but there are some generalities that mostly apply across the board in a professional situation. You can do your best, whether it’s a job interview, a client presentation, or a conference in Vegas to 500 people in your industry, by making sure that your suit suits you.

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Apple Buy Rising Music Brand for $3.2 Billion talk to source

Apple Buy Rising Music Brand for $3.2 Billion talk to source

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Apple Said to Be in Talks to Buy Rising Music Brand for $3.2 Billion - NY  - BEN SISARIO, BRIAN X. CHEN and DAVID GELLES

Apple is in discussions to buy Beats Electronics, the company behind the popular Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, for $3.2 billion, according to people briefed on the talks, in what would be the biggest acquisition in Apple’s history.

The deal would also include the new Beats Music streaming service, which was introduced in January as a competitor to Spotify and Pandora, and could signal an effort by Apple to transform its approach to music more than a decade after it opened the iTunes download store.

A deal has not been consummated, and the negotiations could still fall apart, according to these people, who declined to be identified speaking about it publicly. But if it is completed, the sale could be announced as early as next week, the people said. Apple and Beats declined to comment.

For Apple, whose revenue growth has slowed sharply in the last few years, the deal could point to a headlong move into the frontier of streaming music. The company, which only last year released its streaming product, iTunes Radio, has been slow to enter the streaming world.

A purchase of Beats would also give Apple a hot product and an even hotter brand, founded by the rapper Dr. Dre and the music executive Jimmy Iovine. After its enormous successes with the iPhone and iPad, Apple has been under intense pressure from investors to unveil new products, but none have yet been released.

At over $3 billion, the Beats acquisition would be a major departure for Apple, which under Steven P. Jobs, its co-founder, favored smaller deals. However, Timothy D. Cook, who took over as chief executive of the company shortly before Jobs died in 2011, has been vocal about the company’s acquisitions and the strategy behind them. In its most recent earnings call, Mr. Cook said that Apple had acquired 24 companies in the last 18 months.

“We are expanding Apple’s products and services into new categories, and we are not going to underinvest in this business,” Mr. Cook said in the earnings call.

Beats began to sell its sleek, bass-heavy headphones in 2008 as an alternative to the lightweight earbuds that Apple included free with its iPod players. And even at prices of up to $450 apiece, they quickly became fashion statements. The company’s headphones have fat profit margins. Headphone designers estimate the cost of making a fancy headset is as low as $14.

Annual sales of Beats products, which also include speakers and other audio items, have been estimated at more than $1.5 billion. Last year the private equity firm Carlyle Group invested $500 million in Beats, valuing the company at more than $1 billion.

Silicon Valley has lately been rife with multibillion-dollar acquisitions that have caused some investors to worry about excessive valuations and an inflating technology-industry bubble. In January, Google paid $3.2 billion for Nest Labs, which makes Internet-connected home devices, and in February, Facebook bought the messaging service WhatsApp for more than $16 billion.

For Apple, which has a $159 billion cash hoard, a $3 billion deal would have little effect on its purse.

Ben Bajarin, a consumer technology analyst for Creative Strategies, said that a purchase of Beats would not be a big departure from Apple’s strategy of buying companies for their technology and talent to help develop future products. In other words, it is unlikely Apple would just ship Beats headphones with an Apple logo on them.

“This would have to fit into a much longer, more innovative strategy around perhaps the hardware and the service,” Mr. Bajarin said.

Apple has recently struggled in developing new products. It has been working hard to develop a smartwatch, but problems like poor battery life have plagued that project, according to multiple people briefed on the company’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity. And for years, rumors have abounded that the company has been working on a smarter, Internet-connected television set to become a stronger player in the living room. But that product has not been released either.

The Beats deal, which was earlier reported by The Financial Times, also suggests that Apple may want to shake up its approach to digital music. Through the iPod, which first went on sale in 2001, and the iTunes store, which opened in 2003, Apple transformed the music business, making downloads a viable, large-scale business that has sustained the music world as sales of CDs have plunged.

Apple is still the largest seller of downloads, and its store operates in more than 100 countries around the world. But its market share has been slowly eroded by Amazon and other sellers, and the download market itself is beginning to cool as consumers shift their listening behavior to online streaming. Last year some 28 million people around the world paid for a subscription music service, bringing in $1.1 billion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a trade group.

Beats Music arrived in January as a competitor to streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody, Deezer and Rdio, which have begun to spread rapidly around the world. Like the others, the Beats service makes millions of songs available for streaming over the Internet. It trumpets its expertise in creating playlists, highlighting the involvement of prominent music figures like Dr. Dre, Mr. Iovine and the Nine Inch Nails’ leader, Trent Reznor.

Apple’s iTunes Radio competes with some aspects of Spotify but is seen as a more direct rival to Pandora, which has become the dominant Internet radio service, with more than 75 million regular users every month.

Beats’ music service and audio products division are organized as separate companies with overlapping management but different investors. Beats Electronics, the headphone company, is said to have accounted for most of Apple’s proposed $3.2 billion purchase price.

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AUNT ELLIE’S SWEET TREATS PRESENTS CAMPFIRE CRISPIES

AUNT ELLIE’S SWEET TREATS PRESENTS CAMPFIRE CRISPIES

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Are you looking for a unique, yet equally yummy alternative to the wedding cake? Look no further! Ellie of Campfire Crispsies has brought a whole new desert venture to the wedding scene! Her homemade Campfire Crispies are an updated version of the classic American dessert, the rice krispy treat. After catering one of our Lovely events, we knew we had to share her genius with you.

The marshmallow has always been my favorite sweet thing because it means much more than just dessert.  The memories of roasting marshmallows on sticks at my Nana’s cottage by the lake, and in my childhood home in St. Louis during winter…. made those little guys a part of my sugary makeup, and I choose to celebrate them!  I started experimenting with rice crispy treats 8 years ago.  I despise reading recipes, so I just made them my own way, and they ended up being better than the original (in my humble opinion).  Either way, they taste like home.  That nostalgia is something that I always aim to capture.

When my twin sister, Leah, had her first child, I got the idea for turning baking into a business to reinvent the “culinary aunt”, and to represent all the cool, young aunts in the world as I spread my sugary cheer to one and all.  Leah now has two adorable boys, which inspires me to make this business the best it can be!

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THE LOVELY LIST - FRIDAY WRAP UP

THE LOVELY LIST - FRIDAY WRAP UP

   May 09, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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THE LOVELY LIST - FRIDAY WRAP UP

Check out The History of Weddings Exhibit at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Kate Moss’ dress is our favorite.
We all need this sweatshirt, right?
Loving on these centerpieces!
What were your favorite looks from this years Met Gala?
This Barn Wedding is so colorful and spunky! And that fire dancer? Wowzas!
Taylor Swift Image Via Ann Street Studio.

After this Spring’s trip to NYC Bridal Market, Leanne Marshall was one of the designers we were most excited to bring to you! Floaty skirts, embellished bodices, and colors to make you swoon make up this gorgeous collection. These gowns will be coming to Lovely Shops this Fall, and will be available to try on at Trunk Shows this summer! Check out our Trunk Show Schedule here!

LEANNE MARSHALL’S FALL 2014 COLLECTION PREVIEW

LEANNE MARSHALL’S FALL 2014 COLLECTION PREVIEW

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Importance of brand building-inspired digital marketing

Importance of brand building-inspired digital marketing

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Our world is getting smaller and smaller, aided in no small way by the increasing and pervasive nature of digital. Consumers now have access to literally anything, anytime.

In an era where news travels fast; a brand's online presence has a growing influence on how companies are perceived by their target audiences. As the adage goes: "Manage your brand, or someone else will manage it for you." This has never been truer, with consumers now exposed to not only what the company is saying about itself, but most importantly what the consumer's friends, families, peers and media are saying, as well.

"It is of critical importance to have a well-crafted design and branding strategy," says Bruce Muller, Director and Head of Digital, Engage Brandcraft. "This is not only essential to addressing a company's online needs, it also brings with it the ability to directly measure consumer behaviour," he adds.

Engage Brandcraft, a Cape Town-based branding agency focused on the origination and renovation of brands across logo creation, digital, packaging design and print, is a team of strategic and creative individuals. With more than seven years of delivery and more than 100 successfully launched projects to date, the company's clients includes the likes of Naartjie Kids, Fuseware, PayGate, Web Africa and Environ.

Muller shares some best practices for creating and managing an effective digital marketing strategy and presence. "It's about strategy and consistency across all mediums, both on- and offline, but by following certain key truths, building an effective digital campaign is within everyone's reach," he adds.

Build the best website

It all starts with your company's website. A company website is like an online office. It must look good and be easy to use, with extra care taken to ensure it will achieve its core objective - attracting viewers. Ensure that it is Google - and other search engine - friendly by being structured in such a way that the search engine's bots are able to index it. And remember, your website is really an extension of who you are, offering an opportunity to communicate your message with your customers and the world at large. And with technology constantly evolving, and some website fads here today and gone tomorrow, it's worthwhile remembering that simple to use, easy to understand and visually appealing are always going to be 'keepers'.

Liking, following and pinning

With your online presence a reflection of who you are and a constant means of communication with your customers and target audience, when it comes to 'liking', 'following' or 'pinning' - exactly 'what' is the most important question. Exactly how relevant are these pages to the business and its audience? While sharing memes of smiling cats (something rather popular) can work if one's target is not corporate, sharing the company's latest press releases about the economy might be more suitable to a professional audience.

Consistency and smash-ability

Whether online or offline, consistency is key. Your company's identity needs to be easily recognisable, irrespective of the medium being used. So whether it's your website, product packaging or corporate stationery - your brand elements need to be easily usable across multiple touch points, without much replication required. This is known as the 'smashability' factor, with some great examples including the likes of Apple and Coca-Cola.

Don't oversell

While communicating your brand proposition is key, using your online presence to push your brand and products at every available opportunity is sure to have the opposite effect to what you are trying to achieve. Remember, it is important to provide something of value that will capture the consumers' interest before, during and after the sales process. Online marketing makes it easy to gain an understanding of what your market wants, so use this to your advantage. There is no need to oversell your product online. Rather, of primary importance is content that is both relevant and engaging and speaks to the diverse needs and interests of your market. Give your audience a reason to keep on coming back by positioning yourself as a resource that takes their entire lives into account; providing content that is informative and relevant over and above just your own product portfolio.

Be easily accessible

The online world is huge and growing even bigger as you read this. Make it easy for people to find you by using all of your available resources and media to promote relevant website URLs and social media links. And make sure you have great content - not only making it easy for Google and other search engines to rank you, but equally importantly, to keep your audience coming back for more.

"But it is key to remember the importance of brand identity flowing across all media, ensuring alignment and consistency across all touch points - both off- and online," says Muller. From a unique and iconic logo that resonates with your target audience to the role packaging can play in a brand's identity - one has to ensure that whatever you embark on in the world of online needs to be consistent with all offline activities as well.

But there is no disputing that the world of digital marketing is a powerful medium. "It is vital for digital marketing to be a key component of any marketing strategy," adds Muller. "Online communication is taking over, with companies who are investing in it yielding not only the opportunity for greater connection with their existing market, but in addition, opening the door to exposure within new markets and an increased return on marketing investment and spend," he concludes.

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Best Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Release Results

Best Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Release Results

   May 08, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Pinterest is taking over social media like a tsunami of college students on a pizza delivery guy. Why not? It’s fun, highly addictive and – newly announced as the 3rd most popular social network in the World – it’s creeping up on Facebook with 11+ million users.

So how can you leverage that popularity to expand the reach of your press releases? Try these tactics.

 Add an Infographic to Your Release, Then Pin It

Including a relevant infographic with your press release is a fantastic way to give media and news outlets a visual to go with your story, plus it takes advantage of one of the most popular ways to share data.

For inspiration, try searching wire service websites like BusinessWire.com or PRNewswire.com using the keyword “infographic.” It turns up examples like these: Kronos, PayAsUGym, Ebates and BackPainRelief.

This may seem obvious – but don’t just run the infographic with your wire release, or embed it in your email. Be sure to upload it on Pinterest, then add a hyperlink back to the full release with a short summary and a few keyword hashtags.

Create a Pinterest Newsroom

If you are pinning one press release, why not create a corporate newsroom pinboard to showcase it, along with your other media/news assets? It can mirror your website’s newsroom, or enhance it with fresh material. Here is a great example from Cisco.

Screen Shot 2012 08 20 at 11.50.41 AM 1024x515 5 Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Press Release Results

In addition to press releases and infographics, your newsroom pinboard can include news clips, company blog posts, short pitches or expert opinion comments, video – even executive headshots and logos. Just make sure that anything pinned to your newsroom is legible enough to entice clicks, properly trademarked and approved for public use.

Another powerful media tool is an executive staff pinboard, which links headshot photos to biographies, bylined articles and other content that demonstrates their credibility as an expert resource.

When you quote them in a press release, try linking their name directly to their pinboard for added oomph.

Create a Pinboard That Fits Your Infographic or News Topic

This capitalizes on search traffic and creates a natural platform for your news and/or infographic.

For example, if your press release is about a fabulous new bridal store, or a new wedding reception service offered by a local resort – create a pinboard relevant to brides. Most of them look online for inspiration, so a pinboard on “Most Popular Wedding Dress Styles”  or “The Perfect Table Centerpiece for your Reception” might target your audience nicely AND complement the topic of your release/infographic.

If your press release launches a new software product, then pinning screen captures and packaging photography might be a great start to your board.

Optimize the Pin Using the Same Keywords Optimized in Your Press Release

SEO is your best friend on Pinterest. I’ve had boards rank highly in Google within 48 hours, even for keywords that have been difficult to rank using traditional methods. Including keywords can magically propel your pin visibility – and thus your press release – so it’s well worth the minor time investment.

Amplify your news results even further when you optimize your pins for the same keywords used in your release. How? Just include the same primary keyword in the title of your pinboard, wrap them into the description of each pin, then add them as a hashtag.
Need more detail on how to optimize your pinboards for search? See Carrie’s latest infographic, “SEO + Pinterest, It’s All About The Tags, Baby!” 

Use Pinterest for Free Market Research http://goo.gl/jxNDNG

Not only is Pinterest valuable as a post-distribution strategy, but it can spark great ideas for trend releases and bylined article topics. First, use Pinterest to identify what is being repinned and liked. Create a pinboard around a popular topic, optimize it for search, then support it with a trends or expert opinion press release that links right back to your Pinterest board. Voila – newsworthy content on a very hot topic!

Are you using Pinterest to expand reach of your press releases, or have you seen a great example? We’d love to hear about it! Post a comment to share.

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