socmedmktg
Section 1: Creative Paper
Note: Add pictures and graphs as necessary throughout the document. Feel free to experiment with color and font.
[What is the product or service?] [Who is the target market?]
[What is the main purpose of the Blog?] [Why is going to be so important to them?]
[What is your mechanism to communicate, and why?]
Section 2: Blog
Note: Refer to below Blog example to create your own.
Andrew Anagnost. (2015). “Connected Products: It’s the End of the Fridge as You Know It”. Retrieved from http://lineshapespace.com/connected-products-end-of-the-fridge/
Connected Products: It’s the End of the Fridge as You Know It
Remember the “old” days?
When the thermostat on the wall was just an overlooked fixture with a miniscule, red-needle temperature gauge?
When you had to twist the washing machine’s dial, loudly cranking it to the basic hot, warm, or cold options?
When refrigerators started appearing with exciting, new electronic features of . . . filtered water and ice?
Over the years, the evolution of design makes the above seem so basic. But these were pretty major debuts at the time (and still continue to be some of the core features in many homes). However, the lowly thermostat, washer, and refrigerator are ready for a new innovation prime time. Truly 21st-century features are appearing now—including Wi-Fi access—and squarely placing them in the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) category.
Now a thermostat can collect information about you and your preferences; know when you’re away and adjust automatically; and, ultimately, make energy-efficiency decisions to help you save money. The little red needle never had a chance.
The number of washing-machine options on the control panel can be mind-boggling. Instead of relying on the tried-and-true buzzer, the Wi-Fi-enabled washing machine will send a message to your smartphone that the laundry is done.
And the refrigerator … well, it’s on a whole other level. There are apps that tell you about expiring food, or can even order groceries online if the milk is getting low.
But I have to admit I’m a little skeptical about some of these appliances as a “thing” in the IoT. Do I want (or need) my dishwasher collecting data or texting me? Maybe, maybe not. Even Whirlpool recently admitted their efforts with a “smart” washer are “a little bit of a hammer looking for a nail right now.”
The Nest home thermostat. Courtesy Nest.
These are early days, and the IoT innovations will continue to evolve and mature to a better user experience and more practical—and profitable—applications.
The crux of it all is this: Products aren’t just products anymore. They’re alive! (Okay, minus the dramatic Dr. Frankenstein line delivery). They can do their job, be a service, and actually improve, too. While this opens incredible new consumer options, the required business adaptions are immense—and potentially catastrophic—if companies don’t act now.
Here are what I see as the key signs that it’s the end of products as you know them, and what to look for with product design and development in the upcoming “Era of Connection.”
MKT 520 Assignment 1 Template (5-11-2015)
