I found some answers in this article. The author explains all the success story of iPod, it is very interesting. According to him, there are several points which explain it.

Quality and style of the product

The iPod is simply easy to use, focusing on the music (and video for some models). The software iTunes is also part of the packaging : it connects the iPod to a Mac or a PC and we can transfer easily all our songs.

Its style is also very important. I think that it is very sober and the same style was kept for all generations of the mp3 player, which makes it very recognizable. Moreover, the vast number of colours used (flashy or classic) makes it more attractive and customized.

The marketing

Of course, the marketing is the key of the success. Why ? Because it makes the iPod known, among others. According to the authors, the used marketing made this effect :

The iPod became a fashion accessory and a must have. It almost was as if you did not own an iPod you were considered not cool.

I think that it is a huge mass effect because everybody “has to” have an iPod. Incredible isn’t it ? The fact is that the marketing worked very well.

To achieve this goal, Apple promotes its products with a lot of advertisings not only in TV but also in the Internet, etc. On the ads, we see coloured people who are dancing on music of well known music bands. Music bands makes the promotion of iPod and vice-versa. Some example of music bands who promoted iPod in advertisements : Black eyed Peas, U2, Daft Punk, Feist, Coldplay and a lot of others …

Here you can see an iPod ad with Daft Punk. Enjoy!

When we stroll round the shops, we can be attracted by a soothing atmosphere, a pleasant smell, beautiful colours, music which seduces us, etc… This kind of marketing is called sensorial marketing and can explain some of our purchasing behaviours. It uses our 5 senses : sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch and focus in particular on the smell and the hearing; the traditional marketing didn’t use them a lot. This marketing creates around the product or the service a multi-sensorial atmosphere and increases their attraction by using the emotions of the (potential) customer.

I think that using all the senses in order to promote a product or an entire shop is really efficient because it involves not only our rationality but also our perception. Without the music or the smell of this lambda shop, would we go into and buy something ? Not sure…

Starbucks : example of a sensory marketing’s success

This article shows an exemple of success in using the sensory marketing : Starbucks. According to the author, the key success is in using music, colours, lighting and, last but not least, great coffee aroma. Smell and taste are the most important sense in a place where the coffee is savoured. That’s why, when the customer enters in Starbucks, the coffee aroma totally envelops him and he has even the feeling that drinking the coffee in Starbucks tastes better than any coffee made with coffee maker (even with the best)!

Focus on the olfactory marketing

The olfactory marketing is one of the components of the sensorial marketing and I would like to focus on it. The smell is a sense that we can’t control because we smell in the same time that we breathe. Moreover, the perfume is an unconscious memory linked to a special context. When we smell this perfume again, it brings back this memory. The smell is also very connected with the emotions. In this article, we can find more details about it. According to the author :

The relationship between sensory stimulation and memory was immortalized by the French novelist Marcel Proust, who described a memoir-long flood of memories being triggered by the sensation of a madeleine dunked in tea.

In marketing, the aims of the smells are : being pleasant for the potential consumer but also becoming a distinctive sign of a brand. But this kind of marketing is rather young, that’s why it is surprising that it was not used earlier. I think that the smells to promote products or shops are not enough used. It is mainly in cosmetic shops, restaurants, baker’s (and all places where the taste and smells are involved) and some others.

Success… but also failures

The author shows also some example of success and failure in the olfactory marketing. An example of olfactory success : Singapore Airlines. They developped an unique scent and used it for many years. The regular flyers associated this perfume with their experience with the company i.e. the service, the flight, etc. The company uses well the emotions of its customers.

But some failures can also happen. For instance Mc Donalds. The company puts in its restaurants a specific smell, but according to a survey, a third of the American customers and 42% of the British customers thought that the restaurants smelled like stale oil. And this smell decreased their enjoyment of the food.

The future of the sensory marketing ?

This article proposes to incorporate the sensory marketing into a website.

Words can be a very powerful thing and if used correctly you can create a very strong impression that appeals to peoples senses and emotions.

I think that the online sensory marketing in using only words (describing a sensation, a smell, a taste, etc.) would have a very limited impact on the people because it requires too much imagination. It is not like when we are reading a book; in this case our imagination is a very good tool for the immersion in the book. But in the internet, when we see a product, we need concrete (music, pictures, etc.) and not words involving imagination.

But soon, the smell could be used also when we are at home, in the Internet or watching the TV thanks to the Smell Box. It would diffuse the appropriate smell with the picture. Thanks to this, the brands will be able to spread their own smell easily and reinforce their brand image.

What is content marketing ?

I found an interesting article about this subject and according to the author :“If You’re Not Content Marketing, You’re Not Marketing”. So why is it so important?

First of all, a brief definition of the content marketing:

“Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.”

Content marketing puts the accent on the communication with customers and prospects without selling.

This marketing has no interruption and offers information that are not useless for the customer. Today, we are in a world with so much advertising (TV, magazine, Internet, street, etc.), it is a lot of information that are not always relevant. According to some marketers, the traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective, that’s why the content marketing is simply the new solution of effectiveness.

Why is the content marketing effective ?

Because when somebody sees a good content marketing, it makes him thinking and behave differently. It also brings loyalty as “reward” of the valuable information.

Some numbers : According to the Custom publishing council , 70% of business decision makers say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company and 60% say that company content helps them make better product decisions.

Content marketing is already present and is surely the marketing of the future.

That’s why I searched and found the website Happy News where there is “real news, always positive”, if you want to escape a little moment from the bad news.

This website has different categories of information such as International, Business/Money, Health, Science&Technology, Sports, etc. There is also a “today’s top story”, which talks about a positive story. For instance, I give you an extract of the story of the December 5th 2008 :

“When confronted with a problem, Ashley Merydith has a routine for dealing with it: She talks about it. Incessantly. To anyone who will listen. “‘So he did this, and then I said this, and then he texted me this,’” says Merydith, 23, describing the intricacies of a venting session.”

We can also find videos, quotes and so on, but everything is always positive.

Happy News is not a website of official news like The Times for instance but is nevertheless an interesting website when we are saturated of negative news. In this site, they show only what people want to see and can influence them : everything is beautiful, etc. It is a little bit like Marketing because Marketing always makes a product or a service attractive and they show us only what they want us to see, the “beautiful” part. Of course, otherwise, how could we consume if it doesn’t bring us a little beautiful?

• His presentation « About me » is divided in 5 parts:

- And you are? : In this part, he describes himself very briefly. He is writer and interaction design consultant

- Tell me more… : Here he writes his official biography with a lot of details about his professional experience. He includes also a list of his publications

- Are you for hire ? : In this part, the visitor can download his CV, his portfolio, visit his Flickr profile to see his photos, and there is also a link to “tweets”.

- So what do you do exactly? He talkes about his background and his interests

- What do you want to do ? He lists the things he wants to do which allows him to use his skills like “mentor and lead a creative team” or ”continue to understand how many things are created – from design to writing to coding – which really helps with that first point”

• What I like :

- The website of this about me presentation is very simple, maybe too much sober but it is pleasant to see and to read and the quality of his picture is very good.

- The style of the writing is very clear and he has a lot of documents which complete his presentation, like the CV, the publications, his photos, etc.

- He added too a lot of links in order to illustrate what he is talking about.

- The fact that he divided his “about me” in five parts makes it clearer and more organised.

• His presentation is organized in several parts:

- A short presentation where he describes himself briefly

- Links to Interviews

- Links to Radio Shows

- Links to Professional Speaking

• What I don’t like :

- His presentation is too short, he doesn’t give details about his experiences, his knowledge and his skills.

- His picture is too big and I think that it is dull, it is not a good contrast.

- He writes in using the 3^rd person, I don’t like this style because it is too much formal.

• His presentation is divided in 5 parts :

- About me : he talks shortly about him and what he studies. He is freelance consultant for web 2.0

- I do web stuff : he explains what he does with a picture

- So what exactly is it that I do? : he explains what he does with a lot of details

- Contact : we can contact him here

- Resume : he put his CV on the page

• What I like :

- The design of the website is simple and pleasant to see and to read

- In the right side, there is another “about me” shorter, who attracts people who read his website

- The different parts of his presentation are clear and we know in detail what he does

- He explains with very simple sentences and a fun (and clear) picture what he is doing and it is very pleasant to read

• But :

- In the first part, he talks with the 3^rd person, and in the other parts, he talks with “I”. It is not a homogeneous style.