Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Loyalty Done Right At Sprint-Nextel

When I called recently to take advantage of a special 15% discount on my Sprint-Nextel bill, I also found that I was eligible for an automatic 10% discount on my monthly bill and a $150 credit towards a new phone just for being a loyal customer!

Sweet deal to me. I've had great service and support since I've been with them, and I definitely need a new phone, so now I can keep them for a while longer and get 10% off my regular monthly bill, and finally upgrade from my 2003 phone (yikes!).

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Saturday, March 10, 2007

Voicemail to Text with SimulScribe

As I was reading the latest print version of Business 2.0, I jumped back in amazement as I read about SimulScribe, which takes voicemails and turns them into text, in "The Next Net 25" feature. Ok, I didn't "jump back" (does anyone literally do that?), but I did have a "HOLY COW!" moment. The reason? I had thought of this idea exactly one year ago; I even remember it was this day, March 10, because I was out watching the ACC basketball tournament that night when I thought about it.

That evening, I had received a hilarous voicemail from a friend of mine, and thought, wouldn't it be cool to save priceless voicemail messages in a text format, as a sort of keepsake? It was more of a B2C idea than B2B. When I got home I jotted it down as one of my [only] "million-dollar ideas." Sure enough, this company is getting $5 million in funding for the idea and the business they've developed around it. Congrats to the founders, James Siminoff and Mark Dillon, as well as Jess Wachtel. Good luck guys!

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Monday, March 05, 2007

A Geico Caveman Sitcom: Genius

Ad Age reports that The Martin Agency is in talks with ABC to run a pilot sitcom about the Cavemen icons that Geico has made famous. As a huge fan of the cavemen commercials, I can't wait to see how they transition from the 30-second spot to the 30-minute show. The "Cavemen" sitcom would be a great way to extend the brand and break through existing ad clutter.

Even if this doesn't pan out well on regular broadcast television, there is a great opportunity online with the broadband video surge, and companies creating a market for it like YouTube. Or, they could create their own web content portal like Anheuser-Busch's Bud.tv.

Regardless, I love the ads because they use humor while effectively conveying the brand message - Geico insurance is easy. And there is a huge following, with a lot of buzz around the cavemen, including the website for Caveman's Crib.

I recently made a conscious effort to track down the song from the airport spot when the caveman, Joe Dyton, was going past the Geico ad on the moving floor. The tune, Royksopp's "Remind Me", got stuck in my head and I had to get it. So personally, this campaign makes me want more; I'm always hoping to see the next "episode" in the series of ads, and hopefully now there will be full-length episodes that are just as entertaining...and valuable.

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