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September 02, 2007
What's missing here?
Here's a quick marketing puzzle to figure out:
Using my cellphone, I took this photo of a great band performing today at an Austin, Texas, street festival.
From this photo's perspective, what's missing?
The first person to comment with the answer I'm thinking of gets an autographed copy of "Citizen Marketers."
Update 1 - Monday, 5:45 pm: After 25 responses, all of them good, no one has yet identified what I consider to be the most important item missing from this picture. The primary clue is "cellphone."
Update 2 - Monday, 6:45 pm: We have bingo!
There are several things obviously missing from this photo:
- The name of the band; Ben Rowe was the first to note this. But that wasn't the complete answer I was seeking.
- Putting "Austin" in front of Batfest, as commenter Andy noted.
- The sun and a bigger crowd, as several commenters noted. I snapped the picture a few moments before a darkened sky unleashed an hours-long rainstorm. That may explain the picture quality. The lack of a wide-angle lens on my cellphone camera may explain the latter.
But Jeremy was our bingo puzzle winner after noting what I thought was the most important missing element: an easy way to begin a relationship with this band using my cellphone. (Jeremy gets a book for his correct and fast response after I provided the cellphone clue. Mark also gets a book for identifying the band: Nakia and his Southern Cousins. Nakia is the lead singer; he said his name a few times between songs, but since Nakia is an uncommon name, I couldn't fully grasp it.)
This is the bigger issue: If people are out and about, how will they remember a website address? Or the name of band? Or a product? Sitting in front of the computer hours later?
But at the moment I'm listening to a band, or at a trade show or festival, I could use my cellphone to make a simple text-message inquiry about something that tickles my fancy. An automated system sends me all the info I need.
At Batfest, a simple banner with the band's name and "Text 78293 for band info" hanging over or behind the stage would have made it considerably easier for me and nearly everyone else that afternoon to become an opt-in fan of Nakia or the other bands who played that weekend. An automated service could have asked for my email address or permission to text-message me about future shows.
That's the nature of mobile word of mouth: we can ping ourselves or friends quickly if there's an easy way to do it. Seems like that should be standard practice here in tech-savvy Austin (another clue).
As for Nakia, he sounds eerily like Joe Cocker. I only heard three songs, but his band played a tight blend of classic-sounding R&B fused with Texas boogie, two genres I love.
Can he be a big star? Sure, if he creates enough fans.
Other blogs that reference What's missing here?:
You can't see the band's name.
Given that it's so easy to take a photo of a band, and spread it via the internet, it always makes sense for the band to have their name up next to them, so that it will appear in the photo.
Is that what you were thinking Ben?
My first thought was "the date" because the guys head is blocking it. Then I thought faces of the band. Finally I thought people. It looks like there are VERY few people there and I can't tell who the band is in any fashion or else I'd be out running their name through google since you dug them and I'd be curious to check out their tunes then.
Do I win anything if I correctly guess that it is Nakia and his Southern Cousins?
The band's name. The sponsors' names (very tiny at the bottom and partially obscured). A website address.
The band's name is not visible and it seems (esp. since it is a street festival) they don't have anyone nearby trying to sell the cds of the songs they are playing.
What's missing? Maybe larger advertisements from Miller Lite. [At the moment there is little advertising at all]
what is missing is a background behind the band, which could be used for all the above mentioned purposes (name of event, name of band, sponsors) and would make the band more visible against the background.
People?
Customer Evangelists
i'd say the name of the band is missing
THE SUN, i can't see anything
The Crowd.
It looks like they are missing a lead singer!
What band is it ?
The name of the band is definitively missing.
I don't care who sponsored the last event you went to, I don't care the dates, i don't really care with who you went... But i'd love to know what "Great Band" performed that day ;-D
Where are the Bats? It is supposed to be a "Batfest", but there isn't one bat in sight.
The backdrop and spotlight. It's impossible to see the band's faces because the sky behind them is much brighter. Also the backdrop behind the scene would've helped half of the people around them to _not_ see the band's back from their vintage points, so the people would've been forced to move in front of the scene, increasing the density of the crowd.
I'd say what's missing are ravings fans. Where are the fans waving and cheering and jumping up and down supporting their band?
Am I close?
Their myspace URL? :-) That is so web 2.0. (The band's name is missing).
Well, if this is a great band perfmorming, why is there nobody there? Something wrong happenned cause I guess people in Houston did not get to know that this big band was perfoming that day.
Jackie?
How about security?? There aren't any visible security guards standing ready to keep crazed fans back from the stage and away from the band. That would give the venue and band an aura of popularity - the expectation of crazed fans who've lost control! But then again, it IS an Arts & Crafts show.
"Batfest!, Austin's largest attended Arts & Crafts show, will feature Arts, Crafts, Music, Food, Bat Watching, Children's Activities, and Educational Displays."
Since everyone has guessed info related to the bands, websites, and sponsors, I'm also going to throw out something different... how about the location? I would have called it "Austin Batfest."
The Miller Lite Logo on stage? Their obviously sponsoring it (see the obscured banner) but where is the brand recognition on-stage.
The name of the band.
Bats!!! It's Bat Fest, where are the bats??? ;-)
How about a push/pull technique?
The band could be using this opportunity while on stage to to do the same thing you are doing. A 7 foot banner could be hanging on the supports suggesting you go to their website and either vote for their favorite song they heard to qualify for free T-shirt etc. Then once you have them at the site, some promotion to encourage them to invite 3 of their friends to get the favorite song they voted for in an MP3 for free. Kind of share your favorite song with a friend concept.
Either or...
1. how about a URL to go to begin in a permission-based relationship OR
2. a TXT message for your phone to directly begin that "conversation" while you are at the concept
How about "Text Music to 12345 for updates from the band?"
Lights. Cellphones have no or notoriously ineffective flashes. Lights on the stage would address many of the issues above as well as improving the opportunity for use of the image to show the band, any readable text, etc. Turn on the lights!
Ok I'll guess again now that you've given a hint.
Audio/video is what is missing in my mind. Your at a concert. Why would you only take a photo?
An announcement telling fans how to download the band's songs as ringtones.
Thanks for all of the great comments. Jeremy was the first to identify what I thought was the most important missing element from the picture. See Update 2 on the post for details.
This band should check out Mozes.com, a site that links fans to bands through text message alerts. The company I work for used them for a promotion last year, and the site seems to have become even more integrated with bigger bands since then. Also, I think it's free.
This is exactly why the wireless companies need to give us QR Code functionality like the Japanese have had for years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code
"Since 2003, convenience-oriented applications, aimed at relieving the user of the tedious task of entering data into their mobile phone, have been developed. QR Codes storing addresses and URLs are becoming increasingly common in magazines and advertisements in Japan."
it seems to be these guys should have a URL where people can get a free sample of their music, and know the name of the band that is playing..... texting to a cell phone for more info is pretty clever, too!
As promised, book has been read and reviewed (2 different blogs)
see: http://jer979.blogspot.com/2007/10/more-powerful-than-microsoft.html
and
http://blogs.msdn.com/maamktg/archive/2007/10/21/more-powerful-than-microsoft.aspx
I love the Internet. Doing a search from my site's links and found this.
Thanks for all the input folks! I want to assure you that this was a unique case. This show was cursed with a NASTY storm (hence the lack of crowd).
I got some great ideas from this posting and the comments. I would like to offer the first 3 folks who visit my website and sign up for my mailing list after reading this comment a free CD. I will pay for the shipping. All you have to do is visit the site, sign up for the mailing list and in the comments section type the word "bingo" - and then I will contact you directly for your address.
Ben... You and Jackie should also have a CD. Please send me a note directly.
Thank you!
Just browsing the internet. You have a very, very interesting blog. I'm sure I will visit again.
