Starting next month, you can buy an iPhone 4S without deciding between a $650 price tag and a two-year commitment.
On June 22, Leap Wireless’s prepaid subsidiary Cricket Iphone Cricket Wireless will begin offering a $55 monthly prepaid plan for the 16GB model of the iPhone 4S.
While Verizon, Sprint and AT&T charge $649.99 without a contract for the model, Cricket will sell it for $499.99.
Cricket is offering the same $55 monthly prepaid plan for the 8GB iPhone 4, which can be purchased in its stores for $399.99.
The plan includes unlimited voice minutes, text messages and data (though after 2.3GB per month, they’ll slow you down). It is the first prepaid plan to be offered for the iPhone.
Though Cricket’s no-contract prices are lower than those of other iPhone carriers, they’re still much higher than other carriers offer with a two-year contract. AT&T, for instance, offers the 16GB iPhone 4S for $199 with a contract.
Do you think the freedom of paying month-to-month is worth the extra $300 Cricket will charge you for the same phone? Let us know in the comments. Android Shields who develops advanced Screen Protectors also makes carbon fiber, custom skins, and QR Code skin for the Iphone.Friday, June 1, 2012
Starting next month, you can buy an iPhone 4S without deciding between a $650 price tag and a two-year commitment.
On June 22, Leap Wireless’s prepaid subsidiary Cricket Iphone Cricket Wireless will begin offering a $55 monthly prepaid plan for the 16GB model of the iPhone 4S.
While Verizon, Sprint and AT&T charge $649.99 without a contract for the model, Cricket will sell it for $499.99.
Cricket is offering the same $55 monthly prepaid plan for the 8GB iPhone 4, which can be purchased in its stores for $399.99.
The plan includes unlimited voice minutes, text messages and data (though after 2.3GB per month, they’ll slow you down). It is the first prepaid plan to be offered for the iPhone.
Though Cricket’s no-contract prices are lower than those of other iPhone carriers, they’re still much higher than other carriers offer with a two-year contract. AT&T, for instance, offers the 16GB iPhone 4S for $199 with a contract.
Do you think the freedom of paying month-to-month is worth the extra $300 Cricket will charge you for the same phone? Let us know in the comments. Android Shields who develops advanced Screen Protectors also makes carbon fiber, custom skins, and QR Code skin for the Iphone.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Qr Codes
What are QR Codes
Keeping your website updated, innovative and energetic will lead to a great SEO. Google will see that your site is “alive” when you have a blog, make changes on your web pages, and create new offers in your site. But it doesn’t end here; it is a great challenge for new and small business because you also need QR Codes that benefits your business.QR Codes or also known as Quick Response Codes are very common in Japan where it originally came from. QR Codes can be read immediately by a cell phone. A piece of information is taken from a transitory media then, brings it to your cell phone. QR Codes may be seen on a billboard, magazine advert, web site or even on a shirt somewhere else. The moment it is placed in your cell phone, it will provide you specifics about that business that permits users to search for neighboring locations; details of the shirt who is wearing it; gives you a link to click for a movie trailer; or may supply you local outlet’s free coupons. That’s how amazing QR Codes are.
Why do you need QR Codes?
QR Codes are very useful. Here are the reasons why you should have them:It is more beneficial than a standard barcode because it can store and digitally show large data like:
Instead of scanning through a bulky scanner, you can scan through the modern cell phones and this is a great feature of QR Codes which Creative Caldron Dezign can help you with.
Wondering how the Cell Phones read the QR Codes?
A QR Code Reader, which like a barcode scanner is required by a cell phone to read the QR Codes. It needs to be installed and it will only take a few minutes to have it in your Blackberry, Android or iPhone. Creative Caldron Dezign has the skills to assist you with this.How are QR Codes generated?
In Creative Caldron Dezign, your QR Codes will be developed for free because it comes with your design fees.Some Examples on How People Use QR Codes
1. Originally used in tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing.2. It can add a Vcard contact to the user’s device. It can be used in connection cards. By just scanning the codes, it talks to your cell phone. It automatically saves the information on the business card without pressing any key on your cell phone.
3. It can be used in any print advertising material. QR Codes can be seen on billboards, magazines, flyers, posters, print ads and any printed material. When these codes are scanned by the cell phone, it will lead the user directly to the website and no need to type the link to the cell phone.
4. It can display text to the user
These are just a few to mention and in the future expect more QR Codes to be seen around you. As long as you have a cell phone with a camera and had downloaded the QR Code Reader, you can avail of the benefits of this innovative technology. Creative Caldron Dezign can show you more about QR Codes.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
QR CODES & How they are VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!! Easier ways for customers to contact you!
In Japan, marketers have been using QR codes for years to link offline interactions with a brand, creating a measurable connection. A typical example is placing a QR code in a print ad. The user would take a picture of the ad with a mobile phone and connect to a mobile website, or they would be sent a text message or mobile application.
Many companies have tried to get into this space over the years in the U.S., but camera phones on mobile devices were just too low quality, and surfing the web on mobile devices was very uncommon. This is changing as the U.S. begins catching up with the rest of the world. Text messaging is more common, mobile web browsing has been popularized by the iPhone, and the desire to tie together online and offline behavior is growing.
So with that in mind, I have been digging into some of the companies and technologies that are primed to take advantage of this confluence of opportunity. The good news is that all of these companies have demos of their websites and you can try it out for yourself and see how it works.
There are two basic technical approaches that companies are taking to this problem, and two basic user experiences on top of those approaches.
Technical approaches: Image recognition or custom tagging
The image recognition approach is very broad — technically difficult and hard for consumers to adopt — only because there’s no inherent call-to-action. The basic idea is to take a picture of something with your camera phone, send it back against the database, match the image to an offering, and send something back to the user.
The custom tagging approach is less complex technically and has the benefit that if one format wins out, it can become a broad mechanism with a built-in. This is essentially the same thing that QR codes did in Japan. But despite lots of players in this space over a long period of time, nobody has really cracked the code — pardon the pun.
EFFECTIVE WAYS TO USE QR CODES
With the right target audience, QR Codes may have a positive impact on the success of your marketing and educational efforts.
Below are a few examples of how you might be able to utilize QR Codes.
COUPONS
“Virtual” coupons are a quick way to offer both online and offline discounts or rewards. Include a QR Code on your printed ad and your customers simply “scan and click” to take advantage of the offer.
WEBSITE
Use QR Codes to drive more traffic to your website. Put a QR Code for your URL on all your marketing materials to make it easier for your mobile customer to find you online.
LOCATION
Make it easy for your customers and prospects to get to your shop.
Include a QR Code that links to an online map and they’ll be at your door in no time.
PRINT MATERIALS
Personalized URLs are proven to increase response rates; make them even easier to use.
Include a QR Code pointing to a personalized URL on your direct mail piece, and your customer or prospect can simply scan and click to get to their personalized website.
Many companies have tried to get into this space over the years in the U.S., but camera phones on mobile devices were just too low quality, and surfing the web on mobile devices was very uncommon. This is changing as the U.S. begins catching up with the rest of the world. Text messaging is more common, mobile web browsing has been popularized by the iPhone, and the desire to tie together online and offline behavior is growing.
So with that in mind, I have been digging into some of the companies and technologies that are primed to take advantage of this confluence of opportunity. The good news is that all of these companies have demos of their websites and you can try it out for yourself and see how it works.
There are two basic technical approaches that companies are taking to this problem, and two basic user experiences on top of those approaches.
Technical approaches: Image recognition or custom tagging
The image recognition approach is very broad — technically difficult and hard for consumers to adopt — only because there’s no inherent call-to-action. The basic idea is to take a picture of something with your camera phone, send it back against the database, match the image to an offering, and send something back to the user.
The custom tagging approach is less complex technically and has the benefit that if one format wins out, it can become a broad mechanism with a built-in. This is essentially the same thing that QR codes did in Japan. But despite lots of players in this space over a long period of time, nobody has really cracked the code — pardon the pun.
EFFECTIVE WAYS TO USE QR CODES
With the right target audience, QR Codes may have a positive impact on the success of your marketing and educational efforts.
Below are a few examples of how you might be able to utilize QR Codes.
COUPONS
“Virtual” coupons are a quick way to offer both online and offline discounts or rewards. Include a QR Code on your printed ad and your customers simply “scan and click” to take advantage of the offer.
WEBSITE
Use QR Codes to drive more traffic to your website. Put a QR Code for your URL on all your marketing materials to make it easier for your mobile customer to find you online.
LOCATION
Make it easy for your customers and prospects to get to your shop.
Include a QR Code that links to an online map and they’ll be at your door in no time.
PRINT MATERIALS
Personalized URLs are proven to increase response rates; make them even easier to use.
Include a QR Code pointing to a personalized URL on your direct mail piece, and your customer or prospect can simply scan and click to get to their personalized website.
LinkedIn Keep Your Brand Consistent with a Brand Handbook
Your brand is your promise of value. It is often said that good brands have three primary characteristics: they are authentic, consistent, and differentiated. Of the three characteristics, staying consistent may be the hardest thing to do.
The challenge resides with people and discipline. Unfortunately, as your firm grows it becomes harder and harder to keep your brand consistent since everyone needs to believe in and support the brand. All employees must sing the same song, so to speak. They must honor the brand by using the same tag line, by treating customers with a minimum of respect, by using the same logo, and by dressing appropriately in the work environment. In practice, it is a lot like herding cats.
By discipline, I mean to suggest that people need to know what to do. Of course, the brand starts with the leadership of the company and the vision communicated. Yes, all employees need to on board with the company mantra. But, it goes beyond cheerleading and mission statements. You need to document the essentials of your brand, if you want people to honor the brand with consistency.
Your company name, logo, and tagline must be consistently displayed on all customer-facing material. This includes business cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochures, website, invoices, fax cover sheets, and signage. Color communicates the brand’s feel. Fonts need to be consistent across all your marketing communications.
Consider keeping a brand handbook since the brand’s devil is in the detail. A brand handbook captures and archives all of your branding elements including website colors, fonts, tag line, logo, stationery design, signage, graphics, background music, dress code, etc. It can include instructions on how to answer the phone (and how not to answer the phone such as, “what’s up dude”). All these things communicate your brand and it is imperative that everyone join in for a consistent brand.
A brand handbook can be helpful for communicating your brand’s essentials to new employees, while emphasizing its importance to the existing staff. It should be reviewed and updated as brand elements are updated or revised. Finally, this handbook must be distributed and read by all employees.
Brands must be consistent if they are be valued by your customer.
The challenge resides with people and discipline. Unfortunately, as your firm grows it becomes harder and harder to keep your brand consistent since everyone needs to believe in and support the brand. All employees must sing the same song, so to speak. They must honor the brand by using the same tag line, by treating customers with a minimum of respect, by using the same logo, and by dressing appropriately in the work environment. In practice, it is a lot like herding cats.
By discipline, I mean to suggest that people need to know what to do. Of course, the brand starts with the leadership of the company and the vision communicated. Yes, all employees need to on board with the company mantra. But, it goes beyond cheerleading and mission statements. You need to document the essentials of your brand, if you want people to honor the brand with consistency.
Your company name, logo, and tagline must be consistently displayed on all customer-facing material. This includes business cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochures, website, invoices, fax cover sheets, and signage. Color communicates the brand’s feel. Fonts need to be consistent across all your marketing communications.
Consider keeping a brand handbook since the brand’s devil is in the detail. A brand handbook captures and archives all of your branding elements including website colors, fonts, tag line, logo, stationery design, signage, graphics, background music, dress code, etc. It can include instructions on how to answer the phone (and how not to answer the phone such as, “what’s up dude”). All these things communicate your brand and it is imperative that everyone join in for a consistent brand.
A brand handbook can be helpful for communicating your brand’s essentials to new employees, while emphasizing its importance to the existing staff. It should be reviewed and updated as brand elements are updated or revised. Finally, this handbook must be distributed and read by all employees.
Brands must be consistent if they are be valued by your customer.
LinkedIn What is Brand Image?
Like brand personality, brand image is not something you have or you don’t! A brand is unlikely to have one brand image, but several, though one or two may predominate. The key in brand image research is to identify or develop the most powerful images and reinforce them through subsequent brand communications. The term “brand image” gained popularity as evidence began to grow that the feelings and images associated with a brand were powerful purchase influencers, though brand recognition, recall and brand identity. It is based on the proposition that consumers buy not only a product (commodity), but also the image associations of the product, such as power, wealth, sophistication, and most importantly identification and association with other users of the brand. In a consumer led world, people tend to define themselves and their Jungian “persona” by their possessions. According to Sigmund Freud, the ego and superego control to a large extent the image and personality that people would like others to have of them.
Good brand images are instantly evoked, are positive, and are almost always unique among competitive brands.
Brand image can be reinforced by brand communications such as packaging, advertising, promotion, customer service, word-of-mouth and other aspects of the brand experience.
Brand images are usually evoked by asking consumers the first words/images that come to their mind when a certain brand is mentioned (sometimes called “top of mind”). When responses are highly variable, non-forthcoming, or refer to non-image attributes such as cost, it is an indicator of a weak brand image.
Good brand images are instantly evoked, are positive, and are almost always unique among competitive brands.
Brand image can be reinforced by brand communications such as packaging, advertising, promotion, customer service, word-of-mouth and other aspects of the brand experience.
Brand images are usually evoked by asking consumers the first words/images that come to their mind when a certain brand is mentioned (sometimes called “top of mind”). When responses are highly variable, non-forthcoming, or refer to non-image attributes such as cost, it is an indicator of a weak brand image.
LinkedIn How important is Brand Loyalty?
When you think about it, loyalty is probably one of the most coveted assets known to mankind.
Spouses demand it. Dogs live for it. Very few brands ever achieve it. In fact, the likelihood that your upmarket brand will attain a high level of loyalty from a majority of your brand’s users is about the same as the majority of teenagers in America believing their parents are the coolest people they know. In other words – slim to none.
It’s not that your brand doesn’t deserve consumer loyalty. It’s just that the numbers are against you. It is estimated that the typical American is exposed to more than 3,000 paid marketing messages every single day. As much as 90% of all editorial content in our media is generated, not by investigative reporters, but from public relations professionals. And if you happen to be hanging out at a bar, the flirtatious person next to you could very well be an actor paid to impersonate a consumer spreading “word of mouth” about some brand that seeks your loyalty. No wonder brand loyalty is at an all-time low.
Does all this mean you should give up going for the Holy Grail and settle for fickle consumers who would drop your brand like a used Kleenex? Hell, no. Despite the odds, brand loyalty is still worth striving for because loyal upmarket brand users are simply more productive for your company. They contribute more to your brand’s bottom line because they buy more often and in higher quantities, are less enticed by the price-cutting promotions of competitors and, in the best case scenario, will even help market your brand for you. Loyal users give your brand stability, help you get through bad times, and contribute to your brand’s resiliency. According to Dr. Robert Passikoff, president of brand research company Brand Keys, just a 5% increase in loyalty can result in as much as a 95% profit increase.
So now that you want some, how do you build brand loyalty? There is one thing necessary, regardless of your brand’s situation: a clearly defined value proposition relevant to your target audiences. This message is what your brand promises to deliver that its competitors do not.
Steve Jobs believes that unlike most computers, Apple’s should be easy to use. Apple introduced the very first highly successful mass marketed personal computer in 1976 and, within a very short period of time, grew a fiercely loyal audience of computer enthusiasts who have bonded with Apple because of its dedication to an easy-to-use graphical user interface. Today, Apple Computer continues to enjoy a high level of loyalty with a small group of core users who are fanatically devoted to everything Apple. In some loyal minds, using an Apple Computer translates into belonging to a superior part of the human race – the computer elite – who “get” why Apple Computers are better than all those other computers.
Despite its relatively small share of the personal computer market today, Apple Computer is tremendously successful at building upmarket brand loyalty. They do this by continually improving, adapting and evolving with the needs and values of their most loyal users. The result? Every year as MacWorld Expo approaches, loyalists wait in anticipation for Apple to unveil innovations even greater than the year before. Meanwhile, Apple branded products sell at a significantly higher price than competitors who enjoy less brand loyalty.
Building loyalty to the point of advocacy like Apple Computer has achieved is about the total brand experience. In other words, making sure that each Apple user has an “ease of use” experience. That is why every Apple Store features a resident Mac genius ready to solve any Mac problem you may have. And, each month, Jack Daniels responds to each of the 14,000 or so letters it receives from its loyal brand users.
Roger Brashears, Director of Marketing for Jack Daniels, believes in taking care of their “ultimate customers” by building community. Since 1956 Jack Daniels has been granting brand loyalists one square foot of Jack Daniels land. Every once in a while, landowners receive correspondence from the company asking permission to utilize their one square foot in some way — such as giving a neighbor the right to hike through, go fishing or hunt varmints.
The occasional acknowledgment of the consumer as stakeholder is a powerful tactic. Mr. Brashears talks about these loyal brand users as being part of the Jack Daniels family. He declined to give further specifics about the landowner program, saying that “family doesn’t talk about family.” Once part of the family, the likelihood of that Jack Daniels drinker switching brands is remote.
Brands can even turn a negative experience into a loyalty-building one, if it is handled right. Coca Cola was able to retain their loyal consumers by quickly restoring Coke Classic when they displayed outrage at the new recipe. Ford and Firestone, on the other hand, both lost public trust because of their finger-pointing accusations about tire failure and stability problems, instead of coming forward with quick solutions. And now their loyal brand users are cheating on them.
Loyalty is almost an anomaly in our society today. You can’t go a day without reading about a politician, rock star, actor or sports figure who has cheated on his or her significant other. If people can’t be loyal to their spouses will they ever be loyal to a brand? Steve Jobs would probably answer “yes.” And, although it may be harder to come by than a silicon-free actress in Hollywood, once you find a way to create upmarket brand loyalty, hold on to it.
Spouses demand it. Dogs live for it. Very few brands ever achieve it. In fact, the likelihood that your upmarket brand will attain a high level of loyalty from a majority of your brand’s users is about the same as the majority of teenagers in America believing their parents are the coolest people they know. In other words – slim to none.
It’s not that your brand doesn’t deserve consumer loyalty. It’s just that the numbers are against you. It is estimated that the typical American is exposed to more than 3,000 paid marketing messages every single day. As much as 90% of all editorial content in our media is generated, not by investigative reporters, but from public relations professionals. And if you happen to be hanging out at a bar, the flirtatious person next to you could very well be an actor paid to impersonate a consumer spreading “word of mouth” about some brand that seeks your loyalty. No wonder brand loyalty is at an all-time low.
Does all this mean you should give up going for the Holy Grail and settle for fickle consumers who would drop your brand like a used Kleenex? Hell, no. Despite the odds, brand loyalty is still worth striving for because loyal upmarket brand users are simply more productive for your company. They contribute more to your brand’s bottom line because they buy more often and in higher quantities, are less enticed by the price-cutting promotions of competitors and, in the best case scenario, will even help market your brand for you. Loyal users give your brand stability, help you get through bad times, and contribute to your brand’s resiliency. According to Dr. Robert Passikoff, president of brand research company Brand Keys, just a 5% increase in loyalty can result in as much as a 95% profit increase.
So now that you want some, how do you build brand loyalty? There is one thing necessary, regardless of your brand’s situation: a clearly defined value proposition relevant to your target audiences. This message is what your brand promises to deliver that its competitors do not.
Steve Jobs believes that unlike most computers, Apple’s should be easy to use. Apple introduced the very first highly successful mass marketed personal computer in 1976 and, within a very short period of time, grew a fiercely loyal audience of computer enthusiasts who have bonded with Apple because of its dedication to an easy-to-use graphical user interface. Today, Apple Computer continues to enjoy a high level of loyalty with a small group of core users who are fanatically devoted to everything Apple. In some loyal minds, using an Apple Computer translates into belonging to a superior part of the human race – the computer elite – who “get” why Apple Computers are better than all those other computers.
Despite its relatively small share of the personal computer market today, Apple Computer is tremendously successful at building upmarket brand loyalty. They do this by continually improving, adapting and evolving with the needs and values of their most loyal users. The result? Every year as MacWorld Expo approaches, loyalists wait in anticipation for Apple to unveil innovations even greater than the year before. Meanwhile, Apple branded products sell at a significantly higher price than competitors who enjoy less brand loyalty.
Building loyalty to the point of advocacy like Apple Computer has achieved is about the total brand experience. In other words, making sure that each Apple user has an “ease of use” experience. That is why every Apple Store features a resident Mac genius ready to solve any Mac problem you may have. And, each month, Jack Daniels responds to each of the 14,000 or so letters it receives from its loyal brand users.
Roger Brashears, Director of Marketing for Jack Daniels, believes in taking care of their “ultimate customers” by building community. Since 1956 Jack Daniels has been granting brand loyalists one square foot of Jack Daniels land. Every once in a while, landowners receive correspondence from the company asking permission to utilize their one square foot in some way — such as giving a neighbor the right to hike through, go fishing or hunt varmints.
The occasional acknowledgment of the consumer as stakeholder is a powerful tactic. Mr. Brashears talks about these loyal brand users as being part of the Jack Daniels family. He declined to give further specifics about the landowner program, saying that “family doesn’t talk about family.” Once part of the family, the likelihood of that Jack Daniels drinker switching brands is remote.
Brands can even turn a negative experience into a loyalty-building one, if it is handled right. Coca Cola was able to retain their loyal consumers by quickly restoring Coke Classic when they displayed outrage at the new recipe. Ford and Firestone, on the other hand, both lost public trust because of their finger-pointing accusations about tire failure and stability problems, instead of coming forward with quick solutions. And now their loyal brand users are cheating on them.
Loyalty is almost an anomaly in our society today. You can’t go a day without reading about a politician, rock star, actor or sports figure who has cheated on his or her significant other. If people can’t be loyal to their spouses will they ever be loyal to a brand? Steve Jobs would probably answer “yes.” And, although it may be harder to come by than a silicon-free actress in Hollywood, once you find a way to create upmarket brand loyalty, hold on to it.
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