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Flash Mobbing: Marketing a New Way to Old Customers

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Within marketing circles around the globe there has been a tremendous amount of attention directed at a relatively new form of marketing being labeled flash mobbing. Not only is this marketing model raising eyebrows but it’s also making a lot of people successful beyond belief.

But first I would like to point out that although this form of marketing is often referred to as flash mobbing, it currently is nameless and is the result of a mixture of two different marketing strategies.

Originally named tuangou, the system was first developed in mainland China where buyers would organize and approach vendors in order to negotiate bulk prices rather than paying full retail as is the case with individual purchasing. Group buying was created!

Since inception, collective buying power has been exploited, not only in China (800+ group buying sites) but also in North America where marketing experts are just now beginning to see the potential of this trending marketing model.

Despite how obscure they are from one another, the name was changed from tuangou to the much more pretentious name of flash mobbing. None the less this is what mainstream media has chosen to label tuangou.

The true definition of flash mobbing is when a coordinated group of individuals suddenly assemble in a public location, perform an unusual or pointless act, and then disperse.

Probably the most publicized example of flash mob advertising is the Oprah Winfrey Show when she organized a downtown Chicago concert with the Black Eyed Peas. A short time in to their runaway hit single, “I Got a Feeling”, previously organized groups strategically planted within the audience began to perform synchronized dance moves. As the song progressed, like a chain reaction, the entire crowd of some 20,000 people, all danced in synchronicity with one another.

You are probably wondering how tuangou, the art of collective buying, became flash mobbing? As do I.

A hybrid version of the two has begun to sweep the nation. With group buy sites popping up everywhere, the world is warming up nicely to the concept of collective buying. Not to mention saving loads and loads of money in the meantime. However,how is it that these two seemingly different aspects of marketing can unite in to one of the most intuitive marketing methods in recent time? Let’s find out.

In the case of “group buy” sites like Groupon and TeamBuy, we are seeing a complimentary blend of tuangou and flash mobbing. The backbone of their marketing models rely on the tuangou system for buying power while exploiting the social web in true “flash mob” fashion. How this is done is where the true genius lies.

Without numbers (ie:group) the model falls apart. So how do they create the buzz for buyers to unite and in turn make collective buying viable? Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. With these sites in their corner, and rapid accessibility for their buyers, they in turn create a monolithic word of mouth marketing machine that automates the otherwise tedious task of mainstream marketing avenues all while spending minimal in expenditures. If I told you that I could save you thousands of marketing dollars and eliminate your need for radio or print ads…might this not get your attention? Essentially this reduces the cost of customer acquisition significantly for manufacturers and service providers. Clearly this is the bait most CEOs are enticed by.

Broken down further it looks like this:

tuangou = collective buying

flash mob = buzz or word of mouth advertising

The combination of the two, if applied correctly, is an ideal marketing model with the highest possible conversion numbers of any other marketing method. As all businesses compete in this rapidly changing world, we must discover new and intuitive ways to market our goods and services. Like Stuart H. Britt once said,

For a business not to advertise is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but no one else does.

With growing popularity and increased conversions, one might be so bold as to say that we are witnessing the transformation of how marketing may change for 2011 and in to the future.

*if you enjoyed the content of this article, I ask that if you should feel inclined to reprint it on your site that you leave the credit and accompanying links, in tact in the footer. Essentially go ahead and reprint but do so in its entirety.

Source by Don G. Halbert

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The Phantom Growth of China's Ghost Cities

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Bloomberg has a new video series out called "China's Ghost Cities."

The reporter, Adam Johnson, describes how the Chinese government is building massive cities that no one lives in yet. The expectation is that China is going to "grow" into these cities.

A remarkable idea, really. The authoritarian planners in Beijing or where decide it would be good if, say, a million people or more could relocate to a pre-planned area.

Then they build out the infrastructure – or rather the entire metropolis, skyscrapers, stops and all – and wait.

Stop for a moment and ponder how nutty this is. The last time your editor checked, central planning was not a huge success. According to history, bureaucrats wielding directives over long distances tend to allocate resources poorly.

But are ghost cities a recipe for a bust? Some say no. The Bloomberg reporter, for instance, assures us that China's economies are different – that is to say, "it's different this time." (Where have we heard that before …)

It is supposedly OK that these ghost cities, built for millions of refugees, have only tens of thousands of people living in them – because all that deserted square footage will eventually be put to good use.

As a bonus, building ghost cities is great for economic growth.

Via running superhighways out to the middle of nowhere, erecting steel and glass towers in the boondocks, China generates new jobs in construction, civil engineering, city planning and the like. All this construction looks fabulous on paper. The ghostly infrastructure gets counted as productive output, and the super-aggressive GDP target is maintained.

But what is wrong with that picture?

For one, there is the central planning problem. Growth and development are free market forces, with signature marks of trial and error. Successful cities are built from the ground up, not decreed by bureaucrat stamp. So how does the government know where a new metropolis should go, or what its optimal size should be?

Then you have the accounting problems. Should the promise of tomorrow be so read reflected on balance sheets today?

Imagine if a public corporation said, "We are going to grow 20% per year by building idle factories in the middle of nowhere, that no one is going to use for quite some time. will show up. We'll make a profit on them ever. Just do not ask when. "

Such a plan would be brutalized by the market, because public companies are held accountable for profits and return on investment (ROI). (At least most of the time – in bubble times investors will happily suspend their rational faculties.)

The Chinese government, of course, does not have to seek profit in its actions. Or it can measure results in some entirely non-traditional way, via "how many jobs did we create" or "how do the GDP numbers look."

At the end of the day, the "ghost city" mandate is directly channeling John Maynard Keynes, who once suggested digging holes, then filling them up again as a way to put men to work.

China is being more sophisticated. Rather than digging holes, it is putting up buildings. The effect is the same though. "Some day" the empty skyscrapers will have value – if they are not condemned as worn-out structures first – but until then they are just holes.

China bulls are not bothered by the ghost cities for at least three reasons.

First, they have convinced themselves (with more than a bit of faith) that the empty metropoli will one day (sooner rather than later) be full.

Second, they figure China has a lot of money to burn even if the ghost cities do not work out.

And third, as the old saying goes, "a rolling loan growers no loss." As long as the specialized music is playing, the property developers can keep dancing.

The trouble, as always, comes when the music stops. If China turns out to have built, say, 20 years of excess capacity by the time that happens, then hundreds of billions' worth of stagnant projects will have to be written off.

Tougher still is the idea that China's "economic miracle" is actually a heavily leveraged bet on mercantilism … propped up by runaway construction … with the tail end of the boom pushed recklessly from pie-in-the-sky projections for future growth.

That is another favorite tactic of investment manias: Along with the empire of forever skyward growth curves, mortgaging tomorrow (and borrowing against it) for the sake of today.

Even if China can write checks to cover the write-off costs of all those cities, there is a big multiple built in to the global economy right now on the assumption that China growth is the real deal. When it sinks in that much of growth is actually "ghost" or "phantom" growth – in keeping with these empty monuments to now – the collapse of that multiple could hurt.

Source by Justice Litle

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The Chinese Water Lantern Festival

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The Chinese have designed and crafted lanterns that can float in water and glide in the air. Though sky lanterns were initially crafted as a device, to send signals, today they are used as decorative articles. Water Lanterns in Chinese festivals have its own importance.

There is an interesting story to the History of Chinese lanterns. It was believed that these lanterns, both the sky lanterns and the Water lanterns used in Chinese festivals were initially created out of necessity rather than artifacts for decorations. The Chinese have a history of inventing several new things and also leading the way in several new technologies. But, initially, the Chinese did not have access to or the knowhow to make a vital building material – Glass. Hence they did not have glass lanterns or glass windows. On the other hand, they had the skill of making paper. The paper industry in china was so advanced that it could produce paper that was very thin, to let light pass through it. They could also add beautiful colors and embellishments to the paper. Thus was born, the world’s first source of portable light – the lantern.

These lanterns were then gradually adapted to float in water and glide in the sky. Such was the skill of the Chinese craftsmen that these lanterns were used for lighting public places, homes and even battlefields. There is a story of a military strategist Zhuge Liang, having used paper lanterns to help the army march by night and attack by the day.

Over time, this battlefield beacon turned into an epitome of hope and wellbeing and festivity. The origin of the Lantern festival can be dated back to the Han Dynasty. During this time, the city is decorated with lanterns that are beautifully crafted in different shapes and sizes and then displayed with wishes or riddles written on them.

Water lanterns in Chinese festivals like the Moon Festival are a major tourist attraction. People from all over the world come to witness this event. On this day children and adults make or buy Water lanterns and write wishes on them. They then set these lanterns afloat in the water under the moonlight and watch them float away.

Water Lanterns in Chinese Festivals alongside other lanterns are used to light up the way to guide the spirit of their ancestors to come and bless them. Even today this tradition is followed, and people decorate their homes and public places to welcome their ancestors.

Source by Edward Zhang

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Health

Keemun Black Tea From China – Caffeine Content, Health Benefits, And Other Properties

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Keemun is a type of Chinese black tea, originating in Qimen county of Anhui Province, China. This article gives an overview of the caffeine content, health benefits, and other properties of Keemun.

Keemun is primarily produced in Anhui province, but teas in this style have also begun to be produced in nearby Hubei, as well as in Jiangxi, and even in Taiwan. Keemun is usually described as having an earthy aroma, and its overall character is quite different from Indian and Ceylon teas. My personal perspective is that Keemun has a richer, warmer quality, often reminiscent of dried fruit, and in higher grades, a pleasing hint of wood or wood smoke. These teas are rich and full-bodied, and are among my favorite black teas.

Caffeine content:

Although you may be looking for more concrete information, it is hard to generalize about the caffeine content of Keemun. Even though it originates primarily in one region and shares certain aspects of production, Keemun is fairly diverse, coming in different grades. As a general rule though, Keemun is often in the moderate to high end of caffeine content, among teas, which means that it still has considerably less caffeine than a typical cup of coffee. Keemun has historically been used in breakfast blends, where strongly caffeinated teas were desired

Health benefits:

Keemun has actually been the subject of direct scientific study., in association with weight loss in animal studies. There is only a small amount of research referring specifically to this variety of tea, however, so most of what can be said about Keemun must be inferred from general studies about black tea.

Although green tea has a stronger association with supposed “health benefits” in the public consciousness in the United States, this association may be skewed by historical factors. Much of the early research on tea and health was conducted in Japan, where tea is synonymous with green tea. Subsequent research has found substantial evidence that black tea is healthy as well. In the absence of more reserach specifically looking at Keemun, it seems reasonable to conclude that Keemun is likely to have a similar amonut of health benefits to black tea.

Locating high-quality Keemun:

My recommendation, if you want to buy the best Keemun, is to buy exclusively loose-leaf. My experience is that the best Keemun is usually sold by companies that specialize in Chinese tea. Because they store relatively well, Chinese black teas, even those of considerably high quality, tend to be relatively inexpensive, with all but the highest grades (Keemun Hao Ya A and B, and Keemun Mao Feng) costing well under $10 for about 1/4 pound or about 100-125 grams. A few companies, including Rishi Tea, Arbor Teas, and Little Red Cup, sell fair trade certified Keemun, produced in Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces, respectively.

Source by Alex Zorach

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