Урок №41. How the iPad Will Transform Marketing. Part 2
continued, for Part 1,
Продолжение урока о том, как появление планшетов повлияло на работу маркетологов
LA: Can you give some examples? How are businesses using iPads to empower consumers?
DS: Right now, the technology is still very new, and because of that, many businesses are allowing consumers to «borrow» iPads on-site. For instance, a restaurant group allows customers to browse the «iCellar» and make their wine selection using an iPad. However, as tablet technologies become increasingly ubiquitous, we’ll be seeing that consumers will use their own devices for individual or self-guided customer experiences (much as consumers use smartphones now). Point-of-sale is evolving from transactional to more interactive and experiential, and iPads will play an increasingly prominent role.
As an example, imagine how iPads can enhance product visualization. You can literally see yourself sitting in the chair you are considering to purchase for your home and view it with different fabrics or accessories surrounding you. Then, you can save those images for comparison, future reference, or to share through email or social media hooks. Tablet technology is also likely to transform other aspects of the customer experience, such as payment processing, loyalty programs and location-specific offers, too. In B2B, marketers are using iPads to help educate prospects, capture sales information and open dialogue both internally and externally. Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, in particular, are already using iPads to detail prescribers, track sales activity and support sales force effectiveness training.
LA: What major tablet computer trends do you see emerging in the year ahead?
DS: I think we are going to see more attention focused on location-based offers and promotions. As tablet technology becomes even more popular, marketers will leverage location knowledge to target messages «in the moment.» Also, look for an explosion of custom app development. Up until now, developers have concentrated on consumer apps, but now companies need apps, too. Companies want apps that differentiate them in the marketplace, support specific business models and align with their particular marketing strategies. Lastly, in the year ahead, we are going to see a variety of «me-too» competitors entering the market. Among these, it’s going to be interesting to see if anyone is going to challenge Apple’s control of operating system technology. If not, Apple iOS and Google Android will probably remain the dominant players.
LA: How can marketers decide which technology is best suited to their strategy?
DS: There are no simple answers to that question. This technology is not one-size-fits-all. It’s important to think in terms of questions such as, «What problems can the iPad solve for us or our customers?» and «How will this technology align with our overall business strategy?» You also have to remember that you will need to address concerns about data security, privacy, maintenance and support. My best advice is to proceed thoughtfully and methodically. There’s no doubt that the iPad has the potential to be a transformational force, but you have to make sure that you optimize it for your business strategies and processes.
VOCABULARY
on-site — на месте
ubiquitous [juː’bɪkwɪtəs] — повсеместный
hook — крючок
leverage [‘liːvərɪʤ] — использовать по максимуму
Exercise
Переведите фразы с русского на английский. Наведя курсором на пробел, вы увидите правильный ответ.
общая бизнес стратегия —
трансформационная сила ‑
На этот вопрос нет простых ответов —
на все случаи жизни, единый размер ‑
извлечь максимум пользы из знания локации ‑ location knowledge
в предстоящем году —
отслеживать активность продаж ‑
точка продажи ‑