So what is social shopping?  It is a location based application that integrates twitter and lets users share photos and reviews of amazing deals and finds where ‘ere you are.

Will this change how we shop completely? Highly unlikely. However, it is a great indication of where things are going. We say it every day, the consumer is in control. Yet, as marketers we still treat them as secondary citizens, only allowing them to interact with our brands on “our terms”.  The difference is now consumers have a REAL voice. It’s not just about the squeaky wheels. It’s about everyone having a voice. Equal opportunity marketing friends. Embrace it. It’s here.

Interesting information from Razorfish’s latest study, Fluent on the in the importance of social media and the significance of simple peer recommendation. Recommendation offline is still the #1 influence on purchase behavior and intent. #2 is television and #3 is online expert recommendation. Social mediums and online followed close behind. With traditional media not making it to the top ten. This is an interesting point to mull over at your next meeting…

Image courtesy of Razorfish: http://fluent.razorfish.com/publication/?m=6540&l=1

Web 2.0. Yes. We know. Social media. It started around 2000-2001, it’s about giving users access to other users. Connectivity people. The internet was no longer about being a supplement to your life; it became a way to live your life.

So what’s next? Web 3.0? Urgh.

Conceptually, I think the consensus is we’re almost here. Now it’s going to be about smart computers (duh, computers are already smart). No, now they are really smart. They know what you want before you know what you want. It’s a natural extension of Web 2.0. It’s a matter of strengthening links, and weighting these links on different dimensions. Tim Berners-Lee (the guy who invented this crazy web thing), was quoted as saying, “(an era is coming) where every piece of digital information is given a longitude and latitude on a map.” Let’s look at a quick example of how this is starting to take shape.

The iTunes Genius. Some people hate it, some people love it. I fall into the latter. It’s an interesting exploration of predictive qualities- using correlation clusters, it finds “like” songs and creates a playlist based on one song. It’s a fairly straightforward process mathematically speaking (well…) but it’s truly taking advantage of linked information to HELP consumers. Hellloooo Web 3.0.

Totally “modernized” the packaging, made it look cleaner only to face a backlash from consumers. Our take-away is that sometimes new and shiny (or clean and modern) isn’t always what’s best for the brand.

So the logo wasn’t “fresh and modern” as Peter Arnell would have thought. Now how did the brand hear about the intense backlash? None other than twitter my friends. Yes. Twittering is now making brand decisions. Advertisers and brands alike let’s start REALLY thinking about what “Web 2.0/3.0″ means, because our consumers are getting closer and closer-and it may just mean more than your creative director one day. Listen now and stay ahead of the curve.

(Image: http://www.johnmamus.com/designeverything/2009/01/tropicana-design-critique.html)

So in this world of faster-paced everything- from food, communication and transportation- there is a growing desire among trendsetters to slow down and take life in at a less harried pace.

While life rarely affords us all the luxury to be able to slow down and relax, when people have the opportunity to do so, whether it be a vacation or the trip into work everyday, sitting back, and taking life in is a luxury nearly all can afford once in awhile. Particularly relevant in a time of recession and economic unrest, simple luxuries must be enjoyed wherever possible.

Emerging trends in travel include an increase in interest in travel by train, which is being viewed as an alternative way to get around and see the country. Taking the time to take it all in…relaxing in the truest sense of the word. Even when it comes to food, people are moving in droves to slow down.

Slow Food

Slow Food is an”eco-gastronomic” organization started by Italian Carlo Petrini as an anti-dote to our fast paced lives and its fastfood. Slow food means enjoying foods in season, sitting down and having a meal with one’s family and community, understanding nature, understanding food, and slowing down to enjoy it all.

This growing group is not only relevant to everyone’s life, it promotes a philosophy that’s easily digestable (no pun intended) with no harsh or rigid rules or missions except to live SLOW-ly which means to enjoy, to be conscious, to live as one would want to eat.
http://www.slowfood.com/

Emerging trends in travel include an increase in interest in travel by train, which is being viewed as an alternative way to get around and see the country. Taking the time to take it all in…relaxing in the truest sense of the word.

So the question remains? What has slowed down in your life? Are you taking the time to smell the roses, or even just the pot roast in the oven?

(Image: http://www.rechargelounge.com.au/category/food/ )