Facebook VS twitter- A network emersion

Facebook, the worlds leading social network, has some threatening feelings towards a new and up coming network, Twitter. Facebook, where friends mutually agree to let each other in to their “virtual” lives, twitter, is a more fast paces network, in which people share updates with any person who cares to read them. Unlike facebook, this lets people interact with one another about real time talking points, and allows for a person to enter another person’s thoughts.

            This has allowed facebook to try and broaden their horizons, which failed last year, when facebook tried to acquire Twitter. Slowly, Facebook is trying to mimic features that Twitter has.

            Just because Facebook is the world’s largest social network, does not mean that they don't have to, or should try to evolve, and grow to the popularity mainstream.

Microsoft Marketing Strategy?

Software leader, Microsoft Corp, recently decided to sever its domestic ties with Interpublic Group of cos. and allow for Publicis Groupe take over its North American ad-buying business. Microsoft had been a long-time, twelve year partner with Interpublic Group, and throughout their relationship, IPG has had the opportunity to managing close to one billion dollars of Microsoft spending money, which was used to fund Microsoft’s media-buying businesses. Although, Interpublic Group doesn’t manage any of Microsoft's North American media-buying businesses anymore, they “are keeping the software giant's ad-buying business in 35 countries outside North America”, which a good thing, because Microsoft is one of the Interpublic Group’s biggest clients in regards to revenue generation. Unfortunately, Interpublic will have to play a smaller role in Microsoft’s ad-buying businesses, which is also unfortunate because Microsoft “spent $614.2 million on advertising in the U.S. last year, up 19% from 2009, according to WPP's Kantar Media.”. Interpublic Groupe will definitely feel a significance decrease annual in revenue in the near future.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576208781278991312.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Consumer Trends: Is it better to ask a novice than an expert?

A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research details findings that consumers who search for expert advice on a product may not be getting a clear picture of what the product can or cannot do. For the experiment, the researchers developed two theoretical gaming consoles that would have a list of features. They then got a group of people together and tested their level of expertise in video games. They then showed the experts and non-experts a list of features that each console had. Later they were tested on what the features of each console were. They threw in some trick questions, such as whether a console had a functional dvd-player or not when there had been nothing on the console sheet concerning the dvd functions of the consoles. Surprisingly, the experts brought in to provide details about the product had a harder time than others who were not as educated in how gaming systems worked. The researchers called this phenomenon false recall, and concluded that those who considered themselves experts would not question the legitimacy of their memories as much when it came to the subject they were experts in. Bottom line, it may be better to ask a novice rather than an expert when it comes to finding information about a product out.