Thank you, Jackie Robinson

Maybe its all the 42's running the bases this week, or the fact that I saw 42 over the weekend, but there just has to be some kind of entry about Jackie Robinson. With the tag line "Fly your own flag," New Era was the perfect firm to do this:

Must. Have. Wheat Thins

Don't know why I found this so funny, but I've been watching it on repeat all weekend

Google Glass

We've all begun hearing the buzz surrounding Google's new project, Google Glass. In case you haven't, here is the commercial released a little while ago:

The glasses themselves don't get in the way of everyday life, but do offer subtle hints of the Terminator.

Google Glass 2.0?

A little background about Glass. The idea behind Glass is quite genius actually, as Timothy Jordan describes in his presentation at SXSW (South by Southwest) a few weeks ago. He uses the image of a performer stepping up to the stage, and then suddenly everyone's phones and tablets shoot into the air, trying to record and take pictures. "It felt like they were watching the screens instead of the event..." Jordan says, "it feels like tech is often getting in the way more than it needs to." Glass allows the user to still have access to technology, while not "[taking] you out of the moment."

But the real point of this entry is to analyze the marketing behind them. Though their release is months away, Google has drawn a lot of attention to these futuristic, internet-connected glasses. Google recently selected a group of 8,000 individuals (called "Google Explorers") to test-drive Glass before its official release. All they needed to do was submit a 50 word application explaining how they would use it and tag it under #ifihadglass on Google+ or Twitter. Winners will have to pay $1500 for the experience and pick it up in either New York, San Francisco or LA.

Needless to say, hundreds of thousands of people jumped at the opportunity, but with such a new concept, Google needed to make sure that the product placement was just right. I believe that Google was less focused on WHY one wanted the Glass as much as WHO wanted it. Their marketing department showed its brilliance here, as they probably spent hours combing through Twitter accounts looking for the most well-connected of the bunch. Those who were highly active and had a large number of followers looked like prime choices to flaunt this cutting edge technology. The strategy here is for Google to let the public do the marketing for them, and we're the ones who are paying $1500 for the privilege! Those geniuses in Mountain View should pat themselves on the back for this one, as I've heard top executives other notable individuals have been selected among the elite few, as well as some others who did actually have creative and constructive ideas on how to use Glass.

Strategies like this have been seen before, but I can't remember anything on this scale and for such a revolutionary product. The marketing strategy behind the new Google Glass is nothing short of brilliant as far as I can see, but that doesn't mean it can't fail. If you want to see Timothy Jordan's full presentation at SXSW, click the link below:

PC Mag: Watch the Google Glass SXSW Presentation