whoppersacrifice @ Linkedin : Perfect example of Technology in Marketing

Recently Burger King launched an application on Facebook, where users can sacrifice their friends for a "Whopper Burger". 

The application works like this, The users were given an option of winning a burger if they sacrifice their 10 friends using the "whopper sacrifice widget"; sacrifice here means that they will be deleted from the persons friend list. 

Normally when a person delete another person from his or her friend list it is not announced, this application by Burger King, gave the user an option of sending the deleted person a message that he has been scarified for a burger, and this was termed as "Whopper Sacrifice".

This application seemed to be a great hit with over 233906, people 'scarified' their friends for a burger.

Now facebook went back to Burger King to modify its widget and Burger King eventually took off its widget from the Facebook platform, but what is most important here is the clever mix of Technology and Buzz that Burger King was able to generate using this widget.

I have always believed that the technology gives the marketier the added edge to sell and market their product, and this small widget is the perfect example, the company would have only spent little amount to develop this widget but the publicity it has gained is far more than any other conventional marketing tools.

Perhaps this is what is "thinking out of the box"

How Would Walt Disney Market in 2009?

A nice read, thought of sharing with all;

Walt Disney, the man, was equal parts technological genius and ancient story teller. He drew upon stories that reverberated with our humanity and told them in sizzling new ways that shaped memorable experiences. Simultaneously he knew how to leverage every powerful method of engaging the consumer and he swarmed them with multiple modes of his message always reinforcing the central stories. For example, Snow White was a movie, a ride, a doll, a book, a dress, a television show, a cartoon, and a set of experiences which all were touchstones to the magic of it all.
As companies try to get their voice "out" in the overcrowded, fragmented, 24x7, blog-filled, multi-dialog, Mad Money Cramer kind of world of 2009, executives need to think carefully about their core stories to customers, employees, and investors—and to use all relevant media to orchestrate the message across the global information network.
In that spirit, I'd like to outline what I think are the core principles that we can all learn from Disney:
1. Know the story is king. Humans like to read about humans and whether you are selling CAT scanners, or auto insurance, every message must have a story that resonates with the human condition at its core. Almost all great stories have ancient roots.
2. Utilize the newest technology to tell that ancient story in a new way. For example, if your firm serves businesses but does not have a marketing message that can be consumed over a BlackBerry then you're behind; if you serve consumers and don't have applications in the Apple App Store, you're out of touch.
3. Coordinate the message across the media. When you leave Disneyland you stroll down a Main Street populated with dolls, and shirts, and hats, and media that all are linked to the wonderful experiences you just had. In today's fragmented world, executives must reinforce key messages by having multiple, consistent, coordinated touch points for the same idea.
4. Have the courage to innovate. Walt Disney initially funded both Disneyland and Disneyworld out of his own pocket, and then sold them back to the corporation because they did not want to take the first risks. Be braver.
5. Ride your uniqueness. Disney received enormous press coverage and accolades because he was doing new things. For example, if you have a direct sales force, what new stories have you given them so they can market themselves on Facebook or LinkedIn or over the BlackBerry? How have you helped them tell a great story about your firm and its services? If you do it, they will talk about it and the media will report on it.
6. Stay on message. With Disney, you only had to see the Castle to conjure up the entire set of thoughts and dreams.
Provided by Harvard Business—Where Leaders Get Their Edge by John Sviokla

How would the Maytas acquisition have helped Satyam

A week before when Satyam's Raju announced that Satyam's intented to buy Maytas , the idea was booed by all and sulty, but looking at the mess now it would had been really benefitial if the deal had gone through.

How would the Maytas acquisition have helped? Satyam would have paid at least Rs 5000 crore to acquire the two companies from the promoters (the Raju family). The money was non-existent. So, it would have pretended to pay the money and ended up with the assets (the two Maytas companies). The promoters may have never got paid but that would have served them right. And everyone would have been alright: Satyam would have had assets, real assets on its books instead of non-existent cash; the Raju family would have continued to manage Satyam, but would have been poorer by quite a bit; and investors would have still had their money invested in a halfway decent company.

But again at the end of the day, it all comes to Ethics and in this case the promoters were trying to do unethical thing so that the mess they had created could be covered

$100bn too early or too less ?

1 year ago Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) paid $100bn for buying out ABN Amro Bank.
For this amount it could now buy:
Citibank $22.5bn
Morgan Stanley $10.5bn
Goldman Sachs $21bn
Merrill Lynch $12.3bn
Deutsche Bank $13bn
Barclays $12.7bn
And still have
$8bn change......with which they could have picked up GM, Ford, Chrysler and the Honda

New Year Wishes

I wish you all a very happy and Prosperous new year :)