Steve Jobs Retires, What Next?

Just today morning i read the news about the resignation of Apple's iconic CEO Steve Jobs. I have never purchased any Apple product so far, probably will go for them in future. In fact the itch to get one has actually increased :) But anyway nothing is permanent in this world and everyone has to move on from one place to the another, from one position to the another.

Here's the copy of Steve's resignation letter which many people are terming as "iQuit" referring to the highly popular i-series of Apple products.

CUPERTINO, Calif.–August 24, 2011–To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know.

Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Everyone is unique in this world and so is Steve Jobs. Hope Tim Cook brings his own aura and freshness to the Apple world and keep on bringing great products in the future too. Goodbye Steve!

Is Twitter Advertising Really Valuable for Marketers?

Twitter has been quite aggressive in the past few months to prove that it is worth the valuation it has got in the recent times. Its valuation has soared to $8 billion recently which has made it many a critic’s target as it is still to come with any profitable business. According to an article published in Ad Age, by June 2011, it has partnered with more than 600 companies for their advertising campaigns.

The  article also shares a summary of advertising campaigns of four different brands: Unilever’s Magnum ice cream, CMT Music Awards, Zuji  Australia and RadioShack. All these brands have definitely got the results but if you see closely, the results are in terms of just Twitter metrics. These brands have got lot of followers, retweets and mentions of hashtags but when it comes to the earning call, there are no results in terms of direct impact on increase in sales.

According to me, Twitter advertising in its present form is not compatible with the business goals of companies. Twitter advertising will ultimately be of worth to marketers or businesses only if they can incorporate some elements which lead to increase in sales and which can be tracked through some dedicated dashboard.

What do you think Twitter needs to incorporate to enhance its advertising solution?

What is More Important: Social Media Tool or the Idea?

Social media has caught a fancy of brand managers and marketers all across the world and India is no exception. But what has been seen by various agencies is that their clients rush to them with their own solutions rather than sharing their problems. Clients are more interested in creating an iPad app or a Facebook page or a YouTube video and so on and so forth, i.e. They are having their own perceptions that a YouTube video or an iPad app  will help them promote their brand or to meet their brand’s objective.

The reality is that they are not aware of the problems they are facing. Rather than asking the agency to this or that they should identify their problem areas and then share it with their agency. After going through your problem areas, your agency may suggest you to start an online community or a Facebook page or a blog or combination of different social media channels.

So the point is Idea is more important than the social media tools. According to your Ideas or solutions, you should choose the appropriate social media tools to implement those ideas. Again just by starting a Facebook page, a twitter profile or any other social networking presence is not going to serve you as there is no backing of any constructive objectives or ideas.

Start with objectives, define your problem areas and then implement the ideas you have on appropriate social media tools.