Fashionbook: For when you cannot live without a second opinion.

Ever been shopping alone, and asked the fitting room attendants opinion (or even a random stranger), because you absolutely cannot make a decision?  Maybe guys won't openly admit to this problem, but I can say this has happened to me on more than one occasion.

Facebook is attempting to step in to remedy those fashion indecision woes.  A recent post on Adverblog.com reports that there is a new case study to combine the way Facebook users shop, and get a second opinion on the clothes they buy.  The concept is currently being tired out in stores in Portugal, to see if it is received well amongst the public.

C&A displays, like the ones pictured here, show in real time how many likes each item of clothing receives.  Wondering if everyone will approve of your new outfit?  Can't choose between one shirt over the other?  Check the likes on the hanger for the most popular item and you won't need to ask the fitting room attendant (or random stranger.)

For some consumers, this could be the answer to their fashion dilemmas.  For other, less easily-influenced when it comes to fashion, they may not want to know what the world thinks of that green blouse hanging on the rack.  For advertisers, this could be a great opportunity to influence their own customers into buying, perhaps even more clothes from their stores.

Google the Golden Child?

"Google it."  "Why don't you just google it?"  You probably have heard these phrases or said them yourself, at least once a week.  I mean if I have a question, it has become automatic for me to use google.com to get the answer.  So automatic that the brand name has become a verb for most internet users.

In the advertising world, brand awareness on the internet is almost vital to a company's success.  Companies will pay thousands for search optimization, just so their website will appear at the top of the list on Google.  Trust comes in from all angles to google.com, from the person who wants to know what the ugliest dog breed is to the company who trusts their search optimization specialists to identify the right keywords to be sure that their company is first.

Recently, Jonathon Mayer from The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School discovered something fishy going on with Google, the golden child of the internet world--an alleged invasion of privacy using "Safari Trackers."  According to his article, Google used a software trick that wormed its way around Safari's privacy limitations on third-party tracking.

They are now facing a hefty $10 million fine, thanks to Mayer's discovery.  Google has admitted to implanting the code, however, responded by saying they did not collect any personal information from users.

Brand trust and brand identity on the internet can be a tricky thing, and for a ginormous company such as Google, there is an extreme amount of brand trust from users and advertisers.  An incident such as this one shows that people should never put their blind trust into a company, no matter how "good" or "trustworthy" it may seem, because it is, after all, just a company like any other.  Whether the allegations of collecting personal information or not is true, this can be viewed as a wake up call for people to look out for their own privacy on the internet, especially the next time you go to "Google" something.

When I read this, I was less than surprised.

So I saw this infographic on Mashable.com...

and I just said, "Well, yea obviously."

How many times have you heard a news report, seen an article, heard a 50+ year old person say that college students cannot do anything without technology.  And my answer is the same resounding, "Well, yea obviously."  The infographic went on to throw out facts such as "73% of college students said they cannot study without technology" and "70% of students use keyboards to take notes (no more paper)."

At first glance, those facts that were meant to make us out to be some sort of completely dependent slaves to the internet/smartphone, were actually telling me something a bit different.  To me, its saying that modern college students are actually more efficient by finding easier ways to access all types of information at a rapid pace, we are inadvertently tree-huggers by going paper-free, and most importantly, this is great for internet advertisers.

From an online advertising standpoint, the more time college students spend "depending" on the internet and technology, the more confirmation that it is a virtually propelling market.  According to a journal article from Education Resources Information Center called "The Internet Goes to College," studies from 27 colleges and universities have shown these main findings:

•  College students have adopted and heavily use the internet early on

•  College students feel that the Internet has actually enhanced their education

•  They agree that their college social life has been altered by the Internet

What does one have to do with the other?  With the 12 million college students that already take online classes, and the projected 22 million that will join in the next 5 years as predicted by the aforementioned infographic, being in advertising, especially on the internet, opportunities are about to double.  With a huge stronghold in the connection between college students, technology, and education, advertisers can use that seamless gap to connect with a huge world of a dependent audience.  So, yes, I can say that I was not in any way surprised by the information the infographic or article had, but I was in no way offended.  In fact, for any person that is in advertising, this is just the type of thing that I want to hear.

Source:

Jones, Steve.  "The Internet Goes to College:  How Students Are Living in the Future with Today's Technology."  Pew Internet and American Life Project.  ERIC Education Resources Information Center.  September 15, 2002.  http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/detail?accno=ED472669