Brands raise the bar on widget performance
Here I am again writing about the potential of widgets to become new digital platforms for delivering brand value. To date, the progress of widgets toward brand-building levels has been slower than I expected (eternal optimist that I am). Truth is, brands significantly raise the bar for widget performance. A survey of the widget-scape still finds too many world clocks, weather reports, and single news feeds to enable this new brand form factor to begin to spread its wings.
Widgets must do something personal and special
Anne Zelenka has some insightful comments on the current widget state of the art, economics involved, and where widgets need to improve. She writes from a technical perspective, but everything she says applies to brand-building widgets as well. One of her points is that widgets must enable users to do something personal and special if they hope to deliver unique value. Yes, indeed.
The acid test: can this widget make my day?
At this point, my new widget acid test is to pose this question: can this widget make my day? If the answer is at least “maybe,” the widget has a chance.
A widget that points in the right direction
A new widget that points in the right direction is the one from Volkswagen pictured above. The Rabbit “Free Events” Widget tells you what free events are happening in your town on a given date. That’s potentially useful information that could enrich an evening or a weekend, for yourself or for you and your friends. Widgets that point out opportunities will be winners.
Is VW in the calendar business? Not really. But they are in the business of creating customers, and that’s where widgets can shine.
January 22nd, 2007 at 9:32 am
Excellent Article!
I agree so far most of the Widgets are kinda cool Toys!
We are in the process of developing a really cool Ad Widget modelled on the awesome Flickr Flash Badge!
If U would like to learn more please contact me!
Cheers! Billy
)
February 10th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
I would like to hear your point of view on the power of social media widgets. As I am ramping my team up for a large brand launch, the topic of measurement standards has come up for branded widgets. Please join in on the conversation at http://joannapenabickley.typepad.com/on/2007/02/on_widgets_not_.html
To get my widget:http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/ondigitalmarketing
February 11th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
I’m actually getting a bit concerned that widgets may be on the road to lowering the brand bar, and creating brand clutter. To the extent that widgets are developed as mini-billboards, doggie-doors for portals, badges, site come-ons, or ways to aggregate “eyeballs,” they may easily cheapen a brand’s identity. What I’d want to avoid is a landscape of thousands of widgets that do very little, and hence have to blink, shout or do back flips to get attention.
Really good widgets—that advance customers by delivering high levels of customer value—are not easy to create.
I’d ask three questions about a “social media widget”:
1. What kind of customer does it intend to create?
2. What kind of value does it deliver?
3. How is that value unique?