I lived and worked in the same small city as Facebook’s headquarters for four years, and seeing a young CEO wearing a hoodie and jeans around town, or even in the office, was not a shock. It was just what everyone wore, CEO or not. I came to learn that in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship that is Silicon Valley, one does not judge a product based on a representative’s appearance; it’s all about results. So when I showed up for my first interview with Songwhale in Milwaukee, it was comforting to see the co-founders of the company in what I had gotten used to as “work wear”.
This brief article analyzing Mark Zuckerberg’s sartorial choices is an interesting read, and if you know the Songwhale team, you’ll know why it’s on our blog.
- Erika Juday
Meet Our Newest Whale: Kim Bozick
Hi, I’m Kimberly Bozick and I am the new Business Development Manager here at Songwhale. I am 25 years old from Wheeling, WV. In 2009, I successfully achieved my Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Design & Merchandising from West Virginia University. Fresh out of my cap and gown, I headed to NYC for an internship at Company Agenda, a fashion and arts public relations firm. Even though I loved the city, I decided to head back WVU to pursue a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. After two years of hard work and no social life, I can proudly say that I now have a Master of Science degree.
I’ll be helping our clients create engaging mobile campaigns that will strengthen their brands. I believe that creating strong customer relationships is the key to building brand loyalty. Whether you need assistance building SMS campaigns or managing your social media, I can help!
Ty Morse Songwhale CEO discusses 3 ways to improve your direct response campaign. Check it out!
Songwhale Plays It Safe
Looking for a quick option to contact public safety while walking home through campus? Or maybe an easy way to call a crisis line without leaving a telling trail behind you? Songwhale has helped address these issues for our clients by developing and supporting safety initiatives through our platform and with app development.
Womansplace, a domestic violence shelter and counseling center, alerts their audience to text PURPLE to 94253 if they find themselves, a friend, or a family member in a potentially dangerous or harmful relationship. When the user texts this innocuous word, they receive a bounceback with live phone link for a 24-hour crisis hotline. If a partner were to search their text history, they would most likely not be able to distinguish PURPLE in the user’s history as a threat or call for help.
Students and staff on our college partners’ campuses are now able to download the Emergency App. The Emergency App turns the users screen into a call button with a direct line to campus safety and an accompanying optional alarm sound. When the text and/or email are received at campus safety, the student’s GPS location is noted with their call so an officer can be dispatched to them immediately.
Even Songwhale’s SMS alerts can create a safer environment for your workers, students, or audience by providing an instant way for you to communicate critical and timely information. For example, a plant manager could quickly alert his employees about a fire in the building, an accident in the area, or a production delay.
Feel free to email me at jill.bf@songwhale.com if one of these solutions could work for your business, school, or group. I look forward to hearing from you!
Improving Parent/Child Interaction and Literacy with Text Messaging
We recently teamed up with The Fred Rogers Company to focus on parent and child communication and literacy with an interactive game using text messaging.
Posters on local bus shelters prompt parents to text in to begin a series of questions and answers with their child that reference certain images or details on the poster. The game encourages parents to talk with their child about their responses and work through one of four different games.
We are always brainstorming innovative ways to incorporate SMS into the goals of an organization or company. If you’d like to talk about how text messaging can enhance your campaigns, please email me at jill.bf@songwhale.com.
” Firms are holding training sessions to teach employees the basics of what’s known as visual note taking. Others, like vacation-rental company HomeAway Inc. and retailer Zappos, are hiring graphic recorders, consultants who sketch what is discussed at meetings and conferences, cartoon-style, to keep employees engaged.”
These are some nicely designed illustrations that show the changes in how the world receives it’s information. Take a look at the source article. -Andrew Merritt
Baseball season kicks off today, and Songwhale is proud to work again this year with the Pittsburgh Pirates! Be sure to text your messages to the boards during the game, and email in fan photos to appear on the jumbotron. LET’S GO BUCS!
Pin It to Win It
Have you started pinning yet? Many brands are joining the Pinterest phenomenon to promote their products and establish a brand identity. Take a look at this great infographic that we found on best practices for brands on Pinterest.
The first European country to introduce bank notes is now ahead of the game in trying to get rid of them. Sweden is on the path of phasing out cash as a payment option, in favor of digital alternatives like text payments. It is becoming increasingly common in Swedish cities for public transit to reject cash and accept only prepaid tickets, some of which are purchased via text message.
The article notes the reduction in bank robberies in Sweden from 110 in 2008 to 16 in 2011, the lowest level in 30 years. While that number is impressive, it could be attributed to the decrease in cash in circulation and the transfer of that cash to the digitally intangible. Adversely, the number of computerized fraud cases jumped to 20,000 in 2011 from 3,304 in 2000. This raises the issue of privacy of the electronic trail of transactions. For a cashless society to succeed, there has to be security assurance and great rarefactions for fraudulent activity.
While I personally do not use cash 99% of the time because of its inconvenience, I have never really thought about what it would be like to live in a completely cashless society. I guess the idea isn’t so far fetched. We have been living in a digital age, and a digital economy, for decades now. While the reduction of cash transactions is sure to increase efficiency, is it worth the potential for increase in computerized fraud, traceability in digital trails, and assets backed by uncertainty? I do not foresee cash becoming obsolete as a form of payment, rather continue to decline as more payment options become available.
Do you think the U.S. will ever adopt the idea of a cashless society? How do you think mobile will play a role in this? Click the link above to read the full article and let me know your thoughts on this transition.
![Marketer's Guide To Pinterest: Pin It To Win It [infographic by MDG Advertising]](http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/infographic-marketers-guide-to-pinterest.png "Marketer's Guide To Pinterest: Pin It To Win It [infographic by MDG Advertising]")
