The Kmiec Ramblings

Tag Archive: Buyer Behavior

It’s The Hardware Silly

Written on November 1, 2010 by Adam Kmiec in Marketing & Advertising

I’ve been using computers since from the age of 12. I’ve had a CompuServe, Prodigy, AOL and of course a Gopher and Telnet account. To date, I’ve built no less than 30 computers from the ground up. PocketPC, yeap I owned one. 10 pound laptop, for sure. First set of tablet computers launched in the early 2000s, guilty. Windows 3.11, 95, 98, ME (to this day I have no idea why), 2000, XP and Vista were all familiar friends.

I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to computers, there’s just no denying it. I’ve owned a Compaq, HP, Gateway, Alienware and a Micron. In addition to those brands, for work I’ve lugged around a Sony, Dell and a Toshiba. In roughly 20 years of using computers I’ve never felt an emotional connection to a single PC device. That’s not Microsoft’s fault, yet they get the brunt of the blame. I’m not a PC guy or a Mac guy. In fact, I’m actually pretty rationale about that debate. I’ve been satisfied with products from both companies. While I don’t worship at the Keynote Podium of Steve Jobs, I can look on with admiration at the innovation his company churns out. I can be just as objective with Microsoft; recognizing their innovation with the XBOX, knowing that the Zune could have been a killer device and scratching my head regarding the Kin.

In the Mac vs PC debate, the problem Microsoft has isn’t that OSX is a better operating system. This isn’t a battle of operating systems. No, the problem is that Apple’s hardware is simply sexier, lighter and better. I’ve yet to come across a laptop designed for Windows that’s even remotely in the same galaxy as what Apple brings to the table. I’m focusing on laptops because let’s be honest, the concept of the desktop is basically dead. This is a sad state of affairs and one that perplexes me. After all, it’s not like Sony is a lightweight in the design department, right?

I purchased my first Mac 3 years ago. It was a 15″ MacBook Pro. I installed Windows Vista on it and finally was in love with a “Windows Device.”. It was light weight, had great battery life, offered a killer screen, integrated a responsive track pad and things like a built in camera…all while running Vista. Believe me, I looked for a comparable offering from Sony, HP and the like. But, there wasn’t anything worth considering.

Today I was at the Mall of America at the Apple Store to check out the new MacBook Air. It’s a wonderful device and I cant wait to see the new lineup of 15″ MacBook Pros get slimmer, smaller and smarter just like the Air. Across the aisle from the Apple Store was signage touting the new Microsoft Store opening in November. I’m going to visit the store, no doubt, but my expectations are low. As much as I’m a fan of Windows 7, it’s still being crippled by inferior hardware that fails to establish an emotional connection. Well unless you think a shoulder shrug and indifference are emotional connections.

Maybe the so called Apple Tax is worth paying…not for the software, but for the hardware.

Tags: Apple, Buyer Behavior, Emotion, MAC, Microsoft, PC

Trading Your Personal Information

Written on May 27, 2009 by Adam Kmiec in Marketing & Advertising

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Every day we trade our personal information for something. Our grocery “loyalty” cards provide companies access to our purchase behavior. The email newsletter from All Recipes gets your name, email address, physical address, and cooking habits. Heck when you buy dinner with a credit card you’re trading away your personal information.

Companies want more of your information. They’ve always wanted more of your information. More data and better data leads to smarter business decisions, more precise targeting, and of course a better return on investment. Simply put, without your data, companies would be guessing about who’s buying, what they’re buying, and would be blindly guessing about where to put their money. Come to think of it, aren’t lots of companies doing that right now

But seriously, you are valuable. Well, actually, your data is valuable. As budgets shrink and accountability rises your data becomes even more valuable. If something is valuable, it often means it’s worth paying for. Which begs the question, at what point will we be able to trade our information like commodity or stock exchange?

At the iMedia Agency Summit in Austin, Texas a gentleman from Blue Kai speculated that in the near future you’ll be able to trade your personal information for a trip to Hawaii. The term personal information is loose. You won’t be trading basic information like name, date of birth, and email address for that trip. Nope, you’ll be trading information about where you ate, what you saw, what you bought, why you bought, how many fruity drinks you drank, what music you listened to, and why you ordered octopus when according to what they already know about you, you’re allergic to seafood.

Some people will find sharing that information a fair even exchange. Others will balk at the concept. Me, I’m game. I’d gladly trade a bunch of my personal information for a new BMW M3.

Are you game? What would you trade for a new car or a trip to Hawaii? Would you sell your information? Your middle name might have little value on the exchange, but…allowing someone to monitor your web surfing habits for a year could be worth thousands. Along those lines, would trade your web surfing behavior for free internet? What about your tv viewing habits for free cable?

As consumers become smarter and realize that their personal information is quite valuable they’ll do one of two things: