Smoke Signals ? Tribal DDB

Welcome to the Tribal DDB weekly Smoke Signals trend report, news from the frontier of digital marketing. We?ve scoured the net to bring you the hottest stories in the digital, media, and marketing space. Have any thoughts on any of these stories? We want to hear what you think!

In this issue:
Integration to the Max!
Constructive Feedback Welcome

Integration to the Max!

Smart phones have made it easy to switch from app to app with a swipe of a finger. Now, with the new app Social Radio, you can do it all with your ears. The app integrates whatever music source (e.g., Pandora, iTunes, Spotify) you are listening to with your Twitter account so you can get the latest tweets and music simultaneously. A text-to-speech program reads your Twitter updates and ?the hashtags you are following to you while your music volume is lowered slightly.

With people finding new ways to enjoy their music, this mashup is intriguing because it gives us a glimpse into more possibilities within existing tools to enhance both experiences. Also, once this app is properly set up, you can just listen on and give your thumbs a break from all the swiping.

Implication: Currently, there are some great systems in place for social media (e.g.,, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), the music industry (e.g., iTunes, Pandora, Spotify), and the entertainment industry (Netflix, Hulu). While creating something new can be sexy, we should also look for ways to improve and integrate relevant functions for new value.

Constructive Feedback Welcome

A startup from Canada, Happiily, has recently launched a service called ?Tell Your Boss Anything? that gives employees and employers the ability to be open with feedback to each other. All comments/posts created in the program are anonymous and filtered for appropriateness, so managers cannot punish or discriminate against employees who choose to provide feedback. Managers are also allowed to reply to each comment and facilitate a better working relationship. Ideally, both parties get to express themselves and have a better working relationship. We are often told to speak our minds, but could a program like this possibly work? Or would it backfire and lead to a lot of disgruntled managers and employees?

Implication: Brands and consumers have long been testing the waters of open feedback through social media and other open platforms. When the feedback is positive, everyone wants to hear it, but when it is negative, things tend to turn for the worse. The element of anonymity could be the answer to securing the communication of frank thoughts and ultimately improved services.

Please contact?Winnie.Chan@ny.tribalddb.com for more information.

Source: http://tribalddb.com/news/trends/smoke-signals-97/

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