Alexei&Partners

Marc Andreessen: Predictions for 2012

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:14:07 -0500

Marc Andreessen: Predictions for 2012:

“Software is eating the world… 2012 is the year that retail really starts to feel the pressure.”

Innovation strategy as brand strategy

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:13:02 -0500

Innovation strategy as brand strategy:

“From promise to proof, from stories to services, from disconnected to integrated.”

The next big thing will start out looking like a toy

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:49:34 -0400

‘A majority of the top internet companies a decade ago are barely in existence today. How did this happen? These companies weren’t complacent – they were run by smart executives who were constantly aware that they could lose their lead.

The reason big new things sneak by incumbents is that the next big thing always starts out being dismissed as a toy. This is one of the main insights of Clay Christensen’s “disruptive technology” theory, which has been widely studied but I think is still rarely applied because it is so counter-intuitive to conventional management practices.

Disruptive technologies are dismissed as toys because when they are first launched they “undershoot” their users’ needs. The first telephone could only carry voices a mile or two. The leading incumbent of the time, Western Union, chose not to acquire telephone technology because they didn’t see how it could be useful to businesses and railroads – their best customers. What they failed to anticipate was how rapidly telephone technology and infrastructure would improve. The same was true of how mainframe companies viewed the PC, and how modern telecom companies viewed Skype.

The list of top internet companies in 10 years will look very different than that same list does today. And the new ones on the list will be companies that snuck by the incumbents because people dismissed them as toys.’

— Chris Dixon

Apps Are the New Channels

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:48:12 -0400

Apps Are the New Channels

Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2011:

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:16:06 -0400

Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2011:

Locative Entertainment Futures

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:29:23 -0400

Locative Entertainment Futures:

When the ‘real world’ becomes a storytelling-media form…

Photo

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:53:35 -0500

Louis Vuitton launches “Amble,” a travel app that...

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:41:37 -0500

Louis Vuitton launches “Amble,” a travel app that brings to mind this Eric Schmidt quote: “We are at the point where, between the geolocation capability of the phone and the power of the phone’s browser platform, it is possible to deliver personalized information about where you are, what you could do there right now, and so forth—and to deliver such a service at scale.”

New Emotion Measurement Technology

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:18:10 -0500

New Emotion Measurement Technology:

Affectiva’s electrodermal testing and facial expression recognition tools are now available for market research, product testing and development via @mashable http://on.mash.to/g5dJCV

Polyvore Stylist Game: style your Facebook friends and earn...

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:05:00 -0500

Polyvore Stylist Game: style your Facebook friends and earn points towards your dream wardrobe #socialcommerce #gaming

iPad Mags Need A New Blueprint

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:48:00 -0500

iPad Mags Need A New Blueprint:

Erick Schonfeld: “Replicating a dead-tree publishing model on a touchscreen is a recipe for obsolescence… If I were creating an iPad mag it wouldn’t look like a magazine at all. It would look more like a media app.”

Svpply + Stickybits = Nuji via PSFK

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:49:45 -0500

Svpply + Stickybits = Nuji via PSFK

Gossip Girl: Social Climbing Game Launches on Facebook:...

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:04:32 -0500

Gossip Girl: Social Climbing Game Launches on Facebook: “earn rewards for climbing New York’s social ladder by attending virtual fashion shows, sample sales and club openings with their favorite characters. Players can also purchase in-game items to boost their progress and complete higher-level missions.”

Next gen iPads & iPhones to leverage NFC

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:43:25 -0500

Next gen iPads & iPhones to leverage NFC:

Apple’s plan to add near field communications (NFC) chips to its next generation iPhone and iPad products constitutes a major and hugely disruptive move into mobile payments, especially as iTunes already has credit card and purchase info.

Natalie Massenet previews plans for real time social shopping...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:14:58 -0500

Natalie Massenet previews plans for real time social shopping platform Net-A-Porter Live: #DLD11 http://bit.ly/fMPDxO (27:23)

Studies show users value (most to least): status, access, power, stuff.

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:03:00 -0500

Important observation on gamification by Gabe Zichermann via Chris Dixon and Jocelyn Leavitt: studies show that users value rewards, from most important to least important:

Status — i.e. Platinum Elite in frequent flyer programs.
Access — i.e. Gilt Noir members get access to sale items 15 minutes before others.
Power — i.e. A player gets “power” over others, like power moderators on Craigslist.
Stuff — i.e. Buy ten coffees and get one free.

This is the exact inverse of the cost of providing these rewards.

Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification via GoogleTechTalks

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 22:23:44 -0500

Fun is the Future: Mastering Gamification via GoogleTechTalks

Zynga acquires social and real-world gaming company Area/Code

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:39:00 -0500

Zynga acquires social and real-world gaming company Area/Code:

“Area/Code has developed a number of games on Facebook and for mobile, including CSI: Crime City with partner Ubisoft, Facebook game Parking Wars and Drop7 for the iPhone. According to the startup’s site, the developer focused on highlighting ‘the connections between the interactive systems and imaginary landscapes inside of games and the real world around them.’ These connections could include, ‘online games that respond to broadcast TV in real time,’ ‘game systems that explore real-world social issues,’ ‘urban environments transformed into spaces for public play,’ or ‘game events driven by real-world data.’” More on the acquisition via the Area/Code blog: “Our ambition is to contribute in a major way to the evolution of games on social networks, to make games in this space that are deeper and more interesting, games that reward the time and attention of the millions of people who play them with complex, meaningful experiences.”

"As I think about Google’s strategic initiatives in 2011, I realize they’re all about..."

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:49:00 -0500

“

As I think about Google’s strategic initiatives in 2011, I realize they’re all about mobile.

We are at the point where, between the geolocation capability of the phone and the power of the phone’s browser platform, it is possible to deliver personalized information about where you are, what you could do there right now, and so forth—and to deliver such a service at scale.

”

- Eric Schmidt

Today’s WWD on the rise of ‘edvertorial’ via...

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:30:00 -0500

Today’s WWD on the rise of ‘edvertorial’ via createthegroup. More from The Business of Fashion on brands learning to think like media companies: http://bit.ly/8kdZow