Mobile initiatives create a competitive advantage for those who get onboard!

Pacesetters are gaining a huge competitive advantage using mobile as part of their daily lives. They are about 4 to 10 times more likely to be doing all the right things!! What are the right things? What are the key characteristics they exhibit to stay ahead of everyone else? Is your enterprise ready to be a Pacesetter?

I answer all these questions and more during my August 21st webcast. I'll share with you the findings and next-steps based on the 2014 IBM Business Tech Trends study.

Register now for my webcast! It's time for you to find out what it means to be a Pacesetter!.


Is your enterprise on par to invest in cloud with pacesetting organizations?

How much are enterprise companies planning to increase their investment in cloud technologies two years from now? Is your enterprise planning accordingly or do you need to rethink your strategy to stay competitive?!

The IBM Center for Applied Insights surveyed over 1,400 decision-makers in 15 industries across 5 continents to get a current global snapshot of how companies are using key technologies, like cloud, to stay ahead of the pack. And we're ready to share with you what they learned! Register now for my webcast where I will reveal the answers to these questions and so much more. Join us on August 21, 2014 at 1:00 PM EST.

You DO NOT want to miss this webcast! Register now!


TD Bank's "Automated Thanking Machine" - Social at its best!

TD Bank is highly creative in their support of their clients.

They have been a leader in building and launching innovative social media programs and platform. A few years ago, TD bank introduced IBM Connections as its enterprise social media internally to employees, and recent years have seen the successful launch of programs like TD Helps, an online financial advice community, a North American Social Customer Service program on Twitter, and, last spring, the TD Aeroplan Customer Community.
 
On July 25th TD Bank rocked Client Service with a new FIRST!

They released another first among the banks, a video capturing customers and employees sharing some great moments as they surprise people with the "Automated Thanking Machine." The Automated Thanking Machine thanked customers across the country in personal and unique ways, from a memorable encounter with a sports idol to a dream vacation for a young family, and many other moments big and small. Later the same day, at 2pm, they celebrated customer appreciation day by thanking customers on the phone, online and in all of branches with an envelope containing $20.  

The video has generated millions of views in a very short time and reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.  Check out the comments on Youtube or twitter to get a flavor.

We are delighted that people have embraced #TDThanksYou in the spirit it was intended – as a heartfelt show of appreciation --  with a message about the power of a thank you and how that can change someone's day.

Looking ahead, they're even more encouraged to continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what a bank, indeed a brand, can do on social to connect with customers and employees.

Hats off to the entire TD Bank team including one of the best marketeers in the business, Wendy Arnott!!!!


The 2014 IBM Business Tech Trends report: Raising the game

We can all see that cloud, big data & analytics, mobile, and social are becoming more and more important to businesses, but certain companies are using these transformative technologies to truly thrive and stay ahead of the pack! If you are like me, I'm sure that you are curious about the secret ingredients that make these companies successful while others might struggle.

The 2014 IBM Business Tech Trends report examines these successful companies - called Pacesetters - and looks at the key characteristics that they exhibit. And here's the good news: I'm hosting a webcast for the public release of the Business Tech Trends report on August 21st, and you are invited!

Watch my video for further details:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb0Nb-UuUSs&w=560&h=315]

Joining me for the webcast will be Ray Wang, Principal Analyst, Founder & Chairman at Constellation Research, Inc., and Susanne Hupfer, Research Lead for the study from the IBM Center for Applied Insights. We'll also hear from IBM Business Partners Pitney Bowes, Esri, Hootsuite, and Fiserv to get their point of view. This will be a great webcast with tons of info!

Register now for the webcast. I know you'll learn valuable info and discover the secrets of becoming a Pacesetter!


TGIF: Rosie powers through to win SmartCamp Cambridge with mobile and predictive!

I'm thrilled to announce that Rosie is the winner of the SmartCamp Cambridge event!

Rosie is a leading SaaS provider of predictive online and mobile shopping applications to local merchants. Their solution is aimed at improving the grocery store shopping experience by predicting the grocery items shoppers need before they run out, at the lowest price from local grocers and online retailers.

What does their solution do for grocery retailers? Rosie provides e-commerce, delivery opportunities, and deep data services. And for consumers, Rosie enables them to shop online for their favorite local stores for delivery or in-store pickup. No more running up and down the aisles looking for what you need! Rosie provides it in a mobile app!

And here's another tidbit about Rosie: they're focused on diversity with a workforce that is 50% women! Now that's an ingredient for success!

rosie_group_pic


VacantBoards uses Big Data and Analytics for the SmartCamp Lagos win!

Imagine a company that uses big data and analytic software to capture data on the flow of traffic to determine the value of advertising on billboards. A solution like that could help small businesses, as well as enterprise-level businesses, maximize their advertising dollars when selecting the right billboard.

You don't have to imagine that company, because we found them at a SmartCamp event! VacantBoards was announced the winner of SmartCamp Lagos!

VacantBoards developed the very solution I described above. Driven by big data and analytics, their solution is a game changer in the African advertising industry. And, even better, their solution is provided at the touch of your fingers through a mobile app! How powerful is that?!

Congratulations to VacantBoards and to the Lagos ecosystem for putting on another great SmartCamp!

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A New Video Blog Series on Internet of Things!

Today we start a full video coffee blog series on internet of things.


Heading to BlogHer '14 next week? Why Blogging is a gateway drug!

BlogHer is one of my favorite content networks and events. So I was very excited to have the opportunity to talk to co-founders Elisa Camahort Page and Jory Des Jardins.

We talked about developing more opportunities for women in tech, why when thinking mobile you need to think tablets, and how in certain markets every blogger needs to be a pinner.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wLtLx_ZJUo?rel=0]

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out BlogHer!