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In This Issue
How Other Smart Phones Stack Up to the iPhone 4
Cloud Computing - Evolving Technology Wrapped in a New Metaphor
Does Your Brand Have a Purpose?
Continuing Blogs from a Mad Man
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Welcome to the Claymanite.
Thinking about upgrading your old flip phone to a data-packed smart phone? Although we've been raving about the new iPhone 4, there are other smart phones that have many of the same features.
 
Have you heard the phrase "Cloud Computing?" Even if you've never heard of it, we'll give you an overview of Cloud Computing and why it's been receiving so much buzz lately.
 
With all this tech-talk, we thought we'd discuss brand basics and why it's important for your brand to have a purpose.
 
Enjoy!
How Other Smart Phones Stack Up to the iPhone 4
 
end of the worldAs most of you know, the iPhone 4 is now available for consumers to purchase. On its release date, June 24, 2010, mass amounts of people lined up at Apple stores across the globe in hopes to snag the new iPhone 4. Some in fact camped out overnight in parking lots. With all of this hype and publicity about the device, it's hard not to wonder how other smart phones are going to compete.  
 
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101Cloud Computing - Evolving Technology Wrapped in a New Metaphor
 
Cloud Computing is receiving a great deal of buzz lately. When mega tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, IBM, AT&T, Amazon, and other such notables huddle around the same buzz, it tends to draw attention. But what exactly is "Cloud Computing" and what does it mean for mere mortals who thought they were cruising along the "Information Super Highway?" (remember Anna Paquin before True Blood?)
 
Does Your Brand Have a Purpose?
101 
As marketers, we often think of ways to build and strengthen our brand in order to reach our main goal, a return on investment. We often forget about the purpose of our brand and its reason for being. Your purpose should not just be communicated through upper management either. In order to really have a purpose, each employee at your company should know your brand's purpose as well.  
 
 
Continuing Blogs from a Mad Man
 
Has the concept of "Do it Yourself" or DIY gone too far? Read Larry's blog and voice your opinions!
CrisisCommunication 
How Other Smart Phones Stack Up to the iPhone 4
 101
As most of you know, the iPhone 4 is now available for consumers to purchase. On its release date, June 24, 2010, mass amounts of people lined up at Apple stores across the globe in hopes to snag the new iPhone 4. Some in fact camped out overnight in parking lots. With all of this hype and publicity about the device, it's hard not to wonder how other smart phones are going to compete. 
 
In a past issue of the Claymanite, we discussed the iPhone 4 and all it has to offer. In this article we'll review two other popular smart phones and how they compare to the iPhone 4. 
 
HTC Evo 4G
This is Sprint's newest smart phone and actually the first Sprint phone to use 4G technology. It runs on Google's Android operating system and costs $200 with a contract. The phone's technology promises faster data speeds. Unfortunately Sprint's 4G service is only available in a handful of cities and states. The states include: Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and the state of Washington.
 
There's a front-facing, 8-megapixel camera that can be used for video calls. The phone also supports Sprint TV. This means you are able to watch live broadcasts and other programming from a variety of channels. Some of the channels include: NBC, ABC, ESPN, and Disney.
 
HTC Droid Incredible
The Droid Incredible, also $200, is another smart phone that runs on the Android system. Internally it holds 8GB of storage and consumers can add up to 16GB of additional storage with a microSD card.
 
It has an 800x480 OLED screen, which offers better, brighter colors than other screens. The 8-megapixel camera that this phone has is one of its most attractive features. It has autofocus and dual LED flashes. Unlike other phone cameras, you have a fair amount of control over settings. It will record video, but only in standard definition, unlike the iPhone 4, which records in hi-definition.
 
Depending on your needs, the iPhone 4, HTC Evo 4G, and the HTC Droid Incredible all have some pretty unique features, many of which were never even dreamed up five years ago. Of course there are a number of other smart phones out there, but we wanted to touch on the three that are, in our opinion, getting the most buzz.
IntegratedMarketing  
Cloud Computing - Evolving Technology Wrapped in a New Metaphor
 
101
Cloud Computing is receiving a great deal of buzz lately. When mega tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, IBM, AT&T, Amazon, and other such notables huddle around the same buzz, it tends to draw attention. But what exactly is "Cloud Computing" and what does it mean for mere mortals who thought they were cruising along the "Information Super Highway" (remember Anna Paquin before True Blood?)?
 
 
Cloud Computing - The Metaphor Explicated
Coined in 2007, the metaphor "Cloud Computing" was derived from the flowchart and diagram symbol for the Internet - a cloud. The nebulous nature of a cloud combined with its ability to modify in form and coverage seemed an apt metaphor to represent the potential and expanding role of the Internet with the equally expanding means for individuals and organizations to interface with it and use it. As one commentator noted: A cloud is "large, out there somewhere, and fuzzy at the edges." This is a perfect description for dynamic, cutting edge development that has yet to be fully realized. And if you are the type of person who cringes rather than relishes ongoing, robust technical development, do not worry. You have probably already left the "Information Super Highway" and been somewhere in the Cloud.
 
Cloud Computing - The Dynamics of the Structure
The promise of the Internet and computing has always been to put the world and the collected knowledge of humanity at each individual's fingertips. The process has been about primarily a computer loaded with software linking to other computers and devices on a local or Internet network. But ever improving operating systems and software and the ever-expanding need for memory, speed, and functionality as well as more secure connectivity means more complex technology. Most people and businesses do not have the time, resources, or interest to keep pace with such technology. Additionally, the objective of connecting everyone necessitates a simple and elegant interface free of technical hurdles to function and data. The metaphor of Cloud Computing offers an image of just such freedom for both individuals and organizations.
 
Cloud Computing promises to eliminate completely the burden of maintaining servers and applications for the user who now might want to access data and applications through computer, phone, reader, or other devices. Whether a business or an individual or a government, the user - for just an 'elastic' fee, if any, based on usage -- will have the ability to access data and functions anytime from anywhere through multiple devices and to do so at a predictable cost. Like the incredible Wizard of Oz hiding within a cloud rather than behind a curtain, unseen specialists will handle the technology and its maintenance and upgrade within the Cloud. A user need only arrange for the access -- again, for a fee.
 
Currently, access to the Cloud appears to be forming along three general types of services: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). These services can be provided in what are called Private and Public Clouds (among others including a hybrid cloud). As these metaphors obviously describe, a Private Cloud would offer limited and/or designated access while a Public Cloud would be for anyone to use or purchase.
 
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) also known as Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) provides primarily organizations with pay-as-you-use services. These could include everything from equipment and hardware to servers and networking elements and the running and maintaining of all. Major providers of IaaS delivery currently include Amazon Web Services (EC2), Rackspace, GoGrid, Joyent, and AppNexus. These companies are sometimes likened to electric and water utilities and so their services are referred to by some as "utility computing."
 
PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) generally refers to development tools that operate on a provider infrastructure, usually for a fee, and that can be used to build a developer's applications to be delivered to users via the Internet. Google App Engine and Microsoft Windows Azure are two examples of PaaS providers.
 
PaaS represents some difficulties in defining. PaaS has been recently defined as a "set of lower-level services such as an operating system or computer language interpreter or web server offered by a cloud provider, on which developers can build custom applications." (Tim Anderson, GuardianUK, June 26, 2010). But Chris Keene of JavaLobby found defining PaaS more difficult. "There are a number of companies offering Platform as a Service... but little agreement about what PaaS is or how to compare various PaaS offerings." (March 26, 2009)
 
The third Cloud service is SaaS or Software-as-a-Service. This is the seemingly simplest of the three services as it delivers one application through the Internet. This is the most likely entry for most Cloud users as it includes free web based email such as gmail and the renowned Facebook and YouTube.
 
Yet, according to Rex Wang, Vice President, Infrastructure and Management, Oracle, "The Cloud" is now only at the "peak of its hype." Full realization is yet to be. Wang does not see the Cloud reaching its maturity or fully fulfilling its promise until at least 2020. The ultimate realization continues to be a work in progress with multiple levels of complexities and issues to resolve.
 
What Is the Future of Cloud Computing?
In the June 2010 release of its study "The Future of Cloud Computing," the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project reported that leading experts and 'stakeholders' in technology also do not see the full realization of the Cloud until 2020. Of the 895 technology experts surveyed, 71% see the days of the desktop passing away and most people "working mostly through cyberspace-based applications accessed through network devices." Already 500 million people worldwide dwell within the Cloud through Facebook. Hotmail and Yahoo mail, blog sites, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and eBay among others also are bringing millions of users into the Cloud through computers and smartphones. The trend continues toward growth as better devices and new applications and opportunities are developed and improved. One need only to look over one's shoulder to see some offerings that already have peaked and been replaced (Anyone using myspace.com?). The next best great thing is always just over the Cloud horizon and the tech giants are jockeying for position.
 
Many of the experts Pew Research polled also saw major issues that had to be addressed outside of just those of appliances and applications. First of all, sufficient broadband to enable more people with more and more data and applications to all connect and occupy the Cloud has to be made available. On June 28, 2010, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum to this purpose. He is calling for the Federal government to free 500 megahertz of wireless communication spectrum that would double the current amount now available. Click here for more information.
 
Secondly, experts noted the interface between diverse systems has to be resolved to enable people as well as functions to work together. Third, questions of security and privacy remain and require serious and critical attention. Such issues are already a concern with such giants as Facebook and a number of major banking institutions having already been compromised. Finally, Pew found experts concerned about questions in the quality of service and the legal and regulatory clarifications such as who owns digital property and who should have access to it among many other concerns all of which must be addressed over national borders and around the world. These are just the main areas of concern that will require years to test, debate, and resolve.
 
What's In A Metaphor?
Sci-fi fantasies and technology hype both have promised slimmer, trimmer, and expanded communications and information access and utilization and have not changed at their technological advancement core. Like the early 1990's metaphor of the "Information Super Highway," Cloud Computing is just the upgraded metaphor used to "describe the act of storing, accessing, and sharing data, applications, and computing power in cyberspace."
 
The "Information Super Highway" promise of there being no more "there's" but only "here's," as young Ms. Paquin charmingly described it for MCI, still does not yet exist. Ten years away? That is about how long it took people to commit to and achieve landing men on the moon. Maybe in ten years the ambiguity of the Cloud metaphor will be replaced with something more formed and solid. As with most human endeavors, no matter what metaphor is used to describe it, technology will be what we make of it and what we invest in it. In the meantime, we must not fear The Cloud. It is just a metaphor for what we are already doing - more or less.
Does Your Brand Have a Purpose? 
101 
As marketers, we often think of ways to build and strengthen our brand in order to reach our main goal, a return on investment (ROI). We often forget about the purpose of our brand and its reason for being. Your purpose should not just be communicated through upper management either. In order to really have a purpose, each employee at your company should know your brand's purpose as well.
 
Erin Mulligan Nelson, VP Marketing Officer at Dell, gives a great example of a brand that has a purpose. When a janitor at NASA was asked what he was responsible for doing. He didn't say "I clean this building." Instead, he said, "I am enabling a man to be sent to the moon." This in essence was the purpose of NASA and this janitor, in one way or another, knew the work he did would contribute to NASA's purpose.
 
Having a purpose is not only good for the soul, it's good for the bottom line, believe it or not. According to an article in Advertising Age by Erin Mulligan Nelson, organizations driven by purpose and values outperform the general market 15-to-1 and outperform comparison companies 6-to-1. The article also gave three tips for companies who want their purpose to define their brand. They are as follows:
 
Let Your Customers, Your People, and Your Heritage Be Your Guide.
As Aristotle once said, "Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your purpose." As you try to figure out your brand's purpose, it's important to start exploring your heritage - the notion of why your company was created. Spend time talking and learning from your customers, employees, and business partners. Study your history and figure out where you've been successful and where you haven't.
 
Bring Your Purpose to Life in Every Corner of the Company.
Once you have figured out your purpose, let it shine through your company. At Dell, for example, the company's purpose is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Dell believes a healthy community and a safe planet are necessary for its customers. Dell not only spreads its purpose externally with its customers, but also internally with employees. Environmental practices are deeply integrated into Dell's operations, supply chain, and the life cycle of everything the company builds, sells, and services.
 
Use Your Purpose as a Fundamental Drive of Your Communications and Customer Engagement Strategy.
Let your purpose guide your marketing initiatives. If your purpose is Corporate Social Responsibility, like Dell, communicate that purpose and put it into action. An example of this would be to create a campaign that makes a positive impact on certain individuals. Dell recently created a campaign called "Take Your Own Path," which celebrates the dreams and successes of entrepreneurs who basically started from nothing. Dell celebrates these peoples' successes by sharing their stories through advertising in hopes that their stories are inspiring to others.
 
If your company has a purpose but isn't putting it into action, it's time to start. If you don't know what your company's brand purpose is, it's time to sit down and figure that out. Without a purpose, a brand doesn't really have an identity. Just as people have an identity, so should your brand.    
 
    
 
    
Sincerely,