Marketing Technology 5

Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 – #20

Stories this week: Spotify unlimited streaming no longer free, Ultrabooks are fake technology, huge Google+ growth, Klout picks up $30mm and learn to code.

1. Get Ready To Pay For Spotify Music Service

[link] Spotify launched with 6 months of free desktop streaming. If you signed up when it first released you can expect to get an email soon regarding upgrading to a paid service. It’s reported that users will be able to stream 10 hours per month for free. In looking at the pricing plans, it appears free users will have to pay $5 to continue to get unlimited streaming.

My Take: Spotify’s product launch has been pitch perfect. They used klout to launch to influencers and early adopters and their product has worked as advertised. People are hooked and I expect a number of people really enjoy the service and will gladly pay $5 a month. However, I ALSO expect many to jump back to ad supported (free) services like Pandora.

2. Ultrabook Laptops – Are they “Technology” or “Marketing”?

[link] This Fast Company asked if the laptop is dead, drawing comparisons between the marketing strategies of the once hot, now marginalized, netbook and the Ultrabooks that are set to light up CES next week.

My Take: Here are Ultrabooks being announced at CES. Do they look much different than a typical high-end business laptop to you? To me it seems Ultrabooks are a Marketing ploy, not a new category of laptops.

Google+ Growth in Dec 2011

3. Google+ Sees Massive Traffic Growth in Dec.

[link] Google+ visits jumped 55% in December.

My Take: Maybe a lot of people had time on their hands over the holidays…maybe people are taking Chris Brogan’s advice and setting up their Google+ profile…in any case, Google+ is not a Facebook killer. It will continue to grow in 2012 because Google is going to use it as a mechanism to unify all it’s properties, but will the sum be greater than the parts?

API Billionaires Club

4. Klout Picks Up C Level Funding

[link] Klout secured $30 in funding.

My Take: Klout gets so much attention for things it is and isn’t. It’s neither savior nor devil – but it is hot. Look for klout to look past the super influential and focus more on the “kinda influential” in 2012. There are also rumors of a mobile app.

5. Learn To Code

[Code Academy] [Code Year] Sites are popping up that teach you to code. Basic programming is a great skill to have and here are great ways to get started. Since I haven’t used these sites, I don’t know if they are free or freemium.

My Take: It saddens me that I have a Computer Science degree but I don’t code. I’ve forgotten so much that these services are highly attractive to me. Yet, taking on yet another obligation is against my 2012 resolutions…speaking of which I need to write that post before 2013 hits.