Five Steps of Technology Adoption

Kinect Game Peripheral

The adoption of communication technologies usually takes a five step process, Knowledge, Persuasion, Accept or Reject, Implementation and Confirmation. According to class lecture, the Microsoft Kinect was a technology followed the five steps of adoption. The Kinect launched for the Xbox  360 to compete in the motion control arena along with the Nintendo Wii and Playstation Move. The Kinect ushered in controller free gaming and menu control much like from the scenes of the sci-fi movie Minority Report. The Kinect came to market in November 2010 (Knowledge) and was introduced to the masses during the popular E3 Convention in Los Angeles, California. The question whether there was a market for motion based gaming (Persuasion) came up and if Microsoft was heading in the right direction with the Kinect. Sales have proven that Kinect is popular, the Guisness World Records confirmed that the Kinect is the fastest selling consumer electronics device of all time (Accept) beating out the iphone and ipad. Once a technology has been accepted how willing are the masses to use it after it has been accepted. Through an informal survey in class more students have used the Kinect more than the Wii since they purchased (Implementation). However the jury is still out on whether gamers will continue to purchase Kinect-based games (Confirmation). As developers begin to become more familiar with the technology, the integration of the Kinect features will increase as the time moves on.

Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device

The motion control gaming technology has been through the process of adoption but it will be interesting to see the technology of Augumented Reality (El Sayed, N., Zayed, H., Sharaway, M. ARSC: Augmented Reality student card. An Augmented Reality solution for the education field. Computers & Education. Vol.56(4), May 2011, pp. 1045-1061). This technology has recently arrived to the Nintendo 3DS and allows gamers to interact with real world objects along with 3D visuals providing a unique gaming experience. At this point of the adoption cycle, AR is really at the Accept or Reject stage. Only time will tell if it will be a welcome addition to future gaming consoles or if it will be just a fad that will fade into the distance and forgotten as quickly as it arrived.  

Video Games: Loving Every Minute of It

Video games play a larger role in people’s lives than one would like to think. The opening day sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 exceeded $310 million in the US, UK, and Canada alone (Grant 202), such large sales numbers demand the attention of the general public. Video games have evolved from arcade games and home consoles such as the Wii, Xbox360 and PS3.  Games are now mobile, you can play a game anywhere on most cell phones. This type of evolution of games has brought them to masses with resounding success. With over 100,000 apps in the Android market and over 350,000 in the Apple’s app store, game developers both large and small want you to spend your $2.99 for their time killer game app. So far the, the general public is clicking the “buy” button.  

E3 Coverage

As the week begins the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) kicks off in Los Angeles. It's only day one and Microsoft and Ubisoft set the stage for a great E3. In recent years the expo has been scaled back due to budget constraints as a direct result of the down economy. This year however, is shaping up to the best E3 in years.

Today's announcements include project natal (now Kinect), Halo Reach, Gears of War 3 and an Xbox 360 S, all coming from Microsoft. While Microsoft had an all-out press conference with highly anticipated reveals Ubisoft was more interesting to me. I was amazed on the French developers focus on using mind and body to be one with the game. Now that Playstation Move and Kinect technologies have come to fruition Ubisoft is changing how we look as games.

Ubisofts focus included not only games but entire platforms for future games to be released. A game called Innergy that plugs directly into any USB drive and tracks your stress levels and has you perform routines that will help you relax and encourage syncing you heart beat to your brain. Other innovations included interactivity with Kinect. Of course the two most anticiapated games demos reveals included Assassins Creed: Brotherhood which will include for the first time multiplayer and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldiers. Both games were shown with in game footage and demoed on the Ubisoft stage.

With day one of press conferences finished, it has set the stage for Tuesday's Sony and Nintendo conference. With what was revealed today by Microsoft, it will be interesting to see what both game makers have in store for us in the future.

Be sure to check out the all E3 coverage on Gameinformer.com or g4tv.com.

Till next time, Level Up!

On a Handshake and a Smile

At a recent chamber mixer in San Antonio I spent a good deal chatting with someone who works for an investment firm. It quickly became clear that we had the same approach to our customers/clients. This gentleman was a tall, slender man who looked like Egon from the Ghostbusters movie (see picture for look-a-like).

We talked about his humble beginnings as an investor, as he literally went door to door asking people to invest their money with his firm. Our conversation digresed into how social media and the internet have changed how we get information but has not changed how we communicate. His approach for investement clients is the same as mine in public relations.

Building a relationship with a person/audience and getting them to trust you, believe what you're selling and change their behavior because of it.

What the 10 minute conversation, in a room filled with other networkers eating and drinking, boiled down to was that the relationship started with meeting that client/customer face-to-face and shaking their hand. While using the internet and social media to continue building your relationship with that person is important, nothing will ever replace the face-time that is needed to begin building the trust, the relationship. As human beings we have a need for interaction with others. According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, (1951) humans need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. It's because of this basic human need, the firm hand shake and the direct eye contact will always be the best way to forge that business relationship.

We exchanged information and wished each other well in our respective businesses. It always amazes me the caliber of people working in the San Antonio area. I highly recommend, no matter what industry you're in, to get out and network. Its good for the soul. 

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Don't Forget About Customer Service

Customer Service is the key to any business industry. Whether its retail, corporate or the food industry the cornerstone of bringing people back into your store is providing good customer service. Recently some business have been spot-on in stepping up or maintaining the highest level of customer service. Other businesses I have had interaction with have a noticeable decline. Is it the recession? Could it be managers and business owners are more focused on keeping the business running than focusing on employee-customer relations?

Three years ago I read a book called Customers For Life, by Carl Sewell. Customers for Life is a book explaining the basics of offering a high level of customer service in the auto industry. After reading the book and seeing how simple imposing a standard for customer service can be it was easy to realize that Mr. Sewells philosophy could be applied to any business, not just the auto industry.

As a public relations professional suggesting a business to focus on customer service may seem like a small task or a task that may not be normally associated with a PR campaign but it is effective and necessary. I could get as much press about your restaurant as needed but if your restaurant doesn't have the customer service to back up the hype people will not return. It can be an integral part of PR campaign depending on your goals.

According to Carl Sewell it's easier to provide great customer service to one guest and have them become a repeat customer or a customer for life, rather than spending money on trying to bring in first time guests. During these difficult economic times business owners and managers must not forget the customer.

I walked into a local electronics retailer looking for information about a laptop. This retailer had many staff members who were very helpful and knowledgeable about their product. Because there were so many on staff during a busy Saturday afternoon, they were able to spend one on one time with each guest their interacted with. This lead to the eventual selling of the laptops not only to me but to numerous others. Every fifth person out the door had a computer of some sort. The price factor did not seem to be the deal breaker, the prices were comparable to any other electronics store but the high level of customer service provided by their employees created a relationship between consumer and seller. This relationship is what builds the foundation of a successful business.

All of this circles back to providing high levels of customer service to forge that relationship between business and consumer. Taking time now to make that connection will produce benefits down the road. This is clear in my retailer example, I was satisfied by the level of service provided and plan to return again the next time I am in the need of any electronics. I will tell my friends and family to visit this store because I trust them and trust their opinions and experience. Word of mouth has been proven to be the strongest form of marketing. Word of mouth is more trusted than celebrity endorsements or flash commercials.

Focus on cementing those relationships and you could be ahead of the game.

BINGO!

At a recent trip to the local bingo hall in San Antonio, Texas I entered a world of cut throat competition. Now, I have played bingo before in the large bingo halls with my grandmother 10+ years ago but forgot how intense it can be. My grandmother would bring all her little buda statues and elephant figures all supposedly bringing her good luck for the nights games.

When I stepped into the bingo hall and began observing the types of people that played the game it reminded me any sport on TV. All walks of life were in the bingo hall, young people, business people, families, senior citizen (who are the die-hards) and blue-collar workers. Just by observation you could spot the religious bingo players. The people that had tote bags with outside pockets to carry their marker stamps (ink filled bottles that mark the number called on your card) and enough room in the bag to carry a portable fan, troll dolls, candles, dice, fools gold and any other trinkets considered good luck (I dubbed them the "professionals").

As the bingo games got underway the excitement (yes, I said excitement and bingo in the same sentence) began to wear off and all the players in this large hall turned into scoundrels all with poker faces that would rival the best Texas Hold'em player. The shifty eyes, the confidence as if all of them knew they had winning card. I even saw people who seemed to be friends at the beginning of the game turn into card covering, angry-faced, competition hungry enemies.

The last game before a break was a $500 cash prize game. Cash was paid out that night just minutes after you won. The game was a triple bingo, meaning you had to get three bingo's any way not counting the four corners. The room was eerily silent. The only noise heard was the bingo machine with all players looking on with confidence and determination. The game was going into the 15 minute mark and with 54 numbers of 75 called someone was close to winning. The shifty eyes began as O 71 came on the screen. You could feel the tension building. As O 71 was called over the speaker and loud shout came from the smoking section, BINGO! and as if all the air was let of a tire, a huge sigh fell out amongst the bingo hall as someone else but them had won.

The experience left me laughing and feeling empty at the same time. I wanted to be a winner and plan to go back for more, I guess that is how these "professionals" get hooked. At the same time I laughed as I see a 80 year old woman playing 8 cards and methodically pondering over her cards, strategizing for the next nights games.

I will always remember that I didn't find the cut throat competition on the basketball field, football field or board room but in a bingo hall in San Antonio, Texas