AROS – Like “Nest” but for Air Conditioning

Smart Objects are taking over.  And why not?  They represent what data is supposed to do, make us more aware of our actions leading to better performance.  Traditionally its just been in the B2B space, but we are seeing more in the B2C space.

Looks like the internet of things has finally caught on and started to be more then just a buzzword. 

http://www.quirky.com/shop/752

AROS represents a partnership between GE & Quirky ( crowdsource design innovation agency ) to create a smart AC unit.  As a bonus, if you are in NYC, Uber will deliver it to you.

Other Smart Appliances to check out:

Nest

August 

 

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Mini Pepsi: Its What’s on the Outside that Matters.

 

We have seen mini before.  Most recently every candy bar and snack has been reduced to snack size for bite sized cravings.

Pepsi most recently has introduced a small can that gives consumers just enough taste of a sweet treat without having the unhealthy side effects of a while can. A tasting menu perhaps.  :)

From a business perspective, I think its super impressive that by going bite size, the soda giant might appeal to those who want just a bit, or something to hold them over till their next soda.  I am not sure of how the new cans are priced, but it would be interesting to compare the delta between the costs of the new mini cans, normal cans, and the final cost to a consumer.  They are far cheaper to ship and bottle I would assume, and the cost maybe be similar to a full can.

Mini cans have been around in airplanes and hotel mini bars for a while.  It will be interesting to see how they perform in a mass audience.

Sometimes, its not whats on the inside. 

 

Bonus: Other Mini Concepts

Smart Car:

Pringles Mini:

 

 

 

Everyone loved House of Cards. It was nominated for an Emmy, which is historical.  New programming series on Netflix and webisodes across the interwebs are challenging the viewing formats we take for granted. However, our obsession with binge consumption of media only works if a few media properties do this.  In order for these new series to be successful, there must be enough original programming that is time released.  If every show and movie was released on Jan 1st, people would go nuts by March. Or would they?

My hypothesis is that people need some temporal benchmarks to enjoy certain programming in a communal way. If every show was released in full on one day, the system would implode. 

The larger question is how have those communities splintered off into smaller subgroups vs. popular mass groups needed for advertising?  Would advertising that fuels TV be happy if all on demand content replaced mass cable?  Where does the psychological impact of scarcity of media overlap with the politics & business of ad buys?  Many households already only do streaming content. Other households have streaming services in addition to core cable programming. But, the system has to change – technology and the pull of consumers is moving faster then cable companies want to go.  It will be interesting to see how this ecosystem changes in the next 5 years.

-Patrick

 

 

netflix programming