ConnectMe Networks

Shop September Vogue

Vogue magazine did something interesting with shopseptembervogue.com. Site visitors could buy certain styles featured online by clicking a "buy now" icon on an advertiser's online ad, assuming the ad was set up for electronic-commerce or linked to an e-commerce site. Otherwise, the ads provided information about bricks-and-mortar stores where the featured items could be purchased.

It reminds me of an entry that John Battelle wrote earlier about "endemic advertisers" - advertisers that 'fit' within a publication's community. Shopping centers do it all the time with their tenant mix. You're not going to find a Wal-Mart in Rodeo Drive anytime soon. 

Imagine combining Vogue or GQ with Rodeo Drive's web site. What stores in Beverly Hills carry the products advertised in those publications?

Update: Analysis of ShopVogue (Mar 05), ShopVogue to Launch (Jan 05)

News from Web 2.0: The Sims and Product Placement

Bill Gurley had a great session today where he talked about the economics of gaming.  I've included a link to his presentation below.

Luxury brands might consider product placement in videogames. Videogames are rapidly replacing television as the medium of choice to influence teenagers.

An electronic version of a Louis Vuitton handbag in The Urbz would in all likelihood generate incredible awareness among the hip-hop crowd that is currently buying Guess-type handbags from Gwen Stefani's LAMB label.

Link: CNN Interview with creator Will Wright on the popularity of The Sims

Link: Bill Gurley's Presentation on multiplayer games (requires Powerpoint)

Web 2.0 Conference

This week I will be attending the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. I haven't gone to one of these conferences for years - but with the chance to rub elbows with the likes of Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, Bill Gross, Martin Nisenholtz, and Marc Canter, it promises to be rich with insights.

Issues I'll Be Blogging

In this blog, I'm going to draw on my experiences to describe how shopping is likely to change over the next few years...and how this will affect the business of managing marketplaces. Here's the categories I'll be blogging:

Driving Retail Traffic - the science of selling
Ideas 2.0 - new ways to turbocharge your business
Luxury Brands - news on marketing and selling luxury brands
Media Economics - how media influences how people buy
Mobile Lifestyles - the impact of SMS on customer service
Politics and Tax - the role of government in marketplaces
Real Estate Investors - best practices in managing a marketplace

About ConnectMe

"Connect Me" is about the evolution of the places where people live, work and play.

It's about why people buy things and how places are governed. It's going to include news items, commentary, and links to interesting developments. I'd like to invite you to read this blog from time to time and ask questions. In exchange I'll try to provide you with real-time feedback.

This site is a companion to "ConnectMe 360", a company that I am starting to commercialize some of the ideas you may find in this blog.