Go-to-Market

Renault Twizy – Transforming transportation!?

Posted by WSS on April 15, 2012   |   Comments Off on Renault Twizy – Transforming transportation!?

As an entrepreneur and business person you always wonder what’s the next big thing? On a recent trip to Paris I spotted a 2-seater car from Renault called the Twizy!

The first impression is that the car is very cool, trendy, and fun! When we went into the Champs-Élysées showroom the presentation was impressive with many colorful Twizy’s throughout the floor as well as a full screen video (see below), computer displays to make custom orders, and alot of buzz to compliment this new offering.

At a closer look I found out that the car, which is built in Spain, is being released in April 2012 with three models starting at €6,990 up to €8,490 (in the UK: £6,690 to £7,400) or about $10,000 USD.

The rear-engine car is part of Renault’s plans with Nissan to rollout a broad range of electric cars which will include other models called Fluence, Kangoo and Zoe which are expected in Europe in 2012 and beyond.

The Twizy, Zoe, and this line of cars, is of particular importance because it will have a “swappable battery pack” (a.k.a. QUICKDROP charging) so that the cars’ owners will be able to take advantage of battery-exchange stations such as the ones battery-infrastructure developer Better Place is building for locations such as Israel, China, Japan, Denmark, Australia, North America, European Union, and around the globe.

The initial Twizy’s will have standard electric recharging of a leased battery but overtime will take advantage of the QUICKDROP system.

So the Twizy looks great… It supports a niche in the marketpace when you consider the multitude of bikes, scooters, cycles, and small vehicles (i.e. SMART) being used in cities and with short-range commuters…  So who will use it?  A few insights include:

    • City workers looking for a ride across town
    • Hertz’s announced they’ll include it in their Green Collection, whose vehicles on average deliver fuel economy of about 55 miles per gallon
    • Young (and old) trendsetters who either want a first vehicle to get around town or a second one for fun and to take advantage of an electric vehicle

So while the Twizy is certainly not for everyone, it does capture the imagination on an emerging way to travel. There’s a huge number of people who commute or do short trips to the grocery store and only need to spend an hour or two in their car.

In the future, with the battery swap packs, owners will be able to swap out new batteries by going to a QUICKDROP stations, plug in at home, or at electric docking stations which are emerging in the United States (i.e. Malls) and which are much more visible on the streets of London and Paris as exclusive parking spots for electric only vehicles.

So while the Twizy will not be in the US in 2012, if it takes off in European cities such as Paris, Madrid, London, etc. then you can expect to see it or models like it over the next few years. The Twizy is the “fun car” in a line of new models which have a very good chance to make an impact both now and over the next few years.

Check out the official YouTube video (below) that Renault presented on a full screen in the showroom which is known as a “pop of serenity!”

Are you ready for the Twizy and the rechargeable technology amidst rising gas and oil prices!? Or do you simply like the idea of having some fun with this new, trendy, transformational car?

 

 

Beyond the mystique of Social Media tools

Posted by WSS on March 10, 2012   |   Comments Off on Beyond the mystique of Social Media tools

Social media is moving at blazing speeds around new tools and capabilities on a daily (“real-time”) basis. Keeping up with it can be a big challenge!

Often groups and individuals put more emphasis on the mystic around the basic (“and certainly important”) tools such as Facebook, Twitter,  LinkedIn, and other platforms as well as Mobile Apps running on iPads/tablets,  iPhones/Smart Phones, rather then the “holistic view” of what makes Social Media —performed for important business reasons— work.

At its base are the core, essential pillars which are important to an organization including a keen focus on the audience, core messages, listening from the outside in, and a strategic plan around a clear set of goals, objectives, and deliverables.

Of course there is more too it. A team or individual must be an expert in all aspects of business and client development including building communities, communications, go-to-market, and information architecture.  Often individuals or groups specialize in small parts of the bigger picture and have a challenge taking action on the realities of what is really happening from the view of the customer and the marketplace.

As a starting point consider these 4 principals:

  1. Access – Who will need access to your social media messages, tools, and or platforms? How will they get it?
  2. Content – What content will sustain your social media plan? How does it equate into your business objectives including go-to-market, community building, and bottom-line revenue objectives?
  3. Awareness – How will you develop communications which increase awareness? What channels and which influencers can help multiple and amplify the core messages?
  4. Collaboration – Are your social media activities one-way and push only or two-way collaboration? What are your plans around moderation and seeding two-way dialogue?

While these fundamental considerations will help. It’s important to have a strong view on short-term wins and a longer-term path of consistency.

Another key consideration is that within a short amount of time an organization will have a massive clutter of information…data points…and feedback from internal and external stakeholder… Maybe you’re there all ready, but with a social media campaign it will grow and grow.

It’s important to continuously step back and reassess the top priorities that will truly make an impactful difference to the bottom line.

So in the end while the latest social media tools which create both hype and mystic are important…

…it really boils down to the multidimensional expertise of the team or individuals building and delivering the social media plan.

What you deliver in Social Media by way of communications and messages should start with a unit of one; how it impacts “one” individual, influencer &/or group? And then multiplied and scaled (“amplified”) to the whole target audience.

The golden rule to consider is something I learned from Dale Carnegie. Your audience wants to know, “What’s in for me?” And how can they can apply your social media activities to something that’s of value to their business, professional, or personal goals and objectives?

Small wins. One step at a time. These are the key building blocks to your social media campaigns and ultimate success.