Living in the age of pervasive social-networking, I take a small amount of personal pride in still living a relatively detached life.  Sure, I’ve got a Facebook, I’ve got a Myspace (but who uses that anymore?), a LinkedIn, and a Tumblr, upon none of which I am particularly active.

I understand the appeal of social-networking sites and services.  It is fun to hop online and waste 5 hours reading every mundane thought that my friends post on Facebook.  But try as I might (and I do try), I just can’t seem to sink my teeth into it.  I miss the mystery that comes with catching up with an old friend.  It feels like these days there is less and less reason to ask someone what they’ve been up to or how their weekend was.  I already know.  I read about it on Facebook.

Going against almost everything I just said, I have taken to the iPhone/iPod app Foursquare with reckless abandon.  All the application does is broadcast your location to your Foursquare friends, your Twitter, your Facebook, or to no one if you like.  The purpose of the application is to let your friends know where you are, and serves as an implied invitation to come and join the fun!

The application is organized by city and uses GPS to identify your location in order to list “venues” nearby.  Once you find the listing for the venue you’re at, check-in!  Checking-in sends an alert to your Foursquare friends letting them know your location.  There is also a point system and badges to earn, which makes the application feel like a game.  Bonus!

The reason that I really enjoy Foursquare is that it ultimately works to facilitate face-to-face interaction.  Enjoying the company of friends in real-life is always better than hanging out online.

Does it feel a little bit like stalking? Yes.  Knowing when and where my friends go for their morning coffee is a strange topic for an alert.  You take the boring with the fun though.  Those same coffee-loving friends check into more exciting places, too.

Because it seems I don’t have a choice about being in constant contact with my friends and family, I have decided to at least adopt a method of connectivity that leads me to their presence, rather than their persona.

Last Friday, the Los Angeles Times featured a faux-cover with a HUGE picture of Johnny Depp as the Madhatter in promotion of the opening of Alice in Wonderland. If this isn’t advertising, I don’t know what is. To take out a full-color ad creating a cover wrap for the newspaper is big-doings for Disney, who must have some faith that the print media will reach audiences.

We can all admit that LA is a world of its own. What we think of as a normal size billboard is barely comparable to the city’s gargantuan displays that border its roads. With that in mind, this type of advertising would probably only happen in The City of Angels. Nevertheless, Disney is relying on the old school newspaper as one of its many advertising avenues for what proved to be an absolute hit. Alice in Wonderland became the best March release in history and biggest 3D movie ever, grossing $116.3 million during opening weekend! It’s doubtful that Disney’s advertisement in the LA Times alone made the movie move pass Avatar in its opening weekend, but it is also doubtful that Disney would spend somewhere in the range of $700,000 on something that didn’t specifically go toward its bottom line.

Yes, newspapers are suffering throughout the United States and around the world. But, the Alice in Wonderland advertisement shows that there is still a pulse for the newspaper industry. While the main objective of this ad was to entice people to go see the movie, it may have also helped sell newspapers, which ads rarely do. It would not be surprising if little Susie saw the front cover, begged her mother to buy it for her so she could hang it on her wall and cherish it (or have nightmares) for years to come. There are plenty of people that love the feel of newspaper, and yes, even that the ink gets all over your hands – although I can’t relate to that one!

The U.S. newspaper industry lost $7.5 billion in advertising revenues during 2008 according to the Newspaper Association of America. Historically, newspapers thrived on their advertising revenues. Without them, the papers can’t exist, at least not in the form they do today.

The Los Angeles Times took a concept developed on the web and moved it to print, something that is typically done in the opposite direction. The LA Times differentiated itself with this innovative ad and Disney debuted a new type of advertising while launching what will prove to be one of the biggest movies of the year.

While this is an amazing effort by the LA Times in offering innovative advertising options, the newspaper industry is expected to continue to decline. Even more reason to buy them while you can! Way to go LA Times and Disney – extending the life of the newspaper industry one movie advertisement at a time!

Disclaimer: Yes, I am the print media analyst at gap intelligence

One year ago last week, gap intelligence’s Market Intelligence reports included an industry news brief revealing that two thirds of all former Circuit City customers planned to go to Best Buy and Walmart for their future electronics purchases.  An understandable, but still immense, 55 percent of Circuit City shoppers planned to make future purchases at Best Buy, while a respectable 11 percent of shoppers expected to direct future CE purchases to Walmart locations.  Assuming that a similar portion of former CompUSA shoppers were already transitioning to Best Buy and Walmart, 2009 stood to be a banner year for the retail giants’ consumer electronics sales, regardless of the economy.

Although Best Buy and a number of other retailers certainly benefited from the recent channel consolidation, the redistribution of Circuit City and CompUSA’s sales has been far from one-to-one.  It turns out that much of Circuit City’s $11.7 billion 2008 revenue and CompUSA’s $4 billion-plus 2006 revenue was also consolidated – leaving surviving retailers and CE manufacturers searching for where at least $5 billion in annual electronics sales went.

One could easily attribute 2009’s reduced electronics spending to the ongoing recession and they would be at least partially right.  However, I believe Systemax CEO Gilbert Fiorentino has tracked down this missing electronics demand, and interestingly enough, it appears that it never left – it’s just not being addressed at the same rate as before.  In a recent retailer roundtable discussion Mr. Fiorentino cracked open his Marketing 101 textbook and explained this phenomenon in the simplest terms.  With the exit of CompUSA and Circuit City went $800 million in annual advertising, roughly 25,000 relatively knowledgeable sales associates, and nearly 800 retail locations, all of which in their own way spurred demand.  To borrow Staples’s long-retired slogan “It’s that easy.”

The good news for CE manufacturers and retailers is that the potential electronics spending ceiling just increased significantly.  It’s just a matter of creating a need in the minds of consumers, providing inviting and convenient locations to shop, and staffing these locations with a knowledgeable and incentivized sales staff.  These are not new ideas and can certainly be done again.

So now the question is: Who is going to go out and make this happen?

Gilbert Fiorentino

Said this:

“You know how important advertising is – people think they need what they are told they think they need.  It wasn’t just pent-up demand in a world where a guy woke up in the morning and said, “I want to go buy a laptop” or “I want to go buy a TV.”

Don Draper

Said this:

“The most important idea in advertising is “new.” It creates an itch.  You simply put your product in there as a kind of calamine lotion.”

They are both right….

I have long been bullish on the impact that the smart phone / device industry would have on printing.  Many, many of my counterparts believe that the iPhone, anDroid, iPad, and Microsoft’s upcoming Digital Journal will eliminate the need to print.  I, on the other hand, honestly believe that we are not installing hundreds of millions of smart phones across Earth, but we are actually installing hundreds of millions of little computers that will one day need to print.  The need to print from a smart device will come naturally, much like how printing developed around 5 – 8 years after the birth of the personal PC.  Early personal computer users were first in “shock and awe” around their new found device (like your iPhone) and it took some time for users to generate printing needs for software developers to address.

They just haven’t found a need to print……yet.  It will come.

Take for example Microsoft’s new Digital Journal, a product coming out later this year that I really, really, want.  The journal will replace my $1.50 composition notebook that I take to meetings.  Questions:  Where is the opportunity for me to generate prints with my composition notebook?  Where are the opportunities for me to generate prints with my Digital Journal?  I agree.

Microsoft – send one here please.

Just to recap, gap intelligence is a market intelligence company that helps manufacturers of imaging and printing products stay on top of their markets. We function as the “eyes and ears” in the marketplace for our clients and follow products, pricing, promotions, advertisements, specifications, end-caps, and POP stickers in every possible channel.

Through our first seven years, gap intelligence has stuck to the imaging and printing industries, following everything from ink tanks, paper, laser printers, digital cameras, and walk-up copiers. 2010 marks a significant change in our coverage as we have expanded outside of the printing and imaging space.

To kick off the New Year, gap intelligence was thrilled to announce the launch of its e-Reader market intelligence service. We are the very first research firm to employ a dedicated analyst following the small nuances of the e-Reader market – capturing tactical marketing intelligence information, finding insight and strategy from the data, and presenting our information in very usable formats. If you haven’t heard, e-Readers have quickly become a mainstream consumer electronics item and may do to the book industry what the iPod did to music. Our constant market tracking and intelligence services will guide e-Reader makers to make smart decisions now to thrive in what will be a highly competitive and turbulent market.

For the second quarter, gap intelligence is thrilled to announce its first market intelligence services that cover the mobile computing industries. We are now tracking notebooks, netbooks, and tablets in all shapes and sizes – desktop replacement, thin and light, touch enabled tablets, and even Apple’s iPad. For those of you in the computing industry who may not have heard of gap intelligence, I say to you “Congratulations!” You can now see your market in detail never before offered and receive support from a team of analysts who will give you the insight needed to make smart business decisions.

For you lucky mobile computing manufacturers, you now have access to the service and support that gap intelligence delivers on these product categories:

Mobile Computing

- e-Readers
- Digital Frames
- Projectors
- Inkjet Printers
- AiO & Fax Machines
- B&W Laser Printers
- Color Laser Printers
- Ink & Photo Supplies
- Print Media
- Digital Cameras
- Copier / MFP
- Total Cost of Ownership
- European Price Monitoring
- Brazil, Russia, China Price Monitoring

It is absolutely inexcusable that I have not told you about the 2009 Hirooka Awards (third annual) – a night filled with celebrity, style, and fashion! The Hirooka Awards is the night for gap-ians to celebrate our accomplishments both as a team and highlight those individual achievements that helped make the year so great.

The 2009 Hirooka Awards were hosted last December (should have been blogged a long time ago) at the glamorous House Blues in downtown San Diego, California. Our celebrities walked down the red carpet, talked to the hordes of curious press, and posed for thousands of paparazzi snaps along the way. The evening started by some special “gap university” awards – for those whose experiences through 2009’s global economic downturn earned them a MBA. Master’s of Business Administration degrees to Tom Foster, Sarina Dahukey, Jake Fishman, Michelle Cowan, and Chris Barnes!

While everyone at gap is a winner, here is a break down of this year’s Hirooka Award winners!

Rookie of the Year: Gurpreet Kaur (Market Analyst)

PT Players of the Year:
Deron Kershaw (Research Analyst)
Taryn Popplewell (System Ops)
Christine Abuyen ( Research Analyst)

Quote of the Year: Laurel Popplewell (System Ops)

Writer of the Year: Sarina Dahukey (Senior Analyst)

Presenter of the Year: Jake Fishman (Senior Analyst)

Leadership Award: Katie Hess (System Ops)

Can’t Live Without You Award: Nicole Manko (Market Analyst)

Crawl to Sprint (fast learner): Joshua Stone (Research Analyst)

Smells Like Team Spirit Award: Laurel Popplewell (System Ops)

The Sarina Dahukey Most Organized Stamp Collection Award (most organized desk)
Erin Vogelsanger (System Ops)

Best Dressed: Nicole Manko (Market Analyst)

Nickname of the Year: Gurpreet “Goopie” Kaur

People’s Choice: Michelle Cowan (Systems Manager)

Most Valuable Player: Michelle Cowan (Systems Manager)

Congratulations to our Hirooka Award winners and good luck to our 2010 nominees!

Smokey the Bear has the summer to worry about forest fires. Accountants are currently enduring their 7 day work week that runs through April 15^th. Gary has camera season. Camera season is a twice annual event when every single digital camera maker launches, unveils, bows, discloses, reveals, and make public their latest and greatest digital cameras. The year’s first camera season starts at the Consumer Electronics Trade Show and runs through the PMA Trade Show – usually January 1 through March 1. The first two months of the year is marked by chaos, turmoil, and very little blogging by this guy.

Think that interest in photography has diminished during this down economy? Through the first 8 weeks of 2010, I wrote about 285 new cameras. Yes, 285. I wrote A LOT. The cameras came in small shapes and big lenses. There are cameras that can be dunked underwater, that can be dropped in the snow, and can be thrown in the mud. There are green cameras and champagne cameras, there are pink ones, and another that comes with a backpacking strap. Pentax’ Optio W90 looks like it was designed by the guy who makes Coleman lanterns and General Imaging’s new camera line was crafted by fashion designer Jason Wu – who’s gowns have been worn by Michelle Obama (I researched this).

All of these cameras have kept me from blogging. So, much like Stephen King’s excluded cabin tucked away in the New Hampshire woods, I have taken to the sludge of Lake Arrowhead to catch up on some blogs. However, before I recap the 2009 Hirooka Awards, announce the new categories that we have launched, and show you the world’s first gap app, please humor me by reading through “Gary’s Camera Season Part 1 Award” winners. This is the first time I have hosted a Camera Award show, probably my last, and the awards themselves are coveted by absolutely no one.

In the spirit of Four H Ribbons handed out at the State Fair:

Third Place – Yellow Ribbon

Sony Cyber-shot TX5. Sony’s first waterproof camera, the $249 Cyber-shot TX5 can be dropped in the shallow end, can take movies of VERY slow moving fish, and can be kept frozen in a block of ice – in case your in an avalanche. More than what the camera can do on the outside, it’s more about what the Cyber-shot TX5 can do on the inside that matters. The camera ships with a back-lit CMOS sensor that gives it 10-fps shooting speed, adds Sony’s very cool sweep panorama shooting mode, can record high definition video, and is operated by a touch screen display.

Second Place – Red Ribbon

Olympus SP 800UZ. For those who, like me, prefer to do their stalking from a distance, Olympus’ SP 800UZ is the Zoom King. The model is headlined by its 30-times optical zoom lens that has few equals (FujiFilm FinePix HS10). Outside of capturing long range subjects, the SP 800UZ can record high def video, ships with Olympus’ very clever Art Filters (see movie), and includes 2GB of memory – enough storage for a full day of prowling. Best yet, while other cameras with weaker lenses and less features are offered for as much as $499, the SP 800UZ is quite the bargain at $349.

First Place – Blue Ribbon

General Imaging Jason Wu Series. Why does a simplistic camera from a small camera company win my Blue Ribbon? It’s not what the camera does, but how the camera was developed. General Imaging’s Jason Wu series is the first camera I can think of that has completely rethought the way a camera is packaged to the customer. Apple rethought packaging with its iPhone – giving the product such an elegant casing that it made customers feel like they just bought something very special. General Imaging’s Jas Wu series takes a page from Apple’s playbook and comes in an elegantly crafted box that would shine in the jewelry case at Nordstrom’s.

With its focused aimed squarely at Mom’s and gift givers, General Imaging designed the Jason Wu camera to be as simplistic as possible. The Jason Wu camera is fitted with just three buttons, on, shutter, and video, includes 4GB (no need for memory cards), and ships with a built-in USB plug that both transfers images and charges the camera. Flip turned the camcorder market on its ear by being the first to include a USB plug, expect the rest of the camera market to follow General Imaging’s lead. Trend setting packaging, fashion plate brand name, and truly innovative features – esteemed fashion designer Jason Wu gets my 4H Blue Ribbon. I am sure he is thrilled.