"Gotta catch 'em all"

Simply brilliant. If it's something people love to do it's collect things. Parents spent so much money on these trading cards. It wasn't like you could have bought the entire collection at once. I mean, the business idea behind the trading card concept is making money while people are trying to complete their collection. They have to buy so many cards in order to catch 'em all.

Now, many companies are using the same marketing method and I'm sure the marketing books out there are using another term for it. Chuck Palahniuk calls it the IKEA nesting instinct.

Products are designed and marketed so that you won't feel complete until you have the complete collection. This is why you become an Apple fan boy once you start buying their products.

Apple's products are designed in a way that they all match. You start collecting and you defend your purchases with the argument that they're so easy to use and they look nice. But really, you are just completing your collection. If you have a Mac Book, you have to have an iPod, an Apple TV and matching Apple earphones. Then Apple releases their new Mac Book and you got to have it too. There's no practical reason for this. You don't need the stuff, yet you buy it anyway. You need to feel complete. Genius.

This is why the Microsoft MP3 player Zune failed and why PC users aren't feeling the same thing about their products. Those products don't have a homogenous design. The closest thing would be the Dell product line. They look homogenous enough to tickle the collecting gene.

Look at companies like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Chanel and other luxury brands. Their strong brands invoke the same gene and triggers your urge to collect and complete your collection. Unfortunately most of us can't afford that. But I strongly believe that it is not because of luxury or the need to stand out that urges your mind to wanting those things. It's in human nature to collect things.

What you can do is ask yourself before buying - "Do I really need this? Really? Do I really, really need this?" That my friends might help you overcome the need for unnecessary purchases. I'm beyond saving though.

Tags: Pokemon Theory, Apple, Branding, Marketing

It seems like device manufacturers are being reduced to hardware makers as software is becoming more open and browser based. Carriers are being reduced from full service providers to data pipes. Both sides are struggling to keep users in old business models hoping to squeeze some money out of them.

Sprint Xohm on the other hand seem to have realized that future revenues won't be based on restricted services or voice minutes. They are embracing a bright future for users.

Rebecca said that Xohm will not have a data cap and they will not restrict any traffic such as VoIP. How will they make money if users can call people for free with Skype?

The carrier will make its money from data subscriptions. Sure, they won't eliminate the possibility to use traditional voice and charge for that. However, providing a free and unrestricted network will create a lot of opportunities for third parties and other services.

The carrier won't have to spend a lot of money developing services that they're hoping to charge a lot of money for. I mean, why develop their own music download service if it's not their core business? Why develop their own game portal, or app store? Why spend millions of dollars to try to compete with companies whose sole business is creating the best music download service etc?

Instead, the carriers should focus on their core business. That is being the best damn data pipe there is. Users couldn't care less about what services they can get through their carrier if the reception and data speeds are bad. And that's what they're paying the carriers for.

So if Xohm can deliver on their promise and be a damn good data pipe with high speeds and no data cap, then users will pay for it. The Internet is already full of working services and there's really no reason to invent the wheel again.

Tags: Sprint, Xohm, Open Mobile Summit

I'll continue to post during the conference and I apologize to you guys who read this blog and don't want all the tech stuff. I'll post something fun for the rest of you after the conference...

Tags: Open Mobile Summit, TAT

Tags: TAT, UI

Tags: Gummi bears

But if they would make Madonna their new front person I would immediately stop buying their products. I know everybody thinks that she's so fabulous and everything but I think she's creepy. She's arrogant, pretentious, fake and hasn't produced any good music since... forever.

No, I would put Madonna in the same box as Michael Jackson and store it away forever in the same warehouse as the Ark. Yuck.

Tags: Madonna, Horrible Ad Decisions

I just booked two tickets for the April 7th Prodigy Arena Tour Gig in Glasgow, Scotland. One is for me the other one is for you. I love the Prodigy and I really want to go see them. I love Scotland so I want to see them there.

If you want to see them and party with me, send me an email (pblomdahl at mac.com) and convince me to take you to Scotland and see the Prodigy!

Tags: The Prodigy, Contest, Concert

The only major thing I'm not fully happy with is the fact that we have to get up super early and be there by 7am. And as so many of you know, I'm not a morning person. At all.

Tags: Yoga

http://www.fanboys-themovie.com

Tags: Fanboys, Star Wars

Tags: US Presidential Election 2008