Redbridge Online

Tag: environmental

  • Drones. Are they poised to take over the universe?

    Drones. Are they poised to take over the universe?

    Remember that first time you ever watched I, Robot and the robots started to take over? Me too.

    I don’t have cable, but last week I happened to be staying in a hotel in my very favorite city in the US and “I, Robot” was playing on one of the channels. Have you seen it? It’s the movie where Will Smith is living in a future where artificial intelligence has evolved to the point that robots are in every household and assisting humans on all levels of day-to-day activities. In the movie, everyone except Will Smith has come to accept the integration of artificial intelligence as the norm. Will maintains that without the ability to feel and think freely, robot “logic” makes them untrustworthy to make decisions regarding the health and welfare of human lives. In the end he’s right and the robots make the decision that as humans we’re our own worst enemy and therefore need to be contained to keep us from harming ourselves further. Anyway, good movie.

    Watching the movie led me to think about the drone controversy and how people fall on opposite ends of the argument. Some are excited about the idea of this new technology and the possibilities, while others are skeptical and concerned about how drones are being integrated into our lives. I love technology, but the subject of drones left even me a little apprehensive. So, I set out with a list of questions and have Googled, listened to presentations, and attended drone events to learn as much as possible about the subject.

    • How are drones being used?
    • What are some of the positives?
    • What challenges they’re facing?
    • What’s next?
    Current Use

    If the question is who’s doing what with drones right now, the answer is everyone, and everything. Right now, the “selfie stick” is all the rage, but that might only be because most people aren’t aware of DJI’s Phantom 3, the easy to fly camera drone that takes consumer selfies to Heisenberg levels. And, much like the gas powered remote control racing cars that hobbyists used to dedicate dollars and hours to, a subculture of drone enthusiasts are now taking to recreational drone racing. Check out the Aerial Action Sports League’s Game of Drones! Amazon and Google are both looking at drone technology for package delivery solutions. In some cases you could receive a package faster than getting pizza delivered. Pretty crazy, right? Well, that’s not all. An Oregon-based company named HoneyComb, is poised to advance agriculture by using an agricultural drone that looks just like a mini stealth bomber! The AgDrone System incorporates dual cameras, software and data processing, and smart analytics for enhanced pest identification and water deficiencies.

    Positives

    Cup half full? There’s a lot of ways our lives can be positively impacted by drones. Obviously recreational racing, who doesn’t love that?! And the cameras are like taking GoPro to the extreme. Imagine getting a full 360 degree video view of the next sweet stunt you pull on a snowboard without having to worry about having hardware strapped on. That’s pretty neat! And for every farmer in California who is affected by the drought, imagine if you knew only 1/10 of your crop needed to be watered, or that pests only lived in a corner of the crop. You’d save energy and water. Win win! And, I don’t know about you, but getting my next Hubble picture delivered by a flying smiling box in 30 minutes vs. 1 week is kind of intriguing. And, on the most serious side, the day we didn’t have to risk human lives in war.. I’m all about that.

    Negatives

    Downside? For every positive, there’s a negative. And… like any new technology, there are going to be those people who don’t fly above board. There’s the www, and there’s the deep web. There’s the pharmacy, and there’s the Silk Road. Jobs may become obsolete as new career paths emerge. Security breaches will likely happen when people focus mainly on production and processes in early development stages. We’ll begin to hear more stories of accidents and injuries reported across the board as the technology becomes more mainstream. As a for instance, last week a woman was knocked unconscious while attending a parade. And of the 20 cars on the road since 2009, Google’s self-driving cars have been in 11 accidents. One accident involved a car rolling through a stop sign. No injuries were reported, but can you imagine being at a stop light and seeing an unmanned Google drone rolling through? Whoa. It gives new meaning to that song “they see me rollin’.. they hatin.”

    What’s next?

    It’s like every new technology without clear boundaries, there’s a learning curve as the culture catches up with the industry. Three of the biggest advancements for the industry will likely include regulations, education, and improved battery technology.

    Both Amazon and Skyward, are already working with the FAA to develop rules and tools to aid commercial drone use. Amazon has already filed a petition to conduct flights using drones that travel up to 50 mph. Skyward’s Urban Skyways Project is working with NASA to create an aerial robotics network to direct drone traffic much like the FAA does with commercial airlines.

    When regulations are clearer, we’ll begin to see more mainstream training around drone use, In the meantime, organizations like Roswell Flight Test Crew are making it their mission to educate people around best practices when operating drones.

    Currently, lithium-ion batteries are used in most drones, so usage is limited by power. And, while the field of battery technology hasn’t seen much advancement in decades, companies like Google, Apple, and Tesla are in constant innovation mode along with universities to bring batteries into a brand new era. It’s just a matter of time.

    To close, Wayne Dyer once said, “Everything that exists right now was once imagined, which means that everything that will exist is now being imagined.” There have been other times in history when culture was disrupted by new technologies. The Model T replaced a much slower alternative before our existing roadway infrastructure was developed. At a time when consumers were satisfied with flip phones and cd players, Steve Jobs once told riveted audiences that his new phone would not only answer calls, but store and play music and provide access to the internet. The lesson can only be, technology will always advance. Your best bet is to be proactive. Educate people and develop standards and guidelines as needed to stay as far ahead of the development as possible, with the knowledge that there will be instances where you are forced to be reactive.

    (Special thanks to New Tech PDX for providing such a comprehensive view of Oregon’s drone industry.)

  • Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps

    Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps

    I may have mentioned a time or two, I pretty much love Earth…leaves, butterflies, oxygen…love…all of it. So, yes, I’m pretty passionate when it comes to sustainable marketing practices.

    Before I became the CEO for @redbridge, I was a marketer of energy-efficiency programs. I called what I did, saving the world one kwh at a time. Anyway, when you promote energy-efficient products and choices you need to lead by example or people get skeptical. Nobody wants that.

    My 10+ years of sustainable marketing practices can be boiled down into 3 simple steps. Here they are:

    1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!
    2. Design to make green “the new black”.
    3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

    Have I wowed you with my brilliance yet? Well…I hope NOT because I can talk about this ALL DAY! So, here I go, the 3 secrets revealed in 5…4…3…2…1…:

    1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!

    In my perfect world, a marketing plan serves as a road map for upcoming marketing activities. You’ve planned out as far as a year in advance. Relaxed brainstorm sessions happen in the quarter prior to the deliverable’s deadline allowing you to glance out further in the timeline to see if there are other materials forecasted that can be combined. I also have a pet unicorn in that world.

    In my real world experience, you plan out as far ahead as possible and stay flexible. So the more you can think green thoughts on the fly, the better Earth is going to get. Whether your next item is well-planned, or a marketing emergency, consider what you’re trying to accomplish and how the end result can be created, greenly. For instance:

    • Email vs. Direct Mail: Get email addresses for your target audiences and send email campaigns versus direct mail. They have similar return rates, AND e-mail can be re-purposed easily for a follow-up emails. It’s also got analytics for capturing data and saves paper and ink.
    • Web ad vs. Print ad: Think about it…you can be more targeted, include animation and capture analytics. I’m giddy just thinking about the possibilities! Animate a .gif, or better yet, add flash or link to a video that shows your audience how much you love them. Expand your advertising dollars by linking your ad to an even more targeted page inside your website etc., etc. That’s…uh-mazing!
    • Web-based contest vs. Print: Printing can be both beautiful and expensive. Why not create a wildly exciting web-based contest solutions and encourage users to forward their invite to non-participants? Use Scvngr and create a web-based n hunt and get your participants interacting in all sorts of picture-taking, webby goodness. Or, maybe create a video contest. Here are some cool samples of how others like are doing it. Go @Zappos!Web based contests can increase activity without increasing budget. You could have a full-fledged viral contest without adding labor resources or printing dollars. Analytics provide direct return on investment results. And, by letting technology do the work, your resources are freed up to focus on the next great thing.
    • Online forms vs. Printed forms: This one should go without saying…direct input to database…genius and earth-friendly. And think of the paper you’ll save! You stand to benefit from real-time data and your customers will love that you’ve sped up rebate processing times. It’s a Win-Win. Even Steve Covey would love that!
    • Less deliverables vs. more: Why create a multiple pieces that serve the same purpose as one. Sustainable marketing encompasses more and lasts longer. Think “timeless content and multi-use materials” and watch your marketing dollars stretch.
    • Online events vs. In-Person events:Cloud computing has enabled conference hosts to stream live audio, video and collaboration of events.  Companies like Social 27 have created full-fledged ways to share valuable knowledge over the world wide web while saving attendees travel expenses. It’s the ultimate “green” conference.

    2. Design to make green “the new black”.

    You know black. It’s always in, always sexy, and always in demand. Well, let’s bring green’s sexy back, yes?

    There was a time when making green materials meant spendy and with some quality sacrifices. But great news…those days are history. There are so many cost-effective and beautiful marketing alternatives that are eco-friendly. And not just digital solutions, marketers have an opportunity to take green marketing to a whole new level. From concept through production, there are tons of things that can be considered.

    • Size to maximize paper usage. Yes, bigger is big, but take creativity to the next level. Instead of producing a single sheet 8.5×11, consider minimizing content at half the size. Work with your printer to find out what sheet size the project is printing on in order to get the most from one sheet. If you can get two by reducing the size by a 1/2″, why not? You’ll save materials and cost. :) Uh…yay!
    • Paper materials. Recycled paper stocks are available for all sorts of things. Eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean that your materials look like chipboard, even though chipboard can be pretty, too. @NewLeafPaper produces Reincarnation paper stocks that print beautifully, and feel like velvet…velvet. Recycled paper is available in cover and text weights. There are also biodegradabe substrait substitutes for Banner materials and event very beautifully done event displays – all earthy-goodness. Whoda thunk?
    • Design for long-life. As you’re developing your marketing plan, look at the current materials, but also see what you’ll be developing further out to see what you’ve got on the radar. Consider what materials could be combined into multi-use items.

    3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

    Everyone says buy green, right? And it means a LOT of things to different people. Here’s my interpretation…

    • Use recyclable materials. If you’ve got a short-term promotion, create marketing materials that can either be reused or will easily break down into the environment. Vendors usually have recycleable substrate options on hand or easily accessable, so ask for an environmentally friendly option.
    • Consider environmentally friendly promotional products. Think about what products can be both useful and and memorable to your end user and work with a vendor to see what sustainable products are available that fit your needs. Stress balls and those little flashlights are inexpensive and fun, but when we’re 100, there’s a pretty good chance, they’re still going to be in a landfill.
    • Give love to local. Local vendors mean a few things…support for local businesses and no shipping. And, look for FSC Certified vendors…that’s gold star worthy. Establish ways to dispose of used materials in sustainable ways. Include messaging on your materials to let users know where they can recycle.

     

    So there you go — 3 steps — planet…saved. Feel free to comment with additional ideas! And if you’re interested in greening up your marketing, let’s connect! Ooh…and if you want to know if I’m paid to promote the companies/products mentioned my answer is…Nope. I just love what they do and how they do it. Earth does too.