brand apis & brands as apis 19 March 2013 @farrahbostic
Jan 20, 2015
brand apis & brands as apis
19 March 2013
@farrahbostic
Hi, i’m @farrahbostic
I run...
it’s cool in advertising to steal software development metaphors
Google #Firestarters: Agile PlanningDo Agencies Need to
Think Like Software Companies? Agile creativity,
think with google
with apologies to @andywhitlock
agile is an engineering process, not a vision or a strategy.it’s useful when you already know what to build.but not that useful for figuring out what to build.
with thanks to @billwscott
figuring out what to build is hard.
an api is something a lot of our brands could build.
An application programming interface (API) is a protocol intended to be used as an interface
by software components to communicate with each other.
An API is a library that may include specifications
for routines, data structures, object classes, and variables.
but why do apis matter?
you probably know this api the best
1 Literally
Brand that use APIs
2Metaphorically
Brands that behave like APIs
3Prospectively
What if more brands embraced the ethos of an API and created
or worked with them?
first, the literal
how brands can use apis
To identify & learn about your customers
To expand opportunities to
transact with your brand
To open up your value chain
single sign-on
skype Skype in the Classroom uses Skype’s single sign-on.
So not only do they know how teachers are using the education service, they also know how teachers are using the core Skype service - including their propensity to pay for services.
sell stuff in more placesBest Buy has opened up its inventory and payment APIs for 3rd party developers to use.
Listia is one where you can put up your old belongings, and use credits to redeem for new items from online retailers, including Best Buy.
Another, is eBay.
eBay used the BBYOpen APIs for its Gifts Nearby holiday program so eBay shoppers could find last minute gifts in-stock at retailers nearby, and complete a Best Buy purchase without leaving the site.
open up the value chain
Inventory & fulfillment
Payment processing
Hosting & analytics
support your value chain & your customers
airbnb uses twilio to automate mobile communication between hosts and guests using text messaging. If a host hasn’t responded to a request, they get an automated SMS with information about the guest, the dates, and the price. They can reply via SMS as well
3/17/13 Automated Customer Communications at Airbnb - Twilio Case Study
www.twilio.com/gallery/customers/airbnb 1/2
Case Studies Projects Developers
Airbnb is an online marketplace that enables private residents and commercial properties to rentout extra space to travelers looking for a hotel alternative. The company slogan "travel like ahuman" captures the essence of the unique experience Airbnb provides to travelers looking foraffordable, creative, or unconventional lodgings.
HIGHLIGHTS
Text message confirmations increase the number of successful bookings
Automated messages remove the need for customer service reps to manually contacthosts
Flexible integration allows Airbnb to easily launch new features
WEBSITE
http://www.airbnb.com/
Pairing travelers and hosts for unique travel experiencesAirbnb enables hosts with an available room or property to post listings, and potential guestslooking for a place to stay can search by city or country, utilizing filters such as price and roomtype to find exactly what suits their needs. From there, guests and hosts communicate throughthe website to finalize the details of the reservation.
When travelers make a reservation through Airbnb, the host has 32 hours to accept or declinethe booking request. Frequently, hosts are not at their computer and can't respond quickly, eventhough they would like to confirm the booking.
"We often had to resort to manually calling hosts who have not responded to ask them to confirmor deny the request," says Naomi Arnold, Customer Service, Airbnb. "Dedicating staff to manuallycalling hosts takes away from their ability to handle customer support…a costly distraction."
Airbnb chose Twilio to automate mobile communication between rental hosts and potentialguests using text messaging. If a host has not responded to a request, they receive anautomated SMS message with information on the guest(s), the dates, and the price for the stay.They can then quickly respond with a message reply.
"We have hosts all over the globe," explains Naomi, "and they always have their phones withthem. By allowing them to accept requests via SMS, we have significantly improved thepercentage of successful bookings while saving countless hours of manual calling."
Enabling hosts to confirm a reservation with their mobile phone has increased the number ofsuccessful bookings, and improved the user experience for potential guests because they don't
ENHANCE CUSTOMERCOMMUNICATIONS
Connect with customers in innovativeways using voice and SMS messages
Enable detailed exchanges for schedulingand collaboration
Boost customer satisfaction with hightouch updates and information
MORE TWILIO CASE STUDIES
Streamline NotificationsMedia Temple
Call Tracking for Lead GenerationAvvo
Tree
Outreach & PromotionsMobile Commons
Sony Music
Sprint & Goodby Silverstein
Enhance Customer CommunicationsAirbnb
Automate WorkflowseBay
Juma Ventures
Duke University
Engage with Interactive PollingSurvey Monkey
Salesforce
Identity Verification
To match travelers and hosts with ease,Airbnb turned to Twilio for efficient mobile communications withSMS.
VOICE SMS CLIENT SOLUTIONS DOCS HELP LOGIN
+
Sony’s Epic Records used twilio to create a viral phone and SMS campaign, calling fans with recordings from band members promoting their new album and providing a sample of their music. The band and managers could easily add new recordings and check the progress of the campaign from anywhere.
3/17/13 Phone and SMS Marketing Campaign for Sony - Twilio Case Study
www.twilio.com/gallery/customers/sony-music 1/2
Case Studies Projects Developers
Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a roster that includes abroad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalogthat comprises some of the most important recordings in history.Lamb of God is a pure American metal band formed in 1990 and represented by Epic Records.They have toured the United States and abroad for more than 15 years, opening for heavy metalgreats such as Slayer, Megadeth, and Ozzy Ozbourne.
HIGHLIGHTS
View and manage existing call recordings
Call in an audio recording from the road
View stats on usage over time, by geography
WEBSITE
http://www.sonymusic.com/
Breaking through the noiseLamb of God is one of America's biggest metal bands. When they released their new albumWrath, the band wanted to try something different to get the word out and turned to Twilio toimplement a viral marketing campaign.
Spinning up a new campaign that involves recorded messages, SMS integration, and reach totens of thousands of fans is no easy feat. And with album launches coming once every couple ofyears, it does not make sense to invest in the infrastructure which would then sit idle most of thetime.
Epic Records discovers Twilio... via Rickroll.
When Jason Lekberg, Digital Marketing Manager for Epic Records, read that Twilio rickrolledMichael Arrington at TechCrunch, he contacted Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson to see if there was someway they could work together. The result was a viral phone and SMS campaign named "logjam",which utilizes Twilio to make phone calls with recordings from the band members promoting theirnew album and providing a sample of their music. What normally would have been a project witha couple months of lead time was cranked out in about a week.
Easy controls, for a band on the go.
With an simple web-based user interface, the band and the managers can easily add new callrecordings and check the progress of the campaign wherever the band can get internet access.
OUTREACH & PROMOTIONS
Custom tailored info to the right people atthe right time
Scale to thousands of calls in minutes
Maintain reliable calling at volume
MORE TWILIO CASE STUDIES
Streamline NotificationsMedia Temple
Call Tracking for Lead GenerationAvvo
Tree
Outreach & PromotionsMobile Commons
Sony Music
Sprint & Goodby Silverstein
Enhance Customer CommunicationsAirbnb
Automate WorkflowseBay
Juma Ventures
Duke University
Engage with Interactive PollingSurvey Monkey
Salesforce
Identity VerificationIntuit
Sony Music and Lamb of God went viral with aunique album launch campaign using Twilio.
VOICE SMS CLIENT SOLUTIONS DOCS HELP LOGIN
+
now, the metaphorical
tesco homeplus in korea
IKea
Consistent retail experience.
Modular, flat-pack furniture and parts.
You build it.
And you can hack it, too.(I did)
ideas that spread
finally, the prospective
Answer questions
Watch a Demo
Find a Retailer
Get your recommended
moviesHome Page Create an
event
Like the Facebook
Page
seen this?
ifttt.com
try it yourself!
Apple + Nike + mobile + social + Hardware
we could transform marketing into ‘MAAs’
Starbucks meets Passbook
American Express meets Foursquare
Spotify meets Blue Note Records meets iTunes Store
MTA meets Google Maps meets Augmented Reality
what api could you use or build with your clients and for their customers to create value?
thanks - this was fun.