Although the 2006 EPN study on Second Life (PDF) is quite old judging by the Internet age, I have just discovered it as a newbie to SL. What I find interesting in that report is the general conclusion of enhanced psychological health and happier life due to participation in Second Life. Converging on a point I raised before in my blog, this report suggests that, for most people, SL does not threaten to replace real-life but rather functions as a supplement and extension of our real life. It’s all interconnected in our own mind and therefore has a real impact on who we are as an individual.
Implications of Instantaneous Coupons
Colloquy’s weekly newsletter reported two stories of new coupon strategies: one is P&G and Korger’s adoption of mobile coupons, and the other is Kroger’s partnership with AOL’s Shortcuts Program, which allows users to download coupons online and have them preloaded on their store cards. Both of these stories represent a fundamental change in coupon usage. Traditionally, the time-consuming process of cutting coupons and the subsequent process of remembering to use the coupons (which I often forget) have made coupons a self-selected promotional tool. Consumers who value their time more are unlikely to spend the time needed to benefit from coupons. But now, with immediate and mobile access to coupons, the cost of coupon usage is going to reduce dramatically. This has both positive and negative implications for a business. On one hand, easy access to coupons means they are going to be more influential in consumers’ real-time decision making. On the hand, universal use of coupons means that the self-selected nature of coupon usage will disappear and the cost of using coupons as a marketing tactic may go up because of the higher redemption rate. What the CPG companies gain, however, is consumer information. With customized coupon service made available by the Internet, it is possible to embed a code in each coupon downloaded and subsequently track the coupon usage of each individual. This should grant CPG companies more power and immediate access to consumer insight, without having to rely on retailers for that information.
Air Travel Delay
Flying back from Puerto Rico, I was pleasantly surprised that both legs of my flight left and arrived on time. Having traveled more than I normally do in the last few months, delays (and subsequently missing the connecting flight) have become an expected frustration in my travel experience. So I did a little search on airlines’ on-time performance. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the on-time rate for all airlines combined was 64.34% in December 2007 and 72.36% in January 2008. The on-time rate for the major airlines in 2007 are as follows, from top performers to bottom performers:
Southwest Airlines: 80.85%
Delta Airlines: 76.89%
AirTran: 76.81%
Continental Airlines: 74.24%
United Airlines: 70.33%
American Airlines: 68.74%
US Airways: 68.71%
Surprisingly, in the bad month of December 2007, out of 35.66% delayed flights, only 1.39% was caused by weather. National aviation system delay and air carrier delay each accounted for 10.42% and 9.17% of the delays. What these numbers reveal is an outdated air traffic management system that is unable to satisfy the current travel demands. With all the fancy technology today, one would think that managing flights should be done better and faster. But historical data show that airline on-time performance has not improved but rather has slightly declined from an on-time rate of 77.20% in 1998.
It is time for airlines and air traffic controllers to rethink the model of air travel and the hub-and-spoke system. Ironically, I saw a BMW display ad at the Atlanta Airport saying “Miss your flight. But still make it to your meeting on time.” Too bad most people cannot afford a BMW, otherwise, we’ll all switch to the “flying” experience of a BMW, even though no peanuts and beverages are served.