I just made the move from my old standby Blackberry to a new Android. My wife, on the other hand, decided on the iPhone. So, I thought I would do some research on preferences of iPhone users vs. that of Android users.

Of course there is a study for everything!

This is what I discovered. iPhone  users were, on the whole, more likely to be optimists, extroverts, self-described “high-maintenance” individuals and leaders, and more willing to spend money, while Android users were more likely to be pessimists, introverts, have a preference for saving their money, have pets, and be later adopters. The survey even probed differences between snack and cereal choices between the two types of users (iPhone users apparently prefer Malbec and Chianti when it comes to wine. Android users opt for Shiraz and Moscato.)

Android users were more likely to be men, ages 18-34 who lean to the right politically. Conversely, iOS users tend to be women over 35 years old and are 17 percent more likely to be politically liberal.

The report found that the South and Southwest tend to be Android-biased and the Midwest and Northeast lean towards iOS.

Recent findings also showed that 75 percent of the populace have used their mobile devices while on the toilet. Among those aged 28 to 35, the figure is 91 percent. And in general, Android owners are more likely than owners of other phones to use them on the toilet.

I say, “TMI”!

In summary, be grateful that location-based tracking is not yet so prevalent. Be worried about the rise of video on mobile devices.

So my question to you- do you think this study is accurate?

I have to admit that this is not original material in its entirety, however, I found it inspiring enough to repurpose. I must give credit to my wife who initially introduced me to Randy Pausch’s, “The Last Lecture” at Carnegie Mellon and how he inspired millions with life lessons that are applicable to almost everyone.

An interesting twist is if you were asked to write one last blog what would you say?Taking from those life lessons of Randy Pausch and how they can benefit marketers are inspirations below:

1. Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things. This speaks to marketing and competition. Often we as marketers work so hard to “stand out from the crowd” of other marketers. We ask ourselves is it worth the extra energy? As marketers, we accept that we must generate 25 ideas, even though the client may only accept one. We must accept that we are innovators not followers. It is these brick walls that we strive to push the awareness and reputation of our organizations and our clients organizations just a little bit better.

2. You have to get the fundamentals down or the fancy stuff won’t work. The foundations of marketing are a huge part of long-term marketing success as it saves you from repeating mistakes. By relying on fundamentals it allows you to effectively create innovative, strategic multi-channel campaigns that prove successful for your clients.

3. If there is an elephant in the room, introduce them. In the era of transparency be prepared to address your shortcomings. We all may experience hiccups but it is how we resolve these issues that provide the client with respect for your organization.

4. We learn from our students. For marketers this should say we learn from our customers. We live in a time when we can receive feedback from our customers in real-time. Embrace this engagement from your customers to learn more about the perception of your company in the marketplace and how you can become better marketers.

5. Work hard. Anyone who knows me, knows my philosophy on this subject and my life could have taken a very different path if I was not focused and determined with a goal in mind. I also help to instill these same values in others around me to enable them to reach their full potential.

From early childhood and throughout our adult life, we have craved to belong and have treasured friendships with others that share our interests, motivations, behaviors, preferences and values. We joined clubs, churches or political groups. We basically hung out with others who listened to the same music, drove the same kind of cars or dressed in similar fashions.

Things haven’t changed. We still like to hang out with friends who share our interests and we continue to join groups at roller coaster speeds. However, today we use online and offline communication channels to meet, develop and nurture friendships. We use online social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, blogs, texting, etc. as well as the more traditional channels like talking on your cell or actually socializing in person. Lots of choices create lots of challenges.

Today it’s all about more of what we like and less of what we dislike.  We know what we like, we know how and when we want to talk and most importantly, we can block anyone we don’t know, don’t like or don’t want as friends. We are in control.

As marketers, we must understand this newly acquired power, the control consumers now have and how important it is to create meaningful relationships with our customers. If you’re not a customer’s friend, sharing similar interests you will inevitably increase the risk of losing that customer. Treat each customer as you would your friends and communicate with each of them at the right time, with the right message and through the right channel. Remember, your competitor is only a click away.

By the way, my Facebook analysis suggests that I have an 80% chance of marrying, will have 2 children, have a woefully below average friend level and 352 people will attend my funeral. Can we be friends?

Alex Marchetti
President
Whitestone Marketing Group

The baseball world has mourned the loss of Ron Santo, Chicago Cubs nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner.  He passed away at age 70 after losing both his legs to diabetes, surviving open heart surgery and losing his battle with bladder cancer.

Ron was perhaps the most popular Cub player of our time and will be sorely missed not only by Chicago fans but baseball fans across the country.  His Diabetes Foundation has raised millions of dollars to develop a cure and it  will miss him dearly.

I had the special pleasure of spending a fair amount of time with Ron at the Cubs Fantasy Baseball camp in January of 2010 and will never be able to adequately express the impact he will have on my life. He was upbeat, positive and remained passionate about the Cubs after 50 years (no easy task).  He was simple an amazing person.

As we prepared to break camp, I told Ron that I hoped he would have a good year and he responded “ I can’t tell you how much that means to me and how much I appreciate it. I hope I have a good year too”. Unfortunately, he did not make it through the year.

I was fortunate to have met Ron and will always appreciate his inspiration, courage and passion. He was a very special person and friend whom I will miss.