Entertainment Marketing

Neatoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Who Knew Vacuuming Could Be Fun (With Laser Guided Neato XV-11 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner)

July 27, 2010 • Atlanta, GA USA – Neatoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

On a scale of 1 to 10: my new, first-off-of the production line* Neato XV-11 Robotic All-Floor Vacuum Cleaner is an 11. It’s an understatement to say, I am thrilled with my Neato that arrived Tuesday, July 13th. Who knew that vacuuming could be so much fun.

In the last few months, my wife and I noticed that she had been coughing a lot in the bedroom, so we (or I should really say she) did a deep clean of the bedroom: tumbled-dusted the curtains in the dryer; vacuumed under the bed (with our Oreck XL Pro Plus Vacuum that we also love for its light weight and deep cleaning); changed the bed liner (already hypo-allergenic); removed dust gathering magazines: you get the picture. While the bedroom felt much cleaner, she was still coughing intermittently. So, perhaps she needed to visit an allergist.

Neato XV-11 Robotic All-Floor Vacuum System

Then, “I” vacuumed the bedroom with my Neato XV-11 (including under the bed). I couldn’t believe how much dirt was in the dirt bin. So, “I” immediately vacuumed the bedroom with Neato a second time, and, while not as much dirt, enough that I ran Neato two more times: four times in all. The result: my wife no longer coughs in the bedroom. Period. That’s huge! My wife agrees that Neato’s best feature is its ability to vacuum under our bed (and do a deep clean of the carpets. (A close second is that “I” vacuum more more frequently!) We love that Neato does base boards, corners and cleans around bed legs and support posts. It just works!

I suspect that even if Neato hadn’t done such a great job in the bedroom, I’d still love it for its geek-chic appeal. I’m a (relatively) early adopter of new technology. I have an iPhone 4 (love it); I have a FLIP HD Ultra (loved it ’til I got the iPhone 4); had two Tivos shortly after Tivo (loved it) was introduced (until we switched to AT&T U-verse U450 with highest internet speed possible (love the service; hated the seven truck-rolls for installation); bought a Pioneer Elite Blu-Ray player with Pioneer Elite 50″ HD shortly after its introduction (5x the cost of today’s better version); got an Apple TV (love it) not to long after it was introduced; Netflix; switched my GREAT! Agency to Macs from PCs in 1988. Plus, we’ve started a Geek Night – not Greek Night – show-and-tell dinner party for our other Geek-chic friends. You get the picture.

That’s a long way of saying, it’s fun to watch Neato vacuum. (“I am” vacuuming now.) Press the start button, and Neato comes alive. First, Neato starts out slowly to get the “lay of the land” and then – those nice, neat(o) rows that gives the carpet a “racked” look like a lawn that has been professionally cut. Plus, “I” can vacuum while we’re out to dinner. In my home office, about the size of four bedrooms, Neato needs to re-charge once to complete the space. That said, Neato “knew” it needed to re-charge (in its charging based station); re-charged and remembered where it left off to finish the cleaning – all on its own. “I” vacuum frequently, now that we’ve got Neato. (Hopefully, I still get household “points” for vacuuming!) You can get the Neato specs; see videos; and answers to frequently asked questions on the Neato Robotics home page. Below this video is more on my first-person experience vacuuming with Neato.

[Video: To get this "Neato-Cam" video, I mounted my FLIP HD Ultra to the top of the Neato XV-11.]

The first time “I” vacuumed, I wasn’t sure if the laser-guided Neato would be misguided by my movements in the room. (So far, my sense is that I am free to wander the room while Neato vacuums: just not get in its “face” …)

I mentioned that I received Neato on a Tuesday. I held off until that weekend to take it out of the box (that’s five years in Geek years) figuring that I would have to do some assembly; and, (aghast) read the manual ’cause this was new, new technology that would be hard to figure-out and use. Guys and their high-tech gadgets. It takes so little to entertain us. It’s part of our DNA. Well, I couldn’t be more wrong about ‘our” new Neato. Getting started with Neato, was as easy as … 1-2-3:

Charge Neato into the charging base station
Fully charge (solid green light) Neato before “you” start vacuuming
Press START to wake-up Neato and then press START again to vacuum. Now that’s out-of-the-box thinking! (And, beautifully and safely packaged.)

I do recommend reading the 50-page (big print) manual. It’s a fun, helpful and light-read. “Though it may seem pet-like, do not bathe or otherwise submerge your Neato XV-11 vacuum in water. … It doesn’t mind being cleaned and groomed with a damp cloth, however.” (Thank you Neato Robotics for having a sense of humor!)

Neato XV-11 Box

Neato doesn’t like curtains, so I used monster clips to “pin-up” our bedroom curtains before letting Neato do its thing. Plus, I picked up some small area rugs; and used the 15-foot Boundary Marker (included) to “rope-off” the ’spaghetti’ of cables under my desk in my office.

In an anthropomorphic moment, my wife asked me what name I would give “our” Neato. (She named her Cello … Monte … so it was a given that Neato would get a new name!) First, some backstory. I grew-up watching the “futuristic utopia” Hanna-Barbera animated TV series The Jetsens featuring “elaborate robotic contraptions” living in “Skypad Apartments in Orbit City” cleaned by “humanoid” Rosie the Robot Maid (XB-500). Rosie was – “an old demonstrator model hired by the Jetson family from U-RENT A MAID.” So, in an homage to Rosie the Robot Maid in The Jetsons, I’ve named “our” Neato … Rosie! (Not to be confused with, Rosie, one of my fashion and glamour photo shoot models.)

And, should our every-other-week housekeeper be concerned about her job being replaced? Not just yet. Among other things, Rosie doesn’t create a rose out of the end of the toilet paper. (Note to Neato Robotics Engineers: we’d love a robot that can change bed linens too please.)

So, after two weeks of Rosie vacuuming, here are some suggestions for Neato Robotics:

Add an iPhone mount. I’d love to stream live video. (Really! Geeks will inherit the Earth.) Or, now that I have an iPhone 4, add a FLIP HD mount so I can re-purpose my FLIP camcorder.
Add a “detailing” kit. Ala Pimp My Ride on MTV and Trick My Truck on CMT, I would like to give Rosie some character.
Offer prizes for YouTube videos featuring Neato. (I’d love to see a short-film of a housekeeper that arrives with her Neato; reads a magazine; and then leaves once Neato finishes cleaning. I wonder if someone has beat me to an eye-level view from the “cockpit” of the Neato. No doubt we’ll see unofficially sanctioned cat-riding-Neato videos on YouTube.)
License sounds from R2-D2, C-3PO, Rosie the Robot Maid, The Robot in Lost in Space. When the sweeping brushes got stuck with an object (until I removed it), I would have loved to hear, “Warning Will Robinson. Warning! Warning! Warning!” Or, when Neato enters a room, it would be great to hear the “swish” of the doors opening/closing on Star Trek. Or, how about Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto when Neato finishes vacuuming. License fees can “pay off” in buzz, word-of-mouth next generation Neatos …
Create a design challenge for well-known designers. After showing off the designs at Fashion Week cleaning the cat walks, auction off the one-of-a-kind designs for the charity of each designer’s choice.
Ship the Neato XV-11 with three extra filters (rather than just one) that need to be replaced every three months. “Your package includes extra filters,” says the Manual (page 42).
Include Quick Response (QR) codes: 1) on the outside of the box [to help sell at retail]; 2) in the manual: 3) and on Neato. Scanning the codes on any smartphone would launch videos such as: how the laser-based room positioning system works (ala the videos that are on the Neato Robotics home page); Neato Robotics YouTube Channel and media coverage such as ABC News showcases the Neato XV-11 at the 2010 Consumer Eelctronics Show.
Give Neatos to key-influencers like Oprah, The Daily Show Host Jon Stewart and Ryan Seacrest. They will gush about it on their shows. [I look forward to Walt Mossberg's review in The Wall Street Journal.]

Per-orders now through 8/10/10: At $399 from Neato Robotics (and via Amazon and stores), the Neato XV-11 is pricy: particularly because you (probably) still need a regular vacuum, even if it is just to do steps or area rugs. That said, if my wife had to visit the allergy doctor, the time and expense of the doctor and prescriptions would have exceeded the cost of a Neato. Perhaps allergy doctors should counsel their patients to get a Neato XV-11 Robotic All-Floor Vacuum Cleaner!

While the Roomba robotic vacuum had always been on my radar (Reminder: I’m a Geek – I am expected to know these things!), my sense is that the Neato is in a (cleaning) class by itself. Like the Neato Robotics website says, “Smart. Powerful. Methodical.”

In a word, how do I feel about Rosie, “our” new Neato XV-11 ‘housekeeper’?

Neatooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

# # # # #

Suggested Reading/Viewing:

BotJunkie – BotJunkie Review: Neato Robotics XV-11 (5/18/10)
The New York Times – Neato Introduces the XV-11 Vacuum Robot (6/29/10)
Neato Robotics Press Release – Neato Robotics Ships Smart, Powerful Robot Vacuum Cleaner To Keep All Types of Floors Meticulously Neat (6/28/10)
Gizmodo – Robot Vacuum Cleaner. With Lasers. Robots. Lasers. Cleaning. Awesome. (12/16/09)
Wired: Gadget Lab – Neato Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Challenges the Roomba (12/16/09)
ABC News/Technology – Neato Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Challenges the Roomba (12/21/09)
RobotShop Community Forum – Neato Robotics Vacuum Cleaner Available at RobotShop.com (7/16/10)
Engadget – Neato XV-11 ships out next month, will assassinate dust bunnies for money (6.29.10)
BotJunkie – iRobot Roomba 560 vs. Neato XV-11 (6/4/10)
All Business – How the Digital Revolution (and Uncle Sam) Can Revive the Economy (7/15/10) – an interview with Neato Robotics CEO Max Saffai

Neato Robotics – Home Page
Neato Robotics – Facebook Page
Neato Robotics – Twitter

Notes:

a I look forward to reading your comments to this blog post

*Disclosure: I won the first-off-the-production-line Neato XV-11 at the Last Gadget Standing competition at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by screaming the longest and loudest that I want the robotic vacuum cleaner. (I lost my voice for a day!) For details, please see my blog post: First Ever Booth Babes Bingo Held at 2010 CES Trade Show in Last Vegas – ‘We Have A Bingo!’ In my YouTube video that looks like the Blair Witch Project, you’ll hear me scream for “our” Neato XV-11 vacuum cleaner.

PostScript (7/28/10)

Chinavasion – Intelligent Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Wireless IP Camera (via Yug’s Comment to this blog post)

[Video: To get this video, I used my FLIP HD Ultra on a micro-tripod]

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GREAT! Idea: Nike ‘Just Do It’ Experiential Sports Themed Trash Cans at Six Flags Over Georgia

July 26, 2010 • Atlanta, GA USA – How do you increase Sponsorship revenue for a theme park? Start with a GREAT! idea.

I am a GREAT! IDEAologist. I love thinking of ideas. Big ideas. Ideas that can generate revenue. Increase audience. Increase attendance. Increase sales. Ideas that can help make a difference.

Here is the first in a series of 12 theoretical examples of GREAT! ideation to help Six Flags Theme Parks* target to a potential Sponsor. In a moment, the idea: first, some additional benefits for this GREAT! idea:

Create extraordinary ‘word-of-foot’ value for Nike* brand; including pressworthy launch
Create an experiential opportunity for Nike – without staffing!
Turn hundreds of per-park Six Flags trash cans into mini-entertainment experiences.
Reduce – or eliminate – trash on the ground (Reduce staff time to pick up trash.)
Use the Six Flags employees’ t-shirt real estate for something that generates revenue; instead of: Have A (Heart), Do Your Part, Help Keep The Park Clean.

First, some backstory about Nike’s aggresive plans for growth:

Nike Inc. CEO Mark Parker wants to aggressively grow Nike to a $27 billion company by 2015: a 40% increase from today – even “while Nike sales growth in the U.S. is slowing,” according to The Wall Street Journal (5/10/10). That’s an opportunity for all Six Flags Parks!
The Six Flags theme Park audience is perfectly aligned with Nike: the world’s leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel.

GREAT! Idea: (Concept) [Test at Six Flags Over Georgia before rolling-out to other Six Flags Theme Parks]

Text on Trash Can: Just Do It and the Nike Swoosh.
Nike’s Agency, Wieden+Kennedy,* designs experiential sports Interpretations added to the trash cans – and surrounding pavement:

Add a basketball hoop and backboard (and court)
Add baseball strike zone / baseball stadium motif
Add a football goal / stadium motif
Add a bowling alley motif (alley on pavement)
Add an archery target
Add a lacrosse goal / motif
Add track & field shot-put motif
Add a soccer goal / stadium motif (soccer field on pavement)
Add a golf putting green motif (golf green on pavement)
Add an ice hockey goal / hockey rink area motif
Add tennis net motif (tennis court on pavement)
Add a volleyball court motif (also court on pavement)

Plus, add a Quick Response (QR) code to each trash can that features a Nike sponsored video (e.g. licensed video clip of a great soccer goal, tennis shot, basketball shot, etc.)

Kick Off:

Pressworthy: Nike flies-in sports stars to Six Flags Over Georgia to “shoot baskets”, “pitch baseballs” and “score goals” by tossing trash into the Just Do It / Swoosh trash cans.
Nike Sponsors “A Walk In The Park” fundraiser … plus, kids collect Six Flags arcade game tokens as they walk by each Just Do It trash can to win Nike apparel
All Six Flags employees t-shirts say, Just Do It with the Nike Swoosh
All Park employees wear imprinted Nike apparel for a week: or ongoing
Add a Niketown pop-up store to one or more Six Flags Parks

Notes:

Guests will pick up trash – of other guests – as soon as it hits the ground so they will have “balls” to score a basket, throw a strike or score a goal. Guest will save their trash until they locate a Just Do It trash can. And, they will actively seek out the trash cans! (Kick off the launch with the “Just Do It Trash Can Bingo Game at Six Flags & Win” using your camera in your GPS SmartPhone).
To see how this might work, see my (hypothetical) idea for Booth Babes Bingo at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show: http://ht.ly/1JKcR

Hundreds of trash cans per Six Flags Theme Park can generate revenue for Six Flags while creating extraordinary ‘word-of-foot’ value for Nike; an entertainment experience for Six Flags guests; and collect trash (more effectively so that employee t-shirt ’signage’ can be deployed for still other marketing opportunities). Nike not interested? Take this idea to Dick’s Sporting Goods, Footlocker, Sports Authority or Adidas America.

[Thank you David, Ben, Jason, Caryn and Bethany for your help thinking through this idea and other GREAT! ideas while experiencing Six Flags Over Georgia rides, attractions, shopping and meals together.]

*Disclosure: Neither Six Flags, Nike or Wieden+Kennedy are GREAT! clients (though Six Flags did provide me with free, front-of-the-line passes, meal vouchers, parking and swag for six of us to experience Six Flags Over Georgia together.)

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