A panel of CEOs from Xerox, Ford and Verizon spoke on education and innovation during CES as reported by Vegas Inc. The executives pointed out that better education and economic diversification were the key to the United States catching up to leading businesses around the world.

“We must fundamentally improve our educational system,” Ursula Burns, chairman and CEO of Xerox, said during the CES’ Innovation Power Panel session. “We need to make science and math a desirable place to be. We need great teachers. We need excited learners. We can’t complain if we don’t have them, if we don’t invest in them.”

She went on to say that a part of the solution was to make students realize that four or six more years of education after high school could change their financial outlook and success.

“Unfortunately, it’s still not cool to be that way,” Burns said. “And it’s amazing to me how few people are thinking that way.”

CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro, moderator of the panel, said that the aftermath of the death of Steve Jobs put an emphasis on his role as an innovator. It was good for the industry as it showed the importance of innovators and the need for a solid education.

Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford, said that the United States needed to get back to letting businesses grow.

“Manufacturing can be a big part of fueling U.S. growth,” Mulally said. “It’s almost like we’ve decided not to be competitive.”

John Stratton, president of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, said that his company was fostering innovation through the opening of centers in Boston and San Francisco that invite entrepreneurs to develop phone apps and services.

Stratton blamed the government for not establishing new tax policies and putting regulatory burdens on companies as the main reasons behind their stifled innovation.

The executives praised the section on the CES show floor called Eureka! Park that features more than 100 new technologies. Shapiro said that the area featured product categories like broadband services, safe driving and sustainable technologies. It’s his hope that venture capitalists will invest in these new technologies to bring them to market.

While doing the interview Gina Lind, CEA‘s Director of Marketing Communications, summed up their appearance in Google’s Parisian Love commercial, "To be featured in the first couple seconds of an ad for a top brand like Google during the Super Bowl… is a marketer’s dream!"

Be sure to read the full in-depth interview below.

Would you believe being barely seen in a Super Bowl commercial would greatly increase your site traffic? Tell us what you think.

Google’s "Parisian Love" commercial ran during the 3rd quarter of the game and instantly became one of the game’s most discussed commercials. Overall, it was fairly simplistic; it featured a series of Google searches that told a cutesy little love story (just in time for Valentines Day).

The brilliance behind it’s simplicity was that each search showcased a different Google search feature: query suggestions, did you mean, Maps, language translation, web definitions, flight tracking and Google’s overall ease of use. Google managed to show off all these features without making the commercial feel cluttered… quite the achievement.

It’s common knowledge that advertising during the Super Bowl isn’t cheap. This year a 30 second spot would set you back around $3.01 million. So for around $3 million Google was seen by the largest audience in the history of television, was able to show off a ton of features and even gave some ‘collateral’ publicity to some lucky companies.

We contacted the study abroad company featured in the commercial, CEA Global Education -  GoWithCEA.com, and asked them some questions about their Super Bowl experience.

WebProNews: The Google ad, Parisian Love, was uploaded to YouTube on November 19, 2009, were you aware of its existence?

CEA: No, prior to Super Bowl Sunday, we were not aware the Google ad existed or uploaded to YouTube.

WPN: So, Google never contacted CEA and asked permission?

CEA: Google did not contact CEA to request permission; however, we are not surprised that CEA appeared at the top of the page listing, as SEO is an integral part of our marketing strategy.

WPN: Did CEA see a spike of traffic after the Super Bowl commercial aired?

CEA: CEA experienced a spike in traffic almost immediately.  As you know, the spot aired late Sunday afternoon and by Monday morning, our number of page views had increased sharply. By the end of the day, we saw nearly a five-fold increase in site traffic, especially our Paris program page, which was featured in the ad.

WPN: We saw that CEA created a video response to the Parisian Love ad… tell us about that.

CEA: Our Graphic Designer and Web Specialist had the idea Monday morning to create a response video to the Google ad. Director of Marketing Communications, Gina Lind, quickly pulled the staff together to help, not an easy feat as CEA is at the height of its application season for Summer and Fall 2010 study abroad programs.

WPN: CEA has also uploaded "A Study Abroad Love Story", was this inspired by the Google commercial? Tell us about it.

CEA: Our Project Manager remembered we had featured a true love story in a 2006 CEA Newsletter and helped to track the couple down today in Oshkosh, Wisc. Our content manager called the couple and they graciously agreed to share their story for our blog and video. Imagine our amazement when we discovered the couple’s happy announcement that, like the couple in the Google ad, they were expecting their first child!

WPN: We saw where both CEA and StudyAbroad.com shared some congratulatory tweets (1, 2). How big was this for both companies?

CEA: The study abroad community is a small, but passionate field of higher education professionals who are committed to helping students explore the world and connect with other cultures. Congratulations from any of our peers and colleagues is both heart-warming and rewarding for our staff and faculty, who work so hard both in the U.S. and abroad. At CEA, we really are a family, so we can’t help but feel proud of colleagues and the good fortune the couple and former CEA students, Kate and Allan, have had.

WebProNews would like to thank CEA for taking the time to answer our questions.

Another interesting thing about the commercial we ran across while watching the commercial (for about the 50th time) was how much Google had cleaned up their results page for the commercial. Take a look at the screenshots below; you’ll notice what we’re talking about.

It looks as though Google has removed the advanced search link, AdWords ads, and the grouped results for the top result, more than likely just to clean up the page for the commercial. But take a closer look at results page numbers, located at the top right corner; we’ve circled them above. There is a discrepancy with the two SERP numbers, to the tune of around 99,000,000 but numerous factors could be at play. What do you think could’ve caused this?

Google’s Parisian Love commercial will slowly start to fade into commercial oblivion, only returning for those annual “best commercials” shows. However, I doubt CEA will be forgetting the power of SEO, Google, the Super Bowl and a little luck anytime soon. What more could any marketer ask for?

"Teens today are using more than just a calculator to help them with their studies," said Jessica Boothe, research analyst at CEA.

"But they are taking this initiative on their own. In both public and private schools, there is low usage of technology. We find that teens want more access to classroom technology to further their education."

While 65 percent of teens report technology is used by teachers in the class, only 41 percent report spending time in a computer class or lab. Teens attending public and private schools report that their homework assignments require access to technology once they leave school.

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of private school students are required to have access to either a desktop or a laptop outside of the classroom while a smaller percentage of public school students (47%) are required to have access for their studies. The majority (82%) of teens say they use a cell phone most often, while 46 percent say they use a laptop at school.
 

The study, "Net-Enabled Video: Early Adopters Only?" found that about half of potential TV buyers say they are likely to purchase an Internet-connected TV.

There are numerous ways people would use an Internet-enabled TV. Almost half (48%) of U.S. online adults would use their Internet connected TV to find out more information on upcoming shows and identify a song that played during the show.

Forty-four percent would also use the Internet to find out more information about the actors on-screen. Having anytime-access to content via the Internet and television broadcasts together were the top benefits of an Internet connected TV, according to consumers.

Shawn DuBravac

"As we saw at the 2009 International CES, Internet-enabled devices are taking the consumer technology experience to the next level, and nowhere is this more pronounced than with television," said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s economist and director of research.

"Consumers want more from their TV experience and marrying traditional television with Internet access is providing the next frontier of the television experience."

The study also found that most adults are already online while watching TV. Close to a third of online adults (30%) say they always or usually surf the Internet while watching television and another third (32%) say they sometimes do.

Consumers are increasingly willing to shift online activities to the TV. Watching online video has the highest potential conversion rate (62%) followed by weather updates (59%) and playing online games (57%).

"Consumers are already using the Internet while they watch TV. The next frontier is to create a seamless experience bringing the two together," said DuBravac.

"Consumers want a variety of content that they can access anytime. An Internet-enabled TV is perfectly positioned to provide consumers with exactly what they are looking for in their next television experience."

The "Third Annual Sports and Technology Study: Future of Sports Content Consumption," conducted by CEA and the Sports Video Group (SVG), found that 38 percent of sports fans will download and watch a game for free over the next two years, an increase of 10 percent from 2007.

Networks are giving fans the ability to watch games online, including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament because of fans increased demand for online sports.

"CBS and the NCAA, with their March Madness on Demand package, recognize the importance of providing consumers with sports content when and where they want it," says Jason Oxman, senior vice president, industry affairs, CEA.

"As both broadband and cell phone penetration steadily increase, we saw at the International CES that consumers continue to migrate their entertainment viewing to new platforms, and CEA believes the sports consumption landscape will continue to evolve in these new and exciting ways."

The CEA study found that sports fans are going online for information, statistics and highlights when they are geographically separated from their favorite team. Forty-one percent of basketball fans say their favorite team is located in a different city compared with just 26 percent who say they live in the same city as their favorite team.

A majority of U.S. households (55%) also have broadband Internet access, making it easier to access their team’s information and watch game highlights. The study also found that more than half of HDTV-owning sports fans, or sports fans intending to buy an HDTV, will watch highlight clips online, at YouTube or espn.com

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is also helping drive sales of HDTVs with an estimated 1 million HDTVs (934,000) being sold amounting to more than $1 billion in retail sales.

In related March Madness news CBSSports.com has released an additional 250,000 VIP passes for its on demand player. The initial 500,000 were snapped up as of 4 PM ET yesterday. Currently the VIP capacity on CBSSports.com is at 99 percent so you need to make a fast break to get a pass, if you have not already done so.

Total U.S. industry sales are predicted to rise to $17.9 billion in 2008, an increase of 13 percent from an estimated $15,8 billion in 2007, the CEA said. That compares to a 22 percent increase from 2006 to 2007.

The slower growth is due in part to the fact consumers have gotten over the excitement of new consoles. Hardware sales increased by 50 percent to $6.6 billion in 2007. It has been predicted that sales will shrink to $6.4 billion in 2008.

Software sales are expected to increase significantly.  "Software (in 2007 had) phenomenal growth, riding the wave of hugely successful title launches such as (Microsoft’s) Halo 3, (Activision Inc’s) Guitar Hero III and (Electronic Arts Inc’s) Rock Band. In fact, the focus for 2008 will be in the software category, where CEA estimates a 26 percent increase in sales over 2007," said CEA spokeswoman Jennifer Bemisderfer.

Software sales are predicted to increase to $11.5 billion in 2008, up from $9.1 billion in 2007. That was a 7.6 percent increase from 2006, the CEA said.
 

Consumer electronic products trail only books and clothing as the items most often purchased online. Desktop PCs, wireless phone and digital cameras are the most popular consumer electronics products for online shoppers. Shoppers said they are satisfied with their online and in-store experiences.

"It’s terrific to see high satisfaction with both the in-store and online shopping experiences, especially as we move into the busy holiday shopping season," said Tim Herbert, CEA’s senior director of market research. CEA projects that people will spend a record $22 billion on consumer electronics gifts this holiday season.

A majority of consumers gave both online (89%) and in-store (80%) experiences ratings of good or excellent. Brick-and mortars had strong improvements in product information, wait times while in line, and salesperson knowledge. Survey results indicate that selection and convenience are the main advantages of purchasing consumer electronics online.

"For savvy consumers, shopping online offers a wider variety of products and the ability to quickly compare prices," said Herbert. "As a result, online shoppers have an opportunity to make a more informed purchasing decision."

The growth of online purchasing also creates an opening for traditional CE retailers. Brick and mortar retailers are the most commonly visited sites by online CE shoppers. More shoppers go online to research and compare prices and then buy in the store (47%) than vice versa (17%). An increasing number of people (11%) are going online and then picking the item up in the store, creating more selling opportunities in the process.

"Consumers see the online and in-store experiences as complementary," said Herbert. "While the Internet provides information to evaluate the options and easily complete a transaction, physical stores are an important part of the equation, allowing buyers to see the product first hand and take it home immediately."

"With 20 percent of non-broadband subscribers expecting to adopt this service in the next two years, future growth looks strong," said CEA President and CEO, Gary Shapiro.

"Yet, competition among broadband service providers must stay robust for this expected growth to prevail. Consumers must have access to media-rich entertainment content they can use anytime, anywhere at a reasonable price."

For online households, broadband is the primary connection. Seventy-five percent of households with Internet access have broadband. Out of these households 65 percent made the decision to upgrade for a faster Internet connection. For non-subscribers, 15 percent say price is the number one reason they do not have broadband.

"Most importantly," Shapiro continued, "increased broadband access brings with it the hope of widely disseminating knowledge and improving healthcare and distance learning services. Broadband access spurs innovation and technology for all Americans."

Thirty percent of U.S. households have an HDTV and the number is expected to increase to 36 percent by the end of this year. Among HDTV households, close to a third own more than one high-definition set, illustrating the healthiness of the market.

The CEA study, "HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content?" found that 44 percent of HDTV owners have HD programming. The main reasons for not receiving the programming were that it was too expensive or consumers were not interested.

The main reason consumers are buying HDTVs is not to watch television, but to enhance their movie and gaming experience. The most common device connected to an HDTV not receiving HD programming is a DVD player. Almost 40 percent of these households also connect surround sound and video game systems to their HDTV.

"Consumers are satisfied overall with HDTV," said CEA Director of Research Joe Bates. "But our studies indicate continued education is necessary to ensure consumers truly understand how to receive the full HD experience."

Out of those who receive HD programming 66 percent comes from a cable company. Of the remaining households receiving HD programming, 27 percent are satellite, 8 percent are over the air, 3 percent are fiber optic service and 3 percent from the Internet. This profile reflects the U.S. television reception profile, that reveals that HD content is not resulting in a migration to anyone television-programming provider.

"As we have seen for years, consumers still demand more HD content," continued Bates. "Currently, more than 50 percent of HD households show some interest in upgrading their HD subscription package to include more HD channels."

"In the span of a few years, the PC has risen from an enigmatic beige box to what some consumers today might call the epicenter of infotainment in the home," said Steve Koenig, CEA’s senior manager of industry analysis.

The study found that 86 percent of home PC audio users are content with their computer sourced audio experience. More than one-third of PC audio users say there is a need for better sound quality. If they had to choose between having quality audio and owning a large number of audio files, around half (47%) of PC audio users chose quality over quantity.

According to the CEA music is the most universal form of content that consumers listen to on computers. Seventy-seven percent of PC audio users listen to music on their computers an average of nine hours per week.

The study also found a gap between PCs and home audio systems. Just 9 percent of PC audio users have their computers connected to their home audio systems.

"The PC has claimed its place as a hub of audio content procurement and playback in the home," said Koenig. "The next step is to allow consumers to see the benefits of connecting their PC to their existing home audio system for a more enjoyable home audio experience."