Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/620859
C o n s u m e r E l e c t r o n i c s D a i l y N e w s 7 7 Tu e s d a y, J a n u a r y 5 , 2 0 1 6 interactivity between the brand and the consumer. As a consumer watches the main video, he or she can ask a question, view the answer video and as it ends, return to where he or she left off on the main video. CEDN: What are the benefits of this interaction? TO: Skipstone is like a trusted product expert that knows the features and bene- fits of a product or service and shares those features that are important to us. Perhaps the most important aspect of Skipstone is that it allows the brand to hear the consumer for the first time. Most advertising and marketing pushes infor- mation to the consumer. Skipstone hears the consumer's voice telling brands what his or her expectations and demands are. Imagine the power of the analytics avail- able with this new technology. CEDN: Who should use Skipstone? TO: Any brand that wishes to engage with prospects and customers before, during and after the sale. Brands can use Skipstone to share the features and benefits that are impor- tant to the consumer. Skipstone allows consumers to tell the brand what is important to them. Brands may also use Skipstone as a way of building brand loyalty. This works when brands create content that is more about engagement and less about selling. A great example of this is when we ask a brand where the name of a spe- cific product came from. Additionally, Skipstone is a wonder- Skipstone (Cont'd. from p. 1) ful way to inform. The best example is what we did is with asklearnvote.com, where anyone can virtually engage with any candidate to learn their positions on the issues that matter to the voter. CEDN: What happens if a consumer has a question you didn't prepare for? TO: Skipstone offers the consumer the abil- ity to have new or unanswered questions answered. What better way for brands to make sure they satisfy consumer demands and see new market desires than this direct link to the consumer? Consumers will get their answer via email, text message or live chat if the brand supports it. CEDN: Are analytics available to brands? TO: Yes, and at a level never before experienced. The best way to know what someone is thinking is to hear his or her questions. Imagine a real-time focus group of actual shoppers interacting with a brand and telling the brand exactly what interests them. Skipstone will cate- gorize and rank consumer interest as well as show trends in market demands. CEDN: Where does Skipstone reside? TO: Brands will be able place Skipstone links on their website and the websites of their partners, social media, etc. Skipstone will be available on every screen from laptops to mobile devices, even at point of sale. We will also show- case the link on www.goskipstone.com. For more information, visit www.go skipstone.com, call 734.646.3869 or stop by booth #81052. Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, User's Guide, 2015), allowing for more informed diabetes management deci- sions. While Dexcom is leading the CGM category, it's not planning on stopping there. It is also managing the data to help those with diabetes. "Data is only useful when it is actionable. We are investing in being the leaders of data curation and ways to use that data for the greater good," said Jorge Valdes, Dexcom Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "By capturing the data and having the best minds in the business do the analy- sis, we can further improve the overall patient experience." Annika Jimenez, Senior Vice President of Data at Dexcom agrees. "We are focusing on facilitating a richer set of insights," explained Jimenez. "By ana- lyzing Dexcom's data alongside data from pump manufacturers, pen manufac- turers and other behavioral data-rich apps, we will drive new insights-powered functionality to our patient communi- ties." "We are also using this data to create an Ecosystem," explained Valdes. "The Ecosystem is a suite of tools – some cre- ated by Dexcom and others by collabora- tors – which will add value and utility of the CGM data to improve patient out- comes and diabetes management." "The next generation data platform will bring in machine learning capabili- ties – moving towards a big data approach to power discovery," explained Jimenez. "We will find the right way to Dexcom (Cont'd. from p. 1) bring that to the patient community through our products or the Ecosystem." "The new software launch of Dexcom CLARITY™ also helps us see how we can bring insights to our patients and physicians," said Valdes. Dexcom is actively fostering innovative relation- ships with other prominent members of the diabetes community. By partnering with health tech companies, it gives more control to users to manage their diabetes with the information they're comfortable sharing. "By increasing the interoperability between medical devices, software and mobile platforms, it could mean improv- ing the user's experience and lifestyle goals," said Valdes. "With our new col- laborators, like Google, this is only the beginning of a totally new era in diabetes management." With all of the concerns with patient privacy, HIPAA and data breaches, Dexcom is taking an aggressive approach to protecting user data while still allowing their users access to their own data. "Patient privacy and data security has been and continues to be a top priority," said Jimenez. "We will continue to insist on not just being compliant, but putting patient privacy front and center. We want to support our patients' desires to access their personal data as much as we would an enterprise that wants to build new solutions. Dexcom puts patients first and this will continue to be the case as we build the Dexcom data platform." For more information, visit www.dexcom .com, call 888.738.3646, email customer service@dexcom.com or stop by booth #73531 at Tech West, Sands Expo. that is below the cost of many standard dig- ital models on the market today, speaks vol- umes to the innovation that ICM Controls brings to the marketplace," added Jobsky. The "U" is expected to start shipping this spring. Consumers wishing to learn more about the "U" or to pre-order can do so by visiting the "U" Series website at www.uthermostat.com. The ICM Controls app is currently available for both iOS and Android platforms. CES visitors can stop by the ICM Controls ICM Controls (Cont'd. from p. 4) booth at the Sands, Smart Home Pavilion, booth #71155 to learn more. Based in North Syracuse, New York, ICM Controls has been manufacturing thermostats for more than 15 years. Last year, the company launched its higher end i3™ Series of affordable touch ther- mostats based on the same innovative platform, and including a more robust feature set and a patent-pending, dynam- ic and intuitive interface. For more information, visit www .uthermostat.com or stop by booth #71155. work with a variety of products because they contain no fat, no calories and no preservatives whatsoever. This means that its flavoring is a perfect way to enhance drinks such as sparkling water, smoothies, protein shakes, alcoholic beverages, coffees and teas. Its flavors can also be used in Euro Flavor (Cont'd. from p. 4) foods such as baked goods, oatmeal, puddings, ice cream and other desserts. Beyond consumable products, its fla- voring has an aromatic essence that can also be used to supplement other miscellaneous household goods such as shampoos, hair conditioners, body lotions and candles. Learn more at euroflavor.myshopify.com. Cookie revolutionized how girls learn the five skills of goal setting, decision mak- ing, money management, people skills and business ethics, adding a digital layer that taught exciting new things – like online marketing, using digital dash- boards, digital money management – about the world of e-commerce. It left us with an interesting chal- lenge: taking our biggest, boldest, most advanced cookie sales experience ever, and making it even better. The answer was Digital Cookie 2.0. We are excited to demonstrate these updates, which, I'm proud to say, take a big step forward in the fun, functionality and educational opportunities made available to girls. CEDN: What's new for 2016? AC: With input from girls, Digital Cookie 2.0 provides a more robust, per- sonalized, hands-on, entertaining learn- ing experience. Our enhanced cookie website lets girls tell their cookie story to customers, and explain how their earn- ings will improve their community. There are fun new interactive activities, like quizzes, games, videos and tools like goal calculators that expand girls' under- standing of the business cycle. It teaches skills about running an e-commerce busi- ness, including revenue projection and digital customer acquisition and manage- ment. Girls can now earn all age-appro- priate Cookie Business badges using both Digital Cookie and offline activities, while exploring ways to invest their earn- ings back into their communities. As the leading "multichannel" entrepreneurial program for girls in grades K-12, Digital Cookie 2.0 expands the mobile app feature to all girls, allowing for a selling experience Girl Scouts (Cont'd. from p. 1) that mirrors today's retail markets. The original mobile app, available in select councils last year, will be joined by a new app for girls in other areas, which replicates the transactional elements of their sites. CEDN: Was the first iteration of Digital Cookie successful? AC: Digital Cookie was a major success, and brought the Girl Scout Cookie Program into the twenty-first century. Girls who combined Digital Cookie with traditional methods were more likely to increase their year-over-year sales. Over 350,000 orders were placed online, driv- ing the sale of nearly 2.5 million addi- tional boxes of cookies and an additional $10 million for our local councils. That money was used to bring girls the Girl Scout experience, and by girls to fund philanthropic Take Action projects in their communities. CEDN: What is the long-term vision for Digital Cookie? AC: Ultimately, Digital Cookie is about building tomorrow's leaders, and instilling the skills, values and knowledge girls need to succeed in our fast paced, e-and m- commerce world. With Digital Cookie, girls learn skills, giving them an edge when entering the workforce, and cus- tomers can support girls' STEM education while purchasing their favorite snacks. It's a win for girls, customers and our future, as we build girls of courage, confidence and character, poised to make the world a better place. Visit www.girlscouts.org/dig- italcookie to learn more. For more information, go to www.girlscouts.org or stop by booth #74760.