Currensee world headquarters in Boston’s North End can be a crazy place. We eat too many cannolis, indulge in red velvet cupcakes, dress like our engineers, laugh a lot and tend to get a little nutty. Especially on Fridays. One Friday a few weeks back, after the sugar high set in, we were sitting around the table throwing out ideas for new ways to communicate who we are to the world of Forex traders. Sure, anyone can throw up a video on YouTube with 2 minutes of blah blah about the company, but where’s the fun in that? Next thing you know, our friend and social media guy, David Ginsburg, is wearing a white blazer, we’re tossing out crazy funny banter and a star was born. Meet Irving Shmeckelstein, trader by day and lover by night. He lives a glamorous life in his mother’s basement – hey, who are we to judge, it can happen to the best of us. Above all, Iriving is searching for a way to make Forex trading work for him. He’s heard about Currensee but has a lot of questions. Lucky for you, he was not too afraid to ask.
PS: Huge props to Mr. David Ginsburg (aka Irving Shmeckelstein), who really went the extra mile, scratch that, MARATHON for us.
If you haven’t heard about the Old Spice video campaigns you must be either living under a rock or rendered speechless by Isaiah Mustafa’s six-pack, towel wearing bod. Some say he’s a god. I say the campaign is brilliant (and happen to concur with the god-like references). Weiden + Kennedy, P&G’s ad agency, pulled together one of the most integrated and truly buzz worthy social media campaigns of 2010. Their timeliness, randomness, and honest-to-goodness humor has put Old Spice on the map in terms of social media. Instead of us gushing about it, feel free to read the great articles by Mashable and Fast Company. But of course our $0.02 anyway.
As I thought about what worked so well in this campaign, I kept thinking about the 4Ps of marketing and how, in this new social media world, we need a new P. Sure, every successful marketing mix has something to do with product, price, placement and promotion. But what they don’t teach you is what we learned this week about a healthy dash of social media and a heaping helping of a hot guy in a towel.
As marketers, we spend most of our time cooking up clever ways to share our brand with the people we think are most interested – a.k.a. our target audience. Whether it’s chocolates, cars, ShamWows or Forex – there’s a buyer for what we’re selling. They just don’t know it yet.
Brands have to work harder than ever to earn our attention. We’ve all heard the urban legend of the viral video that refused to produce the golden YouTube views and its silent death at the hands of its maker. Tragic. We’ve all seen the Facebook pages that vie for us to like them only to disappoint us and the Twitter streams that offer nothing of value in 140 characters or less. Sigh.
The great thing about the Old Spice campaign is that it took something that’s been around for decades (my grandpa wore it for years) and made it new by starting with fans and followers. It is what every good campaign should do – start with the people and let them build it. It’s something they don’t teach you in school but something I admire in practice. IMHO, People should be the 5th P. Think about it. Social media is all about People. It’s about engaging People in conversations, creating new ideas, forming and sharing opinions and connecting. These are People who may or may not like your brand. But, they know other People. And when they see and hear cool stuff in action, they tell them.
Hats off to W+K for focusing on the People and to Old Spice taking a risk and putting a hot guy in a towel (seriously, thank you.) As a social network, we here at Currensee are empowered by great examples like this one and, because we are a little goofy and love social media, we decided to ask (and by ask I mean, make) one of our interns, appropriately named Orli, respond to one of the commercials. Watch the original commercial here. Our response will be posted momentarily. Happy trading, social media lovers.
=====
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
I remember my job at Fidelity back in the late 90s. We were cooking up this revolutionary new way for people to trade…online. It was back in the day when you sometimes paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a URL and every website had a little worker guy image on it because it was under construction.
I remember how many people at that time said it would never happen, this Internet fad. It will never take off. Who wants to go on the Internet to shop? Who would ever give their credit card across the world wide web, into the ether? Why would people rather talk online than on the telephone? Well, friends, if you are living in the year 2010, you are living the Internet dream. We are connected 24/7 and it’s getting easier and easier to shop, communicate, browse and work.
But there always has to be someone who doesn’t believe it. Along comes Prince, who I love dearly. My first album that was banned from my record player by my parents was Purple Rain. I think I know every word to every song on that album. The man is a musical genius and has millions of fans around the world but refuses to embrace technology and went so far as saying the internet is over in a recent interview picked up by Mashable. And, he went on to say:
“All these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that
can’t be good for you.”
It is hard to believe that there are smart, influential, talented people out there who believe that the Internet is the root of all evil. What about all of the great things the internet has does to open business and commerce? To connect people around the world? To create access to information? To make music available to fans everywhere? To give Forex traders access to each other (shameless plug)?
Maybe we’ve all fallen prey to the cult of Steve Jobs, and Facebook, and iTunes and Twitter and the many gadgets and websites we use every day to help us do our jobs better, live better, learn more and be more productive members of society. Maybe we should go back to our pre-Internet days and forget all the gizmos, gadgetry and websites.
…on second thought, I’ll stick with the cult. Sorry Prince, I ain’t buyin’ it.
=====
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
Today is Social Media Day. There are no fireworks. No parade. No band. Maybe a couple extra @’s and RT’s, but as I see it, Social Media Day is a pretty big accomplishment for the social community.
I kind of equate Social Media Day to Earth Day. Every day should be about taking care of our planet. Recycling, being as green as we can, conserving our precious resources, but it’s just not that way. Most people don’t think about the Earth with every bottle of water they throw away or every gas-guzzler they drive. So, Earth Day becomes the event or reminder that it’s important.
Seeing as we are a Forex trading social network, every day here at Currensee is social media day. We spend much of our time talking with our fans on Facebook, retweeting our followers on Twitter, discussing hot topics with the members of our social network and participating in discussions on Linked In. The good news is that it’s ingrained in what we do. We don’t need a special day to remind us. It’s just how we do things around here.
So I ask you, on this Social Media Day, what are you doing to be social? How are you building your social network or your social brand? Would love to hear from you.
=====
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
There is nothing like a steamy, sticky, rainy night in Beantown to run 3.5 miles with your colleagues and another 12,000 people who all signed up to run this year’s J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The Corporate Challenge is the largest road race held entirely within Boston’s city limits. It’s a fun run through the city and a great way to do something healthy for your body, and good for the community to boot.
We were excited to participate in this year’s race for a few reasons. First off, healthy Pips are the best Pips in town. We love encouraging exercise and healthy living. You know, out there in the fresh air and doing something good for your body. Second, we love doing something good for the community. This year’s race proceeds fund Camp Harbor View, a summer camp located on Long Island in Boston Harbor that provides an opportunity for children from Boston’s at-risk neighborhoods to spend time at summer day camp in the city. At the camp, kids get a chance to learn about life options that they may have never considered while receiving exceptional support from a caring staff. Now that’s a great cause. Third, we are all about team building and love a good team competition. (Personally, I like my competition a bit better in the air conditioning but, hey, it’s only once a year.)
We had the best t-shirt design, by far, thanks to our super-talented designer, Elliot, and we ran that last tenth of a mile extra hard at the thought of a nice cold beer with friends. I am already beginning to plan our t-shirts for next year’s race.
Check out the Pips at their finest in our team album!
=====
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
I equate retail Forex trading to growing up in today’s world. Think about it. You’re 17 or 18 years old. You grow up on the internet. The new Internet. Not the AOL, you’ve got mail, under construction, dial-up Internet. The new, open source, 2.0 social web where you can connect with friends all over the world, sharing pictures, ideas and information from any coffee shop or handheld device. Online Forex trading has the personality of a 17-year-old, but has been stuck in the grey pinstriped suit of a middle-aged guy.
I did time at all the big banks and brokers back when there was no such thing as retail Forex trading. The big guys only cared about the institutional money. That’s where all the currency bean-counting happened. It wasn’t about how many pips a trade made – it was all about hedging, managing risk and speculating. Who’s counting individual pips when you’re trading billions of dollars each day? They had sprawling trading desks staffed with phones and Bloomberg terminals and wing-tipped shoe wearing guys in suspenders. We all know how that ended up.
Fast forward to the 21st century. There was a crash. And a burn. People were looking for a new way to make a dollar. Cynical about the stock market and eager to try their hand at something new, online Forex trading came onto the scene. Retail brokers scrambled to add it on to their “other asset classes” offering and tried to make a go of it. In the background, business types all over the world started to see the opportunity to build Forex trading systems that any ordinary trader could use. As these online brokers started to crop up, so did the social web. Now, anyone could learn about Forex. Even your average Joe.
“….Just as the advent of the internet has removed the physical barrier to Forex, social media is steadily removing the perceptual barrier, and all accompanying stigmatisms to boot. The ability to collaborate trading strategies and market predictions while tapping the overall global knowledge base, are all advantages social media is bringing to the table for online trading firms. Social media established the infrastructure necessary for a truly global online Forex community that could eventually lead to a virtual collective trading block, matching (and potentially dwarfing) the trading power and influence of those major institutions we mentioned earlier, when it comes to driving market shift.”
It’s really about the old versus the new. The old Forex market was closed, isolated and scam-infested. It was a 1-to-1 trading experience between a trader and a broker. The new Forex market is all about embracing the larger social trend to foster trust, transparency, community and knowledge-sharing between many Forex traders and many Forex businesses. Brokers, online communities, news and education websites are all here to serve the millions of Forex traders who wake up every day ready to trade.
The social dish is the Forex game-changer. Imagine the possibilities when you start as a social financial services company, rather than trying to bolt on a bunch of social features to your big old corporate infrastructure. Just try to get that approved by Compliance. The face of Forex has come a long way, baby, and feels more like “the 25 to 35 year old male with long hair, jeans, and some extra cash to burn on the side (thanks for that quote, Ayelet).” Some guys have all the fun.
=====
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
Attention all Alpari UK, Ava FX, Easy Forex, and FX Pro traders: you can now join Currensee for free and link your live brokerage account. As part of the first-ever Forex social network, you’ll be able to measure your performance and share real-time trade data with your online trading team. We’re all about bringing trust and transparency to the Forex market, and are excited to welcome new members to our unique collaborative trading community.
“We couldn’t do what we do without strong relationships with Forex brokers and these new partnerships enable a whole new group of traders to take advantage of the Currensee trader network,” said Asaf Yigal, co-founder of Currensee.
Emanuel Kronitz, CEO of Ava FX, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Currensee and provide our traders with access to the Currensee trader network. Ava FX is dedicated to creating an exceptional Forex trading experience, and our relationship with Currensee gives our traders access to a unique Forex social network and the ability to connect with a wide variety of traders from around the world. It is a great compliment to our services.”
Sounds like a win-win. We look forward to meeting and collaborating with our new traders on the block. Now go mingle and build your trading team!
Happy Trading,
The Currensee Team
=====
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
Well we could have told you that, but we’re glad others are catching on. We just got word Lead411 has named us Boston’s fastest growing financial services companies. Our Forex trading social network was hand-selected based on its revenue growth, funding and website traffic. To toot our own horn a bit, Lead411 looked at 1,250+ companies and chose Currensee as the one to watch.
All the Pips here at Currensee World Headquarters in Boston are excited about the work we do every day, and thrilled to see others taking notice. It’s been a busy last few months – from announcing our Series B funding, to introducing the new features like Tweet My Trades™ and the Currensee Trader Leaderboard™ – and we still have more surprises and features up our sleeves. The thumbs-up from Lead411 is a huge pat on the back, and we’ll try to not let it go to our heads (we said try).
Want to be friends with the latest “hottest gig in town”? Like us, follow us, watch us and don’t miss a thing from the best thing since sliced bread first Forex trading social network.
======
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
Team Currensee is excited to be nominated for the Mass High Tech “Five to Follow”. We couldn’t be more honored to be in the company of nine other hip New England start-ups for consideration. The five winners will be profiled by Mass High Tech in the May 3 edition of their weekly Startup Report. It’s one thing to be nominated and yet another to win (we like to win), so we’re asking for your vote.
The top 10 reasons to nominate Currensee for the Mass High Tech Five to Follow:
10. We like to have fun. Everything from team bowling parties, Friday afternoon socials and saucy Wii Hula videos, we know how to work hard and play hard.
9. We have the most talented team of professionals in the business. Rockstar engineers and product folks building the platform, savvy sales, service and marketing peeps spreading the word and supporting our customers, a top-notch executive team including our fearless leader, El Capitan and co-founder, Asaf Yigal. It’s an honor and a privilege.
8. We are changing the world of Forex by delivering trust and transparency to traders all over the world.
7. We are constantly innovating and trying new ideas to build a better mouse trap, or social network.
6. We tirelessly listen to our members. We talk to them every day. We talk about what they say every day. We build new product features based on what they want with every release. We get it. We love ‘em.
5. We are delivering a truly differentiated product in the marketplace. It’s awesome to say “the first” and know you really are.
4. We are the first Forex trading social network. Boom.
3. How many financial services start-ups do you know? Yeah, we thought so.
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
We are excited to have Vernon & Park Capital as an investor. They have an impressive track record and are very experienced with financial market-related investments. Their involvement with Currensee will be important as we plan for growth in the Forex futures and options markets over time. We look forward to harnessing the power of their expertise and extensive network of significant industry partners as we grow the Currensee business.
So please join us in welcoming all the good pips at Vernon & Park to the Currensee community. We’re honored to have them involved and look forward to more social and financial innovation together!
======
Be sure to read the full risk disclosure before trading Forex. Please note that Forex trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved before trading. Performance, strategies and charts shown are not necessarily predictive of any particular result. And, as always, past performance is no indication of future results.
Currensee is the first social network for forex traders. We bring Forex traders from around the world together to make trading decisions in real time using live trading data.
Entries (RSS)