Fear, Hope and the Future of Emerging Media

 

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said that “change is the only constant”. These words are an apt description of the ever-changing landscape of emerging media. In general, I believe change is a good thing. But as I enter the final week of my Emerging Media course at WVU, I’m both overwhelmed and optimistic about the future of media consumption. The number of available apps, social media channels and burgeoning trends make it difficult to keep up, let alone choose which channels are the most appropriate for a brand. And these channels will continue to grow exponentially. But my sense of trepidation is coupled with an enthusiasm for what comes next. So in that spirit of enthusiasm, I want to take a look forward this week to what I think will be some of the more significant shifts in how media will be consumed in the coming years. One thing’s for certain – change will be the only constant. If he were alive today, @Heraclitus’ words would deserve more retweets than Ellen’s Oscar selfie.

I recently re-watched Erik Qualman’s Socialnomics video. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. The statistics are a barometer of where digital media is now, and an insightful predictor of where it’s headed.

Millennials

As the video points out, over 50% of the world’s population is under 30. Much of the future of digital media will be shaped by this segment of the population. Millennials are digital natives, vanguards of new media and superstars of personal branding. Their collective voice is louder and more impactful than any previous generation, and their influence is rivaled only by their cumulative spending power. Recent research suggests that much of millennials’ social media use is actually driven by the fear of missing out. But overall, they are a generation that is defined by a hope for the future. A Pew Research study indicates that 49% of Millennials believe the country’s best years are ahead. Their relative optimism is matched only by the enthusiasm of today’s marketers. Digital ad spending is about to explode in response to several trends among millennials, and much of that spending will begin with mobile.

Mobile

Mobile is the future of media consumption. 92.3% of Millennials used a mobile phone in 2012, and 63% used the mobile web. In 2013, 50% of mobile web users used smartphones as either their primary or exclusive means of going online. As a result, mobile ad budgets in the U.S. are expected to increase from $2.3 billion in 2012 to almost $11 billion in 2016. By 2018, mobile in the U.S. will account for 67.8% of digital ad spending. As the millennials go, so go the advertisers. Mobile is also changing the way consumers connect with brands, and when used as a second screen, mobile is augmenting the way we consume traditional media. Marketers are capitalizing on these mobile trends by improving search engine marketing techniques to include localized keywords and click-to-call features. In a recent post I discussed the increasing profitability of in-app advertising. Mobile apps will continue to grow in popularity, and may even reshape social networking.

Social Media

Millennials have the highest social networking penetration of any generation, and the highest Facebook and Twitter use rates. Millennials spend five hours per day with user-generated content, including social networks. They find peer generated content to be 35% more memorable than other media and 50% more trustworthy. As a result, this content has 20% more influence on purchase decisions than other types of media. In response, social media spending among marketers is expected to grow by more than 10 percent during the next five years. Some believe niche apps will be the future of social media. According to Jessie Gould of B2C, “There is no longer a one-size-fits-all in the social app world. Instead, the specialized tools are getting the attention… Big social media is going to continue to break down into manageable, immediately applicable chunks as users seek more specialized communities.”

Wearable Tech

Wearble tech is a growing business that presents some exciting possibilities for the way we communicate. More changes are on the way, including strides that will be made in the area of augmented reality. This technology is already on display with Google Glass, among others. According to industry experts, the wearable technology market is set to expand rapidly in the next several years with worldwide spending expected to hit $1.4 billion this year and $19 billion by 2018.

This year, digital ad spending will surpass 25% of all media ad spending for the first time ever. This is an indicator of digital advertising’s future growth. Luckily, advertisers have figured out that engagement is king, and that user-generated content is a major gateway to the throne. I’m excited to see how mobile, social media and wearable technology will increase consumer engagement, and how they will continue to shape the relationship between consumers and brands. Overall, I share the optimism of millennials. As we move away from the fear surrounding new technology and toward the hope for what it will mean to the future of communication, the possibilities for emerging media are limitless.

What do you think? What possible trends or changes in emerging media are you the most excited about?

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Aggregation vs. Fragmentation

In 2013, social media advertising increased by 35% over 2012. This increase was driven primarily by the growth of mobile, but also by the increasing ubiquity of the major social networks. According to a Pew research study, 71% of online adults now use Facebook, 17% use Instagram, 21% use Pinterest and 19% use Twitter. As these numbers increase, social media’s share of marketing budgets is expected to rise from an average of 7.4% to 18.1% in the next five years.

As advertising continues to increase, one concern is that social spending will outpace social measurement. Determining ROI for social media is already challenging, and it’s nearly impossible to put a price tag on engagement. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to determine which social channels are appropriate for reaching target audiences. In the past, Facebook’s 1 billion users made the network a default destination for brands. But with the changes to Facebook’s algorithm, posts from friends and news media are now prioritized over posts from Pages in users’ news feeds. This has drastically decreased the organic reach of brand pages to 2% of their total audience. Because of these changes, it is likely that we’ll see those social media spending figures increase even more, as advertisers will now need to pay to reach the audiences they once reached organically.

Brands can no longer rely on Facebook to do their social media heavy lifting. And while not all brands need to have a presence on all social networks, there should now at least be a strategy in place for each channel. More specifically, there should be a strategy for how each channel can work together as part of an integrated campaign. Without a cohesive strategy, social media messages become fragmented and potentially inconsistent.

In a previous post, I discussed the importance of integrating the consumer voice with regard to unofficial blogs. The same argument can be applied to the major social networks. Consumers generate some of the most engaging content about brands. The consumer voice should be considered a collective channel that needs to be integrated into any campaign. Fortunately, there are several amazing tools available that can help brands harness the power of user-generated content. Two of the coolest looking platforms out there are RebelMouse and FeedMagnet. Each digital publishing platform acts as a social media hub for all activity related to a brand. “Given the fragmented nature of social marketing, a social hub can provide a valuable window into a variety of persuasive content that would not otherwise be found all in one place.” By aggregating and publishing social media content, brands can essentially re-purpose consumer comments, photos and videos. These galleries can then be displayed on a brand’s Facebook page or website. According to Friend2Friend CEO Roger Katz, “[Social] audiences can provide content that is authentic, constantly changing, and often beautiful and unexpected. Syndicating brand and fan-created social content can invigorate a corporate website.”

One example of a brand that has employed this strategy is Mercedes-Benz. On its Social Cloud, Mercedes gathers all published material relating to the brand, from independent sources such as blogs, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram, as well as from official brand channels. Another example is Pepsi’s Your Voice page. Fan submitted images are displayed alongside branded content that can be liked, retweeted or pinned.

By aggregating social content, brands can reduce the fragmentation of marketing messages and allow consumers to become a larger part of the brand. Sharing content can potentially increase engagement as well as the reach of brand messages. What do you think? Should more brands employ this approach as part of their social strategy? Are any of your favorite brands fighting fragmentation with aggregation?

Integrating the Consumer Voice

There are literally hundreds of social media channels, with new networks emerging all the time. These new media channels give consumers an unprecedented power of voice. Both individually and collectively, consumers now have the ability to interact with and influence brands in a growing number of ways. Moreover, the content generated through these channels has the power to influence other consumers. This is a power that brands should be harnessing and integrating into their overall marketing strategies.

User-generated content can be an effective tool for engagement. This is especially true with millennials. Millennials find user-generated content 35% more memorable than other types of media, and 50% more trustworthy. This is requiring brands to rethink their marketing campaigns to include more interactive engagement strategies. Many brands are finding success with campaigns that solicit user-generated content. But a good amount of brand-related content on the Web is unsolicited.

One popular form of user-generated content is the blog. While the blogosphere is nothing new, its influence continues to grow over time. There are currently more than 152 million blogs on the internet. As of 2013, 34% of Fortune 500 companies were creating and sharing content through blogs. But there are also a growing number of unofficial company blogs that exert influence on the marketplace. Brands like Nike, Starbucks and Apple all have multiple “unofficial” blogs that are run by fans of the brand. Many consumers look to these unofficial channels as sources of credible, unbiased information.

So how can brands leverage the popularity of unofficial blogs and utilize these conversations to their advantage? As with any social media, brands need to monitor what is being said about them online. User-generated content is a reflection of the brand in the marketplace, and an opportunity to measure consumer sentiment and engagement. By listening to the consumer voice, brands can gather information that can help shape future marketing messages. Without proper monitoring, brands could miss many of the conversations that consumers are having about them every day.

In my opinion, barring any copyright infringements, brands should allow these unofficial blogs to thrive. Consumer blogs generate buzz, and are typically run by advocates of the brand. And with the benefit of peer-to-peer sharing, brand messages have the potential to impact consumers who would otherwise not have any interaction with the brand. Of course, not all user-generated content will be positive, but through effective monitoring, brands can mitigate any potentially damaging content. And it may be more beneficial to have negative comments on an unofficial blog than on any of the official brand channels.

As with other forms of social media, unofficial blogs represent the voice of the consumer. Listening to that voice should be at the heart of any sound marketing strategy.

The Boon of In-App Advertising

It’s no secret that consumers are spending an increasing amount of time with their smartphones. 50 percent of global mobile web users now use smartphones as either their primary or exclusive means of going online. For advertisers, the question isn’t whether or not to use mobile. It’s how to choose the appropriate marketing channel when so many are competing for a consumer’s attention. The answer might be found in Facebook’s new mobile ad network.

Facebook recently rolled out a new mobile ad platform called Audience Network. This new tool allows advertisers to leverage Facebook’s targeting capabilities to place relevant ads within mobile apps. Facebook ads are typically effective because they deliver relevant content to already engaged audiences. Moreover, Facebook ads are measurable, allowing advertisers to track the effectiveness of ad campaigns. The new Audience Network allows advertisers these same benefits for ads that are placed within popular mobile apps.

So why is this a big deal? Users spend, on average, 82% of their mobile minutes with apps and just 18% with web browsers. This suggests that ads within apps are more likely to be seen than typical web-based ads. Ads within apps are also highly effective. In a 2013 InMobi study, 54 percent of respondents noticed ads while engaged in an app. What Facebook now brings to the table is a way for advertisers to target these mobile users based on information such as demographics, interests and behavioral data.  And Facebook has no shortage of data!  Facebook potentially has an even greater database of accurate information about users than Google or Apple.

The Audience Network delivers ads in three formats: banner, interstitial and native. This gives app developers and advertisers flexibility.

Tools like the Facebook Audience Network will also drive mobile ad spending. Mobile now accounts for 10% of time spent with media, but just 1% of total ad spending. Tools like Audience Network will likely lead to a distribution of ad dollars that is more in line with consumer consumption patterns. In fact, mobile ad budgets in the U.S. are expected to increase from $2.3 billion in 2012 to almost $11 billion in 2016. Targeted in-app advertising can provide consumers with a more relevant, less-intrusive experience. It can also allow brands to effectively reach and engage target audiences. The end result will be a more consumer-centric brand experience.

Of course, not everyone will be comfortable with advertisers gaining access to personal data. How do you feel about Facebook using your information to provide more personalized in-app ads?

The Consistency Challenge

Effective communications are at the core of any good brand strategy. Marketing messages need to be relevant, timely and engaging. But it’s equally important that messages are delivered with a consistent brand voice. Consistent voice and tone help to convey a brand’s personality, and ultimately shape the image consumers have of the brand. Social media channels serve as a powerful extension of that voice. They also create a consistency challenge.

Emerging forms of media have redefined the way brands and consumers communicate. Brand conversations now happen in real-time, and comments (good and bad) have the potential to be shared exponentially. As a result, it is imperative that brands effectively monitor and participate in conversations about their brand online. This is not only good for image building, it’s good for the bottom line. The Internet Advertising Bureau found that 90 percent of consumers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with them on social media. This means that brands need to be nimble, engaging and yes – consistent. But how can large companies maintain a consistent social media voice 24 hours a day?

For large brands, it’s common to have a staff of employees that are responsible for maintaining social media channels. For example, Gatorade has a team of employees that monitor brand mentions around the clock. From its Mission Control in Chicago, employees participate in brand conversations, analyze data and monitor consumer sentiment. And while there is a large staff involved, messages from Gatorade’s Twitter and Facebook pages maintain a surprising consistency of voice, tone and imagery. The video below is an impressive look at how Gatorade’s Mission Control operates.

Another brand, Delta Airlines, has a similar monitoring system. In its Social Media Lab in Atlanta, Delta monitors activity across its multiple social channels. Staffed with employees from reservations, customer service and corporate communications, Delta is able to respond to consumers on social media with one of the fastest response times in the industry.

However, unlike Gatorade, Delta maintains a separate voice across each of its social channels. For example, its three Twitter accounts: @Delta, @DeltaAssist and @DeltaNewsroom each perform a distinct marketing function. The customer service dialogue on @DeltaAssist is far different than the marketing messages on @Delta or the press fodder from @DeltaNewsroom. Each channel provides a different customer experience.

So on one hand, we have Gatorade that provides consistent messaging across social media. Its social channels use a consistent voice and maintain synergy with the brand’s other marketing communications. On the other hand we have Delta; a brand that uses different brand voices for different social media functions. In my opinion, both brands are doing it right, and here’s why.

Smart brands are focused on providing a consistent brand experience. While Delta may not use the same voice across all of its channels, it remains consistent within each account. By separating its marketing functions into three Twitter accounts, Delta provides a clarity of purpose for each, which reduces clutter and confusion. While they are not the only brand to do this (Zappos comes to mind), Delta benefits by catering to the business needs of the consumer. By streamlining customer service functions into @DeltaAssist, the airline is able to maintain a consistent brand voice on @Delta, and avoid associating the brand with customer service complaints.

Successful brands on social media provide content that is relevant and meaningful, while others yield to familiarity and repetition. Consumers want interaction with brands. We want a consistent brand experience, engaging content AND great customer service. Social media tools like Twitter provide brands with the means to provide all of the above. And sometimes, that might require a distinctive voice for each channel.

What do you think? Does social media help communicate a brand’s voice? Or does it create more of a consistency challenge?

Beat the Clock!

A website can make or break a brand. Of all the potential touch-points a consumer has with a brand, the website is often their first impression. Unfortunately it could also be their last. This presents a daunting challenge for web designers who are commonly tasked with creating engaging brand experiences. Research from the NN Group found that the typical amount of time a brand has to convince a first-time user to remain on a web page is just 3-5 seconds. In those initial seconds, a web page needs to be engaging, informative and easy to use. It should reflect the personality of the brand and should serve as a catalyst for the brand’s e-commerce objectives. What it should not do is frustrate consumers and have them heading for the virtual door.

This week in IMC 619, we discussed a number of ways to improve the effectiveness of a website. Our topics covered the spectrum from Accessibility to the Z-axis. But as someone who is more user than designer, I’m fascinated by those 3-5 seconds. What is engaging? What do users want? After giving it some thought, I’ve decided that consumers want interaction and ownership. A web site should be collaborative. It should be a platform for communicating with customers rather than marketing to them. And while this concept may be de rigueur for social media practices, it’s often overlooked on traditional web pages. Therefore, one solution may be to incorporate user-generated content into the home pages of brand websites.

First, the experience should move quickly (remember those 3-5 seconds). For this reason, there is almost no need for large images on a home page. Large images add to the overall page weight, and are the biggest culprit for slowing down loading times. In fact, images account for roughly 50% of page weight for many of the top global websites. This is an easy place to improve performance. Consumers should interact with the brand, not the site. Tick, tick, tick…

Next, social media links and user-generated content should be quickly visible on the page. In an Adweek article this week, Offerpop’s Kevin Bobowski suggested that developing a brand’s image over a period of decades is becoming a thing of the past. Brand relationships are now formed much faster through social interactions, and these interactions are essential for creating a meaningful brand experience. Indeed, consumer expectations of a brand experience are changing. Roger Katz, founder of Friend2Friend suggests that consumers now expect a more social experience from a brand website. “They expect to see a more social world reflected. They expect to see friends, or at least ‘real’ people. They expect to be engaged and entertained. And they expect to be able to participate.” Meeting these expectations is vital, as consumers will quickly share opinions of a brand with their social networks – good or bad. Tick, tick, tick…

Content is king. Brands like Coca-Cola know this, and are already incorporating social into their websites. By aggregating authentic, user-generated content, brand websites can become more engaging; turning seconds into minutes and visitors into customers.

Time’s up. What do you think? Should brands have a separate social voice? Or can brands increase website engagement by aggregating social streams on their web pages?

The Privacy Calculus

 

Emerging media is often viewed through the lens of its benefits to marketers and consumers. And while the benefits seemingly outweigh the disadvantages, there are increasing privacy concerns – especially when it comes to children. 89 percent of children aged six to nine years old are now active online, and many of these children are now accessing the internet through mobile devices. Among families with children age 8 and under, there has been a five-fold increase in ownership of tablet devices such as iPads, from 8% of all families in 2011 to 40% in 2013. Moreover, 75% of children have access to some sort of “smart” device. As a result, product developers and marketers are increasingly using forms of emerging media to connect with our kids. As adults, we need to be aware of the privacy risks that exist for our children.

92 percent of children under age 2 already have a digital footprint, and half of kids ages 6 to 9 regularly use social networks. Social networks survive on user-generated content, and many of these online platforms rely on personal data to support their business models. By entering information online or by participating in social networks, kids are essentially allowing marketers and advertisers access to their consumption patterns and preferences. This can lead to behavior targeting. Marketers can map our kids’ online behavior to gauge their interests and preferences, and to create a more dynamic user-centric experience. But is this a good thing? Luckily, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act was designed to help protect online privacy for sites targeting children under the age of 13.

COPPA is helpful, but there is still a gray area as to what content is geared toward kids under 13. Beyond web sites and social networks, apps also pose a significant risk to our children’s privacy. Tracking data collected by apps gives marketers a fairly accurate account of children’s mobile behavior. Consumers, including adults, are not always aware that their data is being farmed for marketers. Of the top 200 free iOS and Android apps, 95 percent exhibited at least one risky behavior. Among other things, these behaviors include location tracking, accessing the user’s address book and sharing information with ad networks and analytics companies. Children cannot control access to their information online when they use these apps, nor do they have an understanding of the possible implications of marketers’ access to this information. For example, Angry Birds is one of the most popular apps of all time. The game stores the user’s location in order to accurately target advertisements.

Additionally, apps that claim to be geared toward users over the age of 13 are exempt from COPPA regulations. It’s much like television consumption. My nine-year-old loves several shows that are geared toward older kids. Some come with a TV 14 rating. But just because the rating exists doesn’t mean the consumption doesn’t happen. The same is true online. The bottom line is that parents need to do a more complete job of monitoring the content our children are exposed to online. There are several steps parents can take to block apps and disable in-app purchases, but there’s no substitute for being aware of our kids’ online activity.
What do you think? Are there both pros and cons to disclosing kids’ information online?