5 Essential Apps for your Facebook Fan Page
John Keehler
While many third-party applications for Facebook are made for users, developers are also thinking about how brands can use applications to customize their pages. This post from Mashable explores 5 easy applications for Facebook Fan Pages.
Foursquare: Location-Crazed
Jill Krumsick
In just one year, location-based service Foursquare has accumulated 725,000 users and over 22 million check ins. Introduced last year at SXSW, this year’s conference fueled the Foursquare fire – the company announced growth of 100,000 new users in 10 days around/during SXSW 2010. Foursquare not only proves that location services are a thriving digital interest, but also shows the impact SXSW is capable of having on consumer adoption.
Smartphone Web Traffic Up 193% in One Year
Jeff Whang
If it seems like everyone is standing in an elevator with their heads buried in their smartphones browsing the web, you’re not imagining things. Smartphone web traffic is up nearly 200% from this time last year, leapfrogging regular cell phones in their share of mobile web traffic. iPhones are leading the way but Android phones are gaining fast and in other studies, are merely a few percentage points shy of the iPhone in share of operating systems. Look for this trend of mobile web traffic from smartphones to continue to expand rapidly, particularly since the iPhone is rumored to come to Verizon this summer.
March Madness Continues to break records
Cheryl Huckabay
With over 8.7 million hours of live streaming video & audio recorded, total consumption of MMOD in 2010 had already surpassed the entire 2009 tournament after just the first round of games.
The Value of Games to Social Apps
Brian Kress
The latest trend in trendy apps? Games. The startup application developers who top the charts in conversation (if not downloads) are relying on the “game-ification” of everything. Specifically, they’re creating games where you receive a badge for frequent activity. Foursquare – users receive badges for “checking in” at different locations. Gravity – users receive badges for participating in conversations. There’s a new stickiness to participating regularly for badges, an interesting idea for brands that want their customers to keep coming back.
As we near the launch of the iPad, we’re seeing more and more invention around it. One of the most surprising and interesting set of inventions coming to the Apple device are those from the world of magazines.
Here’s the summation of the recent events as shouted by mussed-hair newsies on streetcorners:
EXTRA, EXTRA: PUBLISHERS REJOICE OVER IPAD.
Magazine publishers continue to worry about falling circulation numbers, hoping this faddish Internet disappears as if it were a bad dream. As such, they’ve been working hard trying to re-invent themselves, with their latest scheme surrounding Steve Jobs’ iPad. The device, with its blend of old media charm and new media interactivity, may well be the savior of their medium, which has driven them to start experimenting with iPad apps.
What follows are three of the best examples and demonstrations that we’ve seen:
Wired was first out of the gate to launch a really neat iPad app demonstration:
Some have started to experiment with what the iPad means for magazine covers
And others still have been experimenting with what feature stories could look like.
Conde Nast has even made a commitment to build iPad apps for each of its top publications, leading the charge of “let’s go save our medium.”
From everything we have seen so far, it appears the iPad has become the future-hope of magazines to become relevant in the digital age.
With all the invention happening in the space, there is a surprising lack of reference to how advertisers expect to interact with this new medium. Unilever, Toyota Motor, and Fidelity Investments have already signed on to $200,000 marketing programs with Time magazine, and the most we know about what those deals entail is that they’re full-page ads.
We are left with merely a lot of questions:
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What new ad platforms will rise from the ether?
What iPad capabilities will we be able to leverage?
Can we link over to our own apps?
How much fun can we have?
How standardized will the offerings be?
And maybe most importantly, who will actually pay for and use these apps?
There are plenty of questions rising from what we’ve seen so far in the magazine on eReader space. One thing is for sure: As magazines reinvent themselves on the iPad (or whatever supercharged eReader wins out), so will print advertisers.
So, as our clients begin to plan their strategies for the iPad, we’ve pulled together a few ideas of how we’d like to start:
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1. Reach out to publications, especially those we run in regularly. Ask if they’re planning on building something for the iPad; ask what kinds of opportunities there will be for advertisers.
2. Be a part of a pilot program. As we saw with iPhone and Facebook apps, a novel technology experiment rewards those advertisers that get in on the ground floor. Also, publishers will be greeted with enough skepticism and uncertainty that we can also get in for cheap.
3. Build creative executions that push the available technology. Don’t be satisfied by repurposed or limited creative. This is a unique space which will deserve a unique execution.
4. Know what other brands are doing in the space. See how they leverage the technology and the audience.
5. Watch iPad sales and audience data. While the technology is really cool, we, of course, need to make sure someone sees it. The marketplace as a whole is still pretty unsure about the iPad.
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Every March, geeks from all across the land gather in Austin, TX to commune, break bread and collectively geek out. SXSW Interactive is a hot bed for conversation and is quickly becoming the go-to digital conference to discuss and showcase industry innovation. Here I’ll focus on a few highlights from the 2010 SXSW Interactive Conference.
Search as an Opportunity for Innovation
A panel aptly named “Beyond Algorithms: Search and the Semantic Web” pulled together some impressive search innovators (including representatives from Wolfram Alpha, Siri, Twine and Bing) to discuss creativity in the space. Hitting on topics such as long running search sessions, data visualization tools and delivering more relevant results, the major theme boiled down to personalization. As Barney Pell from Bing stated, “we’re heading to situations where systems can ‘get’ you.” With category innovators like Siri leveraging API’s to enhance search, be on the look out for opportunities and functionality that focus on personalizing search.
New On-Demand Music Models
Two announcements coming out of this year’s SXSW were the launch of MOG and the US launch of Spotify – both pursuing digital music models that could change the way people consume music. MOG and Spotify offer streaming, on-demand access to millions of songs through either a paid monthly subscription or free of charge with an advertising model. There is also a purchase capability included, but this all-access pass will test consumer’s motivation to buy music. Spotify founder Daniel Ek summed up his intent when he said, “we want to make music like water.” We’ll see how music industry players respond, but in 2010, music consumers win.
Twitter – Anywhere and Everywhere
Twitter announced its’ new @anywhere platform, a framework for an enhanced tweeting experience from anywhere on the web. Site owners will be able to add Twitter function to their site allowing users to share content and follow fellow Tweeter’s without leaving the page. This is incredibly valuable as site owners can more effectively leverage citizen marketer’s sharing capabilities while keeping them on their site. Another Twitter update is the addition of geo-location tweet tagging, putting Twitter in the competitive space with tools like Gowalla and Foursquare. These SXSW announcements entail some of the growth strategies Twitter is employing to further their web presence, product functionality and market share.
Too Many Apps? There’s an App for That.
We’ve gotten to a place of clutter within the social-sphere and now its time to simplify and add manageability. Check.in is a new app that allows users to “check in” on all their location apps – Gowalla, Foursquare and Brightkite. And the SuperGlued mobile app aggregates tools for managing a live music interest by connecting schedules, ticket vendors and social opportunities from various existing platforms. Although solution managers aren’t a new concept, look for more applications that help streamline digital activities.
SXSW Interactive has created a forum to showcase innovation, spark ideas and challenge players to think progressively about the future. As consumers continue to live more and more digitally, watch for new products, enhancements and solutions to change the way we engage and consume digital. Thanks for the inspiration SXSW Interactive 2010, and see all you geeks next year.
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Facebook Surpasses Google in Weekly Traffic
John Keehler
The margins are thin, but at least one research firm is reporting that Facebook’s overall share of US Internet traffic has overtaken Google. This doesn’t mean more unique visitors, but more traffic.
Simultaneous Use of Web and TV Continuing to Increase
Jeff Whang
In Nielsen’s latest Three Screen Report, which tracks media consumption across TV, Internet and mobile phones, shows that people using the Internet while also watching TV increased 35% from a year ago. With nearly 60% of the US population now using the Internet while watching TV, we should think about opportunities to leverage the relationship between the two, since they’re increasingly being consumed at the same time.
iPhone Games Got Game
Jill Krumsick
Mobile gaming is proving to be a significant, and growing, player in the gaming industry – iPhone games now hold 5% of the industry’s market share, up from 1% in 2008.
Why So Few TV Ads are Viral Hits
Brian Kress
Recent research from Millward Brown shows that fewer than 15 percent of ads posted online receive what they would consider a “viral” amount of views – likely because ads aren’t typically built with the objective of being “interesting.” Sometimes it’s not as easy as just throwing it on YouTube.
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120,000 iPads Sold on First Day
Jill Krumsick
“Apple has been able to generate over $75 million in revenue in one day on a product that 99.9% of purchasers haven’t touched or for that matter, even seen in person.” Although the product has raised mixed reviews since its announcement, early adopters and brand fanatics jumped at the chance to order the iPad on Friday. With sales numbers dropping significantly in the days after launch, it will be interesting to see the adoption levels once the product is actually in stores and consumer hands.
Target Launches Scannable Mobile Coupons
Robert Kurtz
Target is launching a scannable mobile coupon promotion, allowing customers to opt-in to receive offers that can be redeemed by scanning in a single bar code at the register, directly from a mobile website on their phone.
Live Sponsor Ads Make Their Way Online
Brian Kress
In the fashion of early TV and radio today, the familiar hosts of your online shows are now reading live ads. The creative is cheap, and the vehicle is trustworthy; the best thing: people remember them.
The Future of Social is Local
John Keehler
In April, Facebook plans to unveil a new feature that would allow users to share their location with friends. Sources close to the project say this feature will also be available through the API for developers to create location-based applications.
The Entire Web In a 600×400 Rectangle
Jeff Whang
Ever wonder what types of sites get the most traffic on the web? The BBC has charted out this Herculean task with a startlingly easy to read infographic that makes sense of an immense amount of data. Hint: hold your cursor over any box and get a quick floating box of the exact percentage of traffic for any given site.
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A few weeks ago, I participated on a panel discussion for DFWIMA on the topic of “Hispanic Marketing in the Digital Space,” an area that marketers are increasingly beginning to pay attention to as Hispanics continue to grow in population and buying power.
As I prepped for the panel, I wanted to make sure I was on top of the latest insights about the digital lives of Hispanics and came across a white paper by AOL, aggregating eye-opening trends about “the web’s most rapidly growing population.”
What AOL covers in this study is a slew of insights that reinforced much of what we’ve been seeing and experiencing with other clients that have a focus on digital marketing to Hispanics. What it also provides is some hard-to-ignore facts that you can share with your organization, who may not realize the growing presence of Hispanics among your digital audience and what that means to your digital marketing efforts.
Here are a few facts and trends that stood out the most to me, and I think will be the catalyst for changes in the way we think about Hispanics and digital:
Internet Usage Rates Are Nearly At Parity With General Market
I recently got the opportunity to do some digital strategy work for a local hospital that provides medical care to much of the underserved in Dallas. One of the assignments was going out to their satellite clinics and asking patients how they felt about receiving communications from the hospital using various digital touch channels like text messaging and websites.
I assumed with this particular population with lower incomes that their appetite for digital would be low to none, but I was proven wrong interview after interview. The interviews were of course qualitative so just anecdotal, but nevertheless stunning. I kept hearing over and over about their desire for text message alerts or a website that cataloged all the upcoming health fairs, and it’s certainly not what I expected.
Data from the PEW Research Center and AOL Advertising found that the number of Hispanics online has grown significantly and at a faster pace than the total US online population. And now in 2009, the online adoption gap between Hispanics and the General Market has narrowed to just 13 points. And it’s not only online behind a computer, but according to the National Center for Health Statistics, over 7.7 million Hispanics over the age of 18 depend solely on their mobile device for communication, more than any other demographic group. ComScore reports that over 70% of Hispanics consume content on their mobile phones.
Think about what this means for your online audience, particularly in categories where you may have previously assumed that Hispanics weren’t visiting your site or interacting with your brand on their mobile device. And if you don’t know the demographics of your site, consider evaluating it with an exit survey or a third party vendor like Quantcast that can help determine the kinds of visitors to your site.
Hispanics’ Overwhelming Enthusiasm of the Benefits of the Internet
The AOL study cited a good deal of trust and love of the Internet from Hispanics; in fact, much more than the general market. One indication of this trust comes in the fact that 72% of them put their confidence in product rating sites, compared to just 28% in their friends’ opinions. There’s even more compelling data, comparing Hispanics versus the General Market on a number of psychographic metrics, like “always go to the Internet to find deals,” “use the Internet to keep up with pop culture” and “a great place to meet people with similar views.” In each of these instances (and even more that I haven’t mentioned), Hispanics rate higher than the General Market and it starts to paint the picture that they have high regard for the Internet as a place to gather information and socialize with others.
As marketers, how can we leverage their interest to gather information and socialize and provide online assets that speak to and fulfill these desires? Particularly if the Hispanic audience is a core target, we may want to tailor the content and functionality of websites and online advertising to their unique needs.
Throw Out Your Assumptions of Unacculturated Hispanics
Before I address the differences and commonalities of unacculturated versus acculturated Hispanics, it’s important to note that compared to the General Market Internet user, online Hispanics have a higher tendency to be an early adopter and keep up with the latest technology. And that’s not even the shocking part. The truly eye-opening trend is that if you take the digital Hispanic consumer and split them up by acculturation, from Hispanic Dominant (typically Spanish speaking), Bicultural (a mix) and US Dominant (English speaking), it’s in fact the less acculturated Hispanics, the Hispanic Dominants that have the greatest tendency to be an early adopter, evaluating new technologies and spreading the word to others in their communities.
And because Hispanic Dominants tend to be more comfortable with Spanish, when appropriate, we as marketers have to start thinking about how easy content tailored to Hispanic Dominant users is accessible. And this doesn’t just mean to throw your English language site into Google Translate or pay a freelancer to translate your General Market site. In many cases, as you’ve seen above, Hispanics have their own unique needs and they’re not always simply cultural – they mean even be more technologically savvy than your average website visitor.
The Future
Someone at the end of the panel discussion asked me, what do you see as the future in digital marketing to Hispanics? My answer: As technology continues its torrid pace and Hispanics grow in influence in the digital space, I wouldn’t be surprised if marketers really look at Digital Hispanics as the population to test new technologies and applications with, taking those learnings to the General Market.
I hope this gave you some new perspective on this audience – and I’ve just scratched the surface in terms of what makes this demographic so unique. I encourage you to find more resources out there about Digital Hispanics. An easy place to start is with the AOL Hispanic Cyberstudy I’ve been referencing. It’s a free download here.
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Digital Spend to Surpass Print in 2010
Jeff Whang
While it has been inevitable that spending on digital advertising will outpace print advertising (like it surpassed radio a couple years ago), it may happen sooner than you think. A recent study based on the spending habits of over 1,000 advertisers in December 2009, predicts they will spend 32.5% on digital while only 30.3% on print…this year.
Google Developing Real-Time Index
Brian Kress
Right now, when you (or any publisher) make a blog post, update a press release, or push any new content live on the web, you wait for the Google machine to find your content and then index it in their search engine. Well, that process may soon change. Google is in the midst of developing a system that allows web publishers (like us) to automatically submit new content to Google for indexing within seconds of that content being published. While it may sound heavy on details and light on change, search analysts think it could be the “next chapter” for Google.
What is Web 3.0?
John Keehler
Web 2.0 was coined in 2004… And was largely centered around user-generated content and sharing. Have we moved far enough for the Web 2.0 concept to be outdated? Learn more about this compelling case for Web 3.0 as something distinctly different from Web 2.0.
Public Data Visualization
Jill Krumsick
Google has increased the power of it’s data visualization chart tool by adding 13 public databases to the data set. This user friendly tool makes the vast amount of public information more consumable with various chart types and the ability to select data ranges. Some of the new databases included are world development Indicators, as well as population, GDP, income, unemployment, retail sales and cancer cases in the US.
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Many brands plan how to deal with a crisis. This planning can be invaluable, as it allows them to quickly activate the organization to respond appropriately, and minimize damage. Toyota most likely had plans like this in place, but it’s what they’ve done more spontaneously with social media that is getting them attention from the marketing community. Most recently, The Washington Post blog reports that they have launched an innovative new site, Toyota Conversations.
The Toyota Conversations site is powered by Tweetmeme, and Toyota worked closely with Federated Media to launch the branded channel. The site allows Toyota to aggregate tweets that link to or mention news, images, video related to Toyota and the recall. While some of the tweets are negative, there’s a decidedly positive tone to the effort, as Toyota is prominently featuring their own tweets, videos, ads and links to other social media properties. They’re both embracing and controlling the conversation. So in addition to seeing a retweet where someone says they’ll “never buy a Toyota again”, we also see news stories being tweeted about that reference Toyota’s contribution to new safety rules, their March sales event announcement, and more. They’re also including what Tweetmeme refers to as “AdTweets“, which are essentially ads that include a “retweet” functionality.
This branded Tweetmeme channel is only one of many digital touchpoints Toyota is leveraging for the recall. The “hub” of the digital recall campaign, and the site you’re sent to from the homepage of Toyota is Toyota.com/recall. It’s a kind of recall “dashboard” (no pun intended), that includes important recall information for owners, news, announcements, videos and more.
Yet Toyota has also used a number of social media channels as well. Realizing the importance of news stories and social sharing, they have a partnership with Digg.com. In addition, they are using corporate social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Toyota has certainly jumped feet first into a number of different social and digital touchpoints, but what are the lessons to be had for other marketers? Here are a few thoughts:
1.) Social Shapes Conversation AND Media
We know that social media has become more important to customers, but it’s also become standard for media as well. Toyota seems to have recognized that sharing news is a big part of the conversation online, and that social media has to become a core part of any public relations effort, rather than an add-on.
2.) If You Build It, They Might Come
One of Toyota’s biggest blunders in these digital campaigns is that they don’t consistently cross-promote these social channels. Take, for instance, the fact that on the digital “hub” for the campaign, Toyota.com/recall, there’s no link to the ToyotaConversations.com website. In fact, there’s not even a link for Facebook or Twitter, only a link to the YouTube channel. Even in social media, once you get to the Facebook Page, you can find a link to the ToyotaConversations.com website, but there’s not a link on Twitter.
3.) The World is Still Flat
One of the more interesting dilemmas is the global presence of Toyota, and how small decisions have the potential to complicate things. Take, for instance, that the URL for Toyota in the US is Toyota.com. The Worldwide URL is Toyota.co.jp. The recall clearly hasn’t just affected the US, and the coverage has certainly been worldwide, yet there doesn’t seem to be much consideration taken to make sure the approach is coordinated globally.
Perhaps the most important takeaway is one Toyota has taken to heart… That a willingness to adapt to the changing media environment may be the best crisis planning tool.
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Twitter Engages Students in the Classroom
Jill Krumsick
With budget cuts and increasing class sizes, professors are finding Twitter to be an effective in-class engagement tool. By asking students to tweet their questions and comments to the front of the room, more students are participating and professors are seeing conversations continue outside the classroom.
Staying On Top of the News in 2010
Jeff Whang
A new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project reveals the drastic shifts in how we consume the news, even from just a few years ago. Catching up on the news has truly “become a social experience.”
Video: State of the Internet
John Keehler
Beautiful video with some of the latest and greatest surprising facts and figures that reflect how ubiquitous the Internet has become.
Mobile Outlook 2010: Mobile Marketer (PDF)
Jeff Kauffman
This Mobile Marketer Outlook is jam backed with information, covering 22 mobile topics over 46 pages. As more mobile buzz fills your organization, this report is sure to get you headed in the right direction; no matter what area of mobile is being discussed.
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I love the Olympics. And I love the Olympics because it’s bigger than the sporting events – it’s seemingly superhuman ability, it’s a unified spirit, it’s dedication, national pride and history (even more so than American Idol!). The 2010 Vancouver Olympics are no different. But this year, dubbed the “social games,” spectators have been drawn into the experience more interactively than in years past. Here’s how an integrated digital experience has expanded our Olympic access and ultimately our level of involvement with the games.
Digital Matches Traditional Reach
Timo Lumme, the head of TV and marketing for the International Olympic Committee, stated that digital media has matched the efforts of traditional coverage, each contributing over 20,000 hours of coverage. Combined, the Vancouver Olympics expects to reach 3.5 billion viewers worldwide – that’s half of the world’s population. The NBCOlympics.com page views beat the total views of the Winter 2006 games in just 10 days and has seen over 35 million unique visitors. With widgets, interviews, stats, medal counters, playbacks and anytime access, the website has proved to be the hub of 2010 Olympic activity.
Mobile As Important Access Point
Mobile has accounted for a quarter of the digital coverage… a quarter!! The NY Times reported that NBCOlympics.com delivered over 62 million page views to mobile devices, surpassing total views from Bejing and tripling the number of video streams. And, with increased mobile capabilities and greater smart phone penetration, the market has expanded immensely – 7 out of 10 Vancouver games mobile viewers did not access the Bejing games via mobile. In addition, the Olympic iPhone app adds an interactive mobile experience that 60% of users rate as “very good.” The app moves beyond static schedules and stats by frequently updating with breaking news and videos, linking access to social media buzz and the creating a personalized experience with favorites.
Social Games Engage Spectators
Nielsen measured that 13% of viewers watching the opening ceremonies were simultaneously surfing the web and 41% of those surfers were on Facebook. Viewers are using the platform to connect with other spectators in conversation, but also in competition. Facebook’s Vancouver 2010 MiniGames app lets users get in on the action virtually with social games and a video game. Mimicking the Olympic model, users compete in the global Facebook community to win medals in selected winter events. Talk about increased brand engagement – now anyone has the opportunity to win a gold!
Real-time Interaction
Twitter allows users to interact both around and with the Olympics. The NBCOlympics.com page integrated not only a live Twitter feed, but an interactive Twitter tracker to help viewers quantify trending traffic around the games. Twitter itself has created an avenue for increased interaction with the games by creating a list of athletes. Followers can see updates from the athletes themselves to get a real-time, first person perspective that has previously not been possible.
With the close of the 2010 Olympics, the digital bar has been raised. Consumers now expect multi-screen, full content access and marketers must adapt. With personalization, multiple touch points and user engagement as digital trends, brands must look to emerging technologies and product enhancements to differentiate. Marketers are challenged to not only differentiate, but seamlessly integrate all efforts to create a full digital experience. By offering varied benefits on each platform and promoting the touch points throughout, Vancouver 2010 did a nice job of creating a truly integrated digital campaign. Thanks for the digital experience Vancouver! Now let’s see what London will offer in 2012.
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