While others label my generation as a narcissistic bunch of navel-gazers, as self-absorbed participation-trophy-in-tow whiners,[1] today’s media landscape provides little evidence that we are not the center of the media universe.
Others will gladly outline how this happened and why it is an abomination; this post is an exploration of one small piece of how this new generation of consumers will change your approach to advertising. While this may sound extreme or overly simplistic in cases, this is what your customers (or the customers that you will soon have) are expecting of you. This post is about what you are competing with for attention and the shifting of eyeballs away from programmed content toward curated content.
In the old video consumption model, content had clear delineation as to which device it had been created for: premium and live content was developed for the traditional television, and short-form or catalog content was reserved for the Web where die-hard fans could seek it out if they so chose.
However, the line is no longer so clear. Netflix, YouTube and Hulu are all developing exclusive scripted content for their own platforms, and traditional broadcast networks are releasing their content directly to laptops and other web-connected devices.
So now, how do I choose what, and where, to watch? It is an important choice for brands and advertisers to consider, to efficiently target an impactful message to connect with potential customers. But most importantly at this stage is to recognize that this choice exists and to understand why choosing content first, device second has become a widespread behavior.
Content Curation
At its essence, this behavior is not about convenience, it’s about curation. It is about spending your attention on the content and platforms that best express what you are looking for at a given moment, rather than accepting the limits of what networks have programmed. And that is why web pundits are declaring the death of TV. Curating and personalizing content have always been a strength of digital media – from the AOL or Yahoo! home page on through to Instagram and Pinterest – the Internet enables people to build a media platform around themselves.
The Internet, and especially the social web, is built upon platforms and publishers that are continually pushing personalized content and experiences to users.
According to Steven Rosenbaum, content curators are the real superheroes of the Web: “Curation is the act of individuals with a passion for a content area to find, contextualize and organize information. Curators provide a consistent update regarding what’s interesting, happening and cool in their focus. Curators tend to have a unique and consistent point of view – providing a reliable context for the content that they discover and organize.” Because of the efforts of content curators, both human and algorithmic, the Web is becoming the new prime time.
But Aren’t People Watching More TV?
The counterpoint, however, is that people are spending more time watching videos than at any other point in history. According to Nielsen, the average household still watches almost five hours of video per day, but the share of time spent watching live television continues to decline.[2] Granted, live programming through a traditional TV still makes up the vast majority of time spent watching video content; for younger viewers the “best screen available” will soon be replaced by the “best experience available.”
As Seth Godin puts it: “the only way your business wins in Google world is to be the best available option, where ‘best’ means best for the person searching for an answer, and ‘available option’ means everything.” And for those who hope to reach people by advertising, they need to understand both where and how they are interacting with media. Today’s viewer is choosing content first, then finding the device that offers the best experience available.
The technology that will most likely help bridge the gap between the rise of personalized, professional-quality video curation and live programming already exists: tablets. According to a study by Viacom, among tablet owners 15% of full-length television is being watched on the handheld (or lap-held) device. That is in addition to the various short-form clips being consumed on YouTube and Vimeo. Ultimately, this goes to show that viewers will easily adjust to watching content on the device that makes the experience suit their expectations, regardless of whether it is supposed to be a “second screen.”
Now that people have started to embrace their power over programming, TV is trying to adapt by integrating second-screen experiences into the mix to create more engagement with premiering or live content. There are some really exciting opportunities emerging in this space, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to stop people from shifting viewership to a more familiar channel.
So really, if the media world, the online world and education are all built around us – what else should we think? I am the Center of My Media Universe.
For more on the convergence of online video and television, see Alex Kenney’s and Cheryl Huckabay’s predictions in our Trends to Watch in 2012.
Alex Kenney, Watching TV, Tweeting and Chewing Gum: http://trends.clickhere.com/tv-tweeting-and-chewing-gum/
Cheryl Huckabay, Buying Audio and Video: http://trends.clickhere.com/audio-and-video/
[1]Point conceded.
[2]Nielsen, “The Cross-Platform Report: Q4 2011” http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports-downloads/2012/the-cross-platform-report-q4-2011.html
Brands are just beginning to explore new storytelling and engagement opportunities with Google+ and its innovative Hangouts. Benefits of doing so include amplifying core messages, creating an innovative perception among early adopters and achieving specific business goals such as improving customer service. But there are a few established brands who have plugged in to amplify.
With the innovative and widely available videoconferencing feature so new, now would be the time to invest resources into testing the metaphorical waters. Brands that are willing to embrace the new Google+ network and Hangouts feature will set an example for their industry and competitors. This radiates the perception that the brand is accessible and innovative while also supplying consumers with an experience they can brag about to their social nets.
For Those Curious About What It Is
With Google+ Hangouts, brands can speak face to face to their audience members – whether they’re customers with questions or fans seeking fun. From a functional standpoint, it is a free online group videoconferencing application that lives within the Google+ platform, but can be used across multiple Google products such as iGoogle, Gmail and Orkut.
Up to 10 people can join a single Hangout. To improve the reach of that conversation, Google is currently beta testing a live streaming service called Hangouts On Air that broadcasts via YouTube. Once it’s made available to all brand pages, the new feature will expand viewership potential to the size of everyone on the Internet, or the amount of traffic Google’s YouTube servers can manage.
The only necessary item outside of a Google+ brand account, webcam and connected device is a topic that’s interesting enough to garner conversation. That means that anyone connected to the Internet, even through mobile, can participate in Hangouts. This opens up the door to striking up conversations with customers while they’re on the go or, say, comparison shopping.
Three Examples of Brands Learning, Exploring and Doing
Here are a few brands that use the tool to augment their core messages and achieve specific business goals, as well as establish a deeply visual and interactive experience with the audience.
Common themes in branded Hangouts include providing accessibility to top management, telling the story behind the brand in an authentic way and leveraging the viral elements of Hangouts to build buzz or promote a specific event.
Muppets: Host a Themed Hangout and Just Have Fun, But Build Buzz, Too
The creators of the most recent, Academy Award®-winning Muppets movie “hung out” last November to build buzz about the upcoming film. Individual Muppets, like Kermit and Miss Piggy, made appearances along with the movie’s co-writer and actor Jason Segel. They hosted closed and open Hangouts, giving consumers the opportunity to hang out with Kermit or another member of the fuzzy squad.
Overall, the experience gave consumers the opportunity to get to know various Muppet characters on a more personal level, increasing the human element of the brand. And by providing an avenue for consumers to connect with the stars in a new, unexpected way, the brand also provided a story for them to tell. Other brands can conclude from this that consumers want to know you and talk to you on a more personal level.
Bringing Out the Best Memories with Coca-Cola
You may or may not know about the Coca-Cola archives. Inside them are items that tell stories that speak to the heritage of the brand and how it has implanted itself into American culture – at the core of each product is a memory, a nostalgic emotion that transports consumers back in time.
In the past, the brand has worked with various media outlets to give fans and those interested an inside look at what is stored on the archives’ shelves. An interactive website also exists that allows fans to learn about the archives and explore aisle upon aisle of Coke memorabilia.
On February 16, Coca-Cola hosted an interactive video tour of the archives via Hangouts to give fans an insider’s view of the shelves. This provided them a new way to experience the archives by directly talking to the tour guides. So instead of passively watching a produced video or navigating an experiential site with a limited social dynamic, consumers were provided the opportunity to give direct feedback and interact in a way that is closer to what the in-person experience would be like.
Yes, It’s a Customer Service Tool
There are plenty of business cases for brands using Hangouts. From promoting your next movie flick (Muppets) to connecting brand loyalists with nostalgic memories (Coca-Cola), perhaps none stand out more than the ability to directly nurture customer service through face-to-face video chat. It’s a completely unexpected service brands can provide to stand out from the pack. And it’s perhaps the most-talked-about use case for the tool among media types and bloggers, pointing to great press opportunities for brands willing to take the plunge, such as Michael Dell, CEO of Dell, Inc.
Dell has a long history of taking the figurative social media bull by the horns and making itself an example that many of us industry nerds constantly refer to as a model of social success. In this specific case, CEO Michael Dell is often cited in blogs, forums and the media for hosting Hangouts. In them, he typically collaborates with techies, customers and the average consumer to talk about relevant issues and trends within the technology industry and Dell as a company.
By jumping right in, he has positioned himself and his company as comfortable with the hot seat and as more accessible than those without a Google+ Hangouts presence. So far, he has been well received, and it appears that Dell is developing a broader strategy for Hangouts as it sees the feature as a viable communications vehicle for the business, specifically in the customer support category.
Implications
If Google+ Hangouts continues to capture attention and investment from consumers, it will shift consumer expectations in how they communicate with brands on the Web. Instead of submitting an email to a brand’s inbox abyss or listening to a voice from a brand’s call center, they might expect to hear and see you face to face. Because Google has introduced that option to consumers in a very simple, cheap and accessible way, the technology could catch wind and take the social networking and sharing experience to new heights.
Regardless of its magnitude as a trend, the implication of connecting with consumers in a more human way is the beneficial gem of Hangouts. That human element is what drives most relationships, and this tool nurtures true, accurate and authentic communications online. Brands that identify a strategic alignment between their business and those benefits have one simple question to answer.
Will you dip your toes in, make a splash or sit and stand by as others have all the fun?
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If there’s one toy that truly captures imaginations and encourages creativity, it’s LEGO®. Sure, the simple building blocks have become more complex over the years, adding lots of new pieces, characters and even electric motors, but the fundamentals remain the same. Give two people the same bricks and tell them to make something, and you’ll most likely end up with two vastly different creations. You’ll probably also have two very entertained people.
Today, LEGOs have found a new way to amuse. Go ahead and search “LEGO” on YouTube. Then sift through the almost 500,000 videos. A few of the videos are commercials and video game trailers, but the majority of them are made by people who just love LEGOs or see them as a powerful storytelling tool. I’ve compiled a few of my favorites.
First, let’s watch the first level of Super Mario Bros. created with LEGOs. Full disclosure, LEGOs and Super Mario Bros. are two of my favorite things. Ever. So combining them automatically gets them the first spot.
Next up, we’ve got a video of a felt-tip printer created with LEGOs. This might be one of the nerdiest LEGO videos I’ve seen, which is saying a lot. But it’s also one of the coolest.
There are so many more awesome LEGO videos I’d like to share, but time and space won’t allow it. Other favorites you can look up on your own include The White Stripes music video for “Fell in Love With a Girl” and a kid telling the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy in a little over two minutes.
Finally, I’d like to share the video that inspired this post in the first place.
This new LEGO product, called the Life of George, brilliantly brings LEGO further into the Internet age. It’s the first interactive game combining building things with real LEGO bricks and an app for iPhone or iPad. As far as I know, no other “old” toy has melded the physical and digital so well. In my opinion, the genius of it is that LEGO didn’t mess with the original in an attempt to make a cool app. They stood by the fact that building things in real life is way more fun than faking it on a screen, yet added the best of digital to make it social and engaging in a totally different way. Other brands would be smart to take note of LEGO’s success and build apps that integrate their real-world product in a new and interesting way.
As a side note, I still have two VERY large tubs of LEGOs at home. I have no intention of ever getting rid of them, because at this rate, LEGOs will never become obsolete.
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Digital Fun for the Holidays
Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah!
Wait, don’t groan. I know it’s still a little early, but if any of you are like me and pull out your Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving, then it’s time to get in the holiday spirit! I love the holidays, so I’ve put together a quick collection of digital coolness to help add to your merriment this season.
Fun Stuff for You
Are you planning some special meals? Allrecipes is a standard favorite, but they’ve added some fun features to their website, like a personal recipe box, menu planners and shopping lists. They have an app, too, so you can figure out what to do with the leftover turkey without leaving the couch (we know, it’s the tryptophan). And for those of us in warmer climates who can still break out the grill, Weber’s On the Grill app is also full of yumminess.
Speaking of the couch, don’t forget to download ESPN’s ScoreCenter so you can keep up with all the great rivalry games and championships this time of year. Tell them who your favorite teams are, and they’ll make sure you always know the latest play. (It’s also good for keeping husbands happy when you take them to the work Christmas party on a Saturday during football season.)
For those of you planning on entertaining lots of guests, you can find great ideas on everything from holiday decoration ideas to inventive recipes to tips for great parties on Pinterest. Since I’ve talked about this bit of coolness before, let’s move on to finding the perfect gifts.
I
f you’ve been put in charge of the office or family Secret Santa tradition, check out Elfster. You can create gift exchanges, invite participants, manage drawings and send wish lists. It includes social integrations, so if my Facebook friends are using it, I can see what they want for Christmas or check out gifts that other people have liked to get ideas.
If you still want help finding just the right thing, check out Mashable’s list of gift recommendation tools that use social to personalize the suggestions.
Fun Stuff from Brands
This wouldn’t be an agency blog if I didn’t touch on a few of my favorite things that brands are up to this season.
This time of year, ads change, and we begin to see all kinds of representations of holiday magic. Sometimes those ads give us great ideas for ways we might start or add to our own traditions. In the new ads from The Home Depot, they feature some cool new ways to deck the halls with ornaments, and the best part is they tell you how to do it. If you go to the site at the end of the ad, you find a video about the project that will link you to printable instructions and all the products you need.
I’m sure we all remember Target’s Christmas Champ, the lovably certifiable lady who is WAY into holiday sales. This year, she’s back with her own Twitter handle spouting tips for your shopping adventures and a YouTube page where she walks you through the finer parts of her sales-hunting strategy.
If holidays for you mean peppermint mochas and red cups, then Starbucks has a fun way for you to pass the time between shots of espresso. Their new augmented reality app lets you scan their signature holiday cups and watch the characters animate. There are also special offers and e-gifting tools available, so you can send a cup to a few of the people left on your list.
This year, when you a buy gift from JCPenney, you can get a Santa Tag with a customizable QR code. You scan the code, record a greeting or message to the recipient and put it on your gift. Then when the recipient scans the code, they hear whatever warm wishes you recorded.
Coca-Cola has a new QR code campaign that takes you to an iPhone or iPad game where you can throw snowballs at your friends. While this might be a good way to pass time at the airport during the holiday travels, it’s part of a much larger “Arctic Home” campaign from Coca-Cola to support the work of the World Wildlife Fund to protect polar bears.
Happy Holidays!
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David Ogilvy once said, “I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form, but as a medium of information.” We wonder, if he were alive today, would he feel the same way?
Let Me Entertain You
As advertisers are looking for ways to expand their web presence, more of them are creating custom content to distribute online, either through paid media or through their social media channels. This sponsored content is taking the form of articles and blogs, how-to videos and branded entertainment videos.
Branded entertainment is an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by, and complementary to, a brand’s marketing strategy. Product placement, brand integration and branded content are all types of branded entertainment. The goal of this tactic is to entertain an audience while communicating positive brand attributes and messaging.
A large draw to branded entertainment is that it allows advertisers to align their brands with content that’s relevant to their target. In doing so, those brands can create stronger emotional connections with their consumers, and hopefully these emotional connections ultimately will lead to brand affinity.
If an advertiser decides to delve into the branded entertainment space, there are a few best practices:
- Create content that’s relevant to the target. Depending on the audience, this might be an entertaining clip or a how-to video.
- Don’t act like an advertiser. The message should be seamlessly integrated into the content, but the content should come first and the message should follow.
- Have a plan for distributing the content that includes free and paid channels.
Branded entertainment is working its way into our clients’ media plans and communication strategies. Last fall, we launched a series of original how-to web videos for Russell Athletic that featured workout tips. The videos had a “Brought to you by” introduction and the athletes featured in the videos wore Russell Athletic clothing, but that was the extent of the branding. The videos were viewed more than 4.7 million times during the three months they were live, and brand attributes were communicated effectively without being overt.
Leading up to their brand relaunch campaign, we posted a branded entertainment video for Summer’s Eve starring Carlton the cat, the brand’s unofficial spokesperson. The video was sharable via YouTube and Facebook and has been viewed almost 400,000 times since June. Additionally, Summer’s Eve brand mentions on the Web went from almost nonexistent to wow! (defined as an increase of more than 12,000%) after the video launched.
Best practice number four: For a branded entertainment campaign to succeed, campaign objectives and metrics have to be agreed upon up front. The metrics can range from video views to social web mentions to conversions. We are proud of the success these efforts have had for our clients, and we know they were successful because we established our success metrics early in the process.
Lastly, marketers want their branded entertainment to go viral; this is marketing gold. The final best practice to keep in mind is that branded entertainment content should encourage sharing. Make sharing easy by incorporating tools that allow the viewer to post to Facebook or YouTube, share via sites like Digg and Delicious, and email to friends. In the new socially minded world order, we need to give consumers the content they want and enable them to pass it on.
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Babies dancing. Cats acting adorably mischievous. Teenagers ranting about Britney Spears. These one-off Internet videos rake in the views, but there’s not a lot of quality or thought behind them. It’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” for the Internet age. But now, as the Internet is growing up, so is its content.
Some video creators are out to make something worth more than 15 seconds of fame. They start with an idea and create something, rather than capturing and exploiting a single moment. Hopefully, I’m about to share some of these with you for the first time.
One of my personal favorite Internet video creators is a man named Freddy Wong. His passion for video games is often reflected in his visual-effect-driven short films. He’s spoofed everything from Mario Kart to first-person shooters to action movies with his own brand of humor. See for yourself in this psychedelic little flick. (Warning: Film contains violence and lots of flowers.)
Another of my favorites is a sound designer and composer named Diego Stocco, who creates instruments, sometimes out of what most people would consider non-musical objects. While his videos don’t get the millions of views that Freddy’s do, he’s making something incredibly creative and worth watching. See for yourself.
Last, but definitely not least, I’d like to mention the high-calorie cuisine of Epic Meal Time. Lots of you have probably already seen these bacon-obsessed dudes build enormous meat creations in the kitchen. But in case you haven’t, check out their take on a gingerbread house. Hint: Less gingerbread, more meat. (Warning: There’s a bit of NSFW language.)
These new kinds of video creators have intensely loyal fans that watch and share each new video. For brands looking to make a quick viral video, partnering with someone like Freddy Wong could mean an overnight success. For example, a video collaboration between Epic Meal Time, our client GameStop and “Gears of War 3” garnered over 3 million views. The brands fit together nicely and created an entertaining video that their respective audiences genuinely enjoyed watching. As they say on Epic Meal Time, that’s “#%*ing SMART.
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