Commentary

Advertisers As News Sources, Pop Music Hits That Are Ads: An Unruly Vision of the Future

The implied idea with industry  predictions is that the things that will happen are generally good. The predictor is surveying the landscape and seeing that thing called progress, just ahead.

It’s funny. I’ve been reading the list from Unruly COO Sarah Wood, who I can tell you is a pretty thoughtful executive. And like those other lists, her predictions seem positive, too.  And yet, some of them—and they’re not really that radical—demand a little introspection, which is not an attribute fast moving businesses are very good at providing. Generally, in the online video biz, what can come to pass…comes to pass.

From her point of view—Unruly’s meal ticket is spotting, identifying and codifying ‘shareable’ content-- her near-future glimpse makes perfect sense.  

Number 1, she writes, is this:  “New tools will emerge to help real-time marketers become more ‘agile.’ ”  

She explains, “In 2014, we'll see the emergence of new tools and platforms to support the macro-trend towards content marketing and real-time marketing,with more brands becoming newsrooms for their niche. It will lead to greater investment in content discovery, content curation and content creation as brands vie with each other for consumers' share of mind on social platforms.”

I think this means, that, say McDonald’s, or maybe Sephora, could become your source of “news.” This is already happening in ways big and small. But to see it written down is, to me, the scariest side of native advertising.  Wood writes, “Brands will need a bigger tool kit which allows them to spot which content is trending (news stories, images and videos) and respond quickly.” 

So, journalism isn’t dead. Soon Kmart will be hiring.

That was prediction #1.

But it’s kind of close to #4:The Prankvert will make way for the Trackvert.”

Wood writes, “The thin line between advertising and music videos became a lot thinner in 2013…. Over the last few months there have been a lot more ads which could arguably be identified as both a music video and a full-blown ad. Notable examples include Beyonce’s video for H&M, singer Arianna and rapper Pitbull’s ‘The Fiat Song’ and Volvo’s partnership with Swedish House Mafia. This ‘trackvertising trend’ is set to continue in 2014.  During the next few months, we expect to see a lot more ads that push the boundaries between music video and ad.

“It makes sense,” she goes on. “Well, firstly, music videos are by far the most shared videos on the web. Just look at the top 100 most shared videos on the Unruly Viral Video Chart and you will see what I mean. Altogether, of the top 100, only one...is not a music video.”

It’s natural, she writes. “Music and advertising is a magical combination...Look at the greatest online ads of all time, and the vast majority boast an incredible song or catchy jingle.  After all, recent academic research has found that the most shared ads are the ones which elicit thet  strongest emotions from its audience. And what better way to elicit strong feelings of joy, sadness or exhilaration than through music? We will have to wait how the trackvert trend evolves in 2014.”

Unfortunately, she’s right. We’ll have to wait. (And God bless you, Neil Young.)

She’s optimistic about wearable tech. (I’m not, in any big way.) And she points out, where all this connectiveness leads us: “Yes, the Internet of Things will open up the possibility of hyper-geo-located targeting. For example, sausage ads as you open your fridge; replaced by porridge oats ads if your cholesterol reading is high or an ad for sunscreen displayed on your smartwatch if the UV rays are high when you open your front door.”

I really hope this doesn’t happen to my refrigerator, in 2014, or ever.

But the trick about predictions these days is that these days move so quickly. Wood predicts that mobile “will truly become the first screen,” a statement that is meaningful but already seems to beg someone to respond, “Well, of course.”

Likewise, when she writes, “Social video will amplify TV spend and demand TV budgets,” it seems that she’s preaching to the choir loft. But it could be because in this job, all the music I hear comes from that general direction.

She has a handful of other ideas that will make you think. Like I said, Wood seems to be a person who thinks outside of the box. But she does see the box, and she sees the times,and so do you and I. This year—we’re seven cold days in—has a lot of time to unfold. Clearly, Wood’s speculation isn t wildly off the mark. Whether it’s the world we want, well, that’s another matter.

 pj@mediapost.com.     

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