The popular entertainment check-in app GetGlue is planning a major update of its mobile applications that is aimed as much at media discovery as it is at social TV. Company CEO Alex Iskold made a video for GigaOM last week outlining his plan to move the functionality beyond check-ins and conversations around media and to “reimagine discovery around TV.” The next iteration of the apps will help viewers discover new content on TV. “With this update you will see a lot of utility returned on top of social,” he says. The app will try to bring onto the “second screen” more content about the TV shows themselves like news and photos, which often send users across other sites and apps. The big new idea in GetGlue HD is to update the classic TV guides and directories with more customized recommendations. The guide is designed to be smart about what you are used to watching, the current time and location, and what is on the immediate horizon in the programming grid. The app will make suggestions for what to watch both now and later. While Iskold references synchronized second-screen programming, he mentioned that GetGlue is placing its bets on simple functionality and the desire of entertainment fans to discover more of what they love. In enhancing the basic check-in functionality that has been at the heart of GetGlue all along, the company is competing more directly with the more robust and content-rich second-screen offerings like Yahoo’s IntoNow, Umani and many others in the cluttered space. GetGlue claims 3 million users. The Web and app-based platform awards badges for checking in to a range of entertainment types.
A new mobile ad platform unveiled today promises to help marketers reach target audiences wherever they are, down to the neighborhood level. San Francisco-based startup Moasis Global provides technology for delivering advertising or content in real-time to predefined locations or “grids” as small as two city blocks or as large as a region or country. By showing consumers relevant ads or promotions in proximity to small and mid-sized businesses, other marketers can drive more foot traffic and higher revenue. Or at least that’s the idea. The company points to research indicating people spend 80% of their discretionary income within 10 miles of their homes. “Our goal is to create the intersection where data and delivery meet. So it gives the marketer, regardless of size, the ability to discover their consumer and react, and deliver on a product right away,” said Moasis co-founder and CEO Ryan Golden, who previously founded branding firms Syner(G) Group and Alife Group. His background includes a stint at Tribal DDB. Through the company’s Geo-Grid display platform, businesses or agencies use its Web-based dashboard to determine a campaign budget, bid in real-time on one or more grids, and set parameters for ad timing and other criteria. Once an advertiser reaches its spend limit, or gets outbid, the ad comes down. Advertisers aren’t charged for ads that get no views. Ad rates through the system, now in beta, otherwise typically run at CPMs of about $40. Moasis has teamed with ad exchanges such as Nexage, OpenX and Smaato to connect its platform to RTB marketplaces and source mobile inventory. The company is relying on first- and third-party behavioral and social data, as well as location information via mobile users’ GPS, Wi-Fi triangulation to target ads. Moasis’ hyperlocal approach to mobile advertising is similar to other ad tech firms, such as PlaceIQ, which target ads based on 100-meter square geographic areas called “tiles.” Golden suggested that Moasis provides a more comprehensive solution that goes beyond location data to provide campaign management and ad delivery. Like PlaceIQ, Moasis emphasizes that its platform is privacy-safe because it isn’t tracking personally indefinable information (PII), but profiles built from generalized, anonymous data. In addition to devices like phones, tablets and laptops, the company says ads can be served to other platforms like streaming video and audio services, transit system signage and digital billboards. At present, Moasis is running a test in connection with the Summer Olympics that would allow advertisers to target messages to people by sports event venue in London. “We’re working with our exchange partners which have access to millions of impressions in the U.K. area,” said Golden. He added that Moasis is more broadly in talks with publishers, ad agencies and businesses to expand its reach. The company offers a self-serve tool for small business, while agencies can connect to its Geo-Grid system directly or through an API (application protocol interface) plugin for agency trading desks. Moasis is demonstrating the system for agencies and advertisers while in beta but said it didn’t have any preliminary campaign results to share.
Platforms continue to create a fairly easy process to buy mobile media, but marketers don't understand the mechanics of integrating media channels and technology. Many still drive mobile ads to a Web site or landing page. Retailers don't recognize that consumers carrying smartphones stand within 200 feet of their stores, and it's helpful to retarget a display ad on a publisher's site or serve up a search ad on Bing, Yahoo, or Google Local or Maps to drive foot traffic into the store. TagMan CRO Nancy Marzouk said the company tested mobile app tag management for iOS and Android that it plans to roll out at the end of July. "A large percentage of the ecosystem remains clueless about the possibilities of mobile," she said."We pushed to develop a mobile tag management system, because a lot of clients believe it's undervalued, but they don't have the tools or data to validate it." Marzouk said many of TagMan's biggest clients garner 20% of conversions from mobile. iProspect's U.S. clients will invest about 6.5% of their online ad budgets in mobile this year. Overall, mobile dollars managed through iProspect rose 90% between January and June 2012, according to COO Brian Kaminski. Marketers are leaving millions of dollars on the table. "I see the gap widening between those who get it and those who don't," Kaminski said. "I would have initially argued this year the gap would close significantly. Now, I'm not so sure." The more sophisticated marketers understand mobile isn't just a transactional vehicle, Kaminski said. Those are the ones who won't allow opportunities linked to ecommerce to pass. During eBay's recent second-quarter earnings call, CEO John Donahoe said eBay and PayPal mobile should each transact $10 billion in volume this year. The numbers were revised upward. eBay had estimated mobile shopping would hit $8 billion on eBay $7 billion on PayPal. Globally, mobile ad marketplace Adfonic's total ad requests rose 15%, sequentially, with 8,256 active campaigns in Q2. Europe experienced the strongest growth at 23 billion ad requests -- up 34% sequentially, surpassing North America at 19 billion for the first time. Marketers underestimate the ability to reach consumers on mobile platforms. High-value verticals like automotive take between $50 and $100. Most verticals acquire customers at a cost proportionate to the typical customer lifetime value for their industry, according to an Adfonic report. Click-through rate (CTR) performance varies significantly across regions. Adfonic, which supports about 5,000 campaigns monthly, said CTO Wes Biggs, found the most popular verticals in North America, technology and telecoms, generates a more than 37% CTR, for example. Gender targeting also improves performance. Globally, Adfonic sees a 164% uplift in tech and telecoms campaigns targeted to males. Media and budget silos will hinder growth, Kaminski said. "In many cases, companies have separate marketers in charge of running in-store and online campaigns, and this slows innovation," he said. "I also think the nuances of managing mobile display are trickier than managing mobile search." Mobile investments are not advancing as quickly as many experts estimate. They continue to grow, but not as quickly as if the media tied in with other channels. Kaminski suggests setting metrics per device, such as tablet, desktop and mobile phone, to get the full benefits from mobile, similar to the way marketers might set metrics for search or display marketing.
Sparrow CEO Dom Leca announced on the company's Web site Friday that the Paris-based firm and its five employees would join Google. Google acquired the e-mail app developer Sparrow, seeking to improve its Gmail service. Sparrow's app works on Apple's iPhone and Macs. It is compatible with Gmail, but does not work on mobile phones powered by Google’s Android operating software. The Sparrow Gmail client debuted in February, but also supports MobileMe, Yahoo, and other providers. Sparrow costs about $10, and allows app users to gain access to multiple email accounts from one place. Leca thanked advisors and investors Loren Brichter, Dave Morin, John Maeda, Xavier Niel, Jérémie Berrebi and others who supported the company. He said employees at his company will join the Gmail team to work on "a bigger vision." Earlier this week, Google launched a service delivering Gmail messages over SMS in emerging markets. The service, called Gmail SMS, supports marketers where smartphone penetration is low and Internet connections unreliable. Google picked Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya as the first three countries.
The next generation takes the idea of digital nativism a step further. A lot of preschoolers today can do the multi-screen thing by the time they're three. Will marketers be ready for them when they hit school age, and will they be ready for school and the things that come with it, like books? A new study from Ipsos MediaCT, “LMX Family,” conducted among 2,700 U.S. families -- 700 with preschoolers and the rest with kids 6-12 years old -- shows that parents are bringing digital devices to kids at younger ages, and that kids at young ages are savvy about smartphones, tablets, laptops and games, and prefer them over traditional media and modes of playing and connecting. Sixty-nine percent of LMX Family respondents said they have an Internet-capable cell phone; a third have tablets, which is up from 10% last year. A quarter have eReaders, up from 17% last year. None last year had an Internet-enabled appliance. This year, 8% of respondents do. At an event on the findings, Donna Sabino, who leads the Kids & Family Center of Excellence at Ipsos MediaCT, said the very presence of kids gives parents the push to make tech purchases, as many see it as an educational investment. The study, for example, found that 18% of families with kids between 6 and 12 plan on buying an iPad 3 in the next year. By contrast, only 7% of child-free people plan to do so. LMX Family data show that in preschoolers’ homes there are more laptops, consoles, gaming devices, and smartphones than in homes where kids are six and older. The study found, for example, that among preschoolers' households, 83% reported having laptops; 37% hand-held gaming devices; 76% consoles; and 73% Internet-enabled mobile devices. In households where kids are between 6 and 12 years of age, those numbers are 79%, 22%, 60% and 67%, respectively. "Gen Y parents are bringing the devices into the house and introducing the youngest kids to them," said Sabino. She added that half of preschoolers' parents let them use their tablets. "We are seeing a change in behavior as a result of this. We see growth in VOD, games, and videos on phones and tablets concurrent with declines in outdoor playing and playing with traditional toys. And traditional activities associated with childhood are becoming digitally supported." Indeed, the study found that fewer kids than in 2011 are playing with toys, playing outside, watching DVD's, watching live TV and reading a book or magazine. The study also finds that social media is also a hockey-stick graph as kids get older: while 16% of 6- to 8-year-olds have a profile page on a social network, per the study, over half of 11-year-olds have one, and 94% of all kids with profile pages have one on Facebook. Eighty-three percent of parents monitor their children's privacy settings on their networks, and 78% are their kids' friends on the kids' social network, per Sabino, who said the favorite digital activities for kids are playing games (28%), socializing (24%), watching their favorite TV show (19%); and going to a favorite web site (9%), but that the high ranking for gaming is driven by boys. "Girls are socially oriented, so the top online activity for girls is connecting with people," she said. Sabino asked presentation attendees what they would imagine kids would want to have with them on a (digitally connected) desert island. The top vote was a mobile phone. But the choice among the biggest group of kids was a laptop. And number two was TV, followed by gaming console (boys again) and last was a smartphone, with only 11% of kids choosing that. Cara Berman, SVP of Mediavest USA, said that the company is trying to create experiences that connect with kids in the digital environments in which they play. "Whether it's gaming platforms with media partner or experiences." An example of physical/digital integration is "NBA Baller Beats", billed as the first full-body motion-based NBA video game with a real (Spalding) basketball. The game, which debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles last month and goes on sale this fall, sets real-ball-handling skills like dribbling, fakes crossovers, and around-the-world to licensed tracks from different genres. "It shows that any product can become tech savvy," said Larissa Faw, a Forbes writer. But she also said these kinds of hybrid efforts can fail, as with Hasbro's Twister dance with Britney spears, where the Twister game is packaged with a speaker device pre-loaded with Spears' songs and a disco ball with lights. "It would have been cool in the Nineties but there are so many ways to use newer technology to make Twister cool." Berman said advertising is difficult when kids are in the audience because they know early on when a commercial comes on. "You have to provide value and not just to a child but to parents, too, whether it's educational or teaching a new skill." She said the other challenge is measurement. "Overall, we are putting out lots of content and trying to measure on the back end on brand awareness, sales and brand health."
The iPhone has not lost its hold as an object of desire for mobile consumers. A new ChangeWave survey (registration required) shows "unprecedented" demand for the next incarnation of the Apple smartphone expected later this year. With 14% of respondents saying they’re very likely and 17% somewhat likely to buy the “iPhone 5” in the future, early interest in purchasing the next-generation iPhone is much higher than for any previous iPhone model. A similar question asking about the iPhone 4S when it launched in October 2011, for example, found 10% very likely, and 11.5% somewhat likely to buy the device. The iPhone 4S is considered the most successful smartphone release to date. Exactly when the iPhone 5 will be released and what new features it will offer are unknown. But survey participants were given a description that includes a larger screen, improved camera, a new iOS 6 operating system, and 4G LTE capability. The forthcoming device is expected to cost $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model, with a 2-year contract. During Verizon Wireless’ second-quarter conference call last week, the company’s chief financial officer, Fran Shammo, hinted at the possible release of the iPhone 5 in the fourth quarter when he referred to a “big smartphone” release Verizon expects during the period. During the second quarter, the carrier activated 2.7 million iPhones, up from 2.3 million in the prior quarter. The ChangeWave survey also confirmed surging demand for Samsung phones, with nearly a fourfold increase in intent to buy the brand’s smartphones to 19% since March. Samsung overtook Nokia in the fourth quarter as the world’s largest mobile handset seller. Asked about their plans to purchase the newly released Samsung Galaxy S III back in June, 2% said they were very likely to buy the Android-based device, and 7% somewhat likely. Among other key findings: *In contrast to Apple and Samsung, demand for Motorola devices (4%; down 2 points) and HTC (3%) remains sluggish, while RIM (2%) is mired at its all-time low. *Nokia (2%), is seeing a slight uptick in consumer smartphone buying, with a one-point increase in the last three months. “While it's only a one-point increase, it remains a hopeful sign for their new Lumia device as well as their strategic partnership with Microsoft,” states the report. The ChangeWave study, in partnership with 451 Research, was based on a survey of 4,042 North American consumers from June 18 to 25.
Score another one for live, premium Web content. The Atlantic Coast Conference’s digital network just launched a new channel with YouTube. The deal marks the first and only official partnership between YouTube and a major collegiate sports conference, according to Frank Golding, director of North American Sports at Google’s video unit. Launched in 2011 by Silver Chalice and the ACC, the ACC Digital Network produces daily conference coverage, including highlights, news and analysis, along with behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, historical content and coverage of all championship events. For the ACC, a partnership with YouTube means a partnership with Google. “As part of our partnership, we will be offering a series of Google Hangouts following select ACC game matchups for fans to directly interact with our analysts,” says Jason Coyle, COO of Silver Chalice. Per the new partnership, the ACC Digital Network has also agreed to deliver 20 live events in Olympic sports. New to the ACC Digital Network programming lineup will be a weekly live studio program on Saturdays throughout the football and basketball seasons. Through the live streaming, fans will have access to school-specific news up to game day. In addition, the channel will feature condensed replays of the ACC Network productions of football and men’s basketball games. The fall live game schedule is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Any parent who owns a tablet knows how much kids love them. But many of those parents also know that turning over a high-end electronic device to a toddler is almost inviting trouble. Enter Nabi, an Android-powered tablet created especially for kids, with a special soft case designed to survive small drops and pre-loaded with apps specifically designed for kids and safe Web-browsing features. The device, which was introduced last year, is launching its first advertising campaign via mOcean this week. “There are a lot of tablets on the market, but there aren’t many that are made for kids that are adult grade tablets,” Mike Braue, director of client services, consumer brands at mOcean, tells Marketing Daily. “This is for kids who want what their parents have in terms of an Apple-type experience.” A television commercial in the campaign depicts the wonder and potential a tablet can open up for children. A boy walks down a country path holding the hand of an astronaut in a space suit, another faces off against a Shaolin warrior, and a girl assists in a surgical operation with a stuffed bunny. “To you, it’s a tablet,” says a woman’s voiceover. “To them, it’s the world.” “We wanted to open a dialogue with moms to let her know this is a tool that can help her enrich her kids’ lives,” Braue says. “This is an experience that you can share with your kids and better monitor what they’re doing.” To create the spot, Braue and mOcean drew upon the agency’s history of creating movie trailers for Disney and other studios to craft a story that appeals to both kids and parents alike, he says. “The idea is that this is something that is an entertaining experience. It wasn’t like telling the story with a bunch of screen grabs. It was more about the world you’re transported to, and we understand how to tell a story that is non-traditional and allows you to escape.” Though the spot targets moms, it will be running on kid-oriented cable networks such as Nickelodeon, Sprout and Disney XD during the day (as well as some more mom-specific programming in the evenings). “We’re running on kids media because it’s an efficient way to reach moms,” Braue says. Braue notes that the Nabi is a full-fledged, Android-powered tablet akin to a Kindle Fire and not a “kidified” product. In the product’s first year last year, it sold out during the holiday season, he says. But rather than wait for the holiday advertising to begin this year, the brand opted to launch an advertising campaign this summer to take advantage of the brand’s first-mover status in the category. “There’s a lot of competition from the big tablet makers that’s right around the corner,” Braue says. “We have word of some of that competition that’s coming and we want to make sure that we’re first to market with a tablet of this caliber.”
Madison Avenue has harnessed the power of Big Data to pinpoint the precise audiences that marketers want to reach in real time across the Web and multiple devices. In addition to giving rise to programmatic buying, Big Data -- the growing ability to collect and analyze massive sets of information -- is having a broader impact on society. A new survey of 1,021 technology experts and stakeholders conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Elon University’s Imagining and Internet Center shows that most (53%) believe the emergence of Big Data is likely to be a “huge positive for society in nearly all respects” by 2020. But a significant minority (39%) contend it’s likely to be “a big negative.” Big Data proponents predict continuing development of real-time data analysis and enhanced pattern recognition that could bring revolutionary change to personal life, business and government, according to Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Center’s Internet research arm. Hal Varian, chief economist at Google, is among the optimists. “This is likely to lead to a better, more informed pro-active fiscal and monetary policy,” he stated. David Weinberger of Harvard University’s Berkman Center suggested we’re only beginning to understand the range of problems Big Data can help solve. But others underscored the dark side of Big Data. They noted that the people controlling the collection and management of large data sets are typically governments or corporations with their own agendas. Dissenters also pointed to a shortage of human curators with the tools to sort through the glut of data, increasing the possibility that data can be manipulated or misread. As part of its report -- the seventh in a series of surveys addressing key Internet issues with a select group of experts and observers -- Pew also published a number of comments from respondents: Jeff Jarvis, professor, pundit and blogger: “Media and regulators are demonizing Big Data and its supposed threat to privacy. Such moral panics have occurred often, thanks to changes in technology…But the moral of the story remains: There is value to found in this data, value in newfound publicness.” Barry Parr, owner and analyst for MediaSavvy: “Better information is seldom the solution to any real-world social problems. It may be the solution to lots of business problems, but it’s unlikely that the benefits will accrue to the public. We’re more likely to lose privacy and freedom from the rise of Big Data.” John Capone, freelance writer and journalist, former editor of MediaPost publications: “More information will be beneficial in all sorts of ways we can’t even fathom right now. Namely because we don’t have the data.”
Personalization is among the biggest unkept promises of the online data economy. Apart from a handful of retailers and irregular users of recommendation engines on publisher sites, almost everyone in media talks a big game about personalization that they really don’t play. All that user data gone to waste. 'Tis a pity. In the next few weeks I will be drilling into the topic of personalization from a few perspectives, from talking with people who have been thinking hard about the problem to instances where the power of personalized media delivery is clear. This week, however, I want to set the table with some interesting new data on the topic from British company eConsultancy. In its Quarterly Digital Intelligence Report, done in partnership with Adobe, the advisory took up the topic of personalization across a range of companies, asking them where they wanted to be vs. where they find themselves now. Only 27% of marketers surveyed felt that personalization was already critical to their online presence. But a majority (52%) agreed that the ability to personalize Web content was fundamental to their online strategy. Really? Not so you can tell. In fact, as the questions got more specific about tactics and capabilities, it turns out that the ambitions for providing users with customized experiences were not being realized. While 41% of the marketers surveyed said they were “committed” to personalized experiences for their customers, less than a third (32%) say that their Web CMs even allow for personalization. Nevertheless, 37% say that they are targeting personalized content in real time at their sites. While some use personal data, 42% say they can personalize from anonymous information. Many use on-site behaviors and stated user preferences, and there is a fair amount of browser history and purchase history being used. When it comes to leveraging different types of data and measuring ROI from personalization, marketers still hold social data in high regard, with 88% saying that social graph personalization has a high impact, even more than purchase history (77%). In measuring impact of personalization, 70% use increased conversions, but 50% also consider engagement in time spent. But again, when asked more specifically about how personalization is deployed, the numbers plummet. Only 33% say that they use data to maximize conversions, and little more than a quarter benchmark their own personalization by testing different kinds of personalization. Of course, some marketers call “personalization” slapping “Welcome back, Steve” on my Web site. For anyone with a modicum of digital savvy, that is closer to a slap in the face. It signals that the site knows you, and likely is tracking your every move, but it won’t use that data in any way that demonstrably helps your experience. In the 15-plus years I have been covering digital media, I have seen countless attempts at introducing robust and meaningful personalization at both news and information sites and retail and brand sites. In the cases where the site relies on the proactive involvement of the user to state preferences and opt into a personalized experience, most publishers report extremely low levels of use and opt-in. Most people, like the publishers themselves, like the idea of personalization rather than the work it requires of them to do it well. In the cases where more passive systems are used to personalize against behaviors, the results often are too select or subtle for the user to detect as a benefit. Transparency in personalization is not just a matter of being forthright about the fact that you are tracking the user. It is a matter of communicating to users that they are getting some value out of the data exchange. Ironically, you want personalized experiences to feel seamless, but not necessarily look too seamless. I think that the emergence of devices makes personalization more of an imperative for all kinds of publishers. But smartphones, tablets, and even smart TVs, and connected appliances or cars will also help acquaint users with custom experiences. It is not coincidental that Flipboard continues to be among the most popular of all tablet apps. Along with rival Zite and a new app Trapit (based on the news aggregation site of the same name), these are personalized apps whose aggregation function is more valuable on screens with constrained interfaces. In essence, these device-based apps are helping to train users in the value and power of personalized filtering of content. I would expect users to bring back to the Web itself a higher set of expectations around publishers making better, smarter use of the data visitors hand over every nano-second.
For the first time ever, YouTube has surpassed Hulu in video ads served. According to comScore’s just-released June 2012 Video Metrix, Google-owned sites delivered 1.41 billion ads in June, the most of any Web property. Brightroll was next at 1.39 billion, and Hulu landed in the third slot at 1.33 billion. The top five also included Adap.tv with 1.15 billion video ads and TubeMogul with 1.04 billion video ads. A year ago, YouTube had not even registered on comScore’s ranking of top 10 properties by video ads served. What’s more, the number of online video ads more than doubled over last year -- a record 11 billion video ad streams were served in June, up from 10 billion the month before and more than double the nearly 5.3 billion in June 2011. Those figures should be useful to any publisher, ad network, or agency needing quick proof of the growth in online video. But what’s particularly interesting is that the number of strong players is growing. Last June, Hulu comprised about 20% of the 5.3 billion video ads delivered. This June, the top five video ad properties each delivered more than 1 billion video ads. But the ousting of Hulu from the top spot should not be viewed as a warning sign over Hulu’s future. For starters, the amount of first-run broadcast content naturally dips in June when networks go on summer hiatus, so it’s normal for Hulu’s viewership and ads to wane. Also, Hulu continues to be tops when it comes to monetizing streams per viewer. It delivered the highest frequency of ads to viewers with 52, comScore said, while Google’s frequency is about 19. Ad load is a key factor in successfully making money in online video, and Hulu excels in ad load. YouTube also has a much bigger audience to monetize across, but the fact that YouTube has been inching up the ad charts all year is good for everyone. YouTube is the bellwether, and what’s good for YouTube is often what’s good for the online video business. The more ad dollars that YouTube corrals, the more proof the industry has of the vitality of online video marketing.
Gen Y is different than their Baby Boomer parents – and they make sure everyone knows. They were taught from a young age that they could do anything they want, that they are special, and there is nothing that they cannot do. They believe deeply in themselves and in being individuals with their own sense of style, opinions and values. Anyone standing in their way or bucketing them into groups is in danger of being written off as misunderstanding them. Let’s be honest: They want some genuine attention and recognition. More importantly, they want respect. Respect in marketing Brands can market to Gen Y’s desire for respect by treating them differently. The same company tagline and age-old ad campaigns that have “stood the test of time” will largely be ignored by this generation. They respond to risqué language and disruptive methods. They want something new and fresh - something that speaks to their generation and the language they use. It’s not about being overly politically correct and pleasing to everyone anymore; it’s about being real and authentic. It’s okay to say that some things suck and that you are trying to make them better. A differentiated approach to your marketing messages shows Gen Y that you respect them and care enough to speak directly to them. Respect their time Marketers think young people have all the time in the world. Guess what – they don’t agree! They have class, they work part-time, they were up all night working on that paper, they need time to figure out what they want from life, and, yes, time for their social life counts, too. So, respect their time. If you want them to engage with your brand, make it worth their while. Incentives pay off. Like you on Facebook, open your emails, fill out a survey? What’s in it for them? Little thank-you’s like $5 credits, a chance to win something, or even a t-shirt go a long way. They know that everyone wants five minutes of their time so they are smart enough to know that they can get something for it. Timing is the name of the game when it comes to reaching Gen Y. Respect their budget Remember that marketing to Gen Y is an investment in tomorrow’s dollars – not today’s. If they are still in school or recent grads, their money is tight. However, they are early in the customer lifecycle and represent the next generation of heavy consumers. So, respect their budget now and you will retain their loyalty later. Student discounts are a widely socially acceptable method of price differentiation. Respect them face-to-face There’s the sense that Gen Y is a purely digital generation. We’ve found that if anything, live events are more effective with Gen Y than the previous generation. If you give them something to experience live, they will build a strong, long-lasting positive association with your brand because they are attuned to marketing enough to recognize you are responsible for their good time, and give you full credit. They also appreciate the fact that you respect them enough to show up and say hello. Not enough brands take the time to engage with Gen Y offline, so it’s easy to stand out when you do. The success of an event marketing strategy is still based on respecting the audience’s individuality. Give them the room to experience the event on their terms, and enhance the fun they want to have, rather than trying to force an activity on them. Positioning your marketing to Gen Y is about engaging them differently. The language you use, how you approach them, where you advertise – it all matters. When you take time to speak directly to those in Gen Y, they take time to listen. Think outside the box and, please, have some respect.
Throw out the media handbook. Throw out everything you know about media. Stop whatever you're doing right now and do this. Because you shouldn’t really be buying media at all. You should be buying buyers: The customers who are most likely to buy the branded product or service you represent. Instead of using surrogates for your customers -- pushing messages at a demographics segment -- and other reach-based models, why not sit back and let your brand's best prospective customers -- no matter what their age, ethnicity or income -- take you on their journey through the media properties that they are most engaged in? Let them be your guide and then prioritize the media you elect to invest in based on a process that reaches the most high-value customers of your brand or service. The world has vastly changed -- it's all about pull. What are the customers pulling to them in terms of content and media properties? Which media properties are pound-for-pound more effective at driving revenues for the brand in question? This process is doable now, and some marketers are using it already to gain share because it’s a practical approach and a philosophical way to create branded media networks. Marketers are identifying customers who are most attached to their products or services, identifying the media and content that those customers engage with the most, and then making sure that messages about the products or services in question are deployed across those media and content. In the “old” days before 2005, linking customers' brand attachment to media attachment wasn't much of a science so planners and buyers used surrogate customer profiles to try to create an effective media plan. Surrogate customers’ profiles were demographics-based -- something like age 25-54 with annual household income of $100K, owns a luxury car and bought a TV within the past 12 months. But these methods are all grossly insufficient compared to actually following the buyer. Today we can actually create and buy “branded” channels, and it's the first important step in reaching the highest percentage of revenue generators for the brand. Using this approach, marketers can break down the walls between different types of media platforms and properties and let the customers be their guides to the most relevant contextual placements that will generate the highest return on their investments. Here's how to create a “branded media channel:" ·Identify customers who are highly or moderately attached to the brand; they drive up to 60 percent and up to 30 percent, respectively, of potential revenues ·Find media with the highest saturation of those high-potential buyers ·Prioritize and create a network of cross-platform media -- TV, content, apps, print, tablets, mobile -- and “wire together” the optimal network for the brand. The plan may or may not include all of these media. ·Find the most contextually relevant media by following the brand lovers Smart marketers and their media partners do not buy media or impressions. They create brand networks across all media to buy the buyers. They preach to the converted and convert the receptive to drive growth.
It’s a phone … it’s a camera … it’s a smartphone! With the ability to take great pictures on their phones, travelers are sharing vacation photos with their personal networks more than ever. Instagram, the popular mobile app, enables users to manipulate photos with filters and then post, like and comment on other’s pictures. It’s an application with great potential for travel brands because it’s used extensively by bloggers, and consumers are catching Instagram fever, too. If you haven’t considered Instagram for your brand, it’s time you did. If you’re still skeptical, we’ve debunked a few myths to help you see the potential and take advantage of this powerful medium. Myth 1: Instagram is for consumers, not for brands. Although Facebook, which purchased Instagram earlier this year, offers brand pages that are distinct from individual pages, Instagram does not. Brand and personal accounts are the same, and that’s where the power lies. Done right, consumers can have an engaging experience with your brand on Instagram. Many users are natural brand advocates, tagging images with hashtags and @ mentions that can be searched and followed on Twitter as well as Instagram. So while consumers posted those photos, your brand is benefiting from the exposure. You can also add images to create a crowd-sourced brand gallery. Myth 2: Instagram is just another social media platform to manage. I’ve already got my team focused on Facebook and Twitter. I don’t want to add another channel to the mix. BecauseInstagram easily integrates with other social media platforms, think of it as a tool for enhancing your social media program and not a standalone channel. Fans can quickly share Instagram photos on Facebook and other networks. And brands can get in the act as well, tweeting, using images on a blog or posting on Facebook consumers’ photos mentioning your company or destination. Myth 3: Instagram doesn’t allow a brand to showcase its personality. Au contraire! Brands can curate photos around specific attributes or areas of business. Instagram is ideally suited for providing behind-the-scenes looks and allowing potential customers a chance to engage in new, fun ways.For instance, Air Asia’s Instagram account is focused on showing the human side of the business, featuring many shots of employees. Colorful planes photos romanticize air travel on Southwest Airlines’ feed. Quirky pictures of four-legged guests, fish, and, of course, people are peppered throughout Kimpton Hotels’ account, reflecting its brand personality. Myth 4: Instagram is static and one-way. You can repost photos published by others on your Instagram account and repurpose them on your blog, Twitter feed or Facebook page. But that’s just a start. You can also host contests or promotions leveraging Instagram photos to grow your fan base and deepen consumer connections. New York City’s “I Love NYC” contest encouraged Instagram users to post photos illustrating why they love the metropolis. Judges selected the top ten pictures, which were displayed in Times Square and on the city’s social media channels. The photographer receiving the most consumer votes was named the city’s official Instagrammer for a day and won the right to photograph the mayor. Myth 5: Instagram isn’t as mainstream as Facebook and Twitter, so we can create an account, sit back and see what happens. Sure, it’s smart to monitorwhat’s happening, but that’s not really enough. You can create a loyal following for your brand by showing you are committed to the Instagram community and doing your part to foster engagement. It’s not easy, but it can be a “snap” and well worth the effort for travel marketers.