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![Applying social object theory to big idea to be supported, particularly through social
marketing campaigns networks rather than just a brand Web site. In this
instance, the main social object was “The Smirnoff
Social object theory has implications for marketing,
Secret Party” which allowed users within social net-
and at Razorfish™, we have been quietly putting it into
works to discuss the event, as well as who the
practice for the last 18 months, with great results.
mystery DJ’s might be and where the event might be
Ready to hear what we’ve learned?
held. Smaller social objects were deployed in the form
of clues and puzzles in a digital treasure hunt for free
Initially some people within our team thought the the-
tickets. Cryptic clues [objects] inspired conversations
ory simply stated the obvious; we weren’t quite
to take place within social networks between users.
sure how we would apply it to digital campaigns but
A GPS system, embedded in the clues blog, enabled
thought there was significant opportunity. We needed
users to venture into the real world in an attempt to
to start learning, and, since little has been written
find hidden tickets that might, for instance, be taped
about social objects, we have been on a journey of
under a park bench. These real world tickets often
discovery. First, we started considering the theory
sparked debate and conversation.
during the creative phase of the project. We quickly
found that by shifting our thinking to answer the ques-
For Lipton Tea (Unilever), we created a site full of
tion, “what makes a great social object?” we could
smaller game-based objects to enable the bigger
rethink our ideas or optimize existing ones.
object — brain training. This was to communicate an
Amino acid called L-Theanine, which was recently
During the first months, we did not always set out
proven to keep tea drinkers more relaxed and alert
to produce social objects, but as time passed, our
compared to other beverages.
projects took on features organically that one would
associate with objects; the objects themselves
As the digital landscape changes and shifts to a more
took on more viral properties, thus becoming more
social one, I believe that using some of the findings
social. Now that scores of projects, which take social
and practices detailed below will continue to help us
object theory into account, have passed through
produce better campaigns. We still need to learn
our doors, we use it more strategically.
more about social objects and their role in our con-
sumers’ lives, but as we move from outdated,
It has also formed the basis of some big campaigns,
monologue advertising models into dialogue-driven
notably our Smirnoff Secret Party effort for Diageo
marketing, this theory can help us find better ways
which forged some new ground as a social campaign
to genuinely engage with our consumers. Here is what
by deploying not one but many objects to allow the
we’ve learned so far:
59](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-61-2048.jpg)
![From scarcity of media to scarcity of attention Both approaches — though created with the best
motives in mind — potentially ignore the fact that
The way in which brands have historically expressed
different touchpoints (or experiences) offer radically
themselves has been shaped by the dominant
different opportunities. Take online video, which
medium of the time. One example is the ascendance
sometimes is the manifestation of a repurposed TV
of the 30-second TV spot. In that case, the form of
spot, and sometimes is a custom, interactive and
brand communication was film, and the scarcity and
social experience, hand-made for digital consump-
high cost of inventory meant these films were deliv-
tion. Talking about ideas separately from the milieu
ered in short, half-minute increments.
in which they exist isn’t intuitive, and may well
mean missing out on the most creative opportunities.
Digital changed the equation in that limitations of
form and scarcity faded away. Brands could be com-
These approaches also ignore the fact people are
municated through text, sound, function, game or
social — and now digitally-enabled — beings who
film, with no scarcity; although advertisers do buy ad
interact, participate, modify and reinterpret.
space online, many distribution channels are free,
be it the client Web site, YouTube or consumers who
In his book Convergence Culture, David Jenkins
freely distribute advertising content they like. The
(Professor of Comparative Media, MIT) points to The
scarce commodity now is attention — a commodity
Matrix as an example of “a narrative so large that
that cannot be bought, and is hard to earn.
it cannot be contained within a single medium.” The
Matrix franchise extended to three films, The
Learning to mold the message to the medium
Animatrix series of short films, video games, comics
The model, adopted by many in response to this new and a host of fan sites, blogs and mash-ups. Each
environment, has been called “360-degree planning” contributes different — but complementary — parts
— or a similar term. The idea is to develop a single of The Matrix story, and each piece stands on its own.
organizing thought, better known as a Big Idea, which However, when combined, they create a much deeper
is then iterated relentlessly across all touchpoints. experience, and we begin to understand the complex
This approach was itself a reaction to an earlier pro- Matrix universe much better. Pierre Levy (Professor
to-integration practice of spreading (or ”blowing at the University of Ottawa) writes, “the distinction
out”) a TV advertising idea across all communications between authors and readers, producers and
channels, often without regard to its suitability to spectators, creators and interpreters [has started to]
these other channels. blend.”Therefore, in this new world, rather than using
multiple channels to communicate a singular idea,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-104-2048.jpg)
![The result is more momentum and faster information superficial. But we found users enthusiastically describ-
spread, even with a smaller network. It’s a sort of ing a sort of cumulative effect, where short, daily
network efficiency. updates often provide deeper clues about what’s really
going on with their friends. Said one interviewee: “When
Now it’s personal: I do talk to people, I feel like I already know what’s
Frequency creates a cumulative effect up with them. I can just pick up [where we left off].”
Both the rapid rise of text messaging and the digital
Furthermore, regular updates over time are creating
native’s comfort with the form and execution of
a richer portrait of people than when the emphasis
the communication medium are well documented.
was on the appearance of one’s site or profile page.
We found users elevating their text behavior to
Mindful serendipity:
another level of frequency, while extending it across
Getting smarter about content consumption
platforms. In fact, the connectedness that short-form
messaging provides is natural to the point of being In past research, we found users enthusiastically
subconscious. describing their so-called “snacking” behavior in the
digital world. They relied on friends to help them
Users reported answering texts in their sleep. Han- stumble across new things — a link to a video, a ran-
nah, 18, explained: “Sometimes I’ll answer it at night dom addition of a widget or application download.
and not remember what I wrote.”
While content snacking behavior is alive and well, the
It also means relying increasingly on friends to deliver Connected Class appears to be getting smarter
the morning alarm. Said another: “I get a text from about their content consumption. They reported using
a friend every morning at 7 a.m. I really don’t need an YouTube not just on random occasions, but for spe-
alarm clock anymore.” cific clips that interested them. And the majority we
spoke with had watched long-form content online.
On the surface, the increased volume of short-form One 19-year-old male stated: “I love Hulu. I would feel
communication like text messages, status updates, stupid for just sitting through TV the old way.”
comments and tweets can appear frivolous and
The rise of DVRs and on-demand platforms have
been lauded for several years as the catalyst for an
age of consumer control. However, we found users’
expectations are elevating rapidly to include not just](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-118-2048.jpg)
![when content is consumed, but also how. Said the Pushing brands:
same interviewee: “When I graduate, I’m not sure I How to penetrate a higher level of connectedness
would pay for cable. I may just watch everything on
In summary, we found that the Connected Class is
the Internet. I think I’ll always be out.”
beginning to achieve a higher level of connectedness
by making more meaningful connections, while
Getting selective:
lev-eraging their distant connections better. They’re
It’s all a servant to the social agenda
better able to track their friends and interests. They’re
While much has been made of the iPhone application consuming content more mindfully. And they’re
store, the increasing capabilities of smartphones getting a lot more selective in the applications they
and the applications available on social platforms, we choose in an effort to serve their social agenda.
found the Connected Class is getting more selective
about what they actually use. Said one: “I down- But what does it all mean to marketers?
loaded a bunch of apps at first [on Facebook]. But I
Marketers will have to rely less on user experimenta-
don’t use them.”
tion when planning their digital activities. In the past,
users seemed willing to friend a brand, join a group,
And while a number of our users praised the iPhone
watch a video or download an application simply
for its touchscreen and design, not all of them
because of the novelty.
were craving its games or PC-like functions. Instead,
they were focused intently on its ability to help them
Our findings suggest marketers will need to work
improve their social experiences. One interviewee
harder in 2009 to plan activities and develop applica-
explained: “As long as we have a guy in our group with
tions that offer something useful, relevant and
one [iPhone], we’re fine. He’s going to be our navigator
meaningful to the user — to plan activities with an
that night.”
eye on utility.
As new applications continue to proliferate, it appears
And while utility sounds easy, delivering it is further
the Connected Class will measure their value primarily
complicated by the need to connect usefulness to
on the degree to which they enhance their social
the unique qualities of the brand — its essence and/
interactions, not just their interactions with the device
or point-of-difference.
or platform itself.
Utility alone may be just that — utilitarian — if it lacks
the magic of the brand.
117](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-119-2048.jpg)
![Most research programs are used to define individu- • How do they define trust within their network?
als or aggregate consumer insights against a persona
• Whom do they admire?
or segment type.
• Whom do they compare themselves to in their
In order to truly understand the influence of individuals network?
across their social networks, we must include their
Social networks — formal or informal, digital or not,
social graphs in our research methodology, including
hard to map, since they inform decision-making and
social graphs that allow researchers to better under-
ultimately play a key role in influencing purchases and
stand how consumers are influenced — and influence
opinions on products and offerings. An individual
others — in their networks.
could be an “influencer” in one network and “influ-
enced” in another. [See Figure.1]
With that in mind, we would like to introduce a new
type of research that leverages the unique interactions
occurring among social graphs, and the insights
that can be gathered within them — we call it Social
Influence Research.
How Social Influence Research works
The evolution of our research programs began with
a new approach designing research questionnaires
and data-collection programs that can extend beyond
the individual. Adding categories that query the size
and relationship of a participant’s social network is
a great start. In building these research programs, we
ask questions including:
• How do participants make decisions about
purchases?
• Whom do they turn to for advice or validation?
• What is the relationship of these individuals to
one another?](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-132-2048.jpg)
![In addition, recruitment should be designed to incor- In addition to recruiting the target audience, we
porate a participant’s social graph. When we recruit a identified and recruited additional participants for the
focus group, or individuals for qualitative sessions, interviews based on their relationship to the decision-
traditionally we have made our selections based on makers. These included users of the technology,
a set of demographic or behavioral criteria; the par- their managers and others within the organizational
ticipants have no relationship to one another. Using structure surrounding the decision-makers. This
Social Influence Research, we recruit an individual multi-dimensional approach to recruitment allowed
who meets the audience criteria, but then ask them greater insight into the culture of the company and
to bring three members of their social graph with influencer network within the organization than a
them. As the individual represents the target audi- traditional panel made up of only decision-makers.
ence, the additional participants represent their
immediate network and provide insight into how the In another research project, we interviewed entire
relationship extends to decision-making and influ- nuclear families to understand how its members man-
ence. In quantitative scenarios, we can create ques- aged and allocated financial resources. Families are
tionnaires and surveys that allow the participant to the oldest and most established “social networks.”
send it to friends, and track the additional people As such, they have fairly clearly delineated exchange
who complete the questionnaire back to the original and influencing processes to make decisions. To
participant. map how those decisions were made, we interviewed
parents and children separately, and then together.
In one instance, we used Social Influence Research In addition we worked with the family to create a
to conduct qualitative research for a Web site targeted digital photo diary for an entire week. Through those
at teen girls. Participants were recruited and asked “mapping” interviews and exercises, we were able
to bring two friends to an interview. The research- to canvas how financial decisions were made, how
ers used the interview to observe the behavior of the parents implicitly and explicitly passed along “money
group and the dynamics that occurred among the values” to their children, how children implicitly and
individuals in it. As a follow-up, the group was given explicitly absorbed the parents’ “financial lessons”
a video camera and asked to document a trip to the and ultimately how the family network functioned
mall. The video provided tremendous insight into around financial matters, as outlined in the diagram.
the influencer and follower behaviors that were natu- [See Figure. 2]
rally occurring in the group. We have also used it
recently to conduct qualitative research for a specific
hardware and software manufacturer, to understand
how best to market to senior-level decision-makers.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-134-2048.jpg)
![Social graph analysis 2. Customer research produces market segments
primarily adopted to inform advertising and mar-
In each of the previous examples, the analysis and
keting efforts. It relies on a blend of quantitative
reporting of the findings included mapping the social
and qualitative methods to identify market needs
graph of the target individual and the relationship
and patterns. The metaphor is the “market seg-
of their network by order of influence to the target.
ment” as an aggregate that stands for a share of
the market that is personified in the “customer.”
This allowed for the opportunity to explore the influ-
ence and role of the individuals within the graph, 3. Social Influence Research produces social graph
as well as the target individual. As a result, we derived maps that could be used for design, advertising
greater understanding of how to create messaging, and marketing purposes. It relies on listening to
design and functionality that would resonate across new online and offline forms of consumer expres-
the social network of the individual. sion, in addition to qualitative and quantitative
methods. The metaphor is the “network” as a
Knowing how the pattern of social influence occurs in snapshot of a set of relationships — as opposed
given situations allows marketers to create for this to individuals, be they personas or customers.
new channel. As a result, in addition to personas and [See Figure.3]
market segments, we now have a third research out-
come when we include an overlay of the social graph
against analysis and reporting:
1. User research produces design personas mostly
adopted for design purposes. It relies primarily
on qualitative face-to-face interviews to identify
patterns and unmet user-needs for a given sets
of tasks. It also helps design decision-making
and political buy-in within organizations. The
metaphor is the “user” as a single entity; it stands
for a set of cognitive or emotional patterns that
are personified in the “user.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/digitaloutlookreport09-090819130730-phpapp01/75/Digital-Outlook-Report-09-by-RazorFish-136-2048.jpg)
Uploaded byRenata Frota
Digital Outlook Report 09 by RazorFish
The digital media landscape is rapidly evolving in 2009. Key trends include a focus on measurability and differentiation as advertisers demand more accountability from budgets during economic uncertainty. Social influence marketing will become more mainstream as marketers learn to deploy social strategies more effectively. Mobile will continue growing but may be impacted by the recession, while opportunities in areas like mobile applications and location-based services will still emerge. Research and measurement methods must also evolve to account for the complexity of today's digital media environment.
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Digital Outlook Report 09 by RazorFish
- 1. digital outlook report09 digital outlook report 09
- 2. The following reportcontains statements that are forwardlooking, including expectations and predictions regarding future industry trends and developments. Actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections. This report also contains opinions, estimates, and forwardlooking statements by industry leaders. Such statements are the personal opinions of the individuals quoted and should not be attributed to any other entity or individual. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements, which speak only as to the date of this document. Except as required by law, neither Razorfish, LLC nor any of its affiliated entities undertake any obligation to update any forwardlooking or other statements in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. © Razorfish, LLC. All rights reserved.
- 4. contents a new role for agencies Social Object Theory: 56 The Secret Ingredient for Powering From Breaking Campaigns to 4 Social Influence Marketing™ Campaigns Building Client Businesses For Here or To Go? 62 outlook How Portable Media Is Like Fast Food Trends to Watch 10 Top 10 Mobile Applications to Watch 66 Shifting Their Focus: 16 Getting Smart With Mobile Marketing: 78 A Look at 2008 Digital Ad Spending How Mobile Marketing Is by Razorfish™ Clients Evolving in Europe and the U.S. Trends in Social Influence Marketing™ 26 topics on our minds Search Outlook 2009: 32 Pushing Search Forward Looking for the Pulse Online in 2009 84 in a Volatile Marketplace The Future of Retail: 88 Publishers of the Year 40 The Consumer’s New Shopping Journey Think Inside Someone Else’s Box: 96 what’s emerging Business Model Innovation in the Digital Age Digital Media Escapes From the PC: 44 Converged Connections: 100 Unlocking Opportunity for Consumers Moving Brands Across Multiple Experiences and Marketers Email Marketing: 104 Ad Exchanges: Revolutionizing 52 Increasing Marketing Connections the Buy-Sell Process in a Social World
- 5. consumer conversations TiVo on the Future of Television: 158 A Call for Innovation Catching Up With the Connected Class 112 Xbox Live on the Future of Television: 160 Connecting with Digital Mom 118 A Window into the Next Generation through Emerging Technologies Comcast on the Future of Television: 162 New Opportunities for Enhanced Television the evolution of research and measurement Navic Networks on the Future of Television: 163 As TV and Its Audiences Fragment, Bringing Media Mix Models Into the Digital Era 124 How Will It Be Funded? Social Influence Research: 128 Google TV on the Future of Television: 165 The Confluence of Consumer Research An interview with Mike Steib and the Social Graph Social Media Measurement: What’s it Worth? 136 three things every executive Modeling and Creating Measureable should know in 2009 Outcomes of Social Media Engagement The Web Gets a Pulse 170 tv at a crossroads Fragmentation Moves Beyond Media 172 The Digitalization of Television: 146 When the Going Gets Tough... 174 Challenges and Opportunities as TV Turns a Corner Jack Myers on the Future of Television: 154 Realities and Opportunities for Media Companies and Marketers 3
- 6. A N EW R O L E FO R AG EN C I ES From Breaking Campaigns to Building Client Businesses By Clark Kokich, Chief Executive Officer I spent the first 30 years of my advertising career focused on saying things. What do we need to say to persuade people to buy our product or service? How do we say it in a unique and memorable way? Where do we say it? How much will it cost to say it? How do we measure consumer reactions to the things we say to them?
- 8. Now, after 10years in the digital space, I find myself Agencies haven’t played this role very long. They spending my time talking to clients about building used to, but, with the rise of strong client marketing things. What do customers need to make smart deci- groups, agencies have focused squarely and sions? What applications do we need to build to exclusively on producing great advertising, on saying satisfy that need? Where are our customers when things. they make a decision? That limited perspective won’t cut it anymore. Clients How do we make sure the things we build can be are desperately dealing with a laundry list of chal- delivered wherever (and whenever) they need them? lenges: A sinking economy. A connected, in-control How do we build a link between the digital and the consumer. A drive for lower costs. The disruption physical world? How do we help consumers share of traditional media channels. An expansion of global the things we build? competition. The list is long and growing. This isn’t news to anyone; we’ve all seen it coming In this environment, clients need ideas that will trans- for awhile. At every industry conference you’ll hear form their business. In the past, when our only tool someone make a compelling case that the future was paid media, it was virtually impossible to develop of creating and sustaining brands is in building an idea that could change a client’s fundamental experiences, not just in producing great advertising. competitive position. Now, digital has the potential to re-imagine a consumer connection, or reinvent a What’s not so apparent is the impact this change business model. And we have a long list of consumer is having on the role that advertising agencies play touchpoints with which to work, starting with the within client organizations. It’s not just about the Web, then expanding to mobile applications, social, work that agencies do, but rather, it’s about the gaming, viral, digital-out-of-home, widgets, gadgets actual role they should be playing in setting business and more. Now, anything is possible. strategy, designing product and service offerings, delivering service after the sale, creating innovative With this expanded palette, we can build experiences distribution channels and developing new revenue that become an integral part of the brand. Experiences models. For a growing number of brands, the digital that have the ability to add value, create new cate- experience is becoming as important as the actual gories, surprise, delight, serve, simplify, entertain and physical product. tell a story in an entirely new, richer way than ever before possible. We are beginning to put examples of transformational business ideas into market for global brands such as Levi’s, which views the company and
- 9. the consumer experiencein totality across all departments — from product development to new collections to the digitally-enhanced fitting room. This is the role that agencies must fill now. Clients need us to bring them business ideas. They need us to expand beyond our traditional role of being great communicators. We need to be great thinkers and problem solvers as well. They need us to understand how their consumers and markets are changing, and then bring them strategies that fundamentally improve their competitive position. Finally, they need us to turn those ideas and strategies into reality — by building transformational experiences. We’ll still need to be good at saying things. Tradition- al, one-way advertising will continue to be a power- ful marketing force. But it won’t be enough. We need to make the things we say real by building experi- ences that truly deliver on the promise — experiences that establish a concrete and direct connection be- tween the consumer and the brand. It’s a new role. One that will challenge the status quo. One that will stretch all of us to expand our view of what it means to be a great agency. One that will require new skills. And one that will drive deep col- laboration between creative, technology, media, user experience and analytics. It’s a tremendous challenge. And it’s a huge opportunity for those marketers who embrace it fully. 7
- 11. outlook Trends to Watch 10 Shifting Their Focus: 16 A Look at 2008 Digital Ad Spending by Razorfish™ Clients Trends in Social Influence Marketing™ 26 Search Outlook 2009: 32 Pushing Search Forward in a Volatile Marketplace Publishers of the Year 40
- 12. • Conver tedto d ig it a l c a b le O U T LO O K • Addicte d to i Pho n ea pps Trends to Watch • S k ip s th e com me rci als
- 13. 1. Advertisers willturn to “measurability” and “differentiation” in the recession As the economy softens, advertisers will be asking more from their budgets. Even those with healthy financials are likely to push for, and command better price terms and concessions from media companies, who are eager to fill the vast supply of ad space available. Agencies and advertisers will look to established pub- video and targeted media, or it could mean high qual- lishers with reliable models to focus their investments ity engagement opportunities with select partners as more scrutiny is placed on return on investment. who deliver unique brand engagement. The pressure Depending on an advertiser’s goal, this might include points will be on “measurability” and “differentiation.” proven performers like search, ad networks, online 11
- 14. 2. Search willnot be immune to the Web site and across the Web. We can also impact of the economy expect new social advertising formats and new social research approaches to emerge that lever- Budget cuts will be a reality for search marketers age the complex relationships that occur within for the first time in recent memory, requiring them a social graph. As social behaviors go main- to do more with less in an increasingly volatile stream, Social Influence Marketing™ is going to landscape. Nevertheless, we expect the search be glue that binds every digital strategy together. landscape to continue to evolve and innovate, with an increased focus on measurement and 4. Online ad networks will contract; search engine optimization (SEO), and the rise of open ad exchanges will expand compelling opportunities in local and mobile search. In 2009, the online ad network world will see both contraction and expansion: 3. Social Influence Marketing™ • The traditional ad network world will contract will go mainstream as competition for declining ad dollars increases. 2009 is going to be the year that Social Influence There are simply too many broad networks Marketing truly goes mainstream. According to competing for the same inventory and not telling Forrester Research, 75% of the online population a new story. is now engaged in online social behaviors, and • At the same time, branded networks will expand. with social strategies getting more integrated and Large publishers (e.g. the Fox Audience Network accountable, marketers are going to depend on and Turner Entertainment) will continue to take their customers, more than ever, to do the mar- back control of their inventory and monetize keting for them. Marketers this year will learn how it themselves, or they will work with fewer ad to deploy Social Influence Marketing campaigns networks to ensure quality and maximize value. more successfully compared to 2008, which had its fair share of experimental failures. • Expansion will also come in the form of Ad Exchanges like Right Media, DoubleClick and As new tools gain adoption like Facebook Con- AdECN, which are newer open markets for on- nect, which has the power to make an individual line ad inventory that increase buying efficiency viewing experience social, and we begin to by delivering unprecedented transparency in deepen our understanding of consumer interac- the process. Development of this ecosystem will tions in social environments, we should see put further pressure on small and mid-tier ad the lines blurring between marketing efforts on a networks to survive. If Ad Exchanges are widely
- 15. adopted, it couldrevolutionize how online media you want it. As GPS functionality and loca- is bought and sold. tion-based intelligence begin to improve content delivery and advertising through the mobile 5. This year, mobile will get smarter device, mobile will get smarter, and marketers who leverage it will, too. “The year of mobile” has come and gone with the advent of the iPhone. Mobile is still an area of 6. Research and measurement tremendous growth but the idea that it will have will enter the digital age a “break-out year” has passed. There is a risk that the recession will curtail R&D spending in the Due to increased complexity in marketing, estab- newer of new media and that mobile will take lished research and measurement conventions a hit, but smart marketers will take advantage of are more challenged than ever. For this reason, continued growth and opportunities — like 2009 will be a year for research reinvention. mobile rich media ads, applications, mobile search and location-based opportunities — to gain Current media mix models are falling down; they an advantage. Despite tremendous growth in the are based on older research models that assume mobile browsing population in 2008 (mobile media channels are by and large independent browsing grew from 13% to 20% of all U.S.-based of one another. As media consumption changes mobile users from Q1 2008 to Q1 2009 as per among consumers, and marketers include more comScore’s M:Metrics), advertiser interest as well digital and disparate channels in the mix, it is as the ad model infrastructure is still catching up. more important than ever to develop new media mix models that recognize the intricacies of The question brands need to ask themselves now channel interaction. Since online media is often as it relates to mobile is: how can they add val- linked closely with other media (TV can drive ue to their customers’ lives in this environment? search, search can drive magazine usage and so A good example is the iFood Assistant mobile forth) we need to adopt new ways of measuring application powered by Kraft, which offers recipe to account for the true complexity of media in the and dinner ideas, or Wikitude AR, an augment- digital age. ed reality application that, using a Webcam and GPS functionality, overlays information from Wikipedia onto your visual location. Both of these applications provide the convenience of relevant information at your fingertips when and where 13
- 16. 7. “Portable” and“beyond-the-browser” ways to search, discover, browse, organize and opportunities will create new touchpoints for “touch” rich content like video. This will change brands and content owners how we interact with the Web, our mobile devices and our televisions moving forward. Collectively, It was only a few short years ago that the bulk these changes are opening the doors to incredible of rich content was consumed via TV sets, home new ways for advertisers to connect with con- entertainment systems or desktop computers. sumers. The notion of portable media conjured up images of retro Game Boys and clunky laptops. But Ap- 8. Going digital will help TV modernize ple’s iPod changed all that, launching a portable media revolution that continues to churn today. As TV signals convert to digital in June 2009, we Advances in smartphones and entertainment will see an opening of opportunities in advanced devices have delivered endless on-the-go options television. Through their media platforms and for music, video, social networking, news and real time set-top box data, TiVo, Google TV and email. The Web environment has witnessed start-up Navic Networks, which, like Razorfish™, tremendous growth with embeddable content was recently acquired by Microsoft, have been through widgets and applications, creating a offering limited scale options for increased modular environment where people can share accountability and metrics in the TV space. This information and influence their networks online or coverage and opportunity will expand in 2009 remotely. Portable media has also come to mean with the digital conversion. that content unhinged itself from legacy devices; music is free from the turntable, primetime Advanced television providers, including the broadcast is no longer limited to the TV, and so cable companies, are also growing their audience on. The very things that define a media platform bases and their opportunities for marketers in have become rather blurry. And it’ll only get the form of branded VOD channels, featuring long more confusing — portability is phase 1. Further form content or t-commerce (purchasing through evolution is clearly visible on the horizon, with television), both of which are often reached content becoming more social and non-linear. by telescoping out from traditional 30-second TV spot overlays. It is expected that progress In addition, interface innovation ranging from by Project Canoe, the consortium of cable gesture and object recognition tools like the Wii companies working on standards for television to interactive, multi-touch storefront windows, in addressability, creative versioning and meas- to new browsers like Cooliris, is enabling new urement, will also push the industry forward.
- 17. As social mediaelements begin to influence video (CNN’s social TV experience on the Web around the inauguration was well-regarded), and alternative television providers like Xbox provide social commu- nities in the living room around premium content, we may also see TV go social. The desire for more for your money as well as more interactivity, measurability and community will be especially apparent in the TV space as it struggles to modernize. 15
- 18. • Ad ver t is e rs co n ti nu et o su pp or O U T LO O K ea ts rc h — Shifting Their Focus: de sp ite th e ec on om ic d A look at 2008 Digital Ad Spending own t urn by Razorfish Clients ™ By Sarah Baehr, Vice President, Media, New York and National Media Lead
- 19. The increased potencyof social networking is just one example of why 2008 was a year that empowered Razorfish’s ™ flexibility and command of a deeper, wider, more sophisticated digital channel. Just as President Obama discovered he could build engaging users. As you’ll see from the statistics on a movement and win an election through social our clients’ spending below, we saw several trends media channels, our clients also recognized the power which underscored that last year, our focus had that well-built digital strategies have on building mo- to become less about how much digital we do, and mentum for brands, reinventing business models and more about how well we manage broader demands. 17
- 20. Broad trends inRazorfish™ client spending 2008 Media Distribution As in the past, the net ad spend of Razorfish’s™ clients was widely distributed. It spread across 1,024 Web sites last year, as opposed to 1,832 Web sites in 2007, 12% indicating a continued trend towards niche targeting and the diversification of media choices. We saw a 37% 16% decline in ad spend beginning late in the third quarter across the agency, and the typical fourth quarter overflow of budgets did not materialize. Growth from the third to fourth quarter was 7%, versus 17% in 2007, showing the first sign that the online market had 35% been impacted by an increasingly weak economy. Search A closer look at the distribution of ad spend by Verticals Razorfish™ clients reveals several trends, including: Portals • An increasing reliance on ROI and proven Ad Networks channels like search • A continued shift of budget away from portals • Renewed fragmentation in the ad network space
- 21. Share of searchspending increases In 2008, paid search allocation grew, with share of Advertisers continue to support search despite total ad spend among our clients increasing to 36% the downturn because it delivers a strong ROI, and from 31% in 2007. While there was no fourth quarter for the most part, it continues to outperform other spike as in previous years, there was very little tactics. While the marketing and media industries variance quarter over quarter, indicating our clients’ speculate on whether search is recession-proof, desire for consistent presence in search. we do anticipate that as budgets tighten, search will also be impacted by the economy this year. Among our clients, Google captured 72% of the total category. Yahoo! continued at a distant second at 22%, while Microsoft continued to be challenged with a 4% share. Spend Distribution 2004 — 2008 50% 47 42 39 40% 37 37 Verticals Search 28 28 35 30% Portals 31 31 19 Networks 20% 24 15 16 13 10% 12 12 11 11 12 0% 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 19
- 22. Vertical placements moveemphasis away from portals Vertical placements saw a slight decrease year-on- In the U.S., unlike previous years, we have seen year, from a 39% share in 2007 to 35% in 2008. While the dominance of general ad networks wane and the still prominent and strategic partners for marketers, opportunity to buy similar inventory in premium portals continued to trend downward in 2008, garner- branded environments rise. The ability to buy and tar- ing a 16% share, versus 19% in 2007. Scale still get within the gated environments of premium sites matters, but the choices available that deliver depth is a boost to the vertical category and offer new, and breadth outside of the portals continue to more transparent choices as advertisers look for both rise. Outside the U.S., however, the portal category safe and efficient options to promote their brands received a large percentage — nearly 26% of share in this economy. of spend, indicating that the scale and quality of por- tals abroad still dominates. Vertical Spend Comparison 25% 23 20% 19 2006 18 17 17 16 2007 15 15% 13 2008 12 11 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10% 9 8 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5% 4 0% ity s ts ce t ch el lth ss en ew av or ne un n Te ea m re Sp N Tr si m H in fe Bu om rta Re te C En
- 23. 2008 Vertical Spend In entertainment, sites with strong video and audio capabilities drove the growth of this category. Stand- outs are Pandora, which saw a 142% increase, and 6% Hulu which went from zero in 2007 to a 3% share 7% of the category last year. These dramatic increases 24% 7% reflect the maturation of the video landscape in terms of the growing audience and the offerings it provides 10% advertisers. 15% 10% Lifestyle sites as a subset of entertainment grew at the expense of the health category, as pharmaceutical 10% 11% advertisers in particular showed they were com- fortable with advertising on sites outside of the health Entertainment category. Pharmaceutical advertisers had a much Community broader appetite for diversity of content and affinity- Reference based targeting, and a growing trust in digital as a Travel branding medium. Similar to the concentration of Health dollars we see in ad networks, the top five publishers Business in the health category amassed 68% of the ad spend; News WebMD remains the leader with a 36% share of the Sports category. Tech In a year in which we had a historic election and the Olympics, news as a category was down. In 2008, we saw newspapers and magazines continue to As we look at vertical spending in the U.S., two trends struggle and our data supports the notion that print emerge: a significant jump (18% to 24% year-on- dollars are not translating to online. Thirty-eight year) in money allotted to the entertainment category, percent of the spend in the news category was which includes video and lifestyle sites, and a decline spread out amongst 25 traditional print publishers, in spending within the health category (from 15% in pointing not only to the tremendous fragmentation of 2006 to 10% in 2008). online advertising but also suggesting that traditional ad powerhouses continue to struggle to establish a similar presence online. 21
- 24. Category Share vs.Site Growth 150% 142 100% 81 62 50% 27 0 0% -15 -50% t r ity a l t en ve so ke or un m a vi nd uc Tr Ad m in ob Pa ta om ip ot er Tr C Ph t En Unlike video, spending in the community vertical, which marketing cannot be achieved with banners; instead, is still one of our top two categories and includes they placed their attention on leveraging social as social media spending, seems to have flattened out a core part of their overall marketing strategy. In the from 2007 to 2008. Facebook and MySpace still short term, this trend indicates that there won’t garnered 24% of the ad spend in the category, while be an influx of spend in social media; however, it dem- About.com, Federated Media and Photobucket, which onstrates that our clients are approaching social saw a 63% growth year-on-year, rounded out the top media not as a tactic but as a foundation upon which five in this category. While industry standards around to build an effective communication strategy. ad models related to social media are still evolving , clients last year realized that effective social influence
- 25. Ad Network Consolidation 100% 80% All Others Top 5 60% 40% 49 63 76 62 20% 0% 2005 2006 2007 2008 2008 was the first year that we saw mobile ad spend- ities to diversify their buys. As said above, advertiser ing pop; it represented 1% of the vertical category concerns about transparency and efficacy have re- and 3% of the entertainment category. While still a sulted in spending growth within broad premium envi- fledgling area, we saw a strong desire from marketers ronments or “branded networks” like CondéNet, NBC to test and subsequently expand their efforts in Universal and Fox Interactive Media (not including mobile. We believe that despite the poor economy, MySpace). Branded networks represented 15% of the marketers will continue to invest in mobile marketing, spend in this category. although growth may be limited to the single digits in the near term. Despite the drive towards increased efficiency because of the recession, ad networks as a category saw Consolidation and fragmentation only a slight increase in share year-over-year. One trend within ad networks reversal we saw was in the concentration of spend amongst the top five ad networks dropping to 62% The ad network category saw 62% of spending con- from 76% in 2007. A few things contributed to this centrated within the top five ad networks and 72% change in direction. The first is a rise in spend outside within the top ten. This continues to illustrate a move the U.S. and the development of branded networks towards consolidation but the trend is slightly down such as Forbes, Turner Entertainment and Fox Audi- year-on-year; buyers continue to look for opportun- 23
- 26. ence Network, andthe move of many premium adver- media — but it will also be an opportunity to explore tisers away from general networks. Additionally, the new buying methods, such as conducting business rise of specialty vertical networks like the community through ad exchanges, and learning how to employ sites BuzzLogic, Six Apart, Lotame and BlogHer social influence marketing strategies that have value has further fragmented this category and put a refo- for consumers and brands alike. cus on testing the emergent opportunities. Whatever happens, one thing is for certain: we’ll all Another trend we expect in 2009 is the increased learn how to do more with less. And be smarter for it. usage of ad exchanges (like those offered by Yahoo!’s Right Media and Google’s DoubleClick), and tools that allow agencies to directly buy within those environments. CPM pricing pressure and the buyer’s market mentality will only further muddy the 2009 landscape, but the battle to maintain pricing and manage inventory pools among publishers is sure to be front and center. The continued rumblings of anti-ad network sentiment by premium publishers is only going to increase pressure on the small- and mid-tier ad networks to differentiate, leading to a significantly-altered and, perhaps, consolidated network landscape going into 2010. 2009: A glass that is half-empty may be half-full The world, in the year to come, is one in which many of us in advertising will see as a glass half-empty. A flat year would be a good outcome for digital adver- tising in 2009, and while many major publishers will Footnote: see a YOY drop, there will still be winners. We are in Note that in previous Digital Outlook Reports, Razorfish™ the midst of a historic time when industries, that some has released total media billings for the previous year. In the 2008 report, we have included more detail on spending by would argue were the foundations of our economy, category and publisher than we have in past years. Because may be doomed — but there is also an opportunity many of our publisher contracts preclude us from publicly for new business models to take root and thrive. Yes, disclosing total spend with specific publishers, we have 2009 will be a tough year for all media, even digital opted not to release total billings for 2008.
- 27.
- 28. O U TLO O K Trends in Social Influence B ou ght a Marketing ™ new l aptop ba By Shiv Singh, Vice President and Global Social Media Lead s e d o n c o n s u m e r r ev i ew e• li n on s• ng pi op sh as tm ris Ch h er D o e s 87 % o f • og bl n s ig de ne w a o ut ab nd ri e il af ma to e in g Is go
- 29. A year ago,we developed a hypothesis that the way people were influencing each other — online, in small groups, through peer pressure, reciprocity or flattery — was giving rise to a whole new form of marketing that we called Social Influence Marketing (SIM). ™ We defined it as marketing to the network of peers Today, SIM is not just a hypothesis. It is a driving that surround and influence the customer across force that affects everything we do as an agency and, social platforms and on brand Web sites. The rise of as we’re impressing upon our clients, it matters more SIM reflected the emerging thinking in our agency that than ever in this economic downturn as consumers the social Web and the mainstream Web were con- across the country are losing faith in large institutions verging, and that digital marketers needed to deliver and experts, and instead are turning to each other better value exchanges to consumers and allow for for advice. In fact, we believe it is as important a mar- influence more directly. keting dimension as the traditional pillars of brand marketing and direct response. It is even bigger than we thought it was. 27
- 30. Now, as SIMbecomes more mature, 2009 will be the more attention. An event like the Motrin episode, year in which differentiating between good and bad in which a group of social media-fluent mothers SIM will get easy — a year in which every campaign, managed to force Motrin to pull down an online every marketing effort and even every digital bus- video they found offensive, will not happen iness transformation activity (where digital is used to quite as much this year because marketers will transform core business processes) will need a social focus on SIM more. influence component. It will be a year in which com- panies realize that social influence must be harnessed 2. The focus will shift to influencers. Who are strategically if they want to transform their brands, these people that influence your customers their relationships with their customers — and their and how does their influence actually work? This businesses too. It will also be a year in which mar- will come into sharper focus, as reaching the keters discover which agencies truly grasp SIM and influencers gets easier via the social graph and which ones have only a tenuous hold on it. the plethora of technology vendors that make targeting easier. Different influencers will matter With those broad themes as a guide, what exactly at different stages of the marketing funnel, too. can you expect in 2009? Here are 10 specific trends For example, at the point-of-purchase, friends to look for: and family may matter the most in determining what a consumer buys, while at the awareness 1. Social media usage will result in more influ- stage, key influencers, like the bloggers at ence. As social media adoption climbs exponen- Edmunds.com, carry more weight. We’ll also find tially, so too will the influence conversations a way to put a valuation on each consumer’s in a social context have on brand affinity and pur- potential influence for specific product catego- chasing decisions. Participating in a conver- ries. Google and a few others are already taking sation online, sharing an opinion and influencing a crack at defining your influence rank. a purchasing decision explicitly or implicitly are becoming second nature for more and more consumers. The only thing that will prevent these 3. Top-down branding will continue to lose messages from spreading is that a lot of this effectiveness. Most brand managers are used influence happens in small groups within the to defining their brands in relative isolation of the walled gardens of the social networks and there- marketplace — or they do extensive customer fore goes unnoticed. That will change in 2009 research and see it as their jobs alone to define as social network analysis vendors help us peek the brand (or the manifestation of the brand) over the wall and, as a result, marketers pay in different forms. That’s going to change as
- 31. sumers define thebrands by the sheer volume 5. The portable social graph will fuel marketing of their opinions; they’ll be shaping the brands innovation. Arguably, the most successful more than the brands will be shaping them. manifestations of the social graph we’ve seen As a result, in order for them to be remembered, so far are in the news feeds and activity streams brands will be forced to deliver much stronger that reside on social platforms like Facebook value propositions to their customers. Cute adver- and Twitter. Expect to see new innovations that tising won’t be enough as the focus shifts to harness the social graph imaginatively, especially value exchanges. If you’re a brand manager, you at the awareness and consideration stages of can either fight this or treat it as an opportunity the marketing funnel. The early implementations to take your career in a different direction. of Facebook Connect, which extends users’ connections with their Facebook friends to other sites, barely scratch the surface of what’s pos- 4. Social advertising will grow up. We’re all tired sible. For example, imagine your personal profile of hearing about the failures of advertising being used for targeting content and advertising. on social platforms. Not surprisingly, IDC calls And imagine this happening across the Web, advertising on social networks “stillborn,” as it and not just on the social network where the pro- has been plagued by low click-through rates and file resides. confusing advertising formats. Although there are many formats, such as so-called app-vertis- ing, hypertargeting and engagement ads, we 6. Not just friends, but friendsters, will start to haven’t found what really works. That will change matter. There have been a lot of debates about in 2009 as ad units evolve to work more harmoni- whether a person’s “real” friends matter in a ously with user behavior on social platforms. social graph — call it the tension between friends Display advertising in the broader Web, too, will and friendsters. In 2009, we’re going to realize become more social, as linking display adver- that loose ties (like your friendsters on Facebook) tising to forms of social marketing — like blogger are as valuable as your strong ties (close friends) outreach, social credits, engagement programs because they’re the ones that bring new ideas and widgets that let you mix in your own content into your world and share your opinions with — become more important. However, there are people who are further removed from you. You’ll no guarantees that this will be completely figured be less conflicted about them and you’ll share out within the course of the year. more of your life with them. And the best way to understand this trend will be by paying more attention to academia and researchers like Mark 29
- 32. Granovetter, Barry Wellmanand Duncan J. porations to rethink how they are organized, Watts, all of whom have shaped theories govern- including agencies. Niche social media consulting ing influence across social networks. firms will find it harder to compete as SIM goes mainstream. 7. Social influence research will become more important than social measurement. Do 9. The intranet will join the Web. By virtue you want to know how? By focusing on meaning of buying media for our clients, building massive rather than measurement. To think in terms of Web sites and designing intranets too, we have social as a channel that should be measured like a unique perspective on all things digital. And TV, print, radio or digital is missing the point. something we’ve learned in the last few years is Instead, the greatest value in social for marketers that the boundaries between the corporate Web will be in the real-time insights it provides. We site and the intranet are blurring. Your employees call this Social Influence Research and it is going want to collaborate and share knowledge with to drive marketing campaigns, product devel- peers who work outside your organization too. opment and customer service programs. There Your intranet is going to need to encourage and will be an evolution from measuring sentiment allow for that kind of collaboration if you want to understanding opinion and synchronizing to be competitive in this economic environment it with the Net Promoter scores. Why? Because with fewer employees having to do more work. marketers care about opinion much more than The best ideas can come from anywhere and the they do about sentiment. best people will look for others like them to col- laborate with. They may be in your company — but they may not be. If they aren’t, you better give 8. Marketers will organize around Social Influ- your employees the tools to reach them. ence Marketing™. In today’s organization, SIM is everyone’s stepchild. It is part public relations, part direct response, part brand marketing, part 10. Your CEO will join Facebook. We believe it’s customer intelligence and part sales support, finally going to happen this year — your CEO just to name a few categories. That will change is going to succumb to the pressure from employ- in 2009 as marketing organizations discover the ees and join Facebook, or at the very least, benefits in approaching it holistically. Budgets LinkedIn. If he (or she) is smart, he’ll be on a blog- will be put behind SIM and it will be treated as the ging or micro-blogging service too, sharing his third dimension of marketing with its own team, perspective in an authentic fashion. Why does objectives and initiatives. This will also force cor- this matter? Because by doing this, he is going to
- 33. finally realize thatsocial is not a fad; it is fund- amentally changing how we relate and interact with each other and with brands online. He is going to want to get on board. It also means that, if you’re not already, you had better get on board yourself or you’ll be left behind. These are the 10 Social Influence Marketing™ trends we’re predicting for 2009. Like we did last year, we’ll evaluate these trends in July and then again at the end of the year. Now that SIM is so obviously real, we’ll see which brands are able to truly capitalize on it. Those that do will transform their business relation- ships with their customers, employees and partners. 31
- 34. •M ap sa nd di r ec ti o ns co ns ti t ut e 69 of % m ob il e se ar ch es O U T LO O K Search Outlook: Pushing Search Forward in a Volatile Marketplace By Matt Greitzer, Vice President, Search, New York and National Search Lead and Josh Palau, Vice President, SEO, Global
- 35. It’s expected that2009 will likely be a challenging year for search marketing. While budget cutbacks won’t be as severe as in other channels, they are still a reality for search marketers — for the first time in memory. This requires them to do more with less in an increasingly volatile landscape. Nevertheless, we expect the landscape to continue mobile arenas. In this article, we identify the key evolving, with an increased focus on measurement factors that will shape the search market domain over and search engine optimization (SEO) and the rise the next year. of compelling opportunities in the local search and 33
- 36. Volatility in thepaid search landscape suspicious of last-click, search-driven attribution models, and also less willing to accept the validity of 2009 represents perhaps the first year in the brief portfolio optimization, wherein high-performing history of paid search advertising where same-client keywords subsidize low performers. This means the budgets are declining year-over-year. To that extent, standard optimization toolkit of search engine the Razorfish™ client base is representative of the marketers may need to be restocked with new tools search marketing industry overall; same-client bud- — and therein lies the opportunity. Now, more than gets in 2009 should be flat to down 10% versus the ever, marketers are intensely interested in revisiting previous year. These budget pullbacks will drastically their assumptions about ROI and how it is measured. shift the paid search competitive landscape in In this new period of open-mindedness, marketers unpredictable ways, as previously entrenched com- with multi-channel approaches are developing cus- petitors pull back on their paid search efforts, and tom attribution models that take into account search abandon certain categories entirely — a trend that marketing’s impact beyond immediate, click-based has already begun. These pullbacks will create pock- direct response — and working to understand value ets of opportunity within keyword categories, prev- outside whether or not those clicks lead to online iously unattainable due to cost constraints. To some purchases. By combining quantitative and qualitative extent, we expect search engines to mitigate CPC information, they are developing key purchase indi- (cost per click) pricing volatility through their built-in cators that help determine how search-driven traffic pricing controls (e.g. quality score). Nevertheless, corresponds with purchase intent off the site. pockets of “undervalued” inventory are emerging. Search marketers able to take advantage of these This approach is valuable for all search marketers opportunities will keep a keen eye on the competitive with sales channels beyond their Web site, and landscape, and look for shifts in competitive activity is transformational for non-transactional advertisers. that may signal an opening. Indeed, the proliferation of accepted methods for valuing search-driven traffic beyond direct response A focus on new metrics is perhaps the brightest spot in search marketing The more conservative spending environment will in 2009, as marketers in the consumer packaged- also result in increasing scrutiny of metrics. In 2009, goods and pharmaceutical categories embrace search advertisers will be reassessing long-held meaningful metrics to inform their search marketing beliefs about how they measure success through the investments. They will no longer have to guess the search marketing channel, presenting both a threat value of search clicks; these advertisers will increase and an opportunity to the search marketing industry. their search marketing investments with a solid That threat is easily defined: marketers today are grasp on what their investments are truly worth.
- 37. Focus on thesite-side Two forces are converging to hasten this develop- ment. First, after three years of intense focus on If the shift toward a new approach to measurement paid search, advertisers are more confident they are represents the inward focus of search marketing covering the relevant ground in that area. They can in 2009, so too does the increased focus on the mar- now shift their attention to how they appear in unpaid keter Web site — and its connection with the search listings, using SEO — a tactic many have neglected. marketing experience. With growing budget con- Second, pressure on marketing investments is caus- straints, search marketers will focus on getting more ing advertisers to get more from less. With average out of their investments through more effective site- SEO engagements in the low six figures, this tactic side experiences. No longer a secondary consider- provides a compelling opportunity. We expect this to ation, conversion path optimization and field analysis be expressed in the following ways: will take hold in 2009 as a standard tool in the search marketer’s toolkit. Additionally, 2009 may finally see The creation of search-centric content the end of the “point and shoot” philosophy in paid Content continues to be a dominant factor in strong search marketing — whereby advertisers simply point search engine performance. Now, more than ever, paid search clicks at the most relevant pre-existing Web site owners are using search query activity pages on their Web sites. Advertisers are making in- to drive how they develop content on their sites, creasing investments in search-centric landing pages linking user experience and content strategy with and mini-sites with the intent to align their content search engine marketing to create content that with searcher intent. The focus on the site in 2009 will aligns with searcher intent. CondéNet, for example, allow advertisers to get more from their search mar- used search query data to inform the launch keting dollars, and nowhere is that more true than in of its Portfolio.com Web site, building out specific the increasing focus on SEO. content pages for key business executives who garner large search query volume. Through their Focus on SEO effectiveness in organic search rankings, these If investments in paid search marketing are under pages are among the most trafficked section of the increasing pressure in 2009, the opposite is true of Portfolio Web site. investments in SEO. In fact, 2009 will likely be the year larger advertisers finally give it its rightful place in the marketing arsenal. 35
- 38. An emphasis ondriving more Marketers will have to make use of assets such search “shelf space” as press releases, videos, news feeds and product Content created in multiple formats allows market- reviews as ways to seek relevant links. As SEO ers to increase their search footprint and control implementation demands persist, link development the search experience. Marketers now have the continues to be a great way to succeed in search opportunity to optimize their product page, create engine results pages without straining resources. a video on product usage, post commercials featuring their spokesperson, create new product Local search: An ongoing shift from press releases and tag product images, creating print directories to online what we call additional “shelf space” for their own By Danny Huynh, Associate Search Director, Seattle content on the search results page. In addition, and National Local Search Lead and Rob Aronson, social media savvy marketers may develop blogs, Vice President, SEM Product Development, Philadelphia Twitter profiles or Facebook groups that engage active audiences. All these assets can be crawled 2008 saw local search engines surpass print and ranked by search engines, providing not only directories as the leading source of local information. the opportunity to increase marketers’ search With the digital landscape dominating local search shelf space but also to develop more links to their information in 2009, marketers with brick-and-mortar content. locations can no longer ignore the local search opportunity. And though Google is increasing The continuing importance of links its presence in local search, local is by no means a Without engaging in the paid link debate (which is one-player game. Consumer usage is distributed certainly spilling into 2009), there is no arguing that across search engines, Internet yellow pages, niche links are still important. The created — or optimized local directories and review sites. In fact, the primary — assets can be used in several ways. Some may challenge in local search marketing is no longer not pass link value but can still be used as link one of scale; it’s execution. The task of launching and bait. And significant link value can be attained if an maintaining a local search campaign can be daunt influential blogger or Web site links to your assets. ing, and advertisers of all sizes will increasingly turn There are many areas from which link strategies to automated feed management solutions to maintain may emerge, and big ideas must be implemented accurate local search listings across varied search swiftly before they become obsolete or overused. engines and directories.
- 39. Expect some consolidationin 2009 as the three critical role in helping users access and navigate biggest search engines, and yellow pages companies, the robust amount of content and offerings available. seek to solidify their position in local search. Either As users spend more time glued to the handset be- through acquisitions of niche sites such as Yelp cause of new user interfaces and applications, search or Angie’s List, or through the distribution of local is in a position to become its centerpiece. In short, search marketing platforms, this consolidation as the habits and needs of mobile users begin to mir- will mean the local search landscape will simplify in ror a PC user’s, so too does the way information is 2009 for marketers and consumers alike. accessed — search will become the go-to application. Mobile search: Coming closer to the cusp These advances in software and services have blurred the lines of mobile search. Previously, mobile By Justin Scarborough, Senior Search Manager, search was thought to consist of five experiences: New York on-deck (a mobile carrier’s branded portal), off-deck It seems as though mobile search has been on the (Google, Yahoo!, Live.com and other engines accessed cusp of broad adoption for over five years. While 2009 via the Web), applications, voice (operator-assisted may still not be “The Year of Mobile Search,” the future search) and SMS. is very rosy due to a few key areas of development. Today, however, we are starting to see a convergence, First and foremost is the increasing adoption of smart not only of these experiences, but also of the types phones, such as the iPhone, and cell phone plans of handsets that drive each type of search. Whereas that enable unlimited data access, which in turn sup- in the past, the type of search performed on the ports increased mobile browsing. This trend is ex- mobile phone was predicated on device functionality pected to become substantially more popular over the and data availability, we now find that where and how next five years. With that will come a corresponding users search depends on personal preference and rise in mobile search: it is expected to nearly double need. Applications now support multiple types of from 28.8 million U.S. users in 2008 to 56 million U.S. search (see Google’s iPhone application with voice) users by 2011. and search engines (mobile browsers with change- able default search bars) — and carriers are increas- The second major impact on the growth of mobile ingly teaming up with Web-based search engines search is the advancement of mobile technology and, to power on-deck search portals, which often come more specifically, software. As the mobile industry in the form of an application on a smart phone. One becomes more serious about software, services and needs only look at recent announcements by Verizon content, mobile search will play an increasingly and AT&T (set to partner with Microsoft and Yahoo!, 37
- 40. Respectively), for on-decksearches across their real time and with GPS location functionality. This networks to see how carriers, who have traditionally is the latest example of convergence offered in mobile not shared on-deck search, have come to the con- search: enhancing a very PC-centric search task — clusion that mobile search is better controlled and product price comparison — by making it an in-store monetized by their Web counterparts. Lastly, the experience. Add on the ability to use GPS to get notion that SMS search is exclusive to non-data sub- the lower price, and you’ve got a pretty revolutionary scribers or non-smart phones is being challenged. customer experience. The monumental growth of Cha-Cha, which not only surpassed Yahoo! in October 2008, only 10 months With the change of consumer-usage patterns comes after its inception, to become the second largest the increased expectation that advertiser-con- SMS based search engine, also counts 20% of its sumer interactions will be highly-relevant and highly- users as smart phone owners. For instance, users of targeted, putting search at the center of the mobile T-Mobile’s G1, the first phone to run on Google’s advertising space. As with PC-based search, mobile Android platform, have the ability to search the Web search is poised to become the entry point to many or use an application, but still like to ask Cha-Cha a Web interactions and a key point of contact between question, and have the answer in one to two minutes. advertisers and consumers. How will brands begin to adapt to the new evolution of searcher interaction? The information users seek on a mobile device is also Will they be catalysts or passive engagers? Will poised to change. Currently, the leading content they interrupt or aid users? As it has been for paid categories searched by mobile users are maps/direc- search, SEO and local search, the first brands to tions (69%), weather (65%), local information (62%), get it right may be able to gain an early advantage in news (51%) and entertainment (43%). As the mobile the next search frontier. search experience begins to mirror that of the PC, so too do the expectations for types of content. This means users will increasingly begin to see the mobile device not only as a source of localized informa- tion on the go, but as an aid to many of their everyday tasks. Consider three shopping applications: G1’s Shop Savvy, the iPhone’s LikeThis and Amazon.com applications. All three offer the ability to either scan a bar code or take an actual picture of a product, and then send it to a database that identifies the product and provides price comparisons — often in
- 41.
- 42. T he e pi t om eo fs er v ic e ,c re at iv i ty an d re spo ns ive ne s s• O U T LO O K Publishers of the Year
- 43. It was overallservice that, in 2008, differentiated the top publishers from one another. Creativity may have helped mask the shortfall of an offering, responsiveness may have delivered an important meeting and strong ROI may have yielded a renewal, but it was the combination of these qualities that brought true partnerships to life. “In this quickly changing environment, where new technology and publisher solutions are constantly emerging, it’s easy to get distracted by the new shiny Publisher of the Year – EAST object. A huge differentiator is quality service. Pub- lishers that understand and nurture the relationship aspect of the business come out on top.” — Julie Weitzner, Media Director, Razorfish™, NY Publisher of the Year – CENTRAL The Razorfish™ media team anonymously voted on the publishers that epitomized service, creativity and responsiveness in 2008, all with an eye toward delivering meaningful solutions for our clients. The 2008 publishers of the year are ... Publisher of the Year – WEST 41
- 44. what’s emerging Digital Media Escapes From the PC: 44 Unlocking Opportunity for Consumers and Marketers Ad Exchanges: 52 Revolutionizing the Buy-Sell Process Social Object Theory: 56 The Secret Ingredient for Powering Social Influence Marketing™ Campaigns For Here or To Go? How Portable Media Is Like Fast Food 62 Top 10 Mobile Applications to Watch 66 Getting Smart With Mobile Marketing: 78 How Mobile Marketing Is Evolving in Europe and the U.S.
- 46. ide r online viewing a ons rep er sc lac em view en f tf o or 0% T 1. 5 V• Th C is EO is ab W H AT ’S EM ER G I N G ou t to jo in Face Digital Media b ook • Escapes From the PC: Unlocking Opportunity for Consumers and Marketers By Jeremy Lockhorn, Director, Emerging Media, Seattle
- 47. The last decadehas been a time of radical change and reinvention for the media ecosystem. 2008 was no different. Perhaps the most shocking change in the media and advertising industries was the pace at which digital and Web-based tech- nologies began to penetrate the mainstream and displace tradi- tional forms of advertising. Digital long ago escaped the browser via a proliferation perhaps the poster boy of this movement. But other of widgets and other applications rooted in Web-like platforms showed incredible growth in Web or systems — but in 2008, digital also escaped the con- Web-like systems: the mobile device, the television, fines of the PC. Digital signage grew rapidly and is in-store media and more. 45
- 48. At the sametime, we saw massive changes in the that the rise of DVRs and other digital recording de- way people interact with the digital world and how vices as well as “video snacking” online have forced the digital world interacts with them. The availability broadcasters to change their business models, yet of technologies like gesture and image recognition their “replacements...are not necessarily ready for helped this along, sparked by the Wii, which taught prime time.” Still, despite the drop in viewership and people how to work with devices via natural move- difficult economic conditions, U.S. ad spending on ment. Apple’s iPhone and Microsoft’s Surface, which TV stayed relatively steady through the end of the both allow interaction without a mouse or keyboard, year, a surprising trend that we do not expect to last. took this one step further with specific applications developed to take full advantage of the unique Many in the TV industry insist that online viewing capabilities like GPS, intuitive multi-touch and object is additive — that individual consumers watch shows recognition. both online and on TV, rather than replacing TV view- ership with online. However, a study from research These changes are opening the doors to incredible firm Integrated Media Measurement said May 2008 new ways for advertisers to connect with consumers. marked the first time that a significant portion of This section will examine some of these key emerging U.S.-based online viewers of primetime, episodic TV media trends and provide implications for marketers. shows didn’t watch part of those shows on TV. What’s more, 50% of viewers consider online viewing Online video threatens TV ad model, a replacement for TV, according to the firm. A Deloitte but neither channel has found a new one survey also found that nearly 6 in 10 U.S. consumers would like to easily integrate their televisions with The digital marketing and media site, eMarketer, found their computers to download or watch online content. that online video continued its rapid growth curve, reaching 154.2 million monthly viewers as of Novem- These trends have stoked the ongoing battle for digi- ber 2008. Sites like Hulu, a joint venture between tal media ownership in the living room. Key players NBC Universal and News Corporation, won industry continue to invest in solutions, perhaps best exempli- praise and have begun to amass significant audi- fied by Apple’s significant update to Apple TV, as ences. Meanwhile, TV viewership continues to fall in well as Microsoft’s complete overhaul of its Xbox user aggregate — at the end of 2008, The New York Times interface. The Xbox initiative was arguably aimed reported that cumulative viewership across the four at creating a more mainstream interface with broader broadcast networks was down 10% overall — roughly appeal and easier access to downloadable content, a million fewer viewers each night. At NATPE in Jan- including the “instant watch” library from Netflix. uary 2008, NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker, declared We are also closely watching companies like VUDU,
- 49. which makes aset-top box that downloads HD movies. are — in some ways — an effort to inject TV with While certainly not the first company to launch this pieces of what makes online advertising so powerful. model, VUDU has been getting rave reviews. It is poised to launch a rich Internet application platform, To echo Zucker’s sentiment, even online video is still allowing developers to deploy Web applications in search of the right business and advertising model. on TV. As such, these companies have the potential The debate over whether or not pre-roll and mid- to empower next generation Web content and experi- roll formats are appropriate drags on, even while the ences on the TV. models dominates video ad spend. Overlays, which give users the option of whether to watch a video The device that wins will seamlessly integrate Web ad or not, seem to provide a better value exchange content with content from other sources, such as for consumers but have yet to gain broad traction. cable, onto the TV, since consumers will undoubtedly want to put their large, flat-panel HDTVs to good use. New technologies, however, hold promise for cre- But consumers also want complete control over the ating ever more advanced video advertising models. content — a trend that has become all too clear over Companies like ZunaVision and Innovid are working the last couple of years. on inserting Flash-based assets into video post-pro- duction, so a blank wall in a video could suddenly Increasing online viewership, and widespread contain a movie poster, digitally inserted at the time ad-skipping via the DVR, pose challenges to the TV of delivery. While it’s too early to say for certain what business model, reducing the audience that watches business model will evolve from these technologies, advertising. Many in the TV industry look to forth- one could imagine product placement becoming coming capabilities like addressability (increasing the a dynamically served and targeted model. This would relevance of TV ads by targeting spots — and even bring analytical capabilities, behavioral targeting pieces of spots — at an individual household level) and optimization potential to areas within the video and interactive TV, as potential saviors. Early small- itself and could launch a revolutionary new business market tests have indeed shown promise, and the model. Both companies are also working to enable launch of Canoe Ventures (a consortium of the largest interactivity, staying true to the promise of consumer cable operators, aimed at driving innovation and control. scale with advanced TV advertising), as well as the growing momentum behind EBIF and Tru2Way (tech- nologies which enable interactivity and applications via set-top boxes) bode well for the ecosystem. At its most basic level, these advanced TV technologies 47
- 50. The bottom line:Video, whether on TV or the com- find alternative ways to connect with their audiences puter, is a powerful communications vehicle, but digi- to promote their new shows, and DOOH may well be tal distribution puts the consumer in control. This part of the solution. means that while advertisers can buy reach, engage- ment cannot be bought. It must be earned through Falling costs of hardware and infrastructure fueled smart targeting and a willingness to create something inventory growth in early 2008. And while ad spend more than an ad. A marketing message has to be on DOOH grew overall, it did not keep pace with a compelling experience that is relevant to the con- the inventory explosion. This, combined with the weak sumer and provides value. economy, claimed at least one victim in 2008 — Reactrix. Its immersive gaming system that relied on Out-of-home goes digital but advertisers gesture control was an eye-catching and engaging are slow to embrace new formats opportunity, but the company was forced into receiv- ership in late 2008. Dozens of other startups have The out-of-home advertising market is perhaps launched signage networks as well, frequently with the most obvious example of digital media breaking niche specializations. PumpTop TV appears on gas away from the PC. Digital out-of-home (DOOH) brings pumps and Ecast provides touch-screen jukeboxes. many of the benefits of Web-based marketing chan- It’s an increasingly fragmented space that can be nels to the OOH space. Video and animation can difficult to manage and may continue to suffer as a create eye-catching motion, while some DOOH net- result of large amounts of unsold inventory and tough works and locations also offer sound. Furthermore, economic times. because many of the networks are based on IP deliv- ery, narrow targeting, rapid optimization and central SeeSaw Networks function as an aggregator for more asset management, all become welcome capabilities. than 40 of these smaller networks and provides an impressive Web-based planning and buying tool. Billboards of all shapes and sizes are making the Companies that can aggregate reach in the channel transition to digital as big players like Clear Channel, by offering strong placement and creative opportun- JCDecaux and Lamar are investing in upgrades. Major ities, and employ digital ad serving and measurement broadcasters like CBS and NBC are also leaping into systems are poised to do well. the DOOH game. This move by the broadcast nets is about more than diversification. As more of their primetime content gets viewed on-demand, their own promos for new shows fall victim to ad avoidance behavior. Like all marketers, the broadcast nets must
- 51. Retailers also seemto have caught the DOOH bug. Talking on the mobile phone is so 2007; Wal-Mart’s in-store television network is undergoing a the PC lands on the phone reinvention to leverage advanced targeting capabili- It has long been the vision of the computing world ties. Other major retailers ranging from grocery chains that mobile phone capabilities would begin to to consumer electronics stores are seeking to cap- approach those of laptop computers. We may not be italize on their foot traffic as they chase the dual ben- quite there yet, but there have been impressive efits of increased revenue from manufacturer partners advancements over the last several years — creating and increased sales. a rapid shift in consumer behavior, as mobile Web usage takes off and voice usage becomes secondary. Untargeted, non-interactive digital signage is just the Already, some audience segments are texting more tip of the iceberg, of course. Retailers are also ex- than talking, while many iPhone users half-joke about perimenting with interactive touchscreens and kiosks their devices being awful phones but great pocket that provide Web-like interfaces. These products computers. are aimed at delivering more detailed product info or enabling consumers to get help making selections The iPhone has changed what many expect from without having to find a store employee. All manner mobile devices. Launched in 2007, with a relatively of ambient sensing technologies ranging from weight- minor hardware evolution in 2008, the iPhone’s sensitive shelving to RFID are similarly enabling real news in 2008 was the opening of the platform in-store digital media to automatically react to what to developers and the corresponding launch of the the shopper picks up or touches, providing intuitive, iTunes App Store. In less than six months, it had on demand content that can help sell product and reached 300 million downloads and swelled to con- make informed decisions. tain more than 10,000 applications. Some are useless party tricks (iBeer, iFart) that still manage to make The bottom line: As digital breaks outside of the PC, some decent coin for their creators. Others are we expect to see the same systems we use to incredibly useful, such as the restaurant reservation manage Web campaigns (third-party ad servers and app created by OpenTable. There are many solid content management systems, for example) extend games available as well. What is most impressive is their reach. It will make for efficient cross-channel that a sudden, massive developer community is media but may present challenges for creative devel- inventing new uses for the device — stuff that Apple opment, requiring another shift in the way campaigns would likely have never pursued on its own. are concepted and produced. Liquid assets that can flexibly move from screen to screen will be key. 49
- 52. The App Storehas done something that the four to create a response mechanism from passive media major carriers could not figure out on their own — it like print or broadcast. But the year also brought has given consumers a reason to pay for unlimited some growth in other flavors of text-based mobile data packages. The mobile ecosystem has taken marketing: search and in-SMS, which places short note — with Google working feverishly on its Android text ads in opt-in SMS streams. platform and launching a decent first device in part- nership with T-Mobile and handset producer HTC. Search engines continued to integrate mobile into Android has a corresponding app store as well, and their existing search advertising platforms, some RIM is rumored to be developing an app store for its allowing for device-specific targeting as well as loca- BlackBerry devices. iPhone owners are super users tion-based targeting. Meanwhile, media properties of the mobile Web, simply because the experience including USA Today, MTV, NBA.com and Good is much better than it is on other mobile devices. Housekeeping have been using in-SMS advertising. This, combined with the growth that will result from It’s a great way to tap into the intimacy and immediacy other companies’ efforts to replicate the success of text alerts, and several case studies have demon- of the iTunes App Store, will continue to drive massive strated potential. Still, there are challenges, beginning growth in mobile data usage and present new oppor- with its potential to be perceived as spam; it is yet tunities for marketers to connect with their consumers to be seen at what point consumers begin to feel that on the go. commercial messages, or even alerts they’ve opted in to receive, become unwanted noise. We’re cau- Mobile display advertising has also experienced tiously optimistic about in-SMS advertising for 2009, continued growth despite a heavily fragmented mar- provided that all parties focus on delivering value to ketplace, a lack of true third-party adserving, little the consumer. standardization beyond ad sizes and other challenges. Increasingly, though, big networks like AdMob, Nokia The bottom line: Consumers have demonstrated and Quattro are becoming valuable partners, capable a desire to access Web-like data anytime and any- of aggregating inventory as well as providing seamless where. Some consumers are seeking snack-sized services to help create and manage mobile campaigns. entertainment, and some consumers want utility, like price comparisons. Marketers must assess what Text (or SMS), of course, has the broadest reach in consumers need from their brands while on the go the mobile ecosystem, making it a powerful platform and invest in building those applications. for marketing. Razorfish™ clients such as MillerCoors, and JCPenney experimented with different text-based programs in 2008. A common tactic is using text
- 53. Emerging media willnot kill advertising but change it forever The digitization of media has empowered people with complete control over their media consumption; they are able to watch, read or listen to whatever they want whenever they want, and that typically in- cludes advertising. Efforts to force attention to ads without providing value will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes, challenging traditional ad models. Digital is impacting more than what you might typically describe as “media” — it has created entirely new channels and continues to radically blur the line be- tween the real and the virtual worlds. New, immersive experiences leveraging incredible human-computer interaction models have leaped from the pages of sci- ence fiction novels and become reality. Taken together, these trends are NOT killing advertis- ing. They are simply changing its role. Advertising is now less about reach and less about changing attitudes but about more engaging experiences, which leverage new digital capabilities to deliver value to the audiences that interact with them. It’s about mar- keters making themselves useful, plain and simple. 51
- 54. Ad ve r tis e rs ca n s is lay ba er n sio da ta es pr on m top y-i y or t n-b en of in nv sio fi o vento res es nventor y on an imp e s f o r d if fe r e n t t y p r y to cherr y-pick their ta buy i pric ble an rget rs c r ia va et e cu s tis an s er rs c tom • A d ve r t i s e Adv W H AT ’S EM ER G I N G er s • • Ad Exchanges: Revolutionizing the Buy-Sell Process By Joanna O’Connell, Manager of Strategic Development, Ad Exchange Practice, New York, Matt Greitzer, Vice President, Search, New York and National Search Lead and Josh Palau, Vice President, SEO, Global
- 55. Perhaps no otherdevelopment has the potential to reshape digital media more than the relatively-new advent of advertising exchanges. These auction-based, self-service platforms provide a marketplace for buyers and sellers of online ad inventory to trans- act directly with one another. With the four major portals all either acquiring or building ad exchanges in the last 18 months (Yahoo!’s Right Media, Microsoft’s AdECN, Google’s DoubleClick and AOL’s BidPlace), these platforms now have the scale and resources to transform the way digital ad inventory is bought and sold in 2009 — and beyond. 53
- 56. Ad exchanges providethree primary On the demand side, ad exchange inventory is cur- advantages for digital marketers: rently finding appeal among performance marketers and direct-response advertisers. This trend will only 1. Auction-based, spot market. Advertisers can increase in 2009 as marketers shift budgets to perfor- buy inventory on an impression-by-impression mance-oriented media that can drive immediate, basis — in real time. No upfront commitments measurable results. But the use of ad exchanges will are needed to secure delivery. not be exclusive to direct-response advertisers. Brand marketers, too, will gravitate toward ad exchanges 2. Data portability. Advertisers can layer data to take advantage of their ability to deliver exacting on top of inventory to cherry-pick their target targeting capabilities and price efficiencies. customers. 3. De-averaged pricing. Advertisers can set vari- As ad exchanges rise to prominence, the value of able prices for different types of inventory — some established market players will be undermined. and different kinds of customers. Rather than Ad networks are especially finding their market pos- paying a flat CPM for a specific placement ition in this new era tenuous. The value of inventory or behavioral schema, they can now price each aggregation, the traditional role of ad networks, impression according to its expected return. is decreasing, as inventory is increasingly available on an open spot market. And behavioral targeting — The growth of ad exchanges will accelerate over the once a major differentiator — is now being replicated next year, as demand on both the buy and sell sides through the use of readily-available data for sale in converges. On the supply side, the explicit involve- the ad exchange environment. While some networks ment of the four previously mentioned major portals will find a role in this new environment, many more ensures a steady supply of inventory. Expect Yahoo!, will find it increasingly difficult to carve out their place MSN and AOL to offer an increasing volume of unsold in the new digital landscape. inventory across their respective ad exchanges. And Google will align its DoubleClick exchange with its Although ad exchanges will see widespread adoption vast AdSense publisher network to continue offering in 2009, there are several unresolved issues that may incentives for DART for Publisher clients to liquidate complicate their ascendancy. First, while involve- unsold inventory on its exchange. In addition, a bleak ment from portals and pressure for liquidity bode well advertising economy in 2009 will put pressure on for the ongoing inventory supply on the exchanges, publishers outside the portals’ networks to liquidate not all publishers are embracing the new dynamic. inventory through all available channels, including ad Last year, ESPN turned its back on ad networks, while exchanges. Turner Digital and Forbes started their own. The goal,
- 57. in each case,was for the publisher to have complete control over its inventory and audience. Obviously, that may make them slow to adopt the exchange model as a viable source of revenue. If well-known, branded publishers shun the ad exchange channel, the future of ad exchanges could be limited. Privacy concerns, too, could prove a major stumbling block. As the ad exchanges have decoupled inventory from data, a vast market has emerged for the buying and selling of consumer information for the purpose of increased targeting capabilities. Consumer backlash could result in data restrictions for targeting purposes, stifling a key benefit of exchange-based inventory. These hurdles aside, ad exchanges have the potential to revolutionize the online media landscape. 2009 will see a flurry of activity and innovation in this area as ad exchanges transition from sideshow curiosity to primary driver of reach, distribution, efficiency and liquidity. Marketers who embrace the opportunity now will benefit from an immature pricing landscape, and lay the groundwork for success as the ad exchange opportunity grows. And those who sit on the sidelines will miss the early-stage development of what is perhaps the most innovative and relevant channel to arise in the digital media landscape since the rise of search engine marketing. 55
- 58. W H AT’S EM ER G I N G Social Object Theory: The Secret Ingredient for Powering Social Influence Marketing Campaigns By Iain McDonald, Executive Creative Director and Founder, Amnesia Razorfish™, Sydney Twitter: @eunmac e p h on ans own a video-capable A me r i c n millio • 91
- 59. Hugh MacLeod, thecreative mind behind gapingvoid.com, said in October 2007, “I believe social objects are the future of marketing.” Coincidentally, we had both recently watched the same video about social objects created by Jyri Engeström, founder of Jaiku, a social platform that lets people share their online activity streams. Engeström described social object theory as the belief Large numbers of digital conversations revolve that all successful social media interactions and around a social object, such as a bookmark, game, ventures center on an object — “the reason people photo, story, product, event, Facebook app and connect with each particular other and not something so forth; these objects become the centerpiece of else.” Another way to describe a social object is as our conversations. In turn, we may also be willing to the centerpiece in a dialogue between two or more share objects. I believe a great digital social object people. People don’t just talk — they tend to talk is one that is highly portable, and can be easily cop- “around” objects. For example, if I’m speaking to my ied and reproduced in as many channels and formats. mother about the flowers I sent her, the flowers are the social object. 57
- 60. Do social objectsreally build connections Twitter propagates different types of social objects, on social networks? too. The object is frequently a URL, but users often become the object since usernames can be shared. You’ve probably heard the old adage that there are Comments themselves can even become objects, only six degrees of separation between any one which people retweet, and around which new conver- individual on the planet and everyone else (especially sations are formed. if your name is Kevin Bacon), so wouldn’t it seem that sites, which simply let people connect, would be The question of what creates the glue of social a huge success too? This appears reasonable at media becomes even more interesting when we look first glance, but the ability to connect and exchange at flourishing social-based destinations and find that information falls short of explaining what is truly people who have no immediate social relationship powering these networks and causing such heavy are somehow connecting. More interestingly, these usage — and even addiction — in so many people. connections often go beyond a single network, well into the blogosphere. Some conversations travel well There have been many sites over the years that have beyond a small circle of intimates, moving amongst allowed us to simply “connect.” SixDegrees.com, different sites and occasionally attracting huge traffic, a popular site from the dotcom era, did this well, yet producing mass influence. That phenomenon goes it no longer exists. LinkedIn is a large site, which far beyond the social media idea of a “friend.” connects many people, but it has never exploded in the same way Facebook has, despite being around Could there be a simple underlying force behind for longer. These sites have connected people without this? Social object theory says the objects are that helping them create the social objects that give them underlying force. It explains why sites which propagate a centerpiece around which to connect. social objects may be more likely to succeed than those that don’t, and why people who don’t have A good example of a site which propagates social common social relationships find reasons to connect. objects? Flickr. The social objects it creates aren’t just photos, but photo collections, URLs and even com- mentary. Flickr extends and amplifies — it is a quantum leap from a repository of private photos, reserved for viewing only by people the uploader knows. Any photo on Flickr is capable of being relevant and dis- coverable — and distributed by unrelated people.
- 61. Applying social objecttheory to big idea to be supported, particularly through social marketing campaigns networks rather than just a brand Web site. In this instance, the main social object was “The Smirnoff Social object theory has implications for marketing, Secret Party” which allowed users within social net- and at Razorfish™, we have been quietly putting it into works to discuss the event, as well as who the practice for the last 18 months, with great results. mystery DJ’s might be and where the event might be Ready to hear what we’ve learned? held. Smaller social objects were deployed in the form of clues and puzzles in a digital treasure hunt for free Initially some people within our team thought the the- tickets. Cryptic clues [objects] inspired conversations ory simply stated the obvious; we weren’t quite to take place within social networks between users. sure how we would apply it to digital campaigns but A GPS system, embedded in the clues blog, enabled thought there was significant opportunity. We needed users to venture into the real world in an attempt to to start learning, and, since little has been written find hidden tickets that might, for instance, be taped about social objects, we have been on a journey of under a park bench. These real world tickets often discovery. First, we started considering the theory sparked debate and conversation. during the creative phase of the project. We quickly found that by shifting our thinking to answer the ques- For Lipton Tea (Unilever), we created a site full of tion, “what makes a great social object?” we could smaller game-based objects to enable the bigger rethink our ideas or optimize existing ones. object — brain training. This was to communicate an Amino acid called L-Theanine, which was recently During the first months, we did not always set out proven to keep tea drinkers more relaxed and alert to produce social objects, but as time passed, our compared to other beverages. projects took on features organically that one would associate with objects; the objects themselves As the digital landscape changes and shifts to a more took on more viral properties, thus becoming more social one, I believe that using some of the findings social. Now that scores of projects, which take social and practices detailed below will continue to help us object theory into account, have passed through produce better campaigns. We still need to learn our doors, we use it more strategically. more about social objects and their role in our con- sumers’ lives, but as we move from outdated, It has also formed the basis of some big campaigns, monologue advertising models into dialogue-driven notably our Smirnoff Secret Party effort for Diageo marketing, this theory can help us find better ways which forged some new ground as a social campaign to genuinely engage with our consumers. Here is what by deploying not one but many objects to allow the we’ve learned so far: 59
- 62. • Social objects can take dozens of forms, including To make campaigns centered around social objects, links, videos, images, bookmarks, widgets, events we recommend the following practices: and products like the iPhone. They may also be • Define what your social objects are early; they more abstract (e.g. Christianity or Post Modern- may even form the basis of a big idea. ism). The more portable the object, the more likely it will succeed • Decide whether your campaign is made from a single object — or perhaps thousands of them. • Social objects aren’t necessarily viral. It may be For example, is your promotional video the object, enough to simply make them “discoverable.” or do you provide the tools for consumers to For instance, with topical or newsworthy objects create many more objects around a theme you (e.g. a plane crashing into the Hudson River) it provided? would be important to make sure your social ob- • Figure out what makes your social object or ject (perhaps an article or video related to the objects social and make your social object impor- conversation) is optimized for search, so users tant, relevant and authentic to consumers. can discover it. • Ensure that your objects are portable, rights- • Retro-fitting social objects into traditional cam- free and can be copied. Ask yourself whether your paigns can be very difficult. For instance, a social object can jump mediums. For instance, PUSH message such as “Tastes Like Summer in can your video be easily described by a blogger or a Bottle” merely tells the consumer what to think, tweeter? which presents a tough challenge for agencies to create digital social objects for. In contrast, • Determine how long your object will be social. Is Burger King’s Whopper Sacrifice campaign asked it newsworthy or topical? Allow for online debate, users to sacrifice 10 friends on Facebook in discussion and interaction surrounding your ob- exchange for a free Whopper. This big idea was jects. Consider creating objects that can be delib- in itself a social object, which not only created con- erately tagged, tracked and measured. versation but also activated supporting objects • Do not assume your social object is, by default, such as the application on Facebook. your Web site brand or product. However, your projects probably have social objects already. Identify, build and optimize them.
- 63. I’d like toconclude with another quote from Hugh McLeod of gapingvoid.com, which sums up how we as agencies and brands need to think as we adopt social object theories: “The most important word on the Internet is not ‘search.’ The most important word on the Internet is ‘Share.’” Historical credits for defining social object theory: Jyri Engeström, founder of Jaiku Nicolas Bourriaud, author of Relational Aesthetics External References: http://www.consumingexperience.com/2007/06/ 5-principles-for-web-20-success-jyri.html http://www.amazon.com/Relational-Aesthetics- Nicolas-Bourriaud/dp/2840660601 http://amnesiablog.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/ a-treasure-hunt-some-moonvertising-and-a-load- of-vodka/ http://www.lipton.com.au/braintrain http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/ archives/004390.html Thanks to Twitter users @zeroinfluencer, @servantofchaos @gapingvoid @ianlyons @docbaty @andrewdever for their kind assistance during the writing of this article. 61
- 64. W H AT’S EM ER G I N G For Here or To Go? How Portable Media Is Like Fast Food d mea ls per year • foo By Lindsay Wong, Manager, 9 fa s t f 15 ag eo Emerging Media, San Francisco ver a na e s um c on a ns e r ic Am ed • nr e le a s e be e s hav pp n ea ho iP 0 0 ,0 10 ly e at im ox pr Ap
- 65. Last year, aSouth Korean company, called BBQ Chicken, introduced the world to some very futuristic fast food packaging. A dual-compartment cup, the Col-Pop, kept chicken nuggets crispy and hot in one section, and kept the soda icy and cold in another. Consumers could easily tote their full meal from one place to the next, finally liberated from the hassle of juggling sepa- rate cups and greasy food containers. For today’s media-hungry snackers, recent trends airport and even onto the plane. The iPhone elimi- have provided similar options for portability as both nates the need for people to carry an MP3 player, a device and content options have exploded. What we portable DVD player and a cell phone; some have once could only enjoy on desktop computers and stopped toting cameras around as well, relying solely TVs, we can now carry with us from the office, to the on this phone’s two-megapixel power. 63
- 66. Avatars, familiar tomany of us from Yahoo! Avatars electronic book reader, has been selling out consis- and Nintendo Wii, are no longer confined to one Web tently since its November 2007 release. In addition to property. Oddcast’s 3D technology can power ava- being able to access nearly 200,000 titles at Amazon, tars across social networking sites, online games and Kindle users can subscribe to favorite publications even mobile devices. Vivaty, a social virtual world, as well as track RSS feeds. Just as people are confronted with menu choices at a fast food restaurant “What we once could — fries or a salad, shake or a soda — they are faced with endless content only enjoy on desktop and technology options, more and more of them portable, and multi-fac- computers and TVs, eted. Users can employ desktop wid- gets customized with their zip codes we can now carry with and news preferences, or set their personal Pandora station to specific us from the office, to music genres via their desktop or mo- bile device; they can customize their Flip video camera with an image the airport, and even of their cute dog, or create an exact likeness of themselves on Wii Mii. onto the plane.” This empowered consumer has driven our industry to rethink distribution strategies and touch points within this increasingly portable media landscape. allows its users to share their personalized rooms on Traditional media channels, particularly TV, have AIM and Facebook, creating portable “living spaces” experienced tremendous fragmentation as well. With rather than static profile pages. DVR, viewers can choose when to watch; with mobile TV, viewers can choose where. As more TV con- Beyond music and photos, consumers can carry tent is delivered over mobile devices, advertisers will entire libraries of books and print media with them on need to leverage these fragmented consumption one device. Amazon’s Kindle, the wildly successful vehicles to reach the audiences that are disappearing
- 67. from TV. Theother key piece to consumer control is the ability to share. Viral, “free” impressions are the most valued, and brands are thoughtfully construct- ing marketing plans to get them. Consumer partic- ipation drives these pass-along experiences, where the most active and influential people send links to their friends, grab and embed widgets, and update their blogs from a mobile device. Marketers must use the portable media space as part of a broader strategy, reaching people whether they are tethered to a computer or out grabbing a bite to eat. With any luck, our digital snacks may evolve faster than you can say Col-Pop 2.0. 65
- 68. Ju tus se d iA g an Aud 4 on his iPh rivin one ed Sh r b the o pS ra d ul avv o y •W to fin d the lowest price W H AT ’S EM ER G I N G • Top 10 Mobile Applications to Watch By Paul Gelb, Manager, Emerging Media, New York
- 69. The iPhone explodedonto the mobile landscape last year, acquiring a 12.9% share of the global smartphone market and growing its share in terms of units sold by 327% year-on-year by the third quarter of 2008, according to Gartner. 1 The large touch screen and intuitive interface of the rable to the iPhone. Two notable releases in 2008 iPhone revolutionized mobile user behavior, but it were the BlackBerry Storm and T-Mobile’s G1, nick- was the rise of the mobile application ecosystem that named the G-phone, which is the first phone to run proved even more noteworthy. Developers flooding on Google’s Android operating system. In 2009, the market with apps led to unprecedented growth applications will expand beyond the iPhone and drive in content consumption, searches, utility usage and growth throughout the mobile channel. advertising opportunities. As of January 16, 2009, over 15,000 applications were offered at the iPhone Last year, many applications, including mobile App Store and more than 500 million applications versions of the water simulation Koi Pond, Google were downloaded, with over six million applications Search, Facebook and music site Pandora received on average downloaded each day.2 accolades from users and the press. The list below identifies 10 applications that will drive growth and Handset manufacturers and operating system com- transform content distribution and consumption, petitors responded by developing application-friendly search, utility tool usage and advertising opportuni- products with improvements to make them compa- ties in 2009 and beyond. 67
- 70. 1. Shop Savvy/ Retail / Android G1 Significance • Increases in price comparison behavior increases price competition and forces retailers to compete for consumers with brand equity and superior shopping user experiences. • It has potential to revolutionize the retail industry by converging brick and mortar shopping with ecommerce. Outlook Shop Savvy creates new marketing opportunities, including special in-store discounts, low-price guaran- tees and bar code-based scavenger hunt events. The application can also collect valuable data for re- tailers. For example, GPS data detailing the paths that consumers take through a store would help opti- mize the product layout. A valuable update to the application would be image Description recognition functionality, which enables users to Shop Savvy turns mobile phones into bar code scan- take pictures of products anywhere and receive price ners. Users can point the camera at any bar code comparisons. This additional tool would transform and the application will provide price comparisons any location into an ecommerce experience. from both online and nearby brick and mortar retailers.
- 71. 2. Wikitude AugmentedReality Travel Guide / Hospitality / Android G1 Significance • Hospitality marketers or travel content publishers can utilize the technology to offer branded travel guide information. • It provides access to digital information sources and social networks at any physical location. Outlook The number of augmented reality applications should expand exponentially in 2009, due to both device Description support and the release of an augmented reality Combining Android’s GPS and internal compass, developer tool kit for the iPhone. However, a lingering this application provides a real-time augmented question remains. Where will most of the data for reality travel guide. Users may search for any of the the tags come from — users, brands or reference Web 350,000 points of interest covered by the applica- sites? tion. When a landmark is viewed through the camera, annotations are overlaid on the landscape image. A similar application for the iPhone, Sekai Camera, was demonstrated in December 2008. Rather than limiting information overlays to Wikipedia data, this application enables users to tag the real world. Anyone can tag any image anywhere in real time. 69
- 72. 3. Mint /Financial Services / iPhone and itemized income, expenses and monthly budget expenditures. Mint makes money by conversions that come from its ability to match each consumer’s asset allocation, spending behavior and investment performance data to an optimized list of offers from financial institutions. Significance • An average American uses 11 different financial institutions. • Branded financial institution applications may not be able to match the value of Mint’s aggregated information and personalized discount offers. • Within the first 24 hours, Mint became the #1 finance application on iTunes. Outlook The application’s service recommendation feature would both threaten financial institution retention Description rates and provide opportunities for financial firms This application offers users a comprehensive tool to effectively target consumers. Furthermore, Mint’s set, connected to more than 7,500 U.S. financial insti- access to user spending data can generate highly tutions, to track, budget and manage their finances targeted ad inventory for non-financial service mar- across institutions from their mobile phones. Each keters. user’s registered accounts are automatically synched with the application. Information provided includes account balances, investment accounts performance
- 73. 4. WebMD Mobile/ Pharmaceuticals / iPhone Significance • Expansion of WebMD into the mobile channel creates significant mobile marketing opportunities for pharmaceutical companies. • WebMD.com is one of the premiere online pub- lishers reaching over 50 million unique Web users. Outlook Direct-to-consumer mobile ad spending for the phar- maceutical industry is restricted by ad formats that do not fulfill legal requirements, but larger rich media ads on the iPhone — in and around applications like this one from WebMD — are promising. In addition, the application can be used as a launching point in which to expand WebMD’s offering to content and tools for physicians. Description WebMD Mobile provides users with access to all of the content and functionality of the WebMD Web site. The application enables direct search and browsing of WebMD.com within the application interface, mobile interactive guides for self-diagnosis and first aid treatment, and tools facilitating the search and browsing of drug treatments. 71
- 74. 5. Audi A4/ Auto & Gaming / iPhone Significance • Audi A4 is the first application released by an auto manufacturer. • By December 2008, Audi A4 became the ninth most popular free game and the only application from an advertiser in the top 100 free applications. Outlook Audi has the opportunity to utilize the large base of users that have the application installed on their phones. Application updates with additional levels can be released to prevent users from deleting the Description application. With a retained audience, Audi can This application is a driving game that leverages use additional updates to deliver local dealer loca- the accelerometer to steer the Audi 2009 A4, a model tions and promotional information. launched in September 2009, through a series of increasingly challenging courses. The main menu has a link to a version of the A4 Web site, optimized for the iPhone.
- 75. 6. nuTsie /Music / BlackBerry, Windows Mobile Devices, Alltel Devices mobile phones. nuTsie does not move or copy any music files. Instead, music is streamed to the mobile device or personal computer. The application is an extension of a portfolio of Web-based tools that offer the music service from any connected PC. Significance • Digital rights management restrictions are limited to a requirement that non-purchased tracks are played in shuffle mode within a playlist. • Streaming content nearly eliminates device storage requirements. Outlook The availability of nuTsie’s comprehensive and unrestrictive service reduces the value of owning a song or an MP3 player. Adoption of the application could significantly affect content and device sales. Description nuTsie is a mobile music service that allows users to placeshift3 their music library, enabling a portable music experience without the need for downloading. Users can discover new music, add full tracks to playlists for free and share music with friends on their 73
- 76. 7. vSNAX /Video / iPhone Significance • Clicking on pre-roll advertisements brings up ad- ditional information but unobtrusively stays within application experience and pauses content. • It uses a multi-touch interface to make navigation across channels, through clip libraries and into interactive advertisement environments frictionless, intuitive and engaging. • User experience facilitates and encourages increased content consumption. • Viewers can continue to watch their video clip while simultaneously swiping through thumbnails to pick their next selection. Outlook vSNAX differentiates itself from YouTube and other smaller competitors by focusing on user experience and distribution of high-quality, professional content. As vSNAX solidifies its position, it will become in- Description creasingly difficult for new video content publishers This application delivers mobile video clips from to capture market share. more than 35 premium media partners including AccuWeather.com, CBS, Ford Models, Ripe TV and MTV Networks’ VH1, Spike and GameTrailers. vSNAX monetizes content through pre-roll advertisements.
- 77. 8. iStanford /Social Media / iPhone Significance • By December 2008, more than 11,000 people downloaded the application, which is almost three times the number of students and faculty that own iPhones. • Stanford’s IT department allowed the developers to connect to core computer systems. Outlook AT&T has been introducing the application developers to university information officers around the country. iStanford, if expanded to other universities, has the potential to unseat Facebook as the predominant social network for college students. Description iStanford allows users to view campus maps, the real-time location of campus shuttle buses, university news, course grades, course history and connect with other students, as well as email professors and add or drop courses. 75
- 78. 9. Cooliris /Search / iPhone Significance • 3D design of the interface creates more space to display information, significantly reducing screen size restrictions. • Users can access search results without leaving the application, essentially making Cooliris the first alternative browser on the iPhone. Outlook The exorbitant amount of digital videos and images makes finding content challenging. Consumption Description on PCs was stifled by this hurdle. The small screen Cooliris is a search portal designed for images and and slower connection on mobile devices exacer- video; the mobile application replicates the experience bates the problem. By providing an effective search of the Cooliris browser plug-in. Search results ap- solution, Cooliris has the potential to drive increased pear as thumbnail images on an ever-expanding wall. consumption of image and video content on mobile Users can browse the results by flicking the wall in devices. However, the most intriguing and nota- either direction. Touching a thumbnail expands the ble feature on the browser plug-in version of Cooliris, image to half of the screen and reveals both the Web which is missing from the mobile application, is site address and metadata tags. a shopping section. Adding this feature would enable effective integration of video and images into mobile commerce, improving the user experience and increasing user adoption.
- 79. 10. ShapeWriter /Productivity / iPhone Significance • Initial tests show that users are able to type many times faster on the new interface. • Utilizing extensive data on writing patterns, the word selection algorithm significantly reduces typing mistakes. Outlook Although the experience is intuitive and easy to pick up, it may face adoption challenges from users that are reluctant to learn a new way to type. However, users that have been reluctant to purchase touch screen devices due to inferior text typing experiences may incorporate this new application into their device purchase decision. Description 1 Source: Gartner Worldwide Smartphone Sales 3Q 2008. ShapeWriter provides an entirely new way to write http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp <http://www.gartner. text. Instead of pecking at letters, users can slide a com/it/page.jsp> ?id=827912 finger from letter to letter on a touch screen keyboard. 2 Source: App Store Hits 500 Million Downloads. Burrows, Recognition algorithms turn an approximate gesture Peter. Business Week. January 16, 2009. http://www. into a word. For example, a user can start on the letter businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/ archives/2009/01/the_app_store_s.html “m” and drag their finger along an uninterrupted path to the letters “o”, “b”, “i”, “l” and “e” to spell mobile. 3 Placeshifting is consumption of media content, delivered via data networks or the Internet, on mobile or remote devices. 77
- 80. Uti lizi ng mo bil eG PS to l oc at e fa vo r ite re t ail er s • W H AT ’S EM ER G I N G Getting Smart With Mobile Marketing: How Mobile Marketing Is Evolving in Europe and the U.S. By Stefan Mohr, Director of Mobile, Berlin
- 81. Over the pastyear, mobile marketing has been gaining strength and credibility. The cell phone has become a unique platform for communicating brand messages to customers, and has the potential to play a leading role in the marketing mix of the future. The reasons are obvious: • Cell phones are multi-faceted. They are cam- • Cell phones are a life tool. No one leaves home eras, MP3 players, Internet tools, photo albums, without their keys, wallet, and, now, their cell social networking command centers, navigation phone. systems and video players. • Cell phones are personal. Each cell phone • Cell phones are local. Each of us lives where belongs to just one person, and it is always with our phone is; therefore, information accessed them. through our cell phone has a component of locality, which can be used to bring brands and consumers closer together at any given time. 79
- 82. Of course, mobilepresents a strong opportunity QR code programs are a good example. While there to marketers, as evidenced by market data: are positive instances of the intelligent use of these two dimensional bar codes, which mobile phones • There are more cell phones worldwide than can read to connect users directly with a URL, they households with TVs or Internet connections. are often used as a gimmick to draw attention from • The U.S. mobile advertising market, consisting of print or flyers to a particular Web site. In many cases, mobile messaging, display and search advertising, the URL in question could have just as easily been is forecasted to grow from $805 million in 2007 reached via simpler methods, such as text messages, to $3.6 billion in 2010 according to like estimates keywords or short codes. by eMarketer and Nielsen Mobile. Mobile is reaching a critical juncture this year, pend- • Cell phones aren’t only used by younger demo- ing the outcome of factors in a handful of areas. graphics. Mobile branded entertainment formats At Razorfish™ Germany, we will be watching several and text messaging are used by people of key areas in the coming months: all ages, as was seen during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. • Improvements in the device experience. The iPhone has raised the bar for how cell phones Mobile and the skeptical marketer can meet consumer needs. This year, watch out for OEM’s across the board to rise to the chal- Until recently, consumers primarily used mobile lenge and compete. phones for voice communication. The resulting skep- ticism from marketers about whether there would • The declining price of data. Data-plan subscrip- be widespread adoption of platform and data services tion fees, which used to be expensive, are rapidly has made them hesitant to jump into mobile programs. declining in price. Look out for big jumps in mobile data consumption as a result of cheap, ubiquitous Marketers have also felt that the mobile industry has data access. focused too much on building out features in new • Designers get the hang of WAP and apps. WAP cell phones, rather than tapping into needs and de- and application designers are starting to make sires of consumers. It hasn’t necessarily thought what they design mobile-friendly, and are getting about what consumers really wanted out of their mo- the resources and momentum to execute on their bile experiences. ideas. Look for improved user experiences in mo- bile browsing, which will drive consumer consump- tion and expectations of availability.
- 83. • Location, location, location. GPS-enabled Brands accessed via a cell phone should fulfill handsets are finally a reality, unlocking the long the brand promise the exact same way they do on awaited promise of geo-targeted local advertising the stationary Internet. In the future, strong digital services with high degrees of personalization. brands will integrate the mobile channel in this fash- ion, customizing it to meet user needs and add value. How mobile marketing will get smart Mobile has to position itself as one of many parts of a unified digital marketing program — in conjunc- As the mobile channel evolves, marketers who build tion with all other channels of the brand. Mobile mobile programs with the user as the focus will be will not impress users as a singular, self-serving, non- able to serve their needs transparently. The key lies integrated channel. in making the mobile Web experience a match for the stationary Web experience, and in building mobile Another part of mobile’s maturation process will be portals and applications that can intelligently meet building “intelligent” mobile portals and applications the where, when and how of consumer needs. which can adapt according to changes in context. Two examples are: As the mobile channel reaches maturity, consumers are maturing, too, no longer concerned with whether • A mobile email portal for multiple email accounts they use a PC or a cell phone when they interact which can ensure the emails from the user’s with a brand. Consumers expect that major brands office account, will be hidden on days off or on should be there whenever they want to access weekends. them. Period. Therefore, brands need to produce a • A mobile real estate and apartment search that persistent mobile presence for themselves. It’s not a is so intelligent it can, using geo-data, identify all question of whether it makes sense any more; it’s the apartments for rent in the surrounding area, simply a matter of brands making sure they are there displayed on a map according to the user’s search when consumers want them. profile. Mobile is no longer a “nice to have” component of the media ecosystem. This year, there will be two classes of brands in the digital landscape: those that are capi- talizing on connecting with their consumers in mobile, and those that are missing a huge opportunity. 81
- 85. topics on our minds Looking for the Pulse Online in 2009 84 The Future of Retail: The Consumer’s New Shopping Journey 88 Think Inside Someone Else’s Box: 96 Business Model Innovation in the Digital Age Converged Connections: Moving Brands Across Multiple Experiences 100 Email Marketing: Increasing Marketing Connections in a Social World 104
- 86. Checkin Re ad ing g bu s s c h e du Face bo ok’s Live les • Feed • TO PI C S O N O U R M I N D S Looking for the Pulse Online in 2009 By Grant Owens, Director, Account Planning, New York
- 87. With the exceptionof social networks and breaking news sites, most of today’s digital media is best described as pre- recorded, pre-packaged and downloaded. Internet servers are teeming with on-demand information, but they lack the immediacy received by tuning in to radio, watching on-location broadcast news or even listening to the buzz all around. However, digital media is about to break free from In a setting that nears sci-fi clichés, one might picture these limitations. In 2009, the whole of the Web will a connected map of the world where, in one sec- become more live — and alive. Not only will the Web ond, you can sense a deep digital thump emanating become more social; it will also become instantly from the MySpace page of a high school hockey reactive. Through users and technology, the world’s player named Levi Johnston and, in the next, that events will collectively form an instant digital pulse. same pulse moves over to a Twitpic of a US Airways jet floating in the Hudson River. Unlike user reviews and periodic blog posts, the pulse will communicate what’s happening now — instead of delayed reports on what’s happened in the past. 85
- 88. Technologies transmitting thepulse Distributed sampling: The pulse is shared, quite literally, using efforts like Stanford University’s The online consumer audience will graduate from “quake catcher” network, in which seismic activity simply tapping into digital resources, to seeing who is measured by tapping into the sensors commonly is also tapping them, and getting alerted to whatever found in consumer laptops. If a certain number else they should consider consuming. The tech- of laptops in one area sense movement, an alert is nologies that carry the pulse are developing quickly sounded. Other examples of distributed sampling among fresh startups and existing popular online include the gathering traffic patterns; traffic data services. Examples include: companies often place beacons on commercial vehicles and then track the pace of their flow. The Activity feeds: Facebook’s Live Feed isn’t just implications of this tactic can go beyond traffic populated with periodic and explicate status detours — imagine comparing restaurants with the updates; it posts any user activity. Also, keep an longest wait times, versus how long it might take eye on startups like icerocket.com that are attempt- you to get to one with a shorter wait. ing to tap into real-time, online conversations and feed user commentary based on personal Live streaming media: YouTube recently hosted affinities and preferences. the first YouTube Live event. Although IPTV may eventually conquer the live broadcast challenge, this Micro-blogging: Twitter remains the poster child simple streaming business model has been wildly for micro-blogging and up-to-date information successful for groups such as Major League Base- feeds, but the idea has more potential than the cur- ball with MLB.TV, CBS’s March Madness and rent offering provides. As an example, technology even traffic cams. Look for more live feeds to come and media entrepreneur John Battelle created online in 2009. a unique experience for the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco. He encouraged Data-centric mobile devices: With the iPhone festival-goers to submit thousands of camera being a key catalyst, wireless carriers are pushing phone pictures, handheld digital video recordings, unlimited data plans like never before. Smart blog posts and “tweets” while at the event. This phones, GPS and geo-location applications within information feed created a “database of experi- phones such as Loopt or Google Latitude act as ences” so that non-attendees could see near real- nodes for receiving and sharing the pulse with your time activity over the three-day event. community. Spurred by the connectivity of phones, we’ve definitely moved beyond the Web site-based metaphor of a pulsing “online now” gif.
- 89. Real-time site analytics:As an example of events, and then choose whether or not to raise a advanced-user data, take a look at Woopra — an flag for our peers. Stranger and acquaintance online analytics tool that allows live tracking of Web site activity feed off each other. traffic. Instead of waiting hours or even days to see usage results, site owners (and potentially users Implications for media and marketing innovators themselves) can get an instant snapshot of content As a fellow netizen, you can sit back and enjoy that is hot — and what is not. Digital media com- access to this information, but if you are a marketer panies should consider a practice of letting users or media entrepreneur, tapping into the pulse see the usage analytics that are normally behind could also be very meaningful to you in three ways: the firewall. Everyone could benefit from seeing a heat map of activity. 1. Create a pulse-taking product: Develop a feature that becomes as ritualistic for users as Don’t always take it personally Twitter or Facebook’s Live Feed. The potential for ad dollars or paid subscriptions will follow. The data behind the pulse is broader than deliberate submissions from any one password-protected 2. Optimization or R&D: The pulse contains deep community, and much of the value derived from the insights into consumer perceptions. Marketers pulse isn’t personal like Twitter feeds or Facebook can get real-time feedback on campaigns that are Connect data. resonating, and others which may require revi- sions. Content or product creators can even seed Aggregate and anonymous information can have real ideas to see if they have legs. value in the larger Web world. Feeling the pulse of 3. Foresee consumer trends and capitalize your Facebook friends most certainly delivers impor- on them: A perennial example of value in trend- tant influence, but many other connected consumers ing data comes from Wall Street. Having your aren’t as active in divulging their activities. Non-per- finger on trends can mean the difference between sonally identifiable movements among the Web share profit and loss. an important place in our sense of connectedness as well. Pooling those movements to form the pulse The increase in real-time data and ability to monitor has significant implications. the pulse of digital consumer activity will shape both our actions as individuals and the online opportunities Knowing the anonymous pack movements, and of marketers. This year we’ll close the gap between the little buzz-starting sparks, is often what allows us archived information and what’s going on right now. to bring an idea to our personal circle. We observe 87
- 90. • In-stor e di g it a l s igna ge has po ten t ia l fo ra ho li s ti c ex per ie n ce Mobil ei s th ec on ne ct ive tis su e in ret ail • TO PI C S O N O U R M I N D S The Future of Retail: The Consumer’s New Shopping Journey. By Patrick Moorhead, Director, Emerging Media, Chicago
- 91. We’ve all hadthe following retail experience: you pull into a half-acre parking lot, finally parking your car a mere quarter-mile from the entrance to the store. As you walk through the double- door entrance, you are confronted by a cavernous, impossibly overwhelming sea of products, bathed in the bleak pallor of fluo- rescent lights dangling from the rafters above. From there, the common American retail journey truly unfolds. You ask yourself: “Where in this maze is the product has not. And while shopping (and buying) will soldier I want? I wonder if I’m getting a good price. Why is on, the consumers’ move toward digital technology children’s clothing located across the aisle from auto- begs the question: what happens if retailers endeavor motive? Where am I? Does this store know I shop to adapt to, assimilate and ultimately collaborate with here all the time?” consumers’ preferences, desires and technologies of choice? To answer this question, retailers need This is a dramatization, but, unfortunately, not much to study three issues surrounding how technology and of one. The problem is that while consumers — and customers intertwine to make shopping a different their technology — have advanced considerably over experience than it once was: the new informed, the past 10 years, the basic experience of shopping dynamic consumer, shopping as a holistic experience, and the non-linear consumer retail journey. 89
- 92. The new informed,empowered consumer A look at a poll conducted last year by BusinessWeek gives a sense of how today’s consumer is simply Today’s consumer lives in a constant state of change, shopping differently: adaptation and complexity. Technology is at the root of this, enabling once-segregated activities like • 69% research products online before going TV viewing and email to bleed into each other, and to to the store to make a purchase. occur whenever and wherever the consumer wants • 62% have looked at an online review at least them to. once before making a purchase. This basic change includes they way consumers are • 61% want to be able to scan bar codes and shopping today. In tough economic times, consum- access information on other stores’ prices. ers are being challenged to rethink the very way they • 39% compared a product’s features and price approach shopping: where, when, what they buy across online retail outlets before buying. and why, are constantly being evaluated and re-evalu- ated, making it increasingly difficult for retailers to • 9% used a cell phone to text message a friend pin them down. Even attempting to categorize about a product while shopping. shoppers among classic buckets like “high-end” or “bargain hunter” is challenging, because shoppers Digital is creating a new generation of shoppers who are simply using more sophisticated tools and strat- expect stores to provide them with answers to their egies to get what they want, without regard to these continually-evolving questions, to know them better classifications. over time and adapt to the way they shop. Consumers expect no distinction between online and brick- Beyond considerations of price, quality and style, and-mortar shopping — they simply want the same consumers are becoming accustomed to attaining features, products, access and service no matter large amounts of information about the products where or when they decide to shop. they buy. This information can range from where and how things are made, to how individual products Unfortunately, many American retailers have been reflect their ever-evolving sense of personal identity, slow to adapt to this new cultural dynamic. In fact, or how the social sphere will perceive their purchase. some have resisted it altogether. The result has been dramatic and serious; retailers, particularly depart- ment stores, are becoming increasingly irrelevant to modern shoppers.
- 93. They are perceivedas not evolving along with con- A simple illustration is this: for a loyal online customer, sumer taste and needs. While the financial crisis has going to visit a brick-and-mortar store is essentially severely injured retail sales, retailers need to continue like being a first-time shopper — even though the to focus on knowing their consumers and delivering online channel of this retailer has detailed information value to them at every touchpoint. about the customer’s purchase history, demograph- ics and tastes. None of that information is put to use The remedy is not a simple one. Data consistently when that customer walks through the front door. reflects that consumers will patronize retailers to Similarly, the frequent brick-and-mortar shopper whom they perceive as like them, preferring over- is treated like a first-time customer when they decide whelmingly to shop where they find the best re- to shop online. sources, content, products and shopping experience for their own unique retail fingerprint. Digital media has the ability to solve this dilemma for both the retailer and the consumer. Below are a The future of retail is, in part, beginning to view the number of digital opportunities available to retailers retail experience through the consumer’s eyes, to accomplish a holistic experience. without the burden of organizational silos of direct, digital and in-store. Retail’s future should create a In-store digital. Extending digital tools to the physi- 360-degree, holistic experience that is personal and cal store goes well beyond offering a kiosk for registry relevant to shoppers on an individual basis. shoppers. Developing a signage network that enables highly-relevant messaging and promotions to be Shopping as a holistic experience delivered to specific geographies, dayparts and de- mographics can begin to enable an in-store custom As consumers increasingly employ text messaging, dialogue similar to online for shoppers who prefer to mobile Web, in-store digital signage, social networks browse the aisles. Interactive interfaces, whether and ecommerce in shopping, integrating digital kiosk, projected display, interactive windows, touch into a growing ecosystem of retail touchpoints has the screen or wireless, can bring the store to life for the potential to yield a holistic experience. In so doing, consumer, providing a range of tools from price com- it will close a critical connection gap that continues to parison, to product recommendations, store offers frustrate consumers. The gap lies mainly in a sense or promotions. This can all be done at the same time among consumers, that while retailers provide a that the retailer gains ever-increasing visibility into handful of different ways for them to shop, the meth- the habits, tastes and purchase behavior of individ- ods are disconnected from each other, leaving con- ual customers on an ongoing basis. Touch interfaces, sumers to continually have to re-introduce themselves in particular, present a dramatic new method of to the store. 91
- 94. engaging a consumeron-premise, uniting the best The modern day masters of FID in retail have thus features of both online and in-person shopping within far been grocery chains, which have invested a compelling, next-generation experience. significantly over the past decade, to enable loyalty and discount card programs to function identically Linking these types of digital platforms to other as- whether used online or at a physical location. Ap- pects of the consumer experience, such as online parel and department store retailers have made vari- shopping profiles, preferences and loyalty programs, ous attempts to create a similar, single identity for and even traditional media, can begin to create an their customers through loyalty club programs and entirely new level of interaction between the individual merchant charge cards. consumer and the retailer. Imagine the value of the consumer profile data — and the attached consumer Yet in both cases, retailers are only scratching the — who creates a shopping cart online, then visits the surface of the potential for FID to provide individual store and can retrieve that cart to review styles, fits shoppers with a sense that each interaction they have and alternates with a touchscreen or live associate with the store, regardless of where and when it hap- on the floor. Bringing digital experiences to the brick- pens, is recognized and compensated for. In coming and-mortar environment is a critical step toward years, retailers who embrace and implement FID letting the consumer control his or her experience, across their sales and marketing channels will reap and lets them know the store understands them. the rewards of an entirely new level of loyalty from consumers. This kind of granular cross-channel in- Federated Identity. As a corollary to the notion of sight can and should extend to media and advertising bringing the online store closer to the brick-and- as well. Imagine a not-too-distant future where ad- mortar one, the notion of Federated Identity for shop- vertisements and promotions that reach the individ- pers has recently emerged as a key competency ual, from online banners to text messages to television for retailers striving to meet the shifting needs and commercials, are able to leverage a detailed con- tastes of an increasingly diverse and fragmented con- versation and purchase history to deliver an unprec- sumer marketplace. Briefly, Federated Identity (FID) edented level of personalized and relevant messaging is the virtual reunion, or assembled identity, of a per- on an individual basis. son’s user information, stored across multiple distinct identity-management systems. Data is joined together Mobile is the connective tissue. Mobile is poised to by use of a common token, usually the username, be the most potent digital opportunity of the year and, customer ID, account number or other unique personal perhaps more than any other sector, retail stands to identifier accessible from a variety of touch points. gain immensely from broad adoption of mobile media and technology tools.
- 95. The always-on, always-with-younature of mobile • Social shopping lets consumers “shop” socially phones will allow them to become the connective tis- using text and MMS messaging. Retailers that sue that unlocks the fundamental power of person- provide tools to facilitate this emerging behavior alization in retail, linking together online, in-store, will foster new connections with its engaged users. Federated Identity, purchase history and social media • Mobile media and location-based services interaction all within one platform. bring personalization through the front door of the store by using the location-based targeting Below are just some of the exciting mobile media ability of mobile media to drive consumers to technology opportunities available to retailers seeking stores near them, and to know where and when to leverage it: they are in the store. • Mobile couponing provides ease of access for consumers, higher redemption rates and cost While these opportunities represent a very futuristic savings by eliminating weekly FSI printing. vision of the holistic experience, and one that may pose significant challenges to implement, the oppor- • QR code and bar code readers use sophisti- tunity remains clear. Retailers should start experi- cated, high-capacity bar codes (QR codes) and menting today. Instead of just making a mobile site for bar code readers on mobile devices, allowing the sake of having it, retailers should carefully exam- consumers to connect directly with merchandise. ine how mobile can support, augment and extend • Store plan-o-grams take the customer relation- existing digital efforts in a manageable and sustainable ship to a new level by providing dynamic, inter- way this year. Pretty soon, this nice-to-have technol- active floor plans and merchandise directories to ogy will become the price of entry. customers while they are in the store. • Mobile commerce allows consumers to com- plete commerce transactions from the phone. Campaign data from several programs executed by Razorfish™ • RFID and mobile wallet enable consumers, via the next generation of handsets, to speed through checkout with digital payment, while remaining linked to their FID and loyalty information. 93
- 96. The non-linear consumerretail journey It is not just the customer journey that needs to be re-thought. Brands themselves, now released from In addition to adjusting to the shifting sands of the the confines of physical space and a purchase funnel, new informed, empowered consumer, and the holistic will also be forced to evolve their relevancy in an digital shopping experience, retailers will need to increasingly transparent and convergent retail envi- re-imagine their perception of the consumer’s retail ronment. Stores as physical locations will mean less. journey. With so much personalization, and increasing What attracts a person to a store will need to be adoption by consumers of the technologies that built on information, transparency and the character facilitate it, retailers must abandon the notion that a of a brand — beyond product and promotion. consumer journey begins with awareness of the store and its products, and move on to purchase and Daunting as it may be, the retailer of the future will loyalty. The consumer has escaped that longstanding find that abandoning conventional notions of store, paradigm. loyalty, relationship, media, and the consumer retail journey in favor of dynamic, personalized, relevant Today’s digital consumer may enter this continuum and holistic experiences, will unlock the power of the at any point, perhaps becoming loyal to the store, brave new digital world. prior to ever making a purchase because of positive word of mouth, or have an affinity for a product cat- egory prior to being aware of that product’s avail- ability at the store. The digital consumer may, in fact, purchase a product directly from the retailer with little or no awareness of that retailer’s true merchan- dise composition. To assume that the consumer enters into interaction with the store at a certain point, and proceeds along a linear path carved out of years of pre-digital shopping behavior, discounts the disruptive effect of technology, and the control that technology provides consumers in negotiating an increasingly complex landscape of product, brand and purchasing options.
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- 98. TO PI CS O N O U R M I N D S Think Inside •C om p Someone Else’s Box: arin g he r sp e Business Model Innovation n d in g h a in the Digital Age bits to those of her By Amy Vickers, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, Global pe e r s
- 99. Business model innovationis an increasingly popular concept — witness the development of innovation practices within consulting firms, the creation of innovation management tech- nology solutions and the rising tide of media on the subject, espe- cially the writings of Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen. Companies actually engaged in business model inno- Beyond the innovation hype, real opportunities exist vation include Virgin, whose prolific brand spans for companies and their brands to endure tough times myriad industries; Netflix, whose monthly subscription — and perhaps even flourish through them — by service disrupted the prevailing product rental reconsidering business models, especially as relates paradigm; and Spanish clothing retailer Zara, whose to digital. No longer simply a delivery channel, digital model for design-to-distribution revolutionized the has evolved to be foundational to business strategy. industry. Certainly in the current economic downturn, One rich source of opportunities lies at the intersec- the concept takes on greater gravitas and urgency. tion of social computing and Web services. Both have 97
- 100. undeniably impacted howpeople perceive and interact owner, dealership and manufacturer; account with brands, products and services. Companies holder, financial advisor and financial institution; can take advantage of their intersection by doing the patient, provider and healthcare institution; con- following: sumer, content producer and content publisher; and the list goes on. The online applications 1. Optimize data services and Web sites that support these ecosystems While many companies collect more data on tend to focus exclusively on individual tasks and consumers, partners and employees than ever discount group activities. For example, imagine before, few aggregate and analyze it across orga- a scenario about resolving an insurance claim. nizational silos; this is to their detriment. By in- A single incident sets off a flurry of activity (online vesting in data services that create holistic views, and offline) between a group of people (policy- companies can deliver higher value experiences holder, provider, insurance agent, etc.), and while reducing overall costs. A holistic view of yet the digital touchpoints supporting the claims a consumer, across all online and offline touch- process are disconnected and do not promote points, lets companies deliver more targeted interaction among the group. Now, imagine content and offer better service, be more effec- the same process supported by a solution that tive in cross-selling and up-selling, and have facilitated processing and tracking the claim in better-informed support services. Likewise, a collective and unified way. By expanding focus a holistic view of a partner — be it agent, dealer, from individual tasks and views to include col- provider, vendor or other — promotes brand laborative systems, companies can deepen extensions, fosters effective service delivery and engagement and improve efficiencies while also advances business process optimization. Com- promoting increased transparency. panies can realize additional bottom-line ben- efits when holistic views of consumers and 3. Leverage existing infrastructure to partners are used to optimize the marketing mix create new products and services and reduce cost-per-action. In an economy where everyone is being asked to do more with less, companies should think 2. Support collaboration in business processes anew about existing content, data and functional Although business processes are inherently social, infrastructure, and seize opportunities to extend most consumer and partner solutions fail to them in the creation of new revenue-generating acknowledge, much less support, the importance products and services. Across most industries — of dialogue and collaboration among groups. automotive, financial services, health care, retail Consider the relationship between various indi- and others — consumer data could be aggre- viduals in different industry ecosystems: vehicle
- 101. gated and transformedinto a benchmark service By seizing these opportunities and having the forti- to help people understand their activities in the tude to not retrench digital or IT budgets, companies context of their peers and make better decisions. can deepen relationships with consumers and In B2B contexts, a similar move could lead to partners, gain competitive advantage and position the creation of business performance tools that themselves well for continued growth. partners could subscribe to for a fee, or that could serve as a platform for sponsors. For many large companies, the enterprise infrastructure itself could be extended as a service to small and medium-sized businesses that seek hosted self- service operations. 4. Think inside someone else’s box Beyond the specific content, products and services offered by companies, what people value are experiences delivered through brands. Experiences let consumers connect with their passions, find peace of mind or simply make the everyday a little more fun. Find fresh perspect- ive on what your brand could deliver by thinking inside the box of another industry. Brands pro- ducing significant thought leadership — like financial, professional and technology products and services — should think like publishers about mobilizing and monetizing intellectual capital. Brands having lifestyle aspects — like automotive and travel — should take cues from entertainment and premium retail about celebrating personalities and empowering these personalities to curate unique brand experiences for consumers. Further consider business model innovations through partnerships, in both the front and back offices. 99
- 102. TO PI CS O N O U R M I N D S Converged Connections: Moving Brands Across Multiple Experiences T he ever By Francis Anderson, Vice President, Connections -a c t i ve Planning, New York na ti v es ar ge e t ti ng re s •D tl e ss igit • al im mi gr an ts re pr en es t8 5% of th eU .S . ad ult pop ulat ion
- 103. From viewing todoing It was the futurist Mark Prensky who introduced us to the notion of “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” in 2001 — the latter raised primarily as passive consumers of traditional media and the former demanding content when they want it and how they want it. It’s indisputable that each generation is becoming and behaviors learned during their pre-digital past. more digital, and that digital immigrants are learning We still need to delineate whether brands’ targets are from the natives. That said, immigrants — essentially natives or immigrants when recommending solutions anyone born before 1984, representing 85% of the to our clients, determining whether they are used to U.S. adult population — still retain what might be more passive consumption of media, or accustomed called an “accent,” which manifests itself in attitudes to actively participating in digital experiences. 101
- 104. From scarcity ofmedia to scarcity of attention Both approaches — though created with the best motives in mind — potentially ignore the fact that The way in which brands have historically expressed different touchpoints (or experiences) offer radically themselves has been shaped by the dominant different opportunities. Take online video, which medium of the time. One example is the ascendance sometimes is the manifestation of a repurposed TV of the 30-second TV spot. In that case, the form of spot, and sometimes is a custom, interactive and brand communication was film, and the scarcity and social experience, hand-made for digital consump- high cost of inventory meant these films were deliv- tion. Talking about ideas separately from the milieu ered in short, half-minute increments. in which they exist isn’t intuitive, and may well mean missing out on the most creative opportunities. Digital changed the equation in that limitations of form and scarcity faded away. Brands could be com- These approaches also ignore the fact people are municated through text, sound, function, game or social — and now digitally-enabled — beings who film, with no scarcity; although advertisers do buy ad interact, participate, modify and reinterpret. space online, many distribution channels are free, be it the client Web site, YouTube or consumers who In his book Convergence Culture, David Jenkins freely distribute advertising content they like. The (Professor of Comparative Media, MIT) points to The scarce commodity now is attention — a commodity Matrix as an example of “a narrative so large that that cannot be bought, and is hard to earn. it cannot be contained within a single medium.” The Matrix franchise extended to three films, The Learning to mold the message to the medium Animatrix series of short films, video games, comics The model, adopted by many in response to this new and a host of fan sites, blogs and mash-ups. Each environment, has been called “360-degree planning” contributes different — but complementary — parts — or a similar term. The idea is to develop a single of The Matrix story, and each piece stands on its own. organizing thought, better known as a Big Idea, which However, when combined, they create a much deeper is then iterated relentlessly across all touchpoints. experience, and we begin to understand the complex This approach was itself a reaction to an earlier pro- Matrix universe much better. Pierre Levy (Professor to-integration practice of spreading (or ”blowing at the University of Ottawa) writes, “the distinction out”) a TV advertising idea across all communications between authors and readers, producers and channels, often without regard to its suitability to spectators, creators and interpreters [has started to] these other channels. blend.”Therefore, in this new world, rather than using multiple channels to communicate a singular idea,
- 105. every brand shouldbe brought to life across a broad This new approach calls for more scope and range of experiences. People then pull different parts complexity, with the brand idea becoming, in effect, of the story together themselves, participate, remix the brand narrative: a series of self-contained ele- and repackage, then pass them onto their social net- ments, which build and grow to create a larger brand works, forming converged connections. In the pro- world. As Henry Jenkins says: “The key is to produce cess, the brand communication becomes stronger something that both pulls people together and and more powerful, not weaker and more fragmented. gives them something to do…I don’t have to control It takes on the voice of its consumers. the conversation to benefit from their interest.” Some examples from the Razorfish™ network include our work for Levi’s in the U.S. around Project Run- way, and our work for Smirnoff in Australia around the Smirnoff Experience Secret Party. The Levi’s cam- paign gave a typical TV sponsorship life beyond the show itself, and bred a social community for passion- ate designers as well as a fan culture of its own — supported by multiple media channels, from bar napkins to billboards. The Smirnoff Secret Party cam- paign, a multi-channel scavenger hunt for exclusive tickets to the party of the year, was a clever strategy to engage consumers in a social and participatory digital experience beyond the party itself. Each campaign was born digital and social, and successfully blended digital advertising, microsites, streaming video and social media groups with out- of-home billboards, in-store activity and live events. The cam- paigns further bridge the digital and offline divide by leveraging Bluetooth and GPS technology. * Source: Mark Prensky³ Digital Natives Digital Immigrants² (2001), US Census (2007) David Jenkins ‘Convergence Culture’ (2006) Puppets in photo created by Andrea Everman (owlyshadowpuppets.com) 103
- 106. 12 5 em ail s/ 2t ex t me ssages • sages • messages xt mes 25 text te 15 ils / s/ a il e ma em 2 •2 5 TO PI C S O N O U R M I N D S Email Marketing: Increasing Marketing Connections in a Social World By David Baker, Vice President, Email/eCRM Solutions, Global
- 107. As late asthe fourth quarter of 2008, the Direct Marketing Association was reporting that email as a marketing medium returned $57 for every $1 spent. While this is an aggressive assess- ment of email’s Return on Investment (ROI), there is no doubt that it is a valuable business communications tool. It is ingrained in everything that businesses and consumers do, and is widely em- braced by the marketing community as a customer retention service. The email services landscape is relatively small, repre- shift, however. Creative fees will flat-line as template senting roughly three to four percent of an average development and automation ease the burden of marketing budget. It is poised to grow over the next personalizing emails. Instead, the largest shift in email four years and, according to Forrester, will represent marketing spend will be centered around strategy, a $4 billion industry by 2011. Marketers see it as a technology and integration. Integration will become low-cost communications tool, and this will become more and more important as social — and even mobile an even greater focus in the next few years as budgets SMS programs — begin pushing the definition of next tighten. The types of services marketers pay for will generation CRM. 105
- 108. Email usage behavioramong email has different intrinsic values for learning, edu- businesses and consumers cation, professional affiliations and healthcare. Some have commercial value and some have brand value. There are four different ways that businesses and consumers use email: Information is no longer just for Web sites • As a way to gather information Niche newsletters are the greatest phenomenon in • As a notification and customer service email over the last two years. Virtually every publisher mechanism offers some type of e-newsletter, monetizing it in various fashions. Even traditional marketers are now • As a promotional device seeking mechanisms to monetize their email data- • And increasingly, as a conduit for social base through such things as ad inserts and opening management and networking up inventory to ad networks. E-newsletters have forced the email industry as a whole to mature as a For many industries, email is a cost-efficient way content publishing vehicle, and put greater impor- to conduct ecommerce, notify consumers about the tance in managing permissions and relationships with status of a pending delivery, and deliver monthly subscribers to an email list. statements and account updates. But with the popu- larity of social media sites, email has become an Information used to be a currency largely restricted increasingly important tool for managing updates, to Web sites, but today, Web sites are relying more and networks and events that surround the social per- more on email and social media to increase the value sona. Additionally, email has increasing value as con- of their content to the subscriber. For instance, the sumers grow older. Younger generations are not as healthcare and pharmaceutical industries use email entrenched in email, and use it sparingly as a noti- as the catalyst for their eCRM strategies, seeking fication mechanism. They use it even less to manage to maintain a communications outlet with prospective their affiliations, information needs and social con- patients, caregivers, doctors and institutions. The nections. The approach of college graduation usually financial and automotive industries have shifted some changes this behavior, as students use email for job of their marketing focus to email, recognizing that the search: communication with prospective employers purchase cycle is longer than a single purchase. This and professional connections. Once these new realization is requiring them to invest in maintaining graduates enter the workforce, email becomes part a connection with their customers in a very efficient of their day-to-day lives. As we progress through life, manner over a longer period of time. Most marketing and customer service organizations have diversified
- 109. their email portfoliosto support the many needs Moving email marketing beyond of the consumer and business. commerce activities One of the challenges marketers face in today’s envi- Moving email marketing beyond commerce ronment is being able to manage technologies and activities data — and evolve these types of programs over time. The challenge with most marketing organizations is With the average email marketing team being roughly that they see email solely as a promotional and ecom- three full-time employees, marketing groups in merce vehicle. While there is no doubt that email many organizations struggle to manage the day-to- is valuable in driving prospective customers to buy day campaign needs — much less build a road map products and services, building relevant communi- for data integration or systems integration. Most cations is the key to sustaining customers over time. organizations support disparate delivery systems, With average email database attrition of over 2.5% using one for interaction management, e-commerce per month and a diminishing response from consum- communications, customer service communications ers after the first 90 days, marketers are forced to and even social media connections, while using change tactics to be more exact in how they target, hosted SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions for how often they communicate — and to monitor marketing needs. While the middle-market CRM sys- response trends actively. tems and campaign management systems boast email functionality, they are far from ideal for robust New deliverability and certification standards have marketing programs. This creates challenges in somewhat stabilized the commercial email market, but data integration and the ability to provide real-time the increase in spam has caused ISPs to both employ communications to track response and manage a image blockers and put stringent filters in place; this cohesive view of this effort. The future of email will has resulted in a decline in both open rates and click- be predicated on marketers’ abilities to take action on through rates. Batch-and-blast approaches no longer data as quickly as possible without having to make return the punch they did in the past. Trigger- and the data integration process increasingly sophisti- event-driven communications drive much larger returns cated. Many will focus on hosted data warehousing than mass mailings, which is why these behavioral- solutions, global marketing dashboards, licensed driven communications are the real future of email. email delivery systems, and the integration of interac- tion management and delivery solutions. 107
- 110. It will becomevital that these delivery and targeting systems have a connection with social strategies, as the two collide. Customers on an email database will be viewed with an added dimension and evolve past traditional high-value or low-value, product and transactional segments, and support extended views as high-value social connectors, social advocates and social influencers. These channels and strategies will merge. The three driving initiatives critical to investing in the future of email marketing and eCRM will be finding economical data warehousing solutions, key integra- tion of messaging into a cohesive customer experience and leveraging social media as an emerging exchange between the businesses. Each initiative will force marketers to deliver more relevance in their messag- ing, time it according to the experiences that are valued most by the business and the consumer — and bridge social connections to deepen customer life- time value.
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- 112. consumer conversations Catching Up With the Connected Class 112 Connecting With Digital Mom Through Emerging Technologies 118
- 114. Ch e ck sF ace b ook 1 0 times a day • C O N S U M ER C O N V ER S AT I O N S t wic e • Catching Up icide — With the ce su Connected Class y Spa ed M m it t By Brandon Geary, Group VP, Experience Planning, Seattle om sc Ha
- 115. To better understandhow user behavior is evolving, Razorfish , for the third year in a row, conducted in-depth ™ interviews with 25 people between the ages of 18 and 25. This group exhibited a high propensity for using a variety of digital platforms, including blogs, social networks and video sharing. We call the people we interviewed, and those like The connected class becomes a discerning class them the Connected Class, and believe they repre- When we conducted our research last year, we found sent a behavioral bellwether among both their digital the members of the Connected Class using various native peers and the broader digital community. forms of digital media to express different sides of 113
- 116. themselves. We calledthe phenomenon “the prolifera- Nonetheless, we found that the Connected Class is tion of the digital you.” This year, our research reveals rapidly getting accustomed to new functionality on the Connected Class is becoming more choosy and social platforms and devices, and using social media sophisticated in its use of digital. Members of the more intelligently. They’re a little smarter, and a Connected Class want to reduce the volume of social lot faster. Their connections are evolving to become connections in order to track a smaller network in a more meaningful. Simply put, they’re taking it up a more meaningful way. They’re also becoming more notch — to a higher level of connectedness. selective in their choice of video content and iPhone applications. This level of connectedness most certainly means a higher volume — over 60% of all U.S. teens now In short, the Connected Class is becoming a discern- use text messaging. In fact, in a study conducted with ing class, which carefully edits, refines and controls Harris Interactive, Verizon Wireless found a doubling its digital footprint across multiple platforms. of text activities over its network in each of the last two years. The rest of this article gives highlights in more detail into how the habits of the Connected Class evolved But the usage statistics and sales data for new de- during 2008, and how we expect them to continue vices don’t completely capture the story that’s unfold- evolving in 2009. ing. We have found that connections among users are deeper, more frequent and more natural than ever Taking it up a notch: before. A higher level of connectedness Today, it’s not simply volume — such as the number From the perspective of the Connected Class, 2009 of text messages or number of friends — that’s inter- looks like a continuation of 2008 in many ways. esting. Rather, it’s the degree to which the Connected The use of social networking sites and applications Class is getting better at putting digital platforms to continues to grow and evolve. work for them to make more meaningful connections, follow along more closely and intelligently discover The speculation surrounding which platforms will new things. win the race for social supremacy remains. And the rapid proliferation of mobile devices and platforms continues to create a tidal wave of application usage. Behaviors once reserved for the desktop are increasingly occurring on the go.
- 117. Going deeper: Connectionsget more meaningful Hyper-tracking: The rise of the Friend Positioning System (FPS) In 2007, our interviews with the Connected Class reflected the rapid proliferation of social networking While the building and maintenance of one’s network and the emerging status associated with participation. undoubtedly remains important, we found more im- Users spoke of their desire to have a large number portance placed on tracking every aspect of their ex- of friends and to use emerging channels to find isting circles’ lives. Commented Jaclyn, 22: “I don’t as many old contacts or meet as many new people want to miss out on anything.” as possible. As a result, not providing coordinates can create For two years, the Connected Class was experi- concern among friends in a matter of hours, and not menting and pushing the limits of friendship and self- following others can create an immediate sense expression. of isolation. Said Jaclyn: “I went for a hike and didn’t bring my phone and within two hours people were Certainly, that has not changed. But more recently, like, ‘are you OK?’” we have found a strong desire to reduce the volume of connections in an effort to track a smaller network Going wider: Friends-of-friends build momentum in a more meaningful way. Despite our finding that people are aspiring to become engaged in increasingly relevant, more meaningful For instance, Mayra, 24, commented that she was networks, they are perhaps more influenced than ever “outgrowing the MySpace whore” stage in life, by people further away from their inner circle. not afraid to occasionally start with a clean slate and make sure friends were really friends. “It’s called The rapid evolution of the news feeds on Facebook MySpace suicide,” Mayra explained. “I’ve killed and MySpace from mere status changes to broad- my profile three or four times and just started over. er social activity creates a sense of momentum that Now I have like, 40 friends, but I know them all.” was less evident in our previous research. This is not to suggest social networks or social behavior will shrink in scope. Instead, the Connected Class is more comfortable commenting, weighing in on a topic and providing an opinion in a concentrated way. With more ways of doing so, more people have the opportunity to see it. 115
- 118. The result ismore momentum and faster information superficial. But we found users enthusiastically describ- spread, even with a smaller network. It’s a sort of ing a sort of cumulative effect, where short, daily network efficiency. updates often provide deeper clues about what’s really going on with their friends. Said one interviewee: “When Now it’s personal: I do talk to people, I feel like I already know what’s Frequency creates a cumulative effect up with them. I can just pick up [where we left off].” Both the rapid rise of text messaging and the digital Furthermore, regular updates over time are creating native’s comfort with the form and execution of a richer portrait of people than when the emphasis the communication medium are well documented. was on the appearance of one’s site or profile page. We found users elevating their text behavior to Mindful serendipity: another level of frequency, while extending it across Getting smarter about content consumption platforms. In fact, the connectedness that short-form messaging provides is natural to the point of being In past research, we found users enthusiastically subconscious. describing their so-called “snacking” behavior in the digital world. They relied on friends to help them Users reported answering texts in their sleep. Han- stumble across new things — a link to a video, a ran- nah, 18, explained: “Sometimes I’ll answer it at night dom addition of a widget or application download. and not remember what I wrote.” While content snacking behavior is alive and well, the It also means relying increasingly on friends to deliver Connected Class appears to be getting smarter the morning alarm. Said another: “I get a text from about their content consumption. They reported using a friend every morning at 7 a.m. I really don’t need an YouTube not just on random occasions, but for spe- alarm clock anymore.” cific clips that interested them. And the majority we spoke with had watched long-form content online. On the surface, the increased volume of short-form One 19-year-old male stated: “I love Hulu. I would feel communication like text messages, status updates, stupid for just sitting through TV the old way.” comments and tweets can appear frivolous and The rise of DVRs and on-demand platforms have been lauded for several years as the catalyst for an age of consumer control. However, we found users’ expectations are elevating rapidly to include not just
- 119. when content isconsumed, but also how. Said the Pushing brands: same interviewee: “When I graduate, I’m not sure I How to penetrate a higher level of connectedness would pay for cable. I may just watch everything on In summary, we found that the Connected Class is the Internet. I think I’ll always be out.” beginning to achieve a higher level of connectedness by making more meaningful connections, while Getting selective: lev-eraging their distant connections better. They’re It’s all a servant to the social agenda better able to track their friends and interests. They’re While much has been made of the iPhone application consuming content more mindfully. And they’re store, the increasing capabilities of smartphones getting a lot more selective in the applications they and the applications available on social platforms, we choose in an effort to serve their social agenda. found the Connected Class is getting more selective about what they actually use. Said one: “I down- But what does it all mean to marketers? loaded a bunch of apps at first [on Facebook]. But I Marketers will have to rely less on user experimenta- don’t use them.” tion when planning their digital activities. In the past, users seemed willing to friend a brand, join a group, And while a number of our users praised the iPhone watch a video or download an application simply for its touchscreen and design, not all of them because of the novelty. were craving its games or PC-like functions. Instead, they were focused intently on its ability to help them Our findings suggest marketers will need to work improve their social experiences. One interviewee harder in 2009 to plan activities and develop applica- explained: “As long as we have a guy in our group with tions that offer something useful, relevant and one [iPhone], we’re fine. He’s going to be our navigator meaningful to the user — to plan activities with an that night.” eye on utility. As new applications continue to proliferate, it appears And while utility sounds easy, delivering it is further the Connected Class will measure their value primarily complicated by the need to connect usefulness to on the degree to which they enhance their social the unique qualities of the brand — its essence and/ interactions, not just their interactions with the device or point-of-difference. or platform itself. Utility alone may be just that — utilitarian — if it lacks the magic of the brand. 117
- 120. Mo ms un de r3 5 ar ad e op ti n gs oc ia l net wor ks a nd SMS • • M om so ve r 45 a re ad op ti n g o n li ne n ew s and p odca sts C O N S U M ER C O N V ER S AT I O N S Connecting With Digital Mom Through Emerging Technologies By Terri Walter, Vice President, Emerging Media, Global with analysis by Ella Chinitz, Senior Consultant, Consumer Insights Group, New York
- 121. Moms are theultimate multitaskers According to Nielsen NetRatings, there are 32 million women in the U.S. who have children under 18 and go online, which translates to about 40% of all women online in the U.S. today. This changing segment carries so much weight in the household: moms are typi- cally the key influencers and purchasers for both themselves and their families. But have moms changed with the media landscape? What is the role of digital technology in their lives? To answer these questions, Razorfish™ surveyed 1,500 found was that moms are the ultimate multitaskers; online moms who are reported users of at least two they are leveraging digital and emerging technol- Web 2.0 technologies and have actively researched or ogies more than ever before, but in ways you may not purchased online in the last three months, a group expect. we call “digital moms.” Through our research, we set out to answer the following questions: Who is the digi- Digital Moms are mainstream and multidimensional tal mom, and how is she using digital technology? How moms prioritize and balance the roles of self, Do her habits differ by age? How does she manage mom, wife, employee friend may differ, but one thing her interests versus her child’s interests? What are her is certain: digital technologies are making things motivations for engaging in social media and other easier. According to our survey, more digital moms emerging channels? What channels does she respond today interact with social networks (65%) and SMS to best, and does this differ by interest/vertical (56%) than with news sites (51%), and just as many market? How should marketers engage her? What we 119
- 122. can be foundgaming online or via a gaming console such as interacting or monitoring their children online, (52%). These findings demonstrate just how main- as well as the likely differences in leisure time activi- stream these new channels have become. ties among moms of children 12 and older, might play a factor in the adoption of these technologies. Digital moms are multidimensional in their online behaviors, and their interests extend beyond parent- Digital channels are strong at all stages ing. Digital moms are more likely to connect with of the purchase funnel friends than with family using digital technologies, Compared to other media sources like magazines, and they are not afraid to seek advice or companion- newspaper and radio, digital channels continue to ship from known or anonymous friends. Addit- wield influence in all phases of the purchase de- ionally, interests like Clothing/Fashion and Cooking/ cision cycle among digital moms. In our questions to Food remain the most popular, and consistently digital moms who have researched or purchased so, regardless of a woman’s age; while other category a product in one of twelve major product categories interests like Baby/Parenting, Telecommunications in the last three months, the following trends were and Medication/Medical Conditions are lifestage-ori- discovered: ented and change as their children grow. • The gap is closing between TV and digital The digital divide: channels in creating initial awareness of a product. Age matters, both the mom’s age and the child’s • Web sites, search engines and friends/family, But which technologies digital moms use most along with social influence channels and maga- depends on factors including the age of the mom, the zines, are more widely used and trusted for age of the child and motivation. Moms under 35 are researching/learning than any other sources. significantly more likely to leverage newer communi- • Social activities continue to play an important role cations platforms like social networks, SMS and in influencing digital moms. Since many social mobile browsing; while moms 45 and older are more environments contain more than one social activ- likely to utilize informational tools like online news, ity, it is important to consider the combined consumer reviews and podcasting. Interestingly, effect of social influence channels — online con- online video consumption (41% vs. 36%) and gaming sumer reviews, RSS, social networks and blogs. (57% vs. 51%) are highest among moms with children 12 and older (versus moms with children under 12), and this group is also more likely to be online monitor- ing their children. Razorfish™ believes that motivations
- 123. • Emerging channels like mobile and podcasting in the last three months. Channels included: social are also having influence at different stages media, text messaging (SMS), mobile browsing, in the purchase funnel, although this varies by online video, real simple syndication (RSS), instant vertical, and penetration is still relatively low. messaging, gaming, online consumer reviews, blogs, digital video recorders (DVRs/TiVo ) and These trends indicate the growing power digital audio/video podcasting. channels have in influencing a mom’s numerous pur- • Moms must have also researched, sought advice chasing decisions, both for herself and her family. or purchased online in at least one of twelve It is evident that as consumption patterns shift, chan- vertical markets in the last three months. Vert- nels like social media, mobile and gaming must be icals included: Baby/Parenting, Banking Services, better understood for marketers to effectively reach Brokerage Services, Cars, Clothing/Fashion, digital moms, both in their roles as individuals and Electronics/Computers, Food/Cooking, Health/ as caregivers. Fitness, Homegoods/Appliances/Furniture, Medi- cation/Medical Condition, Telecommunications Methodology and Travel. The Razorfish™ survey looked at two major trends: Findings project out to 84% of the population of 1) the current penetration and usage of digital/ moms online in the U.S., or about 27 million women, emerging technologies; and 2) the impact of different (Nielsen NetRatings @Plan Winter 2008/2009), and channels in the media mix across 12 verticals. all data analysis is statistically significant at the 90% confidence level. To meet these goals, we collected 1,500 survey responses among a demographically representative For a copy of the Digital Mom report by Razorfish™ sample of women, aged 18-64 with at least one and CafeMom, go to http://digitalmom.razorfish.com child under 18 years old in the household. The survey or contact Terri Walter at [email protected]. was conducted by Insight Express via panel email recruitment in October, 2008. The learnings are representative of panel recruited participants we are calling “digital moms:” • Moms must have reported active engagement Footnote: with two or more Web 2.0 technology channels 4. Findings project to 84% of online women with children under 18 in the household, as per Nielsen NetRatings @ Plan Winter 2008/2009 121
- 125. the evolution of researchand measurement Bringing Media Mix Models Into the Digital Era 124 Social Influence Research: 128 The Confluence of Consumer Research and the Social Graph Social Influence Measurement: What’s It Worth? 136
- 126. Made a purchas e ba s ed o na n in -st ore pr om ot io n • Watc • test novel from Ama zon.com hi ng the t op 10 Super Bowl ads • T H E E VO LU T I O N O F R ES E A R C H A N D M E AS U R EM EN T Bringing Media Mix Models Into load e d la the Digital Era Down By Andy Fisher, Director, Analytics, New York and National Analytics Lead
- 127. Most major marketersdo some form of media mix modeling. In fact, many of these companies have decades of media modeling results they use to guide their media spending decisions. Unfortunately, in the last few years, these models have started to fail. As media consumption changes among consumers, and marketers include more digital and disparate channels in the mix, it is more important than ever to develop new models that recognize the intricacies of channel interaction in the digital age. The problems with media mix typically smooth out the inputs and then model a modelingin a digital age response variable (sales, profit, brand equity and so forth) as a function of the media inputs. First, let’s analyze how media mix modeling works — it looks at historical data to determine optimal media Since the media inputs and the response variable vary spend and channel allocation. Media data such as by geography and time, a robust model can be built TV ratings points, radio ratings points and online im- that yields the ROI for each type of media. This allows pressions are the inputs into the models. The models advertisers to better allocate media dollars. For 125
- 128. instance, if aCPG campaign, running on radio, dem- impact on sales is very different than the model fore- onstrates a higher level of grocery store sales in the casted. This issue is relatively new and is being seen markets where it airs — as opposed to sales after by advertisers who actually validate their models. its TV commercials — the retailer may decide to shift dollars to radio. Here is the heart of the matter: most media mix mod- els treat the inputs to the model as independent of Incorporating digital media into media mix models each other. This makes sense for broadcast media; has caused those models to break down, increasingly if you see a TV ad for a particular product, it doesn’t producing results that are either absurd or non- change the amount of radio ads you hear about that predictive. An absurd — but true — example is that product. However, digital works differently. If some- of a mature, category-leading CPG brand that spends one sees a TV ad, they will be more likely to search $50 million on TV advertising and $2 million on digital online for that product. Because they searched, advertising. Its model says that digital is responsible they are more likely to go to the product’s Web site. for 40% of its sales and TV is responsible for 3% Because they went to the product’s Web site, of sales. Clearly digital can’t drive 40% of sales for they are more likely to be retargeted with digital dis- a mature category leader, particularly not when its play advertising. In other words, consumption of budget is 96% less than it is for TV. Those results for media changes what digital ads a person consumes. digital are simply impossible. We believe this is what’s causing the problem. Conversely, there are also models that show digital For example, imagine that an advertiser is running has no impact (or even a negative impact) on sales TV ads and bidding on paid search terms, and sales when the digital data (and common sense) show oth- go up 10%. Since TV is driving some level of search, erwise. We are increasingly observing this “digital the model doesn’t know how to allocate the impact results are too good or bad to be true” issue as mod- of each media properly. Is TV driving 5% and search elers incorporate digital into their models. Sadly, 5%? Is TV 10% and search 0%? Or is TV 30% a common approach is for modelers to give up and and search -20%? (Technically this issue is called simply not incorporate digital into the model at all. collinearity, since some inputs predict other inputs.) The second way a model can fail is when it loses its Another example is the way some advertisers evalu- predictive power. This is a new phenomenon in the ate Super Bowl ads. Advertisers often look at the last couple years. An example of this is when a model increase in the number of searches to show that a TV forecasts results from a change in TV spend. The spot was effective. In this case, search behavior is advertiser then changes the TV spend, but the real the output of the model. So is digital media one of the
- 129. inputs into themodel (as a paid media channel), one Marketing mix models have served us well for the of the outputs (as a response to other media) or both? last several decades. However, the media landscape has changed. The models will have to change and We believe that the digital media causal relationship adapt. Until this happens, models that incorporate is the reason the media mix model results for digital digital media will need an extra layer of scrutiny. appear widely variable (the “too good or bad to be But simultaneously, the advertisers and media com- true” problem). Unfortunately, the impact of this issue panies need to push forward and help bring the is becoming worse. This is because when digital is time-honored practice of media mix modeling into the 2% of a budget it will have minimal modeling results digital era. as compared to other broadcast media. But when it becomes 30% of the budget, then the impact of this issue on other broadcast media can become sub- stantial. Hence, the predictability of media models for TV is also becoming questionable. How to incorporate digital into media mix modeling There are several steps we can take to address this critical issue. The first is for modelers to develop new models, incorporating all the causal relationships of digital media. We have discussed this issue with several media mix modeling vendors; each is working on this issue. The second is that more research can be done by agencies, modelers and advertisers into how broadcast and digital media interact. More stud- ies, that do things such as overlaying TV-matched markets with digital, would at least yield insights into the magnitude of this issue. Though studies like this have been done, they need to be done more aggres- sively. Third, after delivery of a model, it should be standard procedure to validate the model. 127
- 130. Subscribes t o R SS feed s th at h ave b ee nr ec om m en de d • One in tw by e nt y who fri en wa s ds inc lin • Has t e d he p to ote s nti al m to ile in fl ue n ce hu nd re ds daily T H E E VO LU T I O N O F R ES E A R C H A N D M E AS U R EM EN T • Social Influence Research: The Confluence of Consumer Research and the Social Graph By Andrea Harrison, Strategy Director, New York and Marcelo Marer, Vice President, Research, New York
- 131. As any goodmarketer knows, research is core to under- standing what customers think — as well as the ability to pro- vide insights that help craft messaging, design and functionality. But with so much changing in regard to the ways in which custom- ers are influenced, are old approaches to research still relevant? Increasingly, we’re finding the answer is this: only Recently this evolution has included methodologies if they are used in conjunction with what we can learn that reference the social Web; researchers now ask from the social graph. As the social Web becomes a consumers if, and how, they participate across social bigger part of consumers’ day-to-day lives, research- media and social networks. They try to identify con- ers are challenged to evolve their methodologies sumers who display influencer and follower behavior, to create robust quantitative and qualitative programs and create segmentation or persona types to reflect across these new touchpoints. social Web consumers. However, these efforts still model themselves on traditional research principles. 129
- 132. Most research programsare used to define individu- • How do they define trust within their network? als or aggregate consumer insights against a persona • Whom do they admire? or segment type. • Whom do they compare themselves to in their In order to truly understand the influence of individuals network? across their social networks, we must include their Social networks — formal or informal, digital or not, social graphs in our research methodology, including hard to map, since they inform decision-making and social graphs that allow researchers to better under- ultimately play a key role in influencing purchases and stand how consumers are influenced — and influence opinions on products and offerings. An individual others — in their networks. could be an “influencer” in one network and “influ- enced” in another. [See Figure.1] With that in mind, we would like to introduce a new type of research that leverages the unique interactions occurring among social graphs, and the insights that can be gathered within them — we call it Social Influence Research. How Social Influence Research works The evolution of our research programs began with a new approach designing research questionnaires and data-collection programs that can extend beyond the individual. Adding categories that query the size and relationship of a participant’s social network is a great start. In building these research programs, we ask questions including: • How do participants make decisions about purchases? • Whom do they turn to for advice or validation? • What is the relationship of these individuals to one another?
- 133. Figure 1 131
- 134. In addition, recruitmentshould be designed to incor- In addition to recruiting the target audience, we porate a participant’s social graph. When we recruit a identified and recruited additional participants for the focus group, or individuals for qualitative sessions, interviews based on their relationship to the decision- traditionally we have made our selections based on makers. These included users of the technology, a set of demographic or behavioral criteria; the par- their managers and others within the organizational ticipants have no relationship to one another. Using structure surrounding the decision-makers. This Social Influence Research, we recruit an individual multi-dimensional approach to recruitment allowed who meets the audience criteria, but then ask them greater insight into the culture of the company and to bring three members of their social graph with influencer network within the organization than a them. As the individual represents the target audi- traditional panel made up of only decision-makers. ence, the additional participants represent their immediate network and provide insight into how the In another research project, we interviewed entire relationship extends to decision-making and influ- nuclear families to understand how its members man- ence. In quantitative scenarios, we can create ques- aged and allocated financial resources. Families are tionnaires and surveys that allow the participant to the oldest and most established “social networks.” send it to friends, and track the additional people As such, they have fairly clearly delineated exchange who complete the questionnaire back to the original and influencing processes to make decisions. To participant. map how those decisions were made, we interviewed parents and children separately, and then together. In one instance, we used Social Influence Research In addition we worked with the family to create a to conduct qualitative research for a Web site targeted digital photo diary for an entire week. Through those at teen girls. Participants were recruited and asked “mapping” interviews and exercises, we were able to bring two friends to an interview. The research- to canvas how financial decisions were made, how ers used the interview to observe the behavior of the parents implicitly and explicitly passed along “money group and the dynamics that occurred among the values” to their children, how children implicitly and individuals in it. As a follow-up, the group was given explicitly absorbed the parents’ “financial lessons” a video camera and asked to document a trip to the and ultimately how the family network functioned mall. The video provided tremendous insight into around financial matters, as outlined in the diagram. the influencer and follower behaviors that were natu- [See Figure. 2] rally occurring in the group. We have also used it recently to conduct qualitative research for a specific hardware and software manufacturer, to understand how best to market to senior-level decision-makers.
- 135. Figure 2 133
- 136. Social graph analysis 2. Customer research produces market segments primarily adopted to inform advertising and mar- In each of the previous examples, the analysis and keting efforts. It relies on a blend of quantitative reporting of the findings included mapping the social and qualitative methods to identify market needs graph of the target individual and the relationship and patterns. The metaphor is the “market seg- of their network by order of influence to the target. ment” as an aggregate that stands for a share of the market that is personified in the “customer.” This allowed for the opportunity to explore the influ- ence and role of the individuals within the graph, 3. Social Influence Research produces social graph as well as the target individual. As a result, we derived maps that could be used for design, advertising greater understanding of how to create messaging, and marketing purposes. It relies on listening to design and functionality that would resonate across new online and offline forms of consumer expres- the social network of the individual. sion, in addition to qualitative and quantitative methods. The metaphor is the “network” as a Knowing how the pattern of social influence occurs in snapshot of a set of relationships — as opposed given situations allows marketers to create for this to individuals, be they personas or customers. new channel. As a result, in addition to personas and [See Figure.3] market segments, we now have a third research out- come when we include an overlay of the social graph against analysis and reporting: 1. User research produces design personas mostly adopted for design purposes. It relies primarily on qualitative face-to-face interviews to identify patterns and unmet user-needs for a given sets of tasks. It also helps design decision-making and political buy-in within organizations. The metaphor is the “user” as a single entity; it stands for a set of cognitive or emotional patterns that are personified in the “user.
- 137. Figure 3 Generating socialgraph analysis and reporting helps opportunity for digital marketers and researchers to identify not only the attributes of influencers, but to harness a consumers’ social influence across their shows us who they are, where they are, what makes online network and create advocates and champions them influencers and, most importantly, where they for their brand. cross other networks. Social Influence Research is a new approach to pro- Of course, social networks are nothing new; marketers ducing insights to better understand how your have observed and responded to influencer rela- consumers’ social graphs fit into your digital market- tionships across categories for many years. However, ing programs. the evolution of the social Web has created a new 135
- 138. T H EE VO LU T I O N O F R ES E A R C H A N D M E AS U R EM EN T Social Influence Measurement: What’s It Worth? Modeling and Creating Measureable Outcomes of Social Media Engagement Marc Sanford, PhD, Consultant, Strategy and Analytics, Seattle •2 0. 3 m il l i on is ch its un v to la Ob 06 am 20 a’s er You mb Tu b e c ha nn e l s in c e it s S epte • Th ep r ac ti c eo fm eas u r in g RO I in v i t r a l e f fo r t s xisten i s a lm o s t n o n - e
- 139. As social mediagoes mainstream, there are many debates over how to prove its worth. But how do you define a consistent approach to measurement when there are numerous ways marketers are playing in the space? Marketers deliver many types of experiences through social platforms, from standard banner ads, to widgets and applications, to video, to being a part of online communities. Furthermore, social media differentiates itself from viral marketing is heavily dependent on interpersonal standard advertising because it is highly dependent influence, and thus requires new methods of mea- on human interactions and influence, which demands surement. a new form of marketing; as we said in last year’s report, we call this Social Influence Marketing™, or Regardless of approach, we must be able to answer SIM. For the purposes of this article, we will take a some of the most basic questions asked by our close look at how one element of SIM, viral marketing clients around SIM: what is the ROI of a social or viral should be measured. As a part of the SIM sphere, media campaign? What rates as ”good” in terms of 137
- 140. viral spread? Dopeople who get information from Framework and modeling viral media peers (friends and family) act differently than those Many have come to realize that applying standard who find it organically (through paid media, search, measures of success, engagement, or ROI to a SIM or other efforts)? What does successful engagement effort often provides little insight and perhaps even look like within social media applications? incorrect perceptions of how the effort performed. Moving beyond models that are used to measure ROI Answering these questions, and understanding for other forms of online advertising, we believe that the impact of social or viral media, has to be done SIM efforts have unique characteristics that must be in three ways: modeled and measured. Saying a marketing program 1. By developing a framework and model is social (has a viral component) implies two things the behavior so that it can be understood that differentiate it from other marketing efforts: it has and benchmarked shareable elements and it has elements that are associated with people. In viral SIM, people are now 2. By using various technologies to track viral the owners and purveyors of information and not media efforts passive receivers of impressions. We believe the 3. By creating metrics around engagement incremental value of a social media program is distin- and social impact that can be tied to sales, guished by these two differences. conversions, or brand perception. Specifically, the added value of a viral SIM campaign However, prescribing an approach is not enough comes from two sources: the incremental reach to demonstrate the power of its application. Using as elements are socially passed along, and the data from real clients, we see the importance of each “endorsement effect” — the effect that receiving media of these steps to measuring viral aspects of SIM. or recommendations from friends has on key brand metrics and sales. The next two components go into measuring each of these.
- 141. Base and IncrementalValue for Social Media Campaigns Value driver Campaign value Approach to measurement and optimization Value of “paid” impressions Correlate original downloaders of social media & engagement (e.g. widgets) with observed conversion behavior and/or surveyed purchase intent Value of incremental reach Model the piece of social media (e.g. a widget) (users pass it on) asan infectious disease and attempt to maximize total number “infected” Value of endorsement effect Correlate viewers and users of social media (badging, association with other (e.g.widgets) with observed conversion behavior users) and/or surveyed purchase intent Total value of social media Accumulate incremental value of all effects relative campaign to non-exposed and non-user of the social media Incremental value of social media 139
- 142. Tracking viral spread (MySpace, Facebook, etc.) and non-social network environments (desktop applications, etc.). The Gen- New approaches to marketing and advertising require erational Tag allows users to not only calculate viral new approaches to measurement and quantification. spread, but to assess the value of the paid versus Whatever the measurement tactic, it needs to tap into non-paid (viral) spread when used in conjunction with the two fundamental aspects of SIM described above: Atlas tags. The code works by looking at the source that it has shareable elements and it has elements of the application download and creating a variable that are associated with people. to be carried inside of the widget or application itself. When a user downloads an application from a paid In order to measure the social or viral nature of a source the user is assigned a generation of 0. When campaign, a tagging or tracking approach needs to a user downloads the application or widget from not only differentiate between users who receive a friend, the Generational Tag looks at the generation a piece of viral media from a friend and those who of the source and increments it by one (creating viral came across it through other means, such as an generations 1 though n). ad banner or paid seeding approach, but must also be able to track successive generations of a piece Using the concept of generations with viral or social of social media and attribute value to each of those media will be critical to understanding the effect- generations of users. Doing so measures the power iveness of free spread created by SIM and to under- of the endorsement effect as the content spreads standing the ROI of users who receive media from to new sets of consumers. Quantifying viral spread friends versus those who receive it from paid sources. of social media is not just about measuring free Measuring generations will help us answer the downloads or exposures, but understanding how importance of breadth versus depth for generational individuals pass along viral media to their friends, spread, the value of social, the value of generations how their friends act in return, and the value around and ultimately identify key influencers (not through PII). each of these groups. In due course, understanding the value of key influ- encers is necessary for ensuring successful message Using the Generational Tag (Razorfish™ patent pend- propagation and retargeting. ing) we can track successive generations of users and begin to understand the value of generations and of the owners of each cookie exposed to SIM media. The Generational Tag is a set of code that allows for the creation and tracking of viral spread for widgets and applications in both social network environments
- 143. Understanding the ViralSpread of SIM Viral Media Generation = 0 Paid Source 1st Generation Cookie 1 Cookie 2 2nd Generation Cookie 3 Cookie 4 Cookie 5 3rd Generation Cookie 6 Cookie 7 Cookie 8 Tying SIM metrics to conversions Engagement with social media is important to un- derstand both in the context of the SIM effort itself Measuring engagement (various measures of usage and how that effort compares to others, so that one and utilization) is becoming more common in viral SIM can begin a benchmarking process. The reason for efforts, but the practice of measuring its ROI is almost this is that while engagement is not a tactic unique non-existent. However, understanding both engage- to SIM or viral marketing, engagement within the ment and ROI with viral efforts is necessary to inform social media space is not understood well. Looking key decisions by business leaders and brand man- at two client examples it becomes clear that increased agers. As creators of viral media marketing efforts, engagement (measured in time spent with the widget) we need to understand not only if users are engaging leads to not only increased page views on the client with our efforts, but also if those engagements are site (indication of further brand engagement) but to meaningful in terms of conversions, brand awareness, higher average revenue generated per user. or purchases downstream. 141
- 144. Time spent withwidget resulting in average Perhaps more insightful than tying revenue or further client site unique page views brand engagement to SIM measures is assessing the social impact of SIM efforts. Getting additional 29 spread from a viral media effort is great, but if it is not 5+ minutes 52 engaging users further down the social chain than it 3 is doing little good. 1 - 5 minutes 6 Widget 1 8 There are significant differences in both engagement <60 seconds 11 Widget 2 and media spend between those who discovered the application or widget through media versus those who were referred by friends, who, of course, Average revenue generated per user by length received it with no media spend being incurred by of engagement with widget the marketer. Not surprisingly, having a piece of mar- keting content referred by a friend yields much $37.33 better results. We estimate that people who discov- 5+ minutes $12.96 ered the application via a friend are two to four times $- 1 - 5 minutes $- more likely to download the application, are two to Widget 1 eight times more likely to spend money on the client $8 <60 seconds $11 Widget 2 site and have an average order value of 10 to 30 percent higher than those who are exposed only through media. The chart demonstrates this for an actual client case.
- 145. Impact of socialreferral on download of widget, spending money and AOV 8% Download 23% Spend on 1% Client Side 9% Average $205 Order Value $261 22% increase in AOV Widget obtained organically through media Widget obtained from a friend What’s my SIM effort really worth? The future of SIM lies in our collective ability to show clients what kind of value they are getting from their social media expenditures. The only way to do this, of course, is to ensure that a comprehensive modeling and measurement approach is in place. It doesn’t matter if your viral media effort has all of the bells and whistles, if you can’t convey its value. What you can say about the success of a viral media effort is wholly dependent on measurement and the ability to tie those metrics to something meaningful. 143
- 147. tv at a crossroads The Digitalization of Television: 146 Challenges and Opportunities as TV Turns a Corner Jack Myers on the Future of Television: 154 Realities and Opportunities for Media Companies and Marketers TiVo on the Future of Television: 158 A Call for Innovation Xbox LIVE on the Future of Television: 160 A Window Into the Next Generation Comcast on the Future of Television: 162 New Opportunities for Enhanced Television Navic Networks on the Future of Television: 163 As TV and its Audiences Fragment, How Will It Be Funded? Google TV on the Future of Television: 165 An Interview With Mike Steib
- 148. •S ha r in g an W at ew ch ing b r o ad pr og r am ca st sw with hen f r ie nd eve r, w s here ve r• T V AT A C R O S S R OA D S The Digitalization of Television: Challenges and Opportunities as TV Turns a Corner By Terri Walter, Vice President, Emerging Media, Global
- 149. Television is experiencinga fundamental shift. And it is not just because of the recession or the transition from analog to digital broadcasting (now slated for June), both of which are putting pressure on future growth. TV is going digital in all aspects — from its infrastructure to its content distribution models to its advertis- ing and audience measurement models. The changes afoot, while challenging, are long overdue. Fragmentation challenges the TV business model challenges: declining viewership on a show-by- show basis within broadcast TV, challenges to the Technology has ushered in a new era of entertainment business model of premium content production and digital video alternatives, and consumers are and distribution, and hence, risks of declining adver- dividing their time among their computer screens, TV tising revenue, which could change TV advertising sets, mobile devices, gaming systems and set-top as we know it. boxes. With audience fragmentation comes numerous 147
- 150. While cable TVcontinues to fare well as audiences forms of digital rights management (DRM) solutions move towards niche content, the pressure broadcast by companies like Auditude are also helping content TV is experiencing from declining viewership is real: owners track and monetize their content across collectively, the Big Five networks (including the CW) numerous screens. Auditude is currently working with are down 13% among adults 18-49 versus last year. MTV, MySpace and YouTube to identify and serve Given this new reality, as well as pressure from the advertising into premium content wherever it gets recession, the economics of investing in the production distributed on the Web, and is enabling purchasing of premium content is hitting home, and for the first directly from overlays within the video. This type of time, broadcast networks like NBC and ABC are DRM will help networks and other premium content considering scaling back their live programming. owners monetize their content as they try to recoup NBC’s announcement in December that it is moving production costs lost from TV in other channels to Jay Leno to primetime five nights a week, which sustain their business models. would save NBC the costs associated with producing five premium shows, is a dramatic shift that under- Interactive television: Ready for primetime? scores the financial struggles networks are beginning Advertising on broadcast was roughly 63% of the to face. These changes could have a trickle down total $76 billion TV advertising market in 2008, effect within the TV ecosystem; local network affiliates according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Over the past which rely on live programming to drive audiences few years, broadcast networks have profited from into local news slots may be negatively impacted as the economics of a supply-demand model by raising well. Declines in premium content production may their CPMs as gross ratings points declined and also, over time, cause viewers to look elsewhere — to ad inventory decreased. However, that strategy is not cable, online video or emerging content platforms like sustainable in the long run. Donna Speciale, presi- the Xbox — to get what they are used to receiving. dent of Publicis Groupe’s MediaVest, said on a Febru- ary panel discussion sponsored by the Advertising These challenges make it more important for content Women of New York, “It is up to agencies to put producers to find ways to monetize their content pressure on the networks to pull their pricing in line. across multiple screens and across an infinitely-frag- Over the long-term, and particularly in this economy, mented video landscape. And many players are increases like this are not sustainable any more.” investing in just that. As even broadcast goes niche, new platforms like Navic Networks (which, like Razorfish™, is owned by Microsoft) and Google TV Ads are promising to aggregate and monetize the impending growth of the long tail of television. New
- 151. As we beginto experience reductions in broadcast Cablevision) is working on standards for interactive television audiences, says Alec Gerster, CEO of TV and they, along with TiVo, Google and Microsoft, Navic, “There are simply too many dollars and too few are betting on a brighter future, particularly since GRPs in the TV media community,” meaning dollars DVR consumption is poised to grow to 50 – 60 million will need to flow elsewhere as audiences continue households in the next three years. In the last year, along a path towards fragmentation. Cable has already both Comcast and Google TV Ads have broadened benefited, with steady year-on-year increases as their solutions and are now aggregating enough reach cable nets have improved content and have drawn to garner decent investments from their clients. loyal niche audiences. But as consumers get savvier According to Mike Steib, Director of Google TV Ads, and begin to expect the same level of interactivity “We are now a scalable buy, and are beyond being an they get online on their TVs, and as TV itself begins experiment among our client base.” to fragment beyond the point of manageability, where will dollars flow? TiVo has introduced new ad units with deep function- ality, including ecommerce via its platform — TiVo Interactive TV, a small $60 million ad market in 2008 subscribers can now order a pizza from Domino’s according to eMarketer, has been emerging for many via their remote controls, or movie tickets from years, but adoption by marketers has been slow, Fandango. It also has a highly regarded real-time mainly due to issues of scale. This is particularly measurement platform that uses set-top box data to true when compared to alternatives like online video, report actual audience views and interactions which, with limited barriers, has been able to achieve with ads. Cablevision released the Power: 30SM mainstream penetration and ad investment (the in January 2009, which, according to Barry Frey, the ad market was $619 million in 2008, or 10 times iTV’s, company’s Senior VP of Platform Sales, “uses the per eMarketer). With DVR penetration still low at 30-second unit as the entry-point into video-on- roughly 25% of households, multiple infrastructure demand (VOD) and interactiveTV (iTV) channels dedi- barriers and a lack of standards in terms of media cated to a certain advertiser.” In the last nine months, buying and measurement, the basics of interactive interactive TV has been making strides in building TV have proven challenging. Said NBC Universal CEO reach, getting smarter about addressability and Jeff Zucker at this year’s NAPTE convention, “While targeting, and proving the case that telescoping func- TV faces large challenges, the alternatives are not quite tionality, which enables deeper interactions within ready for primetime.” the ads, is paying off for advertisers. We expect more traction to build here as TV moves from analog to But Project Canoe, the consortium of cable com- digital this year. panies (including big players such as Comcast and 149
- 152. Innovation in TV:Now or never sion in 2008, resulting in declining valuations, are also making it more important than ever for media In the past few years, ad skipping via DVR devices companies to innovate. has become a major threat to linear, appointment- based television, leading the industry to introduce Innovation in television is clearly happening in inter- active TV, as described above, but at the same time, new entrants into the “You can’t be bound by market — including premium content aggregators such as Hulu, Veoh, Joost and even Xbox — should not be the way you’ve always underestimated as they begin offering premium and custom content, and done things.” enter the battle for attention in the liv- ing room and beyond. As online video and TV converge, alternative platforms — Jeff Zucker, CEO, NBC Universal, like VUDU and Boxee may also rise up at Razorfish™ Client Summit 2008 and challenge the “controlled TV en- vironment” that consumers are used to. new audience metrics such as Nielsen’s C3 currency, As we look at the future of TV, we see a few defining and new ad models, such as TV networks, offering trends: fewer commercial pods and more integrated spots. Needing a new currency that would account for 1. The rise of the long tail of television ad-skipping behavior and enable media buyers to Broadcast TV will begin moving from mass to pay only for impressions that were viewed, Nielsen niche in both audiences and programming. This introduced commercial audience ratings — which will spark the development of a long tail in measures viewing of commercials — and C3 in lieu of television, and will increasingly put broadcast its long-time way of looking at the TV audience: the TV on a more equal playing field with niche-ap- live viewer rating. C3 recognizes impressions viewed propriate channels like cable, online and print. live and within three days of original programming, Is it possible that broadcast TV will go the way of but content owners only make so much back with C3; cable and eventually begin charging consumers they are still challenged to monetize ad-skipped subscriptions for premium programming? If content. Economic realities brought on by the reces- viewership on a program-by-program basis, and
- 153. the economics ofthe industry continue along a census-based audience measurement in lieu downward spiral — and advertising aggregation of sampling and major players including Nielsen cannot offset the costs — we may see this happen. release tools, we can expect to see aggressive discussions about standards, more addressabil- 2. The digitalization of the television ity in TV advertising and, potentially, new metrics infrastructure to emerge beyond GRPs. As television becomes a more fragmented land- scape, technology will be needed to help manage 4. The personalization of the TV the buying, planning, ad serving and measurement advertising experience of next generation TV across numerous channels. Cable companies and other interactive TV provid- Platforms like Google TV Ads and Navic, which ers are working with technical solution providers introduced a supply-demand model for buying like Visible World to enable creative executions and selling, will grow in importance because they to be personalized on-the-fly based on demo- offer sophisticated targeting in television beyond graphics, geography, weather and so forth. Imag- just demographics, simplify the trafficking ine the elements of your TV spot (lead character, and reconciliation process, and provide real-time featured product, setting) changing via the target- measurement solutions. ing process based on region, gender, age, time of day and weather conditions. While this has 3. The transition from sampling to been possible for years, we should see more per- real-time measurement sonalization of advertising among large brands Currently there are many experiments within the as Project Canoe rolls this out uniformly across TV industry to understand how real-time mea- providers. However, due to the implications this surement from set-top box data relates to the has on creative production and quality (more audience metrics that the industry has been built expensive production costs, lower quality due to upon. Through set-top box data like TiVo’s on-the-fly splicing), it remains to be seen if the Stop||Watch™, advertisers can now see — down economics of this type of personalization will pay to the creative execution level — exactly how off. many households watched their ads, when they did so (real time versus delayed viewing) and at 5. The socialization of television which point in the spot they tuned out. But be- Web 2.0 technologies yond that, through data overlays, advertisers can Social networks, instant messaging, blogs and also understand who these people are in the RSS — they are not just changing how con- household — their demographics and psycho- sumers interact with Web sites and each other; graphics. As the industry continues to adopt they are also beginning to alter video consump- 151
- 154. tion. Online broadbandchannels and video accessing content, the definition of television will players have had chat functionality for some time, continue to change. In fact, the word “television” but with the launch of Facebook Connect in late will eventually mean something new — it will 2008, consumers can now leverage their per- need to move beyond the platform itself. It is sonal network or social graph, and bring their important to understand how convergence may friends with them anywhere Facebook Connect is affect the media ecosystem and the business available. CNN’s incorporation of Facebook models that the TV advertising community oper- Connect, which launched in time for Obama’s ates around. Technology will continue to change presidential inauguration in January, created how consumers access and consume content, quite a stir. For the first time, users could watch but unless advertising models continue to evolve live TV online, invite their friends, chat with them as well — particularly as a means to fund the while viewing and enjoy a social experience development and distribution of premium content around Internet TV. CBS has also recently intro- — we may be at risk of losing premium content duced a “social viewing room” on its Web site altogether. It is critical for all parties in the televi- around premium content to experiment with a sion ecosystem to look not just at what is in store similar consumer experience. Alternative TV plat- in 2009, but to look ahead at how digital tech- forms like Xbox, which already are social com- nologies are evolving, to ensure there is a “televi- munities in themselves and enable massive sion” that content consumers know and love as multiplayer gaming and community-driven video platforms converge. experiences, are bringing this into the living room. As the world of TV evolves and consumers look for new ways to experience the water cooler effect, we can expect “social viewing experiences” to change the concept of TV as we know it. 6. The ubiquity of content Nothing defines what TV was and what it will be as specifically as the word “content.” As we see advances in technology increasingly enable mobile video and content in the cloud, or new business models like Slingbox, HAVA and Boxee, that break down the conventions and gateways we have in place around
- 155. When TV turnsa corner, what business models will be there to meet it? As we look toward 2009, one thing is certain: TV is going digital. In a fragmented, consumer-controlled media world, there is no doubt that content creation and distribution strategies are more complex and costly than ever, and advertising models and the underlying infrastructure of the TV industry must evolve in response. We can expect more interactivity, measurement, personalization and portability of content as the underpinnings of the industry begin to use digital technology to modernize. We can also expect TV to go social, and audiences to fragment even more, ushering in a long tail of TV ad opportunities and new buying mechanisms based on supply and demand, that look similar to online ad networks. But how quickly can the TV eco- system respond? If there was ever a time for innovation, it is now. Will convergence displace TV as we know it? We will have to live through it to find out. No one knows more about the challenges and opportunities in television than our colleagues living in the space: Jack Myers, President of Jack Myers Publishing, and media futurist/columnist; Tom Rogers, President and CEO, TiVo; Davina Kent, Director of Strategic Alliances, Comcast; Alec Gerster, Chief Marketing Officer of Navic Networks; Mark Kroese, General Manager, Entertainment and Devices, Microsoft; and Mike Steib, Director, Google TV Ads. The following articles from these experts reflect some issues in the industry in 2009 as TV turns a corner. 153
- 156. T V ATA C R O S S R OA D S Jack Myers on the Future of Television: Realities and Opportunities for Media Companies and Marketers By Jack Myers, President, Jack Myers Publishing Inc. and media futurist/columnist The foundations of the media and advertising business have eroded. While much of the beachfront real estate represented by traditional media continues to be highly-valued by marketers, enabling them to sustain relatively stable year-to-year revenues, the pillars are unstable — and Wall Street valuations have been washed away. The economic models that have served the media business well for nearly eight decades are less relevant today and will be irrelevant in the near future.
- 157. The current, troublingstate of the TV industry • Newly-empowered consumers have the technol- ogy to avoid marketing messages, and are While these crashing waves have been most deeply spending increased time on non-ad-supported felt by the print media, they are also lapping at the media, such as social networks. foundation of television, the medium that, for decades, has been the most popular advertising medium of all. Because viewing behavior is changing, the advertis- Television is not exempt from the following depressing ing and media business shouldn’t expect a turnaround facts, which beset all media: in the general economy to significantly enhance its • The core value of advertising, such as TV business prospects. Instead, what the advertising re- commercials, is under siege. cession (depression?) doing is accelerating the speed with which traditional media companies and agen- • More than 90% of all media-related ad buying and cies will need to embrace things such as interactive selling activity operates in a supply-and-demand, media, cost-per-action measurement, ad exchanges transactional model that commoditizes services for media buying and selling, social networks, user- and drives prices and compensation toward zero. generated content and other emerging media oppor- • Misguided economic principles have depleted the tunities. resources of the media and advertising industry, and have led to a dramatic decline in valuations. So is there any good news? Yes. Those who can free themselves from traditional paradigms and organ- • Organizational dependence on outdated business izational structures designed decades ago can reap models, such as the focus on media exclusively the rewards of this dynamic, disruptive new media for mass eyeball impressions, without relevant marketplace. It is incumbent upon all media and ad- targeting or engagement measures, has fostered a vertising companies to do so. bleak, long-term outlook for traditional advertising and subscription-dependent media companies. What are media companies and • A likely year-on-year decline in ad revenue through marketers to do now? 2010 is causing layoffs and cutbacks at a time While there are several long-term trends that the when media companies and marketers need to TV and advertising industries need to pay attention to, foster innovation. such as interactive TV and the rise of online video • A rapid acceleration of media fragmentation has (see further below), there are several near-term oppor- increased ad inventory, driving down prices. tunities that will both build revenue and give these industries the learning they need to plot a better future. 155
- 158. For one, televisionnetworks and studios will be most Interactive TV and online video successful when they focus on the power and potential muddy the advertising picture value of programming “brands.” Strongly-branded By any standard, the evolution of interactive television series such as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, as a viable advertising medium has been exceptionally Battlestar Galactica and Lost, offer multi-platform slow. As far back as 1998, cable and satellite oper- and off-screen merchandising, event and promotional ators were demonstrating iTV applications that are revenue models. The TV industry needs to build not significantly different from those being developed programs that will allow marketers to associate them- by Canoe Ventures, the joint venture of six major selves with selected content throughout the lifespan cable companies that promise to bring addressable of that content. They can then use the program advertising to the cable universe. Yet even Canoe brands to emotionally connect with audiences and CEO David Verklin acknowledges it will be 24 to 48 integrate themselves into the lives of consumers. months before major applications will be available on a widespread basis. Second, marketers need to stay close to what is hap- pening with TiVo; it is the most valuable tech resource The obstacles to addressable advertising are eco- available to marketers today, because the TiVo house- nomic, not technological, because there is no clear hold personifies the interactive and integrated house- evidence that marketers will pay significant premiums hold of the future. This enables marketers to invest for advertising more specifically targeted to users. a small budget to gain relevant experience and pre- In fact, the promise that better targeting will drive pare for the TV marketing realities and opportunities higher CPMs remains unfulfilled in online media, which that will be the norm in just a few short years. has been offering advanced behavioral targeting capabilities but hasn’t seen commensurate increases One of the most important services TiVo currently in media values. Even with behavioral targeting, provides to the marketing and media communities is online advertising costs have declined dramatically. its active measurement of how viewership changes with the ability to time-shift programming. Through its It’s still true that the vast majority of TV and online Stop||Watch™ ratings service, TiVo gathers important media buys are based on reaching audiences in the intelligence on viewing behavior for both commercials most cost-efficient manner. So, while addressable and programs. advertising theoretically has unquestioned value, mar- keters’ willingness to pay significant premiums for it remains unclear.
- 159. The addition ofonline video to the mix further comp- leadership will discover a marketplace that is far licates the TV picture. In an industry that measures more receptive to them than to their competitors who value based primarily on audience reach, there is no continue to depend on the “tried and true.” reason to differentiate between a commercial deliv- ered via the television and one delivered via the Web, but those two distribution channels are treated differently today. As TiVo, the DVR and video-on-demand become increasingly commonplace, the most important interactive TV developments won’t center around addressable advertising per se. Instead, they’ll be the ones that bring Internet-like functionality to TV, such as telescoping and bookmarking technologies, that enable consumers to respond directly to a TV message by requesting more information or placing an order. As marketers review future TV advertising options, they are likely to incorporate performance and cost-per-action based techniques that optimize the models of the direct marketing and sales promo- tion industries. About Jack Myers: Despite obstacles, the time to innovate is now For more than two decades, Jack Myers has been among The new realities of the TV industry, and how the the media industry’s leading visionaries and economic forecasters. He has consulted on business transformation, audience consumes media, create exceptional revenue-development and relationship best practices with opportunities for companies that invest aggressively, more than 250 media companies, marketers and agencies. intelligently and with coherent vision in growth Jack speaks internationally on transformative business models and organizations that are differentiated, rel- strategies and works closely with select clients to enhance evant to marketers and economically sound for in- the value of their brands and implement monetization models for social communities, user generated content, vestors. Those that focus their attention on innovative addressable and commercial-avoidance technologies, per- business models and optimized services in the next formance-based media and Emotional Connections™ re- several years, and who offer vision, expertise and search. Jack’s weekly commentaries can be read at www. JackMyers.com and he can be reached at [email protected] 157
- 160. T V ATA C R O S S R OA D S TiVo on the Future of Television: A Call for Innovation By Tom Rogers, President and CEO, TiVo, Inc. As the entire country grapples with tough economic times, there is one thing we can be sure of: if companies such as the defunct Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers had seen this financial crisis coming, they would have conducted themselves very, very differently. I hope we don’t have to say the same for marketers, years; the majority of television is time-shifted by these when they look back on the downturn that will come viewers. Advertising circles like to talk about great- for brands that do nothing while their consumers er addressability and better targeting of TV ads, but get better and better at avoiding their commercials we’ve seen time and time again that these factors only marginally stop people from fast-forwarding. Viewers There are over 25 million households with a digital do not passively take in ads anymore; to them, TV video recorder today, and analysts agree DVRs will has become much better because they can skip ads. reach 50 – 60 million households in the next three
- 161. The consumer ispermanently in control. sector has a chance to get ahead of this kind of dislocation. In order for television advertising to survive, we have to find newer, better ways to effectively engage Making TV advertising that consumers actually want the viewer and ultimately cause him or her to watch to see is much bigger than TiVo. I see a day when TV the ads. We can’t ignore this imperative. We’ve advertising is more powerful and yields better return already seen what ignoring clear signs has done to on investment for companies, because ultimately other parts of the media sector, with the most ex- it is far more valuable for the consumer. If the industry treme examples being what happened to the music stays focused on creating a better advertising experi- industry when free downloading became popular, ence, I’m convinced that day will come. and the newspaper business when consumers shifted to online news content. The time to act is now. Fortunately, there are already a variety of incredibly effective ways to engage these fast-forwarding viewers on TiVo — tags, full-screen billboards, entry off the user interface, delete screens — and we are actively developing new forms of interactive adver- tising for Comcast, Cox and DirecTV. Just as impor- tantly, TiVo has second-by-second measurement tools providing data that demonstrates exactly which commercials are seen and which are not, giving television advertising all the accountability of the In- ternet, and marketers granular data to create a more engaging ad. Factor in HDTV, which offers better, crisper pictures, and the television advertising experi- ence can be more informative, interactive, immersive and influential than ever. I know this industry is capable of moving swiftly, but I also know the daily grind of dealing with immediate issues can work heavily against quick progress. For once, with the rise of better TV ad models, the media 159
- 162. T V ATA C R O S S R OA D S Xbox LIVE on the Future of Television: A Window Into the Next Generation By Mark Kroese, General Manager, Advertising Business Group, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft; and Dean Carignan, Director, Advertising Business Group, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft With broadband penetration in the living room continuing to rise, the question of how TV usage will evolve is increasingly topical. The Xbox LIVE service — an online, social entertainment platform available through Xbox 360 — provides a sneak preview into the changes that will come to TV in the not-too-distant future.
- 163. Seventeen million membersstrong, Xbox LIVE is tion of the service by all users, core and casual alike. described as the “largest social network connected to We saw substantial increases in the following metrics the TV,” but with over 25,000 different pieces of con- during the first two months after launch: tent that can be distributed digitally, it’s also a window • The average number of downloads per into the behaviors of the next generation of TV con- user increased by 60%. sumers. Here are some things we’ve learned from observing this vibrant community of early adopters: • The average number of friends per user grew 33%. 1. T-commerce is real and growing. So-called • The average amount of time users spent on T-commerce, or commerce conducted over the service increased by more than 20%. digital TV, has been used by Xbox LIVE users to buy roughly $1 billion digital purchases since As the TV ecosystem continues to evolve, we’re November 2005. These purchases — primarily seeing that the television set is becoming a vibrant, game enhancements and video content — show social, interactive platform combining the most that TV can be a viable platform for commercial compelling aspects of the Web with traditional TV. transactions. 2. Users want interactivity. In a typical month, over 60% of Xbox LIVE members utilize the ser- vice’s interactive and commercial features. Click through rates on Xbox LIVE ad campaigns are, on average, nearly 10 times greater than banner ads on Web pages. 3. TV viewing is becoming a social experience. Xbox LIVE users exchange nearly four million instant messages per day, and an average of 20 million online “friends” are made each month. While many Xbox LIVE members are faster adopters of interactive services than the TV population at l arge, our relaunch of the service last fall showed that modifications such as a simplified, intuitive interface and expanded content, dramatically improved adop- 161
- 164. T V ATA C R O S S R OA D S Comcast on the Future of Television: New Opportunities for Enhanced Television By Davina Kent, Director of Strategic Alliances, Comcast In addition to worries about the economy, today’s ad execu- tives are worried about audience fragmentation, non-linear viewing, multi-tasking viewers and commercial skipping. Ad budgets are expected to decline in 2009 so market- traditional TV advertising with interactive TV adver- ers will be expected to do more with less. We forecast tising and target using demographic and psycho- that money will migrate to media that offers target- graphic data. For many years testing interactive and ing or addressability, interactivity and accountability. addressable TV advertising has proven successful, but scale has lagged. Now, with 28 million subscrib- As the landscape continues to grow, cable operators ers, Comcast is deploying unique interactive and have begun to develop new standards for interactivity addressable advertising products to make TV adver- and addressability across their footprint of 70 million tising more engaging, efficient and effective. cable subscribers. This vast footprint opens up new opportunities for advertisers to enhance their
- 165. T V ATA C R O S S R OA D S Navic Networks on the Future of Television: As TV and Its Audiences Fragment, How Will It Be Funded? By Alec Gerster, Chief Marketing Officer, Navic Networks, a Microsoft company There are some fundamental, structural patterns to the television business that will come under more and more pressure as the industry continues to expand from its heritage of limited, controlled channel space to include non-linear distribution models and video delivered over the Internet. 163
- 166. There is nonemore basic than how the ad-supported advertising defies the conventional model of selling ecosystem will continue to fund the production of and necessitates the use of solutions that utilize high-quality content that will continue to compel audi- set-top box data and other methods to effectively sell. ences — even as those audiences fragment. As the long-tail is traversed, the size of individual au- diences approaches the numeral one, and with that, To date, ad-supported models have benefited from it becomes nearly impossible to sell without a solution the walled garden of limited VHF spectrum or the such as an ad exchange to manage inventory. expanded, but still centrally controlled, world of today’s cable operators. Content consumption is be- In order to fund content, this new world will increas- coming progressively audience-driven as consum- ingly change the emphasis from the direct control ers decide where, when and how they want to watch of distribution, to a combination of those media the content of their choice — with little regard to brands that can consistently and simultaneously drive how it’s paid for. Such options as video-on-demand, audiences in a non-linear environment: a VOD or digital video recorders and video available over the subscription model that works in this world, a related Internet have all become huge challenges to the linear ad capability and a video version of today’s multi-site television model — a model that has relied not only on Internet network approach. Being able to monetize limited channel availability and therefore ad inventory, the long-tail of television, in addition to non-linear but also tiered pricing models and direct subscript- properties through an exchange, gives the industry ion revenues to exist. Unless the industry is ready an adequate revenue stream to continue to produce to settle for a world dominated by user-generated con- compelling content that will drive audience prefer- tent, it is important to figure out how to consistently ences and reinvigorate the ad-supported ecosystem. monetize across today’s infinitely fragmenting video landscape. With this fragmentation, media becomes increasingly challenging to sell and thus, much harder to profit from. This potential inability to drive ad revenue will directly affect the quality and availability of content and will continue to negatively affect the ad-supported ecosystem by underutilizing inventory. The mid- to long-tail of TV viewing, which represents a significant share of ad-supported TV’s audience, has also gone unused. The reason is that non-linear and long-tail
- 167. T V ATA C R O S S R OA D S Google TV on the Future of Television: An Interview With Mike Steib In January 2009, Razorfish asked Google TV Ads Director ™ Mike Steib to explain what he thinks the main challenges are for television advertisers in the digital age, and where Google TV Ads (which essentially expands elements of Google’s ad model to TV) fits into the landscape. These are his thoughts: 165
- 168. TV is becominglike the Web: lots of channels, niche Google TV Ads address these challenges because content, fragmented — but passionate — audiences. it makes buying more targeted, increasingly account- It used to be OK for advertisers to just buy 10 or able and better measures TV commercial viewing. 15 channels on which to run their campaigns. Today, We’re working with leading media companies like Dish smart marketers need to reach their audiences across Network, NBC Universal, Bloomberg and Hallmark a long tail of television, and to find their target cus- to make some of their inventory available to advertis- tomers at the moments when the context is right. On ers through this platform. the Internet, when millions of Web sites emerged, it took a while for advertiser behavior and ad technol- Advertisers and agencies can select channels and ogies to catch up to consumer behavior. TV is some- shows in Google TV Ads — or they can generate where in that development cycle today. detailed lists of programs and dayparts using our psy- chographic targeting features. For instance, they Online, advertisers know what works; they know if can search for programs that deliver to young women someone clicks on their ads. They’ve come to really who make $100,000-plus and who are interested in like that. This has led them to demand more account- cooking. Alternately, they can find the right context ability from their television buying as well; they now for their ads using our search tools, asking to find any ask questions such as “Which audiences are watch- programs that involve for example, crime, college ing what ads?” and “Which ads are being avoided?” hockey or weddings. Just as with Google AdWords, Increasingly, if an ad is not relevant to a viewer, he advertisers set a maximum price for each, as well or she is not going to watch it, and we all need to deal as a daily budget, and our system optimizes to those aggressively with that reality. goals. Advertisers reach their target customers across, potentially, a hundred channels in a relevant However, even if a marketer is able to learn that context. This takes maybe an hour or two per week this ad over here is working and that ad over there is for the agency to execute. not working, it is not nearly as easy to shift media placements on-the-fly in TV advertising as it is in To measure all those channels, we employ millions of online advertising. The needs for more accountability, set-top boxes and bill advertisers only for the TV better measurement and a transactional model sets that are tuned in to the ad. No waste. This also that can scale to hundreds of TV channels are some enables us to measure every channel on television, of the main challenges for TV advertisers in this including previously unmeasured channels, so digital world. advertisers can buy the “long tail.” The next day, we tell each advertiser what percent of the audience watched each ad all the way through, what percent
- 169. tuned out andwhether they watched it live or time-shifted on a DVR. There are no commitments by the advertiser, and there is no bundled media. Some agencies and advertisers set up campaigns and let them run for weeks; others make frequent changes based on new data. In many ways Google TV Ads is similar to online ad- vertising because it empowers advertisers to target, measure and quickly adjust their TV buying. Our partners are using it to make their ads more relevant to the viewers. We’re pretty psyched about it. 167
- 171. three things every executive should know in 2009 The Web Gets a Pulse 170 Fragmentation Moves Beyond Media 172 When the Going Gets Tough... 174
- 172. T H REE T H I N G S E V ERY E X EC U T I V E S H O U L D K N OW I N 20 0 9 The Web Gets a Pulse The “real time” nature of the Web is taking on a new dimension: this year, we will close that gap between archived information and what’s going on right now. Not only is the Web becoming more social — it is becoming instantly reactive. From twittering and yammering to live online social events to intelligent, location-aware mobile connectivity, the Web is beginning to take on a pulse — or, a life — of its own. Social Web users, whether they are con- nected teens or digital moms, are increasingly unable to draw boundaries where their physical and virtual worlds divide, or to distinguish between their known and anonymous peer groups. And as Obama demonstrated, there is untapped momentum in
- 173. social media environments,which, when leveraged well, can create a movement of scalable proportion. However, movements cannot happen alone. In this environment, marketers need to listen, monitor and learn. They need to understand what value they bring and how to work with their agencies and media partners to create their own dynamic experiences. Does your brand — whether you are a media company or a marketer — have a pulse? 171
- 174. T H REE T H I N G S E V ERY E X EC U T I V E S H O U L D K N OW I N 20 0 9 Fragmentation Moves Beyond Media It is no surprise that audience fragmentation continues to challenge marketers, but in 2009, it is increasingly challenging to content owners. Media content was once relegated to a platform with an established, advertising-supported business model: TV, print, online, mobile or out of home. But as consumer attention splinters, so, too, will the content, the platform and the media revenue model. With economic pressure and ever more complex distribution channels, will our business models sustain themselves? Will pre- mium content survive? While the long tail of the Web depends on technology and data to monetize its inventory, traditional business models with long-standing histories and complex infrastructures
- 175. like TV havenot been as quick to change. 2009 will be a test for premium content owners, the TV and print advertising estab- lishments and the digital world as we brace for potential and unexpected change to our business models brought on by years of continued fragmentation. What will define the media company of the future? The ability to let content travel across a myriad of platforms, devices and lifestyles. The will to embrace new forms of measurement, data, technology and digital infrastructure to manage complexity. And the vision to compete on the future. 173
- 176. T H REE T H I N G S E V ERY E X EC U T I V E S H O U L D K N OW I N 20 0 9 When the Going Gets Tough... No doubt the recession is on everyone’s minds as we enter a new year. A flat year would be a good outcome for digital advertising in 2009, and while many major publishers will see a year-over-year drop, there will be winners. We are in the midst of a historic time, when industries that some would argue were the foundations of our economy may be challenged like never before, but there is also an opportunity for new business models to take root and thrive. 2009 will be a tough year for all media, even digital media; it will be a time for exploring new buying methods — such as conducting business through ad exchanges — and learning how to employ social influence marketing strategies that have value for consumers
- 177. and brands alike.While growth may be curbed, there is no time like the present to innovate. Innovation will take many forms — new messages, new channels, new products, new business models. Whatever happens, one thing is for certain: we’ll all learn how to do more with less. And be smarter for it. 175
- 178. About Razorfish™ Razorfish™, formerlyAvenue A | Razorfish, is one of the largest interactive marketing and technology companies in the world, and is also one of the largest buyers of digital advertising space. With a demonstrated commit- ment to innovation, Razorfish™ counsels its clients on how to leverage digital channels such as the Web, mobile devices, in-store technologies and other emerging media to engage people, build brand loyalty and provide excellent customer service. The company is increasingly advising marketers on Social Influence Marketing™, its approach for employing social media and social influencers to achieve the marketing and business needs of an organization. Its award-winning client teams provide solutions through their strategic counsel, digital advertising and content creation, media buying, analytics, technology and user experience. Razorfish™ has offices in markets across the United States, and in Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Clients include Carnival Cruise Lines, MillerCoors, Levi’s, McDonald’s and Starwood Hotels. Visit www.razorfish.com for more information. For additional information: For media inquiries: Sarah Baehr Sally O’Dowd VP, Media Public Relations Director +1 (212) 931-5976 +1 (312) 696-5068 [email protected] Sally.O’[email protected] Terri Walter For information on our VP, Emerging Media thought leadership: +1 (212) 798-6735 Lauren Nguyen [email protected] Associate Director, Marketing +1 (415) 369-6454 [email protected]
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