The Disruption Tour - Run To Survive A Social Media Revolution

Global future of TV set to be shaped by Facebook and Twitter

from Utalkmarketing .com

Facebook and Twitter are fighting for key roles in the worldwide television market, particularly TV advertising and pay-TV, as Internet-connected television makes TV into a social medium, says a new report from research company Futurescape.

‘Social TV: How Facebook, Twitter and connected television transform global TV advertising, pay-TV, EPGs and broadcasting’ aims to offer the first critical appraisal of how the battle between the two major social networks over social TV is shaping twenty-first century television and challenging the TV industry.

The importance to marketers? The winner will take a dominant strategic position in socially-targeted TV advertising, pay-TV content recommendation, TV show marketing, next-generation EPGs and interactive viewing.

The television is already becoming a social device, as Google TV, Yahoo Connected TV, CE manufacturers and pay-TV operators race to connect TV sets to the Internet.

Internet TV apps also enable viewers to access their social networks via the TV screen and to discuss TV shows on TV while they watch.

Viewers meanwhile can use social networks and apps on the TV to recommend TV shows or movies to family and friends. They can equally discover shows and movies from them

This rise of social television particularly benefits the main social networking services, Facebook and Twitter, so that they are now rivals for multi-billion dollar segments of the international television market.

The report found that Facebook aims to tap the $180bn worldwide TV ad market ­ Google TV and other connected TV systems will put Facebook and Twitter targeted ads on TV screens.

In addition, Global pay-TV, estimated at $250bn in 2014, needs social recommendation and discovery services because these encourage viewers to subscribe to more expensive packages and buy more video-on-demand ­ Facebook and Twitter are both major providers of social data.

It also found that Facebook and Twitter buzz affects TV ratings, while broadcasters that use the social networks for viewer engagement are effectively sharing their audiences with them.

How Consumers Interact with Brands on Social Networks

May 2010

emarketer.com

Consumers do want relationships

The social networking audience in the US has reached critical mass. eMarketer estimates that 57.5% of all US Internet users, or 127 million people, will use a social network at least once a month in 2010. By 2014, nearly two-thirds of Internet users will be on board.

Marketers have been chasing this audience for several years, but the question remains: Do consumers notice, or care?

“Those who still think that social network users are too busy engaging with friends to notice marketers must change their viewpoint,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Brand Interactions on Social Networks.” “Brand interactions are real, valuable and growing. “

According to a February 2010 survey by Chadwick Martin Bailey, a market research firm, 33% of Facebook users have become fans of brands on the network.

Another survey, by Edison Research, found that 16% of social network users had friended brands there. And half (51%) had done so on Twitter.

Coupons remain a leading driver of brand interactions in social networks. Learning about sales and new products is also a strong motivator for people to interact with companies in social media. Beyond the tangibles, such as coupons, consumers do gain positive feelings about a brand as a result of their interactions.

Still, social networks are not seen as primary research sources when consumers are looking to buy. Although people are very inclined to take advice from friends and family about products they are interested in, they are not nearly as likely to seek out their social network friends when they are researching online.

According to a study by PowerReviews and the e-tailing group, only 3% of online buyers said they sought recommendations from social network friends first, compared with 57% who started with search engines.

“More than half of all Internet users now use social networks, and the percentage of social network users who talk about companies, either in organic conversations or on branded company pages, is growing,” said Ms. Williamson. “Consumers do pay attention and they do value positive interactions with companies.

“But while people trust their friends for advice and use social networks as part of their research process, social networks are long way from replacing search, if they ever will, as a source of information leading to a purchase.”

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The full report, “Brand Interactions on Social Networks,” also answers these key questions:

• How are consumers using social networks to share information about the brands they like?
• Are consumers doing product research on social networks?
• Why do people interact with or “like” brands on social networks?
• Are social network users aware of how their personal information is used for marketing? Do they care?

Almost As Good As A Sandwich Board

 Watch for the launch of the ShoppeSimple Mobile TransactionalRSS platform coming in Feb 2010

Acccording to a new survey commissioned by 1020 Placecast and conducted by Harris Interactive, American consumers are receptive to opt-in mobile marketing messages from brick-and-mortar businesses. 42% of 18 to 34 year old cell phone owners and 33% of 35 to 44 year olds are at least somewhat interested in receiving alerts about sales on their cell phones from their favorite establishments.

Men are more interested than women:

• 51% of men ages 18 to 34, and 34% of women of the same age range who own cell phones, are at least somewhat interested in receiving opt-in shopping alerts on their cell phones.

Only 1% cell phone owners currently receive alerts about sales at their favorite establishments on their phones, yet 26% would be at least somewhat interested in receiving such alerts, assuming they were permission-based. Food, entertainment and consumer products top the list of categories 

Of those interested in receiving alerts, 53% would be at least somewhat interested in being notified about restaurant specials around them.In addition, about 2-in-5 of these adults would like to receive alerts about sales for:

• Movie/event tickets (43%)
• Weather information (39%)
• Clearance or liquidation sales (37%)

About another 3-in-10 of these adults would want to be alerted about:

• Pizza (31%) Clothes (30%)
• Fast food (27%)

About one quarter would want to be notified about:

• Electronics (25%)
• Music (24%)
• Happy hour specials or bar and night club offers (21%)

The survey found that about 9-in-10 U.S. adults have made an impulse purchase when they were out shopping in a store based on a sale or a special near where they were.

• 22% of adults owning cell phones make this type of impulse purchase at least once per week or more often
• Among women with cell phones ages 18 to 44, 27% report making at least one impulse purchase a week
• Among men 18 - 34, this number rises to 31%

Among cell phone owners in households with children under 18, 37% are at least somewhat interested in receiving opt-in alerts on their mobile phones. This number rises to 44% in households with children under age 6.

According to Kathryn Koegel of Primary Impact Research, "Many American consumers have their mobile devices with them all day long, including when they are shopping... reaching a receptive audience... presents a big opportunity to influence impulse purchases... "

ShoppeSimple Launches a New Way to Shop

Use ShoppeSimple.com to Explore and Track Hot Deals and Exclusive Offers Anonymously, When and How You Want Them

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Post-holiday shoppers can explore hot deals and exclusive offers from great brands at ShoppeSimple.com, a new service of RSSCheck. Open for business now at www.shoppesimple.com with a fast-growing list of more than 50 online stores, ShoppeSimple is the first completely opt-in shopping portal – it’s easy, anonymous and absolutely free.

At ShoppeSimple.com, shoppers can browse and track the newest offers and deals when and how they want – in a reader, on their mobile device, personal homepage or via their browser’s bookmarks. Shoppers can hone in on their favorite online stores, explore stores by category, and discover new opportunities to find the things they want.

ShoppeSimple features offers from more than 50 stores – like this one for a $349 food processor on sale for just $179 – but the ShoppeSimple experience is about more than simply finding discounts and deals.

“ShoppeSimple lets shoppers be surprised and delighted by the deals, offers and exclusives they find here,” says Jeff Giesener, ShoppeSimple’s founder and CEO. “Most brands market by interruption; we market through permission. ShoppeSimple is about discovering a new opportunity to get a product you’ve wanted to buy, or to learn something new about what a store has to offer.”

The idea for ShoppeSimple comes from Giesener’s realization that most advertising and marketing is wasted on people who aren’t listening – a realization born from more than 25 years in the direct marketing and Internet business. What if, he thought, people could choose the deals, coupons and offers they want to receive, and decide for themselves when they want to shop? And what if they could do this without having to give up any personal data?

ShoppeSimple makes it easy for people to explore and hone in on their favorites – a wide range of stores delivering great deals, sales, coupons and offers, and easy tools let shoppers track offers from their preferred stores via personal home pages, bookmarks, RSS readers, social media and mobile smart phones – with no registration, signup or personal data required.

It’s an idea that is in high demand. ShoppeSimple has clients that are seeing dramatic increases in site traffic, higher average orders and repeat order rates, resulting in millions of dollars and new client sales through ShoppeSimple.

“People want privacy and control over their online experience, and ShoppeSimple delivers on both of these. Consumer data is protected, never sold and the consumer remains anonymous on ShoppeSimple,” Giesener says. “We’re seeing high demand from online stores who want to give their customers the best shopping experience and the chance to connect with them on ShoppeSimple, multiple times a day, 365 days a year. Plus shoppers can easily find opportunities to get great deals and exclusive offers from the merchants they choose.”

About ShoppeSimple

ShoppeSimple.com, a service of RSSCheck, LLC, is a first-of-its-kind opt-in shopping portal that lets consumers explore and track hot deals and exclusive offers from great brands. Visit www.shoppesimple.com to start using ShoppeSimple now. To get your online store on ShoppeSimple.com, contact info@rsscheck.com. ShoppeSimple also runs the ShoppeSimple Media Network, which creates custom permission-based shopping portals for organizations serving audiences. See the first ShoppeSimple Media Network sites at startribune.shoppesimple.com and bestchamber.shoppesimple.com.

About RSSCheck, LLC

RSSCheck is a marketing technology company offering a suite of consumer and B2B retention and prospecting tools to help clients retain customers, gain new customers and grow business. RSSCheck’s ShoppeSimple™ system is built on the really simple idea that the best time to move people to action is when they’re paying attention. It uses software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology to open a highly targeted sales channel to people who want a brand’s offers and are looking to buy. ShoppeSimple’s web-based TransactionalRSS™ system makes it simple for customers to get what they want, the way they want it -- anonymously, with complete privacy, and wherever they are – on their personal homepages, browsers, through social media and on mobile devices.

For more information, visit www.rsscheck.com, or visit our blog at http://shoppesimple.wordpress.com. Contact RSSCheck at info@rsscheck.com.

Contacts

Kadet Communications
Ken Kadet, 952-937-0482
ken@kadetcommunications.com

Your Talent is a Social Object

http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/2008/04/talent-can-be-a.html

Hugh Macleod talks about social objects and I couldn't agree more...I think you can take this concept into the world of attraction and retention of talent. Do you give people good things to share about your talent, do you create a social object around your personal brand?

• Do you find ways of giving value to all the people you meet?
• Do you ask how you can provide value to the people you meet?
• Do you achieve your goals on time, on budget...on promise?
• Do you try and go beyond what is asked of you...do you add an extra piece of value free of charge?
• What is your unique selling point....something that people will talk about? Do you try and fit into the crowd or stand out from the crowd?

Personal brands are social objects in nature. We talk about people that we meet, talk about people that touch our lives in both good and bad ways. What I feel is important is that each interaction with you, is a good experience for the other person..if it is then you will get free word of mouth advertising.
Do you see yourself as your "own brand" which will deliver the basics but not the experience...or a premium brand that will leave the consumer wanting to talk positively about you?

Hugh Macleod talks about social objects and I couldn't agree more...I think you can take this concept into the world of attraction and retention of talent. Do you give people good things to share about your talent, do you create a social object around your personal brand?

• Do you find ways of giving value to all the people you meet?
• Do you ask how you can provide value to the people you meet?
• Do you achieve your goals on time, on budget...on promise?
• Do you try and go beyond what is asked of you...do you add an extra piece of value free of charge?
• What is your unique selling point....something that people will talk about? Do you try and fit into the crowd or stand out from the crowd?

Personal brands are social objects in nature. We talk about people that we meet, talk about people that touch our lives in both good and bad ways. What I feel is important is that each interaction with you, is a good experience for the other person..if it is then you will get free word of mouth advertising.
Do you see yourself as your "own brand" which will deliver the basics but not the experience...or a premium brand that will leave the consumer wanting to talk positively about you?

Starbucks remembers they make coffee, step back from being music label

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/starbucks-remembers-they-make-coffee-step-back-fro/18340/

by Patrick Hipp

In a press release on their website, Starbucks has announced that they're handing over control of their Hear Me music label to Concord Music Group. Quoth the CEO, Howard Schultz: “As part of our ongoing transformation, we are committed to examining all aspects of our business that are not directly related to our core.” For those keeping score, Starbucks' "transformation" involves the company transforming back into a coffee shop, although this time without the burnt coffee. Following this move, Ken Lombard--the now former head of Starbucks Entertainment--has "has left the company to pursue other business interests." As Brooklyn Vegan points out, this announcement comes admist news that Starbucks stock is starting to stagnate with the rest of the economy, so he probably wasn't given much choice. 

Making Your Brand the Right Shade of Green

by Graham Hales
 Brandchannel.com click here for more...

Let’s start with a fact.

Whichever terms you choose to characterize it—Going Green, Environmental Stewardship, Sustainable Development—the eco-agenda is not a fad. It’s here to stay.

Whilst some brands are actively engaged in the movement, other brands ignore it, and still others sit on the sidelines. Like any "new" aspect to a market, the eco-agenda started with a degree of hesitancy and uncertainty.

When we were only just beginning to understand the mess that we have created of our world, consumers would support the differentiation of environmentally conscious solutions in focus groups, but ignore these offerings at the point of purchase if they cost more or risked being less effective. That was when it was an option rather than an imperative.

Be the Pilot of Your Brand

The Engaging Brand Blog... Click here for more...

Flying home from the USA, I was thinking about the connection between flying and building a brand.

A plane starts on the ground = A brand has to be grounded on core values before it can fly

the dynamics of "easy"

 

John Burg futurevisions.com

•  Easy access facilitates mass interactivity.

• Earned access facilitates pride and personal value generated by the investment placed in gaining access.

Professional athletes take pride in their stats and status, as these are direct results of their labor.

American Express Platinum members take pride in their membership as it represents their status.

Modells shoppers rarely take pride in their status. 

Do barriers to entry drive marketing friendly envy? 

Can an item with "easy access" generate pride among it's users?

Consider: How is it that Walmart shoppers will often personally identify themselves as Walmart shoppers, even though anyone can "get in"?

Could it be that "membership" is not about access but the personal attribution of membership towards a common goal or a shared pursuit?

Making Your Brand the Right Shade of Green

Brandchannel.com click here for more of the article...
by Graham Hales
 
Let’s start with a fact.

Whichever terms you choose to characterize it—Going Green, Environmental Stewardship, Sustainable Development—the eco-agenda is not a fad. It’s here to stay.

Whilst some brands are actively engaged in the movement, other brands ignore it, and still others sit on the sidelines. Like any "new" aspect to a market, the eco-agenda started with a degree of hesitancy and uncertainty.

When we were only just beginning to understand the mess that we have created of our world, consumers would support the differentiation of environmentally conscious solutions in focus groups, but ignore these offerings at the point of purchase if they cost more or risked being less effective. That was when it was an option rather than an imperative.