We Have Been There Before

Radio Was the New Media in the Late 1920’s. The Web and Mobile are the New Media in 2008. Are You Ready to Embrace Them?
In the late 20’s, new media “radio” underwent a seismic shift. Successful companies were trying new types of advertising. Procter and Gamble tried something more creative and radio 2.0 turn into a content marketing machine. P&G outspent their competitors by 30% with the creation of their own content and programming. They were so successful during the 30’s that by the time the depression was over they had created an entire category of show – the Soap Opera!

What about online video and video on demand (VOD)? Learn more at
www.luminacion.com and here.

We are in the middle of another seismic change that is driven by the Web and mobile. The market conditions are similar to the depression of the 1920’s. The magnitude of the current economic problems is highlighted by the current situation of corporations like General Motors that may be 3 months away from filling for bankruptcy and the comments of Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore: “By this October it was looking like 1931,” she said. “[Time Inc.] has never had so many advertising clients in trouble at the same time. The declines are stunning.” Moore added that she didn’t care if it technically isn’t a recession. “It is one for us.”

During OMMA Mobile conference last week in Los Angeles, I confirmed that Hispanics are top consumers of mobile content. They are in everybody’s radar from Nielsen’s reports, to information that the mobile ad networks gather. At the conference, Nic Covey, Director of Insights at Nielsen Mobile, presented data obtained via their new Mobile AdRelevance database, a mobile version of the Nielsen’s Online ad-tracking service. According to this information, many of the leaders from the online space have carved the top positions in the mobile world. The data shows that the top mobile Web destinations are ad-supported and are for news, information, or entertainment leaning brands. On the other hand, the leaders in overall mobile Web traffic are communications, search and navigation destinations.

The emerging mobile media in the U.S. resembles the online world from 7 years ago. What is promising is the fact that the adoption of services like SMS and media packages are increasing and made possible by the next generation mobile devices that compete with the i-phone. Consumer marketing brands are slowly warming up to the mobile opportunity and there are a few success stories that prove how this medium can help brands move the needle on brand awareness and sales. According to Nielsen's top rankings of "SMS brands” Coca-Cola was the only consumer brand to get top rankings in a list dominated by media, entertainment or information services. "My Coke Rewards" text-messaging program is ranked among the top 10 with a million people participating in this every month.

When we look at the Hispanic market and reports on mobile usage, it is also a promising market. The key to success seems to be the participation of teams that understand the media and the market segment and take part in the planning and execution of campaigns. The mobile concept is to open up a more “personalized” dialogue that allows for “self-expression” of your audiences or consumers. It is about a conversation, not just pushing or pulling messages. Mobile campaigns should not be considered an afterthought. If executed properly, they produce high return on investments and consumer loyalty.

The need for integration in the overall marketing plan is crucial. You need to support the initiative with a mix of new and traditional media. There are a lot of mobile applications that could be used just like we use widgets in the online world but a good rule of thumb is to keep it simple. The Coke SMS success proves it. Consumers are willing to participate and need incentives that will motivate them to enter the dialogue. Brands have to understand that consumers are in control and they have to invite you into their lives.

A few ideas on mobile applications that could resonate with different segments or could be used in conjunction with traditional media to engage new users are bellow:

1) Mobile and online social networks that integrate music, games, entertainment or information. The content has to resonate with your audience.
2) Working with bloggers that have large audiences and specialize in specific industries or segments.
3) Integrating geo location on your mobile social network when your product or service targets young demos.
4) A variation of the above could target adults with store locations and special incentives like discounts, coupons, sweepstakes, etc.
5) Integrating mobile search in your campaign, just like online.


Mobile To Transform Portable Gaming
From Advertising Age
Apple's iPhone 3G and its game-heavy AppStore may well push mobile gaming into the mainstream, Ad Age reports, in much the same way that the Web brought casual gaming to the masses. The trade pub points out that it wouldn't be very difficult for the likes of Apple and Google to develop an in-game ad network for their mobile phones. Google, for example, already owns an in-game network. Microsoft, which owns the in-game ad network Massive Incorporated, is also rumored to be working on its own phone. Sony, which has the PSP portable gaming device and the Sony-Ericsson line of phones, is also rumored to be working on a PSP phone. It has its own in-house in-game advertising team and has partnered with ad networks like IGA.

"The thing with casual gaming is that it hits a much bigger demographic than console games that just tend to attract younger men, so now with mobile gaming you have an even greater potential for generating ad revenue, more than PC games ever could. More people have phones than PCs, and they're using them more often and with more [downtime and] opportunities for gaming," said Rob Enderle, principal of the Enderle Group. A recent study from NPD Group corroborates those claims, finding that smartphone users play games more often than they use business-related functions. According to the study, playing games was the most increased use of the phones over the last three months. - Read the whole story.


Remember, you need to integrate mobile in your master plan and support it with the appropriate media mix. For more information, call us or email us at 866-798-5577 x 111 or ivan@ethosagency.com


Quote
Technology presumes there's just one right way to do things and there never is.

Robert M. Pirsig

The Online Video Opportunity On A Recession

I got the first glimpse of a slowdown of the economy when a friend that is very active in chambers of commerce at the national level asked me if clients or other business owner with whom I socialize had reduced budgets. This was October 2007. Back then I had not felt recession first hand. Fast forward to January 2007, and the picture changed dramatically. Several friends that owned business were voicing their concerns on the slow down and I received the first request for postponement of projects.

Does that mean you have to stop everything? The answer is no. Large corporations usually increase budgets during these slow downs and that results in increased market share at the end of the down cycle.

In the digital era there is opportunity for everyone. Small and large companies can benefit of new online offerings like online video. According to recent research from comScore, 75% of Internet users watched online video in November 2007. Online video has many different manifestations from user-generated content on YouTube to commercials taken from the television airwaves. The key point when marketing on the Internet is the need for a new approach to video - the development of relevant, engaging content that is authentic and applicable to the topics that the user has been searching for.

As a marketer, you need to build a story around your brand functionality and put it center stage. What sets this apart from a shameless promotion is the relevancy of the content. A good example of this is what some hotels are doing: they create video content that gives viewers an insider tour of a city's hot spots, hosted by the hotels' concierges. According to Bradley Inman, when audiences view video that is interesting and relevant to them, they have a much richer experience. In addition, their engagement with the brand is far more valuable since they care about the story and trust the person telling it.

The opportunity here is the social interaction made possible by the Internet. You have a number of tools: blogs, social networks and widgets that facilitate spreading these videos virally. The saying says that a happy customer will tell 5 people, with the Internet, that same person could share a video he found interesting with his entire address book and friends in a network. Imagine loading several version of the video on widgets and tracking what works better or segmenting them by demographics.

On December 2007, I outlined the transformation taking place in the media and advertising industry. This change was caused by the Internet and the higher adoption of online video with the growth of broadband connections among other things. Technology has increased the output quality of cameras and that in turn allows for broadcast quality productions via small productions that cost a fraction of a traditional TV spot. Under these circumstances marketers have the tools to leverage the power of the Internet and online video to create strong and organic interactions between their brands and consumers.

The 4 Screens Strategy

TV, Web, Mobile and In-Flight

Innovation is the name of the game according to a survey (October 2007) of marketers by Next Level Strategic Marketing Group. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said their upcoming strategies would include innovations, line extensions or new marketing initiatives. Advertising is going through a period of change due to the revolution in media consumption. U.S. consumers are spending more time online and often using DVRs to time-shift their TV viewing, creating a disconnect with marketers who rely exclusively on the same old ad buys they've made for years. The best way to succeed in the New Year is to keep it simple. The plan for 2008: Innovate, review the ad media mix and don't rely only on the tried-and-true.

Luminacion has a turn key opportunity in 2008 to help corporations reach the fast growing second generation bilingual Hispanics via LatinEyes, an English language show that airs nationally on over 60 television stations. This gateway allows us to provide clients with targeted marketing opportunities where marketing communication is delivered using geo, demo or behavioral targeting that leverages our multi-platform distribution. With product placement opportunities and enhanced distribution your brand’s presence improves exponentially and continues from platform to platform. The complete circle of the “The 4 Screens” strategy includes television, web, mobile and in-flight.

The strategy is enhanced with brand sponsored contest that are build around categories like travel, entertainment, cooking, technology, financial, health, automotive, style, culture and arts. A perfect fit for clients that look for organic product integration or that want to sponsor a segment or promotion in the context of the category. For more information, visit www.luminacion.com or email your inquires to info@luminacion.com

Nelly Furtado interview on “LatinEyes”

Association of National Advertisers Reports

Multicultural Markets and Mobile Marketing
The Association of National Advertisers recently surveyed its members and found that 38% of multicultural marketers are using mobile marketing, compared with just 28% of general-market advertisers. Twice as many multicultural marketers also said they plan to start using social networking for the first time in this upcoming year, compared with 19% in the general market.

Online Video Attracts Six Out of Ten Internet Users Weekly

According to a recent Horowitz Associates report, Broadband Content and Services 2007, six out of ten high speed Internet users watch/download online video content at least once a week and 86% do so on a monthly basis, compared to 45% and 71%, respectively, in the 2006 study. News and user-generated, non-professional content are the most often viewed genres, followed by movie previews/trailers, music videos, and previews/segments of TV shows. Weekly viewing of full episodes of television shows doubled from last year, with 16% of high speed Internet users watching TV online on a weekly basis. NBC and ABC are the networks Internet users mention the most frequently for online TV content, with Grey's Anatomy being the most often mentioned TV program viewed online. While consumption of broadband video has grown, the study shows that television is still the preferred platform for traditional TV content: 70% of Internet users who watch TV online say do so because they missed the episode on TV. For more about this study conducted Sept.-Oct 2007 by Horowitz Associates, please visit http://www.horowitzassociates.com/bcspr.html

The top 10 wireless trends for 2008

1. Wireless networks will remain the domain of wireless operator
2. The first Android phones hit the market
3. Camera phones will get even fancier
4. Mobile ads will come to a cell phone screen near you
5. WiMax will become available
6. Openness will continue to dominate the wireless lexicon
7. Nokia will become a major mobile software player
8. Getting lost will get harder
9. More touch screens
10. Silicon Valley will become a wireless industry hot spot

Source: Techland via Fortune
http://techland.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2007/12/31/the-top-10-wireless-trends-for-2008/

The Psychology of Social Sites

If it was a movie pitch the line would be something like: social science and basic human needs meet Web 2.0. In the report, Meeting Business Needs by Meeting Social Needs: Why Size Matters, Communispace deciphers which social needs are met by participating in social networks. Research from Communispace supports the premise that people are looking to fulfill six essential social needs online, and drawing on the Maslow hierarchy of human needs, concludes that businesses that help facilitate those needs are more likely to create deeper emotional bonds than usually exist between companies and customers.

In the report by Julie Schlack, Michael Jennings and Manila Austin "Meeting Business Needs by Meeting Social Needs...” the Communispace researchers, building on the work of social scientists, have identified the specific social needs that are met through participating in social networks. The study addresses "Six Social Needs" and relates them to Online social networks, suggesting that business can take advantage of these observations in creating more affinity with their prospects and customers.
Download the report at Communispace site. http://www.communispace.com/research/abstract/?Type=All%20About%20Communities&Id=38