News Round-Up: On Measurement

Source: ComScore via Ad Age

In the graph above, shown on AdAge Digital we find that YouTube views are falling.  But how can this be? After all "60 hours of video are uploaded every minute." Well, it looks like in an effort to monetize the service further, YouTube is becoming more channel driven and changing it's metrics away from views. "On March 15, YouTube altered its recommendation system to make the time spent with a video or channel a stronger indicator than a click in determining which videos to surface to a user," says Ad Age. It's no competition for Hulu yet in terms of long-form viewing, but perhaps HBO's decision to air their new programs on YouTube could be a foreshadowing of growth in this area.

So, YouTube is moving away from clicks and towards engagement. How else are we measuring our new media?

A post on Ad Age says of Web Video "You still have a large subset of the ad-buying population that is either overwhelmed by the data itself or don't think it's measurable. People do not have [video] built into their media-mix models, and I think some still don't believe there is a [gross rating point]-equivalent number they can get to. A number of different providers have been pushing GRPs, but most of the media-buying population has not been educated yet on how to plan around them. "

Social Media Today says "We are currently in the third iteration of social media, and adoption is quickly becoming more measurement-focused," noting that "An Altimeter Group report found that 70% of businesses believed social media could meet business objectives, but only 43% had a formalized strategy for how social would meet their specific business goals."

Shared on the Community 2.0 LinkedIn group was the following Infographic: User Activity on Social Networks via Web100 blog. (In keeping with our last post from Millennial Mega Mashup, we see that 26 – 44 year olds make up 50%+ of Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn & Pinterest users.) Time spent and unique users are the two key elements tracked for these stats.

A recent BIA/Kelsey U.S. Social Media Advertising Forecast predicts social ad revenues climbing from $3.8 billion to $9.8 billion citing "improvement in ad unit performance" as one of the reasons for the growth.

One of the easiest ways to see success with this social media ad spending is on the local front. As Forbes pointed out "The numbers also explain why local merchants keep coming back to the daily deal model, despite its numerous drawbacks." The mixing of social and mobile drive sales directly to stores in a very measurable manner.

The key take-aways here? Measure what matters to you (conversion rates, referrals, engagement? Find what matches your overall strategy.) Go beyond clicks to a deeper level of engagement. Play to the strengths of the medium.

What are you measuring in social media?

Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com 

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

Mobile & Social Insights from #MegaMashup

In case you missed it, some of the Mobile Marketing Conference team headed back to Miami this week for the Millennial Mega Mashup event. Focused on understanding the mindset of the millennial, there was obviously a lot of talk about Mobile technology.

Some highlights and key takeaways from the event were:

Instagram has already passed the Web verb test. You know something is sticking around when you can use it as a verb, and the kids are into "instagramming." Part of the "new-stalgia" trend, Instagram provides millennials with the ability to be nostalgic for a moment that never even truly existed.

Shazam! Social TV is here to stay. Rick Liebling, Creative Culturalist, Young & Rubicam spoke about the many ways brands can use new social apps to create a seamless advertising experience. A viewer may look away from the screen during a commercial, but they will be turning their eyes to their phones and using apps like GetGlue and Shazam you can incorporate this trend into your advertising strategy. Read a post by Rick on this topic on Mashable here.

The panel of older Millennials expressed a love hate relationship with technology, meanwhile the younger millennials in the live focus group called Facebook "boring" (despite not being legally old enough to use it!)

We also heard about ways that businesses are using social media to recruit Millennials and learned that "Generation Innovation" is putting aside traditional education and paths to success, saying you can now "Google how to be a CEO."

To read full event coverage visit megamashup.tumblr.com

 

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

Digital News Roundup: What's New? What's Next?

One of our favorite pastimes around here is keeping an ear our for trends happening in the digital and social space. Inspired by our recent learnings at The Mobile Marketing conference and always eager to know what else is out there, let's use this space to browse and share together throughout the year.

In the mobile space, Marketing Profs shared some findings from Sensis and White Horse (pictured left) on Hispanic use of mobile for "showrooming"


In fact, Mobile continues to grow with many audiences leading to innovative uses worldwide. This Springwise post highlights "Korea’s Waffle platform, which enables businesses to offer free internet access to customers who like them on Facebook." as well as a WiFi portal that rewards responsible dog walkers. It may sound silly, but it is further evidence of a trend away from "the web" being a destination towards the internet being always all around us.

This piece in Forbes claimed "We will never have Web 3.0, because the Web’s dead." warning that web giants will "will have all the money in the world to try and adapt to the shift to mobile but history suggests they won’t be able to successfully do it."

Weather they will be successful is still up in the air, but they certainly seem to be making a go of it. Chief Facebook Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg recently stated “Mobile is a key area of growth for Facebook,” and new mobile search ad improvements recently announced for Google.

Facebook is deeply embedded in other trends right now as well. Most recently, a trend towards bridging online and offline for retailers. One Brazilian retailer is displaying "likes" in real-time and other stores are allowing users to give away free gift cards to friends in exchange for Facebook attention. Additionally, the impact of their recent decision to purchase Instagram has yet to be fully understood, but chances are it will pay off.

Meanwhile we would be remiss not to mention that the other social network, LinkedIn, is having a bit of a moment right now. The site "rose to the highest price since its market debut after reporting first-quarter sales and profit that beat analysts' estimates amid a jump in membership" and purchased SlideShare as well. Given this news, it doesn't appear that any of our current web giants are going to be out for the count anytime soon, but we'll be curious to see how these trends play out.

Have you noticed any digital marketing trends lately, share with us in the comments!


Michelle LeBlanc is a Social Media Strategist at IIR USA with a specialization in marketing. She may be reached at mleblanc@iirusa.com 

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

Official Call for Presenters Now Open: World Future Trends Summit

World Future Trends Summit
Event Date: October, 2012
Location: Miami, FL

INDUSTRY ALERT: OFFICIAL CALL FOR PRESENTERS

The Institute for International Research (IIR) presents:
World Future Trends Summit
A meeting of Styles: Where West Influences East, & East Influences West
October, 2012

Due to the high volume of submissions, we suggest you submit your proposal early and no later than Friday, May 4, 2012 to Stacy Levyn, Conference Producer at slevyn@iirusa.com or 646.895.7335.

It's time to create a place where thought leaders and influencers come together and share insights from around the world. It's time we break silos. It is time we take full advantage of the interconnectedness that is our world.

Welcome to the REVIVAL of Future Trends. Welcome to the World Future Trends Summit. Focusing on a meeting of styles: where west influences east & east influences west. The summit will consist of US and International content, recruiting speakers from the US, Brazil, Holland, China, Seoul Korea, Amsterdam, Australia, and other emerging countries.

A whole new format for a whole new event.

Day 1 - Business Cases
Day 1 of the World Future Trend Summit focuses on short 25-minute business case presentations from market research, insights, innovation, trends, design, marketing and product development executives. These cases present a realistic view of trends in action and reveal projects that worked, ones that didn’t, and what was learned along the way.

Day 2&3 - Global Keynotes
High-level Keynotes hit the stage to talk about the newest worldwide trends, insights and innovations.

Day 2&3 - Workshops
We have structured unique workshops with key advisors who are prepared to teach you the fundamental elements behind trend implementation and application. From rapid prototyping, to scenario testing and trend trekking we bring you the best in trend analysis and exploration.

The Audience
Attendees are passionate and ready to embrace opportunities. Join together with a community of trend spotters, corporate thinkers, marketers and news makers ready to embrace their future. So who will you meet? Executives responsible for:
• Marketing
• Brand/Product Management
• Market Research
• Consumer Insights
• Strategic Planning
• Business Development
• Product Development
• Innovation
• Design/Creativity
• Forecasting
• Future Strategy
• Trend Tracking

Speakers receive FREE admission to the conference.

Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities
If you are interested in sponsorship or exhibit opportunities please contact Jon Saxe, Business Development Manager at jsaxe@iirusa.com or 646.895.7467.

Interested in Becoming a Media Partner?
Contact Sharon Tzuang, Marketing Manager, at stzuang@iirusa.com.

Call for Presenters:
For consideration, please email slevyn@iirusa.com with the following information by Friday, May 4, 2012.
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail
• Talk title
• The main theme you plan to address (Business Case, Workshop or Keynote)
• Summary of the presentation (3-5 sentences)
• Please indicate what is NEW about the presentation
• Previous conference experience

Due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to respond to each submission. All those selected to participate as speakers will be notified shortly after the deadline.

Thank you for your interest in the World Future Trends Summit. We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Join the Future Trends community!
Find us on Facebook, Twitter, & LinkedIn.

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |

One month since TMMC: Do You Know Where Your Mobile Strategy Is?

It's been more than a month since we returned from The Mobile Marketing Conference and we wanted to check in on what you've been up to.

 Have you made sure all of your email marketing strategies are mobile optimized? Launched a new app or QR code campaign?

Share with us in the comments or email mleblanc@iirusa.com to submit a guest blog post about your strategy steps.

Photos from The Mobile Marketing Conference:

 

Meanwhile, the mobile world rolls on. Rumors of the next iPhone started spreading across the web, with major buzz pointing to "iWallet" a bigger, better display and better battery life. Gigaom named 2012 "The year mobile advertising starts to pay off" citing the increased viability of new targeting technologies and the growing importance of mobile to the customer on the go.

In keeping with what we heard at TMMC, many are turning to the emerging world as the next mobile market. This infographic spells it out nicely. Here in the US, marketers should continue to take into account the power of the "second screen." HBO's new show "Girls" debuted with roughly "one in every five viewers on... [a] computer or mobile device talking about it." Many were even able to take in the live concert experience on their screen with Coachella streaming live.

What's new in your mobile world? Let us know.

Like these updates? You can also follow us on Twitter or on Facebook for and industry insider news all week long. 

Share this article with your social network, just click below to share now!

Share |