Entries in social media (8)

Tuesday
27Oct2009

Back to the now: Ads in Marty McFly's 2015

DateTuesday, October 27, 2009 at 7:24PM

I used to think of the future of advertising as the one portrayed in Back to the Future Part II.  Y'know, the part where Marty McFly is in the futuristic downtown area of Hill Valley, bombarded by ads and startled by a 3D hologram of Jaws 19.  Advertising was satirically presented to be omnipresent and intrusive.  We thought it was funny, but in reality, we knew it would probably be annoying if it ever actually went down that way.

Fortunately, we haven't quite reached that saturation point.  (Although with the average person viewing up to XXX ads per day, it's easy to make a counter argument that we are already annoyed.)  But as we approach Marty's future, this post from Justin Foster reminded me we aren't too far off:

Think about this ... a single person with a camera phone can post video, photos, and written content to a blog, Facebook, Twitter, and hundreds of other web platforms.  This content, depending how viral it is, can spread to hundreds or thousands of other people. Now combine that times billions.  What happens to the influence and reach of traditional media when The People become The Media?  It profoundly effects the way We the People consume information and entertainment.  This is not just disruptive to media business models such as selling ad space based on eye-balls.  It changes the rules for what "news" is, what a brand is, message control, the roles of government, and more.  Properly harnessed, it can make a young company the world's #1 brand without spending a dime on advertising (Google) or it can lead to the demise of established brands and traditions.
For those versed in the evolution of social media, this should sound pretty familiar.  People embracing brands, becoming advocates and spreading the word through new media, etc.  But for the first time, I had a bizarre futuristic vision of people driving the saturation, vs. the brands themselves.
Authoradam stewart | Comment1 Comment |
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Tuesday
21Jul2009

TwttrPoop and what you should already know about social media

DateTuesday, July 21, 2009 at 12:05PM

I made a vow that I would avoid writing about twitter on this blog until there is actually something new to say.  Well, with the release of TwttrPoop, that day has arrived.

The creation of Josh Shabtai, TwttrPoop is pretty much what is sounds like -- it aggregates all tweets about going #2 and allows you to graph them in comparison to any other terms widely discussed on twitter.  It shouldn't come as a surprise that variations of "going #2" far outweigh most other terms.  Sure -- major topics like Michael Jackson, Iran and, of course, beer receive more tweets than bowel movements do, but most other brands don't fare so well.

Google, Facebook and Apple all receive more tweets than "people talking about pooping", which based on other comparisons, is pretty impressive.  These are three of the top brands in the online/technology space, and it's likely the people tweeting about them are using them at the same time they are on twitter.

 

When you take this comparison to a few offline brands, the results are very different.

 

Coke, IBM and Toyota are all included in BusinessWeek's Top Brands of 2008.  And they are all dwarfed on twitter by people taking a poop.  The latest buzz in "social media marketing" -- same deal.  Pooping dominates.

If you do a few of these graphs, it solidifies what you should already know -- twitter is more like texts from last night than a tool about conversing with customers and building brands.  Social media mimics real-life conversations.  And, like real life conversations, there are many topics more interesting to people than your new label or the contest you are running for people who become fans of your Facebook page.

Something often forgotten in marketing with social media: Just because you're interested in talking to your customers, doesn't mean they're interested in hearing from and talking about you.  And when there's nothing you can do about it, step away from tactics and build a reason for people to care about your brand.

Authoradam stewart | Comment2 Comments |
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Monday
18May2009

"You've changed, man" (on twitter)

DateMonday, May 18, 2009 at 8:20AM

Of all the social networks that I participate in, I actually KNOW the fewest on twitter.  And I'm guessing if you follow/are followed by more than a few hundred people, you are in the same situation. twitter is one of the few social networks where it is completely acceptable to follow people you don't know, and want them to follow you back.  It is one of the things that makes twitter unique.

I am following marketers, technologists, designers, news services and a slew of early adopters, and I am followed by many of the same.  As twitter has grown over the last few months, the one group I have now added is friends.  As in, people I know personally -- relationships were constructed offline and are now seeping onto twitter.

I joined twitter as a digital marketer wanting to learn more about a tool that has now become essential to maintaining a social media presence, and ended up talking to people doing the same.  My real friends weren't there, so the people I talked to the most we like me: early adopters, marketers, people interested in new media.  Now that my friends have rolled into twittertown, my twitter personality is changing.  The people listening and talking back to me on twitter are no longer early adopters and marketers -- they are people I grew up with and had beers with long before twitter existed.

It is unusual for a social media service to become more social, but that's what twitter has become for me.  I'd rather tweet to and for friends I know than hope for a retweet from early adopters.  That doesn't mean it's one or the other, but the presence of my friends has changed the way I converse on twitter.

If I really want to maintain a certain personality on twitter, the obvious answer is to have a couple different twitter handles, but that defeats the purpose of social media.  Social media is about relationships - the new ones and the old - and one of the things that makes social media interesting to me is the fusing of the those relationships and the information/interactions that result.  As more of my friends join twitter, it becomes better (and more social) for me.  And to be honest, I think it makes the conversation on twitter better as well.  So I'll be sticking with my current twitter handle and look forward to more friends rolling into town.

Authoradam stewart | Comment2 Comments |
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Tuesday
20Jan2009

Change Has Come

DateTuesday, January 20, 2009 at 5:41PM

It was only fitting that the most digitally-savvy President in U.S. history would be seen taking the oath of office through a blend of traditional and digital media. He's bringing a welcome political and philosophical change, but he's also changing the way that politicians utilize digital media to communicate with constituents. Just take a look at the squeaky-clean, newly-launched WhiteHouse.gov, complete with blog, weekly video address and email updates.

I watched the inauguration on Current TV, featuring their live feed of tweets streaming along with the ceremony, and online at CNN Live with Facebook. I did this simultaneously, which was a bit overstimulating, but I wanted to try out both experiences. The social aspect of both brought an enhanced viewing experience, for different reasons.

Current TV

current-inaug

Current was displaying tweets in (almost) real-time to coincide with the event. Their broadcast felt a lot like VH1's Pop Up Video, and I mean that in the best way possible. Tweets provided commentary and factual nuggets that added a lot of value for the viewer. And the stream of ecstatic tweets from people from all over the world, including @wonderasiwander tweeting from Kenya with the tribe of Obama's father, added to the bigness of the event. I was proud to watch it, and intrigued by what people were saying.

CNN Live with Facebook inaug-obama

C.C. Chapman called it early on -- this was a game changer. As he mentioned, CNN, Facebook and Cisco created a better experience than watching on TV, thanks to a very smooth feed that experienced remarkably few hiccups despite the huge amount of traffic it was receiving. And, unlike Current's experience, it was uber-social. Every status was posted, comments could be made on every status, and most importantly, Facebook flexed it's muscle as a micro-blogging platform. Everyone still has more friends on Facebook than twitter, and they are more comfortable conversing there.

For the experience that I liked better, I would have to go with CNN and Facebook -- it was more social and all my friends were already there. But I enjoyed watching the Current broadcast as well, and it will be interesting to see if other stations try something for a major event like the Oscars or Super Bowl.

This is an exciting time, both politically and in the realm of new media. It is fitting that these two happened to converge on the same day.

Authoradam stewart | CommentPost a Comment |
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Friday
02Jan2009

Soundbites vs. Solutions in Social Media

DateFriday, January 2, 2009 at 3:17PM

I have admittedly taken some time off from Google Reader, twitter and blogging in the past few weeks. Due to the holidays and a need to unplug, I stepped away from the laptop a bit to travel and enjoy meeting up with friends in the non-digital world. However, in my brief moments and futile efforts to catch up, a few conversations caught my attention.

The final post ignited the light bulb on what I was already thinking about the first two: Who cares how much Scoble used Friendfeed? The answer is a lot of people -- the ones already immersed in digital media. Just look at the huge number of comments on the first two posts and the discussions on FriendFeed here.

This was a clearly a hot topic, but it wasn't necessarily an inclusive conversation for people and potential clients still unfamiliar with the space. Are these debates going to convince businesses to do something as simple as starting a blog or joining twitter when they are already facing challenges in doing so? Are graduate-level questions about social media usage really going to help businesses that are only at social media 101?  Not really -- what they really want are examples of solutions in social media.

There is absolutely value in conversations about FriendFeed's reach, and I'm a big fan of Robert Scoble. But social media is just as much about technology and influencers as it is about audience and finding the appropriate niche to have that conversation in. What companies need to hear are social media solutions that achieved specific business goals with a specific audience, not soundbites about a social media platform.

The FriendFeed/Scoble debate is a soundbite. Dell attributing $1 million in revenue to twitter is a solution.  And it is important to recognize the difference.

Authoradam stewart | CommentPost a Comment |
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