Archive for October 2013

I’m a Serial B(r)and Advocate

Friday 25 October 2013 § 0

Discovering new bands and then professing my love for them on social media is one of my favourite pastimes. This is especially true if a band’s music is released for free, which seems biased. If I like a band’s music, I like their music. So why is it that the majority of the tracks I share on my social media trifecta (Facebook, Twitter, and sometimes Instagram) are free? There are two sides to this: The Penny Gap and Ownership.

Nothing highlights The Penny Gap – the psychological abyss that lies between a (digital) good that is free and one that costs a penny – better than free tunes. The Penny Gap is essentially that internal struggle you get when you’re deciding whether you want to spend your last iTunes dollar on that new Foals track or if you should just wait until your deluxe vinyl box set comes in two months . This decision-making process of evaluating and considering is probably best known as the conversion funnel (but I like “internal struggle” better).

The best way for a new band to grow their audience is to release free singles. Why? Because freemium models eliminate the internal struggle by saying, “Hey, don’t worry about it Steph, just take it and enjoy!” Within minutes of discovering the band, their song is already on my phone and ready for me to listen to while aggressively shoulder-dancing on the bus.

A closer look at all the tracks I’ve shared have a common thread: the band occupies space on my hard drive. Whether it’s an older album, photos from a show, or a free download, I’ve either invested in the band by paying for ownership of their tracks or a ticket to their show, or the band has given me permission to own their track for free.

So what does this mean for everyone else? Getting over The Penny Gap by simply bypassing it is key for new bands and brands. If you’re asking consumers to pay for your good when they barely know who you are, you’re asking them to take a giant leap, even if you’re only asking for a penny. The difference between a penny and no penny is the associated risk and opportunity cost of that penny. Bypassing that risk and Nightcrawling consumers to the other side means they’ve got nothing to lose in sampling your product. And if fans and consumers are anything like me, their relationships with b(r)ands can shift from complete stranger to friend to brand advocate within the first 30 seconds of the song. 

And just for good measure, here are some free tunes for you to aggressively shoulder-dance to on the bus:






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Let's Talk About Search

Monday 14 October 2013 § 0

Traditionally, search engine results were based on matching key words in the user’s search query to key words on a website. Now, with Google’s new Hummingbird (the first dramatic algorithm re-write since 2001), searches are “conversational.” This means that Google applies semantic meaning to your search queries and finds websites that have matching meanings, rather than matching keywords. Hummingbird was developed to ensure that users find the information they need even faster. So now, you can search “How old is Jerry Seinfeld?” and you’ll get his age.



Another addition to the user experience is the information sidebar. In both semantic and basic search result pages, users are given basic information about Jerry Seinfeld. This is fantastic from a user point-of-view, but for businesses, this might mean decreased traffic.

Businesses will have to amp up their website content to keep up with conversational search and compete with the basic information sidebar. Content has and always will be king, but when users have very specific search queries (more than 3 key words, dubbed “Long Tail Searches”), Google will only display websites that will answer their questions. A search for “Where to get ice cream” resulted in Vancity Buzz’s “10 Best Ice Cream Spots” post and a listing of local ice cream shops. With Hummingbird, websites such as Vancity Buzz will thrive because they are both semantically and locally relevant. Users end up at your website because you are providing exactly what they want, in their area. So how do businesses improve or preserve their rankings in a Google search? 

  • If you can answer a user’s question, you will earn quality traffic and potential customers. This means that your targeted audience will be staying on your page longer, instead of going back and clicking on your competition.
  • For those using Google AdWords, the key is to use specific, long-tailed keywords. The more specific the search query, the more likely your website will have a higher ranking among fewer competitor websites.
  • Google wants users to stay on their page. For websites with content that can easily be “scraped” by Google to display in the information sidebar (eg. Jerry Seinfeld’s age), they will have to provide content that is more enticing or to users to drive traffic.
  • For those whose business may rely on reviews (eg. Ice cream shops), encouraging customers to “rate” your business in Google will significantly help you in local searches, even if you don’t show up in the Top 100 search results for “Ice Cream Vancouver.”
  • Websites will have to reconsider the way they create content in order for it to be more useful to users. Editing past content may also be necessary for it to answer user questions.

Much like an unfortunate segment of Instagram users who hashtag things like #fall #babe #love #girl #tattoos #girlswithtats under their Earlybird-filtered photo of a Pumpkin Spice Latte, you can’t just throw keywords (or hashtags) around and expect to gain a quality audience. You have to create #value.

NO! NO Likes for you!
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Neil DeGrasse Tyson saw “Gravity,” is a scientifically-correct Negative Nancy. Also, I read mom blogs.

Sunday 13 October 2013 § 0

Ok, just to clarify, he “enjoyed Gravity very much.” And maybe peddling back, if you don’t know who NDGT is, he’s an astrophysicist, who is also a hilarious twitter user (1.4M followers!), and is also is the Enrique Iglesias of the nerd community. Just listen to him talk about time and space: *swoon* 


Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s talk about NDGT’s night-long ramble. As a prominent figure in the science/nerd/sci-fi entertainment world, NDGT is an influencer. Did his “Mysteries of #Gravity” series affect the box office? Probably not, but that’s not the point. Influencers are influencers for a reason. They have formed trusted relationships with their communities because they are authentic human beings with an opinion and will tell you whether or not they like something.

When firms approach influencers to promote their products, that’s a different story. If the product or service doesn’t align with the influencer’s brand identity, the authenticity of their voice is dampened. People don’t want to listen to a spokesperson who’s going to tell you everything is awesome. They want a pros and cons list. This is why the “Sponsor Approach” (as explained in the “How to Design Communities” article) is so important to consider when reaching out to influencers. The company takes the back seat in this approach and observes, responds to comments, and provides informational content and advice. But their brand presence is minimal.

Take mom blogs, for example. I read mom blogs daily (weekends are the worst because mom blogs don’t get updated) and I’m not even a mom. Why? Because I trust their opinions. After all, (someone else’s) mom knows best.

Mom blogs like A Cup of Jo often have discount codes for online clothing shops or contests for gift cards to small companies. The only thing readers have to do is comment about what they would buy from the store or what they like. And while they’re doing that, companies like ASOS, Everlane, and smaller companies like The Honest Company and Terrain get direct feedback from their target mom demographic (and not-mom 22 year-olds like me) about what they like. A symbiotic relationship with no in-your-face advertising!

The opinions of influencers feel genuine because these relationships feel more like advice from a friend rather than a paid celebrity endorsement. However, this can also harm a brand if the influencer is posting negative content. Firms that don’t approach them to correct their negative content will end up having to deal with a festering brand wound. The way I see it, approaching (or improving relationships with) key influencers can be an excellent catalyst for generating meaningful conversations with consumers.


And for the record, NDGT had a lot to say about the things “Gravity” got right.
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Maslow's Hierarchy, Revised

Friday 11 October 2013 § 0



(From my friend Trevor)

If you’re like me, this is now how you function now. A couple weeks ago, I moved and I’ve only just been connected to the Internet. As an iPhone, iPad, smart TV, and Macbook owner, not being connected left me writhing in my shame cave and spending disgusting amounts of money on coffee for my wifi fix. Now that I’m connected, let’s talk about how great being connected is over some food, water, shelter, and warmth.

A recent eMarketer report outlined the multi-device habits of tablet users. Essentially, tablet users are connected all the time, but across different web-enabled devices.

The majority of tablet owners use them at home. Their pattern of usage is predominantly: smartphone in the morning, desktop at the office, and tablet at night. For tablet users, the device is a complement to household activities (like following #DoctorWho on Twitter while watching Doctor Who on your smart TV while texting your friend[s] about Doctor Who), rather than something you take with you when you go out.



Despite the fact that marketers will now have to play a game of “catch me if you can” with their consumers, multi-screen exposure opens up a multitude of opportunities:

  • For brands with online communities (like BBC Doctor Who, for example), this increases the user’s ability to access, follow, and participate in online discussions. Additionally, consumers will always be up-to-date with brands they are interested in.
  • Tablet users are always “on the grid,” which means they’re highly accessible for most part of the day. eMarketer recommends targeting messages by device, time of day, and context of the user.
  • Brands can customize messages to the consumer’s context, time of day, and device. If a consumer is constantly switching between devices, it’s easy for brand messages to go unnoticed and become forgotten by the time another “switch” happens. With a customized message, brands can better capture the attention of the “habitual multitaskers” that are tablet owners.
  • Familiarity with a brand can generate interest, or at the very least, salience in the consumer’s mindset. eMarketer references a study in which
“users who were exposed to an automotive brand’s messaging across two screens exhibited a 57% jump in regional dealer lookups and test drive requests as compared to users who saw the brand’s messaging on only one screen.” 


By focusing efforts on tailored messages to always-on-the-grid consumers, marketers can effectively to reach their consumers in the "Awareness" and "Consideration" phases of the Consumer Decision Journey, much like the "Magician's Hat" Model.  


What do you think? Is being connected all the time over multiple devices more of a threat for marketers than an opportunity?
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Honda Starts Twitter War with Snack Brands

Tuesday 8 October 2013 § 0

A good chunk of the people I follow on twitter are comedians. More often than not, especially sarcastic tweets are faced with backlash, but if you’re a celebrity or prominent twitter figure (or brand!), your public feuds can get blown out of proportion and entirely public to anyone with a wifi connection.

 Last week, Honda started series of “fun” twitter feuds with prominent snack brands, many of which responded with snarky replies.





The feuds were started to promote the new in-car vacuum for the Honda Odyssey, and accompanied a series of TV spots, which featured actors Rainn Wilson and Neil Patrick Harris voicing snacks and other small forgottens on the floor of a Honda about to be vacuumed. Despite being “the first of its kind,” you have to admit that a mini-van with an in-car vacuum is nothing worth jump up and down about.

But here’s why I think Honda’s marketing efforts are so exceptionally smart: The parents of today are pretty hip, but they’re not as interested in cars as their parents used to be, let alone mini-vans. Millenial parents don’t have the same financial security as their parents did, are more open about alternative transportation, and are simply less excited about owning a car. 
 

Honda understands this and have used creative mediums to reach Millenial parents:
  •  The recognizable voices of Rainn Wilson and NPH are worth paying attention to. Just as when The Office’s John Krasinski narrated esurance’s ad which took a jab at Geiko customers for “trusting animal characters,” these hilarious men of primetime are young parents themselves (both IRL and on TV) and are recognized as trustworthy poster dads for the parents of today. 
  • Twitter feuds are something you jump at. Whether it’s your “No spoilers!” friend who thinks the entirety of the Internet is under his authority, or some celebrity getting mad at another celebrity, you can’t help but follow the conversation. Yes, the Honda vs. Snacks “feuds” aren’t real, but a corporate twitter account with an inkling of a personality is refreshing isn't it? 

By leveraging the power of all these big food and snack brands, Honda created an interactive and social ecosystem around a product you wouldn't expect to be talking about. What are your thoughts? 
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The Corporate Twitter Account Spectrum

Sunday 6 October 2013 § 0

As marketing students, we know twitter as a medium for brands to connect with consumers and build communities, but as a twitter user, I know it as a Pokemon binder of entertainers making social commentary, having ridiculous insights, and complaining about internal struggles. In flipping through my twitter binder of 570 accounts, I noticed that the corporations I follow fall along a scale from “Meh” to “Doritos Ontario…” I should explain.

The majority of corporate Twitter accounts I’ve come across are just that – corporate. Unless you’re a passionate brand advocate, it can get tiring following a corporate twitter account because their tweets feel more like advertisements than entertainment. As Brian Solis put it, social media is merely a tool. It is a platform to foster meaningful conversation between firms and consumers. In an AYTM survey, 63% of respondents followed corporate accounts and 26% of them preferred accounts with personality. So why are there still corporate twitter accounts out there that still fall under the “Meh” category?



A couple months ago it was revealed (to nobody’s surprise, really) that the region-specific @DoritosOntario twitter account was a fake. The account poked fun at hokey corporate accounts that lacked personality by aggressively promoting Doritos (in Ontario) to its 2682 followers, but that’s not all! The account (now inactive) was self-deprecating, questioned its mortality, occasionally referenced rap lyrics, and gave the best/worst advice to its followers.





And my personal favourite:

I know, the account was a parody and there is no way a real corporate account could pull this off, but the point is that Doritos Ontario had a personality. It engaged with its “consumers” in a humanistic way. Doritos Ontario put out content you wanted on your Twitter stream, not just static sales pitches. Firms that use a structured and traditional approach to social media will not develop meaningful conversations because their relationships with their followers will feel shallow and inauthentic.
And by the way, there are corporate accounts out there that are approaching the “Doritos Ontario” end of the spectrum:

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